This Is A Beautiful Short That Totally Didn’t Leave Me A Crying Blubbery Mess (in A Good Way). 

another trope inversion of GAR/Guard interactions:

the GAR is entirely aware that Coruscant is a shit posting.

they're not blind; they can see all the anti-clone sentiment when they're on leave. even when they're deployed, it's not like they're cut off from all news - they know how many times bills for clone rights have gone to the Senate floor and been ruthlessly voted down. they can see how even their Jedi are restrained by the Senate dragging its feet and making bad choices and handling the war like it's a game of dejarik since it will never affect them personally.

very few politicians have the respect of the clones.

but the Guard still have to work with the spoiled, self-centered bastards, and the GAR knows that they're not being treated well. but what can they do? they have no rights, the Jedi are as trapped under the Senate's thumb as they are, and it's not like they can get regular citizens to do anything.

so they offer their support as much as they can. any Guard, any Corrie who needs help, all they have to do is find one of their brothers and it will be offered without any questions.

you'd think that crime rate would go up when battle-traumatized soldiers are given leave on a city-planet like Coruscant, but it actually goes down.

way down.

the thing criminals come to realize is that if you are being chased by one of the Guard, if ANY other clone catches sight of you, it is ON SIGHT. clones in casual clothes carrying food and drinks have dropped everything to immediately join a Guard's hunt, throwing themselves into the pursuit with glee and an energy that the usually-exhausted Guards often lack. (some of them howl. those, the criminal underground agrees, are the worst.) 

and with hundreds or thousands of clones wandering around during battalions' leave, it's possible to run into one of them anywhere. and they usually travel in packs.

best just to lay low for a while.

when it leaks that the Guard regularly run low on supplies, all sorts of things start to go missing on the venators. just a box or a crate here or there, ration packs or bacta patches or cold-weather gear. there are millions of clones and thousands of ships; it's not like every little thing can be tracked by the quartermasters. 

(rex realizes that, for whatever reason, his battalion is always prioritized for resupply, and rarely any questions are asked about their requisitions. rex takes immediate and shameless advantage of this. rex manages, somehow, to lose two entire bacta tanks, along with the bacta to fill them.)

and ofc the idea that started this whole ramble - when a shiny Corrie stumbles somewhere where some of the 501st are shooting the shit, causing everything to immediately come to a halt. the kid is clutching his helmet and one of his pauldrons to his chest; his hair is mussed up and there are tears on his cheeks and bruises on his face and unadulterated panic in his eyes. 

there's an angry call in the corridor.

the shiny flinches.

fives grabs him, hears him squeak, snaps out orders. echo yanks off his bucket and his upper armor; jesse lunges for a blanket. they hustle the kid into a chair, drape the blanket over his lower body, hastily swap his upper armor and helmet for echo's. fives shoves the armor somewhere, doesn't matter, it's out of sight with the telltale red, and they all barely have enough time to drop themselves back into the chairs arranged around the table and pick up their cards before some natborn stomps into the room.

anything we can do for you, sir? sorry, no, the Guard didn't stop in here. we saw him head back down toward the rotunda, though. yes, sir. have a nice day, sir.

they close and lock the door. fives goes back to the shiny. fives was instantly prepared to help a fellow clone in need.

fives was not prepared for tears.

the kid gets snot all over the inside of echo's helmet. they take him back to Guard HQ. fox is painfully, desperately relieved to see him. fox looks too-thin and too-tired but there is a fresh GAR-issued bacta patch covering a slash across the side of his cheek. he thanks them for saving the shiny, like that's something that ever needs gratitude, but is swept away before any of them can say that. 

fives doesn't think that misplaced bacta and pilfered rations are enough support for the Guard anymore.

thankfully, rex and the rest of the GAR agree.

so my friend had this realisation

(credit of video and audio to starkid ofc)

This is how all politicians behave, it’s just now people saw what they were saying. Keep up the fight!

Mystery Man

Sweet Pea x reader

Summary: When shy girl y/n catches Sweet Pea's eye, he decides to show her some gratitude. The only problem is, she doesn't know it's him.

Word Count: 4825

You didn't really have that much friends. You were a shy person, and it took a bit to get you to open up. Betty didn't care, and saw something in you that she liked. So you became best friends with the core four. People still made fun of you at the artificial school called Riverdale High, but it didn't bother you most of the time since you knew there were people in your life that liked you for the "freak" that you are.

Being shy also made you very observant. When people weren't making fun of you, they ignored you, and being invisible made it easier to witness all that was going on. Of course you did go back and talk about some things you'd hear with Betty, Jughead and Veronica. But that's how you've come to known Sweet Pea.

He wasn't as bad as so many Northside students made him seem to be. Not at all. In your eyes, he was just looking out for his family, the Serpents. It wasn't his fault he was born the wrong side of town, yet people were quick to judge him. He was easily angry, but you saw that it was because of everybody's judgements. You saw that he didn't want people to think he was weak, so he used anger to show people otherwise.

That's why you decided to help him. You figured you should just mind your business, but you felt bad for the tall serpent sitting next to you who was struggling with the equations. He never asked for help since people would just label him as stupid.

He buried his face in his hands in frustration. How was he supposed to pass this class when the teacher is doing lessons that he never learned at Southside High?

He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a tap on his arm. He turned his head towards you, looking you up and down. "Do you need help?" You asked quietly.

He just stared at you. He didn't know if it were a joke or not. "What?" Was the only thing that came out of his mouth. He then felt more stupid.

You took it upon yourself to grab his notebook and begin to write on the problem he's been stuck on. "Do you get how I set that up?" He shook his head. "So since it has an exclamation mark, it means that it multiplies with all the numbers before it, up to 1. But to make it easier, when you write out the numbers you stop when it's the same as the bottom of the fraction so you can cross it out. That way the bottom is 1 and you don't have to simplify. All you have to do is multiply the rest of the numbers."

You gave him back his notebook, and he continued to stare at you. You suddenly felt really hot and small in your seat. You went back to your own notebook, and Sweet Pea did the same.

By some miracle, the rest of the problems were easy to complete. He looked around at almost the entire class struggling, but he was done. He didn't feel so dumb as he usually felt. He looked over to you. You were done as well, and were doodling on your pages.

"Alright everyone," Ms. Danvers brought everybody's attention to her. "Pencils down. Let's review." She looked around the room, noticing Sweet Pea staring at you instead of the board. "Sweet Pea." He snapped his head to her. "Since you don't find it important to pay attention, why don't you tell us the answer to number 1?"

"Uh, 235." Ms. Danvers looked at him with a mixture of shock and annoyance. She ignored him, moving on to the second question. Sweet Pea smiled to himself before looking to you. You smiled back.

When he kept his gaze on you, your face felt hot and your smile faded as you quickly looked back to your notebook. He internally chuckled at you. He noticed how your hair covered some of your face, and that you had a cute figure that you hid as well with a flannel.

The bell rang and you all packed up. You were about to get up when a hand slammed on your desk, causing you to jump your seat. "Sorry." Sweet Pea said. "Thanks for earlier." He put down a ten dollar bill.

You looked at the bill and slid it towards him. "You're welcome." You then got up and grabbed your stuff.

"I don't want to owe you anything." He held out the money to you.

You sighed, grabbing the money and putting it in his flannel pocket. "If you're being paid to be nice then it's not really being nice is it?" He didn't say anything, so you offered him a small smile. "If you ever need help, you could just ask."

He watched you leave, wondering how someone could be so adorably nice. He decided to sort of follow you around without your knowledge of knowing. You didn't really speak to anyone, except for Jughead and his three friends.

Later at the Whyte Wrym Sweet Pea asked Jughead a question, with Betty sitting on his lap. "So what's with your quiet friend at school Jones?"

Betty and Jughead looked at each other. "I think he means y/n." Betty explained.

"Oh. Why are you so interested in her?"

"I never said I was, she's just kinda mysterious. Why doesn't she really talk?"

Jughead and Betty smiled at each other knowingly. "She's a shy girl." Betty said. "The sweetest you'll ever meet though. It sucks that she takes all that crap from everybody."

Sweet Pea furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, just the artificial society created by highschool. Her quietness seems to be at the bottom of the food chain." Jughead explained. Sweet Pea just stared at him. "She gets bullied and doesn't do anything about it."

He didn't know how to react. He was angry, but he really didn't have to be. He didn't even know you. "Shouldn't someone be defending her?"

"You mean you want to defend her?" Jughead asked. Sweet Pea didn't say anything, but gave him a glare.

Betty smiled. "Whenever we try to help her she just brushes it off. Besides, she has some personal issues that she has to deal with."

"How do you get closer to a girl like that?"

Both Betty and Sweet Pea ignored Jughead's snickering. "Actions speak louder than words. You should show her that you want to get close to her."

Sweet Pea thought about this. It was a good idea. He wasn't a very outgoing person when it came to talking about his feelings, so this worked out perfectly. "Can you tell me something that she likes?"

The next day you were going through a normal day at school when you opened your locker, finding something out of the ordinary. There was a comic book with a present bow on it and a letter taped to the front.

I heard you love Marvel. Hope you like it, cause I'd feel like a superhero if I made you smile. You should have your hair a little out of your face. It's cute, but what's behind your hair is even cuter. I know heroes usually hide behind a mask, but there is one hero that isn't afraid to show the world what he really looks like. You'll be hearing from me again soon.

You took the note off, seeing a comic book for Iron Man Volume 3, the one where he reveals his identity. Tony Stark was your favorite Avenger. How could anybody know this?

Sweet Pea watched you as you smiled at the gift, putting it in your backpack and happily walking to the school library for lunch with your friends. This was working. Sweet Pea felt proud of himself.

When you got to the library you found an unopened bag of Pop's on your seat. "It's for you." Betty said, a teasing smile on.

"Who's it from?" You asked quietly.

Veronica then spoke up. "He'd rather not have us say." You opened the bag to your favorite order, as well as another note.

You like it? Sometimes you forget your lunch money since a lot of things go through your mind. It's not good for you to skip meals. Eat up! :)

"Are you guys telling him stuff about me?"

"If somebody asks a question, it'd be rude not to answer." Betty said, amusement in her voice.

The next day at school you saw a small box with another note sitting on your desk in Geometry. You first opened the note, with Sweet Pea nervously sitting next to you in his desk.

Make a wish! My wish is for you to like me for who I really am, but I'll let you have this chance. Oh, and as much as I'd love to spoil you, I'm not really made of money. I'd rather talk to you more. 714-xxx-xxxx

You then opened the box, revealing a necklace that had a small rose gold wishbone on it. You let out a short giggle when you saw it. "Make a wish." You quietly said.

Sweet Pea watched in joy as you put it on. You then put the note in your backpack. When you looked around, he turned back to the front of him, trying not to seem suspicious. He then felt a tap on his arm.

"Hey." You said. "Uh, did you see who left this?" He shook his head. "Oh, okay. Sorry to bother you." You turned but quickly turned back to him. "Oh, and, please don't tell people about this. I know you don't know me and shouldn't really care about me, but I'm just saying. Just in case, y'know? I, um, don't want certain people to know about this." You nervously stared at him when you finished your ramble.

"Why not?" He simply asked.

You let out an unamused laugh. As you were about to open your mouth to respond, some River Vixens came up to you. "Aw, what's this? Shy girl got a gift from a crush?" One said as she lifted up your necklace.

The other one went behind you and took it off. "It's cute. I think it'd look better on me."

"Wait, no!" They laughed at your panicked form. "Please give it back. Please." They responded by taking their seats.

You began to shake your leg nonstop. Sweet Pea watched as you kept doing that and tapping your fingers on the desk. "Are you okay?"

"Huh- uh, yeah. Mhm." You didn't look at him.

"You sure?"

"It's called anxiety." You snapped. "So if you want to make fun of me for it too, be my guest." He didn't respond, only stared at you. You buried your hands in your face, then pushed back your hair to look at him. "Sorry." You mumbled.

He nodded. "You should let someone help you with it."

"I don't want to drag someone into my problems, that's selfish." You paused. "Which is what I'm kinda doing to you right now. Sorry."

"You shouldn't say sorry for things when you didn't do anything wrong." The bell then rang and you kept your gaze on Sweet Pea, wondering how someone could be so secretly nice. You brain then wondered, and you snapped out of your thoughts. You shouldn't think of him like that, when there's someone out there who actually has feelings for you.

Later on, you heard a knock on your door about an hour after you got home. You went to go answer it, since your parents were always working. Not they'd answer the door. When they were home, they didn't really talk to you. They told you that they loved you, but you always felt that they were ashamed of you. They were Northsiders, after all, they weren't really proud of having a child that was different from the others.

When you got to the door, nobody was there. You looked down, and there was another box with a note. You opened the box, and there was another necklace. This time, it was a key hole. You then took a look at the letter.

I heard what happened, but it's okay :) Maybe you'll find the key. Hopefully sometime soon.

You then set the box and letter down on your nightstand. You took out the letter from earlier and put the number in.

You ~ Thank you

??? ~ For? 😏

You ~ Everything

??? ~ Do you like the new necklace?

??? ~ I have a matching one of a key

You ~ Why are you being so nice to me?

??? ~ Why are you always so nice?

You ~ .-.

??? ~ You don't care about superficial crap that everybody else does

??? ~ You're always so selfless and don't ask for help when you might need it

??? ~ Why wouldn't I be nice you to?

The two of you talked some more, and you figured that he wouldn't reveal himself to you anything soon. That meant that it was up to you to figure it out. You texted him the next day.

You ~ You're from the Southside

Sweet Pea was caught off guard. It had only been two days of doing this and you were already on to him.

??? ~ Why do you think that?

You ~ Because almost all Northside guys are dicks

??? ~ Lol

??? ~ Wait

??? ~ Almost?

You ~ Archie is sweet

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes. Of course you would think that. Everybody on the Northside seems to love Archie, and he never understood why. Little did he know that you were saying this on purpose.

??? ~ He's not even as innocent as people make him out to be

??? ~ I don't get what people see in him

You ~ So you're a Serpent

Sweet Pea was freaking out now. "Wow." Toni said, reading over his shoulder. "Smart girl."

"Toni, back off." He pushed her away. "Stop reading my messages."

"You really have to hide yourself in order to get a girl to like you?" She teased. He glared at her. "Relax, I'm kidding. You don't have to hide yourself, she doesn't seem like the type of person to care." They both looked at his phone as he texted you.

You ~ Why do you think that?

Y/n ~ If you don't like Archie then you're a serpent

Y/n ~ Don't worry snake boy 🐍🐍

Y/n ~ I'll find the key soon enough

"Wow, you're really making her work to you." Toni said. "Then again, you seem like you're working hard too."

At school you went up to Jughead, asking a question that was to everyone's delight. "Could I have a list of all the Serpents that go to this school?"

He shifted in his seat. "Why?"

"The guy who's been giving me things is a serpent. I can tell."

"Wow," Veronica said. "Mystery man is taking an effect on you. I haven't seen you this giddy before."

"I can give you a list of the Swords and Serpents Club members." Jughead offered.

You nodded, giving him a hug. "Thank you!" He awkwardly hugged back. He then gave you the list after school.

You ~ So I narrowed you down to 16 guys

Snake Boy ~ Good job

Snake Boy ~ Your prize is at your favorite diner

You stopped in your tracks on the way to your house, turning around to and walking to Pop's. "Hey Pop."

"Hello y/n." Pop said, smiling. "You must be here for your gift."

You nodded excitedly. He handed you a teddy bear with a mini Southside Serpents jacket on it. "Thanks Pop." You giddily said. "Could you tell me anything about him?"

"Well, I'm only allowed to say one thing."

"Um, this hair color?"

"Black."

"Thanks Pop." You then took off, texting your mystery man.

You ~ 7 guys

Snake Boy ~ Your next prize is at your door step

It was a Joker and Harley Quinn poster. You happily put it up on your wall. You were excited to learn who this guy was. You just hoped that he wouldn't change is mind.

The next day you walked into Geometry class, sitting down and putting your key hole necklace under your shirt. Sweet Pea smiled. You were enjoying the gifts, and it seemed special to you. Unfortunately he was so focused on you that he wasn't paying attention to the board, and had no idea what to do.

"Um, hey," he tapped your shoulder as you drew on your notebook. You looked up at him and smiled. "Could you help me out with this? Please?"

You smiled. "Sure." You then began explaining the equations to him, and even cracked a joke here and there. You were usually awkward with people when talking to them, but he was easier to talk to. You showed him though your notebook, and Sweet Pea couldn't have been any happier with what is saw.

"Is that a bear with a leather jacket on?" He pointed at one of your drawings. You felt your face heat up and nodded. You hid behind your hair. He let out a chuckled. "That's pretty cute."

He then took a piece of your hair and tucked it behind your ear. You then looked at him. "Why'd you do that?"

"You look prettier when you show your face." Your face felt like it was on fire as you turned to the front. You couldn't be feeling like this with him when mystery man was waiting for you.

Your mind danced around the idea of Sweet Pea being mystery man, but you dismissed it. He would probably be too embarrassed to be seen with you. Maybe he's just a really flirty person.

In PE Jughead gave you a water bottle from mystery man. On the plastic bottle it said hydrate. "This is becoming sickening to watch." Jughead said. "I don't really enjoy being a delivery boy."

"So you're closer to him then." You said. "You wouldn't do this unless you were more closer with them."

"I can neither confirm nor deny this." His smile betrayed him.

"So it's either Fangs or Sweet Pea." You cracked a smile as you said the ladder's name.

Jughead noticed and shrugged. "I guess you'll just have to ask mystery man himself."

You grabbed your stuff when PE was over, taking out your phone to give a quick text.

You ~ 2 guys

Snake Boy ~ Who did you come up with?

You ~ Sweet Pea or Fangs

As Sweet Pea looked at his phone in shock, Fangs was reading over his shoulder. "Hey, it's either me or you. I've seen her, she's pretty hot. Maybe I could have her." He laughed as his friend shoved him.

As you and Jughead were walking out of school, some bulldogs stopped the two of you. "Well what do we have here?" Reggie said. "If it isn't little miss freak."

"Lay off Reggie." Jughead said.

He chose to ignore Jughead. "I noticed that you've been skippin' around school like you own the place, all for some mystery guy." You said nothing, only looked down. "Let me tell you something, whoever this guy is, doesn't like you. I mean, there's nothing to like, really. You will always be the freak that people laugh about, and he's just playing you."

You kept your gaze on the ground, which infuriated one of the other bulldogs. "Hey!" He said, shoving you back. "You listenin-"

He was cut off by a punch from Jughead, which caused another Bulldog with a ring on to punch Jughead, causing his cheek to bleed. You yanked him away, and the two of you began to sprint to your house.

Once you got home you gave Jughead your first aid kit to patch himself up. That was when you thought about what Reggie said. He was right. You would always be the freak, and nobody would like you for who you are. You were too damaged, too different.

"Hope you're not thinking about what Reggie said." Your thoughts were cut off by Jughead. "Look, Reggie's just a dick. Don't ever listen to anything that comes out of a mouth breather."

You smiled at his half joke, but still felt a heavy feeling in your chest and stomach. "Thanks Jug, but I just kinda want to be alone right now." He knowingly hugged you as your eyes began to water. He then saw himself out.

That's when the bad thoughts came flowing into your brain. They were worse that usual, and instead of fighting your anxiety like you read about, you just let it take over you. Once you started crying, you went into your room and curled up on your bed. You stopped crying after a bit, but were still taken over by the bad thoughts. That's when too heard a knock at the door.

You answered it, and saw Sweet Pea nervously standing there with a bag of chocolates. "Hey. I was going to just leave these at the door, but it seemed like this was more serious."

You stared at him blankly. "Are you mystery man?" You asked, quieter than intended.

He let out a small laugh. "Is that what you guys have been calling me?"

You still looked at him seriously. "How do I know this isn't some mean trick?"

He showed a necklace that he was wearing under his shirt. It had a gold key on it. You ran up and hugged him, causing him to drop the bag. "Woah." He laughed. "Didn't think you'd be that excited."

"Come in." You picked up the bag and grabbed his hand, leading him in.

"You sure your Northside parents are okay with a serpent coming into their home?" He asked as you closed the door.

"They're not home, and they don't really pay attention to their freak daughter." You said as you both sit on the couch. "So, I have questions."

"It's only fair if I ask questions too." Sweet Pea said as he got a little closer.

You suddenly became aware of the close proximity and scooted back a bit. "Okay." you said, face flushed. "We'll take turns. I'll go first. Why did you do all these things for me?"

"Because I wanted to get closer to you. You didn't handle being face to face as well, so I figured this was the best way to go." You nodded. "Are you happy that it was me?"

"Extremely." His lips curled up as he looked at your blushing form in a daze. "What do you see in me?"

"Awesomeness." You giggled. "I see that you don't care about me living in the Southside. I see that you're always kind to people, even though nobody deserves you. I see that your really pretty but don't think so. I see that your body is perfect but you cover it with a flannel."

As he said that, he pushed hair out of your face and gently tugged on your flannel, causing one side to be hanging off your shoulder. You got closer, putting a hand on his cheek. "It's your turn."

He leaned into your hand. "Why were you happy that it was me?"

"Because I was starting to gain feelings for real you, and I felt like I was betraying mystery you because I had feelings for him too." He looked down to your lips. "I figured out it was you. What's my prize?"

He leaned into you, pushing his lips onto yours. He put his hands on your waist while you put yours in his face. When he finally pulled back from the mind blowing kiss, he asked, "Would you like to go out with me?"

"Do I get to call you my boyfriend?"

He laughed. "Of course."

"Are you sure you want to be with me? Damaged and all?" You were nervous, and this made Sweet Pea just fall deeper for you.

"You're not damaged, you're actually perfect. You just don't see it, but it's okay because I do. If you're going through something I'll always be here for you. Truth is, I'm the broken one here."

You shook your head, kissing the side of his jaw. "I don't care about your baggage, I care about you." He then pulled you in for another amazing kiss as you felt him smile.

The next day at school you confidently walked in with your key hole necklace. As you were looking you for friends to tell them the amazing news, three River Vixens came up to you. "Well what do we have here?"

Your smile faltered a bit. "I think Mr Fake Secret Admirer gave it to her." Another said.

You held onto it. You were not going to let them get this one too, it was too special. "That's none of your business." You sternly said.

The three of them laughed. "Aw, shy girl does have a voice after all. Look tiny, you will never have a man who loves you, so you should stop trying to convince people that someone fell for your loser ass-"

Her voice faded off as the three of them stared up at you. You then felt two arms wrap around you, and you smiled, turning around into your boyfriends arms. "Morning."

"Morning." You said back. He then tugged you into a kiss, grabbing your face and deepening it as the three others watched. When the two of you pulled back you had your arms around his neck. "Did you like the chocolates?"

The two of you were almost nose to nose, you staring at him as he happily stared at your lips. "Yeah, I ate a little when you left. How'd you know those were my favorite?"

His hands left your cheeks to slide onto your hips. "I have my ways." He then looked up, pulling back a bit to eye the three Vixens. "Can I help you?"

You didn't look at them, only played with the key necklace he was wearing. They noticed how the two of you were matching necklaces. "She's paying you, isn't she?"

He then laughed, eyeing them up and down. "You girls have boyfriends, do you?" They were all silent. "Yeah, thought so. Maybe when you guys stop being assholes to other people, you'll understand why we're so happy."

He then put an arm around your shoulder and walked away with you. "Wow." You laughed.

"Can't let them talk bad about my girl. No flannel?"

"No, figured I should stop hiding so much. You like it?" You smiled, and Sweet Pea almost melted. You were just too adorable.

He pulled your waist closer to him. "I like you."

"I like you too." You both kissed, but stopped when Sweet Pea felt a hand clasp his shoulder.

"So you managed to pull this off." Fangs said. He then stepped towards you. "Since I was your second choice, does that mean that I can have you if things don't work out between the two of you?"

You giggled, already liking this guy. Sweet Pea found this less funny, and decided that everybody should know who you belong to. "Come on." He said grabbing you and putting you over his shoulder.

"Sweets!" You and Fangs laughed as he began to walk away with you. "It was nice to meet you Fangs!" You called out as he watched you being hauled around by your boyfriend.

Canon SW Language Refs

Sources:

Star Wars: How Not to Get Eaten by Ewoks and Other Galactic Survival Skills (2019)

Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia (2017)

This a very random thought, but I'm listening to the album of little shop of horrors and I just imagined Joe Walker singing "Dentist!" and now I want it

My Top 10 Merthur Fan fics

This is a list of my favorite fan fics of the merlin x arthur pairing (my OTP) that I’ve read over the past couple of years. I strongly think these stories deserve to be shared as they, and their authors, are amazing. I want to give these authors lots of love as they clearly worked very hard on their stories. I also think the illustrator that is in a few of these stories deserves some love. Kudos to you all, and thank you all for being such talented, hard workers.

And like the cycle of the year we begin again

By: katherynefromphilly, @katherynefromphilly

Rating: Mature

Word count: 200k+

Summary:

For many long years Merlin waited. For the other part of his soul, for the other half of his life. He was born to serve Arthur. So that meant he was also born to wait. Even if it took a thousand years. Even if the wait seemed never to end. Until one day, suddenly, it did. Set after the Merlin Series 5 Finale “Diamond of the Day”. Canon Compliant. In Character. Arthur Pendragon Returns When Arthur stumbles from the Lake of Avalon 1,500 years after his death, he finds a world unlike the one he knew. Faced with the loss of everyone he loved, and the threat of impending prophecy, Arthur must quickly learn what it means to be not just a king, but the Once and Future King. Merlin does all he can to guide him in this journey, even as he struggles to hide his love for his king, and to conquer his fear of losing him again. Story includes sass, banter, horseplay, and True Love.

Student Prince

By: FayJay

Rating: Mature

Word count: 140k+

Summary:

A Modern day Merlin AU set at the University of St Andrews, featuring teetotal kick-boxers, 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… This story was inspired by the thought of Prince William of Wales (and indeed the current Max Von Hapsburg) studying at the University of St Andrews; it is also, as the title suggests, at least a little inspired by the operetta ‘The Student Prince’.

Give the Dragon a Chilli

By: supercalvin, @supercalvin

Rating: Mature

Word count: 40k+

Summary:  

Aithusa might have been no bigger than a house cat but she was still a dragon. That meant wings, claws, and her own personal hoard, which in Aithusa’s case included soft pillows, fluffy socks, and much to Merlin’s chagrin, stolen pants. When Merlin found out that his winged ward had stolen a rather considerable pile of clothing for her hoard, he thought that it would be the end of any kind of friendship with his neighbor. But when Merlin met the victim of Aithusa’s burglary, he was pleasantly surprised to find Arthur, a man who had never in his life seen a dragon let alone a burglarizing one, and Cavall, a curious German Shepherd puppy who was quick to befriend the little white dragon. From there, it was only the beginning.

Shadowlord and Pirate King

By: Footloose

Illustrated by: mushroomtale, @mushroomtale-fanart

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 160k+

Summary:

A fast ship, a good crew, a treasure, a Clan to lead – that’s all Arthur Pendragon has ever wanted. He sits on the Council, he supports his father’s kingship, and he keeps an eye on the Imperial Conglomerate when they come too close to Pirate space. One day the Conglomerate infiltrates the Clans and poisons the King. Arthur must search for a cure to keep his father alive and the Clans from civil war.

An escape route, a sharp knife, a target, the shadows at his command – that’s all Merlin has ever needed. He fulfills his assignments, he uses the Sterling to sustain his once-royal House in their exile, and wages a private war against the Imperial Conglomerate. When he learns of an elaborate plot to assassinate him, Merlin does the opposite of what’s expected. He flees onto a Pirate ship. There’s a saying among the Pirates: that one’s fate is written in the stars. Destiny will always set to rights what has been made wrong. Arthur and Merlin know that they were meant for the other from the moment they meet. They can feel it from across the galaxies separating them. Nothing can stop them from being together or from fulfilling an ancient prophecy.

A Song From Far Away

By: polomonkey, @thepolomonkey

Illustrated by: mushroomtale, @mushroomtale-fanart

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 70k+

Summary:

When Arthur is captured by an enemy king intent on conquering Camelot, his future looks bleak. For Cenred commands not only a clutch of sorcerers but a fearsome dragon trained to do battle and wreak destruction. Then Arthur meets Merlin, a fellow captive whose magic has been bound to Cenred’s will. But can Merlin resist Cenred’s control long enough to help Arthur save Camelot?

Tributes

By: TheAvalonian

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 80k+

Summary:

It is the 57th annual Hunger Games, and Merlin Emrys stands at the Reaping ceremony with Guinevere Smith at his side, unable to hear the roar of the crowd over the ringing in his own ears. Because Merlin is about to face his best friend and twenty-two strangers in a fight to the death, where there can only be one victor. In a twisted game where death seems the only certainty, Merlin will find himself tested in ways no one could have ever predicted - and may even find himself fighting for more than just his own life as he enters into an unlikely alliance with Arthur Pendragon, the Career tribute poised to win it all. Merlin/Arthur AU, set in the Hunger Games universe.

Emrys Ascending

By: tricksterity

Illustrated by: mushroomtale, @mushroomtale-fanart

Rating: Teen And Up

Word Count: 110k+

Summary:

In the depths of the Crystal of Neahtid, Merlin sees the resurrection of Lord Voldemort, an event that will tip the balance of the world so far out that only he has the power to intervene and set it right, or stop it from ever happening. For that, he’ll have to pose as a student and attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The only problem is, he’s been chosen instead of Cedric Diggory as a Triwizard Champion, and there’s a recently reborn Arthur Pendragon in Gryffindor House.

No One Mourns Like the Wicked

By: asilentherald

Rating: Teen And Up

Word Count: 150k+

Summary:

After witnessing an anti-sorcerer hate crime, Merlin leaves his family in Ealdor for King Uther Pendragon’s capital city of Camelot, looking for safety and answers about his own magic. Instead he gets roped into a musical production of Wicked, a banned play by the King’s decree back during the Great Purge, being put on by none other than Morgana Pendragon. It’s the last thing he should do if he wants to keep a low profile in a city he knows is a powder keg, ready for the Great Purge renewed, but he finds more than enough reasons–Arthur Pendragon, co-star and all-around awkward arse, at least at first, among them–to try, dare I say it, defying gravity.

Pianos are made for Falling

By: Fishwrites

Rating: Teen And Up

Word Count: 100k+

Summary:

Arthur is a world class violinist, trapped in Sydney, Australia, by his fear of flying. In the wake of a mediocre concert, vicious critics and with barely a month to go before his next (hopefully reputation-saving) recital, Arthur is almost at breaking point. When his accompanist, Morgana, breaks her wrist in a car accident, Arthur is more or less doomed. And the story begins, when the Maestro at the conservatoire, Gaius Stresemann, recommends his protege Merlin Emrys to step in. Merlin, who plays by ear, as he pleases and really just wants to be a kindergarten teacher. Well. The story really starts six months previously when Arthur passes out drunk outside Merlin’s shoe-box apartment.

The Heart You Call Home

By: alby_mangroves

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 16k+

Summary:

Yet another autumn wanes and Merlin is tired. He wishes he could sleep through it, cover himself in leaves and hibernate until the world crumbles to dust, and he with it, the point of anything long since gone. And then, he finds a book whose author writes stories he doesn’t remember are his own.

My comments are under the cut 😊

And like the cycle of the year we begin again

Comments: This is my favorite Merthur fan fiction of all time!!! It relieved my grieving of the Merlin finale by giving me the series 6 I’ve been longing for. Merlin and Arthur are written incredibly well and in character. The banter between them flows beautifully. I love the original characters, especially Eleanor. It has both angst and fluff. It made me sob, and laugh, and smile. When the slow burn between our two main characters ends it’s such an immense relief and rush of emotion. I followed this story as each chapter was being updated and I just remember the anticipation of each chapter coming out, especially when chapters ended on cliffhangers. I can go on for ages about this, but I think I will end it here. This story is just pure beauty, honestly.

Student Prince

Comments: I love this! Not long after joining the fandom did I discover that many people had read and enjoyed this fic immensely. It is hilarious and adorable and great. Merlin and Arthur’s relationship develops in a very similar way to the canon, from disliking each other, to becoming best friends, and then falling in love. I love the modern twist on the canon. It is engaging and comedic and should be read by many.

Give the Dragon a Chilli

Comments: This story is freaking adorable and made me want a pet dragon. As both a dog person and dragon lover this fic made me weak. I love the world that was created so that it intertwines dragons, magic and the modern world. The angst written in the story is suspenseful. I fell in love with Merlin and Arthur’s pets, Aithusa and Cavall, right away. As well, on a personal note, when Freya’s character was introduced and has an incurable illness and goes to physical therapy, I felt very connected to her due to my own chronic condition and happy that I was being represented in a way. All in all, loved it. The whole thing is a pure cinnamon roll and a great read.

Shadowlord and Pirate King

Comments: Adventurous, engaging, and edgy. This story is a great blend of adventure, science fiction, and fantasy. I love the entire world that the author builds: Pirate space, the House of Shadows, and the White Legion. The artwork is stunningly beautiful and brings this story to life. This story is very engaging, full of adventure and romance, and there is never a dull moment. Love it!

A Song From Far Away

Comments: This made me cry many times over. I’ve read a variety of this author’s fics, and like this one they are often very sorrowful and intense but end on a lighthearted note. The mistreatment of Merlin is ghastly but makes it so much sweeter when Arthur comes along to help and love him. I wanted to kill Cenred throughout the entire thing for what he does to Merlin. The story is magical and very captivating, and the artwork is enchanting and wonderful (which isn’t much of a surprise since @mushroomtale-fanart did it and is incredibly talented).

Tributes

Comments: Merlin meets the Hunger Games! This was the first ever Merthur fanfic I read that hooked me into reading fan fiction. After reading and thoroughly enjoying the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, imagine my delight when I stumble across this. This story is great and does justice to both the Hunger Games universe and BBC Merlin. I love how the author writes the characters and keeps the readers starving for more. Each twist is stirring, and every character is interesting. It holds a special place in my heart.

Emrys Ascending

Comments: It’s a Harry Potter crossover, so obviously it’s amazing. But out of all the Harry Potter crossovers I’ve read, this one is my favorite. I love the fact that the author is able to intertwine Merlin with the Harry Potter universe so well. Merlin being a Hufflepuff, while not being canonical to what J.K Rowling said, is something I love (which may or may not be because I am a Hufflepuff as well). I also agree that Merlin has the characteristics of every Hogwarts house as said in this story. The fact that Merlin becomes a sort of mentor for Harry is really cool. This is an adventurous ride and sticks as closely to the plot of The Goblet of Fire as possible, while changing things up for Merlin. My favorite part of this fic is that Merlin and Arthur are able to reunite in such a heartwarming way, and of course the artwork.

No One Mourns Like the Wicked

Comments:  “No one mourns the wicked! Wicked! Wicked!” This story is very fun and got me loving the Wicked soundtrack, since I sadly could never get tickets. It’s comedic, magical, and has a great way tying the play in with the reality surrounding the characters. I love how it has many funny moments and yet deals with big issues. Whimsical, witty, and wicked.

Pianos are made for Falling

Comments: Poetry and love in music. I love pianist Merlin and his little budgies. I had a heart attack whenever his illness acted up though! Every time Merlin and Arthur fight I just want to tell Arthur about Merlin’s illness. The music of their duets flies off the page as you read it. It’s spectacular.

The Heart You Call Home

Comments: A heart-warming reincarnation fic with Arthur as a writer. You can feel Merlin’s longing and pain in the beginning as he’s waiting for Arthur to return. It’s quite emotional when they finally find each other. Also, the addition of Arthur’s dog Drake is adorable. This is emotional and stupendous.

Top Ten Awesome Fanfics *

* yep, not “all-time favourite”, because I cannot choose in all objectivity only ten fics. This list is a list of ten fics* chosen in my five main fandoms that I love and feel like they should be read, but it could have been ten others … It’s very hard to choose. One day I’ll do a real masterpost fic rec … * yes, I’ve cheated. There are waaaaay more than just ten fics here … Sorry not sorry.

The lovely @justkeeponthegrass had a brillant idea : to make a collection of our favourite fanfics to show writers just how much we appreciate, respect and admire their work. I personally owe a great deal to fanfic writers, especially in the Merlin fandom, for they helped me get through a very hard period of my life. Fanfic writers have been and are constant companions of my life, whether I’m sad, happy, tired or feeling excited, they always deliver, they are amazing people who do an amazing work just because they like it. I admire the hell out of any of you, and the following ten titles, plus the special and honorable mentions, are me trying to tell you how much you mean. Very, very long post incoming …

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They are scared