Safe Keeping

For future reference and enjoyment

Merlinktober Day 19 (on day 23): Scales

A celebration of some Dragon!Merlin fics I’ve enjoyed! (close-ups and fic links under cut)

In a World of the Same, You're Different by @thepenguinclub

Rating: Gen | Word Count: 8,058 | Chapters: 1 “You know,” the prince started, and Merlin grunted in frustration, turning away. Princes were always the same, “I don’t appreciate you talking about my father like that.” Merlin stopped and narrowed his eyes, before slowly looking back at the prince. He studied the prince's face intently. “And who, exactly, would your father be?” he asked, fury crackling through the calm sounding words. He was not in the mood to be played with by a prince. “Uther Pendragon,” the prince said calmly. Merlin’s tail lashed so hard against the rock next to him a large piece of it chipped off, rocketing through the air and over the edge of the mountain. --- Merlin was cursed to be a dragon, which was fine. It was fine, he was fine, he was happy, thank you very much. Everything was great. Except for all these knights and princes that kept bothering him. That, that was not fine. It was annoying. It definitely wasn't the only human interaction he ever got, he was fine. So if this odd group of knights and their king would leave, that would be wonderful.

A Dream of Dragons by @slantedknitting | with Art by LFB72

Rating: E | Word Count: 40,640 | Chapters: 1 Merlin, a fierce dragon, is captured and held prisoner in a deep cave under a castle. He believes he will perish, miserable and alone… until a second prisoner arrives. The man is small and annoying at first, but gradually they get to know each other, and soon enough the cave is almost tolerable. Then the man escapes, and Merlin realises his whole world has been changed.

running back home by @sourw0lfs | with Art by @kokoshka67

Rating: M | Word Count: 25,126 | Chapters: 7 With another growl, the monster surges forward, pressing its full weight into Arthur and toppling his footing. They both go down hard with just the damaged sword as a barrier between them. Arthur’s arms shake with the effort to keep it that way, pressing upwards with all the strength he can muster to free himself. The monster barely budges, lips pulling back in a snarl that reveals a mouthful of half-sharp, half-dull teeth. Through his panic, Arthur finally realizes why this monster seems so different from the attacks in the past. His gaze trails from the jagged teeth snapping angrily at him to the side of the creature’s face that isn’t covered in scales, to the side that’s so obviously and glaringly human. Because the monster isn’t a monster at all. It’s something else entirely, some kind of cursed hybrid never before seen. Worst of all, though, Arthur finds that he recognizes the human face beyond the scales and fangs. “Merlin?”

Tales of a Dragon and His Prince by @0hheytherebigbadwolf

(Summary for the first in the series) Rating: Gen - E | Word Count: 42,121 | Works: 15 They cannot have even one hunt without something going wrong on some level. A horse throws a shoe. A crossbow string breaks. A storm blows in. A giant beast attacks. Merlin turns into a dragon. The usual things.

(and also With the roar of the fire my heart rose to its feet because it's a similar dragon design and both fics are so very fun)

For later :D

Kind of want a fic of Arthur being sent on a quest to kill Magic itself, the god of magic, the most powerful sorcerer to walk the Earth, Emrys, and Merlin is just standing in the background sweating

Ok, so maybe Uther hears from some captive druids about Emrys and how he’s magic itself, god of magic, so on so forth. So obviously, to get rid of magic in the world, this Emrys guy has to be killed! So Uther sends Arthur on a quest to get rid of magic once and for all, and of course, Merlin is along for the ride. This could be a pretty cool concept and magic reveal I think. I’m no good at writing though so please someone write this

For future use :]

Witcher!Jaskiers, anyone?

I’d say something about artistic license and freedom of interpretation, but the reason I got some of these designs to abysmally wrong is actually because I’m Jared, 19. I’m absolutely mortified at my utter idiocy and general sciolism :)

Anyways, the fics are as follows:

All the World I’ve Seen Before Me Passing By by @brothebro - 💚💚💚

Death to the Details by loser bastard idiot man who cannot read (me)

Demand an Encore by @theaceace - with daryshkart’s awesome design bc it’s awesome

Juniper Berries by @wingedquill - i am so sorry but i absolutely did base his design’s colour scheme off of actual juniper berries and now i want to die

How Many Secrets Can You Keep? by @kaermorons - i spent probably far too long trying to decode the descriptions and was halfway done before i realised that it was also probably supposed to be daryshkart’s design and now i feel extra dumb.

You’re all awesome, thank you 💚

Help me find this fic PLEASE

Hay I don't really post but I just remembered a fic but I can't remember the name I've seen people do this before so hopefully it'll help

(sorry for formatting and/or grammar I'm a mobile and severely dyslexic)

What I can remember:

I remember either somewhere in the first chapters Harry and Draco end up having to share a train car, and talk and Draco tells Harry about being forced to become a death Eater. and they come up with a plan. which leads to Draco sending Harry his memories that could incriminate him, and Harry sending them back at a specific time afterwards. so Voldemort doesn't know Draco's true intentions. then they run away together to Grimwold's place. there's also some weird magical stuff with magic phoenix feather tattoos, I don't remember the details but I remember it was pretty cool in the actual fic. Harry also ends up telling everyone what actually happened at the dursleys and calls out and I believe takes Revenge on Dumbledore. oh and Draco pretends that he is a illegitimate black child after running away so he can continue to attend Hogwarts explain why he's close to Harry.

"x loves x more" SHUT UP!!!!!! they need to both be equally in love with each other or i DIE

Yes

My people! I just read what had got to be one of the most incredible merlin fics out there: Teach a man to fish and he'll never run out of ale by Doctor959 on ao3.

Merlin? Powerful, skilled, sassy, traumatised, knows his way around a tavern and isn't useless in a fight (without magic!) either. Let me introduce GWAINE his friend, brother and father figure(!?!?!?), he basically adopts Merlin after he had to flee Ealdor and got himself in a bit of a pickle.

And the chemistry between Merlin and Arthur is screaming crying throwing up good.

And the cherry on top of all that is good Morgana bonding with our boi Merlin.

OH AND UTHER GETS BULLIED A LIL

Saving this for later

I've been trying to find an old fic I read on A03 a while ago. it has Merlin be forced to take a truth serum made by guias and uther is the one who ordered it, but the catch is he doesn't confess his magic, he confesses his love for Arthur. any other truth serum fics are welcome tho!!

so i couldnt find the exact fic you were looking for, but i did manage to find a couple other truth serum fics. hopefully someone out there knows which fic you were looking for.

Tell Me A Lie by TheCourtSorcerer (@thecourtsorcerer)

"Did you steal anything from my plate?”

No, had been what he meant to say, of course not. Instead, though, when he opened his lips to let the lie slip out, he paled at what came out in its place.

“Yes, I always do, a sausage this time.”

His heart sunk.

He couldn’t lie.

Or

Merlin is slipped a truth potion, and really, he should have expected Arthur to find out.

~~~

and the cure is the stuff of fairytales!! ahhh

2. Mine by Lola_Rose_Robins (@lorienrobins)

Merlin was hit with a truth spell, which is how Uther ends up finding out about his...well, everything.

~~~

i know it's a curse instead of a serum, but this is the closest thing i could find with uther confronting him while under a truth inducing thingy

3. our lips are sealed by eat_crow

After being dosed with a truth potion? No, they're not.

“Who the fuck calls you Emrys?” Arthur asks, so clearly annoyed. “People of magic. Druids, mostly, but I’ve heard it from fae and leaders of the old religion. Jesus fucking Christ--” he dissolves into hysterical laughter, rocking as far forward as his bonds will allow. “What is in this shit?”

~~~

excellent crack fic 4275349207825/10

Me

yippee!!!!!!

Love this, need more! Eating myself like an ouroboros!!!

Hey, @confused-they, this is for you and for everyone else who wanted more of this AU. Merry Christmas.

DPxDC Ring of Rage? More Like Ring of Engage [pt. 4]

[<- part 3]

[Written to 'Tantrum' by Ashnikko]

TW: mentioned mild gore (some inside parts become outside ones, nothing graphic)

Tim can't breathe.

Joker's mad laughter is ringing through the darkness of the warehouse, echoing in his head, the screeching sound straight out of nightmares. Hood should be nearby - as in, somewhere in this darkness along with him - but Tim can't think about that, his own maniacal giggles bubbling in the back of his throat, a grin tugging at his lips.

He has to get up. He has to stand, he has to fight, and it really shouldn't be this hard.

But he can't breathe.

Tim clutches his fingers on the fabric of his suit on the chest, distantly wondering if this is how Danny feels when he is more human than ghost. Probably not, he mentioned that breathing is only optional.

He really wants his boyfriend right now. His fiance. Whatever, he wants Danny, he wants his cold hands on his cheeks and the faint, humming purr of his core that Tim finds nice to fall asleep to, and-

Maybe later. He can't exactly summon him now, not in the middle of a fight, especially not in the middle of a fight with Joker of all people.

There's an angry growl somewhere to Tim's left, staticky through the voice-modulator. Then several sounds of gunshots and a gleeful, taunting yell of the madman.

Hold on.

Tim snaps his eyes open - not that anything changes, everything is still pitch-black around him - and blinks.

Why not?..

It's not like Danny is a civilian. Tim tends to pay little attention to the fact since the King of Infinite Realms doesn't hang out with the whole superhero convention on principle. But Tim is pretty sure he won't mind it this once.

Besides, Tim is so done with Joker that it's not even funny.

A few breathy chuckles escape his throat as he lets his body fully slump back on the floor and brings his left hand to his face, placing a quick kiss on the Ring through his glove. He doesn't need to do that, not really, but it's kind of a ritual at this point, and the gesture somehow makes him feel better.

"Danny," he whispers.

For a long moment, nothing happens.

Then, there's a soft, popping sound, and his beautiful boyfriend is floating right over him, faintly glowing and a little sleepy. Tim is momentarily distracted by his bare feet and pj pants with tiny rockets on them.

Danny yawns and tugs the hem of his t-shirt down as it starts to float. "Whas'sup," he mutters, rubbing his eyes and clearly not fully awake, and Tim's heart melts instantly. He loves Danny. He just... He loves him, okay? He loves that Danny didn't question his summons for a moment, he loves that he came even though he was obviously sleeping, and he loves that Danny is wearing a tee he stole from Tim.

Unfortunately, before he is able to get his shit back together, another sound of gunshot ripples through the air, and Danny startles, blinking himself awake and looking in the direction of it. Then, his eyebrows shoot up, and his mouth makes a soft 'O' shape before he turns back to Tim and tilts his head in question.

"You want me to deal with him? The clown, I mean, not your brother," he asks, and it's so casual and off-handed that Tim actually huffs a laugh.

"Sorry, I was just- I'm really tired of his ass," Tim should probably sit up, this is not a talk they should have while he is lying on the ground. On the other hand, Jason is somewhere out there, and he has guns and doesn't have a clear visual around him, so maybe Tim shouldn't sit up.

Danny hums, "Is that a yes?"

Tim just nods. He is pretty sure Danny can see him despite the darkness. "I promise it's a one-time thing, I don't plan on calling you every time one of local lunatics acts up. I just... I fucking can't with him," he admits with a defeated sigh. But, before he can spiral any further into the abyss of unworthiness, Danny's cold hands are cupping his cheeks, and his icy eyes are looking right into Tim's sky blue.

"Love, I don't mind getting rid of each and every one of your Rogues. Granted, it would probably fuck up the timeline, and Clocky would be mad, but I'd do it if you want me to, no questions asked." His voice is quiet, and Tim has never been more grateful for his domino mask, because he can feel his cheeks heating up and he doesn't want Danny to see the exact effect his words are causing.

"I- Okay," he quietly agrees, and then blinks, backtracking, "Wait, no, don't fuck up the timeline. Just deal with the laughing bitch this once, and that's it. We can handle the rest."

Danny is smiling at him in that adoring way Tim recognizes as 'I really want to kiss you, but it's not the time or place'. Then, he nods and lets go of Tim's cheeks, straightening up in the air, and his clothes shift all at once, like a magic trick.

Gone are the stretched out t-shirt and the pants with rocket ships. In their place, Danny's body is head to toe covered in stars and galaxies that hold the vague shape of armor, and there's a slightly shimmering, blueish-green translucent cape over one of his shoulders.

The Crown over his head, the sentient artifact much like the Ring on Tim's finger, appears from nowhere, and, after a brief pause - Tim swears it was debating on whether or not the situation is worth the effort - promptly sets itself on fire. Blue flames cast long shadows on Danny's, no, King's face, making him look older and his cheekbones sharper.

Before, the boy was only faintly glowing, and, evidently, the others present in the warehouse were too distracted to notice him.

But now, with the flaming Crown casting dancing shadows on the walls of the warehouse, it's really hard not to see the otherworldly being making an appearance.

"Holy fuck," Tim hears Hood's quiet, astonished voice, and almost cracks a grin.

Yeah, he wants to say, that's my boyfriend. Although he suspects he and Jason are having vastly different reactions to Danny's presence. Because Tim kind of wants to take all his words about dealing with Joker back and take Danny home, straight to bed.

...He is going to have to strangle Jason in his sleep if his reaction is similar. No, that's a wrong thought, this is so not the time for it.

"Who are you, flying glowstick?" Joker sounds rightfully pissed off by the interruption, "Does Batsy employ alien kids now?"

Danny chuckles, the starry freckles on his cheeks glowing brighter, "Okay, just because you compared me to an alien, I'm not going to completely erase you from this plane of existence."

Tim snaps his head up.

"Wait, no killing," he reminds, not because he actually cares but because B would throw a fit. Danny brushes him off with a wave of his hand.

"No worries, he'll stay alive," he smiles at Tim, and to everyone else, it probably looks like stuff of nightmares, sharp, pointy teeth and lips stretched out far beyond human capabilities. But Tim sees it for what it is: a face of mischief.

"Do I get a vote in this?" Jason's deadpan voice comes from somewhere on the other side of the warehouse at the same moment as Joker screeches in rage, "Who the fuck do you think-"

"Nope," Danny pops the 'p', and Tim is not sure if he is answering to Hood or refusing to listen to the clown's monolog by it. Maybe it's both. It's probably both.

The next moment, Danny is gone, disappeared from the place he was floating at, and Tim hears a wet, very unpleasant sound followed by Joker's scream of pain.

"You see this?" He hears Danny's nonchalant, unfazed voice above the clown's pained cries, "This is your rib, bitch- Hey, quit whining and listen to me, it's important."

There's a slap, a rustle, and a sound of ripping fabric, and Joker's voice becomes muffled, like someone put a gag in his mouth.

"You're like Adam now, you know, lacking one rib," Danny continues, "Only I'm not making you a girl out of this one, I'm pretty sure you don't deserve to reproduce. Anyway, going further down that metaphor, I'm the God almighty in this situation, so if you want to keep the rest of your ribs - and the rest of other things that are supposed to stay inside of you - to yourself, you gotta do a thing for me, okay?"

There's some muffled groans that Joker makes in response, then an enraged growl, a sound of a struggle, another slap, and then that same wet, disgusting squelch.

"Two ribs, wow, okay, you're really being difficult about this!" Danny sounds so innocently dumbstruck about it that Tim suppresses a laugh. "Are you listening now?" There's a quiet, choking wheeze that answers him, and Danny sounds quite pleased when he says, "Great."

Tim debates if he should look. He doesn't exactly want to since the sounds provide enough context, but it might be somewhat cathartic for him.

And then the air around him inexplicably shifts, becoming cold and oppressive, weighting Tim down like a heavy blanket and pushing him into the floor. The dancing shadows and the blue light of flames on the walls twist and churn, like taking aim, and Tim doesn't know what Danny looks like right now but he knows he is as far from human as possible, his voice coming with a staticky, echoing whisper, a threatening hiss slithering inside Tim's ears.

"Play your little games all you want, Fallen Jester, but know that you can not win. The punchline to your joke is long overdue, and your soul has belonged to me for quite some time now," his words are cold and uncaring, and in all the time Tim has known his boyfriend, he has never heard him speak like this: with a sense of lazy power, like he is only humoring the people around him.

Like they mean nothing to him.

"I will not kill you, or at least not here and now. My Guiding Star doesn't want to see my hands dirty with your filthy remains. Besides, death is only a moment, and you don't deserve only a moment of suffering," he huffs a short, humorless chuckle, "But, luckily, I am the Eyes of the Universe, the Titan's Bane, the King of the Dead, and everyone will meet me once their eyes fall shut for the last time," there's a smile in his voice now, full of cold and merciless anticipation. Tim feels a shiver run down his spine.

"So just you wait, Jester, and I will meet you on the other side. Then we'll see how whatever is left of your soul is going to spend an eternity."

Tim's ears are ringing with the pure, somehow gleeful hatred that laces those last words. He didn't know he could literally taste the disgust and the promise of pain, and yet, here he is, with a hint of something sour on his tongue.

And then, the heavy, weighted air that has been charged with power is lifted, the shadows and bright blue lights are all gone, and Danny, wearing his pj's and smiling, is standing over him. His feet are planted on the ground for once, and the Crown is gone without a trace, but his t-shirt is still trying to float up. The boy tugs it down again, offering a hand to Tim.

"Wanna go out for a burger since I'm already here in Gotham?"

Tim had never breathed easier in his life. He laughs a little and reaches up, taking his beautifully unhinged boyfriend's hand and standing up.

"I thought you'd never ask."