Relationship:Merlin/Lancelot Rating: T Written for: Merlin WIP Relay, hosted by @merlin-fic-server Inspired by:@anonymintea’s WIP notes Additional Tags: University AU, Modern Setting, Roommates, Magic, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together Chapters:1/? Words:2,683
Summary:Merlin Emrys has three problems: he can’t stop doodling dragons during his lectures, he can’t find out anything about how his magic works, and he’s made the stupid mistake of falling in love with his roommate. But he can’t help that Lancelot is so charming and just gets him in a way nobody else does. Merlin came to Camelot University to find answers and all he’s found is more questions…
Additional Tags: POV Merlin (Merlin), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Modern Era, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Getting Together, Enemies to Lovers, Strangers to Enemies to Lovers, First Meetings, Pining, Denial of Feelings, Falling In Love, Matchmaking, First Dates, Bickering as Flirting, Alcohol Consumption, Intoxication, Food, like A LOT of discussion of food, Romantic Comedy, Humor, Just a pinch of angst, Daddy Issues, Morgana Meddles, Morgana is not Evil but also is not Good, Chef Arthur, Emotionally Constipated Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Arthur is scared of intimacy, Snarky Merlin (Merlin), Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Summary: On the surface, Arthur Pendragon seems to be a confident, callous, cavalier arsehole with a culinary degree. But there are just the tiniest suggestions of cracks in that shell that Merlin has glimpsed over the past few weeks… Regardless, there was no way this would end in anything but catastrophe, even if Arthur wasn’t a great big bloody git, because he was Morgana’s brother, and Morgana was Merlin’s boss, and things like that were never wise.
Author’s Note: For the Merlin Fic Book Club Server’s Wip Relay 2022! I was lucky enough to recieve 2,300 words of this story and an outline from illiterateowl. Thank you so much for gifting this lovely wip; I hope it lives up to your expectations!
The recipe for this story as illiterateowl gave to me called for a sappy, sexy, sweet fic about falling in love at first sight over food and romance languages. Being who I am, I ruined this perfectly lovely prompt by adding a heaping cup of enemies-to-lovers, two teaspoons of angst, and enough cheese to make a gay Lifetime movie romcom script. I hope you don’t mind the liberties that I took or that I’m incapable of writing anything that doesn’t include daddy issues and existential crises. (Fortunately, that all mostly comes in chapter 2.)
Additional Tags: Other Additional Tags to Be Added, when i’ve figured out who tf is going to be in this fic and what relationships, Yearning, How is that not a tag, Needles, detailed description of tattooing, seeing as it is, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Tattoos, the intimacy of being a tattoo artist and having a hot client, POV Elyan, Hurt Merlin, because they’re getting tattooed, that shit hurts i should know, not this fic finally prodding me to get a tattoo myself after three years, First Meetings, elyan is a cynic, and honestly good for him, tattoo artist elyan, piercer gwen, tattoo artist lancelot, Painter Lancelot, he’s back fight me, They/Them Merlin, yes i wanted to post this as a completed work but life happened so it’s chapter by chapter, apologies in advance, it has been four months i don’t remember how to tag, They’re both awkward, Trans Elyan, she/they gwen, Getting Together, merlin gets a tattoo from elyan that is essentially it, with pining and dancing around and stuff
Words:2715
Chapters:1/6
Summary:Elyan Smith, co-owner of tattoo and piercing studio The Forge with his sister, Gwen, is growing tired of the monotony small and trendy tattoo designs brings. So when Merlin walks in with a blank ribcage and a fresh idea, Elyan is more than happy to comply with their request. But he quickly realises that he is perhaps pouring his heart into something other than just the tattoo itself…
Opening:
Elyan didn’t believe in fairytales. He didn’t believe in grand and sudden love, or the type of romance that would sweep him off his feet, nor did he believe that there was only one person for everyone. He didn’t believe in destiny or fate bringing two people together across time and space to meet one another and build a fantastic life together. What he did believe in, however, was incredibly hot people.
Incredibly hot people like the one who had just walked into his tattoo parlour.
The rain from the morning had faded to puddles on the pavement and had been replaced with an unforgiving wind that bit at Elyan’s exposed ankles when the door was opened. Elyan, in the middle of eating a cheese sandwich and trying not to get crumbs on his copy of Much Ado About Nothing, didn’t look up until the door had closed again. At the soft sound, he raised his head and was met with a tall figure lingering awkwardly on the mat.
Their cheeks were dusted with a diluted red from the cold, mouth buried in a large tartan scarf, and their thick black hair was spotted with raindrops from the beginnings of a fresh shower. ‘Hi, I, uh—I was wondering if there were any available tattoo appointments?’
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38084641/chapters/95134072 Title: For I Know He Would Not Encumber Me Author: @sinivalkoista Original Author: Angst_BuriTTo (ao3) angst-burritto(tumblr) Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Archive Warnings: Author Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Hunith & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Hunith/Uther Pendragon (Merlin) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Brothers, Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin Needs a Hug (Merlin), Basically, Uther is Merlin’s father and doesn’t know it, The secret gets revealed, Everyone acts accordingly, Agravaine is slimier than slime Summary: “He looks remarkably like your father at that age! Why, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think-” It was probably a trick of the light. An effect of the previous evening’s wine. Arthur’s desire to think of anything else but the blasted speech he couldn’t write. But he could see it. Now that the idea had been put into his head, he couldn’t not see it as he looked at his manservant. Merlin looked like his father. Author’s Note: This idea was originally @Angst_BuriTTo’s! I’m merely finishing it for the Merlin WIP Relay. :)
Sorry, Buritto. I butchered your story. Here are the remains.
More information regarding the WIP Relay! Thank you all so much for your interest!
What Happens if My WIP is Claimed? A relatively frequent question we’ve been answering is “What happens to the WIP I submit if it gets claimed? Do I still get credit?” and I want to formally answer it first.
The short answer is, no, whoever picks up your wip is not required to credit you although we do strongly encourage it.
Whatever wip you submit to the relay you should think of as if you’re orphaning. You are handing over the rights to the idea to someone else to change and/or finish as they see fit. It will not be a collaboration effort.
We will be revealing the names of the orignal creators right after assignments have been handed out and the person who claims your wip will have the option to reach out and contact you to discuss your wip, but again, we are not requiring that they do so.
This leads me into my next point:
How much am I allowed to change the WIP that I get? It really depends on how much of the WIP you choose is completed. For instance, if a fic has already been started, we ask that you not change the set details - the pairing, the main characters, the setting, and the general storyline. But what happens next, how the end goal is achieved, how the story is finished, that’s completely up to you!
If the WIP you choose is primarily just an outline or notes, we ask that you keep the general theme the same (for example, enemies to lovers), but the general storyline, characters, and pairings are up for grabs. You can change that Merlin/Arthur fic into Elyan/Arthur or Merlin/Gwen and put them in space! Whatever floats your boat.
For visual media and podfics, this will differ slightly. For visual media, any .psd files that are uploaded need to serve as the base for what you do. For example, if you choose to do gifs and the .psd’s are only the scenes - no editing done, no text, etc - then it’s fair game so long as you use those scenes. For artwork, you need to work off what’s been provided - you can add details, backgrounds, coloring, etc but don’t change the sketch that’s already been provided. If you choose a gifset/artwork that’s only notes, you can use it as a prompt and create the whole thing from scratch as you like.
For podfics, the file that you receive should be somewhat complete and you’ll only add what’s needed - sound effects, pacing, breaks, etc. If you only receive recording notes, then like with the visual media, it’s up to you as the podficcer what you do with the recording.
Schedule of Events:
December 27th: Sign Ups and WIP Submission Open January 12th: Sign Ups and WIP Submission Close January 13th: 48 Hour Preview Begins January 15th: Claims Begin January 17th: Receive WIP, Begin working April 1st: Fanworks Due April 4th: Reveals/Posting Begins
Again, all of this information is available on our website! You can see our previous post here as well.
The next post will talk about what to expect on the sign up form✨
