Fandom: MERLIN
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Length: ~50K
Author on LJ:
syllicAuthor Website: Her fiction sticky post is
here.
Why this must be read:It must be my lucky month because, in another case of fortuitous timing, yet another amazing WIP has just been completed in time for me to rec it here!
Easy There is Merlin fandom's Oxford rowing AU, wherein Merlin is coxing and Arthur is rowing in the Blue boat. I know very little about the Boat Race and/or life in Oxford, but this is the kind of fic that's so rich and full of detail (and a glossary and notes!) that you feel as though you've lived and breathed in that world your whole life. Merlin and Arthur and Gwen and Morgana and Lancelot are all wonderfully realized as its inhabitants.
Despite the fact the this was written for
harlequinmerlin and
syllic claims it's full of cliches, what I like most about
Easy There is how deftly uncliched it actually is. As we see Arthur and Merlin becoming friends and something more,
syllic avoids doing things exactly as you might expect. What's left is a warm, awkward, slow-building connection between them that feels incredibly true to both characters and is all the better for it.
( Tiny excerpt: 'Emrys! Are you hearing this? Come here! This punter says his name is Arthur!' )I highly recommend setting some time aside, making a cup of tea for yourself and drinking every last bit of this marvelous story in.
Easy There