*when My Otp Is Otp-ing*

“It’s so complex and tragic. They have a devotion to one another that is undermined and devastated by fate.” – Russo Brothers

“Their bond stretches across half of the twentieth century. Steve and Bucky are each other’s soulmates, if you will, because no one on Earth understands what either of them has been through as well as the other does.” – Markus & McFeely

Me Reading fanfic: I want a loving relationship like that!!!!

Me whenever someone compliments me or is flirty towards me: stand back motherfucker! I'm a lone wolf. I don't need people. I'm trash. And you ain't no garbage man to pick me up.

💍 [kuroken] i just think they’re neat in which no one knows the identity of the one who bears pro gamer kodzuken’s matching ring; no plot just kiss 💋

※ no republication without written permission.

i've started watching merlin recently then discovered your writing and i am OBSESSED. i have a small self indulgent thing to ask of you: do you have more of the very specific niche of merlin getting stabbed through with a sword/dagger/whatever but being completely fine, much to the shock of arthur+the knights who didn't realize how powerful merlin actually is? i read the five part-er where merlin yells at arthur in the forest and the one where he laughs about it and kills the mercs with vines while saying "i can't believe you think you get to kill me" but are there any others you can link me to? i LOVE immortal merlin shrugging off mortal wounds while arthur and the knights stand in the background like "OHMYGOD?!?!?!?!?!?" i'll take whatever you have for me, your writing, your friend's writing, someone random's writing, just anything of merlin shrugging off getting stabbed. love your work and hope your day is wonderful!! 💖💖💖💖

My GOD I love that trope!! I love when he's a badass, I love love love it!! When he gets injured, mortally or otherwise as long as it's bloody, and he just... deals with it. Whether it's with a smile on his face or just an annoyed tick of the mouth before he gets on with things... I love it.

So, in terms of fics (other than Scary!Merlin, and Angry Magic Reveal) that have this trope.... I don't really have any. I've got PLENTY that have Merlin being injured and just sort of... shrugging it off, but I don't think I've got many/ant others where he shrugs off a mortal wound.

These are the closest I can find on my Masterlist:

7 Times Merlin is in Physician Mode, in the +1 Merlin has an arrow in his shoulder, and is trying to deal with it best he can whilst the others freak out. Though there's no bamf or angry Merlin, he's just kind of annoyed at the others making a fuss of nothing? (Around 8k)

A God in the Throne Room?, Ok, so he doesn't get stabbed, but he does get tied up. When he gets angry with the conversation he effortlessly breaks himself free, and turns into this... terrifying God, who has his “How dare you call my name?” moment, which is very satisfying and chilling. The others almost piss themselves. (4.8k)

Fae!Merlin, Similar to above in that he doesn't get hurt, but he suddenly reveals himself in a rather terrifying way. (8.1k)

Merlin is a badass, Merlin is generally kickass through this whole series, but in the third and final part he does get stabbed in the shoulder, which annoys him more than it hurts him, and he stitches up the wound and begins torturing the man who threw the dagger whilst the others watch on in mild horror (three parts, totalling around 22kish)

The Guard Dog, Merlin is in an underground fighting ring, and the others sneak in only to see him kick ass. This is more crack-y than it is serious, and there's no magic or near death or blood. It's basically the crack-y version of this trope, whilst still having Merlin being a bamf. (6.5k)

Now for fics off my Rec List:

Crossing the Line, Merlin's anger in this is definitely more of a crack-y anger. A whole bunch of sorcerers attack Camelot, and Merlin repeatedly has the shit beaten out of him before he goes "fuck it" and reveals his magic in front of Arthur. It's pretty funny, but Merlin is also very badass. I really love this one lol (4.1k).

no. Just…..no, Merlin's magic is discovered, Uther repeatedly orders his execution, and whilst Merlin avoids it best he can, sometimes people sneak up on him. Every time he dies he just wakes up again, rolls his eyes at Uther, and continues to serve a very baffled Arthur (7.6k)

A Considerable Headstart, Merlin sneaks away to deal with a troublesome visiting Lord, the others follow him. They see him fight, and win, against said Lord, but not without receiving an injury. A Druid comes along and helps stitch him up, and Merlin just spends the entire time kind of exhausted and annoyed and resigned. The conversation between the Lord and Merlin before the fight is probably more interesting and bamfy than the fight and the aftermath (14k).

Is This the Best You Can Do?, probably the CLOSEST to the trope on this list, a set of two fics in which Merlin, without his magic, shows off how bamfy he is whilst the knights watch on, baffled. In one he gets tortured and then kicks ass and breaks everyone out, in the other, he gets poisoned, it doesn't work, and he kicks ass and breaks everyone out (6k and 2k)

Hide Your Scars, Merlin's scars are revealed to the knights one by one, and they help him with his secret kick ass life. He accumulates a multitude of horrifying scars and injuries that he's just resigned to, but he still has to hide from Arthur (the only one who, by the end, doesn't know about his magic before all is revealed) (12k).

~

None of these are exactly like this trope, bar Is This the Best You Can Do?, but they're all pretty close. If you're looking for others, I'd suggest taking a browse through my Rec List. All of them are on AO3, all of them have a rough word count and a description so you don't waste time on ones that aren't your sort of thing! There's a real mix of pairings, length, and trope on there :D

Sorry it took me so long to reply anon, but my Rec List is MASSIVE, so it took me a while to sort through them all😅

When you successfully introduce your friend to your OTP and they ship it as much as you :