Masked

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Fanfiction
Title: Masked
Author(s): pathera
Date(s): 06 August 2011
Length: 53,681 words
Genre: gen
Fandom: Merlin
External Links: Masked (AO3)
Masked (LiveJournal)
Masked: Art

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Masked is a superhero origin story by pathera. It was written for Paperlegends 2011. The art for this story is by heehee11.

Summary: "Heroes are made, not born, and this is how it's done. Merlin is born with magic, but it takes more than that to become a superhero in a city that casts them as the enemy. In between balancing his day job as a personal assistant to Arthur Pendragon--who happens to be the son of a man leading the crusade against magic--and jumping off rooftops by night as the Warlock, Merlin has to try to keep his dual identity intact and stop a twenty-year old vendetta from destroying everything he knows. This is far easier said than done."

Recs and Reviews

  • "I think a lot of people might skip this fic because of the lack of romance. It is pre-slash (or really just Gen) But the Merlin and Arthur's friendship/destiny/budding bond is a key element to this fic and while there are no smooches, there are still plenty of element about M/A that I love. This fic is an excellent, entertaining read. I loved the authors style and humor as well as the intensity of the action scene. It was a very 'easy' 50k to get through and in stalking the comments, I see that the author does have a sequel planned. I'll be looking forward to that because I'm a not ready to leave this verse."[1]
"Your backstory to the Rogues and Knights was amazing and it totally gave the fic a sort of 'Watchmen'-esque feel to it. I also really love your Will - his combination of bestfriend/brother/backup/mad-scientist was just brilliant. Also, the very first time Archimedes was introduced - I didnt stop cooing and flailing for about five minutes straight. I WANT MY OWN ARC!!! <3 As you can tell, I really loved this. It had a movie-like feel to it. Even better, it had the feel of a film that was building up to have a sequel."[2]

  • "This fic was so much fun to read. I've been craving a fic lately that had plot, UST, a little bit of angst, and a lot of snarky, sarcastic humor, and this fic fit the bill perfectly. Merlin was delightful, and there were several moments when I found myself laughing out loud. The plot of this is fantastic too. The author really created a thorough backhistory for the Rogues and the Knights, which allowed me, as the reader, to just immerse myself in the story. I'm actually surprised there aren't more superhero stories out there, as this seems like such a perfect backdrop for our characters. I loved the Morgana of this fic, and her interactions with Morgause made me wonder about S2 Morgana. All the characters felt really well-rounded, actually. But one warning for those of you in love with your slash: this is pre-slash all the way through (although it looks like the author may be planning more for this universe)."[3]

References

  1. ^ Merlin Big Bang Rec, 22 August 2011. (Accessed 27 August 2011)
  2. ^ lachatblanche. Comment, 11 August 2011. (Accessed 27 August 2011)
  3. ^ rebeccaann08. merlin rec, 05 February 2012. (Accessed 05 February 2012)