Welcome to The Tavern, a BBC Merlin prompt challenge and fanworks blog. Every 3 months we share a new prompt challenge for you to fill, as well as host quarterly "quests" or mini-fests based on specific themes.
You're welcome to join us on Discord (note: 18+ only)!
Welcome, Tavern-goers, to our fourth quest: Merlin Horror Month!
With spooky season coming up, how about making a little something to give us all a scare with our Merlin Horror Month?
Is someone being haunted? Are there monsters and ghouls in Camelot? Is there a serial killer on the loose? It’s time to be brave and show us some fanwork entries that will strike fear into the hearts of other fans!
So, what is Merlin Horror Month?
For this quest, we invite you to join us and post a spooky, scary or in some way horrific Merlin fanwork. Maybe there’s something strange in the neighbourhood. Or has a dead body been found? Perhaps the dead have come back to life (again)… It’s up to you!
We are here for the whole of the spooky month, so give us your entries at any point from 1-31 October!
Here are the rules of the quest:
All works should have a spooky/scary theme
Any pairings and types of fanwork are welcome. The minimum requirements are:
Fanfic: at least 500 words.
Fanart: at least 1 completed work.
Podfic: at least 5-10 minutes long (and please get the fic creator’s permission!).
Fanvids: at least 2-3 minutes long.
For other fanwork formats, please contact us so we can decide on a suitable minimum amount.
Please note: No AI generated or assisted works are allowed for this fest
The fest is self-posting and runs from 1 October to 31 October. No fanworks for the fest will be accepted before or after those dates.
How do I participate?
Post your fanwork wherever you like. If you would like to post your creation to our AO3 Collection specifically for this fest (tavernfest_quest4).
Welcome, Tavern-goers, to our fourth quest: Merlin Horror Month!
With spooky season coming up, how about making a little something to give us all a scare with our Merlin Horror Month?
Is someone being haunted? Are there monsters and ghouls in Camelot? Is there a serial killer on the loose? It’s time to be brave and show us some fanwork entries that will strike fear into the hearts of other fans!
So, what is Merlin Horror Month?
For this quest, we invite you to join us and post a spooky, scary or in some way horrific Merlin fanwork. Maybe there’s something strange in the neighbourhood. Or has a dead body been found? Perhaps the dead have come back to life (again)… It’s up to you!
We are here for the whole of the spooky month, so give us your entries at any point from 1-31 October!
Here are the rules of the quest:
All works should have a spooky/scary theme
Any pairings and types of fanwork are welcome. The minimum requirements are:
Fanfic: at least 500 words.
Fanart: at least 1 completed work.
Podfic: at least 5-10 minutes long (and please get the fic creator’s permission!).
Fanvids: at least 2-3 minutes long.
For other fanwork formats, please contact us so we can decide on a suitable minimum amount.
Please note: No AI generated or assisted works are allowed for this fest
The fest is self-posting and runs from 1 October to 31 October. No fanworks for the fest will be accepted before or after those dates.
How do I participate?
Post your fanwork wherever you like. If you would like to post your creation to our AO3 Collection specifically for this fest (tavernfest_quest4).
Round #13 is now officially CLOSED and we will announce a new round in the future; however, if you find yourself inspired to create something for this or any of our previous rounds, we will be accepting submissions indefinitely!
For more info on how to take part, check out our FAQ or send us an ask 🙂 In the meantime, you can find a list of Round #12 submissions below!
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Title: The Cure All Creator: chaosgenes Rating: Explicit Length: 6,603 Pairing(s): Merlin/Arthur Warning(s): None Summary: Merlin accidentally enchants the wrong “sword”—and it’s irreversible. To make matters worse, a curse falls on Arthur—and there’s only one way to save him. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/55667023
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If you have a moment, please remember to stop by and leave the creators some love! ❤︎
Creator: chaosgenes Rating: Explicit Length and/or Medium: 6,603 Pairing(s): Merlin/Arthur Warning(s): None Summary: Merlin accidentally enchants the wrong “sword”—and it’s irreversible. To make matters worse, a curse falls on Arthur—and there’s only one way to save him. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55667023
What They Don’t Know Doesn’t Hurt Them…or Hurts a Lot
Creator: TrebleMaker07 Rating: T Length and/or Medium: 4,457 Pairing(s): Merlin/Arthur Warning(s): None Summary: It’s Yule, and that means festivities are in the air. But is a pre-Yule celebration really necessary? Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52651294
ROUND #14: GROUPS & GATHERINGS OPEN: 06 Dec 2023 - 29 Feb 2024
It’s that time of year when we start thinking of friendships, family and get-togethers of all kinds.
This round we are looking for your fanworks involving groups or people gathering together in some way.
So why not have your characters gather together for a jolly good time!
Perhaps they are congregating around the yule log with their friends, celebrating the holiday season with their found families, or perhaps they’re a group of singletons spending valentine’s day together.
This quarter we want to see our favourites being social!
As always, feel free to interpret the prompt widely!
Who can participate?
Anyone who wants to! You don’t have to sign up or be a member of the Tavern Fest Discord server to take part, but if you’re keen to hang out with some other Merlin fans, we’d love for you to join us! (Note: the server is 18+ only)
What can you create?
Anything you want to! (Are you beginning to sense a bit of a theme here? 😂)
Any and all pairings, ratings, and types of fanwork are welcome, though we do ask you to provide appropriate warnings for your submissions. Cross-posting with other Merlin fests is welcome and encouraged, as are collaborations, WIPs, and multiple entries.
How do you participate?
Post your fanwork(s) wherever you like (e.g. AO3, FF.net, Tumblr).
Follow the submission guidelines and submit the link to us here on Tumblr. We will then promote it on Tumblr and in our dedicated Discord fills channel.
For additional info on how rounds work, check out our About page or send us an ask.
Creator: chaosgenes Rating: Explicit Length/Medium:* 2,907 Pairing(s): Knights/Arthur, Merlin/Arthur Warning(s): None Summary: A set of clothes, unlike any other, have been gifted to King Arthur. But they are magical and can only be seen by those who are worthy… and a king is certainly worthy enough! Or so the tailor claims. The knights think otherwise. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51896215
Creator: chaosgenes Rating: Explicit Length/Medium:* Fic Pairing(s): Merlin/Arthur Warning(s): mentions of background character death (but they’re already dead before the start of the fic) Summary: On his father’s funeral day, Arthur brings home a man he scarcely knows. What was supposed to be a tryst to forget about grief unexpectedly becomes exactly what Arthur needs. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51850267
