Recs post: Bottom!Arthur and Arthur the Sub

[sophinisba]

I’ve been wanting to do something other than a fic or podfic for kink_bingo so I decided to do some recs and talk about how much I like seeing Arthur give up control in sex. I don’t have an appropriate square on either of my bingo cards so I’ll use the free space on my second card and then talk about whatever kinks I want. I’ve tried to get in a variety of ships and media but it’s mostly Arthur/Merlin fic and not as extensive or varied as I’d like. I’d love it if other folks would add recs in comments (directing them all to the Dreamwidth side this time, since that’s what I’ll be linking to at k-b).



I got this idea a while back when some friends and friends-of-friends were discussing how it can be disturbing when people say they can only see a certain character as a top or as a bottom. For one thing there’s the stubbornness and lack of imagination, right? Like people who read ten thousand words of a fic and then comment to say, “I think you’re really talented and I was really enjoying this story all along the way, but I can’t believe your wrote Elijah on top. That just seems so wrong! It threw me right out of the story.” I mean really.

And maybe more importantly there’s the creepiness of how many things get conflated in those statements, or in the profiles and rules of bottom!whoever comms, like, “Well, he’s smaller and girlier, so of course he must like being manhandled and ordered around by this other character, and of course he loves taking it up the ass.”

So I get being uncomfortable with comments or comms or requests like those or even with a post like this. Still, it can also be really useful if that’s what you’re in the mood for, especially if it’s something like this that’s a bit less common.

What’s more common, especially in Arthur/Merlin fic, is for Arthur to be bossy, protective and possessive. Those classic scenarios like Uther trying to kill Merlin or bandits kidnapping him or a visiting noble taking advantage, and Arthur comes in all wrathful and wreaking vengeance and “MERLIN IS MY SERVANT” oh God it kills me. It’s also canon, as is Arthur ordering Merlin around without giving a thought to it. I love all of that!

But you know what else I love? I love it when Arthur overcomes all the expectations that have been put on him since he was born, and admits that sometimes he does not want to be in charge. Last August meri_sefket was talking about how she likes to imagine D/s alignments for Merlin characters and she said about Arthur: “Sub. Classic powerful by day powerless by night situation. He adores humiliation/degradation play more than anyone else in the cast for similar reasons.”

One of the things I love about fanworks that view Arthur this was is that often it’s such a struggle for him just to admit to himself what he wants. But then there’s this one person (or um possibly one small group of people) who’s so special to him that he’s able to let go and trust them, and then he finds that letting go is the best thing ever. ♥ ♥

I feel like we see a bit of this on the show, even though what we see more of is Arthur yelling at Merlin and throwing things at him. Like sometimes when Merlin or Gwen tells him that he’s fucking up, he gets all surprised and quiet, like he can’t really believe that someone’s talking to him like this (and in Gwen’s case she can’t really believe she’s doing it either) but he’s also somehow relieved, that someone else is treating him like a person or maybe that they’re taking away a little bit of the responsibility he’s so used to carrying.

(This is different for example from how I see Lancelot, as in, I can totally see him publicly declaring to be Gwen’s slave or Arthur’s or both of theirs. Or also there’s this scenario I tried to write a while back where he wants Gwen but can’t have her because she’s married to Arthur, so Lancelot goes to Merlin when he wants someone to tie him up or spank him or whatever, and Merlin helps him out because Merlin is a good friend and obliging like that.)

Let’s consider the goblin episode from season 3, and in particular the scene with the donkey ears omg, and how Arthur was so ashamed of what was happening to him, but he still allowed Gwen to see. And remember Gwen’s little smile as she starts petting him, and how he smiles back because it feels nice, only then he gets miserable again because it’s embarrassing and it shouldn’t feel nice? Then let’s also consider this unfilled Arthur/Merlin prompt from the kink meme. LET’S CONSIDER FILLING THAT PROMPT, GUYS. THE FANDOM WILL BE BETTER FOR IT!

Now here are some recs for things that people have already made! A note – I thought both of these first two were noncon at first but they turn out not to be. (The last rec in this post is though.)

-Being Good by an anon at the kink meme (secretly leashy_bebes), Arthur/Merlin fic, 1600w, rated NC-17, and podfic by meri_sefket
This is a great example of what meri_sefket said about Arthur and humiliation. All the stuff with the drool oh god. I also like the little hints that being a dom is still a bit weird for Merlin but he’s also loving it because of the effect it has on Arthur.

-Stripped Bare, fic by chicago_ruth, Arthur/Merlin, 2000w, rated NC-17, and podfic by me!
More of Merlin knowing that nothing gets Arthur like being humiliated. I love the part where they’re talking about farm animals, and Uther and everybody watching!

-Clysterfuck by bitter_crimson aka chagrined, Arthur/Merlin fic, 4800w, rated NC-17 (written for kink_bingo 2009 and winner of the Arbitrary Mod Prize for Hottest Use of Medieval Medical Instruments)
The famous enema fic! This one starts out being all about the awkwardness and embarrassment but as it goes on it’s more about the pleasure of release. My favorite part is “Merlin commands.” Funny (I love the Arthur POV and not quite noticing Merlin’s use of magic) and satisfying and really, really hot.

-The Unbroken Thread by dayari, Arthur/Merlin fic, 11,800w, PG-13 – podfic by me coming soon!
As I hinted yesterday, I think this fic gets at a lot of the appeal of bottom!Arthur, humiliation and even watersports kink, even though it’s really more of an old-fashioned h/c fic and not porny at all. Merlin is doing his best not to make Arthur feel ashamed (of having a condition that causes him to faint after urinating), but Merlin’s also watching him all the time (while Arthur’s trying to pretend nothing’s wrong) and eventually telling him when to drink, and Arthur the way Arthur deals with that tension between not wanting anyone to know and wanting Merlin to help him feel better is just gorgeous.

-This Play Between The Sheets by nyxelestia, Arthur/Merlin, 15,600w, rated NC-17, and art of collared Arthur by an anon at the meme (probably Not Safe For Work, although they’re both clothed)
This is a modern AU with Arthur and Merlin in a D/s relationship. Powerful by day Arthur is a business executive, but he’s got a collar that he can put on or take off whenever he wants, and whenever it’s on he’s completely under Merlin’s control. This is another one where Merlin starts out kind of awkward in the dom role (conscientiously looking stuff up on the Internet), but as the fic progresses he’s really getting into it and it’s pretty awesome. The writing in this is a little rough but it’s long and fun and has a ton of different kinks in it and I enjoyed it immensely.

-Speaking of many kinks in one work, let’s all take some time to observe the many details in yue_ix’s art Arthur’s Castle (definitely NSFW), done for the waxplay challenge at kinkelot!

-The Crown of the Summer Court by astolat, Arthur/Merlin fic, 24,800w, rated NC-17, with (not kinky) artwork by trolleys and podfic by pandarus
I think almost everybody’s read this already? But hey, why not go for a reread, or a relisten? Astolat’s fics are among my favorites for Merlin the awesomely powerful magical creature, and I think of Arthur in them as very different from most of what I’m reccing here, in that it’s not so much that Arthur wants to give up control because of stuff going on with Arthur as just because it’s this Merlin, and how could anyone resist? I’m thinking especially of the first sex scene, with all the biting and,

Merlin raised his head, eyes feverish and blazing, and pushed Arthur's legs apart, spreading him. Arthur couldn't get his breath, somewhere between terror and aching need; he'd never—but Merlin inside him, thrusting all this power crackling deep into him— Arthur shuddered and opened to him, helpless to resist, Merlin shining on him and over him, elemental and burning and gone past mortal, murmuring his name against his skin.

But I also adore the whipping scene (I would have enjoyed it even more if the weals weren’t immediately healed by magic but whatever).

(Lots of Astolat’s other Arthur/Merlin fics are good for this dynamic too. I love the way Merlin just attacks him in the modern AU Room 20 and Arthur can’t even figure out why he’s not resisting.)

This was also one of the first podfics that really made a podfic fan out of me! It’s got voices and sound effects and music and FayJay’s just incredibly good at this, plus it’s nice and long.

-Everywhere We Touch by cherrybina, Arthur/Merlin fic, 1800w, rated NC-17 (written for last year’s camelotsolstice)
More fabulous magic sex, this time reunion sex in an established relationship where they both know this (that is, magical bondage and Arthur begging Merlin to fuck him) is exactly what Arthur wants.

-Prelude (Everyone’s a Winner) by franticsga, Arthur/knights, Arthur/Merlin, and Merlin/knights fic, 1600w, rated NC-17 (written for camelotremix!)
See, and it doesn’t just have to be about Merlin, but it’s still about trust.

It used to make him flush and squirm on his throne, when he was still a prince and his father sat beside him, to make pronouncements as if he knew more than all the men in front of him, men who had heard him moan and seen him wet and writhing and fucked open. He's not that embarrassed young man anymore, but sometimes it still gives him a...a charge, for lack of a better word, and a strange sort of pride. His men are closer than brothers.

I love the relief Arthur gets out of letting them take off his crown, like he can stop being king for a while and just let them take care of him, and they all understand that so well. ♥

And now let’s have some het!

-Trust (lay down your burdens) by such_heights, Arthur/Gwen fic, 1000w, rated R, with podfic by me!
Amy’s fic and my podfic were both done for “sensory deprivation” at k-b, but what I like most about it is not so much the blindfold as the way it describes Arthur penetrating Gwen as an act of submission. We more often see pegging or cunnilingus done that way, and obviously I’m a fan of those too, but, yeah, I just really love the use of language in this.

-And hey, speaking of Gwen on top, check out this hot Arthur/Gwen pegging drawing (NSFW) at the kink meme! ETA: It is by our own frigg aka yue_ix and reposted here with other porny words and arts!

-Please by blackmamba_esq, Arthur/Gwen fic, 1600w, NC-17
Yes please! Dom!Gwen and more begging Arthur!

-Coming Up for Air by themadlurker, Arthur/Sophia fic, 2000w, rated R (written for the spanking challenge kinkelot).
Merlin rarepairs tends to be even rarer in modern AUs, but Arthur and Sophia are perfectly believable here as a kind of bored young privileged couple. I love how they almost accidentally stumble on Arthur’s spanking kink, and even though it’s embarrassing they just go ahead with it. If you have any swimming pool kink or wet and clothed kink also, do check this out.

-The Arthur/Sophia flashback in Arcane Asylum by new_kate, about 3000w (starting with “Arthur had met Sophia last year”, in chapter 13) out of 124,800 in the big Arthur/Merlin fic, NC-17; warning: dubcon/noncon (magical mind control oh god)
Okay, so this might be my favorite fic in the fandom. It’s hard to say because the first ones I read made such a big impression on me and this came much later, but oh my gosh. It is huge and angsty and full of plot and fascinating worldbuilding. The main pairing is Arthur/Merlin, and those sex are really hot and satisfying and I wouldn’t call them vanilla, but they are pretty well matched in power dynamics, with Merlin being the most powerful wizard alive but not lording it over Arthur especially, and Arthur being physically stronger and full of confidence and all that.

HOWEVER, there’s this flashback to an incident a while back where Sophia enchanted Arthur to fall in love with her and make love to her over and over and over. And while “Sophia the evil ex-girlfriend” is maybe too common a figure in Arthur/Merlin AUs, the level of care here really makes it work for me, both in developing Sophia (and all the other supporting characters) as a real and interesting person, and OH GOD THE DETAIL OF THE PORN.

Another thing I love about the fic is that it does interesting things with POV and surprises you at the end without making you suffer through half the fic without knowing what’s going on. In this episode it’s clear to the reader that Sophia is abusing Arthur, but because of the enchantment he wants it, and he wants more than anything to please her, and it’s glorious (um you know if you’re into that kind of thing *cough*).

THE END (YOUR TURN)

Comments

[itachitachi]

Bwee!!! I love bottom- and sub-Arthur the very best, so I might spend the next few days rereading a bunch of these. *___* I'm a little busy so I don't have anything else to rec off the top of my head, but I hope to add a few more things that would fit into this category once I've finished the KB fics I've got lying around! *eyes finishathon warily*

[sophinisba]

Bottom!Arthur is the best! Or like, to be honest, top Arthur and bottom Merlin is probably the quickest and simplest way to get me hot and bothered...but nothing moves me like Arthur going down!

Yay KB finishing you can do it!!

[msilverstar]

I love various flavors of switching, so yay! *bookmarks*

[sophinisba]

They can all do it all! They are like superheroes of sex!

[roga]

Lol, I skipped over this when you posted because I was sure it was about Inception Arthur. Glad in came back :-) Ty for the recs!

[sophinisba]

LOL I almost never read Inception fic but Arthur/Eames was mostly what I came up with when I went searching for bottom!Arthur on Delicious. Hope you enjoy!

[vanessarama]

I luuuurve all aspects of the boys, topping and bottoming and goodness knows what; but I especially love sub or bottom Arthur for exactly the reasons you mention. It goes so well with his personality and his princely repression. (I love analysing Arthur!)

And I hadn't seen some of these recs before, so thank you!

[sophinisba]

Yes, the repression is key. It's so beautiful when he lets someone in. ♥ ♥

[sally_maria]

Thank you for the reminder of some truly hot stories. :-)

I don't think I could ship a pairing where I didn't see them as capable of switching - the equality and tension of the different kinds of power are definitely part of the appeal - but I also find individual stories where there's a definite D/s dynamic to be some of the hottest around. So it's good to find people writing both bottom!Merlin and bottom!Arthur.

[sophinisba]

There are ships I like where I pretty much only see them aligned one way, though I might read something tomorrow that changes my mind (Merlin/Uther leaps to mind) but yeah, with Arthur/Merlin I like stories where the switch and I like all kinds of dynamics.

frigg's added a bunch of other recs and thoughts below, in case you're interested!

[sally_maria]

Yes, I can see that, I'm not sure I can see Merlin topping Uther either, but I wouldn't say I ship them, though I have read it for the porn. It's that OTP thing. :-)

Thanks for the pointer to frigg's recs. :-)

[yue_ix]

If you don't mind talking about the pairing even if you don't ship it, can I ask about that Merlin/Uther thing? I'm honestly curious, as someone very interested in the pairing that unfortunately doesn't see a lot of fanwork using it.

I had first thought that many of the reasoning or explanations used on why Arthur would enjoy bottoming (if there's any provided past the perfectly valid "he likes it") should be able to apply to his father as well, considering their similarities in positions, responsibilities and characters. But it's effectively very rare to see Uther bottom, to my woes, and I'm wondering why that is. Could it be the magic thing, the hate/phobia, or the age difference?

[sally_maria]

No, I don't mind talking about it at all.

Speaking for people generally, I wouldn't be surprised if the age difference had a big part to do with it - wanting to see the "pretty" one bottom.

For me, I think one of the big things is that it's far more important that I *like* the one who's making themselves vulnerable like that. Toppy Uther can be hot, but vulnerable, broken Uther is just pathetic. I feel sorry for him, but I don't find it at all attractive.

I also wouldn't be surprised if the magic thing means that people find it harder to see Merlin choosing to have a relationship with Uther. Merlin bottoming for Uther for various dub-conny reasons is fine, but Merlin topping Uther somehow seems like a more conscious choice.

Also from an OTP point of view, it's difficult to see choosing Uther as just a casual thing on the way to a relationship with Arthur. It really would need to be something serious to overcome the obstacles between them.

[kaizoku]

This is awesome and I love you for including Gwen/Arthur! I agree, I really don't like the deterministic(?) way of deciding who is what, because it's really about our preferences, not theirs.

[sophinisba]

You know, I haven't read nearly as much Arthur/Gwen as I have Arthur/Merlin, but I think a higher proportion of the Arthur/Gwen I've read has bottom!Arthur, and it really works for me.

[yue_ix]

Just like you, everyone in pretty much any dynamic can work for me. There's still something about Arthur holding himself open that will always make me squirm happily. I love all the reasons you've mentioned, and could add one more for me as far as visual medias are concerned: visually, I find his body type to be my preference for kneeling and ropes. Dunno how to say it, but when I imagine those strong thighs straining, that arse flexing, those soft-curved trapezoids sweating and his arms bunching up while tied spread over dark bedcovers - my brain, it fries. It could be like seeing a horse run, for the pleasure of that force bundling and arching. While all of these exercises do also happen in topping partners in fanworks, there's extremely rarely any emphasis on how good their arse looks and feels, because in general fanworks tend to focus on the less dominant partner's physique and reactions, I think. If I'm in the mood for a good description of Arthur's lower back or how he reacts to his nipple being bitten, it's easier to search through bottom!Arthur tags.

(As an aside, I've seen some artists who, when dwelling on certain power dynamics, tend to fix certain characteristics of associated stereotypes to emphasis that dynamic: slighter frame, more blushing, stronger skin tone contrast, hair in face, etc. Trying not to alter Arthur's frame for this reason is something of a point for me whenever I draw him then, exactly because one of the the things I like best about visualizing Arthur in this dynamic is how his frame fits with it, though IDK if I'm much successful. (Loving the visuals of it is also why bottom!Bradley does it just as hard for me, even if the reasoning and reactions around this dynamic would be vastly different.) I've reposted that Arthur/Gwen pegging art here if you want to link to that instead; it's with a bunch of other NSFW art of various pairing, but I think of Arthur as pretty submissive wherever he is there. I have a kink.)

Your recs are awesome, and it was great to revisit these. In particular, I adore that you pointed out the Sophia/Arthur from Arcane Asylum, because it had also stood out for me with lensflares when reading that story. It was non-con for me, but the descriptions and how Arthur reflects on it (or what he reflects about it - which, if I remember correctly, was being enchanted against his will, not being at her mercy, which this context helps make stand out as making a point about something about him). It's not something that I've seen brought up before when talking about this fic, and I'm really happy it pinged you too. =)

Arthur submitting and/or bottoming shouldn't be that uncommon, I think, since there's a whole comm for it, arthur_submits @ LJ. In general, some other fanworks with a more submissive dynamic explored for Arthur that I enjoyed that would match this list:

- Scoured Clean, as a representation of that trend in stories of Arthur wanting to be made to submit but often not being able to voice it out loud, and others having to guess along while he nods his tastes and consent.

- everything that hurts too much to say by anowlinsunshine also follows that premise, but this one is deeper into Arthur's POV, with his needs, cravings, guilt and fears all linked to needing to be taken over hard powerfully laid bare in very few words.

- There's a good bunch of bottom!Arthur fanworks where Arthur discovers his penchant for a position over another in the fanwork (and not prior to it). The majority of firewolfsg's works go in that direction, though anyone clicking should note that many of her scenarios have heavy consent-play in the non-con direction.

- Truth Is a Whisper by Seperis. It doesn't rotate around positions in particular and have the boys switching, but Arthur felt particularly receptive throughout, liking being taken cared of and shown new things in bed. It's linked to the emphasis on his inexperience, but there's also bits like this (from Truth Is a Whisper) where he seems to simply enjoy being ordered around:

"Keep doing that," Merlin murmurs; Arthur's unbelievably responsive to Merlin's voice, and Merlin's found it almost impossible not to talk, though it's never something he'd really done before. [...] Arthur would fall apart completely when Merlin told him, "I'm going to suck you until you can't remember your name" and "Put your hands above your head and don't move," and "Don't come yet. Not until I say you can."

- I also like it when Arthur is whole-fully aware of what he wants and what he's doing, even if he thinks he shouldn't want it, kinking on his own shame and relief from it, like in anon's Surrender:

"Merlin thinks he found out by accident, thinks it was simply a play battle that suddenly changed tack, thinks that Arthur was as surprised as he was. But Arthur knows better, knows that he gently prodded and coaxed Merlin into wrestling with him, guided every limb and movement to let Merlin seize his wrists and hold them tightly above his head. And even then, even knowing he was trying for it, the rush had been so sudden that he’d arched without meaning to"

- Though I'll always enjoy when Arthur (or anyone, really) is pushed just a bit past where they thought their limits were and are arching and desperate for it, because it's plain hot on anyone for me:
The Real Thing


*coughs* IN CONCLUSION, Thank you so much for putting this post together!! It's really fun. ♥

(This kind of comment is why I'm ever so glad for DW's characters limit)

[yue_ix]

Oh, a few things I forgot:

- Stange Love by cireal is an Arthur/Morgause vid where Morgause appears to take all the sexual initiatives - it's short though, but it felt like it matched the somewhat common tangent of making Arthur sub when he is paired with an older character. (There also needs moar A/Morgause around, y/y?) It also goes with a theme I often see of other characters significantly helping Arthur rise into power, while he follows along. Moulding their king, perhaps?

- Despite me being de facto biaised for this story, Paid in full by capricornucopia does have one of my favourite Arthurs: demanding, slightly awkward but taking control, and basically one of the bossiest bottom ever. See: riding, that thing that gives me images of Arthur's legs flexing like a champion.

- You are entirely welcome to post this and anything else on arthur_submits, bb. Please do, and create a discussion tag! I'll probably be changing posting tags with "contributor: [name]" soon anyway, so you can add your name in already too if you want.

- Do you sometimes chat on gmail, by any chance? We seem to have a lot in common, and I'd love to discuss these things with you live too, if you want & can. *3*

[sophinisba]

Oh sweetie I was hoping you'd come here and this is so awesome. Thank you! I have not read most of the fics you recced so I have that to look forward to, and I will probably post links to this discussion and to a couple of my podfics at arthur_submits tomorrow.

I am on google chat almost every evening. Right now, for instance! Same username there as everywhere else. We should totally hang out.

[yue_ix]

You made a post with "Arthur as sub" in the title, of course I was going to click and spam you! *__* (A bunch of those recs were easy to find, as I just went through my own tag kink:arthur-bottoming, since, yep, delicious kink is delicious.)

Amazing. <3 Added you right now and -- YOU ARE ONLINE, WIN! \o

[fitz_y]

oh you. oh you. can i hug you? it made me so happy to come home from work and read this intelligent, insightful, yummy post. and i am much too sleep deprived to post any thoughtful response, and to do much but just say: yes! thank you for saying this! right on! and fucking, thank you man for all these awesome recs. so many of them i haven't read. i'm going to bookmark them for a rainy day. sweet. ♥ ♥ ♥

[sophinisba]

Ahhh, hooray! I am so happy to hear that. I'm still so impressed with your rarepairs extravaganza which among other things reminded me of how helpful rec lists are.

Hey, let's be friends. Do you crosspost pretty much all your stuff or is there more of it on LJ?

[fitz_y]

oh, thanks hon! i've been thinking about this post all day. and how smart it is.

also wanted to throw in two more recs -

one, a series that deals well with arthur needing to sub, exactly as you talk about is riventhorn's Arthur/Leon series that starts with Anything for You.

and two, this beautiful angsty piece: Raw, Open, Broken, Fixed. it doesn't have d/s dynamic per se, but it has bottom!arthur, some violence, and much confusion.

yes, yes, let's be friends! i'm so shy about friending usually. i've listened to your lovely podcast of Gwen/Morgana 4 modern AUs, (even though i neglected to leave you a comment telling you how lovely it is, which is very remiss of me) so i really feel like i know you, well your podfic voice at least! i'll find you on LJ. i'm more active there. i really just keep the barebones on DW-my fic and the occasional rec. ♥

[hopeisathreat.livejournal.com]

I know I'm like ages late, but thank you so fucking much for putting this together. Oh my god.

[sophinisba]

Ah ha ha, you're so welcome. Enjoy. <3