Title: Siblings socials: The beast's lair
Artist: Hakka (
prue84 )
Fandom: BBC's Merlin (canon era, post-canon modern magic) AU
AU: The Pendragon siblings return (sequel: modern magic)
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin (implied)
Characters: Arthur Pendragon, Morgana.
Rating: G
Tagline: You thought Arthur, being a former king, would always be the master in any couple or pairing? Well, think better. Morgana is more than willing to prove the world that is Merlin the serval who commands between the two.
Series: Siblings socials
About the graphic: Morgana, the famed once Queen of Camelot and socials star, has taken her duties of chronicling her brother Arthur's adjusting to the modern world very seriously. If she has a chance to humiliate him, in face of the legendary epitome of noble warrior built around him during the centuries, she will do it gladly, not even hiding a smirking during the whole time.
As socials love cats, who is she to deprive the socials from pics of Merlin the grumpy serval? The fact that Arthur is sleeping in an idiotic pose on the background is just a bonus point.
About the AU: Under the graphic.
Notes: Initially, this - the original screencap minus the serval - was supposed to be an Instagram-mock shared by the Merlin of the National Treasure instagram AU, but I didn't have the text ready and was thus stuck since 2018. Some months ago I decided to switch the poster from Merlin to the Morgana of this AU. It made no sense for Morgana to share a pic of her sleeping brother without Merlin the serval around, so the idea of putting a serval on the bed came.
Tec stuffs (aka Behind The Manip): A nightmare. I couldn't find a serval pic that fit with the perspective required. And when I did, they came with dark shadows on their legs I couldn't fix. So I had to use the blankets to mask here and there, which came with another challenge on its own.
Instagram graphic made all by-hand, with much moving/copy/pasting and, especially, a wearying research to find out which font the website used. No template site. Since I created my own template, it won't reflect any future changes the platform might make (I have no intention of modify my template).
Disclaimer: Don't own anything on this.
No AI involved, just Photoshop CS2.
Crossposted:
Dreamwidth, Deviantart (
instagram post,
photo #1,
photo #2),
Tumblr.
![](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/prue84/10082358/857568/857568_original.jpg)
Click to see fullsize (935 x 571)
And the photos in full size:
![](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/prue84/10082358/857754/857754_original.jpg)
Click to see fullsize (757 x 720)
![](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/prue84/10082358/857887/857887_original.jpg)
Click to see fullsize (791 x 720)
About the AU
The story is a sequel to the The Pendragon Sibling.
Eventually, the druid give the royal couple a serval as gift for their renowned peace between the throne and the magic people. The servan turns out to be a very magical boy.
At the same time Morgana acquires a puma, who happens to be the disguise of an High Priestess.
I elaborated a bit
here.
*
Not even the union of the Pendragon siblings, as King of Lands and Queen of Avalon and royal couple ruling over Camelot, with Morgause the High Priestesses of the old religion and Emrys the immortal dragonlord as their shadows and mates, is enough to prevent Arthurs tragic end at Camlann at the hands of the traitor Mordred.
After Camlann, Merlin withdraws in his own pain, while Queen Morgana rules wisely for the next decades, assuring that the golden age of Camelot continues. When the time to retire from the mortal life comes, Morgana, with her loyal companion Morgause and Merlin, retires on the island at the center of the lake Avalon, taking residence in the tower standing there.
Centuries pass, between long sleeps and new lives in the world outside. But magic, for a series or undisclosed circumstances, have been slowly fading in the lands outside of Avalon since the Siblings balance was lost with the death of Arthur. The more they are away from the island, center of the Old Magic, the more the contact is faint, and both Morgause and Merlin feel the need to stay in their animal forms. Until magic is so weak that they are stuck in their animal form even when staying at the tower.
In the 21th century Morgana is following an academic career. Every morning, during breakfast, she keeps the tv on to make some background sounds. One morning the BBC's morning program suddenly switches to a live from the town of Avalon, for news about some odd happenings at the lake. The country wonders if this is the day when King Arthur will finally raise. There has been many false alarm. This morning is different, though. Morgana, with her two felines, rushes to the lake through magic and is there to see Arthur emerge from the waters. Merlin, a one-century-and-half ancient serval, attacks everyone present, Arthur included, and Arthur himself is forced to draw Excalibur to suffuse the situation, before his sister is arrested and his feline mate put down as the rabid cat he is.
After the necessary time to familiarize with a world that is completely different from the one he remembers, Morgana introduces Arthur to the marvels of the socials and together they become Twitter stars, entertaining people with their commentaries on Arthurian-related productions and their bickering. Between Morgana's interviews and bits shared by Arthur on socials, the world is revealed that the Matter of Britain is mostly made of lies and exaggerations.
BBC reaches out to Morgana to collaborate to write a series that would tell the true story of the Pendragons. Morgana launches herself in the project with eagerness. As the search for a proper location to set Camelot is about to start, Morgana hints that she might has the original castle miniaturized and preserved by magic and she would be amenable to make available as set, as long as the production covers the costs of restoration.
Thus the Pendragons get their old nest back restored to its golden days free of charge, and Arthur can return to live in his natural habitat.
Eventually, the true identity and nature of the felines, believed to be just animals given immortality by magic and relics of the golden age of Camelot, will be revealed, But that's another story for another time.