Drastically Redefining Protocol

Drastically Redefining Protocol (short: DRP) is a Merlin/Arthur slash AU novel by Rageprufrock. It was posted as a WIP in serial format on Livejournal with the first part published in December 2008Rageprufrock. WIP: Drastically Redefining Protocol (pt 1/?), 02 December 2008. (Accessed 31 January 2010) and developed quite a following. Although it started as a text-only story, it turned into a multimedia fanfic event.
Summary: "In which Prince Arthur meets Merlin and all hell promptly breaks lose."
In this AU Merlin is an intern at a hospital in London and Arthur is the Prince of Wales. A chance meeting leads to more, and it plays out exactly as one would expect in a fairy tale with paparazzi, outing and a happily ever after.
From the author's notes about the multimedia aspects of her story and the people involved:
DRP quickly claimed the place that the earlier crackfic AU MERLIN held in the affection of the fans and became the story everyone recommended to those who joined the fandom after DRP was finished.
DRP won at the Merlin/Arthur Fanfic Awards 2008 in the categories Best Alternate Universe Fic and Best Work-in-Progress and it won the Spring 2010 Merlin Slash Awards in the "Fanfiction: Arthur/Merlin" categories Best Epic and Best AU.
==Multimedia==
Zoetrope created a 1:13 min fic trailer for DRPZoetrope. DRP trailer, posted to Youtube 29 January 2009. (Accessed 02 February 2009)Zoetrope. New Vid - Drastically Redefining Protocol Trailer, posted to Livejournal 02 February 2009. (Accessed 02 February 2010) while the story was still in progress. The last part of DRP with all its multimedia elements was fittingly published as part of 14 Valentines on February 14, 2009.Rageprufrock. [14 Valentines Drastically Redefining Protocol], 14 February 2009. (Accessed 02 February 2010) The story contains as embedded elements fake headlines and speculations from The Sun, a short Daily Mail article with gossip about what Arthur might be up to after a disappearing act in a children's hospital and his rumored disappearance during a state visit to Denmark, and an ONTD entry with even more rumors. Later in the story there are excerpts from Arthur's Royal diary and after some incriminating pictures hit the news, another ONTD entry with thousands of comments.OMG CALLING ALL QUEERS - THE DAY WE NEVER DARED HOPE FOR HAS ARRIVED: PRINCE ARTHUR OF THE GLORIOUS PECTORALS AND IMPROBABLY DELIGHTFUL BACKSIDE GETS OUT OF THE GAY SIDE OF THE BED, FOLKS. As an LJ-cut: (To you, Merlin Emrys, we say: you win at being gay possibly forever.)
Other embedded media reactions include headlines and short articles like "Prince Arthur in Gay Scandal" (Drudge Report), "Prince Arthur Fucks Dudes", "Gawker Exclusive: His Majesty's Twinkmails!", a news item from AP London, and a screenshot of the delicious main page with the most popular bookmarks being the already mentioned news articles and fannish reactions like a "New LJ Comm: Queen Arthur" with already several hundred bookmarks, the probably first RPS for the pairing: "I Cannot Believe I Did This: Arthur/Merlin WHAT SHUT UP YOU" (labeled arthur/merlin, rps, slash, nc-17 smut), and a "Prince Arthur/Merlin comment thread: It's not RPS if it's REAL".
The story ends with articles about the wedding between Merlin and Arthur. The Sun describes it as "Arthur Bags His Prince Charming: A FAIRYtale COME TRUE!" while The New York Times gives some insight into the broader meaning of the event and writes "In the Cultural War About Gay Marriage, a Wedding Opens a New Front". The most impressive piece of the media puzzle is the epilogue to the novel, written as a brilliant six page VANITY FAIR article.
And They Lived Happily Ever After. Mostly.
==There is more==
Pentapus made a chibi cartoon illustrationPentapus. Rec: Drastically Redefining Protocol, 15 February 2009. (Accessed 02 February 2010) of Merlin and Arthur from DRP and zoetrope wrote a fanfic set in the DPR universe.New fic: Pale, 08 December 2009. (Accessed 30 March 2010) Xenakis later made two illustrations, one of Arthur and Merlin from DPRXenakis. Redéfinir drastiquement le protocole (ben quoi? J'ai ben l'droit), 20 July 2009 (Accessed 30 March 2010) and one of Everett and Astrid, two OCs from the sequel Five Secrets That Ought to Be Kept (And One for the Road).Xenakis. Ma chère Pru, c'est à ton tour..., 27 November 2009. (Accessed 30 March 2010) In 2010, revolutionaryjo created a podfic version of the story.revolutionaryjo. Drastically Redefining Protocol, posted to the Audiofic Archive 20 January 2010. Format: mp3 (255.1 MB), m4b (128.3 MB), 4 hrs 26 minutes. (Accessed 1 August 2016) Lunchee repoded the story in 2011.Lunchee. [merlin drastically redefining protocol], 01 May 2011, 5:33:16 hours. (Accessed 01 May 2011) This version is more than an hour longer than the first podfic version and it includes sound effects.
Sequels to DRP written by Pru include:
* Honeymoon (25 Feb 2009, word count: 1,749)."The original plan had been, in fact, to honeymoon in Spain." Honeymoon was translated into Russian by in between days.in between days. Медовый месяц, 31 October 2009. (Accessed 26 March 2011)
* Throw-In (2 Mar 2009, word count: 2,280). "The throw-in begins play at the start of the game, after each goal, and after the ball goes out of bounds."
* Keepsake (9 May 2009, word count: 4,303).
* Services Rendered (9 Jul 2009, word count: 5,418). "Imagine the PR nightmare if good, hardworking French escorts found out."
* Five Secrets That Ought to Be Kept (And One for the Road) (25 Aug 2009, word count: 4,906).
Pru also wrote a untitled WIP snippet on May 26, 2009 set in this universe. In 2011 she wrote DRP Wedding for The Merlin/Arthur Royal Wedding Comment Ficfest which was immediately podficced by both revolutionaryjo and Lunchee.lunchy_munchy in amplificathon. [merlin drastically redefining protocol wedding by rageprufrock], 09 May 2011. (Accessed 22 May 2011)
==Recs and Reviews==
 
* In 2018, the story was the focus of an episode of the podcast Be The Serpent: Be The Serpent: Drastically Redefining Protocol.
==References==
Category:Mixed Media
Category:Slash Fanfiction
Category:Merlin AU
Category:Merlin Vids
Category:2008 Fanfiction‎
Category:2009 Fanfiction‎