Obscure & British Commentfest 2018
7 May 2018 10:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thisbluespiritWelcome to the Obscure & British comment fest V! Last year didn't happen for various reasons, but it is now back. And it would be wearing a hat if it could. \o/
This is a comment fest for any tiny/small(ish)/medium(ish) British fandom and open to all fanworks.
If you've ever loved any British fandoms, find yourself too obscure for most fests, or you're busy wondering why there's still no Emma Peel in all this Avengers stuff, you're in the right place. Come on in and help yourself to a cup of tea and a crumpet. Also you should make prompts and fill them.
Rules & Guidelines
This commentfest works in the same way as most comment ficathons, although all kinds of fanworks are welcome. (Fanart, icons, fanmixes, vids, or whatever your creative mind can come up with or prompt for.) Just leave your prompt and/or browse through other people's prompts to see what you can fill.
1. Be polite - no bashing or shaming of anyone, or any prompts, characters, ships or fandoms! Thank you.
2. One prompt per post, please use format: Fandom(/Fandom), Character(s)/Pairing(s), prompt (i.e "Spooks, Tom/Ruth, apocalypse AU"). You may repost prompts from previous years (or even from elsewhere, as long as that's okay with the other fest/comm/whatever).
3. Post fills as replies (or links in replies) to the comment containing the prompt. Please format the subject line as follows: Fandom - Character(s)/Pairing(s) - Ratings/Warnings (if included). There's a fills thread at the start of the post. Please also link your fill here, if you can. (I will also start up a masterlist post as soon as we have some fills.)
4. You may fill your own prompts if you wish, and multiple fills are more than welcome. (No prompt claiming, please.)
5. For crossovers any fandom is allowed as long as the first fandom qualifies. (If it's a cracky multi-fandom crossover prompt, that's fine, too, though try and make sure there are always equal or more eligible fandoms in proportion to those that are non-eligible.)
6. Any other questions - there's a questions thread at the start of the post if there's anything else you want to ask.
7. Prompt, fill, away!
Eligible Fandoms
Basically, any rare to small/medium British fandom, no matter how odd, old, obscure, non-existent, random or how shiny and new or in what medium - anything that's not on the below list is fine. (Definitions of British are also fairly wide and hand-wavy - check on the questions thread if you're not sure.)
Non-eligible fandoms
ALL non-British fandoms are ineligible and the following fandoms are British but too large and therefore ineligible for this fest (although don't forget that you can prompt for any fandom as a crossover with an eligible fandom):
Chronicles of Narnia (all), Doctor Who (2005+), Downton Abbey, Harry Potter, The Hobbit (all), James Bond (Craig!Bond films), The Kingsman films, Lord of the Rings (all), Merlin, The Musketeers (BBC), One Direction, Primeval, Sherlock (BBC), The Silmarillion, Torchwood.
(RPF is welcome. Please use specific categories when prompting (e.g. history by century, and all actor/bandom RPF by individual series/film/band or whatever grouping seems most appropriate. In the spirit of the fest, please try and avoid RPF for non-eligible shows/v. popular actors like Tom Hiddleston & Benedict Cumberbatch, but as they turn up in less popular film/TV RPF, that's a guideline, not a rule.)
There's no closing date for prompts or fills - the fest will stay open until next year's post goes up. Once you've created a fill, you're welcome to crosspost it anywhere you like. (If you're posting to AO3, there's no collection for the fest, but there is an "Obscure & British Commentfest" tag you can use if you want.)
If you want to promote the fest, then thank you! Please do. You can find a selection of banners ready made with code here and rebloggable tumblr posts here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
You can find the previous fest (2016) here. Also: O&B 2015, O&B 2014 and O&B 2013. If you want to fill or repost a previous prompt, you may, although please also post to the fills thread on the current post.
ETA: The fills post is here
For those who don't have an Dreamwidth account or prefer to remain anonymous, anon commenting is on.
This is a comment fest for any tiny/small(ish)/medium(ish) British fandom and open to all fanworks.
If you've ever loved any British fandoms, find yourself too obscure for most fests, or you're busy wondering why there's still no Emma Peel in all this Avengers stuff, you're in the right place. Come on in and help yourself to a cup of tea and a crumpet. Also you should make prompts and fill them.
Rules & Guidelines
This commentfest works in the same way as most comment ficathons, although all kinds of fanworks are welcome. (Fanart, icons, fanmixes, vids, or whatever your creative mind can come up with or prompt for.) Just leave your prompt and/or browse through other people's prompts to see what you can fill.
1. Be polite - no bashing or shaming of anyone, or any prompts, characters, ships or fandoms! Thank you.
2. One prompt per post, please use format: Fandom(/Fandom), Character(s)/Pairing(s), prompt (i.e "Spooks, Tom/Ruth, apocalypse AU"). You may repost prompts from previous years (or even from elsewhere, as long as that's okay with the other fest/comm/whatever).
3. Post fills as replies (or links in replies) to the comment containing the prompt. Please format the subject line as follows: Fandom - Character(s)/Pairing(s) - Ratings/Warnings (if included). There's a fills thread at the start of the post. Please also link your fill here, if you can. (I will also start up a masterlist post as soon as we have some fills.)
4. You may fill your own prompts if you wish, and multiple fills are more than welcome. (No prompt claiming, please.)
5. For crossovers any fandom is allowed as long as the first fandom qualifies. (If it's a cracky multi-fandom crossover prompt, that's fine, too, though try and make sure there are always equal or more eligible fandoms in proportion to those that are non-eligible.)
6. Any other questions - there's a questions thread at the start of the post if there's anything else you want to ask.
7. Prompt, fill, away!
Eligible Fandoms
Basically, any rare to small/medium British fandom, no matter how odd, old, obscure, non-existent, random or how shiny and new or in what medium - anything that's not on the below list is fine. (Definitions of British are also fairly wide and hand-wavy - check on the questions thread if you're not sure.)
Non-eligible fandoms
ALL non-British fandoms are ineligible and the following fandoms are British but too large and therefore ineligible for this fest (although don't forget that you can prompt for any fandom as a crossover with an eligible fandom):
Chronicles of Narnia (all), Doctor Who (2005+), Downton Abbey, Harry Potter, The Hobbit (all), James Bond (Craig!Bond films), The Kingsman films, Lord of the Rings (all), Merlin, The Musketeers (BBC), One Direction, Primeval, Sherlock (BBC), The Silmarillion, Torchwood.
(RPF is welcome. Please use specific categories when prompting (e.g. history by century, and all actor/bandom RPF by individual series/film/band or whatever grouping seems most appropriate. In the spirit of the fest, please try and avoid RPF for non-eligible shows/v. popular actors like Tom Hiddleston & Benedict Cumberbatch, but as they turn up in less popular film/TV RPF, that's a guideline, not a rule.)
There's no closing date for prompts or fills - the fest will stay open until next year's post goes up. Once you've created a fill, you're welcome to crosspost it anywhere you like. (If you're posting to AO3, there's no collection for the fest, but there is an "Obscure & British Commentfest" tag you can use if you want.)
If you want to promote the fest, then thank you! Please do. You can find a selection of banners ready made with code here and rebloggable tumblr posts here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
You can find the previous fest (2016) here. Also: O&B 2015, O&B 2014 and O&B 2013. If you want to fill or repost a previous prompt, you may, although please also post to the fills thread on the current post.
ETA: The fills post is here
For those who don't have an Dreamwidth account or prefer to remain anonymous, anon commenting is on.
no subject
Date: 10 May 2018 09:37 pm (UTC)Restless Spirits, Dracula (TV 1968), all, PG, 1008 words
Date: 6 Jun 2018 08:55 pm (UTC)Restless Spirits
***
It was for science, that was what the Professor insisted. If Vampires existed, than who knew what else might? It was the duty of those who knew this to keep an open mind and investigate the matter.
“I don’t see why that means we should attend a séance,” said Dr Seward, who would much rather have been left alone to forget that vampires existed if he could have chosen (even if he appreciated Van Helsing’s point). “It hardly sounds scientific to me. Whatever next?”
“Always an excellent question, John.”
Dr Seward gave a muted harrumph in reply, which Van Helsing took for consent, and then he looked with hope but more trepidation towards Mr and Mrs Harker. To his relief, they agreed.
“After all,” said Mina, “if it is possible to hear from the departed souls, I for one would be glad to receive reassurance about our dear Lucy.”
Dr Seward coughed, but sent a grateful look in her direction.
“Lucy?” said Jonathan, whose thoughts appeared to be elsewhere, although at least not wandering too far any more. He caught himself. “Oh, yes, of course. Poor Miss Weston.”
There seemed little point in delaying, so they tried their first experiment that evening, drawing the curtains and gathering around one table with a candle lit at its centre. Then they held hands and waited. And waited.
“I don’t think anything’s going to happen,” said Dr Seward. “Perhaps we should give it up? After all, even if there are such things as vampires, it doesn’t follow that every other supernatural creature is real.”
Van Helsing shushed him. “Be patient. Humour me a little while longer, if you will, I beg of you all.”
Silence fell again until, some time later, the darkness around them seemed to intensify. They felt its oppression before they noticed it. An icy draft stole into the room, causing Mina to shiver, and then the candle went out. Dr Seward caught his breath, but Van Helsing tightened his grip on his hand before he could panic and break the circle.
They heard a sound of rustling, as the cold wind swirled about the room, causing Dr Seward’s papers to shift on his desk and then cascade to the floor, followed by Van Helsing’s books of myths and folk tales.
Jonathan rose to his feet, suddenly, breaking the circle, and holding out his hands. “Behold!” he said. “I am reborn.”
“I think not,” said Van Helsing, also rising. “You will find I have already encircled the room with garlic – and I have holy water to hand. You see, I knew you would try to do so at some point, but I did not know which one of the Harkers you still clung to.”
“Jonathan,” Mina said, pulling back from the table and staring up at him. “So that was where the ring went! I thought I had merely dreamt it. No – perhaps I merely wished to believe that. Professor?”
Dr Seward blinked. “Eh? Professor? What’s going on?”
Van Helsing ignored his question, and flung the holy water across at Jonathan, even as he tried to back away. He screamed out and collapsed, writhing on the floor before he fell still.
“Jonathan!” said Mina, jumping up. She hesitated before kneeling at his side, however, glancing at the Professor first as to whether or not it was safe to touch her husband.
Van Helsing hurried over. “He should be free of the last of the creature now, I trust. Harker? What do you say?”
Jonathan opened his eyes. “Yes. I think I’m myself,” he said slowly. “Although who that is these days is a good question. For one moment, though – I felt –” He stopped. “Dark glory,” he said eventually, “and then –”
“Life,” said Van Helsing firmly. “Freedom from the curse.”
“I’ll try to think of it that way.”
Before anyone had time to anything else, even to decide whether to try and resume or finish the séance, they felt another unseen presence within the room, this one only a light breeze, seeming to dispel some of the former darkness in its wake. Mina felt it like breath on her skin.
“Lucy,” she said and John, still sitting beside her in his chair turned his head towards her.
Mina sat back down in her chair and took his hands, shaking a little. She felt her heart give a leap inside her as it had not since her friend’s death, or at least, not since that time in the garden. “Lucy? Truly?”
“I only wish,” ‘Lucy’ said, through John, leaning forward, and kissing her cheek, “that we had done this in life and not only after.”
Mina closed her eyes and didn’t dare trust herself to speak, but she gave a tiny nod.
John – or Lucy- pressed one final kiss to her lips, before whatever had come into the room left it again, and only the four of them remained. John pulled back in instant embarrassment, coughing and apologising to her.
“Please don’t,” she said, and then, turning to face the other two in case they had not understood, “it was Lucy.” She flickered a glance back to John. “She had one last word for the two of us – those she loved.”
Van Helsing took out a pen from his breast pocket. “Interesting. You felt no vampiric influence? You are sure?”
“Professor!” said Dr Seward in indignation, at the same moment as Mina denied it firmly.
“That’s your excuse for kissing my wife, is it?” said Jonathan.
Mina squeezed his arm. “Don’t be silly, darling. It was Lucy. I’m sure Dr Seward wouldn’t dream of trying it again – would you, John?”
John pushed back into his chair in alarm. “No, no. Of course not.”
“Hmm,” said Van Helsing. “Well, this has all been extremely fascinating. I see this kind of affair merits further investigation, although perhaps next time we should try a group not entirely composed of those touched by the mark of the vampire. John, you could help me arrange such a thing, yes?”
“Professor,” Dr Seward said, after staring at him, “absolutely not! This is the last time I shall ever have anything to do with any more of your – your damned black arts and your so-called experiments! Science indeed!”
Van Helsing was not listening. “Perhaps Tuesday, do you think?”
***
Re: Restless Spirits, Dracula (TV 1968), all, PG, 1008 words
Date: 6 Jun 2018 09:53 pm (UTC)Jonathan rose to his feet, suddenly, breaking the circle, and holding out his hands. “Behold!” he said. “I am reborn."
So close! But yay for Jonathan's freedom, and I do love the moment with Lucy's spirit using Seward.
Van Helsing will definitely kidnap a handful of others for a séance next Tuesday. Seward is doomed.
Re: Restless Spirits, Dracula (TV 1968), all, PG, 1008 words
Date: 7 Jun 2018 08:21 am (UTC)Van Helsing will definitely kidnap a handful of others for a séance next Tuesday. Seward is doomed.
This is the only certain thing, really. :-D