Beyond the Roundels

As I said, I sort of stopped updating properly for a bit. Just the usual low patch, but I navigated last month's better in terms of posting than this month's.

1. I did manage to do three Fannish ficlets for no_true_pair and still have some rainbowfic ones I'll post for their amnesty, so that is quite good. Although I was quite blurry, I'm not sure how they turned out, really.


2. unconventionalcourtship is back! Time to pick a terrible romance novel and kill it with fanfiction or whatever your preferred approach is. As ever, you can ask the brilliant Unconventional Courtship Generator for ideas if you don't want to personally wade through Mills & Boon's back catalogue.


3. genprompt_bingo is open for a new round!


4. I don't know what is happening with this year, but I received a NYR gift from edwardianspinsteraunt for The Winslow Boy! It is amazing! I need to go comment properly, and will soon, but spent all day finishing off doing the 100 list thingies going around (see point 5.)

At the Threshold (5149 words) by edwardianspinsteraunt
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Winslow Boy (1999)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Robert Morton/Catherine Winslow
Characters: Robert Morton (Winslow Boy), Catherine Winslow, Desmond Curry
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Kissing, Vulnerability, questionable decisions, Confessions (of various sorts), semi-resolved sexual tension, Angst with a Happy Ending, past Catherine Winslow/John Watherstone
Summary: Catherine learns earlier of Sir Robert's sacrifice - a discovery that has surprising results.


5. I've been doing the tumblr-moved-to-Dreamwidth top 100 personal favourite/foundational movies list, plus, because I picked it up from lirazel (who I think was the one that added the other two categories), also 100 TV series, which took the longest. In the meantime, while it moved round my flist, it became solely a book list meme instead, because I suppose that is tumblr vs Dreamwidth for you, lol.

I'm not entirely surely fiddling with things for a week has made my lists any less weird. (You have to bear in mind that my most influential/favourite things, like everyone, tend to be from when I was growing up/younger but then also I have spent the last 15 years having appalling trouble trying to just read or watch anything and at least 5 or so years of that time solving that problem by watching slow-paced Brit TV, some of which was genuinely awesome and then the loss of DVDs for the past 3-5 years has completely scotched any means I had of watching anything not on terrestrial UK TV or the iPlayer. But it does make my list look like it was made by someone whose next words will be muttering about isn't modern stuff too Ruined By The Woke, which is very distressing to me, but that's why. I might mutter that people should write TV episodes like they're one act plays again instead of a soap opera installment and that it honestly doesn't have to cost THAT much to be good, but that's as far as it goes re. the worst effects of all the beige tv on my brain, I promise. It was excellent beige TV! And the bits that weren't, I was looking at James Maxwell's nose or Alfie's face or Suzanne Neve's awesome anyway. And the reading has been even worse, except the few books that worked could at least be from any era, because so far they haven't changed how that works. BUt, still, they had to be old enough to be chanced upon in charity shops so...)

If you want distractions of clicking things and telling me that you also watched/read about 10 of these, here is the film list, the TV List (much beige TV included some of which I had to add manually) and the books list.

No doubt I have forgotten obvious things and would probably make different lists again next week, but I had fun. It had some of the most obscure books and films on it, it just had issues with the TV sometimes.

It's unconventionalcourtship time again!



I asked what I'd forgotten last post and liadt quite rightly said, unconventionalcourtship! And I thought, great, that's two things for the next post! (Who knows what the other thing was? Not me.)

Anyway, it's a laid back old school writing fest where you pick a romance novel summary, choose characters/OT-whatever to inflict it onto, sign up to post on a chosen day and that's it, really. Whether the resulting fic is at all romantic or not is up to you.

Check out the comm for more details, selections of banners to use to promote it (and indeed, the template to make your own). They have lists of summaries if you don't want to go hunting for them in the wild.

There's even the Unconventional Courtship Generator so you can choose one by randomness and hilarity: http://www.seasip.info/Misc/ucrpg.html

(You can customise it and put your own characters in, as well as the preset ones.)

I mean, what more can you ask of a fest?

ETA: ( Because obviously I couldn't say that and not play with the generator )

1. genprompt_bingo is open for sign-ups for its latest round! (I have a bingo to post from my last card, so I think I shall get a new one! soon! \o/)

2. allbingo is having a Gothic Bingo for April, which I haven't looked at properly yet, but I feel I should. I mean, I haven't done the flowers one yet, but it's not as if anyone minds at allbingo and I am making progress.

3. unconventionalcourtship is back! And this time it's 10, can you believe it? Anyway, snag yourself an improbable romance novel summary and then commit fic crimes with it. What more could anyone ask of a fest?

3b. Never forget you can ask the UC Generator for ideas. It may not help but it will make life seem brighter, and is exactly what those summaries deserve, really.

4. Not quite on the same lines as the above, but you know how sometimes you're looking at the books on the supermarket's charity bookstall and then you see one so terrible you have to pay 50p and bring it home with you to examine more carefully and also show your internet friends exactly what a terrible thing you have just acquired?

( Anyway, that. )

I managed to edit the Unconventional Courtship ficlets I wrote for john_amend_all, and here they are!

This one really could have been a whole thing, but now it isn't: 642) An Inconvenient Engagement by Joy Reed
Clara Oswald was furious when she saw her betrothed the Fourth Doctor waltzing with another. So she decides to make him jealous by flirting with the most beautiful woman at the ball, the Mistress, Countess of Stanford. The "wicked" noblewoman knew exactly what the enticing miss was up to — and she was only too happy to play along. But as Clara gazed into her magnificent eyes, her errant fiancé was soon utterly forgotten.

the simple things you see are all complicated (606 words) by thisbluespirit
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Doctor Who (2005), Doctor Who (1963)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Missy/Clara Oswin Oswald
Characters: Clara Oswin Oswald, Missy (Doctor Who), Fourth Doctor (Doctor Who)
Additional Tags: Ficlet, Echoes of Clara Oswin Oswald, Hypnotism
Summary: Clara's got to stick with the Doctor, even if she doesn't know quite why - but then she meets with someone else instead...


From: 162) There Goes the Bride by Judy Duarte
Stop that bride!
Instead of heading down the aisle toward a man she didn't love, ex-beauty queen Lucie Miller hightailed it out of the church, landing at the feet of brooding loner Graham O'Brien. When Graham begrudgingly helped Lucie flee Kane's Crossing and her powerful groom-not-to-be in his private plane, neither one of them expected passions to ignite. But once they did, both tried to deny it. But maybe Graham could make room for Lucie in his emotionally bereft life, and maybe Lucie would actually walk all the way down the aisle one of these days….

Getaway Bus (858 words) by thisbluespirit
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Doctor Who (2005), Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Eighth Doctor & Lucie Miller, Lucie Miller & Graham O'Brien
Characters: Lucie Miller, Graham O'Brien, Eighth Doctor (Doctor Who)
Summary: Lucie's on the run from an unwanted wedding in Sheffield - and luckily, the right bus comes along at exactly the right time.


From: 432) BABY'S WATCH by Justine Davis
Bad boy turned undercover agent the Third Doctor had come home to Texas to bust a baby-smuggling ring – not deliver a baby! But he couldn’t turn his back on helpless pregnant charmer the Master. Especially when his only safe haven is in his arms.

Just Desserts (681 words) by thisbluespirit
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Doctor Who (1963)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Third Doctor & The Master (Delgado)
Characters: Jo Grant, Third Doctor (Doctor Who), The Master (Delgado)
Additional Tags: Ficlet, Crack, Humor, Mpreg, mild body horror, Unconventional Courtship Generator
Summary: The Master plots with an alien species in a diabolical criminal money-making scheme. And then it backfires, as usual...


Plus, for good, measure, these are some scenarios the generator gave me that I did not write:

Steel and Silver on possibly matching assigments?

88) WHISPERS IN THE NIGHT by DIANE PERSHING
Silhouette Sensation
It began with a noise in the night…
When strange things began happening at his isolated home, lonely widower the Eighth Doctor turned to handyman Steel for protection. But what a mistake? Steel was not only an ex-cop but also an ex-convict – though he swore he’d been framed. Yet if he was so eager to prove his innocence why was he spending his time fixing his house, instead?
Steel seemed intent on gaining his trust – and as the mysterious dangers escalated, Eight needed someone to keep him safe. Steel was the perfect protector, because he needed nothing from him… or did he? Suddenly Eight wondered just why Steel had come to him – and how close he meant to get…

177) Undercover Memories by Alice Sharpe
Reeling after being left at the altar, Leela seeks comfort in her secluded cabin. But there's someone sleeping in her bed—a sharp-eyed, sexy stranger who claims to have no memory. While a little digging reveals Silver's true identity, Leela knows there's more to his past…and more to her feelings.
He may have been told who he is, but bodyguard Silver isn't satisfied with the answers, especially when they place Leela in danger.With his protective instinct in high gear, Silver vows to uncover his true identity while keeping her safe. But what if recovering his memory means he is the one Leela should be afraid of?


403) THREE DAY NIGHT - TORI PHILLIPS
THE WHITE ROSE OF YORK WAS NO HOTHOUSE FLOWER
Nay, Sir the First Doctor was a long-stemmed charmer with a dangerous secret of royal proportions. But for a chance to claim him as her promised groom, Sara Kingdom would fight the hounds of hell... !
Though plots and plans and barking dogs seemed to pursue the Countess of Thornbury wherever she went, One knew he'd found a champion. Mayhap Sara Kingdom was not what people expected, but the gentle dame had become his heart's desire.

407) The Redemption of Darius Sterne - Carole Mortimer
So innocent. So tempting...
Having built a global empire synonymous with excellence, formidable tycoon Jack Harkness is a man who gets what he wants. Always. And right now he wants ex-ballet dancer Count Dracula... in his bed and sighing his name in pleasure.
Virginal Dracula can’t resist the allure of the brooding billionaire. But the closer he pulls him, the more Jack threatens the barriers he’s carefully constructed to conceal the scars of his past. And Dracula isn’t the only one with pain to hide...
Can his pure love dance into his heart and redeem the dark and damaged Jack Harkness?


It was busy shipping Martha/Baldrick that day as well (sorry, Martha):

517) From Ruin To Riches by Louise Allen
Ruined and on the run, Sodoff Baldrick is in desperate straits when he meets a lady with a shocking proposal. Certain she is close to death, Martha Jones, Lady Dereham, believes Baldrick to be the perfect man to care for her beloved estate when she is gone - if he will first become her husband...
Marriage is Baldrick's salvation - as Lord Dereham he can finally escape his sins. Until three years later, when the wife he believes is dead returns as beautiful and strong as ever and intent on claiming the wedding night they never had!

I've been feeling rotten post-Covid Jab #2 for the past few days, so generated myself some very random summaries to share in order to cheer myself (and other people):

( Click here if you dare )

So, I continue to feel rotten, even though the weather is giving me a break but hey. ANYWAY, to turn to something more cheerful than weather, illness, and certainly than current news, liadt is running the unconventionalcourtship fest again this summer! Sign-ups open now!

unconventionalcourtship is the ficathon where you take a Mills & Book/Harlequin/Avon type book blurb and then kill it with fanfic use it as inspiration for a fic, as shippy or not, or cracky or serious or not as you please.

It's an old school fest, so you just choose a prompt and sign up for a posting day some time in August and there you are. \o/

Anyway, I doubt I can do it (see above), but in addition to pointing you to it, I have generated some random summaries from the Unconventional Courtship Generator in case anyone is short of ideas. I'm sure these would make great crack fic. XD (On more sensible note, you can also customise it for your own fandoms, too, if you want help with inspiration.)

( a whole bevy of unholy pairings under here )

I was feeling really low and down again, and so I did what I often do at these times and generated summaries from The Unconventional Courtship Generator to amuse myself instead. Obviously, I had to share...

( As usual Dalek Sec was not having much luck with his love life, but then again neither was anyone else... )

... or I was talking about random generators to theseatheseatheopensea yesterday and the inevitable happened and my finger slipped and I generated a lot of highly ridiculous multifandom Mills & Boon summaries, courtesy of the Unconventional Courtship generator.

( As usual Dalek Sec was not having a good week )

I have been very up and down this week, for reasons that were mostly expected (although NOT that I should go as abruptly utterly flat as I did yesterday - I'm gradually making my way back to functionality again) but I am overdue in mentioning that unconventionalcourtship is running again, which is some of the most fun you can have in a ficathon.

Basically, you use a Mills & Boon/Avon/Harlequin type summary and kill it with fanfic create fanfic out of it. (Shippiness or not at your own discretion, as long as it recognisably uses the summary.)

If you can't decide, you can always take the risk of getting the random generator to give you something.

As is traditional, I made a bunch of promotional banners. They're mainly quite sensible, which is a bit uncharacteristic of me, but here they are: (There are more at the comm, of course, and a template so you can make your own, which is stupid amounts of fun.)

( Banners under here )

I don't know if I can take part or not yet, because summer, but it is very fun and laid back and not as shippy or necessarily as AU as you might suppose! That all depends on you and your summary and who you put in it. (I mean, my first one was Silver and Steel and they literally killed their summary because obviously it was dangerous. Why do people write cliched romance novels and cause trouble with time breaks?)

In the event of me seemingly getting worse at writing birthday ficlets, instead of better, I have for the past couple of years, taken the Unconventionalcourtship Generator and had a flash-fic writing session with it, tackling any prompts where I felt able to write both characters for john_amend_all's birthday. The end of June was particularly bad, so here it is, only slightly delayed.

One of the results that came up was clearly something I thought would amuse astrogirl2, who also had a birthday around the same time, so, I'm calling that a belated present also. Plus some bonus summaries I failed at writing. (The whole package is like a bundle of those tacky plasticky things you get at the seaside, but I had fun.) I did this on different days, before and during my family's visit, so it all got a bit out of hand. But still mostly not even shippy. /o\

( Unconventional Results Under Here )

The return of that meme where you post random lines from any WIPs you have at the moment, because I felt like it.

(I see that I last did it in Jan 2016, which reminds me, I never did post that AAL! snippet as it stands. I should do that.)


( More bondage, vampires, and fatal disasters under here )


That's four out of eight which are still the same old WIPs (and three from the previous post which I did complete in the meantime), but, to be fair, I keep writing and finishing other things in the meantime. I mean, I have trope_bingo to finish and then I can destroy worlds for tic_tac_woe! (I won't say nothing in the world can stop me, because some days it seems that just about anything in the world can stop me, especially in summer.)

1. It is nearly time for the Obscure & British Commentfest! I was in two minds whether to run it or not this year - up until a few weeks ago, ever since when I've been basically hopping up and down going "Is it time yet? IS IT NOW?" Well, next weekend and onwards, it will be. The May online b'day party for those who love obscure and British fandoms. (For a given meaning of obscure; please let's not go into that again...)

\o/ Any fandoms I should make banners of that I haven't already done?


2. I made a thing: an Unconventional Courtship Generator Tumblr. It seemed like disposing of the masses of cracky summaries I've generated via Tumblr was one of the things it might be useful for. We shall see! (Probably not. Is Tumblr useful for anything in the end, except that lonely in a crowd feeling? /cynical yet hopeful)


3. Sorry about the meme ficlets I owe. For some reason, when Victoria Wood died, it really knocked me off my stride. I don't know why. Hopefully this week! (Please send a note to other celebrities not to die and inconvenience my fannish pursuits).


... nearly the commentfest. *nods*

ETA: Also am reading more terrible Regency Romances. Latest heroines were called Roslyn and Lindsey. Lindsey has a sister called Blythe. /o\

I saw a WIP Meme go by. It was slightly different as ever, but the rules keep changing: I just stick to posting random lines from all the current WIPs I'm willing to admit to/might some day get finished...

( Both slightly more and less than I thought )