Unconventional Courtship 2015

[aralias]

Hello again, and-

Welcome to 'Unconventional Courtship 2015'!



'Unconventional Courtship' is a panfandom fic fest where you write and post a 1000w+ fic based on a M&B/Harlequin plot. Fics will be posted to this community, staggered through April 2015 (from the 1st to the 31st).

How to play:

It's as simple as:

1. Sign up! All you need to do is comment on this post with the day you want to post your fic. You can tell me which summary/pairing you're going with, but you don't have to. You can also ask me to assign you a summary, if you want. (You don't need a Dreamwidth to play - just comment with OpenID, although you will need to ask me to post your fic on the com. If you are on DW, please follow the community!)

2. Choose a M&B/Harlequin summary (or two etc) - we have hundreds of suggestions here, but there are literally thousands. You can write more than one fic, if you want. You can also combine prompts, if you like.

3. Replace the names (and pronouns if necessary) with the names (and pronouns) of the pairing of your choice. Any any all fandoms and pairings are welcome in this fest.

You can also replace place names and jobs as long as you keep to the spirit of the prompt. So, if you want to write Kirk/Spock, but you don't want to write a modern day AU, you could replace 'the Sahara desert' with 'a desert planet' and Kirk wouldn't need to be the boss at a law firm, he could be the boss... in the sense that he's the captain.

4. Write a fic based on your altered summary. You can take the prompt seriously or use it as an improbable basis for lols.

4.5. Pimp the fest far and wide. I'm only going to post to coms that I'm already a member of, so it is up to you - the players! I've re-uploaded the make-your-own banners and of course you can use any that I've already made. But please do pimp where ever you think would be appropriate.

5. Post the fic to this community on your assigned day. Use the header provided.

You can also post to our AO3 collection, but please post to the com whatever you do, and please post to the com first.

We ran this fest last year, so you can see some examples of Unconventional Courtship fic by looking through the collection, or earlier in the com.

6. Profit! Fics for all! I'll post a masterlist once all the entries are in. Crossposting is encouraged.

Any questions? Leave a comment or PM me or email me at heroic.tendencies@gmail.com


Rules:

1. All fics must be over 1,000 words long.

2. You must use a modified Mills & Boon and/or Harlequin summary.

3. You don't have to use a beta, but it is strongly advised.

4. Please use the following header (or similar - the AO3 share function is fine) when you post to the community:

<b>Title:</b> <b>Author:</b> <b>Fandom:</b> <b>Pairing/Characters:</b> <b>Rating:</b> <b>Length:</b> <b>Summary:</b> <b>Notes:</b> <b>Link:</b>

5. Please post on your assigned day. If you can't for whatever reason, please let me know either by PM or email heroic.tendencies@gmail.com

6. You can use this fic for another challenge i.e. trope_bingo

7. You can sign up for any day you like, but if it is possible for you to sign up for a day that nobody else is interested in then that'd be best of all.


1st April: merryghoul
2nd April: crookedspoon
3rd April: gingayellow, john_amend_all
4th April: sidhe_faerie
5th April: rikym, tasbine
6th April: suzy_queue
7th April: estirose
8th April: terdactyll
9th April: percussionbox
10th April: cybernetickitten, wrabbit
11th April: john_amend_all, sunspot
12th April: psikeval, tielan
13th April: rubiconjane
14th April: dangerousdame
15th April: samuraiter, forgotten_foretold
16th April: asfriedhr
17th April: imogenbynight
18th April: milkbutnotsugar
19th April: nanslice, misslucyjane
20th April: ingridmatthews, abovetheruins
21st April: liadt
22nd April: thisbluespirit
23rd April: katemacetak, sapphire2309
24th April: flipflop_diva
25th April: evil_plotbunny
26th April: paranoidangel, aaronlisa
27th April: tentaclesock
28th April: rubylily, g_uava, vilakins
29th April: lilly_c
30th April: rroselavy, wendelah1


If you have questions, feel free to ask! And/or consult the FAQs from last year, which are still mostly accurate.

Comments

[paranoidangel]

I'll be doing three ficathons/fests at once, so I think I'd better go for 26th April.

I'm going to write Spike/Lynda with the following prompt:

What happens in Vegas…is even hotter in New York London!
After a fling in Vegas that was so wild even she can't believe it happened, copywriter Lynda Day has finally gotten her mojo back. Time to get back to New York London and win that promotion!
But things veer catastrophically off course when her new coworker Spike Thomson saunters in… and he's much too familiar. Even worse, Spike and Lynda will be competing for the promotion — and he's just as good in the boardroom as he was in bed! So what's a girl to do when Mr One Night becomes Mr One-Desk-Away? Stand her ground, of course — if there's going to be a war, she's going to make sure she enjoys it!

[aralias]

hooray! and good choice :)

[oonaseckar]

What a perfect cover! Harriet and Peter were just made for this fest!

[aralias]

it's true! i don't think we've ever had one in previous UC (to my knowledge), but maybe this is the year...

[merryghoul]

I can take April 1, as I already have a fic at the ready.

[aralias]

hooray! that's the spirit ;)

[rroselavy]

April 30. And maybe I can finally finish the one I started 2 years ago!

[aralias]

great :D and that would be a brilliant reason for continuing to run the fest!

[samuraiter]

Ooo. I don't have a specific pairing in mind yet, but I'd like to claim April 15 (and Prompt #280). :-) Good to see that this challenge is back for another go!

[aralias]

excellent - added you in. and the challenge is so low maintence and continues to amuse me, that i think it might well run on and on...

[lilly_c]

April 29th for posting. No idea what pairing, fandom or prompt as yet. I still have last years fic to post, oops.

[aralias]

feel free to post them both :)

added!

[katemacetak]

I'll take April 23. Not decided on a pairing yet (and I'll choose a summary after that) but I had a lot of fun writing my fiv last year so I definitely want to do it again!

[aralias]

good good :) added you to the list.

[tentaclesock]

While I just discovered this challenge, I already want to write for it. I have no summary in mind, but the concept just tickles me.

[aralias]

choosing a summary is one of the best bits :)

let me know what day you want to commit to and i'll add you to the list, but you can signup as late as you like, really.

[liadt]

I'd like to go for April 21st, please. I have two ideas to play with already, so I should get something written. Now for canon revision!

[aralias]

:D

i have LOADS of summaries, though, and i don't think that guarantees anything :p

[rubylily]

This was quite fun last year, so I'll participate again! I'll take April 28th, please.

[aralias]

great stuff. added to the list.

[evil_plotbunny]

I'll take April 25th. I've got a handful of potential summaries, but I'll decide on that later.

[aralias]

great. added you to the list. still a month and a half to decide... ;)

[flipflop_diva]

This looks so fun!

How about April 24? I'm thinking either #85 or #28 for the prompt. Steve/Natasha (MCU) for the pairing.

[aralias]

great stuff, thanks :) added to the list.

[john_amend_all]

I almost certainly shouldn't be getting into this right now, but this prompt from the generator started off so close to canon I couldn't resist it. So put me down for 11 April:

14)THE NINEFOLD KEY by REBECCA BRANDEWYN
Mills & Boon Super Historical
A Dream…
Zoë Heriot has been haunted for years by a recurring dream about a beautiful young woman and a dark, forbidding castle. But when her nightmare begins to come true, Zoë is caught up in a dangerous intrigue that began over two hundred years before she was born.
A Quest…
Victoria Waterfield barely escaped with her life after her father was murdered and her home burned to the ground. She must discover what lies behind these devastating events – even if it places her own life in jeopardy!
A Ninefold Key…
Zoë and Victoria are fated to meet and to fall passionately in love. But will their search for the ninefold key unlock the deadly secrets of their past – or utterly destroy them both?

[aralias]

you're right! even the summary feels correct. excellent stuff, looking forward to it. have been pimping the generator a lot this year, so hope people are getting lots of use out of it :D

when you have a spare evening or two (ha) and if you feel like it - liadtbunny gave me some more summaries, which i added to the bottom of the list.

[nanslice]

Oh god. I guess I'll take April 19th. I'll be writing Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes, but I don't know which plot yet.

*buries face in hands*

[aralias]

excellent! added you to the list.

[rubiconjane]

April 13, please!

[aralias]

great. added you to the list!

[suzy_queue]

I'd like to post on April 6, please!

I'm currently planning to write Green Gables Fables, with (a slightly modified to fit the characters) prompt 16:

16)VIRTUALLY PERFECT

by SAMANTHA HUNTER

Mills & Boon Blaze

He’s just one click away…


Anne Shirley has found the perfect lover – online. When Gilbert’s sexy romantic words fly across the computer screen, he can seduce her in a heartbeat. The hot, detailed images of them together feed her sexual fantasies. The best part? Anne doesn’t have to make a commitment or even cook dinner for Gil. No fuss, no muss. She can switch him off at any time. So why is she feeling unsatisfied?

Gilbert’s ready for the next step – to meet in person. He wants to make it real with Anne. Their virtual relationship has left him in a constantly aroused state, hungry for a taste of her lips and the touch of her skin. He wants to make love – all night long – to kiss the woman who’s captured his heart sight unseen.

Except, once Anne and Gilbert meet face-to-face, both are surprised at the outcome…

[aralias]

excellent! added you to the list - and nice early date, so thanks for volunteering.

[crookedspoon]

I'll take the second.

I'm fairly certain I'll be writing Harley Quinn this time. Currently flirting with this summary:

It is a dark era, and a lusty lass will do what she must to survive. Even if it means bartering flesh for a palmful of coins...

Forced to watch her mother burn at the stake as a witch, Jessie Taskill was separated from her siblings in the aftermath. Jessie is similarly gifted, ripe with a powerful magic that must stay hidden. When she's accused by a rival of witchcraft, Jessie finds herself behind prison walls, awaiting certain death with a roguish priest unlike any man of the cloth she has known.

In reality, Gregor Ramsay is as far from holy as the devil himself, but his promise of freedom in return for her services may be her salvation. Locked into a dubious agreement, Jessie resents his plan to have her seduce and ruin his lifelong enemy. Especially when Gregor's lust for her is so compelling. She may agree to be his pawn...even as she plots to use him just as he is using her.

[aralias]

great! nice and early, thank you. and great summary. one of my favourites :D

[x_los]

I *cried* laughing:

423) Burning Dawn - Gena Showalter
An Angel Renowed For Ruthlessness and the Man Who Became Her Obsession

A tormented past has left Harriet Vane with an insatiable need for violence, making her the most dangerous assassin in the skies. She lives by a single code: no mercy. And as she unleashes her fury on her most recent captor, she learns no battle could have prepared her for the slave she rescues from her enemy’s clutches — a charmer who stokes the fires of her darkest desires.

Peter Wimsey has his own deep-rooted scars, and his attraction to the exquisite warrior who freed him challenges his every boundary. But Harriet’s unwavering determination to protect him means he must face his greatest fears — and enter a world in which passion is power, and victory means breathtaking surrender.

[imogenbynight]

Hi! I'd like to sign up for April 17th--not sure which prompt I'll be using yet, but the pairing is likely to be Dean/Castiel :)

[aralias]

added you to the list :D good luck with choosing a summary.

[milkbutnotsugar]

Hi, can I take the 18th of April? Not quite sure on my fandom/pairing/summary yet, but having a great time clicking through all the options...

[aralias]

choosing a summary is definitely a good time, yes. and you may of course have april the 18th!

[estirose]

I'd like the 7th of April, and I think I'm going with this:

Her Unforgettable Royal Lover by Merline Lovelace
Undercover agent Nobori Taiga never expected to be dubbed a duke. The resulting media frenzy puts his name in the headlines and his undercover career on hold. And it's all the fault of his cousin's dowdy research assistant Suzuki Mio, who dug up the information… then showed up on Taiga's doorstep with a case of amnesia!
So why is Taiga suddenly finding her so unforgettable? Could it be that Mio isn't what she seems? One thing's certain: their undeniable magnetism is about to take them on a royally wild ride!

[aralias]

excellent! this is one of my favourite summaries too.

signing up

[cybernetickitten]

I'll take April 10th if it's not already taken. If it is just put me anywhere. I'm probably doing Deadpool/Spider-Man or Peggy Carter/Angie Martinelli.

Edit, 2/19 11am est:

change of plans. I want this one instead.

51)YOURS IN BLACK LACE
by MIA ZACHARY

"She" is in black lace…

P. I. Peter Parker just received the latest sexy note from his hot, anonymous admirer. Signed only as “Yours in Black Lace” the letters are becoming more illicit with every blazing word. Getting the cards at work suggests that she’s someone in the office, but he can’t be sure, and the not knowing is driving Peter crazy. When the admirer is discovered, he knows better than to mix business with pleasure, but the words are irresistible. And so is Wade.

Peter’s in paradise.

Wade "Deadpool" Wilson. Investigator, siren, letter writer. When Peter discovers it's him, he knows he should keep his hands off, but the words Wade wrote are unforgettable. And now Wade’s in jeopardy, he isn’t just a colleague anymore, he’s also a client. At an exclusive hideaway, Peter can't fight he attraction any longer, especially when Wade hands him a new card. How can Peter protect Wade from danger when he can’t even protect him from his own desire?

Re: signing up

[aralias]

good choice! putting you in for the 10th.

[cye_of_the_torrent]

I don't think anyone has taken April 3rd yet, could I please have that date?

I'm probably going to be writing Jin/Ryuuji (which is an obscure show/pairing, is that okay?), I'm not sure what prompt I'm gonna use yet. ;;

[aralias]

obscurity is fine! i think, after two years, that this fest tends to attract the obscure because bigger fandoms have fests of their own. so i love getting things that i don't know!

[percussionbox]

Hi! Put me on April 9th.

[aralias]

will do. thanks for signing up.

[thisbluespirit]

Can I have April 22nd please? I'm going with this summary:

The sinner

On the surface, Georgina Jones appeared to be the prim and proper housekeeper of Feversham Hall. In actuality she was the leader of a notorious smuggling gang! But the arrival of Feversham’s new owner threatened to ruin her thriving business.

Meets the saint…

Colonel Adam Llewellyn DeVere Adamant lived by his honour and was duty bound to stop any illegal activity on his property… even if the villain was a mysterious beauty with eyes no man could resist. Would turbulent passion be enough to unite lovers on opposite sides of the law?

[aralias]

\o/ sounds good.