mistressofmuses (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mistressofmuses) wrote2021-06-03 08:55 am
mistressofmuses) wrote2021-06-03 08:55 am
Entry tags:
Unconventional Courtship
Last night I narrowed it down to 15 summaries out of the 300+ listed as potential prompts on ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
unconventionalcourtship.
Reading through those 15 again this morning, I've narrowed it down to 6. Mostly I'm putting them here so that I can easily pull them up if I can snatch a couple minutes to poke at them while I'm at work, lol.
All of these would be twisted around to fit Sora/Riku/Kairi, because I am Predictable (and don't feel 100% able to write the Leverage OT3, especially on a time crunch.) Some might involve some gender-swapping in terms of which of the trio fits which of the roles given in the summary, and the ones that don't have a clear third character would have various ways of bringing the third person in.
We're also allowed to combine a couple summaries into one, so I'll think about whether any of these could be mooshed together to make an interesting combo.
45)WIFE FOR A WEEK
by KELLY HUNTER
Mills & Boon Modern Romance - Series Extra
Wanted: wife for one week
Nicholas Cooper needs to produce a wife for his Hong Kong business deal to go without a hitch, and Hallie Bennett is beautiful and intelligent enough to pull it off. She needs the money, and Nicholas swears he’ll be the perfect gentleman.
Rule No.1:displays of affection in public only
Keeping their hands off each other in public turns out to be surprisingly easy. It’s keeping them off in private that becomes the problem.
And that’s not the only very inconvenient complication…
58) COUNTERFEIT PRINCESS
by RAYE MORGAN
Mills & Boon Tender Romance
A promise to the King of Aleutia means that Crown Prince Marco must marry the man’s daughter. But the Princess in question is too busy having fun to settle down, so a temporary princess is hired to take her place…
So, Shannon Harper, waitress, comes Shannon Harper – princess. And when the brooding, handsome young Prince sweeps her off her feet she can't help but wish that she was princess for real…
85) THE BUSINESS OF STRANGERS
by KYLIE BRANT
A woman without a past…
She didn’t know her name, she didn’t know her nationality. The newly manufactured ‘Rianna Kingsley’ only knew that her martial-arts skills and weaponry and assassination techniques went far beyond the average person’s…
A mark that became a death warrant…
The men who’d tried to assassinate her all shared one common trait: a tattoo of winged horse, exactly like the one on her ankle. Where had it come from – and what did it mean to her survival?
A man who was more than just a stranger… It was dangerous for Rianna to share too much with anyone – much less the criminal hired to kill her – bur she couldn’t resist Jake Tarrance’s arms, his bed. With her shadowy past hot on her heels, would Rianna’s business with jake be passionate…or deadly?
103) THE COURTESAN
by JULIA JUSTISS
Mills & Boon Special Release
After years of dangerous fighting, Captain Jack Carrington had returned home to take up family duties and perhaps find himself a wife. But his life was thrown into turmoil when he viewed a fencing lesson unlike any other. The talented student was a beautiful young woman – and the most infamous courtesan in all of London – Lady Belle.
Who was the mysterious Belle? Eager to uncover the true woman behind the façade. Jack wagers he can win a kiss from Belle if he bests her at fencing. Though Belle is a woman he can not afford to keep nor dare to marry, he’s willing to risk it all to win her to his bed.
136) The Lovers- Eden Bradley
"I longed for a whole new life…but nothing prepared me for what I found Shy writer Bettina has clung for years to her safe, suburban world, until she receives a mysterious invitation to an infamous writers’ retreat. Her urge to leap into the unknown is at once terrifying and irresistible. Shocked, yet wildly drawn to the lavish, pleasure-seeking lifestyle of those around her, Bettina knows that these eight weeks will change her forever. Swept up in a maelstrom of lust, obsession and jealousy, Bettina finds herself torn between her need for two very different people in a love triangle where she will either be cherished…or consumed. "
190) Lone Star Survivor by Colleen Thompson
A soldier's memories are more dangerous than anything he's encountered in the line of duty
"Killed in action" a year ago, US Army captain Ian Rayford shocks everyone when he stumbles half-dead onto his family's Texas ranch. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Ian can barely remember his relatives. His former fiancée, a psychologist specializing in PTSD, arrives to help Ian recover. But not everyone wants her to unearth the dangerous secrets he's carrying.
Now engaged to another man, Dr. Andrea Warrington fights her feelings for Ian even as she helps him remember how much they once loved each other. Yet the closer Ian gets to his past, the more someone else has to ensure the treacherous truth stays buried.
Later edit, around 9:45pm:
I wrote out my "modified" summaries for each of the above... a couple it turns out I really didn't like all that much, and a few others I liked only if I drifted a bit too far from the original summary. Some also leaned a little too much on ideas I've used for the trio before (or hope to use again.)
I've now narrowed it down to two: coincidentally the first and the last of the summaries behind the cut.
The (slightly rough) modified summaries for those two:
Princess Kairi needs to appear with a partner in order to ensure a diplomatic mission goes smoothly. Unfortunately her fiancé, Sora, really doesn’t care to be in the spotlight! They come up with the perfect plan – their mutual friend, Riku, can pose as her partner for the duration of the mission. He’s far more well-acquainted with the social expectations for the royal consort, and knows her well enough to make it seem completely natural.
In the interests of ensuring they don’t compromise the friendship between any of them, they set a few ground rules. Rule No. 1: displays of affection in public only.
Chemistry between them in public is surprisingly easy… it’s turning the affection off when in private that becomes the problem.
And with heightened emotions in play, and some intense chemistry between Riku and Sora as well, that’s not the only very inconvenient complication…
-and-
Missing and presumed dead more than a year ago, Sora shocks everyone when he stumbled half-dead back onto the shore of the island. Suffering from some unknown trauma, he can barely recognize his family and friends.
His two best friends arrive to help him recover… but not everyone wants them to unearth the dangerous secrets he’s carrying.
Both Kairi and Riku, now romantically involved, have to fight their feelings for Sora, wanting to make sure he’s given the space he needs to heal… even as everything reminds them of how much they all once loved each other.
The more Sora remembers about his past, the more someone else ventures to ensure he never succeeds in sharing it.
-
Not a big fan of the summaries as such, but I'm trying to keep them close to the originals, lol.
The second one I feel like is the more complicated one, and the one I'd have more trouble keeping short. So... I'll probably go for the first one.
Who doesn't want some mutual pining and fake dating?
My attention span is completely shot tonight, though, so that's a project for tomorrow.
unconventionalcourtship.Reading through those 15 again this morning, I've narrowed it down to 6. Mostly I'm putting them here so that I can easily pull them up if I can snatch a couple minutes to poke at them while I'm at work, lol.
All of these would be twisted around to fit Sora/Riku/Kairi, because I am Predictable (and don't feel 100% able to write the Leverage OT3, especially on a time crunch.) Some might involve some gender-swapping in terms of which of the trio fits which of the roles given in the summary, and the ones that don't have a clear third character would have various ways of bringing the third person in.
We're also allowed to combine a couple summaries into one, so I'll think about whether any of these could be mooshed together to make an interesting combo.
45)WIFE FOR A WEEK
by KELLY HUNTER
Mills & Boon Modern Romance - Series Extra
Wanted: wife for one week
Nicholas Cooper needs to produce a wife for his Hong Kong business deal to go without a hitch, and Hallie Bennett is beautiful and intelligent enough to pull it off. She needs the money, and Nicholas swears he’ll be the perfect gentleman.
Rule No.1:displays of affection in public only
Keeping their hands off each other in public turns out to be surprisingly easy. It’s keeping them off in private that becomes the problem.
And that’s not the only very inconvenient complication…
58) COUNTERFEIT PRINCESS
by RAYE MORGAN
Mills & Boon Tender Romance
A promise to the King of Aleutia means that Crown Prince Marco must marry the man’s daughter. But the Princess in question is too busy having fun to settle down, so a temporary princess is hired to take her place…
So, Shannon Harper, waitress, comes Shannon Harper – princess. And when the brooding, handsome young Prince sweeps her off her feet she can't help but wish that she was princess for real…
85) THE BUSINESS OF STRANGERS
by KYLIE BRANT
A woman without a past…
She didn’t know her name, she didn’t know her nationality. The newly manufactured ‘Rianna Kingsley’ only knew that her martial-arts skills and weaponry and assassination techniques went far beyond the average person’s…
A mark that became a death warrant…
The men who’d tried to assassinate her all shared one common trait: a tattoo of winged horse, exactly like the one on her ankle. Where had it come from – and what did it mean to her survival?
A man who was more than just a stranger… It was dangerous for Rianna to share too much with anyone – much less the criminal hired to kill her – bur she couldn’t resist Jake Tarrance’s arms, his bed. With her shadowy past hot on her heels, would Rianna’s business with jake be passionate…or deadly?
103) THE COURTESAN
by JULIA JUSTISS
Mills & Boon Special Release
After years of dangerous fighting, Captain Jack Carrington had returned home to take up family duties and perhaps find himself a wife. But his life was thrown into turmoil when he viewed a fencing lesson unlike any other. The talented student was a beautiful young woman – and the most infamous courtesan in all of London – Lady Belle.
Who was the mysterious Belle? Eager to uncover the true woman behind the façade. Jack wagers he can win a kiss from Belle if he bests her at fencing. Though Belle is a woman he can not afford to keep nor dare to marry, he’s willing to risk it all to win her to his bed.
136) The Lovers- Eden Bradley
"I longed for a whole new life…but nothing prepared me for what I found Shy writer Bettina has clung for years to her safe, suburban world, until she receives a mysterious invitation to an infamous writers’ retreat. Her urge to leap into the unknown is at once terrifying and irresistible. Shocked, yet wildly drawn to the lavish, pleasure-seeking lifestyle of those around her, Bettina knows that these eight weeks will change her forever. Swept up in a maelstrom of lust, obsession and jealousy, Bettina finds herself torn between her need for two very different people in a love triangle where she will either be cherished…or consumed. "
190) Lone Star Survivor by Colleen Thompson
A soldier's memories are more dangerous than anything he's encountered in the line of duty
"Killed in action" a year ago, US Army captain Ian Rayford shocks everyone when he stumbles half-dead onto his family's Texas ranch. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Ian can barely remember his relatives. His former fiancée, a psychologist specializing in PTSD, arrives to help Ian recover. But not everyone wants her to unearth the dangerous secrets he's carrying.
Now engaged to another man, Dr. Andrea Warrington fights her feelings for Ian even as she helps him remember how much they once loved each other. Yet the closer Ian gets to his past, the more someone else has to ensure the treacherous truth stays buried.
Later edit, around 9:45pm:
I wrote out my "modified" summaries for each of the above... a couple it turns out I really didn't like all that much, and a few others I liked only if I drifted a bit too far from the original summary. Some also leaned a little too much on ideas I've used for the trio before (or hope to use again.)
I've now narrowed it down to two: coincidentally the first and the last of the summaries behind the cut.
The (slightly rough) modified summaries for those two:
Princess Kairi needs to appear with a partner in order to ensure a diplomatic mission goes smoothly. Unfortunately her fiancé, Sora, really doesn’t care to be in the spotlight! They come up with the perfect plan – their mutual friend, Riku, can pose as her partner for the duration of the mission. He’s far more well-acquainted with the social expectations for the royal consort, and knows her well enough to make it seem completely natural.
In the interests of ensuring they don’t compromise the friendship between any of them, they set a few ground rules. Rule No. 1: displays of affection in public only.
Chemistry between them in public is surprisingly easy… it’s turning the affection off when in private that becomes the problem.
And with heightened emotions in play, and some intense chemistry between Riku and Sora as well, that’s not the only very inconvenient complication…
-and-
Missing and presumed dead more than a year ago, Sora shocks everyone when he stumbled half-dead back onto the shore of the island. Suffering from some unknown trauma, he can barely recognize his family and friends.
His two best friends arrive to help him recover… but not everyone wants them to unearth the dangerous secrets he’s carrying.
Both Kairi and Riku, now romantically involved, have to fight their feelings for Sora, wanting to make sure he’s given the space he needs to heal… even as everything reminds them of how much they all once loved each other.
The more Sora remembers about his past, the more someone else ventures to ensure he never succeeds in sharing it.
-
Not a big fan of the summaries as such, but I'm trying to keep them close to the originals, lol.
The second one I feel like is the more complicated one, and the one I'd have more trouble keeping short. So... I'll probably go for the first one.
Who doesn't want some mutual pining and fake dating?
My attention span is completely shot tonight, though, so that's a project for tomorrow.
no subject
Hope you don't mind my throwing ideas around, that was kinda messy. ^^;;
no subject
Though I went about it from a different angle... messing with genders a bit, and making it so that it's a prince who's away and unavailable for the "counterfeit" scenario, forcing someone else (maybe a dear friend of the prince's?) to take his place for the promised princess. Then the prince returns from his time away like in the "courtesan" scenario and falls for someone - actually the princess he was supposed to marry - based on her incredible skill... except she's now genuinely involved with his best friend that he's also got a thing for.
That's ALSO real messy, lol, and would require a pretty high wordcount to make work, I think, because it's still basically two stories that just lead into each other.
But I LOVE the idea of the courtesan to spymaster arc, damn. And the idea of the courtesan and captain working together to prevent a bad marriage for their prince... That plot bunny is going to be tumbling around in my brain for a bit, haha!
I think I'm going with the first summary, with a few modifications - fake dating and mutual threeway pining. Hopefully it won't be *too* hard for me to get outlined and started so that I can post it for the challenge.
no subject
The courtesan to spymaster thing is probably inspired by the first Kushiel trilogy by Jacqueline Carey and the Trickster duology by Tamora Pierce; those are two very different series with somewhat different takes on spying, but there are common elements such as feeling protective over a particular nation and its sovereign. Come to think of it, I still wonder why there isn't an OT3 in the first Kushiel trilogy (if you've read them, you might know which characters I'm referring to), since the setting already promotes free love in all forms.
no subject
I haven't read Kushiel's Dart and the sequels, but I know a fair amount about them. Likewise, while I read a lot of the Tortal books by Tamora Pierce, I didn't ever make it to the Trickster books. (Though I may have them somewhere in storage, ha.) I always dig protective vibes, though, whether it's protection of a person or an ideal. It's one of those Big Emotions that fiction can explore so well.