Over in the LJ version of the comments to this fine article by Zeborah, the author raises the spectre of 'Lancelot as Frensshe troubadour's Arthurian Marty Stu' - a spectre which makes such wicked sense, I'm not sure I shall ever be able to banish it.

Worse thoughts are following in its train.

If Arthurian fandom busied itself with creating stroke-for-stroke renditions of duels between knightly pairings who failed to fight in the source material, would that be 'hack-and-slash fiction'?

The Damosel of the Tourmaline Tower by nim4balin - Lamorak/Alisander (mtd, ft, skill<>, angst, magic, implied woman)...

AAAAAAAGH! Makeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstop!

Oh, and what we should make all of those tournament scenes in Malory...