#Regency magicians

[feastofchildermass]

I will emotionally never ever be over them. They are the future of English magic and my ship to end all ships. I can’t believe how long it’s been since I drew them.

Taken from this meme

[thelanguageofbirdsrp]

[safarigirlsp]

The witch in the wood

𝖗𝖊𝖞𝖑𝖔 𝖒𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖊𝖛𝖆𝖑

[florenceafternoon]

━。゜✿ jily fic recommendations ✿ ゜。━

This post is just some of my current favourites because I don’t think I have the energy to make a master list right now. Personally, I like to read aus so if you're looking for canon stuff this isn't the post for you.

For reference, anything in italics is taken from the summaries on ao3.

in pursuit of the study of magic by @thequibblah

An immortal magician au or, "we had a really bad breakup three hundred years ago, but neither of us realised the other is immortal until we met today"

I recommend you listen to About You while reading this

Growing (in love) by casablancas21 (on ao3)

Uni au where "James Potter has a lot going on for him. His uni years have been the best he's ever had and his friendliness, popularity and charm go a long way to place him as the go-to bloke if one's looking for a good time. Nevertheless, his final year of school finds him struggling to keep up with the social energy that once enthralled him. He's having a hard time figuring out how to set his own boundaries and what to do about his future. He's also having a really hard time figuring out Lily Evans."

I must admit that Lily's comebacks are so good I've used some during class debates in sociology this year. Truly, the dialogue and dynamics between characters in this fic are so good. Pretty sure this is the one with the kebab

Golden Waltz by evanspotter (on ao3)

Lily Evans wants to be the best ice dancer in the world, which means she needs to find a dance partner ASAP. After two failed partnerships, her coach gives her one last option: James Potter.

This fic is the reason I neglected revising for midterms. It also caused me to go into a deep dive into watching tapes of Olympic ice dance programs specifically Virtue and Moir.

on the way home by keep_driving (on ao3)

Lily was living abroad and pinning from afar. After an abundance of "phone calls, mixtapes, and long waits," Lily is finally coming home. I believe this fic is inspired by the song You Are In Love.

When I say jily is friends first, and lovers second this is what I mean

Dancing With Our Hands Tied by @athenasparrow

But despite his best efforts, he couldn’t take his eyes off her figure as she moved effortlessly in rhythm with whatever song she had playing. He learned she was wearing more than a t-shirt when she slid across the kitchen on her socks, throwing her head back to sing words James wished he could hear.

OR: In a world where social distancing reigns supreme, two strangers find themselves confined to their apartments with love only a window away.

The way I binged this fic at school between classes. love love love

The Season by @missgryffin

This is a regency (Brighton) au where "James Potter, Duke of Peverell, has returned to London just in time for the season, where Miss Lily Evans is about to make her debut. Only, he’s not looking for a wife, and she’s not particularly interested in a husband."

I love the dialogue between Lily & James as well as Sirius & Lily's relationship (for those who know Brigerton, it reminds me of Ben and El's relationship).

A Misstep Of Fate by hogwartslivy (on ao3)

A muggle historical au where "he waited for her on the edge of ballrooms and in the shadows of parties. He waited to dance with her, to spin her in his arms, to be the one she laughed and smiled with. He thought he was doing the right thing, allowing time to pass them until they were ready, so he had waited. But it seems, he made a misstep. He's waited too long now she's slipping through his fingers."

My boy is stupid and in love but it's okay because she is too. Their idiots, but they’re my idiots

Let Me Love You by @thejilyship

A Princess Diaries au in which "with only a month until she's set to take the throne of Gryffindor, Lily is informed that she'll have to get married or choose to give up her throne. She never thought she'd have to even entertain the idea of an arranged marriage. Enter, James Potter."

chaos ensues and Emma deserves long service leave (the place would fall apart)

foreigner's god by clarewithnoi (on ao3)

answer to a Tumblr prompt: "we were lovers in a past life" but the current incarnations are enemies-to-lovers, and they don't remember anything from their past selves.

The back and forth between them is so good. low-key I teared up a bit but it has a HEA

An October of Unconventional Courtships by @ghostofbambifanfiction

Two phones. Thirty-one days. Eighteen tuxedos. A Jilytober texting fic.

A classic that everyone should read

Shelf Awareness also by @/ghostofbambifanfiction

Modern bookstore au where "It's too far out of her way and she's wasting so much money, but Lily can't help but return to the bookstore every weekend, where her passion for good literature has, perhaps, been unexpectedly reignited by the messy-haired, pun-making, rather handsome bloke who works there."

One of the first ever jily fics that I read and I fell in love with their dynamic straight away

Careless Texter also by @/ghostofbambifanfiction

Answer to the prompt, “I left my phone number on the bathroom stall wall and you text me about your day and your frustrations for a month & it’s really nice and cute but I still don’t know who you are,” with some twists and differences.

Trackside by @hogwartslivy

James Potter is Formula One’s most impressive young talent, making up one half of the championship winning team at Gryffindor Racing. He’s got a reputation for playing dirty on, and seemingly off, the track but when an article quoting a particularly vulgar comment made by him at last years final Grand Prix is released, it seems he may have pushed it too far. Potter faces two options; fix his public image or give up his seat.

When my two obsessions meet

it's (always) you by @kay-elle-cee

A multiverse of 31 meet-cutes for Jilytober 2023.

Honorable mentions to chapter 3 for high!Lily and chapter 7 for fulling my love for jily regency aus

Key Limes by cgner (on ao3)

Fame au "in which Academy Award winner Lily Evans discovers the periphery of internet fandom and the mysteries of Prince James’s gold star system."

Because James is actually just a giant build a bear and lily is an icon as always.

See You At the Next Stop by kayrma (on ao3)

Lily Evans meets a posh-looking bloke with messy hair on the way back to London, and for once in her life she actually enjoys a train ride. Maybe having a spontaneous seat partner isn't that bad after all.

Shoutout to the notes on this fic because whoever wrote it is a mood

Nom De Plume by @annabtg

James Potter, renowned potioneer, has a secret side career as an erotica writer under the pen name of Scarlett Goldwing. When his latest book starts to take off, and Scarlett is asked to promote it at a public event, he has no other option but to recruit his colleague Lily Evans to pretend to be Scarlett. The only problem is, Lily Evans hates his guts… or does she?

(Rated E for later chapters)

Like did you read that summery because personally I was waiting for the author to complete the story so I could binge it

victorem (requires an ao3 account ) by gryffindormischief (on ao3)

(Olympic) Ice dancing au. "When God closes a door, sometimes you have to jump out a window."

Lily and James (and Sirius) aka the dynamic duo

Phone Service by @confuded-gryffindor

Moddern muggel au "in which James and Lily meet twice, both through their phones."

some with arrows, some with traps by @isahorcrux

Fame au. "Then: James Potter was a beloved child star and the lead of a popular YA franchise. Lily Evans was just getting her big break as his romantic lead in the third installment. While their chemistry got rave reviews, if the rumors are to be believed the two actors can barely stand to be in the same room together.

Now: Lily’s paid her dues and ten years later she’s the most in-demand actress in Hollywood. And James...after back-to-back flops at the box office, he’s just looking for a break and a chance to prove he is the amazing actor everyone thought he was going to be."

Much Ado About Nothing, but make it Jily

The group chat is the level of chaos me and my friends extrude every free line we spend together

Charred Pineaple Margarita's and a Bagel by @chiechie97

The guy at the coffee shop was hot. Hot and he knew her order. But that didn’t mean ANYTHING. Especially when he seemed to know everyone’s order. And besides, Lily is far too busy to be thinking about the hot guy that always has her breakfast waiting for her. Right?

Lily and Remus are me

and i know you too well to say you're perfect by @ofmermaidsandmarauders

“Yeah, you were a pretty big moron.” “Hey, I said idiot!”

Lily's not really sure when James Potter, soccer extraordinaire, took over her life with Harry.

What the summery said

The next few fics are all by @wearingaberetinparis or ritaskeetered (on ao3) who is the reason I joined the jily fandom. Single handedly enabled my obsession and I've never been more thankfull.

The Very Regency (Un)Ladylike Guide To Fortune-Hunting

Regency au. "Without thinking highly either of men or matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want." (Jane Austen)

Lily Evans finds herself wanting, or: so her sister seems to believe. While out on the hunt for a fortune - again: that would be Mrs Dursley mostly - the affection of a number of suitors is most welcome. Especially when a young Viscount's heart is set aflame.

Screaming, crying, punch me in the face (Lily's version)

Jump (For My Love)

Royalty au "When you are the Prince of England, the last thing one might expect is to be jumped from behind by the most beautiful woman one has ever seen, who - in turn - seems to have no clue at all and mistakes one for someone else. Surely, Prince James has the right to be disproportionately upset about this. The question is; does he need to?"

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Olympic au. James, being half Greek, had always dreamed of one day going to the Olympics. Now, at his second Winter Olympics – having won a surprising bronze medal at his first one – James has been dubbed Team GB’s hero before the games have even started.

Lily, being the daughter of a waste collector, had always dreamed of one day making her parents proud by exceeding their expectations. Now, she finds herself on a plane to China together with her boss, Minerva McGonagall, and a crowd of winter athletes representing Team GB at the Winter Olympics of 2022.

The paths of James Potter – overenthusiastic snowboarding hero – and Lily Evans – passionate overachiever – cross at the 2022 Winter Olympics when James Potter is asked to be Team GB’s flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony (and quite a few times after that as well).

The repetition of "James, being half Greek..." worked so well for the flow. I don't know how to describe it

A Game Of Thrones

Modern royalty au. Lily Evans had never imagined she would meet Prince James, but when she does at St Andrews' annual Christmas Pub Crawl, her whole world is turned upside down. For who thought that a girl like her - with a sister that reads "Hello" magazine like it's the Bible - would end up with a prince like him?

Euphemia Potter you will always be famous

flowers

A musician au that hilights sexisim in the music industry. "Singer-songwriter Lily Evans has played gig after gig, has been the opening act to many a headliner, but her big break seems a million miles away. When one night – after playing in her friend Marlene McKinnon’s bar – she receives messily scrawled lyrics on a napkin by a certain Monty Python, her life and career are turned upside down, leading her all the way to the Grammy's."

Lily my love, you deserve everything you've worked for

If You Knew Who Was Talking

hopelessly_devoted and genuinely-conflicted form each other’s support system online, cheering one another on as they battle their way through an unrequited (and most definitely unwanted) crush on the person their parents are trying to set them up with.

In the real world, James Potter and Lily Evans find themselves hopelessly devoted and genuinely conflicted when battling their persistent infatuation with the last person they would have ever liked to fall for, stubbornly fighting their family’s and friends’ convictions that they were born to be together.

If only they knew who was talking.

FOOLS the both of them.

glitter in the sky, i’m spinning out waiting for ya

For her thirtieth birthday, Marlene McKinnon and Mary McDonald gift Lily Evans the thrill of a lifetime: a tandem skydive. What no one expected? For Lily to end up in the hospital as a result with her ankle covered in soul marks.

everybody is a sexy baby, and i'm a monster on a hill

Ficwriter au. "James Potter and Lily Evans are fandom famous. Both are prolific and popular writers within the Marauders fandom, but they have completely ignored the other's existence for two years after a Tumblr misunderstanding. Now, they are paired up for the Valentine's Marauders Challenge and - forced to interact - they find out that they may be more compatible than they ever could have imagined."

Is this not the dream?

fastening myself to you with a stitch

Fame au. "Anyone who has never heard the names Lily Evans and James Potter before must be a boomer. The two actors have dominated the box office with their films in the past nine years, more often than not starring opposite one another. Whether tasked to portray mutual pining, passionate hatred or fiery love, Potter and Evans make the screen positively buzz with the taste of opportunity."

it's all happening without me

Normal People (Sally Roony) au. "At school, James and Lily pretend not to know each other. James is wealthy, popular and the star of his school’s football team, while Lily wears second-hand school uniforms, is the school pariah and resented for her smarts. At James’ house, however – meeting there due to Lily’s mother’s housekeeping job – they form an intense connection they desperately try to conceal to the outside world.

A year later, James and Lily both attend Hogwarts University where James has found his feet and made friends he had longed for his entire life, while Lily remains uncertain and haunted by her problematic past.

Throughout their years at university, James and Lily circle each other, trying to resist the magnetic pull between them, whilst coming to the realisation that the both of them may be more religious than they ever thought they were."

Mother knows best. Mary, never question your writing skills because this fic proved that you are a phenomenal writer. The emotions you evoked coverered the entire range of human emotions

It's Coming Down, It's Coming Down Series -

Weird, But Fuckin' Beautiful

When Lily Evans is invited to spend Christmas with the Potters, she finds that she can simply not refuse. It’s an offer she cannot resist for several reasons, the most important one being that she would much rather spend the holidays with Fleamont and Euphemia than she would with Vernon and Petunia.

So what if she had conveniently forgotten (or has she?) about the fact that the Potters have a son - a Formula 1 driver at that - who she can’t seem to get off her mind? (Mightily annoying that, seeing as he has made clear exactly how he feels about her and it’s not exactly giving her any hope.) It’s not as if she can’t control herself.

Or so she very dearly hopes…

Tonight Feels Impossible

But after a night spent together in a hotel's honeymoon suite, she doubts she ever will and fears it might be her downfall.

To All The Kudos I've Left Before

Ficwriter au set in university. "Fanfiction is the guiltiest of pleasures that Lily - twenty years old and studying at Hogwarts University - freely and happily indulges in. She reads fanfiction whenever she has a moment to herself and goes crazy whenever her favourite author - Artemis - updates or uploads another one of his works to Archive Of Our Own. Leaving them comments and the ensuing banter between them back and forth - however fleeting - makes her heart race and preoccupies a fair amount of her thoughts, which - in turn - angers her best friend.

James Potter has never had to suffer from an inferiority complex. His parents and friends are supportive of his every endeavour and this includes his habit to write fanfiction and put his written work out there in the void for his readers to enjoy. His readers are highly supportive too - Lilium being his absolute favourite - that is, until he starts to receive the vilest of comments from a number of guest accounts and starts to question his entire online existence.

What Artemis and Lilium don’t know? That they might know each other a little better than either of them ever bargained for."

The title says it all ❤ ❤❤

[fahye]

book recs: oct/nov 2023

I read an obscene number of books during my weeks travelling in the USA, so here are some highlights!

A GENTLEMAN UNDONE by cecilia grant - I actually read all three in this excellent series, but this is the highlight. a tense, engrossing regency romance between a gentleman desperate to make money in gambling halls and the woman who teaches him to count cards, who unfortunately happens to be someone else's mistress. extremely horny and very smart.

SHADOW MAGIC by jaida jones & danielle bennett - after HAVEMERCY I desperately needed the rest of the series, and happily I had dinner with jaida and dani and was given them! this one is classic political fantasy: assassins, ambassadors, a devoted bodyguard and his beautiful prince, and a flamboyant little chaos magician who wonders why nobody else in his delegation is enjoying the beautiful local Fashion Robes. this book has never had a heterosexual thought in its entire life.

AMERICAN QUEEN by sierra simone - okay, this is a rec for the entire series (AMERICAN PRINCE & AMERICAN KING follow), a modern arthur-lancelot-guinevere retelling where they're american politicians and they're all in love and kinky and fucked up about it. mostly smut, lots of angst, occasional plot. maybe the hottest thing I've ever read in my life?? damn, sierra simone knows what she's doing.

THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by robert a. heinlein - what if we were a moon colony and we decided to stage a revolutionary war and we asked a bored AI computer to run the logistics for us? I'm such a sucker for logistics, and heinlein delivers in spades. very funny, great worldbuilding, fun characters. has aged surprisingly well, I think.

10 THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED by alexis hall - a pure shot of gay grumpy/sunshine delivered via FAKE AMNESIA TROPE and a plot lovingly and lampshadily borrowed from the classic sandra bullock vehicle while you were sleeping. alexis hall's protagonists and glorious supporting casts always grab me, and this was no exception.

THE FALL THAT SAVED US by tamara jerée - do you like the good omens setup of bookshop angel vs. snarky demon, destined to be enemies but oh no we're in love, and you'd like to add some recovery from family trauma + sex scenes + also they're sapphic? yes. good. enjoy.

CHAIN-GANG ALL-STARS by nana kwame adjei-brenyah - holy shit!! finished this one yesterday and will be thinking about it for a long time. premise: criminals can choose to compete in deadly televised gladiator matches instead of remaining in prison. this is an absolutely brutal examination of the prison industrial complex and the violent commodification of bodies (especially bodies of colour) under our capitalist hellscape. lyrical, wonderful, cutting. very queer and very angry. I flew through it. what a fantastic book.

[youryurigoddess]

Aziraphale has memorized Winnie the Pooh and it’s more important than you think

Basically Neil Gaiman was casually dropping hints about Good Omens 2 plot as early as 2019:

Aziraphale has memorized the Winnie the Pooh books, several Georgette Heyer novels, and Bobo’s Modern Coin Magic, though.

Georgette Heyer was an English novelist and short-story writer, in both the Regency romance (which she has virtually invented, based on extensive historical research as well as Jane Austen’s influences) and detective fiction genres. She used romantic plots and happy endings in both.

That is, with the exception of Penhallow, her 1942 mystery novel explaining how a desperate act intended to bring about good consequences brings only more tragedy in its wake instead (and spoiler alert: murdering a thoroughly unlikeable elderly character doesn’t secure the expected peace or happiness).

J. B. Bobo’s Modern Coin Magic, while not that modern anymore with a publishing date of 1952, provides a complete treatise on sleight of hand coin conjuring, making an excellent companion for those who want to impress and entertain with some classic magic tricks. Including working professional magicians like Fell the Marvelous.

But what about the Winnie the Pooh books? Sure, they offer the ultimate childhood escapist fantasy with a happy-go-lucky story and cheerful characters living in the Garden of— um, Hundred Acre Wood. The original Ashdown Forest is, by the way, located under the South Downs National Park authority.

A. A. Milne participated in and survived two world wars. Writing was a creative way of talking about his struggles and those of many other individuals affected by trauma, mental health issues and illnesses that are left untreated and undiagnosed. Each of the animals famously symbolizes different disorder.

And according to the major theme of the power of friendship saving the day (with an occasional help of Christopher Robin, who plays his ineffable game as long as his adults let him), even a scary guest turns out not so scary after all, becoming a new friend himself.

[ladykailitha]

Regency Nanny AU

Remember how I said that I had a new idea from all the asks I had in the last couple of days? Yeah, this is that.

Taken from the Nanny story where Steve thinks of being in charge of the household like Robin's period dramas. From this ask here.

So there are so many ways this can go, like the nanny one, but set in a non-homophobic past, omegaverse, or one that really struck me was a fusion AU of one of my favorite books (though it is Victorian, but I don't mind setting in an earlier time). It's called "The Fire Rose" by Mercedes Lackey.

Basically it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling in which the beast is a Fire magician and trying to make himself being able to change into wolf and back again at will accidentally curses himself. So he hires a nanny for fake children to get someone who can read to him from his books as being turned into a wolf man has left him with poor eye sight and paws which make it difficult to turn the pages.

She is the impoverished daughter of a scholar who was in debt up to his eyeballs and then suddenly passes away. What little money he did have went to his debts and she pretty much has two pennies to her name. So when a friend of her father comes to her with this offer to be a nanny to a girl and invalid boy out from Chicago where she is to San Fransisco to some estate owned by the rail baron father. She really doesn't have any choice but to take him up on it or starve or resort to whoring herself out.

But as most people don't know about magic he has her reading through a speaking tube that goes up through the ceiling where his room is. Which works for awhile and the only person she sees is the apprentice and no one else. Even though her food is made and brought to her room while she's asleep or gone. The apprentice is a cad and a rake and she doesn't feel comfortable around him but knows he won't doing anything not with the master of the house around.

Basically she finds out about him and magic and that she can do magic too. She's air, while he is fire. There are four elements that magicians can be masters of. Fire, air, earth, and water. Water and Fire and Air and Earth are opposites while each element would be supported by the two adjacent. Air would be supported by fire and water (think lightning and storms), Fire would be supported by air and earth (air to feed it and earth to ground it) Water would be supported by air and earth (the water cycle and of course earth to nourish and also to cut through) and last Earth would be supported by fire and water (two things vegetation need to thrive). Each element has spirits they can summon to their bidding. Fire has salamanders, air has sylphs, water has undines, and earth has gnomes.

So we would Steddify it like this. Eddie the Fire Master and Steve is the son of the impoverished scholar. Steve's father taught himself, but they were constantly on the move because his father would land a position teaching children at a big manor house and then six to eight months later they would be thrown out when his father get caught with the mistress of the house. Steve is pretty sure he has half siblings dotted all over the county side.

His father spends all their money on booze and women, leaving Steve with no real skills and being able to read and write well without an internship somewhere, will get him no where.

Then his father dies and Steve is left destitute Hopper, the only friend of his father's the old man actually kept over the years comes to Steve with the offer of being a nanny to some rich lord on the other side of the country. Steve doesn't have anything better on offer so he goes.

He's greeted by not the master of the house but the valet. A rough man named Billy Hargrove. He's well dressed but as subtle as a bull in the china shop.

He is told in a letter from the master that he was sorry to lure Steve there under false pretenses but he tried advertising for a reader and no one ever took it as serious. If this bothers Steve, Eddie would send him off to town with a purse full of serious money and transport to the nearest town which has a bustling port. He could go anywhere in the world and Eddie would not think less of him.

Steve seriously thinks about it. Live comfortably here at the manor with only the strange master he's never seen and brutish Billy or take the money and run. He decides to stay.

He learns that his taciturn master is actually just kind but badly scarred and that's why he doesn't show his face.

Billy continues to be brutish but keeps his distance for the most part.

They get supplies from the nearby city and Billy visits all the time. After few months Eddie allows Steve to go to town because he has figured out that Steve needs glasses. And sends him to town to get new clothes, glasses, and some entertainment.

There he meets Henry Creel, a rival of Eddie's who tells Steve that Eddie could be cured, Henry has the means, he just has to submit to Henry and he could be free.

Steve ignores the guy because creeeepppy as fuck.

He goes to an apothecary looking for someone to replicate the medicine he had been taking for headaches, and comes across Robin who hands him three packages. A replication of his medication, a version of what she would normally prescribe, and something that will help ease Eddie's pain, if he can get the idiot to take it.

When he comes back he meets the fire salamander affectionately named Dustin. Dustin tells him that Eddie has collapsed and needs help.

Steve is cussing out Billy for being gone, Eddie for being stupid, and himself for having dinner in town instead of at the manor because who knows how long Eddie's been lying there.

Dustin and Steve get Eddie sorted and Steve learns the truth about why he's here. Eddie is wolf from his upper chest, arms and head, and then from the knees down in digitigrade legs, much like a wolf or cat.

Steve tells him about the two people he met and Eddie scoffs. Henry is a rival Fire Master and asshole, and Robin Buckley is the most powerful earth master in the entire country.

Steve doesn't want to believe that cute, goofy little Robin is a magician, but after Eddie takes the medicine she gave Steve and he instantly improves? Yeah... a little hard to doubt after that. Eddie doesn't trust Billy. Billy became his apprentice a few years ago, but he wants all the power without all the work. And he's pretty sure Billy is doping and magic and drugs really don't mix.

They fall in love and Steve learns he can do magic too. He's a air mage. They try to find a cure while teaching Steve how to use his magic.

Henry tries to make a move against Eddie with Billy's help and Billy tries to rape Steve, and Eddie tears him apart.

Steve is shaken up by watching Eddie literally rip Billy in pieces and Eddie sends him into town to think about whether or not he wants to stay with Eddie after that.

Steve pretty much decides on the way into town that yes he still loves Eddie.

Henry kidnaps Steve and Eddie turns Dustin into a fire mere to get to Steve as fast as possible. Henry and Eddie fight and Steve helps by calling his sylphs for the first time and they nearly burn the town down with their ferocity added with Eddie's salamanders.

Robin manages to stop all of it with her earth powers but all three collapse afterward. Henry dead, the spell he had that would reverse Eddie's plight, also gone.

But once everyone recovers, Steve decides he doesn't care what Eddie looks like and they live happily ever after.

Or... just a regular regency verse lol!

[wistfulnightingale]

The Chess Moves Theory Set -- Why Chess & Magic? (A Final 15 MetaTheory)

The Final Episode of Good Omens S2 is full of moments that caught our attention. We cried, we rewatched in disbelief, and some of us generated speculation and theories. Yet it remained difficult to find a solid "other" explanation for everything that occurred. Maybe it really was an incredibly painful breakup. The Ineffable Divorce.

Speculation about any one of the key moments, looked at individually, leave gaps and questions and uncertainties. But together, they might propose a different picture. I think it's a piece by piece jigsaw puzzle, or the sequences in a Regency Era dance, or --- A complex game of chess.

Over many months, I've put together a set of 8 scenes/theories, Eight Chess Moves that, together, might prove that what we saw wasn't all there was. Some might seem exciting, some might seem bonkers. Personally, I think there's reasons (or sometimes even proof) for each of them, or I wouldn't propose them to you. I've listed and linked each one below. I hope you'll at least enjoy them!

Now, I'm not a skilled chess player, not at all. But The Metatron is. He's a Chess Master (at manipulation), and Our Ineffables have had to quickly develop their skills, anticipating moves and creating counter moves. Hopefully they are skilled enough to shift the board and win this deadly game.

Like Fell the Marvelous Magician, flicking the envelope after the incriminating photo has been tucked away, magic and Misdirection are also used. Misdirection means that the magician is not "hiding" the trick -- they convince you to start looking for the trick after it's already happened. Magicians Penn and Teller are quoted as saying, "The strongest lie is the lie that the audience tells itself."

This Masterclass article on What Is Misdirection in Magic tells exactly how it's done:

Social Cues -- Look where they look, not where we should look

Multitasking/Split Focus -- Distractions

Patter -- Rapid talking & questions (Lookin' at you, Nina!)

Emotional Manipulation -- Yeah, that Crowley moment with Nina

Time Misdirection -- It already happens before we know to look

Convincers -- Someone validates that everything's normal

Repetition -- We get used to seeing something, and don't question it anymore

I'll be refering to most of these in the theory breakdowns, since they're a huge part of how a lot of this managed to sneak under our radar.

The Eight Chess Moves Theory Set:

1 - The Metatron Misdirection

2 - The Metatron's Second Coming

3 - Ineffables in Check

4 - A Hefty Jigger of Death

5 - Nothing Lasts Forever

6 - The Circle Kiss Theory

7 - The Nightingale DID Sing

8 - Aziraphale's Jubilant Smile (NOT the crazy elevator grin)

Also: The Metatron Misdirection New Note (Is it a Shell Game of White-Haired Men?)

(Please go to @wistfulnightingale for my pinned post if these aren't linked up here! My Apologies! I've been scurrying to get it all linked)

No single chess move on the board wins a match. It is the series of moves, each decision, each part of the strategy, that leads to the victory. For nearly a year and a half, the fandom has been analyzing various scenes that raised questions in our minds. We get closest to figuring it out, I believe, if we look at all those mysterious moments together. None of my theories is convincing if it stands alone. However, as a SET, each leading to the next, they might make a more compelling case for the moves and countermoves that were happening in S2.

The opening credits sequence has a lot of clues about Magic in it (like rabbits Everywhere!!), letting us know that Magic is gonna be important in S2, as detailed in @sendarya 's YouTube video:

Good Omens Title Sequence, EASTER EGGS and hidden clues uncovered!

Interestingly, I think we've actually also been told to look for a chess metaphor, just as we were given clues to look for Magic Tricks. There are chess pieces and a chess board visible behind Crowley (next to the fateful grandfather clock!) in much of the end of E6. And earlier, in E3 when Jimbriel is swatting at the fly and demonstrating gravity, we are given a very clear shot of the book "My Best Games of Chess."

That same book is also featured several times in the 1946 Powell and Pressburger movie "Stairway to Heaven," as @sendarya noticed. (The multiple connections of chess and "Stairway to Heaaven" with S2 is wonderfully explained in another YouTube video by @sendarya ,

Good Omens Love or Law, which is stronger?

I highly recommend checking it out!) The movie poster on the left for "Stairway to Heaven" is seen twice in Good Omens S2, in the opening credit sequence (seen below) and in Maggie's record shop.

The poster on the right also shows the movie's U.K. release name, "A Matter of Life and Death." As fun and fluffy as Good Omens S2 began, the reference to this other title becomes too fitting for our Ineffables by the final episode.

The Chess book and the repeated presence of the movie poster certainly seem to mean Something. The video by @sendarya is what inspired me to look at all the mysteriously odd moments of S2 as related parts of a Chess Game, "A Matter of Life and Death" between the Metatron and Our Ineffables. Each moment looked at alone just leads to more questions. Together, they might start to make sense.

I hope you enjoy all of the parts of my Chess Match Theory Set. (I've been neurotically pondering and examining and rewriting this stuff for months!) Hopefully, these ideas are still consistent with Terry Pratchett's ideas for where these two characters who began as one will end up. I'm hopeful that I'm onto something here, but I also hope (tentatively believe?) that the plot they suggest still fits with the Rescued 90, the Finale of our Ineffable Adventures. And, if I'm mistaken, at least it gives us something to talk about in the meantime!

Thanks for coming with me on this crazy ride!

To Our World!

[volkswagonblues]

my fave Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell fics

since @dathen asked...

(most of these are Childermass/Segundus, as that is the most popular pairing in the fandom)

Hal-an-Tow by halsinator A classic sex pollen fic, though arguably the sex pollen is only in the first chapter and gone after that. I love all of halsinator's fics--they're INCREDIBLE character work and the way that emotions are described are just top notch. It's so deft. Look at this, this is one of the most romantic things I've ever read and i'm about to chew glass for these two regency era dumbasses.

When Segundus opened his eyes, he saw that he had not imagined this strange idea. Childermass was indeed holding his hand, and was gazing at him with a tremendously complicated expression. It was both serious and unserious at the same time, as though he had been surprised in the middle of laughter by the sight of something quite solemn. Segundus could not really parse it out. He felt ill-equipped for the task of doing so.

The Eccentricities of his Profession by euromagpie + A Very Starecross Christmas by euromagpie The JS&MN fandom had its peak in 2015 when BBC released the tv adaptation. Newer writers now get way less comments and kudos compared to the ones written ten years ago, so I really want to shout out this series that's being actively updated right now. The historical accuracy is SO GOOD. More than any other fic these truly capture life in early 1800s in Yorkshire, which runs from mummers plays to Christmas charades to the use of tinderboxes (matches have not been invented yet!! people always forget!!). It has a scene where Childermass speaks in Yorkshire dialect! Segundus gets wrapped up in the Johannite rebellions! I'm fucking obsessed

A Spell To Join Together Articles Which Have Been Parted by kvikindi

Ok I'll let the fic's own summary do the work:

In which Arabella Strange becomes a magician and a scholar, Emma Wintertowne energetically resists convention, Flora Greysteel is haunted by a poetical ghost, John Segundus undertakes an overwhelming project, and English magic occasions much upheaval & many travels.

To me this best captures the magical spirit of the book, in which magic as a force is numinous and frightening but also extremely English and by extension, a little absurd.

A few more recs:

To the Quick by Johns_Farthings

The Bearing of a Scholar by neveralarch (peak Hanover Square-era Childermass idgaf energy)

John Childermass's Last Employer by shutterbird (peak early in Norrell's employment Childermass idgaf energy)

the measure of the year by BeautifulSoup (just good old fashioned lovely slow burn)

[enigmaticxbee]

XF AU - Fic Recs

When the world was unrecognizable and upside down, there was one thing that remained the same. You... were my friend, and you told me the truth. Even when the world was falling apart, you were my constant... my touchstone (or, alternate universe and canon-divergent fics):

Contemporary AUs:

A Companion Unobtrusive by @slippinmickeys - She needed a roommate. He needed a room.

The Annapolis Grant by @slippinmickeys - Fake relationship! Scully hires Mulder to pretend to be her boyfriend.

Aprons and Scrubs by @lokisgame - Scully’s a doctor and Mulder runs a bar.

Five Years and a Lifetime by @monikafilefan @slippinmickeys - One night stand AU. Five years later, Scully and Mulder work at the same pediatric hospital, and Scully's four year old daughter bears a striking resemblance to the picture of a dark haired girl that sits on Mulder's desk...

Skin by Annie Sewell-Jennings - In a world where Mulder and Scully have never met, fate intervenes and brings two worlds colliding in the city of Charleston, as a vicious murderer reigns and a storm approaches.

Sinners Come Down by aster_risk - Six years into her marriage to Daniel, Scully meets Fox Mulder at a bar one night, and they get talking and fucking over alcohol and self-pity.

In the Best Interest of the Child by @mldrgrl - When tragedy strikes, Mulder is forced to take guardianship of his young niece, but the matter is complicated by the arrival of a sister-in-law he's never met.

Historical AUs:

By the Dim and Flaring Lamps by @sunflowerseedsandscience - Civil War AU. Captain Mulder befriends Private Scully who’s hiding a secret…

The Countess and The Earl by @slippinmickeys - Regency Romance!

Old Growth Forest by Andrea - Mulder and Scully travel back to frontier times

Rocky Mountain Interlude Part 1 and Part 2 by Jacquie LaVa and Tess - Mulder and Scully travel back in time to solve the case of a Colorado mining ghost

The Science of Sex by @if-the-seascatchfire - Masters of Sex AU. Mulder and Scully are doctors in the late 1950s who undertake a years-long study about human sexuality, and as part of the research, they also have sex with each other - you know, for the science.

Out of this World:

The Magician by Suzanne Bickerstaffe and Jennifer Lyon - Fantasy series where Mulder and Scully travel to another world full of magic (one of the first fanfics I ever remember reading!)

Out of the Little Grove by @slippinmickeys - Crossover with His Dark Materials (a mashup truly made just for me, my 13 year old self would have been over the moon)

Blinded by White Light by @dashakay - Post-colonization. What are we, but the sum of our memories? A classic.

Julia and Gabriel by Mish - Post-colonization. A new identity, a new, dangerous society, an unchanged heart and soul. Gave me Hunger Games vibes for some reason (although written years before that was published)

Canon-Divergent: Pre or Early Series

Eleventh Hour by Rachel Anton - Mulder travels back in time to find college-aged Scully and change everything.

Belphagor’s Prime by Prufrock’s Love - When Scully disappears Mulder travels back in time to a pre-X-Files Scully for help.

In Another Life by @mldrgrl - What if there was no conspiracy? What if Mulder was just a regular FBI Agent? What if Scully was just a bureau pathologist?

How They Met by @peacenik0 - After an encounter at Scully’s FBI academy graduation party they must determine how to deal with their past and their undeniable attraction to one another when partnered up.

One Week at Quantico by CrossedBeams - What if Mulder had been teaching at the Academy when Scully was training…

Paging Dr. Scully by @mangokiwitropicalswirl - Mulder keeps ending up in Dr Scully’s ER.

Only One Choice by @sisterspooky1013 - Scully was never assigned to The X Files.

The Way Things Are by Sukie Tawdry - A season 1 one night stand changes everything. Baby-fic.

Departures & Arrivals by anarchybeauty - After the X Files are closed in 1994, Scully moves on. Two years later, she runs into Mulder in an airport.

Right Hand Return by humphreywrites - Scully is returned from her abduction with a baby, no memories of anything prior to her captivity and some PTSD.

12 Rites of Passage and 12 Degrees of Separation by Anne Hayes - mytharc story written very early in the series run.

parent_1 by @markwatneyandenesemble - It’s 1996, Mulder’s been off the X-Files for three years, and not speaking to Scully. They’ve almost moved on with their lives. Almost.

Canon-Divergent: Mid Series

A Different Place by @myownsuperintendent - When Mulder successfully brings one of the Samantha clones back from the farm with him in Herrenvolk, she must learn to adapt to a different life.

Once More With Feeling by skinfull - While on a stakeout Mulder is shot in the head and loses his memory.

Iolokus by rivkat and MustangSally - Mytharc AU. Painted across the barren and desolate reaches of Texas, the shadows of the Project put additional pressure on Scully and Mulder's already fragile relationship. After a hostage crisis raises more questions about the Project's breeding program, Scully begins her own investigation, leaving Mulder to choose between saving her and saving himself. Pretty disturbing but fascinating, a classic.

Arizona Highways by Fialka - Mytharc AU. Visions of Melissa lead Our Heroes on a case confirming the existence of a series of Emilys. But does Melissa really have a message, or is it all in Scully’s head? Another classic.

Heuvelmans' On the Track by @mashnotesofthemythopoeic - post-FTF mytharc AU, truly a ride you’ll never forget.

The Leap and Landfall by Ambress - Scully has a one time opportunity for motherhood, given to her by the Kurt Crawfords.

All That Is Dark and Bright by @malibusunset-xf-blog - Emily lives AU.

Five Years and One Night by Shalimar - Scully leaves the X-Files post-Emily but gets drawn back in when Mulder discovers Emily wasn’t the only child created.

Cubed by Louise Marin - Mid-season 6 Scully does a little body-swapping of her own. Can she and Mulder make it back to each other? Do they want to?

The Boy on the Beach and Tonight We're Gonna Party Like It's 1999 by @cecilysass - One moment she was sitting in the chair. Her chin up, her expression ice. And the next moment she was gone. Fantastic exploration of the Samantha storyline.

Canon-Divergent: Late or Post Series

40 Weeks by @malibusunset-xf-blog - What if the IVF attempt in Per Manum had been successful?

Mobius by L.A. Ward - Post-Requiem while investigating the disappearance of a physicist, Scully finds someone she didn't expect - Mulder. But is it her Mulder?

By the Wind Grieved by Karen Rasch - Mulder is returned several months post Requiem but he doesn't know who he is or what Scully and he are to each other. Together they must reclaim the past before their enemies take away their future.

Deadalive AU by @markwatneyandenesemble - Mulder is returned but is missing several years of memory.

The 13th Sign and 7 Days in May by Prufrock’s Love - Post-Deadalive. Mulder saw no reason for life, death, sex, Armageddon, or emotional dysfunction to stand in the way of true love.

Hurricane Season by rah and beduini - Post-Existence week at the beach with the Scully family and baby Wim.

Terra Firma series by @malibusunset-xf-blog - Post-Existence domestic family drama, a classic comfort read for me.

2008 by MystPhile - With the quest at an end, the X-Files closed in the year 2000. Our heroes went their separate ways. In 2008, they meet in Bloomingdale's and the past, present, and future are explored.

Dr. Scully's School for Exceptional Boys by Prufrock’s Love - More than a decade had passed. Mulder had no reason to hole up in his apartment alone, wearing a Three Dog Night T-shirt with dried mustard on the hem and blue jeans that had seen better days. He wasn't "saving himself" for anyone. Especially not Her. Though she remained epically, beautifully, brilliantly kick-A-S-S.

Machines of Freedom by Amal Nahurriyeh - post-IWTB. The end of the world is coming. And they're doing everything in their power to stop it.

North of Zero by @slippinmickeys - Post-IWTB, post-colonization. The bombs have fallen. The aliens have come. What’s next?

Canon Parallel AUs:

I've got you under my skin by cuits - In a universe where soulmate identifying marks exist and affect a part of the population, would Mulder and Scully's relationship evolve any different? Unfinished but complete through Existence so it still ends in a satisfying place.

Half-light by skuls - Mulder and Scully get a second chance.

The Family G-Man by Neoxphile and FelineFemme - A double tragedy strikes Mulder the week before Christmas of 2003. What if he could go back and change things, save the son one lost and give the other the family she wanted? Could it keep them safe?

[apilgrimpassingby]

More Magic School Lore

Here's some more magic school lore, albeit a bit that doesn't directly relate to the schools, but to their wider context.

So, for a recap, there used to be magicians in the world, but the Divine Wisdom decided that they were oppressing the humans and causing stagnation, and so she locked them away in a pocket dimension. These days, however, she's started letting them out in small numbers.

The new lore is concerned with why. Thing is, humans created democracy, and in the world wars and the collapse of the USSR it triumphed ... and then the USA spent the 1990s partying, and we still haven't repented, inventing things like internet porn and AI rather than using our resources to solve world problems. Thus, the end of the age is coming; there will be a new dark era of politics where democracy and human rights die, tyranny, slavery and warmongering come back, as do plague and famine. The details of that, however, are malleable.

And this is where the magic schools come in. For now, their job is to fight off monsters and the occult in order to delay the end of the age, and this will function as a test; their moral conduct in this time will decide if they get let back in as part of the new dark ages, and their actions (though exactly how, only the Divine Wisdom knows) will determine which of the four possible dark futures come to pass:

The Silver World, where the forces of magic and the degradation of technology are both strong, and thus the mythology and folklore of each part of the world come alive, while the natural ecosystems and historical ways of life in each place gain in strength. For example, in Britain Arthur, Robin Hood, Dick Turpin, the faeries, all kinds of ghosts and so on all come into existence, forests grow back and different regions become Anglo-Saxon, Elizabethan, Regency, Victorian and so on.

The Concrete World, where the force of magic is strong but the force of the degradation of technology is weak. This world is divided into thousands upon thousands of city-states (with surrounding farmland), constantly at war with each other, and with hosts of spirits and monsters living in them - sometimes as citizens, sometimes as rulers, sometimes as an underclass - and ubiquitous magic.

The Ash World, where the force of magic is weak but the force of the degradation of technology is strong. This is a standard-issue post-apocalyptic setting - most cities are irradiated nuclear shells, most people are nomads, the Ice Age is encroaching, etc. - with the distinction that shamans, paganism and belief in spirits are ubiquitous.

The Iron World, where the forces of magic and the degradation of technology are both weak. This is a fairly standard dystopian setting; Britain is a fascist slave empire that controls much of northwest Europe, America is run by an authoritarian regime which specifically sets out to be as soulless as possible in order to crush the spirits of dissenters, large parts of China and India are ruined by nuclear war, Russia is being torn apart by militant Orthodox, militant neopagans and gangster capitalists... life sucks and most people are very religious (paganism particularly is very strong here).

[luckyjak]

jayvik aus I want

the last unicorn, because @4amarcanethoughts is right they are very last unicorn coded. jayce is a prince who ran away to become a magician. he accidentally turns viktor into a machine human.

historical AUs! 1960s AU! i love time period drama and arcane has so much good shit that can be used for historical dramas. REGENCY ERA. make my boys briefly touch hands pride and prejudice style and have a meltdown over it.

the magicians AU (peaches and plums, who gets that proof of concept?)

fallout baby!

[checkoutmybookshelf]

You Have My Attention: The Harwood Spellbook First Lines

Stephanie Burgis's reimagined, magical, and gender role-swapped regency fantasy novella series is honestly one of my favorites. They're sweet and fluffy and a truly delight to read. But as with any author, Burgis has to catch her readers with those first few sentences. So let's see how she does it!

The evening of the Spring Equinox was cool and balmy, just as the weather wizards had--for once!--reliably predicted. The glittering guest list for the Harwoods' annual ball was exactly to Amy Standish's design. As she prepared to descend into the lake that gently rippled, reflecting the full moon and stars, outside the grandeur of Harwood House, Amy knew she had organized the most important night of her life to absolute perfection. The only tiny, insignificant task left to do was to propose marriage to the right man by the end of this evening. Then she would finally win everything she had ever dreamed of, and it would be utterly perfect. She knew it.

-- Spellswept

Of course, a sensible woman would never have accepted the invitation in the first place. To attend a week-long house party filled with bickering gentleman magicians, ruthless cutthroat lady politicians, and worst of all, my own infuriating ex-fiancé? Scarcely two months after I had scandalized all of our most intimate friends by jilting him? Utter madness.

-- Snowspelled

It was bad enough to be deprived of my new husband before our wedding night. It was utterly unjust to be tormented by nightmares weeks afterward as I slept, still alone, in our marital bed. For the ninth morning in a row, I woke up gasping and clawing at my throat, fighting to yank piercing thorns out from my skin...thorns that, of course, existed nowhere but in my dreams.

-- Thornbound

Dressing for a ball would always be a challenge for any lady who found it easier to analyze--from memory--an obscure spell from two centuries ago than to remember which sleeve lengths were currently fashionable across the nation. But dressing for a ball at Angland's first women's college of magic, where at least half the dancers were certain to add competitive spellwork to their costume and the enigmatic local fey were likely to make an appearance? That raised the standards--and the stakes--enormously.

-- Moontangled

There was this much to be said, Honoria supposed, for comprehensive public and personal ruin: once all that she'd ever cared about had been ripped from her grasp, she no longer had anything left to fear.

-- Spellcloaked

There was a fine line between ambition and foolishness, and I had spent most of my life walking it. Still, as looked around the crowded, fey-lit dining tables at Thornfell College of Magic for Young Women on the eve of our second Winter Solstice, I was forced to admit that--just this once--I might have aimed my goals a bit too high.

-- Frostgilded

[orphanheirs]

Official WIP Intro Post

General Stuff:

Working title: Lambswool

Genre: dark fantasy, gothic horror, folk horror, historical fiction

Quick run down: In regency England, a misfit half-demon child belonging to a species of beings who guard the doors between the world(s) of the living and the dead enters the mortal world. An amateur magician unleashes an entity determined to tear apart the delicate balance between realms. Shit hits the fan.

Vibes: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Over the Garden Wall, The Witch, Interview With the Vampire (movie), The Company of Wolves, The Secret Garden, Sleepy Hollow, Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, Labyrinth, Return To Oz

POV: Multiple POVs, third person, interlaced with diary entries and letters--so partially an epistolary novel

Some themes: death, breaking the cycle of generational trauma, forging one's own identity, adolescence, being the black sheep, being the sacrificial lamb, found family, isolation, anti-capitalism/colonialism, queerness, oppression, the "other", inversion of normativity, the predator archetype, "the empowered child", control/power, grappling with fate and history, making the future, etc...

Features: character driven, nobody's really the "hero" or "good guy" (whole point is everyone's a person/being the world traditionally sees as "wicked" or "evil"), fairies, witchcraft, sorcery, Stonehenge, romanticism, castles, ruined monasteries, graveyards, magic lantern shows, hearth cooking, early industrial revolution, early science, ballrooms, candelabras, desolate moors, ghosts, demons, consumption, melancholia, friends who are each others' beloathed, souling/trick-or-treating, dandies, dying 19th century waifs taking control of their own destiny, time travel, pretty dresses, the taste of butter, deals with the devil AND MORE

Story:

Set-up: England, 1810. The nation has reached a strength and prosperity never before seen, and advancements in technology and science are rapidly pushing the 18th century into the dizzying 19th. Industrialization is changing the fabric of life in hardly conceivable ways, and amidst the rise of capitalistic modernity it seems the belief in a lively and ever-present spirit world --so ubiquitous in previous centuries-- is under serious threat. But with upsets like mass crop failures, the ongoing Napoleonic wars, and multiple uprisings in recent memory, anxieties in this rapidly changing world are high, with some turning to evangelicalism and reactionary moralizing. Many believe the end of the world must be near arrival. Meanwhile, the world continues to largely be lit by fire, and one must still use the moon to light their way on a country road at night. And in the country there are those who still believe in quaint things like the Fair Folk and practice primitive charms. And in these dark places, in these cracks between the veil, tucked in the corners of the tangible, there are ancient supernatural forces yet lying in wait to stake their claim on the land of the living once again.

Plot (will change/be added to as I develop more): A dying child summons a demon in his bedroom to help him run away from home and finds himself bound to serve the spirit. After spending his whole life within the walls of his family's mansion, he's simultaneously thrust into both the mortal world of his time and into that of the Other Side. After some time spent feverishly drinking from the cup of life to the point of excess with the encouragement of his new demon companion and plunging headfirst into delicious immoral behavior that flies in the face of the oppressive society of his time, he thinks he's made himself a pretty good deal. But soon he learns that the demon is interested in involving him in more than just juvenile delinquency, and in fact intends to usher in a new era where evil spirits, the dead, and Other Things will freely meddle with and torment the living. What's more, there's a species of guardian spirits who have previously prevented this from happening--ones who open and close the door between worlds in a controlled manner, ones who, particularly, steward the yearly lifting of the veil that occurs on Halloween/Samhain. And the demon intends to destroy them all, starting with a young member of their race who has foolishly entered the mortal realm, thus breaking an ancient covenant. The child is sent to search for and manipulate this being into the demon's clutches, which he finds more difficult than he anticipated when he accidentally makes the first friend he's ever had in the process. The two then journey around England, with the human child acting as the being's guide through messy mortal life. Together they survive off of the victuals they scare out of hapless cottagers they haunt along the way while the demon works to recruit more earthly and unearthly helpers to its scheme. It all leads up to a climax where the fate of the worlds, and of Halloween, is decided. There's also definitely going to be subplots and backstories.

Characters (so far) with example images:

Tristan:

A sickly, precocious 12 year old shut up in the gilded, but stifling halls of his family's country estate, Tristan is determined to do ANYTHING to liberate himself and live some life before he drops dead from his ailments. Even if it means summoning dark forces to help him escape into the outside world. Even if it means serving the infernal entity he conjured and helping it carry out its nefarious schemes. In fact this suits Tristan just fine. That is until he meets the demon's number one target.. [Tag: #tristan]

Crispin:

[combine image 1 and 2 in your head to get an idea of Crispin's unhuman appearance.]

A young member of a species of demon/human hybrids who strive to keep balance between the spirit and mortal realms. About 10 years old in mortal time. About ??? years old in nonmortal time. He escapes the horrors of his family's Hellish castle located in a limbo-like space, and enters our world. In 1810 his clothing and speech are about 200 years out of date. His nature differs from others of his species, so when he stumbles upon mortals, he yearns to join in with them..which is made a just a bit difficult owing to his monstrous appearance and the fact that doing so goes against every tenet of his kind. [Tag: #crispin]

Demon/Spirit (no name yet):

A Being of mysterious and extremely antique origin. Banished and chained beneath a neolithic ritual site for thousands of years due to its destructive intentions and dangerous power. Freed by the summoning of a little shit named Tristan. Takes the form of a comely young man. Immediately intends on being up to no good again; might fuck around and usher in the apocalypse. [Tag: #cult]

Witch (no name yet):

A seeress, cunning woman, and good old fashioned witch, she's a young woman living in an isolated cottage at the edge of a wood leading into Faerie. She finds herself the reluctant keeper of a half-demon charge who Shouldn't Be Here. She has to deal with all the challenges involved with rearing an inhuman child, on top of preventing him from wriggling out of her grasp and into the company of other humans. She instructs Crispin in mortal magic and gives him the first affection he's ever gotten. [Tag: #teacher]

Lamia:

Crispin's elder sister. A more typical example of their species, she is vicious, cruel, and perfectly at home in the house of horrors they grow up in. Nevertheless, she is fascinated by Crispin, and, dissatisfied/bored with the way their family operates, sets out after him for some fun. [Tag: #lamia]

Emrys:

A vagabonding sin eater of indeterminate age because he looks young, but is so ragged and worn down it's hard to tell. He performs an old and fading tradition as yet kept up in country places, which he believes has damned him to Hell. Meets the other characters on his/their wanderings and gets drawn into everything, resulting in a pretty intense identity crisis. [Tag: no tag yet]

Setting/tags:

Setting: Regency England/British Isles--a good chunk of the action takes place in the countryside of the southwestern English county of Wiltshire. Later the action moves to London. May also be other locations, such as Scotland or Ireland or maybe even America-- not sure of how big the scope is going to be yet. [Tags: #setting, #interior, #countryside, #woods, #england, #dailylife, #regency, #wiltshire, and more...] Will also be delving into different realms, such as faerie.

Other tags: #occult, #stonecircle, #cemetery, #fairies, #witchcraft, #halloween, #pagan, #mythology, #folklore, #ancient, #mementomori and so on...

"Soundtrack" playlist:

Wow, if you read this whole thing thank you so much!! I'm psyched to finally get this intro out and give you guys a more general overview of the story. Can't wait to share a whole lot more!!!

{All footage in the video above taken by me at my local cemetery/historic site. The song used is "May Song" by Martin Carthy. All the art used is historical.}

[dwellordream]

current ongoing writing projects

Giantslayer: Original science fiction about a former teen superhero’s attempts to lead a normal life, which are somewhat hampered by the fact that his girlfriend wants him dead.

Cruel Intentions: ASOIAF Self Insert into Ceryse Hightower during the time of Maegor the Cruel. Dark comedy/drama/crack treated seriously.

With Their Bones: ASOIAF AU where Rhaenys (daughter of Rhaegar) survives and seeks the Iron Throne, as told by members of House Rogers of Amberly.

recently completed writing projects

The Beldam & the Baronet: Original fiction set during a fantasy Regency era about a lackluster magician’s attempts to save her sister from a scheming suitor. Romantic drama/mystery.

The Final Days of Brandi Hellstrom: Original fiction concerning a morally dubious woman’s road trip across the US, fleeing from her vampire ex-boyfriend, who isn’t taking their breakup well. Dark comedy/horror.

A Common Grief: ASOIAF SI into Rhaenyra Targaryen before the Dance of the Dragons. Relationship drama/crack treated seriously.

future writing projects:

The Fox & the Mulberry: Original high fantasy fiction concerning a former mercenary being dragged back into war by his old comrades, all while he struggles to raise half-human children with his monster wife.

This Neck of the Woods: Original horror fiction about a pack of werewolves plaguing a resort town in upstate New York in the 1970s