#The Duchess's Contract Marriage

[megane-ga-niau]

Neuvifuri as the leads of "The Duchess's Contract Marriage" manhwa.

Neuvilette as Louis, the heir to a fallen dynasty and Furina as Rubiana, the sister to the current ruler of the nation.

Focalors would be Kalena, a leader who trusts her sister to take care of the people. She loves her sister, but with her hand full, she must place the one person she trusts in harms way to ensure the future of her people. She and Furina are often aligned in goals, but separated by difference in information and necessity.

Neuvilette is working just to survive, and falls easily for the inherent kindness, strength, and safety he finds in Furina. He awkwardly tries to interact with her and the people around them appropriately, using romantic fiction as his guide, but struggles because theory can only go so far.

Furina, on the other hand, is great with people, friendly and well-loved by those around her. She may have a reputation for being powerful and capricious, but those around her soon learn that's not her true heart. She acts careless and brash, but she's also clever and can hold her cards to her chest.

Plus, also, just imagine that one seen where Bia breaks Louis out of his grandfather's estate and whisks him away with NeuviFuri. I think that would be so fun.

[webtoon-weirdness]

I don't wanna tell you how to design your library, but maybe don't put the bookshelves ten feet off the ground?

Source: The Duchess's Contract Marriage - Episode 18

[katian13]

Our crybaby

[limelocked]

Things I’m currently working on against my better judgement

- dcxdp fanfic where I don’t know any of the components only the crossover fandom

- isekai erased now in round 5 of revisions to the structure/planning that’s gotten to the point that I’ve forsaken the spreadsheet I’ve been working in and am writing in a zine-like booklet instead

- volleyvolleyball, don’t worry about it

- straight up legitimately new norse myths

Backburner;

- like 4 different gay isekai stories in the same universe (solen and his duke, accidentally married the archduke and duchess, I was reincarnated into another world as the northern duke in an adoption story, and a 4th one that’s just kinda brewing)

[scara-writes]

paramour

Yandere!Cheating Duke X Duchess! Reader X Yandere!Lover Servant

I just want to write a reader who has the same/more power as/to the yandere(s).

The setting is still in the fantasy/manhwa world, medivial, any setting as long it's not modern.

CW: two yandere, rivals, cheating, consent smut, infidelity.

I'm making the darling a little more forward(?), daring, more power or that can go against a yandere. Atleast, that's what the darling thinks. Also, this is not polished like my other stories.[ Forgive me, I'm not good with smuts! I also love y'all comments and your ask/request(will answer them soon!). The Yandere Emperor and Yandere Crown Prince son really outnumbered the yandere Omega. Y'all are crazy for that!]

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

"Mistress." He murmured. His arms hadn't let go off your waist. It was the first thing your eyes landed on when the sunlight came in to greet a new day from the window balcony. You closed your eyes again to find your way back to sleep again.

Your hands went to trace his back full of scar last night from your nails. You hummed when he gave you a pepper kisses on your exposed skin.

"Morning." He gave you one last kiss on your lips before snuggling between your chest. His arms hadn't move around your waist since last night."Mmmh..morning..." You muttered looking away—eyes still close—from the sun when it kissed your face.

"Do you want me to call the maids to serve you breakfast?" His sweet voice lull to sleep more. You whispered no. Last night, this man gave you something akin to that of heaven, something your husband never gave you.

Last night, you made love with this man. The same man you rescued from the human trafficking, kidnapping commoner from the outskirts of the kingdom. Now, indebted by your kindness he devout himself to you with his life.

You groaned, feeling your body is aching all over. This goes not unnoticed by your lover."Did I hurt you to bad?" He asked. His earth orbs are gleaming with shine and now getting filled with tears. "I-I'm sorry, I was rough with you mistress." His voice full of regret and loathe on himself.

You opened your eyes, ruffling his curly brown hair before stroking it. Staring down at his eyes. "No. You did good." You smiled at him, cupping his face, before kissing him in the lips. He whimpered,deepening his into yours.

The intoxication of alcohol must have taken over you. Drowning yourself from the alcohol beverages after your husband didn't arrive on the scheduled date, you waited for him for a whole day to arrive. Alone in the gazebo, Everett was the one who went to your weeping figure. That was a month ago. Everett offered himself to shower you with his love. At first you feel reluctant about this, you will never be the type of person to use someone just so you can feel yourself happy. Everett didn't care about it whether you use him or not. He wanted to prove himself that you are worth to be love. This man made your heart flutter in a way that your husband once gave you before the marriage.

"I-I love what happened last night, my mistress." He whispered bashfully, his pretty swollen lower lip,you bitten hard last night, went to reach his eyes giving you a wide smile. The sun kissed his tan face adding a charming look. His neck has full of bites and bruises from you. His cheeks become a little darker shade from blushing, he must have reminisced something last night.

Now, you made him your lover. Though not completely in love with Everett. You also shower him with items or materials that most commoners would love to have but it doesn't seem like this man is materialistic. He just wants you.

You didn't hide Everett to your husband.

What's the use of hiding your fling to Theodore when he was the first one to cheat on this marriage?

Despite being loyal to that man you loved. He had the audacity to tell you that you shouldn't pry on his private his life after you confronted him with a newly hired maid going out. "Our marriage contract states that the two parties should not meddle one another's private life else this contract shall be annuled."

So all of his flexing his love for you was nothing but a hoax? A show? A lure for you to agree to marry him?

Though, your marriage with him was for the politcial marriage. You once fell in love with Theodore. The same man who gave you flowers everytime you two date, the same man who kissed in your cheeks after he walk you home, the same man who always writes poems about his devotion to you. Did he pursuade you to continue this marriage by making you love him so that the two duchy became one? It may seem like you wanted this marriage at first. You didn't, your family wanted it and they have asked you—no annoyingly, they plead you to marry him, because your parents and his parents signed a contract that their children will reunite the two duchy.

"Your ladyship, the duke asked for your audience to join him in the breakfast." Your butler from the other side of your room, outside the door, knocked and speaks after. You frown upon hearing it, looking at the closed door, what does he want?

You feel strange about your husband nowadays. He had been asking for your presence this past few days. Never once he called for you after your wedding with him.

You clicked your tongue and turn to look at your lover. You notice Everett's face was frowning too. "Tell the duke that I will be there in a moment." You announced to the butler outside the room expecting the old man to gear you through it. You look back at the man leaning his weight on you. You tap the curly haired lover to let you go from his hold yet he didn't budge after moving yourself to sit up instead you heard yourself going 'oomfh!' and finding your lips were on his again. You groaned while he moaned weakly. He pushed you down on the bed, his lips never leaving yours until you were out of breath. A string of saliva trailed between your mouths. Everett was smiling before diving his lips into your skin, to one of your chest, fondling the other. You feel a little ticklish and panting at his stimulation. "Eve—! Wait! Ah..." Your voices went unheard, The male's mewling, sucking on to your flesh like thirsty man who hadn't had a drink.

Your hand went to tug his hair as you moaned out his name. "Shi—Eve... Oh! S-stop... Ah.."

His other hand goes to put one of legs above his back and parted the other leg, accessing himself between you even more."m-mistress!"

You groaned when you felt him grind between you. He looked at you with a pleading eyes, he look like he will cry again, the tears filling up yo the side from his eyes. "M-mistress." He whined his mouth was already in another mound. You feel his hardness between. "p-please? I'll be good! Please... huff..I'll make y-you feel good!"

Your eyes are hazy from the pleasure. "You want.. hah... it?" His eyes getting filled again with tears. You tug him by the hair not enough to hurt him. You landed your lips on his ears. Panting and breathless when you felt his hands is still fondling your body. "You got..ngh... to earn it, pretty boy." You murmurs made him whimpered. "You have to be my good boy... Are you my good boy?"

He nod, a tear fell down to his cheeks, he leaned down to your lips, murmuring, i-am-your-good-boys, thank-yous and I-love-yous.

The room filled with noises that could make anyone flustered and uncomfortable. You didn't realize from your high you are feeling that the butler is coughing uncomfortably behind the door excusing himself as he will inform the duke what you told him earlier.

You went down the stairs with a difficulty, aching between your thighs. You can't find any dress to cover the one hickey on your neck, Everett apologize and helped you cover it with a foundation but it failed horribly from covering seeing that the foundation wasn't blend well and you do not want your maids do it for you. Not when you found out that almost all of them had already been with your husband. You were planning to replace them sooner.

You stopped at the closed door leading to the dinning room. The butler from earlier straightened his posture, clearing his throat after he saw you. He announced your presence behind the door opening the door for you."My lord, your ladyship is here."

You walked in after thanking one of the male servant for pushing the seat for you once you sit across the lord of the household, your husband, the Duke.

The breakfast before you was served cold. If you have arrived earlier you could have eaten warm. You glance at your husband, surprised that his plate has not been finished and it looked like he didn't touched it. You noticed his eyes is trained on to you since you came in, yet his eyes isn't on you but to your neck and the way you walk earlier.

His grey eyes seemed to be narrowing, he scoffed. "You're late."

You glance away, picking one of the utensil, stabbing the meat, landing it to your mouth chewing it. You gulped it down before taking another bite. The marinated pork seems to be delicious even if the breakfast a little no warm.

"It seems you are enjoying with your toy a little too much." He added, there was anger rising beneath his voice.

Oh, the egg is a little bland but it is still edible nonetheless.

"There are more new reports about your speculated infidelity to the public. Do you know that?"

You looked at him after eating the last piece of the sunny side egg, smiling: finally acknowledging his presence."Yeah, what about it? It's not like it will ruin our marriage. After all, you had a numerous of headlines about your 'rumored' infidelity too. Did our contractwas nulled after that? It didn't right?"

"(Y/n)."

"Yes, husband?"

His eyes widened a little before going back on giving you death gaze. "Kick that slave away. I don't like him." He demanded. Though he wasn't shouting. You frowned, how dare he?

"Why would I? It's my decision whether I choose to throw him out or not."

"I do not want him near my property." He complained, gritting his teeth at the last word.

"This is my property as well!" You sternly answered back. Not leaving another room for an argument.

There was silence between the room.

"... I... don't want him near you." You heard him. You blinked at the sudden word that blurted in his mouth.

You scoff standing up, "I think I should finish my meal somewhere..." You starts walking back to where you enter the room.

"(Y/n)." Theodore called you. You didn't observe the way his eyes longed for you. You were focus on the anger within you. "Are we forgetting something, Theodore?" You questioned.

He pondered, those orb you used to love held a confusion.

"Meddling into your partner's private life will annul this marriage... Wasn't that written in our contract?" You bitterly told him. "Sounds familiar right? Do not dare demand me to throw away Everett." You added.

Finally waiting for this moment for this to happen. Guess he will get to taste his own medicine.

"... As long as we do our part in this household we will act as husband and wife. Is not that what you told me?"

"..."

"Now then, I will excuse myself. I have no longer desire to finish my breakfast here." With that, you leave him there.

When you reach the door, opening it, you were surprise to see Everett waiting outside. "What are you doing here?" You asked him. Your frowned face was replaced with a confusion look before giving him a small smile. The man infront of you return your smile with a small grin, placing one of his arm on your waist."W-well, I feel bored and alone in my own room. So I found myself waiting here w-with the butler. Besides I saw you walking wobbly earlier and I-I am concerned that you might have even more difficulty walking... So f-forgive me for not staying put." The look concern on his face adding the pout from his lips made him look cute.

"What are you a puppy?"You poke his nose giggling as you walk away with him, your eyes went back to talk to the butler. Telling him you want to continue your breakfast at your garden, asking him to make it for a two people. The butler bowing to your order before going to the kitchen area to order the maid.

Your husband on the other hand, loath with rage and jealousy mixing under his eyes. His eyes narrowed especially when the slave you brought in leaned on top of your head kissing at the crown part of your head, leaning to your ear to whisper something akin to sweet talks. The arm around your waist went to rub your back.

If only you glance again on Everett's face. You would have caught him giving your husband a smug smirk.

[teaeodora]

I had a brain dead idea after suffering from wriothesely brainrot courtesy of catching up to the Fontaine story quest uptill version 4.1 story. I haven't finished 4.2 story yet.

Meet arranged marriage idea, ft. rizzly (wriothesely) + fem!reader

What if the reader is some high class lady in Fontaine and has been brought up with a silver spoon. They end up marrying Wriothesely because their father sold them off for political power and status and over all terrible family dynamics between the reader and their aristocratic family. The reader is treated as a burden in their family, constantly nitpicked on (sticking to etiquette and eloquent behavior is hard.)

Wriothesely who's permanent abode is the Fortress and is the king of a no man's land, doesnt leave the Fortress much, isn't seen by many. When the reader first enters the Fortress for the first time they are like lowkey grossed out like "what is this dump?" and casually offending prisoners because thats the way the reader has been brought up and childhood teachings aren't changed in one night.

Yes, the reader is bratty because it is a weird change of pace for someone who grew up in lavish white halls and greenery getting sent into dark, eerie depths of the sea.

And the prisoners don't like their new Duchess (reader) and neither does the reader like the prisoners. Wriothesely tries to make the marriage work out by taking the reader on tours, throwing small surprises, showing them various fishes through the clear windows, attempting to cook homely foods for the reader with sigewinne's help, probably telling nem about fortress's past , how the prisoners are actually nice, doing cute fun things to get the reader to like the Fortress and convince them that it is a good place in it's own way.

The reader starts to like wriothesely (who doesnt like rizzly tho-) as nobody had done so much but still wants to return back to the overworld and its luxuries because of sense of longing.

Reader ends up helping someone who didn't had coupon vouchers out of generosity because that prisoner was starving and nobody could help because they were saving their coupon vouchers and that person is grateful to them and then they return the gesture by doing something sweet and then all other prisoners like the duchess too because they realise that the duchess (reader) is nice and the duchess is accepted as a part of the Fortress family.

The reader is like touched and agrees to stay but then her sucky family comes back to take her as whatever the marriage contract was, ended but the reader is like

"No I am staying here."

"But daughter, the contract of your marriage to the duke ended."

"Well father, who said I can't marry him again? You don't see me complaining."

I dont know, it sounded cool in my head.

BUT LOOK AT HIM WOAH?

©definitelysel

do not steal/copy/plagarise/translate.

[acosmicbee]

Okay I love it

I bet now with better means, Roxanne can find, if not a cure, a better existence for me than just being in bed all the time. I bet now I’ll have toys and books and pretty dresses and perhaps even friends to play with

Would she let me learn swords if my health improves?

She sounds very busy, does she allow maids to attend to me in her absence?

What about my education? What does she want me to be when I grow up?

Tell me about Roxanne, did she seek me out specifically or just want to destroy the duchy?

Who is this prince and I bet he acts as an uncle bringing me lots of treats and toys

Does Roxanne have the means to procure medicine for me? What about trips to the countryside or the seaside?

Does she love me? Do I love her?

I love asks like this because I love talking about my ocs.

To start, Roxanne would 100% be trying to find some kind of medicine or cure to help your sickness. Preferably something to just mitigate symptoms when you take it because a part of her does love seeing you so weak and needing her help.

She would teach you how to use a sword if you wanted to, especially if you're feeling better. She probably gives you a dagger to keep in your bedroom 'just incase', even though she would sooner let the world explode than let anything happen to you.

You would think Roxanne is busy but since she's often out of the country doing things for the prince a lot of her duties fall to her second in command. Now that she has you, she refuses to be sent away anywhere for extended amounts of time so she just has a lot of free time to be with you. The maids and butlers are only allowed to tend to you if she isn't there to do it herself. She takes her job as your new momma very seriously and refuses to let anyone else help you unless theres no other option.

Roxanne's mission was to infiltrate the duchy to gather information for Berina. While she was attending parties with some of the nobles to try and find a way to infiltrate the duke and duchess' manor she heard rumors about you. When the governess position is announced she quickly takes it, and actually gets hired legitimately. It's only when her first night there she sees you all feverish and curled up in your bed does she realize that she won't be able to leave you behind when her job is over.

Prince Hayden does actually take on a sort of uncle role. He and Roxanne were very close growing up and their parents originally wanted a marriage contract between the two of them. Hayden nullified the contract when his parents died as they view each other more as siblings than anything romantic. Roxanne isn't a fan of leaving him alone around you because she remembers all the bs he dragged her into when they were kids and doesn't want him to corrupt or stress you. He will take on the roll of that one family member who slips you $20 under the table and tells you not to tell your mom only in this case that $20 is actually a priceless gem he found when conquering another kingdom.

Roxanne 100% has the means to try and fund a cure for you and she will, especially once she feels you've settled in nicely. Where she lives is kind of rural so she has a lot of land for you to explore and relax on. If you really want to see the coast, she'll take you to do it, even if Hayden insists on tagging along because 'he feels left out'.

Roxanne loves and adores you. This is the woman who before formally meeting you spent a night caring for you when you were sick. She would jump in front of a carriage for you. As for you loving her, thats more so up to you as a reader! So what do you think? Could you love her back?

Bonus fun facts!

-My inspiration for her name, even though the song is completely unrelated, was 'El Tango De Roxanne' from Moulin Rouge

-Hayden is like her annoying little brother

-She's a cat person but for some reason dogs seem to love her

-She is the only person Hayden sees as an equal and the only one who can be rude to him without being punished

[albywritesfiction]

How furious was the King when he found out that Edan broke his engagement with the MC a month before their wedding?

In one idiotic move, his eldest son has severely strained House Aurelius relationship with the kingdom's strongest ductal house and vassal. Along with staining their House's reputation both domestically (mostly among the nobility and gentry) and abroad.

The Royal Family is lucky that King Erick has built such a strong relationship with the current Duke Argentius and that the ductal house are loyal protectors of the kingdom. Since the Kingdom's rivals would try to use House Argentius resentment towards the Royal Family over the broken engagement to destabilize the realm or even topple House Aurelius from the kingdom's throne.

(Since House Argentius has been around since the Kingdom's founding, they probably have intermarried with the Royal Famiy in the past. It's possible that House Argentius has the strongest claim to the throne after the Royal House.)

Edan will soon have to deal with the consequences of his decision to break his engagement with the MC.

The marriage contract the two House's signed probably clearly stated what the consequences would be, if one side broke the contract without the others sides consent. So the Royal Family owes the MC personally and House Argentius reparations, payed in either money, honors or land/titles or a mix of the three.

(Due to the broken engagement, House Argentius probably also grained a lot of soft power over the Royal family.)

Since the MC was the only heir to the duchy and was going marry into Royal House, was House Argentius lands and titles going to be absorbed by the royal domain when they die? Or as part of the marriage contract was the MC allowed to chose one of their younger children with Edan, to be their heir?

(The child chosen to the heir would take the Argentius name, once they came of age.)

This was answered in my Discord server, so here's what i wrote there! Posting the answer here too since I had a number of asks about the king's reaction but i never got around to answering them because i struggled to figure it out 😭

I'd really like to know though what yall think about what i wrote, like if it makes sense, are there things that you guys think might be better if they were changed, stuff like that

Also welcome to a sample of what my rough drafts look like lmao

i've been thinking about the question of how furious the king was when he found out about how Ædan blindsided everyone and canceled the arrangement for over a year now since i had similar questions asked around the time chapter 1 part 1 came out, and i think the reason why i struggled with this question a lot is because i couldn't imagine the king getting mad at Ædan over this

like, i can picture the immediate dread that he feels upon hearing the news, followed soon after by frustration then disappointment. but when i think about him calling ædan to his office to confront his son about what he did, i can't really see him yelling at ædan in anger, or even talking to him in a quietly furious tone; instead, what i picture is him speaking in a very tired and disappointed tone

"why did you do that?"

"because i knew you would not let me marry helene, she's not of noble birth"

"might i remind you that your mother -"

"she's not my mother-!"

"Your. mother." "was not of noble birth either. so why would you think that her nobility would matter to me so greatly that i would not have allowed you to marry her?"

"nobility obviously mattered enough for you to have chosen MC!"

"I offered the Argentius heir a future where they will become your future consort because i know what kind of people the duke and duchess are. I knew that if their child was anything like them, they would put their duty to the kingdom before anything else upon accepting the offer. Clearly, that is something you have yet to learn." "Ædan, I am the last person to care about the nobility of your partner; what matters most to me is their capability to take care of the citizens of our kingdom."

"And who better to take care of our people than the Saintess? She who has been chosen by the gods themselves to heal any affliction that may plague the kingdom?"

"Healing is not the only thing our people need, child."

(this is where ædan realizes he needs to appeal to his father's emotional weakspot) "Please... do not keep us apart. I love her, Father. I cannot live without her."

(ÆDAN used I LOVE HER! It's super effective!) the king sighs. "MC feels the same way about you, you know. I can see it in the way they look at you, their love for you is genuine and true."

ædan looks down. "I know. But i also know that i am doing them a kindness; I would not want them to end up like my mother."

the king rubs the bridge of his nose for a few moments, thinking in silence before he releases the deepest sigh of his life. "It would have been much easier to resolve this whole situation had you not deceived us all, especially MC."

"I'm sorry."

"I am extremely disappointed in you, Ædan."

"I'm sorry."

the king thinks some more.

"I want to hear about your plans to compensate House Argentius and guarantee that the Saintess will be able to handle the responsibilities of a monarch by this time tomorrow."

"I-I'm sorry?"

"Was I not clear enough? Or were you expecting me to use my authority as the king to solve your problems for you?" "There are consequences to every action you take; you must face them yourself, not rely on your privilege to escape from them. You would do well to remember that, child. You are dismissed."

As for the future of House Argentius, they had agreed that one of the younger children would inherit the ducal title and lands, to be chosen by MC. and yes they would take the Argentius name once they are of age

Thank you so much for the ask and I'm really sorry that it took me like, a year to figure out a response 😭

[go-scottishgal14]

MAUREEN CALLAHAN: Did you catch the moment Me-Me-Meghan's mask slipped? Two ugly words tell you everything about her marriage

By MAUREEN CALLAHAN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 

Published: 18:46, 30 April 2025 | Updated: 18:59, 30 April 2025

It's time, once again, to get to know Meghan Markle for who she truly is (the worst), to connect with her (merchandise) profoundly, and to share in those (privacy please!) special moments that are now commodities.

Our Duchess of Despair and Endless Grievance has done a sit-down with yet another dear, dear friend — this time, it's Jamie Kern Lima, who sold her IT Cosmetics company to L'Oréal for $1.2 billion in 2016 — to speak about 'intentionality,' how Meghan has rescued scores of women from human trafficking just by wearing a certain pair of jeans, Meghan's childhood report cards, and how much Harry and their kids adore her.

Save yourselves. Do not listen to a moment of this. That's what I'm here for.

These two present themselves as just a couple of awesome Montecito moms who enjoy getting together in their 'cozies,' sitting in rocking chairs, and having a glass of wine while working toward billionaire status.

Jamie, one would think, is a powerhouse. I'm not so sure. She speaks as if she's a baby who just inhaled helium.

The overall effect is of someone so cloying, so needy, that the entire podcast is impossible to take seriously.

Here these two sit, make-up free, they say (so authentic), even though their skin looks suspiciously even-toned and glowy.

So, right off the bat we get the feeling we're not getting the whole story.

Here's how Jamie opens this 'deep,' 'profound,' 'intimate' conversation with Meghan: 'My very first question… and I think so many people also have this question for you. Meghan, how are you? And are you okay?'

This isn't a troll. Not by a long shot.

Jamie, an embarrassment to sycophants everywhere, seems to really mean it — despite this being the same question asked of Meghan, as we first were getting to know her, while she was visiting impoverished African kids in her official royal capacity.

Markle's unforgettable reply to British reporter Tom Bradby in 2019: 'Thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I'm okay.'

Back then, Meghan could cynically and successfully elicit sympathy. That's not working anymore, and hallelujah for small mercies.

Next, Meghan tells us she was born for greatness — nay, that she was great before she was born, before she was even conceived.

'Oh gosh, how silly,' she begins.

Gosh golly gee whiz. Nobody, nowhere, speaks like this. It's as if she's using overly saccharine language to cover the true ugliness that might more accurately define her.

'Someone said to me last year, when I sat down, they said, "Well, you know, this is your soul contract. You signed up for this. You signed up for this before you were here."'

Wow. Meghan clearly believes she's a divine royal being, even though anyone else would think, 'You mean I signed up to marry a thick beta royal?' — 'thick' being the sainted Diana's description of her son, by t

Meghan and Jamie think that when they get together it's a brain trust. It's sparks, two geniuses at work, changing the world through make-up and jeans.

This, despite Jamie showing her limitations by repeating, at least four times, the phrase 'all of the sudden.'

It must have taken everything in Meghan's power not to correct her — as she corrected, to great scorn, her Netflix guest Mindy Kaling for calling her 'Meghan Markle.'

'You know I'm Sussex now,' Meghan sniped.

So relatable. So likable.

Jamie goes on to regale us with tales of Meghan's heroism and bravery. Like the time they were on the playground, and a child fell, and Meghan went right over to help said child, who was not even her own.

You know, what the rest of us would call the absolute bare minimum any decent person would do.

Or the time Meghan dropped off a gift basket to Jamie when guests were coming. We get nearly ten minutes on this selfless act, which Meghan says is capable of 'changing lives.'

Right as this podcast dropped, Meghan inched closer to showing us her children — even though she ostensibly fled the UK to keep her family away from the media.

But Mummy's got merch to move, and so Meghan, on Monday morning, dropped an Instagram story showing Lilibet's hand, allowing us to hear little Lili's voice offscreen, calling Meghan's jam 'beautiful.'

An increasing afterthought is Harry, who Meghan diminishes on this podcast interview by calling him 'that man.'

Say what you will about Harry, but he is a prince of the royal blood. How can he stand this?

'That man,' Meghan tells us, 'loves me so much.'

The narcissist rears her head. The mask slips.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry spotted at TIME100 Summit in NYC

Mummy's got merch to move, and so Meghan, on Monday morning, dropped an Instagram story showing Lilibet's hand, allowing us to hear little Lili's voice offscreen, calling Meghan's jam 'beautiful.'

It's never about how much Meghan loves Harry, or how beautifully they support each other, or how much she loves their children. It's always how much Harry and the children love her.

Further proof that Harry's been relegated to the help: As they exited a black SUV and made their way into the Time100 Summit in New York last week, Harry reached for Meghan's hand and she swerved him, reaching instead for someone else, anyone else, to hug.

Someone, I suppose, of importance. Someone who could help Brand Meghan.

There's only room for one real star in the family now — and if Harry doesn't realize that soon, he is well and truly lost.

[tmicouture]

Onyx Storm Spoilers

Ok sooooo I have a theory for book 4…

Now that Violet is Duchess of Tyrrendor 💍 I’m thinking at some point it’s going to be brought up that an alliance with her and Halden is needed or stressed. She’s now the ruling heir/person I guess because Xaden is gone and also venin and Bodhi’s whereabouts are unknown and given that she and Xaden don’t have any children (RY debunked that pregnancy theory going around) her title may not be permanent or concrete, and I’m sure it’s gonna cause an uproar with the senarium when they find out. And you know there’s gonna be people pushing back on her gaining that title and power. Especially if they question her allegiance and loyalty to Navarre/continent due to her loyalty and love for Xaden. I could see them pushing for an alliance to unite Tyrrendor fully with Navarre’s royalty ie Halden in a case for proving her loyalty and gaining the control they desperately want. And I feel like Violet’s gonna deal with a lot of pushback surrounding her newfound title whether it’s because she’s still a cadet, because of her tie to Xaden and him being a venin, her power that they cannot control and more. Plus given that he’s venin and it’s out there now, they probably view him as good as dead so they could push that alliance/marriage contract being a real possibility.

I feel like there’s a lot of attention to royal/noble alliances throughout the book that I know has to be hinting to something more like the text above and also when Violet is talking to Narelle in the bookshop about her past with Halden and Narelle mentions Vi basically having the crown in her hands…like is this possible foreshadowing for what’s to come?

I think the weight of everything is going to be so much on Violet’s shoulders that she at some point might feel like she has no choice but ultimately not going through with it (wanting what’s best for Tyrrendor but not accepting less for a crown/title or for so called “unity”) and that being a catalyst for Xaden’s return, showing up like “that’s MY Wife!”

(Also can I just point out that sentence from Aaric from the above scene saying his brother will be king and a horrible one, and that he most likely will die fighting in the war protecting others😭 dude is this him nonchalantly telling us how his story will end? That precognition signet just casually dropping hints I don’t want to acknowledge)

[celticcrossanon]

Why do you think Camilla's unable to accept she's not liked and people still see her as "the other woman" to this day? I think Camilla's problem is the public didn't know her until she was publicly outed as "the other woman" during Charles and Diana's marriage and first impressions matter. Plus, Camilla didn't seem to do anything with her time except be with Charles until she married him 12 years after the affair was exposed. That's a long time for public perceptions to be baked into the cake.

Hi Nonny,

The general public knew about Camilla long before Prince Charles's marriage. She was one of his 'special ladies' and regularly featured in the newspapers as his partner at events, both before and especially after her marriage, along with Lady Kanga and others. When Prince Charles was looking for a bride, there was open speculation about if and how this would affect his relationship with his 'special ladies'.

See point number 4 in this article, https://people.com/royals/camilla-duchess-of-cornwall-life-in-photos/, and don't believe the 'just friends' nonsense - the newspapers of the day knew exactly what was going on and alluded to it constantly.

Camilla has a reputation as Charles's mistress before he married Lady Diana, and the public soured on her when it became known that instead of doing the decent thing and ending the relationship, they continued in a tight emotional affair that became physical again a few years later. Charles called Camilla every day on his honeymoon, gave her expensive jewellery, and was reported to be unable to go a day without having some sort of contact with her (as per Charles's valet). This is not the actions of people who are focused on making a success of their marriages, this is people who want to have their cake and eat it too.

Remember Camilla and her husband did not divorce until 1995, after the publication of the phone tapes called 'Camillagate' in Jan 1993 and the revelation of their secret phone messages, including Charles wanting to be her tampon) one and half years after he married Lady Diana in July 1981 and before the birth of Prince Harry in 1994) . So Camilla was quite happy to be Prince Charles's mistress (emotional and/or physical affair) for all that time and to cheat on her husband for all that time (from whenever their affair started, through her marriage until divorce). Again, this is not someone (someones if we include Prince Charles) who are interested in making a go of their marriage (because if they did want to make a go of their marriage, they would not commit adultery, let alone for such an extended period of time).

Living rent free in crown property as Prince Charles's official mistress/girlfriend after his divorce didn't help her much either. Neither did getting Charles to give the contracts for decorating his properties to her sister. She did get points for carrying out a few events in the face of the (completely understandable) outrage directed at her.

So Camilla has a long, long history of being in the public eye and influencing Prince Charles to favour her and her family above everyone else. Her being exposed as the 'other woman' (which everyone suspected) and the revelation of her power over Prince Charles and her influence and constant presence in his marriage to Lady Diana are, for me, the reasons the public turned on her. No one likes a person who behaved as she did (except Prince Charles, obviously).

EDITED BECAUSE I STUFFED UP THE DATES

Charles and Diana married in 1981

William born 1982

Harry born 1984

Camillagate in 1992, tape published in 1993.

Squidgygate in 1992

I have crossed out the bit where I mucked up the dates - my point about the close contact between Charles and Camilla still stands, but the P-B divorce and the phone tape scandals x 2 were about 10 years later than I had them - sorry!

[fictionadventurer]

Book request: An important young figure (prince, chief/baron/earl/duke's son, etc.) is betrothed to a girl for political reasons by his family. He meets and falls for another girl during the course of the story but controls his passions despite his heart reaching out to her. When he returns to (or meets) his betrothed, they are civil and become friends but there's no romance at all between them. Despite this, he has every intention of marrying her and learning to love her, but it's SO HARD with his heart pulling him toward the girl he met and loves.

His betrothed (the princess/duchess/whatever she is) tries to let him out of the betrothal if possible, being able to see that he is in love with another girl. But for love of his country and duties, he apologizes to her for ever letting her see that weakness in him and says he is determined to woo her and fall in love with her more than he ever could have loved that girl. And anyway then the book is about that, and they put duties first, and fall in love second.

Also I want it to be a good book. Can someone find or write this book for me? I am terrible at romance, so I cannot write it myself, sorry.

The closest thing I've got is A Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer. Not exactly royalty, but the main character is heir to an estate that's deep in debt, so he has to give up the woman he loves and marry the daughter of a wealthy businessman. He's unfortunately not as interested in making it work as his wife is, but she is great, and the marriage-of-convenience emotions are so intense that it might satisfy some of this literary craving.

If anyone else has better suggestions, please chime in.

[scotianostra]

James V, King of Scots married Madeleine de Valois on January 1st 1537.

Madeleine of Valois was a French Princess who played a brief but significant role in European history as the first wife of James V of Scotland and, for a short time, the Queen of Scotland.

Madeleine’s poor health meant she died only six months after their wedding day – her short time as Consort led her to receive the nickname the ‘Summer Queen’ of Scots. Despite her short reign and tragically young death, Madeleine left both a direct and indirectly lasting impact on the tumultuous political landscape of Scotland.

Madeleine of Valois was the fifth child and third daughter of King Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany.

She was born at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye in France on 10 August 1520. Frail since birth, Madeleine was raised in the mild climate of the Loire Valley region to protect her from the cold.

When Madeleine was 3 years old, her mother died, and she, along with her younger sister Marguerite, was raised by their paternal aunt, Marguerite of Navarre. However, after their father remarried Eleanor of Austria, Madeleine became part of her household.

By the age of 16, Madeleine had developed tuberculosis, the same illness that likely claimed her mother’s life.

Madeleine’s marriage to James V was a result of diplomatic alliances between the Valois and Stuart dynasties.

The Treaty of Rouen, signed three years before Madeleine’s birth, aimed to strengthen the ‘Auld Alliance’ between France and Scotland after Scotland’s shattering defeat by England at the Battle of Flodden. One provision of the treaty was the marriage of a French princess to the Scottish king. King James V was only 5 years old at the time of the Treaty, thus negotiations on the marriage did not begin until 1530.

In April 1530, John Stewart, Duke of Albany, was appointed commissioner to finalise the royal marriage between James V and Madeleine – the French King Francis I’s eldest living daughter. However, due to Madeleine’s poor health, Francis proposed an alternative French bride, Mary of Bourbon, from his extended family, who was to be given a dowry as if she were the French king’s daughter.

James V agreed to marry Mary, and travelled to France in 1536 to meet her. However, upon his arrival, Mary didn’t appeal to him and instead he became enamoured with Madeleine, promptly asking her father Francis I for her hand in marriage. Initially, Francis I refused, fearing that Scotland’s climate would worsen Madeleine’s fragile health.

Smitten by 16 year old Madeleine’s delicate beauty, James V continued to press Francis I to permit the marriage. Madeleine also made her desire to marry James very obvious, thus despite his reservations, Francis I reluctantly granted them permission. The marriage contract was made at Blois, where Madeleine renounced her claims to the French throne, and Francis I provided a substantial dowry.

James V and Madeleine were married on 1 January 1537 at Notre Dane Cathedral in Paris – Madeleine was 16 and James was 30. The union was celebrated with four months of festivities, strengthening the bond between France and Scotland and fulfilling the terms of the Treaty of Rouen. Due to Madeleine’s health, their journey to Scotland was delayed until spring.

James and Madeleine eventually sailed for Scotland, arriving on 19 May 1537, yet by this time, Madeleine’s health had deteriorated further, and she was very unwell when the royal couple landed at Leith. Despite this, Madeleine is said to have kissed the ground upon arriving in her husband’s kingdom.

In preparation for her arrival, James had ordered improvements to Falkland Palace and the Chapel Royal, and was also in the process of building new tennis courts, and had added a French-style tower to the Palace of Holyrood House.

However, Madeleine fell seriously ill shortly after arriving in Scotland, possibly due to tuberculosis. She was bedridden and unable to fullfill her role as queen consort. Despite her illness, Madeleine’s presence brought a touch of French culture and refinement – known for her beauty, grace, and intelligence, Madeleine quickly became beloved by the Scottish court.

Although expressing some improvement in a letter to her father from Edinburgh on 8 June 1537, James V was concerned enough to also write to him requesting the physician Master Francisco to be sent. Madeleine later wrote that Francisco would only be needed to perfect her cure.

Plans were underway for Madeleine’s coronation as Queen of Scotland, yet her health continued to decline. A month later, she died of tuberculosis in her husband’s arms on 7 July 1537 at Holyrood Palace, aged 16 – just 6 months and 7 days after their wedding. She was interred in the Royal Chapel at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, next to King James II of Scotland.

Her death left James V devastated, and plunged Scotland into mourning.

[rupturefarm]

Madame Bawde lore below!

Bawde had never been the daughter that her parents wanted. She was adopted, as most Glukkon children are, but unlike most Glukkon children, she failed to bring her mother and father any form of tangible wealth or prestige. Her parents, desperate to climb the ranks of high society, had spent years courting favour with wealthy duchesses, dukes, and factory magnates, hoping to secure a foothold amongst the elite. Bawde, with her striking appearance and sharp mind, was meant to be their ticket in — a bargaining chip in an advantageous marriage to an industrialist out in West Mudos.

Among Glukkons, marriage was never about love — seldom even about personal preference. It was a business transaction, a merger of wealth and influence: a carefully negotiated contract where personal happiness had no place. Bawde had known this all her life. She had been raised to understand that her worth lay in what she could offer: a well-bred Glukkon daughter with the right connections, could do wonders for her family. But what they never understood — what they refused to see — was that Bawde had never wanted men. She had no desire for them, no tolerance for their hands, their groping, their leering expectation of ownership. The very thought of binding herself to one in marriage had made her stomach turn.

And her suitor? He had been the worst of them all. Repulsive in his entitlement, his assumption that she belonged to him, that her body, her life, were simply another asset he could claim as his own. She had endured the talks, the courtship, the hollow displays of propriety. She had gritted her teeth through dinners where brushed against her as if testing the quality of a new acquisition. But in the end, she couldn’t do it. Wouldn’t. She has always preferred the company of women, for what little stimulation it offered. So she walked away at 25, leaving her suitor at the proverbial altar, and thus tarnishing her family's name.

Rather than endure the humiliation of her defiance, her parents cast her out, turning their backs on the daughter who had refused to do what was necessary.

Bawde found herself on the streets, stripped of privilege and protection. But what should have been her downfall became her liberation. She learned quickly — how to survive, how to negotiate, how to carve out space in a world that had all but discarded her. She adapted to the underbelly of society, making deals, forging alliances, and amassing influence over time where her family had seen only disgrace. She had started as a Malkin* — a young, inexperienced female Glukkon who was yet to establish herself in high society. But Bawde was never one to conform. She embraced the filth of Nolybab, rolling in it, and she began to build herself from the ground up, establishing a smoking and games parlour in the city where desperate Glukkons gambled away fortunes while puffing on the finest cigars. She learned that every Glukkon needed something to exploit, and indentured Mudokon servants — for whom her parents had only ever owned one or two — were the currency of choice.

Bawde had never considered herself sentimental — she understood the rules of the world she lived in. But that changed the day she attended a Vykker showcase of newly captured/hatched Mudokon younglings. Among them was a seven-year-old hatchling, paraded before wealthy backers as a 'Queenling'. The Vykkers boasted of their genetic experiments on the 'exhibits' — enhanced servility, aesthetic alterations to better suit Glukkon tastes, and this one, they claimed, was destined to be an ornamental 'Crimp'*, having already undergone invasive surgeries on her spine, legs, and beak, with a list of more surgeries to come.

Bawde, despite her cold pragmatism, felt something stir — an impulse she barely recognised. It wasn't pity; she didn't care for Mudokons at all. But the powerlessness of the young girl, the clinical detachment of those who had sought to own her, rankled her in a way that she couldn't ignore. Perhaps it was the indignity of the whole affair, the sight of something being shaped against its will, much like Bawde had been. Or perhaps it was simply that the Queenling was hers now, because she had decided so.

She didn't have the wealth to win outright, even at 47, but she had other means. She played the bidders against one another, exaggerating the Queenling’s flaws — how unresponsive she was, how difficult she found simple commands. Her ploy worked well enough to drive down her price, but she still wasn’t the highest bidder. That title went to Malquo, a Glukkon industrialist with a penchant for extravagance and a reputation for sinking his wealth into extravagant displays of status.

Malquo, however, wasn’t entirely satisfied. He had expected something more refined, more docile — and to be fair, docile was definitely what the poor thing was — but the girl was stiff, uncooperative, and showed little sign of responding to commands. A Mudokon female was only worth the wealth she could complement, and a Crimp that didn’t know how to be ornamental was a wasted investment and a waste of sterilisation when she could have been sent to be breeding stock.

Bawde saw her opening. With carefully chosen words, she suggested a solution: the girl simply needed training. A finishing school for Mudokons was impractical, but she had the resources, the knowledge of high society, and a way to polish Paradise into something truly coveted. She had been nothing more than a Malkin, and now, she was a Socialite, so who better to train her? And if Malquo was reluctant? She sweetened the deal with well-placed flattery — no one would say Malquo had wasted his money if she ensured the girl was sculpted into something enviable.

With no better options, Malquo agreed — on the condition that the medical procedures planned for the girl continued. Bawde didn’t argue. She would take the child as her charge, shaping her for someone else’s ownership.

For the next eight years, the young Mudokon, named 'Peggy', was kept under Bawde’s roof, subjected to constant refinement — training to move, to stand, to bow with grace, to understand the absurd intricacies of Glukkon aesthetics. But she also endured far worse. The surgeries continued. The Vykkers worked on her regularly, reshaping her piece by piece. When she was a teenager, they experimented with breast enhancement procedures before forcing a quadruple mastectomy upon her, and they had shaped and broken and battered both her nose and her body even further. She was a weak thing. A fragile thing. But Bawde saw potential.

Bawde never stopped them. She had no love for genetic alterations, but that wasn’t the point. She had agreed to the terms, and she didn’t care what happened to the child. That was the lie she told herself. And yet, something about the girl unsettled her. Perhaps it was the way Peggy she barely responded to her own suffering, or the way she adapted, even in silence, as though she had known nothing else. Perhaps it was the way she followed Bawde so obediently, seemed to think of her as her mother.

By the time the girl was fourteen, and Bawde 53, Malquo’s interest had waned. The slow collapse of his fortune made him desperate to keep up appearances, but the debts had piled too high. That was when Bawde struck. Through carefully placed whispers and fabricated evidence, she painted Malquo as a financial liability — untrustworthy, weak, bleeding money from ventures he should have had under control. His empire crumbled swiftly. With debt collectors at his door and no allies left to salvage his wealth, he had no choice but to offload assets — including Peggy the girl.

Bawde bought her outright, and she named her 'Paradise'. Perhaps it was irony, or perhaps it was a quiet rebellion against the system that had carved them both into something unnatural, against their biological instincts that long been forgotten eons ago before the Glukkons had ever industrialised and taken the Mudokons captive. If she could not grant the girl freedom, she would at least grant her a name that tasted of it, even if it would never be more than a gilded illusion.

It wasn’t charity. It wasn’t some sentimental need to protect her. It was opportunity. Paradise was hers now, entirely, no conditions, no limits. She had shaped her, raised her, and in time, she would find a way to use her. And yet, when she looked at Paradise, she couldn't shake a thought she didn’t want to acknowledge.

From there, Bawde continued to rise. With Paradise as her ward, she played the long game — gaining favour in exclusive circles, amassing a network. She was known, but not yet powerful. Wealth alone did not grant status among Glukkon society; one needed influence and prestige and something that no one else could replicate. So, Bawde set her sights on Loss Fegas.

Loss Fegas was a city of spectacle where the richest Glukkons squandered fortunes in pursuit of excess. It was the perfect stage for Bawde to build something lasting. But she had no interest in running just another gambling den or back-alley lounge. No — she would create something irresistable, something that could hold the attention of the highest echelons of Glukkon society. With her experience with Paradise she employed her to assist in 'training' other Mudokons for high society, therefore accruing even more wealth. Under her tutelage, it became evident that Paradise was a natural-born leader — maybe due to being a Queen — and that she could utilise this.

After a few more years she established Madame Bawde's Menagerie, a burlesque and cabaret parlour unlike any other. It was opulent, seductive, and tailored to cater to the elite’s deepest appetites for novelty and luxury. But the real draw — the act that set it apart — was Paradise.

Bawde had spent years molding Paradise into something enviable, and now she would reap the rewards. She thrust her into the spotlight, showcasing her as the crown jewel of the Menagerie. Sure, she had never done anything like this before, but she could learn. And learn she did. Paradise became not merely a dancer — but a performer of absolute refinement, a spectacle of grace and mystique that left audiences enthralled, and she had truly come out of her shell and was able to talk with others too. She was exotic, untouchable, and effortlessly captivating, drawing in fortunes with every performance.

With Paradise’s success, the Menagerie became the place to be. The wealth it accumulated was staggering, and with that wealth came power. Bawde was no longer just a businesswoman — she had become a kingmaker, a broker of influence in Loss Fegas, someone whose favour was sought after rather than dismissed, like her family had dismissed her. And only then, when she had built something undeniable, did she ascend.

The title of Duchess was not bought — it was earned. And when Bawde finally claimed it, there was no one left to deny her place among the elite. She had outplayed them all.

She had no servants in the traditional sense — her girls, the ones who lived within her boudoir, worked for her 'willingly', knowing that under her patronage, they would never be mere ornaments to be discarded. But none were as loyal as Paradise.

Paradise was always her favourite.

Bawde had never intended to care for her. And yet, through all the years, all the performances, all the nights spent in whispered dealings and carefully laid plans, she realised a truth she could not shake. Paradise was hers — not just as an asset, not just as an investment, but as something more. Not quite a daughter. Not quite a possession, but something irreplaceable.

And Bawde, at her 67 years now, has been left controversially feeling quite fine about putting a lowly Mudokon in charge of her cabaret when she eventually must lay down and die—if only because no Glukkon, no matter how refined or ambitious, could ever truly replace her.

It was an affront, of course, for a Mudokon to inherit a place in Glukkon society, a final insult to the very structure that had once cast Bawde aside. But she had never taken in a Glukkon adoptee, never shaped another of her own kind to succeed her. Paradise was the only one who had been with her long enough, had learned her ways, had earned the right, even if it meant spitting in the face of tradition.

Bawde didn’t love Paradise, not beyond what she provided her in terms of wealth — love was a fool’s game, a weakness she had never indulged in. But if she had to name a successor, if she had to leave everything to someone, it would be to the only creature and confidant who had been hers from the start.

*terms marked with asterisks are related to headcanons by @lair-of-the-white-worm and @this-game-has-themes

[wonder-worker]

Gerberga of Saxony, Queen of West Francia, Duchess of Lotharingia

"Gerberga was unquestionably one of the pivotal figures in the dynastic politics of her age. Born around 913, she was a daughter of the east Frankish/Saxon king Henry I and sister of his celebrated successor Otto I “the Great”. She was not only a daughter and sister of rulers, but also a wife and mother. Her first marriage, probably contracted in 928, was to Giselbert, dux of Lotharingia, who died in 939 whilst rebelling against [her brother] Otto; and her second husband, acquired in the same year she lost her first, was the young Carolingian king Louis IV of West Francia, her junior by some six or seven years. Their son Lothar became West Frankish king in 954.

Gerberga’s royal upbringing and connections made her a potent figure throughout her career. While we have to be wary of an eleventh-century source which claims that she was the driving force behind Giselbert’s rebellion of 939 [by claiming that she was equal to her brother Otto and just as suited for the throne as he was], contemporary witnesses do confirm that she was at the duke’s side at key moments in his reign. Marriage to Louis, who was often at loggerheads with Otto, and consecration as West Frankish queen, created potential for divided loyalties (that they named their son Lothar hints at an ambition to take Lotharingia, which was part of the eastern kingdom), but Gerberga was instrumental in effecting an eventual rapprochement between the two rulers and enlisting her brother’s help against her husband’s internal enemies in the late 940s. [She was active in the defense of Laon and Reims, accompanied Louis IV on military expeditions to Aquitaine and Burgundy, and served as the effective head of state when the king was captured by the Normans in 945-946, with Duke Hugh the Great attempting to ensure that he would never be released. Gerberga refused to give up the West Frankish heir to Hugh and negotiated with her brother, Otto, who ravaged her enemies’ territories until they were forced to come to terms with Louis IV. When hostilities broke out again in 948 and Hugh attacked Laon, she led its defense. During the conclusion of the conflict in 953, it was Gerberga who renegotiated peace between Louis and Hugh, the latter of whom specifically requested for a meeting with her in order to set the diplomatic process in motion].

The high point of her role as a bridge between the eastern and western dynasties came during her widowhood, which saw her acting as a kind of regent for her young son Lothar. Lothar’s marriage in 966 to Otto's step-daughter Emma was planned with Gerberga’s active involvement and joined together the various branches of her family tree, placing her together with her brother at the apex of an extended European family of dynasties."

— Simon MacLean, "Reform, Queenship and the End of the World in Tenth-Century France: Adso’s “Letter on the Origin and Time of the Antichrist” Reconsidered" / Depiction in the Ottonian family tree in the Chronica St. Pantaleonis

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

My in progress & incoming fic list

In progress = fics that I am currently writing and posting on AO3 that aren't finished yet

Incoming = fics that I am either currently writing but haven't started publishing yet or fics that I have the ideas in place for but haven't started writing yet

Note: This list is partly just for me to keep track of everything but if you'd like to register your interest in a coming idea of request a tag in anything let me know <3

In Progress

Don't Go Blindly Into the Dark - No archive warnings apply. Wesper-centric canon divergence where Van Eck forced Wylan to pretend he was blind. Starts pre-canon but we are about to enter canon timeline now. Jesper and Wylan meet at university, and a lot of dramatic stuff happens...

Our Gods Have Abandoned Us - Major Character Death. Post-canon canon divergence where Van Eck wins and the (surviving) crows are in hiding. This is mostly a character study into their various responses to the situation(s) but there is a bit of a plot developing it's just mostly a character-driven plot.

Portrait of a Dead Girl - Major Character Death; Rape/Non-Con; Underage Sex. Alina-centric AU based on Maggie O'Farrell's The Marriage Portrait and Browning’s My Last Duchess, which are based on the real life of Lucrezia d’Este/de’ Medici. At fifteen, Alina is forced into an arranged marriage with Aleksander Morozova, the Duke of Os Alta. Within a year, Alina is dead. Her official cause of death is marked as putrid fever, but many believe that she was actually poisoned by her husband.

Somehow, Through the Storm - Major Character Death; Rape/Non-con. Kanej-centric and Hadestown-inspired Orpheus and Eurydice story, wherein Inej signs a contract without knowing what it's going to cost. When he finds her trapped at the Menagerie, Kaz makes a deal: if he can walk all the way home with Inej behind him, never looking back at her, they will both go free. It's not as easy as it sounds.

Happy Holidays! - No archive warnings apply. This is a sequel to my finished fic Daughter of the Rain and Snow but there's a recap/intro in the notes so you don't need to have read the whole fic to enjoy this short story of the Crows and their children celebrating the winter holidays in a post-canon and canon compliant world, by now about twelve years after crooked kingdom

Incoming (note: titles may be subject to change)

No light, no light, in your bright blue eyes - A canon-compliant post-canon, Helnik-centric story. Angsty as shit. In between Crooked Kingdom and King of Scars, Nina is back in Os Alta and comforted by her return home. But her grief and the growing pains that accompany her newfound power truly make for a rotten combination: she's convinced she’s being haunted, and she knows exactly by whom.

Sold your friends like guns for hire - canon divergence story: what if Wylan really did tell them everything? Inspired by the song 'Guns for Hire' by Woodkid and from Arcane. Super angsty. Probably Wylan-centric. The whole og inspo quote is kiss your perfect day goodbye because the world is on fire, tuck your innocence goodnight you sold your friends like guns for hire. Also think about Nobody’s Soldier by Hozier (choose between being a salesman or a soldier; choose between being a butcher or a pauper)

Love isn’t love ‘til you give it away - kanej-centric Sound of Music AU; Inej Ghafa is hired from within a Saints’ convent to work as a governess for the seven children of Captain Kaz Brekker and his late wife, Imogen. Since the loss of his wife, Kaz put his gloves on and never took them off again. Can Inej begin to melt the ice around his heart? And can they withstand growing pressure for Kaz to join the coming war? I want to include the other crows but I haven’t figured out exactly how yet