#dm me for tw and the uh problematic content if you'd like to know

[slaymate]

I love your AUs <3 I had not heard of the Venetocracy one before but it sounds super intriguing as well! Do you have any recommendations for books/shows/movies that have similar vibes? :) (Also, have you read Matomena Chomata by Dido Sotiriou?)

Similar to the Venetocracy AU? For all it's bad aging, I can't recommend the classic ballad Erotokritos enough. To me it's the pinnacle of chivalric love, and Aretousa's monologue refusing to marry anyone but Erotokritos and describing her nuptials with Death instead is just [chef's kiss]. Has me screaming every time! I also recently enjoyed the heist fantasy novel An Illusion of Thieves by Cate Glass, the subtle romantic subplot in that Italian Renaissance-inspired world is a whole mood.

I have started to compile a much longer list of what I call OC-adjacent media related to the 1920s AU, but as you said, it's mostly vibes, and some get extremely vague. I'll try and only give examples of content that is available in English translation, but Matomena Homata is one of them, which was translated to Farewell, Anatolia (I haven't gotten through Sotiriou's backlist yet, but so far it's been as lovely as it's been shocking). [tw for genocide, physical and sexual violence, war etc. apply for most of the recommendations]

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: The beginning of this in its entirety magnificent novel is probably the most striking account of the Catastrophe of Smyrna I have read. High-budget TV show when?

Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières: Idk why this Frenchman loves writing about Greek history so much, but I'll take it. This novel depicts the peaceful coexistence of cultures in Anatolia before nationalism took hold of Europe.

Little England (2013): Oh my god, my favourite movie... I'm sure the Picknick on Hanging Rock and Frantz girlies out there will understand. Andreas Konstantinou, main Alki hair inspiration, let me caress your nose.

Nyfes (2004): Perhaps more palatable to an anglophone audience (because less indie), and by the same director as the previous recommendation, this movie gives me the OC tingles each time.

Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali: The best of pre-colapse Ottoman Empire and Weimar Republic combined, a lovely bit of classic Turkish fiction.

Poetry by Kostas Karyotakis: Get these vibes.

Titanic (1997): Yes, the Titanic. It's the drama, the class divide, the disaster for me. 5-year old me saw Billy Zane in Celine Dion's MV for "My Heart Will Go On" and thought I can fix him. So I did!

The Silence of Scheherazade by Defne Suman: WWI and its aftermath as experienced in Smyrna, told from Turkish, Greek and Armenian POVs. Another hard book to get through, read at your own discretion.

The Promise (2016): A historical the Armenian genocide starring Oscar Isaac. The sheer aesthetic of the absinthe-drinking hang-out scene... makes me lose my mind.

I haven't had the time to watch Smyrna, My Beloved and The Red River yet, but they are next on the list.