#i'm trying historical for the first time. regency even.

[pluralbyler]

Will nods, finally managing to stand on shaky legs after the panic attack he'd had only moments ago, thwarted by this... divine hybrid. His eyes rake over the concubine again, take in his formal clothing. It seems like a trap, a beautiful one, but still a trap. His eyes stop on Mike's lips, flicking up only once before cradling his jaw with a single hand, pressing his thumb to Mike's bottom lip, silently asking for entrance.

"No... No problem," he breathes, brushing off the unneeded gratitude, watching.

Will lets out a breath, the look of Mike's face as he parts his lips, allowing Will to slip it in further, resting the pad on Mike's tongue, slightly pressing down as he feels his own cheeks warm, desire flowing through him slowly, simmering.

"Oh."

[victorie552]

Ok, so Noldolantë, "The Fall of the Noldor" is a lament composed by Maglor about what happened before, during and after First Kinslaying at Alqualondë. It's such a good song that it's played regularly in Aman and Valar listen to it often (I swear, I swear it was in the Silmarillion I just can't find it now).

It's also a more or less common fanon that Maglor continues writing Noldolante through the whole First Age. Makes sense - it's about fall of the Noldor, and Noldor did a lot of falling back then.

Headcannon time: So my first thought was that Noldolante must a long, long, long epic of a song. So it probably has many parts, right? Iliad has 24 books/parts, somehow I think Noldolante would be at least just as long, and there are longer epics. And again, just like Iliad, unless you're a scholar, in the daily life you don't really listen to/read the whole thing, just reread and repeat the most dramatic fragments. What I'm trying to impress upon you all is that the story would have different segments, or chapters, if you will.

And if Maglor continues to write the story during the FA, there would absolutely be a moment in the lament where the OG Noldolante becomes Noldolante 2, and even Noldolante 3. There may be the same musical motif or something, I decided that Maglor IS that good of a bard to keep it all consistent enough so you know it's all the same story, but the style changes a lot - it's been 400 years in the making, let The Music Elf have fun!

So, Point 1: Many, Many Parts, basically Maglor's FA WIP

My second thought was that, while Feanor invented his alphabet, elves learned their history mostly through oral tradition aka songs and spoken stories. Noldolante is definitely a historical record, where a historical event was archived for future generations.

(It was a also a way to deal with grief, guilt and blame Maglor and all Noldor have faced regarding First Kinslaying - free therapy! But that's not what this post is about)

Archived.

My 2.5 thought was that Noldolante isn't just recallings of how pretty and horrified the beach looked during the murdering or how mad and sorrowful the sea was at everyone during the voyage or even how awesome and charismatic Feanor looked during his speeches that every single Noldo was ready to fight Morgoth barehanded in his name - no, this is a record of who killed who, who got killed by whom, and how.

Noldor and Teleri knew each other (were friends, even!) before the First Kinslaying, so I'm confident that after a lot of interviews, detective work, and cross-referencing, Maglor could and would create a very good... name list. Practically every Noldo and Teler present during First Kinslaying would get a stanza in a song, more if he killed someone, most if he killed many people. Killers and killed would show up twice, first in a fragment listing the killers and their victims, then in a part listing the victims and their murderers. Basically it's the same thing twice, but from different POVs. With when, where and how included.

(It was seen to be in bad taste to compare kills during Maglor's Regency, when most of his interview-part work happened. People did it anyway. There were a Saddest Kill, Funniest Kill, and Weirdest Kill discusions. There was a Tier List. These were weird times to be a Feanorian Noldo.)

(It WAS in Bad Taste, but at least people talked about it. I cannot stress enough how much free therapy this lament provided)

(Little did they know, when Teleri started getting reembodied in Aman, they had very similar discussions, but more in a "I can't believe he killed me like THAT" way. Long, long, long after the First Age. Noldolante is a gift that keeps giving)

So, Maglor had all the historical grith and no common shame to create a "We Killed All These People And We Feel Bad About It" banger of a song, and every Noldo had a very personal reason to at least remember the fragments they are in. It's a hit on a scale never seen before.

(I'm not sure how to tackle the issue of Nolofinweans and Arafinweans learning about Noldolante after crossing the Ice. But there were discussions. There was anger, there was "????", there was controversy. Basically, the song got bigger and bigger rep no matter what your opinion on it was. By the time of Mereth Aderthad it was an important cultural and political piece and at least Fingon's forces were included in the main song. It had parodies.)

Point 2: Archive Function/Kill count storage. Cultural phenomen, every Noldo included

This is where my personal nonsense begins: Main Noldolante was done, there was nothing more to say about First Kinslaying, all killings and deaths were well documented.

But the Siege started. And the Noldor kept dying.

It was less dramatic than it sounded - between the big battles the siege was maintained, but orc raids also happened and sometimes one to few Noldor died in skirmishes. The legal procedure was to document the death of a fellow elf and send a word to king Fingolfin. The cultural procedure, technically started by Feranorians but adapted by many more, was to send the name, common characteristics and cause of death to Maglor's Gap. After few months, King Fingolfin would send reinforcements, short condolences and financial compensation if they had family. After few months, family of an elf would also receive a personal lament for them and a place for them in a Noldolante.

Yes, every lament Maglor created in that time was technically part of the Noldolante. Noldolante 1.5, if you will. Laments make in that time were very customized, and simpler than Noldolante Main, but were still considered a part of the same song. Of course, nobody was expected to know and remember laments for every single Noldo, younger Noldor born in Beleriand could even only know fragments about their family members. Only Maglor would ever know Noldolante in full, but it was understood that everyone had their place in The Song.

The results of Great Battles were harder to document, but Maglor did that. Of course, Dagor Bragollach was hard on him personally, but he worked his way through.

(High King Fingon forbade creating laments for his father. There were no songs for Fingolfin. Apart from in Noldolante, of course. Of course. Maglor did not share the lament with anyone, but he sat long hours and many nights with a blank paper before him, looking at the candle flame and thinking of the past and the future. The song unsung, but there)

Nirnaeth was... Maglor was never more hated and more approached at the same time than then. Still, Noldolante grew and grew, as if people knew the end was near.

It was Second Kinslaying that destroyed the myth of Maglor's song. Feanorians didn't know the Sindar they killed, but surely, they couldn't just left their names unmentioned like they did with orcs? So, Noldor talked, but the battle happened in caves - it wasn't uncommon to find dead bodies in empty rooms, with no witnesses to what happened. Surviving Sindar didn't want to share any names, even when Maglor strong-armed some into talking with him, and good for them. Maglor made a big lament anyway. Maglor, wild, with no shame and dead brothers, with legacy crumbling around him. Noldolante, with holes.

After Third Kinslaying, Noldor didn't want to talk. Lament for Sirion didn't have any names. Clearly, songs weren't a way to go anymore, it was always about live witnesses. And so Maglor raised the twins.

Lament for Maedhros was sung repeatedly. There was no one to hear it.

Point 3: Only Maglor knows Noldolante in full. But that doesn't matter, because everyone knows the important part: the Noldolante is finished. The Star of Hope rises in the West and the story goes on. The Fall has ended.

[fantasyescapes17]

Scandal (Part 2)

The Viscount's sister with an enormous dowry, beauty and unmistakable talent- you began the London season as the most desired woman in any room. But Jeon Wonwoo (a man who would rather hide in the library than dance at a ball) is beyond your comprehension. Curiosity might have killed the cat, but it embroiled you into a scandal with a man you could never love.

Genre: Wonwoo x Female!reader. Regency!AU (It's sort of Bridgerton-esque in the sense that I give zero attention to historical accuracy and prioritize aesthetics lmao) You are Joshua's sibling so your maiden name is Hong but the reader has no other physical characteristics.

Word Count: 3.5k

Part 1 Part 3 Part 4

Series Masterlist [Reading Candle and Manners, the earlier installments in this series first is strongly recommended as main character dynamics are introduced there.]

Your entire body felt numb. 

"It's all over," you whispered. "I'm ruined, I'm ruined, I'm ruined…."

Your sister-in-law held you tightly in her arms as you trembled like a leaf. You had been shaking uncontrollably all evening; ever since you had been discovered by Baron Wright in the library of the Graham's manor, alone with Mr. Jeon Wonwoo. 

There was no doubt in your mind of your situation. You had just become the main character of this season's juiciest scandal. 

"You are not ruined," the Viscountess tried to reassure you as she rubbed your back comfortingly. "It will be resolved. Joshua will take care of things. Come my dear, come closer to the fire, you're shivering…"

"I am not cold," you protested but the Viscountess would have none of it. She gently guided you to an armchair in front of the fire and wrapped a warm blanket around your shoulders. 

"It will be fine," your sister-in-law continued to reassure you. Her words were kind but hollow. You knew that it would not be fine. To have been caught alone with a man in a distant corner of a manor and in a compromising position….

You felt faint. 

I'm ruined. 

The door to the drawing room opened and you sat up abruptly as your brother entered swiftly and tossed his coat onto the armchair. His expression made your heart sink. 

The Viscountess ran to greet her husband. "Joshua, what has happened-"

"I am so sorry, sister," Joshua said to you gently. Your heart sank painfully into your stomach as Joshua paced up and down the drawing room.  He pressed his fingers to his temples. "I tried; I begged Baron Wright to be reasonable but he would not listen to me. He feels jilted, since he was planning to propose to you. I even offered him money but… he-he has already told too many people. The rumour has spread beyond control."

Your chest felt tight. 

"Don't say that, don't…"

"I'm sorry."

The blanket around your shoulders suddenly felt hot and constricting, as though it was suffocating you. You threw it off and onto the floor roughly before standing up. 

"I will speak to Baron Wright myself-"

The Viscountess stopped you by gently taking your arms. "My dear, no. You will only make it worse-"

You looked at her in despair. "Then what am I to do? Am I to sit here quietly while that-that odious Baron defames me before the entire ton? Should I watch patiently while he ruins my reputation?" you spat, trembling. 

Joshua sighed. "Sister, please think for a moment. It will only escalate the situation further and confirm the rumours if we act in haste. I… I think we should try to handle this calmly and rationally."

"How?" you demanded. You did not see any calm or rational way of dealing with the waking nightmare that you had been plunged into.  

"Mr. Jeon has returned to his home to speak to his family, but he will come here in some time," Joshua told you. He gave you a wary look. "He has assured me that he will marry you."

You felt like you had been slapped. 

"Marry Mr. Jeon?" you whispered in horror. "Marry him?"

"I know you are not fond of each other, sister, but I know Mr. Jeon well. He is a gentleman and will do whatever is necessary to protect your honour. Perhaps, if we can persuade the ton that you were already engaged to him before tonight…"

You could not accept this. Your mind could not even begin to fathom the idea of being married to Mr. Jeon. You recoiled at the thought. 

"I will not marry him," you hissed, trembling. "I have done nothing wrong. I will not, I will not, I will not-"

Your sister-in-law embraced you tightly and you began shaking uncontrollably once more. She gently sat you back down in the armchair and then turned to her husband with a sigh. 

"I think your sister has had too much for one evening," she told the Viscount. "Let us give her some time before we speak of marriage. Surely Mr. Jeon will not withdraw his offer if she does not accept it tonight. And… we shall have to inform your mother."

Joshua ran his fingers through his hair and nodded.

"Yes," he sighed. "Yes, you are right. I will send word to Mr. Jeon to hold off for the moment. Perhaps we had all better go to bed for now." 

You felt sick. 

"I can't go to bed, how am I supposed to go to bed-" you mumbled. 

Your sister-in-law sighed. Her tone suddenly became firm; it was no surprise that she had raised her younger siblings by herself. 

"You will go to bed because that is the only thing that can be done now. I will not hear of anything else. Come with me now."

—---------------------------------------------------

Ella Williams was sobbing so hard that you could barely understand a word she said. 

Your cousin had come running to see you the next day, as soon as word of the scandal reached her ears. Her explanations and apologies were incomprehensible in a garbled mix of sobs and wails.

Your head ached. You had not slept. 

"Ella," you interrupted her quietly. "I don't blame you-"

She was not listening. Through her choked explanations you were able to piece together a picture of the events of the previous evening- Ella had been asked to dance the third dance by Mr. Xu Minghao, a gentleman that she had been pursuing for many months. Her promise to you was forgotten; and when Baron Wright approached her after the third dance asking if she had seen you, she informed him that you were looking at the piano upstairs and would be down shortly. 

“Never-never thought he would-sob-follow you-hic- my cousin, I am devastated-” Ella sobbed. 

You could not listen to her any longer. 

The Viscountess was much more intuitive- she noticed that despite your lack of tears and stiff expression, your composure was on the verge of cracking. She hurried to comfort Ella and took your sobbing cousin out of the room to have her sent home in the family carriage.

You sat silently in the drawing room. Your fists were clenched so tightly that your nails were digging painfully into your palms. 

Once Ella was gone, your mother came and sat beside you. 

“My dear,” your mother told you gently. “I know this is difficult for you. But time is of the essence. We must announce your engagement to Mr. Jeon.” 

You flinched. "I cannot. Not when I have not even done anything to deserve… I mean, we did not…” you turned and looked at your mother desperately. “There was nothing between myself and Mr. Jeon. You do believe me, mother?” 

Your mother sighed. “It does not matter what I believe. The ton will assume-” 

“But the ton is wrong. I have never even danced with that man, much less touched him. It is all a misunderstanding and in time I am certain that everything will be forgotten and brushed under the rug-” 

Your mother looked at you pitifully. “My dear.” 

You felt a burst of anger. Why would none of them understand? There was no need for you to marry Mr. Jeon because your virtue had not been compromised. It was simply a matter of clarifying that you had done nothing more than speak to the man, and it would be resolved. Well; perhaps Baron Wright would not court you but there were plenty of other young men, and in a short time it would all be forgotten. 

“I need to correct this misunderstanding,” you decided firmly. You stood up and gathered your skirts. You could not hide indoors in this manner. You had to seek out the gossip and crush it yourself. “I must go immediately to the assembly rooms.” 

Your mother looked horrified. “My dear, no-” 

“I must.” 

You ignored your mother’s desperate cries and hurried outside, ordering the butler to send for your carriage immediately. The butler was startled but did not have the courage to protest. It was not his place to tell you that you looked too wild to be in company; your eyes were red and had bags underneath them from lack of sleep. 

You were the sister of a Viscount. You were rich and beautiful and intelligent. 

You did not fear the ton. 

You walked up to the assembly rooms and took a deep breath before entering them with the same confidence you always had. The entrance hall where the card tables were set up was crowded; it took a few moments for your arrival to be noticed but slowly, gradually, the noise of conversation and the shuffling of cards died down. 

In less than a minute, the room was plunged into complete silence. 

Every single pair of eyes in the room was on you. 

It struck you: suddenly, and violently, what a terrible mistake you had made. You had gone through most of your life in the public eye and being the centre of attention was not new to you. Being a Viscount’s sister, you had been the subject of society's admiration, scrutiny and envy for as long as you could remember. It had left you numb to the general and uninformed opinion of others. You believed yourself unaffected by what others thought of you. 

But this was new. You had never experienced anything quite like this before. 

You were now the subject of ridicule and pity. 

Your stomach lurched and you wanted to die of shame, wanted nothing more than to run all the way home and wash yourself of the dirty gaze of the ton and hide underneath the blankets so that nobody could ever look at you this way again. You felt small and pathetic and weak. 

You turned and ran; out onto the street where your carriage was still waiting at the corner. You climbed inside and made sure to slam the door and close the curtain behind you before you allowed yourself to collapse, for the first time since this nightmare had begun, into tears. 

The sobs originated deep in your throat and were beyond your control. You had been holding yourself together at the seams for too long and all the built-up emotions exploded like a dam bursting. 

You barely heard the knock on the carriage door. There was a brief pause, and then the door opened a crack. Mr. Jeon Wonwoo was standing before it- dressed handsomely in a dark riding coat with his lips pressed together tightly in a straight line as he took in the sight of you having an emotional breakdown in the carriage. 

“Miss Hong,” he greeted quietly. “May I…?” 

You could not have answered him if you tried. Your throat was raw and you were still incapacitated from the involuntary sobs. Mr. Jeon seemed to realise that a response would not come. In one swift and graceful moment, he entered the carriage and closed the door sharply behind him.

Then he sat across from you and said nothing. 

He sat in silence for a long time. Your sobs gradually died down until eventually you were too tired, too exhausted to cry any more. Mr. Jeon waited patiently. He had the decency not to stare at you; his eyes were politely averted to the side and fixed on a random engraving on the carriage wall. Now and then his dark gaze would flicker towards you and then back to the engraving. 

Mr. Jeon finally broke the silence by offering you his handkerchief. 

You stared down at it for a long moment. It was merely a simple white handkerchief- one that any gentleman would offer a lady shedding tears in his presence. But you saw the calm, patient gaze in his eyes. 

The gesture was, for lack of a better word, a truce. 

You accepted the handkerchief and wiped your eyes and nose silently. 

Mr. Jeon finally cleared his throat. “Are you feeling better, Miss Hong?” he asked. “I apologise for entering the carriage but, well…” he trailed off and sighed. “I thought it would be better than to be seen standing outside, and at this point I suppose propriety is not the foremost concern on your mind.” 

You swallowed. “I am fine.” 

“We should discuss our situation.”

“Yes, well,” you mumbled as you crumpled his handkerchief in your fist. “In case it was not already evident, this ‘situation’ is only now beginning to sink in for me. Although it must please you to see me brought to the mercy of my own vanity; you have often delighted in pointing it out.” 

Mr. Jeon bit his lip. “Nothing about this situation pleases me. I am sorry.”

You frowned at him. Mr. Jeon could be difficult to read, but for once you understood him with perfect clarity. I’m sorry was not an expression of apology or regret. It was sympathy. He was offering his condolences for the brutal end of the life you knew, that you had hoped to lead. 

“Don’t pity me,” you snapped. 

“I was not-” 

“You were. I don’t want your pity. I can take responsibility for my own actions and I am prepared to suffer their consequences. I am a grown woman and you will treat me like one.” 

He folded his arms across his chest and nodded. 

“If you wish. But you are not making the situation any easier for yourself. Your brother informed me that you have refused my offer of marriage,” Mr. Jeon noted quietly. “Naturally, that is entirely your choice. Our acquaintance has not been a smooth one, I know. It is for you to decide whether marrying me is a worse punishment than being rejected and ridiculed by the ton.” 

You looked up at him. “That is a valiant attempt to simplify a complicated decision. Which is the lesser punishment in your view?”

Mr. Jeon blinked. He took a deep breath- his tense jaw relaxed slightly and you could almost see him visibly letting down his guard. 

“Being a man, I have less to fear from the ridicule of the ton than you. But my conscience remains equally troubled in both circumstances. So, I will leave it to you, Miss Hong, since you evidently have far more at stake. My offer to marry you remains open,” he replied diplomatically.  

“You will not resent me?” you asked. “For forcing you into a marriage without love?” 

“I can assure you that any resentment between us would only be from your end; I never had much interest or inclination to marry. I am well aware, however, that you were being courted by multiple eligible gentlemen and were probably intending to marry for love.” 

“I am certain none of those eligible gentlemen will have me now,” you scoffed.  

Mr. Jeon did not reply. 

“I am not sure that- even if we were to marry…” you trailed off and hesitated. “Joshua was right, if we had announced an engagement immediately it might have been brushed under the rug but I am afraid that it is too late now to cover up even with a marriage.” 

“Perhaps not immediately. It might be best to avoid London society for some time. My family’s estate in the countryside is far enough removed from London. If you were to accept my offer, we could live there for some time and return to London after enough time has passed for the worst of it to end.” 

You paused. It was not the life you had ever pictured living. You loved London, loved the society and the balls and the glamour of the ton. You loved being the centre of attention and having a bustling life. 

Or at least you had. 

Considering your current position, moving to a remote countryside estate where you would not have to face any members of the ton almost sounded like a blessing in disguise. You could feel the scales slowly starting to shift. Perhaps Mr. Jeon was right. If enough time passed, you could return to London as a married woman and society’s attention would be far too occupied by the latest bachelors to remember exactly how your marriage began. 

Mr. Jeon raised an eyebrow as he watched you struggle with yourself. 

“Or…” he suggested. “You could try to go back to the assembly rooms now.” 

You felt it creeping up on you… a mild, unpleasant, sickening feeling. The walls of denial and desperation and pride were crumbling. They could not last long in the face of Mr. Jeon’s calm and logical words. 

You were slowly beginning to feel resigned to your fate. 

“No,” you mumbled. “I cannot go back there. Let us marry.” 

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You married Mr. Jeon Wonwoo in a quiet ceremony on a Monday morning. 

It was so methodical and mundane that you barely felt as though you had attended a wedding at all, much less your own.

Weddings were meant to be spectacular displays of love and adoration where two hopeful young people promised their lives to each other. You remembered your brother's wedding just last season: the flowers, and the blushing bride, and the gorgeous wedding dress, and the music as the happy couple left the church. 

There were no flowers at your wedding. There was no gorgeous wedding dress. There was no music. 

There was certainly no happy couple.  

It was a simple ceremony attended by none other than your mother, brother, and sister-in-law from your end, and Mr. Jeon’s parents, sister and brother-in-law. Once you had both made your vows briefly in front of the priest, you went home to ensure that all your things were packed. 

“I have packed seven evening dresses, ten daytime gowns and six nightgowns, miss,” Minnie told you hurriedly as she flew around the room in a frenzy. You sat on the edge of the bed and watched her quietly. “You must give this letter to your new ladies’ maid once you arrive. I have written out washing instructions for each of the gowns.”

She thrust a letter into your hands and then seemed to decide better of herself; she took it back and placed it neatly in the trunk. 

“There. Your new ladies’ maid should find it when she unpacks your things. Now- there is not enough space in the trunk so I will have the rest of your things sent via a later carriage. There are so many other things to take care of- oh! What about your pianoforte? It will not fit in the carriage now but perhaps I can have it dismantled and-” 

You frowned. “Leave the pianoforte here.” 

“Of course! My apologies, miss, what was I thinking? It is far too valuable to be placed on a carriage. I will think of some way to have it sent to you-” 

The door opened and your maid’s rambling was cut short by your mother- the Dowager Viscountess- entering the room. Her eyes were red and you had the feeling that she had been crying. She gave you a small smile. 

“It is time, my dear. Mr. Jeon is waiting downstairs,” your mother told you gently.  

You embraced her. She took a shuddering breath and forced a smile as she patted you on the back. 

“I’m sorry,” you whispered into her shoulder. 

“Of course not, child. You have nothing to be sorry for. Sometimes things happen to us that we do not expect. But I am confident that I raised a strong young woman who can handle anything that comes her way. I love you always.” 

You thanked her and went downstairs. The Jeons’ carriage was waiting in front of your house. Your brother stood near the door to the carriage and he gave you a soft smile. He leaned down to pat your head gently. 

“Well,” the Viscount said in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Look who is a married woman now.” 

You frowned at him. “Joshua.” 

His eyes softened and he smiled at you kindly. “I will miss you, sister.” 

“I will miss you, too.” 

There was a small yip at your feet; your maid had brought Snowball out on his leash and Joshua lifted the little white dog into the carriage before helping you inside. 

Mr. Jeon- your husband- was already seated inside. He placed Snowball on the seat beside him before closing the door behind you and helping you settle in. The carriage slowly began to rattle forward on the cobblestone street towards your new home. 

“We have a long journey ahead of us,” Wonwoo told you quietly. 

You had a long journey ahead of you, indeed- and it began here, and now as you left behind your entire life, identity, dreams and hopes. You would begin this long journey as a new person. 

As Mrs. Jeon. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[theladyragnell]

Hi! Happy new year 😊 It just struck me you're a voracious reader with (I think) quite a few romance novels under your belt and a talent for writing romance yourself, so I come begging a favour for the beginning of the year: if I wanted to read the most fun and indulgent and giggle-inducing romance in 2024, what would you you recommend? I'm hoping for something not only well-written, but triumphantly and unapologetically in its genre, if that makes sense. Thank you so much for taking the time to read (let alone answer!) this ask!

Oh friend, I love reading romance novels, please, buckle in, let's have some fun! You seem to be looking for the flavor that I tend to refer to as romps, as opposed to the more serious and dramatic or erotica-flavored romances, so let me give you a bit of a selection of those.

Contemporaries: Jennifer Crusie is the absolute master of banter, for all her best works are pretty old at this point! Bet Me and Faking It have aged the best in my opinion. I read Alexandria Bellefleur's The Fiancee Farce last year, and if you've ever read and enjoyed a "whoops, we have to get married for this clause in my relative's will" fanfic this one's for you. The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest was one of my favorite romances from last year, though it's a bit less bantery than these others. Oh! Talia Hibbert! Her Brown sisters books are a thing of beauty and a joy forever (Ravenswood is also good, but a bit more serious in tone and we're going for romps here). Jasmine Guillory is also worth a try, lots of fun if maybe a little less banter-focused. Oh! And a shoutout for two action romcoms I read this year, Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai and To Have and to Heist by Sara Desai.

Historicals: Tessa Dare loves a bantery romance, give The Duchess Deal a try on for size! Last year I read The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian, which was a joy, and I hear a lot of good about Sebastian's m/m books too, though I haven't been able to dive into them yet. Away from the romps, Mary Balogh is one of my all-time favorites (but start with her newer work, particularly the Survivors' Club series), I've been enjoying Christina Britton a lot lately, and Eva Ibbotson's books for older readers have my heart forever and always. (I feel like this section is reading less enthusiastic than the contemporaries, but it's just that I read so many historicals that it's hard to remember which book with Duke in the title stands out!) Oh! Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas somehow hits my loves perfectly, though again not a romp, I've got a rather graver taste in historicals. And Olivia Waite's sapphic historicals! The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics is the first one. And everyone recommends Courtney Milan, but The Duke Who Didn't is a true joy.

Fantasy: Fantasy romance is my genre crossover of the 2020s! It's my two favorite escapist genres mixed together, and when it hits the sweet spot it REALLY does. And my friend, I am looking you in the eyes and I am telling you to read T. Kingfisher's paladin books, starting with Paladin's Grace, if you have any interest at all in fantasy as a genre. (Fair warning: Kingfisher also writes horror, and takes great pleasure at least once per fantasy book of reminding you of that.) And now that I've given you the gateways, I'm also going to recommend you The Devotion of Delflenor by R. Cooper (it's not bantery, but I keep telling people, if you fall into my very specific sweet spot of having been in E/R fandom in 2013-2014 and having loved the Tortall books in your youth you NEED to read this, and even one or the other means you should, the pining is exquisite), The Sorceress Transcendent by Casey Blair, Olivia Atwater's Regency Faerie Tales series, and Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn.

... Okay, you asked for one book and I gave you SO many. That is because romance has so many tones and moods and subgenres, and only you know which one is going to put the biggest smile on your face! Hopefully I have given you enough information to make the choice that is best and happiest for you.

[orphanheirs]

Intro Post!💀🦇🕸🕯

Hey there! Figured I'd finally make one of these in case anyone who stumbles on this blog wonders what it's all about.

As it says in my blog description, this is an online space where I can compile and organize imagery, info, and anything else that inspires me related to the novel I'm developing. At least that was the original motivation for making this, but I'm definitely wanting to post some original content surrounding the story and the characters in it soon! This imaginary world has been obsessing me for a few years now, and I'm honestly chomping at the bit to share it with others.

What you'll see on here:

Images related to: gothic lit, the regency period in Europe/Britain, the late 16th/early 17th century, some earlier 18th century, ancient and prehistoric cultures, paganism, the occult, witchcraft, fairies, folklore, the countryside/forests, autumn, Halloween, demons/devils, romantic fashion, screenshots and gifs from films, illustrations/other artists' art that inspires me, and any other random pic that speaks to me or that gives me an idea even vaguely related to the story.

Text posts relating to: all the same subjects above, plus quotes from poetry and literature, other stories that inspire me, and writing advice posts/memes.

Hopefully soon: posts introducing my characters and sharing concept art, ideas, research I've done, who knows what else??

***Content warning for some imagery that may be disturbing (as can be expected, I guess, from a horror aesthetic/theme).***

What the novel's about:

It's [going to be] a gothic/dark fantasy/folk horror/historical fiction novel set in regency Britain and centering around the concept of Halloween and its origins/meaning. Think Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell meets Over the Garden Wall. Kinda. Characters include a bratty aspiring sorcerer, a demonic changeling who wants to be human, a witch, a sin eater, and a handsome devil. Over the course of the plot the question of whether the spirit realm(s) and mortal world should be kept separate will be a source of conflict.

I've had some aspects of this story/characters in my head since I was 14, so it's super special to me!

About me:

I'm an artist, writer, and musician. This is my first time trying to write anything as involved as a novel. I'm having loads of fun with it, though. I love music and reading and history, particularly fashion history, and anything related to the supernatural. The title of my blog is a reference to a song by Echo & the Bunnymen (though I think it's actually an inaccurate lyric :P ).

Ficton books I've been reading lately: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles books, Edgar Allan Poe short stories

Nonfiction books I've been reading: The Devil and All His Works by Dennis Wheatley, Celtic Mythology by Philip Freeman, The Making of Victorian Values by Ben Wilson, Occult Features of Anarchism by Erica Lagalisse, Halloween by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne

Some musical artists I'm into recently: Cranes, Kate Bush, The The, The Smiths, Fiona Apple, Alex G, Caroline Polachek, Imogen Heap, Depeche Mode, Fad Gadget, Pinback, Steeleye Span, The Cleaners From Venus, Suzanne Vega, The Garden, Jessica Pratt

Visual Artists I've been thinking about lately: Edward Gorey, Aubrey Beardsley, Nicole Rodrigues, Francisco de Goya, Leonora Carrington, Brian Froud, Wendy Froud, Willam Blake, Edvard Munch, Harry Clarke

Some of my favorite films: The Witch, Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, The Wicker Man (original), Meshes of the Afternoon, Days of Heaven, The Thief and the Cobbler, The Masque of the Red Death

Regardless of why you're here, I sincerely hope you enjoy browsing around, and feel free to say hi! :) I would love to link up with other writers on here and make some new pals. Also feel free to like this post and I'll give you a follow!

WIP INTRO POST

~I love tag games and ask games! I may be slow to respond though. -

[battle-of-alberta]

Who had the happiest childhood ?

well over a year later i finally tackle this question! it was at the bottom of the box because one of my weaknesses is drawing children, and another one is the necessary historical research to draw their childhoods :' ) but i really wanted to start imagining them because it's very important to the overall story i'm trying to tell here.

here's the main gang, who were children at one end of the 19th century or another. I don't really know how to answer the question (they all lived through some very rough times, even if they didn't know as much) but I can give a little bit of an explanation for the times they grew up in...

[but most importantly, who do you think was the cutest?]

Ed and Jas were kids in the early decades of the 19th century (the regency era). They didn't really have a sense of the outside world much at all (Ed in particular had a very inflated sense of self importance he has since lost) and moved around a lot to follow the fur bearing animals (typically beavers). I feel like they were often getting into scrapes like this!

Cal and Lil grew up in the 1870s when the Northwest Mounted Police were establishing the Canada-US border. Calvin doesn't realize that his childhood enemy Fort Whoop Up and Lilith are the same person, so he tends to think of Lilith as younger than him. Lilith knows better, of course, but I guess she wanted a fresh start. In some ways, they were both only a bit spoiled as kids, though Lilith was less sheltered.

Jo and Mac didn't really interact much as they were isolated for most of their childhoods and didn't really hit their first growth spurts until the 20th century. It's hard to imagine their childhoods (or that Mac was ever a child haha) but they must have been quite lonely, so I figure they had to have pretty big imaginations to cope during the times Ed wasn't around.

Nor, Red and Maddie grew up in the railroad era of the 1880s-90s, although Nor and Maddie were the railroad resort and energy princesses respectively. Red depended far more on carriages and later vehicles passing through on their way between Ed and Cal's places. [also, do not attempt to cuddle bear cubs or feed them chocolate biscuits!!]

[triviareads]

Why the Queen Charlotte Show's Take on Race is Dubious at Best and Harmful at Worst (Also, Was Queen Charlotte Actually Black? An Exploration)

As the promo for the Queen Charlotte show picks up, I'm starting to see a lot of genuinely harmful articles in the news, and they're compounded by Shondaland themselves and the material they've chosen to show the world.

Let's first talk about Shondaland, who decided it was a great idea to double down on the notion that love cured racism, and then proceeded to create a show about Queen Charlotte and King George III, a man who was historically pro-slavery politically, and did nothing about the issue even as abolition sentiment picked up during his reign. Their Valentine's Day event didn't inspire much confidence either; they showed multiple clips that describe this segregated society (their kind don't mix with our kind, or some variation of this, was said a thousand times in each promo clip) where the white people in power (the monarchy) apparently don't engage with the Black nobility until.... suddenly now, when Princess Charlotte is arriving to marry George. Oh also, Corey Mylchreest, the actor who plays George III recommended a book called, The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III, written by Baron Roberts of Belgravia, a man who has apparently defended the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and mass internment in Northern Ireland. Lovely. Going back on topic, the clips themselves showed an embarrassingly white-washed portrayal of racism and segregation, and that too, we know it was all magically solved within a generation.

Look, I'm not asking for a tragic POC narrative. But if I'm watching a show where race is a focal point thematically, I want it treated with the respect and consideration it deserves. Not some post-racial-but-not-really fantasy bullshit they're spinning. As my friend @jeanvanjer said, racism isn't simply being "mean" or someone being given the cut-direct. Because here's the thing: Shondaland absolutely had the option of not creating this ridiculous narrative. They could have casted all the same, lovely actors and not explained why this regency fantasy world is diverse! Instead, they decided to bring in race, but then treat it as a fucking joke.

Which brings me to this article:

First of all, for an article that's titled race is "more central" to the Queen Charlotte show, it barely gives us any information as to how. Instead, it gives this quote from Adjoa Andoh:

First of all, "TRUE TO HISTORY"? I'm sorry, is Shondaland and its actors spinning the narrative that Queen Charlotte truly was a mixed-race woman in an effort to legitimize this show's need to create this simplistic racial narrative?

Fine. Lets examine that, shall we? How did Queen Charlotte come to allegedly have a Black ancestor? Let me tell you this: it was not due to love conquering racism. The answer lies in the 1200s. Literally 500 years before Charlotte's birth. Her name was likely Madragana Ben Aloandro, and she was a woman of possibly-Moorish ancestry and a Muslim. She was born in the Algarve when it was still ruled by the Moors, but it was conquered by King Afonso III, who made Madragana his mistress shortly after, had her converted to Christianity, and had her name changed. There are gaps in her story, but if I try to fill them in, I can very well imagine that based on the fact that this man conquered her home by use of military force, and she was around twenty years younger than him, there was... likely a significant lack of consent here along with erasure of identity. This is the woman Charlotte is likely descended from, a woman who was born some 500 years before her, and likely had a negligible contribution to Charlotte's gene pool. But somehow, the show and this article expects us to believe that historical assertions that Charlotte looked like a Black woman, or even counted as biracial, are not racist, but statements of fact.

Indeed, this article relied on disgusting, racist, and obviously biased descriptions from Charlotte's contemporaries including her personal physician Baron Stockmar and Sir Walter Scott as "proof" Charlotte was a mixed-race woman, and then proceeded to tie her to Meghan Markle in terms of the racism they experienced:

These false equivalencies and cherry-picking historical facts have become a hallmark of the Bridgerton show, and now the Queen Charlotte show as well, apparently.

What this show, and Shondaland as a whole, fails to understand is that its take on racial politics is embarrassing and ridiculous for an educated, modern audience. For those of us who are students of history, we cannot accept a narrative like "love cures racism" and simply fly with it, because we know that cheapens not only the romance of this alleged historical romance show, but also the hard-won battles people in history fought in order to freely love who they choose to love.

We cannot accept an even more dangerous potential narrative the show may try to sell us, that segregated societies can be equal by pointing to proof of Black aristocrats in the Queen Charlotte show as an example. Because if there's anything decades of precedent has taught us, a segregated society is inherently unequal.

We cannot accept this Queen Charlotte show than anything more than a thoughtlessly-done portrayal of a segregated society, waiting to magically be fixed by someone— the white man who was historically a racist pro-slaver? A Black woman who wasn't actually Black historically?

Who knows.

[greenconverses]

This might be a silly question but do you enjoy contemporary romance novels? I love historical romance novels but for some reason I find contemporary romance really cringe. Are there certain authors you think always have good stories? ( like the way I know anything you write will always be a banger). I want to expand outside of historical romance but not sure where would be a good start that I would also enjoy. (And I know I won’t know if a book is bad or good until I read it but I can’t finish bad books I just read the last chapter to know how it ends and then return it to the library so would rather avoid this lol)

Oh, I definitely struggle to find contemporary romances I like! I'm reading way more of them than I was a few years ago, but historical is still my go-to.

It's probably because I prefer third person POVs and historical is absolutely dominated by third person. First person can be so great in the hands of a good author, but contemporary is full of really shitty first person, especially now that BookTok has a chokehold on the romance genre. (Don't even talk to me about the trend of using first person on back of the book blurbs, I want to set it ON FIRE.)

I'm also very distrustful of the overall quality of contemp romances. I've been burned way more often by crappy contemp than I have with historicals. I think the standards are just higher with historicals because authors want to sound/be time period accurate, so they end up doing research and being a bit more thorough with the entire writing process. Obviously shitty historicals do exist and the "wallpaper" trend of just plopping modern characters down in Regency/Victorian setting is whole other thing, but by and large, the style, standards, and tropes of historicals just serve me better as a romance reader.

When I'm looking for contemp authors, I look for some of those same qualities: third person POV, great attention to detail, strong character voice, actual romantic tension, satisfying emotional arcs. I also look for authors who implicitly understand what romance is as a genre.

BookTok contemp authors love ticking off romance trope boxes, but most of them don't do the work required to make that trope sing or deeply misunderstand the appeal of said tropes outside of fan fic. The same thing happens with ~spicy books. There's so much of a focus on sex/being sexy versus the romance leading up to sex that you get these really bad cardboard sex scenes that, again, do nothing but check boxes and fail to further the romance.

I can rant about BookTok ruining contemp romance for longer, but that's not that you asked for! Contemporary authors I'd recommend you try: Talia Hibbert, Emily Henry, Ashley Poston, Roni Loren, Alisha Rai, Amy Lea, Rachel Lynn Solomon, Ashley Blake Herring, Alison Cochrun, Uzma Jalaluddin, Julia London, Alyssa Cole, Helen Hoang, and of course, my forever favorite, my GOAT, Meg Cabot.

[lady-of-the-silver-lakeatron]

Bridgerton Season 3 Episode 2 Initial Reactions

I'm late I know, but I didn't get to post these reactions so here they are.

ooh the historical pineapple reference!! I love the set design people they just keep delivering these little gems.

Edwina beloved! I think this confirms the marriage to the Prussian prince. Good for her, go be a princess babe.

Charlotte's wig is so beautiful and elaborate

Not Kate getting called old and hopeless on the marriage mart like free my woman from these allegations.

Nicola is eating up these green looks

"But have no interest in other debutants" not Benedict sniffing out my imaginary lesbian love story here.

Pen regretting her latest column

Penelope being so awkward at flirting is giving baby gazel trying to walk for the first time. it's vv endearing

Oh no is this foreshadowing Francesca diamond allegations? I read the books but I've forgotten this bit

Tbh I'm loving Featherington women they are peak bimbo

The actress for Phillipa has such a good voice it matches the character perfectly

Portia Featherington don't be controlling challenge

The most realistic representation of regency era sex ed I fear.

Colin threesome? See I said it was a slutty summer.

Not to nit pick/slut shame but at the least an hour needs to pass between your sinning and then being around your future love interest.

Aww Polin first meeting reminiscing.

You know nothing Colin Bridgerton you could have Apollo gift you with prophecy and you would still know nothing!

Aww they're apart and not in the same bed. They're really cute.

Yes madam Delacroix encourage these women to take fashion risks.

So Francesca wants to get matched to avoid attention? But she welcomes the prospect of marriage, hmm…

Bridgerton family cuteness

Hyacinthe being good at cards and a menace! I'm loving the younger kids being brought into this season.

Secret Polin meeting the tropes are troping.

Colin getting offended when Pen is like "you" bahaha

"Your eyes are the most remarkable shade of blue..." Colin was shooketh that boy is living in his "romancing mr.bridgerton" era.

Not her finding his musings on his smutty summer and getting turned on.

To paraphrase: "Were you reading my smutty journal Penelope?" like do you not know how nosey she is??

They’re touching hands and staring into each other's eyes your honor.

Girl what was this "lesson" even, I enjoyed it but still

Honestly same girl I too would vibe with pretty jewelry.

Colin wants the tea for the Pen and Eloise drama so bad!!

"how is she" spoken like a true divorced couple Eloise

Eloise speaking fax about how strange Colin and Pen's arrangement is.

Queen Charlotte back with a banging wig and more disparagement

Francesca: I was promised a music man, and I shall like one right this instant.

Mr. Dankworth and Mr. Finch we finally learn their names! Or maybe I have terrible memory?

Not them getting abandoned by their wives lmao

Not Portia acknowledging Mr. Dankworth's Kenergy "You are so pretty" and then the Kens are terrified of her this family is giving me too much entertainment

Colin "If you speak to one man tonight you can read of my sexploits" Bridgerton

"His horse recently died" ma'am this show is so unserious

Also not usually very caring of this but their height difference is everything

Eloise's talent would have been stand up commedy if it were not 1815.

Benedict’s commitment issues continue I see

It's the way this scene with Benedict has explained the complexity of all these society rules being in place solely for the sake of the marriage mart institution

Hannah Dodd so beautifully portrays a music nerd that just wants to be alone

Volet-Danbury shenanigans are afoot

Also Lady Danbury's outfits are so cute this season

Omg Featherinton sex talk is 10/10 comedy

"Inserts himself? Inserts himself where?" was delivered so perfect no notes just me gasping and dying laughing. Mr. Finch idk what your game is but I am deceased.

Oh no these girls are pirannahs and they smell blood

Aww Pen meeting a Whistledown fan in the wild is so sweet.

Also, she has a caller! Thank you Lord Remmington!

Oh no, oh no, oh no no no no their scheme is exposed poor Penelope will have to ruin her own reputation.

While I feel terrible for Pen she kinda deserves her serving of karma

Lady Danbury you are a level 1000 master manipulator here for Francesca.

Oh no Fran looks so distraught this is everything she was against

Ok I'm seeing the commentary they want to set up with the Kent’s situation

Visitor- sounds controversial Lady Danbury

GO off Eloise defend your cancelled wife!!

Ok Cressida has some points here.. that still doesn't endear me

Omg it's the first Polin kiss scene!!

"But you would be dead" best comedian right here give him his award!

Also, that was one passionate kiss for helping a dear friend out. These two dorks are so in love they can’t even see it (facepalm).

You can see it on his face he has unlocked something, he doesn’t know what but it’s something.

Tbh the maid is the MVP here she has allowed all of this to happen.

I'm starting to see where the plot is going and I approve. I will say the Polin story line is going well and I have no notes but a lot of other characters do not get screen time. There are no Lady Danbury Penelope interactions. It does feel at times there are too many characters due to these interactions.

Overall good, the ending odiously was the strong point I gave it 10/10.

[bellaleighwrites]

Writeblr Intro

General Info

Hello! My name is Isabella. I'm in my 40s (a sentence that I'm going to have to change in 13.5 months, but leaving it for now). I've been writing for as long as I can remember. We won't talk about most of my early attempts. I could probably recreate the story I wrote in 7th grade word for word if I wanted to. But, the only reason to do that would be to torture somebody with it. And I don't have anybody I dislike enough to make them read that thing. Same as any of the poetry I wrote during my poetry phase in junior high and high school.

Currently, I work at the service desk in a grocery store. It's great for people watching. Of course, it's also good for making me want to never leave my house and not have to deal with people ever again. If I could get my ADHD brain to work long enough to look into classes, I really want to go into accounting or bookkeeping. The morning bookwork is my favorite part of my job honestly (other than most of my coworkers. I DO like them). I'm the oldest of 4 girls (though, technically one of them is actually a sister from another mister. But, her kids call me and my other sisters "aunt" and my parents "grandma and grandpa" so she still counts.) and have TEN niblings ranging in age from 19 down to almost 8. I think. I tend to lose track of the younger ones.

Anyway! On to my writing! Which is honestly the most interesting thing about me, anyway.

I am in the process of revising my first novel. It's an Urban Fantasy about a vampire who is trying to protect his girlfriend in a world going increasingly mad. He has reason to believe that his Sire is in town and gunning for his friends. He's been informed by the local seer that he will somehow be instrumental in preventing the end of the world. There is apparently a Necromancer loose in the city - and when you and most of your friends are dead, that is a bit concerning. And the firestarting abilities he thought he lost when he was turned have returned, and after 275 years of being dormant they're out of control. This is the first in a series. The book doesn't have a title yet, but the series is called The Vampires of Sangue Collina. Any posts about it will be tagged with #Sangue Collina.

I am also writing the first draft of a Historical Romance. a Regency-era second chance romance. Four years ago, Evelyn and Lucas fell in love. But, her stepfather intended to marry her to the son of an associate of his, using her dowry to pay off a gambling debt. Evelyn takes one night for herself and sleeps with Lucas before running away. Four years later, Lucas has a bad riding accident and in his moments of semi-lucidity the only coherent thing he can say is Evelyn’s name. So, his older brother tracks her down. When he finds her, he also discovers that she has had Lucas’s baby. He drags them both back to London. When Lucas finally actually wakes up and finds out about their child - and about the fact that her stepfather is still looking for her - he realizes the only way to protect them is to marry her. Of course he kind of hates her for what she did, and never mind her reasons. I'm 12 scenes in and really like most of what I have, even though I know that it DOES need a lot of work. I'm probably going to have to add in some flashbacks or something. Because the 12th scene is literally the first time Evelyn and Lucas see each other, and they don't have a proper conversation until the next scene. I need to do something about that. But, that is future me's problem. The tags for that are #You're still the one and #ysto.

And then there's my fanfiction. I write Bridgerton. Mostly Kate and Anthony. And it would take way too long to talk about all of my fics on here. I'll be posting later to talk about all of them. And with links to everything.

Anyway! I intend to post writing updates and snippets on here. I'll also be reblogging writing advice and I want to get better about reblogging other people's writing.

I am especially looking for fellow romance writers. Bonus if you also write historical romance. Much as I love my mutuals, it would be great to find people I can talk to about the specifics of my genre.

[blackjackkent]

Writing Interview Tag Game

I was tagged by @ra-scheln - thank you! :D

When did you start writing?

A looooooong time ago. Haha. As a kid there was a several year period where I thought I wanted to be an author as a career, and always liked writing even after I moved on to other plans. The stuff I wrote as a kid is mostly lost to time, although I do still have the Google doc of a “novel” I wrote for my senior English project in high school. I haven't had the courage to look at it for a long time because it is uh. Not Good. :P (No judgment on my past self - we become better through trying and learning. But it would probably be unrecognizable compared to my writing now.) 

Are there different themes or genres that you enjoy reading than what you write?

Sort of? I like reading scifi and fantasy and the majority of my writing has also been in those genres. But I also like reading things like regency romance, historical fiction, very specific types of horror, etc. that I have no real interest in trying to replicate. 

Can you tell me about your writing space?

Sometimes I write on my phone flopped on the couch - that's how I'm writing my answers to these questions in fact! I'm a pretty fast phone typist but it's still a slower process, though, so when I really want to buckle down I usually go to my desktop computer which is in the office. Right now it's a big wooden corner desk but I'd like to replace it with a couple of smaller ones that are more easy to maneuver and put cool rgb lights on for the Gamer Aesthetic. XD

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Lately as I've been trying to write more consistently, I've been having a lot of luck with this web app called 4thewords.com. It's a bit of gamification but the main thing I like about it is you pick an amount of time and a word goal and it sets a timer for you and it has proved REALLY effective for forcing me to just get words down on paper. The first draft is the hardest for me by far and it's been often really useful for getting over that hump. So lately I'll set myself up for 500-1000 words or so per day of “battles” and that gets me the forward momentum that I'm trying to maintain. 

That said, I'm also trying to be better about not forcing myself to write when it's just not coming at all. I don't want to burn myself out. 

Are there any recurring themes in your writing?

I am sure the answer is yes but it's hard for me to distinctly identify them. (I'd be interested in hearing reader answers to this question.)

Off the top of my head, though - missing scenes, mutual pining, struggles with emotional control. I think one major thing is that, as someone who missed my prime dating years due to the Big Sad, a lot of my characters do have an underlying thread of finding love/fulfillment/connection despite obstacles, later in life, or when they feel they don't deserve it or don't know how to do it. 

What is your reason for writing?

The same reason I was almost an actor, the same reason I like making people laugh on my stream. Hell, even the same reason I like programming and making software that improves someone's day. 

I like making people feel things. I like seeing their reaction to something I've done and hearing that it evoked something in them. This is the most fundamental human connection in my opinion. 

Is there any kind of specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

Honestly, any time someone takes time out of their day to leave any type of comment at all, it's guaranteed to make my whole week. But in keeping with my previous answer - my favorite comments are ones where I get to hear about how I affected the reader's emotions, or where they mention particular parts that really struck them. Those always make me really happy. c:

How do you want to be thought about by your readers? 

Interesting question. I think… as someone who is good with character voices and keeps tight hold of the fundamental core of the characters even when putting them in different situations. Someone who can manage both angst and humor well. Once again, I'd like people to look forward to what I write because they know it's gonna make them feel something that they enjoy. 

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Character voices and dialogue. I've been told I've been very good at catching the cadence of different characters, and some of my favorite things to write have been just bouncing those voices off each other and seeing what happens. I think this is really the pillar on which all the rest of my work is able to stand bc the characters feeling like themselves makes the rest have more impact. 

How do you feel about your own writing?

This really depends on when you catch me, haha. Some days I'm really proud of it, and some days I have a hard time seeing anything good in it. Currently in a bit of a trough of overthinking it, but I’m lucky to have a couple readers who are v supportive which helps. <3 Overall though I think I do a good job and have some interesting stories out there and in my to-do list. (I also tend to way over-compare myself to other people in the fandom; there are so many incredible writers around here that it's hard to put myself next to them.)

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

A mix of both, I suppose? Certainly in picking what I want to write about I am thinking primarily about what I would find fun to write and not about what has a “market” in the fandom per se. But I also am lucky enough to have found other people who do enjoy the same characters as I do and enjoy my take on them, and in that sense I am definitely often more excited about a particular idea because I know one or more of my friends would be excited to read it. :D So both things are definitely a factor. 

-----

Tagging: @writer86 @rhysintherain @bardic-inspo @thedarkstrategist (and anyone else who wants to do this honestly)

[tamiveldura]

Friday Update!

Ok, let's talk about the Anthology Workshop. This conference is put on by WMG Publishing and is run by Kristine Katherine Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith.

Before the conference, all of us writers were given a series of calls for submission we could write for. Each one had some specifics on the genre and we were told the editor for each anthology, which means if you know the editor, you can write to their interest. The call is issued on Monday and you have until Sunday to turn in a story (yes, one week) per the guidelines. 6 calls, 6 weeks in a row. Most of these were 2-8k, a few had up to 12k for worldbuilding.

1: Ghostly Taverns edited by Mark Leslie Lefave

This anthology is a cross genre collection of haunted taverns. Ghost patrons, ghost taverns, haunted beer, etc. I was unable to write for this one due to a conflicting deadline.

2: Cozy Mystery edited by Chris York

This call specified the mystery had to be set at the beach, but try not to write a downing, that's really common. I wrote a mystery from the POV of a pet rat and sold this story!

3: MilScifi edited by Kris Rusch and Loren Colman

The wordcount for this call was a bit longer to give room for world building. I wrote a short story in my Queenships world. No sale.

4: Scifi Mystery edited by Kris Rusch

This deadline also conflicted with another I had and I was unable to write for this call.

5: Fantasy Regency edited by Anthea Sharp

The regency call was tough, I don't consider myself a historical writer. But my Act Of Piracy series is set right in the Regency time period and I've been meaning to get back to writing book 3. I wrote a scene I know belongs in the book. It was on Anthea's maybe list for a while, but ultimately another author's story was selected. No sale.

6: Halloween Hearts (spooky and romance) edited by Ron and Brigid Collins

This story I felt was the weakest of the 4 I wrote. The romance wasn't strong enough. No sale.

But Tami, you say, you announced 3 sales, not just 1.

Indeed I did. because while the editors for these anthologies had first pick from the submissions, Dean was also there selecting stories to publish in Pulphouse magazine. This is a closed market, invite only, and the anthology Workshop is one of the few ways to get a story in front of Dean for consideration if he doesn't already know you and your work.

So while Anthea passed on my Regency story, Dean purchased it for Pulphouse Magazine.

My final sale happened after the end of the workshop. I went to lunch with a bunch of friends, one of whom is an editor for her own series of monster anthologies: DeAnna Knippling. I didn't sell my Halloween story during the conference so over the lunch discussion, she laid claim to it.

So my final results:

Cozy Mystery (under my ST Lynn penname)

Fantasy Regency (very gay, bonus monster) for Pulphouse

Halloween Monster to DeAnna

I'm overjoyed with these results. You can't go into this conference expecting to sell, but it's always a learning experience to see how the decisions were made that got to the final results of sale/no sale.

I received great feedback on my MilScifi story and I took extensive notes throughout the conference. I have an opportunity to re-submit for the MilScifi and I'm going to. That's due at the end of the month.

By far, the most valuable aspect of this conference is the meetup in the evening after dinner, where the editors and the writers mingle and talk shop until midnight.

These anthologies will be released initially through Kickstarter (then later, wide on all stores) over the next several months. Once they've been released I'll be able to sell reprint rights to other markets.

I'm already signed up to attend this workshop again in 2026.

[solciego]

If you could write an historical AU (any era ) where they go on some sort of trip or travel that would be fun to read ! :)

The tenderness with which I hold you Words: 1217 Regency au (highly based on Bridgerton xd)

Mikasa definitely needs some time alone.

She wasn't a big fan of balls, and being surrounded by men seeking her attention this season was torture enough. Moreover, considering her aunt was persistently pushing her to marry Viscount Zeke Jaeger, a man much older whom she despised for the disgusting way he looked at her, the situation became even more unbearable.

Ever since reaching the age to marry, her aunt, Kiyomi, had become her shadow, and every social event was an opportunity for her to push her towards an unpleasant marriage and secure an advantageous union. Following the path society expected of her each day was becoming increasingly suffocating. Each time the idea of a convenient marriage with a wealthy man was mentioned, Mikasa felt her freedom and authenticity slowly fading away.

She was ready to give up and remain single for the rest of her life.

Tired of the leering gazes and suggestive comments she had faced at the reception, Mikasa finally decides to find a place to escape from that social charade. She carefully opens the door to the first empty room she finds and unexpectedly encounters Jean on the balcony, finishing smoking a cigarette. Their gazes meet, and Mikasa can notice a hint of surprise in Jean's eyes as he extinguishes the cigarette under his foot.

"I see I'm not the only one seeking some peace," he says with a smile as he approaches her. A faint smile also forms on Mikasa's lips.

"My dance card is filled with dates that will hardly materialize," she replies with a sigh, reflecting her disinterest in social activities.

"It's been a busy season, hasn't it?" Jean asks, trying to keep the conversation light.

She shrugs. "With Historia Reiss as the diamond of the season, my aunt has been more insistent than ever on finding me a husband."

Jean can't help but chuckle; he knew her aunt well and knew how persistent she could be when she had something in mind. "And what's been stopping you so far?" he asks curiously.

"It's just that... All those men are so shallow. The only one who's even remotely interesting is Armin, but I see him more like a brother," Mikasa confesses, revealing her most sincere thoughts. At each ball, she was pushed towards high-status suitors, but none of them sparked even the slightest interest in her. They all seemed to be interested solely in her foreign beauty, and none took the time to get to know her as a person.

Jean ponders for a moment before responding. "You certainly deserve better than that."

Mikasa smiles gratefully at him. "And you?" she asks, recalling that Jean had not found a wife and didn't seem interested in the matter.

"I suppose it's the same for me. They're only interested in my dowry."

As Duke of Trost, Jean held a position and fortune that irresistibly attracted many women interested in securing their future, especially ambitious mothers who saw him as the perfect match for their daughters.

Both fell silent for a moment, sharing a complicity in their struggles against societal expectations.

"Mika... Come with me," Jean suddenly proposes, extending his hand to her. Mikasa looks at him curiously, intrigued by the proposition. "Let's get out of here."

She hesitates for a moment, aware of the social implications of retiring alone with a gentleman. "Jean..."

"Come on, it's not like you have anything better to do."

She shakes her head, concerned about her reputation and what high society would say if they saw her alone with him. "It's improper. If we're discovered, my reputation will be completely ruined."

"If that happens, I won't let it affect your reputation. Trust me," Jean says with a passionate glint in his eyes.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Mikasa finally nods, letting herself be guided by her deep trust in him. She allows Jean to take her hand, feeling the comforting warmth of his touch. He leads her carefully and decisively, ensuring they are not seen as they slip away from the bustling ballroom.

The carriage glides smoothly through the paved streets, choosing less-traveled routes and shaded alleys, creating an intimate atmosphere between the two of them. Mikasa observes Jean, whose eyes shine with an enigmatic glimmer under the soft light inside the carriage. He smiles occasionally, trying to dispel any tension she might be feeling.

Jean keeps his promise to take her to a special place, and when they arrive, the scenery is enchanting. It's a serene stream, surrounded by trees and lush vegetation. The moon shines over the tranquil waters, creating silver glimmers that unfold across the surface. Both sit by the shore, Mikasa hugging her legs, and Jean remaining silently by her side as the night breeze envelops them both.

"I just don't want to marry a stranger," she whispers sincerely.

"What?" The uncertainty in his voice is palpable as he watches her attentively.

Mikasa sighs and searches for the right words to express what she feels. "I think that's why I've taken so long to consider marriage. I don't want to settle for a forced or meaningless union. I want something authentic. I am more than just a mere title or someone to be joined with for convenience. I want someone to see me for who I am, not just as a wife or a decorative figure in their life."

Mikasa's confession flows with sincerity and passion, like a confident whisper that rises in the nocturnal air. She glances briefly at Jean from the corner of her eye, and under the silvery light of the moon, she can appreciate his face framed by his incipient beard.

However, he doesn't return her gaze, and in a desperate impulse, Jean rushes to her side and takes her hand firmly in his. The warmth of their skin blends together. "Marry me," he blurts out, his words echoing his own desires and dreams.

Mikasa opens her eyes, surprised by his unexpected declaration. "What?" she responds, trying to process what she has just heard.

Jean searches for the right words to explain what he feels deep within his being. "We've known each other since we were little. We've been there for each other in the toughest moments. I've seen every part of you, Mika, your strengths, and your insecurities. And you've seen mine too. We know the best and worst of each other, and yet, we're still here. Together."

Jean continues to gaze at her with his deep hazel eyes, a look full of hope and longing. For some reason, his expression is desperate, as if he were struggling to convey a million things at once.

Mikasa's heart quickens. He is right; she knows him better than anyone else, and he knows her in a way no one else does. They have shared laughter, tears, and secrets. There is a connection between them. Moreover, Jean holds a position of great influence and responsibility in high society. She knows her aunt would be thrilled with this union, making it convenient in more than one sense.

"Jean, I..." she stammers, her thoughts in conflict. But before she can finish her sentence, he looks at her with such intensity that her words fade into the air.

"Marry me, Mikasa," he insists. "Let me be the person who sees you for who you are."

[bananakarenina]

20 questions writer meme!

Tagged by the wonderful @breakaway71! A little Friday night break to help me jumpstart some writing, hopefully?

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 26

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 219,077

3. What fandoms do you write for? Julie and the Phantoms, though I have a CW Nancy Drew fic percolating!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

our hearts can speak ourselves unseen (first collab with @where-you-go, peterpatterlina + modern cyrano de bergerac)

complications you could do without (remix of crescent moon, peterpatterlina)

for love's sake only (the fake marriage historical/regency au, rulie)

want your midnights (the OG! new year's eve 1994, hint of peterpatter)

heaven above and closer (the other collab with @where-you-go, the 90s road trip coming of age au, julie x luke x reggie x bobby, willex)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Oh gosh. i try, for real, y'all. i often put it off because i want to get a good grade in commenting/responding, which is something real you can achieve, and then i end up not doing it at all. but i love each and every one i receive! i'm just so inconsistent about actually replying.

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? hmmmmm. excellent question; even if i write angst i tend to veer toward a happy or at least hopeful ending (example: leave the light on)

actually you know what, heart like a wheel is probably the angstiest if you think about it. it's just that the main character doesn't know it, lol.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? oh gosh. i love a happy ending, so pick one. they're mostly all varying degrees of happy, lol

8. Do you get hate on fics? i have been very lucky so far in that i don't get outright hate, no.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? it's not the thrust (heh) of what i write, generally, but i have: for love's sake only and its sequel, to love's self alone, are both in the vein of a paperbook romance and are written as such. i do have a carrie x reggie smutfic in the queue though...

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? i can't say that i have! i might nod to another fandom but full crossovers seem so ambitious to me--two different worlds to track, two styles of story. i love reading them, though!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? if i have i'm not aware of it...

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? i have not!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? @where-you-go are now on our third collab (she, through some sorcery and witchcraft, got me to round robin on a luke x bobby fake dating story one week on here, and we're expanding it to a full fic, hopefully out before the end of the year!) and @daintyduck99 and i have put on that old song, aka the "i can't believe you married a rodeo cowboy" au, also hopefully coming soon! also maybe i'll poke @breakaway71 again about some dialogue i sent her ;)

14. What's your all-time favorite ship? i am a proud multi-shipper and you can't make me choose lololol

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? lol is "all of them" a valid answer? kidding. i have been struggling with getting over the finish line with WIPs this year so.

16. What are your writing strengths? dialogue, def. that's my theatre training/playwright classes coming through. i can always tell when i'm tired because my drafts devolve into dialogue only, haha.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Oh gosh. endings! i can never seem to wrap things up in a snappy way! also lately stakes. like figuring out what the characters have at stake to lose in terms of the story.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? i'll do it sparingly but i generally avoid whole conversations. my grammar in spanish is terrible and that's the only other language i'd feel comfortable writing any dialogue at all in. maybe i'd ask family about tagalog.

19. First fandom you wrote for? oh man. hahahahahahahaha the real answer might be "self-insert o-town fanfic in which my friends and i fell in love with the band members"? but i think it might be gilmore girls. i do want to archive all my ff.net and livejournal (well, the stuff i can find :( ) things so you may see them on an ao3 near you

20. Favorite fic you've written? oh gosh. i love them all because they're mine! maybe for love's sake only because it really feels like i finished a full novella with that one. or heart like a wheel because i love tertiary character explorations. or want your midnights because it started this whole thing. see, i can't choose. don't make me

Tagging @innytoes, @jmrothwell, @daintyduck99, @invisibleraven, and anyone else who sees this and wants to participate in the fun!

[grapecaseschoices]

Idk if you've been asked this before but what would you like to see more of in IF genre wise and RO wise. Are there any tropes you wish were more prevalent or genres?

i may have? [i think so!] but thoughts change. so it's all good in the hood.

My response to the first one would always be more diversity. More characters of color, more characters of different ethnicities, variety in body types. More characters with disabilities. More short male and nonbinary ROs. More amazonian female and nonbinary ROs.

I've seen some improvement in body types, at least from the recent IFs I've been eyeing, especially when the ROs don't have pictures but more is always great.

As for TYPES:

For IFs:

I'm a historical romance fan, so I would love to see more of those. In general. I don't mean in a magical world [though I will get that to it], but slice of life during the Harlem Jazz Era, murder mystery in Japan in the 1930s, etc. And if you MUST, must, must do it in a European setting [nothing wrong with that, I love a good Regency romance], there is no reason for it to be all white. Or even entirely white. 1- I don't care about historical inaccuracies [half the time people get corsets and medical stuff wrong anyway] 2- if you MUST be accurate, do your research.

Though, I do love fantastical/sci-fi in historical settings. And I don't mean aliens made the pyramids [don't try it]! More like a Victorian era IF making influence of the steampunk genre [which go hand in hand]. Or netflix's taking zombies and putting them in ancient Korea [is it Korea? I don't watch those shows]. Give me elves in the Mayan empire. Or maybe something like where people advanced tech-wise but the social mores are very Regency. "Urban" Fantasy in Imperial China. Werewolves vs Vampires but make them Vikings.

More isekai IFs. Both in how they do it in manga/manhwa but also like a Kid In King Arthur's court, kind of vibe. You're not Alice but you're in Wonderland.

I love the slices of life coming out. Particularly the ones that are inspired by shows. I want more of that! Maybe even films.

I want more witches and werewolves. That is it. Separate. Together. Any era. I want them.

I also want more stories with the Fae. Changelings and hobgoblins and The Hunt. Tam Lin and kelpies and trades. The nightmarish stuff.

More stories about second chances in life, especially for older characters.

Um. I had more thoughts but I've lost them.

ROs.

Second chance! But something like you and your ex got a divorce, but there are kids [hi thicker than!]. Or the one who got away in high school/college [hi dropout!]. I don't want fresh feelings being washed out [though that's nice]. I want scratching at old scabs. I want you thought these feelings were dead but they're back. Or they did die, but now we're different people and -- oh, hello ... again?

Speaking of second chance. I would like more ROs who have pasts. Lost loves. Heartbreaks. Mistakes they've made and they're trying again.

Tired of alpha men. More 'alphas' of other genders.

I want ROs who are messes. And not in the shy, awk introvert~ Who is sometimes klutzy but its cute! I mean someone who thinks they're good with people but is actually a disaster. Characters who are angry. And mourning. And have their own issues that make them imperfect. That also won;t be solved just because MC is there.

This.

This.

Friends to Lovers to Enemies to Friends and then Lovers again.

Enemies to Enemies with Benefits to Grudging Friends to Bickering Lovers.

Older ROs.

MORE FAKE DATING/MARRIAGE PLEASE!

A King and a Lionheart. But make it dark.

And my all time fave: this right here.

[justgottafinishthischapter]

So glad I found your blog! I like your posts. Can I ask for some advice on Historical Fiction?

I'm going to write a historical fiction novel, my first time. I'm not very good at research - in general. I just don't know what to look for.

All I know is the story will take place somewhere in Italy during the Renaissance. I'm having trouble narrowing it down, since I don't know much about the Renaissance, and I have no clue where to start on research.

I can handle learning about daily life, fashion, diets, etc. when I start writing, but my problem is with how the period affects the plot and characters. Also, if there was anything going on that would have a huge impact (aftermath of a war, a revolution, etc.), even though I don't really want to focus on that stuff.

I'm just stuck in the beginning because I need to know a little bit so I can have a fitting plot for the period (if I was doing Regency I would probably follow Bridgerton's example with Suitors, courting, Viscounts, Dukes etc.).

Once I have that sorted, then I'll be more than comfortable to deep dive into research. My story has no "agenda," btw. It just simply takes place during the Renaissance.

I hope this makes sense?

Any generic advice on starting a historical fiction is helpful, too.

So sorry for the long ask - I've been stuck for days and any article I find on google is a bit too vague to help.

Thank you!

Italy is not a country whose history I am well-versed with, and my studies were more on Medieval History as opposed to the Renaissance, but the best direction I can steer you towards is the Medici family. They used marriages and their masisve wealth to stick their fingers in several pots, including the Pope. I'm not saying your story has to be about the Medicis, but they are certainly a prolific family from the region and time period. It's also worth looking into the social climate of Venice in this era, as this is the period of Shakespeare, Leonardo Da Vinci, Rembrandt, and others. I also have a post on courting that applies to a large swath of human history. As for learning the political system: watch Game of Thrones. It's a mastercraft of showcasing Feudalism in action. How I mean by this is imagine actually living in Westeros. If a conflict were to arise on Bear Island, the dispute would be put before the Mormonts: the lords of Bear Island. But if the dispute were larger than the Mormonts could handle, then that dispute would be brought before Ned Stark as the Warden of the North. Only in the event that Ned could not handle this issue would it then reach the king's attention in King's Landing. A Lord handles local affairs, a count handles county-wide affairs, and a king handles kingdom-wide affairs. As most historical romances are among nobility, it is prudent for you to research the roles and positions of the servants in a noble house in the time. Laws that may have been present. By the renaissance, knights have disappeared. You won't find any knights still fighting in full plate on horseback. Look at the literature from the era. What themes and ideas rose in this era? Classicalism exploded, causing a massive interest in Greco-Roman mythology. How many paintings must there be of lovely Venus, clever Minerva, and splendid Juno competing over the golden apple? What were the everyday struggles of the working class? What were they fighting for? What conditions did they live in? What were a woman's rights, duties, and allowances? The renaissance predates the Golden Age of Sailing, but it does loom on the horizon, as it's the era that follows the Renaissance. Other movies and shows worth watching are The Tudors, Romeo and Juliet, Ever After: A Cinderella Movie, and any other historical fiction you can get your hands on set in the Renaissance specifically. I do hope you found this helpful, and if you have any more specific questions, I can't promise to have the answers, but I can try my best to lend a hand wherever possible.