We played two new games with some friends on Friday night!

Flip 7 is a push-your-luck card game, where each player gets dealt a new card each round, until they either decide to stop or get eliminated. The cards are numbered 0-12, with the higher numbers being more frequent. Your score in each round is the sum of the numbers on the cards you have - but you get eliminated if you get a card that matches one you already have. There are special cards that either benefit you or cause problems, to add extra layers and randomness to the proceedings. We played several times and it was a lot of fun, even though I came last or second to last in every game.

Oh My Pigeons, on the other hand, is a very annoying game, where you have a piece of cardboard that can seat a certain number of pigeons. You have a hand of cards, which give you actions to obtain additional pigeons or steal them from other players - or swap boards with people. There's also a mechanic by which you can flick a die towards another player's board to knock their pigeons off. It's almost impossible to keep you pigeons for more than a couple of rounds, which makes it very difficult to win - which is achieved by filling your board with pigeons. There were some amusing moments, but it was largely just irritating.

As you leave the council chamber, you may observe many people entering and leaving a room to your left. This is the palace headquarters of the Emorian subcommander, who has charge over the Emorian army. During the daytime, the subcommander is generally to be found at the home camp of Emor's army, located on the palace grounds. However, most of the army clerks and scribes work in the subcommander's headquarters. Because the chamber contains valuable documents, it may not be entered except by prior invitation.

Further down the corridor, you will pass another door on the left, where palace guards are entering and exiting. Do not travel through this door. It leads to the guardroom. If you are a noble prisoner, you will be brought here and confined until your trial.

When you reach the end of this corridor, turn right. The corridor you are on wraps around the back of the court. You will see on your left the north doors to the court, which I mentioned before. Directly opposite them is another door, unguarded.

Do not enter. This door leads to the dungeon. Anyone who opens this door, who has no business in the dungeon, is assumed to be a spy and is promptly made a "guest" in the dungeon.

If you receive a formal invitation to visit the dungeon, I suggest that you not eat on the morning of the visit. Strong warriors have been known to regurgitate the contents of their morning meal when they witness what takes place in that dungeon. The Chara's dungeon represents Emor at its worst. You may wish to see Emor at its worst, if you are contemplating attacking Emor.

As you continue your journey around the back of the court, you will encounter a heavily guarded door. This leads to the North Wing of the palace, where many council lords and palace officials live. All of the guards will have their backs to you. Anyone who has been granted entrance to the West Wing may enter the North Wing, but upon your return, you will have to undergo the process of having your credentials checked again. Unless you have business in the remainder of the palace, it is best to remain within the East Wing.

[Translator's note: A little back tour of the East Wing occurs in Empty Dagger Hand, under increasingly unfortunate circumstances.]

Title: Learning the Steps
Author: Beatrice_Otter
Fandom: The Goblin Emperor
Pairing: Csethiro/Maia
Written for: dontstophernow in fffx 2025
Rating: Teen
Length: 10k
Summary: As the wedding day approaches, Csethiro and Maia get to know each other better

At AO3. On Squidgeworld. On Dreamwidth. On tumblr. On Pillowfort.

AN: The Tale of the Loathly Lady is a real story which crops up in Arthuriana and other places. It's the Wife of Bath's tale in the Canterbury Tales, and it was told on its own as Gawain and Lady Ragnell.

***

The original proposal—Csethiro did not know who had made it, whether her father or the Emperor or some nameless secretary—was for the wedding to take place on Nan'desazh, the spring lambing festival. This was the most auspicious date for a wedding in the whole year; unfortunately, it was also a mere three months after the contracts had been signed, and there was simply no way to arrange things in time. Csethiro was not often grateful to her stepmother, but she was in this; the Marquise Ceredaran had flatly refused to contemplate so early a date.

The spring equinox had been suggested instead; it was almost as propitious as Nan'desazh, and would give them an extra month to plan. Besides, there was a certain symmetry in it; Edrehasivar had been crowned just before the fall equinox, and his birthday was the winter solstice, and so to marry him on the spring equinox seemed to Csethiro (and many others at court) to be a harbinger of good fortune.

It was still ruinously short. The preparations for Csoru's wedding had taken a full year.

( Read more... )

Whistledown Woman by Josephine Cox was another random selection from my local station free book exchange - the blurb on the back made it sound like it might be my kind of book (young woman discovers previously unknown secrets about her family history) but the tortured, overblown prose, egregious use of exclamation marks in the narrative, and uncomfortably problematic romance referenced in the first few pages had me giving up on it very early on.

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell was randomly on my e-reader for some reason so I thought I'd give it a try, but it wasn't for me! Very spare writing, very action-focused ('this happened, then this happened, then this happened' - as well as battles and torture and women as spoils of war), very little emotional connection to the first-person protagonist. Not my thing so I didn't get very far with it.

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry was another book I randomly picked up at my local station free book exchange, having heard about it on reading retreats but never been interested enough to seek it out. I'm very glad I decided to give it a try, though, because it's excellent!
It's about a young widow who travels to Essex after the death of her husband, in search of fossils, but she finds a lot more than she bargained for in the deep connections she forges with the local pastor and his family, while the village is in the thrall of superstition and fear around rumours of a malevolent serpent frequenting the nearby waterways.
The writing is exquisite - generally lovely, but with frequent images and turns of phrase that cut deep. The character portraits are layered and extremely well observed, and the leisurely pace was a welcome requirement (I had to slow down to appreciate it properly).
The story took some unexpected and satisfying turns - though the ending was a bit nebulous.

First Time Caller by BK Borison has been on my radar for a while - I'm not generally a massive fan of contemporary romance books, but this was recommended by a fair few BookTubers I like, saying it might appeal to people who don't read a lot of romance - and it did!
I liked the radio show setup, the unconventional family dynamics, and both protagonists were engaging. It had two great audiobook narrators, which definitely helped, and also largely avoided the worst of the romance tropes that usually really annoy me.
So, overall, a fun and satisfying read.

I think I was posting on tumblr when I had my music platforms crash out several months ago. To recap, I had to take an upgrade and iTunes was like 'hey, you can no longer access these songs you literally bought from us, so sorry' and then for streaming I was using Amazon Music which has been going through steady enshittification (inability to skip songs, constant shuffle mode so you can't even select the song you want, ads, etc). So I dropped Amazon and I have gone back to my roots with CDs (supplemented by Hoopla, shout out to the public library system). Huge personal win for me a couple weeks ago when I found the exact Third Eye Blind CD that I had the case for but lost the actual disc at a book sale for 50 cents! Also got a classic 3 Doors Down CD with iconic Kryptonite and it reminded me how partial I am to Duck and Run too.


Anyway, I've been listening to some good albums and would love some new recs! These are ones I'd consider high energy that I've been listening to for motivation at the gym.
~EVERYONE'S A STAR! - 5 Seconds of Summer
~Chapter 1: Singles Collection - Peach PRC
~Give Me The Future - Bastille
~Love, Drugs & Misery - Eva Under Fire

-

In TV this week, I watched The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (season 1). As is typical of me, I saw some trailers for this and was like nah, but then I saw a gifset on tumblr and I was like okay, now I'm interested. It's a fun, low stakes mockumentary-type sitcom with a good ensemble and I enjoyed it a lot!

(Dear Ashenmote: Remember when I said I was working on a secret project and when I revealed it would have been one of my usual secrets? This is it!)

The reason I was watching all those westerns was to write a Western AU of Harley Quinn! So the thing I could not talk about was that it was a secret assignment for a fic exchange, which is the usual secret I am keeping to a certain deadline.

Well it's done and revealed now. I watched movies, read books, listened to radio shows, and read academic sources. Also watched a documentary. I had a great time! Shout out to Vali and Ann, who were my movie buddies and to all the people who recommended me Western movies to watch that fit the parameters of influential and not subversions.

And The Harlequin Came Riding (6979 words) by Rosencrantz
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: DCU (Comics)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Pamela Isley & Harleen Quinzel, Dick Grayson & Harleen Quinzel
Characters: Pamela Isley, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle, Harleen Quinzel, Vandal Savage, Oswald Cobblepot
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Western, Western, Pastiche, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Universe
Summary:

The Harlequin raced across the plains. The dust kicked up by her horse curled into the air as though meeting the clouds in the blue sky, choking her pursuers. It wasn't long until their dusty throats and empty bags were the only souvenirs of their encounter with the Harlequin.

Some said the Harlequin came from back East. They even said she came from the circuses of Europe. They said that the Harlequin was a monster of the West, like the Poison Ivy and Solomon Grundy and other tall tales to tell in the dark. Something that happened to you, rather than something you understood.

I have had recs from several recent exchanges, but haven't actually posted them. So! Here we go.

Five Figure Fanwork Exchange is the most recent! I received two fics, both of them lovely:

a star or two beside (5070 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Goblin Emperor Series - Katherine Addison
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Maia Drazhar, Chenelo Drazharan, Shaleän Sevraseched, Shaleän Sevraseched's Wife, Ursu Perenched, Original Characters
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Chenelo Lives, Alternate Universe - Maia Has a Good Childhood, POV Multiple, sailing ships, References to Illness
Summary:

It is something out of a wonder-tale when a stranger arrives at Isvaroë and whisks Maia and his mother away.

Before, After, Always, Already (9151 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kira Nerys/Keiko O'Brien/Miles O'Brien
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Post-Canon Bajor (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
Summary:

Keiko was over Miles's shoulder in the video message. "Hi, Nerys!" she said. She looked the same, too, although her hair was up, and she was in uniform. "We're moving to Bajor!"

Other faves from FFFX include:
( Five Figure Fanwork Recs )

 

( AU5k Rec )

( Fic In A Box Recs )

I am once again in the lab tonight keeping Blair company, except this time, my dumb ass forgot to bring my headphones, which means no watching or listening to anything! At least until the other people in the lab leave.

We've been having some Weather lately. Huge thunder and lightning storms (which is VERY exciting for me, on account of we never got them back home) and currently there is both a tornado warning and an advisory for hail in effect that could potentially damage cars and homes, so that's exciting!

I've caught up on my Reading page. I want you guys to know that I do read everything there, eventually, I'm just... completely inept socially and I very rarely leave comments. I don't know why. It's not what I want. So I'm going to put a conscious effort into reaching out and dropping comments more frequently, because I care about you guys and I want to engage and interact and, dare I say it, foster some actual friendships here. I am very appreciative for those of you who leave comments for me even though I certainly do not feel that I deserve it when I have not been reciprocal over the past, like. Year.

I got a massage today that damn near killed me, but it was exactly what I needed. She beat me up so bad, and released so many toxins in my body, that I damn near threw up afterward and sat at home with some nausea, chugging water, until I accidentally crashed out on the couch. Now if I can just keep up with the self care, that would be wonderful.

Next step: try to edge my way back into writing.

As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann. Totally enthralled by this. It was ~600 pages and I read it in less than 4 days kind of enthralled. Extremely well written and gut-wrenching historical fiction set in 1600s England. Tortured, obsessive, unreliable narrator POV character Jacob has an okay life until he burns it to the fucking ground and then he does it all over again, like holy fuck. Described as 'erotic', which is very true, but manages to do it without being explicit. I am wrecked by ( spoilers ) I will be thinking about this one. (So many trigger warnings. Be fully prepared if you consider reading this book.)

-

Watched another short series Agatha Christie adaptation Why Didn't They Ask Evans? This one definitely did not telegraph the twists like Seven Dials but almost to the opposite point where I'm like wait, did all the pieces fit together?

Blue Monday by Nicci French is the first in their Frieda Klein series, about a psychotherapist who gets embroiled in a child abduction case when she gets weird vibes from one of her patients.
I really enjoyed another Nicci French book I read last year but unfortunately this one didn't live up to expectations.
The writing wasn't bad, and I quite liked some of the characters - and I was intrigued enough to keep reading to find out where it was all going. But I came up with a theory relatively early on that would have involved one pretty terrible cliche - and then the main twist ended up involved an even worse terrible cliche, so that was a bit disappointing. Some of the sections were really very unpleasant as well.
It also felt more like a mid-series book than an introduction to Frieda because it felt like we were dropped right into the middle of her life with very few explanations of anything.
But - the biggest issue I had with the book is as follows... It's called Blue Monday. The blurb on the back starts with the words: "Monday: five-year-old Matthew Faraday is abducted." But, in the book itself, it's mentioned categorically on several occasions that the little boy is abducted on a Friday...
I'm guessing the idea behind the title (the next in the series is called Tuesday's Gone and the rest of the series continues in kind) was potentially devised quite late in the day, or at least after the book's contents had been finalised. But still, somewhere along the way, I would have expected someone in the editorial team to have spotted that error, especially since the book was published by Penguin!
So, not really a success for me, I'm afraid.

If you are not visiting the palace in order to attend the Chara's court, then chances are that you are here to visit the council. As you enter the east doors of the palace, turn right, then left, then immediately right. The long corridor before you leads north to the council chamber and council quarters.

Upon reaching the end of the corridor, you will once again find yourself facing high doors, this time plated with copper. Unless you are actually attending a council meeting, the door you want is to either the left or the right of the council chamber. Enquire with the guards as to how to reach your destination. Mainland visitors are likely to be escorted, under guard, to the room they are seeking.

Attendance at meetings of the Great Council are by invitation only. If you are invited, arrive early. If you have been asked to speak with the council, you will be shown to a chair at the bottom of the council table. Do not be insulted. This is where the Chara himself sits, when he is invited to speak with the council.

Remember those high doors? They were designed to keep out the Chara and his guards, back in the days when animosity still simmered between the Chara and the Great Council. These days, the animosity takes less blatant forms, but the Chara is still not permitted to enter the council chamber except with permission of the Great Council's High Lord.

If you are not here to speak with the council but wish to attend a council meeting, you will be shown to a chair at the back of the room. (If you are not accustomed to sitting in chairs, it is best to practice beforehand.) As in the court, your job will be to stay as quiet and motionless as possible. At only two points in the meeting should you move: rise from your chair when the High Lord of the Great Council enters the chamber, and rise again when he leaves. A herald will announce when this is necessary.

After the council meeting, you may wish to visit the council library, just off the head of the chamber. This lovely, light-filled room was added during the reign of the Chara Purvis, at the beginning of this century. It is considered the finest law library in the world, containing hundreds of books of commentary on matters related to the law. Do not to touch the books unless you are here to do research. To Emorians, law books – even books of commentary – are sacred objects.

Northern mainlanders should be aware that stealing a law book can be punished by death. If you must steal something in the palace, confine yourself to objects unrelated to the law.

[Translator's note: In order to visit the Great Council in session, as well as its law library, read Law of Vengeance.]

Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews is the fifth book in her Innkeeper Chronicles series - which I've come back to more than two years after listening to book four.
It follows the story of Dina, who runs a magical inn that caters to various alien races from across the far reaches of space.
The series is an interesting mix between urban fantasy and space opera sci-fi - and I've thoroughly enjoyed it all the way through.
In this book, the inn hosts an inter-galactic spousal selection competition, which requires Dina to accommodate people from 12 different alien cultures, all of whom have different needs and desires, and some of whom are dangerous or in feuds with some of the others.
It's a whirlwind of a plot, with far too many characters, factions, layers and shenanigans to keep track of, but I just let the audiobook happen and loved every minute of it.
The only downside is that it turns out this isn't the last in the series, and there are major arc-plot threads still to be resolved! I guess I'm glad I have more of this world and characters to look forward to - but it's been four years since this one was published and the author is apparently focusing on a different series for now, so there's no indication as to when the final instalment of the Innkeeper Chronicles might arrive...

It's 1am.

I was in my room rummaging quietly through my drawers trying to get my stuff ready for tomorrow's day trip, when I heard footsteps in the hall.

A very sleepy, displeased Blair, announcing "I had a really bad nightmare, and I'm scared."

She looked so young and soft and vulnerable. It was really sweet and cute, despite her sleepy, disoriented displeasure. She had a bad dream, got out of bed and looked for me for comfort. I took her back to bed and cuddled with her for a bit until she fell back asleep.

This is what it's all about.

Today's to-do list, with a few items already checked off because I was going to post this earlier and forgot:

- fold laundry
- put up hummingbird feeder
- clean out dead plants from the porch garden and get the pots back in shape
- reply to AO3 comments
- put away winter decorations and get out the spring ones
- pick up groceries
- write 200 words on either Forsaken Road or broken beaten damned (I picked broken beaten damned but I might poke Forsaken Road later)
- crosspost some fic from FFA and the PWKM

I had some feline help with the plants ("Springs, what's in your mouth? Give me that. GIVE ME THAT. No, you can't eat the chives. Leave the wasp ALONE."), so I anticipate summer gardening will be somewhat more exciting than it was when Prowl was content to nap under the chairs while I worked. I need to go get some more pots, because mine are in pretty sad shape after a decade of being left out in all weather, so I may need to add a quick trip to Lowe's on the way home to my to-do list, but we'll see how it goes.

EDIT: I finished! And made that trip to Lowe's and organized the shed while I was at it. A productive day.

Dear JSAMN fic exchange author,


I'm so excited to see what you will write or draw! Gifts are very welcome too.


What I like:


I like stories with a substantial plot or in-depth characterization. I especially like stories with a strong, distinct protagonist's inner voice, and lots of interiority. For me, some of the most fascinating aspects of the Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell world is how magic works. I'm interested in stories where magic plays a significant part. I love to see its inner workings. I am also intrigued by the process of distilling spells from ancient knowledge, the relics of which remain in folk tales, old books, songs, children's rhymes and such - just like Norrell and Strange did.


I also like pseudo-documentary genre: articles from imaginary newspapers and magazines, scholarly papers, letters, course syllabuses, recipe prose, and everything in that spirit, as long as it tells a story.


I like angst and humor equally well - or even both in one.


I like in-depth character study, in-depth worldbuilding, moral ambiguity, moral dilemmas, secrets and subterfuge.


I also love AU, though mostly in the canon era rather than the modern era. Which is to say I'm not too keen on coffeeshop, flowershop, automechanic shop, etc. AUs. But school, academia, or "intersection of magic and computer science" AUs would be fine. However, I especially like AUs that can be described as "here is what would happen if a key part of the book's premise were different".


DNWs


No PWP, please. I'm overall iffy when it comes to smut. M rating is OK, E is on a case-by-case basis. So it comes as no surprise that I prefer not to see some of the more extreme thematic elements that can be found in fanfiction overall. I don't really want to list them here, so please be guided by your common sense: what grosses out an average person is likely to gross me out too. Instead, I prefer a story to knock me out with clever ideas, inventive magic, character depth, complex, ambiguous, fraught interactions, unexpected plot twists, and such.


Regarding the requests I have made, here are some optional prompt ideas. But if you come up with your own, that's just as good!


1. Gilbert Norrell.


He is the character I'm most obsessed with (I know, I know. Guilty as charged), so I would be happy with a story where Norrell is the main character or plays a substantial role. The only thing I ask is not to portray him one-dimensionally, and not make him fodder for cheap laughs. That said, humor is very welcome! Critical portrayal is fine too, since, as we know, he deserves it. It's just that, if you choose this request, I would like to see a deeper exploration of the character.

Optionally, you can ship him with pretty much anyone. There have been wonderful and truly remarkable stories written in this fandom shipping him with Strange and Childermass, so I would like to see a less common ship (perhaps even one that hasn't been written before). For example, Norrell / Segundus has a lot of potential, because, while they are diametrical opposites on the kindness axis, they might be alike in being timid and inclined towards book learning. Or, why not Lascelles or Tom Levy? That said, shipping him with the usual suspects is also fine, I can't get enough of those.

But a gen story about Norrell without any ship would be great too.

DNWs: PWP, heavy smut, extreme kinks, using the character for cheap laughs.


2. Jane Tobias


I would be really interested to see how Jane Tobias learned magic and what kind of spells she performed. I would be very happy if this included Jane Tobias's interactions with Jonathan Strange and / or Arabella Strange (as we know from the title story of LOGA, the Stranges had crossed paths with Jane Tobias). I would be especially interested in seeing how Jane's magic (and, more generally, the magic of the three ladies of Grace Adieu) collided with that of Jonathan Strange. And if Norrell was involved, it would be especially awesome! Same if Jane tried to teach Arabella some magic during the Stranges' visit. Imagine the personal and professional clashes coming from different ideologies and approaches to magic of all the parties involved, with a good deal of sexism thrown into the mix! But in the process they might end up collaborating on some things (especially if the circumstances force them) and discover something deeper about themselves.

Crossovers with JS&MN are welcome!

DNWs: PWP, heavy smut, extreme kinks, using the character for cheap laughs.


3. Strange / Segundus


This rarepair ship has so much potential to be highly charged and complicated. In a way, Segundus was Strange's student (by correspondence, at least), but there are indications that he was not able to master some spells that Strange thought should be easy. So there is potential for Segundus to hero-worship Strange and feel inferior in comparison. But also, at the beginning of the book Segundus was able to invade Strange's dream, so perhaps he had some undiscovered ability for certain kinds of magic at which he was even better than Strange. Teacher / student relationship can mingle in all sorts of ways, both toxic and uplifting, with a sexual or intimate relationship.

My only request is that this involve a good deal of magic, and not just be about sex.

DNWs: PWP, heavy smut, extreme kinks, using the character for cheap laughs.


4. Worldbuilding (JS&MN) and Worldbuilding (Piranesi)


Either worldbuilding for JS&MN alone or a crossover worldbuilding between JS&MN and Piranesi would be fine.

For crossover worldbuilding between JS&MN and Piranesi:

Thaddeus Hickman described the King's Roads as a vast house with endless stone halls and infinite staircases, with deep chasms and canals in which dark water flows. Piranesi lived in an enormous house with giant staircases, statues and an ocean. Could it be the same house? I myself wrote a fic based on that premise, but I would like other people to explore it as well.

More generally, what are some surprising similarities and contrasts between the magic in JS&MN and in Piranesi?


5. Jonathan Strange

I'm especially interested in

- Strange's in-depth interactions with Norrell, whether platonic or romantic. Perhaps their early magic lessons, portrayed in detail?

- Strange teaching someone magic. I would like to see the details of it. It could be one of his canonical three students, of which I'm particularly interested in Tom Levy. But it would be even better if it was a female student! That would make it a canon-divergent fic or even an AU, but I find this prompt especially interesting. Even better if it's Strange teaching Flora Greysteel magic in Venice! On top of that, romantic or sexual tension would be delicious, but is optional.

DNWs: PWP, heavy smut, extreme kinks, using the character for cheap laughs.


6. Jonathan Strange (JSAMN) & Jane Tobias (LOGA)


As we know from the title story of LOGA, the Stranges had crossed paths with Jane Tobias when the Stranges came for a visit to Grace Adieu. I would be interested in seeing how Jane Tobias's magic collided with that of Jonathan Strange. Imagine the personal and professional clashes coming from their different ideologies and approaches to magic, with a good deal of sexism thrown into the mix! But in the process they might end up collaborating on some things (especially if the circumstances force them) and discover something deeper about themselves.

Alternatively (or in addition to that) the story could be centered around Jane Tobias and / or the other ladies of Grace Adieu trying to teach Arabella Strange some magic. How would Jonathan take that? Would he be supportive of his wife or competitive / territorial / jealous of her abilities? Or perhaps Jane would have to teach Arabella in secret, because both she and Arabella thinks Jonathan would not approve?

DNWs: PWP, heavy smut, extreme kinks, using the character for cheap(s) laughs.

7. Worldbuilding: JS&MN


I'm especially interested in the inner workings of magic in the JSAMN world or interactions between characters whose goals and worldviews are at odds with each other. Here are some examples.


7.1. Little Free Magic Library of York


A little free library, but for books of magic. The residents of York freely take and leave magic books in it. How does Norrell react when he finds out? If he sends Childermass to shut it down, is he successful? What if fairies or even John Uskglass himself interfere in keeping the good people of York supplied with books of magic? What part does the Learned Society of York Magicians play in this?


7.2. Jonathan Strange's female students


Canonically Jonathan Strange only had male students, but what if he took women students as well? What if Miss Gray, who was swindled by Drawlight who took her money for correspondence magic lessons from Strange, actually got her wish, and he accepted her as an in-person student? If there were several women students, did they compete for Strange's attention romantically as well (since he was presumed a widower at the time - in 1816)? What disadvantages did they experience as students of magic in a highly sexist society - both from Strange's male students, Strange himself, and the society at large? How did they cope with all that and did they find a silver lining in it?


7.3. Starecross as a coworking space for magicians and software engineers


The two groups of people cross-polinate their ideas. This, of course, would have to be a modern AU, and it is one of the few exceptions to my generally not being keen on modern AUs.


7.4. A pancake shop "De Crepe Labyrinth"


This is probably best-suited as AU. This is another exception where a modern AU would be fine.

Many years after the events of JSAMN, there is a pancake shop called "De Crepe Labyrinth", as a pun on Walter De Chepe and his famous labyrinth. I don't really have more than just the name, so feel free to explore this idea however you like! My only preference is that magic and labyrinths are involved in a non-trivial way.


DNWs: PWP, heavy smut, extreme kinks.



8. Piranesi (Piranesi) & The Other | Valentine Ketterley (Piranesi) & Gilbert Norrell (JSAMN) & Jonathan Strange (JSAMN)


There were interesting parallels between fraught, asymmetrical friendships of Norrell & Strange, and Piranesi & The Other | Valentine Ketterley . For both Norrell and Piranesi their friend (Strange in one case, The Other in, well, the other) was their only friend, who nonetheless could not give them what they truly wanted and alleviate their loneliness. What if some circumstances (i.e. your, dear author, magic) brought these two pairs together? Would they learn something from each other?



These suggestions may seem incredibly detailed, but please be assured that they are only to serve as ideas if you have a hard time coming up with your own. I'm sure you, Dear Writer, can come up with ideas I can't even dream of, and I will be very excited to read them!


The credit for the De Crepe Labyrinth idea goes to the good people of the JSAMN 20th Anniversary Readalong Discord. If you are not there, you are welcome to join! The readalong is long over, but the server is still active, albeit low-traffic. Among other things, we plan fandom events on it. Here is the invite.

vriddy's account on her experiences on tiny fandoms is an interesting read.

About The Man Without Desire (1923): This film has it all! Rococo, death, suspended animation via magic, people being the clones of their ancestors, a man being a fish out of water for five in-world minutes, erectile disfunction. Yet! It never goes all the way (and I'm bummed about it).

I would say this was a weird metaphor for comphet while being gay, but Novello was never really in the closet. And I'm talking about Novello less because he starred in the movie and mote because he was one of the producers.

(I would have said this was a metaphor for asexuality, but Vittorio, the man without desire himself, dies at the end. ED, comphet or asexuality, any lens you look at this movie through, is yikes.)