...No. You Move.

EXACTLY it's not that historical-fiction characters must all believe in the most restrictive values of their time and culture, it's that historica- fiction characters need to believably seem like they could be real people who lived in that time and culture.

There have always been and will always be people who disagree with the dominant values of the culture they grew up in. Progressive values are nearly always something that can be independently arrived at by the combination of some critical thinking and observations of reality. But to write a realistically-progressive character in historical fiction, you have to take into account where they're starting from in terms of the values, norms, and assumptions they were raised with from birth, their likelihood of having the opportunity to encounter people who challenge their biases by being different from them in ways that their society's dominant culture suppresses, and whether or not it's ever been safe for them to openly air those progressive views in spaces where they can workshop and clarify them. You have to give them a backstory that meshes with where they are right now, that explains their arrival at a belief that's not in line with the norms of the society they live in. A character who never had to THINK and LEARN and GROW to become more progressive than the society around them, who seems to have just sprung into existence in 1827 or whatever with perfect modern progressive ideals pre-installed, is not a believable one. It's not even believable to write a character who was born in the 1990's who never had to question a dominant cultural norm in order to arrive at the typical progressive belief set of the 2020's -- in a modern setting you don't need to give every character a whole detailed backstory about developing modern progressive ideals, sure, but if you're going heavily into their backstory and they just were born that way it's still gonna fall flat. And if they're in 1827 yelling TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN AND TRANS MEN ARE MEN from a soapbox in the town square and writing long editorials about cultural appropriation, you're really gonna need to give the audience a believable explanation of how they got there.

And also while it's not that hard to write one character who holds a progressive beliefs that clash with the norms of their culture, it's a lot harder to write a believable story where that character doesn't face derision, disagreement, and pushback for those beliefs from the other characters around them if they choose to discuss those beliefs openly.

Like for instance, “sexual orientation” as a discrete lifelong identity label wasn’t really a concept anywhere in the world in 1827. People just didn’t really conceptualize them that way; they tended to view those as behaviors, and not necessarily ones that meant you couldn’t choose and be happy in a normie hetero marriage with a fuckton of babies at a different point in your life. Hell, even for straight cis people, the concept of marrying for love as opposed to as duty to your family/society/the dynastic succession was only starting to come into being.

So like, were there people (including ones we’d now call cis and heterosexual) who were supportive of their family and friends who just weren’t interested in getting married and having kids? Sure! Would they call those people “gay” or “asexual” or “lesbian” or “aromantic” or whatever? Probably not! Even the words in that list that did exist back then generally got used to describe behavior or subcultures or… well… lifestyles, not so much people. It’s not so much that you were a lesbian as you did lesbianism.

Likewise, between two characters who are what we’d now call LGBTQ+/queer: it’s totally fine to have like one woman in your F/F couple talk about also being attracted to men and the other one being like nah I just don’t see it, women tho… (in more 1820s language obviously), in the way that might come up casually in conversation if they notice an attractive gentleman walking down the street or something. But you can do that without it becoming a Coming-Out Arc where a character Realizes They Are A Bisexual, which is where it wouldn’t feel like 1827 anymore.

Anyway, keep making these posts, they’re great and i can recommend media that i think get this balance right (honestly, most historical romance books I’ve read involving LGBTQ+ and/or POC protagonists or love interests, also really currently enjoying Clare McHugh’s novel A Most English Princess as a great portrayal of a person who was politically progressive by Victorian standards and what exactly that meant) and ones that do not (fucking Babel… again not because there were not activists for anti-imperialism in the 1830s especially among people from the countries being colonized, but because they did not talk like modern day Twitter users!!!!!!)

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE l APRIL 2024

I mean besides the fact that some people actually use their posts for good, like activism and combating misinformation, there's just posting for the sake of posting which is its own reward.

They're basically a type of tutelary spirit of the sauna. Whenever you build a sauna a sauna gnome will eventually move in. I mean you can always expedite the process by going to someone else's sauna and telling everyone there that you've just built a sauna and it's such a shame that you don't have a sauna gnome yet, so the local sauna gnome will put the word on the grapevine that any sauna gnomes in need of a sauna know that there's a new sauna in town.

And they basically take care of the sauna for you, making sure it doesn't burn down and that it works properly. But they're also capricious and vindictive: to stay on their good side you gotta make sure to behave properly in the sauna (the sauna is no place for drunkenness or obscenity, in fact going to the sauna should be treated almost as a somber religious ritual), you gotta greet them when coming and going, and it's customary to leave them a vihta/vasta (a bundle of birch branches with the leaves on, used for cleaning up in the sauna) and to leave them one last löyly (a very specific term for the steam that rises from the sauna's stove, called "kiuas") before you leave so the sauna gnome can enjoy the saunaing.

Additional fact: Bram Stoker’s Dracula is set in 1897.

[Image ID: The poem “One Source of Bad Information”, by Robert Bly.  There’s a boy in you about three years old who hasn’t learned a thing for thirty Thousand Years. Sometime it’s a girl.  The child had to make up its mind How to save you from death. He said things like:  “Stay home. Avoid elevators. Eat only elk.”  You live with this child, but you don’t know it.  You’re in the office, yes, but live with this boy  At night. He’s uninformed, but he does want To save your life. And he has. Because of this boy  You survived a lot. He’s got six big ideas.  Five don’t work. Right now he’s repeating them to you. 

You marry a mermaid and the first month you spend on land, teaching her about citrus. Lemons. Limes. Grapefruits. But not grapes?

No, grapes are not citrus.

You love the way she says "grapefruit."

Grapes froot.

You marry a mermaid and the second month you spend under water, learning about coral, tides. How sound flows differently.

You marry a mermaid and you spend the third month on land teaching her about warm colors. Red, yellow. Pink. They exist underwater, of course, but they appear different here, this atmosphere (air) splitting the prism differently than that atmosphere (water).

You marry a mermaid and you spend the fourth month under water learning about heat. You have heat on land, of course, but here there are volcanoes, minuscule to what you think of as a volcano. She teaches you how to enjoy the liminal space between the scalding water and the icy ocean depths.

You marry a mermaid and you spend the fifth month on land teaching her about potatoes. She makes a delightful sound when she tries her first fried potato. The texture almost unbearably crispy. You spend three days on a boardwalk eating potatoes.

When she tries cheese...

...when she tries cheese... on potatoes...

The memory of that expression on her face is worth every jewel, every coin, ever to pass through your fingers, from birth to death.

You marry a mermaid and you spend the sixth month under water learning about the color blue. You think you know the color blue, you've seen the sky, you've seen birds.

You have seen art.

She cups your face with her webbed hands and stares at you with an intensity you did not realize could be experienced in mortal flesh and asks you to say Blue.

"Blooo."

She loves how you say the word, how your tongue

curls like a wave to craft the sound

like you were taught

on land

where speaking is so different

because your tongue is reacting to a throat full of air

not water filtered into something breathable

by magic that

you do not

understand.

You marry a mermaid.

You spend every other month on land, the opposing under water.

You live.

Happily beyond reason.

For years beyond memory.

You marry a mermaid.

"Blooo."

Good morning I have not been sleeping well for about four weeks maybe two months I don’t know what day it is

If you enjoyed this and it looks like you may have because a lot of people are reblogging it (thank you)

Then please know I am busy packing orders and baking bread and assembling this and some several dozen (possibly a few hundred) similar stories onto an archive you will be able to read for free

Just a big ol’ open blog

Cataloged by character and monster and realm and other things

I’m wishing blogs were called “bogs” because that would be fun. Word bog. We have “egg nog” at the holidays but no “egg bog” which is a mistake, in my opinion.

I should write winter holiday stories about egg bogs.

Okay.

That’s a good idea.

If you like the above story you might also like this one

It is another short — even shorter! — about a witch and a vampire.

Netherworld Post has two cycles — writing and art. Right now I am on a writing cycle so am full of words. We used to have three cycles (writing, art, business) but now Business is a continual thing, not a cycle.

This is a blessing.

And so is this story!

An orc and a goblin in a grocery store. Again, very short.

I have a lot of words.

Most of them are soft and gentle. It’s a fun space to build in.

Compiling them all together. There is supposed to be an “I am” on that sentence, but interestingly, there isn’t!

I hope some of these stories find you and are finding them enjoyable.

I am out to meet two clients who have Differing Opinions on how to build a bard

and

well

let’s just say

I am loud and opinionated

ignorant of the dice rolls and mechanics I do not care about those things

but the role play and story telling

that I can do

There are some affiliate links below in case you want to support MQH.

Gender Queer: A Memoir, Maia Kobabe: Now, Gender Queer is here. Maia's intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma and fundamental violation of pap smears.

The Color Purple, Alice Walker: Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance and silence. Through a series of letters spanning nearly thirty years, first from Celie to God, then the sisters to each other despite the unknown, the novel draws readers into its rich and memorable portrayals of Celie, Nettie, Shug Avery and Sofia and their experience. The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating the lives of women through their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery.

Julián Is a Mermaid, Jessica Love: While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he's seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes -- and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself? Mesmerizing and full of heart, Jessica Love's author-illustrator debut is a jubilant picture of self-love and a radiant celebration of individuality.

Drama: A Graphic Novel, Raina Telgemeier: Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school's production of Moon over Mississippi, she can't really sing. Instead she's the set designer for the drama department's stage crew, and this year she's determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can she, when she doesn't know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen. And when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier!

Cemetery Boys, Aiden Thomas: Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him. When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He's determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

I Am Billie Jean King, Brad Meltzer: This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Each book tells the story of one of America's icons in a lively, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers and that always includes the hero's childhood influences. At the back are an excellent timeline and photos. This volume features Billie Jean King, the world champion tennis player who fought successfully for women's rights. From a young age, Billie Jean King loved sports--especially tennis! But as she got older, she realized that plenty of people, even respected male athletes, didn't take women athletes seriously. She set to prove them wrong and show girls everywhere that sports are for everyone, regardless of gender.

This One Summer, Mariko Tamaki: Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It's their getaway, their refuge. Rosie's friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. One of the local teens - just a couple of years older than Rose and Windy - is caught up in something bad... Something life threatening. It's a summer of secrets, and sorrow, and growing up, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other.

Marriage of a Thousand Lies, Sj Sindu: Lucky and her husband, Krishna, are gay. They present an illusion of marital bliss to their conservative Sri Lankan-American families, while each dates on the side. It's not ideal, but for Lucky, it seems to be working. She goes out dancing, she drinks a bit, she makes ends meet by doing digital art on commission. But when Lucky's grandmother has a nasty fall, Lucky returns to her childhood home and unexpectedly reconnects with her former best friend and first lover, Nisha, who is preparing for her own arranged wedding with a man she's never met.

And Tango Makes Three, Peter Parnell: At the penguin house at the Central Park Zoo, two penguins named Roy and Silo were a little bit different from the others. But their desire for a family was the same. And with the help of a kindly zookeeper, Roy and Silo got the chance to welcome a baby penguin of their very own.

More Happy Than Not, Adam Silvera: In the months following his father's suicide, sixteen-year-old Aaron Soto can't seem to find happiness again, despite the support of his girlfriend, Genevieve, and his overworked mom. Grief and the smile-shaped scar on his wrist won't let him forget the pain. But when Aaron meets Thomas, a new kid in the neighborhood, something starts to shift inside him. Aaron can't deny his unexpected feelings for Thomas despite the tensions their friendship has created with Genevieve and his tight-knit crew. Since Aaron can't stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound happiness, he considers taking drastic actions. The Leteo Institute's revolutionary memory-altering procedure will straighten him out, even if it means forgetting who he truly is.

Melissa, Alex Gino: When people look at Melissa, they think they see a boy named George. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl.

Melissa thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. Melissa really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part... because she's a boy.

With the help of her best friend, Kelly, Melissa comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte -- but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.

A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities, Mady G, Jules Zuckerberg: In this quick and easy guide to queer and trans identities, cartoonists Mady G and Jules Zuckerberg guide you through the basics of the LGBT+ world! Covering essential topics like sexuality, gender identity, coming out, and navigating relationships, this guide explains the spectrum of human experience through informative comics, interviews, worksheets, and imaginative examples. A great starting point for anyone curious about queer and trans life, and helpful for those already on their own journeys!

This Book Is Gay, Juno Dawson: This candid, funny, and uncensored exploration of sexuality and what it's like to grow up LGBTQ also includes real stories from people across the gender and sexual spectrums, not to mention hilarious illustrations.

Little & Lion, Brandy Colbert: When Suzette comes home to Los Angeles from her boarding school in New England, she's isn't sure if she'll ever want to go back. L.A. is where her friends and family are (as well as her crush, Emil). And her stepbrother, Lionel, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, needs her emotional support. But as she settles into her old life, Suzette finds herself falling for someone new...the same girl her brother is in love with. When Lionel's disorder spirals out of control, Suzette is forced to confront her past mistakes and find a way to help her brother before he hurts himself--or worse.

King and the Dragonflies, Kacen Callender: Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly. When Khalid unexpectedly passed away, he shed what was his first skin for another to live down by the bayou in their small Louisiana town. Khalid still visits in dreams, and King must keep these secrets to himself as he watches grief transform his family.

It would be easier if King could talk with his best friend, Sandy Sanders. But just days before he died, Khalid told King to end their friendship, after overhearing a secret about Sandy-that he thinks he might be gay. "You don't want anyone to think you're gay too, do you?"

Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out, and Finding My Place: A Transgender Memoir, Jackson Bird: An unflinching and endearing memoir from LGBTQ+ advocate Jackson Bird about how he finally sorted things out and came out as a transgender man.When Jackson Bird was twenty-five, he came out as transgender to his friends, family, and anyone in the world with an internet connection. Assigned female at birth and raised as a girl, he often wondered if he should have been born a boy. Jackson didn't share this thought with anyone because he didn't think he could share it with anyone.

The Black Flamingo, Dean Atta: Michael is a mixed-race gay teen growing up in London. All his life, he's navigated what it means to be Greek-Cypriot and Jamaican--but never quite feeling Greek or Black enough.

As he gets older, Michael's coming out is only the start of learning who he is and where he fits in. When he discovers the Drag Society, he finally finds where he belongs--and the Black Flamingo is born