#kyele

Bind #41 In Our Wonder And Astonishment by Kyele Date Completed: 11/26/2025 Size: Folio.  329 pages, 97,121 words

This is a D/s Musketeers AU where the Musketeers themselves barely feature. Instead it concentrates on Richelieu and Treville, who are in a fake relationship because of political machinations. Hard to explain, but a really good read, especially if you're into worldbuilding.

I was going for a vaguely Baroque feel for the bind to match the story's setting. It came together pretty quickly with the help of some double-sided endpapers, which matched well with a stone-effect scrapbook paper and a mystery blue scrap of bookcloth.  I was hoping to find a way to incorporate something red into the project for Richelieu, but the books decided they would be all Musketeer.

My brain always defaults to Garamond as a the body font for historically inspired binds. The main titles are a US Declaration handwriting font, and IM Fell DW Pica for the subheadings.  These aren’t exactly 100% accurate to the period but the general feeling is there.  

Aesthetic for the 25th Chapter of The Marriage Bargain by Kyele.

1. Iris's wedding dress. According to this verse's traditions, she wears black as the one who's clan is welcoming a new member.

2. The wedding rings. I don't remember if they were described in the story, so I went ahead and continued the sapphire/blue theme.

3. Eddie's suit. White as he is the one marrying into the West family. Blue/Sapphire trim/accessories.

4. The wedding venue. With Eobard paying, you know that he went all out.

5. My favorite quote from the chapter, said by a very happy Iris shows off her new spouse.

6. Wedding cake covered with Blue Irises.

7. The happy couple; post first kiss.

8. Can't forget their Honeymoon destination , Bali!

Fic Aesthetics: The Marriage Bargain, by Kyele

He comes back towards Barry, hands partly extended in supplication. “Ask me for something I can give, and it’s yours.”

More stuff for The Marriage Bargain by Kyele ( @timeforalongstory). This time it’s jewelry! (Because inanimate objects are far easier to draw than people...)

So, Eobard’s signet ring, Barry’s tie pin, Bruce’s watch (I used elrhiarhodan’s aesthetics as a template), and, of course, the rings. The lightning pattern may have a not-very-hidden word within it. But there’s definitely no significance to the fact that Eobard’s ring is on top. None at all.

@timeforalongstory

KYEEEEEELE

I MADE YOU SOMETHING

IT’S THE COURTROOM SCENE

(I scanned it in but it made some colors worse and others better so I took a picture and I couldn’t decide and put both in. The top is scanned and the bottom is picture-d. And technically each set should be next to each other with Malcolm on the left and Eobarry on the right but whatever.)

(and by the way this is very significant because I never art, I can write but not art, but the FEELS IN THIS SCENE OH MY GOD so I had to draw it, and I don’t art well so this required lots and lots of tracing and erasing and bemoaning my choice of colored pencils as an art technique and oh my god eo’s HAIR.)

SO Malcolm, our dearly hated antagonist, is wearing cobalt blue because of course he is. Whereas Team Eobarry has a theme of red, because red is the Eobarry color and no one can tell me otherwise. And Gideon’s appearance is never really described so I headcanoned. OH and inspired by a comment about Barry’s versus Malcolm’s eye color being a way to tell them apart, Malcolm’s are black and Barry’s are green. You can tell in the scanned one but not the picture. (But the picture makes their mouths look less weird, so it’s a tragic tradeoff.)

And, of course, Eo and Barry are secretly holding hands underneath the table.