#mspw: historical fantasy

[antique-symbolism]

For Moon+Seraph Pitch Week on writeblr, I present to you...

Miniature Roses, a sapphic historical fantasy

Comp Titles: For readers who love stubborn, smart women with hearts of gold and for fans of remixed genres featuring fantasy, historical fiction, and romance. See: The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite and A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

Blurb: As witness to the unparalleled scientific progress of the early 20th century, there’s no medical solution Minnie Teasdale considers outside the bounds of possibility. With a sharp mind, a hard head, and a soft heart, Minnie doesn’t bat an eye when she discovers the strange case of Ruzena Vitova -- a reticent artisan with a peculiar affliction requiring her to consume human blood for nutrition. While finding a suitable treatment is tough in its own right, Minnie’s true challenge comes in cracking Ruzena’s cold façade... and revealing the soft, lonely heart beneath. 

Themes: discovery motivated by love; the vulnerability of the authentic self; determination in the face of adversity

Current Stage: editing 

WIP links:

Story Intro

Story Inspiration Tag

Character Inspiration Tag (Minnie)

Character Inspiration Tag (Ruzena)

Content warnings: descriptions of (surgical) wrist cutting and wrist wounds

[thecrookedwriterspath]

Moon + Seraph Pitch Week

Comp Titles

Arkham Horror (board game) x Betrayal at House on the Hill (board game) + 1 eldritch moose

Title

Songs of Decay

Tom moves to a small town with his daughter to reconnect with his dad, a retired bodyguard, and find a better life. Unfortunately, the eldritch abound in this town and he's soon helping rhe local Eldritch Anomalies Department (EAD) investigate a murder. Local widow Esther is determined to find the culprit as well, as the body was on her land. She does NOT get on with the EAD though, which leads to some of its own problems...

1910 or so, with a few automatons. Elritch inspired audio drama. Cowriting with 1 author.

Themes/Tropes

Paranoia

Curiosity

Mental health and illness

Dealing with and caring for those with illness

Content Warnings

Murder

Eldritch/paranormal creatures

Mild gore/body horror

Abuse (implied)

Mental illness

Societal misunderstandings and labeling of illness

Hunting

Messy legal dealings with family

Writing stage

Midst of 3rd draft.

Art

Public domain photos from the era (1910) for Tom and Esther found in library archives

Related Links

We have a whole wiki that needs some updates but the basics are all there:

[moondust-bard]

Bridgerton aesthetic X werewolf fiction tropes

Hunting Ground— a Noble Dragons novel

This year’s Mating Season has arrived, and Elinor Talbot is making her grand debut into noble dragonshifter society— to her dismay.

Themes

• change vs tradition

• feminism & traditional roles of women in society

• family

• societal class & prejudice

• friendship

• fate vs. free will

• LGBT+ issues

Current Stage in Writing Process: fleshing out the underwritten draft

Content warnings

• parent death

• societal prejudice against LGBT+ on page

• bullying

Want to know more? Find the wip intro here!

[thephoenixandthecrocodile]

MSPW: Kingsley

Les Miserables X Peaky Blinders with queer, anthropomorphic crocodile

Kingsley

Only defeated rebels get tried for war crimes; that’s why Kingsley, an anthropomorphic crocodile, is facing the empire’s noose. To save his life, he’ll manipulate Alex, a traumatized journalist whose wife Kingsley tortured, into publishing classified documents that will implicate the government in their own war crimes. What? He’s done worse

Themes

Dealing and failing to deal with trauma

Who really controls the narrative and what is truth?

If you stare into the abyss, it will stare back

Truth is fickle, multifaceted, and contradictory

Deconstruction of the trope that marriage and children will make you happy

Current stage in writing

Final draft

Art related to story

Here are some aesthetics I've made:

This one is for Alex (they/them) the non-binary MC who is a traumatized reporter who is on the outs with their wife

This is an aesthetic I made for Kingsley

This is one I made for Kingsley's LI, Oisin

WIP-Relevant Links

This is my blog where I talk about my writing process and all things Kingsley: https://pepper-writes.com/

Content Warnings

Death

Colonial and police violence

racism

suicidal thoughts

complicated pregnancies and abortions

War

gaslighting and abusive relationships

References to torture

References to self-harm

state sponsored terrorism and political repression

References to alcoholism and drug use

Depression and anxiety

Anxiety attacks

Gun violence

[moon-and-seraph]

M+S Pitch Week: List of Hashtags

This is the official list of tags that participants of the Moon+Seraph Pitch Week will add to their pitch posts. The purpose of these tags is to allow people to sort through pitches based on their interests and tastes, so they're super important!

We'll have explanations of each category of hashtags, so read on to see which tags you'll want to add to your pitch! We recommend copy and pasting for ease.

General

This is a tag everyone will want to use, as it'll allow people to view all pitches collectively.

MSPW: pitch

Representation Tags

Use these tags to indicate the kinds of representation your pitch features. You may use as many of these tags as fit your story.

Please note, the tags with "ownvoices" in them are set aside for people of that identity. For example, a disabled person whose story features disability representation would use "MSPW: ownvoices disability rep" AND "MSPW: disability rep". However, a nondisabled person whose story features disability would only use "MSPW: disability rep".

MSPW: disability rep MSPW: ownvoices disability rep

MSPW: mental health rep MSPW: ownvoices mental health rep

MSPW: neurodivergent rep MSPW: ownvoices neurodivergent rep

MSPW: queer rep MSPW: ownvoices queer rep

MSPW: trans rep MSPW: ownvoices trans rep

MSPW: PoC rep MSPW: ownvoices PoC rep

MSPW: plus size rep MSPW: ownvoices plus size rep

Age-Specific Tags

Use these tags so people can browse pitches by age group. You may only choose one of these tags.

MSPW: YA MSPW: NA MSPW: MG MSPW: Adult

SFF Genre Tags

Use these tags so people can browse pitches by main genre. You may use both tags if your story is sci-fi and fantasy.

MSPW: sci fi wip MSPW: fantasy wip

SFF Sub-Genre Tags

Use these tags so people can browse pitches by sub-genre. You may use as many as fit your story.

MSPW: cyberpunk MSPW: dying earth MSPW: space opera MSPW: steampunk MSPW: solarpunk MSPW: military sci fi MSPW: dystopian MSPW: alternate history MSPW: science fantasy MSPW: portal fantasy MSPW: high fantasy MSPW: low fantasy MSPW: dark fantasy MSPW: gothic fantasy MSPW: magical realism MSPW: urban fantasy MSPW: mythic fantasy MSPW: grimdark MSPW: historical fantasy MSPW: paranormal romance MSPW: horror MSPW: arcanepunk MSPW: romance MSPW: political fantasy MSPW: epic fantasy MSPW: fairytale retelling MSPW: adventure MSPW: time travel

Critique Tags

Use this tag if you're open to receiving feedback on your pitch.

MSPW: crit welcome

[thecrookedwriterspath]

Moon + Seraph Pitch Week

Comp Titles

Spinning Silver (book) x Of Swamp and Sea (webcomic)

Title

[WIP] Bards, Courts, and Changelings

A Scottish researcher, Irish bard, and several English wardens all converge on a changeling case in Ireland not long after the conclusion of WWII. However, a selkie gets swept into the fray, and an American woman trying to get back home needs help to escape a dangerous fae. There will be a wedding.

Themes/Tropes

Deals and debts make the world go round

Words are important

Frenemies

Kidnapping

Marriage

Content Warnings

Child abuse/neglect (implied), death/murder, political unrest

Writing stage

Draft one mostly scripted.

Art