#swbts

[swordsonnet]

zhu and ouyang moodboard

[commiescummie]

hey do u mind if im ur weapon . like if im the sword that u wield recklessly, giving no heed to ur safety nor mine. just like casually lol

[3cosmicfrogs]

Spring hunt.

[queereads-bracket]

FINAL: Queer Historical Fiction Book Bracket

Choose a book:

The Radiant Emperor duology by Shelley Parker-Chan

Mrs. Victoria buys a Brothel by Talhí Briones

Voting ended onAug 9, 2025

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

The Radiant Emperor duology (She Who Became the Sun, He Who Drowned the World) by Shelley Parker-Chan

Endorsement from submitter #1: "extremely nuanced portrayals/discussions of gender and sexuality within the relative historical context; very primarily historical, secondary genre is arguably more magical realism than straightforward fantasy"

Endorsement from submitter #2: "A cast full of queer characters who do awful things to get the throne"

In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness…

In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.

When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother’s identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.

After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu takes the chance to claim another future her brother’s abandoned greatness.

Setting: 14th-century China (1345), Yuan and Ming Dynasties

Fantasy, historical fiction, alternate history, epic fantasy, 1340s, series, adult

Mrs. Victoria buys a Brothel by Talhí Briones

Endorsement from submitter #1: "A sapphic western where women help women (bury the body of your abusive husband.)"

Endorsement from submitter #2: "This is a story about women who age, gossip, drink, love, and help you hide the body of your dead husband."

1865, United States— It took thirty years and a dislocated arm for Victoria to leave her abusive husband. Heartbroken, she has to choose her own life over the hope of ever seeing her son again. She escapes the manor in the dead of night, only bringing with her a white wedding dress.

She ends up in Swainsburg, a minuscule town in Wyoming, where she’s adopted by the local prostitutes. To save them from expulsion, she buys the building and learns that in these parts, entertainment is worth more than gold. It’s almost easy, even fun, to organize piano recitals and cancan shows for the cowboys of the area, but being a Madam comes with responsibilities and dangers she isn’t ready to face. Her husband, after all, has contacts everywhere.

It’s hard to navigate the delicate tensions between respectable ladies and whores, between white society and the ‘others.’ Her new friends are women who carved their place in this merciless life; people who, like her, ended up in Swainsburg when they got tired of running.

Victoria falls in love. She doesn’t notice, she can’t even imagine the possibility. The townfolk say the widow Díaz is strange. Natane is actually incredibly awkward, kind, and very lonely. Victoria has no name for this burning friendship, but the feeling grows and demands to be acknowledged.

This is a story about women who age, gossip, drink, love, and help you hide the body of your dead husband.

Setting: Western; 1865 Wyoming

Historical fiction, Western, 1860s, adult

[krushing]

she who became the sun remains the best novel i read in years. zhu chongba the protagonist you are general ouyang the narrative mirror you are ma xiuying and madam zhang the multi-faceted women you are xu da the most loving brother you are wang baoxiang the scheming man you are general zhang the formidable adversary you are …. and not to mention one of the most well-plotted stories ever just flowing with the utter perfection of a river to the sea. god we are so lucky this book exists.

[papenathys]

No amount of daily "I want sexy female villains to step on me uwu" posts will combat the actual reality of people across all fandoms and all media coming together to violently hate on female villains for doing the exact same thing male villains are praised for. Maybe even a fraction of it.

You all don't want female villains, you want palatable watered down sexy girlbosses. Anything more intense, anything more "un-feminine" and darker and more complex will have you going pee pee poo poo "I HATE HER SHE IS UGLY AND MEAN 🥺🥺🥺😠😠😠😠🤮🤮🤮" while hyping up The Most™ boring bland generic flavourless male incel character of all time because you just "happen" to resonate with him strongly. Lmao.

[tumblerislovetumblerislife]

thanks for the tag @every-moment-a-different-sound 😘

rules: make a poll with seven of your all-time favourite characters from seven different fandoms, and then tag seven people to do the same. see which character is everyone’s favourite!

favourite character?

charles rowland (dead boy detectives)

inej ghafa (six of crows)

sam vimes (discworld)

gideon nav (the locked tomb)

martin blackwood (the magnus archives)

zhu yuanzhang (the radiant emperor)

éowyn (the lord of the rings)

Voting ended onMay 13

tagging without pressure: @tragedy-machine @tw0-ravens @dear-monday @artemisadore @starsandatoms @emryses @agentearthling

[radiantemperorweek]

What do you want to see for Radiant Emperor Week(end?) 2026?

Go HERE to share your prompt ideas and weigh in on when exactly in August you want to immerse yourself in the derangement!

Go literal, go abstract, go crazy! And if you have more than one prompt don’t worry, you can fill out the form as many times as you want :)

Prompt collection will run April 16th to April 23rd!

Wondering what this event is? Check out our FAQ here!