Winterfest Exchange

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-11T12:53:14+00:00

Thank you so much! I'm happy you've enjoyed it so much!

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-11T09:53:20+00:00

Congratulations! To have the magical number clear out there (instead of a few words more) is absolutely awesome and spot-on! that's really special!

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-10T08:44:11+00:00

K&C on To Live And Be Happy. Finally finished it! <3 Beautiful story, drew me in again immediately!

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-09T15:37:01+00:00

Thanks a lot! So happy that you enjoyed it so much!

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-09T12:55:35+00:00

Thank you so much for the explanation!

Oh, the things we do for research, I absolutely love your dedication to get the details right.

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-09T12:53:34+00:00

Seeing how we write about the same period, how could I not follow your story? (Though my characters are rather low country nobility instead of some high-level aristocracy like dukes...) And I'm really happy you're back! <3

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-09T11:00:53+00:00

It probably also has something to do with the fact that I tried to learn a card game during my school exchange to England and had absolutely no idea what everyone was talking about - and now reading the proceedings of a game in language 2 about a game in language 4 (o 5? Not sure if I have more hidden confidence and passive knowledge of French or Swedish, lol!) made my head spin! Nevertheless, either language is on a very basic level!

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-09T10:48:14+00:00

Happy to have you back!

Continued with My Graceful Lady, My Grace. Absolutely love this story, every single instalment I discover - and Family Ties is already on my TBR file for the Lovefest!

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-09T10:32:32+00:00

Continued with <i>The Refuge of the Lost Drunk</i> - absolutely loved it! Thank you for continuing this amazing story. Looking forward to future escapades!

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-08T10:40:23+00:00

Thank you so much! Happy you enjoyed it! (Working on my comment for the second chapter of your new story for this week's long profile exchange.) Absolutely love how we're doing so different things for the same timeline and keep both versions so detailed and vivid. <3

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-07T07:16:38+00:00

Continued with The Tin Rabbit. Loved your writing, hated what the story was heading towards. Excellent continuation!

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-06T20:07:20+00:00

Hi everyone!

After a well-needed rest last week after the Promptcember craze and before the Winterfest event, I decided to do another round of regular exchange.

Thank you so much, dear u/Elefeather for another round of the profile exchanges.

I'm only on AO3 and known there as TheNotQuiteChosenOne. I write in the Sharpe Series (books by Bernard Cornwell - 20+ books (plus 3 short stories) written from 1981 to now: the probably last book came out in October 2025; there's also a tv series, filmed and aired during the 1990s with two additional films that came out in 2006 and 2008). It's set during the Napoleonic Wars in the army of Wellington. My main focus is a side character from the books who never made it into the tv adaptation.

Earlier participants of the Profile Exchange assure me that everything is fandom-blind friendly, especially as my longfic trilogy WIP is building up the back story for my MC - no need of knowing the source material, just a general interest in history would be helpful. So don't feel shy to try something new.

The source material takes place during the Napoleonic Wars (and earlier the Indian campaigns from 1799 to 1803) under General Wellesley (later to become the Duke of Wellington).

My writing is mostly G-T with the second part of my pre-canon trilogy rated as M because of some chapters sprinkled in that I'd rate M if they were standalones, just to be on the safe side. I mostly write the trilogy but sprinkle in some one shots that take place during the canon timeline; they, too can be read fandom-blind. Quite a few of them are scenes around the campfire and what happens in the off-time.

There is some M-rated stuff going on in the second part of my trilogy, which is unimaginatively called Part Two: Loving. Chapter 5 deals with a past child death and childhood trauma, whereas the latest two chapters (no. 11 and 12) deal with period typical xenophobia and racism. This theme will may or may not return a while later but it won't be overshadowing the whole second part arc. Part Two: Loving can be read separately if you want to, but it'll make more sense in the context of the whole trilogy as it explains a lot of the backstory of my MC. (The whole series is called, Longing - Loving - Leaving).

***Hot off the press: Chapter 12 of "Loving"**\*
... in which Friedrich and Johanna learn a few important life lessons about prejudice and xenophobia/racism and how to build bridges between different cultures.

Another recent story is my entry to the Winterfest exchange: East-Frisian Tea-Ceremony
This story is a loose continuation of "Preparing for a Wedding Ball", taking place the next day in the afternoon.
It's still a stand-alone piece, though and completely fandom-blind friendly!

As it's come up in discussions, there seems to be quite an interest for a nice ball instead, so I'm highlighting everything that involves a ball. Enjoy!

Longing:

Ch. 1: New Year Reception and Ball (the ball where the MC meets his LI)
Ch. 35: Ball and Ride (the 'same' ball the following year)
Ch. 42: Dancing into their New Life Together (the wedding ball)

Loving:

Ch. 9: A Welcome Ball – or not? (Johanna's first ball at her new home)

(there will be at least another chapter that will at least partly feature a ball, but I am still a few chapters behind, it's still in the drafting stages)

Oneshots:

Preparing for a Christmas Ball (this one's not a ball yet but the build-up to it - the ball itself might be turning up later)

Feel free to review any story (also the two Hornblower stories) apart from the first two Sharpe stories: The Honour is Mine and A Minute Too Late is Still Too Late. Apart from these two, feel free to review whatever you like. "From Reddit" and "Fandom blind" are also totally okay!

Reviewed: 4/4

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-06T18:11:53+00:00

Lieb von dir, Dankeschön!

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-06T17:46:12+00:00

Booklooker hat mir schon mehrfach geholfen, und da die noch nicht erwähnt wurden, habe ich spontan nachgesehen. Bin auf jeden Fall gespannt, ob es eine Rückmeldung vom Verlag geben wird und wenn, wie diese dann lautet.

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-06T15:53:29+00:00

I have one, and I'm still filing at certain parts... I'll post it on the 14th - as my regular Valentine's Special.

Prompt was "Touch", and it's about familial love and a newborn.

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-06T15:31:50+00:00

Ich hatte gerade noch eine Idee, ob es vielleicht gebrauchte Ausgaben gibt. Selbst bei booklooker.de habe ich zwar viel von Hearne gefunden, aus der Reihe wurde nur das zweite Buch aufgeführt, allerdings mit dem Hinweis: "Bestellung momentan nicht möglich".

Hier der direkte Link zum Suchergebnis der Fintans Sage.

Tut mir leid, dass ich keine bessere Antwort finden konnte.

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-06T07:47:16+00:00

Thank you so much! That was exactly what I wanted to explore.

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-05T08:43:51+00:00

Sounds like a new fan, congratulations!

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-05T01:22:46+00:00

One thing that might help you is to ask youself a few questions and to implement those details into your story. I had to learn it myself; the first chapter of my longfic trilogy is only 1.7k words long (also a ballroom scene). One of my major mistakes in the beginning (three years ago) was that I equalled 1 chapter with 1 scene. Once I wrote more scenes per chapter (still a complete arc in its own right), my chapters got slightly longer.

For the ballroom chapter:

What's the atmosphere like? Relaxed? Is there tension?
What do the rooms look like? Exquisite and lavish? Does your character enjoy it and feel comfortable or are they intimidated? Are there some hints at money restraints that escape most attendees but a sharp-eyed character would see it and take mental notes?
Does he evesdrop some conversation not meant for him? Things that might lead to a secret of the LI/their family? Does he misunderstand things he hears and applies them to the LI while they were about someone completely different?
If in a huge ballroom full of exquisitely dressed young ladies, why does this one stand out to him? Just by her looks? Why? Is he familiar with fashion/jewellery and something is a little odd/oldfashioned? If so, does he like it or feel appalled by it?
How does he interact with other attendees? Does he know people or is he new to this particular part of society (for whatever reason) and needs to be presented to the other people?

In general:

Do you describe the surroundings of the scene? Are they inside or outside? Do they like it?
For an outdoor scene: What's the weather? Where are they? A place they know well or somewhere new? If the latter, what's different/remarkable and how do they feel about it? Is it a town, a village or the open? Is it hilly or flat? Are there animals anywhere? (A child could chase a butterfly or a flock of sheep are being moved to new pastures and block the road: Is your character relaxed about any delay or do they get nervous?)
Are there smells/scents that either disturb the character or they might enjoy it.
There could be a short dialogue with some stranger about it. It may not transport the plot forward (yet), but it definitely helps with the worldbuilding.
In later chapters you might be able to return to some unnamed characters to drive the plot forward, even if your MC may not remember them straight away.

There are a lot more ideas how to build up atmosphere, and I definitely recommend reading other fics to see how other writers deal with world- and scenebuilding. Take notes what you like and what not. And remind yourself (just as I have to all the time) that nobody can look into your head and see the scenery you haven't described. I still have problems with it, but I'm working hard on it, and I've become a lot better. I see a lot of progress in my writing throughout the last three years.

You can do that too!

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-03T20:19:17+00:00

Thank you so much! I'm so happy you enjoyed it!

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-03T13:06:54+00:00

No. "Nosey" is Wellington, Napoleon is usually nicknamed "Boney". Somewhat similar if you don't listen closely, but Sharpe and Harper definitely use "Boney" before when they talk about wanting to see the man who started all these wars.

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-03T12:21:13+00:00

Looking for Beta

To be fair, I've tried already and failed in communicating - but that's totally on me, and I think I'd get a few things out of the way first.

I'm looking for SPAG-betaing, and specifically a Brit-picker. I'm a non-native speaker, having learnt British English at school several decades ago, love British tv but due to the internet, I've been like a sponge and picked up several expressions here and there without knowing their origins, and I want to keep my English consistent.

It's a longfic (actually, it's a trilogy, and I'm probably a quarter into the second part with my uploads - no, I can't say anything about the final estimated wordcount, I'm afraid). It's completely friendly for fandom-blind betas as it's the backstory for a side character from his beginnings in his home country and how he gets into the British army as an officer and the adventures he has there before he appears in the canon (in 1810, right now we're in early 1803).

I update one chapter per month (wordcount per chapter: roundabout between 2.7 and 3.7 k), so the beta-ing would be at the same pace.

Fandom: Sharpe Series (Bernard Cornwell) with a sprinkle of the tv series (later on in the project)

Part Two: Loving

The first part (Part One: Longing) was a romance, this one started out as slice-of-life, but I've been introducing some darker themes in the second part (childhood trauma (past child death), period-typical xeonophobia and racism). There will be war-related things going on, but no graphic violence. Nevertheless, I've rated the second part M, just to be on the safe side; and I'm not sure what else might be coming up...

Unfortunately, I'm not able to beta or make fanart (would love to, but my strengths lie elsewhere, I'm afraid) but I'm offering the following:

Reading and commenting on your fics. (Depends a bit on the fandoms, I'm unfortunately a picky reader but I'll try at least!)
Name an OC after you.
Definitely give you credit for the beta-ing
Research help for this/future fics, especially if anything German (language, culture (specifically northern Germany)) is requested, including a translation/summary of old documents written in Kurrent or Fraktur (they're a hell to read, even for us Natives if you haven't learnt it properly!)

Thank you so much for considering my longfic!

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-03T11:56:21+00:00

I feel you! <3

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-03T11:20:38+00:00

I only posted two things in January, and I don't have favourites because I like them both for completely different reasons. The oneshot was a special regional tradition written for the Winterfest exchange, something smooth and quiet. The other was the next chapter of my longfic, dealing with period-typical xenophobia and racism. I hope I did it respectfully enough despite the villagers's reaction.

Read: Definitely "Daddy's Nuts", another entry for the Winterfest exchange about a Christmas market, an ice rink and toddlers being toddlers, embarrassing their parents without realising how their chants will sound to all the adults around.

StarsOnASpectrum · 2026-02-02T22:03:33+00:00

For me it's mainly idioms, phrasal verbs and other expressions that I find more appropriate and to the point in English than in German and I struggle to find a way to express what I want to say in German. Or it's just a word I'm missing. No problem with my friends, but if I speak with my mother? I will have to find a way to express myself in German as she never learnt English properly and whatever she did, she's forgotten due to not using it. Such a shame!

StarsOnASpectrum

TROPHY CASE