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Isaac X Isaac

@isaacxisaac.bsky.social

740 followers 690 following 1.9K posts

Strange trans man writing a very goofy book.

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Isaac X Isaac @isaacxisaac.bsky.social · Feb 26

Gay crimes!
Trans wrongs!
Enemies to enemies!

Here's my #Own #LGBT #Hu #YA(?) again for #WSPit! A romp through a colorful, heightened #Hi storical playground.

Can one defeat the patriarchs with the very weapons of masculinity? Well, one angry trans boy can sure try stabbing them a lot. #WSPitW

"L'entrée du prince de Ligne à Londres 1660", painted by François Duchatel in 1660, depicting the arrival of a great procession of ambassadors walking in fine clothes and riding in coaches, watched by a huge crowd of Londoners.
Text over it reads:
THE DUEL IN 1660: a queer swashbuckling farce.

"The arrival of King Charles II of England in Rotterdam, may 24 1660" by Lieve Verschuier, showing many ships with the Flag of Holland/States Flag. The grand ship bearing Charles II has his royal arms carven on the stern.
Text over it reads:
England, 1660: the restoration of the monarchy. In Charles II's triumphant wake, a Royalist family quietly returns, but not with their single daughter—instead, with their single son.
15-year-old Alexander—vain, hot-tempered, and warm of heart—expects to strut in as an aristocratic peacock. But when his ambitions are frustrated, he's sucked instead into intrigues of questionable honour and forced to reckon with what it really means to be a man.

"Man Writing a Letter" by Gabriël Metsu, painted around 1665. A Dutch young man, beautiful and androgynous with long blond hair, wears black doublet, breeches, and stockings and a luxurious white shirt and falling band. His expression is tranquil and far-off as he writes a letter on a table draped with an imported carpet.
Text over it reads:
Pray enjoy this tempest in a teapot, crafted of the purest tropes and set in the Age of the Rakehells, featuring:
glamour and grime of 17th century Westminster.
goofy action punctuated by primal screams of rage.
problematic characters for miles.
petticoat breeches parkour.
queer mentorship.
romantic friendship (or maybe 'tis just gay, oops).
boys who cry. a lot.
and somehow, everything turning out all right in the end.

Detail of "View from the Mussel Pier in Amsterdam", painted by Ludolf Bakhuizen in 1673, showing a peaceful sky over a ship with two gulls.
Text over it reads:
Alexander stood at the edge of the deck, one hand clutching the railing, the other fastened tight on the brim of his hat as he leaned out over the waves. He was not much afraid of falling in, though he had never swum anything choppier than a pond. Rather, he was afraid that his Acadian fur hat, the most expensive for sale in the shop on the Kalverstraat, might fly off his small crown and flap with its feathers all the way to water—which, like the sky, could not quite decide between blue and grey.
There was no one to see him aside from the sailors and now Klein, climbing up from below. Still, he had meticulously dressed that morning, down to every last ribbon. He’d had a very specific vision of himself when the suit was being ordered: the azure he’d picked was not just brighter than everything around him on the fluyt but even the true sky itself, and he sparkled with silver, when the wind tugged his doublet and loose breeches, and gold, when the little light managed to catch on his sword’s hilt.
It was imperative, one must understand, that he look extremely stylish doing battle, should pirates suddenly appear to satisfy his fantasies. And indeed, at fifteen, he thought himself quite the dashing young man—not the boy he was.

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Ephie ✨ COMMS OPEN! @ephiesuna.bsky.social · 5h

commissions are still open!

shares are appreciated - we're okay for now but any bit helps regardless!

Ephie ✨ COMMS OPEN! @ephiesuna.bsky.social · 7d

The US Gov has shut down and now me AND my husband will have no income 🥲
I really don't want to ask for donations but my art comms are the only way I can contribute toward expenses (vgen.co/ephiesuna)

If you can't commission, PLEASE consider sharing this post. Any visibility helps! Thank you!! 💙

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Isaac X Isaac @isaacxisaac.bsky.social · 5h

🤣

I think that universe is one where he is in politically significant shenanigans and is changing history and/or killed by a cannonball at age 20.

I also definitely feel the "ghost narrative" of "what if Alexander lived a normal life" includes the question, "would he become a worse person?"

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Elizabeth Briars @elizabethbriars.bsky.social · 6h

Made a graphic, hate it

But I do LOVE this art of Henry I commissioned from the endlessly talented @lyannatropes.bsky.social ! She was so easy to work with and brought my antisocial MC to life!

The Lady and The List is a queer historical romance available: books2read.com/u/3kdAP6

#queerbooks 📚💙

A black background with an illustration of a Caucasian person in a cream regency style gown. This person has dark hair and the shoulders of the gown are purple and maroon layers. The bottom right corner houses an ornate gold frame with the dark purple book cover of The Lady and The List inside. The texts reads: About me
I'm Miss Henrietta Crofton, but my friends call me Henry
I can be a little standoffish and I've never been to London before
Oh, and the other thing you should know about me? Some days, I'm a man
Henry, sent to London for a season she doesn't want, navigates the return of an old friend and the prying eyes of the 'Ton as she tries to express who she really is

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Sibylle Hell @nomnomroko.bsky.social · 7h

and once again, more commissions 👏

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Isaac X Isaac @isaacxisaac.bsky.social · 7h

Mansfield Park is divisive! I also don't like it as much as the others even though I respect what she was doing. It's sooo long and [spoilers] and also I'm going to become Edmund Bertram's personal bully.

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Isaac X Isaac @isaacxisaac.bsky.social · 7h

Alexander is either already aware of Plato's Symposium or will get more familiar with it in 1661. The image of the four-legged humans will stick with him and inform his later ideas of soulmates.

"I've been trying to find you again."

As for whether he's already found them in the first book, 🙂

Kiki Lee | Author ✒️ 🩷💜💙 @kikilegendlore.bsky.social · 9h

Writers and TTRPG Players, today's character question!

Does your character believe in soulmates? If they do, have they met theirs yet?

#ttrpg #authors #gamemasters #characterinsporation #characterdevelopment #characterquestion #writingcommunity #writersky #writingprompt

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Bookshop.org @bookshop.org · 8h

You made it halfway through the week *and* we still have free shipping? Sounds like the perfect time to treat yourself to a new book and support indie bookstores in the process. 📚

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Isaac X Isaac @isaacxisaac.bsky.social · 7h

#PlotTober
Alexander's family hugely limits his life, all in service of protecting him from being outed. They say to him that this is the cost of being trans.

But to Alexander, a life without the pursuit of deeds is not a man's life at all. So his bottled energy slides out sideways into… all this.

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 18h

#PlotTober Day 8: Conflicts for the MC

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

8. What are some potential reasons the main character(s) haven't, couldn't, and/or can't pursue these goals yet? Consider other characters, backstory events, circumstances, environmental factors, etc.

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

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Nectar Vam @nectar-vam77.bsky.social · 20h

#QueerPrompts 8

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Isaac X Isaac @isaacxisaac.bsky.social · 8h

#LGBTQWriteAThon
I sum it up as "queer swashbuckling farce"!

I consider it "a romance" in the Walter Scott sense rather than "a novel". Tension between realism and fantasy is a meta element.

Adventure, but in a small area.

And comedy in multiple senses—most importantly, the happy ending.

AmaraJLynn💎🌌🌺GEMS & STAR FLOWERS coming soon! @amaralynn.bsky.social · 11h

#LGBTQWriteAThon October 8:

What genre is your WIP?

#writesky #queerwriters #writers #lgbtqwriters

Image: a burnt orange background with two jack o' lanterns. Text: #LGBTQWriteAThon Use the tag and follow the feed on BlueSky! Tag @LGBTQWriteAThon in photos on Instagram! October 8: Genres.
BlueSky: @amaralynn @rebeccafrostwrites.com Instagram: @LGBTQWriteAThon @amarajlynn @krakengoddess

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Reposted by Isaac X Isaac

Bree VanBibber @nowimavampire.bsky.social · 14h

Do you, as a reader, prefer long series with fun stories in bite-size pieces? or do you prefer long books with dedicated themes and drawn-out tension? I know as a writer I fit into the prior category, but as a reader I'm more into the latter. Was just curious where other people sat on the topic.

a cartoon of winnie the pooh with his eyes closed and a red shirt

ALT: a cartoon of winnie the pooh with his eyes closed and a red shirt

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Isaac X Isaac

yancy ❤️ comms on hold @yancadoodles.bsky.social · Jul 2

Okay here's my updated commission info! I added some stuff ^^ and hopefully things are clear 😊
Sharing is always extremely appreciated! Thank you !💖

INFO > yancadoodles.carrd.co
FORM LINK > forms.gle/fZCokn6mdPcM...
KO-FI REQUESTS > ko-fi.com/yancadoodles...

#artcommissioninfo

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Isaac X Isaac @isaacxisaac.bsky.social · 22h

Actually let me add this snip relating to this theme and the character who most obviously embodies it.

I'm intending here to signpost that it's not only Alexander's unobjective viewpoint, but that he revises his assessment after getting to know him better, because good people must = good-looking.

Hunt was two years older and near half a foot taller, though his beard had not yet come in enough to make shaving worthwhile, blooming just a faint halo of brown over his cheeks. Unfortunately, it did not do much to disguise his pocks, which at first had rather shocked Alexander, who’d not pictured the stylish man he saw from a distance so marked—but in the four weeks they’d sat next to each other, he’d come to think it did not make him so unhandsome after all, for a few scars on their own could not overcome a gentle face and thoughtful eyes, reflective as the still surface of a blue-green kolk.

Reposted by Isaac X Isaac

Jason L. @jasonlangford.bsky.social · 23h

Oh tumblr, I can always count on you for wisdom

A tumblr post in two parts: the first post reads: writing is so fun. The second post reads: writing is impossible why does anyone do this.

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Isaac X Isaac @isaacxisaac.bsky.social · 1d

It's a historically-set, non-fantasy swashbuckler mostly involving totally fictional people, with some historical figure cameos! Real events take place but the focus is on made-up shenanigans of the protagonist.

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Isaac X Isaac @isaacxisaac.bsky.social · 1d

#QueerPrompts
Beauty's a huge theme, and not just inner/outer beauty but ugliness and the grotesque.

This period's wholeheartedly behind beauty=goodness, and character (male and female) is judged based on appearance. Alexander's drunk this juice too. But the reader can judge for themselves.

🌈CJ Aralore @cjaralore.bsky.social · 1d

#QueerPrompts October 7: National Inner Beauty Day: Does your story address outer vs inner beauty?

Graphics: The background is pumpkins surrounding a stack of books. The border has broken chains saying "BANNED", a rainbow saying LGBTQ History, books wrapped in tape or chains, pride flags, and cute Halloween characters.
Text: "October 2025" on top and "#QueerPrompts" and "Host: @CJAralore" on the bottom, all in a rainbow font.
Center text is:
#QueerPrompts October 7: National Inner Beauty Day: Does your story address outer vs inner beauty?

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Isaac X Isaac @isaacxisaac.bsky.social · 1d

#PlotTober
Alexander burns to live a vibrant man of honor, but many avenues are closed to him. So he jumps at scraps of opportunity to prove himself heroic. Lack of long-term goals/self-preservation let him risk everything for what he judges honorable or right even on small scales.

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 1d

#PlotTober Day 7: Main character motivations

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

7. Now that you've come up with some goals for your main character, ask yourself: why do they care? What are some potential motivations for pursuing these goals, even against their better judgment or self-interest?

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

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Reposted by Isaac X Isaac

A. J. Roberts/Skellington Liquorish @skeffington.bsky.social · 1d

Happy Prime Day! All of my published Kestrel and Scar stories...are available on Itch.

Check the pinned megathread for more details.

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Isaac X Isaac @isaacxisaac.bsky.social · 1d

TBH, the clothes

But the Restoration is a really vibrant and interesting period that IMO is underutilized in fiction. A lot of interesting things are happening re: gender, early Enlightenment, liberalism, more—and modern problems that will be handed down to us are forming and becoming entrenched.

"Charles II receives the Spanish Ambassador, Claude-Lamoral, Prince de Ligne, in 1660", believed painted by François Duchatel. A crowd of courtiers dressed in silver, gold, and scarlet, with wide lacy cannons, hats completely ringed with dyed ostrich feathers, and ribboned shoes, stand on a checkered floor below a throne draped with red cloth. Behind them are figures in full black ensembles and further behind them, even more spectators including women.

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Isaac X Isaac @isaacxisaac.bsky.social · 1d

#LGBTQWriteAThon
THE DUEL IN 1660 is set in, well, 1660(-61). England, mostly Westminster, immediately after the Stuart Restoration—the story's cultural backdrop.

I would like to write a series that follows Alexander's maturation 1660-1670, from age 15 to 25, but that will take me a looong time!!

AmaraJLynn💎🌌🌺GEMS & STAR FLOWERS coming soon! @amaralynn.bsky.social · 1d

#LGBTQWriteAThon October 7:

What is the setting and/or time period of your WIP?

#writesky #queerwriters #writers #lgbtqwriters

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#DVpit - Diverse Voices Pitch @dvpit.bsky.social · 1d

TOMORROW (Oct 8th) is #DVpit! Any unagented Marginalized writer or artist seeking out representation is invited to participate from 8AM - 8PM ET!
Please make sure you review our rules & guidelines before the event: dvpit.carrd.co#faq

#writersky #booksky #artistsky #weneeddiversebooks

#DVPit Rules
-#DVpit (Diverse Voices Pitch) is a Bluesky event for marginalized creators that have been historically underrepresented in publishing to pitch their work to agents & editors
-Post your pitch on Bluesky on Wednesday, Oct 8, 2025
between 8AM ET - 8PM ET
-Only post once per hour (6 max pitches per project)
-Must have a polished, query ready manuscript or art portfolio.
-Pitch must include the #DVpit hashtag (illustrators pitching their art must use the #DVArt hashtag)
-A like from an agent = a query request
-A repost from an editor = interest in submission once you've signed with an agent
-A like from an editor = editor who takes unagented submissions
-Please do not like or repost a pitch if you are not an agent or an editor. Support other creators by replying to their pitch or
quote-reposting their pitches
-Visit dvpit.carrd.co for more detailed guidelines.

#DVpit 2025 has 70+ Agents & Editors committed to participate & boost marginalized creators from the following literary agencies and publishers:
Andrea Brown Lit
Ash Literary
Azantian Literary Agency
Dystel, Goderich & Bourret
Folio Literary Management
Gallt & Zacker Literary
Gelfman Schneider Literary
Hachette
Grand Central Publishing
Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Harper Collins
Harlequin
Hanover Square
HG Literary
Inked in Gray Press
Jill Grinberg Literary
Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency
Macmillan
Feiwel & Friends
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Roaring Brook Press
Saturday books
Wednesday books
Mad Woman Literary
Neighborhood Literary
New Leaf Literary & Media
Open Book Literary
Page Street Publishing
Park, Fine & Brower
Penguin Random House
Ballantine
Berkley
Delacorte
Labyrinth Road
Penguin Workshop
Viking
Root Literary
Simon & Schuster
Aladdin
Atheneum
Atria
McElderry
Sheldon Fogelman Agency
Sourcebooks
Stonefruit Studio
Triada US
Writers House
Zando

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Isaac X Isaac @isaacxisaac.bsky.social · 1d

You are 100% correct!

Isaac X Isaac @isaacxisaac.bsky.social · 1d

A minor character in 1660 for today's #WIPSnips. But I would like her to feature again and more prominently later in my series…

“Have thee pride in thyself,” she began again, when he next appeared, “for persecuting peace-loving folk who have done no harm to their neighbours? Whom does thy prejudice serve? Make you the kingdom safe by shutting up voices you dislike—or make you it deaf? If difference of opinion is here the only crime found, there is here no crime at all, save the keeping of God’s children from the pure air of freedom! We have done nothing wrong!”
She was not afraid. She had before been jeered at, spat on, plashed once with a bucket of slop—now gaoled, and if beatings were to follow, she’d gladly add them to her other honours. She was a soldier, too, just as much as those big scowling men, armed to fight a Lamb’s War with weapons stronger than halberd or sword. Truth burned in her, and it made her angry.

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Isaac X Isaac @isaacxisaac.bsky.social · 1d

Edmund can get fucked

Reposted by Isaac X Isaac

TJ Alexander (they/them) @tjalexandernyc.bsky.social · 1d

as part of their anti-Prime sale @bookshop.org has free shipping for the next couple days.

you can support your local bookstore by buying from their bookshop page. or a favorite author! We get a lil kickback from any sales we drive. Here's my link w lots of book recs if that is of interest

TJ Alexander Bookshop

TJ Alexander writes about queer love. Originally from Florida, they received their MA in writing and publishing from Emerson College in Boston. They live in New York City with their wife and various h...

bookshop.org

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