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Laura Vivanco

@lauravivanco

Independent scholar of popular romance fiction https://www.vivanco.me.uk/ On the Editorial Board of the Journal of Popular Romance Studies https://www.jprstudies.org/ My database of scholarship about romances: https://rsdb.vivanco.me.uk Can't access chat

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Latest posts by Laura Vivanco @lauravivanco

Survey still open! If you listen to/watch podcasts about romance fiction, please consider participating!
(Many, many thanks from my academic alter ego!)

14.03.2026 15:51 πŸ‘ 10 πŸ” 15 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I'm guessing the English and Welsh Greens might be having some chats with the Scottish Greens because they had a massive influx of new members after the 2014 referendum, so have experience of this kind of sudden expansion.

14.03.2026 13:11 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

This is not describing a "wealth gap" this is describing the equivalent of a faerie glamour which is cast onto leaves and tricks people into thinking they're looking at gold coins, but which wears off after a day or two, which causes havoc for anyone who's accepted them as real currency.

14.03.2026 12:28 πŸ‘ 18 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I'm off to doi.org/10.3998/mpub... to have a look.

14.03.2026 11:00 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

There have been people who plagiarise to get a PhD thesis because they value the status they ascribe to it. I'm thinking this is similar.

13.03.2026 16:53 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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New Research Reveals How the Nazis Targeted Transgender People Last year, a German court acknowledged the possibility that trans people were persecuted by the Nazis

I'm thinking it's got to do with gender roles and trying to force people to believe there's only one right way to be (and that's white and cis and het and, if you're a woman, subservient to a husband and producing children). It's happened before in that context.

13.03.2026 16:46 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

A medium-sized bookwyrm, because I could bribe it to leave by giving it free books.

13.03.2026 15:14 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD): Symptoms & Treatment Rejection sensitive dysphoria is when you experience overwhelming emotional pain when faced with failure or rejection. It’s very common with ADHD and is treatable.

Having read a tiny bit about things like RSD, I suspect that "enough training" is not going to be possible for everyone. Also, for many other people a negative voice is due to what they've heard from family so, conversely, I'd guess for some a positive voice is mainly "a birthright/gift".

13.03.2026 14:24 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

And is that someone called "Yorke Horner" at the very top of the list? Because that's making me think of Mr Horner in William Wycherley's The Country Wife.

13.03.2026 12:26 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Oh no! And that's such a beautiful rat, too.

13.03.2026 10:26 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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the eiffel tower is surrounded by fireworks and the words bravo bravo are above it Alt: the Eiffel tower is surrounded by fireworks and the words bravo bravo are above it
12.03.2026 19:57 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Contemplating the Cathar practice of endura is presumably level 100?

12.03.2026 19:48 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Dozens of U.S. service members in Kuwait suffered serious injuries, including burns, brain trauma and shrapnel wounds, sources say About 30 U.S. service members remained hospitalized Tuesday after an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait.

Just adding a link to the full article

12.03.2026 12:19 πŸ‘ 17 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

Yes, but might also mean Interpol came to pay you a visit if people realised it was a true crime confession. Editing journal reports on bookshops is a lot cosier!

12.03.2026 11:33 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Well, depending on how you interpret the wiggles. I didn't think there was a way to distinguish between "I see you" as a complete sentence and as a phrase within a longer sentence but maybe there is a way to do that?

12.03.2026 11:31 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

But with the rise starting in 1989.

12.03.2026 11:29 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Google Books Ngram Viewer Google Ngrams: "I see you", 1800-2022

The Google Ngram seems to show it really taking off in books from 2005

12.03.2026 11:28 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Definitely could have been worse: could have been

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me."

12.03.2026 11:05 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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20 shilling note, 1727 | NatWest Group Heritage Hub This note is from the Royal Bank of Scotland's very first set of banknotes, printed in 1727.

The very first Royal Bank of Scotland bank note, from 1727, included a picture of George II: www.natwestgroup.com/heritage/sub...

11.03.2026 23:41 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Banknotes of Scotland - Wikipedia

There are other banks whose notes are used in the UK. In Scotland, the notes have had Sir Walter Scott and Robert the Bruce, among quite a few others, and we've also had animals and buildings: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banknot... And here's the page for N. Ireland: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banknot...

11.03.2026 23:35 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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US responsible for deadly missile strike on Iran school, preliminary inquiry says Strike that killed at least 175 people, most of them children, reportedly the result of a targeting mistake by US military planners

Today's info is from the New York Times which is reporting preliminary findings by the US military. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

11.03.2026 22:29 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

😭

11.03.2026 21:14 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

The journal don't exactly make it easy to find the call for papers. This takes you to their main page, and you have to scroll down till you get to a line of tabs. Choose the one that says "Call for Papers" and then there's more scrolling to do to get past the general call for papers.

11.03.2026 20:20 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Gramarye: our Journal - The Chichester Centre for Fairy Tales, Fantasy and Speculative Fiction Gramarye is the Chichester Folk Tale Centre’s journal for folklore, fairy tales and fantasy. It is designed to appeal to both academics and the interested public and has been published since 2012.

Don't know, but this did make me go off to check the correct spelling of "gramarye" doi.org/10.1093/OED/... which has a journal named after it. www.sussexfolktalecentre.org/journal/ πŸ§™β€β™€οΈ

11.03.2026 20:08 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Amazon is determined to use AI for everything – even when it slows down work Corporate employees said Amazon’s race to roll out AI is leading to surveillance, slop and β€˜more work for everyone’.

Is this just general satire or have you been reading this. Either way, 😭

11.03.2026 18:10 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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In pictures: A short history of the Liverpool FC crest Liverpool FC have today launched two newly-designed crests commemorating the club's 125th anniversary.

Found this, which seems a better source and doesn't move so fast you can't make out the details properly.

11.03.2026 17:35 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
The Evolution of Liverpool’s Logo (1892–Today)
The Evolution of Liverpool’s Logo (1892–Today) YouTube video by Upper 90

To be fair, judging by this video of Liverpool FCs logos down the decades, originally the liver bird didn't walk alone, but now it does. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjI0...

11.03.2026 17:25 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

The Welsh dragon behind him looks like it wants to bite his head off.

11.03.2026 15:17 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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The Fascinating, Regal History Behind Britain's Swans The aristocratic bird's has a legacy as a luxury status symbol that dates back centuries

Or maybe it's an omen related to the No Kings marches because swans are associated with royalty?

10.03.2026 01:42 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Minister Robert Jenrick ordered painting over of child asylum unit murals Robert Jenrick is reported to have considered the cartoon images in the Dover centre too welcoming.

Sounds like the Trumpy (gilt edging, tasteless decoration trends), gothic version of this, and what should have happened after in Jenrick's house.

09.03.2026 23:26 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0