Esteemed members of the ton,
I write this as I, of course, catch up on the newly released episodes of Bridgerton. Do I watch it because it’s incredible television? Because it is intellectually stimulating, or because it has characters that truly speak to me? No. I watch it because it’s pretty, and sometimes horny, and because I like the sense of resolution and safety that comes with the trusted arc of the romance genre.
Context -> meetcute -> witty banter -> horny -> conflict -> horny again -> WEDDING. There’s so little in this world that we can rely on to follow expected patterns. The world is absolutely broken, and if one can take some comfort from the flighty little fuckers in a fictional gossip swamp, then it’s simple. One absolutely must.
There are other things that give me comfort, though. Namely, the heartwarming support we received from you, our dear readers, during the Australian Cultural Fund fundraising campaign that allowed us to publish this issue with confidence. To all of you who donated, subscribed, or shared our content during this campaign, thank you so much. You make this possible, and you make it worthwhile.
In particular, here are the donors who we are able to name:
Amy Hardingham, Chris Mikesell, Wendy Haynes, Gaele Sobott, Tiia Kelly, Roger Sharpe, Ted Witham, Scott Limbrick, Jonno Revanche, Kerry Rawlinson, Kate Humphreys, Joel Keith, Brianna Muir, Toby Fitch, Jack Forbes, Rebecca Cuschieri, Linda-Ann Ogonowski, John RC Potter, Sarah Giles, Peter Kettle, Terryl Asla, Zowie Douglas-Kinghorn, George Cox, Edmario Lesi, Samantha Sutton, Doug Jacquier, Matthew Green, Ed Ahern, Emilie Collyer, Alex Creece, & Victoria Manifold.
I hope you’re able to enjoy the fruits of this issue. The fireworks. The raunch, and the rancour. The razzle-dazzle, the tears, and the threads that connect us together, forever, across all the seas and all the borders of the world.
Our hearts are with you.