Kuroshitsuji Writing Guide:

Chapter 2:

Modern Britain:

This chapter is a mix between general facts about the UK and ones directly related to modern day UK. The latter facts can be used to assist in writing modern AU fics.

This is a very important fact that a lot of people get very wrong:

· There is no such thing as a British accent

The accent you are likely to be trying to describe is an English accent.

The UK is made up of Great Britain and Northern Island. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales.

Therefore England is not the same thing as Britain- this is a common mistake.

There are a very large number of regional accents within England. No, we don't all speak with a cockney accent or with received pronunciation.

Examples of regional accents or dialects:

· Cornish

· Scouse

· Geordie

· Brummie

Schooling:

Preschool: Attended by children aged 3-5

Primary School: Attended by children aged 4-11. SAT exams taken in Year 6.

Secondary School: Attended by pupils aged 11-16. GCSE exams taken in Years 10 and 11.

Sixth Form/College: Attended by pupils 16-18. Now compulsory. A level exams taken in both years (12 and 13). It is possible to redo a year.

State Schools: Non fee paying schools funded by the state. The UK equivalent of a US public school. There are a range of schools under this banner like academies and free schools. The thing to remember is that if a character attends a UK school that is free to attend, it is a state school not a public school.

Private Schools: Fee paying schools. As opposed to state schools, they have an elected board of governors and do not have to follow the same regulations as state schools.

Things to be careful about:

· Public schools do exist in the UK. They are simply older and more expensive private schools like Eton or Harrow. Therefore, unless your characters attends one of these schools, the term public school should never be used.

· The use of the term "high school". This is a little complex to explain. Some all girls' schools have "high school" in their name. So if a male character attends an English secondary school and it is referred to as a high school, this is incorrect. However in Scotland, secondary schools can be called high schools. I have yet to see a modern AU Kuroshitsuji fic set in Scotland though.

Other points:

· Having a character say "bloody" or "arse" does not make them convincingly British. It makes them sound like a walking stereotype and it is painful to read. Avoid at all costs.

· Orphanages no longer exist so a character cannot come from one. The modern equivalent would be a children's home.

· There is more to England than London. We do not all live in London.