#love for sabetha always

[fandomscraziness22]

20 Questions for Writers

tagged by @legolasghosty thank you friend!!!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

88!! that's crazy!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

257,528 which is also freaking insane

3. What fandoms do you write for?

lots of different ones! i have the most for julie and the phantoms, but also lockwood and co, the bright sessions, and jurassic world: camp cretaceous/chaos theory. i do have ones for leverage, the flash, the 100, and a few others i think

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

love came crashing in (lco)

Butterflies and Glitter (jatp)

it's like this heart is defenseless (lco)

watching is worse (the second time around) (jatp)

stand up when it's all crashing down (pjo)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to! i used to be much better at always responding, but now i can't always muster up the energy to do it

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

literally all of them???? uhhhhh for jatp i've killed just about everyone but the most unmentionable ones are learn to live with the unimaginable (carlos) and i miss the days when (luke survives). for lockwood it's probs but the wolves came and went (and we're still standing) aka my torture fic. one of my personal favs is my flash fic, Betrayal (Or, how he finds out) ALSO ALMOST FORGOT i thought i was innocent (but there is blood all on my hands) for bright sessions!!

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

i do happen to have some fluff fics!!! you are alive. is one of my favs of my jatp ones, and what a glorious feeling (i'm happy again) for lockwood. also shoutout to i need you like water for my happy green boys kissing in the rain

8. Do you get hate on fics?

nope! i think i maybe sorta did once, but i just screenshotted it to share with my friends and laugh about it lol

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

no, but im not opposed to someday doing it. the closest i've gotten is i hate you i love you (i hate that i want you) for bright sessions or what a glorious feeling for locklyle

10. Do you write crossovers?

i sorta did once, but that fic is abandoned. i tend to do more of aus "just the one scene" combining my fav things, but not really crossovers

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, though i wouldn't be opposed!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

yes! me and @anthonyjlockwood have our club au series for jatp, and then our green boys fluff come meet me at the end of the (cereal) aisle

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

oh i cannot ever pick!!! percabeth is a childhood fav, elias/laia from an ember in the ashes (my favorite book of all time), bellarke (i refuse to believe rothenburg on that), juke and locklyle and green boys and nahri/ali from the daveabad trilogy (i love them)

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

joan helps caleb actually!!! i wanted to change how college tapes went, but idk if it's gonna happen. i just want joan to set caleb straight lol

16. What are your writing strengths?

physical injuries/angst is what i'm best at! also comign up with teh most niche of au ideas but only for one scene and nothing else lol

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i wish i could write flowery language and amazing metaphors, but alas, i cannot

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i've only really done it for jatp which i feel like was what everyone was doing in that era? idk, i try not to do it too often. tho i do still really want to include sign language into a fic because i actually know that

19. First fandom you wrote for?

the 100, though i wrote some of my own stuff for Lost and Narnia before that

20. Favorite fic you've written?

can't pick, and i've mentioned a lot fo my favs already. i'll give a shoutout to i know where i belong, my leverage parker happy feels fic, and i keep getting better at slowly getting worse my habor crest fic for caleb and mark!

tagging @sabetha and @anthonyjlockwood and anyone else who wants to do it!

[tobeathief]

The Rose of the Marrows

[salemsoul]

Thorn of Emberlain: Sabetha FanFic.

A little something I have written exploring what Sabetha could be dealing with after she leaves Karthain. (Spoilers for the first three books in the Gentleman Bastard Sequence). @incorrectgentlemanbastards this is about what we were talking about the other day.

Sabetha stepped off the boat and into the docks of Ashcoppin. It was a city north of Karthain in Balinel, far enough away she hoped nobody would recognise her and she could think about how she was going to make enough money to survive on for a while, before moving somewhere else. Not something she could dwell on for long, as she wasn't quite sure how long she had before making money in her usual means became difficult.

The docks were bustling with workers that paid her no heed as she walked past in her long chocolate skirts and red velvet jacket. Just another traveller passing through. She only had one bag with her filled with the only belongings she could pack when she left Karthain. The thought still weighed heavy on her heart. What, who she had left behind. And what that would mean for her now regarding her own situation.

Sabetha sighed, letting the thought go, and walked deeper into the city. Most of the people who lived here were merchants or were travellers waiting for the next ship out into the Sea of Brass, so the streets were very busy, enough so that she could disappear into a crowd if unwanted attention arose. She passed a few inns, but decided to opt to one deeper into the heart of the city so that she would have less chance of meeting so many travellers that could potentially recognise her. An added bonus to this, was that the inns deeper into the city were significantly grander, as they expected visitors to stay for far longer than a night or two.

She walked between two large brass columns and through the glass doors on one such establishment. The smell of citrus and lemongrass greeted her, a welcoming smell, and she paid for a room on the top floor. As she was now going to be careful about climbing for a while, at least she could enjoy the view of the city from her window.

She climbed the several floors to her room, surprised at how out of breath she was when she reached the top and settled in. The room indeed had a view of the city, and over the expanse of land, she could just see the glistening waves of the Sea of Brass. She could just about make out some features of people milling about below. An apple seller, basket in one arm, doffed his hat to a passing women, as her children hurried up to him, coins in hand and greedily grabbed a few apples. Sabetha's hand drifted absentmindedly to her lower stomach, as she stared transfixed at the children as they ran around in circles, taking large chunks from their fruit as their mother giggled, shaking her head.

She had been that young once, but she never remembered being so carefree. Would she have been different had she been allowed to grow up in her own mother's care instead of cradled in the harshness of the streets and what kind of mother would that make her? Had there ever been a point when she just lived without a thought but freedom and happiness. Her life had been carved in coldness and brutality. How was she supposed to raise someone differently?

She had found out when she reached the Ironhorn Mountains to secure a boat here. It had been a few weeks walk from Karthain, and when some of the mountain people had offered her some fish for dinner, the smell had caused her to throw up, then and there. One of the women joked about her being pregnant, which sent a cold chill down her spine. She had racked her brain for when her last bleed had been, when she had met Locke for dinner on the barge. Five weeks before.

That caused her to throw up again.

She had always been so careful in taking her daily tonic, since her first bleed, that in the flurry of running, Karthain burning behind her, she must have forgotten. Those first few days after she left were a blur in her mind.

Their local physiker had confirmed her thoughts, and for the rest of her stay she had stayed in quiet contemplation alone waiting for the boat. She would not be lying when she said her first words after that had been a string of colourfully arranged curses that would not be far from home in a sailor's mouth.

When she had left that night she packed everything she would need in sight before quickly leaving, never could she have guessed she had left with something she didn't pack. A stowaway, in her womb. Reminding her just exactly how much of a bad decision it was to leave. Preva, it seemed, had a sense of humour.

A few weeks on now, Sabetha had warmed to the idea of becoming a mother. Silently in her heart she hoped for a daughter. To have her own little girl to cherish, though a son certainly would not be unwelcomed. A daughter would be harder for sure. There are so many ways this world was more dangerous for a little girl, especially if she shared the colour of her hair. But Sabetha had survived, and thrived. She was certain if she had a daughter, through her careful guidance she would too.

Sabetha moved away from the window at last, shaking off her boots by the bed and undoing her jacket. Later, she would go downstairs and scope out any potentially targets using her feminine wiles, though that was the last thing she wanted to do, but now all she wanted was to rest.

She laid down atop the silk sheets and comforter and stared at the ceiling. She had a few months at best before she started to show, though she wouldn't be barred from making money her usual way, it would certainly be more difficult, so she would make as much money in these next few weeks as she could so she could seclude herself and raise her child comfortably for a little while after they were born. Or at least enough to live on until she hears about a city collapsing and heads towards where Locke and Jean were surely to be.

Locke. He had no idea. Not that she had known that their final love making that night of the election would lead them to this. Not that it would even cross his mind. He knew how careful she always was. Had witnessed it from when they first started their courtship that summer in Espara so many years ago. A part of her regretted not taking that tonic. How much trouble she surely was now in, completely alone. But mostly, she couldn't care less. She finally had something that was hers that nobody could take away from her.

She would find him one day, and tell him. Whether that was before or after their child was born was yet to be known. He would blame himself to be sure, and curse her for not finding him sooner. All of which she was prepared for. She cursed herself too.

She wondered if their child would be as troublesome as Locke. Whether they'd come out of the womb and pickpocket the physiker and drive her up the wall with their intelligence. She giggled to herself; a girlish sound she hadn't made in too much time. A child like Locke she could deal with, it was a child like her she was afraid of having. Stubborn and secretive. A child like herself, she wasn't sure could read.

Sabetha laid there, thoughts of the future swirling around her head as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

[random-jot]

one of many Gentlemen Bastards lines that has caused me to laugh out loud

[libertyreads]

Book Review #92 of 2021--

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch. Rating: 4 stars.

Read from September 16th to 22nd.

I’m going to attempt to keep this review short because today has been a day for me. I’ve been reading this one for about a week. I don’t know that I could have finished it any sooner given a bunch of stuff that has happened IRL during those days. But I still enjoyed being back in the world that Scott Lynch has created. And now I get to be like the rest of the saps who have to wait around for the 4th book to be announced. (Don’t pull a George R.R. Martin for the love of god.)

I like that every time we read a book from the Gentleman Bastard Sequence we get a little more about these characters and we get to see a different con that they’re pulling. Those cons don’t always work out, but we get to see them try. I was so happy we finally got to meet Sabetha after all of Locke’s moaning about her for two books. I really didn’t enjoy her at first. Not because I think she was poorly written or an unlikeable character. I just didn’t like a) how much craftier than Locke she seemed and b) what Locke turned into around her. Talk about a slack jawed idiot. Damn. But I grew to enjoy her more as the story progressed. I think seeing them both as teenagers and then again as adults helped me grow to like her as a character.

But overall I think this one just doesn’t hold the magic for me that book one did. I don’t know that any of the rest of the books in this series will. I hope they do eventually. I think my ratings have only gone down for each book. But still...for the third one I’m still giving it a 4 Star rating. That’s a great book. I think for me I need to be more surprised than I was in books 2 and 3 in order to feel the same sort of wonder and awe I felt in book 1. Which is hard to do when I’ve seen a lot of Locke and Jean’s tricks at this point. Sabetha did have a few tricks that I hadn’t seen before which was fun in this one.

Though, overall, this is one of my favorite series. Don’t take my critiques as being disillusioned with the Gentleman Bastard Sequence as a whole. I just have hopes that in the future I’ll be as enveloped in this world as I was the first time I read it.

[readingaccountability]

red seas under red skies - scott lynch

my playlist

final thoughts:

again with the lack of women?? halfway through the book we meet two female pirates who are absolutely excellent, but seriously the whole first half is almost fully male. (seriously i want to meet sabetha so bad. i have it on good authority shes in the next one but god making me wait SO long? agh) and then ezri dies :-( fridged other than that, super super compelling read! so many good moments and callbacks to the first book throughout this sequel. my favorite addition to the gentlemen bastards lore itself is the interweaving of 'thieves prosper, the rich remember' as their two guiding principles. SO fucking good. i loved locke giving the rites of the thirteenth for the dead, rather than lie and keep pretending to be a real ships captain, specifically to honor the souls of the departed i missed camorr but LOVED seeing other places, and enjoyed the ocean setting once we got there. ive been watching black sails so it felt timely lol it was also really intense to see the aftermath of the events of the last book in the 'reminiscence' chapters, the way that both jean and locke reacted felt really in tune with their characters. honestly they both became so much more real in this book and i loved it. drakasha is absolutely awesome, LOVE a good pirate captain. having her have kids aboard honestly was such a humanizing detail early on, and overall shes just such a cool and well written character, with consistent motivations and a lot of care for her family and crew. i LOVED ezri and jeans romance, their chemistry was solid and i liked the scenes where we got to see them banter one on one. always love seeing jean shine in scenes apart from locke honestly. still nursing a grudge against whatever publishers assistant wrote that jean is the sidekick on the back jacket description of the first book. he is NOT! they are equals dammit! the plot was also so fucking nuts. it was all over the place in a REALLY entertaining way, at times hard to remember all the threads. i can imagine how someone reading it over a longer span of time might get frustrated with that, but luckily i was kind of devouring it so i usually could recall what was happening, or at least where to reference back. any book whose wrap up and climax have me LITERALLY laughing maniacally is a gift, and this one seriously i was losing it. so so satisfying and entertaining all the way through, particularly as you get to see all the threads get tied up neatly and often comically. poor locke and jean though :-( getting forgeries lmao

[dontyouknowemma-itsyou]

I finally got the chance to finish Lies of Locke Lamora and wanted to say thanks for the rec again! I never would have picked it up on my own and damn would I have been missing out. Just absolutley loved it, its got con men, fantastic and unique world building, and I just loved all the characters❣ also the twins and Bug 🥺 I figure one of them would die but not all three 😭 Def thought Sabetha was gonna be the Gray King for a sec, glad she wasn't tho and really hope she shows up in the sequel! Thanks so much again and I hope things are going good with you 🧡💛🧡💛

OMG, I AM SO HAPPY YOU LOVED IT!!! Honestly, I cannot think of one flaw (well, maybe, but shhh). I love this book so much. This is the first book I have ever annotated, and literally the second the grey kind appeared on the page, what you mentioned is exactly what I wrote down. Great minds think alike;P.

I always go into a book expecting nothing, by which I mean that I am not really good at picking up these hints throughout the story, so I didn’t see anything coming at all!! I was reading that scene in the parking lot while waiting for my mom, freaking sobbing my eyes out. My heart is still broken about it!! The falconer is the first character to which I was like, you deserve all this pain.

Things are pretty good over here, thank you for asking:) Some days do feel like an absolute drag, but I have some fantastic thing heading to me in the future so that just keeps me going. I hope you doing well as well!!

[gentlememe-bastards]

Sabetha: Whatever you’re thinking right now, stop it.

Locke: What?

Sabetha: You always make that face when you’re about to say something stupid to make me mad.

Sabetha: So cut it ou-

Locke: I love you.

Sabetha:

Locke: Also cereal qualifies as a soup.

Sabetha: I KNEW IT.

[skullhaver]

(spoilers for The Republic of Thieves)

Listen, I adore every one of the Gentleman Bastard books. The Lies of Locke Lamora is maybe my favorite fantasy novel of all time. I recognize that it is very difficult to write a sprawling world and intricate plots, and so very easy to be a critic. 

All that said, I’m about half-way through re-listening to The Republic of Thieves audiobook and feel like reflecting on some thoughts and opinions. I know Scott Lynch uses tumblr from time to time, so on the off-chance that you’re him and you’re reading this: Thanks for the amazing books. I write this long post out of affection and interest.

Misc thoughts and opinions on The Republic of Thieves:

I. The amount of exposition is truly wild. 

a) Patience talks to Locke and Jean to make them trust her.  b) Jean explains to Locke how Locke’s got Depression. c) Patience explains how her magic will be used to cure Locke.  d) Patience talks about the Falconer and her personal life.  e) Patience explains the history and political situation of the Bondsmagi.  f) Patience explains the Five Year Game, the Bondsmagis’ role in it, and how Locke and Jean will be involved.

The main plot doesn’t start until 1/3 of the way through, and consequently, the beginning really feels like it lacks momentum. I dunno why it feels this way to me, because there should be tension about saving Locke’s life, yet it all just feels like “people talking / misc explanation” to me.

That said, I lose my goddamn mind every time with the Bug “sins on our eyes” scene. I truly don’t know what to make of that, which delights me.

II. Locke and Sabetha have zero chemistry. Listen, I like “characters are flawed people who hurt each other but are nevertheless in love.” I also like “characters have complicated lives and the circumstances of their relationship will never be easy.” I also like selfish, mean women! But, to me personally, I don’t understand a) why Sabetha has any reason to like Locke, and b) why Locke has any reason to like Sabetha.

a) Why does Sabetha like Locke? From Locke’s POV, she’s unaware of the his feelings (or at least, the extent of his feelings) but our boy is not subtle. There is no way she is unaware. 

So if I were a young girl, knowing that a boy I’d live with as a brother for the rest of my childhood was absolutely mooning after me, I would feel awkward as hell. I guess one response to awkwardness is for her to mostly ignore him and sometimes be genuinely mean to him? But it’s so weird that it took them until their mid-teens to actually have a conversation about it. Why wouldn’t Sabetha bring it up before then??  As a boy, Locke lets her do absolutely anything she wants to him. There is a scene where she beats the shit out of him in weapons practice, because he thinks it’s what she wants from him. We see Sabetha become flustered and annoyed because she “wants him to admit that he’s lost - that not quitting is not the same as winning” which like, I guess is a metaphor for their courtship, but idk, from a romance perspective, I just do not get what she could find endearing about this. She’s motivated by freedom and desire to break free from destiny - so what would she find romantic about doggedness and persistence, and someone who she always fundamentally views at-odds with her goal of breaking free from her pre-determined life? Especially when she and Locke almost never have moments (especially as children/teenagers) of genuine connection or even proper rivalry.

b) Why is Locke attracted to Sabetha? At a certain point I started thinking, “Locke, please get over her, you know nothing about her inner life... also, she’s mean as hell to you, so just acquire some dignity!” Because I spent much of the book like this, it was a weird relief to find out that Locke was attracted to her since childhood because of his past life/magical compulsion to love redheads. As a Doylist explaination, huh, odd choice. But as Watsonian explanation, it honestly made more sense than expecting me to believe that Locke had uwavering love from age six to age twenty six to a girl/woman who was nothing but cold to him. 

III. Unclear stakes around the Bondsmagi

I just fundamentally am not sold on the fact that they need Locke and Jean to tamper with the Karthani election. The limits of their powers feel so arbitrary and weird, and consequently, their background presence robs the book of a lot of stakes and tension. They can resuscitate a man fifteen minutes away from dying from “poison that makes you bleed from every orifice.” They can control the weather. They can paralyze you with a touch if they’ve got your true name. They can phase through walls and randomly teleport to you! Honestly, when the guy teleports into the bank vault to have a private conversation with Locke (another convo that feels like exposition, rather than an event), this just destroyed the tension I’d felt before. I thought, “Oh dear, at absolutely any moment, a Bondsmage can show up and change all plot circumstances.” And uh, indeed Patience does exactly that, later on...

IV. I want Locke, Jean, and Sabetha to do... more stealing.... 

As devotees of the Crooked Warden, they have a divine mandate to rob the rich, and there’s not enough stealing in this book. Okay, okay - I interpret the backstory in Espara as mirroring their political work in Karthain. In both cases, the Gentleman Bastards have to learn to do more than just simple thieving or con artistry. So I do think this works, thematically! But purely as a matter of personal preference (otgw horse voice) I wanna steal.

V. Man, what is Sabetha’s deal?

In a few moments, Scott Lynch almost offers some insight into Sabetha’s point of view, but I feel like he often falls short of giving her comprehensible motives. Maybe this is because Locke doesn’t understand her, and he’s the primary POV character for the flashbacks? But the overall effect is that Sabetha is inscrutable.

I think one great moment where Lynch reveals her motivations is the exchange where she says to Locke, “Did you ever realize that I was the leader of our little gang until you showed up? How do you think I feel when Calo and Galdo take my suggestions as suggestions, and your suggestions as commands?” Plus later, we establish her desire for independence and to forge her own path, separate from any pre-determined fate. I understand how these experiences and motivations weave together! But except when she outright tells us what she’s feeling, I felt like her actions in previous sections don’t really characterize her? Or maybe this is just meant to underscore how little Locke knows about her interior life?? But like, how could someone be attracted to someone else without knowing about their interior life and expect us to uncritically root for him?

Anyway, that’s what I’ve got for right now. Feel free to reply or message me with your Republic of Thieves thoughts, opinions, and criticisms! I love these books, and we have a small and humble fandom these days as we all await The Thorn of Emberlain :)

[asexualbookbird]

THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA BY SCOTT LYNCH  ★★★★1/2☆

The Thorn of Camorr is said to be an unbeatable swordsman, a master thief, a ghost that walks through walls. Half the city believes him to be a legendary champion of the poor. The other half believe him to be a foolish myth. Nobody has it quite right. Slightly built, unlucky in love, and barely competent with a sword, Locke Lamora is, much to his annoyance, the fabled Thorn. He certainly didn't invite the rumors that swirl around his exploits, which are actually confidence games of the most intricate sort. And while Locke does indeed steal from the rich (who else, pray tell, would be worth stealing from?), the poor never see a penny of it. All of Locke's gains are strictly for himself and his tight-knit band of thieves, the Gentlemen Bastards. Locke and company are con artists in an age where con artistry, as we understand it, is a new and unknown style of crime. The less attention anyone pays to them, the better! But a deadly mystery has begun to haunt the ancient city of Camorr, and a clandestine war is threatening to tear the city's underworld, the only home the Gentlemen Bastards have ever known, to bloody shreds. Caught up in a murderous game, Locke and his friends will find both their loyalty and their ingenuity tested to the breaking point as they struggle to stay alive...

Very rarely does an impulse read turn out well, but man am I glad I read this book. It's been recommended to me before by a few different people, but it was always one of those books I'd get to Eventually. I took it out of the library while waiting for an event, and I fell in love almost instantly. I loved just about everything about this book, which is so rare, and I had such a fun time reading this, even at the Painful parts. There are things I would have liked better had they been handled differently, but I'm told my concerns are fixed in future books, so that's promising! I'd also love to reread this some day and see if there's anything I missed because there's a lot happening here.

GOODREADS

My biggest complaint is women and the lack thereof. Our first prominent female character is killed pretty brutally, right when we start getting to know her, so I was disappointed. Most of the prominent female characters are killed off, actually, and yeah a few male characters as well, but there were so few women that stuck out more. I'm told this changes in the other books, and we might actually get to know the mysterious Sabetha, so I'm hopeful for the series as a whole. I do have to say, there was no assault for assaults sake, no looking down on female characters, no sort of misogyny you see in fantasy settings and that was such a relief! Male and female characters were treated equally, and it was so nice to see for a change, and proves to those "That's Just How It Was Back Then" people that it can be done, and it can be done well. There's a lot of room for improvement, but there's also a lot that was done well and I can appreciate that. I don't think I've read book that brought me to tears from laughter and from pain quite like this one did. There are some iconic moments, mostly of Locke, that just had me laughing to no end. The humor reminded me of Terry Pratchett, in some weird ADHD tangent way. It was witty, but it had a place. It wasn't trying too hard, and it felt real. It felt like real lines a person like Locke would say. Heck, it felt like lines, I would say. I'm very grateful for these bits, because once the Pain started it was a nice break. It was jarring because the humor set the tone of the book and then it just took a wicked dark turn, which is great, narratively, because you aren't expecting it, but awful emotionally because you aren't expecting it. I felt the same way with the interludes, to be honest. They were a bit jarring because you're pulled out of the current action, usually into a flashback to give some relevance to what's coming, but they acted as a break between intense scenes that allowed you to sit back and take a break from some pretty heavy scenes. The world and character building was amazing and definitely a high point in this book! Every single character felt real, and villains weren't just villains, they were People. They had wants and you felt for them, even when they were trying to kill everyone in sight. I don't think there was really anyone I didn't like. Everyone had their reasons for doing the things they did, and that's how it should be. Yeah, some people are evil just to be evil, but the best villains think they're the heroes, and that's what we have here. Villains who think they're right. And while I never thought Locke would die (there are two more books, and he's the titular character, he can't die), I still wondered how he'd get himself out of situations. So while I knew everything would turn out okay (debatable, I know), I did't know how, and finding that out was a wonderful ride. This is definitely a book I'd recommend, and I'm going to find the sequels soon I think. It's been a while since I've enjoyed a book as much as this, and I'd love to find more that has the same balance of humor, pain, and lack of misogyny.

[smalltownfae]

Bookish Priorities:

I want to get to all of these before the end of the year, but that seems a bit impossible so I just say I want to read all of these soon. This year was the year I dedicated myself to finding new fantasy authors. I read more fantasy books than usual.

“Best Served Cold”, “The Heroes”, “Red Country”, “Sharp Ends” and “A Little Hatred” by Joe Abercrombie (waiting for all of them to arrive)

I’ve read the First Law trilogy this year and I loved it so much that Joe Abercrombie became one of my favourite authors. YAY! I found a new favourite author this year! These books will be my priorities as soon as they arrive. I am also interested in the Shattered Sea trilogy, but there is no way I can read that too this year so I’m saving it for next year.

“The Game of Kings” by  Dorothy Dunnet (would be a new author for me)

People keep saying that this author is great, the stories and the characters are dramatic and complex and that the writing is beautiful so I am really intrigued.

“Wolfblade” by Jennifer Fallon (would be a new author for me)

Same as with Dorothy Dunnet.

“The Left Hand of Darkness” by Ursula Le Guin (waiting for it to arrive)

I’ve read “Four Ways to Forgiveness”, which is also part of the Hainish Cycle, some years ago and all I remember was that it was interesting and I liked it. It didn’t stuck with me though and it is not one of the most popular books by this author so “The Left Hand of Darkness” is the one I am the most interested about. I also want to read the Earthsea series but I don’t own that yeat so I will read all of these other books before that.

“Circe” by Madeline Miller

I already read “The Song of Achilles” this year and I really liked it. I like her writing style very much and how she works around mythological characters and well known myths.

"The Soldier Son Trilogy” by Robin Hobb

Ah! One of my favourite authors and responsible for writing my favourite series of all time. People caution me about this trilogy so I’m going into it with no expectations. I admit that I am only interested in it because it’s Robin Hobb since the plot doesn’t really seem to be like my kind of thing - it sounds like military stuff and I am not a fan of that.

"Castle in the Air”, “House of Many Ways” by Diana Wynne Jones

I’ve read “Howl’s Moving Castle” this year and instantly became one of my favourite books. I was really susprised by the author’s writing style too. I am not in a hurry to get to these because that first book has a very good conclusion but they will be quicker to read than everything else on this list.

"The Republic of Thieves” by Scott Lynch 

I really really want to meet Sabetha but I need to be in a certain mood to read this series. 

"Child of the Prophecy” by Juliet Marillier

I just need to finish the first trilogy in the Sevenwaters series because this is getting embarassing. I also own 5 more books by this author that I haven’t read yet. I love this author. I don’t know why it takes me so long to read her books. It might be because they are translated in portuguese... even though I think the translations are really good when I read the quotes in the original language it always sounds even more beautiful and I kind of regret not having bought them in english.

“The Goblin Emperor” by Katherine Addison (would be a new author for me)

This has been on my list for some years now and I keep seeing it around lately here on tumblr so I’m really curious about it.

“The Well of Ascension” and “The Hero of Ages” by Brandon Sanderson 

I really need to finish the Misborn trilogy. Look, Sanderson is fun but his style doesn’t grab me as much as other authors.

A Gathering of Shadows and A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab 

More or less the same I feel about Sanderson. Even though I liked these characters more.

Other Books I want to get to soon:

Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Lady Susan, Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, Station Eleven, Theft of Swords, Traitor’s Blade,  Swordspoint, Guards! Guards!, The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, Carmilla, The Halloween Tree, Something Wicked this Way Comes.

[proto-language]

Gentlemen Bastards and 1789 for the fandom thing?

Thank you so much!!

Gentleman Bastard Sequence

Favourite Male Character

Kinda generic but I have to say Locke Lamora, closely followed by the Sanza twins, who probably would’ve been my faves if they’d been allowed to live for more than half a book. Locke’s just such an interesting character: so smart and so stupid at the same time, a thief and occasionally a killer but also a pretty dedicated priest in his own way, able to talk his way out of just about any situation (and to hang on til Jean can save him when he can’t) but also awful at talking about his own feelings. As for Calo and Galdo; more than anything, they just made me laugh, but their care for Locke and Jean and Bug was so sweet, even when it manifested itself in the form of a threat to knock Locke out and drag him out of Camorr if they had to to get him out of danger.

Favourite Female Character

This one’s a little bit harder. I think I’d currently say Ezri Delmastro, but I’m also only halfway through Red Seas Under Red Skies (I’m like 99% sure things aren’t going to end well for her), and so haven’t actually met Sabetha yet. She’s so funny and scary and yet sweet, and frankly she and Jean deserve each other, and I can’t currently remember any specific thing she did because my memories of RSURS are weirdly foggy compared to TLOLL, but................ she. Also, I loved Nazca a lot, but again she didn’t really live long enough for me to get attached to her in the way I am to others.

Least Favourite Character

I mean, there are plenty of choices. The fucking Grey King/Capa Raza is one of them, obviously. Outside of obvious antagonists, frankly I’d have to say Sabetha right now. It’s not that I dislike anything about her or her character (or at least what I’ve heard of it), but just that it’s been a book and a half and we’ve heard Locke and Jean and the Sanzas and Locke again going on about her, and never had a single scene with her - I’m sure there’s probably a point to it, but I’m dense, and so it just annoys me.

Favourite Ship

Hmm, I guess I’d have to say Jean and Locke - I’m not actually particularly interested in shipping for this series? The fanart and fics for them are really cute though!

Favourite Friendship

Obviously just the whole dynamic of the Gentlemen Bastards - Jean, Locke, Calo and Galdo’s brotherhood, the way they work together and tease each other and ultimately would do anything for each other. The way they all mentor Bug, constantly take the piss out of him, but in the end he was becoming like a younger brother to them all too. The way that, in RSURS, Jean (eventually) knows exactly what to do to help Locke and get him to start living again. Yes, this is something I think about at least twice a day.

Favourite Quote

Oh man, there’s a lot. The whole liars and bastards ritual:“‘I only steal because my dear old family needs the money to live!’ [...]‘Liar!’ they chorused.‘I only steal because this wicked world won’t let me work an honest trade!’ Calo cried, hoisting his own glass.‘LIAR!’‘I only steal because I have to support my poor lazy twin brother, whose indolence broke our mother’s heart!’ Galdo elbowed Calo as he made this announcement.‘LIAR!’‘I only steal,’ said Jean, ‘because I’ve temporarily fallen in with bad company.’‘LIAR!’At last the ritual came to Bug; the boy raised his glass a bit shakily and yelled, ‘I only steal because it’s heaps of fucking fun!’‘BASTARD!’“

And its reprise before Locke has to pretend to be the Grey King, which is too long to reasonably put here. And, of course, “Nice bird, arsehole”, because Locke has never ever just kept his goddamn mouth shut.

Worst Character Death

Literally all of them!!!!!!!!!!! I’m fine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m totally over it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In particular, Calo and Galdo and Bug, who I feel I can count as one, because it was one scene. Calo and Galdo because they were my favourites, and it was so damn unexpected - I genuinely thought it was some kind of joke or trick they’d played, until Bug was killed as well. Bug’s death was just so sad in every way: he was only a kid, he doubted his place among the Bastards, Locke was trying so so hard to reassure him and yet he couldn’t. Nazca gets an honourable mention, for both horrificness and shock factor

“This made me so happy you have no idea” moment

Again, the liars and bastards ritual, because it was one of the best moments of interaction between the five of them, and it was so funny and so heartwarming at the same time - pretty much the closest we got to “domestic” life, tied with some of the scenes from Locke’s childhood. Also, the very last few pages. Locke and Jean reflecting on their friendship, their losses, and how shit Locke’s real name is, whatever it may be (I’m still genuinely dying to know)

Saddest Moment

Tie between Calo/Galdo/Bug’s deaths, and the second-to-last-ish scene, after Locke’s killed the Grey King and Jean finds him, bleeding out, and Locke gets all “Jean you gotta leave me here to DIE I’ve MESSED UP I can’t GET UP so DON’T BOTHER” and Jean just picks him up and calls him an idiot.

Favourite Location

Is is valid to say all of Camorr? It’s just such an awesome setting, so vibrant and full of life and wonderful and horrible, and I only realised when I started reading RSURS that it feels like home, and I’m so sad we probably won’t get to go back there.

1789

Favourite Male Character

Mmm, I’m tempted to say Lazare - he’s just one of the most interesting, and easiest to speculate/imagine about, being neither a historical figure nor a main character. His relationship with Ronan is always interesting to think about too - it probably also helps that Nous Ne Sommes is highkey one of the best songs from the musical imo!

Favourite Female Character

Would it be bad if I genuinely said Charlotte? I love Olympe and I love Solène, but Charlotte’s just like... this random sassy child who interferes in Olympe and Ronan’s love life and apparently hangs out with Danton on the regular, and that’s just very iconic of her.

Least Favourite Character

I mean, I have a love-hate relationship with Ronan (like someone else we know. possibly a few people, to be honest. possibly everyone who knows him). Frankly, I see a lot of myself in his tendency to shout and get angry and accidentally mess up with his sister, but they’re also not sides of myself that I like. But I do admire his willingness to stand up and fight for something he believes in, which is something I lack despite all my anger, and I’m still pretty attached to him. I don’t know if he’s my least favourite, but he’s certainly most interesting to write about in that respect.

Favourite Ship

I’d say Lazare and Ronan, with Olympe and Solène a close second. Ronan and Lazare and Olympe and Solène are both couples with such different circumstances, and it makes it really interesting to think of the ways they would (or wouldn’t) work around and overcome that.

Favourite Friendship

Is it valid to say Danton and Charlotte, because that was honestly sweet. Otherwise, I feel Ronan and Olympe, despite being pretty bland romantically at best, would’ve made a really awesome friendship. Unfortunately, 1789: Les Amis de la Bastille, isn’t such a catchy title apparently

Favourite Quote

Not so much a quote, but the reading of the Declaration-Whose-Name-I-Can’t-Recall-Right-Now at the end generally makes me cry, as does “Je veux sourire à tes erreurs”, etc in Pour la peine, because I am Soft and Weak, despite Ronan and Olympe being such an uninspiring couple

Worst Character Death

Ronan/Olympe, I suppose? Did anyone else die?? No death actually affected me too much emotionally

“This made me so happy you have no idea” moment

Ronan and Lazare/Louis and Matthieu’s hug during Pour la peine, and generally all of Au palais royal

Saddest Moment

I’ve surprised myself, actually, by initially thinking of Je vous rends mon âme -  that’s my initial reaction, but I’m not actually sure what my saddest moment would be. As much as I love it, 1789 has never really emotionally killed me quite the same way MOR does?

Favourite Location

The staging of the storming of the Bastille is super cool, let’s be honest.

[tobeathief]

Blow a couple bucks on me…

[salemsoul]

Prophecies and Spiky Cats: Chapter 2

The sun could just be seen bathing the streets in a comforting glow as Sabetha, wrapped in a thick woollen cloak, shuffled through the burning city. She passed an apothecary shop on her left. It’s windows black with smoke; the view inside haunting and dark. Another victim to fires from the night before. So there really was to be no other option.

Sabetha made her way to the bay, dodging glassed eyed people stumbling throughout the streets. The cold sea air greeted her, biting at her skin as she scanned the docks for a ship she knew should be there.

After a few minutes of searching, she found it.

The Volantyne's Resolve.

The same ship she had packed Locke and Jean onto after they had arrived in Karthain. To think that if it wasn’t for their smarts and tenacity, she and Locke would still be distant, lost friends. Long ago lovers.

That would have been better. It would have been better that he had hated her for playing a dirty trick than her let them fall back in love again, only to leave him when she promised she wouldn’t. He will be more than angry at her. Locke could never hate her, but he’ll be so disappointed. She had yet again broken his heart.

And what did she do it for? For a lie probably. She willingly went along with everything Patience wanted, like a puppet. That wasn’t who she was, who she wanted to be.

Patience didn’t make her leave, she willingly left causing all that pain to Locke herself. She was so, so stupid.

Maybe she had just wanted an excuse to run. Maybe she had summoned Patience with her doubts and invented a few stories in the hopes one of them would make her go running.

A pawn. That is what she had become. This was not the strong woman she had dreamed to become as a child. Someone who would fight for what they believe in and not let anyone walk all over them. Every bit of pain she was about to suffer was justifiable.

As she walked up to the ship, Patience's words rang true in her ears like a death bell. 'No matter what decisions you make today, you will leave this house carrying Locke's child.' Patience could have been lying of course. Just because they had had sex and she couldn't drink her contraceptive tea didn't mean she would become pregnant. It could have been all a deception to cause Locke more suffering. Maybe it wasn't the loss of a child Patience wanted to cause him, but the very thing he desired most in this world just when he has had it back. Her. And she had let her do it.

It wasn't too late. She could turn back. But Sabetha, clinging onto that piece of the future that could be all hers. Just hers. Walked on to the deck and didn’t look back. As she boarded, a few sailors started to tell her she shouldn't be aboard when Solus Volantyne stepped out of a cabin and turned pale at the sight of her.

"Oh, dear Mistress Gallante. I'm so sorry, your charges. They jumped overboard and must be shark bait by now. My apologies for the failure. Your esteemed forgiveness I must beg of you."

"Never mind that. That is in the past. I am not here about those two, I require safe passage out of Karthain. And in return, I will pardon you from your slip-up and not ask for my money back, and some."

"Of course, of course. Any request on where you would like to go?"

"No. Anywhere. Just out of here, and not the marrows, either. Show me to my cabin. We must leave as soon as possible."

"Yes, Mistress. This way, and I'll have Aldaric cook you something as soon as possible."

"Excellent." Volantyne showed Sabetha to her room. It was ornately decorated with cushions and silks and lanterns. It even still had the bars on the windows. Sabetha smiled at the thought of being in the same room as she has shipped of Locke and Jean. The copy of Lucarno's Republic of Thieves was still on the shelf among the many other books. "Thank you Volantyne, you may leave me now."

Volantyne politely nodded and closed the door behind himself. Many times it annoyed her how men would grovel at her feet like she was some land walking Goddess, but most of the time it had its advantages. It wasn't her fault they would throw themselves to the sharks to please her. And it became useful when she wanted to squeeze them from every copper they owned. That, she didn't want to do to Volantyne, but a free trip out of Karthain was nothing to scoff at.

Sabetha had just sat down on one of the low beds with a book when a Vadran man with greyish-blonde hair stumbled into the cabin carrying a silver tray set. "I have your-ah damn." He cursed as something small and fast ran between his feet almost tripping him up. "Come back here you little ankle biter." The ankle-biter in question ran out of the reach of the cook and onto the bed with Sabetha. Peering around her, teasingly.

"Oh, who are you, you gorgeous little thing," Sabetha said, picking the cat up into her arms. It couldn't have been more than a year old and was pure black, with a splodge of white on its neck. "You're very regal looking aren't you."

"That's our latest stowaway Mistress, he jumped ship about a week ago and seems to think he owns the place. The other cats don't quite know what to do with him.”

"Oh, a troublemaker, are you?" Sabetha said, giving the cat a playful tap on the nose, "Then I will call you Locke, that'll suit you."

Aldaric set the tray down on one of the low tables, "I'm so sorry about him Mistress, I'll remove him right away."

"Nonsense, he can stay and keep me company. I've had my fair share of troublemakers in my life, this one is no different." At that, the cat started to purr affectionately and rub his head on her hands.

"As you wish it, Mistress," Aldaric said with a slight bow, "Here are the foods you requested. I will now take my leave." Sabetha thanked him and he disappeared with a click of the door.

Sabetha gently pushed the cat, Locke, off her lap and received a disgruntled mew in response. "Oh shush, you have to let me eat something," And replaced him with the tray of food. Sabetha lifted one of the lids and a steaming bowl of what looked like vegetable soup was underneath. Under the others, she found a few slices of thick crusty bread, some cold meats and cheese. It all smelled divine.

Locke meowed in response and tried to push himself up on to the tray, only to be gently batted down. "Now, if you behave, I'll let you have some, ok?" The cat looked vaguely annoyed by the notion, but sat down next to her, eye level with the food and did not move an inch.

Halfway through her meal, Locke still not having moved from his perch, she broke off some meats and cheese and offered them to the cat, who greedily accepted with sharp teeth. Locke then began growling possessively.

"If you continue, I'm going to start growling too. I gave you that food, I'm not going to take it back." He eyed her and continued to munch on the food in silence.

Sabetha finished her meal and offered the last few scraps to Locke, who greedily licked at the bowl until it looked unused and clean. "You were sure hungrier than you looked, rat population a bit low, huh?"

Locke licked his lips and moved to the end of the bed, circled a few times before curling up in a ball and started to wash himself. Sabetha giggled and laid down next to him, book in hand until they were curled up together.

As Sabetha began to read, Locke started biting and licking her fingers, and when he noticed her staring, rubbed up next to her playfully and curled under her chin, giving her jaw a few playful nips and licks. "Oh, a flirt are you? You are almost as bad as your namesake." Locke just purred, while Sabetha stroked him and read herself to sleep.

[gansey-just-gansey]

A TRC pass the post

Concept: List the characters of the Gangsey individually alongside the traits you think you share with them. Add other characters if you want to, and tag 5 more people to do it after you

Tagged by: no one, but I took this from @if-you-cannot-be-unafraid thank you for starting this!

Gansey: mom friend, can't sleep, studious only about things I'm interested in

Blue: dark hair, feminist af, own many cats

Ronan: angry, love animals more than people, always tired

Adam: bisexual, nerdy, family problems

Noah: punk rock aesthetic, always cold, enthusiastic about small things

Henry: care about the environment, into robotics, scared of close spaces

Tagging: @sargents @sabetha @hannenina @zeniksnina @glendowersbitch

[stardustreviews]

After months of inactivity, I have returned with two posts! One of them was my Summer of Salt review, but now I’d like to look toward the month ahead. It’s weird to think that it’s already June 2nd, isn’t it? The upcoming days bring me lots of things to look forward too: the end of a busy semester, my birthday, and plenty of time to read. That’s why I’ve given myself an 8-book long TBR for the month! Perhaps it’s a bit ambitious; perhaps essentially knocking out the rest of my Goodreads Reading Challenge is a bit of a stretch. Nevertheless, between book clubs and trips to the library, I’ve made the commitment for pretty much all of these. 

This list isn’t as queer as I wanted it to be for Pride Month, but I also have a secondary TBR (I Wish You All The Best; The Disasters; Red, White, & Royal Blue; etc) in case I do manage to finish all 8 of these.

Without further ado, here’s what my next month in reading will look like!

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan This cover caught my eye when I was browsing in the library. My friend Cas had recommended it to me ages ago, and the prospect of a nice, lighthearted portal fantasy sounded good. In fact, I’m about 100 pages into it, and the humor combined with biting sociopolitical commentary absolutely delights me.

Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young This one I’m buddy-reading with @sampagnereads and Sage. Normally dystopia isn’t my thing, but I love the prospect of women growing enraged at the system which repressed and opressed them, and responding with furious violence.

Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser SotC has been on my TBR for AGES, but it’s always been low priority whenever I visit Barnes & Noble. Once I went to the library, I was overjoyed to see it! Water-oriented swashbuckling adventures in fantasy realms are always my cup of tea, even when they’re straight.

Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore After I read Wild Beauty this spring, I fell deeply in love with McLemore and the magical realism genre as a whole. There’s something so wondrous in the tales she spins, the settings she so carefully enchants. As soon as I entered my library, I made a beeline for this book, and I cannot wait to cry as I finish the last 50 pages.

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan Yes, I’ve already read GoPaF, but I enjoyed it and I am a devout believer in rereads. Besides, the WLW book club I’m in chose this as their June novel. And this TBR really does need some more queer books.

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Sci-fi isn’t really my thing, but The Illuminae Files bowled me over. When I heard the authors were coming out with another series, I jumped at the chance to own it— and, as it turns out, Aurora Rising is @sixofcrowsnet‘s first network book club read! I’m excited for the witty dialogue and tight plots I’ve come to expect from this dynamic duo.

We Hunt The Flame by Hafsah Faizal Everyone and their mother is talking about We Hunt The Flame, and according to some trusted friends, it’s worth all the hype. While I probably won’t join in on Barnes and Noble’s book club discussion of it, this still presents a good excuse to buy and devour WHtF immediately.

All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater I’m fairly certain Megan ( @sargents), Jenna ( @sabetha) and Caro ( @astranautics) would kill me if I didn’t put this on here. Anyways, I’m happy to read it. Over a year and a half ago, I stumbled upon a signed copy at the mall, but for some reason I haven’t picked it up yet. Now I’m determined to finish it. Maggie’s singular writing style has always enchanted me, and the magical realism setting is certain to be my death.