Christian / Wife / MomI’m just here cuz I love the Queen’s Thief series. Seriously, read it! Come join the QT discord athttps://discord.gg/vre2ag3whn
867 posts
Jhawkgirl - Aka Kikicat - Tumblr Blog
It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen’s shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day.
hi, i'm very cool and normal about these books, don't worry about me
"What will you do now?"
"Oh, [...] grovel, I suppose."
The Queen of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
Wow, unfollowing David now. Big fan of his music, didn't realize he killed a guy to sleep with his wife
Works are Live!
Stories and art are revealed!
You can read and view them here.
Stop by, enjoy, and don’t forget to leave comments—especially for your gifters.
FYI: AO3 has been logging people out unexpectedly for the past few days, and commenting seems to be one of the things that's triggering it, so copy your comments before hitting post in case it happens to you!
If you have a fanwork in the tag, remember to update the publish date so you don’t appear behind already-published works! I’ll be leaving the collection open for last-minute treats until creator reveals in case anyone wants to get one in before reveals!
If you signed up for the exchange, you should be getting an email with a link to your gift. You can also find it by opening your AO3 page and following the Gifts link in the left-hand navigation pane on the left. Please remember to show your author or artist lots of appreciation!
Fanworks will remain anonymous until Saturday, September 28. However, if you’d like to reply to comments on the stories or art you posted, you can go ahead–your name will be hidden until then.
I'm trapped in quarantine so I've decided all my male practice art is just going to be Gen :' ) it's giving me the opportunity to actually paint in clip studio and boy I am struggling
I wasn’t planning on participating in this contest, but a friend just texted me asking for book recommendations and accidentally let slip that she read The Thief and never read the sequels!! so here is my entry for the Queen’s Thief giveaway:
#WinASignedSetofTheQueensThief2024
“I have a few specific thoughts and rebuttals to statements made by recently disavowed church influencers…first of all, I am stunned that the seemingly most important thing for these leaders who have lost their faith is to make such a bold new stance. Basically saying, ‘I’ve been living and preaching boldly something for 20 years and led generations of people with my teachings and now I no longer believe it..therefore I’m going to boldly and loudly tell people it was all wrong while I boldly and loudly lead people in to my next truth.’ I’m perplexed why they aren’t embarrassed? Humbled? Ashamed, fearful, confused? Why be so eager to continue leading people when you clearly don’t know where you are headed?
[…] And lastly, and most shocking imo, as these influencers disavow their faith, they always end their statements with their ‘new insight/new truth’ that is basically a regurgitation of Jesus’s words?! It’s truly bizarre and ironic. They’ll say ‘I’m disavowing my faith but remember, love people, be generous, forgive others.’ …. How would you know ‘what is good’ without Jesus’s teachings?
[…] I’m amazed that so many Christians want the benefits of the kingdom of God, but with the caveat that they themselves will be the King.”
Read in full.
Return of the Thief will be released on October 10, 2024 and there will be TWO matched sets of all six books! Wahooo!
Been sitting on this one for a couple of months. I'd like to thank my new drawing tablet for bringing it to tumblr. I'd also like to thank Gen and Irene for occupying my thoughts 24/7. Original art here.
When you have an inside joke and it terrifies everyone
(gotta get back in the swing of drawing these two aaaaaaa!!)
Saw this on Facebook and it's awesome. :)
“I think he understood Éowyn very well. …In my experience feelings and decisions ripen very quickly (as measured by mere ‘clock-time’, which is actually not justly applicable) in periods of great stress, and especially under the expectation of imminent death.”
— JRR Tolkien, in a letter defending Faramir/Éowyn
C 👏 S 👏 LEWIS 👏 WAS 👏 NOT 👏 MISOGYNISTIC
IM SO SICK OF THIS TAKE
“But he said girls shouldn’t fight in battles—" No, actually. What he said was “Battles are ugly when women fight.” Which literally translates to “in a war where women are required to fight to help win it, it means the war itself is really bad.” And this literally just means that the war has gotten so bad that women have to fight, not that women shouldn’t fight. Just that they shouldn’t be forced to. Anyway, remember Lucy?? Lucy who rode to battle in The Horse and His Boy?? Lucy who fought as an archer?? “But Susan didn’t—" Yeah. Because she didn’t want to. No one was forcing her not to fight. She had free will to fight or to not fight, and she chose not to because she didn’t want to, not because a man made her stay home.
“He punished Susan for growing up—" S i g h. This is the one I see the most often. “He did Susan dirty” “he made her suffer because she liked lipstick” “etc etc blah blah blah” First of all Narnia is a children’s book series. For CS Lewis to delve into why Susan forgot Narnia, talk about her dealing with the death of her entire family, discuss her grief, and write about her eventual return to Narnia (more on that in a second), it would’ve made for a pretty dark and heavy children’s book, and Lewis said that he didn’t think that was something he wanted to write. But he also encouraged people to finish Susan’s story themselves, and said she might eventually make her own way back to Narnia. Not only this, but Susan’s name means lily, and the waters around Aslan’s country are covered in lilies. Coincidence? I think not. I think it symbolizes she was going to go back. (Especially considering I think Lewis was very careful in choosing each of the Pevensie’s names, since they all relate to their character).
Also, Lewis did not condemn Susan simply for growing up and liking makeup and clothing and boys. If so why would he have written about Aravis and Shasta/Cor, or Caspian and Liliandil? Why would he have written about Susan and Lucy being beautiful and having many suitors? So no, he wasn’t condemning her for that, and in fact he wasn’t condemning her at all. It’s extremely probable that her family’s death would have brought Susan back to her senses. Because here’s the thing: she forgot. She threw herself so much into the world and approval and convinced herself that her life as a queen and her acquaintance with Aslan was all a silly game they played as children, that it wasn’t real. But, she very well could remember again, and I 1000% believe she did.
“All his female characters were weak and did nothing—" My friend. Lucy Pevensie was a female. She discovered Narnia. It was because of her. Her siblings would never have found it without her. Lucy is one of THE most important characters in the entire series. And her title? The Valiant. Lucy’s very title as queen denoted her bravery and fortitude without one even knowing her. As for Susan, she was not any weaker for being “The Gentle.” I would say gentleness is honestly one of the strongest traits a person can have, because it takes a lot to live and be gentle. Also remember Aravis? A major character in The Horse and His Boy and future wife of Shasta, Aravis literally nearly killed herself to escape an arranged marriage. She was not someone to be dictated to; she made her own choices and escaped rather than submitting. And in the end, she’s still fiery, just a little more humble and with less of a chip on her shoulder. Then there’s Polly, who is the more logical person in The Magician’s Nephew and tries to stop Digory from ringing the bell that wakes the White Witch. A boy causes her to awaken, not a girl. It was Digory’s fault she woke up, not Polly’s!!
Also, Peter and Edmund do not ignore their sisters because they’re girls. They listen to what they have to say and speak to them as equals. They don’t forbid them from fighting; Susan chooses not to, but Lucy goes straight into the heart of the battle with them! So don’t even say Lewis made his female characters weak. They were the backbone of much of the series and without them much of the plot would never have happened!!
So don’t you ever say to me that CS Lewis was misogynistic because it’s the furthest thing from the truth
We’re in the final stretch! 12 hours! This is your last chance to sign up, adjust your offers (Do Not Wants, requests, adding a letter etc). After I close sign ups, you will not be able to modify your response including to add a link to your letter. I’ll post a note about matching after I close tomorrow but I’m aiming to have everyone their match by Sunday. If there are any issues with individual sign ups I may email folks so please check your AO3 emails for the next couple of days.
Queen's Thief fanworks exchange—2 days left to sign up!
There are two more days left to sign up for the exchange! Signups close on Friday, August 9 @ 8pm ET, so you've still got the next couple days.
You can sign up here.
As a reminder, both fanfic and fanart is eligible for this exchange! In very exciting news, 50% of signups are currently offering fanart which, given the quality of fanart in this fandom, is a tremendous win for all of us.
If you've already signed up or want some inspo, now is a great time to take a look at what people are requesting in case it inspires you to add some more offers!
You can see a summary of what's being requested/offered here, as well as a detailed list of requests on AO3 or the AO3 Automagic App (which has an easier-to-filter UX) — just be sure to sort by character instead of fandom.
As always, please reach out if you're nervous/unsure how to sign up—we'd much rather hold your hand through the process than have someone wish they'd been able to sign up!
Why you should write healthy marriages:
1. They aren’t done enough.
2. They help other people understand what a healthy relationship looks like.
3. Fights can last for weeks and still be part of a healthy marriage.
4. Stereotypes. Break all the marriage stereotypes.
5. Soft cute couple moments DON’T stop after marriage.
6. Marriage is completely independent of character arcs. Those two individuals with trauma will still be two individuals with trauma but with gold rings.
7. A healthy marriage is one where people understand that their partners have baggage/trauma/flaws, but love them even in rough patches.
8. It isn’t that healthy marriages aren’t compelling, it’s that people don’t know how to write marriages correctly.
9. Marriages being an end goal often perpetuates that women are trophies to be won.
10. Marriages being an end goal often perpetuates that someone’s “freedom” ends there. Bury this trope, please, I beg of you.
To expand on my girl sad about her arranged marriage trope post, I think the trope can be subverted (woman is happy about arranged marriage) but it can also be done well and without modern sentiments (ew, sex with someone I don't love is yucky/I want to marry for true love/I want to be a GirlbossTM)
For example, princess is sad about her arranged marriage because:
-Her nation and the prospective husband prince's nation were at war five minutes ago and many members of her own family died in the war. The marriage is designed to cap off a peace treaty but what happens if peace doesn't last and she finds herself the queen of a nation at war with her own homeland? If you want real angsty enemies to lovers, the prince himself killed her own brother in the war.
-The nation the princess is marrying into is very culturally different from her own, very far away/a dangerous journey, and she hasn't been able to learn the language. She will be bringing some of her ladies-in-waiting but fears being very homesick in a place so different from her homeland.
-The princess already married for political reasons and her husband has now died. This time she wants to make her own choice because she's paid her dues (there is historical precedent for this)
-Princess has known her future spouse since childhood and was happy to marry him, he died suddenly and now she's being asked to marry his weird younger brother whom she knows well and dislikes.
-Princess is heavily prejudiced against the nation she is marrying into because of racism/xenophobia or whatever but they have a resource her kingdom needs and a baller army, so marriage it is! She overcomes her pride and prejudice as she falls in love with her husband.
Hamiathes’s Gift Exchange sign ups are open!
If you've done a Yuletide-style exchange on AO3 before, the process should be similar. If you haven't, have a look at the explanation and examples below, check out the FAQ and rules on AO3 and let me know if you have questions!
Also, please spread the word—the more, the merrier. Both fanfic writers and fanartists are welcome to participate!
The signup link is here!
Quick points:
The tagset is big! Consider taking some time to go through it. @jhawkgirl made a great spreadsheet to make it easier to parse.
Signups are open until Friday, August 11 @ 8pm ET. See what time that is for you!
You'll need an AO3 account to sign up. You can request one here if you don't already have one. We have some extra codes if the wait list is too long so please ping me if that’s the case!
Please read the rules before signing up so you know what you're agreeing to do
You can see what other people have requested/offered within the exchange itself, as well as on the AO3 Automagic App — group by "character" instead of "fandom" for best results. Note that you may have to re-scrape in order to see the most up to date signups.
Check below the “read more” for more info on how signups work, the “optional details” field, and how to submit your Do Not Wants. And as always, please reach out here or in the QT discord if you have questions!
How signups work:
Each of us will use a form on AO3 to make requests and offers.
You must make at least two requests, each of which specifies a character or from the tag set and indicates that you’re requesting fanfiction, fanart, or both. You may make up to eight requests. Each request can also include optional details about your preferences, ideas for prompts, etc. More about that below. Your assigned writer or artist is responsible for creating a fanwork featuring the character or relationship in any one of your requests.
Offers are simple—you’ll just list the characters, relationships, or worldbuilding elements from the tag set about whom you’re willing to write or illustrate, specifying whether you’re offering fanart, fanfiction, or both
An important note on relationships--if characters are connected by &, this refers to a platonic relationship. If they are connected by an /, this refers to a romantic or sexual relationship. For example, if you want a story or artwork featuring Irene, request Attolia | Irene. If you want a story or artwork featuring Irene and Relius as friends, request Relationship: Attolia | Irene & Relius. If you want a story or artwork featuring Irene and Relius in a non-platonic, request Relationship: Attolia | Irene/Relius.
Optional details:
When you're making requests, it can be helpful to give your author/artist a little more detail than just the characters you're requesting. Remember that your author or artist is only required to create a work featuring your specified characters. If you ask for a specific story prompt or for art in a particular style, they may not be able to meet that request, and they aren't required to. Try not to be too proscriptive here—think of it as a way to explain why you like these characters and why you're interested in getting fanwork about them, and a way to kickstart your author/artist's creativity if they need it.
You can include either a link to a letter hosted on your journal or type directly in the optional details box in the signup form. If you're linking to your journal, please make sure it isn't friends-locked, or your creator won't be able to see it!
Do Not Want list:
If there's anything you specifically don't want to receive in your gift, you can include a Do Not Want (DNW) list in the optional details section. Examples might be things that squick or trigger you or 'ships you aren't interested in. This isn't about making value judgments, just about indicating your comfort level and making this a good experience for everyone.
Authors and artists must respect this list. When you're specifying Do Not Wants, please include them in the optional details text box in your signup, not in the letter, so I as the mod can be aware of them. If they are not in the optional details box, I cannot enforce them.
Examples of DNWs: sexual content, kidfic, violence, character death.
Treats
tl;dr: if you're open to receiving gifts, make sure your AO3 is set to receive gifts and consider indicating in your letter/optional details that you're open to receiving treats!
In February 2022, AO3 released a new setting that allows users to choose whether or not they can receive extra gifts. If a person has the setting "Allow anyone to gift me works" selected in their preferences, then AO3 users can give extra gifts to that person, including Hamiathes's Gift Exchange treats. If this setting is not checked, only a user who has an exchange assignment for that person, or who has claimed their prompts in a prompt meme, can give them gifts.
Because of this setting, we have encouraged people to state in their sign-up or profile page if they're open to treats. Mods can also check who's able to receive treats (especially because users could choose to change this setting during the event). If you're not sure if someone would like treats, you are very welcome to ask the mods.
Please also double-check your own settings if you would like to receive gifts! If you created your account after February 2022, you may need to change your settings from the default.
Comments
Two notes about commenting, one about giving and one about receiving:
It's encouraged to comment on your gift(s) to show appreciation to your author and/or artist for creating it. Best practice during exchanges is to comment before author reveals (September 28). If you do not think you will be able to comment in the first few days after gifts are revealed, you may want to leave a placeholder comment to let your creator know that you will be back to read/comment later.
AO3 has recently changed it’s default commenting setting on new works to “logged in users only.” If you’d like to be able to receive comments from people who aren’t logged in (“guest” comments), you’ll need to change that setting when you’re posting your work
Happy prompting!
shout out to this tweet for RUINING my ability to hear "the time being" without thinking about this
Fireflies photograph in trees with long time exposure.