#gay or attolian

[venndaai]

Verimius pursued the poet Lavia, who wrote terrible poetry about Celia, one of the queen’s attendants.

lesbians????

[fuckyeahqueensthief]

really curious why you didn’t like rott. I didn’t love it mainly because i wanted gen and/or irene pov and didn’t care at all about pheris and his family drama. i wish you well and hope the new year goes better for you 🫶

answering these both here:

appreciate it 💖💖 and i wanna be clear - this both will be deleted only if tumblr dies lmao. i would never want to delete all the posts, so even if i go dark for awhile, this blog will always be here. i’ll never completely abandon it, i am at the very least too stubborn for that.

Oof okay i’ll do like a quick(ish) bullet thing and if anyone wants a more in depth review, they can ask and i’ll reply on my personal. But basically

I didn’t understand the majority of Irene & Gen’s actions.

I love Pheris, i would die for him (I have a framed picture of him on my wall so clearly i adored him lmao), but the plot happens to him, he doesn’t move the plot.

there’s too many men in this series 🤷🏻‍♀️ Pheris should have been a girl.

slow pacing. too much tension was informed instead of shown.

it’s great that minor characters can be explicitly gay, but the sharp divide between that, the heterosexual couples, and Costis/Kamet left a sour taste in this bisexual’s mouth.

eddis has always been coded as PoC, and Attolians as white (no one argue with me about this, we all know my feelings on it lol). And what read to me as the forced assimilation of Gen into Attolian culture, and Eddis in general into the white culture - I just could not.

the h*lf br**d comment at the very end - i know i might ruffle some feathers here, but as someone who has been called that slur, I do not think any non Native in the Americas should be using it to describe their characters of color. I admit, I judge writers very harshly on this one but I see it used so casually so often in fantasy and I flinch, actually in real life, every time. It’s like 70% of the reason I haven’t rewatched Aquaman aksjs love Jason Momoa, thjnk it was wildly inappropriate for a Han Chinese writer to put that word in a mixed race polynesian man’s mouth. same concept here.

[kingbuckley]

Alright you guys this turned into an absolute monster of a fic rec. It’s organised by word count in descending order, and ALL FICS HAVE A HAPPY ENDING!! i don’t read fics that don’t end happy so even if a fic seems scary you can rest assured it ends fine if it’s here.

Special shoutout to @thisissirius (same ao3 handle) and @getbvcked (attolians (annber) on ao3) i have all their fics bookmarked so i didn’t include them individually in this list but you should check them out because every fic they put out is amazing. 

the rest is under the cut:

Breaking and Entering by AngelCuttingOnions (g/1k): Have you ever been terrified to lose something that isn’t even yours? Digging helplessly at the mud with your bare hands, so determined not to let go, not to give up. Your heart going so fast you think it might just beat out of your chest.

in any place you'll allow by barelyprolific (m/1k): Cleaning duty has never looked as good as Evan Buckley waxing floors.Or, Eddie Diaz finally makes his move.

Care and Keeping by BlackRose (m/1k): Eddie's alive, but he almost wasn't. Buck's determined to keep him safe now more than ever. Eddie, wants Buck to feel seen.

Cool for the Summer by Onlymystory (e/1k): Buck comes over to apologize to Eddie. It's a very good apology.

fireworks have nothing on you by inkandella (nr/1k): Buck’s tears had dried not too long ago, but his hands still shook as he wrung them. Bobby had just left to deal with, well, everything, but Buck remained by the truck, refusing to drag his eyes from Eddie for even a second. Eventually it was just Hen and Chim that remained, and Buck could finally see Eddie clearly. The man’s face was streaked with mud, dirt, and blood, his shoulders were bowed and eyes stared blankly off somewhere ahead of him. Buck bit his lips, but it didn’t really help him from asking again. “Is he okay?”Or; Buck finally does something about it.

Hotel Complaints and Grievances Raised by asexual-fandom-queen (m/2k): After a night out with the 118, Eddie wakes up with Buck naked in bed, and a barrage of feelings to face.

fight so dirty/love so sweet by homewrecker (m/2k): Buck and Eddie go for the title.

YOUR MOUTH IS HEAVEN by AgnesClementine (t/2k): A tongue piercing. Buck has a tongue piercing. Which is fine. Totally fine. Eddie is absolutely not going to lose sleep because of that information.

Zoom Into My Heart by Shaniamr (m/2k): Buck didn't know that zoom shared your private chats at the end of the meeting, but he's about to find out.

collisions in the dark by Marcia Elena (marciaelena) (e/2k): Eddie and Christopher spend the night at Buck's. Coda to 3x09.

What do you need? by RealOrFiction (e/2k): Buck has needs. Needs that haven't been met in a while.

Great Game by LovelyLittleGrim (e/2k): Buck’s watching him, waiting for some type of response. “Scared, Diaz?”“I don’t have any reason to be scared, Buckley.” He meets Buck’s eyes, lips quirked and murmurs, “I always come out on top.”

Buck Wild by Ithinkwehaveanemergency (m/2k): Eddie accidentally finds out that his best friend, coworker, and secret crush has done gay porn.

no greater joy by elisela (g/2k): When he wakes again, he finds Buck and Christopher out in the backyard, snuggled into the hammock that Buck had brought over months earlier, the day after Christopher had offhandedly mentioned that he’d been in one during a camping trip once and liked it. Buck was fooling no one when he said he’d happened to find it in storage, and Eddie had helped him set it up immediately, basking in the second-hand glow of Buck’s complete adoration of his son.

No Rest for the Wicked by Wassereis (e/2k): Eddie gets home early. What he finds wasn't what he expected.

people who love the same by templemarker (t/2k): Buck was just reheating a plate for Eddie when he heard a very familiar snort behind him."Okay, what now," he said expectantly."So," Hen drawled, "you have one plate on the counter, steaming, already had a couple of bites. And now you've got a second plate," she gestured at the microwave to the reheating lasagne, "and we all know who that plate's for."Buck looked at her, tilting his head. "I mean, I always make a plate for Eddie," he said, confused.

One Week by elisela (g/3k): Christopher's week revolves around Buck.

wherever I'm with you by anonymous (g/3k): In which Buck can't settle down in his own apartment until he realizes the true meaning of the word home.Or; Sleeping is easier when it's with Eddie.

To Be Whole by mansikka (t/3k): They say that when you and your soulmate are ready to meet, whatever they write on their skin will appear on yours, and vice versa. Which Buck thinks is bullshit. Right up until words start appearing on his arm.

Pull The Pin by islandgirl (g/3k): Everything they've been feeling and not saying is like a grenade between them and damn it all, Buck is ready to pull the pin, let the explosion happen and for everything to fall into place.

Long Overdue by mansikka (m/3k): Eddie realizes his feelings for Buck are more than platonic; what's he supposed to do now?

you could write this love in stone by chocolatebirdie (nr/4k): "Whatever happens, after tonight, I just want you to know that your friendship has meant everything to me. You’re my best friend, Eddie. You and Chris are – are like family to me. And I’m really grateful to have met you both.”“Why does this sound like you’re breaking up with me?” Eddie asks. The confusion-amusement ratio has started to skew towards the former, with an added dose of concern. Well maybe if he’d shut up and let Buck talk, Eddie wouldn’t be so puzzled.Did he have to use the phrase “break up,” though? Buck’s not sure he can stand the implication.

you can always be found by chocolatebirdie (nr/4k): Abby's back in LA, and she keeps trying to get in touch with Buck. The only problem? He's literally always with Eddie.

Until the Dancing Ends by suyari (g/4k): It’s been the strangest day of his life to date.Or the one where everyone's seen the footage of the rescue but Eddie.

when the hardest part is over by Anonymous (g/4k): “It’s okay,” Buck rasps out, tight against Eddie’s ear. “We got you back. We got you. You’re safe.”It sounds like he’s reassuring himself as much as Eddie – might even be saying it for Christopher’s sake even though the boy is blissfully unaware of what’s happened tonight. A mantra spoken to the night like a victory speech, a reminder that it could take nothing away from them.

Not Done by red_to_black (nr/4k): Buck volunteered to get into the ambulance with him, knowing the risks. He's pinching the guy's skin and saying, "Take it out," and Eddie, for the first time since leaving the military, feels it - a connection. A kindred spirit. A purpose that tethers him to reality. A person relying on him to get the job done.(or - a list of things Eddie Diaz couldn't give up on, including himself.)

Talk About It by DoneInLove (e/4k): You want to send me your dickpic?Just to see if it looks okay. Buck starts sending Eddie his dick pics before he sends them to other people.Eddie doesn't know why he decided this was a good idea.

Guessing Game by Arsenal (t/4k): Buck overhears Eddie telling his mother that he has feelings for someone and drives himself nuts trying to figure out who is possibly could be. aka yet another oblivious Buck fic

Happy Buck Day by Jecari (g/5k): After pushing the balloons tied to Christopher's crutch away, Eddie finds his best friend frowning, mouth agape. Buck looks adorable."It's not my birthday," Buck points out after shaking his head."We know," Christopher laughs.

Buck Is My Warrior by elisela (g/5k): “We’ll be filming a special edition of American Ninja Warrior,” Troy announces after the introduction to the current contestant ends, “focused on our brave first responders. Go to our website to find out more details and how to submit your videos.”Oh.“Buddy,” Eddie says, “I don’t really know if that’s my thing.”Christopher looks at him, then down at his feet and mumbles something.“Didn’t catch that, kiddo,” Eddie says, reaching out and pressing two fingers under Chris’ chin to tilt his face back up.“I said,” Christopher says, “I want to nominate Buck.”

Eddie Diaz and the Cat-astrophe at the 118 by SquaresAreNotCircles (g/5k): It’s Chimney who rescues her from the tree, but it’s Bobby’s arms that she curls up in on the drive over to the vet to get her checked out. Right from the start, it’s as if she knows who she needs to cozy up with to secure her spot at the station.“Come on, that’s crazy,” Buck says, but he does so while laughing not at Eddie, but at the grey tabby cat trying to get her claws on the fake mouse on a string that Buck bought with his own money, so Eddie doesn’t put too much stock in his opinion.Or: The firefam adopts a mascot and Eddie has a minor crisis about it.

Evan Buckley and a Series of Unintended Consequences by Shaniamr (e/6k): Buck has been hurt on the job and has lost the ability to use his hands while they heal. Eddie jumps at the opportunity to help Buck with anything he needs. Anything.

Love Language by red_to_black (nr/6k): The one in which there's too much pollen around, Eddie pines, and Buck is oblivious.Or - Eddie's love language is acts of service, and Buck doesn't totally get it.

The Other Woman by MomentsOfWeakness (t/6k): Buck has been unlucky in love lately and he can't figure out why. It takes a phone call from Eddie and an interrupted date for him to finally put the pieces together.

My Favorite Place Is Inside Your Hug by Lopithecus (e/7k): When Eddie gets stuck in a hole while trying to rescue a kid, he remembers Afghanistan and how many people were lost. Luckily he has Buck in his corner to help him get through the memories.

give me strength so i can see by see_addy_write (t/7k): After the tsunami, Buck is sure Eddie won't want him anywhere near Christopher -- or himself. Both of the Diaz boys have something to say about that.

haircut to the heart by itsmylifekay (nr/8k): 5 times Buck cuts Christopher’s hair and 1 time Christopher helps cut his.

In the Aftershock by hideeho (t/8k): When Eddie is injured on the job, Buck is forced to face the fallout.

Slow Your Thinking by an_alternate_world (e/10k): Eddie has the itch to fight, the discomforting unease of needing to release all his negativity again making it difficult to concentrate on the calls. Buck suggests an alternative: surrendering his need for control to Buck for a while.

Just For This Moment by suyari (m/10k): “Take your time,” Carla said sternly. “Don’t rush this because you’re worried, Buck, do you hear me? Any change in your scent could just set him off.”“Yes, thank you, I know how to deal with Alphas,” he drawled.“Yes, but Eddie’s not just another Alpha and I think it’s time we acknowledged that.”

You Are Safe (With Me) by BabylonsFall (g/10k): Or: 5 times Eddie waltzed into Buck's apartment like he owned it, and 1 time Buck tried

you waltz through my bloodstream by wayfarer (t/2k): Buck gets a boyfriend and Eddie is totally fine with that. Really.

can't fight that feeling by Anonymous (e/11k): “We have to keep this quiet,” he realizes.“That’s,” Eddie starts, his eyebrows tilting inwards adorably. “I mean, yeah, if that’s what you wanna do, then—”“Not for long,” Buck protests. “I’m thinking until tomorrow.”The eyebrows rise with interest; the eyes beneath get their spark back. “Yeah?”“It’s Maddie and Chimney’s wedding day,” Buck says, slipping his hands down the last bit and entwining them with Eddie’s. “Today should be solely about them, about their love. You and I can have tomorrow. All the tomorrows.”

Just Hold Me Well by Lobotomite (m/11k): It was meant to be a fun little trip with his 118 family; no stress, no drama, and certainly no sexuality-redefining fumbles that make him realize his more than platonic feelings towards his best friend. But, well, when has anything ever gone according to plan for Buck?

a leaf falls on loneliness by iimpossible_things (nr/11k): Buck doesn’t think that if he were to say, “I’m in a bad place”, that anyone would turn him away. Really, he doesn’t. The 118 has too many good, kind people for that.But every time he wants to open his mouth, to say something, to reach out to Eddie or Bobby or Hen or Chim, he hears Eddie yelling, “you’re exhausting.”—you’re exhausting, you’re exhausting, you’re exhausting—So each day he does his job and he laughs and he jokes and he pretends he’s the care-free goofball he’s always been. And each day he packs away his bruises and his worries, takes them home to his empty loft with its quiet rooms, and licks his wounds in silence.

Darling It's Better (Down Where It's Wetter) by Onlymystory (e/20k): "Who the hell is that?" asks Buck. Like he doesn't know exactly who that is. Like a week ago he wasn't enjoying one of the best fucks of his life with Eddie Diaz. Or the reason for Buck's surprise at the new recruit isn't quite for the reasons everyone thinks.

i think i might've inhaled you by ariquitecontrary (m/20k): How do you tell your best friend that you're actually in love with them? If you're Evan Buckley, you don't.

dancing under red skies by dayswithout (g, 30k) Buck hates Eddie Diaz on sight.aka, a soulmate au. (Eddie’s POV; g/15k)

dancing under red skies by dayswithout (g/30k): Buck hates Eddie Diaz on sight.aka, a soulmate au.

The Education of Eddie Diaz by mansikka (e/30k): Eddie doesn't really know how it happened. One moment the 118 are drunk in a bar after a hard shift, confessions slipping from his mouth as he playfully kisses Buck on the cheek. The next he is on Buck's couch, taking up Buck's offer of an education that could be asking for trouble. But it's just sex, and they're just friends; it doesn't mean anything to either of them. So why is his time alone with Buck the highlight of his week?

Guess We'll Just Have to Adjust by CocoBadShip (m/30k): No, Buck does not have a damn crush on Eddie fucking Diaz. No, Buck is not thinking about Eddie's stupid smile or his stupid hair or that obscene sound he made when he pushed the couch the way he did.Having a crush would be weird. And dumb. And the last thing Buck needs in his already fucked up life.

tagging those of you who requested @lafdbuckley @casscent @googoodreamers

and some mutuals because why not @eddiediazs @judsonryder @fierydeans @buckleystrand

[attolianarchives]

I know this is an attolian blog, but as someone who has difficulty reading these days save for binge rereading the queen's thief, do you folks have any other favorite books you could recommend me?

HELL YEAH 

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison 

A Noelle and Caitlin combo rec. Absolute banger of a book. Politics, goblins, elves, more politics, worldbuilding, very fancy outfits, airships, and even more politics, plus a protagonist you just want to hug. 

For real-life palace scheming that’s also fun to read, Caitlin recommends the memoirs of the Duc de Saint Simon, which are available free on Project Gutenberg in both French and English. 

The man is honest to god hilarious, 400 years later. It literally feels like reading a gossip magazine but in fancy language about nobles and it was REAL. Incredible. - Caitlin

The Killing Moon and The Shadowed Sun by NK Jemisin, which have been published as one volume under the title The Dreamblood Duology

In a sort of ancient Egypt-y world, magical parkour assassin priests experience a feeling best described as “gay anguish” while unraveling a terrible conspiracy. Intellectually and emotionally high-octane in classic Jemisin fashion. - Noelle

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

A dumbass pure of heart naive countess tries to get into politics. - Caitlin

The Raven Tower by Anne Leckie 

A fantasy novel from the author of the top notch Imperial Radch space operas. Gods, murder, politics, second-person narration that actually works, and a trans protagonist who doesn’t make you think, “ugh, a cis person definitely wrote this.” - Noelle

Also:

Noelle says if you haven’t read the Earthsea books by Ursula K Le Guin, it is never a bad time to read Earthsea. Caitlin says Tamora Pierce’s The Will of the Empress is worth a look. 

If you’re interested in Byzantines and Ottomans etc and want some nonfiction, The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan is awesome. 

There are also Megan Whalen Turner’s influences to check out, most notably  The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff. 

[costis]

parody of gay or european called gay or attolian is playing in kamet's head through all of TaT

[loveyourselffirstyouareenough]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 9-1-1 (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV) Characters: Evan "Buck" Buckley, Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Bobby Nash Additional Tags: Pure Crack, LITERAL PURE CRACK, there is nothing here but fluffy ridiculousness, no beta we die like men Summary:

based LOOSELY on this prompt:

Mkay so who’s gonna write the queer eye fic where the guys go to makeover Bobby and ask if there’s ever been a gay romance take place in the bunks and hen just looks straight at buck and eddie who are off camera whispering abt something else

from queenginnys on tumblr

combined with this post tbh

[tibialtybalt]

"That was an interesting tidbit about my Attolian."

Kamet, that's gay

[chadlesbianjasontodd]

here it is!! the big post of textual evidence as to why kamet and costis’ relationship is intended to be romantic, even if there’s no love confession or kiss scene.

i can understand why people would see it as being platonic --- we are, after all, swimming in a sea of heteronormativity at all times --- but i think that reading of the text requires willfully ignoring a lot of stuff.

first, the entire book is centered around kamet and costis as immakuk and ennikar, who are of course in turn based off one of history’s most famous couples gilgamesh and enkidu. looking at them and similar couples in the ancient world gives you an idea of a kind of romantic relationship that’s shaped really differently to heterosexual relationships --- there’s no notion that it should involve marriage or children, or even that it should preclude someone from, for example, getting messily involved with a forest witch who uses them to steal important things from the gods, ennikar. it just looks completely different from, for example, the kind of relationship gen and irene have, which is --- while very loving --- heavily informed by the need for a marriage alliance and dynastic heirs.

with gen and irene and with eddis and sounis, the whole reason love and romance are explicitly brought up (instead of being left implicit and described solely through the characters’ feelings/reactions) is because they’re politically important. in a situation where that’s not a factor i suppose we shouldn’t be surprised that nobody feels the urge to blurt out any dramatic confessions of love. immakuk and ennikar certainly don’t.

(kamet and costis spend SO MUCH of their time being compared textually (and comparing themselves) to immakuk and ennikar. so much.)

second: scenes such as the one where the bounty hunters start talking about costis’ good looks, or the one where godekker tells kamet costis is only with him for his pretty face, are usually written for one of two reasons: either for the characters to explicitly no homo themselves and reassure the reader that everything is completely heterosexual here, folks, nothing gay going on --- or to soften the reader up to the idea of a non-heterosexual romance.

and there was definitely not any no homoing in either of those two scenes.

third --- and this is the coolest one, i think --- the metaphor used by kamet when he thinks costis is dead explicitly parallels two metaphors used by attolia about eugenides in queen of attolia. the kindle version of queen of attolia was two dollars, so i’ve got all the quotes right here.

thick as thieves, chapter 8:

Nothing about my plans had changed, but I stood for a long time staring down the empty road, my arms hanging useless at my sides, waiting, as if he would appear, as if the world would settle back into its proper course, like the wine in a tilting wine cup saved just before it tipped too far. But the cup was overturned, the wine spilled. My master was dead. Now the Attolian was dead as well.

queen of attolia, chapter 3 (our first hint that attolia has any feelings towards gen):

“Please,” he whispered. His voice was low but clear. “Don’t hurt me anymore.”

Attolia recoiled. Once, as a child, she’d thrown her slipper in a rage and had knocked an amphora of oil from its pedestal. The amphora had been a favorite of hers. It had smashed, and the scent of the hair oil inside had lingered for days. She remembered the scent still, though she didn’t know what in the stinking cell had brought it to mind.

[...]

She left the cell and made her way up the many stairs of the palace to her private anteroom. She passed through it and into her bedchamber, where she sent away her various attendants and sat for a long time in a chair looking out over the sea as the last sunlight faded from the sky. She dismissed thoughts of the thief lying on the floor of his cell, but found herself thinking instead of her favorite amphora, broken, and the oil spilled.

queen of attolia, chapter 19 (when irene goes back to ephrata, finds eugenides lying on the floor, and immediately knows he has been poisoned*):

Inside the room Eugenides looked to be sitting on the floor, his legs curled beside him. His head and shoulders rested on the bed, one arm for a pillow. The hook on the other arm lay across his knees. His eyes were closed. He didn’t move. As Attolia waited in the doorway watching him, he didn’t stir or wake. On the floor beside the bed a tray held the remains of a meal. There was a wine cup. It had tipped over and broken, spilling the lees onto the floor.

*just as kamet knows costis is dead after falling down that well

if this were another book series, written by someone else, i’d think it unintentional. but the fact that it’s this series, and that this was a parallel i picked up on even though i hadn’t read queen of attolia in two years or more.... well, i think it’s pretty clear.

---and then there’s also the fact that, one, the scene at the end where costis shows up and is like ‘i quit my job so if you don’t let me go to a foreign country to live with you i’m kinda out of luck’ is really the kind of thing you pretty much only see for romantic relationships, and two, there’s like no reason for costis to be there instead of on another secret mission or something except ‘hey let’s spend our lives together’, like, that’s pretty convincing too, but i think the parallel metaphors are what really sells it.

i’ve been a lesbian for a long-ass time, and i’d like to think i’m pretty good at telling what’s meant to be textual intentional gay and what’s me reading into things that i just really want to be gay by now. this is definitely the first one.

[goblin-gardens]

just finished thick as thieves now i have to go scream for 20 years

KAMET E DAI ANNUX YOU HECKIN NERD

“oh look at costis so sweaty and muscular and he’s singing oh man what a narratively relevant passage” kamet u gay

also they LIVE IN A SEASIDE COTTAGE NOW???? KAMET COPIES OLD TEXTS AND COSTIS “BRINGS HOME GRUBBY SPECIEMINS TO FILL THE HOUSE” GAAAAAAAAAAAY

“I’M GOING TO LOOK A FOOL IF YOU SAY YOU DON’T WANT ME ALONG WITH YOU”

THEY HAVE JOKES KAMET TELLS A JOKE NOW

also

fuckin Gen what a little bag of dicks

also IRENE D:

also SHIPS (AND GUNS) and LIONS MEEPING and page 333 is possibly my favorite page i have ever read what NERDS :’)

“MY ATTOLIAN” “POOR COSTIS”

INDEED IT IS A PIGEON

“IMMAKUK AND ENNIKAR” THAT’S THEM YEP

THIS BOOK IS A GAY ROADTRIP AND I LOVE THEM

[whocalledhimannux]

me: I love Kamet for a variety of serious textually-based reasons, here’s meta about it

Kamet: I didn’t want anything to eat. I wanted to die. I would have thrown myself overboard into the sea if I thought it would have kept the Attolian from ever knowing that I had betrayed him

me: you overdramatic gay dumbass, I love you so much

Costis: I’m going to look a fool if you say you don’t want me along with you, Kamet

Me, having used up my last two brain cells on those meta posts: hm............... gay

[costis]

So is the gay in Queen's Theif et al. text or subtext?

(RoTT spoiler warning!)

WOW this is a question that is not easy to answer. so. first answer is YES, there is Explicit Gay in Return Of The Thief! Two side characters (who gain a lot more of the spotlight in this book) are explicitly in a relationship and we see them kiss. there's also mentions of other relationships between a few minor characters.

HOWEVER. there is gay people (tm) before this.

so the way MWT writes relationships, whether they're straight or gay, is very subtextual and you would be forgiven for not picking up on any of them on the first read until the characters explicitly get married. Eugenides and Attolia play political will-they-wont-they for a book and confound readers and other characters alike when they get married... for love, not political reasons. sophos and eddis are clearer, but even then it's entirely possible to read them as close friends up until he proposes.

then we got Thick As Thieves, and a new relationship. Costis and Kamet can be read as friends, but the text heavily suggests that this is not how they're meant to be read. Several of the motifs of their relationship are callbacks to gen and attolia's romance. kamet calls costis "my attolian" or "my costis" and spends quite a bit of time describing his good looks. another character assumes they are lovers, but suggests costis is taking advantage of kamet. he takes issue with the second part of that but not the first. they end the book living in a cottage in the countryside together.

Return Of The Thief makes them more explicit, with a scene where it's said that costis's heart won't be in his work if he's kept away from kamet, potentially leaving him in danger. then, in the final scene where everyone is dancing on the roof, costis dances with his sister, while kamet tries to get teleus (one of the Explicit Gays, who thinks his lover is dead) to dance in an attempt to cheer him up. since they're mentioned together, it seems likely that they were dancing together before this, although it isn't outright stated.

so that's my homo manifesto 🤡 maybe I got played, but I doubt it. hope you enjoyed!

[costis]

genuinely do not know how to live now. I will be thinking about gay or attolian 24/7 on top of my regular rott 24/7 and costis 24/7 thoughts

[bookaddict7342]

Attolian Archives member here, reblogging to my personal bc idk if AA followers would be interested but here it is here thanks for tagging love you Shae!

Name: Caitlin Rose

Height: 5 ft

Orientation: lesbiannnnnn

Nationality: American (yikes)

Fruit: Necterines except they literally go rotten on me as soon as I turn my back, just as raspberries do. They have two states, unripe and rotten, with a 30 second perfect eating window in between.

Flower: Lilacs. My neighbor had a bush that I eagerly awaited every spring and then THE NEW HOUSE OWNERS CUT IT DOWN and I literally cried. Also roses like my middle name.

Season: Spring

Scent: Lilacs and jasmine

Animal: Parakeets (I had four loose in my room for years!)

Coffee, tea, hot chocolate: Hot chocolate, evey day, from my work's neverending stash

Dogs or cats: I LOVE cats but I am allergic to them and also germaphobic.

Number of blankets you sleep with: Even in summer, a light blanket and a winter comforter, and in winter I add fleece sheets.

Average hours of sleep per night: Ten to twelve (8 pm bedtime ideal).

Dream trip: To the Gobelins tapestry factory in Paris. I went to Paris this summer but couldn't make it there!! Trop triste.

Blog created: Eight years ago?? Wild.

Number of followers: I think over 400? And Attolian Archives has almost hit 200!

Random fact: My twin brother is ten inches taller than me, which is highway robbery. I love embroidery and in spite of this height theft am embroidering a sweater for his tall frame that has flowering vines at the hems, cuffs, and collar, and winding up the sleeves. The flowers go in rainbow order because they gay gene hit both twins.

@breha the other half of our Attolian Archives team

@zorange my tall twin

I was tagged by @the-reverse-mermaid

Name: Senia

Height: 5'9″

Orientation: Ace

Nationality: American

Favourite fruit: Grapes, but I’m allergic

Favourite flower: Daisy

Favourite season: Fall

Favourite scent: It’s a tie between chocolate chip cookies and leather

Favourite animal: Fox

Coffee, tea, hot chocolate: hot chocolate

Average hours of sleep: 6~8

Dogs or Cats: A guy came into my work with a little dog in one of those over the shoulder bags and I almost cried, so I think y’all know the answer

Number of blankets you sleep with: one

Dream trip: Europe with my best friend!

Blog created: 2012. Someone save me

Number of followers: 587 for reasons still unknown

Random facts: I’m ambidextrous, I have a niece, I used to be in bell choir, and once I met @the-reverse-mermaid in real life and it was the greatest

tags: Um…. @loubuttons @hobbitsetal @shaelit

[chadlesbianjasontodd]

THIS BOOK. THICK AS THIEVES. OH MY GOD.

spoilers for everything under the cut

i know i already said this but like. i’m so gay for this book

KAMET gosh i love kamet. the version of him we see by the end is so different from the one we meet at the beginning, or from what we see of him in queen of attolia, but i wouldn’t say it’s ‘character growth’ --- it’s more like, we’re seeing him in new contexts. pre-TaT kamet was never in a position to admit that he cared about people, really: when he thinks about all his friends in nahuseresh’s household being tortured and executed he’s sad but he doesn’t really let himself think about it or have hardly any feelings about it at all. but later, in attolia, we get to see him realize that everyone is alive and fine, and we get to see him reunite with his friends in the kitchens, and this after all the stuff with costis is just like waves and waves of feeling, for him and for us. i knew i was gonna love having kamet as a narrator and i really, really did --- even apart from everything else, the way his worldview is so different from that of the attolians or eddisians we’ve seen the queen’s thief world through before is just. it’s great. the way he really could not believe that eugenides wouldn’t have costis killed!

speaking of, COSTIS. i liked him in king of attolia but i really loved him here!! in king of attolia he spends so much time being A Normal Dude who is really not up to all the complicated scheming everyone else is doing that some of the other aspects of his character get overshadowed a bit. and then you really see them here --- kamet keeps reading him wrong for quite a stretch of the book, and you know that but kamet doesn’t, kamet keeps thinking he’s a big dumb attolian who has no idea how the world works, and then costis catches him out and wiggles an eyebrow good-naturedly, and then twenty pages later it happens again! he’s a guy with Depths.

also, by the way, i love that costis is the one who recognizes ennikar, and would have recognized immakuk as the wine merchant if he’d ever gotten to see him, because costis is in a position to be expecting to run into gods these days after that whole thing with eugenides (and kamet, of course, just thinks he’s hallucinating and tries to hustle him away)

which, by the way, all those immakuk and ennikar bits are some of my favorite parts of the book and possibly of any of these books, they read like my very favorite translations of greek tragedy and sappho, by which i really mean they read very like anne carson and i want to grab them with both hands and cram them straight into my brain

(also, like, this is a very gay book for a book that doesn’t have the main characters either kissing or getting married --- they even get a parallel to attolia and eugenides in queen of attolia, the way kamet thinks of costis dying is in almost exactly the same metaphor attolia used about hearing eugenides getting his hand cut off, shaped in the same way, and i was honestly incredibly surprised to get to the end of this book without any explicit love declarations?? but also, i don’t really think it’s possible to argue that they’re not together, so)

there’s at least five other things i wanted to talk about re: this book, but the only one coming to mind now is how much time i spent trying to figure out what the medes are supposed to be based off of --- i think i was thinking they were the ottoman empire? but now they are Very Definitely based in the fictional version of the indus river valley and also possibly fictional india bc a) immakuk and ennikar ---> gilgamesh and enkidu, b) all the holy stuff is written on tablets, c) kamet mentions learning cuneiform, and also d) that thing with the stairs going into the water at the temple feels SO clearly based off varanasi to me

i know this is supposed to be a ‘standalone’ book but tbh i think it was billed as that just so people who are in this for eugenides and attolia won’t be disappointed, i don’t think i would have wanted to read this if i hadn’t read queen of attolia and king of attolia first. THAT SAID, this may be my actual favorite queen’s thief book?? i just....i love the immakuk and ennikar bits and the bits with kamet and costis that parallel them SO MUCH, and when i got to the bit where ennikar showed up (“i once was lost, and my friend came for me”!!!!!) i spent a solid five minutes going WOW FUCK OH MY GOD THAT’S AMAZING FUCK which i also did with queen of attolia, i think, but this time i was expecting it and it still worked, so, like, damn.

this book is shaped really differently than most of the other books, i think --- even though it’s technically about big complicated political machinations, ones that are technically even bigger than the ones in the other books what with the fleet and everything, the substance of the book is kamet and costis, together, walking their way towards home.