#writing for luken

[lal-ffxiv]

#1 - Steer

This chocobo has been neglected because of its primadonna outbursts with the other handlers. The chocobo had a long scar down its neck that Lucien was careful to avoid as he brushed the feathers of the chocobo.

"I see the dream in your eye, conscript. Thinking of riding away on one these birds, free from your sentencing. Let it be clear though, none of these birds would allow you on its back. Its loyal only to its rider."

"Never had the thought sir. It would taken me away from your dashing presence."

The head stable hand sneered. "Then sorry to disappoint you twice in one bell conscript, or should I say recruit Lyezhbal. You'll be joining lastest squadron meant to resupply the canon fodder. Make sure to sweep all the stalls before you go and report."

It not a rare occurrence, and certainly a more frequent one, Lucien regretted ever having been given air in his lungs. The chocobo took its chance and nipped at Lucien's ear while he was distracted. As depressing as it is, to him, a helpful reminder to the miqo'te that he was still alive.

"This is why your stall is cleaned the least"

Escaping a prison sentence by enlisting in the grand Maelstrom, did not let Lucien escape having a warden. The drill instructor ripped person-hood from the recruits to forge then into the little, mindless weapons for the city state.

It would have killed Lucien all together, if he weren't able to steal a little time away. Lucien can't say the chocobo was pleased to see him. It was still a brat of a bird. Lucien could never turn his back chocobo lest it'd kick him into the hay or forbid Lucien not pick the wilted leaves from its food. Whenever the bird did get the better of him it would out great ugly cry "kwehkark", laughing at him These stolen moments couldn't last forever though.

Any training that been drill into him was abandoned on as he deserted the battlefield. Limsa Lominsa had not nursed him enough to accept dying for the city-state.

Loyal birds, loyal soldiers were not him. 'There is only loyalty to hands that care for you, but never hesitate to bite when you need to.'

Lucien blew into the chocobo whistle as he had intermittently done since leaving Limsa Lominsa proper. All the nipped ears, head bumps and kicks were worth it once he hear that ugly squawk from the across the battlefield chocobo.

He mounted the chocobo as the bird ran by him, gripping the saddled and pulling himself on in one swoop. Lucien buried his face into the down feathers, let the stomping of chocobo's feet drown the canon fire. Lucien didn't bother steering the bird. As any direction away from the battlefield was right one.

[starfocks]

read my fic for this incredibly obscure book fandom i swear its good

late valentines fic! Rook goes shopping to find a gift for Sun. They have a dinner date and cuddle. And kiss.

[the-modern-typewriter]

Hello hello! I absolutely adore your writing, it just feels so complex and the dialogue is so perfect you don't understand, probably my favorite writer in tumblr ^^

Do you have any favorite books? I'm not really into reading but I want to write my own stories, and English isn't my first language so I always try to read but I don't really continue since most of them aren't really in my taste– but I'm willing to try anything you read or take inspiration from since I'll probably like it since I like your work so much :]

Sorry, hope that made sense, ty <3

So, I'd like to think that while my writing has a consistent *vibe* it also covers quite a few different genres and moods that could be what you are interested in. Let's go.

If you like a book rooted in complex, dysfunctional power dynamics try....Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo, The Last Tale of The Flower Bride by Roshani Chokski, The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by V.E Schwab, Gone Girl or Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, Deathless by Catherynne M Valente, If We Were Villains by M.L Rio, The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakovic, Dark Rise by C.S Pascat, Interview with a vampire by Anne Rice, These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever.

(You can see that complex, dysfunctional power dynamics that are central to the story are basically my favourite thing haha. My absolute jam and butter! The dynamics themselves vary. You may root for some and watch others in delighted horror.)

If you like a great, not a romcom, enemies to lovers romantasy, try...Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust, The Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black.

For some fantasy horror vibes, try...Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant (mermaids!), House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland, The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher.

If you want something cute and LGBTQ, try...The House on Cerulean Sea or In the Lives of Puppets by T.J Klune, One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, Carry on by Rainbow Rowell, anything by F.T Lukens.

For short story collections that make me want to write...Things We Say in the Dark by Kirsty Logan, Salt Slow by Julia Armfield, Through The Woods by Emily Carrol or the multi-author anthology Hag.

And, let's be real, absolutely no one is following me for worldbuilding, but...

For worldbuilding that has stayed with me, try...The Wayward Children series (all stories semi-standalone) by Seanan McGuire, The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

I know I haven't done superheroes. I just...?? I liked Hench by Natalie Zina Walschotts, but honestly most of them just don't interest me. Sorry.

[lgbtqreads]

Do you know of any lgbt ya with a snarky/funny narrator, preferably fantasy? I have a sibling that seems to only read the first few chapters of a lot of stuff and struggle to keep picking them up unless the narrator is really engaging and funny and then they��ll sit next to me and read all the parts aloud that make them laugh. I’d really love to find more things they’ll enjoy. Lately trans and sapphic stuff has been especially requested by them, and we’re looking for more trans fem things in particular, but anything with stuff that’ll make them laugh would be phenomenal! Their most recent favorites were Legends and Lattes and Aces Wild if that helps at all. Thank you so much for everything! Reading through your recommendations and website has been such great resources for us!!

Ooh The Afterward by EK Johnston might be a great pick for them - Sapphic, I believe there’s trans rep in there too (maybe even transfem? It’s been a while since I’ve read it, but I’m pretty sure), and it’s just a fun read with a fun voice. And while the rep isn’t quite as much a fit, I’d try them on FT Lukens as well - they write really fun, light fantasy. And maybe The Brilliant Death by AR Capetta? Demigirl MC and genderfluid LI and I remember finding it really engaging. Ooh and it’s trans masc but I recall solid snark in The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon.

[glowingmushroom0]

Top Ten TBR for August

1. The Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (currently reading)

Back in December, I was re-watching a bunch of Zhao’s videos on YouTube and in one of them she was promoting her novel Iron Widow. While I’ve never been too into mecha-novels in sci-fi, I decided to give this one a try! I’ve been finding the mechanics of the mechs really interesting, and I find Zetian a very engaging character. It also helps that Zhao explains some of the history of the real-life Wu Zetian in two of her YouTube videos. I still haven’t finished the book, but I am pretty close to finishing it.

2. Epithet Erased: Prison of Plastic by Brendan Blaber (currently re-reading)

This novel is a part of the Epithet Erased series on JelloApocalypse’s YouTube channel, which also includes several trailers for this novel and a part of chapter 1 of the novel’s audiobook. I remember seeing the original show on YouTube when it was coming out and it’s a really fun series! This part of the novel focuses on the story of Molly Blyndeff, a twelve-year-old with an epithet, a power that depends on whatever word the epithet is based off of. The story focuses on Molly’s relationship with her older sister Lorelai, and how her friends support her and try to help her as she tries to stop her sister from expanding her dream world within their family’s toy store. I’m actually listening to the audiobook while writing this post! I really recommend the audiobook version of this novel, the voice actors did an excellent job!

3. Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austen

I actually was recommended this book a couple of years ago by an aunt and a cousin of mine. I had gone to a Catholic school and they both knew I was pan (I still haven’t come out to them as agender though, but that’s because I don’t see or talk to them very often). However, what actually convinced me to try the book was an old friend group that started a book club, and this was their first book. I still haven’t read it because I didn’t end up making it to the meetings, but I am interested in reading it.

4. The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

This novel I was interested in more from the author than the subject matter, but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested at all. I first read Jaigirdar’s Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating and really enjoyed it, so I wanted to read more of her works! That’s when I learned that this was her debut novel, and I wanted to compare the two. Plus, I will always find some joy from learning about different art forms through writing in novels. The most I know about henna so far is from a friend of mine who had another friend who wanted to practice henna on them. Because of that, I’d like to learn more about how Jaigirdar depicts henna artists.

5. A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation by Jacoby Ballard

I actually found this book at a book exchange that was at an LGBTQ+ friendly event. My friend and I are both interested in this book because we’re both into learning about different kinds of religion and how to express different kinds of spirituality. From what I’ve looked over with the book it talks about how queer people create their own spaces within Buddhism and yoga.

6. So This is Ever After by F. T. Lukens

I’ll go more in-depth with this particular choice in the next book, however the main reasons why I was interested in this novel is because I had already gotten a book from this author that I was pretty interested in. And after looking through another book of Lukens’s (or Lukens’), they also seemed to be really interested in fantasy, especially magic. I also thought it was an interesting idea that the story takes place after the typical “ever after” of defeating an evil king.

7. In Deeper Waters by F. T. Lukens

Now this is the novel that I originally found F.T. Lukens from, and the main reason why I was interested in reading this novel is because I love pirates. I also found myself hooked from just the summary of the novel. When people say a character is mysterious, I don’t really know if they’re going to be mysterious until they appear in the story. However, the summary does show how mysterious Athlen can be, considering he’s introduced as a prisoner on a burning ship. So, I’m interested in learning more about Athlen just from the summary.

8. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

This novel has a bit more controversial reason for why I want to read it. I originally got this book because it was popular, and I was vaguely interested, but then I started hearing about debates on whether this is good MLM (men-loving-men, not multi-level-marketing) representation. However, I then had another friend that’s a part of the queer community that read the book and he liked it. So I wanted to read the book to figure out my own opinion on the novel. Plus I thought it would be a good time to read it since the novel’s getting it’s own show soon. 

9. Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Trans (But Were Afraid to Ask) by Brynn Tannehill

This book is less for me and more for family reasons. I’m not going to go into too much detail for privacy reasons, but a lot of my family still don’t quite understand much about what it exactly means to be transgender, especially not someone who’s under the non-binary umbrella. So I wanted to read this book and see if it’d be a good fit for some of my family members who do read.

10. Video Game Storytelling: What Every Developer Needs to Know about Narrative Techniques by Evan Skolnick

This book is more for my own learning and future career. My specific dream job is to create a video game story, which would go into scriptwriting. However, most of the creative writing advice and tips I’ve gotten were either for fiction in general, or for short stories and poetry. This book might be able to teach more about scriptwriting, but also how to develop scripts for video games.

[acciohanbrough]

actually convinced ft lukens started writing a merthur fic but changed the names at some point and wrote a book instead

[prayingforlove]

There's like 1 fanart and 11 fics total for "So This is Ever After" by F.T. Lukens, and I took that personally.

Currently writing my first fanfic in 8 years because this book deserves it.

[magicalyaku]

Thanks for joining me on this ride through 2022! When I started my reading spree in autumn 2021 I did not expect to find so much joy (and sometimes frustation) to motivate me to write hundreds of words about books every month. I read and write what I want and because I want to, but it's nice to know that sometimes there’s actually someone interested in what I have to say. So thank you for even the small interactions. :)

I had to edit this overview like five times because whenever I thought I was done I found another book I missed. So if I counted correctly I have read a total of 93 books (written and audio, not including manga, comics and non-fiction). That is ... a damn lot! Like 6 years combined compared to before. I also reread two of those books and while editing my novel I read it two whole times. That counts, right? (That’s why there’s 94 covers up there. Because i snuck it inbetween. Because I can. uAu) Only 14 of all these books I would categorise as non-queer. Funnily enough, 6 of those I didn’t like very much. Of the remaining 75 queer books I only found 1 book really bad and I’m picky about 2 more. Huh.

On to the award ceremony! (But don’t expect laudations. I wouldn’t shut up.)

Least favourite phrase:

... it smelled like boy.

(from: The Song that moves the Sun, Darius the Great (probably the 2nd) and the third time I already blocked from my mind (Here the Whole Time???)) That sentence came up fucking three times! Seriously. WHY?! I hate it. 8D

Favourite phrase:

But we have more important things to do than hook up.

(from: The Darkness Outside Us) I laughed so hard at this sentence. Finally someone who gets it! All stupid YA heroines should listen to this.

Favourite protagonists:

Jack Shannon (Aces Wild) and Neil Josten (All for the Game)!

Favourite covers:

Least favourite books:

A Far Wilder Magic (Allison Saft) and If You Change Your Mind (Robbie Weber)

Favourite books (no order):

The Darkness Outside Us (Eliot Schrefer)

Aces Wild: A Heist (Amanda DeWitt)

The City Beautiful (Aden Polydoros)

Every Bird a Prince (Jenn Reese)

All for the Game series: (Nora Sacavic)

I Wish You All the Best (Mason Deaver)

I Hope You Get this Message (Farah Naz Rishi)

More books I greatly enjoyed:

Both can be true (Jules Machias)

A Taste of Gold and Iron (Alexandra Rowland)

The Language of Seabirds (Will Taylor)

A Complicated Love Story Set in Space (Shaun David Hutchinson)

At the Edge of the Universe (Shaun David Hutchinson)

Milo and Marcos at the End of the World (Kevin Christopher Snipes)

Little Black Bird (Anna Kirchner)

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea (Axie Oh)

In Deeper Waters (F.T. Lukens)

So this is Ever After (F.T. Lukens)

All that’s Left in the World (Erik J. Brown)

.... aaaand many many more! uAu

Bonus!

At the half year point I actually counted how often the protagonists names were being used throughout those different books. I felt to lazy do to it in detail for the second half, but I can still present you my preliminery count of most used names for the protagonist, love interest and possibly best friend. These came up at least 3 times!

Will/William

Matt

Nate/Nathan

Andrew/Drew

Daniel

Lame, right? 8D My favourite name choice award goes to Rosemary and Rowan from Mirrored in Evergreen by B. Pigeon!

That’s it! Phew! Thanks the universe for books! :D

[zestymimblo]

Writeblr Introduction

Ignore the fact that my current WIP is open in another tab, and I'm putting off working on it so I can type this out.

Hello! My name is Milo (he/xe) and I'm an aspiring writer. I've wanted to be an author my whole life, but I have yet to write a story that I didn't dislike immediately after I finish it. Hopefully interacting with likeminded people will change that!

About Me

I absolutely adore D&D and various TTRPGs (my current favourite podcast is Midst).

I'm a 20 year-old gay transmasc person from Canada

I work in the film industry, but my plan is to be an author as well

Some of my favourite genres are Modern and Classic Fantasy, Dieselpunk, and Adventure

My current favourite books are "Ocean's Echo" by Everina Maxwell, "Hell Followed With Us" by Andrew Joseph White, and "So This Is Ever After" by F.T. Lukens

My Current Project

It is currently an unnamed project (even though I have 4 chapters) in the first draft and before the first edit.

It's about a transman navigating a world full of Magic as weird and creepy shit begins to happen around him. Full of gay moments and transmasc rage... also body horror.

What I'm Looking For

I would LOVE to meet people who I can bounce ideas off of, and follow folks that have cool stories that they're working on.

If I ever get out of the cursed first draft, I would also love to have beta readers (my friends can only put up with so much!)

That's me! Don't be afraid to reach out. I'd love to talk to folks :] ((I'm also tag game-friendly))

[aurorawest]

16, 17, 24! :)

16. What is the most over-hyped book you read this year?

Babel by RF Kuang (which I actually finished) and In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune (which I DNFed around page 80). For me, Babel fell apart in the final act. I felt like Kuang was trying to tell a story that she simply doesn't yet have the skill as a writer to pull off (she's young!!). I really found myself wishing that she'd waited ten or fifteen years to write the book, because I think it would have really been something to behold.

In the Lives of Puppets...I recently posted my thoughts on it, but I'll just add here that I'm done reading TJ Klune. I have one more of his books in my TBR, which is the sequel to a dystopian novel which was actually good. In the Lives of Puppets was so bad that it actually makes me question that I ever loved his previous books.

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

Answered here!

24. Did you DNF anything? Why?

Lol so many things. I don't know that it's even worth listing them. Notable ones, I guess, were: In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune, The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas, They Hate Each Other by Amanda Woody, The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, The Red Scholar's Wake by Aliette de Bodard, The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver, A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson, and Spell Bound by FT Lukens.

I DNFed them because, in most cases, they were bad. Lol. A few of them were okay, just not for me, but honestly most of them are just not good.

Thanks for asking!!

end-of-year book ask

[jj-draws-stupid-things]

day 20: wilmon in another universe

young royals inktober

this is inspired by the book cover “in deeper waters “ by F.T. Lukens

i wanted to draw wilmon as pirates for soooo long and finally found the opportunity!!

and yes i know that “in deeper waters” is not about pirates but i love the cover of it so i wanted to recreate it

also i kinda wanna write a one shot about this, maybe i’ll do it someday

[lal-ffxiv]

Prompt #6: Halcyon

The unpredicability of the seas was the reason Lucien never became enamoured with idea of being a pirate.

For two moons of sailing the seas where calm as could be, the wind giving them speed for a timely journey.

The captian wise to avoid storms by the smallest signs.

The very same capitan was strugging to keep the ship in one piece against the storm which sideswept the ship into its cold embrace.

Having lived by the sea, Lucien knew that a storm could only be weathered.

How can a storm be weather at sea with no shelter?

Lucian asked the same question of the capitan.

"I haven't time for complaints! The days of serne seas are over!"

"I haven't sailed four seas, and part of the glass ocean to die on the shores of higanashi!" Luken shouted back over the winds and rainfall.

"Our fates are in the hands of the Navigator now, so go below and pray for Llymlaen's mercy."

Lucien did not pray as a rule. None of twelve owned his life, not even the Spinner.

Lucien did sing as his mother did.

cuando hay una tormenta // el cielo grita // Y la tierra tiemble // estoy aquí para ti // dame tu manita y nos sentiremos las lagrimas del cielo//

The days were his mother's agitations could be lulled were the peaceful days that Lucien missed the most.

One nights of full moons, with sea of stars, under the trees they would sing and make stories until the sun came up.

sentiremos la lluvia // respirar con los vientos // se la calma y no el miedo//

Lucien realized in the last verse that the rage of the storm has quieted. He ran above deck, but did not recieve the clear skies he had expected.

Above him a bird with malms of wingspan soared. It had spotted wings, sunburt chest, and an aetherial glow.

A warbling call resonated in the silence in the eye of the storm. There was an answering call as a another bird broke through the windwall to join its mate.

"The Halcyons" an old sailor said in awe as he sail fell to his knees.

The birds joined together in flight swooping into the sea. Then, breaking from the surface, parting from eachother. Both fly high and out of the eye. One to the west and the other to the west. The wind from their wings dissapated the storm.

"What was that?"

"An answer to prayer." The captian said with revel. "Land ho!"

Sure enough, the lights of Kugane's port twinkled in the distance. The Spinner wasn't done with him yet, or the thread of his new life.

[starrz-ombie]

fav books?

ooh i like this question a lot. i won’t lie i mostly if not exclusively read lgbtq+ stories, especially leaning towards mlm couple since i myself am gay (and trans but it’s harder to find books w transmasc characters, though it makes me so happy to find them!!) soo a list of faves..

- the first to die at the end & they both die at the end - adam silvera (both so good, both left me sobbing)

- radio silence - alice oseman (one of the few books i’ve reread and god it’s so great. i used to be a huge heartstopper fan a couple years back and aled was my favorite character, so seeing a book based mostly around him made me so happy. not to mention him being demisexual, which probably played a part into me realized that i was)

- i wish you all the best - mason deaver (can’t remember all the details since i read it a whiiiile ago and for some reason it always mixes up with radio silence in my head? but im pretty sure i liked it a lot. one warning though, the mc’s parents don’t take them coming out as nonbinary* well at all and kick them out, so warning in case that’s something you aren’t in the headspace to read rn!!)

*im pretty sure they come out as nb but once again, i read this book possibly up to two years ago and my memory isn’t that great

- meet cute diary - emery lee (it’s not like omg the best most inspirational piece of literature i’ve ever read, but it is pretty good from what i remember. one thing though, unless i somehow misread it the main character (trans man) goes swimming in a chest binder at one point?? which is obviously something you should not do!! that left a weird taste in my mouth but besides that it’s good from what i remember. and i believe there’s a character that uses neopronouns as well which was really cool to see!!)

^^ i also read café con lychee by the same author and i believe it was good? enemies* to lovers which ive always thought im not a big fan of (though i haven’t read almost any) don’t know how good the representation is as far as cultures besides what i know from being hispanic myself (one mc is puerto rican, the other is i believe japanese?) but im not puerto rican either so.. don’t really know 100% but i think i liked the book

- the honeys - ryan la sala (unlike the previous books, not a romance book, but SO SO good. the mc is genderfluid and i believe has a slight romance with another character at one point but it’s in no way the main plot of the book. i think the genre is horror/paranormal which isn’t my usual but it is SO GOOD!! also read reveries by the author and i can’t remember it too well but the author is very talented and im pretty sure i liked it too)

this list is getting really long so for the rest i’ll just give titles, especially since a lot are by the same authors

- in deep waters & so this is ever after & spell bound - F.T. lukens (much more fantasy than any of the others on this list, didn’t think i’d be a huge fantasy fan but the storyline, pairings and writing is incredible and makes it worth it. can’t remember for the first two but i believe at least spell bound uses multiple character pov’s which i LOOOVE so a huge plus for me (im pretty sure the others do too, just not entirely sure)

- cemetery boys & the sunbearer trials (hispanic rep!! also holy shit just found out sunbearer trials sequel is out now omg i’m gonna have to read it soon)

there’s probably more that i’ll add eventually but as of now i can’t remember. tysm for the ask(s) once again!!

[lighthandcd]

THESE FATAL FANTASIES. GIVING WAY TO LABOURED BREATH, TAKING ALL OF ME. WE'VE ALREADY DONE IT IN MY HEAD.

here ye, hear ye, for lord luken of house hawitt, the hand of the king of dele has just arrived. they are thirty-six, and look a great deal like jonathan bailey. their vassals have described them as farsighted and meticulous but they also claim that they can be a bit deceitful and critical.

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME: [ LUKEN AVÈRE HAWITT ] NICKNAME: [ LUKE ] AGE: [ 36 ] GENDER: [ MALE ] ETHNICITY: [ DELESIAN. ] OCCUPATION: [ HAND OF THE KING OF DELE ] RELIGION: [ TBA. ] LANGUAGE, IN ORDER OF PROFICIENCY: [ ALADONIAN, ASL (ALADONIAN SIGN LANGUAGE), DELESIAN, ONDERAN, RHORMISH, EDDISI, NOKIAN ] ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: [ BIROMANTIC ] SEXUAL ORIENTATION: [ HOMOSEXUAL ] SEXUAL TEMPERAMENT: [ SWITCH-SUB ] SEXUAL POSITION: [ TOP-VERSE ]

RELATIONSHIPS

SIGNIFICANT OTHER: [ TBD. ] PARENTS: [ TBA. ] SIBLINGS: [ redacted. ] FRIENDS: [ TBA. ]

PHYSICAL TRAITS

FACE CLAIM: [ JONATHAN BAILEY ] EYE COLOUR: [ BROWN ] HAIR COLOUR: [ BLACK, GREYING STREAKS ] HEIGHT: [ 1.84 METRES ] BODY BUILD: [ ATHLETIC, LEAN BUFF ] FACIAL HAIR: [ LIGHT SCRUFFY BEARD CENTRED AROUND THE MOUTH, EXTENDING TO THE SIDE OF HIS FACE. ] TATTOOS + PIERCINGS: [ tba. ] NOTABLE PHYSICAL TRAITS: [ METAL EYEPIECE, TBA ]

PHOBIAS AND DISORDERS

PHOBIAS/FEARS: [ tba. ] MENTAL DISORDERS: [ tba.]

PERSONALITY

INTELLIGENCE: [ TBA. ] LIKES: [ TBA. ] DISLIKES: [ TBA. ] POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES: [ STEADFAST, CLEAR-HEADED, DETERMINED, FARSIGHTED, METICULOUS ] NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES: [ DECEITFUL, CUNNING, CRITICAL ]

AESTHETICS

AESTHETICS: [ TBA. ] INSPO: [ TBA. ]

BIOGRAPHY

House Hawitt has been faithfully serving the Crown of Dele for generations, since its inception. Like his father before him, Luken had been trained for the role of Hand of the King since his birth. From a young age, he had been trained to speak, read and write as many languages as he could all in preparation for his role as Hand. Etiquette classes, history classes, diplomacy classes were just some of the many he had to attend in order to be able to perform his duty.

An unfortunate incident in his youth left the Hawitt heir partially deaf, which resulted in him learning yet another language, sign language; one he occasionally uses when words weren't enough or he wanted to communicate without them.

Luken took over the role of Hand from his father when the head of house Hawitt became too old in age and had to retire. For his service, the elder Hawitt could live the rest of his days rewarded and comfortably, with the knowledge that his son had taken to the job well.

Because of his upbringing, Lord Luken was wise beyond his years and even before he had officially served as hand to the recently deceased King Morris, they had a friendly and healthy relationship. Upon taking up his role, he became a close confidant and friend to the Dele Monarch, advising him in all matters, whether royal, military, personal or otherwise.

As a result of being so involved in King Morris' life, as a result of his own being so intertwined with the Monarch, Luken couldn't help but also fall prey to baser emotions and desires. It was a closely guarded secret of his that he started to yearn for the Queen, and not just an object of his desire but as something more. It felt like betrayal to his friend and to the Crown every time the thought did cross his mind.

And now that friend, his King, was murdered...

[redheadgleek]

Books Read April-June

I read a lot these last few months. A bunch of them were on the shorter side, but also because I've been reading more, I'm reading faster.

I've stretched my goal to read 120 books this year (10 books per month). We'll see if I make it.

April (10 books):

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde. I really struggle with reading nonfiction, so this took me several months to get through (I do much better with audiobooks for nonfiction). The first work I've read of hers, I'm really interested in seeing her poetry.

Frogs In A Pot: How one woman mentally and physically abused five men in her life - and her own daughter - to satisfy her narcissistic needs by K.D. Kinz. I already ranted about this one.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green. Sci-fi meets social media culture. Ended on a cliffhanger, not sure when I'll get to the sequel.

The Rose That Grew from Concrete by Tupac Shakur. He had some really lovely thoughts. Gone way too soon.

Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens. Not quite as good as their other books (Monster of the Week and Ever After are fantastic), but still enjoyable.

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff. Recommended by @ckerouac. I loved it until around the last 30 pages. It just felt rushed of an ending.

Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh - this was much more heavy than Hyperbole, in both content and weight (the book was a workout).

*In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune. A retelling of sorts of Pinocchio (reminded me a lot of A.I. which I loved even though the critics did not). It's weird and lovely and while not exactly happy, it's wistfully hopeful.

O Lady, Speak Again by Dayna Patterson - a collection of poetry using Shakespeare's female characters as the voices. I would love an audio version.

Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher. A dark, little more adult, Beauty and the Beast retelling. Very imaginative.

May (13 books):

Madison by Ngozi Ukazu. I'm not sure I should really count this, but it was a delightful little comic to close out the Check Please universe.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow. I struggled with the beginning, but there were some great little twists towards the middle.

Assassin of Reality by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko. The sequel to Vita Nostra which I haven't stopped thinking about since I read it earlier this year. It was still off-balance and haunting, and I'm still left with questions. Sergey died this year, so it's uncertain if there will be another book to finish.

The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman. A Sleeping Beauty/Snow White retelling with some absolutely gorgeous illustrations. Lots of twists in this short story.

*The Raven and The Reindeer by T. Kingfisher. Retelling of the Snow Queen. I really liked this one - I felt cold through the whole thing.

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher. Very creepy in world building and the horror was a slow drawn-out dawning, but it sort of fell flat in the end.

Tastes Like War: A Memoir by Grace Cho. A half Korean woman recalls the relationship with her mother, who is diagnosed with schizophrenia. This was a "Everybody Reads" book club book from my library. I found the writing quite engrossing. There's a lot of controversy with it, with her brother calling the author a liar - but as he and his wife spend every moment of their free time replying to anybody who says anything positive about the book and they also have this "there isn't any racism any more!" attitudes, I've had heaps of salt with their perspective.

*Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik - a Rumpelstiltskin retelling, but it weaves in several other fairy tales. This one is unique because there's about a dozen 1st person perspectives (who aren't identified, you figure them out from the context) who tell the story. Makes me want to read more of her books.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar. I wanted to love this because everybody else is. And I didn't. It was okay, it just wasn't fantastic.

*Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow. Middle school novel about a kid who is the only survivor of a school shooter and then moves to the middle of nowhere to escape it all. The friendships were the best and it made me feel all the emotions.

The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill. Yes, May was my month of reading fairy tale retellings, this one of the Crane Wife. Weird and short. I'm looking forward to reading When Women Were Dragons.

The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher by E.M. Anderson. This was a book based on that tumblr post circulating around about the chosen one being an old woman instead of a teenager. It was enjoyable, mostly, but did feel like it was trying to check off all of the diversity boxes, and the ending was rushed.

The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner. Apparently it's sort of a sequel to another book. Knowing that would have helped. The undead mouse character was the best.

June: It's Pride Month! (12 books)

Queerly Beloved by Susie Dumond. Once a bridesmaid, forever a fake bridesmaid? Some fun characters in this one.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Read as part of my friends-recommendation challenge - I own this book and my sister has been trying to get me to read it for years. I still haven't quite decided how I feel about it. The atmosphere was deliciously Gothic.

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli. I related a lot to this book, of figuring out who you are, and how boxes and definitions may not fit you. I wish that Becky would start writing books about college students instead of high schoolers though.

Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram. A quick read.

Loveless by Alice Oseman. I was really disappointed by this book. The characters and plot weren't well fleshed out.

*Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanne Clarke, audiobook. Shortly after this book came out (nearly 20 years ago), I started reading it and got about half way through before getting distracted and I never finished it. I started listening to this at the beginning of March. It was 32 hours long. It's such a slow developing, meandering story, and I absolutely loved it. I felt completely immersed in the world.

Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun. "A Charmed Offensive" was better but it was a nice twist on the fake dating trope. Although for taking place in Portland, very little of it actually took place in Portland.

Lily and the Octopus by Steve Rowley. I loved "The Guncle" so much that I bought this when it went on sale and put away all of my other books to read it. It was ... weird. I think part of it is that I don't have a pet, but also the voice of his dog kept changing? It's magical realism, part The Life with Pi and part Moby Dick.

Scythe by Neil Shusterman. Friend-recommendation. A dark utopia and a sort of fascinating exploration about death. I'm on the waiting list for the other books of the trilogy.

*What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma. Audiobook. Friend recommendation. An Asian woman explores the relationship of her abusive mother and her recovery from complex PTSD. I listened to the audiobook, and while I don't have PTSD or a history of abuse, it surprised me how much I related to her. The last chapters about love and connection were really healing to listen to.

*Above Ground by Clint Smith. Audiobook. His poetry about about parenting, but also about racism and connecting to the past. Really powerful and lyrical.

*The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I do love a Greek tragedy and this one was so good.

Currently reading:

The House Witch by Delemhach. The writing kinda sucks, but I like the idea and plot?

The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett. It's an Anne of Green Gables-inspired book about a young orphan witch who seeks out a reclusive woman as her mentor. It's utterly delightful.

The Celebrants by Steve Rowley. "The Guncle" may have been a one hit wonder for his writing for me, because I'm a couple of chapters in and I'm already annoyed.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland. I've heard lots of good things about this one.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh. Audiobook. I'm loving the narrator - for a while, I thought it was the actress who plays La'an on SNW as they have very similar cadences.

Next up: Book Lovers, When Women were Dragons, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Thunderhead, and A House of Good Bones. Still on my "friend recommendations for 2023" to-read list: The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan, Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zavin, Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson, Sweet Like Jasmine by Bonnie Gray, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, Dinners with Ruth by Nina Totenberg.

[novaalexanderwrites]

Book Recs: Spellbound - F.T. Lukens

I read Luken's newest book Spellbound and it was so good. It's a YA novel about a pair of rivals-to-lovers in a magical, modern-day city. One is magic, one isn't, but they both have magical bosses. Lots of trouble happens, they have to go on the run, and there's a cat involved in there somewhere.

I feel a little called out by this book because the two main characters are a golden retriever non-magical white boy and a aesthetically-dark magical Asian they/them. You know. Like two of my characters are. Granted, Rosalind isn't Korean like Sun is, but Sun (the Korean magic baby) very much reads like a young Rosalind (though they were much older when they figured out their gender stuff). But I really enjoyed the two characters, their banter, their relationship, and I wish Lukens would write a sequel (though I'm fairly confident they don't really do that. This one definitely reads as a complete story, which is nice!).

Definitely recommend reading this if you're into fun, easy, queer reads with a bit of adventure and romantic tension. 💖 Also, if I write fanfiction for it, mind your business. Or read it. You do you.