[aristogiton]

I said this in the tags of a reblog, but I'm trying to read more fiction this year since I typically read mostly nonfiction, and I'd love to take any suggestions for series or standalone novels I should add to my list!

Any genres are welcome, because I really don't know what I like!

[hamiathesgiftexchange]

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:

NEW THIS YEAR: a signup guide and an optional details guide!

The tagset is big! Consider taking some time to go through it if you want.

Signups are open until Sunday, July 5 @ 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! 

AO3 has 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 encouraged people to state in their sign-up or profile page if they're open to treats (including treats in different mediums than those requested for your main gift). 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.

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 (August 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 its 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! 

[syrren]

gearing up for my annual reread of the Queen's Thief series

[florealegiardini]

Magestic Light, James Coleman

[anarqueeen]

I'll have you know I was "a pleasure to have" in the torture dungeon

[hiddenvioletsgrow]

@furubat

[bestest-goblin]

[svetlacreates]

A late night and an expected guest. An illustration based on The King of Attolia, depicting a stolen moment between Eugenides and Irene. This was a gift for seaofeels in the @hamiathesgiftexchange!

[pvrrhadve]

#myattolian #mycostis #myfriend

[dilfdyke]

love love love when a particularly manipulative character is lying off their ass about something and then throws in one hauntingly genuine line

[bad-moodboard]

Face stone, Urra Moor, North Yorkshire

[tentacleteapot]

your unreliable narrator fucking bit me

[charl0ttan]

thats not how they told it

[medievaljournalist]

unfortunately the awful little freak everyone hates has saved the world so now we all have to try to be nice

[nazali]

[qadoshqadoshqadosh]

if your lie is a good enough lie god will make it real

[unsubconscious]

Anne-Marie Zanetti, (Australian, b. 1965) “Abundant”, oil on linen, 85 x 145 cm

[antiqueanimals]

Mosaic from Pompeii; circa 100 BC.

[princesssarcastia]

there are some things a character should not be able to tell us about themselves EVEN with a gun to their head. depending on the character that could even expand to include "most" things

[princesssarcastia]

i'm talking "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink" territory. "i've constructed an elaborate rube goldberg machine of plot to force this character to have precisely the realization about themselves that i want them to, and i'm only maybe 60% sure it'll work" territory. "the deity of their choice reveals it to them in a dream and they wake up and say, 'no, that can't be right,' and promptly forget about it" territory.

[cogentranting]

The thing about Queen's Thief is that the reveals that come with Gen's trickster type, don't just reveal that he is smarter or more skilled than the people around him (or the readers) thought, but also that he is more good than they originally thought. Gen's goodness is a part of the twist.

This is probably most prominent in King of Attolia where his surprising mercy is a huge part of the plot (and his genuine love and friendship). But it happens over and over again.

In The Thief we are led to believe that he is motivated primarily by self-interest and we are surprised by the depths of his loyalty, the generous affection that comes out for the Magus, and by the fact that he is actually primarily motivated by duty and love for his queen/favorite cousin/reigning bestie.

In Queen of Attolia the twist is that his actions which looked like generalized mischief and political power plays actually all spring from love, and that love arose initially from empathy with a girl's loneliness.

Or when he becomes king, and then it's revealed that yes he got what he wanted but actually this is an act of self sacrifice (for the sake of Irene and Hellen and Eddis).

And on and on.

The pettiness and the pride and the mischief for its own sake are all still there, but they coexist with this deep undercurrent of loyalty and duty and love and mercy and kindness. And when push comes to shove that undercurrent will always win out and its that which makes the twists so triumphant and satisfying.