#rcttw

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Queer Book Character Tournament Round 3

Damianos "Damen" of Akielos- Captive Prince

Julian- Running Close to the Wind

Voting ended onOct 11, 2025

Character, book, and author names under the cut

Damianos "Damen" of Akielos- Captive Prince by C. S. Pacat

Julian- Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland

[cryptiduck]

Running Close to the Wind by @ariaste found me at such an odd time in my life. i was in between multiple deaths in the family when i started and finished reading it, and it's gotten me through more than i realize. on top of character isms and dynamics it had that reflected in my own characters, it's become deeply personal media within such a short amount of time

and of course i can never quite get into anything a Normal™ amount so here's an art dump 🏴‍☠️🖤

[specks-of-time]

avra helvaci

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Adult SFF Books Bracket: Round 1

Choose a book:

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland

Voting ended onNov 30, 2024

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.

Fantasy, historical fiction, mythology, retelling, adult

Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland

Endorsement from submitter: "Utterly hilarious romp. No actual sex, but somehow hornier than 90% of books with actual sex in them that I have read."

Avra Helvaçi, former field agent of the Araşti Ministry of Intelligence, has accidentally stolen the single most expensive secret in the world―and the only place to flee with a secret that big is the open sea.

To find a buyer with deep enough pockets, Avra must ask for help from his on-again, off-again ex, the pirate Captain Teveri az-Ḥaffār. They are far from happy to see him, but together, they hatch a plan: take the information to the isolated pirate republic of the Isles of Lost Souls, fence it, profit. The only things in their way? A calculating new Araşti ambassador to the Isles of Lost Souls who’s got his eyes on Avra’s every move; Brother Julian, a beautiful, mysterious new member of the crew with secrets of his own and a frankly inconvenient vow of celibacy; the fact that they’re sailing straight into sea serpent breeding season and almost certain doom.

But if they can find a way to survive and sell the secret on the black market, they’ll all be as wealthy as kings―and, more important, they’ll be legends.

Fantasy, humor, adventure, secondary world, queernorm, adult

[xserpx]

Things that hit different the second time through RCTTW:

The crew descended into shouting and squabbling with all the ferocious determination of a flock of seagulls at the cake competition

Me on the first read: it's a funny hyperbolic metaphor!

Me on the second read: that is not a funny hyperbolic metaphor!

[mintly]

Sets on the Beach

Fandom: Running Close to the Wind - Alexandra Rowland

Relationships: Teveri az-Ḥaffār/Avra Helvaçi/Julian, Teveri az-Ḥaffār/Avra Helvaçi, Implied Julian/Others

Rating: M

Chapters: 1/1 (Complete), 8.2K

Tags: Polyamory, Post-Canon, Like Immediately, Humor, Banter, Light Angst, Miscommunication, Bad Sex, Implied Sexual Content, Hair Braiding, Talking About Feelings, AKA Teveri's Least Favorite Activity, The Blood Sport of Piratical Beach Volleyball, Blood and Injury, Shhh It's Fine, Spooky Dildo Cameo

Summary:

With a sad smile, Julian picked up his discarded clothing, still dripping with seawater, and exited the cabin into the night, fully nude and unashamed. Teveri and Avra watched him leave with a quiet moment of appreciation for the jump of his muscled ass cheeks. "We fucked that up, didn't we?" Avra said into the silence. "He won't want to have sex with us again." "No," Teveri agreed, a frown tugging at their scarring. "He was always too pretty for us, anyway."

Read on AO3

My fic for Yuletide 2025! I love this goofy book with my whole heart and if you also love silly pirates and shenanigans, I highly recommend!!

[catastrophicallie]

Polyship Week Day 8: free day

Another of @ariaste 's books. Another of my favourite canon poly ships. Running Close to the Wind is what kicked off my whole obsession.

Tev is hogging Julian's tits (under the pretence of making sure he gets plenty of sunscreen - does sunscreen exist in this universe? It does now just so Tev has a valid excuse)

Avra is complaining that Tev is hogging Julian's tits because it is very unfair and how dare Julian laugh at his plight?

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Queer Book Character Tournament Round 1

Dirk McDonald- Baby Bebop

Nancy Whitman- Wayward Children

Avra Helvaçi- Running Close to the Wind

Count Lucian Cross- A Vile Season

Voting ended onSep 28, 2025

Character, book, and author names under the cut

Dirk McDonald- Baby Bebop by Francesca Lia Block

Nancy Whitman- Wayward Children by Seanan Mcguire

Avra Helvaçi- Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland

Count Lucian Cross- A Vile Season by David Ferraro