Here's 50 questions about Rook, with some mild spoilers in the questions, with endgame spoilers in the last 10:
10. What chore around the Lighthouse would Rook do without being asked?
Ogden's very good at cataloguing. He's been a Circle mage, he knows how to keep a place tidy and keep things in place. He's also got a bit of an issue with making sure things are neat due to his upbringing in his birth family. So he'd probably be seen just...Putting things back where they belong constantly. Just not saying anything, just doing it. It's a reflex of his to make sure things are organized and where they're supposed to be, so they're easier to find later.
31. What quest did Rook find the most disturbing?
The beginning of A Cage for Gods. When Lucanis is laying there like that. It brought back horrible memories about when he found Adhlea and just crushed him. It was a really good illusion for Solas to pull out for him, because it brought up old regrets as well as recent regrets. To see the person you love, laying there dead, due to something involving either your action or inaction, not just once, but twice??
Oh it was definitely something that shook him for a bit, until he was able to overpower it to find a way out.
46. What was Rook's reaction to learning they were gone for weeks?
Outwardly, just "I need to get back to work." He refuses to let it seem like anything bothered him, especially after finding out what all Elgar'nan has been up to since he was in the fade prison. But inwardly...
Frustration. Lost time. Also...Fear. Fear of what if he hadn't gotten out? What if he had been trapped? What if he would never have seen the people he loved and cared for ever again?
Something he tells Lucanis in private, away from anyone else who might not be able to handle an unsure Rook.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Fic rec! H/C 3K one-shot
Summary: Adora, Glimmer, and Catra end up stuck together in a cave in after a skirmish between the Rebels and the Horde. With Adora injured, it's up to Glimmer and Catra to put aside their differences to get all three of them out.
Comments: Of course I looked for the H/C in this fandom as soon as I finished the show. Of course. Adora was spot on here, hurt but still determined to help and watching Catra and Glimmer working together, just for a little bit!, was heartening.
Right, here we go. I'll preface this by saying i've read 24 books this year, but it wasn't nearly as good of a reading year as 2022. I had a lot of meh 3 star reads this year, but still, for your perusal my dear.
if anyone is curious about the book asks, find them here, and feel free to drop your own ask.
3. What were your top five books of the year?
Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand
Hands down my favorite book of the year, and one of my new favorite books of all time. Its actually prompted me to start looking into reading more horror. This story is told through a series of interviews with a band about the events surrounding the recording of their world famous album decades ago, sort of like Daisy Jones. The hook question here though is 'what happened to the lead singer' as we come to understand that at some point during this whirlwind recording summer while they're all shacking up in this creepy old mansion, the lead singer Julian disappeared from his locked bedroom and was never seen again. Its very short, and I listened to it as a audiobook and they went the extra mile of having different voice actors for each band member which added to the immersion. Highly recommend for those who want a spooky book that won't leave you traumatized.
2. In Memorium by Alice Winn
Possibly the most devastating book i've ever read, this book tackles an MLM romance on the highly realistic backdrop of WW1. The romance between the two leads- childhood friends who went to the same exclusive boarding school- is secondary to the brutality of the trenches and the harrowing emotional and mental toll it takes. You need a strong stomach to read this as Winn pulls no punches describing the filth and gore of trench-warfare. There were numerous times in this book where I was gut-punched by sudden character deaths, or off-hand references to upcoming battles which I knew turned out to be massacres. I recommend it, but know that it is a highly emotional reading experience. It will completely grip you by the heart, and you'll likely need to unwind with a fluffy rom-com after (like i did)
3. Innate Magic by Shannon Fey
This was an odd book, a sort of quirky story set in a 40s/50s world were practicing certain types of artificer magic are part of the economy, but having innate magic is highly illegal. The main character Paul is a bisexual magical tailor with an innate magic blessing/curse on him that makes him instantly likeable, but incapable of committing violence- which is a problem as he is a major shit-stirrer. I'll admit, most of the book feels like its juggling 3 completely separate plots before finally managing to weave them together, but what makes this book so good is how real Paul is as a character, and the relationship between him and his chosen-brother Thomas. Its very pulpy, pretty tropey, and definitely not going to win any awards, but I couldn't help but love it. Massive content warning for the conclusion though, out of nowhere we get an INTENSELY gory scene of someone being skinned alive which honestly turned my stomach to read. Read at your own discretion
4. The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
The weirdest book I have ever read, this tells the story of two warriors trying to escort the captured moon goddess to safety while her monstrous demigod sons pursue her. I can tell you that's the plot, but it does not encapsulate the expirience of reading this book, which is told to you in the format of a man experiencing this story as a myth from his childhood that he is now watching as a theater production in his dreams. The vibes in this book are unlike anything I have ever read, and I recommend it if only because it made me feel like I was rediscovering the way in which books and stories could be constructed.
5. If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio
This is a bit cheeky because I actually read it late last year, but it has sat in my brain like a lingering smoke since then, far more than some other things I read in 2023. I love a dark academia when its used as a genre, not an aesthetic (more on that in q13), and this book nails that gut clench of desperation, pressure, an hedonistic opportunity that hits in university, and the added layer of it being an arts program made it really hit home for me because you have all these people wringing themselves dry for their art, aware that their best friends are also potentially their professional competition, a mood that I'm very familiar with have graduated from an art school with a similar high intensity environment.
BONUS Picture Book Pick (because I'm me) - The Comet by Joe Todd-Staton - A very sweet story about the struggle for a parent and child to connect in a busy world with some truly gorgeous illustrations from Joe Todd-Stanton
6. Was there anything you meant to read, but never got to?
Godly Heathens by H. E. Edgmon
This only recently released so I've not got my hands on it yet, but it sounds like it has all the ingredients to be one of my favorites- nonbinary main character written by a queer author, Goddess of Death as the villain, the main romance between reincarnated godly lovers who maybe used to be evil? This one is top of my TBR
Lavender House by Lev Ac Rosen
Good old gumshoe detective story where the mystery takes place in a house that acts as a safe haven for queer people in the homophobic 1950's. The second one in the series came to my attention earlier this year, so I had to add book 1 to my TBR
Absynthe by Brendan P. Bellecourt
Everyone knows i'm a sucker for decopunk, and a story set in an alternate history version of the 1920's where Absynthe sometimes has the strange side effect of giving you magic powers leading to a hi-stakes political intrigue plot? Sign me up. I received this one for christmas, and its been patiently waiting on my shelf for a full year.
13. What were your least favorite books of the year?
Catherine House by Elizabeth Thomas- This book made me legitimately angry about how bad it was. A meandering waste of text that claimed to be dark academia, but really it was just using it a university campus as set dressing for a story about...something? It could ever seem to decide if it was about unethical medical experiments on students, cult indoctrination, or (as it turned out in the end) a modern retelling of Bluebeard. either way it just felt like the author was throwing a bunch of wet spaghetti at the wall, hoping something would stick and congeal into a 'dark academia story' without spending a minute thinking through how to get there. Also highly egregious- I've seen literal rocks with more personality and drive than the main character. If i wasn't such a stubborn bastard I would have DNF'd it. Do Not Recommend
20. What was your most anticipated release? Did it meet your expectations?
I have to admit I don't tend to keep track of upcoming releases unless its an author or series i'm actively following. I took a long break from reading in my early - mid 20s, so i'm enjoying playing catchup and reading books that I may have missed when they first hit shelves. I will say this year I finally read House in the Cerulean Sea, which I found a bit disappointingly lackluster, but that coming up for next year though I am really looking forward to The Mars House from Natasha Pulley
When somebody manages to bring you down (you're a high level optional boss no one wants to kill because you're too damn cute) your drop loot would be: knitted arm warmers, a viney plant, and an engineering pun.
Damnation! You have seen into my innermost inventory.
11- What book fandom do you affiliate yourself with the most? Probably any of the cosmere books by Brandon Sanderson but if I had to pick one series from it then Mistborn it was the first book by him that I read and i love it a lot
20- A character you like but you really, really shouldn’t. The Stolen Throne really made me sympathize with Loghain for a bit but now I’m replaying origins and I’m so conflicted about him he’s a jerk but also i feel bad for him???
28- An ending you wish you could change? I like how the ending of the Mistborn trilogy plays out long term but short term i just want Vin and Elend to be happy for a little while is that so much to ask
34- Scariest book you ever read? I dont read too many scary books so I’m not too sure about this one…
Doing what must be done when a darling and talented friend makes you a lovely business casual flower crown: dress up and take absurd amounts of pictures.
Many thanks @stardustandash! Your craft(magic) skills are off the charts.
To see people be treated with respect, no matter how they identify. Discrimination is awful, and it’s so upsetting to think that we still have such a long way to go before everyone is treated with the respect they deserve.
