#eugenides

Queen’s Thief Appreciation, Day 3: The King of Attolia – books/characters as things my friends and I have said

This book… just has to be my favorite one. The way Eugenides is revealed again and again draws me back to it again and again. Plus Costis, poor Costis <3

Queen’s Thief Appreciation, Day 1: The Thief – in my saga of QT books/characters as things my friends and I have said.

I wanted to participate in qtappreciationweek this year, but didn’t have the time to create any serious, meaningful pieces that would properly honor and embody my all-encompassing love for these books, so I’ve come up with the happy medium of… memery.

I’ve come to the conclusion that my silly contribution to this fun celebration isn’t totally out of place, because it does encapsulate one of the reasons I was first drawn into the series: the humor. My gods, the humor. From the moment Gen splayed his body by the side of the road, content to endure his new life as a landmark, I was enraptured. I adore Gen’s unbridled, raw snark in The Thief.

Gen’s “I’m sorry” in this passage sorta kicks me in the gut. Every time.

My favorite guy, through the years

Seated monarchs

Anatomy practice with the royal 4

I’ve been trying to diversify Gen’s wardrobe

Pheris doodles

1. Ew, love! gross

2. :’(

3. “Peace, warrior.”

4. Riding Snap

Qt giggling in bed <3

laurentarzan:

Gen, Pheris, and irenides ❤️

I like to imagine pheris started wearing his hair with a braid like our main man genny

(Spoilers for the whole series!)

I have been re-reading the Queen’s Thief series by M.W. Turner lately because I’m still salty about the delay of the last book (…I’d already ordered it! from Germany because they don’t sell it here! I had already paid and had to cancel!) and it made me wonder about a few issues the fandom has been speculating about. I have my own theories and I’m going to make several posts about it. 

Firstly - who will be the next Thief?

Many readers seem to think it will be Costis because he has already acted as the Thief  by stealing Kamet from the Mede in ‘Thick as Thieves’. I don’t really agree with this theory and here’s why:

1.      In general, Costis „doesn’t have the temperament” (to use Helene’s words) to be the Thief. Thieves of Eddis are independent souls and outsiders – Costis is a team player at heart. He didn’t take it well when Gen separated him from the rest of his squad in the Royal Guard.

2.      Thieves of Eddis like to play by their own rules – Costis is a natural follower. When he stole Kamet from the Mede he was following his King’s orders. What’s more, while Thieves of Eddis act on behalf of their monarchs they swear no oaths and might choose to go against the throne should they consider the person sitting on it unworthy. Costis, on the other hand, has already sworn an oath of loyalty and takes it so seriously that he couldn’t act against Gen even when he’d hated him and considered him the worst king ever.

3.      Thieves of Eddis need to be sneaky and conniving, and lying bastards at times – Costis is honest. He can lie when he has to but he doesn’t like to and is bad at it. He doesn’t like intrigue and it took him some time to realise someone was trying to kill him and make it look like an accident. He also had to be kept in the dark about some aspects of the „steal Kamet” plan for it to work.

4.    Lastly, Costis is too old - Gen started his training when he was still a kid. While Costis’ exact age (nor anyone else’s ) is never stated, I think it’s safe to assume that in ‘King of Attolia’ he must be in his late twenties at least.

To sum it up, I believe that Costis’ role in the ‘Thick as Thieves’ is not to be the Thief in his own right but to be Gen’s proxy – to act on Gen’s behalf, carry out his plans and go where Gen himself cannot go due to his obligations as a monarch. This is even stated in the book: Costis’ earring with his King’s personal coat of arms means that he’s Gen’s man and acts as an extension of Gen’s will.

But if not Costis, then who?

Well, I believe that a suitable candidate for the role has already been introduced. Someone of appropriate age to begin training, someone intelligent (but hiding it behind an obnoxious facade) and thinking „outside the box”; someone who – like Gen – doesn’t have much respect for authority, likes riling people up and yanking their proverbial chains for the heck of it, and who isn’t above snooping around in other people’s correspondence if need be (the need being his curiosity that is).

This candidate is the new Erondites heir.

Aaaaand, bam! My contribution to Queen’s Thief Appreciation Week! It’s pen, watercolor, and colored pencil and was ultra fun to work on.

Last year I did an ominous piece of Gen falling, so this year I pivoted and did happily ever after.

It’s got all your basic moving parts: Gen and Irene heading up to the crenellations,

Phresine loving on baby Hector while baby Eugenia drops a stolen earring that matches her dad’s (with her mountain goat plushie nearby),

Helen and Sophos just being stupid cute with their wee heir, while the Magus still studies his map and Pol’s sword leans on the wall beneath the three countries’ banners,

Your pantheon of deities, with the Great Goddess at the center,

Teleus and Relius enjoying each other’s company while Pheris (now with mobility aid!) ignores them (also there’s a pigeon),

Costis and bespectacled Kamet with a plate of nut cakes, and a familiar author in the background with her stack of six books,

And, finally, our long-awaited elephant, while two of Gen’s attendants search for their king.

Happy Queen’s Thief Appreciation Week!!!