#lark speaking to sandry

[elvencantation]

every time rosethorn calls briar ‘her boy’ i START CRYING

#dear god help #the found family #help #tamora pierce #emelan #briar moss #rosethorn #battle magic #blue reads #it’s like one of the last parts of magic steps #I think the quote goes something like this #lark speaking to sandry #we are not done my heart’s own #AND I CRY AGAIN #gimme #please #p l e a s e #would both rekindle my love of learning and heal my mountain if mommy issues #if only

[thejuniperjinx]

Book 27 of 2023

Summer Reading Challenge(Kitsap Regional Library)

Circle of Magic 1: Sandry's Book by Tamora Pierce

This is another reread for me, but it's been many years since the last time I had read this. This is one of many books Tamora Pierce has written for this fantasy land, and the start of my favorite of her series. I love the introduction of each character, and the depth she gives each of their unique cultures, in the short amount she gives each introduction. The setting of The Winding Circle Temple, and the new home of Sandry, Tris, Daja and Briar, has always fascinated me. I love that they live in a world of magic, but that they all believe the can't be magic, just because their magic doesn't look like everyone else's. Sandry led such an atypical life for a noble, even before her parents pass, that she has always been so endearing to me. Her steadfast insistence on treating everyone like equals, yet still using her status when needed was just neat. We also meet their caretakers, Lark, a weaver, and Rosethorn, a gardener, who are not boring average adults you usually saw in the children's books of this era. I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys high fantasy, with strong female characters.

Sandry's book is mostly focused on Sandry, but gives us a fair chunk of introductions to the other characters and the lovely setting. Sandry is a noble born girl, who lost her parents to an epidemic that swept the country they were visiting. She loses her parents, then her governess in short order, and nearly loses her sanity and self before she is found and brought to her nearest family member, her Uncle, ruler of Emelan. He is ill equipped to handle a young girl, so it is suggested she be sent to stay and get educated at The Winding Circle Temple, and large religious and educational facility a few leagues away. Sandry leaps at the chance. On arrival, she quickly realizes that the other girls of her station are not quite like her, and disapprove of the friends she makes as they are below them, so to speak. Sandry ends up moving out of the dorms, into a small cottage with three other misfits, Daja, a trader girl, Tris, a merchant's disowned daughter, and Briar, a former thief from the streets. They are living with Lark and Rosethorn, who just want them to thrive, but there is strange magic afoot, and danger ahead.

#bibliophile #i like to read #book recs #reading challenge #52books #reading #book tumblr #bookworm

[peri-hellion]

I’m still working my way through re-listening to the Circle of Magic series and I’m obsessed with the way that we get four extremely different mentor/mentee relationships that speak to each Circle kid’s character development.

 Like Sandry and Lark are the ultimate Mom Friend vs. Mom Friend duo whose gentleness and optimism is cut with extreme Fuck Around and Find Out energy, they’re all words of affirmation while Lark helps Sandry not nuclear escalate every situation where she has the moral high ground.

Briar and Rosethorn are the combination of prickly introvert meets the most ride-or-die mentee who has ever existed, two cynics with hearts of gold who admit that they love each other like once on pain of death but are constantly performing extreme acts for each other.

Daja “I’ll keep all of my emotions inside and then one day I’ll die” Kisubo gets Frostpine, who is also the most even-tempered of the mentors but helps her be like the pragmatic center of her group while not getting stepped on and Having an Emotion every now and then. I feel like Frostpine is the best of the four at navigating his mentee’s extreme trauma with a lot of delicate intentionality while making it look like an effortless combination of fondness and dad jokes.

And then on the opposite side there’s Tris and Niko, who are both a lot more emotionally volatile and obsessive about their research, but who Get each other to the extent that they can be super blunt and prickly at each other without lasting consequences. They also both walk away from every social situation being like “hmmm that was not my best work.” I feel like a lot of Tris’ emotional development comes from the other kids/mentees, especially when it comes to her abandonment issues, etc. but Tris and Niko just like vibe through both being That Bitch. Niko expresses his affection by shouting when Tris tries a cool experiment that might kill her and being like ‘this is MY student, go get your own’ every time someone else notices that Tris is like, ridiculously powerful and smart, but that actually works for them both.

#circle of magic #I mean tris and niko are still my favorite but they're all so great #tamora pierce

[tflatte]

shout out to tamora pierce for the circle of magic series

1)the four main characters are three girls and one boy, when most authors would’ve wound up with three boys and one girl 2)the boy is the one with plant magic, and one of the girls gets metal magic 3)the girl with thread magic is treated with the respect a person who has control over literally everything other people WEAR and make things out of should have 4)the girl with weather control doesn’t get written into the easy route of killing things with her power 5)realistic depictions of trauma and the psychological effects of battle, without being grossly over-graphic about it 6)series is planted and grown in respect women juice even though not all the characters do 6a)speaking of, privileged women dismissing underprivileged women’s struggles because “i could deal with it so they should too” is given the contempt it deserves 6b)so is “but not all men,” for that matter 7)cast contains many poc, including two of the main characters(i think? i’m pretty sure briar isn’t white) 8)cool as FUCK system of magic 8a)with REALLY COOL magical workings. fuckin love the living metal thing. daja is the best 9)i would die for sandry 10)and also evvy 11)lark and rosethorn’s relationship is a beautiful old married couple and i love it 12)someone makes a magic glass dragon at one point. her name is chime because she makes pretty chiming noises and she’s the most awesome magical creation in fiction i would kill for her 13)it’s just really good you guys i love the circle of magic books so MUCH

#tamora pierce

[nightinngales]

would you rec tamora pierce’s stuff for adults? like it is good bc it’s good or is it good bc nostalgia? (aka should i read it?)

I absolutely would.

is my enjoyment of it probably at least colored by a bit of nostalgia? probably, but i also didn’t read these books until my late teens. they’re marketed as YA, and all of them follow a female protag. tamora is known for being one of the best in terms of representation next to the one dude whose name escapes me right now (fucking percy jackson author you know who i mean) and probably one of the first to do it (as in, before support of lgbt+/minority rep went more mainstream and became a bit more common)

the tortall universe is comprised of currently 3 different series (4 books), 2 shorter series (2 books), and i believe a fourth one is being written currently. chronologically:

the song of the lioness: focuses on alanna of trebond, a girl who masquerades as her twin brother so that she can become a page and train to be a knight in his place. deals with sexism, feminist themes, etc.

the immortals: focuses on daine surrasin(sp? sorry i don’t feel like looking it up lmao) who lost her parents in a bandit attack and joins with a caravan. she finds she has a particular type of magic that allows her to talk with animals, and like shit happens. iirc daine isn’t presented as white but it’s been a while since i read this series since tw: large age gap relationship. it’s presented in a way that’s not as creepy as it could be (daine is 18 by the time they get together) but like. the guy in the story has known her since she was 15-16 and he’s in his 30s. for me it was a dealbreaker so i couldn’t read it past that point, but the first 3 books of this are great regardless.

note: tamora has said she won’t include another relationship like this since it made some fans uncomfy. i believe she just drew from her own experiences as i think her husband was quite a bit older than her but the point is that she listened. if you decide to read tortall and want to skip this, you could just look at a summary. tamora does a good job of making her books accessible even to brand new readers, though obviously understanding references helps.

protector of the small: focuses on keladry of mindelan, the first girl to want to become a page following alanna. this series really ramps up the rep significantly as two side characters are involved in a lesbian relationship, kel speaks of lgbt relationships, and tamora herself has confirmed that kel is likely ace/aro.

other series include: beka cooper, trickster’s choice. also recently started series following daine’s husband’s earlier years before he met daine. first two are both great series in their own right but shorter. beka is sort of like a prequel lowkey cop/detective type novel. trickster’s choice follows one of alanna’s daughters. the husband books i couldn’t tell you as i don’t care that much about him lmao

the holy grail of tamora’s rep though goes to the emelan universe which is comprised of:

circle of magic (4 books), the circle opens (4), the circle reforged (currently 2 books last i heard), for a total of 10.

focuses on four main protags with found family trope: briar, daja, tris, and sandry. briar is an asian boy, daja is a dark-skinned black woman who is later revealed to be lesbian (through the cutest way ever too). their adoptive parents, lark and rosethorn, are both bisexual in a polyamorous relationship, though the poly part is only hinted at really. i believe tamora has also said it’s possible sandry may end up as ace but she hasn’t gotten to that point yet. there’s also multiple characters who are disabled, either upon first meeting them or later on in the series.

the circle series deals with a lot of prejudices such as racism, xenophobia, classism, mental health, and obviously lgbt issues as well, disability etc. it’s genuinely an amazing series that doesn’t get NEARLY enough attention. tw for the series for some darker concepts, such as murder, depictions of ptsd, plague, death, war etc, and (attempted) sexual assault - the last one is only in the 9th book (will of the empress) and implied/talked about very briefly before being WILDLY unsuccessful, but i thought it worth mentioning just in case.

bonus: the first 6? ish books of emelan universe have fully cast audiobooks with great actors. will of the empress is also fully cast and the acting in that one (especially by sandry) is phenomenal. so if you enjoy audiobooks as well i’d definitely check them out.

is it “high brow” adult fiction? no. it’s easily digestible as YA fiction tends to be, written so that teens can easily read it, but it does deal with heavier issues and tamora has been a pioneer of minority representation for literal decades.

#long post #listen i can rant for DAYS about tamora’s books shes my fave

[shieldmaiden19]

@buckysl3ftarm (Thanks, man!) tagged me to name my ten favorite female characters from 10 different fandoms and tag ten people to do the same, so here goes…

1. Lord of the Rings: Eowyn. I can’t count how many times I’ve read these books, from the time I was nine to now, and every time I find more of myself in her. A lot of feminist fantasy writers have spoken against the ending Tolkien gave her, but marrying Faramir and living in peace and among growing things was what she needed. I have struggled with depression almost my whole life, and her finding hope in evil, despair, and “the end of all things” has given me hope.

2. DC: Wonder Woman. Just...Wonder Woman. 

3. PJO: Annabeth Chase. Percy Jackson does not deserve this girl, and he would be the first to admit it. She’s the Odysseus of the series, the wily, ambitious strategist and unparalleled fighter, and she looks fabulous while she’s doing it.

4. Arrowverse: Sara Lance/White Canary. Man, I did not realize how badly I wanted to see a kick-ass bi woman until I saw her. She’s snarky, one of the greatest fighters on the planet, and an awesome leader.

5. Young Justice: Artemis Crock. This woman literally went back into the life she swore to leave behind, in deep cover no less - if she died there, Kaldur wasn’t going to break cover to return her to Wally. We don’t see anything of how she proved herself to Manta’s organization, Deathstroke in particular, but whatever she did worked because both Manta and Deathstroke speak to her with nothing but respect. And by the way, who took the latter out so M’gann could impersonate him in Summit? Probably Artemis.

6. Harry Potter: Narcissa Malfoy. Oh man, Narcissa is such an awesome example of Slytherin House and witches in general. She cares about so few people, but those few she loves with a passion strong enough to move mountains and overthrow regimes. 

7. Sherlock: Mrs. Hudson. I want to adopt her to be the grandma that I drink with.

8. Doctor Who: Amy Pond. She’s quirky, she’s tough, and she believes so deeply. I loved her arc with Eleven, and I love how much she loves Rory but doesn’t define herself relative to him.

9. Hamilton: Angelica Schuyler. “Some men say that I’m intense or I’m insane. You want a revolution? I want a revelation.” “And when I meet Thomas Jefferson, I’mma compel him to include women in the sequel. Work!”

10. Voltron: Katie Holt/Pidge Gunderson. In the ten episodes I’ve seen so far, this girl breaks every rule to do what she believes needs to be done and kicks major ass doing it. 

Honorable mentions: Circle of Magic - Daja, Tris, Sandry, Evvie, Rosethorn, Lark, Empress Berenene. Song of the Lioness/Tortall - Alanna, Mrs. Cooper, Daine, Buri, Thayet, Kitten (kind of), Kel, Shang Wildcat, Lalasa, Aly, Dove, Ochobu, Shang Unicorn. White Collar - El Burke, Sara.  

I’m tagging @imnotafan, @camsthisky, @obaewankenope, @alyss-spazz-penedo, @fuyunoakegata, and @galahadwilder.

#sheroes #work! #eowyn of rohan #wonder woman #annabeth chase #sara lance #artemis crock #narcissa malfoy #mrs hudson #amy pond #angelica schuyler #pidge gunderson #tamora pierce

[engineerleopoldfitz]

Fandom 1: Circle of Magic

the character i least understand     Mmm. Lark, maybe? She’s probably the least like me out of all the main players in the series. I still struggle with gentler emotions; being a nurturing type and being happy with the simple life doesn’t come naturally to me.  

interactions i enjoyed the most     Tris and Briar. I’ve had a ton of conversations with people who are all “Ew, no” about the idea of them as a ship, but frankly, whether it’s viewed romantically or not, I love the dynamic between them. It’s above and beyond the found family bond the main four share. There’s sibling banter, but also the extra levels where those two bonded as a foil to Sandry and Daja’s friendship, where Tris was the one to teach Briar to read, where he taught her how to temper her defensiveness. I’m a sucker for found families, but I’m also weak for friendships where there’s a clear feeling of “this is my person”, and then friends to lovers. 

the character who scares me the most     Hm. I’m not sure there is one, outside the obvious villains of the stories. If I had to pick, probably Ben Ladradun. My father was a firefighter, and the concept of arson is something that just... I can’t even put that feeling into words. It’s like there’s a bone deep loathing attached.

the character who is mostly like me     Tris. Or Rosethorn. Misunderstood, often defensive, but deep down I’m just trying to be a relatively good person and take care of my chosen people. 

hottest looks character     Not a clue. I’m terrible at imagining fictional characters in my head. 

one thing i dislike about my fave character     Tamora Pierce tends not to write characters that don’t have something about them to dislike. Sandry’s use of her noble status. Daja’s practicality. Briar’s flirtatiousness and bedhopping. Tris’ family issues. They’ve all grated at some point or another, but those flaws are usually acknowledged and addressed in some way, which makes it less irritating and simply feels more like part of a rounded character. 

one thing i like about my hated character     Similar to the previous question, I think it says a lot that even the people you hate have good qualities, or at least you can see their motivation. 

a quote or scene that haunts me     Briar calling up thorny bushes to grow around a woman, effectively stabbing her to death. 

a death that left me indifferent     Pierce doesn’t shy away from death in her books - thinking back, there’s a fair amount of collateral damage there, so to speak. You get a little numb to that after a while. 

a character i wish died but didn’t     I honestly can’t really think of one. Sandry’s cousin Frantzen, maybe? 

my ship that never sailed     Well... more that it never left port. Daja/Rizu broke my heart. Even though I understood Rizu’s reasons for breaking it off, I’d have liked to see the relationship outside of the confines of Berenene’s court. 

[felinejumper]

yuletide 2018 letter

hello! hi! wow! wow.

I'm so excited to be doing Yuletide this year, it is my very first time so we’ll see how it goes. But in general, I am SO hyped that you're writing for me and so excited for Dec. 25th.

My three fandoms that I am requesting are: The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf, Emelan/Circle of Magic by Tamora Pierce, Traitor Baru Cormorant by the mysterious Seth Dickinson!

Broadly, I like explicit slash and I like genfic and I like in depth wandering character studies for all of these fandoms, although to varying degrees for each. Thematically, here are some things I really like in stories (but please feel free to take your plot and machinations any way you like!! write what you’re excited about!)

failed or successful queer mentorship

femslash (just wildly indulgent explicit porn anywhere and at all times)

good faith miscommunication, resolved or unresolved

people excelling at their chosen craft (craft VERY loosely defined here)

endings that are not The Pair Getting Paired Off, happy or sad

ambiguous or contrary feelings

girls with swords! girls fighting! this often leads to aggressive femslash!

a secret text that means canon was *deliberately* framed to hide xyz queer activity

complex feelings about polyamory, poorly or well executed polyamory

hasty momentary reprieves from the war outside

reveries on the past

Hard do-not-wants: big age-gap slash, non-canon-typical intentional dub- or non-con, non-canon-typical violence, a/b/o dynamics or mpreg

Some prefer-nots: massive AUs (change-one-things are fun though), porn-without-feelings (but deeply buried and never-coming-to-light falls into the ambiguous and contrary category), bad faith misunderstandings

The Voyage Out: I read this as part of a 8 month deep Woolf-dive, and feel all kinds of ways! I was especially intrigued and hungry for the themes of unspoken queer mentorship between all four of the major female characters -- stately Clarissa, nurturing-through-literature Helen, confusingly-attractive Evelyn, and Rachel herself.

DNW: Helen/Rachel or Clarissa/Rachel

Themes I'd love to see explored in any depth, although by no means an exhaustive list:

Rachel/Evelyn! What is Evelyn looking for when she asks Rachel all those questions about truth and realness? Why is Rachel so alternately horrified/attracted to her? ahhhhh! I am also super down for indulgent smut for these two before they return to their men. Just like. Emotionally fraught filth.

Clarissa: I love Mrs. Dalloway, so incorporation of that canon is a-ok and even welcomed

Rachel & Clarissa! Is this Rachel's queer awakening, and is she aware? Is Clarissa aware? Or do they pass like ships in the night? What the hell is up with Richard and Clarissa from Rachel’s POV?

Clarissa & Helen, Clarissa/Helen! What do two middle-aged queer ladies talk about in 1915? Do they understand each other at all? Do they like, get down in the lifeboats? (Do they have lifeboats?) Were they lovers twenty years ago?

Emelan - Tamora Pierce: Oh man, man, I've loved these since I was a very small person!! I prefer the original residents of Discipline Cottage most, but I have read all of the Circle Opens/Reforged and am happy with any stories set in that world: pre-canon through post-Circle Reforged. I am happy with gen or slash, and I’d prefer whoever and whatever get a happy ending.

Themes/Prompts, a not-exhaustive list:

Little Bear.

Lark/Rosethorn: them planning their lives, them meeting, them domestically living together, them managing each other's moods, them dealing with being long distance, them going to the circus together. And, uh, explicit loving femslash

Queer mentorship between the circle + their mentors; anybody coming out to anybody and it going well; anybody modelling their own queerness on someone older.

Protective!mentors

Briar & Rosethorn: gardening together! mentorship of two prickly pals! Hanging out with the shakkan!

Daja & Frostpine: silently hammering together! making practical art together! navigating being cultural outsiders together!

Lark & Sandry: navigating social circles together! Finding new cloth! Collaboration!

Tris & Niko: reading too many books together! Being, for some reason, forced to clean out a stable and vowing to never speak of it again! Cranky social outcasts bonding over how cranky they both are!

Slash between any of the main quartet & how it affects the dynamics of the whole! Polyamory also welcome. A happy ending is *not* necessarily a romantic relationship working out, but again, no perma-relationship-endings

Traitor Baru Cormorant

Oh God I worry about everyone in this book so much and I have so many unexamined feelings. I would welcome character studies, battle plans, extremely hot and tense Baru/Tain Hu in a tent before battle, Baru's internal monologue ever, Tain Hu's internal monologue ever, Aminata’s internal monologue ever, Aminata having a nice interlude in a port somewhere, anybody dreaming about a better world. I also would not be opposed to a believable and in-character fix-it fic.

I will have read Monster by December, so if you have and want to include that canon, please feel free! Otherwise, I would prefer not-future fics so it doesn't get muddled with new canon and so I can enjoy whatever you write for a long time! I have less prompts for this because it messed me up too bad. I particularly enjoyed the pain of this fic, but again, I’m psyched to see anything set here.

#yuletide 2018 #fandom #ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i'm in fandom now ahhhhh #wild stuff here we go