#beka cooper

[chimaerakitten]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Tortall - Tamora Pierce Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Additional Tags: Meta, Art, Fanart, Heraldry, reconstructing heraldry, Art History, Medieval History, Embedded Images Summary:

A meta dive into the heraldry of Tortall, including drawings from the given descriptions and an attempt to blazon any coat of arms that was described enough.

Includes an instruction to basic heraldry concepts and conclusions about Tortallan heraldic traditions as distinct from real-world ones.

As a sort of spiritual successor to my Castlevania heraldry meta, have a meta on Tortall’s heraldic tradition and the arms of various characters.

#tortall #tamora pierce #protector of the small #alanna the lioness #song of the lioness #beka cooper #keladry of mindelan #daine sarrasri #fanart

[best-childhood-book]

#best childhood book #poll #preliminary round #peter and the starcatchers #the trumpet of the swan #my side of the mountain #the black stallion #magisterium #the two princesses of bamarre #beka cooper #trickster’s duology #damar

[isnt-it-pretty]

I would die for her

You tell them Flory! Sex work is real work and just as fucking valid as everything else. More valid than people sitting around making money just for existing!

Flory is honestly my favourite character in this whole book.

#tamora pierce #provost's dogs #beka cooper #bloodhound #tamora pierce bloodhound

[broodingandbooks]

#I need to know #tortall #tamora pierce #alanna the lioness #keladry of mindelan #beka cooper #aly of pirate’s swoop #veralidaine sarrasri #protector of the small #the song of the lioness

[unconnectedreads]

Thriftbooks haul.

#thriftbooks #tamora pierce #beka cooper #keladry of mindelan

[whimsicallywiddershins]

The Provost's Dog series is amazing in how Tamora Pierce calmly and nonchalantly addresses sexuality, relationships, gender, and gender roles.

In the very first few chapters we have Rosto, Kora and Aniki together in some sort of a poly/open/threesome relationship. It's never actually stated directly what their relationship is, if it's romantic, open, sexual but not romantic, queer platonic, if Kora and Aniki are together, ect. But real life relationships are not black and white. And very few people advertise the exact details, and good friends don't really ask or make a big deal about it. Which is exactly what happens in Terrier. And it's a very healthy relationship. Kora decides to date Erksen instead, and Rosto and Aniki are completely fine with it. There is no resentment, fighting or jealousy. As Kora says, she is her own woman. I have never seen such a drama-free relationship in a young adults book before. It really shows a young reader that relationships can be simple and you can still be friends if it doesn't work out.

And then the sneaky descriptions of "spintry." Another term for a male prostitute. There is no judgement for a spintry, no one finds it strange and both female and male prostitutes are treated exactly the same, as just a job, as any other in the Rouge's Court. It was such a simple and refreshing take in a children's book, and it's done so well with no judgement or any acknowledgment that it's not normal.

That feeling of normality is an ongoing theme in the Provost's Dog books. There are a lot of shocking and liberal topics in the books, but they are treated as normal, everyday things, so it takes away any shock value and makes the reader simply accept it. Considering most readers are teens, that's a pretty great thing.

Take Okha/Amber. A transwomen/gender queer person who is in a long-term relationship with a man, a police captain. It's described as a normal thing. Beka is a bit confused at first, because she has never met a gender queer person before, but accepts the explanation and moves on. Amber's gender is never really fully explained, but thay makes sense. Gender isn't simple. In a fantasy world without modern labels, Amber is just Amber. They are who they are.

Beka has several flings throughout the series, and its treated normally. That is not usually seen in a teen book. The main female character having casual relationships, going into them knowing they won't last? That is super rare, and is how real life works. It's a great break from normal ya relationship drama.

There is some relationship drama in the series, with Beka's fiance, Holborn. He dies before Mastiff starts, and we never met him. But later, it is revealed that she was planning on breaking up with him because he was emotionally abusive towards her. She ends up meeting Farmer and getting over Holborn quickly. She feels guilty for not feeling more guilty over his death, instead feeling relieved that their toxic relationship is over. She loves some of the time they spent toghether though, and she does mourn him. It's a fascinating and nuanced relationship you never see in a ya book. But her and Farmer's relationship is wonderful.

As a young teenager growing up in a conservative, rural, small town, the Provost's Dog books were revolutionary, not that I realized it at the time. The book's description of gender, of relationships was so normal I didn't even realize it could be something debated. I just accepted it as normal. Okha/Amber was the first time I ever learned thay trans/gender questioning people could exist, and I just acted like Beka, accepted it and moved on. When people talked about poly relationships, how strange and unusual it was, l was confused, because Kora, Aniki and Rosto were normal to me. Learning prostitutes were discriminated against was shocking. Complicated relationships were normal.

I remember once in highschool, my teammates were talking about a scenario where your husband cheats on you with another woman, and that woman had a child with him, and they are now homeless. Your husband loves this woman and you. Would you accept the child and the other woman living with you? Or something inane like that.

I said, "Well, yeah, if she's a good person. If my husband loves her, then she's probably a good person, and I would try to fall in love with her too. And raise the child together."

My teammates did not expect that answer. I suppose I should have realized then I wasn't straight lol.

#tamora pierce #book reccs #fandom #provosts dog #tortall #beka cooper #aniki #kora #rosto the piper #farmer cooper #gender #okha soyan #relationships #sorry for the long post

[moderatelyprosperouspeasant]

I completed my Tortall book collection!! :D

I’m not really picky about book condition, so these are all used (I got all but three of them on Ebay) and many of them have library markings on/in them etc. The only thing I’m really peeved about is the sticker damage on the Trickster spines, since that’s the only part that’s really visible when they’re shelved. (Dear used book sellers, if you could please place stickers in less conspicuous places and stop placing them on pAPER SURFACES I would hold so much more peace in my heart.)

I had mentally prepared myself for the poster that’s advertised with Tempests and Slaughter to have been removed by a previous owner, but to my shock and delight it’s STILL IN THERE??? I never knew what the poster was, now that I know what it says I will surely be displaying it above these books :) ideally it will be displayed alongside the map that I’ve been meaning to get from Dual Wield Studio!

Other than getting my favorite editions of the whole series, I ended up getting extra copies of The First Adventure and In the Hand of the Goddess because I found copies of the gorgeous 2002 edition for really cheap! The other two books are more rare and expensive on Ebay, perhaps I’ll invest in copies one day, or get lucky. I’m super super pleased with these, other than some glue residue on one cover, they so far appear to be in GORGEOUS condition. The pages are so crisp and beautiful and AHHH I just think this artwork suits the series so well! I’m also super fond of small books, but these are hardcovers so they are in far better condition than the paperbacks I got. I also saw Immortals copies that matched these, they are beautiful but generally expensive.

There are other beautiful editions that I would love to invest in just to have them, though my apartment is tiny and I do not need more belongings lol…now that I’ve collected all of these, though, I should really prioritize reading the Circle of Magic series. I’ve been too attached to Tortall to think of exploring a different world of hers, but Tamora is my idol so I’ve really gotta buck up and immerse myself in that world.

#tamora pierce #tortall #song of the lioness #alanna the lioness #the immortals quartet #veralidaine sarrasri #protector of the small #keladry of mindelan #alianne cooper #beka cooper #numair salmalin #arram draper #tempests and slaughter #book collection #tortall universe

[motherofmabari]

Spoilers for Mastiff, the third Beka Cooper book

I hated the Big Reveal that Tunstall was the traitor at the end of Mastiff the first time I read it, I had to put the book down (none too gently) and walk away I was so upset. I felt so betrayed, convinced it was completely out of character, and utterly heartbroken. I felt that way for years and left Mastiff off the list whenever I did a Tortall reread.

I've listened to it twice since, in my last two Tortall rereads. I'm still heartbroken and betrayed, but I'm less convinced it was out of character. I read something Tamora Pierce said once, about how it would have been out of character for the man we met in Terrier, but the events of the intervening years changed him. Tunstall was always a passionate and somewhat impulsive man, but those traits began to sour as he struggled with an aging and disabled body and the difference in status between him and Sabine. He's showing flashes of this bitterness in Bloodhound, to the point that I didn't really question his crotchetiness at the beginning of Mastiff. The Tunstall we met in Terrier wasn't dealing with chronic pain from over a decade of being badly injured on the job, he was in his prime and secure in his masculinity. By Mastiff he is in near constant pain and struggles to do the more physically demanding parts of his job, something that deeply wounds his pride. His ideas about what makes a man come up multiple times, and I think that's more on his mind at this point because he's feeling like less of a man now. His masculinity is also threatened by his certainty that he is not worthy of Sabine, and it's his unwillingness to let go of these ideas about manhood that ultimately lead to him accepting their deal. It could have used polishing, but the character development is definitely there.

I still think Mastiff is one of the weaker installments, but honestly I think that comes from the limitations of the journal format and Tamora Pierce being better with third person narration. Those are difficult problems to tackle, and I like that she chose to tackle them anyway. She was trying to do something new and interesting with both the format and having one of the 'core trio' turn traitor. She was exploring what could make a 'good', beloved, and kind person fall to such a degree, and I do think she was ultimately successful in that portrayal.

I guess Mastiff is included in the rereads for good now. At least I can set Farmer against the heartbreak at the end!

I do have one question though - did Pounce know? Would revealing Tunstall count as interfering?

#tamora pierce #mastiff #beka cooper #tortall

[aliteraryprincess]

#book poll #booklr #tamora pierce #tortall #song of the lioness #protector of the small #the immortals #beka cooper

[onyourstageleft]

a love letter to my favorite YA lit:

I'm relistening to the Beka Cooper audio books again (a yearly tradition at this point) and every time I hear the opening line of Mastiff, "We buried Holborn today," it takes me back to opening the e-book on my Nook the day it was released in my freshman year of high school and reading that line while sitting on the bleachers waiting for PE to start. I remember flipping back to the previous page to make sure this was the first chapter, thinking I'd never even heard of Holborn. I opened the Bloodhound e-book to compare the dates of her entries and realized the time skip was nearly two years, and got so excited to see what happened to Beka while we weren't with her. We walked the track that overcast day of PE in 2011 and I barely looked up from my Nook, so engrossed was I in Beka's story

that was the first Tamora Pierce book release I waited on; I found her books in probably 2009 and had read most of them by the summer of 2011. I pre-ordered Mastiff so it would be on my Nook as soon as it came out, but I was a freshman in high school and wasn't supposed to stay up till midnight, so I had to wait until the day to read it. it was nearly 13 years (and half my life ago) but here I am, still re-reading and re-listening to the Tamora Pierce books that got me through being a teenager. I remember sitting in my high school's library rereading their copy of Wild Magic over my lunch break to pass the time; drunk crying on the floor of my friend's dorm at a character's death in Terrier my freshman year of college (even though I'd read it 3 or 4 times at that point I always forgot); waiting in the lobby of the technology building of my college campus for my class to start with Spy's Guide on my lap after its release; sitting in my advisor's office in grad school flipping through Mastiff and Page and Lioness Rampant for quotes to include in my thesis; rereading Briar's book at the height of the pandemic. I have a tattoo of Lighting on my arm and a (very rough and needs to be redone) tattoo of Pounce/Faithful on my calf and I genuinely don't think a day has gone by in over a decade where I haven't thought about Tamora Pierce books

the world of Tortall (and Emelan, to a lesser extent) has shaped me, and although this is an attempt to pin it down, I will never be able to explain how much these books mean to me. I know that I may love other series and worlds (I'm currently reading some Terry Pratchett, for example), but they will never make an impact on me in the same way that Tortall and all its various characters has, and that's fine by me

and yet, through all of it, I will never, ever be ready for The Thing We Don't Talk About in Mastiff, not now at a dozen rereads and not in another 13 years

#writing #literature #young adult literature #tamora pierce #tortall #emelan #beka cooper #The Thing kills me every time

[goodgrammaritan]

Best Tamora Pierce villain (Tortall):

#tamora pierce #tortall #tamora pierce villains #beka cooper #alanna the lioness #daine sarrasri #keladry of mindelan #aly of pirate's swoop

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

vote YES if you have finished the entire book.

vote NO if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

#fantasy #books #Beka Cooper #Terrier #Tamora Pierce #poll #result: no #l: English

[best-childhood-book]

#best childhood book #poll #my side of the mountain #the black stallion #the magisterium #the two princesses of bamarre #beka cooper #fairest #the trickster's duology #damar #julie of the wolves #nevermoor

[axolotlcipher]

See the joke is that I love Tammy, but GURL these romances. All lighthearted fun from ur local lesbian.

#anyway read the phoenix quest #jon and thayet’s daughter is a lesbian in love with her fellow page #they’re cute and I ship emmy and vania forever #Tortall #tamora pierce #song of the lioness #alanna of trebond #jonathan of conte #george cooper #veralidaine sarrasri #daine sarrasri #numair salmalin #keladry of mindelan #kel is aromantic #alianne of pirates swoop #nawat crow #rebekah cooper #beka cooper #rosto the piper #I don’t remember her other bfs full names lol #the immortals #protector of the small #tricksters duology #provost’s dog

[piesandstars]

#tamora pierce #tortall #beka cooper #the provost’s dog #terrier #bloodhound #mastiff #apologies if you’re looking for actual dog breeds those are the names of the books

[whimsicallywiddershins]

I'm just imagining one day that George, Alanna, Jon, Thayet, Numair, Daine, the knights, ect are just hanging out after a council meeting or something, and they all start talking about famous ancestors, cause they are all noble and I'm sure they all have great records. And George is sitting there, listening but quiet, cause he really can't contribute to all these ancient bloodlines and kings and such. Jon feels bad and is like

"George, do you have any interesting family members? I've bet you've got lots of famous thieves." You know, the include him. And George is like.

"Well, there is this one lady, Rebekah Cooper. She was a guradswoman that caught some big kidnappers and such."

And everyone's like, cool cool, how ironic, ect.

Then Jon starts thinking. That name is familiar, but he just can't place it. So later everyone is drunk and having a good time and Jon goes and unearths a book about his family. And there, in the section of his famous ancestor King Gareth III, there is a sungle page about his kidnapping. And one sentence mentioning his rescue by Provost Guardswoman Rebekah Cooper.

Jon goes insane. He goes running back to the little party and is like

"George!!! You won't believe this shit!"

And everyone gathers around and is amazed. That George's many great-grandma saved Jon's many great-grandfather. And there are lots of jokes about how Tortall would be lost without a Cooper there to save it.

But then, as the weeks go by, Jon keeps looking. He finds old Provost reports about a stubborn Puppy named Cooper that nabbed a notorious child kidnapper. About a rookie dog that ended a counterfeit ring practically singlehandedly. Reports left by Lord Gershom of Haryse, praising Rebekah Cooper for her work. Small accounts talking about an odd cat. A scent hound. The amount of people Rebekah Cooper saved. The difference she made.

And he compiles these findings, and spreads them around. Everyone is reading about this young Guardswoman that saved Tortall's people, over and over. Girls are inspired to become guards and knights and Riders. The Lower City is proud of its savior. The commoners are excited about a hero that came from nothing, like them. People start telling stories, making songs. Talling the story of Rebekah Cooper, so she will never be forgotten.

#fandom #tamora pierce #book reccs #beka cooper #provosts dog #tortall #george cooper #jonathan of conte #jon conte #king jon #alanna of trebond