Queering Tortall

Welcome! This blog is dedicated to queer headcannons, fics, and fanart within the Tortall and Emelan Universe created by Tamora Pierce! We'll be reblogging all sorts of fanart and fics, not just the queer ones! We welcome submissions and asks about your favorite fics, art, or headcannons! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

[careydraws]

I always struggle to finish inktober, so this year I’m working with the hugely self-indulgent theme of my favorite fantasy & sf YA protagonists to try to stay in it for as long as I can. Here’s the slightly aged up Circle of Magic crew!

I’m posting these on twitter and instagram as I finish them up, but I’ll try to post them in larger batches here, too!

[autumnflame]

Flame of the Lioness

Priscilla Kim

www.priscilla-kim.com

My entry for the first week of Month of Love, “Heroes.” Of course I had to do a piece for the first hero I remember loving, Alanna of Trebond, Olau and Pirate’s Swoop from Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness quartet, who almost certainly (alongside Aerin from the Hero & the Crown) instigated my lifelong love of kick-ass warrior women. 

I’d been meaning to do some pieces for the series once I had some free time anyway, so this was a good excuse! Also, check out the majestic piece Elizabeth Alba also did of Alanna! :D Great minds.

[minuiko]

Page Kel u3u

[queeringtortall]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Characters: Lalasa, Tian

Ship: Lalasa/Tian

Tags: Gen, F/F, Ficlet, Self-Defense, Lesbian Character

[rosefrith]

The full set at last! 

These days everyone’s all about sparkly vampires and tyrannical dictatorships trying to make you get with cute boys, and I’m just over here with my 90s YA heroine, who hangs out with marmosets and egg-laying mammals and rides dinosaur skeletons over tyrannical dictatorships before breakfast. 

I really wanted to stick a tubby little duck-billed platypus into the final cover - and I still might. Don’t tempt me!

Twitter

[queeringtortall]

pardon the boring theme, i want this to be readable while i search for a better theme!

[queeringtortall]

WAIT Duke Roger's canonically queer?!?!?!

I found the interview thanks to fytortall!

Here’s the link: Click!

So Roger was bi and Thom gay. I have a bit of a problem with that last paragraph, though… I will be bringing it up another time, I think. 

(Here’s the paragraph in question for those on mobile/etc!

“If I make a point of who is gay, then suddenly that’s all anyone will talk about: the gay characters. If I were writing about what it means to be gay, that would be fine, but I’m writing about the empowerment of the underdog, particularly female underdogs. Sexuality is one of those things where, once you lay it on the table, it’s all people will see.”)

[melongumi]

She said that a LONG time ago, and her outlook has changed drastically since then. Like. These are things that ought to be kept in mind. That the above quote was based on an inexperienced opinion, and she’s learned more since.

[laleiragoblin]

and y'know#when she wrote the books she was maybe a little right#in a YA book in the eighties#yeah#that’s#it would not have gone over the way it would now#this was BEFORE WILL & GRACE yo

[queeringtortall]

very true! i also answered this ask two years ago and my outlook has changed. Before Will & Grace!! There’s some perspective.

good things to keep in mind when engaging with Pierce’s work, which span many decades and contexts!

[queeringtortall]

It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

So it’s been a hot second since i’ve been on here. Life happened and this blog go the short stick. I still love Tortall and co, still would like to do something with this blog.

I’ll try to work up a queue of Tortall content and AO3 fic recs, try to ease back into it. If you want to send asks/submit something, go ahead!

So, yeah. Hello again.

[queeringtortall]

I always had this weird headcanon that Roger/Alex was a thing.

[queeringtortall]

From Lady Knight: You know how that kid Rengar from Fort Mastiff blushed when Neal spoke to him? In my head, he's sort of Owen's sidekick, helping him with his gear, horses, errands, etc. while Owen waits on Wyldon. And Owen talks about nothing but his friends from his years as a page, telling Rengar all about Kel, Neal, Cleon, Roald, and the others. And after hearing the stories, Rengar thinks Sir Nealan is just the coolest sh*t and has developed a little crush on him. (I mean, Rengar is stationed under Wyldon so he knows how hardcore he is, and Neal had the gall to talk back to him? And he was squire to Alanna the Lioness? Amazing.)

So side-character-y as to be almost pointless, but I think it every time I read the book. XD

[queeringtortall]

Headcanon: Tian sometimes gets jealous over how close Kel and Lalasa are.  Once she even asked her, trying to sound nonchalant, if Lalasa is in love with her. 

When she can stop laughing, Lalasa gently reminds her that she likes big jugs and Kel does not have those.  (Okay, that last part is canon.)

[queeringtortall]

WAIT Duke Roger's canonically queer?!?!?!

I found the interview thanks to fytortall!

Here's the link: Click!

So Roger was bi and Thom gay. I have a bit of a problem with that last paragraph, though... I will be bringing it up another time, I think. 

(Here's the paragraph in question for those on mobile/etc!

"If I make a point of who is gay, then suddenly that’s all anyone will talk about: the gay characters. If I were writing about what it means to be gay, that would be fine, but I’m writing about the empowerment of the underdog, particularly female underdogs. Sexuality is one of those things where, once you lay it on the table, it’s all people will see.")

[fytortall]

That was in the original book, though? I mean, Tammy uses the past tense in that post, so idk if that still counts. I'm all for it if they ARE queer, but the wording in that post makes me wonder if they can really be counted

In Tammy’s original adult manuscript, Roger & Thom were in a relationship. When her agent asked her to adapt it into a quartet for teens, she had to remove the adult themes. In the 1980s, that she could not explicitly state that Roger & Thom were lovers.

So yes. It was intended for the text but had to be removed to appease publishers. It’s considered canon.

[queeringtortall]

I read somewhere that Alex of Tirragen may have been Roger's lover? Not sure though...

I feel like I’ve heard that too! I need to dig up these old interviews… so much had to be cut out of the books for various reasons. :/

[queeringtortall]

Updated the list! Thanks! <3

thosesteampunkclouds - Tamora Pierce said in an interview how she intended Duke Roger to be queer but had to take it out or something like that because of an editor/publishing/society/etc. I'll try and find the interview, since there were a few asks about that!

[queeringtortall]

Wow! Hello new followers! I guess I should introduce myself.

Holy crap guys, thank you so much for the asks and submissions!! I am so excited to meet all of you and I think we could really do some cool stuff here!!

That being said, I think I should introduce myself, since I don't think I've done that yet? My name is Steven (I also go by Stevie) and I am a second year college student! I am a queer, nonbinary trans* dude who uses he/him pronouns. If you want to follow my personal or fandom blog, just let me know! If I had to choose, my favorite heroine is Kel followed by Beka.

I have a pretty busy schedule this year, so I will try my best to keep up with everything! That being said, I only have three weeks left of the semester, so things are getting very busy very fast as far as finals and papers go. I ask for your patience as I work through the ask box and update the masterlist! I'm thinking that we'll focus on queer characters for a two week period as opposed to one week, to make sure each character gets enough post time.

[queerladymagic]

No but really, does an Okha/Nestor fandom exist? Because if so, I need to join it. Immediately.