#circle of three

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

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[moonlightreal]

Circle of Three and Sweep

2001 was a good year for books.

In fact I think I picked up the first few Circle of Three and the first few Sweep on the same bookstore visit. They have the same basic plot: “Girl is drawn into witchcraft” but they approach it in different ways. Both of the series have interesting backstories, they were written for different reasons but have a lot of similarities, including similar issues.

If you liked The Secret Circle, both series will be right up your alley.

Circle of Three was written by author Isobel Bird to present real Wicca to teenage readers who have plenty of more fantasy-based books but nothing to show them what they might experience if they start studying Wicca. The story follows sporty Kate, studious Annie and rebel Cooper as they become friends and follow a year-and-a-day Wiccan study program they find at a local metaphysical shop. Each book focuses on an aspect of Wicca: tarot cards, psychic dreams, healing, dealing with Wicca's dodgy public image, and celebrating the Wheel of the Year. The series also focuses a lot on the community aspect of Wicca as the girls make friends with adult Wiccans, ask for guidance, and help others.

Sweep was written by author Cate Tiernan to sell a book series. The story follows Morgan as she falls for the hot new boy at school, finds out he’s Wicca, then finds out there aren’t just Wiccans there are also Blood Witches and she’s one too. Morgan deals with warring covens each led by a hot boy who may or may not be Morgan’s soulmate, discovering that she’s adopted since Blood Witches can’t have children with humans, and facing the evil that destroyed her birth parents. Most of the characters are teens, but Morgan also deals with the Council of Witches and a Seeker, empowered to judge witches who misuse their powers.

So they are very different series. In only one of them does someone get stabbed by an athame and fall off a cliff.

But they are also very similar series. Both describe rituals and magical tools, both have spells, both have plenty of boy-crazy from the lead characters, Kate and Morgan. Both are good. Both also tend to wobble annoyingly between magical realism and fantasy.

Sweep starts out with quite reality-based information about Wicca but veers off into Blood Witches by the end of the first book. Circle of Three starts similarly and even has one character refer to another as a “Buffy witch, they think Wicca is all about making supernatural things happen”… and then in the next book Cooper uses her psychic visions to lead the police to the body of a murder victim.

Which is… interesting. Isobel Bird meant the series to reflect her experiences in Wicca so is this the kind of thing that happened in her coven? Psychics offering help to detectives certainly happens, but whether any case has been solved based purely on their input is still very he-said she-said. Psychics claim to have done it but they might lie for fame and money, police departments generally say not but they might lie to keep their dignity or for obscure legal reasons. But psychics helping cops is definitely not a normal thing that will happen to any teenage Wiccan. And that’s only Circle of Three’s first voyage away from normality. The girls meet real fae and ghosts. Did Isobel Bird have a truly wild Wiccan life? Did she think the series would be better if she stretched things a bit? Or did the editor pressure her to spice things up? Who can say, but it does make the series read a bit strange as it tries to pick a lane between fantasy and magical realism.

And both series were written under pen names. Looking at the authors behind the names explains why the two series went the way they did.

Sweep was written by Gabrielle Charbonnet, who has written quite a lot under her own name. according to wiki, Charbonnet “participated in the editing of” the Secret Circle trilogy, which explains a lot—or would, but Tiernan credits Ann Bradshares of Traveling Pants fame for coming up with the idea for Sweep. I get the impression that a publisher thought a witch series would do well and several people contributed to ‘Cate Tiernan.’

Circle of Three was written by Michael Thomas Ford, a gay Wiccan man who mostly writes about gay topics. That’s why the pen name; the publisher didn’t think an authors name that leads to a whole lotta gay stuff would be good for selling a series for teenage girls.

Both series are 15 books long, and both were meant to be longer but had their plugs pulled when sales sank. Both series suffer from “some parts are definitely better than other parts”, as we all might expect from such long series! They also both have a certain amount of boy drama and general silliness, but they’re both great fun. Highly recommended!

After enjoying these two so much I keep my eyes open for similar series. There have been a few. Blue is for Nightmares and sequels were all right. The Daughters of the Moon series is great. Nonfiction author Silver Ravenwolf wrote a series about teenage witches and it was terrrrrible. There’s also a very obscure series called “The Circle” by Melaina Faranda, which could have been really good but the writing never quite got there and the series vanished into the mist after three maybe four volumes. Nothing ever quite matched the glorious series of 2001.

[jeyneofpoole]

louis mon cher the children on the cables are pronouncing me ‘cancelled’ i do not know what this means. je déteste this abhorrent phrase, i have never cancelled a concert, much less postponed, dieu nous en garde. they say i am ‘problematique’ and that my shows are unsafe for visitation. je ne sais pas this century will never cease to confuse me. louis they are blocking me. louis they are leaving me vile comments hiding behind the infernal animated cartoon faces they wear as masks. oui the ones with the women with brightly colored hair and large breasts. breasts do not function in this manner louis it is simply gravitationally impossible this is nothing more than a masquerade of vagabonds. je vais pleurer we must kill them all.

[kizzer55555]

DP x DC: The Most Dangerous Card Game

Ok so Danny has essentially claimed earth as his. And he is fully aware that there are constant threats to the planet. Now he can’t stop a threat that originates on earth (that’s something he’ll leave to the Justice league) but he can do something about outside threats. Doing some research on ancient spells, rituals, and artifacts, he cast a world wide barrier on the planet to protect it from hostile threats so they cannot enter. This will prevent another Pariah Dark incident. However, barriers like this come at a price. You see, there are two ways to make a barrier. Either make one powered up by your own energy and power (which would be constantly draining) or set up a barrier with rules. The way magic works is that nothing can be absolutely indestructible. It must have a weakness. The most powerful barriers weren’t the ones reinforced with layer after layer of protective charms and buffed up with power. Those could eventually be destroyed either by being overpowered, wearing them down, or by cutting off the original power source. No, the most powerful barriers were the ones with a deliberate weakness. A barrier indestructible except for one spot. A cage that can only be opened from the outside. Or that can only be passed with a key or by solving a riddle. So Danny chooses this type of barrier and does the necessary ritual and pours in enough power to make it. And he adds his condition for anyone to enter. 

Now the Justice league? Find out about the barrier when Trigon attempts to attack, they were preparing after he threatened what he would do once he got to earth. How he would destroy them. The Justice league tried to take the fight to him first but were utterly destroyed, so they retreated home to tend to their injuries, and fortify earth for one. Last. Stand. Only when Trigon makes his big entrance…he’s stopped.

The Justice league watch in awe as this thin see-through barrier with beautiful green swirls and speckled white lights like stars apears blocking Trigon and his army’s advance. The barrier looks so thin and fragile yet no matter how hard the warlord hits, none of his attacks can get through and neither can he damage said barrier. That’s when Constantine and Zatanna recognizes what this barrier is. Something only a powerful entity could create. For a moment, the league is filled with hope that Trigon can’t get through yet Constantine also explains that it’s not impenetrable. And clearly Trigon knows this too for he calls out a challenge. 

And that’s when, in a flash of light, a tiny glowing teenager appears. He looked absolutly minuscule compared to Trigon and yet practically glowed with power (this isn’t a King Danny AU though).

And that is when the conditions for passing the barrier are revealed. And the Justice realize that the only thing stopping Trigon and his army from decimating earth. The only way he can get through….is by beating this glowing teenager in a card game. 

Not just any card game though. The most convoluted game Sam, Danny, and Tucker invented themselves. It’s like the infinite realms version of magic the gathering, combined with Pokémon, and chess. And Danny is the master. So sit down Trigon and let’s play.

(The most intense card game of the Justice league’s life).

After Danny wins, this happens a few more times with outer word beings and possibly even demons attempting to invade earth, yet none have been able to beat the mysterious teenager in a card game. Constantine might even take a crack at it and try to figure out how to play. He’s really bad though. Every time this happens, the Justice league worry that this might be the time the teenager looses. Yet every time, he wins (even if only barely). 

Meanwhile, Danny, Sam, and Tucker have gotten addicted to the game and play it almost daily. Some teachers might seem them playing the game are are like ‘awww how cute’ not realizing this game is literally saving the world. Jazz is just happy they aren’t spending as much time on their screens playing Doomed.

[habken]

now you can draw just like me

[floweroflaurelin]

The Final Flame 🕯️

—

“We’re all just candles in the dark.”

[aardvaark]

i wanna know what sophie’s instructions & tips for tara joining the leverage team were. like:

you can hang out at headquarters ("nate’s" apartment) at any time, don’t worry about him inviting you, it’s a communal space

make sure to encourage/reward parker when she goes a full job without stabbing anyone

dont touch any of hardison’s computer stuff. it does… something? something useful probably.

don’t leave open drinks/uncovered food in hardison’s van - wouldn’t want anything to happen to it

treat eliot nicely and you’ll get a home cooked meal after each job

take pictures of them in their adorable little grift costumes for me :) they grow up so fast!!

[twilightcitysky]

Hypothesis: Aziraphale HATES that Crowley is living in his car.

Supporting evidence:

The very first thing we see him do in the present is stop Maggie from moving out and making sure she feels welcome to stay as long as she likes.

He clearly knows Crowley’s unhappy before anything happens in the plot: “Does it calm you down?”. And also clearly feels helpless about it. Enter the conspicuous Eccles cakes: Aziraphale’s offer, which is rejected.

Crowley’s obviously, for all his hedging, spending a lot of time at the bookshop— so much that he has his own glasses perch and feels immediately comfortable removing them. See also: “Technically my bookshop but we both get plenty of use out of it”, “Why don’t you wait inside? You like waiting inside”.

It’s Crowley who immediately shoves the box of plants into Aziraphale’s arms after Aziraphale returns from Scotland.

Speaking of Scotland, why wouldn’t Aziraphale take the train? Why insist on driving the Bentley? Is it perhaps because he wants to get Crowley and his plants into the shop, and thinks if he creates a situation where Crowley has to stay there, maybe he won’t immediately leave again?

He’s got an empty bedroom and an apparently pathological need to make the person staying there very comfortable, creating cute little customized souvenirs like he’s an Air B&B host (displacement!).

He immediately jumps to having Gabriel stay with him— he didn’t have to. Arguably, both Gabriel and Aziraphale would be safer if Gabe stayed elsewhere.

That’s what I’ve got for now but I’m sure there’s more. Throughout the show, watch what Aziraphale gives to others and does for others, and it’ll tell you what he wants to do for Crowley. He’s living so deeply in displacement in makes him come across as manic and brittle.

(What probably happened is Aziraphale offered the spare bedroom and Crowley, who unconsciously didn’t want to be his roommate or sleep in a single bed with Aziraphale right downstairs because how could the poor lovesick boy cope with that, told him he wasn’t a “good deed” for Aziraphale to do and stormed off.)

Conclusion: Aziraphale asked Crowley to stay at his place, immediately and probably repeatedly. They had a row about it, and Crowley refused, and to this day Aziraphale doesn’t understand why.

And it hurts him.

[wienners]

"dude its not that embarassing to rewatch some creepypasta stuff you liked as a teenager" the character i imprinted on like a baby duck at 16 was a demon from new jersey that acts like the humanization of every offspring song and canonically listens to scissor sisters. His favorite color is purple and his favorite pokemon is gengar. He leaves people notes with emojis on them. He acts like a beetlejuice scare actor at halloween horror nights. His catchphrase is "feeling sassy?" Hes (allegedly) worked with every war criminal throughout history and been every serial killer. even the gay ones. he ate a baby. his animal motif is a rabbit. hes kind of based off donnie darko. he talks to his cats in a baby voice. he wears a white fedora that makes every video he wears it in feel dated by like 7 years. hes 5'3. he hacked a girls tumblr blog. he added a laugh track over a video of him killing people. he named a chainsaw rex. he torments people by playing frank sinatra at them. his name comes from an animal collective song. theres a canon blog entry where he makes the speakers blare rob zombie before he enters a room, then holds a guy at gunpoint to describe what he did to to him while "making sure to leave in all the cool parts". Hes like ten tumblr sexymen traits rolled into one. His actor has gone on record saying heath ledgers joker inspired his acting choices. Sometimes his voice gets distorted and it makes him sound like bill ciphers first year on HRT. Hes basically like my artistic muse. For some fucking reason i associate the song cake by the ocean with him. I unfortunately really need him carnally. I firmly believe that if everymanhybrid didn't require a masters degree in creepypasta autism to comprehend, he would've caused more teenage stabbings than the slenderman incident and more kin war tumblr scenarios than nagito komaeda.

[mumblesplash]

he’s back !!!

[harmonysanreads]

When you cry during a movie...

Aventurine makes jokes. So many jokes that you're momentarily distracted by how rich his dossier of them is. And somehow, they all fit the scenes that were threatening to convert you back to a toddler seconds ago. Although it's uncertain whether he's cracking jokes to distract you or himself, you indulge him nonetheless. It the end, what was supposed to be a tear-jerking experience turned into you two roasting it together.

Dr Ratio completely ruins the experience by critiquing either the actors, the poor choice of props and lightening or the sound design. If it's a scene where a character is dying after a thrilling battle, he'll nitpick every injury and conclude that that character should've died thirty minutes ago. Don't even get him started on the action scenes with little consideration for Physics. You've not viewed movies the same after watching one with him.

Sunday becomes so focused on comforting you that he forgets about the movie. Which is a shame because he was as invested in it as you were. Watching movies with him is fairly relaxing, he provides input where necessary, makes sure you have snacks to accompany you beforehand and if he doesn't like something personally, he stays quiet for the sake of your enjoyment. Ah well, looks like you'll have to cry together in the next movie now.

[sirensea14]

A doodle of the cuties🥰

[carbonatedpitt]

I love that stupid fucking rock band so much I’m gonna explode

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[starwlf]

The smallest shapes of which I love,,,

[mars-ipan]

this post has been komahinanami coded to me since day 1

[washmchineheart]

the thing about the hike that will always make me get angry is that it wasn’t about feyre or even rhysand. it happened because cassian felt he had the right to punish nesta.

feyre says that rhysand had no right to threaten her sister and that she wants them back home and cassian says that would be her punishment and he gets to decide when they come back.

the only person who has the right to be mad at nesta is feyre and she isn’t. nesta didn’t commit a crime. she didn’t threaten anybody (unlike rhys who wanted to kill her). she didn’t even tell feyre to hurt her, she told her because of the parallels between their situations.

so why exactly are you punishing her, cassian? other than taking your anger on a person who was already reaching her breaking point and passing out from dehydration under your care? all while noticing her suicidal intentions and instead of taking her to a safe place, you didn’t even bother to pay her attention for hours?

it comes from a place of power. cassian has the power of punishing nesta so he does and it’s disgusting, especially when he is her endgame and she deserves so much better.