#fantasy kind of

[theartofmadeline]

do you hear me? YOU LOST HER. you’ve trapped her in a human body. SHE’LL GO MAD.

[bookcub]

Cozy Fantasy and Why It Doesn't Work

I think I am among many who feel like they should love cozy fantasy and have found it an incredibly lacking genre.

This newly branded "cozy fantasy" genre that has taken readers by storm since 2020 and while it is new that books are now marketed as cozy, the genre itself isn't new. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is a great example of the genre before it was labeled and also how to make it work.

Cozy fantasy is defined by many as fantasy with low stakes. Fantasy aesthetic but less sword fights. On paper, it sounds great. But the execution has been less than stellar for readers like me. The lack of physical stakes has also impacted the emotional stakes of these books, creating forgettable characters with boring problems. As a romance reader, I find this frustrating. Romance is known for being a predictable and formulaic genre, the now defunct Romance Writers of America defined romances as needing happy endings, a term romances have continued to follow. Yet these romance texts manage to have low physical stakes (how to date your neighbor, how to confront your toxic friends, etc) while still maintaining high personal stakes that keep readers invested and begging for more. So I was initially confused why cozy fantasy authors struggle to write texts that connect to readers like me.

I think I have found the answer which is the genre is just here for vibes. It is all about aesthetic, not even worldbuilding that fantasy is known for as most cozy fantasy I read have so many problems as soon as you ask one question. It is hard to acknowledge that a genre that is pitched to work for readers like me doesn't work for many of us. Especially because occasionally there is one that works beautifully to my taste.

I often say my favorite cozy fantasies that are more contemporary are short and visual, which I plays into the idea of the genre being an aesthetic. The Bakery Dragon by Devin Elle Kurtz is a good example because it is a simple story that is given the perfect amount of pages and gorgeous visuals without dragging on when the message is very clear and easy to understand. Books like The Phoenix Keeper and Legends and Lattes have absolutely nothing for me, their very clear message hitting the reader over and over so the readers don't miss it and focusing on the aesthetic of worldbuilding rather than the reality of the fantastic elements within the world.

I guess my point is. . . I realize this genre isn't for me since I have realized it is more of an aesthetic than anything. .. .but I want it to be. Should I let it go and put my efforts elsewhere? Or should I keep exploring this new trend and find the hidden gems?

[litwitlady]

I didn't love it. The politics irked me so badly. All the punches were pulled leaving this book feeling too young and too BOTH SIDES. Never mind the bad writing, the actual use of descriptors in 2024. Oh well.

[asthedeathoflight]

Still thinking about none houses left grief, and while I understand where people are coming from, "it took me out of the world" is just... Really not a relevant criticism here. Like, that line is SUPPOSED to be jarring. It is supposed to be kind of darkly funny, but the point isnt for you to laugh. Its not trying to be a punchline. The point of that line IS to "take you out of the world" because the point is that *this world isn't what you thought it was.*

[elucubrare]

i firmly hold that it's my duty as a reader to believe it when an author tells me at the beginning of the series that the dragons are gone forever and never coming back. but god it's a struggle sometimes.

[rooolt]

deeply important aspect of riz gukgak’s character to me is that he’s quite a bit deranged. Brings a gun to school, shoots an unconscious man point blank in the head just so he won’t wake up, tortures a kid by shooting off three of his fucking fingers, threatens to bite Dayne’s eye out of his head as revenge for Fabian, literally eats Kalvaxus, consistently hissing throughout sophomore year, and of course “make sure to cut off his head so he can’t be revivified”

[bacchuschucklefuck]

[shripscapi]

Queen Cersei Lannister

absolutely never would have anticipated how many times i’d end up drawing cersei when I first started asoiaf but over time she has cemented herself as one of my favorite characters…

i’m forever revisiting my own designs, so here’s a second attempt at Cersei’s ruby mourning dress and a first attempt at her in her hunting greens when she goes to meet with Ned. I think hunting greens implies menswear, but I’m not certain and I could be misinterpreting…? either way I think it is more reasonable for trying to be stealthy so that’s the route I took…

[diadoescomics]

Genuinely Enjoying the Chaotic

[blumineck]

My new YouTube video: A DM’s Guide to Ranged Combat is now live! Please go give it a watch!

If you’re a DM looking for a way to challenge your overspecced crossbow player, or just generally make mixed-range combat more interesting and enjoyable, it’s full of helpful tips and visualisations. Plus, supporting these long videos really helps keep my channel alive and funds more future content!

[onewingedangels]

Aerith Gainsborough in FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH (2024) dev. Square Enix

[dreadark]

the difference between till at the start of round 6 and round 7

he doesn't seem like he's trying at all during round 6, having already fully given up living after losing mizi

but in round 7, even though he's lost even more, he's clearly putting all he has left into it

and the reason for that... has to be ivan, right?

he must have recognized ivan sacrificed himself for him, so for the sake of ivan's feelings till tries his absolute best to respond to them and perform that till sings at all here is for ivan

...but at the same time ivan is what haunts him

obviously, right? there's no way watching someone you were so close to you die like that right in front of you can give you actual "strength" (and this isn't even getting into the kiss...) contrary to ivan's (clearly wrong) conviction that till doesn't care enough for him to become a trauma to him, that's exactly what happens

this inextricable mix of love and hate, hurting and healing... this is the tragedy of their relationship to the end no matter how much ivan and till care for each other, they can't ever cure each other

[jq37]

Laughing so hard at the Bad Kids refusing to entertain Fabian's aloof "cool guy" energy at the party. Too cool for Twister with Mazey? OK, good luck with Ivy we're turning this shrimp party into a Twister party. Bagging on Gertie's kind gift of honey? Not only are we going to fail to intervene as she tries to strike you where you stand, we are also gonna buff her and Hex you actually. It's like they all collectively were like we CANNOT validate this energy or he will be INSUFFERABLE.

[rebelsafoot]

photos taken moments before 16 cats are bought

[twinstxrs]

gorgug “i’m in hell right? thank god” “what’re we playin’ for” “do you have a fucking warrant?” “i think i hate you” thistlespring u will always be famous and you will ALWAYS be loved