#i loved that one and deltora the most

[hyperspacial]

yoooo everlost /and/ fablehaven?? extremely good taste

💅 what can I say I was a mentally ill 10 year old with no friends

[cywscross]

Pov: you grew up reading weird fantasy in the early 2000s

[madrone33]

Can I rant for a bit about how cool it is that one of Lief's defining traits is that he's smart? Like, not even necessarily cunning or clever or street smart (though he's totally that too) but just. Book smart. He knows maths and history and english and he uses that knowledge for stuff! And! He's also cunning and clever and street smart and a fighter at the same time!

And I know it's not that big a deal, but normally in adventure stories, especially for a younger audience, the hero's strengths are more in sword fighting or magic casting or being really good at parkour. And here the hero is smart and he's proud of it, and his friends are proud of it, and the world is proud of it! Literally! Deltora Quest as a world and a plot revolves around puzzles and riddles and putting clues together more than it does on physical fights. In almost every battle they get into, the day is won not by being better at fighting than their opponents, but because they realised the loophole or figured out some vital info in the nick of time. (And I say almost every battle, because Jasmine is both willing and able to stab a bitch.)

The Topaz that clears and strengthens the mind is probably the most used Gem in the whole series, because Lief knows it's value so well. And even when he can't rely on its strength, when the moon is new or the Belt is covered, he's still using his brains to find his way out of impossible situations! It's just! So cool!

Brain over brawn and all that, except not really, 'cause he's also a badass with the sword! Wtf! Lief why are you so cool??

Deltora is probs my fav series. I am OBSESSED with the characters and worldbuilding, but the codes and riddles and puzzles? That is my jam you guys. I studied those things. Every time a new one came up, I memorised it! I tried recreating it! It was awesome! And the Lief + Jasmine combo of Basically-A-Nerd Who Is Awesome and Badass Fleshed-Out Women My Beloved who are besties before love-interests was a pinnacle of my childhood.

[fitzs-trained-monkey]

Err on The Side of Awesome

(Not my gif)

Kol Mikaelson's Daughter Headcanons

Requested by: @katherinereilly19

Here lies my Masterlist

You were adopted by Kol and Davina Claire-Mikaelson at age six from a Catholic orphanage run by nuns who all thought you were some sort of demon child.

See, like your adopted father, you were a witch and had come into your power rather early. Davina had been sensing some odd power flares in the area and, when she and Kol had gone to investigate, there you were - a sweet, little bundle of mischief with more power than you knew what to do with.

To say that you had Kol wrapped around your little finger from the first second he saw you would be no exaggeration. Seriously. 

Kol had never thought himself fit to be a husband, let alone a parent. It still baffles him some days that Davina agreed to marry him - most days in fact - it just seemed too good to be true. They traveled the world for a while and then… Well, Davina, she…

She said she wanted kids.

She didn't say that she used to want kids or that she would have wanted them had she married someone else. Davina said she wanted to be a mom. With him. She said she wanted to have a kid with him and she wanted Kol to be that kid's dad.

At first, he almost thought it was a joke. Who in their right mind would trust him with a child? But no, Davina was serious. 

And it terrified him.

Kol is well aware of just how miserably his parents screwed up their job and he's pretty sure he couldn't do any worse but that doesn't mean he'd do well.

But the guy took just one look at you and he knew without a doubt that there was no alternative realm, no obscure future, and no minuscule probability in which he could cause you any harm.

For the first little while, you were convinced (thanks to the nuns) that you would have to be an absolute angel of a child in order to be wanted by your new parents. You helped clean things, refrain from using your magic, made your bed, brushed your teeth, and never asked for anything.

Three months in, you dropped a plate and broke down crying, begging Mr. and Mrs. Claire-Mikaelson (because you wouldn't dare call them mom and dad) not to send you back.

What began as your average Tuesday afternoon turned into a deeply formative experience when Kol sat you on his knee, looked you in the eyes, and said:

"Y/N, darling, I want you to listen to me very closely, alright? There is absolutely nothing on this earth you can do or say that will make your mother and I love you any less. There is no such thing as good enough - there is no bar you have to meet - only what you are. Now, a plate is infinitely replaceable, but you are our daughter and I will love you until the end of time. That makes you infinitely more valuable than a plate. Okay?"

"O-okay… dad?"

That was a day you never forgot as you grew older. 

Speaking of growing, no matter how old you get, Kol can and will pick you up by the ankle and hold you upside down. It never gets old.

Also, piggy-back rides.

You did go through a phase where you were convinced there was a monster in your closet.

"Dad! There's a monster in my closet and it wants to eat my toes!"

"Really? Well, I must applaud the audacity."

There were quite a few nights you spent cuddled up between them as Davina braided your hair and Kol told you a story until you fell asleep. 

Kol always refers to you and Davina as "his girls".

He's always willing to play with you, whether it be a game of tag or a complex drama plot with your dolls. (His personal favorite was when you decided to reenact the French Revolution in Barbie form.)

Daddy-Daughter Days are 100% a thing. The two of you are huge movie and arcade goers. Not to mention huge fantasy nerds. From Deltora Quest to Harry Potter to the freaking Wheel of Time - your fascination with the fantastical never fades as you grow. You never thought yourself too old to be read to at night, so Kol never stopped the tradition.

You're a little (a lot) spoiled. But not in a bad way. You're not ungrateful but let's just say you have quite a few pets.

Auntie Bex is always more than willing to babysit when your parents want some time to themselves. You remind her of Kol when he was a kid and she adores that.

Play-Dates with your cousin Hope mean quite a few headaches for your uncles Klaus and Elijah. Aunt Hayley thinks you're absolutely hilarious while Aunt Cami is convinced you're like 4 different varieties of insane. She might have a point there.

When you're old enough to be in school, you can always count on your parents to help you with your homework. You never would have made it through middle or high school without your dad, Kol is insanely good at math and chemistry. However, when it comes to anything to do with history or government, he passes the torch to Davina because even though he lived through it, he literally never paid enough attention to remember anything.

Parent-Teacher conferences are always interesting. 

"Y/N is so intelligent. Truly a joy to have in class."

"Is she now?"

Neither of them buys it for a second. You have a mischievous streak a mile long, the teacher just doesn't know that you're the one putting tacks on her chair. Kol is honestly proud and Davina may try to be the voice of reason but she can't help laughing at just how alike father and daughter turned out to be.

Now, if Hope is "miraculously well adjusted" then you're probably something like a thirty-year-old in an eight-year-old body. You're like the most chill child perhaps ever. However, just like your father, your maturity level varies with the situation.

For example, Klaus once decided it would be a good idea to whip out the "You're not even a real Mikaelson" card at a family reunion. It wasn't long before Davina had thrown Klaus into a wall and Kol and Marcel were at each other's throats. 

You honestly weren't even bothered. You knew your parents loved you and that was enough so you simply said:

"I'm sorry you feel that way."

And went back to eating your dinosaur chicken nuggets.

Marcel - apparently still a little touchy on that subject - was the last to sit down again. Little did he know just how proficient you had become with teleporting objects. Naturally, you were smirking when the whoopie cushion did its noble work.

Kol is terrified that he'll lose touch with you as you grow older.

This fear never comes to fruition.

The trust between you and your parents is something every other child ever would envy. They trust your judgment and, in turn, you trust the very few restrictions they put in place for you. It's crazy because they honestly never get mad. Like ever.

However, their disappointment is the worst thing you'll ever endure. 

 They told you not to go out one night because an old enemy of Klaus' was wandering around town. You went out anyway and you were attacked. Now, you were powerful enough to fight off your assailant and kill him, but you didn't come out of that fight unscathed. You had to limp home and tell your dad what had happened. 

"Are you mad at me?"

"No. I've done much worse in my life, for much dumber reasons. To be mad at you would make me a hypocrite. I just know you're better than this - Y/N, you've shown me that you're better than this. I'm not angry with you. I'm just extraordinarily disappointed."

It happens only once and never again.

Growing up with those two for parents ensured that you quickly mastered your magic and became one of the most powerful and skilled witches of all time. But don't think for a second that you would ever be used. They would never allow that to happen.

As you reach middle and high school, a rumor begins going around that your dad is a vampire. You just snort really loud and make no further comment. It leaves everyone wondering.

First boyfriend?

Heaven help the poor sod. 

"If you ever lay your hands on my daughter against her will, you will find that you no longer have hands. I will use the bones of them to fashion myself a new pen, with which I shall write your death certificate. Do I make myself clear?"

Once you're old enough, the basement becomes something of a witchy lab space.

Explosions are… frequent.

*Coughing* "Thank goodness your mother wasn't home for that one."

"Think again, Mikaelson."

"Oh shi-"

"Uh… Hi mom!"

You're probably the healthiest Mikaelson.

When the time comes for you to graduate, it's a hard dose of reality for Kol. He understands he has to let you live your life and he would never dream of taking that away as it was taken from him, but it's just hard.

You'll never stop being his little girl.

Special thanks to: @her-violent-delights

[comfortless]

Hey! What were your favorite books/authors growing up and what are they currently if you don't mind me asking? I would love to know where you get your inspo from cause you write so pretty

hello!! ohhh.. i love this question it’s so cute. thank you for the compliment and for asking! 💞 apologies for my rambling heheh

growing up, i was never allowed to read most… popular series because my mother went through an extremely religious phase until i was a teenager. dodged the bullet of succumbing to Harry Potter and the like, so i always found myself in the library reading the most obscure things!

i obsessively read the Deltora Quest books by Emily Rodda most of all. the covers were so sick. i can’t recall which one it happened in, but when the main trio all had their toes chopped off?? i do not think 8 year old me should have been reading that, but i was obsessed with dragons as any other kid should be! it lead me to reading The Inheritance Cycle series by Christopher Paolini, too. anything fantasy that was a bit odd held my attention. The Pricker Boy by Reade Scott Whinnem, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, and all of the Moomin books by Tove Jansson were some other favorites!

i also read a lot of fairytales (to the surprise of no one, i’ll bet) and The Mabinogion. i still go back and reread those whenever i can. The White Cat is one of my many favorites!

as an adult i do not get to read much, unfortunately. so, i do sort of feel that my writing is a bit stunted at times. i was combing through a lot of Mercedes Lackey’s stuff for a little while. and recently, i finished The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock. a coworker gave me Twilight Eyes by Dean Koontz and whereas I do not care for his writing that much… parts of that particular book were really intriguing to me. poetry is nice too, always, but if anyone were to ask me for a list of my favorite poets i think that i would combust <- so many things in my brain and i can not remember most unless i’ve obsessively read over their work 90 times minimum sorry.

but….

i think that most of my inspiration comes from music with lyrics that capture me and long bouts of daydreaming, nowadays. i also like to visit abandoned places or overgrown parks when i need a place to think or just… feel for ambience. my favorite places in the world right now are this huuuge swamp full of alligators with a tiny cemetery that’s at least two hundred years old (like fifteen people have died there in the last decade & i will never be one of them) and a park that houses a supposed werewolf (no matter how many treats i bring it is yet to be seen… pain… but it is dreadfully silent there and a park keeper once told me “watch out!! that thing is big and super ugly!!” which i think is very funny). i would not recommend doing things like that however unless you are of similar stature to me (insert chad meme) or go with a group!! do not get eaten by a giant dogman, please.

in conclusion I am NOT immune to good cover art or the appeal of pretending to be a lil knight in the old wood…

^ syl reveal pt 2

[geode-crystal]

Writeblr Interview tag game!

Wooo thanks for the tag @tildeathiwillwrite this looks like fun!

Open tag for anybody else who wants to answer these :)

Short stories, novels, or poems?

Yes, yes, and yes lol.

I tend to write novel-length things purely because I just... keep going XD I usually get more ideas than a short story allows. I do need to work on keeping things to the point sometimes!

But I have written short stories and one-shots (mostly as responses to promts) and I am very technically a published poet, since a few of my poems were published in a collection thanks to a writing competition back in high school .

What genre do you prefer reading?

Fantasy, full stop. I also love books that play on fairy tales and folklore.

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

I usually like to have a general idea of where I'm going, and figure the rest out along the way. Sometimes I make full outlines when projects get Really Big.

What music do you listen to while writing?

I either put on one of my incredibly random playlists or go to youtube and look for "relaxing [insert video game here] music." Pokemon soundtracks are actually really nice to write to.

Favorite books/movies?

Soooo many lol.

I'm a big fan of Disney and Pixar movies (as one of my previous posts made pretty obvious lol), particularly the Disney renaissance. Adore The Princess Bride. Love Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Love Studio Ghibli movies, personal favorite being Castle in the Sky. Of course, we have the classic Muppet Treasure Island as well. And I love every version of Scott Pilgrim out there, the movie, Netflix anime, and graphic novels are all amazing.

And for books... oh my gods there are too many to list here, but shout outs to Catherynne M. Valente's Fairyland series, the Chrestomanci books by Diana Wynne Jones (as well as Howl's Moving Castle), Raybearer and Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko, and the Hero's Guide series by Christopher Healy. Percy Jackson, too.

A lot of my favorite whump moments come from the good old Deltora Quest series by Emily Rhodda and The Mage of Trelian by Michelle Knudsen.

Any current WIPs?

So many. Too many. I need to escape lol.

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

I've based a few characters off of people I know before. Mostly my close friends. One of whom I write with a lot, so we've used each other as inspiration several times lol.

Are you kill happy with your characters?

No no no no no, not at all lolol. It's exactly the opposite. I have so much difficulty permanently killing off characters, to the point that my first novel-length project way back in my first year of high school ended with the villain getting polymorphed into a fish instead of dying. XD

I only do permadeath when it is absolutely necessary for the story. But... well, to quote The Return of Jafar: "You'd be surprised what you could live through."

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Don't usually drink or snack while writing.

Slow or fast writer?

Completely depends on the project, but I would say fairly slow. Especially compared to my writing buddy they're an absolute speed demon lol

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

Depends on the fantasy world, really. Definitely some kind of musician and/or storyteller, like a troubador or something. Maybe some kind of minor nobility, with all the "fun" I've had with the burden of expectations. I would love to have some kind of magic, especially if it's music-based. So..... basically a bard!

I'd also be very likely to be something not fully human, be that an elf or fairy or mermaid... or even a changeling.

Most fav book cliche:

There's a long list! But I really like Found Family stuff, and any time magic comes with A Price.

Least favorite cliche:

Characters getting pointlessly killed off just for the sake of Extra Drama.

Favorite scene to write?

Hurt/comfort, both ends! I especially love anything with added Guilt for one or all parties!

Reason for writing?

To paraphrase Brian David Gilbert: stories come to me in my dreams like a prophet receiving visions from an angry god.

I write because I'm always coming up with different ideas. I write because I was basically designed to study and create stories. Even if I don't physically write anything down, I will always find a way to tell some kind of story, be it just piecing together ideas in my head or through singing Broadway-style songs or even just attempting to draw a character. I write because it's just what I do!

[toshitophchan]

So, you finally found all seven magical gems and completed the belt, what now- or: Return to Del and the Breaking of Narrative Structure

I love Deltora Quest- this much should be clear by now. The twists and turns, the adventure and intrigue, the carefully crafted world that breathes life through its pages with each new block of world building added to the tower. The books are the perfect length to pack an entire thrilling story in without ever feeling like you got too much from it, or not enough.

Something interesting about Deltora Quest is the formulas it falls into- formulas author Emily Rodda has expertly designed to work in tandem with the story.

Let me give an example.

Deltora Quest- or at the least the original- is a series that deals in the number seven, primarily because of the driving factor that forces our characters into action- the seven gems that form the belt of Deltora. The rest of the sevens come naturally after that- each gem needs to come from a tribe and each tribe needs a territory, and then each gem needs an Ak-Baba to take it to its own dangerous location with its own dangerous guardian. Seven gems for seven guardians, if you will. So, it seems almost odd that the series itself is not seven books long.

(By now seven is ceasing to sound like a real word)

No, Deltora Quest the original is composed of eight books- the last being Return to Del. The eighth book in a series devoted to the number seven- it’s almost a little odd. Return to Del is an outlier among its predecessors, and not just because it feels like it shouldn’t fit in the maths- it should. The equation does work. It has to be here. There needs to be a book for what to do after you find all the gems. Otherwise you have to bloat out Valley of the Lost and these are meant to be short kids books. You have a structure- you have a pace. You shouldn’t detour from it.

But Return to Del stands out mainly because it is a breaking of the expected Deltora Quest narrative structure.

Let me lay it out. Here’s how each book goes. A gem needs to be found. The trio heads into a new dangerous territory to seek it out in its deadly location. They face many perils along the way but none more dangerous (arguably) than the guardian who waits for them at the end of their journey. They face them on- near death experiences ensure and then the gem is found. Nothing should come easy to the trio- this is a quest of life and death. And so they need to face a series of challenges before they reach the final one- and the final challenge should be the most deadly of them all. The differences come from the actual story told- what territory they’re in and what guardian they’re facing. The audience comes to know this format with each new book read. They expect it. And it’s good that it’s like this. The somewhat repetition works in the story.

And then Return to Del comes along, whacks them on the head and says ‘hey guys we’re doing something new now’ and by god does it also work.

Return to Del is a wild race of an adventure that guarantees you only one thing upon opening it- and that’s that Del will be returned to. Apart from that, everything is wholly unknown to a new reader. The expected narrative formula is broken and now readers have no way of knowing where the story is going to go. There’s no gem to find. No new dangerous location to explore. No horrifying guardian to either face head on or avoid entirely (Looking at you Glus). What are the trio going to do? Who are they going to meet? Will the Shadow Lord actually show up?

It is a fitting end to a series that wants to keep you on your toes. The formula must be broken in a new and exciting way so that each new twist in Return to Del will take you completely by surprise. You cannot, and you should not, get to know what is coming next. Rodda wants to take an audience who, by now, thinks they are familiar with how her stories work and show them that all they should expect is the unexpected. She is doing nothing by accident. This is all part of her perfectly crafted world, and part of that world means you don’t get to know how it’s going to end.

In other words, you finally found all seven magical gems and completed the belt, what now?

Roddacember Day 22 | Return

I tried to do a book review for this about how Return to Del is a bit of an outlier in the first series- I hope you enjoy! I used to do book reviews for a paper but I’m not sure how much of the technique I retained

[goawaypopup]

Roddacember Day 1: Your favorite Character

I suspect Barda first caught my attention out of a childish habit of deliberately favoring the overlooked. But his role is a lot more important than the generic sidekick, not least because of his age. Deltora Quest sticks pretty closely to the tropetastic fantasy quest against evil, which means there are a lot of aspects which, I believe, could have brought the entire series down a caliber if they weren't handled so well. E.g. if Dain were genuinely the heir, or if they had had a swordfight and straight-up killed the Shadow Lord on the steps of the palace, or... if Barda had not been there. See, Deltora Quest is grounded. And Barda is the one that grounds the main party. He remembers some of what things were like before the occupation. He offers an extremely important third wheel to support Lief and Jasmine's interactions. And most importantly, he's the *adult* in the group. Realistically - a word I love using in analyses of magical fantasy worlds - of course they wouldn't send out a 16-year-old alone to roam Australia 2 during a military occupation by the forces of metaphysical evil. Barda's inclusion makes it perfectly clear that the stakes are serious, and this is not going to be a Pokemon-esque romp. And yet, we don't have the opposite, more real-world stereotype to this, where the adult sees the kids as too immature to be real people. This dynamic is touched on very early in the books, and Barda quickly learns to treat Lief and Jasmine as comrades in arms. I like this. It's not too often you see characters in anything being treated as human beings first and teenagers second. I also loved that scene where Barda almost dies. Less for nuanced structural reasons, and more because I love a good resurrection.

[cup-of-starlight-waters]

thinking about how much I loved the deltora quest books as a kid, but also how much close those books edged towards genuine horror?? like the original six books have some pretty scary monsters and people getting eaten and the ols are some kind of fucked up shit but then the sequel series??

i still get shivers down my spine when I think about the sea of leeches, or how they got buried in cones to get eaten, and then the mind control worms??? that’s some Next Level Shit right there

and THEN just when you think she might have peaked Emily Rodda comes back with the third series and the four sisters. the ending of that saga is a masterpiece… plans within plans… wheels within wheels… the idea that even when you think you’ve won, the evil mastermind has one more thing coming for you

(it’s also a great example of how a series can build on itself without either ret-conning or repeating itself. this is what the fucking Star Wars sequel series wished it could be.)

anyway, anyone who hasn’t read every single deltora quest book and isn’t too ashamed to read a kid’s series should go do that, because I genuinely think they are some of the most entertaining, original, and clever children’s fantasy i’ve read.

(also the scholastic website game was kind of rad ngl)

[withickmire]

The Forests of Silence Wrap Up

Just some miscellaneous thoughts I had along the way. Continued under the cut, because it ended up being really long:

How the Rule may affect people outside of the royal family: I spent way more time on the prologue than the rest of the book--so much happens that it really could have been expanded into a whole book on its own. What really caught my attention during this particular reread were the several allusions to brutality towards the nobility carried out by (or, more likely, on behalf of) the royal family.

At King Alton's funeral, Jarred overhears two noble women talking about Endon succeeding his father and becoming king, with one woman remarking on Endon's youth. What she says is completely neutral--Endon is young. But her companion sees that Jarred is near, knowing how close he is to Endon, and she quickly gets the first woman to be quiet, all while looking scared. What reason would she have to be afraid? What does the Rule say about nobility who speak ill of the royal family? Or--like these woman--could be perceived as even mildly questioning them? Jarred makes a point of looking away from them, implying that he knows the answer to these questions, and he is trying to ease their fears, as if he is aware that, yes, something terrible could happen to the two women if a different person had overheard.

Also, when Jarred flees the palace, he is certain that he will be killed if he is caught. While it isn't surprising that being accused of trying to kill the new king might certainly lead to his execution, he clearly believes that he would be killed immediately, without imprisonment or trial, suggesting that something like this has happened before, and Jarred is aware of how it ended.

Jarred and Endon: As Jarred watches Endon put on the Belt he sees him as no longer as 'a young boy with sad eyes'. How long did Jarred see him this way? Of course Endon would be sad--his parents just died, but I feel like this is a heavier statement. I'm glad that Endon had Jarred, I can't imagine how lonely and isolated he would have been without him, and how he must have felt those things once Jarred was gone.

I'm curious about their ages in the prologue. As stated above, Endon is said to be 'young', but how young? He's mentioned as too young to have a beard. So is he younger than Lief, who was sixteen or seventeen when he became king? Seven years later, both he and Jarred have wives, and children on the way, and seem to be at whatever the appropriate age in Deltora is for that.

It's so interesting to see Jarred, knowing what we know about Doom. He's so clever, and always looking out for the people he loves. Even with all the changes he goes through, that is always consistent for his character.

This is probably a case of me needing to suspend my disbelief, but it's always bugged me that Jarred was able to see Endon's arrow from the Forge. Like, there's no way.

Lief: I adore Lief's opening scene. It shows the reader so much about Del under the occupation, but it also says so much about him. He's so earnest and endearing! He's so cute with his friends, I wish we had more of that. Also the way he's so proud of once having eaten an apple is a really effective way of showing how children who grew up under the occupation would see it all as the norm. It's terribly sad.

Magic: Gorl's whole Alphonse Elric situation seems to be a combination of Shadow Lord influence and the magic of the Lilies. We know he has been there well before he became Guardian of the Topaz, and I wonder if sustaining him for centuries was part of the Shadow Lords many 'plans within plans'--he could be called upon if needed. His 'immortality', if you can call it that, isn't his only power--he is able to compel Lief and Barda's bodies, and control the vines and trees. The Lilies clearly possess some magic, even when not in bloom, so I wonder how much influence both forces had.

Final thoughts: I probably have the most feelings of nostalgia for this one. The prologue in particular has lived in my mind for so long. The whole book is such a strong way to introduce the trio, and to kick off the series.

See you in The Lake of Tears!

[i-sveikata]

Oh my gosh I loved Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat!! I'm so excited you like it too. If you have any other recs besides that one, please share! Also can't wait for the next chapter too!

yeah omg i LOVED it was so well done and im so keen for the next one. oh sure here's a list of some of my absolute favourite books in no particular order:

all for the game series- nora sakovic

the graceling series- by kristin cashore

mo dao zu shi- by mo xiang tong xiu

the binding- by bridget collins

iron widow- by xiran jay zhao

the folk of the air series- by holly black

the queen's thief series- by megan whalen turner

she who became the sun- by shelley parker chan

six of crows series- by leigh bardugo

red white & royal blue- casey mcquiston

a great and terrible beauty series- by libba bray

warm bodies- by isaac marion

the mediator series & 1800 where are you series- by meg cabot

the song of achilles- by madeline miller

captive prince trilogy- by cs pacat

life of pi- by yann martel

howls moving castle- by diana wynne jones

deltora quest series- by emily rodda

aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the hidden universe- by benjamin alire saenz

educated by tara westover

all our shimmering skies- by trent dalton

the priory of the orange tree- samantha shannon

red queen series- by victoria aveyard

release- by patrick ness

dark places- by gillian flynn

the invisible life of addie la rue- by ve schwab

leviathan series- by scott westerfeld

im sure there's plenty here you already know but some of these i've come back to reread time and time again and others ive only just read and loved. lol but most of these are currently sitting in my bookshelf

[good-wine-and-cheese]

Tag game time, thank you @lethotep <3!

Name your favourite movie, character, animal, drink, song, season, book, colour and hobby.

Movie: Star Trek IV. Time travel to the 80s. Spock learns swear words. Whales. It's a good time

Character: As much as Seven of Nine is, like, the character I built my identity around as a kid, the easy winner is Grimmer. I love a lot of characters, but Grimmer is extra special for me.

Animal: Siphonophores and sea bunnies. Siphonophores because that one guy is a bunch of guys built up into one single organism. Sea bunnies because....I mean the name should say enough

Drink: Water baby, it's all I drink. I used to drink sparkling water but I've gotten off that too, so it's just the ol' dihydrogen monoxide for me.

Song: I love too many that span a bunch of genres man. I guess one that I've been listening to a lot is The Pit by Priest.

Season: Autumn

Book: I will be honest, I haven't read a lot of books for leisure lately. Most of my free time is spent between a bunch of other hobbies. But one of my older favourite book series was Deltora and I feel like I can say that still just on account of how intensely those books gripped me. I'm sure if I went back to read them now they wouldn't really be all that great, but they were a defining point of time for me.

Colour: Dark, muted greens. Used to be blue and maroon, but I think I'm a greenie now

Hobby: My plants! I have a veritable jungle in my house and have been slowly creeping into outdoor vegetable gardens. Really want to get good at that.

Tagging: Anyone can take it from me, but I'll add a couple names.

@spyromancy @saeriibon @agentukelele @brodyliciousbooty @aycaiman @vexture @theroguescientist

[daybreakrising]

Deltora Quest

SEND ME A FANDOM AND I'LL TELL YOU:

The first character I first fell in love with: barda. my gruff, snarky reluctant Dad-

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: doom/jarred. i was intrigued by him initially but he definitely grew on me very rapidly after the end of the first series

The character everyone else loves that I don’t: there aren't actually any characters that this applies to, i think ??? granted it's an obscure fandom but even when i was part of groups for it, there were no like... divisive characters

The character I love that everyone else hates: again, not sure there is one, but the closest i could get is glock (yes, there's a character named glock), simply bc he's deliberately portrayed as Hard to Like for the entirety of the first series

The character I used to love but don’t any longer: absolutely not applicable. i cling to these characters with a death grip-

The character I would totally smooch: barda. my boy. my beloved. also doom/jarred bc they are both gruff, snarky boys who Speak to me-

The character I’d want to be like: a mix of the main three, i think. barda has the strength (both physical & in willpower, emotional strength, etc) and i feel like we alreadt share certain personality traits. lief has such confidence* and dedication, the ability to never give up. and jasmine is fierce, resourceful, determined, and is arguably the strongest mentally of all three of them. just combine them together and that's what i want- *most of the time.

The character I’d slap: jinks. there's not a single person alive who knows this character and doesn't want him to step on nothing but lego.

A pairing that I love: canon-wise, barda/lindal. big, gruff guy meets equally big, no-nonsense woman who will fight him just because she can. chef's kiss. non-canon? barda/jarred. listen i was known for this ship in the (incredibly small) fandom for a long time.

A pairing that I despise: barda being shipped with either lief or jasmine is a big no for me. i wouldn't say i despise it (very strong word) but i can't support it. that is their Dad, thank you very much.

[aemoglobin]

i feel like i made this list before but here it is again in case you, like me, forgor some of the best book series i read as a kid

deltora quest

redwall

secrets/wizards of droon (or something. literally just talked to my gf about this and i can't remember the name of it. anyways)

animorphs

earthseed (preteen but it still counts)

keys to the kingdom

honestly everything garth nix ever wrote for kids/ya?? literally. i love that man's writing

children of the red king (this one should have been the one to get big in the 00s/10s, is2g i will wait forever for a movie or show or graphic novel adaptation or SOMETHING...)

juniper

enchanted forest chronicles

dragonriders of pern (not a kid's book series and probably should not have been reading this at 11yo but whatever. dragons...)

chronicles of prydain (i don't remember how it's spelled. black cauldron movie's source material. eilonwy my favorite disney princess)

chronicles of narnia (i will not lie to you i still am very obsessed w this series i just never talk about it bc the fandom is largely Like That)

there was a series of post-canon/extended universe books about leia and han's youngest son learning to be jedi and i wish i fucking remember what the title of it was bc it was SO MUCH FUN. every day i miss jacen and jaina and anakin jr

picking the most formative series: narnia + redwall + pern + earthseed + animorphs + abhorsen have shaped everything i enjoy in media to this day, elements & concepts i enjoy using in my own writing or have just uh stolen for my personal use, and what i consider my personal peak nostalgic literature. for a given value of 'peak'.

[r0zeclawz]

Tell us some Deltora Quest fav chars, opinions, memories, etc, please

I know you must have them

i am sorry my friend but i read the books when i was like 10 and i have like no memories of it but i loved it so much at the time and it was a huge part of why i love fantasy so much now. I remember some vague moments but nothing much in specific. i remember liking jasmine a lot i feel like she would do numbers here.

i feel like the most impactful thing about it to me was the format itself. for those not aware deltora is a series of fantasy books in which the protagonist is trying to recover all the magic stones to fill his belt so that he can defeat the dark lord essentially. so in each book the heroes go on a quest, and recover one of the gems after defeating the guardian. so it just, feels like such a jrpg to me, going to different areas and fighting the boss type beat yknow. i dunno its just really cool to me!!

[mispronouncing-michaelangelo]

9 Fandom Peeps to Get to Know Better

tagged by @sunriseverse

3 ships you like: I'll come right out of the gate with nielan, and then Kim Do-Gi/Ahn Go Eun from taxi driver, and of course good old kiba/shino/hinata

First ship ever: if i remember correctly then it would have been abe sapien and princess nuala, cause i watched hellboy on loop when i was 8 but i dont really remember much media from before that

Last song you heard: straykids redlight

Favourite childhood book: it was probably the deltora quest series or tashi

Currently reading: i juusst started the drifting classroom, but im also reading csm and my dress up darling and a few others whenever my bookstore gets them

Currently watching: this kdrama called eve about a woman getting revenge on a some people for killing her father

Currently consuming: my coffee intake had sky rocketed this week, so lets say that

Currently craving: i would fucking love a kiss rn

most of the people i would normally tag have been tagged in this one already, but i never dont tag @norsferatu