#i'm going for a cozy fantasy world vibe

[freezing-kaiju]

THE BIG POLL, ROUND ZERO, REPLACE BLADE BRAVE!!!!!

Beautiful show it is, Kamen Rider Blade must come to an end soon. I will cry. But the world must move on.

And I decided to make this one an anime poll, since some of the legacy options from the very first poll ended up being much longer than the rest. SO! This is all shows between 20-50 episodes, around the same length as a Rider show!

You must choose at least one; if u want more, leave it in the comments or tags or replies pls and i'll count your additional votes at the end!

Agatha Christie’s Great Detectives Poirot and Marple - A young detective related to famous detective Miss Marple joins other famous detective Hercule Poirot as his assistant and learns from these two legendry mentors to solve murders. I love detective shows but I'm not too familiar with Poirot and Miss Marple so maybe the show could serve as an introduction to them. It seems cozy but compelling! The lead writer worked on a bunch of the big popular serieses (Pokemon Sun & Moon, Fairy Tail, Death Note, and Anpanman). This one's a legacy inclusion!

Blue Gender - A man from the modern day with a strange illness goes into cryosleep and wakes up in a destroed earth where mechs and aliens fight and there is a cool tall woman who has a mech. It has gore, mechs which I do need to see more of, but it's a military series. Space's also listed in the genre stuff which...is that a spoiler, do they go to space? 26 episodes, so it's on the longer side, less diligence may apply. This one's a legacy inclusion!

Dirty Pair - 80s anime, two Hotted Boobhaving space agents fight and bicker their way through the galaxy in a distinctly 'two bi women constantly getting divorced' vibe. I don't remember if this one is a legacy inclusion, but it's a famous show!

Scrapped Princess - Fantasy setting, A local white girl doomed to destroy the world and her adoptive siblings travel the world to avoid her devastating fate. also... There's mechs?? Wikipedia tells me it’s a lighthearted but mournful show that uses Clarke’s third law to bridge the gap between scifi and high fantasy. This one was handpicked by a dear friend!

Texhnolyze - by the creators of Serial Experiments Lain, it’s a show that seems similarly angsty and cerebral but much grimier. A boxer gets dismembered, cyborgized, and possibly radicalized deep in the bowels of a city that never sees the sun. ALSO GACKT IS THERE?

R.O.D. READ OR DIE -THE TV- - a potentially jojoish, gay little show about a novelist with a heady mix of hubris and self-loathing and three bibliophile sisters with Paper Abilities fighting various goons and also Britain. It seems like a romp!

Captain Earth - In the vein of Super Sentai (sadly without the precious masks), a color coded group of teens that seems to include a Yaoibait Kaworu fight aliens on behalf of NASA, with a robot that has a REALLY big hat. Supposedly it’s got a lot of intellectual depth!

RahXephon - the second name on everyone’s lips when someone says Evangelion Rip-off, after Darling in the Franxx. Mechs that are blatantly angels, a JSDF, and blue-blooded men in black. I tried a bit, and it’s got a great capture of humanity in times of crisis and such a beautifully 2000s aesthetic.

Devilman Lady - what if you were Devilman and a Lady??? What if there was a blond woman and you were a beast and there was all this blood and violence. Psychological, grungy, and gorgeously 90s. And it's a yuri!!!

Chrno Crusade - Cisgender Bridget and a devilboy (no relation to devilman or devilmanlady) do exorcisms for an order of nuns in 1929 New Yawk Citay. It's a het romance, full of bumbling and comedy and period era ghostbustiness. Also for some reason in a lot of the art (like this one) Chrno is whitewashed?

ITS NOT LETTING ME PUT AN ELEVENTH VIDEO TAKE THIS AND SOME POSTERS

A Precure - I've seen Kamen Riders, Super Sentais, an Ultraman, but I've not seen the sister show to them all; Pretty Cure! SO clearly I need to, and if this one doesn't win it'll flood the poll to replace Ryuki. These options are suggestions; might be others.

[original image sources: agatha's is from the op but can be found screencapped here, gender, dirty, scrapped, texhnolyze, die, earth, rahxephon, lady, crusade (official magazine art findable here), pre tty cure (official posters findable in those places). i replaced them with trailers tho lol. but check the ones that are oroginal anime wallpapers out theyre very nice]

[fictionadventurer]

7 & 9-12 for Wives & Daughters, 14-21 for The Galleries of Stone, 1-4 for Brine & Bone, and 7-10 & 16 for The Blackout Book Club, please?

Wives and Daughters

7. how does the story compare to your initial impressions of it? has it surprised you yet? how?

I was under the impression that it was a sweet nineteenth-century English countryside story, like a lot of the type of classics I read, but also very long and unfortunately unfinished. I was surprised at how engaging I found the writing (at a time when Victorian authors could be very hit-and-miss with me) and how gripping I found the story, and how layered and lovable all the characters were, and how satisfying it was despite the lack of ending. And I was completely surprised to find that not only did I love it, but I might have found a new favorite novel.

9. give the most UNHELPFUL and/or SILLY summary possible.

Girl falls for a bug-collecting dweeb who is dumb enough to fall for her flashy, unsuitable stepsister who doesn't care a straw for him.

10. if you made an amv about this, what song would you set it to?

Are there good songs about sisters? (I'm sorry, all of the music questions are going to have horrible answers)

11. if you were put in the main character's position, how well would that go for you on a scale of 1-5?

I mean, I'd probably do a lot of what Molly does, and things seem to work out pretty well for her, so 5.

12. assuming your loved ones would be there, would you want to live in the world of the story?

I can't say I've ever wanted to live in Victorian England, but within that time period, I'd say Elizabeth Gaskell's kind and gentle English countryside is about as good as it gets, so I wouldn't seek it out, but if I wound up there, I could be happy.

The Galleries of Stone

14. how likely do you think this story is to break a reader's heart? If you're not done with the story, just guess.

There are some heartbreaking elements, but overall the vibe is so cozy and lovely, with all these people finding a place to belong, that the heartbreak is more for things that happened before the story than for anything that happens within it.

15. what time are you most likely to be found reading/watching this story? (time of year, time of day, season of life, whatever makes sense to you)

Either January (when I first read it) or at the end of Lent (when I tend to go back to my favorite indie-published cozy fantasy ebooks)

16. do you think this story has broad appeal, or is it meant for a very specific audience? if it's more "niche", what kind of person would most enjoy this story?

I agree with @lover-of-the-starkindler that the cozy fantasy niche is growing.

17. compare this story to your usual tastes. how does it differ from what you've already enjoyed?

The magic system isn't quite the kind of thing I usually like (a bit too woo-woo), and I've never been fond of anthropomorphic animals in fiction, but she makes it work well.

18. compare this story to your usual tastes. what parts of it are exactly the kind of thing you've always loved?

I love domestic fantasy that focuses on the details of daily living and the differences between cultures. I love stories about big, loving family and strong marriages, and this story gives them to me like nothing else does.

19. pitch an idea for a sequel or spinoff novel for this story!

How about a spinoff set on a completely different mountain (maybe the green one, with all the wind chimes), with a sculptor who takes multiple different apprentices and things work in the usual manner, and we get to see the daily lives of these people who occasionally come into contact with Aurelius or something.

20. what's the WORST thing about this story, in your opinion? (feel free to be positive, e.g. "it's not longer", if you want!)

The epithets! They drive me absolutely bonkers and make parts of it almost impossible to reread.

21. based on this story, would you be interested enough in the author to read their other work?

Yes, but unfortunately none of the author's other work looks appealing to me.

Brine and Bone

1 what got you into this story?

I don't remember how I found it, but I like fairy tale retellings and this one was cheap, so I bought it. I found it a forgettable straightforward retelling the first time I read it, then one Lent when I was in the mood for light fantasy retellings I picked it up again and was blown away by the depth and beauty of it.

2. describe it in one or two sentences.

Sentence 1 (retelling description): A "Little Mermaid" retelling from the point-of-view of the woman who the prince marries that retains Andersen's original ending

Sentence 2 (story description): A woman reconnects with the prince she's loved from childhood when she finds him after a shipwreck, but their romance is threatened by the appearance of a beautiful, frightening magical creature who may want to claim the prince for her own purposes.

3. quickly list 3 things you like about the story!

The romance, the appreciation of natural law, the heartbreaking beauty of the ending

4. assign this story a hyper-specific genre name

Theological romantic horror fantasy fairy tale retelling

The Blackout Book Club

7. how does the story compare to your initial impressions of it? has it surprised you yet? how?

It pretty much lived up to my initial impressions of it--home-front WWII fiction about people coming to find home and friendship in each other--but I was surprised at how delightful the book club minutes were. They were my favorite part of the story.

8. what questions are or were you most excited to learn the answers to while experiencing the story for the first time?

I can't remember specifics anymore, but there was one old lady's backstory that I was interested in learning about.

9. give the most UNHELPFUL and/or SILLY summary possible.

While a worldwide war rages, a bunch of people sit around and read books.

10. if you made an amv about this, what song would you set it to?

Some kind of WWII-era Big Band music.

[bookshelf-in-progress]

⭐️ for the director’s commentary ask!

I'm going to talk about "Sylvia", because it unexpectedly became one of my favorite things I've written this year.

This was inspired by Tolkien's Roverandom. The scene where they fly off the edge of a flat Earth to get to the moon made me desperate to use that imagery in a Treasure Planet type of world with spacefaring sailing ships.

I was a few days behind on the Chesterton Challenge at this point, so I looked over the list of unfilled prompts to see if there were any that lent themselves to story ideas. "Letter" offered a nice concrete story spark--someone could get a letter that led them to take a sailing ship off the edge of the world.

I let this story be driven purely by aesthetic. I wanted a slow, thoughtful vibe that let me capture the dreamlike imagery of this Victorian spacefaring world, so I went with third-person present-tense and let myself be inspired more by cozy Victorian novels than by space adventures. I wanted quirky touches to make it clear this was a mishmash fantasy world rather than a true historical fantasy--thus, the pink sneakers. I wanted to make use of the types of romanticized images that I used to gather for story-sparking Pinterest inspiration boards--thus, the letter comes in a bottle.

And anyway I just let this story unfold as I wrote it during a couple of free hours. The writing process was mostly me not letting the words get in the way of the story--using short sentences to keep the focus on the imagery of this moment, giving just enough info to spark the imagination rather than give the full story.

I don't know why, but my favorite detail might be that Sylvia's brother "married a moon maiden". I assume she's some kind of alien, but not specifying details keeps this universe fantastical and mysterious and intriguing.

I think Sylvia's hesitation at the end is a bit of a stretch--me trying to add in conflict to a story without any so I can end with some kind of resolution. But it does lead to my favorite line: "Let the man remain a memory and a mystery, wrapped in mists of nostalgia that keep him soft and harmless and far away."

But anyhow, the fact that this story stays so short and image-focused means that there's not much chance for me to mess it up--instead of disappointing me because it doesn't capture what I imagined, it perfectly captures what I imagined for this one scene, and then leaves the rest of the story to my imagination, which makes this one nice to return to.

[orions-quill]

Tell me more about project time and knight!

That would be my pleasure!

Project Time is a cozy fantasy novella with the opportunity to turn into a series of novellas depending on how I feel by the end of it. It's inspired quite a bit by the feel of DND shenanigans of a party going to do silly adventures and getting into problems and it's meant to have be a feel-good type of story.

Currently I'm working on the characters (names last, always, because I am terrible at names). The woman is a demon or half-demon, I'm not quite sure yet. Our nonbinary MC is human and the other dude I'm not sure still. It's a relatively recent idea so it's in the works! Generally the female and male MCs are the ones who travel in time, and the nb MC is in charge of the operation and also they're a mean tailor (?) and make all the clothes and costumes for different eras.

One thing I was debating over was whether I wanted it to be an invented country in our Earth but like, fantasy, or a whole different world that's just like Earth but to the left. I think I'm going with the second option because it will fit the chill vibes of the story a lot better, me thinks.

The working blurb for their first adventure (the pilot, if you will) is "In which they retrieve the fountain pen of a very famous writer and shenanigans ensue." I can also show you what the magical artifact they use looks like!

I drew this myself, took a few hours lol

Now, Project Knight is relatively older than Project Time but I've worked on it less. This one I know definitely happens on Earth, just with like magic and a fantastic element to it, and I'm probably gonna draw a little bit from Arthurian legend to work on it.

The general idea is that this princess and her knight had a mission to fulfill in their past life (when they were princess and knight), but they didn't, and it was their choice. They perform a spell to ensure that they reincarnate together in their next life to solve the issue and deal with the consequences. They're supposed to reincarnate with their memories intact, but it doesn't quite work out.

This one actually has a possible title, but I don't want to reveal it yet. I can, however, tell you a line that I want to include somewhere in the first chapter/prologue, depending on if I add a prologue. The line is something like: “I often wake up with the feeling of ghost* lips on mine.”

The word ghost here is a bit strange, but to be fair on myself, this phrase came to me in a dream so I just wrote it as it came. I'll probably change it to something different that makes a little bit more sense! Also, a thing that's very important about this, is that the relationship is meant to have the feel of devotion to the point of undoing. These two characters would kill for each other and themselves if it meant the other would come out on top. It's something I look forward to writing quite a bit.

Thank you so much for the ask and for giving me the space to rant a little bit! I had a lot of fun!

[thatfreshi]

Some thoughts I want to share about the #freshiau

1. I do really love this story, despite the fact that I am in fact very busy, so I apologize that I haven't been able to give it the love I want to consistently. It makes me more and more nervous the longer I'm away from Tumblr to come back and write more. While this is one of my favorite things I've written, I'm a poetry author, a full-time art school student, freelancing and volunteering on film sets, chronically ill, and also just a person who isn't on here all the time. This isn't to like make anyone feel bad for missing my content, but it's just to explain that my absence here has nothing to do with anything about my fanbase of this app, but it's just because I'm a busy creative with a bunch of ventures. Anyways, onto the fun thoughts.

Possible spoilers ahead if you are not caught up to Part 19 of the AU!!!!!!

2. I like this fic particularly because I've been able to take these characters and put them in a situation where their fuck-ups are more forgivable. I don't think anyone in this AU is morally correct 100% of the time, and I know that can be frustrating for some people, but it's important to remember that these are barely adults in their late teens or 20s who are going through a lot of bullshit!! And that's one of my favorite parts about it, is their relationships are constantly evolving because of what they're personally going through and how they react to their friends' problems. For example, Gale and Shadowheart will not hate each other forever! We see this in part 19 as Shadow admits she is just genuinely concerned for Gale's safety and wants her friend back, but Gale throws it back in her face after finding out about her own issues. They do genuinely care for each other, but that fear of what their friend is going through, plus the stress of their own problems, is overwhelming. I really love this dynamic, and I'm excited to watch them be friends again.

3. I feel like some people may not agree with some of my interpretations of the characters, but it's important to remember that they are in an entirely different setting. These characters were originally in a very rough and tough fantasy environment, and now they're in the modern world in a college setting. Their problems are going to be spun differently, and their traits are going to portray themselves differently in a different environment. For example, despite all of Astarion's issues and trauma with Szarr, we see in this universe that he does get to have his own space: the dorm room. In the original BG3, Astarion is never given a space to himself, and therefore has much more fight or flight. Because of this ability to have his own space, he portrays himself differently inside the dorm room, because he gets to have a space that is entirely his. However, before college this wasn't necessarily the case, as we see references to the fact that he lived in his car for a couple of years prior to college. While it was still his own space and he clearly has an attached to it, the evolution of having an abode to himself makes him different in said abode (that cozy, coffee, heavy ass blankets everywhere vibe).

4. As with all my fics, the relationship between Astarion and Tav will not be perfect, but specifically because of their age. Keep in mind, Astarion in the original BG3 is like hundreds of years old, and here he's just about to turn 21. Tav and Astarion have had way less experiences than in their fantasy universe, and have had way less experiences with others. There will be times where these two are not 100% wholesome to each other, because they are two troubled individuals who are getting into a relationship early on in life. While they are well-intentioned with one another, it will get shitty at times, and that's okay! I do promise that there will be wholesome moments, but there's a long road here left to go after a couple of kisses at a Halloween party.

Anyways, I just wanted to discuss some of my thoughts on the series. I cannot currently promise a schedule or anything, but I do plan on continuing this project until otherwise stated. If anyone is curious or has questions about the series, I'd love to talk about it! Discussing my writing is my favorite part of the result. Thanks for staying interested in my stuff, and I hope you guys enjoy where the rest of it goes.

[medievalthymes]

Hi, Sarah! Can you please make a list of your favorite books of 2022? I really appreciate your recommendations

aww for sure i can!

this was kinda a shit year for reading for me because i was finishing off my undergrad, i only got around to reading like 60 books rather an the 100 i wanted to, but there was definitely still some gems in there.

1. mexican gothic - silvia moreno-garcia

good old-fashioned gothic thriller

very atmospheric

anything moreno-garcia writes i will read so also check out their other books as well

2. wolf and the woodsman - ava reid

jewish representation

if you liked the winternight trilogy you'll like this one

again very dark and atmospheric, excellent winter vibes. a good one for this time of year.

the romance is top tier

2. a dead djinn in cairo - p. djèlí clark

fun novella

super quick read

setting is egypt 1912, steampunk alternate universe. top-notch world building

intriguing mystery

4. the long way to a small, angry planet - becky chambers

cozy space opera with an interspecies cast

good lgbt rep, a bit of romance. found family trope

part of a series but can be read as a standalone

while light it still manages to touch on some important issues and topics

5. the six deaths of the saint - alix e. harrow

another novella, only 30 pages but jesus this one packs a punch. feels like an epic novel. probably my favourite on this whole list.

historical fantasy

beautiful prose

on kindle unlimited, if you have that

i'm not going to go into any more detail because i don't want to spoil it but seriously. this is 30 pages, go read it and then come back and scream about it with me

6. lovelight farms - b.k borison

cutest fucking romcom i've read in a while

hallmark movie vibes but not cringy

MC owns a christmas tree farm, and in order to win a contest to get more publicity for the farm she asks her best friend to be her fake boyfriend. shenanigans ensue.

friends to lovers, mutual pining, fake dating. what more could you want?

happy reading!!

[findteenpenpals]

Hey there! I’m Sybil, 17 years old. I love alternative vibes, and I’m super excited to make new friends. Life’s pretty hectic, but I always find time for good convos with cool people. Information about mwah Hobbies & Interests: I’m kinda off and on with reading, but I’m getting back into it. I love fantasy, romance, horror, and especially fantasy romance. Right now, I’m obsessed with The Girls Next Door, but I’m more of a YouTube girly. I don’t have any hardcore hobbies yet, but I’m looking to try sewing and want to read a lot more. Faves: My favorite movies are Juno, Brave, and 10 Things I Hate About You. Music-wise, I’m into chill, pure vibes. Everlong by the Foo Fighters, Love Me by Elvis Presley, and Bad Religion by Frank Ocean are my top picks. Travel & Cooking: New York City is the best place I’ve visited so far, and I’m dying to go to Thailand someday. Cooking seems fun, but since I’m not in charge of family dinners, I just experiment when I can. Life Goals: I’m about to start my senior year in high school, which is both exciting and kinda stressful. My dream is to find peace, fall in love with someone who loves me back, and maybe live on a farm with a bunch of animals, working a job I actually like. Favorite Time of Year: I absolutely love Christmas. It’s so cozy and makes me feel like a kid again. I’m not much of a talker unless it’s a genuine conversation. If you’re into deep chats, sharing stories, and just vibing, hit me up! I promise to write back and can’t wait to get to know you. Currently just finished Court of Thorn and Roses and now I'm reading Kingdom of the Wicked. I liked a Court of Thorn and Roses it definitely got me into fantasy I love the world building and details haha lmao What’s a song you cannot stop listening to on repeat? I’m excited to start this journey of connection and friendship. So, if you’re up for some real talk and genuine vibes, don’t hesitate to drop me a message. Let’s make some memories and share some laughs together! Catch you later, Sybil

@sybilpenpals

[elizmanderson]

BookmanWIP and MarthaWIP. (Just by virtue of I don't think I've ever heard of either of those, LOL)

hellooooooo and thank you for the ask! you get something from each end of the WIP spectrum

BookManWIP

this is the oldest WIP in my novels folder! it's the first book I wrote that feels like something I would write now (although not my first contemporary fantasy)

it stars a lonely pan-ace guy in his thirties who loves books and doesn't remotely understand people, who gets dragged into a magical world right outside his front door when his balloon-artist friend shows up injured one night. it also involved an enchanted circus, a literal fairy garden, sentient garden statues, and another world

shelved after many, many revisions because the plot needs an overhaul (although the characters, writing, and description finally got to where I'd want them to be). my main issue is that it's a portal fantasy inside of sort-of portal fantasy and I'm not sure the timelines work. maybe it needs to be a duology? *shudders in standalone author*

MarthaWIP

...and this is the newest WIP in my novels folder! second-chance fantasy romance, probably cozy? but I'm still working that out, starring a grumpy older lesbian bc that's my vibe lately

few details to share about this because it's in early stages, but it was inspired by a rummage sale sign. it has nothing to do with rummage sales.

here was the thought process, but idk if you can call it a PROCESS bc all these things happened instantaneously*:

see sign saying they're no longer accepting donations for this rummage sale

think about rummage sale pricing

maybe it's like "$5/bag" instead of individually priced items

imagine someone getting REALLY GOOD at packing items up small to fit as much as possible to get the most out of their $5

suddenly: a grumpy, bitter old lesbian named Martha who's good at exactly that and gets a second chance romance even though she's wary of it

*it's probably the ADHD, huh

anyway Martha will not be going to a rummage sale in the story (...probably), but I keep having more and more ideas about what her story looks like, I know a little bit about her LI, I know about her younger neighbor/friend/adopted nibling, I'm getting increasingly excited to write it which is great except that I seriously need to finish NettieWIP first lmao

keep 'em coming, folks, I love talking about this stuff

[our-magical-world]

REALITY SHIFTING 30 DAY CHALLENGE

~ DAY 7 ~

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT SOME OF YOUR DRs?

I'm actually doing some DR introduction posts, so I'll link to the ones I have for more info, but here is a short summary (for some of them I also have a longer explanation in my rare DRs post).

♥ My fantasy DR ♥ I'm a warrior in a fantasy world heavily inspired by Middle Earth, but with elements from all my favorite fantasy worlds. I travel with a group of heroes on a quest to save the world from evil.

♥ My waiting room ♥ It's a magical forest with cottagecore and fairytale vibes, there is a glade with a cozy cottage, magical creatures and portals that lead to my different DRs.

♥ Boku no Hero Academia ♥ I'm a student at UA and a member of class 1-A. My quirk is mirror skin, I can turn my body into a reflecting surface like a mirror. I love singing and fairycore style clothes and accessories.

♥ Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken ♥ Avan is my comfort character so I'm shifting to be one of his disciples. I go to Dermline with him and train with Popp and Dai, who become like brothers to me. I take the warrior course.

♥ Dragon Quest: Yuusha Avan ♥ I'm princess Flora's personal maid. I'm a minstrel and a decent fighter (an archer) so the king hired me as a sort of lady in waiting, music teacher and bodyguard in disguise for his daughter.

♥ Ace Attorney ♥ I come from a family of musicians, but for some reason I decided to study Law and start an internship as Edgeworth's assistant. After Edgeworth disappears, I end up working as Phoenix's assistant.

♥ Fire Emblem 7 ♥ I'm the tactician and everything is basically like the game, Lyn finds me unconscious and I join her and help her army with my strategy skills. After the adventure I'm planning to stay in Caelin with her.

♥ Black Clover ♥ I'm a member of the Crimson Lion Kings and use fire magic. Born a commoner, but my mother married a nobleman later on. Some nobles were not happy.

♥ Prince of Tennis ♥ I'm a student at Seigaku and just a normal girl who loves tennis. I'm thinking about becoming the team manager or something so I have an excuse to spend time with the tennis club boys.

♥ Hogwarts ♥ I have a DR where I'm the substitute Herbology teacher and a Marauders era DR where I'm a student. I'm a Hufflepuff.

[jovianjournal]

January 2024

The year had a bit of a slow start tbh. looking at my statistics page in my journal, this is the month i read the lowest amount of books. I think i'd rather have a slow start, than start strong and lose all my motivation after a couple months? plus i read some nice books in January.

Im going to start with the novels in this post, i'll do a second one with the comics/GNs/mangas later!

Hunger Pangs : True Love Bites -- Joy Demorra

A historical fantasy with vampires and werewolves, a polyam romance, a witty narrator, and some cool worldbuilding. a good time overall! i was happy to start the year with a good read. It's not perfect: the plot feels a little uneven (the book starts with a hint of world ending, but this is immediately put on the back-burner til the last third of the book), the resolution feels easy, the characters are a bit too archetypal (the broody vampire main character is named Vlad, i mean...). It did not rewire my brain but i'm looking forward to reading the sequel one day!

*

The Cruel Prince -- Holly Black, French translation by Leslie Damant-Jeandel

I'm rereading my notes in my journal and i need to be fair : i didn't like this book, but the reasons i didn't like it can be summarized with : this is a YA novel. a really popular YA novel, so i guess i had some expectations? they weren't met (i have read the rest of the series since then, as a whole i still think it's not as good as i was told, but it's alright). Also i read it in French, which i think made the writing sounds more childish that it actually is. A 17 years old protagonist will act like a 17 years old.

*

The Midnight Bargain -- C.L. Polk

This is the story of a girl who wants to study magic but has to get married (because of misogyny) in a world where married women can't practice magic (because of misogyny). i actually really liked it! The magic system was fun, the author compared it to pokemon, in the sense that people "capture" spirits and use their powers to practice magic, in exchange for a taste of humanity, like the feeling of walking barefoot in the sand of a slice of cake. it's quite cute, i like stories where mundane things are made precious. i mean, it's a really fucked up system with a lot of abuse, but that part is cute. this is a very pretty book overall, with a bit of friendship and romance and sorority in the mix (it feels a little easy, a little feminism 101, a little caricatural, but it feels fair). It has a lot of tropes i like in this kind of story. i recommend it if you enjoyed Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater, it has a similar Fantasy of Manners vibe.

*

We could be so good -- Cat Sebastian

Love me some Cat Sebastian historical romance. I feel like this one is more interesting as a mid-century New York historical novel with some insights into the life of queer people of the time, than as a romance. It's cozy and not much happens. things i have written in my journal about this book : "i do not want to make hasty conclusions, but i'd say there is a non zero chance that this story started as a Stucky fanfic" and "i want to share a home tenderly with my homosexual lover" and "the kind of historical novel where life seems a lot easier (and cheaper) than nowadays". There's a sequel i'm looking forward to reading!

That's all for today see u next time ♫

[writernopal]

This Or That? Tag

Tagged by @outpost51 and @lexiklecksi, thank you both! See their posts here and here, respectively.

I think I may have done this one some time ago but I'm going to do it again because why not and also maybe my answers changed? Who knows, I'm too lazy to find the original post lol

Tagging (gently): @lynnedwardswrites @sam-glade @thewardenofwinter @gummybugg @moonluringfrost @crowandmoonwriting @violets-in-her-arms-writes

historical or futuristic

the drama of a character walking down a darkened corridor, candle in hand, or eagerly awaiting the arrival of a letter because there are no other means of communication only to be met with tragic news, YOU CAN RIP THOSE OUT OF MY COLD, DEAD HANDS

the opening or closing chapter

there are simply so many possibilities! so many unanswered questions! the intrigue! the drama! we love!

light+fluffy or dark+gritty

i like both, to read and to write, but dark and gritty just has me

animal companion or found family

found family but only because keeping track of an animal companion (and also keeping them safe, the dogs will not die!) is so stressful. also i have zero confidence to write reliable, unspoken animal behavior beyond a few lines

horror or romance

HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME CHOOSE but romance wins because as soon as there is a romantic subplot (or main plot, lets be honest, i write primarily romance, of course I'm here for that) in something, I'm hooked. however, there is always room for body horror (my beloved!)

hard magic system or soft magic system

i prefer somewhere in between, but if i had to choose one, it would be soft.

standalone or series

series will always have my heart. you mean i get to spend MORE time with your characters and world? yes please!

one project at a time or always juggling 2+

one at a time, for sure. things tend to absorb my life so pulling myself out of that work to be absorbed by something else enough to write about it, would be very hard

one award winner or one bestseller

having people love your work enough to buy it is one thing, but to be recognized by others for excellence in the craft would be such an honor

fantasy or sci-fi

i have no notes here, i just vibe with it man

character description or setting description

this is a weird one. i prefer writing character description but prefer reading setting description lol. don't ask me why.

first draft or final draft

because there is no better feeling than sitting back and looking at the work as a whole, knowing that you are the one that brought it all together!

love triangle in everything or no romantic arcs

i detest love triangles, so i'd rather no romance at all if love triangles is all I'm going to get

constant sandstorm or rainstorm

its just cozy! (if you're inside, if you're stuck in it then maybe not so much lol)

Blank list below the cut!

historical or futuristic

the opening or closing chapter

light+fluffy or dark+gritty

animal companion or found family

horror or romance

hard magic system or soft magic system

standalone or series

one project at a time or always juggling 2+

one award winner or one bestseller

fantasy or sci-fi

character description or setting description

first draft or final draft

love triangle in everything or no romantic arcs

constant sandstorm or rainstorm

[wildmelon]

Is Baldurs Gate 3 a game that you think is worth buying and playing? This is coming from someone who has never played the game before and I’m not usually into fantasy and things of that nature but it sounds like a fun game.

this is honestly just so subjective i can't give a short answer 😭 but i'll try to help 🩷

do you like rpgs in general? in my opinion, it's always worth trying out games from genres that aren't your usual favorite. i'm personally not drawn to sci-fi basically at all but have loved every game i've given a chance with those vibes, so i wouldn't write it off just bc it's fantasy.

are you familiar with dnd mechanics? they were pretty foreign, intimidating, and overwhelming to me at first, and i can see that putting some people off. but if i can get the hang of it truly anyone can, just go in knowing there'll be a learning curve.

as far as content, i think it's great value. especially in this day and age. it's a huge game, visually beautiful, expansive, and comprehensive. very solid experience for the money.

do you enjoy headcanoning? this has been the most fun part for me tbh, i think i love bg3 so much bc it opened me to the wider world of dnd. i generally prefer the storyline of, say, any dragon age game to bg3's. but those games didn't encourage me to roleplay and flesh out every detail of my characters like bg3 did. 🤷🏼‍♀️

i personally think it's worth buying and playing overall. gameplay is usually pretty low on my list of priorities (1. characters 2. story 3. setting, list goes on) but i love bg3's gameplay. the mods are also amazing and got me to care about lore and weapons more than ever before lol. i also end up wandering act 3 basically cozy gaming with intermittent quests, just shopping and kissing my love interest and taking pictures lol. the characters are great.

you can always do the steam return thing if you don't like it!

[sazanes]

I’m giving Romance Club a go…what stories do you recommend to start?

Oh, so cool 😊 I recommend Hell and High Water(adventure super cozy) because I'm a Hell and High Water Bitch 😚

Gladiator Chronicles (action)with the only male mc on the app, it's a space opera with gladiators, amazing, Theodora(drama) were you are immortal and cries a lot, beautiful, and the Li's are amazing, Legend of the willow(fantasy) a gueixa who discovered be a kitsune, anime vibes, they are already complete, and I liked a lot.

The new one I'm playing is W:Time Catcher, we are a witch in an alternative world where witches have a hard life being controlled by the church. The other one, Soulless, is super fun. You are a succubus that is transported to our world she's hilarious, and you can activate the icons of points on this story, so it is easy to play.

Because in Romance Club you have routes in all games, so each choice will increase some points, That will determine your character personality and level of respect, I'm playing using wiki because sometimes it's difficult to guess what path you will follow.

But you can play without it, but you have to prepare yourself because in Romance Club, we have consequences. That's what I love about this app, the consequences 🤯 The best part you can play on the diamond event, where all the stories have the diamond options free, so you win a lot of diamonds while playing. I think it's this 🤔 anything you need to know, just ask me 😊

I hope one day they add the gender of choice to the MC'S 🙏 Oh and I hope you like some of them 😅 I'm never like the very popular ones so I'm sorry if you hate some of the stories I recommended 🥹

[chickycherrycola]

Okay, I have the same questions for you! How long have you been writing and what are some of your favorite tropes/storylines to write? Also, do you have a movie/show/book you’d consider a hidden gem or under-hyped fave??

Hello there Tower! 🎶 thanks for providing me with a wonderful distraction while I work from home today ehehehe *rubs my tiny fly hands together*

How long have I been writing:

Truly, kind of all my life? I've loved books, reading, and words since childhood - I was that quirky little kid who preferred going to the library over going to the park 😅 I wrote a LOT in high school and college, but I doubted myself too much to ever do anything with any of it. I never submitted short stories to publishing houses, never posted any of my fanfics online as a result. I took a long break from writing after graduating college and only recently got back into it, about... late 2021, I want to say? I re-read some fave old Soul Eater fanfics and got inspired to take up the metaphorical pen again, and I'm so glad I did. Now it feels like all I do with my life is write and I wouldn't have it any other way tbh!

Favorite Tropes/Storylines To Write:

Boy oh boy, where to even begin? I love romance, comedy, and the wonderful intersection of the two in the form of the ROMANTIC COMEDY, which im sure is pretty obvious given the kinds of fics I tend to post. I write as a form of escape from reality and use humor to cope and process big feelings, so writing rom-coms with a lot of heart and mature themes at their core is my jam.

In terms of tropes - my faves are the following, in no particular order: Friends to Lovers, Idiots In Love, Boy Falls First, Found Family (im actually a HUGE SLUT for this one and want to write it so badly!), Second Chance Romance, Animal Companions (i utilize this one a TON in my original fiction), Cozy Fantasy and/or stories that seamlessly weave magic or supernatural elements into the "real" world... and lastly, not really a trope, but Character Driven Stories are the GOAT.

Also... I just really love writing smut. PWP one-shots are my guilty pleasure. >:3

Hidden Gems/Underhyped Faves:

I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED!

Books (though two of these are comics technically):

-SAGA by Brian K Vaughan & Fiona Staples: adult graphic novel space epic series full of memorable characters and absolutely gorgeous art that tackles a lot of tough stuff and has made me feel the full spectrum of human emotion

-The Tea Dragon Society by K. O'Neill: a wholesome, heartwarming all ages comic chocked full of pocket-sized dragons and the COZIEST fantasy vibes EVER

-The Locked Tomb series: idk if it counts as an underrated fave/hidden gem cause the book series has a pretty sizable and active fan base, but im recommending it anyway cause Harrowhark Nonagesimus is one of my favorite characters in all of fiction, and if you like stories that explore both romantic and platonic partnership dynamics, you should give it a read if you haven't already!!

Shows/Anime:

-D. Gray-Man: shounen anime set in Victorian England about exorcists and featuring the most Cinnamon Roll Main Character in the Universe who I will always love with my whole heart, Allen Walker

-Re:Creators: a reverse isekai in which fictional characters are suddenly pulled from their universes into the real world and tackles the question of what fiction/art mean to us humans, one of my favorite shows of ALL TIME with excellent music composed by Hiroyuki Sawano

-Baccano!: a sort of steampunk/fantasy caper involving alchemists, immortals, outlaws, gangsters, an immortality elixir, and a murder mystery on a train, told in a non-linear format that really puzzles the brain on the first couple of watches

-Witch Hat Atelier: is technically a manga but is getting an anime soon! A series about a young girl who goes to magic school to become a witch, featuring an excellent magic system and gorgeous art

Movies:

-this answer is already soooooo long so ill just recommend my favorite movie of all time, PACIFIC RIM, which if you haven't seen you should WATCH RIGHT AWAY because it has the partners trope you love! Its a 2013 sci-fi flick directed by Guillermo del Toro about kaijus invading Earth from outer space, and the giant, dual-piloted robots that humanity devises to fight back with, and was so revolutionary in its portrayal of its main female character that it created a whole new benchmark for assessing portrayal of women characters in fiction (The Mako Mori Test).

In conclusion - thanks for giving me an excuse to ramble on and on, and I do truly hope you enjoyed all this drivel! 🙏😁

[regalbois]

This just an update, like a lil journal entry. I'm not constantly insane no worries, so what i have actually been doing recently outside of that is writing Penguin/Riddler and Catwoman/Penguin stuff. They're my own versions of them. I really like to consider Selina and Edward in a sort of duality, where Selina is more interested in sex and money as opposed to love, but she still does genuinely like Oswald and she's not desperate, she's just in a mood for some fun u kno, and that's valid of her. I think Oswald loves her a little, but in the way that he's fucking her and spending time with her, so he has to love her at all to feel capable of doing that. Edward on the other hand really does love Oswald quite a lot. Not to say "he doesn't care about the money" because he definitely does adore Oswald's penchant for fashion and general extravagance, it's very very charming to him. But he's far more warm and romantic to Oswald than Selina generally is, and he's definitely looking for a relationship. He'd really like to settle down with the old bird, be all warm and cozy and comfortable. Having lived his early life in poverty, the security of Oswald's riches is appealing to him, as is Oswald's ability to protect him physically.

I also have a few more Simpsons Burnsmithers fics I'd like to follow through with. Main one I thought of a few nights ago is Burns performing a wellness check on Smithers. I also want to follow up on the "wild west au", which was going to be an entire story but I might just do a one-shot or a handful of chapters. But before doing so, I have a handful of Westerns I'd like to watch, and also return to RDR2. My grandparents watched a lot of Western movies and shows as I was growing up and they're still watching the painful as fuck "Tales of Wells Fargo" and "Laramie", so I have been getting injected recently and I'd like to experience some "good" westerns so I don't feel completely ill writing the Bsmits thing. I'd only like to keep it historically accurate and check the vibes, which is why it won't be a full-fledged story because writing historical fiction fanfiction is honestly painful and not super worth the effort?? Only in that it just takes up a lot of my time and there are other things I'd rather write u kno

Ofc I've still been reading a lot too, I discovered author Kazuo Ishiguro, who wrote "The Remains of the Day", and I look forward to reading more of his works because they're very emotionally compelling and astoundingly well-written. Likewise with Vladimir Nabokov, as I did get around to reading "Lolita", which has played into some of my recent fics. And I'm also re-reading asoiaf, which is one of my favorite series of all time that I never talk about because the fans are fucking vile. Fic idea is blossoming from that series so I guess, given time and thought, I'll start working on that too.

Very very gradually I've also been working on one of my original stories. Set in my own fantasy universe, it is about an older knight being abused by his king; the knight falls in love with a fellow kingsguard and they escape together. There's a lot going on here and I hate world-building so I don't really talk about it because it's a character-driven story and as far as I can really tell people only want to hear about the lore that I don't like discussing. I'm rather proud of the world, really, but I just don't find conversation about it to be all that stimulating, and I don't find it useful when people take it upon themselves to pick apart something they don't truly understand. Anyway, this is like the 1 billionth draft of said story, so I'm just taking it sentence by sentence, and hopefully since the holiday madness is lightening up I'll have more energy to feel like writing more.

As for life stuff, it be what it do. I got my license and my car is fixed so I'm more alone now than before. I'd like to get a different job, but being sort of anti-social and incapable of forming bonds, it's not looking promising because I'm in a position I've worked very hard to achieve, one where people listen to me. Hopefully this coming year I can go back to college and select a painfully boring profession that will make me a lot of money 🫡 ciao

To end on a lighter note tho, i am getting some more Catwoman figures soon. Plus I have a Chun-Li and Beastars Louis on pre-order that I'm really excited for. I might also try to learn the trumpet. The real light of my life is my boyfriend, who I've been spending time with playing Final Fantasy 14 and watching some real good movies. He is also the cutie pie who got me into Batman, and I love him with all my little heart 💜🥺🤧 the end

[frogcraftingg]

any tips on building cottagecore esque stuff?

Hi!!! This is long apologies in advance.

So there are a lot of different takes on cottagecore.

Beyond interpretations of romanticized rural and farm lifestyles, Cottagecore aesthetics tap into many rustic and rural concepts. Cottagecore explores and draws inspiration from the existence of witches, gnomes, or fairies. As such, the concept of Cottagecore is centered around ideas of a simple life in harmony with nature. (source)

Personally for me, in Minecraft I feel like it's a mix of structures that feel old, cozy, and lived-in, with some plants and greenery strewn about, in addition to an emphasis on small details such as a well-tended garden, personal decorations, or anything else that just says "comfy" and "home." A lot of the builds you'll make for this can be functionally aesthetic, like a tiny well, or can be just purely for decorations like popping custom mushrooms around your base~!

You can probably re-create cottagecore builds in any typical minecraft style, but personally I tend to do a mix of whimsical, fantasy, and medieval style builds with cottagecore, and sometimes a touch of fairycore, overtones.

So I'll give you the same kinds of tips I give others on building.

Use a reference if/when necessary. I personally use concept art, video games, real life architecture, and my own drawings for references when possible. Use pinterest, tumblr, YouTubers, etc., as inspiration for you!!! Just make sure if you're posting or you're going to make a video on it, you credit who you were inspired by~!

Change to a texture pack for your single player world that fits the tone of what you're trying to achieve. I personally use Mizuno's 16 Craft and additional add-ons in my hardcore survival world as it has the tones and textures on the blocks that make me feel like I'm living in a cottagecore world. Perhaps this texture pack - or others - will work better than traditional vanilla for you, but it is entirely possible to have cozy, heartwarming builds in vanilla too~!

Add leaves. Add trees. Add gardens. Add window treatments-flower boxes, pots, lanterns. Build aesthetic fields, well-worn foot paths, greenhouses, apiaries... Instead of putting your cows in 20+ spruce fences, take the time to make them an actual enclosure- you can do it with stones or wood~! Decorate it with grass, and hay bales. Plant some wheat inside of it~

I tend to use a lot of wood, stone, and neutral toned blocks for my builds. Usually I will take liberties with color on the roof, though it's entirely possible to do colorful houses in the cottagecore style (especially with the warmth of the terracotta block!)

Have fun and BUILD what YOU LIKE~! Doesn't matter if it's not functional. Doesn't matter if it's not accurate. Doesn't matter if no one else likes it. I would have never gotten better at exploring this style if I didn't try, so try and have FUN with it!!

The build above is something that was inspired by the photo on the right, I was really trying to recreate this blacksmith + house in my world. As you can see, I kept similar elements like the main structure having a tower, and the forge/furnaces being on the small side building. However, I also tried to keep it to scale of the other builds in the small village I am (was?) working on at the time- so it's much narrower.

In the front, I chose to add a market stall canopy leading into an open-market for my blacksmith to sell their wares, and the entire build is covered in overgrown leaves. Though these things in and of themselves don't make it ~cottagecore~ alone to everyone, it's a very cozy, comfortable vibe (to me) which I relate to cottagecore.

Some people may feel more connected to things typically reflecting homes you may find in a quaint village or rustic English countryside. Some are impractical, like a hollow old tree stump or a giant overgrown mushroom. These four images are just various things I've built in my time as a content creator and Minecraft enjoyer that I felt super connected to~!

The above two thumbnails are from my hardcore series over on YouTube, (ep. 3 out tomorrow!) where I'm building my entire base as a series of small builds to make up a larger area, rather than a mega base! I am effectively trying to combine everything I've learned about building in my last few years to create builds that combine these styles and emphasize coziness and aesthetics!

Hopefully this all made sense and sorry this is so long!~