#or like low stakes fantasy

[twinstxrs]

so much happened in this whole episode but i’m still on fig infiltrating ruben’s dream, making it look like the place where his friend was murdered, and then disguising herself as kipperlilly & repeatedly saying different variants of “somebody needs to take the fall for this, and it’s not going to be me. it’s going to be you.” while adaine as the elven oracle shows up next to her. can you imagine waking up from that, the idea of a horrible truth being pinned on you by your friend to save her own skin while the personification of fate and destiny stands there, almost as a promise that this is GOING to happen to you. we don’t even know if this kid is guilty. my god.

[lainalit]

You would think with the way in which Sjm fans argue against Sjm criticism by saying that they "just turn their brain off while reading her books" that she writes cute little contemporary romance books alà Ali Hazelwood and that the critics are just being pretentious when in reality she writes fantasy books in which there are always poorly done themes of oppression, mental health, DV, SA classism, racism, feminism, disabilities, lgbtq+ etc. in it

[ship-garbage-pile]

A young wannabe Blitzball ace. Jecht at 17 years old was still as much of a braggart as he is later in life but it took a while for him to reach the height of stardom, i imagine he has a lot of Tidus mannerisms.

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads

The Hands of the Emperor

long, quiet high fantasy

follows the personal secretary of the last emperor of a fallen empire who is revered as an untouchable god, after he invites the emperor on holiday and they become friends

also he restructures the entire government and reconnects with his family

[rabbitindisguise]

I got burned out trying to keep up with social justice, and then got burned out trying to keep up with former-social-justice-folks-that-got-burned-out. well now what. can't I just do shitfuck nothing? is that allowed???? leave me alone in a cave to weave I'm so tired of all the bullshit. oh wait!! people are doing grassroots work in the fucking cave too!!!!!!!! jesus christ I'm staying home and no one is hearing from me again -_- except the gays in my phone and my game friends

[tartt9]

verse name tbd but ! in conjuncture w ronnie's @pnkb1tch's low fantasy verse is my low fantasy verse (name tbd) (icons VERY tbd) (the only historical piece phil's been in he has an awful goatee and i refuse to acknowledge it) but ! jamie is prince and heir apparent to a military kingdom, where the crown doesn't pass from father to son (bc that's stupid and a bad way to run a military) but from worthy heir to worthy heir. the king chooses his prince, and when the king's strength diminishes, the prince rises to the throne. the recent lineage is pep->paddy->jamie. so jamie's very talented with a sword, very sure of himself and his capabilities in battle. he grew up poor but managed to catch paddy's eye in a tournament/battle/something (i will figure it out i promise) when paddy was still prince. but despite their great military power, their weather is piss poor year round (cold in the winter, moderate at best in the summer) leading to poor agricultural output and a distinct lack of wealth. luckily, there's no pressure to produce an heir (only pressure to find one, which jamie will work on once he's king), so he can sleep around to his desire, do as he pleases when he pleases it. he's proven his strength, he's the greatest of his generation, and he'll be damned if anyone tries to tell him what to do or how to live his life.

[an-absolute-trainwreck]

Reading In the Lives of Puppets just reminds me of how much I’d rather be reading Under the Whispering Door

[writingwoe]

feeling the love for lycan and lauren tonight....wish i had the motivation to write their story

[trashbatistrash]

,

[foxgloveinspace]

One thing about fanfic Steve is that he is NEVER as smooth, and good with words as Canon Steve. Canon Steve always has the right thing to say, even if it doesn't feel right in the moment, he always has the right thing to say, and do.

[paper-mario-wiki]

i just finished reading dungeon meshi and would like to state:

if you have been under the impression up to this point that dungeon meshi is a low stakes found family slice of life about quirky fantasy friends talking about food (like i did before i read it), i'd like to tell you that it is not that. those moments of found family enjoying a meal are surrounded by a harrowing and grim journey through a terrifying labyrinth designed to kill them, and throughout the 97 chapters comprising it from start to end, I cannot think of a single page that didn't contain vital story information that mattered.

it is an expertly and lovingly crafted odyssey with fantasy world building so thorough with consistent logic that the properties of the magic in their world fell extremely comfortably into the part of my brain that understands things like gravity and light particles. it's really good shit.

[e-s-willswriting]

I had this one story idea that was super interesting to me in terms of thematic parallels and contemporary issues but then I couldn't help thinking that there were story aspects to it that maybe I wasn't the right person to write about (technical knowledge and lived experience sort of thing) and it kinda sucked. Might have to shelve it for now :,)

[bookcub]

Cozy Fantasy and Why It Doesn't Work

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

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

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

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

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

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

[alteredphoenix]

I'm three volumes into Altair: A Record of Battles.

It's a decent story so far. Needs more Suleyman and pictures of Iskandar looking cute and dorky.

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads / storygraph

Awakenings

Start of a fantasy adventure novella series

a nonbinary jack-of-all-trades who keeps failing apprenticeships is guarding the dome of the town e’s in when it’s attacked by the magical metal fragments that roam the land, but a magical stranger with amnesia who turns into an eldritch tree creature saves the day

the two of them and a lizard artificer, start traveling together in a magic wagon and become friends as the start to travel from town to town

Board games, friendship, nonbinary & aroace MCs

[sugarwarachan]

hot for teacher

pairing: shouta aizawa x f!reader

summary: You’re not expecting your day to fall to pieces at 8:21 a.m., but life hasn’t really been going your way lately. A string of lackluster dates, followed by two dead vibrators (with missing cords!), and the only outlet left for your mounting sexual frustration—the smut blog you diligently update—has been discovered by the one person you never wanted to find it: fellow teacher Shouta Aizawa. Who might just be the inspiration behind most of the fantasies you post about.

word count: 1.3k

content warnings: coworkers-to-lovers, mutual pining, idiots in love, forced proximity, there was only bed trope, explicit smut, phone sex, bondage, impact play, degradation, use of slut and whore, D/s, subspace, aftercare

There is nothing on this earth you hate more than Mondays.

You’re meant to be horizontal in bed, wearing fuzzy socks, holding a steaming mug of tea, and cuddling your cats. You’re not supposed to be blearily stirring sugar into subpar coffee and thinking about lesson plans.

“Ugh,” you groan under your breath.

Fellow teacher Shouta Aizawa's low voice sounds off behind you. “Bad morning already?”

Oh good god, you’re not ready to see him this early.

You’re fully aware that your crush on him is debilitating. You have no idea why you’re rendered incapable of speech the second he walks into the room, because you never have a problem with literally any other man. You can flirt easily. Hell, you’re good at flirting—when it’s low-stakes and there’s no risk of attachment.

But you like Aizawa. He's stern and kind and deliciously muscled, and lately every sexual fantasy sprinting through your head features him.

Which has occasionally bled into the characters you write about on your blog.

You turn over your shoulder. He’s wearing his usual combination of dark slacks and dark button-up. He’s taken to wearing it with the sleeves rolled up, which has been detrimental for your libido. “Something like that.”

“Hmm.”

He starts making coffee, which should not accelerate your heart rate the way it does. He’s standing next to you, you remind yourself, not pressing you up against the counter.

You shut that thought down instantly.

“Good morning for you?” You try for small talk to avoid focusing on the hammering of your pulse.

Out of the corner of your eye, you swear you see a hint of a smirk before it drops away.

“An interesting morning, I’d say.”

He slides his phone over to you with one finger, the pinned post of your Tumblr flashing under your eyes.

Your heart drops so far out of your stomach that it probably enmeshes itself in the earth’s crust.

“So. Which character is most like me?”

This cannot be happening to you.

You’ve never once used his name. You’ve never even described him (although he is the placeholder for nearly every dark-haired stoic man you write about).

But you distinctly remember a late-night confessional post about your crush on a colleague, and you almost vomit.

Your mind trips over itself, trying to find a denial or a lie, but all you can think, staring down at Aizawa’s phone, is that you want desperately to be back in your bed this morning and for this to not be happening at all.

“Ummm.”

He doesn’t even reward that with a blink while you keep standing there cramming your brain back into your ears.

“It’s not what you think,” finally tumbles out.

Oh dear fucking god, that’s the best you can come up with?

Aizawa raises one dark brow. He takes a sip of coffee, and you try your hardest not to notice the way his forearm tenses.

“It’s not?”

You really wish he was even the slightest bit easier to read, but as usual, his stoic expression gives away nothing.

Time to stall.

“This is an incredibly inappropriate thing to be discussing at work,” you say, surprising yourself at how annoyed you sound. You are, you realize, a little bit angry. He thrust your personal blog in your face and just assumed some of it was about him? When you finally bring yourself to look at him, he’s shocked, or as shocked as Shouta Aizawa gets. “Since it’s personal, I will discuss it with you after work. I’ll be at the cafe down the street, the one with the good scones. Don’t be late.”

You stomp out of the teacher’s lounge on shaky legs and pray you can keep it together for seven more hours.

By the time you get to the cafe, you’ve gone through more nausea medication than is perhaps healthy for the average human, but you don’t want to lose what little of your lunch you choked down all over Aizawa’s lap.

You rehearsed the conversation a hundred times—in your head, over the phone with Mirko, who needed to pause every ten seconds to wheeze with laughter—but nothing really prepares you for telling a colleague they inspire your smut fics.

As soon as he sits down, your curiosity wins out over your shame. “How did you even find it?”

“Oh.” He runs a hand along the back of his head. “Mic found it.”

You raise an eyebrow. Who?

“Yamada,” he answers. “We hosted a radio show back in college together. That’s what he called himself.”

“Did they call you something?”

His ears turn pink. “Um. Yeah. Eraserhead.”

“Eraserhead?”

“Just Mic being Mic.” He waves a hand, but the tips of his ears remain a cute shade of scarlet. You don’t know why that heartens you, but it does. At the end of the day, he’s just some guy, not a fucking deity.

“How did he find it?”

Aizawa clears his throat. “He’s a weirdo.”

You file away that non-answer for later.

“Why aren’t you freaking out at me?” you ask in frustration.

His brow furrows. “What do you mean?”

“I’m your colleague, and I’ve written filthy fucking shit while thinking about you,” you whisper heatedly, jabbing one finger into the table. What is he not getting? “Doesn’t that creep you out?”

“I know what you’ve been doing,” he says, and his eyes drop to your lips. Your mouth dries up. “And no, it doesn’t creep me out.”

You take a sip of water to restart your brain.

“I should apologize to you,” he says. “For bringing it up like that. You were right, it was very unprofessional. I was curious and not thinking straight.”

“What were you curious about?”

He takes a moment to answer. “If you’re satisfied, I suppose.”

“Satisfied?” you squeak. You’ve written smut that could make paint peel, and yet you're flushed and near trembling from the mere suggestion that Shouta Aizawa has considered whether or not you’ve cum recently.

“Mmhmm.” He taps two fingers in between you and before you know it, you’re laying your hand out for him to grab. He turns up your palm and starts to gently massage it with one thumb. “This okay?”

You nod. His touch is warm and rough. You fight not to sink into it.

“I asked because I’m attracted to you, and I believe you’re attracted to me, and we have similar interests.” His gaze is a direct contrast to his touch; you’ve never seen him look uncertain, but there’s a hint of it in the way he softly holds your eyes. He looks down and lets go of your hand. “If what you write is merely a fantasy, and I’m being presumptuous—“

“You aren’t. It’s not just fantasy.” Your cheeks feel like they’re 110 degrees. “I just—I never expected this.” You flap your hands in between the two of you.

“Yeah,” he laughs, and the sound knocks the air from your lungs. “I wasn’t either." He looks at you far longer than is appropriate in the middle of the day in a cafe, but you can't look away. Of all things, you want to hold his hand again.

His phone rings loudly. He sighs at the caller ID. "I have to run, but I’ll call you later, if that's all right with you." You shoot for a nod that does not come off as extremely eager, but your shit-eating grin gives you away. "We’ll talk more about what to do about us, too.”

The bell to the cafe rings as he leaves, but you barely hear it over the thundering of your heart.

(･ω･)つandy's notes: this is so self-indulgent and delicious and I really hope you all enjoy 😘 the posting schedule for this will be Mon/Fri. let me know if you want to be on the taglist <3.