#i love a good romantic subplot in a fantasy book but sometimes it's not actually a subplot

[justalittlebluetiefling]

I was laughing about reading your indignation over genres being too subjective when it comes to bookstore categorization because it made me realize I definitely unconsciously view my genre sorting as a Formal Complaint and Correction to the fools in the publishing industry who dictate (wrongly) how their publications are indexed

but also my categorization is more of vibes that all blend into each other, which imo is how genre SHOULD be 😤

The last 24 hours have been so eye-opening for me because I didn't even realize that I had such strong opinions about genres.

Really, if I branched out genre-wise, I would probably do something similar to what you do which is putting them in their Correct™ genres. I could make cute signs for my bookshelves to indicate genre and everything. However, it would look pretty sad to have my 2 biographies and 3 horror novels in their own sections lmao.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hi! Do you have any tips on how to make a story (either a new idea or an existing work in progress) more original? I feel like all ideas that I have follow somewhat the same "formula" or structure and I would like to try to work with something different. I don't know if you get what I mean, but for example, how would I make a murder mystery more original when all I can think about is the usual "people died and someone has to find out who did it"

Making Original Stories More Original

Here's the thing... a murder mystery is about figuring out who committed a murder, so "people died and someone has to find out" is literally what the story is about. If you don't want to write a story where someone died and someone else has to figure it out, don't write a murder mystery.

Most stories can be placed into a category, genre, or subgenre. Those categories, genres, and subgenres all have very specific formulas/structures, tropes, and conventions that they follow. That's a good thing, because when readers pick up a particular book, say a romantic urban fantasy, there are very specific things they're looking for in that story. Romance, obviously, an urban setting, and an element of supernatural/magic/both. If someone picks up a story that's marketed as a romantic urban fantasy, and sounds like a romantic urban fantasy, but then it ends up being an espionage thriller set in a series of rural 19th century villages, the reader is going to be very confused.

Instead of trying to vary the genre-expected formulas, tropes, and conventions, look at other things you can do to make your story stand out. Is there a way to follow the tried and true formula, but in an unexpected way? Is there a way you can put a fresh new spin on the usual tropes? Is there a way you can augment or even subvert the typical conventions?

It sometimes helps to look at things like characters, POV, setting, and subplot. For example, the "detective" in murder mysteries tends to actually be a detective, private investigator, journalist, crime writer, or someone close to the victim. Less often, it's a nosy neighbor, a curious blogger, a trio of sleuth-happy 7-year-olds, or some rando who stumbles into the case and falls down the mystery-solving rabbit hole. The POV in murder mysteries tends to be that of the main person trying to solve the crime, but there are other POVs to consider: the POV of the perpetrator, the POV of an accomplice, the POV of someone close to the perpetrator but not entirely in the know, the POV someone close to the detective but on the periphery, or even the POV of the victim (think Christopher Pike's Remember Me or Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones.) Murder mysteries tend to be set in modern small towns or big cities. Thanks to the popularity of Sherlock Holmes, they're also commonly set in places like Victorian London. What about a murder mystery set in colonial Philadelphia? Or Ancient Rome? Or on a battleship in WWII? The main subplot in a murder mystery tends to be the resolution of a tragedy or mystery in the investigator's life, or sometimes a romance. What if the subplot was an alien invasion that's taking place in the background, but then it turns out the murder is related to the alien invasion? What if the subplot was the political campaign of the investigator's spouse, and then it turned out the murder was related to the political campaign? These are just some examples of how you can change up a murder mystery while still keeping it a murder mystery, and you can do the same thing with stories in any category or genre.

Have fun with it!

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[trashmancer]

Again, been reading a lot recently, and here's some recent reads and my thoughts. (All very spoiler-free)

Johannes Cabal: The Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard

I'd heard about this series for a while, but had always kept putting off reading it, and finally I was in the mood for some comedic (yet dark) shenanigans--and a villain protagonist as charming as Johannes Cabal really hit me just right. I really enjoyed the first of this series and the introduction to this 1920's-ish universe similar-yet-different to our own that Howard's created. His writing is crisp and clever--and Johannes is a villain protagonist worth cheering for. He's duplicitous, arrogant, and cold, yet sharp-witted and competent enough to be engaging, and even though he's amoral (driven predominately with an "ends do justify the means" mentality) there are glimmers of a conscious buried in there.

The basic gist of the first book is that Johannes Cabal is a necromancer dead-set (ba-dum-sh) on thwarting the biggest plague affecting mankind: Death. As such, he's willing to go to extreme lengths to hone and perfect his necromantic abilities. In the pursuit of this knowledge, Cabal sold his soul to Satan, but he comes to realize he actually needs his soul for his necromancy to work more properly (apparently without a soul it gets very unpredictable). In order to win his soul back, he strikes a wager with Satan: he will accumulate 100 souls for Satan in return for his own. Satan, ever the fair player (not), gifts Cabal with an infernal carnival to help Cabal reach his goal within the year. Shenanigans ensue.

While I read some books in-between this one and the next in the series, I'll write about the other here--

Johannes Cabal: The Detective by Jonathan L. Howard

So clearly I enjoyed the first installment enough to keep going, and I am glad, because I enjoyed the second one even more than the first. It feels like Howard got more comfortable with the characters and world than before, and in this one he expands his universe with some made-up countries that are similar-to-yet-different than countries on our Earth. In this one, Cabal does less fantastic tricks, as he dons the role of investigator (there's been a murder--on an airship!), but the plot was very fun. I will say this is one of the first books in a long while to genuinely make my world-weary ass laugh out loud in public. Howard truly does know how to turn a phrase and comes off with some great witticisms.

Guns of the Dawn by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky has been on my radar for a while because I have had Children of Time on my reading list for what feels like an age (and I still haven't gotten around to reading it, but I will soon). To prime myself, I looked up other works by Tchaikovsky. This was around the time I was look for good "stand-alone" Adult Fantasy novels as well, so the two linked up and I had this on my TBR for a while and got around to finally cracking it open.

I really loved this book. If I could describe it in any way, it would be sort of like Pride & Prejudice if Elizabeth Bennet got drafted into a war. Seriously. That's how it reads--and Tchaikovsky made the allusions to Austen's work very clear. The setting is very English-inspired, and the time period mimics Napoleonic times. Definitely the first "Flintlock Fantasy" I've had the pleasure of reading.

The themes of the book are about the caustic nature of nationalism, the blurring of truth during war, and what is true patriotism in the face of falsehood and horror. Definitely my kind of questions--and I love watching characters thrown into completely unfamiliar environments. A genteel woman (Emily Marshwic) being tossed headfirst into grisly, mosquito-infested swamps armed with a musket? It's a fascinating journey she undergoes.

Plus the novel featured a romantic subplot that hits my enemies-to-lovers buttons hard. (It's not at all like one of those tired YA enemies-to-lovers stories, but something more grown-up and messy, which I approve of, because I love drama.) But this is more of a personal note. It's definitely not going to be for everyone.

Retribution Falls (Tales of the Ketty Jay #1) by Chris Wooding

After Johannes Cabal, I got into the mood for some steampunk, and I hadn't actually read much in the way of steampunk, so I looked up some recs and the Tales of the Ketty Jay series seemed to appear on a lot of lists for this kinda thing. The basic gist of this one is... imagine steampunk Firefly. That kinda gives you the whole vibe and feel. It's about a crew of disparate and colorful characters all running from something who meet on the ship the Ketty Jay and have to learn to work together to survive.

Overall, it was a fast-paced read (I read this 400 page sucker in a single day--while doing other stuff) and Wooding knows how to write action and interesting character interactions. The world had some glimmers of brilliance (the wizard analogs in their world--daemonist--were the most intriguing part), but otherwise it was very typical steampunk. I had no real quibbles with any of that (aside from the fact some of it read as very cliche and Wooding's inspirations seemed a little obvious--Fullmetal Alchemist and Firefly being the two big ones that kept hammering me over the head), but my main complaint was with the writing and treatment of female characters. First, there is only one main female character in the Ketty Jay's crew--Jez. I had no real issues with Jez's character or writing (in fact she's refreshing in some ways), but she's completely isolated from any other female characters (and is also the only crew member who isn't really allowed to be a complete screw up--she's somewhat sanitized, which, I guess the heroic women characters aren't allowed to be fuck ups like the men?). Second, the other predominate female characters, of whom there are only three, are mute/dehumanized (Bess), characterized as stupid and unhinged (Amalicia), and have rape-as-a-backstory-written-TERRIBLY (Trinica). All that said, as much as it was cringe, this was written in 2009, and I am sure Wooding has had some growth as a writer since then.

I liked this one enough to decide to check out the next in the series (even knowing the writing for the female characters leaves much to be desired).

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

A Fantasy taking place in an Americas-inspired world? Absolutely refreshing (and more please). The main gist of this one is that a cult sets out to resurrect a dead god (seriously that's the main plot crux) while political machinations are going on in the central city of this country where the resurrection is going to take place. As the novel progresses, it's like a countdown clock to game time. There's four POV characters we follow: Xiala (a Teek sea captain who is kind of an outcast from her native people and has a love for beautiful people), Serapio (the man who has been groomed since birth to be the vessel for the resurrected god, part of this process has included blinding him), Naranpa (the Sun Priest of the capital city who is trying to garner back control the priesthood has lost), and Okoa (who really doesn't even appear until way later into the book; he's been separated from his family to train to be a warrior). For the most part, I was primarily engaged (re: 90% engaged) with Xiala and Serapio's story. They were the most interesting characters, and the journey of them on the sea trying to get to the city before the ceremony was exciting and emotional. The political dealings in Naranpa's segments kind of bogged down the action--and I didn't feel anything for that. Overall though, definitely a thrilling read with a beautifully constructed world. If I had one big criticism, it's that it ended incredibly abruptly without any resolution. I knew going in this was a part of a greater whole, but I still felt the ends could've been knotted a little tighter. I'm left dangling! But I'll be sure to pick up the next one (if anything just to find out what happens to Xiala and Serapio).

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

As an unapologetic villainfucker, I had to read this one, right? It's about not just one, but two villains! How could I lose? And they're in an intense rivalry? Revenge? Betrayal? Superpowers? Gah! Be still my heart!

I'll say I enjoyed this book (fun characters, solid writing), but I didn't love it as much as I thought I would (I wish I could love yooouuuu!). Definitely worth a recommendation to anyone who loves villains and fast-paced narratives, but... there were a few things that tarnished what could've been sparkling. The biggest for me was the jumping around in the first half. For a length of time, the novel leaps between three different points of time, sometimes 2-3 pages at a time, and it was jarring (not confusing, mind you, but it was a jolt each time). I get it was done to create an air of mystique and intrigue, but it felt like I was getting dragged around by the ear. Along with this, the plot just seemed... very convenient? As various moments kept happening, it all felt too tidy and paint-by-numbers. The characters were certainly messy and fun (and I love messy and fun), but the action itself seemed to glide on well-oiled rails with no hiccups. This did lead to the magnetic pacing of the book (which I also read in a day), but it didn't do the drama any favors. Never once did it feel like the characters were caught with their pants down--and I think that's part of the point, but it kind of dampened the tension.

I liked it enough I am definitely going to check out the sequel Vengeful though. If anything I am reading for Sydney, Mitch, and Victor. I gotta know what happens to them!

--

Right now I am reading some fluffy fluff to cleanse my palette because I've been reading so much moodiness. I'm mid-way through the light and breezy Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater (and it's super cute so far) and then I am finally going to crack open Andy Weir's The Martian (because I have put off reading it for far too long).

[riley1cannon]

Get To Know The Romance Reader

Eeep. @cramzydays tagged me for this ages ago, but it slipped my mind, only to turn up again. Better late than never...

1. What is your romance origin story? (How did you come to read your first romance novel?)

I always loved love stories. They were an element, although not usually the focus, of almost every book I read, or movie/television show I watched. So much so that it still comes as a surprise when I’m reading a cozy mystery, for instance, and there’s no subplot romance. Anyway I assumed romance novels would be like that, only with more. Well, I was right--it’s just that the ‘more’ was explicit sex of the sweet savage rapey kind, and that was not what my young and tender mind was up for. (Hey, it’s not what my older, toughened mind is up for, either.) So that turned me off big time and I did not go near the genre again for years. And then came the time that my mom kept reading the same old books, finding them at yardsales, often in terrible condition, and I thought it would be nice to pick out some brand new books for her. I found some titles that sounded good to me and then, because I was curious to discover if they were actually any good, I read them myself and... Well, it wasn’t some kind of transformative moment or anything, but I did come down off my snooty high-horse, because thankfully the genre has changed in the intervening years, and everything I had hated about Sweet Savage Rapist was no longer prevalent. Mind, there are still things that drive me crazy about the genre--the Regency obsession, the need to have the heroine wed-and-bred by the epilogue, all those useless dukes and duchesses--but there’s a wide selection to choose from these days, and I am glad to have gotten over myself and discovered that. 

2. If you could be the heroine in a romance novel, who would the author be and what’s one trope you’d insist be in the story?

Ooh! Amanda Quick for an historical, one of her Burning Cove heroines with a shady past who winds up hip deep in a mystery, and has to pretend to be in a fake relationship with the dashing, mysterious hero. 

3. What is a romance you’ve read this year that you want more people to read?

Well, nothing this year as yet, but going back to 2021... The aforementioned Burning Cove series by Amanda Quick is a treat. Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle was a fun contemporary: enemies-to-lovers, but the “enemies” part is related to the hero’s social anxiety, and it has the most on the nose description of what a panic attack is like that I’ve ever come across. A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet, a fantasy romance laced with Greek myth, was a treat and a welcome change of pace. (Fantasy romance and cowboy romance are now my go-tos for when I cannot take those useless dukes and duchesses anymore.) The second book in the series was a bit of  slog, but I’m hoping the third book will make up for that.

4. What is your favorite romance sub-genre? What sub-genre have you not read much?

Favorite will always be romantic suspense. My favorite genre is mysteries, after all, so add a little more sizzle to that and it is perfection. Paranormal can be fun too, although there’s a lot to wade through there. And I want to delve more into sci-fi romance. Not too into time travel, and shape-shifter stuff baffles me. No idea why Amish romance is a thing (but it is). Don’t much care about New Adult. There’s probably other stuff. As with fanfic, I am content to shake my head, mutter “y’all need Jesus,” and go on my way upon stumbling across something that sounds too bizarre for words. (There’s a romance novel about some chick and a Minotaur? Yeah, no thank you very much.)

5. Who is one of your auto-buy romance authors?

Jayne Ann Krentz and her alter-ego Amanda Quick.

6. How do you typically find romance recs? (Goodreads, YouTube, Podcasts, Instagram)

Here on Tumblr, for one. Instagram, sometimes YouTube. Mostly it’s from publishers/authors newletters, Book Riot, things like that.

7. What is an upcoming romance release you’re excited for?

The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley, Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon, and A Letter To Three Witches by Elizabeth Bass all sound promising. 

8. What is one misconception about romance novels you would like to lay to rest?

Just one? What romance novels aren’t is: trashy mommy porn written by talentless hacks for uneducated, sad women. Are they escapist fantasy? Damn right. Just like any action-packed thriller aimed a male audience. (Oh, and surprise: Women like those too, and some of those male action writers have been known to praise romance novels). Get over your snooty self and have a look around, you’ll find something that hits the spot--just like I did.

9. Who is a romance reader content creator you’d like to give a shout out to?

There are several here on Tumblr--@ramblingromance, for instance. I know there are others, but as usual I can’t think of them off the top of my head.

10. If someone had neve read a romance before and asked you to recommend the first that come to mind as places to start, what would they be?

The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller, Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews, and...Heiress for Hire by Madeline Hunter.

[nona-gay-simus-main]

Top 10 Worst Romance Tropes - Part 1

It’s Valentine’s Day and that means it’s time to talk about romance. Specifically, shitty romances. Woo!

Disclaimer: This list is just my personal preference, and I don’t want to fight with anyone about it. You do you, boo. 

I’ve also tried to avoid things that have been talked to death like romanticizing abuse or love triangles because I want to keep things original. There’s also definitely going to be a part two to this post since I came up with so many terrible tropes.

And third, but not last: this list specifically pertains to the genre Romance (whether paranormal, fantasy, etc. the point is that the romance is the main plot or at least half the plot). There will be a separate list for romantic subplots in other genres.

1. The Misunderstanding

If the entire plot of the novel can be solved by the characters having ONE (1) conversation, I’m just not interested.

Chances are these people should not be together anyway, since apparently, they can’t even communicate properly. You can’t both/all be communication bottoms. One of you needs to suck it up and be the top.

I’ve seen people argue that this actually a good trope because it’s “realistic”, but to me, the whole point of romance is that it’s supposed to be escapist. 

Otherwise, we’d all be reading about mediocre people going on mediocre dates and being boringly happy together - that’s realistic too. Do you want to read a book about it? I sure don’t!

2. First Love is The Best Love

This is more applicable to YA than any other genre, but I’m so tired of stories that make your first love be your one and only true love. I’m not saying it never happens, but it certainly doesn’t happen as much as the media says it does.

I feel like it’s both disingenuous, and possibly even dangerous, to raise such a cult around first love. Your first love is not going to be your one and only chance at love and that’s probably for the best. It’s likely, that along the way you’ll find someone who’s an even better fit for you and by then you’ll be more mature and better at handling relationships.

I just wish there were more stories that didn’t romanticize the magic of first love, as much as the showed how experience and knowledge can often be much healthier in the long run.

3. Fighting means Flirting

Just to be clear, I’m not talking about enemies-to-lovers or disdain-to-love, where the characters start out fighting and eventually grow to have a much healthier dynamic; nor am I talking about affectionate fighting, where they insult each other, but they don’t actually mean it.

I’m talking about cases where the love interests are actually fighting, but the author will have one of the side characters say something that implies that actually, they are flirting. Fuck right off!

I’m not one of those people who think that if the characters have one fight, that’s an instant sign of a toxic and unhealthy relationship. It’s fine if your characters fight sometimes. It’s also fine if they flirt sometimes. Just don’t try to tell me those two things are one and the same. It’s not cool to promote the adult version of the message that ‘boys pull on girl’s pigtails because they “like” them’. 

If your characters are older than fourteen, I’m going to be expecting them to act accordingly.

4. Virginity Naïveté

This is a trope I see a lot in cis-hetero romance and I’m so repulsed by it.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being sexually inexperienced, or writing about someone who is sexually inexperienced, but these characters are rarely just inexperienced. They are also so ignorant about sex, to the point of making me question whether they are emotionally mature enough to be having it at all. And not only that, but they are often paired up with the biggest sexpot character and it turns into this icky power imbalance, where the more experienced person uses their sexual experience to manipulate their partner.

It’s not realistic, and it’s gross, stop perpetuating the social construct of virginity. Just let women (and sometimes pretty feminine gay men, but that’s a whole ‘nother can of worms) have healthy sex lives. And if they are inexperienced, at least let them have a healthy attitude towards sex and sex-havers. And pair them up with someone who, if not at the same experience level as them, is at least at the same level emotional maturity.

5. Questionable Consent

Nothing puts me off a story faster, than if I have to wonder if the what happened was fully consensual. 

I don’t know how to say this, but please stop having your big male characters groping strange women (or sometimes strange smaller man, but again - ‘nother can of worms) or even women (men) they know, who have not expressed any romantic interest in them; pressing them against walls/doors; giving them lovebites (yes, something I literally read once - though admittedly, it was in a fanfic) and any number of inappropriate physical behaviors without explicit consent.

Surprise kisses are fine if the other person responds, or if you stop when they don’t - but anything other than that is weird, uncomfortable, and it makes me feel like this character doesn’t understand boundaries. And frankly, I don’t want to root for someone who in any other circumstances would be a rapist. 

6. Insta Love

I’ve recently been exposed as a slow burn hoe, and that’s true enough, but even if you like faster-moving romances, what’s so compelling about Insta Love?

The whole point of romance is to see the development of the relationship (except for the rare cases the partners are already together at the start, or if it’s a second-chance romance) and see them falling for each other. 

If they are already in love by the second time they meet, all that potential and stakes are lost.. And half the time, you can’t even figure out why they are in love, to begin with, aside from the fact of being two people of similar ages, attractiveness levels, and the right sexuality. It’s boring and lazy, do better.

8. Teacher/Student:

This is probably because I work as a teacher, but no power dynamic will skeeve me out more than the teacher/student one.

It’s particularly awful if it’s a high school student / high school teacher, for a multitude of reasons I hope I don’t have to explain, but even if it’s college it’s still pretty gross. 18-19-year-olds or even 21yos are just not mature enough to handle a relationship with their professor, who is a minimum of 35 btw, (unless they are some super-genius), and holds their future in their hands.

Maybe grad school would be okay if I’m sure it’s a one-off and that professor doesn’t make a habit of dating their students. Really, the most acceptable versions of this, are either grad-school student/professor, but the student is not that professor’s class, or a college student having a one-sided crush on their professor, and then they meet on equal terms, years after. 

9. All in the family!

I’m not talking about actual incest, which should obvious - but specifically about dating your partner or ex’s sibling/parent/uncle/aunt/first cousin. 

I mean, if it’s a one-night-stand, fine, everyone makes mistakes, but a prolonged relationship, that I’m supposed to root for? Yikes.

Your ex will always be there. At your wedding. At your anniversary parties. Every holiday from now on. And how awkward are family get-togethers going to be when everyone knows where your genitals have been, from now until the end of time. And especially currently, with the internet and how everything is forever? Once your kids /your ex’s kids grow up? They’ll know too! That’s gotta be uncomfy.

10. Cheating

Look, if the romance starts with cheating... well, first of all, I’m already rooting against this couple, because they are assholes and I prefer my romances asshole-free (when it comes to the main characters at least). 

Not only is cheating such a gross and awful thing to do to someone but frankly, I don’t think any relationship that starts with cheating can last. I don’t think you can really trust a cheater - not just to cheat again, but really for anything. They already broke their ex’s trust, who says they won’t do it to you too?

Now, I will say there are some borderline situations that I find more acceptable, where your mileage would vary, if things with the third person beyond purpose-less flirting (aka flirting for the sake if a confidence boost, rather than with the intention of starting something - some people are just naturally flirty) and/or at any point the people involved know that what they’re doing is wrong, but they keep doing it anyway - I’m out.

Some authors will try and justify the cheating MC, by having their partner cheat too, but I’m sorry - two wrongs don’t make a right. That just means everyone is an asshole, and I’m not rooting for any of them to be happy.

[torivikachu]

belle, snow white, aurora, mulan, cinderella and esmeralda?

why is your favourite book your favourite?

okay, so, picking a fave book is always incredibly hard bc I used to read a lot and I don't remember a good half of it (actually more than a half tbh) but I am used to calling The Barthimaeus Triology my favourite. So, first of all, I absolutely love fantasy, and found family vibes, enemies to friends/lovers are my life tropes, and this book has it all! I am a very pro-ship person, I ship everything and romance means a lot to me in a story but it's when I don't care for romance and still love the book when I know it's a good one. this book does have a romantic subplot but it's the relationship between two main characters what makes me melt. it's very touching and I cry each time I read the end. Jonathan Straud really is a wonderful writer and I love each one of his books

the oldest film or book you like

dang this is very hard tbh I had this phase when I was obsessed with classics

it must be either "The Splendors and Miseries of Courtesans" or smth else by Honore de Balsac or maybe "The Hero of our Time" by Lermontov. I also love Dostojevskij but he published his works later I think? I also totally dig Hugo and many others but it was all published around the same time. so, yeah. I am not sure, whether there was something that I really liked before these books. I mean, "Faust" is ok but the verse it was written in terrifies me lmao

describe favourite colour without saying it's name

my favourite color is bright and I have kink for people having that haircolor. I am pretty sure y'all know that by now it's one of the reasons I am horning for Hamilton after all

one thing in my life I am willing to fight for

oooh boy. whatever answer I could give seems kinda shallow. I mean, love? meh. happiness? ah well we see how that is working out so far. my identity? not really doing progress here aswell. I will fight for my place in this world though. corny af but like... I do. I really do fight for that. I try (or at least attempt to) different things, I am giving all I have to my work. I guess recognition means a lot to me so I am willing to fight for it.

most unusual item of clothing or accessory I own

I have a sexy maiden costume? and amount of clothing and accessories with pokemons I own really shows my dorky side. I also have seemingly formal shirts with...cat ornaments. my whole wardrobe mostly consists of unusual clothes tbh

favourite part of my appearance

my ass and legs look kinda nice and my waist is okay-ish ig. I also kinda like my hands. sometimes ))

thank you so much for the ask!!!

[ginnyzero]

8 Reasons “Insta-Love” Doesn’t Work

A reader’s perspective.

I’ve taken up doing a review booktube for indie SFF books, and have decided only to do 4 or 5 star reviews due to some social pressures being an indie author and also being a reviewer. This means I’ve been SLUSH reading. (You can get lots of indie books free if you trawl twitter and start an amazon wishlist and wait.)

I’m coming up against some trends. A major one is what I call “Insta-Love.” You know, girl/boy meets girl/boy and they are attracted to them for some reason they can’t explain and the next page or chapter they are in love.

Except, the story isn’t about this romance at all. And in the end, the romance doesn’t work for me as a reader, so here are 8 reasons why in author terms b/c I also happen to be an author.

1) It’s Creepy.

Speaking from personal experience and having been on the receiving side of someone who met me and then claimed they loved me less than 24 hours later, this is seriously creepy. You don’t really know this person. They don’t know you. Yet, they’re claiming after to have knowing you for 12 hours, you are the one for them. If asked, they probably can’t tell you why. And if pressed, it’s probably because they have an idealized fantasy of you in your head and aren’t in love with the “real” you at all. They can’t be. They don’t know you. Instead, they are crossing lots of reasonable boundaries and trying to plan a rosy future, or giving you love poetry, or making hyperbolic claims to your mutual friend group.

It becomes downright disconcerting very quickly. So, if all your characters know about each other is that the other is attractive and then they are claiming they are in love. I’m going to be highly disturbed and not believe it for a moment.

2) There is something else important going on and honestly, there’s no time for a romance.

Unless your book is specifically in the romance genre, usually, there is something else going on in the book taking more words and the character’s urgent time and attention. Therefore, regulating your romance to the designation of a subplot. The thing about subplots is they need to be as structured and given attention to as much as your main plot.

And usually in a science fiction or fantasy setting, the main plot is something with pretty high stakes, so much, your main character isn’t going to have time or emotional energy to do more than go “oh pretty person” and move on. If your character is under stress, not getting enough sleep, is preoccupied with saving the world, they are simply not going to have a sex or romantic drive. Stress/Lack of Sleep/Big Projects put the brakes on the hormones causing sexual/romantic attraction.

So, really, your “insta-love” romance subplot becomes little more than a distraction from the main plot when your character isn’t even going to have the energy to do more than go “oh cute person.”

3) It feels contrived or shoe horned into the plot.

Carrying on from above, making the entire romance feel contrived or even forced into your main plot usually for no reason.

If you can take out your romance subplot and it doesn’t actually change the overall story of your book, then I have to question why you feel the need to have a romance subplot in the first place!

Writing in a romance for the sake of having a romance, and your authorial belief that these two people should be together are not great reasons for having a romance. Because…

4) There’s no valid reason for them to be together.

With an insta-love romance plotline, we are given no good reason why these two people even like each other, would be friends, much less fall in love. “Oh, they’re hot,” is a nice valid reason for casual sex, not for an involved and committed relationship. Usually, the reasons given for them being in love are superficial and shallow and the characters’ basic personality sheet.

“She’s smart.” “He’s warm.”

When it comes to a romance, there needs to be more than that. Why should this character trust this new character they just met with their emotions?

99.99% of the time they shouldn’t because…

5) In fact, there’s usually a valid reason for them to be apart.

The biggest question a romance plotline needs to answer is “why can’t they be together now?” And the most common answer I’ve found to it in a science fiction/fantasy setting tends to be ‘power imbalances.’ Power imbalances are things like age differences, and commander/boss and subordinate relationships. Sometimes power imbalances include class, education, and money.

If the power such as age, authority, education or class, is weighed too far in the direction of one character over the other, we are back to point number one. It is creepy. In fact, it is downright toxic. The worst is when they combine age and authority. It is enough to make my skin crawl. Relationships when one character has power over the other are unhealthy. They can lead to abuse and assault.

Only a relationship where the characters are on equal footing with each other and trust and respect each other are going to be healthy.  

6) It’s not earned.

With insta-love plotlines, I, the reader, are told over and over and over again that these two characters are in love. I’m not shown this due to the fact it’s a subplot most of the time and the author doesn’t take the words to have the characters interact with each other on a regular basis as real people do and if they are shown together it’s probably in the capacity of ‘this is why they can’t be together.’ So, if they are getting together at the end of the book it doesn’t feel satisfying because I’ve been told they’re good for each other instead of having them interacting together and showing they work well together and they have chemistry.

This, also, by the way goes for friendships.

In order for a romance plot to feel satisfying and to feel like it actually matters and can’t just be ripped out of the book, you have to take the words and take the time to throw these characters together consistently so the reader can see, instead of being told, they are good together. If your book has to fall within a certain word count and you don’t think you have those words. Take out the romance subplot and see how much it changes the book.

It probably won’t. Your book, in fact, might be better off without it.

I challenge you to go through your book and take out anything that says “they are the best friend, lover,” followed by any summary, give it to a beta reader and ask them questions about the relationships in the book. If your beta reader can go “oh, and the best friend is awesome as a best friend” without much prompting, then your relationships have come across without having to actually say they’re the best friend.

Show. Show. Show. Any time you’re tempted to tell us a relationship and summarize, show it instead. Then the relationship will feel earned by the end of the book.

7) It usually makes smart, competent characters look anything but smart and competent.

There are two versions of this really. One version is the main character really is smart and competent, so having her be distracted from their job or the mission at hand by a hot guy just makes her come off as a ditz whose brain has fallen out her ear at a time when she really can’t afford to have her brains fall out her ears. You’re telling me one thing, this character is smart and competent, and showing me another, this character is easily distracted by ‘oh shiny.’

Version two is the main character doesn’t think they are smart and competent, but a hot guy shows up to ‘save the day’ and she’s going to refuse him at first due to ‘oh my independence’ until she really can’t save the day herself or learn anything and ends up relying on the hot guy anyways. And they fall in love despite his boundary crossing and stalking and insistence he has her best interests at heart when he’s a stranger. See point one of creepy!

I am not really sure which leaves more of a bad taste in my mouth to be honest.

It doesn’t help that sometimes the character in the book seems little more than a list of traits off a personality sheet being told to us than a well-rounded fleshy character with wants, needs, fears, likes, conflicts, and personal stakes in the matter at hand. Whether or not flat character is remotely likeable is debatable.

Dumping a romance onto a character who is paper thin doesn’t actually make the character more rounded. It just adds more pressure to that paper thin character to try to uphold any semblance of character consistency and the plot without tearing in half. And many, many times, the hot character shows up to solve the problems in the first chapter of the book before we even have a chance to know the main character at all!

When you tell the reader one thing, and show them another, it creates dissonance. The character isn’t being consistent. Inconsistent characters leave the reader frustrated. And they won’t want to read more of your books.

8) Psychopaths are warm and charming too. AKA If your character is opening up to a stranger after less than a real time day of knowing them, that is a cry for help and they need therapy not a romantic relationship.

“There’s just something about them,” the character says. “I can tell them anything even things I won’t tell my best friends/parents.”

And I go, “he’s going to kill you, run!”

In order for people to really connect to each other, they have to show or experience vulnerability together. It establishes this thing we call trust. Having the ‘deep conversation’ about past trauma is a short cut authors use to try and establish trust between two strangers to try and show that this person isn’t like other people and is worthy of said trust.

-makes grand gestures at Frozen’s Hans-

It doesn’t work. Why? Because honestly, if you’re opening up about your trauma to a sympathetic stranger, you need help. Like, therapy style help. Being vulnerable, and pouring out your trauma to a sympathetic stranger who is now going to cheerfully take advantage of you because yes, psychopaths can be warm and charming, aren’t the same things. For a balanced healthy person, having a complete stranger tell them about their traumatic past is really downright terrifying and intimidating. You’re just trying to have coffee and find out if you like the same weather patterns and they’re talking about their dead parents.

Check please!

Relationships are fragile and they take hard work. You need to build them up over time to create a strong foundation before dumping past trauma on them. Or, you know, go to therapy and learn coping mechanisms, how to move on, before you toss a bunch of emotional weight/stress onto your romantic partner. The same is true for a character in a book. See six. Make them earn it!

This has gotten a little long because I have opinions. Obviously. In conclusion, in my opinion as a reader, if you aren’t willing to spend as many words on your romance plot as you are your main plot, then you don’t have the words or the tools or a good reason to be including a romance into your story. And here are 8 reasons, I don’t think insta-romances work out for the reader. Take your time and use your words wisely!

[theredscreech]

Writeblr Introduction

I...don’t think I’ve ever actually done one of these. I’ve been in this community for almost two (three?) years and I’ve never done an intro.

Oops.

Oh, well! Here we go!

Hello, all! You can call me ‘Red’. No, it’s not my favourite colour, but it is the colour of my favourite owl, the red phase eastern screech.

A bit about me:

I’m a reader and writer by nature. I’ve always loved stories. As a 90s kid, Disney was my childhood and I started reciting lines by the time I was four. I was also the kid who stayed up late reading and actually got grounded once for it. I’ve been writing since I was maybe eight or ten, so at the very least, it’s been twenty years of writing. (Yes, I turn thirty this year (mental screaming).)

Some tropes/things I look for in books:

found family

magic, fantasy, supernaturalism

platonic relationships

well-written romantic relationships (please, for the love of heaven and earth, no love triangles or unnecessary romantic subplots)

happy endings (see also: good triumphs over evil)

Some things I’m learning more about for my writing:

diversity: tropes/stereotypes to avoid and how to be respectful when I write characters

exposition: I suck at it and would like to learn how to be more descriptive without going overboard

being an habitual writer: I write when the mood strikes, and even then I find it difficult. Sometimes I word-vomit, and other times I open the document and then let it sit there for five hours straight

being able to actually finish a WIP: I have hundreds of ideas and it’s super hard to stay focussed on just one or two

Here are two WIPs of original fiction I’m working on:

The Rider (tentative title)

Genre: fantasy, adventure, drama

Summary: 25 years after the forest goddess Írna vanishes, tragedy strikes the rural mounted patrols of Veribrar. Dozens of centaurs and their human riders are killed in a deluge of disasters and freak accidents. As the nation panics and blames everyone from mages to terrorists, Tyrthion, a centaur, must overcome his grief for his dead rider and best friend, and find a new rider.

Elría is living peacefully in a tiny village in Veribrar’s northeast with her brother Kethro when Tyrthion and his patrol arrive at the village gate. Called to a duty she never wanted, Elría must face the challenges of becoming the rider to a centaur who doesn’t want her yet chose her anyway.

And all the while, those behind the mass murders stalk the shadows, their sights narrowing on their true target.

Themes: loss, friendship, finding courage

Status: basic outline, complete

The Seer’s Protector (A brand new work! I came up with this last week and am currently hammering out world building and plot details)

Genre: fantasy, action, supernatural

Summary: Rochelle Wickerman is a hired guard for a cargo transport. Cargo status: precious, fragile, live. When she discovers the cargo is a six-year-old girl, she betrays her contractors, takes the girl and runs. With hunters on their tail, the unlikely pair stumbles upon a hamlet deep in the hills. Race Population: varied. But vampires, animal shifters, goblins and the hamlet’s troll mayor aren’t Rochelle’s only problems, especially when the little girl starts to tell Rochelle about the visions.

Themes: friendship, found family, self-identity

Status: basic outline, in progress

About my blog:

I mostly reblog other people’s advice, WIPs and art, though I am trying to make my own posts. If you follow me on ffnet or AO3 for my fanfiction (I’m so sorry that I haven’t updated in months!), I will make announcements for new updates here. The tags are #theredscreech update and #theredscreech writing  if you want to follow updates on my fanfiction or my original works respectively.

You’re also free to ask me questions (grammar is a particular hobby of mine), though if it’s something outside the realm of my experience, I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction. You’re also more than welcome to tag me in those little question games about writing. It’ll help me get more active in the community. :)

Thanks, everyone! I look forward to interacting more with you!

~ Red

[serialreblogger]

Tagging Game

thank you for the tag @theproblemwithstardust!

rules: tag 10 people you think would like to be tagged, and copy/paste the asks into a new post. Answer all/as many of them as you want!

1. do you prefer writing with a black pen or a blue pen? bold of you provide such a boring binary. i prefer green

2. would you prefer to live in the country or in the city? again: no. give me Forest or give me death

3. if you could learn a new skill, what would it be? FLIGHT

4. do you drink your tea/coffee with sugar? so MUCH. i have to add half of it at the hot water station at work and half at my desk so my coworkers don’t catch on that i’m a hummingbird in human form

5. what was your favorite book as a child? one??? well i loved The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester. When i was little i read pretty much whatever i could get my hands on tho, most of which were really old and British for some reason? which is why i now talk like a horrific combination of “abominable tumblrite” and “Victorian aristocrat”

6. do you prefer baths or showers? BATHS but only if i can play music to drown out the sound of my ears ringing

7. if you could be a mythical creature, which one would you be? i WOULD be a dryad, but if i could choose i’d be a shapeshifter (capable of transforming into anything and everything)

8. paper or electronic books? i hoard books like a dragon hoards gold, but like. electronic books are also valid (no no look i’m not elitist, some of my best friends are fanfics)

9. what is your favorite item of clothing? i have a sky blue dress shirt that is the perfect fabric and colour and shape and i love it so much

10. do you like your name? would you like to change it? my Name is Linden, and i love it. my legal name is distressingly ugly and i hate it

11. who is a mentor to you? dang, friend, i don’t think i trust any adults enough for them to count

12. would you like to be famous? if so, what for? i would like to be famous for writing excellent, world-changing fantasy fiction. it will have actual representation and will be so popular that no one will remember the name of that other british writer, she who must not be named

13. are you a restless sleeper? ehh i don’t have insomnia but like. i don’t -enjoy- sleeping

14. do you consider yourself to be a romantic person? nah fam i’m MUCH to screwed up for that. i like romance well enough but i’m awkward as heck, doubly so with romance. sorry Cris, i love you

15. which element best represents you? aether! i am Edgy

16. who do you want to be closer to? some of my irl friends, i guess, bc i’m real bad at relationship maintenance sometimes

17. do you miss someone at the moment? i miss my girlfriend!

18. tell us about an early childhood memory. my childhood had happy parts but i mostly remember all that trauma, so imma give y’all a pass on that one

19. what is the strangest thing you have eaten? honestly, probably calamari. i’m not an adventurous eater. but i do like me some nice rubbery squid

20. what are you most thankful for? i just got a job, which means i can (hopefully) move out in the next little bit!

21. do you like spicy food? NO i do NOT enjoy the feeling of flame inside my mouth, i am TOO WHITE for that

22. have you ever met someone famous? Ryan Reynold’s brother’s cousin or something works at our local Costco, does that count?

23. do you keep a diary or journal? it’s called a “tumblr blog”

24. do you prefer to use pen or pencil? pencil!

25. what is your star sign? i like 🌠

26. do you like your cereal crunchy or soggy? unpopular opinion but soggy cereal is better

27. what would you want your legacy to be? i want something i do to have a real, significant, important impact on the justice of this awful world. i want my life to make it easier for the kids who come after me to live theirs

28. do you like reading? What was the last book you read? i LOVE reading but these days it’s only fanfiction. Do you accept The Reverb in These Holy Halls by @wolftraps? I hope so because it well surpasses most fiction for thematic complexity and superb characterization, do recommend

29. what are you afraid of? literally everything

30. what is your favorite scent? i don’t really like scents, but i love the smell of my girlfriend’s house

31. do you address older people by their name or surname? i prefer to simply Not address them (because i want to call them by their surname but at this point i’m also an adult and that’s apparently weird)

32. if money was not a factor, how would you live your life? i would MOVE OUT. then take a part-time desk job and spend the rest of my time growing succulents and writing stories

33. do you prefer swimming in pools or the ocean? mmm also no

34. what would you do if you found $50 in the ground? honestly i’d probably ask the nearest person if it was theirs, and they would say yes even though it wasn’t and i wouldn’t clue in until i was halfway down the block

35. if you were to get a tattoo, what would it be and where would you get it? i GENUINELY don’t trust myself enough to get a tattoo. i’m not permanent enough for that. but if i had to i’d probably pick a little, colourful, very pretty tree design and put it on my ankle or the inside of my wrist

36. what can you hear now? Welcome To The Black Parade by MCR

37. where do you feel the safest? lol imagine feeling safe

38. if you could travel back to any era, what would it be? look if i existed at any point prior to today i would, 100% without doubt, be dead by now. that said the 1920s had some sweet hair jewelry

39. what is your most used emoji? 😊

40. describe yourself using one word. contradictory

41. what do you regret the most? who i used to think i was. the person i tried to be

42. last movie you saw? The Meg (hey, it has a surprisingly good romance subplot. i was actually mildly invested, A+ for a canon m/f ship in a dumb action movie. Also it has Attractive Bruce Willis in it, so bonus points)

43. last tv show you watched? i think it was Community

44. invent a word and its meaning: Hieuule is from my current wip. It means “treasure/wealth of spirit”

ok imma tag @onionwithanxiety, @existentialcrisisetcetera, @hitsuaya, @imthesheikofaraby, @elmofongo, @oliver-in-retrograde, @thenorsiest, @lunarmultishine, @marshmallow-fluffy and @affzinho! I’d love to see y’all’s responses (but please don’t feel pressured, of course) and anyone else who wants to do this, consider yourselves tagged by yours truly!!

[snowytruth]

oh yes! to read the entire mxtx books is within my plan! but im still holding back because well, i need to prepare my heart haha. also, please do! i would love to read your recommendations! also, did you see tgcf update? they were truly beautiful!

Yes, I did! What a gift from dianxia! I mean, just look at this two...

For recs, these are the ones that I really, really like.There are more that I didn't add since the list will be too long. Anyway, I'll start with completed eng translations:

The Earth is Online

The premise is kinda like a survival game (this genre is called unlimited/infinity flow i just don't know how to explain it but they kinda play games in order to survive) so there's lot of action and horror/gore here. The romance is more of a subplot but the MC and ML's dynamic are just so good. They're a power couple like wangxian.

Seizing Dreams

To have the power to invade dreams is already amazing but using it to save people from their own demons just added more depth to it. That's what SD is all about. I love, love the MC and ML so much and even the side charas plus the plot is just mindblowing. I guess it's to be expected since it's by Fei Tian Ye Xiang (please try his works, it's all good!).

The Legendary Master’s Wife

This is one of the earliest danmei I read (yeah, i read this even before modao) and it's very long (700+ chapters). But this one's xianxia/cultivation so I guess you'll be more familiar with it.

God Level Summoner

This one's an e-sports/gaming novel. If you know The King's Avatar then GLS is like that except it's BL. I mean aside from the main cp there are lots of side cp/ships here. Also, this is the second of a three part series but you don't need to read the first or third book to understand since all three have different main charas (even games).

Little Mushroom

Okay, not gonna lie but this is probably the most...hmm, not exactly sad but depressing (??) book I've read. I can't explain it but the overall tone of the novel just gives you such desolate and hopeless feeling that it leaves you wondering if it'll really have a happy ending. But it is HE. I repeat, it's HE! Despite what I said, please do read it, it's really good!

Rebirth of a Supermodel

Another novel from one of my fav authors, Mo Chen Huan (The Earth is Online)! This is one a transmigration novel set in a modern (but parallel world) china specifically in the entertainment industry. MC is a model and ML is a designer. Anyway, this one is just a light read but I really like it.

Sha Po Lang

A work by Priest, a very popular author. This one is set in a ancient china but with steampunk! The plot is just amazing (except when some political stuff just fly over my head because i'm a dumdumb lol). Anyway, it's going to have a live action drama that will air next year (i think?). There's also an audio drama. (eng sub link: here)

Very Happy

A showbiz/entertainment novel. And just like it's title it's just light and full of fluff. Sometimes, it's nice to just read something fun and sweet.

Golden Stage

An enemies (?) to lovers trope set in ancient china. You would think it's slowburn but no, after getting married the cp just quickly settled in domestic bliss. But well, political intrigues just had to break their honeymoon (curse you emperor). At least, they'll have their HE after all that.

The Film Emperor’s Daily Live Cooking Broadcast

Okay, I may have rec this because of the food (and the accompanying pics doesn't help). It's a light read but it'll sure make you hungry.

The Seeing Eye Dog

One of the few novels that made me all teary-eyed. Halfway through the novel it's just angst with a little bit of sweet scattered in between. I never had this urge to root and hug a character so much. The MC deserves the best!

Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating

Another gaming novel though it's more casual and full of fluff & comedic misunderstandings aside from the short angst near the end but overall funny and romantic.

Next are with ongoing translations (also, i just noticed that i babbled too much so i'll keep it short):

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - aka 2ha. Xianxia. Lots of drama (like i cried multiple times). Audio Drama with subs: here. Also, live action drama in production.

Card Room - Unlimited flow. Long w/ 500+ raw chapters (& still ongoing). Slow burn romance.

I’m Using the Interstellar Live Broadcast to Raise Cubs - Fluff. Cubs. Food. Slice of life. It's a feel good and warm novel.

Death Progress Bar - Modern. Family drama. Mafia. Transmigration. Cute system. Action pack.

Strong Offense and Defense - Modern. Basketball. (hello, knb fan here ofc imma rec this)

Superstar Aspirations - By Mo Chen Huan. Transmigration. Entertainment. Both MC and ML are actors.

You’ve Got Mail: A Cautionary Tale - Smut.Historical. Older MC, younger ML. Did I mention Smut?

Surprise! The Supposed Talent Show Was Actually–?! - Interstellar. A mix of survival games (except no deaths, yay) & reality show. Bunny (to strong) MC. OP ML.

The King’s Return - Same series/universe as God Level Summoner. Third book. Main charas are disciples of both MC and ML of second book.

Don’t Pick Up Boyfriends From the Trash Bin - System. Quick transmigration/world hopping. Face slapping scums is fun and cathartic.

Dinghai Fusheng Records - By Fei Tian. Historical. Fantasy. Action. Adventure. Manhua starts at the end of July.

Those Years In Quest Of Honour Mine - Historical. Political intrigue. Shameless MC.

Silent Reading - By Priest. Mystery. Psychological. Upcoming donghua airing this year.

Quickly Wear the Face of the Devil - A popular novel. Quick transmigration. System. OP MC & ML.

Heroic Death System - Quick transmigration. The arcs end in BE but there are redo arcs for it so overall HE.

Laws of the Other World - Alternate world. Sci-fi. Action. Adventure. Power couple MC & ML.

Deep in the Act - Modern. Main charas are actors. Pyschological. Smut.

Epiphanies of Rebirth - Modern. Rebirth. Slow burn.

Criminal Psychology - Modern. Mystery. Psychological. Pyschologist MC. Police officer ML. Slow burn.

To Rule in a Turbulent World - By Fei Tian. Historical. War. Political intrigue. Smut.

New Times, New Hell - Ghosts. Modern. Romcom. Genius IT programmer MC. Ghost king ML.

King of Classical Music - By Mo Chen Huan. Modern. Transmigration. Violinist. Genius pianist ML.

Beloved Marriage in High Society - Rebirth. Modern. Drama.

I'm still currently reading it but I'll add this, too: Imperfections/Can Ci Pin - By Priest. Sci-fi. Mecha. Action. Upcoming donghua soon.

[cow-i-guess]

got any book recs that are hella interesting for quarantine? (Aru Shah seems like it’d be a good book series)

Ohh! yes! So many!

Aru Shah is great, and you can find it on our district’s online library or the online library for the library near us, the name of which I can’t say for privacy reasons, but you know the one. You can probably find all of these on either of those sites.

But other recs include:

-The Lunar Chronicles: it’s a really fun read that I absolutely love. You can burn through all the books in like a week (i did). It’s a Sci-Fi/Fairy tale retelling with adorable romantic subplots. (also diversity!)

-Carry On: It’s really cute, really gay, and I love it. The main couple is adorable. It has a sequel Wayward Son, which is amazing, but kinda angsty. It’s a Fantasy Romance.

-The Rise of Kyoshi: It’s great if you’ve watched A:TLA, but it actually stands on its own pretty well. Main girl, Kyoshi is a raging bisexual and also a badass. Odd pacing, but once it gets going, it’s amazing. Cute romantic subplot too. It’s an Eastern Fantasy

-The Poppy War: this one’s a hard read as it deals with serious topics, but it’s a good one. Our girl, Rin, is amazing and super hardworking. If you want something light and fluffy, don’t read this one. But if you’re willing to read a gritty, heartwrenching, fantasy, I highly recommend it. This one’s also an Eastern Fantasy

-Keeper of the Lost Cities: a middle-grade, fantasy romp about our main girl, Sophie. It has really cool world-building and at points, it even goes into themes of PTSD and depression, which is great for a book targeted to young kids. But it’s 8 books and not finished yet, but I burnt through them in a few weeks. Not much diversity, but Shannon is getting better.

-Mo Dao Zu Shi: this one is my current hyperfixation. It’s gay, it has a mystery thread, and I love the nuance in morality. There’s also a Netflix adaptation (the Untamed, the one I spammed the group chat with). It’s also Eastern Fantasy because I’ve been on a kick recently. It’s got a great fan-translation online.

-This is How You Lose the Time War: This one’s also hella gay. It’s a w/w that’s also enemies to lovers. It’s super short, you could finish it in like, three hours. The writing is really flowery and sometimes hard to read, but I recommend the audiobook. This one is a Sci-Fi Romance.

I still have a lot more, but these are the ones that I love a lot as of now. They’re all really good and I highly recommend them. All of them expect The Poppy War are really light reads that offer some escapism, and I really hope you like them!

[olivenight17]

Hey you, its me again!! Panic! at the Disco is amazing, I listened to it a lot in my emo days lol but tbh I'm totally hoe for indie rock!! I love it with my whole being (but I am absolutely sucker for BTS and G-Dragon too, legends). Changing toppics, Whats your favourite book? any recomendations? 🌻

Oh no, don’t get me started I have too many favoritessss.

Okay, the most obvious thing I can answer at least is my favorite genre is just anything fiction. Any and all fiction owns my ass and I can’t get enough of it.

There’s so much world building to be had in that genre and if there’s not world building there’s insane and beautiful character driven plots with character development and change and ooooh I could go on forever I swear lol. Also mystery which kinda go hand in hand with fiction sometimes but oh well 😅

That being said and because I can’t ever choose just one thing, here are my top five favorites:

Winterling by Sarah Prineas- it’s the whole magical shabang and it’s on the shorter side but man it was just a good book to indulge in for fantasy purposes. The world building isn’t the strongest but I’m pretty sure that’s just because this is like the first book to a series? I was never sure. Also, if I’m remembering, it’s a rare one where the main character doesn’t fall in love with anyone. She’s just got friends and it’s kinda nice not to have that romantic subplot all the time.

The Twelfth Enchantment by David Liss- historical fiction. It’s basically magic but in the industrial era in England. It’s a really fun read, though I always end up liking David Liss’s books, we learn about the rules of magic, the politics behind the industrial era of England and it’s just always a mystery, you don’t know what really unfolds next.

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware- this one’s a murder mystery and boiiiii it was good!! Honestly one of my favorite murder mystery books, it unfolded the backstories of the characters in all the right ways, gave a good and realistic development in character relationships and every time it kept you on your toes.

Huntress by Malinda Lo- we’re diving back into the fantasy world but I can’t help it lol. I thought the world building was pretty good, it gave a lot of information without ever making the reader feel sucker punched in the face by it and... it was gay, kinda. The main character was a lesbian and she had a crush on this royal girl, but she knew it would never work out logically so she tried so hard to stop it but she couldn’t help it and they both fell for each other on this journey. Then it came to a close, and reality set in, and they couldn’t end up together. It hurt in such a nice way gahhh. Also I’m pretty sure the main character is supposed to be represented as asian which is so great too because not just white people are in fantasy books people.

The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr- this is historical fiction back in the days of World War 2. It’s got this beautiful dual story line accentuating the differences of what it was like growing up in Germany vs growing up in France. It’s so neat, they capture the history so well, I love the little French girl she’s just precious. It gets confusing at times, because it tends to jump around in time, but it’s really amazing. Especially since the French girl is also blind which brings in a new perspective of things. I’m actually not finished with it yet but it’s really good in my opinion.

Alright, rant over lol. Sorry that took so long, what about you? Any favorite books or authors? Also, because I don’t want to just throw the same question back at you, which one do you like better, narrative works or poetry?

[unicorns-bookshelf]

Title: The Gilded Wolves

Author: Roshani Chokshi

Genre: fantasy, young adult

Rating: 4/5

~Beware of spoilers~

I feel like lots of people picked up The Gilded Wolves expecting it to be Six of Crows 2.0. Because of that the review section is full of people who were either disappointed that it’s not similar enough or enraged that there are some parallels between the two but they aren’t “good enough” to be an actual copy. It’s disappointing because there’s so much more to say about this book than comparing it to another.

The story takes place in Paris in the year 1889 during Exposition Universelle. Séverin, a hotelier at day and a treasure hunter at night, is trying to restore the inheritance that was unjustly taken from him by the Order of Babel - an organization focused around a fragment of the Tower of Babel that supposedly brings magic and fortune to the place where it’s located. Séverin was supposed to become one of the Patriarchs - heads of the four houses of the Order in France, but, as he believes, his test had been falsified and he was stripped of privileges. However, during his search, he comes across a compass with a map to an artifact that could turn the world and the Order upside down. and along with a group of friends decides to find it.

The Gilded Wolves is a treasure hunt book. Reading it I couldn’t help but think about Indiana Jones, The National Treasure or The Mummy movies. There was even a scene where the characters are chased by a flaming rock rolling down the tunnel. The book was action-packed but between the action, there was always time for some banter or sweet, familial moments. Not to mention the writing that was absolutely beautiful, full of lush descriptions absolutely raw one-liners. The plot had some great twists. One at the end left me hungry for more and I can’t wait for the second part of this book.

A common complaint I heard is that people found the magic system confusing. I personally can’t understand that since to me the magic system basically boils down to “people born with magic can modify things to give them special functions”.  Some do it with flowers, some with stone and some with human brains. “Forging” in this context means “shaping”, shaping the object to do your bidding or shaping the human mind to see what you want it to see. Sure, we don’t exactly know the limits or laws regulating it but I don’t feel like it’s necessary for the story. In this book, magic is closely connected with building the aesthetics of the world - guards with Sphinx masks, animals made of precious stones guarding magical artifacts, dresses that have burnable layers - all of it is supposed to show that magic is deeply ingrained in the world and make it feel extraordinary and unique. Even the history of the world presented in The Gilded Wolves is connected to the magic - where the Babel Fragments were located after God destroyed the Tower civilizations grew and people were able to Forge. Europeans stole one of the Babel Fragments during their crusades and brought it to France. Along with it, they took plenty of Forged objects that the Houses collect and keep in their treasuries away from thieves’ reach.

The only thing I had a problem with was the number of Forged objects the author introduced. After a while, it was difficult to keep track of them and remember which one was supposed to do what. Not to mention there were some that even the characters weren’t sure how to use.

The Gilded Wolves had six main characters, all wonderfully diverse with their own goals. Séverin and Hypnos are French and Algerian and Haitian, respectively. Enrique is half-Spanish, half-Filipino. Laila is Indian and Zofia is Jewish and autistic. Enrique is also bisexual and Hypnos is gay. Through them, the author tells a story of racism and the effects of colonization in that period of time. Laila often gets mistaken for a maid, Enrique is considered “not Philipino enough” to be taken seriously by the group of Filipino writers he wants to join, Hypnos is looked down upon by the other house Patriarch because he’s mixed. 

I loved the characters separately and I loved the friendship between them, especially between them and Hypnos. I was pretty sure he was going to betray them at first but he turned out to be an absolute sweetheart and one of my favorite characters together with Zofia. One thing I didn’t appreciate, however, was the amount of absolutely overbearing and unnecessary romance. 

Each part of Séverin’s POV was full of Laila. No matter what was going on, if he remembered Laila (and he always did) his train of thought would stray thinking about that one single time they’d slept together and how he should forget about it but he can’t. It was sometime really overtaking the plot and simply tired me out. At the end of the book, I realized that Séverin was a horribly selfish character - longing for things he had but they were taken from him instead appreciating what he still had and then taking his frustration out on other people for his failure when he lost that too. The finale would go completely differently if Séverin stopped being so horny just for a moment. 

Laila’s POVs were more bearable because she wouldn’t forget that she cares about other people on the team when it was convenient. Her relationships with Zofia and Tristan were sweet and caring and I also loved her banter with Hypnos and how she always wanted to believe he’s on their side. She was really fierce and honestly could do much better than Séverin.

But with just those two the romance subplot wouldn’t be so bad. Sadly it had to extend to Enrique, Zofia, and Hypnos. Zofia and Hypnos were my favorites and they deserved something better than a love triangle with a guy who can’t pick between them. Not to mention that Zofia getting upset that Enrique and Hypnos kissed came out of the blue because before them she showed absolutely no interest in him romantically. It was just so forced compared to Enrique’s relationship with Hypnos where the attraction at least went both ways from the very beginning.

Another thing that bothered me was the ages of the characters. They absolutely didn’t fit the way they acted. I would say that Séverin and the rest were around 20-25 and based on how he acted and how others treated him, Tristan was like 13. It feels so weird to see Laila mothering a boy who’s just two years younger than her. At one point Laila says that she was told she won’t live until her 19th birthday and my reaction was “Oh well, looks like they were wrong” and then she said that she still has a year and I was picking up my jaw from the floor so... yeah. 

I’m also a little sad that I can’t say more about Tristan, Séverin’s adopted brother with love for big spiders and ability to Forge plants but there was just so little of him. He seemed like a character I’d grow to really love.

To sum up, The Gilded Wolves is a novel with spectacular writing, a beautifully crafted world that comes alive when you’re reading, a treasure hunt plot that felt really nostalgic to me and a cast of diverse characters. It does have its faults but saying that it’s just milder Six of Crows is doing it a great injustice. The book is also a beautiful commentary on racism and colonialism and what consequences does it has for people. I will gladly add the already announced sequel to my To Be Read list. 

Amazon / Goodreads

[wordsnstuff]

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[taz-writes]

WIP questions tag

i got tagged by @eff-writes and I haven’t actually participated in a tag game in like 10 years, so here we go!

1. What is the working title of your book?

Book 1 is called The Beginning. Boring, I know... The series as a whole is called Feilan! It used to be The Feilan Chronicles but then I decided that was stupid. 

(book 2 is The Queen of Feilan, book 3 is Storm and Shadow, book 4 is Liaea. 2 and 4 are literally perfect but 3 is Bad and needs replacing when I finish the manuscript.) 

2. Where did the idea for your book come from?

It’s based on a recess game I used to play with friends in elementary school. You know how basically everyone was involved in that stupid Boys Versus Girls war in first and/or second grade? I was the leader of my school’s stupid Boys Versus Girls war, it was centered around “Fairyland,” and my friends and I all had these overly complicated self insert characters that we LARPed as during recess. Over the years, the boys vs girls thing faded away, but we kept playing fairies and developing the ~lore.~ When I got to sixth grade, I decided to write it all down for posterity, and that’s when the first concept of Feilan came into being. I wrote the first legitimate draft in 9th grade, after spending a few years developing the characters and world into something that could exist without relying on bad self insert Mary Sue logic. 

There were a couple specific scenarios that we always wound up playing, and those are what the books’ core plots are about. Book 1 is the game we played at my house in the woods, usually searching for treasure. Book 2 is the ice skating rink game where we rescue Violet from the Frozen Isles, fused with the swimming pool game where we turn into mermaids. Book 3 is the one we played at my friend Emily’s house, where we built couch fort “prisons” and tried to escape without making enough noise to bother her dad. If we knocked too much stuff over, he’d come up and lecture us for interrupting his Warcraft game, so avoiding him became part of the LARP. Just typing this is bringing up vivid flashback-style memories. 

3. What genre is your current work in progress?

High/heroic fantasy, with a drop of genre de/reconstruction added in for fun :)

4. Choose the actors for your movie rendition.

Lucy Liu has to play Lilac Ravenhart. I don’t care about anything else but she has to be Lilac, it’s perfect. 

Honestly, if I got a movie, I’d want Sayara to be played by a total unknown because I feel like it fits her place in the story. She wants to be known as Sayara, the actor should want to be known as Sayara and not as whatever their last major role was. Plus I can’t think of any actresses who are short and buff enough. 

5. Give a one-sentence synopsis of your book. 

An ambitious illegitimate princess stumbles into a civil war and somehow manages to make herself a ~new legendary hero~, much to everyone else’s chagrin. 

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agent?

I’m not sure yet! It would be awesome to have an agent and be published with a legit publishing house, but self-publishing is faster and easier. Considering that I’ll be trying to market a debut novel with niche appeal and no romantic subplot to speak of, which also has three sequels.... self-pub seems more likely right now. 

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft?

The first first draft? I plugged that baby out in six months back in high school, because I didn’t have anything else to do with my life. It added up to over 150,000 words, so that was no small feat. It’s taken progressively longer to finish every new draft since. 

8. What other books would you compare your story to?

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (frantic googling sounds) 

Honestly, I have no clue. I’ve read lots of books with similar concepts or characters, but I’ve never read another book that was enough like mine for me to want to make a comparison. I’ve taken some inspo from Game of Thrones, but deep worldbuilding lore and too many characters isn’t enough similarity to make a good comparison. Most of the fantasy I’ve read lately has been in a very different vein from what I write, because I’m trying to push my boundaries. 

9. Who or what inspired you to write the book?

I got into this a little with the “where’d the idea come from” question! But mostly, my inspiration was spite. 

The reason for making this particular recess game into a novel was, simply, that I couldn’t find a single book in YA fantasy that gave me what I wanted out of a story. I wanted strong female leads, who didn’t fall in love or have a LI, who saved the world without being questioned because of their gender or being outshone at the final hour by random boys. Do yall know how rare books like that were (and are) in YA fantasy? Full respect to paranormal romance writers, but your genre was the bane of my existence in high school, because the library would always label it as fantasy, and they always stocked twice as much of it as they did the actual fucking fantasy. Poor little naive Taz would pick up book after book about cool monsters and seemingly-intriguing plots, only for it to devolve into Edgy Boy Love Triangles. I didn’t care about the sexy demon/angel/whateverthefuck boys! I wanted to know how the girl who was supposedly the protagonist was gonna save the world! 

Also, I was really into fairies, but the only YA-ish author I could find who wrote about them was Holly Black. Who is a talented writer and I envy and respect her success, but that just wasn’t the kind of story I wanted to read, yknow? She’s too edgy, and the love interests are... that. 

I’d sat on “the fairy story” for years at that point, but this powerful rage was the kicker to actually get me started. I was bitter and salty and figured that if nobody would give me what I wanted then I’d just have to make it myself.  I already had this source material that was funny and weird and deep and (as far as I could tell) totally unique, so I took it and ran with it! My friends gave me a lot of inspiration, because a few of them still remembered the fairy game, and they wanted to know when their characters would show up. So I’d send them chapters as I finished them, and we’d all get excited about stupid inside jokes and goofy names. 

10. What else about your book might pique a reader’s interest?

I think the deconstructive elements are the core appeal in Feilan. I have a lot of the trappings of standard high fantasy--the lost princess, the return of the evil, the big war, the chosen one--but they’re used with the intent of picking them apart to see what makes them tick. None of the elements listed are played entirely straight. 

The main cast is made up of mostly royalty, and their positions have Actual Responsibilities that motivate the plot and their character development instead of just being set dressing.

Female friendships and relationships are really important to the story, no boys will ever appear to derail character arcs at any point. 

One of the main characters (Violet) is a trans girl and I know people appreciate queer content

(most of the main characters are actually under the queer umbrella but it doesn’t really come up in canon since i have a lot of plot to deal with)

Sayara is a relatively unconventional character type (especially for a female protagonist), she’s ambitious and mostly confident in herself, and her conflict comes from the way other people treat her more than how she treats other people. She’s not forced to learn “humility,” she’s not forced to give up on what she wants. Instead she learns how to handle responsibility and move past naivety to realistic optimism, and how to achieve her goals without hurting other people by it. I feel like that’s a theme that should be way more common in YA fiction than it is right now. teenage girls are right about things sometimes!

i have Deep Worldbuilding(tm)

The magic system has categories and you can sort yourself. because we all know what’s really important here. 

I’m not going to tag anyone new in this, because I’m tired and I don’t have the energy, but if you want to pass on the challenge then feel free to say I tagged you! :)

[lavanderstarcatcher]

Book Review || Geekerella

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book wasn’t supposed to give me feelings – at least not to this extent. I hoped to smile, giggle and maybe shed a tear or two. Instead, I ended up bawling my eyes out, sniffing and tearing through the book at a speed that I wouldn’t have expected from myself. Why were my expectations low? Because of genre-wise, this is everything I don’t read. I often read books that are classified as Middle Grade instead of Young Adult, this book has found its unique spot between all my fantasy books. I don’t read romance; I don’t read contemporary because they aren’t usually my cup of tea. So, how did I end up buying this one? And foremost, how did I end up enjoying it?

First Impression

I needed a standalone book, because nearly every book on my shelf is a part of a series, and once I start a book series, I have to finish it. So, I was browsing the shelf in my local bookstore and came across this one. It was the first time a book sold me on just being there, sitting on a shelf. I always google the books I want to read, always, well, I used to be able to say always because this book sold itself. The cover is beautiful. The purple spine is very eye-catching, the art is simple and dreamy, the title short but oh-so-important. Because it already screams GEEK. I mean, GEEKerella. It’s like throwing fandom and fairy tales together – which is right up my alley. Because I’m a geek. I have been to anime conventions, I read fanfiction, I write fanfiction, I spend too many days browsing Tumblr, I’m a religious Pokemon fan though I don’t play the games anymore or watch the show. It was promising, and the synopsis did a remarkable job convincing me. Long story short, I picked up the story because I saw myself in it because it was a reflection of me, of a geek, of a nerd, of someone socially awkward, someone who spends days in their fantasy world.

Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, GEEKRELLA is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom –Synopsis.

The story

The story is cut up three parts so I will address each part separately. I will hide significant spoilers if necessary, but I will mainly quite my favourite moments of the books and fangirl.

Part 1

“Look to the stars. Aim. Ignite.” –Ending monologue, Starfield, Episode 54

It wasn’t my favourite part. It’s rather forgetful, really. Nothing major happens, but that doesn’t make it less important. It introduces all the characters quite nicely, it sets up relationships between several characters (including the main couple) and it’s a good set-up for a few plot points

(view spoiler)

(Damien’s issue with Brian, the fact that Damian is in the jury panel during the cosplay contest, Elle’s desire to go to the cosplay contest and just win

(hide spoiler)). This part also creates a relationship between our two main characters, which is important as romance is one of the major parts of this story. So, I think it’s a bit forgetful but essential.

Part 2

“When you can’t win the fight, you get bigger guns.” –Episode 14. “Better Space Than Never”

Plot-wise, there isn’t that much progress. Elle goes through with her idea to go to the cosplay contest and through the part she is working on that. That’s it. But that isn’t what it’s important in Part 2, at least not in my opinion. It’s the relationship development that got me reeling. Elle makes a friend, another romantic subplot slowly kicks in (I saw it coming from the moment the two characters were in the same scene – I have read too much fanfiction) and Elle’s relationship with Darien strengthens. And this part really gets to me.

–I’m flattered you think of me – Darien –I think of you a lot, actually – Elle

In the book, they have about three weeks to get to know each other through text. It’s not very long, and it could be classified as instant-love. And a year ago, I would have said maybe yes it’s too fast. Because three weeks of texting isn’t a lot. But right now, I can relate. Not on a romantic level, but it’s crazy how well you can get to know each other in a short amount of time, even just through texting. One of my closet lives on the other side of the world – like, I can’t hop in a car and drive up to her house. And we know each other crazily well. At some point it felt like we knew each other for over a year, and it was just a couple of months. Right now it still isn’t even a year, and yet I feel like she has been at my side for ages, through high school, through several years of college. Then I realise she isn’t.

–Look up – Damien –Is it the sky? – Elle –Not JUST the sky. It’s the SAME sky. And if we’re both looking up at the same sky, how far apart can we REALLY be? What were the odds of us being put on the same slab of rock in this huge universe? – Damien –Elle, we might not know much about each other, and I might not be there, and you might not be here, but I’m glad to share this sky with you. Maybe we should start looking up together, ah’blena – Damien

But that’s my reasoning why I don’t mind the short period of time for their romance to develop. And it’s why this part really got to me. I see us in there, me and my friend. And maybe not in a romantic sense, but we get each other, we understand each other and we share fandom things. And even if it isn’t fandom things, we are there for each other. This part, especially the text messages shared between Darien and Elle, is what I live for, is why I broke my habit and picked up this book. I might not make much sense – maybe I shouldn’t write this directly after I finished the book – but this part reflects so many reasons I picked up the book.

–So which universe are we in? – Damien –The first – Elle –Oh good, I was scared for a minute there, ah’blena. I’m glad we’re in the impossible world – Damien –Why? – Elle –Because otherwise I never would’ve found you – Damien

Part 3

“You are not alone, ah’blena, and your stars will guide me home.” –Episode 33. “A Box to Remember”

You know, I haven’t cried in a while since reading a book. Yes, sometimes I shed a tear here and there, but I have cried too much during this part. Not all parts, of course. It was the beginning of the part, which could be compared to the Fairy Godmother scene in Cinderella, which made me emotional because I was happy for the friendship, the friendship was great, and it made me happy and so damn emotional. Then stuff happened, which I’m not going to spoil. Several subplots were neatly rounded up, problems were wrapped into a neat bow, and they got their happy ending. And I still cry, so stupidly much. Because the hurt and the struggles were real. How they wove their feelings together with the fandom of this story was great, the lesson that’s important to look beyond the appearance and reputation, that family doesn’t have to be blood-related and that there are always real friends, and that in the end of the day, being yourself is the most important thing of all.

Conclusion

I know I shouldn’t have written this directly after finishing the novel. I still feel a slightly light-headed, and there is a stain on my glasses that has been annoying me for way too long. But you know what, I hope that I managed to note down why I loved this book so much, and why I even bothered to write a review for it. I won’t be dipping more in Contemporary because of this book because I think this is really more fandom focussed and not meant to anyone. If I give this to one of my non-fandom friends, they won't get half of the things, I suppose. But that doesn’t make it a bad book, not at all. It’s a lovely book that I will reread in the future, the perfect ‘in between series’ book if I have to wait for a delivery or a next release. I doubt there will be ever a book 2, and I’m perfectly fine with that. I have plenty of series, and a good standalone book is hard to find. Though, in this case, all it needed was a bright purple spine and a nerdy title.

“Do you really mean that, ah’blena?” “I promise-swear, ah’blen.”

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