#nothing but romance novels

[lilyoffandoms]

Naomi Silverhawk for @choicesbookclub

[Flynn] [Grant] [Kate]

My Art Ish Thing Tag (Choices Edition): @storyofmychoices @aallotarenunelma @twinkleallnight @thosehallowedhalls @dutifullynuttywitch

Event Tag: @julychallenge (romance)

[inchidentally]

https://x.com/ln4norris/status/1739761082456244645?s=20

It may seem like such an insignificant thing, but it will put a smile on your face <3

bless you anon bc I'm soooo tired right now w work and this was one of those moments I missed from joining fandom so late and it absolutely put a smile on my face

and it makes me think of when out of all his birthday wishes that day he only reposted Oscar's and when the two pics he chose were of him posing beneath Oscar's name and zooming in on the group pic to just him and Oscar. he really said it sure is nice to choose than to be chosen sometimes <3

[carriehobbs]

if i can be honest here this is really one of my least favourite parts of the way the romances are written. the idea that you can only really fall in love once (and both the related ideas that, if this love is real, then every other relationship you've had must not have really been love and that, if you have been in love before, your previous love somehow cheapens the current love) is so completely juvenile. it's the kind of line of thought you'd expect to see in a young adult novel marketed exclusively to 12- to 16-year-olds for whom every emotion feels like the most intense, ultimate feeling they could ever have, and who do not yet have the life experiences to understand (or appreciate) the complexities of love. "i've only ever loved this one person this way, every other feeling i've thought was love has just been a poor imitation" is a pretty thought but is ultimately a fantasy (and one that i, personally, find incredibly disrespectful towards people who have been in love and then fall in love again).

it would be one thing if this idea was espoused by only one of the characters. if only n (just as an example) bought into the idea that only one love can be your true love, then that would say something about n's character, their romantic and life history, the way they view and interpret the world, etc. but instead all of the ros seem to follow this line of thought - they've all never been in real love before, if they and the detective broke up they'd never experience this kind of love again, they're all soulmates, etc. and in that way this idea is not a characterization choice for particular characters, but an idea perpetuated by the work as a whole. and in my (biased and personal) opinion, it's a childish and unrealistic idea.

[thereallycoolmonsterithoughtup]

this one was so funny . nuclear family core . mind you that is a lesbian and a gay man

[justsimpleaestetic]

[untilyouremember]

7th Time Loop

Available digitally

Available in print

An illustration from Light Novel 4. It had me flailing, all the people watching and she's just getting friendlier and friendlier.

[ode-to-fury]

Friendship Astarion is so important to me. Like I know everyone is horny for the sassy elf but like… what if he learned to care for someone without sex? What if he tried to manipulate Tav into bed and they told him no? And then… kept being nice to him? Kept taking care of him and expecting the same in return? What if he doesn’t have to fall in love to realise he wants to live a life where he cares about things and makes his own decisions? What if he tells them about how he used his body anyway? What if they tell him he never has to again? What if they hug him and expect nothing back? What if they put their head on his shoulder and nothing else? What if, for the first time in 200 years, he felt safe enough to joke and laugh and not put on a show because it’s obvious they don’t feel that sort of attraction to him anyway? What if he just had a best friend?

[shivroy]

stede sultry shoulder saturday

[hpowellsmith]

Happy fourth birthday, Crème de la Crème!

I’ve been writing in this setting for five and a half years now and as the years have gone by, I’ve found I have more and more ideas to explore.

When I first pitched Crème de la Crème - more about that process here, from CdlC’s third birthday last year - it felt risky. I’d made romance-focused games before, but they were short, and focused on one character per game. My first CoG game, Blood Money, along with a lot of my other early games, is fantastical, violent, and moody, where CdlC is generally much lighter - in overall tone, if not in all the events that happen. But I’d been yearning to write a school game for a long time - I was idly thinking about it sometime during Blood Money - and this was my opportunity to do it.

And I’m really glad I did! Crème de la Crème has reached a larger audience than I ever thought possible, it won XYZZY awards that I was absolutely stunned to receive (Best Writing, and tying for Best Story and Best Game in 2019), and it continues to bring people enjoyment even after all these years. It feels really magical that people who don’t even know me have enjoyed this story, characters, and world.

I learned a huge amount from making it and it’s been a jumping-off point for future games in the same setting - so even though it came out four years ago, it’s still very much part of my life which is really lovely.

To think I was initially worried that people wouldn’t enjoy a game with so little combat in it!

Thank you to everyone who's played, gave feedback while it was being made, who's talked about it, who's made art about it, and who's supported it in any manner of ways. I really appreciate it. And particular thanks to Abigail C Trevor for the editing, Kris Lorischild for copyediting, Paula Tuazon for the beautiful art, and my wife Fay Ikin for helping me at every step of the way.

[moregraceful]

my hot take as a person with an english degree and a library degree is that some of the dorkiest fiction and poetry ever committed to paper in the english language came out of the iowa writer's workshop so it is at best goofy and at worst completely futile to argue that your average amazon unlimited writer is having a more deleterious effect on literacy and literature.

[howifeltabouthim]

Our dreams had tightened. We didn't aspire to change the world anymore. We wanted, simply, to be together.

Rachel Khong, from Real Americans

[winepresswrath]

relatively minor adaptation change I'm sad about is Lestat's relationship with religion- he's actively angry with god and the church in this version, whereas iirc in the books he identifies that kind of disillusioned rage as a specifically upper middle class malaise he's immune to because as an aristocrat he never took the whole thing that seriously. I like this because it is so, so much funnier than being mad at god. character of all time. Still very catholic but he's also like "god can't disappoint me my parents already explained our ancestors exaggerated his impact to keep the peasants in line."

And it ties into his relationships with Louis and Armand because part of his original deal is that he doesn't want to be a god or someone else's reason for being. that's one of the reasons he rejects Armand in the first place. whereas the show has him placing himself on that pedestal, at least a little, especially in his relationship with Louis. How much of this is Mr. My Own Personal Jesus With the Good Hair's POV is I guess debatable. anyway a big part of their reconciliation is him asking if Louis can forgive him for just being some guy instead of having all the answers and I really like that beat and hope they can replicate it in a way that fits with their show-dynamic.

[fellamarsh]

Taker of the Third Path Kickstarter Launches June 1st!

Hey everyone! B and I have been working on this for a little while and we're excited to announce that Taker of the Third Path is getting a Kickstarter campaign!

You can sign up to be notified when the campaign launches here.

In the past, B and I have done every part of the publishing process ourselves, including editing, formatting, and cover design. This time, we're hoping to outsource some of that work to people who can do it better than we can. Funds raised from this campaign will go towards professional editing and formatting and a fully illustrated cover (artist TBA!) We want to make TotTP the best it can be!

Available rewards for backers include stickers - bookmarks - signed paperbacks - book boxes packed with goodies (including hand poured candles and custom tea blends) - and more!

The campaign runs from June 1st to the end of Pride month. You can make sure you won't be miss it by signing up to be notified when the campaign launches!

[irascible-iridescent]

I wish men were real, too bad they were invented to sell dating sim gachas to women

[mermaidsirennikita]

was terrified that Susan Elizabeth Phillips introduced her hero’s POV with a scene where he fucked and spanked an underage girl but thank GOD it turned out he was roleplaying with his ex wife

[justsimpleaestetic]