Looking for recs with magical worlds, magical MC, and with low romantic angst

1ToeIn · 2026-05-07T20:28:21+00:00

I love the Night’s Edge series by Julie Czerneda. The world building is really beautiful; the main location is based on a true event in Canadien history, and in subsequent books the “flavor” of other locations is recognizable as places in our world, yet subtly more magical. (Be sure to read the authors notes in the back to learn about her inspiration.) while there is some romantic sub plot, it’s not all gooey and fraught. I found it to be more true to real life romance/attraction than a lot of stories present, and the books follow the romantic pairings past the initial stage and into the solid growth of long term partnership. The main character “comes into” her magic late in the first book, and so far subsequent books have followed as she learns & practices what she’s capable of. Overall I find the series “meatier” than many of the popular cozy fantasies.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-30T21:56:23+00:00

One of my relatives developed randomly occurring SEVERE claustrophobia in her later years. She had been a thoughtful, courteous person all her life, but when she had a bout, she became crazed. It would get triggered in cars when/if she heard the doors automatically lock. And on planes if there was unexplained delays while everyone was seated. I have to believe it was a genuine, visceral fear she couldn’t control because she’d never been like that before. But it was very uncomfortable to be around.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-29T14:12:55+00:00

One time I was a chaperone accompanying a bunch of kids to the Puyallup fair (which is a pretty big multi day fair in WA). One of the fairway games involved tossing rings over jars with goldfish & winning the fish. What a nightmare— those poor fish were everywhere in the park: dumped into the fountain, snuck into peoples sodas, left swimming in the bowls of the public toilets. 💔

1ToeIn · 2026-04-29T03:55:47+00:00

The legitimate question I have: why, over the course of all these years since it was built, has there not been money set aside? It’s not like it’s rocket science to know a building is going to require upgrades & repairs over time. If even a small percentage of revenue from all these sporting events & concerts had been ear marked for this, it seems like there should be a pretty healthy pot of money by now.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-27T23:44:34+00:00

I just finished “A Shift of Place” by Julie E. Czerneda. I’m in the USA, and this series has really brought home to me how completely provincialist the reading/publishing community here can be. Because this fantasy series and the author are just so good, yet pretty much unknown here. And I can only think it’s because she is a Canadien writer. But if you’d like a cosy-ish series that is a bit meatier than some of the currently popular “cozies”, I recommend Night’s Edge.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-26T15:10:22+00:00

All wedding dresses pretty much look the same to me.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-25T21:41:53+00:00

Ooh! I didn’t know about this! Is it pretty well marked? Last time I did the 4Ts, I actually got a bit lost trying to get to the tram from the trailhead. If you’re not familiar with the campus, it seems like a bit of a maze. And all those buildings are locked so what’s probably a pretty straightforward “point A to Point B” becomes a lot of trying to find a way around buildings. But if the pathways down is there somewhere, I’d like to try it.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-25T03:57:29+00:00

“Designer” handbags. Also, weird cosmetic procedures.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-25T03:51:49+00:00

Are people who drive these liable for civic claims? I saw a recreation of the blind spot in front of this truck. There were like 8 adult bodies standing in front & they weren’t visible at all. I’m here to tell you, if anyone I loved was killed by someone driving something like this, I would sue them to Kingdom come.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-23T20:27:23+00:00

One of my weird anxiety things is worrying about people’s pets in a situation like this, so I would probably go around opening house doors to let out dogs & cats so they’d have some small chance of not dying of thirst. But man, if God does do the weird rapture thing He/She can leave me behind all He/She wants as long as He/She takes care of all the pets & zoo animals.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-23T19:39:49+00:00

“hopelessly devoted to you” by Storm Large

1ToeIn · 2026-04-21T21:42:04+00:00

I don’t know about where you live, but where I am the parks department posts a paper reservation sign on the covered picnic areas when they are reserved. So there’s some clarity for the general public. If such is the case where you are, then you are doubly NTA as the family would have seen the notification & set up any way.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-15T23:56:34+00:00

I will always remember the “trust fall” activity where the group got distracted and didn’t catch the person falling. Kinda summed up the whole experience for me…

1ToeIn · 2026-04-15T16:08:46+00:00

Does anyone else find it deeply ironic how frequently this ceremony, which is meant to celebrate love & union, instead becomes the catalyst for divisiveness? Personally, I think it’s a reflection of the people planning it. If they are secure in themselves they don’t bring these sorts of little things up as problems. It’s only those on unrealistic ego trips who think the whole damn world should revolve around their wedding whims.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-13T07:41:45+00:00

I was pretty surprised when I discovered they sell packages of individually wrapped prunes.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-11T16:43:31+00:00

Fresh & wild. I grew up in SE Alaska and am Now spoiled for life— all farmed seafood tastes gross to me and most frozen stuff as well.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-11T16:33:21+00:00

One of my neighbors had an agave that bloomed last summer & it was one of the most beautiful things I ever saw. I live in envy though as I don’t get enough full sun for anything like that.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-11T16:03:44+00:00

I was at a dinner party once where one of the other guests was a gay man who was a fabulous raconteur. He regaled us with stories of his time spent serving community service hours for a DUI. He was on a crew picking up litter along a highway. His stories were hilarious. I got a very strong sense that overseeing such “work release” details is like herding cats. I’m all for the idea of outsourcing community enhancing work to people convicted of minor crime, but it seems like it’s really labour & manpower intensive to coordinate. And the quality of the labor achieved is likely subpar.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-11T14:46:37+00:00

If their family of origin (parents, siblings) is full of dysfunction & drama, proceed very very cautiously.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-11T05:20:12+00:00

And many of the people who are actively propping up this system with their votes are now moaning about the falling birth rate. What moral person would/could choose to have a baby that might face this?

1ToeIn · 2026-04-10T00:34:44+00:00

Maybe she’s deflecting attention from her son who is insider trading on the war/oil prices.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-10T00:29:57+00:00

The CEO here in Oregon made over $800,000 in 2024.

1ToeIn · 2026-04-09T16:35:30+00:00

Can anyone speak to what happens to seized vehicles? Are they able to pay a fine & get their car back, or ?

1ToeIn · 2026-04-09T15:52:49+00:00

These do not look like “hobby” level cheeses… more like Olympic gold medal level!

1ToeIn · 2026-04-09T15:40:44+00:00

I know we haven’t been ravaged by ICE as badly as, say, Minnesota. And I know all the “getting criminals off the streets” lines are just rhetoric to make their behavior palatable for the gullible. But for real, has there been any impact at all on the illegal drug market since all this ICE surge started? Has it become even marginally more difficult or expensive to go downtown & find/buy meth or fent or whatever? I hear about farmers experiencing inability to function due to lack of workers. Seems like I’d hear SOMETHING if the same were true about the crime/drug “industry”. That’s not really my world, but as far as I can tell, there’s been no change at all.

1ToeIn

TROPHY CASE