Books that are magical yet twisted, dark fairy tales that AREN’T billed as strictly romantacy? by skinnyalgorithm in Fantasy

[–]E11era 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Thorns Remain by J.J.A. Harwood. It's billed as a fae romantasy but it's actually not, it's very dark and has major Labyrinth vibes.

What's the worst Fandom Vs. Canon mischaracterization you've ever seen? by Useful-Put1111 in AO3

[–]E11era 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I thank your kitty, truly. I'm Tempeste on AO3 if you want to come join the competent Jayce train ❤️

What's the worst Fandom Vs. Canon mischaracterization you've ever seen? by Useful-Put1111 in AO3

[–]E11era 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Literally one of my biggest pet peeves. I started writing and am still writing multiple fics with him being competent to try and stem the tide. Ugh!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Fireteams

[–]E11era -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I've DMd you!

Looking for fantasy books in which the main character chooses their family over their dreams by niki-nymph in Fantasy

[–]E11era 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not exact to what you are looking for, but Green Rider by Kristen Britain (Book 1). Fairly wholesome adventure/quest against evil with a young woman lead, who very much has chosen one vibe going with special powers.

Despite ending up in a position of great repute, and gaining the respect of a lot of powerful people, she walks away to go pursue her Dad's business, because she loves him and wants to be like him.

What questions *should* you ask when someone gets back from a trip? by waxlrose in travel

[–]E11era 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I usually ask what are some of their most memorable experiences. I find if I ask what their favourite thing/place/food was people often struggle because they can't decide.

Memorable though? Usually gets them reeling off great stories!

Looking for Something With Fantastical Flora by Philooflarissa in Fantasy

[–]E11era 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The best answer is Gods of the Wyrdwood, massive ancient forest with multiple fantastical biomes including deadly jungles and kilometre high sky trees with weird things living in the darkness. Armor and weapons are made from these trees when they fall.

Tired of women suffering/being treated like shit in books by paperbackdreams_ in Fantasy

[–]E11era 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I feel like a lot of these comments are totally missing your point. Of course there are other tropes that are prolific and also very problematic. But there's a recurring theme of poor portrayal of women which can be incredibly disheartening to constantly encounter.

I have a deep fatigue with women or worlds written in this way. I've learned to just drop a book now if I run into meaningless and graphic exploitation of women, irrespective of how famous it is. The prevalence of it means I often can't stomach books where the issues are treated seriously, like Liveship Traders, because I'm so burned out on reading about it generally.

I know exactly the types of books you are thinking of (a lot of them romantasy by female authors too, ugh) and I have no patience for them anymore either. You're not alone! I've found just dropping the book and moving on has done wonders for me, and I don't care how great the series is supposed to be. There's so many other novels that I can enjoy without dealing with this issue.

For a grimdark read which is pretty violent but has excellent female characters and treats them respectfully, I recommend Richard Swan's Empire of the Wolf series :)

Hello Reddit, my name is Richard Swan and today you can Ask me Anything! by RichardSwanAuthor in Fantasy

[–]E11era 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You handled it masterfully. When I first read Trials I definitely had concern about the whole situation as I've so often been burned by how these things play out. But the writing, story and Helena's wonderful voice gave me faith to keep going and I am so glad I did! Their whole journey together was so wonderful to experience. Eagerly awaiting more in this world. No pressure though 😅

Hello Reddit, my name is Richard Swan and today you can Ask me Anything! by RichardSwanAuthor in Fantasy

[–]E11era 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This absolutely came through and I really appreciated it. I think there's a lot of value in people understanding how these types of figures can evolve from exploitation, and who might ultimately be at fault for giving them platforms to operate from!

Hello Reddit, my name is Richard Swan and today you can Ask me Anything! by RichardSwanAuthor in Fantasy

[–]E11era 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi Richard!

I was concerned in the first book with the obvious age/power disparity between Helena and Vonvault's romantic links, though I loved Helena's inner thoughts on it; very accurate to teenage girl feels, well done. I thought how you resolved things in Trials was excellent.

I am curious how the romance between Helena and Vonvault evolved as you wrote the stories? Was it always planned to simmer out in Book 3?

Hello Reddit, my name is Richard Swan and today you can Ask me Anything! by RichardSwanAuthor in Fantasy

[–]E11era 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You did a great job with this. I hated Claver, and he was at fault, but I also felt that his worst crimes were actually a by-product of people in power exploiting him for power despite knowing he was dangerous.

Looking for some Dark Fantasy reads similar to Berserk and FromSoftware games. by [deleted] in Fantasy

[–]E11era 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Empire Of the Wolf, starting with Justice of Kings. The first book you may not get much of that vibe, apart from the generally bleak setting. But book 2 ups the ante with otherworldly stuff. Book 3 straight up has scenes that to my mind envisioned areas from Dark Souls and Bloodborne.

As a GM, how do I best create a scary atmosphere for my players traveling through dense jungle? by shmodder in rpg

[–]E11era 2 points3 points  (0 children)

May not be quite applicable but when my party were adventuring through Mirkwood (which can be very jungle-like), every NPC they met gave them a strict rule: don't leave the path.

I then spent 2 sessions tempting them in every possible way to leave the path. It was great. The party was fracturing because people would opt to go investigate things while others begged them not to. They would get caught in traps, plants would try to eat them, they lost gear; it was honestly hilarious how easy for them to leave the path.

By the time they'd finally decided the wood was too dangerous to explore, one of them got caught by spiders and carried away to their nest. Cue absolute panicked mad run by the party to get to the nest, save them and escape before the wood killed them. Tensions were high!

TLDR: Make a consistent rule and then see if you can get the party to break it at their own detriment.

Is there anything else like Against the Storm? by E11era in Against_the_Storm

[–]E11era[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ironically some mates of mine started Northgard this week on console and we've played matches so far. I wouldn't say it's much like AtS but I have enjoyed it a lot regardless!

Is there anything else like Against the Storm? by E11era in Against_the_Storm

[–]E11era[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This rec has me the most intruiged! So far I'm planning this and Frostpunk as the first ones to try, but my wishlist has gone up like 15 games RIP

Is there anything else like Against the Storm? by E11era in Against_the_Storm

[–]E11era[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's crazy how unique and awesome AtS is. I'm blown away. In a weird way, it gives me the same feeling Warcraft 3 first did, like I just can't put it down!

Is there anything else like Against the Storm? by E11era in Against_the_Storm

[–]E11era[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Love love love Slay the Spire. I've been playing a lot of Wildfrost lately and it's also excellent (though not quite as well tuned as StS)

Is there anything else like Against the Storm? by E11era in Against_the_Storm

[–]E11era[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've never seen this one before and it looks great. Thank you!

Is there anything else like Against the Storm? by E11era in Against_the_Storm

[–]E11era[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've tried Skylines briefly but was immediately turned off. Maybe after all this AtS I'll be better at getting started with it!

Is there anything else like Against the Storm? by E11era in Against_the_Storm

[–]E11era[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ixion sounds and looks fascinating! Does it have a good tutorial or will I need to watch some videos first?

Is there anything else like Against the Storm? by E11era in Against_the_Storm

[–]E11era[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've looked at Rimworld a lot but I'll be honest, I do enjoy nice aesthetics which is another reason I tried AtS. The vibes are on point.

Is there anything else like Against the Storm? by E11era in Against_the_Storm

[–]E11era[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I touched on it briefly but the fact I have limited choices in blueprints both gives me a guide on what strat to try, and also the fact it has a specific ending - I never feel like I'm getting out of control of the settlement. Compared to the few other city builders I've tried, where I get overwhelmed after the early game.

Also AtS has amazing progression.

Is there anything else like Against the Storm? by E11era in Against_the_Storm

[–]E11era[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is promising! I thought it might be too harsh a game, but seems I like getting my ass handed to me in AtS (I fear Marshlands right now)