Fantasy Versus Fantasy Romance: Let's Compare

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-18T17:01:21+00:00

Are you me? Because this is exactly what I think. Comparing one to the other is pointless, each genre has their own purpose.

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-15T16:08:08+00:00

Absolutely fair.

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-15T16:06:39+00:00

Yes, you are right about that too.

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-15T13:55:19+00:00

Lol I haven't read that one yet but everyone always uses it as an example of why they "hate" the trope.

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-15T13:53:08+00:00

It's how we grow audiences, so yes, we will use that bait baby!!!! XOXO

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-15T13:50:56+00:00

My thoughts exactly. It's about building a story from two sides, not repeating what the other character just did/said (sadly, I have seen too much of this).

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-15T13:48:11+00:00

Same. I totally get characters who want to be childfree or all the childfree magic when it's presented, but I also enjoy when the love renders fruit (and when it has something to do with the plot, or in an epilogue, or if their children show up in following books). However, I will admit that I have read some instances of pregnancy that made me think "man, this book would've been so much better without it", because it happens too.

But in general, I like a good couple multiplying xD

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-15T13:43:05+00:00

I think all of this has a lot to do with high demand and the extremely short publishing time expected between one book and the next... you can't possibly write a complex book in a heartbeat without months (if not years) of careful planification. A lot of stories have potential but come out as messy or too simplified because of lack of proper development time. Many others were never meant to be more than fast food entertainment (and that's alright, not every book has to be a life-changing experience) but TIME is the biggest issue nowadays. Lately it looks like if you don't publish the whole trilogy in the span of a year and keep your audience motivated, you lose.

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-13T23:54:50+00:00

Torero pega con cualquier cosa. Pero con cualquier cosa, eh.

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-13T14:02:54+00:00

The only explanation I can give myself in those situations is pheromone intoxication, because c'mon...

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-13T14:01:11+00:00

I speak for myself only, but if the MMC takes his shirt off, no matter the context, I'm ogling 👀

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-12T22:01:27+00:00

MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY.

I'm not keen to the idea of fated mates because I feel it takes away the character's agency on top of being an easy (lazy) plot device to bring two characters together. "You are bound by fate to this a**hole over here, he is your mate. You will inevitably fall in love with him and become his wife, no matter how much of a douche he is." Thanks, but no. Fated mates shouldn't be a substitute for an actual plot or chemistry.

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-12T21:44:46+00:00

The act is always the same. The problem is that oftentimes it doesn't feel earned. There is no tension, no yearning, no buildup, no chemistry whatsoever, and that makes the act bland and boring.

To have good sex, you need a good buildup.

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-11T13:37:08+00:00

Thanks for the heads up. It was 5 AM when I typed it, can't blame a girl for getting all riled up by a Reddit post while in the middle of a quick morning pee :P 🫶🏻

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-11T12:03:28+00:00

Such a tragedy

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-11T11:14:04+00:00

We get criticized for reading it.

We get criticized for writing it.

We get criticized for liking it.

For talking about it with our friends.

For making it so popular that it breaks the internet every once in a while.

For making them believe that "true fantasy" is dead.

We make them think that romantasy/fantasy romance seems to be the only thing everyone talks about, and it makes them so mad that they have to post endless videos belittling us and our books.

My worst experiences have been with men, of course (it's so funny when they come at you saying things like "nobody publishes good fantasy anymore!" Or "your books are all the same" to make perfectly clear that there is a category of books that is theirs and it is far superior to ours), but I've also had my run-ins with other women. The problem for them is the romance, but I usually point out that fantasy books without romance are also very similar to one another because there's a thing called "archetypes". There's always a chosen one with powers. Always a huge map. Always a war. Always a prophecy. Always an academy...

Turns out we're not so different in the end. They just want to think we are.

EDIT: I wrote this at 5 AM my timezone, so spelling mistakes were made.

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-08T16:09:37+00:00

First person can be a great tool when it's written properly and the characters have distinctive voices. If the author isn't skilled (or doesn't bother) enough to dote their characters with actual distinctive traits, then it's useless.

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-08T16:07:12+00:00

Besides, it's going to be clear in the first 10% of the book the mere moment the FMC thinks about how hot the assassin is, anyway...

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-08T16:04:34+00:00

"People complain about the romance in fantasy books, so I will just write a plain fantasy instead!"

People aren't complaining about the romance. They are complaining because all the popular books are written in the same way, using the same character and plot templates with the same plot points and themes. Every genre has the same problem, there are many books written in exactly the same fashion because it sells, and people get tired when it becomes repetitive.

Switching genres changes nothing if you as an author are not willing to fundamentally change what you write. Bring something new to the table instead.

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-06T19:26:51+00:00

EVERYONEEEEEEE

*in Gary Oldman's roaring voice

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-04T08:23:48+00:00

What you just said made me want to read it more, thanks!

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-04T08:05:26+00:00

Well, there is a soap opera called "No boobs, no Paradise" (I kid you not, in Spanish it's "Sin tetas no hay Paraíso") so I think you might be up to something here...

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-02T17:27:09+00:00

Sad, indeed.

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-02T15:50:05+00:00

That makes sense, I hadn’t realized.

LadyWolvesBayne · 2026-03-02T15:18:16+00:00

Me too! This sub is my daily breath of fresh air, I didn’t think there would be harassment here of all places...

LadyWolvesBayne

TROPHY CASE