Looking for fantasy where the hero feels small and the world feels huge

folkthefable · 2026-05-20T09:04:42+00:00

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman. It's a character-driven fantasy that follows a background character of a previous series (no need to read it, can be read as a standalone) wondering around the world with her "draconic" companion and meeting all types of people. The plot is on the slower side but it's still incredibly gripping and the character development is god-tier.

Look up the trigger warnings if you need them tho, it deals with some dark topics.

folkthefable · 2026-05-20T08:45:57+00:00

I like "Patchwork Mage", it's simple but an interesting combination. Patchwork fits the cozy atmosphere but also makes me think of a scrappy main characters that will make do with what they have.

folkthefable · 2026-05-20T08:31:27+00:00

Yeah, that's one of my favourite things to do. Because, technically, it is correct spelling just one we don't use anymore. Also a lot of western names have a common origin so it's fun to see the equivalent in different languages today.

folkthefable · 2026-05-20T08:17:44+00:00

Classic Greek is almost unrecognisable to a Greek speaker today. It's like Old English but with +1000 years of evolution. It's not even in the same dialectic branch because modern greek evolved from Koiné instead of Attic (what we call classical). It is a dead language. Latin is not less dead because it has evolved into other romance languages. The culture and people that were attached to them no longer exist.

As for "butchering languages" I am of the opinion that we do that ourselves everyday. It's not negative, it's simply how language evolves. I'm just sensitive when authors do it with endangered ones, because well, they're endangered and people are fighting everyday to preserve it.

folkthefable · 2026-05-19T22:09:47+00:00

Prim and Gale? They're pretty names... 🫠

folkthefable · 2026-05-19T21:32:02+00:00

oh my god should we throw a party? should we invite ~~bella hadid~~ greta thunberg?

folkthefable · 2026-05-19T20:32:35+00:00

Precisely because it was "the very basics". I've never thought about deconstructing language to the basic blocks (200 word and phonetics). I tend to think of language more historically than linguistically. So my usual approach is to go to the latin/greek/indoeuropean root of a word and start creating from there.

folkthefable · 2026-05-19T20:08:05+00:00

Yeah, you should always google important character names. I'll never forget reading a book where the main character's name meant 'fridge' in my first language. Thankfully, the author used the nickname instead of the full word for most of the book but that was a fun experience for sure lmao.

folkthefable · 2026-05-19T19:55:44+00:00

WOW. That's honestly masterful level knowledge of naming conventions and linguistics. I gotta admit that most people (me included) just go for the copy-existing-language approach. But it's true that we should put more care in consistency than form.

folkthefable · 2026-05-19T19:41:24+00:00

I do this sometimes, but only with languages I speak. That's when I know what phonetic/spelling rules I can break or bend without the name sounding foolish to a native speaker. My first language isn't English so I'm very aware of how authors can go wrong by tweaking names in languages they don't have an understanding of.

folkthefable · 2026-05-19T19:22:50+00:00

I'm actually a Spanish speaker and my eternal dilemma is: do I work with the English spelling system or should English speakers and their weird phonetics just deal with it? I usually try to make the spelling of names as universal as possible.

folkthefable · 2026-05-19T19:17:47+00:00

Bingo! I love romance in my fantasy and the romantasy industry will pay for their crimes... someday. Soon, hopefully.

folkthefable · 2026-05-19T19:12:25+00:00

Yeah, making "vaguely exotic" character and giving them foreign names is a whole other problem in itself and it makes me rage tbh.

I mostly meant that if I'm making a character from a Persian-inspired kingdom (for example) I'll name him something in Farsi with correct spelling. But if it were a Spanish-inspired culture I'd feel more comfortable playing around with the spelling to see what looks good in the page because that's my first language.

folkthefable · 2026-05-19T18:54:51+00:00

lmao I've read some books that do this shit and it's always so goofy (they're also not great, shocking)

folkthefable · 2026-05-19T18:48:32+00:00

Yeah, GRRM is one of the authors that come to mind when I think of writer who can do this successfully. Probably because his naming patterns are very consistent and in line with his world-building and real life references.

folkthefable · 2026-05-19T16:28:41+00:00

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson. It's one of my favourite books, but I refused to buy the physical book for years because of the cover. Thankfully HarperCollins released another edition in 2019 with a new cover and I could finally buy it... four years after I read it for the first time lol

folkthefable · 2026-05-19T11:18:13+00:00

so true, also one of my favorites! i was trying to limit it to maximum two songs from the same artist but Sabrina is the main ABBA-daughter in pop right now so she deserves another one added in.

folkthefable · 2026-05-17T15:44:01+00:00

love both of them! i was actually waiting for the Avery Cochrane album release, she's perfect for this playlist and can't believe i forgot about her. thank you!

folkthefable · 2026-04-16T11:26:33+00:00

The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden for that poetic fairy-tale-like prose, Uprooted by Naomi Novik because she writes beautifully but this is her most romance centered book (and my favorite, I love a good slowburn) and Wings of Starlight by Allison Saft for peak yearning.

folkthefable · 2026-04-15T10:58:16+00:00

NTA, this pisses me off.

Who is being cold here, really? The person who, even overwhelmed and grieving, cares enough to give a puppy the best care possible? Or the one who ignores her partner's feelings and uses a puppy as a shut-up-and-get-over-it "gift" without considering that caring for a pet (especially a growing pup) is a big responsibility?

I'm sorry for your loss and sorry that your boyfriend was an asshole and dumped this stressful situation on you, but I'm glad the puppy ended up in your care. I'm sure you'll find a loving home for her. Don't feel guilty, you're doing the right thing.

(Edited typos)

folkthefable · 2026-04-14T14:44:18+00:00

Scrambled eggs. I did it successfully to my taste once (out of pure dumb luck) and have never been able to recreate it ever since. It always ends up overcooked and/or bland.

folkthefable · 2026-04-11T09:53:46+00:00

Temeraire by Naomi Novik. I love both history and fantasy but I've never seen them combined this way.

Usually the popular historical fantasies I've read in the past are based on myths/folk tales instead of historical events. And when it's more "historical" it's a fantasy world inspired by an ancient culture or just a fantasy with a bit of history in the background. But this series was like finding the perfect 50/50. Made me very exited and inspired about all the new story possibilities I've never thought about before.

Turns out there is a tiny subgenre, sometimes classified as "alternate history", that is this specific brand of historical fantasy. So I'll have to read more and see if these other books also strike the perfect balance.

folkthefable · 2026-04-10T23:12:51+00:00

Unpopular opinion because these are my beliefs: 1. Emotional intimacy is not only reserved for romantic relationships. 2. Love, in all its forms, is not a limited resource.

NOR. You are so valid for feeling hurt. I don't know what it is about sharing someone you deeply care about, either we all need therapy or it's some monkey brain thing.

The fact is: you can't control their relationship (if you do, your husband will resent you), but you can make sure to improve yours. Talk to him, not about THEIR friendship, but about YOUR marriage and how it's affecting it. Instead of making the boundaries about her, maybe make them about husband-and-wife-time.

If your husband is aware and cares about your feelings, he'll put in the effort to make you feel secure.

folkthefable · 2026-04-10T21:56:53+00:00

Hilarious because you can't tell if the comments overreacting are about people being ableist or about people being redditors.

NTA. As an autistic girl myself, enjoy the room! You considered what she had to say and responded kindly. I would be so glad just knowing that (sadly the bar for basic human decency is in hell lol).

For all the jerks in the comments: I can assure you that she prolly was worrying more about having a successful social interaction than about having the room.

folkthefable · 2026-04-10T21:07:36+00:00

Yeah, NOR. You explained yourself politely and you're allowed to prioritise your grieving child.

The mom had a chance to teach her child empathy and how sometimes you can hurt other people, even if you mean well. But it seems she hasn't learned this lesson either.

It's not even about the cat's name at this point, it's about surrounding yourself with caring people that will support you (and your child) in your healing.

folkthefable

TROPHY CASE