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OT: Blues Forum Lounge (Home of All Things OT) - Part 2024-2025

bluesXwinXtheXcup said:
Why can't I buy alcohol from 2-6am?

I work the night shift and feel discriminated against! Lol

And does anyone else remember the blue laws? I remember we had to drive to Illinois to shop on Sundays growing up.

Stupid laws....
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Every single law is written and designed to discriminate. That is the purpose of law.
 
My bestie gifted me two books in a series she loves, saying to read it. The Empyrean series (thus far, it has the two books, Fourth Wing and Iron Flame with Onyx Storm coming out in January 2025) is...well, it does have lots of romance and sex, and, honestly, the main thing is the romance...but it also has dragons vs. gryphons with magic in a true GOT-like fantasy medieval setting where bad things can and will happen to any character. Unlike GOT, the dragons are intelligent and don't follow the commands of humans; they just tolerate humans to protect the nesting grounds and allow them to ride them and use magic from dragon-based source called a signet.

Is it the best series? Not in the slightest. Is it mostly catered to the Hunger Games crowd of interest, albeit with a much more interesting female lead? Yes. Does it hit you over the head with some of the twists? Yes. But it was pretty hard to put it down, and there were some twists I truly didn't see coming that weren't asspulls like a lot of novels would do.

It's good enough where I've started writing a fanfic about it starring original characters set in the distant past, and that's good enough for me.
 
Memento said:
My bestie gifted me two books in a series she loves, saying to read it. The Empyrean series (thus far, it has the two books, Fourth Wing and Iron Flame with Onyx Storm coming out in January 2025) is...well, it does have lots of romance and sex, and, honestly, the main thing is the romance...but it also has dragons vs. gryphons with magic in a true GOT-like fantasy medieval setting where bad things can and will happen to any character. Unlike GOT, the dragons are intelligent and don't follow the commands of humans; they just tolerate humans to protect the nesting grounds and allow them to ride them and use magic from dragon-based source called a signet.

Is it the best series? Not in the slightest. Is it mostly catered to the Hunger Games crowd of interest, albeit with a much more interesting female lead? Yes. Does it hit you over the head with some of the twists? Yes. But it was pretty hard to put it down, and there were some twists I truly didn't see coming that weren't asspulls like a lot of novels would do.

It's good enough where I've started writing a fanfic about it starring original characters set in the distant past, and that's good enough for me.
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Romantacy, the sub-genre that 4th wing falls under, is blowing up. I read fantasy but not romance, and I hear about those books all the time from other friends who read fantasy. The other big, big, huge series is the Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas. I haven't read it, but if you like Fourth Wing, that is supposed to be the best in the sub-genre.

I am currently reading the Licanus trilogy by James Islington, first book Shadow of What Was Lost. It's pretty good. Good characters, good world building. The world history gets a bit too convoluted as he uses the reveals of the world as plot devices, so it gets re-written as the characters learn more. There is a lot of potential for the author though. Its the first series by the author. The first book in his next series is supposedly excellent. I look forward to starting it when he finishes the trilogy.

Next up for me is a re-read of the Stormlight Archive by Sanderson before jumping into the next book that released recently.
 
Majorityof1 said:
Romantacy, the sub-genre that 4th wing falls under, is blowing up. I read fantasy but not romance, and I hear about those books all the time from other friends who read fantasy. The other big, big, huge series is the Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas. I haven't read it, but if you like Fourth Wing, that is supposed to be the best in the sub-genre.

I am currently reading the Licanus trilogy by James Islington, first book Shadow of What Was Lost. It's pretty good. Good characters, good world building. The world history gets a bit too convoluted as he uses the reveals of the world as plot devices, so it gets re-written as the characters learn more. There is a lot of potential for the author though. Its the first series by the author. The first book in his next series is supposedly excellent. I look forward to starting it when he finishes the trilogy.

Next up for me is a re-read of the Stormlight Archive by Sanderson before jumping into the next book that released recently.
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really liked the Licanus trilogy and enjoy the Stormlight series as well
 
Majorityof1 said:
Romantacy, the sub-genre that 4th wing falls under, is blowing up. I read fantasy but not romance, and I hear about those books all the time from other friends who read fantasy. The other big, big, huge series is the Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas. I haven't read it, but if you like Fourth Wing, that is supposed to be the best in the sub-genre.

I am currently reading the Licanus trilogy by James Islington, first book Shadow of What Was Lost. It's pretty good. Good characters, good world building. The world history gets a bit too convoluted as he uses the reveals of the world as plot devices, so it gets re-written as the characters learn more. There is a lot of potential for the author though. Its the first series by the author. The first book in his next series is supposedly excellent. I look forward to starting it when he finishes the trilogy.

Next up for me is a re-read of the Stormlight Archive by Sanderson before jumping into the next book that released recently.
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I honestly really don't read many books anymore. I have enough on my mind when it comes to actually writing my own stories. I've been hesitant to read Wheel of Time's first book, even though I have nine of the series, just because I don't want to accidentally take too much from it. That's my main concern: that I don't want to plagiarize even the tiniest bit. I know how that feels, and it sucks to know that someone could rip off your hard work and parade it as their own, even if it's only a little bit, and knowing that people aren't going to do shit about it (hence why I will never read any Cassandra Clare, a known plagiarist, and if she wants to bring her lawyers in to sue me, then f***ing sue me. I hate plagiarists, and I refuse to become one).

I've heard so many good things about Brandon Sanderson, and I absolutely respect his contributions to modern fantasy, but I'd never, never want to unconsciously take too much from his works, even if it's even the slightest bit. It's why I don't read very much, if at all, when I used to read a ton; I want to write on my own merits, whether I succeed or fail.

The only real reason I read Fourth Wing and Iron Flame was because one of my two besties bought it for me because she liked it and wanted to talk about it (and I trusted her judgment because The Testing Trilogy, which is like Hunger Games but so much better, and Firebringer and The Sight were books she gave me that I enjoyed early on). The fact that I had a fanfic idea that made me think within the boundaries of the books and beyond made it worth it in the end, even if it wasn't my absolute cup of tea. She's like a sister to me, so of course, I want to make her happy.

What I know is that romantacy isn't...really what I'm writing in my stories. Fantasy, particularly dark fantasy? Absolutely. Romance? Yeah, I guess (in that some characters do have romantic relationships). But to make the whole thing about the romance and sex rather than the characters being who they are and fleshing themselves out in the manner of their choosing, even when bound within the world and plot they're in? Nope. That's never been me.
 
Memento said:
I honestly really don't read many books anymore. I have enough on my mind when it comes to actually writing my own stories. I've been hesitant to read Wheel of Time's first book, even though I have nine of the series, just because I don't want to accidentally take too much from it. That's my main concern: that I don't want to plagiarize even the tiniest bit. I know how that feels, and it sucks to know that someone could rip off your hard work and parade it as their own, even if it's only a little bit, and knowing that people aren't going to do shit about it (hence why I will never read any Cassandra Clare, a known plagiarist, and if she wants to bring her lawyers in to sue me, then f***ing sue me. I hate plagiarists, and I refuse to become one).

I've heard so many good things about Brandon Sanderson, and I absolutely respect his contributions to modern fantasy, but I'd never, never want to unconsciously take too much from his works, even if it's even the slightest bit. It's why I don't read very much, if at all, when I used to read a ton; I want to write on my own merits, whether I succeed or fail.

The only real reason I read Fourth Wing and Iron Flame was because one of my two besties bought it for me because she liked it and wanted to talk about it (and I trusted her judgment because The Testing Trilogy, which is like Hunger Games but so much better, and Firebringer and The Sight were books she gave me that I enjoyed early on). The fact that I had a fanfic idea that made me think within the boundaries of the books and beyond made it worth it in the end, even if it wasn't my absolute cup of tea. She's like a sister to me, so of course, I want to make her happy.

What I know is that romantacy isn't...really what I'm writing in my stories. Fantasy, particularly dark fantasy? Absolutely. Romance? Yeah, I guess (in that some characters do have romantic relationships). But to make the whole thing about the romance and sex rather than the characters being who they are and fleshing themselves out in the manner of their choosing, even when bound within the world and plot they're in? Nope. That's never been me.
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I'm not trying to tell you how to go about your craft. Just want to mention that I have heard numerous authors say that the two things any aspiring author should do is read a lot and write a lot. Read widely, not just one genre. It's not plagiarism to be inspired by something. Lucas cited Spaghetti Westerns, Samurai films, Greek Mythology and Flash Gordon as inspirations for Star Wars, but nobody says he plagiarized Kurasawa. If you read broadly, you can take inspiration from a bunch of sources and synthesize it to make it your own. You can learn what works and what doesn't.

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.” - Stephen King

“The only way anybody ever learns to write well is by trying to write well. This usually begins by reading good writing by other people, and writing very badly by yourself, for a long time.” Ursula K. Le Guin

"Read, read, read everything – trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out the window.” William Faulkner
 
Majorityof1 said:
I'm not trying to tell you how to go about your craft. Just want to mention that I have heard numerous authors say that the two things any aspiring author should do is read a lot and write a lot. Read widely, not just one genre. It's not plagiarism to be inspired by something. Lucas cited Spaghetti Westerns, Samurai films, Greek Mythology and Flash Gordon as inspirations for Star Wars, but nobody says he plagiarized Kurasawa. If you read broadly, you can take inspiration from a bunch of sources and synthesize it to make it your own. You can learn what works and what doesn't.

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.” - Stephen King

“The only way anybody ever learns to write well is by trying to write well. This usually begins by reading good writing by other people, and writing very badly by yourself, for a long time.” Ursula K. Le Guin

"Read, read, read everything – trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out the window.” William Faulkner
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I know...but I feel I've read enough, absorbed enough, dedicated enough to reading (and given that I've read a lot of genres from childhood on, whether they were utter trash or shining gems...well, yeah). I'm just trying to spread my wings as a writer, continuously improving my craft, and if I fall instead of fly, at least I'll do it on my terms. I'm not saying I'm going to stop reading entirely...just that I'm trying to write more, be more of myself, whether that's fanfiction or original stories.
 
Majorityof1 said:
Romantacy, the sub-genre that 4th wing falls under, is blowing up. I read fantasy but not romance, and I hear about those books all the time from other friends who read fantasy. The other big, big, huge series is the Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas. I haven't read it, but if you like Fourth Wing, that is supposed to be the best in the sub-genre.

I am currently reading the Licanus trilogy by James Islington, first book Shadow of What Was Lost. It's pretty good. Good characters, good world building. The world history gets a bit too convoluted as he uses the reveals of the world as plot devices, so it gets re-written as the characters learn more. There is a lot of potential for the author though. Its the first series by the author. The first book in his next series is supposedly excellent. I look forward to starting it when he finishes the trilogy.

Next up for me is a re-read of the Stormlight Archive by Sanderson before jumping into the next book that released recently.
Click to expand...
I read the Licanus Trilogy a couple years ago, it was pretty solid but not great from what I remember. To be honest not a lot of has stuck with me.

I am currently reading Wind & Truth, just getting started and a long way to go but so far so good.
 
SirPaste said:
I read the Licanus Trilogy a couple years ago, it was pretty solid but not great from what I remember. To be honest not a lot of has stuck with me.

I am currently reading Wind & Truth, just getting started and a long way to go but so far so good.
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Solid but not great is spot on for my thoughts of licanus as well. It fell apart for me at the end. The author cut a major storyline from the 3rd book and decided to make it its own book at a later time. But it made one of the climaxes to this trilogy much weaker. I don't see myself caring enough to go back to this world years from now to get that story.

I started my cosmere re-read for Wind and Truth. I'm halfway through Warbreaker, then Stormlight 1-4 and Dawnshard. My memory for books is awful, so I like to re-read before new entries. I should have started earlier. Only 5,000 pages or so before I can start the new book. I heard Wind and Truth reviews are a little muted, and that it is also good but not great. Hopefully, it hits better for you.
 
Majorityof1 said:
Solid but not great is spot on for my thoughts of licanus as well. It fell apart for me at the end. The author cut a major storyline from the 3rd book and decided to make it its own book at a later time. But it made one of the climaxes to this trilogy much weaker. I don't see myself caring enough to go back to this world years from now to get that story.

I started my cosmere re-read for Wind and Truth. I'm halfway through Warbreaker, then Stormlight 1-4 and Dawnshard. My memory for books is awful, so I like to re-read before new entries. I should have started earlier. Only 5,000 pages or so before I can start the new book. I heard Wind and Truth reviews are a little muted, and that it is also good but not great. Hopefully, it hits better for you.
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I have to go back and reread as well, so I waited until the last 3 books of the Wheel of Time were out before I started rereading as it is more than 10,000 pages, I haven't quite got myself rereading Stormlight yet
 
How the hell are drivers with all the 4-wheel, front wheel and all-wheel drive so much f-ing worse driving in the snow then back when everyone only had rear wheel drive cars

our society has failed us
 
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