Monday, February 26, 2018

Fantasy Month Hashtag Game

 


Apparently February decided to be nearly finished. (Um…what?!) BUT IT’S NOT OVER YET. Which means Fantasy Month is still going on!


If you missed it, Fantasy Month is an epic yearly blog linkup created by Jenelle Schmidt in which we spend the month of February celebrating all things fantasy. There’s still time to join in. Check out THIS POST for all the details!



Part of the celebration was a super fun hashtag game Jenelle put together. Shamefully, I didn’t join in via twitter like I had hoped to because, well, February was cRaZy. But I just couldn’t not join in on something asking fun fantasy questions. I mean, OBVIOUSLY. So instead I decided to be a rebel and answer all the questions in one blog post. (Ya know, the one social media outlet that doesn’t use hashtags. BUT THAT’S NEVER STOPPED ME BEFORE.)


Here art the questions:


 


FANTASY  MONTH QUESTIONS


 

FIRST SET: Fantastic Creatures

 


1.) Favorite Fantasy Creature


AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! Do I really even need to answer this, guys? I believe anybody who even knows me for the course of one day can guess the answer.


DRAGON!!!!!


 


2.) Preference: Sentient or Beast?


I always struggle with this one. It’s a lot of fun having animalistic types of dragons (or any mythical beast). But, at the same time, having human-like creatures is super fascinating.


Honestly? My favorite tends to be a little in between. Not fully talking and super intelligent, but not quite beast-like either. Maybe something a smidge more intelligent than dogs? I don’t know why, I just find that fun.

 


3.) Creature You Wish Were in More Books


Ummmm. ALL OF THEM? Eheheh. I’m not picky when it comes to fantasy creatures. But there is a sad lack of griffins. And like WHY?! Griffins are amazing! LION-EAGLES, PEOPLE. How can you go wrong with that?

 


4.) Best Fantasy Creature on Film


TOOTHLESS! I mean, duh.


 


5.) If You Could Have a Fantasy Creature…


I’d have a…



DRAGON!!!!!


(Why am I even answering all of these individually? “DRAGON” is basically my answer for every single one.)


It’d be a fabulously pink dragon and we’d go off on adventures to Baskin-Robbins and get free ice cream (because I suspect if you show up at Baskin-Robbin’s doorstep atop a dragon, they’ll give you free ice cream. Having a giant fire-breathing creature threatening your ice cream shop is bad for business.) and then go destroy our enemies or something.


All good fun.

 


6.) Favorite Fairy Tale Featuring a Fantastic Creature


Does the Beast from Beauty and the Beast count? Because that is my favorite fairytale.

 


7.) Favorite Fantasy Creature Character


*faints* Favorite fantasy creature character??? Like from any book/movie/TV show???


Toothless? Or the Beast from Beauty and the Beast? Or Smaug? Or Smeagol? Or ALL the dragons in…every book with dragons I’ve ever read (which is a lot). Or Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle? And would Nick from the Beaumont and Beasley books count? Heh. (He’d probably be so insulted. XD) Or…EVERY FANTASY CREATURE EVER? I don’t knoooow! THIS QUESTION IS IMPOSSIBLE.


 

SECOND SET: Fantastic Romance

 


8.) Favorite Fairy Tale Ending


I’m sure this is gonna come as a surprise but…Beauty and the Beast’s ending. The ending is one of the biggest reasons I love that story in the first place. It portrays such a beautiful picture of redemption. It is much like our relationship with Jesus. We were ugly, unlovable creatures, but He loved us anyway. And when we accepted His love, we became something beautiful.



IT JUST GIVES ME A LOT OF FEELS!

 


9.) Romantic Tropes You Dislike in Fantasy


Love at first sight. UGH. PLEASE STOP. Love doesn’t happen like that. It grows. Sure, you may be attracted to one another at first sight, and like the person quite a lot. But that’s not #TrueLove in any form or fashion.


And then when the Prince falls in love with the Princess while she’s under a sleeping spell or something???? CREEPY. Like…how do you fall in love with an unconscious person you found 2 seconds ago? Can we not?

 


10.) Romantic Tropes You Like in Fantasy


I quite like the poor, ill-treated boy/girl falling in love and marrying royalty. (Cinderella anyone?) It’s just so satisfying seeing this big time prince/princess want to marry a peasant despite the strict king/queen protesting at every turn. And the star-crossed lovers have to fight to be together and then we get to see our poor, beloved little peasant have all their dreams come true and end up being a fabulous leader of the kingdom and sldkjflsjdflksjdf. IT’S PRECIOUS. I never get tired of that trope. Ever.


 


11.) Love at First Sight?


LOLZ. I believe I already answered this question. XD

 


12.) Friendship that Turns to Romance?


YESSSSSSS. GIMME ALL THE FRIENDSHIP-TO-ROMANCE STORIES. It is adorable and I love!


Now sometimes I wish we could have friendships in fiction that are simply that—friendships. Merely people who are friends that doesn’t turn into a full-on romance plot. ‘Cause sometimes I just want friends in fiction! Ya know, some relationships that aren’t romance. But, at the same time, besties falling in love is ADORBZ. (I’m so contradictory.)

 


13.) Best/Worst Fantasy Love Triangles


Good gracious, I had to squeeze my brain cells hard for this one.


The Una/Aethelbald/Leo love triangle in Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl was a very fascinating one! Because I loved Aethelbald and Leo and…well, I won’t say much because #Spoilers. But it was a doozy, let’s leave it at that.


For some reason I cannot think of one I particularly hated in a fantasy book. This may be blasphemous but…I actually kinda like love triangles??? I KNOW. But they add tension and are just rather…fun. DON’T HATE ME.

 


14.) Favorite Fantasy Couple


*deep breath*


HOWL AND SOPHIE FROM HOWL’S MOVING CAAAAAAAASTLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Is anyone surprised? No? No.

 

The book versions is my OTP, but the movie ones were precious too.



 

THIRD SET: Fantastic Families

 


15.) Best Fantasy Family


I adore Billy Bannister’s family in the Dragons in Our Midst series by Bryan Davis. Let’s just say his family history involves dragons and a touch of Arthurian legend so…yeah. Plus his parents are just totally epic. And, really, all the characters from that series forms a family. So can I just say the whole Dragons in Our Midst cast because…YES. MY BBYS. <3

 


16.) Best Siblings in Fantasy


NICK AND CRISPIN from the Beaumont and Beasley series by Kyle Robert Shultz. One sensible brother and one, um, not sensible brother off discovering fairytales are real and having hilarious adventures? YES PLEASE.


But you can also never go wrong with the Pevensies from Narnia. I also adore Kyrin and Kaden from The Ilyon Chronicles by Jaye L. Knight. TWINS. ALWAYS GIMME TWINS.

 


17.) Best Fathers in Fantasy


Well, we’ve already discussed Billy Bannister’s family is awesome, and a big reason for that is his dad, Jared. Strong, fatherly, with a history that will blow your mind.


This is sliding away from books to TV shows, but David/Prince Charming from ABC’s Once Upon a Time is a pretty fantastic dad. Protective, kind, will take on anything with a sword and do it epicly, happens to be a Disney prince. What more do you want in a father? Let’s just not talk about the fact that his daughter is the same age as he is. (It’s one of those shows that’s best not to question…)


 


18.) Best Mothers in Fantasy


Can I just repeat the question above but do the mothers? Billy’s mom, Marilyn Bannister, is so strong and full of love. And you gotta love Mary Margaret/Snow White from Once Upon a Time. She’s literally the picture of hope and it’s very inspiring.



ALSO. Lyll Allerion, the mother of Kale from the DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul, is AH-MAY-ZING. I’m not sure I’d say she’s a very…good mother, but she’s so unexpected! I’ve never come across a mother like her in fiction. She’s so eccentric and…unorthodox. It amused me endlessly. She also has basically my favorite quote ever.


“Wear pink. It confuses the enemy.” <---My role model right there.

 


19.) Best Fantasy Friends


Blaaargh! EVERYBODY? ALL OF THEM? THERE ARE TOO MANY GOOD ONES.


- Mr. Tumnus and Lucy are precious.
- Billy and Walter from the Dragons in Our Midst books are total bros.
- Howl and Calcifer from Howl’s Moving Castle are hilarious.
- Frodo and Sam. (OBVIOUSLY.)
- Legolas and Gimli (“Never though I’d be fighting side by side with an elf.” “What about side by side with a friend?” <333333333333)
- Creel and Shardas from Dragon Slippers. (DRAGON + GIRL BESTIES = YESSS.)
- Merlin and Arthur from BBCs Merlin (FAVORITE. BROMANCE. EVER.)

 

Hands down my favorite Merlin scene. XD

And like…900000000 more I’m not mentioning. THERE ARE TOO MANY.

 


20.) Best Mentors in Fantasy


WELL. Speaking of the DragonKeeper Chronicles, Wizard Fenworth would probably have to be my favorite. He’s another one of those eccentric ones. Also absentminded and a little gruff but utterly loveable anyway.


Professor Hamilton from the Dragons in Our Midst books is also utterly fantastic.


(If you can’t tell, the Dragons in Our Midst series is one of my top favorite series in existence. I know I’m so subtle about it…)

 


21.) Why Are There So Many Fantasy Orphans?


Oooh, now we’re getting into philosophical stuff, are we? XD WELL. I do love shoving my opinions at everyone, SO LET’S DO IT. I personally believe there are two main reasons for this:


#1: Going to your parents and asking permission to travel across the world to Death Mountain or the Dark Woods of Darkness or the Volcano of Tears or the Tower of Terrible Things so you can fight a Villain of Unimaginable Power in order to save the world and, oh yeah, you might be out past curfew…just a bit, proooobably won’t go over well. Solution: NO PARENTS. Which is kinda rude? Because parents are fabulous and can help save the world! I mean, personally? I’d rather the fate of the world be in a sensible, experienced parent’s hands than a hormonal 16-year-old. SORRY. And the Dragons in Our Midst books are awesome examples of having parents involved with saving the world. (YES. ANOTHER MENTION OF THOSE BOOKS. I WON’T APOLOGIZE.)


#2: A popular theme in fantasy is “finding-where-you-belong”, and if you have a happy home and loving parents well…you’re probably already where you belong. Fantasy often focuses on a bunch of very different and diverse people/creatures/what-have-you coming together and forming a family. Because, well, when you’re traveling across the world to defeat Ridiculously Powerful Villain you tend to get preeeetty close. But really, is there anything more beautiful than seeing a bunch of lonely, broken people coming together and making a family amongst themselves? It’s seriously one of my favorite things to find in fiction ever. So, though I agree we should have more good parents in fiction, I understand why orphaned protagonists is popular. (I’m often guilty of it myself…)


Wow, that answer got long. MOVING ON!


 

FOURTH SET: Fantastic Elements

 

22.) Favorite Magical Weapon.


OH MAN. THERE ARE SO MANY AWESOME ONES. Sting has always been a personal favorite. It’s such an adorable, small, deadly thing. And you can never go wrong with a weapon that glows to alert you the enemy is around. #Convenient


I also think Percy Jackson’s sword, Riptide, is epic. It’s a PEN that turns into a SWORD. How cool is that? So if you need to give someone your autograph or slay your enemy, YOU’RE COVERED. It also doesn’t hurt mortals. Just monsters and demigods and people like that. Fun stuff!


 


23.) Fantastic Art/Music


Oh goodness, we could be here all day. (But I’ll spare you, fear not.) I loooove epic, fantasy sounding scores and movie soundtracks. And my favorite pastime is looking at pretty, inspiring fantasy pics on Pinterest. THIS IS my fantasy board should you want to peruse. But really the majority of my boards have some fantastical elements about them. (I’m obsessed, okay?)

 


24.) Epic Journeys and Quests and Heirs, Oh My!


I…honestly have no idea how to take this prompt. Like…stories with a combination of all these elements or…?


I’d say the Blood of King trilogy by Jill Williamson has all of this AND it’s just totally epic with phenomenal writing. Literally one of my favorite series! GO READ IT.

 


25.) Prophecies: Love or Hate?


I’m honestly fine with them. If they have a solid reason for being around and help move the plot, why not? I know they’re ridiculously cliché, but I still find them rather fun.

 


26.) A Villain You Love to Hate


Oooh, so many good villains!


The Dragon/Death-in-Life from Heartless is a good (er…bad?) one! He’s a DRAGON, so obviously he’s cool. But meeeeeeep, he’s so evil and creepy and powerful. Not the type of villain you want to mess with, let’s leave it at that.

 


27.) Favorite Fantasy Hero/Heroine


HOWL FROM HOWL’S MOVIE CASTLE. AND SOPHIE OF COURSE. (They’re my favorite male and female fictional characters on this planet. WHICH IS SAYING SOMETHING YOU HAVE NO IDEA.)



(And literally all my answers are either about dragons, Howl and Sophie, or the Dragons in Our Midst books. #SorryNotSorry)

 


28.) Share an Epic Fantasy Quote


Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality.
It's a way of understanding it.”
–Lloyd Alexander


BASICALLY MY LIFE MOTTO.


 

WHEW. That was…long. o.o I apologize, guys. If you’ve made it this far then…HERE. HAVE SOME DRAGON EGGS AND RAISE EPIC DRAGONS. (See, now it was all worth it.)


Don’t forget to head on over to Jenelle's site to join in all the fantasy goodness before it’s too late. (Just a couple of more days left!!!)

 

TALK WITH ME!

COME TO ME, O’ FANTASY LOVERS! I need to know your answers to some of these delectable questions. Like what fantasy creature do you wish were in books more? (Good stuff to know.) And what are some romantic fantasy tropes you love/hate? (Also good to know.) (What? I’m not using you guys to figure out what to put or not put in my own novels. Pssssh. What are you talking about?) Talk with me about all the fantasy things!

Friday, February 23, 2018

Ask Me Questions!



Calling all nosy dragons out there! Do you have any questions burning inside you about the person behind the blog? Well, now’s the time to ask!


My 7 year blogoversary is coming up in March (*GAAASP* This blog is so ooold!), annnd I wanted to do something fun. (Because I fail every. single. year. to do something cool for my blogoversary…) But I wanted to include you guys. Because this blog is absolutely nothing without all my precious readers.


SO.


I’ve decided to attempt another vlog! But this time answering your questions. But, ya know, I actually need your questions. Which is why I’m here today with a random Friday post.


I NEED YOU TO ASK ME QUESTIONS.


You’re free to ask anything and everything. About my writing, about the books I read or my bookshelves, about my life, even personal things. I don’t care, ask away! (Just keep the questions appropriate please. Which I know you guys will.) And it seems like most people hate the “What’s your favorite…?” type of questions, but I’m an odd duck and LOVE those. I’m totally obsessed with figuring out my favorite…everything! (Ihavenocluewhy.) So don’t hesitate to ask those types of things. Ask anything at all!


I will say, though, I’ll probably only be able to answer one or two questions from each person. (Depending on how many of you ask things.) My last vlog was half an hour long and I don’t need to do that again. Eheheh… So you’re welcome to ask me a bunch of questions, just know I’ll probably only choose a couple of my favorites from each of you. I’ll also probably be filming the vlog in about 2 weeks, maybe even sooner. So the quicker you get the questions in, the better!


ANYWAYS. This is a lot of words to just say: I NEED QUESTIONS. Ask away down in the comments! I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with!



I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Monday, February 19, 2018

Interview with Kate Marie - Creator of The Bubblegum Rebellion



I have some delightful stuff going on with the blog today!


My dear friend and fellow writer/blogger Kate from Story and Dark Chocolate has recently launched a new website. But it’s more than that—it’s a revolution.


Introducing…


THE BUBBLEGUM REBELLION


What is The Bubblegum Rebellion? Let me share Kate’s own words about it:


The Bubblegum Rebellion isn’t about your average revolution. It’s not about anger or defiance. Rather, this rebellion is a dare. A dare to live differently. To rebel harmlessly. To conquer winsomely.

The Bubblegum Rebellion is about dancing even when others stop to stare and you let them. It’s about putting flowers in your hair like the awkward wisp of fairymagic that you are. It’s about closing your eyes and feeling the sun on your eyelids and a smile so wide the whole world can’t contain it. It’s about learning from the past but not staying there, not wasting one more minute of YOUR ONE WILD AND PRECIOUS LIFE reliving it. It’s about finally feeling like you belong somewhere and basking in the knowledge that you are loved for the BEAUTIFUL MESSED UP human being that you are.

…will you join the Rebellion?



As someone who strongly believes in keeping to childlike wonder and finding the beauty in everything, I was thrilled when Kate told me about her revolution.
Of course I had to be a part of this! This is everything I strive for.


So, in honor of her new revolution, I’m interviewing Kate herself here today! EXCITING, RIGHT??? We’ll be talking more about her rebellion, her hobbies, and her creative life in general.


Without further ado…


. . . THE KATE . . .


As a four-year-old, Kate regularly yelled long, enraged monologues to the nonplussed white wall of her bedroom when she got sent there as punishment. Her penchant for the dramatic was born then and it continued to grow and flourish as Kate matured. In recent years, the realization dawned on her - she was never happier than when she was acting. Her passion is to bring stories to life - whether it is on a stage or in front of a camera - and her hope is that those stories will change people. When she isn't at rehearsals, she loves writing dark, heavy books that usually include explosions, a big family, and lots of ethnic culture, drawing creepy things that are either burning or bleeding with her art pencils, and reveling in the haunting wistfulness of the trees when she takes long hikes in a nearby park.

Blog | Twitter | GoodReads



. . . THE INTERVIEW . . .

 


Firstly, give us a quick rundown about what The Bubblegum Rebellion is and why it's important to you.


The Bubblegum Rebellion, for me, is about shedding this hard outer layer that I’ve built up over years of life battering me into a tough, calloused person I don’t really recognize and starting afresh.

As a kid, my life seemed magical and perfect and safe. But growing up is inevitable. I saw poverty and messy relationships and gray morality and people questioning the things that had always seemed obvious and true to me.

I want to go back to being a little girl again. I want to recapture the wide-eyed wonder that life used to hold.

The Bubblegum Rebellion might be that to you, too. Or it might look different. It might be looking your reflection in the eye and seeing the beauty there instead of the imperfections. It might be trying something you never have before because you’ve decided to make the most of every day. It might be mustering up the courage to go back home after wandering away.

Whatever it looks like, I think it has the power to change people.

 


What first sparked the idea for The Bubblegum Rebellion?


Watching the Lizzie Bennet Diaries on YouTube, as lame as that is. I think that was the first time I ever realized that I could start using my love of acting now – not just after I had gotten a degree and landed a role in a play or a movie.

 


What is a your greatest hope for TBR to achieve?


(Gotta love that acronym, right? I have a panic attack every time I look at it.)

In my wildest dreams, I see myself expanding the team to include a photographers or a filmmaker, one of those crazy-talented music-geniuses, another actor, more writers, and all of us traveling the world and making indie films together.

But really… if this can be a reminder to one single person that they are beautiful because no one else in the whole world is exactly like them, that there is always hope even when you can’t see it, that everyone can start over, try again, and be brave – I will have succeeded.

 


Would you share with us some of your best advice for living rebelliously?


Good gravy. Are you sure I’m qualified to answer this, Christine?

Okay, advice.

Um. My advice is to go outside on a sunny day and close your eyes and feel the wind caressing your skin and bask in the fact that all of that is God whispering that he’s crazy in love with you.

YOU ARE A FREAKING PRINCESS. Stop being afraid to live like one.

(How did I do?)

 


Do you have certain books/shows/movies/activities/etc. that inspire you the most to live differently and winsomely?


Rapunzel from Tangled. The scene where the musicians walk through the town square and she just starts dancing, completely unconscious that people are watching, and then she reaches out and invites others to join in and then the whole square is just alive with this beautiful carefree dance and it keeps getting bigger and bigger and wow. THAT INSPIRES ME.

 


What are your favorite hobbies?


DANCING.

I’ve never taken a dance lesson in my life, but I love to dance. I just learned that about myself, actually.

When I was little, I wanted to do ballet. No clue where the desire came from, I just wished so badly that I could be in a ballet class. But ballet is expensive and when I was very little, we didn’t have a lot of money for the necessities, much less ballet lessons for a six-year-old. Then I got older and felt awkward and knew my brothers would laugh, so I never mentioned it again and never danced.

I still don’t really dance in front of people – being laughed at is still my greatest fear. But I’m researching ballet (for one of my novels, actually) and watching videos on YouTube… so who knows? You might see me on Broadway someday.

Ahem. That turned into a rant, didn’t it? Oops. I also love to read, write, and draw. Basically anything that gives me an opportunity to tell a story.

 


Do you have a favorite genre to read and write?


Fantasy! Urban or futuristic fantasy, to be specific.

I’ve attempted contemporary but it’s so stifling and terrifying for me because everything has to be realistic and accurate to the real world. In fantasy, I can make my own rules and no one can say I’m doing it wrong.

At first I wrote medieval fantasy but something was missing – lots of somethings, actually. Guns. Bombs. Jeeps. Skinny jeans. Crumbling skyscrapers.

Urban-future fantasy is the sweet spot that combines all the things I love writing.

 


5 of your most favorite books of all time. Go!


Ack. The pressure.

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. (We’ll just ignore the fact that this is three books…)

Winter by Marissa Meyer.

Whew.

 


Early bird or night owl?


Night owl!

I guess I never outgrew that childlike excitement that bubbles up in you when you are permitted to stay up past your bedtime?

 


What does your creative process look like? How do you get motivated to write, blog, and pursue other creative outlets? Any advice?


More like how do I stop being motivated…

My creative process is still growing because I’m such a writing-newbie. I’ve always had a knack for writing and I started The Songless when I was 11 but I didn’t get serious about writing until 2016. So my process basically consists of writing down hundreds of plotbunnies and then picking one to work on for the next fifteen years. (I am muchly slow.)

Motivation is the easy part. I am a very intense person – driven, stubborn, and hardworking. So I can usually force myself to get things done just out of sheer will and knowing that it is the right thing to do. But to-do lists help. (Make little boxes and number them. You get to fill in the box when you complete the task! It’s so fun.)

My advice is to let yourself be unabashedly passionate about what you do. Keep your eyes wide open and see the stories all around you. If you’re excited and love doing what you do, nothing will keep you away.

Thank you so much for letting me invade your blog today, Christine! You are the loveliest!


 

Thank you, Kate! Wasn’t this interview so motivational and inspiring? I don’t know about you, but I have a sudden urge to run outside and bask in a patch of sunlight.


Don’t forget to check out Kate’s NEW SITE and join the Rebellion!

 

TALK WITH ME!

Does this lifestyle intrigue you? Do you agree we should cling to our childlike wonder and live winsomely? What are some ways you live with “Bubblegum Rebellion”? LET’S SPREAD SOME GLITTER AND RAINBOWS, GUYS!



P.S.
 Not only did I get to have Kate take over my blog today, but, much to my delight, she got me to overtake her blog last Wednesday. I shared a guest post over there all about NaNoWriMo (‘cause you guys know I neverrr talk about NaNo enough, amIright??? *COUGH*). If you nosy dragons are curious about my NaNo origin story and why it means so much to me, head on over to
Story and Dark Chocolate
and check it out!

Monday, February 12, 2018

7 Types of Ships I Love to Find in Books



If you’re reading that title and wondering if I’ve suddenly become a pirate well…no. Sorry to disappoint! “Become a pirate” is a bit lower on the to-do list I’m afraid. Butmaybesomeday. And no, I don’t have a random urge to discuss seafaring ships. Especially since I know…like 0.7% about boats. That’d be an awkward post to try to write.


No, no, no. When I say “ships” I’m talkin’ ROMANTIC COUPLES. “Ship” is a fandom term meaning you want two characters to have a romantic relationSHIP. But I’m sure you’re all quite aware of this. (I just wanted to be clear in case you were wondering why I’m not talking about boats in this post. Ahem.)


Some of you may recall back in October I did a post about 7 (Non-Romantic) Relationship I Love to Find in Books, all to prove that there can be other types that isn’t romance. Because, let’s face it, those romantic relationships take precedence in basically…every story ever. Even stories that aren’t supposed to be romance stories. And I think we’re all ready to see other types of relationships in books. Like FRIENDS and FAMILY.


Buuuuut I’m nothing if not a walking contradiction. So today I’m going to be listing some of my top, top types of romantic relationships that get my fangirl heart squealing. Hey, in my defense, in that other post I did say I like romance in books, I just wish there were other types of relationships. But shipping characters is fun! I have many, many, many fictional couples I squeal and gush over. It’s the fandom life!


And, come on, guys. It’s Valentine’s Day week! Let’s spread some (fictional) love.


 


THE TYPES OF SHIPS




THE BANTERERS


YOU ALL KNOW THE COUPLES. Usually their first meeting is something disastrous like him spilling coffee on her or her insulting his clothing choices. So obviously they can’t stand each other. And then next thing they know, THEY’RE FORCED TO SAVE THE WORLD TOGETHER. And both are like, “Whyyyy me?!” Or, more accurately, “Whyyyyy her/him?!”


Then we get some 400 pages of delightful banter and them trying (and failing) to work together and us readers are over here screaming at the pages, “YOU KNOW YOU’RE IN LOVE. ADMIT IT.”



It’s all wonderful fun and I love it. I can’t get enough of it. Thankfully, it’s not hard to find. Bantering couples abound in books these days, especially YA. AND I AIN’T COMPLAININ’.


Howl and Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle are obviously my faaaaaaves. (I’m so subtle about it, I know.) Shasta/Cor and Aravis from The Horse and His Boy is another classic. Gotta love ‘em!

 


GRUFF GUY + HYPER GAL


There are few things in this world that make me squeal as much as when an ultra hyper, upbeat girl breaks down the shell of a quiet, gruff guy. Like a kitten forcing an old, tired dog to get up and play. IT’S ADORABLE. You can’t deny it!


He’s all sulky and dark, perfectly content to live broodily forever the end. Then, lo and behold, here comes this happy-go-lucky girl that dares to bring him a little sunshine. Like what is this? What’s happening? Happiness and flowers and rainbows? Why is he enjoying this??? Who gave him permission to have feelings?



Ah yes, it is destiny.


This is obviously one of my favorites since this totally describes Rose and the Dragon from my WIP Burning Thorns. Heh.


Kale and Bardon from the DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul would totally fit this category and I LOVE THEM.

 


HYPER GIRL + SHY BOY


I really like hyper girls in fiction, guys. I don’t know why??? (Maybe ‘cause I sorta am one?) And, on that note, the super shy cinnamon roll boys are my favorite types of males to write. So COMBINE THAT? BE STILL MY BEATING HEART. (Am I the only one that’s actually a little freaked out by that saying? Like…our hearts should not be still. That’s called being dead. It’s kinda disturbing.)


But but but! It amuses me eeendlessly when you have this eccentric girl dragging along the painfully shy boy who really just wants to go hide in his room or something and not go on a death-defying adventure to save the world. But he’s going to anyway because he’s totally secretly in love with this crazed girl. Maybe it’s cliché? I don’t know. And I really DON’T CARE BECAUSE IT’S ADORBZ.



And this may or may not be much like my own Karis and Jonah from The Nether Isle (the novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo last year). Look at me, accidentally promoting my own novels that AREN’T EVEN SORT OF PUBLISHED. Oops.

 


COCKY GUY + SHY GIRL


On the flipside, what’s more precious than this ultra shy, sweet girl being in love with the hilariously cocky, seemingly confident and suave dude and bringing out his broken, vulnerable side? Hm? HMMM??? Nothing is more precious, I tell ya!


Cress and Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles, anyone? ANYONE??? Because YESSSS. Rose Red and Leo from Veiled Rose had a bit of this going as well.


I literally can’t with couples like these. I CAN’T. It does things to my heart.


 


MUTUALLY SHY CINNAMON ROLLS


Yes, I’m totally aware this is the 3rd one that involves shy people. BUT SHY PEOPLE BEING IN LOVE IS THE MOST ADORABLE THING OKAY.


It’s totally presh when one of them is shy, but when both the gal and guy are equally precious shy cinnamon rolls????



It’s so delightfully awkward watching them try to get up the nerve to declare their love for the other. And also paaaainful to go through an entire book where they’re both SO IN LOVE but neither has the nerve to ADMIT IT. Painful in a good way. (We fangirl/boys do love the pain.) You’re totally lying if you say you’ve never yelled at the characters to just SAY SOMETHING ALREADY.


No one ever said shipping was a calm activity.


Oh, but when the shy cinnamon rolls do finally get together. *happy sigh* They can ride off in the sunset and be shy and precious together. Or just…go quietly hang out at the library and share shy little smiles over the tops of their books. Now that’s a date I’d be totally on top of.

 


INTELLECTUAL GIRL + CLASS CLOWN GUY


I don’t know what it is about a pairing like this, but it thrills me. I’m sure you know it. The girl who’s all business and studies and barely cracks a smile. The boy who barely takes anything seriously and spends his days making jokes and being all around hilarious. Their meeting usually involves her rolling her eyes at his obnoxious behavior. But his lightheartedness slowly begins to make a crack in her tough exterior, and she helps him learn when to be serious, and together they end up making an EPIC TEAM. OPPOSITES ATTRACT AFTER ALL.



Ashley and Walter from the Dragons in Our Midst/Oracles of Fire series by Bryan Davis fit this to a T and just— SLKDJFLJSLKDJLFJKLSJDFL. CAN’T!

 


WILL WALK TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH/SACRIFICE MYSELF/TAKE ON THE WHOLE WORLD FOR EACH OTHER COUPLES


Oookay, that may be a bit of a mouthful. BUT REGARDLESS. These are the couples who have been through it all, seen it all, and came out stronger and closer for it. The ones who have probably saved the world 2 or 3 times together, may have lost each other half a dozen times, but always, always found each other again.


These couples have vowed to be together to the end AND THEY MEAN IT. Whether that means singlehandedly battling an entire army or jumping into a active volcano or traveling back through time and rearranging all of history JUST TO BE WITH THEIR LOVE, they’ll do it!


Basically, if you’re the villain and separate these two well HAHAHAHAHA. You’re so doomed.


And excuse me but who doesn’t love to root for couples like this??? This type of sacrificial love is #GOALS right there.



I’d say Sapphira and Elam also from the Dragons in Our Midst/Oracles of Fire series have this. Really, most of the characters from these book share this kind of love. IT’S SO INSPIRING.



I don’t think this is even half of the types of ships I love finding in fiction, but I’d definitely say this is my top 7. And for some reason I seem to like making lists of 7??? Which is probably obvious since basically over half my posts are lists like this these days. But it’s a good number as to not overwhelm you guys or me (because goodness knows my posts are long enough…).


But there we have it! ALL THE SHIPPING. I maaay go into full fangirl mode when it comes to discussing all the precious couples. (I’m sure you didn’t notice.) Which is hilarious because in real life I often grimace at romance. Seriously.


Me watching fictional couples:
“THEY’RE SO CUTE HALP I CAN’T THEY NEED TO KISS.”
Me watching real couples: “Ew, gross. Pls stahp.”


Oookay, not always. But we all know fiction is way better than real life.


 

TALK WITH ME!

YOU KNOW WE MUST FLAIL TOGETHER. What are your favorite types of ships to read about??? Do we share any? Or do we disagree on some? Let’s discuss all the shippy things!
I hope you all have a happy Valentine’s Day!
(And hey, if you’re single it’s a good excuse to get yourself some candy and fangirl/boy over your favorite fictional couples. Who says we single people can’t have fun on Valentine’s?)

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