Pokécharms

What are you looking to write about...? The fantasy element? Kingdom Build? European Medieval or Asian Medieval?

I highly recommend a novel called Return of the Swallow, it's an eastern medieval fantasy that deals with romance and court intrigue. The fantasy elements aren't as prevalent in that one, but I thoroughly enjoyed.

It's currently being translated here:

https://www.volarenovels.com/novel/return-of-the-swallow

If something more in the line of Kingdom Building is what you're aiming for then...I'd recommend Release that Witch. It's a bit heavy on the science though, so if you don't like that it might be a turn off:

Release that witch is a novel but has a manga adaptation if you'd rather read that.

If you haven't heard of or read the Inheritance Cycle then it's got a fairly strong cult following and for pretty good reason. It's four-books from what I remember and the first has a movie adaptation:

Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, Inheritance.

A long time ago I had started the Graceling series by Kristin Cashore, but I was like 12 and only read the first book. So while I think it was pretty decent, I can't comment too much on it.

If you can't get your hand on physical books then a few more online recommendations and more in a western style then...Everyone Loves Large Chests, which is an entertaining but raunchy read of a medieval fantasy world from the perspective of a non-human main character. I believe there's a clean version and the more offensive chapters are tagged so you can skip them if you want.

Another one I would highly recommend, in fact, the one I would recommend the most, is He who fights with monsters:

https://www.scribblehub.com/series/41306/he-who-fights-with-monsters/

It's about a man from earth who, in a freak magic accident, is sent to a medieval fantasy world. I'm heavily biased towards this book, but it doesn't lean that much into the medieval atmosphere, if that's what you were looking for

There's another book in the back of my mind about a boy king on the run after his throne is usurped...but the name of the series escapes me at the moment. It did have a strong medieval vibe from what I can remember and its writing was solid...it was published online as well, I believe the first book or two were available for free. I'll try to remember it's name and get back to you.

Ahh, I had to dig up my old wattpad account to find it. The series is called Chronicles of the Dragon Bound and begins with; Book 1: The King's Exile.

Now that you've got me going I can't stop u_u

If you're a fan of Mulan, I remember reading a pretty good Mulan-retelling called Fearless (A Mulan retelling).



I think I'll stop there for now, give their prologues of the first chapter a read and tell me what you think! I can try to pull up more of the same type once I know what you're looking for.

Wow, you went above and beyond. I was expecting that second-to-last one to be the False Prince, which was the first book I read from start to finish.

Anyways, I’m writing about a character who’s already well-established in the fantasy world, adventuring, slaying monsters and whatnot, but I found it hard to write about his day-to-day life in a way that’s compelling since there are many gaps in my knowledge about medieval fantasy settings.

Thanks for your recommendations, and do let me know if you ever have more! I’m a little less active on here now but feel free to shoot me a message and I’ll check when I can.

The 420-character limit is triggering me so hard rn

Oh! Well I'd recommend He Who fights with monsters then, there's a lot of detail done in the world-buildings and there are quite a few arcs that deal with just how someone might change as a person after being thrust into a medieval setting where the everything's a fight for survival.

Seeing this makes me feel like I should also do some reading for the same idea whenever I have the time.

kyuu I was wondering, you read a lot of web novels. Does that inspire you to RP or write outside of Charms?

I can’t seem to write for the long haul, either because I got addicted to the instant gratification of people reacting to your posts the moment they come out, or because writing on Charms is pure escapism so there’s less pressure than a serious project. Even the one fanfic I wrote was motivated by an RP.

I’m trying to see if web novels can inspire me in the right direction. If not then maybe a detox can help rewire my brain. But so far, I’m enjoying He who fights with monsters quite a bit!

I initially started RPing just as a way to get better at writing since I had to sit a regional English test for all the Carribean islands. Now that I've comfortably passed that I just do it as a hobby. I don't really want to write professionally, maybe the urge will show up another time. For me it's similarly pure escapism and relaxation.

I think if you're trying to go for writing in the long haul then web novels are the easiest way to get in. Once you've got a good fan base you'll definitely get the same type of gratification but it's a bit delayed. There's also the point that some people in the net are too entitled and think the only good books are the ones that fit their tastes.

If you've got an idea you want to try out though, then definitely give it a shot. You could start here on charms and build a few chapters of backlog, maybe see if the idea you have will be a long story or a short story.

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with shorter stories. Novellas can be quite satisfying with how bite sized they are.