Guess That Rec Tournament

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec: Season 4

Want a long-running series with daring escapes, thrilling twists, and even some metatextuality? Mean lesbians, nonbinary baddies, and gays in space, and every ship dynamic you can think of?

Then welcome one, welcome all, to Guess That Rec Season 4, the cult classic tournament where we guess and vote on media based entirely on Booktok-style recommendations. Inspired by @guess-that-ship and this post, the rules of the tournament are simple: submit a recommendation for your favorite piece of media, and we'll vote on which ones we like best, BUT, here's the kicker: You may not mention anything about the actual plot of the story. Instead, we will be voting based on promo-post-style recommendations, which can include tropes, representation, setting, genre, very general theme, and anything else, as long as it doesn't describe anything that actually happens in the story!

Example:

Do you want a high school story with a neurodivergent protagonist working through their trauma by going on adventures in the big city? Queer-coded side characters? Male characters breaking through their toxic masculinity and expressing their feelings? Wholesome sibling relationships?

Then you'll love Catcher in the Rye!

You all know the drill: each rec will be assigned a random number and pitted against another rec, we'll vote for which one we think sounds better, and at the end of the matchup the winner will move on to the next round and the identity of the loser will be revealed.

Polls for round 4 are out and can be found in the #gtr polls tag!

THE RULES:

All recs must be written as recommendations or marketing pitches. While there are plenty of fun ways to describe a work without actually mentioning its plot, the premise of Guess That Rec as a tournament is that we're not just writing bad descriptions, we're writing recommendations in the BookTok style.

Any type of media is permitted. Both fiction and nonfiction are allowed, but everything must be presented as if it's fiction.

You may NOT mention anything to do with the actual plot or premise of the story. Generally speaking, if your rec includes the phrase "this story is about...", unless it's VERY general, it does not belong in this tournament! You may, however, mention:

Tropes (ex. enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, unreliable narrator)

Representation (ex. disabled protagonist, gay side character)

Character dynamics and relationships (ex. dysfunctional siblings, grumpy x sunshine lesbians)

Setting (ex. in space, in the Old West)

Genre and subgenre (ex. historical fiction, whodunnit, workplace comedy)

Comparisons to other media (ex. if you liked Avengers you'll love this, it's Twilight meets Hunger Games)

General themes (ex. love, grief, family)

General elements (ex. murders, adventures, road trips)

Anything else that has NOTHING TO DO with what the story is actually about!

4. You may NOT make anything up: everything must be technically true, or at least up for interpretation. So, in my Catcher in the Rye example, I can't say that there are "canonically gay characters" because there aren't, but I CAN say that there are queer-coded characters. Similarly, if there's a character in your piece of media who exhibits autistic traits but has never been confirmed autistic, you can't call them "autistic", but you can call them "autistic-coded" or mention their specific traits. The use of weasel words (ex. describing a mentally ill serial killer stereotype as "neurodivergent", or a gay villain as a "major queer character") is allowed and encouraged. (Feel free to get creative: for example, last round we had someone describe the dystopian trilogy Divergent as having a "strong neurodivergent female protagonist", because her brain is... Divergent.)

4a. Here at Guess That Rec we encourage stretching and bending the truth until it breaks. If there is ANY way that something said in a rec could possibly be true, it's allowed, so unless you see something egregious - i.e, calling Of Mice and Men a feel-good teen romance with plenty of canonically queer characters - please do not come into my ask box telling me that something's inaccurate.

5. Do not include any identifying details (ex. title, character names, identifying place names) in your rec.

6. Funnier submissions will be given higher priority. Submissions are funnier if A) they're of media that most people have heard of, B) they are technically true while not at all capturing the vibe of the media, and C) they use the format cleverly - twists and turns are encouraged!

6a. Additionally, remember that this is meant to be BAD recs: don't just use this as an excuse to recommend your favorite media! If a Booktok-style rec actually provides a good picture of what your media is, consider either rewriting or not submitting it.

7. Should the same media be submitted by two different people with different recs, priority will generally be given to the first submission, unless a later submission was significantly funnier by the guidelines stipulated in rule #6.

8. There is no banned media: go nuts!

Yet again, I will be allowing resubmissions as long as the new rec is sufficiently different from the one that was in round 2 or 1, with the exception of the winners (Twilight, Red vs. Blue, and Transformers: Prime). The full list of media that competed in round 1 is here, the list of media from round 2 is here, and the list for round 3 is here. (If you're new to the blog and you want to see the rec for a certain work, just search in the tag "#rec [number that the work is listed under]").

Tagging @tournament-announcer!

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 4: Semifinal Poll 2

Which sounds more appealing?

#228

#249

Voting ended onMay 10

Rec #228

Do you want an epic, decades-long fantasy story about a diverse group of unlikely and resilient heroes, a group without a single member who isn't either a POC, queer, or neurodivergent (or at least heavily implied to be one of those)? How about a story with multiple physically disabled characters in important roles, including one who gives crucial aid to the protagonists and one who serves as a terrifyingly effective villain? Do you want to see these characters grow and change and reveal new sides of themselves, and rise to a challenge that at first seems utterly beyond their abilities? Do you want to see a unique fantasy world with deep worldbuilding, rendered in an incredible art style, with a purposefully chosen blend of historical and modern fantasy elements (and careful justification for what might seem out of place)? Do you want a story that questions the assumptions of other fantasy settings and takes them to pieces? (The results can be brutal - but absolutely worth it!) A story that tackles authoritarianism, bigotry, religion (and its costs), sexism, gender, and more - all without letting the narrative get so dark and heavy that it loses sight of its idealistic goals? Do you want a story about defying death, fate, and the gods themselves - about changing a supposedly unchangeable world in the face of overwhelming odds? Then you want this media!

Rec #249

Looking for a new series to get lost in? This [media property] has something for everyone! Deep and complex lore to uncover and puzzle out. Detailed worldbuilding that feels surprisingly alive. A plot with environmentalist and existential themes that digs into both the importance of connecting with others and the need to be able to let go. A cast full of unique and colorful characters including a badass single mother, a fat character who’s a clever and capable leader, a heroic terminally ill warrior racing against time to save someone else’s life, and a nonbinary mentor figure doing all they can to assist from afar. And while the series is definitely not without romance, the most central and compelling interpersonal relationship is actually a troubled but ultimately loving sibling bond. A new installment came out late 2025, and although the fandom is on the smaller side, they’re surprisingly prolific- between the trilogy itself and the people making fanworks, if you like the series, you’ll have plenty of content to explore.

[guessthatrec-poll]

Congratulations to rec #228 for winning the matchup and moving onto the final poll!

The identity of rec #249 is...

Rain World!

Submitter notes:

*’Rich and complex lore’ - straightforwardly true, just heavily underplaying how much work is required to uncover it. On top of the fact that this is a game series (and so inherently reliant on the player’s efforts), the vast majority of the lore is optional, and some of it is pretty far out of the way. *’Worldbuilding feels surprisingly alive’ - capturing the feeling of being a prey animal in a living, breathing ecosystem is one of Rain World’s selling points. *’A plot with…’: The ecological impact of the iterators and their torrential rains, ascension and the cycle of death and rebirth, Five Pebbles’s character arc, the Artificer, and the cycle again. *’Unique and colorful characters’- literally true again, but the characters also come in a rainbow of different hues and shades. *’a badass single mom’ - the Artificer *’a fat character who’s a clever and capable leader’ - the Gourmand *’a terminally ill warrior’ - the Hunter *’a nonbinary mentor’ - Seven Red Suns, though they’re actually a mentor to Five Pebbles, rather than any of the three characters mentioned. *’not without romance’ - it’s postgame content for a masochistically difficult easter egg character, but there is in fact a dating game. *’central and compelling… sibling bond’ - Five Pebbles and Looks to the Moon *’a new installment’ - the September post-release content for The Watcher; as an update, you install it on your computer *…..Also, in addition to the games and the modding community (not to mention the fanartists and writers) having a lot of content….. you’ll probably get literally lost a few times while you play. ;p

Rain World has been guessed correctly 0 times and incorrectly 1 time as Star Wars, 1 time as Broken Earth, and 1 time as The Legend of Heroes: Trails from the Sky!

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 4: Semifinal Poll 1

Which sounds more appealing?

#193

#215

Voting ended onMay 10

Rec #193

aren't you just SICK of all cool adventure media having romantic subplots? aren't you TIRED of so many popular series only having boring, cishet and white characters? well, this indie series, set in an incredibly creative medieval fantasy-esque world that completely takes advantage of its worldbuilding, not only has no romance in it whatsoever, but also has all different kinds of queer and poc representation! two of the protagonists are poc, and many important members of the accompanying cast are similarly minorities in some way, with none of that being portrayed as their whole personality! it's all about adventures and relationships between characters, with no romantic focus whatsoever, but lots of complicated dynamics (including friends to enemies, enemies to friends, mentorships, betrayals, alliances, secret identities, platonic yandere behaviour, and more)!!! not to mention the sheer amount of diverse mental health representation - with one of the main characters beind adhd-coded and another having implied ocd, as well as a few of the side characters being confirmed neurodivergent by their actors! the length of the show may be a little daunting, but it's worth binging for supporting independent creators and appreciating good representation, especially in a genre and media type where that's rare to come by.

Rec #215

Action. Science. Drama. Romance. This media has it all. Featuring the exploits of a brilliant, charismatic, polyamorous alien woman scientist, and a large, majority female supporting cast that ends up more like an ensemble cast with countless interlocking storylines. Other characters include a kind and caring non-combat-oriented male lead whose primary role is as a supporter and love interest to the women, several queer-coded and neurodivergent-coded characters, and even a canon genderfluid character. It blends soft science fiction with fantasy elements to create a world of strange and compelling alien creatures, dangerous alien overlords, powerful biologically engineered lifeforms bent on destruction, and wild and improbable hi-tech gadgets causing chaos. It's known for pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the genre, and there's also a sequel which is even more determined to go above and beyond in new and exciting ways. Don't miss it!

[guessthatrec-poll]

This poll will be moving into emergency tiebreakers!

Which sounds more appealing?

#198

#215

Voting ended onMay 11

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 4: Semifinal Poll 1

Which sounds more appealing?

#193

#215

Voting ended onMay 10

Rec #193

aren't you just SICK of all cool adventure media having romantic subplots? aren't you TIRED of so many popular series only having boring, cishet and white characters? well, this indie series, set in an incredibly creative medieval fantasy-esque world that completely takes advantage of its worldbuilding, not only has no romance in it whatsoever, but also has all different kinds of queer and poc representation! two of the protagonists are poc, and many important members of the accompanying cast are similarly minorities in some way, with none of that being portrayed as their whole personality! it's all about adventures and relationships between characters, with no romantic focus whatsoever, but lots of complicated dynamics (including friends to enemies, enemies to friends, mentorships, betrayals, alliances, secret identities, platonic yandere behaviour, and more)!!! not to mention the sheer amount of diverse mental health representation - with one of the main characters beind adhd-coded and another having implied ocd, as well as a few of the side characters being confirmed neurodivergent by their actors! the length of the show may be a little daunting, but it's worth binging for supporting independent creators and appreciating good representation, especially in a genre and media type where that's rare to come by.

Rec #215

Action. Science. Drama. Romance. This media has it all. Featuring the exploits of a brilliant, charismatic, polyamorous alien woman scientist, and a large, majority female supporting cast that ends up more like an ensemble cast with countless interlocking storylines. Other characters include a kind and caring non-combat-oriented male lead whose primary role is as a supporter and love interest to the women, several queer-coded and neurodivergent-coded characters, and even a canon genderfluid character. It blends soft science fiction with fantasy elements to create a world of strange and compelling alien creatures, dangerous alien overlords, powerful biologically engineered lifeforms bent on destruction, and wild and improbable hi-tech gadgets causing chaos. It's known for pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the genre, and there's also a sequel which is even more determined to go above and beyond in new and exciting ways. Don't miss it!

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 4: Semifinal Poll 2

Which sounds more appealing?

#228

#249

Voting ended onMay 10

Rec #228

Do you want an epic, decades-long fantasy story about a diverse group of unlikely and resilient heroes, a group without a single member who isn't either a POC, queer, or neurodivergent (or at least heavily implied to be one of those)? How about a story with multiple physically disabled characters in important roles, including one who gives crucial aid to the protagonists and one who serves as a terrifyingly effective villain? Do you want to see these characters grow and change and reveal new sides of themselves, and rise to a challenge that at first seems utterly beyond their abilities? Do you want to see a unique fantasy world with deep worldbuilding, rendered in an incredible art style, with a purposefully chosen blend of historical and modern fantasy elements (and careful justification for what might seem out of place)? Do you want a story that questions the assumptions of other fantasy settings and takes them to pieces? (The results can be brutal - but absolutely worth it!) A story that tackles authoritarianism, bigotry, religion (and its costs), sexism, gender, and more - all without letting the narrative get so dark and heavy that it loses sight of its idealistic goals? Do you want a story about defying death, fate, and the gods themselves - about changing a supposedly unchangeable world in the face of overwhelming odds? Then you want this media!

Rec #249

Looking for a new series to get lost in? This [media property] has something for everyone! Deep and complex lore to uncover and puzzle out. Detailed worldbuilding that feels surprisingly alive. A plot with environmentalist and existential themes that digs into both the importance of connecting with others and the need to be able to let go. A cast full of unique and colorful characters including a badass single mother, a fat character who’s a clever and capable leader, a heroic terminally ill warrior racing against time to save someone else’s life, and a nonbinary mentor figure doing all they can to assist from afar. And while the series is definitely not without romance, the most central and compelling interpersonal relationship is actually a troubled but ultimately loving sibling bond. A new installment came out late 2025, and although the fandom is on the smaller side, they’re surprisingly prolific- between the trilogy itself and the people making fanworks, if you like the series, you’ll have plenty of content to explore.

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 4: Semifinal Poll 2

Which sounds more appealing?

#228

#249

Voting ended onMay 10

Rec #228

Do you want an epic, decades-long fantasy story about a diverse group of unlikely and resilient heroes, a group without a single member who isn't either a POC, queer, or neurodivergent (or at least heavily implied to be one of those)? How about a story with multiple physically disabled characters in important roles, including one who gives crucial aid to the protagonists and one who serves as a terrifyingly effective villain? Do you want to see these characters grow and change and reveal new sides of themselves, and rise to a challenge that at first seems utterly beyond their abilities? Do you want to see a unique fantasy world with deep worldbuilding, rendered in an incredible art style, with a purposefully chosen blend of historical and modern fantasy elements (and careful justification for what might seem out of place)? Do you want a story that questions the assumptions of other fantasy settings and takes them to pieces? (The results can be brutal - but absolutely worth it!) A story that tackles authoritarianism, bigotry, religion (and its costs), sexism, gender, and more - all without letting the narrative get so dark and heavy that it loses sight of its idealistic goals? Do you want a story about defying death, fate, and the gods themselves - about changing a supposedly unchangeable world in the face of overwhelming odds? Then you want this media!

Rec #249

Looking for a new series to get lost in? This [media property] has something for everyone! Deep and complex lore to uncover and puzzle out. Detailed worldbuilding that feels surprisingly alive. A plot with environmentalist and existential themes that digs into both the importance of connecting with others and the need to be able to let go. A cast full of unique and colorful characters including a badass single mother, a fat character who’s a clever and capable leader, a heroic terminally ill warrior racing against time to save someone else’s life, and a nonbinary mentor figure doing all they can to assist from afar. And while the series is definitely not without romance, the most central and compelling interpersonal relationship is actually a troubled but ultimately loving sibling bond. A new installment came out late 2025, and although the fandom is on the smaller side, they’re surprisingly prolific- between the trilogy itself and the people making fanworks, if you like the series, you’ll have plenty of content to explore.

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 4: Semifinal Poll 1

Which sounds more appealing?

#193

#215

Voting ended onMay 10

Rec #193

aren't you just SICK of all cool adventure media having romantic subplots? aren't you TIRED of so many popular series only having boring, cishet and white characters? well, this indie series, set in an incredibly creative medieval fantasy-esque world that completely takes advantage of its worldbuilding, not only has no romance in it whatsoever, but also has all different kinds of queer and poc representation! two of the protagonists are poc, and many important members of the accompanying cast are similarly minorities in some way, with none of that being portrayed as their whole personality! it's all about adventures and relationships between characters, with no romantic focus whatsoever, but lots of complicated dynamics (including friends to enemies, enemies to friends, mentorships, betrayals, alliances, secret identities, platonic yandere behaviour, and more)!!! not to mention the sheer amount of diverse mental health representation - with one of the main characters beind adhd-coded and another having implied ocd, as well as a few of the side characters being confirmed neurodivergent by their actors! the length of the show may be a little daunting, but it's worth binging for supporting independent creators and appreciating good representation, especially in a genre and media type where that's rare to come by.

Rec #215

Action. Science. Drama. Romance. This media has it all. Featuring the exploits of a brilliant, charismatic, polyamorous alien woman scientist, and a large, majority female supporting cast that ends up more like an ensemble cast with countless interlocking storylines. Other characters include a kind and caring non-combat-oriented male lead whose primary role is as a supporter and love interest to the women, several queer-coded and neurodivergent-coded characters, and even a canon genderfluid character. It blends soft science fiction with fantasy elements to create a world of strange and compelling alien creatures, dangerous alien overlords, powerful biologically engineered lifeforms bent on destruction, and wild and improbable hi-tech gadgets causing chaos. It's known for pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the genre, and there's also a sequel which is even more determined to go above and beyond in new and exciting ways. Don't miss it!

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 4: Round 4, Poll 1

Which sounds more appealing?

#193

#208

Voting ended onApr 26

Rec #193

aren't you just SICK of all cool adventure media having romantic subplots? aren't you TIRED of so many popular series only having boring, cishet and white characters? well, this indie series, set in an incredibly creative medieval fantasy-esque world that completely takes advantage of its worldbuilding, not only has no romance in it whatsoever, but also has all different kinds of queer and poc representation! two of the protagonists are poc, and many important members of the accompanying cast are similarly minorities in some way, with none of that being portrayed as their whole personality! it's all about adventures and relationships between characters, with no romantic focus whatsoever, but lots of complicated dynamics (including friends to enemies, enemies to friends, mentorships, betrayals, alliances, secret identities, platonic yandere behaviour, and more)!!! not to mention the sheer amount of diverse mental health representation - with one of the main characters beind adhd-coded and another having implied ocd, as well as a few of the side characters being confirmed neurodivergent by their actors! the length of the show may be a little daunting, but it's worth binging for supporting independent creators and appreciating good representation, especially in a genre and media type where that's rare to come by.

Rec #208

Do unique takes on the Greek gods interest you? Loving homages to CRT-era television? Intense deconstruction of Catholicism? Road trips through apocalyptic settings? Doomed romance that could end in CANNIBALISM? If so, you’ll HAVE to check out [TITLE], a serialized multimedia story with an ensemble cast of diverse characters! (For those worried about hiatuses or cancellations, don’t worry– it has reached a conclusion!).

And while the government-defying found family is compelling, this story’s greatest strength is EASILY its worldbuilding. It’s solarpunk meets retrofuturism meets cottagecore with a dash of disco! The implications of the alternate history are thought-out in such detail that even the designs of postage stamps are considered. And of course, there’s still plenty of fantastical elements (for all of you romantasy lovers~)-- otherworldly storms and abandoned technologies of the past!

[guessthatrec-poll]

Congratulations to rec #193 for winning the matchup and moving onto the semifinals!

The identity of rec #208 is...

The Martian!

Submitter notes:

Rec notes:

-Unique takes on the greek gods: By that, I mean that some of the spaceships are named after greek gods.

-Intense deconstruction of Catholicism: at one point, the protagonist uses some of the wood from a crucifix to start a fire

-"apocalypic settings" I mean, if Earth ended up how mars is, that would probably be an apocalypse

-At one point, a character references how if something in a mission fails, she may end up the only survivor on a spaceship who could resort to cannibalism. Her love interest would be one of the dead astronauts in this scenario.

-The Martian was originally serialized, and the story is told both via logs and via other character POVs.

-"government-defying found family" references a group of astronauts who work together to do a mutiny.

-Solarpunk = there are solar panels and the protagonist grows plants…… yeah it's a bit of a stretch

-Retrofuturism: imagining the future from the perspective of the past (2011 being the past). 'alternate history' references how elements that would be more relevant in space travel today (ie, SpaceX type stuff) aren't relevant in this story

-Postage stamp thing: there's this tiny plot point where postage stamps meant to honor the "memory" of a presumed-dead protagonist are recalled once people learn he's alive.

-"Otherworldly storms" reference both how the storms are "otherworldy" from earth (being on Mars) and also how the storms couldn't actually happen IRL, since wind on Mars wouldn't be able to cause as many problems IRL as it does in the book. The "abandoned technologies of the past" reference the various rovers/etc left on Mars

The Martian has been guessed correctly 0 times and incorrectly 2 times as Lore Olympus and 1 time as Discworld.

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 4: Round 4, Poll 2

Which sounds more appealing?

#215

#222

Voting ended onApr 26

Rec #215

Action. Science. Drama. Romance. This media has it all. Featuring the exploits of a brilliant, charismatic, polyamorous alien woman scientist, and a large, majority female supporting cast that ends up more like an ensemble cast with countless interlocking storylines. Other characters include a kind and caring non-combat-oriented male lead whose primary role is as a supporter and love interest to the women, several queer-coded and neurodivergent-coded characters, and even a canon genderfluid character. It blends soft science fiction with fantasy elements to create a world of strange and compelling alien creatures, dangerous alien overlords, powerful biologically engineered lifeforms bent on destruction, and wild and improbable hi-tech gadgets causing chaos. It's known for pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the genre, and there's also a sequel which is even more determined to go above and beyond in new and exciting ways. Don't miss it!

Rec #222

Do you have mommy issues? If so, you should really check out [Media]!

It’s a high-fantasy story with young adventurers, prophesied princes, and honor-bound knights— but the protagonist, rather than being any of these tired cliches, is an older woman who is complex, morally grey, and a bit of a gamer tbh. This story combines flashbacks, personal journal excerpts, and present-day scenes following her move to the big city to weave a compelling (feminist!!!) tale about identity, family, and defying expectations.

The fantasy-dystopian steampunk/cyberpunk dark-academia/apocalyptic (and overall very aesthetic) setting effortlessly combines its own original and complex lore with references to 13th-century Latin poetry, 17th-century metafictional narratives, and 20th-century gothic horror. Locales are beautifully described too (you often feel as if you’re on a long nature walk when experiencing this story), although I will admit the language gets a bit too flowery towards the end.

But if you don’t care much about worldbuilding or writing styles, never fear, as this story’s diverse ensemble cast is filled with compelling characters you’re sure to love (and/or hate)-- many of whom are disabled and/or queer! We’ve got robots, a literal cottagecore witch, gay cryptid hunters, weird little girls, several enby icons, at least one bird, secret wizards, and a quirky med student who’s just trying his best. Some of them even survive to the end! Plus, there may be romance. Not to spoil, but if you’re a fan of doomed relationships, want a subversive take on the classic Orpheus-and-Eurydice myth, or want to see a protagonist steal a couple hearts throughout her journey… you may enjoy this story even more ;)

[guessthatrec-poll]

Congratulations to rec #215 for winning the matchup and moving onto the semifinals!

The identity of rec #222 is...

Hollow Knight: Silksong!

Submitter notes:

I actually wrote this back during Season 3's submission period but didn't want to submit it as it had (very vague and completely out of context) allusions to late-game spoilers. Overall, I'm happy to have made a silksong reccommendation with no overt references to silk OR song (shoutout to rec 145's writer for doing the same! I was shocked for that reveal lol).

Anyways, here's my explanations for some of the more unclear things in this rec:

-A bit of a gamer: a mid-game and a late-game quest. Also probably the only time I imply this is a video game in the rec.

-Hunter's journal= personal journal excerpts

-'move to the big city' = being captured and taken to the citadel

-cyberpunk= lots of fantasy technology implanted into people, robots… plus, i mean, a lot of this story is set in a "world wide web" of sorts.

-13th-century latin poetry is referencing "Dies Irae", this hymn that you can find references to basically everywhere in the Silksong OST. 17th-century metafictional narrative is a really bad way of describing Don Quixote (the NPCs Garmond and Zaza are references to this in-game) and 20th-century gothic horror refers to Phantom of the Opera, of course

-I then got super sneaky with how I phrased things in order to pretend that this is a book rather than a video game. "You often feel as if you're on a long nature walk" references a critique of how some boss fights are far from the checkpoints you respawn at. And "the language gets too flowery towards the end" is just a literal reference to a late-game quest rather than anything about actual "flowery language"

-For my character descriptions, some are obvious for if you've played, but for the less obvious ones-- cottagecore witch is Greyroot (one thing I knew for sure when writing this rec was that I was going to describe them as a cottagecore witch at some point lol), the gay cryptid hunters are the verdanian princes (minor late-game lore establishes that they got their throne via killing a cryptid), at least one bird is the Fayforn (it's a bird to me), and the quirky med student who is trying his best is Sherma (he's trying to learn how to heal people, etc).

-'Subversive take on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth' is just a very badly-described version of a late-game quest in which a protagonist (who can play music) rescues someone from an underground region and, at one point in a cutscene, does look back.

-Protagonist stealing a couple of hearts is a literal reference to a sidequest.

Silksong has been guessed correctly 3 times and incorrectly 1 time as I'm In Love with the Villainess and 1 time as Darkest Dungeon!

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 4: Round 4, Poll 3

Which sounds more appealing?

#228

#239

Voting ended onApr 26

Rec #228

Do you want an epic, decades-long fantasy story about a diverse group of unlikely and resilient heroes, a group without a single member who isn't either a POC, queer, or neurodivergent (or at least heavily implied to be one of those)? How about a story with multiple physically disabled characters in important roles, including one who gives crucial aid to the protagonists and one who serves as a terrifyingly effective villain? Do you want to see these characters grow and change and reveal new sides of themselves, and rise to a challenge that at first seems utterly beyond their abilities? Do you want to see a unique fantasy world with deep worldbuilding, rendered in an incredible art style, with a purposefully chosen blend of historical and modern fantasy elements (and careful justification for what might seem out of place)? Do you want a story that questions the assumptions of other fantasy settings and takes them to pieces? (The results can be brutal - but absolutely worth it!) A story that tackles authoritarianism, bigotry, religion (and its costs), sexism, gender, and more - all without letting the narrative get so dark and heavy that it loses sight of its idealistic goals? Do you want a story about defying death, fate, and the gods themselves - about changing a supposedly unchangeable world in the face of overwhelming odds? Then you want this media!

Rec #239

Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss! Women rule in this dark fantasy. In a world where it seems that only women can do magic, a man is guided by prophecy to step into his power - but in doing so, will he destroy everyone he cares about? Good thing he's got a group of powerful women to help him out! And don't think that the women are just one-dimensional badasses propping him up - they've got a lot going on, and the main one in particular gets to really show her vulnerable side. The story is full of intrigue, battles, romance, and betrayal, with assumptions about gender getting challenged and fresh takes on Tolkienesque tropes along the way. What more could you want?

[guessthatrec-poll]

Congratulations to rec #228 for winning the matchup and moving onto the semifinals!

The identity of rec #239 is...

Macbeth!

Macbeth has been guessed correctly 0 times and incorrectly 1 time as The Wheel of Time, 1 time as Dune, 1 time as What Fury Brings, and 2 times as Chained Soldier!

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 4: Round 4, Poll 4

Which sounds more appealing?

#246

#249

Voting ended onApr 26

Rec #246

If you're looking for a new read that dives deep into politics and the flaws of monarchy AND so-called democracy, this gritty alternate history has everything you could want in a book: several POC characters (including the main protagonist!), prominently featured queer characters, intense political intrigue, and so many girlbosses you can't even keep track! Secrets and lies plague the monarchy featured in this book, and nearly tear it apart; at the same time, flaws in the democratic system and electoral college are also implicitly critiqued. This political thriller is underlined with canon MLM enemies-to-lovers that will have you on the edge of your seat, and the way the relationship ties into the politics is chefs kiss. This book will challenge you to rethink flaws in political systems all over the world, and it's written by a queer author!

Rec #249

Looking for a new series to get lost in? This [media property] has something for everyone! Deep and complex lore to uncover and puzzle out. Detailed worldbuilding that feels surprisingly alive. A plot with environmentalist and existential themes that digs into both the importance of connecting with others and the need to be able to let go. A cast full of unique and colorful characters including a badass single mother, a fat character who’s a clever and capable leader, a heroic terminally ill warrior racing against time to save someone else’s life, and a nonbinary mentor figure doing all they can to assist from afar. And while the series is definitely not without romance, the most central and compelling interpersonal relationship is actually a troubled but ultimately loving sibling bond. A new installment came out late 2025, and although the fandom is on the smaller side, they’re surprisingly prolific- between the trilogy itself and the people making fanworks, if you like the series, you’ll have plenty of content to explore.

[guessthatrec-poll]

Congratulations to rec #249 for winning the matchup and moving onto the semifinals!

The identity of rec #246 is...

Red, White, and Royal Blue!

Submitter notes:

This feels a little cheap because the book itself lowkey IS a booktok book that gets shitty recs like these, but it still is a fun read if you don't think about the politics too hard lol

Red, White, and Royal Blue has been guessed correctly 0 times and incorrectly 1 time as Plato's dialogues and 1 time as Hamilton!

[guessthatrec-poll]

Riddle of Strider submitter here. Tolkien must be rolling in his grave after his lovely poem got guessed as Mein Kampf! (positive) But I'm the one who guessed Atlantis as Birth of a Nation, so I guess what goes around comes around.

My only regret is that the LotR rec didn't end up going head to head with Riddle of Strider, but Riddle of Strider getting further in the tournament than the media it's actually from is pretty funny too.

What goes around comes around, indeed. But I loved the Riddle of Strider rec: it was so fun to have in the tournament. Thanks for submitting it!

[guessthatrec-poll]

i'm going to go ahead and guess that #246 is hamilton the musical

Guess noted!

[guessthatrec-poll]

There’s a couple points I’m iffy on, but I feel like 215 could be The Rising of the Shield Hero?

Guess noted!

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 4: Round 4, Poll 4

Which sounds more appealing?

#246

#249

Voting ended onApr 26

Rec #246

If you're looking for a new read that dives deep into politics and the flaws of monarchy AND so-called democracy, this gritty alternate history has everything you could want in a book: several POC characters (including the main protagonist!), prominently featured queer characters, intense political intrigue, and so many girlbosses you can't even keep track! Secrets and lies plague the monarchy featured in this book, and nearly tear it apart; at the same time, flaws in the democratic system and electoral college are also implicitly critiqued. This political thriller is underlined with canon MLM enemies-to-lovers that will have you on the edge of your seat, and the way the relationship ties into the politics is chefs kiss. This book will challenge you to rethink flaws in political systems all over the world, and it's written by a queer author!

Rec #249

Looking for a new series to get lost in? This [media property] has something for everyone! Deep and complex lore to uncover and puzzle out. Detailed worldbuilding that feels surprisingly alive. A plot with environmentalist and existential themes that digs into both the importance of connecting with others and the need to be able to let go. A cast full of unique and colorful characters including a badass single mother, a fat character who’s a clever and capable leader, a heroic terminally ill warrior racing against time to save someone else’s life, and a nonbinary mentor figure doing all they can to assist from afar. And while the series is definitely not without romance, the most central and compelling interpersonal relationship is actually a troubled but ultimately loving sibling bond. A new installment came out late 2025, and although the fandom is on the smaller side, they’re surprisingly prolific- between the trilogy itself and the people making fanworks, if you like the series, you’ll have plenty of content to explore.

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 4: Round 4, Poll 3

Which sounds more appealing?

#228

#239

Voting ended onApr 26

Rec #228

Do you want an epic, decades-long fantasy story about a diverse group of unlikely and resilient heroes, a group without a single member who isn't either a POC, queer, or neurodivergent (or at least heavily implied to be one of those)? How about a story with multiple physically disabled characters in important roles, including one who gives crucial aid to the protagonists and one who serves as a terrifyingly effective villain? Do you want to see these characters grow and change and reveal new sides of themselves, and rise to a challenge that at first seems utterly beyond their abilities? Do you want to see a unique fantasy world with deep worldbuilding, rendered in an incredible art style, with a purposefully chosen blend of historical and modern fantasy elements (and careful justification for what might seem out of place)? Do you want a story that questions the assumptions of other fantasy settings and takes them to pieces? (The results can be brutal - but absolutely worth it!) A story that tackles authoritarianism, bigotry, religion (and its costs), sexism, gender, and more - all without letting the narrative get so dark and heavy that it loses sight of its idealistic goals? Do you want a story about defying death, fate, and the gods themselves - about changing a supposedly unchangeable world in the face of overwhelming odds? Then you want this media!

Rec #239

Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss! Women rule in this dark fantasy. In a world where it seems that only women can do magic, a man is guided by prophecy to step into his power - but in doing so, will he destroy everyone he cares about? Good thing he's got a group of powerful women to help him out! And don't think that the women are just one-dimensional badasses propping him up - they've got a lot going on, and the main one in particular gets to really show her vulnerable side. The story is full of intrigue, battles, romance, and betrayal, with assumptions about gender getting challenged and fresh takes on Tolkienesque tropes along the way. What more could you want?

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 4: Round 4, Poll 2

Which sounds more appealing?

#215

#222

Voting ended onApr 26

Rec #215

Action. Science. Drama. Romance. This media has it all. Featuring the exploits of a brilliant, charismatic, polyamorous alien woman scientist, and a large, majority female supporting cast that ends up more like an ensemble cast with countless interlocking storylines. Other characters include a kind and caring non-combat-oriented male lead whose primary role is as a supporter and love interest to the women, several queer-coded and neurodivergent-coded characters, and even a canon genderfluid character. It blends soft science fiction with fantasy elements to create a world of strange and compelling alien creatures, dangerous alien overlords, powerful biologically engineered lifeforms bent on destruction, and wild and improbable hi-tech gadgets causing chaos. It's known for pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the genre, and there's also a sequel which is even more determined to go above and beyond in new and exciting ways. Don't miss it!

Rec #222

Do you have mommy issues? If so, you should really check out [Media]!

It’s a high-fantasy story with young adventurers, prophesied princes, and honor-bound knights— but the protagonist, rather than being any of these tired cliches, is an older woman who is complex, morally grey, and a bit of a gamer tbh. This story combines flashbacks, personal journal excerpts, and present-day scenes following her move to the big city to weave a compelling (feminist!!!) tale about identity, family, and defying expectations.

The fantasy-dystopian steampunk/cyberpunk dark-academia/apocalyptic (and overall very aesthetic) setting effortlessly combines its own original and complex lore with references to 13th-century Latin poetry, 17th-century metafictional narratives, and 20th-century gothic horror. Locales are beautifully described too (you often feel as if you’re on a long nature walk when experiencing this story), although I will admit the language gets a bit too flowery towards the end.

But if you don’t care much about worldbuilding or writing styles, never fear, as this story’s diverse ensemble cast is filled with compelling characters you’re sure to love (and/or hate)-- many of whom are disabled and/or queer! We’ve got robots, a literal cottagecore witch, gay cryptid hunters, weird little girls, several enby icons, at least one bird, secret wizards, and a quirky med student who’s just trying his best. Some of them even survive to the end! Plus, there may be romance. Not to spoil, but if you’re a fan of doomed relationships, want a subversive take on the classic Orpheus-and-Eurydice myth, or want to see a protagonist steal a couple hearts throughout her journey… you may enjoy this story even more ;)