#rec 222

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 4: Round 2, Poll 8

Which sounds more appealing?

#222

#223

Voting ended onMar 22

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 ;)

Rec #223

a grand, generation-spanning story. a setting where anyone can die without sacrificing their narrative in the process. the course of events can be wildly unpredictable at first, but there's plenty of foreshadowing that experienced viewers can pick up on if they pay attention. it also features open sexuality and casual, respectful representation of polyamory.

[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]

Guess That Rec Season 4: Round 1, Poll 15

Which sounds more appealing?

#221

#222

Voting ended onFeb 28

Rec #221

Do you like a high school story? A strong emphasis on the power of friendship? How about a DOG???? Then this show might be for you! Sure, the protagonist has boy drama sometimes, but the backbone of the show is her relationship with her best friend. And it really has everything! Mean cheerleaders! Nice cheerleaders! Toxic rich people! Parents dating teachers (but with a twist)! A hot bad boy! A sweet good boy! A rich boy who promises trouble! And you know you love a close parent-daughter relationship, even if it gets bumpy sometimes.

For real, though – it’s not all about the shipping (although who doesn’t love some classic will-they-won’t-they… or the getting back with your ex trope? 😊 There’s even a li’l forbidden romance if that’s your jam!). We’ve got female friendships! We’ve got platonic m/f relationships! We’ve got longtime adult friendships! We’ve got cute community events and a town with a strong personality! We’ve got a tiiiiny bit of wealth wish-fulfillment. 😊 And we’ve got some consideration given to serious issues at times as well – it’s not ALL sunflowers and hot cocoa, especially in the later material that deals with the main character’s adult life. The characters aren’t perfect – the MC even commits a crime at one point! – but they’re relatable.

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]

Guess That Rec Season 4: Round 3, Poll 4

Which sounds more appealing?

#217

#222

Voting ended onApr 5

Rec #217

Do you like tragic friends to rivals to two-broken-men-working-together-but-they-can-never-go-back-to-what-they-were unrequited gay love (with so many breakups in between) and love triangles? A main character you can say is both a transmasc and transfem allegory in the most subtle yet unmissable way possible? Do you want a streamlined version of 100+ episode melodramas? You'll learn something about history and world theatre, but you might be too engrossed in how melodramatic and stylish the lead actor (fun fact the actor [RIP] was bi IRL) and the other two leads are.

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]

Nono wait anon is right #222 is totally Silksong...

Guess noted!

[guessthatrec-poll]

Rec 222 submitter here to guess my opponent's rec again! I'll go with the Darkest Dungeon games as my guess.

Guess noted!

[guessthatrec-poll]

God damnit 222 IS silksong isn't it. "steal a couple hearts" oh my gods-

Guess noted!

[guessthatrec-poll]

submitter of #223 here to fulfill the tradition of guessing my opponent rec.

i had to think about it for a while before i could come up with anything that even kinda fits, but my best guess for #222 is Hollow Knight: Silksong. it's not perfect (no idea who the gay cryptid hunters are supposed to be, unless i'm forgetting some obscure lore tidbit), but the fact that it contains flashbacks and journal entries written by its protagonist (who happens to be Very Old) and has a setting that can be easily interpreted to fit all the descriptors specified in the rec (i think the least obvious is cyberpunk, which doesn't fit aesthetically but does fit very well in terms of narrative themes) makes me confident that this is the best fit *i* can think of, even if it isn't the actual media.

Guess noted!