One thing I love about the found family trope is how differently it appears across fantasy (for example): • Cosy fantasy: people come together gently, low stakes, warm vibes. • Epic/high fantasy: mismatched groups form under pressure, often through shared struggle and trauma. • Urban & contemporary fantasy: families form through survival, secrecy, and trust. • Dark & gothic fantasy: relationships can be intense or morally complex, showing that found family isn’t always safe or easy.

I’m curious: • Which subgenre gives you your favorite found families? • Do you prefer families that form through comfort, through shared struggle, or a mix of both? • Does the story’s tone (cozy vs. dark/gritty) affect how strongly the family hits you emotionally?

For me personally, I’m all about epic fantasy and gothic/dark fantasy: those mismatched crews, forming bonds through trauma and facing danger together, just hit so deeply. That “we survive this together or not at all” dynamic is my absolute favourite. I love the dark, gritty moments where trauma-bonding turns a ragtag crew into family!

I’d love to hear your thoughts 🫶🏽 Which fantasy found families stick with you the most, and why?

"It was the absolute farce of it all," said Elspeth. "One day it all seemed so silly to me, and I couldn't stop laughing about it. The symbolic system collapsed. You write a good paper, and it's rejected because your reviewer was having a bad day. You're the perfect fit for a job, and you lose to the committee chair's godson. Once you have a job it doesn't get better—do you know how many people are passed over for tenure because someone somewhere once felt they were rude at a party? I mean, what's the fucking point?"

As an ex-academic (in maths as well) I have never related so heavily to a depiction of academia in media. I always felt I had a healthy cynicism for the university system (since I started research in undergrad) but there was a certain point where it hit me: why was I putting myself through all that, accumulating anxiety disorders and chronic illnesses from the stress, when hard work meant nothing in a system that continues to prop up rich, well-connected white men at the expense of hard-working and accomplished people? I don't necessarily support Elspeth's solution but I've also never been happier since leaving academia.

Maybe the book has taken me hostage because I was totally planning on doing other things tonight but I just can't stop reading ?

Greetings and Salutations! 👋 I am OhMyDio, the current holder of the Discworld Quest, here to invite you to a cross-quest readalong!

The Color of Magic by Sir Terry Pratchett is what I like to call a Triple Threat. This delightful tome is on three quests: Discworld, Epic Sci-Fi & Fantasy, and Iconic Series. So we're gonna do a three way cross-quest readalong!

What is the Discworld? The Discworld is a flat planet on the backs of 4 elephants standing on a giant space turtle. It is a comedy fantasy series spanning 41 books, and the Color of Magic is the first book, although not the only entry point into the series. There are multiple series within Discworld, ranging from witches to city watch guards to Death himself. The Color of Magic is the first book published, and the first installment of the Rincewind novels.

What's The Color of Magic about? Rincewind, a very incompetent wizard, is hired as the tour guide for Twoflower, an insurance agent and the very first tourist on holiday to Ankh-Morpork, a town with a lavishly rich underbelly not entirely safe for people with as much disposable income as Twoflower. With an oddly intelligent and feisty luggage trunk in tow, Rincewind is tasked with keeping Twoflower safe from peril in the city.

The Deets: We'll start the first week of February and go through the end of March. If you need (or want) to start earlier or end later, please do! There currently is not specific functionality for buddy reads, and to accommodate different reading styles and timelines we won't set a specific reading schedule. Read at your own pace and join us in the forums as you are able! I'll endeavor to post at consistent intervals, and I hope you all will join in and together we can make the forum lively and robust!

I've cross-posted this to the other two Quest forums (after consulting those Quest owners) so I hope we'll get a large gaggle of folks together - and hopefully we'll all be able to connect with more Bounders who share similar book tastes!

If you have questions please let me know! Thanks for reading this far & I hope you can join us, either now or following behind at a later time.

Happy reading! 💕🎉

One of the things I think about when it comes to memoirs is that a good memoir often lingers long after I've finished reading, not because of the events themselves but because of the perspective it offers me. So I'm wondering, what’s a memoir that changed the way you see the world, or yourself, and why did it resonate so strongly with you?

I haven't read very many from this quest yet, but still, Know My Name by Chanel Miller is definitely my answer. I read it in 2022 and I still think about it all the time. When I was reading it, I was feeling (and learning!) just how much courage it takes to reclaim your own voice after something so horrific. It really made me think about how often society silences survivors and how important it is to listen and believe people’s experiences. I still find myself reflecting on my own assumptions and how I can be more empathetic in everyday life. It was so valuable to me.

I'm still looking for more recommendations from this quest so I'm hoping this question helps me find some gems ☺️

What is your favourite cozy read that’s already in this quest!!

I’ve somehow read seven despite not thinking myself as a cozy reader 😂 next up to get me silver is: - Legends & Lattes - A Psalm for the Wild-Built - Howl’s Moving Castle

If you think I should read something else in this quest let me know what and why!

Greetings and Salutations! 👋 I am OhMyDio, the current holder of the Discworld Quest, here to invite you to a cross-quest readalong!

The Color of Magic by Sir Terry Pratchett is what I like to call a Triple Threat. This delightful tome is on three quests: Discworld, Epic Sci-Fi & Fantasy, and Iconic Series. So we're gonna do a three way cross-quest readalong!

What is the Discworld? The Discworld is a flat planet on the backs of 4 elephants standing on a giant space turtle. It is a comedy fantasy series spanning 41 books, and the Color of Magic is the first book, although not the only entry point into the series. There are multiple series within Discworld, ranging from witches to city watch guards to Death himself. The Color of Magic is the first book published, and the first installment of the Rincewind novels.

What's The Color of Magic about? Rincewind, a very incompetent wizard, is hired as the tour guide for Twoflower, an insurance agent and the very first tourist on holiday to Ankh-Morpork, a town with a lavishly rich underbelly not entirely safe for people with as much disposable income as Twoflower. With an oddly intelligent and feisty luggage trunk in tow, Rincewind is tasked with keeping Twoflower safe from peril in the city.

The Deets: We'll start the first week of February and go through the end of March. If you need (or want) to start earlier or end later, please do! There currently is not specific functionality for buddy reads, and to accommodate different reading styles and timelines we won't set a specific reading schedule. Read at your own pace and join us in the forums as you are able! I'll endeavor to post at consistent intervals, and I hope you all will join in and together we can make the forum lively and robust!

I've cross-posted this to the other two Quest forums (after consulting those Quest owners) so I hope we'll get a large gaggle of folks together - and hopefully we'll all be able to connect with more Bounders who share similar book tastes!

If you have questions please let me know! Thanks for reading this far & I hope you can join us, either now or following behind at a later time.

Happy reading! 💕🎉

I'm interested to know what quest book you are working on/most recently read/will be reading soon, and which badge everyone is working towards. Give me the elevator pitch for the book in question, if you are up for it 🔍😊