WIP Rec: Original Contemporary Fantasy: Metaworld Chronicles by Wutosama (Mature)
I found an interesting original fic to read--it's fantasy set in a D&D like magical alternate universe. So far it's got 242 chapters. I like the characters in it for the most part. The MC is a young woman who is mixed race. The first "book" is set in Australia, and the second in China. So there are cultural aspects that are interesting. There's some family drama threaded throughout, but it's not all angst.
The magical system is fun and it's not just about quests, duels, and powering up, although later on there are some chapters about that, because the MC, Gwen Song, is in need of material goods and needs to prove her mettle. The world building is complex and layered; a reader gets the sense that there is an entire world out there with differing perspectives and systems at work. It's not bland and shallow like some story 'verses.
And best of all, there is almost no romantic element at work, although there are some unrequited F/F vibes in the first half (a fellow student is interested in the MC) and a bit of M/F unrequited interest (young men wanting the MC and her complete disinterest) in the China section. Romance can be a huge problem with my enjoyment of a story--either I hate the pairing or the way romance itself is treated, so I prefer gen. Gwen strikes me as aromantic, and she isn't sexually active or interested in the book so far, so maybe demisexual.
On the con side, the author talks way too much about what the MC is wearing and her pleasing appearance. That aspect is shallow, although even the MC acknowledges her attractiveness is used a tool. For those who aren't gamers, the duels and creature quests aren't going to appeal but I find them well written.
Metaworld Chronicles by Wutosama (Mature), Gen
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/14167/metaworld-chronicles
The magical system is fun and it's not just about quests, duels, and powering up, although later on there are some chapters about that, because the MC, Gwen Song, is in need of material goods and needs to prove her mettle. The world building is complex and layered; a reader gets the sense that there is an entire world out there with differing perspectives and systems at work. It's not bland and shallow like some story 'verses.
And best of all, there is almost no romantic element at work, although there are some unrequited F/F vibes in the first half (a fellow student is interested in the MC) and a bit of M/F unrequited interest (young men wanting the MC and her complete disinterest) in the China section. Romance can be a huge problem with my enjoyment of a story--either I hate the pairing or the way romance itself is treated, so I prefer gen. Gwen strikes me as aromantic, and she isn't sexually active or interested in the book so far, so maybe demisexual.
On the con side, the author talks way too much about what the MC is wearing and her pleasing appearance. That aspect is shallow, although even the MC acknowledges her attractiveness is used a tool. For those who aren't gamers, the duels and creature quests aren't going to appeal but I find them well written.
Metaworld Chronicles by Wutosama (Mature), Gen
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/14167/metaworld-chronicles