#once upon a con

[fairytale-poll]

ROUND 1B, MATCH 7 OUT OF 16!

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Cindy:

A delightful modern retelling based on the Disney version. Fat shoe-obsessed fashion designer Cinderella, goes on a Bachelor style dating show. She absolutely knows her worth

Elle:

She goes to a sci-fi convention in cosplay of her favorite show and meets the actor playing the prince in the upcoming movie. The show is her main connection to her dead dad, and her stepmother and stepsisters disparage it. It's the story of Cinderella told in a celebration of fandom. Very sweet.

I love love love this book! Totally forgot it was a Cinderella version until I looked at the list and got reminded.

#cinderpoll #round 1 #round 1b #cindy #if the shoe fits #julie murphy #meant to be #meant to be series #elle wittimer #geekerella #ashley poston #once upon a con #once upon a con series #cinderella #fairytale #poll tournament #poll bracket #character polls #polls

[stardustandrockets]

Continuing along with my rainbow book recs with the color blue. I've read all of these except My Dear Henry. Each one has a special place in my heart.

Red White and Royal Blue was one of the first adult romances I read. Bookish and the Beast is my favorite of the Once Upon a Con series. Heartstopper is not only adorably wholesome, but it tackles questioning your sexuality, eating disorders, mental health, and so much more. Kiss Her Once for Me touches on liminal spaces and falling in love in those spaces. Check, Please! is a graphic novel about love and baking and hockey.

What's your favorite blue book?

#red white and royal blue #rwrb #casey mcquiston #my dear henry #kalynn bayron #bookish and the beast #ashley poston #once upon a con #heartstopper #alice oseman #kiss her once for me #khofm #alison cochrun #check please #omg check please #omgcp #ngozi ukazu #lgbtq reads #lgbtqia #queer book recs #read with pride #read queer all year #stardust book recs #stardustandrockets #backlog from june #june 6

[peppermint-jade]

Sometimes you send mail to space, and sometimes they send it back.

Watercolor postcard sent in 2022 flown on Blue Orgin New Shepard rocket and returned recently.

Art features space themed characters and ponies, Ari-Once & Future duology by A.R. Capetta & Cory McCarthy, The 13th Doctor, G1 Galaxy, G1 Star Hopper, G1 Night Glider, G1 Baby Twice-as-Fancy Milky Way, Jamie McCrimmon-Classic who and best companion, and Princess Amara-Starfield: the fake TV show from the Once Upon a Con series by Ashley Poston

#My art #Postcard #Watercolor #once & future #Doctor who #13th doctor #my little pony #Mlp g1 #Galaxy #star hopper #night glider #Baby Milky Way #jamie mccrimmon #Princess Amara #Once upon a con

[namedafterflowerstournament]

Botanic Tournament : Roses Bracket !

Red Group

Round 1 Part 1 Poll 3

I have the lovely and talented @drawings-and-sketches to thank for letting me use their beautiful artwork for Rosie Thorne. Have a look at their blog for more art !

Submissions for the botanic tournament are still open (please read the rules) here

#tournament polls #botanic tournament #roses bracket #briar rose #sleeping beauty #rosie thorne #geekerella #once upon a con #bookish and the beast #ashley poston

[bugonmywindow]

- Bookish and the Beast

#books #booklr #book quotes #book recommendations #love quotes #inspiring quotes #bookish and the beast #ashley poston #once upon a con

[imlovelace]

what are your three favorite books, movies and series

first of all, i have many answers, but i'll limit them.

start with books:

a library of lemons: i read this book many times a while ago and it's still on my mind. i related to the characters so much.

once upon a con series: i wrote something about this series here but no one could care less:/ anyhow, i love books that reference other books, series, movies and this is one of them. (my bio comes from this series iykyk)

lock every door: i love thriller books and you can completely feel the thrill in this book.

now for movies: actually, i'm not much of a movie person. i prefer series over movies. so i chose these from the few movies i've watched.

fast and furious: i love fast five the most.

the greatest showman: this movie made me love musical movies.

now you see me: the second movie is an absolute chef's kiss.

and for series:

sense8: although it's my favorite series, i have never done a rewatch. i'm waiting for a suitable time to do that.

anne with an "e": my comfort show. that's it.

alice in borderland: season 3 when???

#this is my kind of question right here!!! #q and a #a library of lemons #once upon a con #lock every door #fast and furious #the greatest showman #now you see me #sense8 #anne with an e #alice in borderland

[conteur-reveur]

The friendship between Imogen and Vance in Bookish and the Beast is so beautiful and so perfect. Remember that time Imogen dumped two milkshakes on him? An absolute treasure.

#once upon a con #vance reigns #imogen lovelace #bookish and the beast #besties #this is not sarcastic

[dragons-in-spaceee]

71, 50, 48 for the book rec ask!!

And feel free to ramble about any other books

48. “Your favourite sci-fi novel”

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy omg BOOK OF ALL TIME makes me laugh so so much but also makes stop and think about society and humanity at times. Also Arthur and Ford are best best friends that are gay for each other (honestly their friendship and love for each other is the backbone for this series it’s so beautiful aaaaa) and Ford gives me gender envy >:P

(Honourable mention to the Wayfarer series ofc for being so inventive and cool and well thought out and makes you think and fun found family vibes throughout)

50. “A book that made you cry a LOT”

Loveless by Alice Oseman because OUGH it hits very close to home and the way Georgia’s whole story is told and how asexuality and aromanticism and the whole lgbtq+ community is represented is so so beautiful.

71. “Your favourite LGBTQ+ fiction”

Loveless ofc, I’ll also say The Gravity of Us because MAN IT’S JUST SO FUN! Very satisfying plot of going against the brands and companies and instead showing the *humans* behind the work (at NASA!) and defeating the companies through the power of Scientists Getting To Rant On Video and also Gay Love!

Other honourable mentions!!!!!!!

Once Upon A Con series! OMG I LOVE THESE SO SO MUCH. The queer rep! The shenanigans! The billions of sci-fi references! The fic-like plots! The chaos of cons! They’re such a heartwarming homage to fandom and the community that comes with it

Daisy on the Outer Line. Ok. So. This is written in Strong Glaswegian Accent, so if you don’t think you could understand that,,, maybe don’t read this skfjksjf,,, it’s so incredibly good tho. There is subtle queer rep (asexual and… bi? If I remember correctly?) and it’s such a gorgeous reflection of Life and how tough it can be, but to see the good things despite the hardship. Left me feeling warm and cosy but also made me cry a bit and laugh a lot.

#book recs #bunged most of my favs in here cause not sure ill get any other asks lmao #hhgttg #hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy #wayfarer series #loveless #loveless alice oseman #the gravity of us #once upon a con #daisy on the outer line

[wordsshmords]

I want to tell her that she is the kind of story I have been looking for, and I want to be a part of it.

Bookish and the Beast, Ashley Poston

#words #quotes #Bookish and the Beast #Ashley Poston #Once Upon a Con

[xxxtwilightaxelxxx]

I finished bookish and the beast today (literally listened to the last 30 min in the car at home before getting inside) and all I fucking prayed for was finding out Whether Darien and Elle were still broken up or whether they got back together.. A FUCKING MINUTE IN FINDING OUT DARIEN AND ELLE ARE WITH ROSIE AND THE OTHERS AND HOLDING HANDS!!!! I had to fucking pause because I was crying of relief and happiness to hear them together again

AND I FUCKING FOUND OUT THERE ARE SHORT STORIES ON THE AUTHORS SITE TO DOWNLOAD FOR FREE AND ONE OF THEM IS ABOUT THE BREAK UP!!!!! THIS IS FUCKING WHAT I NEEDED IN MY LIFEEE goddd I will be reading this fucking soon

#once upon a con #bookish and the beast #xxxtwilightaxelxxx blogs

[fueled-by-coffee-and-books]

-Rise and shiiinnnneee

-It's coffee time!!!

#books #book quotes #ashley poston #once upon a con #bookish and the beast

[dragonsorceress22]

Pride 2022 - Day 15

Today's rec is for the nerdy young adults of the world. And the nerdy adults. And everyone who's ever been to a fandom convention.

Available in print and audiobook!

Don't forget to check out your local library for a wealth of free reading, watching, and listening!

Gonna drop my giant review of this book after the break here in case anyone is interested lol

Okay. This book made me cry. A lot. It just hit painfully close to home for me. I will say that it started out just a little slow, but only because of the mandatory set-up of the Cinderella character's home life, which we all already know. (Veeeery similar vibes to the movie A Cinderella Story with Hilary Duff.) And if I were still in the same age bracket as the main characters, I don't think I'd have had any issue at all. I just remember that right at the start I felt like... oooh dear is this gonna be too young for me? AND THEN IT WASN'T. Because it was put together so, so amazingly well. Yes, I'm 30 and the characters are 17 and 18, but the message and emotion of fandom culture is so overwhelmingly strong and accurate, and age just doesn't matter in that safe space. The references are all solid and touch on so, so, SO many fandoms: Star Trek, Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Avengers, Batman, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, Supernatural, Sailor Moon, Firefly, The Princess Bride, and more and more. I could probably list references forever and not capture them all. And if the simple glory of basking in all the nerdy fandoms wasn't enough, this book also addresses the issues of Hollywood white-washing, is inclusive of all forms of cosplay no matter your skin color or if you wanna do your own version or genderbend. It's got het pairings, bi pairings, lesbian pairings. It doesn't rush the relationships. It does an amazing job of delivering a story we literally all know the plot and ending to and painting it beautifully, vividly, and unpredictably, with a heavy dose of seriously powerful emotion that is still somehow not unrealistically dramatic (except for maybe that 10 foot fall off a balcony? anyone else feel like maybe that should have been more injury inducing? oh who am I kidding I don't even care it was amazing). I was also impressed by the accuracy of the convention workings. I mean, anybody truly in a fandom who attends cons knows about the magical culture of togetherness that happens there, but the behind the scenes stuff? Also very on-point in this book. FEELS. Kiiiinda wish the narrators for the audio book (who were completely fantastic in every other regard!) had been instructed in how to pronounce some of the nerdier terms that got mispronounced, but c'est la vie. Basically this book is kinda snuggling my heart. Just... all the feels. I think I'll go cry some more just to get the residual bits out of my system. You know a book's good when you feel like you need to recover from it after it's over.

#Geekerella #once upon a con #Ashley Poston #bi representation #lesbian representation #lgbtq+ #happy pride 🌈 #audiobooks #book rec #conventions #DS recommends

[stardustandrockets]

Books to read by the pool

Or during summer in general...

Here are some of my favorite summer reads. Some are actually set in the summer, some give me summer vibes, and others remind me of the summer because that's when I originally read them.

Slide 2:

• Never Been Kissed by Timothy Janovsky (adult)

• The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun (adult)

• Well Met (and the rest of the Willow Creek Ren Faire series) by Jen DeLuca (adult)

Slide 3

• A Little Bit Country by Brian D. Kennedy (young adult)

• Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

• Bookish and the Beast (and the rest of the Once Upon a Con series) by Ashley Poston (young adult)

Slide 4

• Beach Read by Emily Henry (adult)

• A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard (young adult)

• Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills (young adult)

What's your favorite summertime read?

#poolside reads #beach reads #never been kissed #timothy janovsky #the charm offensive #alison cochrun #well met #willow creek ren faire #jen deluca #a little bit country #brian d kennedy #heartstopper #alice oseman #bookish and the beast #ashley poston #once upon a con #beach read #emily henry #a quiet kind of thunder #sara barnard #foolish hearts #emma mills #stardustandrockets #stardust book recs #backlog from may #may 29

[the-bookie-monster-ph]

Geekerella, (Once Upon a Con #1), Ashley Poston

Synopsis:

Cinderella goes to the con in this fandom-fueled twist on the classic fairy tale.

Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom. Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.

Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.

Review:

I haven’t read a lot of YA books in my time that are explicitly romance focused, though most YA has a romantic aspect to it (one day I will write my platonic novel, one day). So I was expecting a very cliché fairy-tale retelling with lots of gazing into each other’s eyes and so on and so forth. I was, therefore, pleasantly surprised by how sweet this story was (without being sickly). I think levels of tolerance for romance is varied, so for some even this level may be unbearable, but for me, this felt like a good place to be.

This book has what I’ve referred to in my notes as ‘huge fanfiction vibes’ by which I mean you can see where the plot is going after about three chapters but you don’t mind because by that point you’re along for the ride. In part that is because this is a retelling (adding to the year of all the retellings) which obviously means you know how it will end, but I could see how Ashley Poston started writing through fanfiction. I know some people would take that as criticism, but personally, I believe some of the most passionate and engaging writers are those who write or have written fanfiction in the past. Overall, the effect this has on the book is that it’s a comforting and comfortable read, with a simple enough plot that the personalities of the individual characters can shine through. The ‘fanfiction’ feel also helps to cover the fact that the entire premise is not 100% realistic, something which some romantic novels just expect you to deal with. However, the way this book is written encourages you as a reader to suspend disbelief to a certain degree, to believe in fairy tales and in, if not the impossible then the improbable.

I’ve touched on characters but let’s go into a little more detail. Our protagonist Elle is, understandably, the star of the piece. What I loved about Elle’s character was that she was so passionate about Starfield without excluding others. Rather than keeping her information about the show to herself she brings a new friend Sage into the community and shares her love of the show. I don’t want to go into too much detail about that dynamic, because I’m saving it for a blog post where I tear apart Ready Player One but suffice to say this was a well-written fangirl for sure.

Another thing I think this book does well is gradually developing the characters and friendships without feeling rushed or fake (for the most part). I think this is perhaps best shown in Darien’s character. This could have been a very flat, one-dimensional character (as Prince Charming is in the original fairy-tale let’s be honest) but instead, he has his own development and growth within the story, a lot of it happening outside of the knowledge of Elle. I liked that both characters were fully realized, it made it a more satisfying romance to have both sides of the story.

Even the side characters were interesting and had important moments within the story. Of course, I loved seamstress Sage, but I also enjoyed the two sisters and the stepmother, these are characters who have been approached by many an author in a plethora of different ways, yet in this book, they felt much more than just generic evil or nasty women. Good characters make for a good book (even when those characters aren’t morally good).

This is a comforting book, it’s simultaneously incredibly simple and profoundly detailed. I would describe it as the reading equivalent of watching a familiar film where nothing can go terribly wrong and even if it does, it’ll all be fine in the end (mine is Mamma Mia, what’s yours?). If you’re the kind of person who likes a retelling and a romance then this is the book for you.

#geekerella #once upon a con #ashley poston

[cimeriansparrow]

Ahem ahem

🗣🗣🗣MEN WHO WOULD BE INTERESTED IN GOING TO A BALL WITH ME PLEASE REVEAL YOURSELVES🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣

#if i can convince John to do it i will #but i don't think i can convince him #I'd love nothing more than to design him a suit though uGh #and to get ready together????? oh my goodness #my post #starfall #starfall ball 2025 #once upon a con

[bugonmywindow]

- Bookish and the Beast

#books #booklr #book quotes #book recommendations #bookish and the beast #ashley poston #once upon a con