#Eccentric Romance review

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - It's Wild Out There but the Kisses are Good

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

NOV 2024 Week 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Kidnap (Fri YT) ep 11 of 12 - I’m really enjoying this show. But I will be glad when it ends next week. I’m ready. The motorcycle rescue in the middle of the kidnapping sequence was so absurdly bad I actually laughed. Meanwhile, in the hospital room did you notice Q’s dad used chan/nai with Min? I actually gasped out “oh, mad respect “ when he did. Papang it’s so damn hot, could he PLEASE get the lead in a BL? Please GMMTV.  

Love Sick 2024 (Sun iQIYI) ep 9 of 15 - I like Earn’s sincerity and open admission in the new version, and I like how genuine and delicate Noh is coping with someone crushing on him. Probably because he knows how painful it is from the other side. The conversation between Phun and Aim was much better and more kind in the new version, too. I'm chronicling my experience with 2024 as compared to 2014 here. 

Every You Every Me (Mon Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - I like this couple a lot, and not just because of all the sex positivity. I just enjoy their dynamic of artist and musician, introvert extrovert. Anybody wondering about that “up against the window blurring thing” with the shirt off the shoulder? That’s a very very old yaoi trope (mostly office yaoi from the early 2000s) that I haven’t seen in a long time. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it in Thai BL…… wild. 

Meanwhile, let the weird interweaving of the filming crew begin. The show within a show that we all suspected was due is now happening. I’m not sure about that. (I worry it will be some clumsy commentary on pair branding.) But how hot does Fiat look these days? 

Fourever You (Thurs YT) ep 7 of 16 - I really don’t like the second storyline. It find it unpleasant. I also don’t think the chemistry between Maxky and Bas is good. In fact I begin to suspect Star Hunter should cut Bas lose. Yes I said it.

Caged Again (Fri Gaga) ep 1-2 of 10 - Penguin escapes zoo by turning into a human. Gets trapped in a boys school and a panther falls in love with him. How does a penguin know how to read? OK I’m not gonna try to figure out the logic of this show. There is none. Do I like it? Not sure. I’m not mad about the dynamic or the setting but the main foundational conceit is…… odd. It’s not uncommon in BL, the “my cat boyfriend” thing has been done for many years now. So I know what to expect. It’s not that. Or is it? I do like how the actor playing Junior looks a bit like a bird. I also like how the actor playing Sun really does behave like a cat in his social interactions, it’s funny. I think…… I’m not wild about this so far, but I like it better than I thought I would. Love seeing Jaonine & Nokia in any form. 

Perfect 10 Liners (Sun YT?) ep 3 of 24 - I just don’t like Arc and Arm. Sorry not sorry. However, I do like the sides and future couples. So I’m sticking with this one. 

Jack & Joker (Mon IQIYI) ep 10 of 12 - Because I heard this episode was really rough and the world is a mess I gave this one a miss this week. We’ll see if I’m up for it next week.

Your Sky (Sun iQIYI) 12 eps - (starts tomorrow) A naive freshman and the campus’s popular senior agree to pretend to be a couple - but their fake deal begins to generate real feelings.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

My Damn Business (Korea Sat YT) ep 7 end - Ooooo counter lift!!! And caught in the act. Very nice. It was a really good final episode and an absolutely fantastic kiss.

In summation: 

Two men work their last few days together at a failing company. I like this but I’m not sure I should like it. This is a classic office romance, short even for Korea, with more than usual workplace harassment (even for BL) in the guise of aggressive pursuit from older boss to younger employee. (The optics are NOT good.) It reminded me of Jun and Jun only shorter, colder, and with more dub con. Now, I happen to be one of the few who truly loved Jun and Jun, it’s very much my style of KBL. I think that’s part of why I liked this one so much. But I suspect that might have given this show too much shine by association. Still, eminently rewatchable and it’s nice to have Korean IP drop on YouTube. 8/10 

Our Youth AKA Miseinen: Mijukuna Oretachi wa Bukiyo ni Shinkochu (Japan Tues Gaga) ep 2 of 11 - Another one that is about abuse, but for some reason I don’t mind it as much as I did Let Free the Curse. Maybe it’s Japan? Maybe it’s the disinterested nature of the director’s lens? This show is examining the inclination of teenagers towards spectatorhood out of fear, while simultaneously giving us a contrived spectator’s perspective with its style of the filming. For example: there is a lot of shots in alleyways and looking in and out of apertures (like doorways and windows) at Hirukawa. He’s often seen from a distance, because Minase thinks of him as distant and somewhat like a specimen. It’s very clever and what I expect from Japan. But it also makes me feel distanced from the characters and their story (intentionally, I believe) which means it’s less raw than Curse, and a lot easier for me to watch. In other words, I am observing this BL, not living it. But that’s the point. And because of that, I’m also liking it. But I’m extremely wary. Japan never drops a kiss early on in a series without some serious trauma to follow.

See Your Love (Taiwan Weds Gaga) ep 5 of 13 - I love them all very much. Carry on.

Blue Canvas of Youthful Days (China Sun iQIYI) eps 5-6 of 12 - So far as I can gather it was episode five that got this one censored and kicked off the air in China. So now we are in unchartered (and presumably only lightly censored) territory. Honestly? I have no idea how they get away with what they get away with these days. Onto the actual meet of the show. I don’t think the teacher should be flirting with the kid if he’s gonna blow hot and cold like that. He is ostensibly the mature one in the relationship. Although if he’s flirting with a child, that is clearly not the case. I get the conflict of the main characters a bit more. Because it’s all about class and the risks that you can take with your identity depending on how much autonomy you have in society. 

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 8 of ? - Basically this is just a narrative about bullying. And I’d like to get onto the revenge portion of the program, and that doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon. I do love that Dat asked for permission to kiss. Consent is very sexy. Also it was a good tentative careful cautious timid first kiss. The actors are older but it felt high school. (Although apparently Bach entirely kissed away Dat’s injury.) 

Love is Like a Poison AKA Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Japan Tues Netflix?) 9 of 12 eps - Gosh I really do like this couple. And I like the legal proceedings. But I’m worried about whether this show is going to end well. 

Love in the Air: Koi no Yokan (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - Frankly I didn’t want LITA the original, so I’m pretty sure I don’t want the Japanese cliffs notes version of LITA. It’s somehow softer, which I wasn’t expecting from Japan. But I don’t mind. The brevity and softness are improving matters, IMHO. I continue to unequivocally loathe the wardrobe department. I’m offended on the actors’ behalf. 

Eccentric Romance (Korea Weds Viki) eps 11-12 end - An odd and somewhat lackluster piece about two college friends, one Thai and one Korean, who get together and become boyfriends while investigating murderer - each speaking in their own language. Neither the BL component nor the murder component was well executed or engaging. It’s not terrible, but that’s no ringing endorsement. "Odd yet still somehow forgettable" is probably how I would put it. 6/10

It's airing but......

Love for Loves Sake got some kind of special supposed to air 11/9. Not sure what, why, or where. Only the rumor that it...... is. I'll believe it when I see it...... literally.

Bad Guy My Boss (Thai Sun Gaga) 10 eps - I DNF'd at ep 7, I couldn't make it. I am weak. Life is hard enough right now, this show is making it harder. It’s not what I want from my entertainment.

Secret Love (Sat YT) 10 eps - Another take on my beloved stepbrothers trope. Adopted into a rich family, boy falls in love. But when he is made the heir instead, everything goes wrong and he leaves. Now enemies the two boys reunite in uni.

DAMN IT! This is airing but in two minute increments on a proprietary app that’s mostly for Android, and it’s already up to episode 11. I’m not wild about this style of distribution, so I’m not gonna bother unless somebody cuts it together as a full piece. Although I do adore the premise.

Bad to Bed (Taiwan Sat YouTube) 10 eps - This is a little too low production value even for me. And just very very odd. DNF

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

November BL still to come:

11/20 Winter Is Not The Death of Summer (Thai Weds YT) ?? eps - Criminals who meet in prison fall in love

11/20 The Heart Killers (Thai Weds Gaga) 12 eps - Jojo directs FirstKhao & JoongDunk in an action romcom about assassin brothers (Khao & Joong) who meet a tattoo artist ex-booster (First) and a mechanic (Dunk). I'm highly amused that Joong plays the older brother to Khao and that we have a take on the Taming of the ShrewBL. I like that everyone is morally gray. This has all GMMTV's best chemistry in one BL and some fresh concepts that I've only seen tackled in m/m romance novels (check out Amy Lane's Racing for the Sun, thank me later). I'm excited. My only quibble is Jojo, I like his style but his characters can get unreliably messy so…... this gonna be interesting.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Apparently I have feels about wardrobe departments this week, because, to use an old fashioned term, this look on him absolutely slaps. (Love Sick)

It's rare for Thai BL to beat out JBL in the fashion department.

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[afabstract]

Eccentric Romance Review - Absurdly Aimless

Yoon Jun Won and Save Saisawat play best friends in the Korean series Eccentric Romance, where their characters fall in love while trying to solve a murder case. But the series isn't as clear-cut as our synopsis!

⭐⭐ Rating: 1.5 out of 5. Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram) Either someone who loves watching Thai BLs* and Korean BLs pitched this show, or maybe the creators thought “we should get a hot Korean guy and a cute Thai guy to romance each other and BL fans will go crazy”. And then they forgot to work on the story, because the Korean series “Eccentric Romance” has a ridiculous plot, if you could…

[dyslexicoconut]

Big Dogs Attack the Pentagon

Chapter 1

“This is such bullshit.” The man let out a long groan as he threw his hands over his face as slowly sank into his office chair. Agent Jack Waters had spent the better part of the last year at his desk, working on filing reports and he still wasn’t adjusted to it. Jack looked at his computer screen, a blank PDF he had been working on for the last hour staring at him. In theory, this was one of the simplest forms that could be done, an evidence acquisition form, but in practice, it proved a most daunting task.

“Another day in paradise?”

Jack peered over his desk from his slouched position and over the cubicle wall as a familiar head looked back at him with a toothy grin.

“Hello Tony,” Jack grumbled.

“What's the matter Waters, a perfectly gloomy afternoon spent under fluorescent lights and in 6 square feet of a cubicle not enough to cheer you up?” Jack let out another groan and sank even further into the chair, barely even sitting in it at this point. 

“I know, shocking,” the sarcasm dripping from his words. “This is ridiculous, I shouldn’t even be here.”

“Well clearly someone disagrees with you, Do you ever think-”

“No.”

“That maybe-”

“No.”

“Just maybe-”

“No.”

“They have a point?” Jack forced himself back into a sitting position.

“No, no, no, no they don’t. I can understand a week or two of leave. Maybe, and I mean MAYBE a month, but six? It’s ridiculous! I’m a waste here, there’s someone lesser than me out on the field and I’m taking the seat of some pencil pusher who I’m sure would like to be here more than me.” Jack looked around, his voice getting louder than the hums and beeps of the office ambiance would allow. He turned back to Tony, using a much more controlled voice. “It’s just fucking bullshit.”

“I know buddy, it sucks,” Tony said in as genuine a tone he could muster. “But I’m sure you’re not long for this place, and I doubt they’re holding you for any malicious reason. I’m betting they just lost your paperwork, and this ‘extended leave’ nonsense is just them covering their asses.”

“Yeah maybe,” Jack said, clearly not convinced as he put his head in his hands. A silence fell over them, neither very sure how or interested in continuing to poke this bear. The silence lasted for so long that Jack briefly considered going back to work before Tony thankfully broke the silence.

“Oh, speaking of breakfast, did you hear that they’re taking away the coffee pot from the break room.” as the words left Tony’s mouth Jack whipped his head up, the look on his face as if he’d seen a ghost. 

“No, you’re fucking kidding me. Because of Jerry?”

“I mean legally they can’t say that it was because of him for defamation reasons, but I mean yeah what else could possibly cause it?” Jack, in disbelief, stood up and started pacing around his cubicle.

“God I still can’t believe that happened, how does someone almost drown in a coffee pot?” Jack and Tony stepped out of their cubicles and started walking down the aisle. 

“Yeah it’s ridiculous,” Tony replied, “but as part of the settlement and just to avoid anything else they’ve taken away all the coffeepots on the inner corridors, so if you want any coffee or tea or any of that shit you have to head all the way to the outer-western corridor.”

“Oh god.” Jack let out a groan that put all his others to shame. “God, how far is that even?” Tony mulled over the question for a moment.

“Hmm, well ballpark if you round the three then you get too fucking far. It’s like a quarter of a mile if you’re being generous, which I am.”

“Jesus Christ,” Jack muttered. “They expect people to walk a half-mile round trip just to get a cup of fucking coffee?

“Yup.”

“And we still can’t bring our own coffee in?”

“Nope.”

“What the fuck are we supposed to do then that’s a ridiculous conflict to have!”

“Well,” Tony whispered, “I hear it’s not official, but supposedly the new batch of interns they brought in are kind of exclusively for running coffee.”

“Huh,” Jack muttered, “that seems like a really convoluted solution to a problem that they kind of manufactured. I mean, it feels like the conflict is kind of forced on us just as a way to put in this new gimmick for no particular reason.”

“I mean yeah I can see that,” Tony replied, “but I guess sometimes that’s how life works, and you kind of need to accept the fact that it’s imperfect and move on. Maybe there will be some purpose for it to exist, and whoever made this decision knows what’s best and we just have to wait for ‘pages to turn,’ as it were.” Jack looked at Tony very quizzically, but eventually just shrugged.

They walked for a bit making idle chitchat before stopping at a large window, overlooking several hundred small white crosses. 

“Do you ever really grasp the scope of all this?” Jack asked while staring out the window.

“What do you mean? Tony responded, also not breaking away from the gaze out the window.

“I mean that all my time out in the field was just one random place to another, I never really spent time thinking about where I was.”

“Where you were physically or where you were spiritually?” Another long silence passed, but this one much less uncomfortable. 

“ I guess both, I never really stayed anywhere longer than a month, and after that, I was sent right along to the next mission. It always seemed easier to just make no connections or ties to the places I went, and in return, I’ve never really stopped looking forward. I guess in all the time I’ve been here, I never really thought about where ‘here’ was.” They both continued to look over the wave of white crosses and contemplated for a brief moment before Tony slapped Jack on the back.

“Well,” he said, “ That’s the way things happen down here, in The Pentagon, USA we learn to do them a bit differently.” Tony checked his watch and exclaimed, “Speaking of beans it is just about lunchtime, and I’m thinking we go see if we can make one of those interns grab us that coffee.” Tony turned away from the window and started walking, and after the briefest second, just as Jack started to see the world from a new point of view, he snapped out of it.

“Hell yeah Tony, I could use a cuppa joe!” he yelled, quickly catching up.

[stlgeekgirl]

Cinnamon rolls and guitars

Cinnamon rolls and guitars #Bookreview #Books #LGBTQ+ #baking #romance

I’m becoming a stickler in my romances. The person A meets person B and they fall in love is nice and sometimes what I need on days when I need to turn off my brain. Sometimes people just need a good popcorn book that they can enjoy without thinking too hard. Recently I’ve wanted more. Yes I want the romance, but I want a story behind the romance. The meet cute is nice, the friends to lovers is…

[aeth-eris]

3rd House in Signs : Writing

3rd House in Aries:

Writing Style: Bold, assertive, and action-oriented.

Handwriting: Sharp and quick, with strong and decisive strokes.

Tone in Writing: Energetic, direct, and enthusiastic.

Genre of Writing: Adventure stories, fast-paced thrillers, and motivational content.

3rd House in Taurus:

Writing Style: Descriptive, sensual, and grounded.

Handwriting: Luxurious and deliberate, with a focus on beauty and comfort.

Tone in Writing: Calm, indulgent, and sensory.

Genre of Writing: Romance novels, culinary reviews, and descriptive poetry.

3rd House in Gemini:

Writing Style: Conversational, witty, and informative.

Handwriting: Quick and changeable, with an emphasis on communication and versatility.

Tone in Writing: Playful, curious, and engaging.

Genre of Writing: Journalism, comedy scripts, and educational materials.

3rd House in Cancer:

Writing Style: Nurturing, emotional, and introspective.

Handwriting: Flowing and sentimental, reflecting emotional depth and empathy.

Tone in Writing: Sensitive, empathetic, and nostalgic.

Genre of Writing: Memoirs, emotional fiction, and heartfelt poetry.

3rd House in Leo:

Writing Style: Dramatic, confident, and attention-grabbing.

Handwriting: Grand and bold, with a flair for the dramatic and expressive.

Tone in Writing: Authoritative, passionate, and proud.

Genre of Writing: Autobiographies, theatrical scripts, and bold editorials.

3rd House in Virgo:

Writing Style: Analytical, precise, and informative.

Handwriting: Neat and organized, with attention to detail and clarity.

Tone in Writing: Practical, informative, and instructional.

Genre of Writing: Self-help books, technical manuals, and critical analyses.

3rd House in Libra:

Writing Style: Harmonious, diplomatic, and balanced.

Handwriting: Graceful and balanced, with a focus on aesthetics and symmetry.

Tone in Writing: Charming, diplomatic, and persuasive.

Genre of Writing: Relationship advice, persuasive essays, and romantic fiction.

3rd House in Scorpio:

Writing Style: Intense, probing, and insightful.

Handwriting: Mysterious and intense, with a focus on depth and hidden meanings.

Tone in Writing: Mysterious, investigative, and profound.

Genre of Writing: Psychological thrillers, investigative journalism, and dark poetry.

3rd House in Sagittarius:

Writing Style: Expansive, adventurous, and philosophical.

Handwriting: Bold and free-spirited, with a sense of adventure and exploration.

Tone in Writing: Optimistic, adventurous, and philosophical.

Genre of Writing: Travelogues, philosophical treatises, and inspirational speeches.

3rd House in Capricorn:

Writing Style: Authoritative, structured, and disciplined.

Handwriting: Disciplined and organized, with a focus on clarity and professionalism.

Tone in Writing: Practical, disciplined, and authoritative.

Genre of Writing: Business reports, historical non-fiction, and self-help guides.

3rd House in Aquarius:

Writing Style: Unconventional, progressive, and intellectual.

Handwriting: Unconventional and eccentric, with a focus on innovation and individuality.

Tone in Writing: Unpredictable, visionary, and intellectual.

Genre of Writing: Science fiction, social commentaries, and revolutionary manifestos.

3rd House in Pisces:

Writing Style: Imaginative, dreamy, and empathetic.

Handwriting: Dreamy and fluid, with a sense of compassion and artistic flair.

Tone in Writing: Compassionate, poetic, and evocative.

Genre of Writing: Surreal poetry, magical realism, and spiritual reflections.

[alovelywaytospendanevening]

Lit Hub: The Question of Homoeroticism in Whitman’s Poetry

Walt Whitman’s best poems demonstrate an almost unimaginable prescience; he and Dickinson, among 19th-century American poets, possess a nearly chilling self-consciousness, an acute self-analysis. Edward Carpenter, the British anarchist, writer, and champion of the Arts and Crafts movement whose life and romance were the model for E. M. Forster’s novel Maurice, wrote this elegant description of a visit with Whitman in 1877; the emphases are Carpenter’s own: “If I had thought before (and I do not know that I had) that Whitman was eccentric, unbalanced, violent, my first interview certainly produced quite a contrary effect. No one could be more considerate, I may almost say courteous; no one could have more simplicity of manner and freedom from egotistic wrigglings; and I never met any one who gave me more the impression of knowing what he was doing more than he did.” That there were words for homosexual behavior in Whitman’s day there can be no doubt. Social structures for enabling same-sex congress seem to have been a feature of life in the modern city at least since the later 18th century, when the “Molly houses” in London offered a zone of permission for transvestism. Herman Melville, in Redburn, carefully evokes the nattily dressed fellows who hang out in front of a downtown restaurant where opera singers perform; he means us to understand what these stylish outfits convey. Historian and theorist Luc Sante describes a 19th-century pamphlet that takes as its project the publication of the locations of various quite particular spots of diverse sexual practice in New York City—so that those informed of, say, the address of a bordello featuring willing boys can take special care to avoid this hazard. Trenchant evidence comes from Rufus Griswold’s review of the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass: “We have found it impossible to convey any, even the most faint idea of style and contents, and of our disgust and detestation of them, without employing language that cannot be pleasing to ears polite; but it does seem that someone should, under circumstances like these, undertake a most disagreeable, yet stern duty. The records of crime show that many monsters have gone on in impunity, because the exposure of their vileness was attended with too great indelicacy. Peccatum illud horrible, inter Christianos non nominandum.” Which is all a way of saying that Whitman inscribes his sexuality on the frontier of modernity; he is writing into being—particularly in the “Calamus” poems of 1860, with their frank male-to-male loving, their assumption of equality on the part of the lovers—a new situation. He does not know how to proceed—he has no path —but he does it anyway. My guess is that he couldn’t have written “Calamus,” or the boldly homoerotic portions of the 1855 Leaves, even ten years later, as the advent of psychology increasingly led to a public perception of the normative, and imagery of the sacred family becomes the object of Victorian romance. As a category of identity—sodomite, invert, debauchee, pervert, Uranian—begins to emerge, so the poems with their claims of a loving, healthy, freely embraced same-sex desire become unwriteable, paradoxically, just as new language of homosexual identity begins to appear. Unwriteable, and, it would seem from Whitman’s later remarks, and some of his revisions, barely defensible. Carpenter and his readers were reaching for signposts of a gay identity when such a thing barely existed, but Whitman is ultimately a queer poet in the deepest sense of the word: he destabilizes, he unsettles, he removes the doors from their jambs. There is an uncanniness in “Song of Myself” and the other great poems of the 1850s that, for all his vaunted certainty, Whitman wishes to underscore. Again and again, he points us toward what, it seems, must remain folded in the buds beneath speech, since it cannot be brought to the surface. (Full article)

[gallivantingheart]

Use Your Mouth as an Anchor

masterlist | next

🍵 chapter 1: lychee 🍵

who?: soonyoung/hoshi x (f)reader

word count: 834

genre/s: fluff, humour, social media!au

warnings: some course language

genre: social media!au, princess diaries II !au, humour, romance, mild angst

warnings: none, as of yet

**please ignore the timestamps - they are not accurate**

The office after a news cycle was simultaneously quiet and loud. The stress reset before building again. So the coffee in your hand - an order excessively complicated with oat milk - looked like it would actually have time to be consumed today.

Your Head Editor, Minhyuk, points at you with a finger guns through the opening of his office doorway as you come past, his dark hair styled to perfection. He always looks like such a slacker.

“Hey Chon. That piece on Wednesday? Damn fantastic. How did you know?” He marvels with his keen smirk.

You wink and shoot finger guns back. “I have my sources.”

At minimum being the cook’s assistant and the assistant footman - they were old school  buddies of yours. Somehow despite your job, most forget that your family is infamous for their longstanding claim to the Amaide crown. Maybe it’s the fact you don’t mention your name very often or that you live in a rundown cottage on the opposite side of the island. It helps if people forget.

Your colleague, Wonwoo, has a desk that backs onto yours, his long limbs stretching out beneath his desk. He usually runs a portion of the entertainment section and is often rubbing shoulders with the most affluent for the best gossip. It’s surprising, seeing as he’s so quiet, but he’s always had a way of bringing out the most in others. Both of you also tend to overlap in terms of events and sources for articles.

“Another glowing review from our Head Editor.” He says dryly.

“Of course.” You hum as you spin and preen in your chair. “If only I got more than that. With Eunbi on maternity leave I was secretly begging for the assistant editor’s gig. If only for a little bit.” You put your fingers close together and squint through them to see his rolling eyes. “Just a taste.”

“One day, but I’m sure that at this point Minhyuk’s only keeping you in this position because of your Royal contacts. No one could fill your shoes. They made this role just for you, remember?” He’s softly spoken and very mild about it as he adjusts the wire frames of his glasses.

You groan and loll your head back in your seat. “Don’t remind me. I might gain a conscience about it.”

Just as Wonwoo is chuckling at your complaints, the office executive assistant whizzes through the office, dropping off post and internal communications for the day. A heavy, textured envelope lands on your desk from over your shoulder, frisbee-ed haphazardly. The magnolia tinted envelope is serious and makes your stomach swoop. Your name and work address are looped in formal cursive in the available space, along with a singular lemon printed post stamp. The envelope is sealed with navy wax, the Park family coat of arms. Your hands shake and your aren’t graceful at all with the letter from the Royal house. It takes you a few times to scan the writing and take in its meaning. Holy crap.

You spin to face Wonwoo, sitting with your firmly planted feet and legs apart in your dress trousers. He blinks, eyes sparking in surprise.

“What?” He asks.

You lean forward across the walkway, waving the heavy paper under his chin. “This is an invite to the royal family’s welcoming soiree. The King and Queen have been away on business in Korea for at least three months - at least publicly. This will be the night they celebrate their official return.” You getting an invite, of all people?

It’s no secret that your family is weird, unhinged, delusional. Whatever you wanted to call their obsession over the rightful heirs to the Amide royal line. Your uncle led the charge, having always been an eccentric to say the least. Swearing till he was blue in the face that the Chon bloodline were the rightful heirs to the Amaide throne and future of the people. The irony there being that he was a man who had a slim chance of getting within breathing distance of that title and power. Worse is that your whole family indulged his outlandish claims, treating them as gospel. Why else had you split to South Korea for your studies as soon as you could? Protect yourself from that drivel and disgusting brain rot. Unfortunately your studies eventually ended and you had to return to the hellfire that was your family. Landing you here as a Royal Correspondent at Genoa Post, the leading news outlet in Amaide.

So, back to the matter at hand. Why would the Park family invite the heir to their greatest enemy into their home? Was this invite extended to any of your other family?

It felt so much like walking into the lion’s den, vastly different from fishing for next week’s news reel from the back doors and harmless shadows.

“What do I do?” You hiss.

Wonwoo stares for a long moment at the paper between you before shrugging. “I guess you go and find out.”

[thecorvidcurio]

PLEASE NOTE: This game is in very early development. Only the first two chapters are done and posted, but there may be bugs. If you run into any issues or notice any glaring errors, please let me know via asks or messages. Also, please bear in mind that the writing will be reviewed, revised, and updated as the project goes on. What you're reading is not the final product.

Summary: For as long as you can remember, no one you've loved has ever lasted very long.

The moment you come to love someone,  whether that love is familial, platonic, or romantic, tragedy befalls you both. In a desperate attempt to escape this cycle, you have moved somewhere remote, to a run-down apartment building in a mostly-abandoned area of an isolated town. However, the few others living in the building are far friendlier, and stranger, than you anticipated.

The more time you spend around these bizarre people, the more certain you are that there's a layer of reality you've previously been unaware of. As you discover more of what was previously hidden from you, though, it begs the question:

Is there something more to your tragic circumstances than an unfortunate run of bad luck? Could it be the result of some power you don't understand? And, if so, does that mean there's a way out of it?

Or, perhaps more importantly, does that mean there's someone to blame for your suffering?

Can be played as a romance, or with a focus on platonic connections.

Six potentially romanceable companion characters: Two women, two men, and two non-binary options.

Set your pronouns, appearance, and build your personality over the course of the game.

Decide how your character copes with their difficult situation, how their circumstances affect the way they interact with others, and whether any of that changes as the truth is revealed.

Help your new friends face their own troubles (or potentially make things worse...)

Discover the truth and, potentially, a solution. Or, at the very least, find some closure.

You can play the demo for free on itch.io.

More information about love interests and player stats can be found under the Read More.

Vicente - A very polite and put together man who values kindness and respect above all else. He's happy to help, and keen to look after others, but seems unsure what to do with himself when someone tries to show him the same kindness he shows others.

Abby - An eccentric person with seemingly limitless energy who values fun and excitement above all else. He's always looking for new and interesting things to occupy himself with, and seems to have no sense of self-preservation.

Kaida - A taciturn fellow who values knowledge and secrecy above all else. Knowledge is power, and there is safety in secrets. He's quite mysterious, seems to always be many steps ahead of everyone else, and seems to know things no one else does.

Marina - An unapologetically loud and rambunctious woman who values rebellion and individuality above all else. She's easily bored, and always looking for something new to challenge herself with. If you tell her she can't or shouldn't do something, it's just about guaranteed she'll be doing that thing in the near future.

Thea - An elegant and classy lady who values loyalty and honesty above all else. On the job, she's as glamorous as a starlet, singing on a stage and captivating any who hear her hypnotic voice. Off the job, though, she's something much different, and hopes to find someone who can appreciate both sides of her.

Shiloh - A cripplingly shy and skittish entity of uncertain origin who values privacy and comfort above all else. Shiloh enjoys observing others interacting, and lives vicariously through witnessing the connections other people form with each other, though Shiloh is quite sure that it will never manage to make such connections itself.

Personality:

Adaptable - Adamant Are you able to roll with the punches and adjust according to the situation at hand? Or are you stuck in your ways and insistent that the situation should yield to you, not the other way around?

Isolation - Connection Have you given up trying to connect with others? Did you ever want to in the first place? Are you content to keep a distance between yourself and others? If so, is that what you truly want, or what you believe you must settle for? Or do you crave connection? Will you grasp for it if given a chance?

Courteous - Callous Do you try to be kind to others, regardless of your ability or willingness to form actual connections with them? Or do you treat them coldly and keep yourself unapproachable?

Candid - Calculating Are you genuine in your interactions with others, or are your words and deeds measured carefully for specific purposes?

Approach to the Unknown:

Hopeful - Hopeless Do you believe things will ever get better? That it’s worth it to keep trying, keep holding on, keep hoping? Or have you long since learned that hope is too painful, too dangerous to risk?

Curious - Cautious Are you driven by the need to learn, explore, and discover? Or are you held back by the thoughts of what might happen if you stick your nose where it doesn’t belong?

Skeptic - Believer Do you believe the agonising tragedy of your life is just a consequence of the callous indifference of the universe? Do you think it’s just an unfortunate coincidence, a roll of the cosmic dice that you always lose? Or do you suspect something deeper is afoot?

[transbookoftheday]

Key Lime Sky by Al Hess

An alien invasion hits the town of Muddy Gap, but a disgruntled pie aficionado is the only one who seems to remember it…

Denver Bryant’s passion for pie has sent him across Wyoming in search of the best slices. Though he dutifully posts reviews on his blog, he’s never been able to recreate his brief moment of viral popularity, and its trickling income isn’t enough to pay his rent next month. 

Driving home from a roadside diner, Denver witnesses a UFO explode directly over his tiny town of Muddy Gap. When he questions his neighbors, it appears that Denver is the only person to have seen anything – or to care that the residents’ strange behavior, as well as a shower of seashell hail, might be evidence of something extraterrestrial. Being both non-binary and autistic, he’s convinced his reputation as the town eccentric is impeding his quest for answers. Frustrated, he documents the bizarre incidents on his failing pie blog, and his online popularity skyrockets. His readers want the truth, spurring him to get to the bottom of things.

The only person in town who takes him seriously is handsome bartender, Ezra. As the two investigate over pie and the possibility of romance, the alien presence does more than change the weather. People start disappearing. When Denver and Ezra make a run for it, the town refuses to let them leave. Reality is folding in on itself. It’s suddenly a race against time to find the extraterrestrial source and destroy it before it consumes not only Muddy Gap but everything beyond. Denver’s always been more outsider than hero, but he’s determined to ensure that a world with Ezra – and with pie – still exists tomorrow.

[fuckyeahgoodomensfanfic]

Good Omens Fic Rec: Rearrangements

Aziraphale, a lonely anxious bookseller from Soho, walks in St. James park every Wednesday and Sunday. For nearly nine months he has had various, wordless, encounters with a very handsome red-haired man with sunglasses. They have never spoken, but a strange and lovely intimacy has slowly grown between them as they share the same space, and feed the ravenous ducks by the pond. It's all been rather lovely... and then one day... the red-haired man says 'hello.'

Length: 60,105 words

AO3 Rating: Explicit / Spice Level 🔥🔥

Best for: Safe in Public, Fluff, Human AU, Slow Burn, Romance

Triggers: Past Abuse, Negative self talk

Read it here, fic by sheendav

*Minor Spoilers* This is a unique, but simple, take that works surprisingly well for our duo! In this human AU, Aziraphale and Crowley are both excruciatingly shy and anxious. It takes them months of silently feeding ducks at the park for them to even speak to each other! But this awkwardness is the charm of this story. It feels like the ultimate wish fulfillment relationship for anyone who struggles to connect with others. Their eccentricities fit perfectly together, and the way they eventually find they can be truly honest with each other is beautiful. They often call themselves cowards, years of abuse from others giving each a nasty inner critic, but it takes real bravery to be afraid and still push through. The way they interact with each other, and their dates especially, were so sickeningly romantic to me. My heart was a puddle of goo during this one. At the end of each of their interactions they review what they've learned with each other, and trust me, it'll have you screaming and crying and throwing up over how cute it is. They really understand each other, and to find someone who really sees you is the goal for us all, isn’t it? I'm very attached to this story. It's such a sweet and gentle romance that encourages us to be kinder to ourselves. The ultimate comfort fic!

Safe in public until towards the very end, but you will know when that's coming and it isn't very graphic.

Read it here, fic by sheendav

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4.5/5

Book Blurb:

A sharp-tongued folklorist must pair up with her academic rival to solve their mentor’s murder in this lush and enthralling sapphic fantasy romance from the New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic.

“Clever, emotional, and gorgeous—at its core, this is a story about the healing capacity of love”—Ava Reid, author of Juniper & Thorn

Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist with a quick temper and an even quicker wit, is on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. The magical spring promises untold power, which the king wants to harness in order to secure his reign over the embattled country of Brunnestaad. Lorelei is determined to use this opportunity to prove herself and make her wildest, most impossible dream come true: to become a naturalist, able to travel freely to lands she’s only read about.

The expedition gets off to a harrowing start when its leader—Lorelei’s beloved mentor—is murdered in her quarters aboard their ship. The suspects are the five remaining expedition mates, each with their own motive. The only person Lorelei knows must be innocent is her longtime academic rival, the insufferably gallant and maddeningly beautiful Sylvia von Wolff. Now in charge of the expedition, Lorelei must find the spring before the murderer strikes again—and a coup begins in earnest.

But there are other dangers lurking in the dark: forests that rearrange themselves at night, rivers with slumbering dragons hiding beneath the water, and shapeshifting beasts out for blood.

As Lorelei and Sylvia grudgingly work together to uncover the truth—and resist their growing feelings for each other—they discover that their leader had secrets of her own. Secrets that make Lorelei question whether justice is worth pursuing, and if this kingdom is worth saving at all.

Review:

Two academic rivals, a murder mystery, and some sapphic romance, what else could you possibly want? Lorelei is a folklorist with q cuik temper who has finally got the job she wanted and is heading on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. Along for the ride is her rival Sylvia, a talented, insufferable, and absolutely gorgeous woman who gets under Lorelei's skin like no one else. During the journey Lorelei's mentor is murdered and the only person Lorelei knows is innocent is Sylvia, together they'll have to find a way to work together in order to find out who in their expedition is the murderer, if they even manage to have one conversation without arguing. With so many secrets within the group and complicated feelings that grow between Lorelei and Sylvia, can they find out who the killer is before the entire trip is ruined and the kingdom becomes at risk? This was a great academic rivals/expedition murder mystery romance. Lorelei and Sylvia are true opposites attracts and made an interesting pair to read as their constant bickering and dynamic was really fun to read. I loved that while we read everything from Lorelei's perspective, Sylvia completely turning Lorelei's thoughts and perceptions upside down was great. I had a fun time reading this and would definitely recommend it for fans of murder mystery romances!

Release Date: September 17,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Boyfriend Era is a Go

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

NOV 2024 Week 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

Jack & Joker (Thai Mon IQIYI) ep 9 of 12 - I have to say it, the heist stuff is stupid and all the sidekicks are idiots to the point of annoyance. But Yin and War are truly stellar at these parts. And in general in these roles. Can’t knock 'em. It’s been a year of some very good kisses and this has to have been the best. So this show is top of the standings this week for that kiss alone. Like srs boys? I mean to say, BOYS! How dare. Breaking the internet like that.

Honestly, let's be clear, these two have had killer chemistry since the En of Love and we all expected great things. And now, here we sit, suffering great things from these kings. Thank you, Sirs, may we have another?

Love Sick 2024 (Thai Sun iQIYI) ep 8 of 15 - I'm chronicling my experience with 2024 as compared to 2014 here. The Per Win story arc never interested me in 2014 and I’m not enjoying it now either. But Mick and Ohm are better in 2024. Nong Mick is a standout character, and a brilliant glow up in this version and he’s a confident little shit (affectionate). The mains are good too, but Phun and Noh always were great characters, and these actors are quite good. Possibly better than the original. 

Kidnap (Fri YT) ep 10 of 12 - More bf era delightful diabetes. They are the best boyfriends and the cutest family in the entire world. No exceptions. Next week is definitely doom tho. 

Every You Every Me (Thai Mon Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - Talk about making consent and communication sexy! *fans self* Whoah! That was unexpectedly great. The blatancy of the lust in this one was fun too. And the general casual switch nature of the relationship = delightful.

I like the little acting course we're getting from these tw. They are both quite good. I’m not sure I really enjoy the stories that they’re telling, but I do like how they are telling them.

Fourever You (Thai Thurs YT) ep 6 of 16 - Hill is the premier torch carrier of this year. My goodness. He sure nursed that crush. While I really like this main couple, I’m happy to have some of the others start to creep into the narrative at this juncture. Alone HillTer are a bit intentionally miscommunicative and saccharine. But the screen-time distribution amongst couples seems a little strange. That said, couple 2? No thank you. I really don't like North as a character at all. I find him incredibly unappealing. Ordinarily I'd be on his side because....... blackmail trope renders Johan automatically a complete arse. But at least this is 2 unlikable characters being jerks to each other?

Perfect 10 Liners (Thai Sun YouTube?) ep 2 of 24 - Say it with me Thailand: negging is NOT romantic. Frankly, Arc is just an asshole and a bully with anger issues. But…… Yay cute sides! PondSand they funny. (Book, to me = never very funny. I don’t think comedy is his bailiwick. Look, comedy is HARD ya’ll and usually not in that way.) 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Our Youth AKA Miseinen: Mijukuna Oretachi wa Bukiyo ni Shinkochu (Japan Tues Gaga) ep 1 of 11 - They’re doing some interesting stuff with the framing (both filming style and narrative) that makes this extremely old-fashioned feeling (like Takumi-kun level). I keep saying that this year, but it feels like BL is doing a lot of rediscovering its roots right now. This one even had a goldfish. And abuse. (The two, oddly, often go hand-in-hand in JBL ) And overall...... it’s a bit weird. Which I don’t mind from Japan. Japanese BL can get weird in a good way. Oh I like it. Bully meats smart loaner, total opposites attract, both are lonely and broken and NEED each other, and all that.

See Your Love (Taiwan Weds Gaga) ep 4 of 13 - Oh dear, our poor little rich boy is very broken indeed. The sides are utterly ridiculous.

My Damn Business (Korea Sat YT) eps 6 of 7 - I don’t normally like a love triangle, but I kind of like this one since it gave our uke a bit more depth and agency. And charm, quite frankly. So far he’s been a very dower character.

Eccentric Romance (Korea Weds Viki) eps 9-10 of 12 - Okay boyfriend era is a go. Goodness but they sure are adorable. 

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 7 of ? - The slow burn is really very slow. To the point of frustration. But I'm still enjoying the show, just not as much as I was.

Love is Like a Poison AKA Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Japan Tues Netflix?) 8 of 10 eps - Even Japan is going through a bf era rn I see. How unusual.

Love in the Air: Koi no Yokan (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - I’m slightly less annoyed by this one than the original (but I was VERY annoyed by that). I think mame is being tempered by a few things:

There’s so much less time spent on the back-and-forth, because this is a much shorter show, so I have less time to be frustrated by it and the utter uselessness of 75% of these characters.

Also, there's that innate Japanese awkwardness of portrayal & social interaction, which makes the unpleasantness of the characters' behavior and touch more understandable.

This, in turn, is married to the natural kink factor of JBL.

There’s a clearer Dom sub from the get go with this version, makes the blackmailing a little bit more tolerable because it's clearly Play. (negotiated or not) Simply put, daddy wants his brat to beg. And honestly? So say we all.

On a completely different note, the wardrobe for this show is terrible. Like truly bad BAD.

Blue Canvas of Youthful Days (China Sun iQIYI) eps 3-4 - Well I guess that’s that disability dealt with. Meanwhile, competitive bullying art students? I am very amused. Zoo date was cute. This is unquestionably a BL (I’m even more scared now). Still, the gay boys dealing with the straight dude’s crush was truly hilarious. So much "our gay drama doesn’t have time for your het bullshit." Classy move, I smell some Taiwan in this show.

Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo (Korea Thurs Gaga) eps 4-8 end - I was reliably informed this has an HFN end so I decided to watch. Noble and self sacrificing with both of them taking the blame.

My thoughts are...... mixed.

High school student Do Hoe lives with his brutal father who runs a Taekwondo gym. When cheerful Ju Young arrives to train, they fall in love. An unexpected incident forces them apart, they reunite over a decade years later. Essentially this is a brilliant narrative about finding love at the worst possible time, surviving chronic abuse, and the way we process mental, emotional, and physical trauma overtime. Yes it’s also a romance, but that’s not primarily what this story is actually about. I can recognize its genius, but this type of narrative is not for me. I’m reminded of bittersweet painful shows like To My Star 2, or The On1y One, or even Not Me. Is this BL tangential or is it some other genre entirely? Am I questioning my own taste because I did not like its content, or because I do not like its genre? And if it’s not BL should I even render judgment? I think I have to lean into the way I approached some of those other shows, which is to say: it is not for me but I recognize that it is of an extremely high-quality that is certainly for someone else.

Recommended, but only if you like masochistic cinema. Under those circumstances 9/10

(but know that if i were rating for my personal taste? 7/10 I’m never re-watching this, and there is a small part of me that wishes I never had) 

It's airing but......

Love for Loves Sake got some kind of special supposed to air 11/9. Not sure what, why, or where. Only the rumor that it...... is. I'll believe it when I see it...... literally.

The Hidden Moon (Sat WeTV) 10 eps - I've been reliably told not to bother, so I won't.

Bad Guy My Boss (Thai Sun Gaga) 10 eps - I DNF'd at ep 7, I couldn't make it. I am weak. Life is hard enough right now, this show is making it harder. It’s not what I want from my entertainment.

Bad to Bed (Taiwan Sat YouTube) 10 eps - This is a little too low production value even for me. And just very very odd. DNF

In case you missed it

Uncle Unknown finished its run on YT. Censored Chinese BL with paralytically bad production levels. But certainly BL. Boys reunite after a break up only to discover one of them is the step-Uncle of the other. Much to my own shock and surprise I watched all 12 episodes of this. Fortunately, each episode is about 5 minutes long. Under those circumstances is it worth it? Maybe. It’s bad. But not offensive. So that's a win. And you know me, I love a weird take on the stepbrother’s trope and incest taboos. 5/20 watch it only if you have nothing better to do

Next Week Looks Like This:

Gosh there's a lot on right now.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

November BL:

11/15 Caged Again (Thai Fri Gaga) 10 eps - Penguin escapes zoo by turning into a human. Gets trapped again and a panther falls in love with him.

11/17 Your Sky (Thai Sun iQIYI) 12 eps - A naive freshman and the campus’s popular senior agree to pretend to be a couple - but their fake deal begins to generate real feelings.

11/20 Winter Is Not The Death of Summer (Thai Weds YT) ?? eps - Criminals who meet in prison fall in love

11/20 The Heart Killers (Thai Weds YT iQIYI) 12 eps - Jojo directs FirstKhao & JoongDunk in an action romcom about assassin brothers (Khao & Joong) who meet a tattoo artist ex-booster (First) and a mechanic (Dunk). I'm highly amused that Joong plays the older brother to Khao and that we have a take on the Taming of the ShrewBL. I like that everyone is morally gray. This has all GMMTV's best chemistry in one BL and some fresh concepts that I've only seen tackled in m/m romance novels (check out Amy Lane's Racing for the Sun, thank me later). I'm excited. My only quibble is Jojo, I like his style but his characters can get unreliably messy so…... this gonna be interesting.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

The insane level of his babygirl heart eyes.

Just, have mercy.

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[mydarlinginej]

read my full review of a dark and drowning tide by allison saft here.

A sharp-tongued folklorist must pair up with her academic rival to solve their mentor's murder in this lush and enthralling sapphic fantasy romance from the New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic.

Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist with a quick temper and an even quicker wit, is on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. The magical spring promises untold power, which the king wants to harness to secure his reign of the embattled country of Brunnestaad. Lorelei is determined to use this opportunity to prove herself and make her wildest, most impossible dream come to become a naturalist, able to travel freely to lands she’s only ever read about.

The expedition gets off to a harrowing start when its leader—Lorelei’s beloved mentor—is murdered in her quarters aboard their ship. The suspects are her five remaining expedition mates, each with their own motive. The only person Lorelei knows must be innocent is her longtime academic rival, the insufferably gallant and maddeningly beautiful Sylvia von Wolff. Now in charge of the expedition, Lorelei must find the spring before the murderer strikes again—and a coup begins in earnest.

But there are other dangers lurking in the forests that rearrange themselves at night, rivers with slumbering dragons waiting beneath the water, and shapeshifting beasts out for blood.

As Lorelei and Sylvia grudgingly work together to uncover the truth—and resist their growing feelings for one another—they discover that their professor had secrets of her own. Secrets that make Lorelei question whether justice is worth pursuing, or if this kingdom is worth saving at all.

my review:

I’ve been a huge fan of Allison Saft’s books and was super excited to hear about her adult debut! For whatever reason though, I put off reading my ARC for months and months because I was just not in a fantasy mood. This was a big mistake though; when I finally picked it up, I really enjoyed this! Thrilling and atmospheric, A Dark and Drowning Tide takes us on a magical quest that’s dangerous in more ways than one.

Lorelei Kaskel has been waiting for this moment for years: her mentor announcing her as co-lead to their upcoming epic quest will cement her position as the king’s advisor and keep her people safe. Unfortunately, coming with them are Sylvia, Lorelei’s rival who constantly lives in her dreams; Johann, a psychopath who constantly reminds her that she doesn’t belong there; Heike, who will do whatever it takes to get her way; Adelheid, the most stoic and moral out of all of them; and Ludwig, the only one of the group Lorelei gets along with. When her mentor dies almost as soon as the journey starts, she’ll have to take charge to deliver them to their destination, while also investigating who the murderer is, unfortunately with Sylvia’s help.

I really liked the characters! Lorelei is prickly and hard-headed but mostly out of survival. She’s a Yeva, a people who have been discriminated against for centuries. She needs to succeed in this quest so that the king will award her the chamberlain position in his court. This way, she can keep her people safe in a city that discriminates and kills them. The only issue is the quest is doomed from the start.

read the rest of my review here:

[princessleechan]

“Choi Seungcheol Must Die” profiles #2

Masterlink

📌synopsis: Mingyu wasn't the one with his heart broken. It was his little sister. And Seokmin's older sister. And Chan's best friend. Choi Seungcheol is a menace to society and needs to be put down. Immediately. The sure fire way to do it is to give him a taste of his own medicine: break his heart.

📌pairing: fem!reader x ??? (seungcheol, mingyu, seokmin, chan)

📌genre: slight angst, romance, humor

📌series tags: SMAU, inspired by “John tucker must die”, John tucker!seungcheol, college au, revenge fic, tags will vary from chapter

taglist: @mhlsymlysn @silvsie @christinewithluv @tara-drabbles @aiforyuu @2youngsworld @justcruisingalonguntilbamkpop @asyre @simpxxstan @anzellll @hipsdofangirl @plskillme22 @lirtha97 @nlklstan @lixiel0ver @notevenheretbh1 @leah-rose03 @ahuihoeeee @woozarts @expensive-idiot @doveblackboat @the-boy-meets-evil @tamakis-bbyy @esaxula69

📌Haru: Chan longest and best friend who he has feelings for since as long as he can remember. Communications major and has dated Seungcheol in the past only to find he’s been seeing her simultaneously with other people. Treats Chan like a brother and has never felt feelings other than platonic for him. Knows about his crush and treats him no differently.

📌Boo Seungkwan: social butterfly and insider to all things tea. live tweets from his twitter and treats it like a career as if he doesn't have better things to do like work towards his journalism major. "this is me working towards journalism. and i'm THRIVING." friends with Chan after sharing multiple classes and has become close friends.

����Yoon Jeonghan: closest friend of Seungcheol and swiftie (mainly for the backstory). Is also a athletic scholar and does not encourage or discourage his friends actions, but rather neutral party and observer. Maybe submits anonymous to Seungkwan’s tea Twitter page.

📌Hong Joshua: friend of Seokmin and member of his acapella group. Public relations major with too much time on his hands and recently befriends Jeonghan under interesting circumstances. Likes to make things interesting.

📌Jeon Wonwoo: Friends with Mingyu after meeting in AV club and became his confidant. film history major that enjoys studio Ghibli too much and thinks it’s the best movie franchise in existence (maybe he’s right). Tweets once in a full moon but it’s usually the long movie reviews that usually always trends locally for his outlandish commentary.

📌Kwon Soonyoung: Wonwoo’s over eccentric roommate that tags along with him and Mingyu. Unsure of whether he goes to the same university because he’s never in any classes but always on campus. Tries to make himself useful as often as possible.

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

Key Lime Sky by Al Hess

Release date: 13 August 2024

Genre: science fiction

Representation: trans, pansexual, non-binary, and queer rep; NB/M romance, autistic, non-binary, part-Indigenous American main character with visible stims and sensory sensitivities; plus size Latino love interest

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis

Driving home from a roadside diner, Denver witnesses a UFO explode directly over his tiny town of Muddy Gap. When he questions his neighbors, it appears that Denver is the only person to have seen anything – or to care that the residents’ strange behavior, as well as a shower of hail-that-isn’t-hail, might be evidence of something extraterrestrial. Being both non-binary and autistic, he’s convinced his reputation as the town eccentric is impeding his quest for answers. Frustrated, he documents the bizarre incidents on his failing pie blog, and his online popularity skyrockets. His readers want the truth, spurring him to get to the bottom of things.

The only person in town who takes him seriously is handsome bartender, Ezra. As the two investigate over pie and the possibility of romance, the alien presence does more than change the weather. People start disappearing. When Denver and Ezra make a run for it, the town refuses to let them leave. Reality is folding in on itself, and it’s suddenly a race against time to find the extraterrestrial source and destroy it before it consumes not only Muddy Gap but everything beyond. Denver’s always been more outsider than hero, but he’s determined to ensure that a world with Ezra – and with pie – still exists tomorrow.

Content warnings

violence, injury, gore

anxiety

on-page autistic meltdowns

fatphobia

ableism

parental drug addiction and verbal abuse

open door sex and sexual elements

hospitalization

alcohol use

mentions of racism, police, and jail time

also confinement/imprisonment

Review

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

This book was such a fun ride from start to finish. Denver's PoV is perfect for narrating this story, they are so interesting and observant and engaging, their perspective really makes this story.

This book is pretty fast-paced, but at the same time, the story didn't feel rushed at all! Like, I feel that everything was given enough Time and Space to be fully developed.

I think this book does a good job of balancing the romance with the main plot, without compromising on either aspect. I find that a lot of the time books about Mysteries™️ either focus on the plot and throw in the romance as a side plot, or focus on the romance with the mystery serving as a backdrop to the relationship. However, I feel that in this case, both the plot and romance are properly fleshed out, with both aspects being given equal weight in the narrative.

I loved Denver and Ezra's relationship so much!! The way their relationship develops as they meet and learn more about each other, and the way they do their best to support each other was so!!!

I also want to add that I liked how purposeful the author was with Denver and Ezra's sex scenes, in that it makes sense in the narrative and feels meaningful.

The plot was also really engaging. I'm not super into aliens, but it was fun to follow along as they try to unravel the mystery.

I want to rave about this book some more but I don't want to give everything away, so I will end it here. Anyways, this book is really good! Go read it!!

P. S. I am not a pie girlie BUT the pie descriptions sound so good. HOWEVER I am definitely a sandwich girl and I really want to try The Denver Sandwich.

[theblurbwitchproject]

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Published: August 23, 2022 Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

The Author

Sangu Mandanna writes books about magical sketchbooks, romantic witches, and characters who discover they’re a lot stronger than they think they are. She was four years old when an elephant chased her down a forest road and she decided to write her first story about it. Seventeen years and many, many manuscripts later, she signed her first book deal. Sangu now lives in Norwich, in the east of England, with her husband and kids.

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The Story As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. She’s used to being alone and she follows the rules...with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos "pretending" to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously. But someone does.

An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and the handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House, Jamie.

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The Vibe: cosy, found family, (one-sided) enemies to lovers, romance, eccentric characters, grumpy/sunshine pairing, diverse cast, LGBTQ+ characters

The Style: standalone, cosy romance, easy-going prose, wholesome, whimsical

Trigger Warnings: discussion of past homophobia, child abuse, abandonment issues, sex

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The Review

You know what? I loved this book.

I’m not a big reader of romance, and am often turned off by cutesy sounding plots, but I am so glad I gave this a go. I was in a pretty bad reading slump, just not really enjoying anything I picked up, but this sweet little novel really pulled me out of that funk. I’ve seen negative reviews of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches calling it too “twee” but seriously... the title alone tells you twee is what you’re getting, let alone the protagonist being named Mika Moon. I picked up this book wanting twee, and it was lovingly presented by Mandanna.

As the blurb explains, the plot centres on Mika, an Indian born witch in her early-thirties who only gets to interact with other witches at pre-decided meetings once every three months. These meetings are run by Primrose, the powerful witch and stickler for the rules who raised Mika. The rest of the time the witches avoid each other so as not to draw the public’s attention to their power. When Mika is invited to care for three young witches at Nowhere House, who, going completely against the rules, live under one roof as adopted sisters, she encounters something that she has never had but desperately wants; a family. Now, I’m a sucker for a good found-family trope, and this book really delivers on that front.

“Over the years, Mika had embraced all the things that made her different and had discovered that she liked herself very much. But what was that worth without human connection? How was it possible to live, truly live, without the companionship of other people, without a family formed in any of the thousands of ways families could be formed?”

The writing style is very easy-going, but where Mandanna shines is creating unique and diverse characters, including: Ian, an elder gay “luvvie”-type English theatre actor who knits rainbow scarves; Ken, his Japanese, professional gardener husband; Lucie, the round-cheeked and loving housekeeper; and Jamie, the scowling but handsome Irish librarian. And that’s just the adults of Nowhere House; the three young witches are also fantastic: there’s Rosetta who is 10, black, friendly and an avid reader; Terracotta, 8, Vietnamese, rebellious and  fierecly protective of her family, and Altamira, 7, Palestinian, hilarious, and maybe my favourite character in the entire book. And lets not forget Circe, the friendly golden labrador.

One of the outstanding aspects of this story was the examination of intersectionality among the different characters. Each of the witches at Nowhere House not only have magical powers, but are people of colour living in England; “They were witches, they weren’t white, and they’d been born far away. Much as they might all wish otherwise, there would always be people who would question whether they were British enough, normal enough, anything enough.” I also admired the inclusion of Ian and Ken’s desire to protect the young girls, having their own experiences living on the fringes of society. It’s all so thoughtful. And the characters are all so lovely, even cranky Jamie who  has “the soul of a cantankerous old man who yells at little kids to get off his lawn”, but in actuality likes kids more than he does most adults. The found family aspect feels so solid in this book; they feel like they have years of history. Nowhere House also feels super cosy and real- I want to move in like yesterday.

“It’s not always enough to go looking for the place we belong,” Jamie said, his eyes on the house ahead. “Sometimes we need to make that place.”

As I said earlier, I’m not massive on the romance genre, but I did enjoy the grumpy/sunshine pairing in this story, it has a good slow-burn progression that felt natural. And it gets a little spicy too, just fyi. I did enjoy that there was reasoning behind Jamies’ attitude; he’s not just a crank for no reason. Like Terracotta, he is fiercly protective of his family unit and puts their safety before anything else.

There is a good level of new witch-lore in this story, from witches going into a state of hibernation if they get seriously injured while their body repairs itself, to the methods Mika uses to harvest ingredients for her potions. The only thing I wanted more of was the inclusion of the lessons Mika delivers to the girls. They’re all so entertaining, especially Altamira, who is a perfectly written child who drops some hilarious swear words even though she’s only seven. And her logic of “I’ll stop when Ian and Jamie do” is totally fair in my book. Seeing more of their growth and development as young witches would have been great, particularly as that was the reason behind Mika’s moving to Nowhere House to begin with.

“The thing is, being a witch is extraordinary,” she said. “It might seem sometimes that all we are is odd and different, but the truth is, we’re amazing. We’re part of the earth below us and the sky above us. Our veins echo the patterns of rivers and roots. There’s sunlight and moonlight in our bones.”

This book was just so nice. I desperately want a sequel or five. There are plenty of options for world building, and I want more of Rosetta, Terracotta and Altamira learning to control their powers. Sangu, if you’re reading- pretty please expand this lovely universe? It was a lovely escape from reality that I will probably return to in the future.

Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 

[Goodreads]