#f/Contemporary

[profiterole-reads]

Cat's Eye(s)

Cat's Eyes is the French live-action adaptation of the Japanese heist anime Cat's Eye.

I've always been a huge fan of Cat's Eye, so I had to give a try to the French adaptation, based on the dubbed version, even though the trailer looked awful. lol The first two episodes were actually quite fun (taking into account that I'm an easy audience).

It's a little more adult (more dangerous and more sexy) than the original, but they added a reason that actually makes sense as to why the sisters need to rob their father's paintings.

There are a few POC and some Japanese paintings, but unfortunately no Japanese French actors. They changed a major male character into a woman (played by Carole Bouquet). My favourite addition is that there are now SAPPHICS! <3

It currently airs in France, Belgium and Switzerland, but Amazon Prime Video is a partner, so it might become available in other countries.

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

i was also thinking that as i get older i am less automatically impressed by literary prose, partly because i recognize it more and more as a genre of its own and just doing the things it does doesn’t wow me, but then i was trying to remember if i’d ever been in my younger days wowed by a book i wasn’t sure i’d stand by now and the answer is no but i do remember reading various novels and being like “that was ok.” so maybe i have just always been a hater. i do though need publishers to stop choosing blurbs that hype up the language of a book bc it’s like almost guaranteed to make me a little more hostile than i would quite honestly prefer to be.

[jamieflemingsimpson]

Silence, 2023

[luxetobscuritas-blog]

JOMP Book Photo Challenge / November / 24 / got what they deserved

Despite slacking a teeny tiny bit in the last third of the story, I can absolutely recommend this book if you're currently in a reading slump.

Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang perfectly aligns with the "got what they deserved" prompt, as it centers on the consequences of cultural theft and deception. The story revolves around the protagonist June Hayward, a writer, who gains fame and success by stealing an unfinished manuscript of Athena Liu, a Chinese-American writer, selling it as her own. Without going into further detail, it is clear from the very beginning that her downfall is just a matter of time. But, instead of taking accountability for her actions, she blames everyone and everything except herself. Her eventual downfall is more than a fitting consequence for her betrayal, highlighting the novel's theme of accountability and the cost of exploiting others for personal gain.

[up-in-flames-writing]

In lieu of Stuff Your Kindle day, can we talk about the issue of how the m/m genre of books, romance or not, is almost entirely dominated by women? Can we talk about how the most recognisable gay couples in media are written by women? Can we talk about how queer men can't even write about ourselves, how we are only allowed to exist when it's from the point of view of a straight woman sexualising us?

Can we talk about that? Or am I going to get called misogynistic for pointing out the disparity between who gets the writing deals, & who gets their books turned into movies, & whose shit gets popular versus whose doesn't? Can we talk about how m/m fiction is only allowed when it appeals to a cishet gaze, or is that too much for tumblr to take?

Can we also talk about how trans queer men are even more hated by publishing? Can we talk about how we get shit from both sides? Can we talk about how books about the experiences of being a queer man, written by queer men, never get the same recognition as books written by women on this subject (barring academia which has its own problems)?

Can we talk about that? Can we?

[garethschweitzer]

Robin F Williams

[miamaimania]

Shades of Grey: A Symphony in Monochrome by Yaroslav F.

[queerromancerecs]

Role Playing

Title Role Playing

Author Cathy Yardley

Summary:

Maggie is an unapologetically grumpy forty-eight-year-old hermit. But when her college-aged son makes her a deal–he’ll be more social if she does the same–she can’t refuse. She joins a new online gaming guild led by a friendly healer named Otter. So that nobody gets the wrong idea, she calls herself Bogwitch.

Otter is Aiden, a fifty-year-old optimist using the guild as an emotional outlet from his family drama caring for his aging mother while his brother plays house with Aiden’s ex-fiancée.

Bogwitch and Otter become fast virtual friends, but there’s a catch. Bogwitch thinks Otter is a college student. Otter assumes Bogwitch is an octogenarian.

When they finally meet face to face–after a rocky, shocking start–the unlikely pair of sunshine and stormy personalities grow tentatively closer. But Maggie’s previous relationships have left her bitter, and Aiden’s got a complicated past of his own.

Everything’s easier online. Can they make it work in real life?

Genre: romance

Ship type: m/f (male character is bi and demisexual)

Why you like it: It’s nice to read a romance featuring older characters.  Finding love in late 40s/early 50s is different than romance for 20 somethings and it is nice to see that reflected.  I also love the demisexual rep.   

Content tags homophobic/biphobic family members, family drama, aging parents needing care, minor injury                                                         

Link to buy 

(image description: a woman and a man casually embracing on a big couch. she is in socks and holding a mug. he’s in flannel. on the table in front of them are bowls of food and DnD miniatures)

[misscromwellsmonocle]

Offering by Daniel F. Gerhartz (*1965)

[lesondupapillon]

Je n'ai pas pris de billet pour la vie,

J'ai raté la porte du sentiment

/ Fernando Pessoa

[profiterole-reads]

2024 Favourites

In no particular order. This is content I've read and watched in 2024, not necessarily content released in 2024.

Books

1. So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole: f/f heroic fantasy + another female protagonist on the aroace spectrum with a male love interest (YA). One sister can channel the power of the Gods. The other dreams of becoming a drake pilot to protect their country from dragons.

2. Hunters of Ironport by Lou Wilham: m/m urban fantasy with a trans male protagonist. This series has Buffy/Faith vibes, except m/m. It crosses over with the Witches of Moondale series (f/f), but can be read independently.

3. The Mage's Secret by Ami Spencer: f/nb urban fantasy. This witch story is mostly cosy, with a few action scenes. It's about a coven elder and an Academy head in an established relationship.

4. [Spanish] Prodigioso principio de amor de Silvia Aliaga: m/m urban fantasy. This novel takes place at the University of Magic and Eloquence, in Florence, Italy, and the two leads are from Spain and the UK.

5. Power to Yield and Other Stories by Bogi Takács: collection of speculative short stories with many non-binary characters and a couple of intersex ones. This is my favourite read of the year. These brilliant stories explore gender identity, neurodivergence, religion, immigration and the human condition in general.

6. Earthflown by Frances Wren: m/m science fantasy. The characters have superpowers, but it's not superhero fiction. This novel takes place in post-flood London and has complex worldbuilding. Note that the e-book version doesn't include the 60 illustrations.

7. Redsight by Meredith Mooring: f/f science fantasy. This is mythological fantasy in space. The protagonist is a blind witch who's going to serve as a spaceship navigator. Her love interest is an ancient witch who's become a pirate and can turn into a giant snake.

8. Welcome to Boy.net by Lyda Morehouse: f/f science fiction with a trans female protagonist. This novel is about two bounty hunters in an established relationship. The protagonist used to be part of the ENForcers, which supposedly had only male members, so she had to desert in order to transition.

9. Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052–2072 by M.E. O'Brien and Eman Abdelhadi: speculative activism fiction written in the form of non-fiction, with many non-binary characters and two trans women. 12 interviews cover the crises of the mid-21st century, then the insurrections that led to establishing communes all over the world, with a focus on NYC.

10. [French] Un Amour pas si aveugle by Lena Clarke: f/f romance. A blind piano teacher and her guide dog move in next to a former firewoman, now an ambulance driver, and her dog.

TV shows

1. Kaos: mythological fantasy with several mlm characters + a trans male major character, and the Fates are played by trans/enby actors. I love this Greek Mythology modern AU, full of dark humour.

2. Meet You at the Blossom: BL wuxia. This Chinese/Thai coproduction is the first uncensored BL wuxia drama and I hope it'll pave the way to many more.

3. The Spirealm: BL portal fantasy. This c-drama is an intriguing adventure with horror vibes. The BL is still pretty visible despite Chinese censorship.

4. Tadaima, Okaeri: BL omegaverse. I had always avoided omegaverse stories, but this anime about an alpha/omega married couple with kids is just lovely.

5. When the Moonlight is Shining: GL fantasy. This c-drama is a quick watch, with 18 episodes of about 2 minutes. A mermaid comes to the human world.

6. 3 Will Be Free: m/m/f thriller + a trans female major character. This Thai drama is about the son of a mafia boss, a male stripper and a hostess at a go-go club. It's actually not as explicit as it sounds.

7. Petrichor: GL murder mystery. An inspector and a medical examiner team up in this Thai drama, which is much better than the forgettable Rizzoli and Isles.

8. Love Sea: BL + GL romance (a lot of BL sex scenes). This Thai drama is Fort/Peat (from Love in the Air)'s new show. Watch it for the high-chemistry BL, as the GL storyline is subpar.

9. Lucky My Love: GL romance. This Thai drama is a quick watch, with 5 episodes of 20 minutes. A superstitious woman meets her new team leader.

10. 1670: historical mockumentary with some f/f. In this Polish show (available on Netflix), the 17th-century humour is a metaphor for 21st-century issues.

Movies

1. Wicked: fantasy with sapphic vibes and achillean rep. I loved it, it was stunning!

2. Drive-Away Dolls: f/f crime comedy (a lot of sex scenes). This lesbian movie was on crack and is supposed to be the first of a trilogy!

3. Le Comte de Monte-Cristo: historical revenge movie with a canon sapphic minor character. This was a magnificent adaptation of Alexandre Dumas's masterpiece.

[faridbellal]

[alexios-tjoyas-fructuosus]

Visions de Nosferatu / ma contribution pour un livre-CD, avec Emmanuelle Parrenin, Quentin Rollet, Jérôme Lorichon, Caroline Sury, Marie-Pierre Brunel & Foolz (Bisou Records, avril 2024)

Visions of Nosferatu / my contribution for a CD-book, with Emmanuelle Parrenin, Quentin Rollet, Jérôme Lorichon, Caroline Sury, Marie-Pierre Brunel & Foolz (Bisou Records, April 2024)

[skf-fineart]

MB&F A futuristic and unusual limited edition yellow gold-plated brass spider-shaped clock with 8-day power reserve, made in 500 pieces, ARACHNOPHOBIA GOLD, circa 2015

[haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll]

Tracklist:

첫 사랑니 (Rum Pum Pum Pum) • 미행 (그림자; Shadow) • Pretty Girl • Kick • 시그널 (Signal) • Step • Goodbye Summer • Airplane • Toy • 여우 같은 내 친구 (No More) • Snapshot • Ending Page

Spotify ♪ YouTube

[highher]

Joan of arc. Jules Bastien-Lepage 1879