#my own book series is my favorite series and I think that's pretty sexy of me

[kteezy997]

Heyyyy love!

I know you’ve probably been busy but could we get a new Christmas Timmy fic or series whatever you want!

Of course only if you can and want.

Thanks love!

A Love Story for Christmas-Part One//t.c.

Thank you for the request, anon! You’re so sweet! @thebetawolfgirl and I went a little (or a lot) hallmark on this one.

You had to admit that it was quite relaxing to return to your small hometown for the holidays, especially since you had been living in the city for so many years. You couldn't believe how familiar this place felt. It was also bittersweet, this being your first holiday season since your mother passed away.

Sadly, you had grown apart from your mother before she had gotten sick. But you remembered that one of her favorite places to go in town was the local bookstore. One thing you knew best about your mom was she was an avid reader. It was always a safe bet to buy her a book for any gifting occasion.

You were desperate to feel closer to her, so your plan for the day was to visit the bookstore. You hadn't been since you were a kid. You never even got to purchase a book from there. But hey, you moved away when you were only ten years old. It was hard to remember life before the big move.

It seemed they had kept the name Reader's Realm but updated the sign. The storefront looked really sweet and quaint. The instant you stepped through the threshold and heard the tiny ding of the doorbell; it was like stepping back in time. Nothing about the place had changed. It was just as clean and cozy as you remembered. And it was decorated for the Christmas holiday, so the touches of red and green and the glow of the Christmas tree in the front window really added in the right amount of nostalgia that you were seeking.

The bookstore itself seemed much smaller, though. It's funny how some places seem so big and vast when you're a kid. You used to think that there were millions and millions of books in the place, but really it was only a few hundred, a thousand, at most.

The bookstore was nearly empty of people, so you were able to slowly stroll through the aisles. After a couple of minutes, you heard a set of wheels rolling on the floor and the squeaking of a metal cart being pushed around.

The man driving the cart was tall, and he had pale, porcelain skin and dark, short hair that drooped with rich curls on top of his head. He was really cute, like a heartthrob on one of the teen magazines you used to thumb through.

You weren’t expecting to see someone so attractive. You blushed, trying not to stare, trying to browse the books on the shelves, but he was awfully distracting.

The clinking of the wheels stopped, and the young man saw you, "Oh, hello. I didn't realize anyone was in here; I didn't even hear the bell."

You looked over at him, he had a friendly grin. You noticed a light mustache and a dusting of a goatee on his chin. "Hi, yes I just popped in. You work here?" Damn it, y/n, ask a more stupid question, would you?

"Ugh, yeah, I'm actually the owner." he said, parking the cart to the side to allow you space to pass. "I'm Timothee, but you can call me Timmy."

"Oh, the owner? That's pretty cool." You were genuinely impressed, he seemed to be about your age, so to own a business was quite a feat.

"Yeah, I guess so." he said, grabbing some books to place on the shelves. "It was my grandfather's business, but he passed away a couple years ago and the bookstore was left to me."

"Aw, I'm sorry for your loss. My mother just recently passed, so I know how you must feel." you said, no longer browsing as you found yourself just watching him work.

Timmy was crouched down, shuffling some books around on a bottom shelf, "Oh man, I'm so sorry to hear that. I bet this holiday season is hard for you." He looked up at you, his eyes looking like a puppy.

It was then that you saw how broad his shoulders were. He wasn't a large man or buff by any means, but he was lean and sexy. And he had the most incredible bone structure, like he was hand carved, just for you. You weren't thinking about your mother at all.

"Yeah," you cleared your throat, "it's my first Christmas without her. I don't really know what to do. That's kinda why I came here. This was one of her favorite places to be."

"Oh? So, your mom was from here?"

"Yes, technically I am too. But we moved to the city when I was ten. I haven't been back since. My mom loved to buy books and read them here. She used to say, 'There's no place like Reader's Realm.'"

Timmy had a little grin at that, "Well, I hope this place can bring you some comfort while you're here. I don't want to bother you, so I'll leave you to it, but if I can help you with anything, please let me know." he smiled kindly, taking his cart of books away to another aisle.

"Okay, great thank you." You returned a smile. You tried not to blush as you continued shopping the books. As you picked up one to read the synopsis on the back here and there, you could not get Timmy off your mind. You came into the bookstore in hopes of feeling your mother's presence, but this beautiful stranger was now at the forefront.

Then, a wild thought came to you: was he sent by your mom, perhaps? For the rest of your shopping trip, you could not shake the feeling. You noticed that he wasn't wearing a wedding band. Maybe he was single? You tried to not burst with giddiness. Should you engage with Timmy more? Maybe even ask him to go out for coffee? At least try and get his phone number, right?

You carried your handful of books for purchase up to the front counter, where Timmy was standing at the computer, reading something on the monitor screen. He perked up and looked at you with bright eyes as he heard your footsteps coming toward him.

"Find everything you needed?" he asked as you gently sat your books on the counter.

"Yes, thank you." you smiled.

"Good," he grabbed your books, scanning them one by one, "I'm sure you found your books easily, but I truly meant: was the store everything you remembered, I mean, was your mom with you today?"

Your heart melted, it was like he knew exactly what to say and he cared, sincerely. "Oh, yes, I definitely felt her in this place."

"That's awesome. I'm really glad that you could feel such a comfort in my place." He started to bag up your books. "I wish it was moments like this that paid the bills, because then I'd be able to stay in business passed the holidays."

You frowned, you really weren't expecting to hear this. There's no way that your sweet little hometown bookstore could be going out of business!

to be continued...

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[lost-in-beacon-hills]

I think at this point everyone has different opinions on each of the Districts and honestly I love that. It's so fun to read people's thoughts.

(I'm sure I'm not the first person to think or say this but) I have a theory on why District One/Two win so many of the games beyond just being Volunteers in a game full of people going in blind.

It's something I've thought heavily about and even incorporated into my own fanfics.

But District One, I think, they win by raising their volunteers to be pretty. They train them to fight, yes, but I think they pull sponsors by making their kids "sexy." In both the book and movie, Glimmer is heavily sexualized. In the book, she's in a sheer gown that shows everything. In the movie, they tone it down but still show quite a bit of her body during the interview. Even the two victors we get to hear a little more about (Cashmere and Gloss) are mentioned to be pretty. Despite being a sibling duo, they're incredibly popular within the Capitol.

But even after they get 'popular' they don't turn down their attractiveness. She still dresses pretty with make up and smiles like she's been taught to do. He's still beefy and hot. You would think if they had any bodily autonomy they would start to tone themselves down in order to get away from the sex slavery.

I think sex appeal is what makes them a victor. Literally. People 'sponsor' them in the hopes of getting to fuck them. They get told that these people are who they're indebted to and most likely are forced into sex as a way to 'repay' them. Everyone says if Glimmer had won she would become the next Cashmere. Which is true. But no one points out how this is planned and a tactic that one consistently uses. Once they win they realize how fucked they are. They don't know they shouldn't want to win until it's over. It's too late to back out. Part of why Cashmeres life is devastating is because Gloss knew what was coming and he wanted better for her. But it happened away. And now they're stuck repaying the Capitol with their bodies.

In Two I think they raise fighters. They put all their effort into skill, endurance and survival. Out of all of the districts I think they do the best at giving them a chance. They make sure they send the best trained, the most skilled and the smartest. Clove is such a good example of this. She never missed her target. (Except for when Katniss moved the backpack making her miss). She was brilliant. Cato too. He was strong and a fantastic fighter. They only lost because the story demanded Katniss win. Hell there's so many moments where Katniss almost dies at their hands only to **magically** get away. (Thresh owing her, tracker jacker nest, not seeing her a few feet away) all of it. They weren't stupid meat heads. They were warriors. Children raised to kill.

I think they delbrately send plain victors. They don't want want to send "pretty" kids. They tone down any sort of beauty their tributes have. One of my favorite examples is Enobaria. She's pretty. And I think that's her downfall. It's mentioned in the series that she wins by ripping another tributes throat out with her teeth. (A popular theory is she was raped and used the very last thing she had in order to get away.) But she ends up getting her teeth filed down. While a lot of people think it was the Capitol, I believe it was her mentors. They filed them down, knowing she wouldn't be able to be raped again. I mean, who would have sex with her knowing one wrong move and you could be dead? She can bite your dick off in seconds if she wanted to. (Not to say she doesn't get booked) It would sway a lot of people away. I think much like Haymitch fighting against Katniss's breast implants, her mentors fought to get her teeth sharpened.

If they're able to I believe Two will alter the victors in order to make them less desirable. One plays it up, Two tones it down winning off skill and merit alone. Any sponsors they get isn't driven by sex.

It's why they win so much, and why the other districts have such a hard time getting sponsors.

I also think that District Four, the last of the career pack, has it's own way of creating victors. They send tributes like the rest but I think they do something different from the rest. My own headcanon is that they send orphans. It's fucked up but if I remember correctly they never mention Finnick having family.

I think they take the kids with nowhere else to go and put them in a training center. Whoever scores the best goes that year. Unluckily for Finnick, he was picked at 14. He was attractive, and part of me thinks Mags played into that to give him the advantage, thinking he didn't have family to leverage. It would have been fine, but then Annie happened. They use her as a control tactic.

I also think Finnick is the reason it was a one and done on leaning into the sex appeal. It fucked him over. Annie was pretty too but she wasn't used. (No one has ever said ah yes she's crazy let's just not rape her, fuckwads do it anyways.) But I think Mags learned from her mistake and played Annie down. Made her less pretty like they do in Two.

It's fucked. The entire system is fucked. But I think each 'career' district creates winners any way they can. No one in Four would volunteer they're disillusioned unlike one and two. So why not send the kids who have nothing, no one to come back to? In Two why not train them and maim them after to keep them safer? In One why not make them fuckable to win? They won't understand until its too late?

Maybe I've overthought this. Probably have. Idk. Just a thought.

[wondereads]

Weekly Reading Update (12/8/24)

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (★★★★★)

There is something about this book that just does it for me. I think a big part of it is the fact that there's a billion mysteries going on at once, all of which as little as possible is given to the reader (and Harrow), and it all comes together so beautifully at the end. Reading The Locked Tomb makes me despair for my own writing as I can't imagine creating something as clever and complex as this series. Harrow is my personal favorite character (yes I was raised Catholic), and there are so many amazing lines around both her and Gideon in this book. It's definitely a pretty confusing read, especially in the beginning, but it pays off so well and there's much to be discovered on a reread.

More under the cut

For She Is Wrath by Emily Varga (CR 77%)

So I haven't listened to this audiobook at all since last week, but I really need to get on it since it's due back to the library tomorrow. Anticipate a review next week!

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (CR 34%)

As confusing as Gideon and Harrow are, I would actually say that Nona is the most frustrating of the three. As readers, we know enough about the world that it's hard to trick us. Instead, we're looking through the eyes of a character who knows far less than us; we know what she needs to pursue and what questions she needs to ask, but she doesn't, and I can't lie, it's driving me crazy. So far, this is also the first example of what regular life is like in this universe, though it feels like there are extenuating circumstances (i.e. big blue orb in the sky that drives people insane). I'm excited but also scared to continue. One thing I'm really enjoying are all the relationships between Nona, Pyrrha, Camilla, and Palamedes; talk about a found family. Surely nothing bad will happen to them.

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey (CR 22%)

This is perhaps a bit of an undertaking, especially so late in the year/my semester, but it's been a delightful read thus far. I tend to find romantic fantasy a bit lackluster, as it often forsakes things like plot and worldbuilding for a romance focus, but I think this book has the perfect balance. There's all kinds of political machinations going on, they're just being sexy about it. I find the worldbuilding so intriguing, and Phédre is a wonderful protagonist so far. It's also such a joy to read a book that is so queer normative, especially one published in 2001. There are certainly some things surrounding the sexual aspects that have aged a little poorly (as medieval fantasy authors who strove for accuracy often fell into), but I'm having a great time!

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling

4.5/5. Releases 10/8/24.

vibes: "are we friends or have we always wanted to bone (the second one)", TIME TRAVEL!!!, sexy hilarity punctuated with emotional gutpunches, and Lite Christmas (Yule)

Heat Index: 6.5/10.

The Basics:

Powerful but reclusive witch Bowen Penhallow hires the chaotic human Tamsyn Bligh to be his personal magical-item-finder... for reasons that may have a lot to do with redemption. After months of a slowly-building working relationship that becomes genuine friendship (albeit with a lot of sexual tension) the two accidentally end up at the same wedding. Tamsyn is out to steal a million-dollar find for a mystery item. Bowen... is coming face to face with the darkest part of his past. But when a witch accidentally sends the two of them back to the 1950s, they're stuck trying to right what went wrong long ago--otherwise, they just might be trapped there (or worse) forever.

The Review:

I've really enjoyed Sterling's previous books about, you know, witches, kissing, a good bit of romcom-ery. But as soon as I learned that there was a Penhallow brother who looked like a craggy werewolf, I was like "THAT ONE". And God, his book did not disappoint. Easily my favorite of the series, The Wedding Witch takes us to a different place both physically and emotionally, while at the same time maintaining the things I loved about the previous books--a lot of humor, a lot of chemistry, and the friction two people who really wanna fuck but don't want to confront their feelings.

And the magic is kicked up a good bit, too. The series has always been pretty paranormal. Like, this isn't Immortals After Dark, but it's also far from Bewitched. You have ghosts, curses, some actual factual spookiness. Here, we go to another level with a grief-stricken witch throwing Bowen and Tamsyn to a different decade... and I fucking loved the way the time travel was done.

Like, instead of getting up its own ass about How Time Travel Works, this novel goes full camp in the best way. Oh my gosh, that's that old lady we saw at wedding, but she's a YOUNG LADY now. That's the crazy father of the bride as a little, crazy boy! Those are my grandparents? Young and hot and bickering at each other?

Which is really one of my favorite things about the novel. Bowen and Tamsyn are actually thrown back to shortly before his grandparents' wedding... and they've just broken up. So it's a PARENT TRAP SITUATION. Or rather, a GRANDPARENT TRAP SITUATION. Bowen and Tamsyn (apparently) need to get his grandparents back together before the solstice! Aaaaah!!!!

Like, it gives hard Christmas movie in a lot of ways, even though the holiday is less Christmas and more Yule. For the record, though--I can be a little iffy on consuming Christmas content this far ahead of the holiday, but honestly? While there are some Christmas-y moments, the sense is more... Christmas media than Christmas, if that makes sense. I mean, I've definitely seen my fair share of time travel Christmas romcoms.

And in many ways, this was my IDEAL Christmas time travel romcom. Because first off... this is a fuckton hotter. Like. The Wedding Witch doesn't end on a chaste kiss. There are several sex scenes, and each one fully goes for it. (It's never a bad thing when the hero is all "I'm worried that I won't be gentle enough for you" and the heroine is like "PROMISE?"). The sexual tension between these two is heavy from their first meeting, and while I do think this one could fall under friends to lovers... Were they ever really friends? Did they ever see each other in a truly friendly way? Or were they just slow-motion falling in love the whole time?

While by no means is this a heavy book, there is also a kind of emotional resonance that you won't find in most Hallmark Christmas movies. I was really fucking sad about The Thing driving Bowen (and his guilt). There's one aspect of the plot here that's really bittersweet--not in any way that directly affects our romance, don't worry, this is very much an HEA, but in a way that injected some seriousness. I kind of wanted everyone to get everything they wanted in the end, but by withholding that indulgence, Sterling ensured the book hit harder.

I don't know if she'll write in this world again, but if she doesn't, she went out on a high note and didn't tie every single thing up with a little bow, which I appreciate. But to be clear: this is, overall, a very funny, adventurous book. You have a snarky teenager who actually isn't annoying, the horror of realizing your grandparents were hot and also had a fiery sex life (Elspeth and Harri were QUITE the secondary couple, and I loved every bit of pagetime they got), and some truly classic tropes. (Only one bed, sexy bathtime, very MUCH opposites-attract shenanigans.)

I read 80% of this in one sitting, and that's kind of hard for me to do at the moment. But it was just so fun! And I really wanted to see what happened next the entire time. Which is when you know a book is really good, right?

The Sex:

Like I said, you get several sex scenes, and while there's one other thing I would've liked to see on the page (it happens, it's just not directly on the page), what we do get is so good. Like. It gets hot up in this romcom. Tamsyn fantasizes a lot about Bowen before they get together, and she lets him know exactly what she does when she fantasizes (in total darkness... with him becoming QUITE responsive). There's some mirror action. There's some tree action. Look, you'll be happy with this shit.

It's always great when a book not only lives up to your expectation but surpasses them. Full of whimsy and heat and FEELINGS, The Wedding Witch is one to catch!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Sort of answer to your other anon, but feel free to add to it if you want hehe. For now I only know the show and only ship loustat, but that's because I think it's the most developed pairing so far. I kind of need a little time to get into ships, but I'm down for any and everything. I agree ships don't necessarily need to be moral, but I do believe they need to be compelling and help each other in a way, even if it isn't with every single thing. I have OTPs that had terrible moments, but grew into their best selves together. Loustat is usually a dynamic that I hate, because it happened too fast, it got problematic and dark pretty fast (in terms of number of episodes, not the years they spent together), they had other people, they spent a whole season apart... Reminds me in a way of those toxic, even abusive on-and-off couples, that always treated each other poorly, made each other worse, could never work it out, but for some reason kept going back together because "it's sexy" or whatever networks tried to sell. But Loustat subverted my expectations. They're not entirely like that, but I do think they have some of those characteristics. But in their case, it's explained because they both lived shitty lives. And the series show why they're that way and that they're sort of at war with themselves too and genuinely regret their actions. And unlike those other ships, they're a differently species that don't completely function like us and have forever to redeem themselves. Those other couples just felt like a repetitive waste of time without any depth. But the writers really do a great job. And we did see Loustat bounding, Louis trusting Lestat in a way he didn't with anybody else, smiling, having fun and a happy life as well, so we know the connection is there and it isn't just angst and sex. And there's the actors, who have some of the best chemistry I've ever seen anywhere. I'm down for any ship if they have that too, because I trust the writers and so far every duo seems to have amazing chemistry. Will the writing and chemistry be on Loustat's level? I don't know, but I'll have fun with whatever they give me for however long it lasts. This is the first time I feel like I don't even need to think or worry too much, I'm just waiting for more and to be surprised because they always exceed my expectations and I hope that never changes. I was pretty into Loumand at the beginning, I thought they had an ease, sensual, flirtatious vibe and it was exciting to see. But that was mostly the actors than the script and, after the first kiss, we don't see much of it anymore? No scene laughing, comforting each other, going out etc... We have the museum and bar scenes, but I wouldn't call them a Loumand moemnt because they were most about Armand's backstory and betrayal. I never shipped them as much as Loustat, I could have, but before it got to a point I could, it turned cold and distant so I moved on. On the other hand, Lesmand, is something I don't ship yet, but I'm excited because of 1) simply curiosity, everything I hear from the books sound like that's a pretty heated relationship, for better or worse 2) I also hear they're kind of mirrors and understand each other in ways others can't, so even with all the bad history they still sort of care for each other? And if that's true, it's a really interesting and unique dynamic to explore that we don't see that often 3) Sam and Assad really sold their chemistry to me on that scene they shared blood 4) relationships that are extreme as theirs seem to be, tend to result in great, intense, emotional, explosive acting and that's my favorite type... My favorite scenes on the show are the church scene and the hug and those are very intense moments as well. So if they can do something like that in their own flavor because I wouldn't want a Loustat copy, it should be fun to see. Even if it turns out to be like "omg, they're so terrible and I don't want them together not even for one episode" and I won't ship, I'll probably still enjoy it for the writing and acting.

:))

As said, shipping is a personal preference (thank you for detailing yours 🥰).

I am very sure the show will do something very distinctive for each pairing, and this is the only thing I‘d add here now - all these “ships“ are actual relationships in the VC, with their own history, and importance.

Personally I think that is amazing ^^ and I cannot wait to see them.

If I will write and/or read them? We‘ll see. But I think we‘re blessed that way, whether it fits personal preference, or not. 🥰

[deadboyfriendd]

While I’m on the topic of books, I read 16 books this year (not much compared to someone I went to high school with’s EIGHTY FIVE but hey I also finished a degree and am a full time artist and a full time teacher give me a break). My thoughts on them below the cut!!

The first book I read last year was A Little Life by Hanya Yanigihara. WOOF. That was 900 pages of sadness and despair. I vouch that we rename the book, “give Jude a fucking break”. Tragic, I still think about it constantly, and I will never read it again. It made me feel so many uneasy and ugly feelings and literally squeezes them out of you. Like I can’t adequately form an opinion about all of the things this book made me feel. It was profound and shocking and so immensely sad. Very rarely do I cry reading, and I ugly cried through the better half of this book.

Southern Bookclub’s was a palate cleanser for a little life. I call it Steel Magnolias for horror enthusiasts. It’s about a group of women in a prominent neighborhood in the middle of the Bible Belt during the 80s Satanic panic. They end up forming their own book club where they only read horror and true crime and end up convincing themselves that their neighbor is a vampire. It’s hilarious and charming and such a good narrative with the most satisfying ending. A great read!!

Death in her hands by Otessa Moshfegh started my obsession with her entire body of work. Each piece is a narrative in femininity and life through the scope of womanhood. This story follows an elderly woman after the death of her husband and is a fantastic example of the unreliable narrator. It was well paced and a quick read!

The ACOTAR series is… entertaining at best?? It was a drastic change from my usual genres but I was hounded into reading it by everyone and MY mother. I devoured the first and second books in two days. It’s easily palatable, kinda sexy, and a good story overall. Do it think it was life changing profound fiction? Not really. Feyre is super annoying to me but there are so many other cool characters. I think SJM probably could have slowed down and turned the third book into three different books to focus on that world building and really turned ACOTAR into something special. But it was a good story and the world building was pretty cool!

Priest was garbage.

I share the same sentiments with fourth wing and iron flame as I do with ACOTAR. Violet is less annoying than Feyre, but everyone else is so much more annoying. How to train your dragon college AU. Am I gonna read Onyx Storm when it comes out on the 21st? Yeah. I am.

Nothing but blackened teeth was… a little underwhelming? It was a quick read and your run of the mill scary ghost story. That’s all I can say about it.

My year of rest and relaxation is a book I constantly think about. THIS landed on my favorites of all time list. It tells the story of a melodramatic art major who becomes an orphan after her rich, emotionally unavailable parents die and she spends a year getting so ridiculously high on experimental prescriptions and her narrative through these moments of lucidity. It’s like if fear and loathing in Las Vegas was written by a tortured artist. It’s an acquired taste for sure but I was the target audience for that book.

A curse so dark and lonely was recommended to me by a coworker. She described it as something similar to ACOTAR with less spice. It follows the story of Harper, a teenage girl living in the big city with cerebral palsy, and she ends up in a mythical fairytale land as a chosen one to break the prince’s curse. It’s a cute beauty and the beast retelling and I plan on finishing the cursebreaker series eventually!! The characters are a little shallow and Wattpad fan fiction-ey, Harper is very, “I’m not like other girls” but it’s overall a pretty good story.

I ended my year picking up the Outlander series. Oh my GOD. It is my historical fiction writers dream. Jamie is charming and sexy and the book boyfriend to end all book boyfriends. Blows Rhysand and Xaden out of the water. Claire is a witty, sharp, multifaceted FMC and I absolutely ADORE her, and her world building is INSANE. I mean seriously I’m on the third book and I’m learning so much about European history and the Jacobite uprising. Things I wasn’t taught in school. These books are so so long but they’re so thoughtful and so interesting. Easily creeping it’s way up my favorites list.

Bonus points to outlander for having a show that follows so so closely to the book. I’m watching as I’m reading and it’s my little treat.

[brave-and-gentle]

how would you describe jean's ideal type? what sort of personality do you think he gravitate towards?

Hello anon!! <3 Oooo I love this question. I could write about this for hours, I fear.

Before I launch head first into this, a disclaimer that these are my own thoughts based on my OC and jean x readers fics I've written - I welcome other's ideas and head canons! I'm going to write this response in a jean x reader style.

First off, Jean is our bi king - man or woman doesn't matter to him, as long as they're pretty. So that being said, I think Jean is superficially attracted to you at first. He's only human, after all. But what pulls him in deeper is your shy nature. Jean is a social butterfly, so he loves a chance to make someone else feel at ease. It means a lot to him that he becomes your "safe person" at parties or other social events. He can't help the massive grin on his face when you make a bee line to him because you're overwhelmed!

Now what *really* gets Jean going is when you reveal your hyper fixations to him. He loves a freaky one, by that I mean he'll listen to you prattle on about your favorite book series, show, video game, whatever it is that has captivated your mind. Even if he has no idea what you're talking about, Jean is completely entranced by you and your obsessions. He asks really good questions to learn more about what you love. If you ever let him see your Tumblr or ao3 account, he'd be your number one fan. Jean reads all your favorite books and watches your shows so he can keep up - he finds your variety of interests so endearing and he learns a lot from you.

Jean also loves someone with a little bite. Literally and figuratively. Figuratively: Jean loves that you can talk mad shit. He's so fucking nosy, he loves to debrief with you after a hangout with friends or a family gathering. Spilling the tea with you is the best! ALSO, he definitely gets a little turned on when you tag team on Eren when he's being a little shit. Jean loves someone that loves to hate on Eren as much as he does! You don't do it often because of previously said shy nature, but goddamn when you do, he's right there with you. When you let out a rare sarcastic/dry comment, he's laughing so hard he's crying.

Literally (warning for sexual content!): Jean is an Aries, so of course he loves someone that's a little aggressive in the bedroom. Ultimately Jean is a bit vanilla, but he likes someone that isn't afraid to bite (again, literally) or be the top. He thinks it's quite sexy when you're on top of him, but it usually doesn't last too long because he gets really turned on and flips you back over.

Our Jean boy is quite adventurous, so he loves that you tag along with him, even if you're scared or unsure. In fact, that's a huge turn on for him - seeing you conquer your fears and/or try something new with him. Having someone around that's so loyal means a lot to Jean.

FINALLY, this is so specific, but Jean considers himself a wine connoisseur, and unintentionally finds himself gravitating toward someone that doesn't have a clue about wine. It breaks his heart to see you drink box wine, but he actually loves the chance to take you to wine bars and school you.

IN CONCLUSION: Jean loves someone that's a little on the shy side, opens up to him about their hyper fixations, talks mad shit with him, is a little fiery, sticks with him even in scary/new situations, and has terrible taste in wine.

[cicidarkarts]

very important question : what is your biggest hear me out? (besides Idrees)

This is a difficult question given Idrees is 100000% my weirdest/worst Hear Me Out. Of that, there's no question. The ones that follow after are extremely tame in comparison. So instead of trying to convince you that one of these bros is my weirdest Hear Me Out, I'll just type up a compilation of my fave sexy fictional men and let you guys decide.

Let's start with my OG crush, the first dude (fictional or otherwise) that made me go OH. I like men. I like them quite a lot.

Thief King Bakura from Yugioh. I think this one is hard to call a Weird Hear Me Out because... Well... He's hot. Kinda hard to look at him and disagree, whether or not he's your type. Just sort of conventionally attractive to look at. The weirdest part about him is that he's crazy. But he was the first time I ever saw a man and caught feelings, so he means a lot to me. Sure wish he could've gotten an actual Egyptian name, tho. More below the cut <3

Scar from Fullmetal Alchemist. He's a religious fanatic in his own right, yet has his own motivations outside of that which drive him to commit the sometimes heinous acts that he does. However, he believes he's acting in the right (and sometimes, I agreed with him). Another that's... Difficult to call weird. He's hot.

Kimihiro Watanuki from Holic. My favorite anime and one of my favorite anime characters. But Watanuki is a very complex character with a ton of good qualities (amazing chef, very chivalrous, will do anything for his friends, and isn't afraid to show his emotions). I guess the weirdest part about him (aside from the style of the series) is his dramatic, energetic nature. Especially when compared to more down-to-earth characters like Idrees or Scar.

Little Creek from Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Another dude who is attractive even if he's not your type. The only reason this might be a shocking Hear Me Out is because I literally never hear anyone talking about him even though he fucks. He's reckless, but damn if he isn't resourceful. He's also shown to be compassionate and fun-loving. :3

The Jolly Olly man/Will from Hey Arnold. Will is certainly a strange character, another candidate for weird just based off of his dramatic theatrics alone. He's also very rarely ever talked about. Dude makes me laugh and is pretty cute ngl.

Okay, maybe I do like 'em a little dramatic. Cesare from Bigtop Burger. I've also got a thing for zombies (I also like Fallout ghouls), so that's not helpful here. Cesare makes me laugh. A lot. A lot a lot. And I discovered him while going through postpartum depression (anyone who knows about that knows I went through it HARD and it was extremely rough). So that contributed to me falling for this dude at the time. It was brief, but I still appreciate him for helping me feel a bit better back then.

This one might be my weirdest just BASED OFF the other ones. Hank Hill from King of the Hill. Aside from making me laugh until I cry, King of the Hill also gives me: Hank. An awkward man who loves his family, is typically a really great dad (with many flaws, I'm aware), is a bit autistic-coded, and loves his dog. I love great dads and I love dudes who love dogs. Plus, Hank is a giant teddy bear who would be great for cuddles and protecting me, so naturally I have a little crush on him.

I'm sorry to everyone who may disappointed by this, but Lucas Baker from Resident Evil VII is a bygone era of fangirlism. I just don't find him interesting or attractive anymore, and a lot of my interest in him at the time was based around certain traumas I'd endured and had been working through when RE7 came out. Now that I've processed what happened, Lucas just... Doesn't do it for me. But I wrote and finished an entire book about him (that you can find here on Ao3 if you'd like to read it!) so he doesn't just mean nothing to me now. Make of that what you will, or if he even counts as a Hear Me Out anymore.

This one is a Hear Me Out mostly because he's canonically 16. But aside from that, there's nothing that weird about enjoying Jet from Avatar: The Last Airbender. He's easily my favorite, and an endlessly fascinating character. Though charming and manipulative, he fell from grace by the end of his introduction episode. And he really seemed to be trying to turn over a new leaf, but his trauma and hatred took hold of him. I can't blame him for that, and I'm very disappointed that his arc ended the way it did. He's a really interesting character who I think was the perfect middle-man grey area for this show, that they just kinda... Fumbled. Just deserved better. Sorry, Jet. :(

Denahi from Brother Bear. Pre or post facial hair, this was just a pretty gif :3 He's such a dork in the beginning of the movie, just pure older brother/middle child energy. But damn by the end, he proved himself to be a determined and capable man who loves his family. But he was able to put all of his rage aside, and avoided accidentally killing his brother. Sitka was also really hot (he was intelligent, intuitive, and compassionate), but Denahi was the one I gravitated towards.

Yami Marik from Yugioh is another weird one by virtue of being CRAZY AS A LUNATIC but that's why I love him, he's so fun :3 Besides, what that tongue do

Here are few rapid-fire honorable mentions of gorgeous men:

Aladdin because he's hot, intelligent as hell, resourceful, god just look at him in that outfit tho, and mans will do anything for love.

Silva from Shaman King; ngl it's like 90% of the Patch Tribe but Silva is the one I chose as the rep. I don't know a lot about Shaman King, but I do know the Patch Tribe deserved better, and there are a ton of hot dudes in the Patch :)

David Kawena from Lilo and Stitch because he's soooo sweet and such a good father figure for Lilo?? Everyone says Flynn Rider is best Disney Dude but I disagree. That's David.

Jason Bright from Fallout: New Vegas. A sentient Glowing One? Smash. Art by OrugaYego on X!

Both of them. Ganondorf, specifically the Twilight Princess version. Large imposing dude, please snap me in half

Rudy Ayoub makes me laugh, he's attractive as hell, and he's weird to me because I so very rarely find irl dudes attractive (though, I guess to be fair, the ones I do tend to find attractive tend to be Arabic, so Rudy just be out here cheating the system)

So as you can see, I don't have a TON of really weird Hear Me Outs. I tend to just enjoy human characters so there's no random furry I can pull out of the works, and my weird Hear Me Outs are based solely on personality traits. So what do you guys think? Which one of these was the weirdest to you?

[fereldanwench]

Questions for Writers

I was tagged by @corpocyborg! Thank you, bb!! ���

Last book I read: I still haven't finished There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job Kikuko Tsumura I started back in January, lmao. Not for any reason other than I just haven't been in the right headspace to sit down and read for the past few months--What I have read of it is great, so hopefully, I can make the time to pick it up again.

Greatest literary inspirations: I like the female protags in Karin Slaughter novels, and I love Tanya Huff's Torin Kerr from her Confederation series--I'm sure they've inspired me on some level. Oh, and Phedre from Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel books, too, although it's been ages since I read those. But I think most of my inspiration actually comes from other forms of media. I love the action babes of the late 90s/early 00s: Lara Croft is the number one inspo here, and pretty much all of Michael Turner's comic girls but especially Sara from Witchblade. And I think Better Call Saul is easily one of the best-written shows ever made--That's one I always go back to when I feel like I need to refill the inspo well.

Things in my current fandoms I want to read but I don't want to write: I have a confession: I usually only read a ton of fic when I first get into a fandom and I can't get enough and I just want to soak it all up, but after a certain point, I just don't have a lot of headspace for other people's stories. 😬 I feel bad about it sometimes, and it's not like I never read anything after that point, but 90% of the time, what I wanna write is what I wanna read. It's kind of a closed loop, I guess.

Things in my current fandoms I want to write but I think nobody would be interested in them but me: Well, I'm not at all deterred by being the only person interested in something I write, haha. One of my favorite one-shots I've ever written is between my Cousland and Hawke meeting briefly at Ostagar, and it's probably my least popular fic on AO3 by a big margin. But I do like deep-diving into my own OCs, and it generally is harder to get an audience for fic that doesn't have canon characters. Ain't gonna stop me, though!

You can recognize my writing by: Lots of pining and banter; obvious thesaurus abuse

My most controversial take (current fandom): Yeah, no, not gonna be sharing my actual most controversial takes, lmao.

But I do also love the Devil ending! I don't think there's one objectively "best" ending--What's good for one V isn't necessarily good for another--But for my Valerie, it suited her story the best. I love the poetry of her going back to Arasaka after getting fired by them, I love storming Arasaka Tower with Goro, I love the conflict with Johnny, I love making Goro confront how fucked up the Arasakas are, I love the possibilities of Mikoshi--The only way it would have been better for me is if this nixed idea had actually been put into action.

And I wish we could roleplay a V that is actually more "pro"-corpo in the game, especially if we had the corpo lifepath. Sticking it to the man is sexy and all, but I just love delving into characters that align themselves with shitty institutions and exploring different motivations (I personally like cynical pragmatism/self-preservation and delusional idealism) that lead a person there.

Top three favorite tropes: 1) Rivals to friends to lovers 2) Mutual pining 3) Forced proximity

What’s your current writing mood (10 – super motivated and churning out words like crazy, 0 – in a complete rut): Like, 0.5, lmao. I've been rereading and organizing my WIPS, so there's some effort being put in there, but I'm very much in one of my "ummmm, how do I even write fiction?" phases.

Share a random frustration: I have ZERO discipline when it comes to writing. I need to be in a fully feral, totally isolated from distractions place or I just can't get shit done. When I'm in the zone, I'm in the fuckin' zone, but I get like 3 months of that every 5 years, lmao.

Tagging (with no pressure, as always) @ur-friendly-nbhd-cardassian, @dread-red-queen, @vorchagirl, and @aceghosts <333

[steddie-island]

20, 32, 43 for the book asks!!

20 - Where and how do you find new books to read?

Honestly everywhere. I follow authors on instagram and tiktok and a couple here, plus I have a friend who is super into books and we're always talking about books we're excited for. I also peruse the book aisle at the grocery store just to see what's new because I'm a goblin who is constantly adding to the stack of books beside my bed. 😂 32 - Name your favorite author(s).

Number one, hands down, Katee Robert. They're a nonbinary author who primarily writes romance. She has a Disney villains series (Wicked Villains) that is *chef's kiss*. There's also an ongoing Greek Gods series (Dark Olympus) that I've really enjoyed. PLUS! They have a monster series if you're into that (Deal with a Demon). All of their books (that I've read, anyway!) are queer. They have plus size MCs who are seen as sexy (I just finished Electric Idol which is Eros and Psyche and holy shit the way Eros thinks about Psyche is. Whoo. Hoo boy.) They're diverse and they're badass and I love them. ANYWAY Katee is fantastic and I could talk about them for literally hours.

43 - Title of a book you own that's in the worst physical condition you have. Explain what happened to it. Post a picture if you want.

Honestly most of our books are in pretty good condition, so I don't have a fun answer for this. 😅 I have second hand books that have been written in, and a couple of books with some water damage (that's what happens when you read in the tub lol) but for the post part, any books that have been in bad shape I just replace if it's a book that was important to me.

Thanks for asking!! 🥰

[ladylike-foxes]

Get to Know Me

Thank you for the tag, my beloved @solverne-02 ! It has been actual years since I've done one of these, I think 🤣

Favorite color: Pretty much anything on the Purple-Violet spectrum, but especially a deep, rich aubergine color.

Last Song: MAMMAMIA by Måneskin. God, they are so sexy good...

Currently Reading: In no particular order... The Carrying by Ada Limón, The Simarillion by Tolkien (again), Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland, The Sins On Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin, aaand a few more less noteworthy or that I can't be bothered to look up the title &/or author. Yes, I read multiple books/poetry in overlapping concurrence. I know this is blasphemous to some people, but sometimes I just need a mood-shift or palate-cleanser immediately, and can't just push through. It's for my own mental health, I assure you. Though, I will admit it's the reason I frequently can't remember the titles or authors without a little work.

Currently Watching: IWAV season 2, Critical Role Campaign 3, and I'm alternating between WWDITS and Futurama for Emotional Support Series that I know by heart and often keep on in the background.

Currently Craving: ...Surprisingly, nothing comes to mind at the moment, except for perhaps @wrenbee 's physical presence? I am greatly looking forward to Mae & my mini-vacation to the woods in a couple weeks, but not with any particular urgency. I suppose I'm rather content, just now.

Coffee or Tea: Both, and also, neither. Which one, when, and what kind is contingent on a multitude of variables that can only be determined in the moment.

Tagging: And no pressure... @wrenbee @redinkofshame @timeforelfnonsense @fatale-distraction @ellstersmash @thevikingwoman @thejabberwokk @shift-shaping @new-girl-in-thedas ....aaand anyone else who'd like to?

[blueberryshelves]

_______________________________________________

Book Review

Title: The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic Author: Linsey Hall

Series: Charming Cove, book #1

No. of Pages: 356

ISBN: 9781648820311

Synopsis:

So here’s the deal—I’m a magical disaster. A witch from a family of witches, and the only one whose magic blows up in her face. Which is why I came up with my rules…

1. Never get involved with magic

2. If you must get involved, do not enter a competition to win the biggest magical fortune in England

3. And definitely don't fall for Callan Hawthorne, the sexy billionaire mage who you've hated for years

So how the heck do I end up in a situation that promises to break all those rules? It's the only way to save Seaside Spells, my family’s magical potion shop.

But it’s cool. When I go back home to Charming Cove—a village of ancient pubs and foul-mouthed familiars—I will totally ignore Witch Weekly’s Sexiest Man of the Year. I’ll win the competition, and if I’m lucky, I won’t turn myself into a toad in the process.

This'll be fine. It’ll all be fine.

Riiiight. The Modern Girl’s Guide to Magic is a fun, frothy romantic comedy full of laughter, love, and magical hijinks. It’s the first in a series of stand alone romances set in the seaside village of Charming Cove.

_______________________________________________

What did I think of the book?

The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic by Linsey Hall My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 of 5 stars Romance Rules for Werewolves left me in a mood to read some more witchy stories, so I decided to pick up the first book of the Charming Cove standalone series. This is a very chill, cozy, and wholesome book with a neat concept. The beginning was funny and seemed like a stronger start than the werewolf story in the series, it just made more sense and didn’t feel as rushed. I enjoyed all the stuff about the plants in the book, the way the MC came into her own as the story went on was great, and I immediately fell in love with Boris the badger familiar just as much as I did with Poa from the third book. These familiars are so wonderful! Though I enjoyed this book a bit more than the third one, and the pacing was a lot better, the climax of the story sort of fizzled and didn't hold enough impact for me. But in saying that, there are enough twists and turns to keep things fun, so this would still be a great book to pick up to have a leisurely read on the weekend and relax with. Favorite character/s: Boris, the badger familiar. The little guy was a treat, along with Catrina. That girl's scenes were always fun to read, and her confidence in her own magic was inspiring. Callan and Aria, for how sweet they were when they worked together to accomplish things. What drew me to this book? The beautiful cover and the witchy concept. Stars: 4/5 stars because the dialogue was a bit rough, and sometimes the perspectives didn't seem optimal for the part of the story at times (as in, some scenes could have been better from Aria's perspective but were instead told from Callan's and vice versa, not always but sometimes), but other than that, it was a pretty nice read. View all my reviews

Check out my review for: Romance Rules for Werewolves, Charming Cove book #3!

Review for book #2 coming soon...

[mendimore]

The Danmei Series 01: Tf is Danmei?

Note: This is an effort to convert more unsuspecting fandom children into danmei because I need more people to talk to about this. Enjoy!

Danmei.

If you haven't heard of it before, HAHAHA, you are in for a ride.

Basically, Danmei is a Chinese fiction genre (the name directly translates to indulging in beauty)that features m/m relationships.

Mendi, isn't that just bl? Yes, but specifically Chinese.

Well, Mendi, what difference does that even make? It's all the same thing.

No. It is not.

...Okay, it is a little bit.

BUT, danmei is its own genre for a reason. China, just like any other country is rich in culture. I acknowledge this may be a bit biased, but I am overjoyed that Danmei is flourishing. But, anyway, let's talk about it.

If you have heard about Danmei media in the West, even just a little, It's pretty likely that you came across one of MXTX's works. MXTX or Mo Xiang Tong Xiu is the pseudonym for a popular Danmei author on Jin Jian Wen Xue Cheng (jjwxc) a popular web novel site(a whole lot of Danmei authors publish their work on this site).

MXTX has three novels, and if you hear about the MXTX fandom, it refers to the enjoyers of all three of her novels. These three works consist of Scum Villain's Self Saving System(svsss), The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation(aka Mo Dao Zu Shi, or mdzs), Heaven Official's Blessing(aka Tian Guan Ci Fu, or tgcf). The first of their works to become very popular was mdzs, which has several adaptations(basically any adaptation you can think of). If you were into cdramas at all around 2019, you might have heard of The Untamed. The majorly successful live-action adaptation of mdzs. Or maybe if you are in the anime/donghua community, you heard about the mdzs donghua adaptation. And if you were a fandom child who found Ao3 at the right time, you might know of "Sexy Times with WangXian" which broke Ao3 with the number of tags it had and forced Ao3 to have a tag limit, or a fanfic of the lead actors of The Untamed making Ao3 illegal in China.

Have I scared you? Sorry. Truly, the mdzs fandom is not as problematic as it sounds. I started my own Danmei journey with mdzs, and it holds a soft spot in my heart. I also have way too many opinions on the adaptations and how new viewers of mdzs should approach it to get the maximum emotional value, but that is a discussion for another time.

Anyway, Heaven Official's Blessing, also skyrocketed in popularity when it came out. It has its own donghua that you can find on Netflix with a fully English dub. As well as an extremely beautiful manhua and audiodrama. But of course, I encourage you to read the novels first, especialy because these adaptations are not finished, unlike mdzs.

Scum Villain is the heavily underrated middle child as far as adaptations go. It absolutely does not mean that it is bad. It isn't. I don't wanna get into the debate about how someone isn't a true mxtx fan if they haven't read it, and how it's so much better than the other books. I personally disagree with the last statement. I do also hold a lot of love for Scum Villain, Shen Qingqiu is one of my favorite MCs of all time, the premise is a lot more relatable than the other two, but it's pretty clear that svsss is Mxtx's oldest work. She has definitely been improving. Obviously. go read it, especially if you enjoy her other two works.

But, before you come at me for only talking about one author out of ALL the Danmei out there, I would like to point out that MXTX works are probably the most accessible in the West in regards to Danmeis. They were the first to get a full English translation and along with 2ha (The Dumb Husky and His White Cat Shizun, another very popular danmei written my an author under the name Meatbun), I was able to see them perching on their own little stand in Barnes and Noble.

So, you may have noticed something. I talk a lot about the web novels. maybe if you're into bl or yaoi, you will notice that a lot of those adaptations are in the form of graphic novels. Why is it that there is more emphasis on the actual novel? I know I know, why do these people want to make us actually just READ words instead of look at pretty pictures of pretty people. Disgusting. I understand your pain. I actually do not have anything largely conclusive to tell you why this is, but based on my observations here are two contributing factors: 1. it's easier to hide subtext, specific cue words, and satire in text media(I mean it's pretty clear when a character is desperately holding on to another character, yelling "My, love, when will you return," when you skim through a manhua, then if there are just a bunch of words), this also means its easier to hide from censorship; 2. the Chinese language itself is very poetic and if you have interacted with Chinese people, the number of references and idioms will drive you nuts as a language learner, in manhua form it can lose some of its humor and imagery, particularly with Danmei because a lot of the subject matter and the nature of the romances is kind of idealized and poetic; 3. Danmei is actually very plot-centric, the romance is often like a little cherry on top of the mounds of story, drama, and character, and so when you see even manhua or donghua adaptations of the stories, I would say that often quite a bit of the depth gets lost for the characters and the story, it's the same as what happens with a lot of blockbuster films. I'm sorry but book >>> movie almost every time.

Of course, there are options for you if you are stuck on graphic novel-style stories. Chinese manhua generally has a distinctly pretty and clean style. It does depend on the artist, obviously, but if you are a huge fan of pretty art, I tell you Manhua knows what's up, just give it a shot.

Anyway, all this yammering and I haven't talked about the actual content.

Many things set a lot of Danmei apart, content-wise. Chinese fiction has its own fantasy genres of wuxia and Xianxia. Wuxia, translating directly to martial hero, is a low fantasy genre that centers around martial arts in a historical au including sects, master-apprentice relationships, cool fights, etc. It has a lot less supernatural or magical elements, and instead often focuses on what is feasible with the human body alone. Xianxia on the other hand(translating directly to immortal Hero), can vary with very cool magic systems and worldbuilding based on Daoist and/or Buddhist influences. Xianxia is high fantasy and often includes supernatural themes, immortality, spiritual cultivation, etc. It may include mentions of the three realms. where you can ascend to godhood, haunt the mortal realms being unable to find the land of the dead, or go through the cycle of reincarnation.

Danmei can be based in some Chinese historical settings as well, separate from wuxia and can be from ancient times or during the more recent period of militant china, often with some emphasis on Peking opera.

Of course, Danmei has plenty of works set in contemporary or futuristic timelines as well that are similarly unique in their own way.(right now I just started Little Mushroom, and I really enjoy the futuristic worldbuilding so far)

Additionally, I mentioned before that Danmei is in fact very plot and character-centric.

Ha, yeah right, Mendi. Plot. The plot is romance, that is the genre, what plot could there possibly be.

Well. A whole lot.

I gave you a little taste with the mentions of some cool worldbuilding, but you will get a taste of insurmountable joy and boundless despair, reading some of this stuff. Many of your favorite tropes appear often, from enemies to lovers to pretty guys with long hair falling down cliffs(ok that is just an MXTX thing, I don't care if you think my taste is basic because i love MXTX, the stories are good). Also, you get a dose of east asian ideals and culture. For Asian Americans like me, it was very refreshing to feel somewhat understood in a way that I didn't see in Western media. The emphasis on family relationships, age hierarchies, reputation, and the way your asian aunties will gossip about you both right in front of you and behind you and have no sense of boundaries, and dramatic-ass idioms(iykyk). The way that these relationships are built is through the plot, and that is something I miss sometimes with a lot of the romances I've read. There are plenty of points of interest, from being do-gooders trying to be a good person and then getting roped into and wrongfully blamed for some elaborate scheme, or a hefty, intricate revenge plot based on some deep hatred and a not so healthy does of body horror. You will have a blast.

So, now that I have sold you on danmei content. Let's talk about another factor why you may not already be a Danmei enjoyer.

Danmei is enjoyed by many women in China and internationally, which also means there is a lot of controversy regarding the fetishization of m/m relationships. While I agree that this is a problem, I disagree that enjoying a gay romance is fetishization. it can be, but it more than often is not. Just like how I can enjoy a poetic, well-set-up, straight romance, I enjoy a lot of really beautiful Danmei stories in much the same way. For a lot of Chinese women, Danmei allows them to remove the societal constraints put on women in a relationship. it's a way of escapism, this might also be a reason as to why a lot of these romances are so poetic, even if tragic at times. Having the stigmatism of fetishization might push more heteronormativity into media. As long as you can enjoy the romance healthily, appreciating the characters as characters, and the plot as plot, and not specifically enjoy the fact that the relationship is between two gay men, you should be in the clear. The fact that some people are driven away from these stories because of the stigmas around boy's love saddens me. You don't have to be a connoisseur or anything, but if the sole reason you reject a piece of media is because it has a gay pairing in it, that is pretty homophobic. Although I will say, there is a difference between not wanting to read it because it's gay and not wanting to read it because you don't want to read smut. I understand some Danmei has smut, and some people aren't comfortable reading that, ok. But if you are intrigued by the premise, I would say just do your best to skip the smut scenes, if you really don't wanna, ok, but I think for things like smut, you can really get away with not reading it usually. Also if you think all danmei has smut, you are sorely mistaken. There are plenty of Danmei fics with no smut, and a lot of the adaptations sometimes don't even have real romance, which is sad, but if that is your concern, seriously don't. Also, in regards to censorship, if that is your issue. Unfortunately yes, it is an issue, but, there are plenty of options in the Danmei world, I'm certain you will find something.

Anyway, some of this is just my opinion, I am still actually relatively new to Danmei, I have read my fair share, but if this encouraged you to get into some Danmei, I have fulfilled my mission.

I will be back, probably talking about mdzs adaptations next time or some recs or working on some reviews, but I hope you enjoyed!

NOTE: About MXTX official translations, I have heard some mixed reviews. I, personally, read all three of the works as popular fan translations online, so I have not reread the full official translation. I have heard there are some distinct changes, including smushing some of the chapters together, which is something I am not sure about. it's unfortunate, but its only something to keep in mind. The novels should still be faithful to the original story.

[autisticempathydaemon]

the redacted matches are so cool, thank you for doing them!!

- i dont have a particular lyric for it but ive been really liking cherry wine by grentperez lately

- i dont really know my enneagram type, i think its a 5? not sure though only because i havent looked at it recently enough to know if its still accurate

- my go to way to fall asleep is to listen to redacted videos lol

- when i picked a new name for myself, i chose it because i liked the sound of it (and im pretty sure i subconsciously got it from a candle on my desk)

- my favorite redacted audio would probably be aarons morning audio where smartass is trying to keep him in bed, its very cute and he just sounds so happy

- i dont get the hype for caelum, i can appreciate that other people like him but he’s just never been it for me

- my go to thing to ramble about would absolutely be astrology

- my go to gas station combo would be one of those bottled starbucks drinks and chocolate covered pretzels

- a playlist ive been listening to a lot lately is a spotify generated one called “chill mix”

- i have a few guilty pleasure fantasy romance book series, theyre not very good but i always have a fun time reading them lol

Okay, but the fantasy romance thing is so funny- not funny because those books aren’t fun, we’re among friends here but because Vincent would lovingly, adoringly give you so much shit.

Literally, can you imagine how a charming little dickhead he’d be? He’s constantly insisting that shifters don’t actually have knots, that demons don’t orchestrate deals with the devil and certainly don’t seal them with a kiss. You’d come home, and he’s on the couch, not working, nose in one of your books, telling you that the position being he’s reading isn’t possible, supernatural creature or otherwise, but goddamn he’d be willing to try wink wink nudge nudge.

Also, after that last Vincent audio, the one with the fancy date, he could totally strike me as a chocolate-covered pretzel man. Vincent’s a prince, but he’s also just a dude, and I think he’d be more than happy sitting on that gas station curb, trying to throw snacks into your open mouth.

Song:

I need a man who'll take a chance/ On a love that burns hot enough to last/ So when the night falls/ My lonely heart calls/ Oh, I wanna dance with somebody

As the theoretical youngest of our vampires, Vincent is so literally a boy misplaced in time. I really, inexplicably love this song for him for that reason. Like, a cheesy eighties love ballad that he’d adore covered by a mid 00’s emo band? For some reason, I think he’d love that.

Runner-ups:

Vega, I actually like for you the same reason as Vincent. He would also be incredibly amused by your romance novels but in a much meaner yet still sexy way. Anton, I just think he loves an astrology babe; he adores listening to you talk about signs and constellations and houses even if he doesn’t believe any of it.

Note: I hope you enjoy it, anon 🧡 I actually finally listened to his spicy date audio today before I looked at your entry, so I think it was fate

Want a match-up of your own? Read this post, and tell me about yourself! 💌

[mermaidsirennikita]

So You'd Like to Fuck a Villain: Romance Novel Recommendations

Have you gotten caught up in a villain ship? Are you, perhaps, what might be called a villainfucker?

The issue with stanning for villains and wanting them to have romantic love and happiness and possibly group sex, is that they often don't. At least, not onscreen. Some of the most popular romantic ships, obviously, have been villain ships--Reylo spawned a wave of romance novelists (though, I might add, many do not actually write villain-centric romance novels, which is fine), Darklina powered no small part of Shadow and Bone's publishing success... and let's be real, the success of the soon-to-be-ill-fated-from-what-I'm-hearing TV show. On a darker level, Interview with the Vampire took off in no small part because people love the tainted love that is Louis and Lestat, where maybe? They're both villains? (Definitely more Lestat, but you know.)

You know what the great thing about a romance novel is? The villain has to get a happy ending. They just must. It's a rule. If a villain is a lead, the HEA is guaranteed (rhymes), or it's not a romance novel.

So, for Cupid's birthday, I'm recommending some of my favorite villainfucking romance novels. I just think that we deserve it.

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Wicked Villains by Katee Robert.

As you might guess, this series is in fact about villains getting their happy ending, full stop. And it does so by adapting Disney villain ships and placing them in a contemporary setting full of organized crime, sex clubs, and deals gone wrong. It is fun, it is campy, and it is very, very sexy. Check the trigger warnings (which Robert typically lists for each book on her website)--some of these do feature heavy BDSM and CNC.

The diversity of the pairings is so appreciated--while my favorite thus far is the first, Desperate Measures (Jafar/Jasmine with a mob wife "you killed my father" spin, for those curious) you get several triads (Hades/Hercules/Meg, Beast/Gaston/Belle, Ursula/Ariel/Eric, to name a few) and the ever-coveted sapphic Maleficent/Aurora moment. I don't think there's a straight person in this collection of characters. Contemporary romance can be a hard sell for me, especially in terms of villainy... But these are just a ride.

HISTORICAL ROMANCE

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas.

Obviously, if you haven't read Devil in Winter yet, you need to read Devil in Winter. It's a classic--not just of historical romance, but romance in general. Though, pro-tip: I would recommend reading the preceding It Happened One Autumn first, as that's where the villainy takes place. Devil in Winter is about a recovering villain--a rake who did a very, very bad thing (kidnapping his best friend's lady love) simply because he did not want to get a job. I mean.....

Sebastian St. Vincent is a soft touch villain, and not just because he's super good at touching. You know he's going to roll over and beg for it with his seemingly-gentle, secretly-iron-willed heroine; but it's watching him get there that's so fun. His bark is worse than his bite, but he does deliver quite a bark (and quite a bite). If you like 'em snarky and slutty, read this book.

Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt.

If you like a blond villain who seems better at lounging about than doing manual labor, Valentine Napier takes what St. Vincent was doing to another level of insanity. St. Vincent is sane; Valentine is not, and he's a lot less fun about his kidnappings. Fortunately, his heroine (dispatched to spy on and steal from him) does not take any shit.

This is a book for those who like them loony, because I really don't think Valentine reforms in the least. He just falls in love, all while running around naked in bedazzled, open robes and brandishing a knife. At least he's good in bed and keeps giant, nude portraits of himself in his own house. Keep in mind that this book does delve into some pretty massive childhood trauma, including all kinds of abuse.

Villain I'd Like to F...

This anthology of novellas delves into five stories of historical romance villainy, by five great authors. I'm going to list each novella and its author, as these collections typically disband after a period of time, allowing the authors to sell the novellas individually (though you often can find the collections in online libraries like Libby). In the brackets!

[ Lady Viper and the Bastard by Eva Leigh.

Do you enjoy Dangerous Liaisons? Try this delightfully sexy Georgian-era novella about a widowed vamp and an illegitimate libertine, teaming up to break apart two young lovers (for a price). Except what happens when these two assholes start to catch feelings? Notable in that these characters are in their forties, know themselves, and do engage in some fun role-playing.

Seven Sinful Nights by Nicola Davidson.

Our young-but-ready widowed heroine is toiling in the service of her dickish in-laws... Until the owner of the local gambling hell (who isn't above murder and torture, and does enjoy dominating a bit) shows up demanding payment for her brother-in-law's debts. Those who love an innocent heroine lured by the darkness will love this one, a she very much goes willingly to her "doom" of being his mistress for a week, and loves every minute of it. It's sexy, it's sweet, she also loves a torture moment, there's some exhibitionism.

The Gangster's Prize by Joanna Shupe.

A Gilded Age gangster is thrown off balance by the young woman who comes to him demanding help in finding her missing father. But wait... who's in his dungeon as we speak? Could it be? Her dad? Joanna doesn't pull her punches here, and it's delightfully wacky. Watching our hapless villain hero be like "uhh, what screams from the dungeon" while our heroine looks for her father... who he has captive.. is hilarious.

The Bootlegger's Bounty by Adriana Herrera.

Did someone say sort-of pirates? Our heroine is a nightclub singer, and she books passage to New York with a dangerous rum runner. There's a lot of sex in this one, and--delightfully--a triad, as there happens to be a young gentleman who catches the eye of both our singer and our rum runner...

The Conquering of Tate the Pious by Sierra Simone.

Hedonistic nuns? A Norman invader (in more ways than one) who turns out to be a lady conqueror? As in, a conqueror who is a lady and conquers ladies? I think yes. Our proud abbess Tate is ready to stand up to the Wolf, but what happens when the Wolf is very sexy and cruel in the best possible way? ]

The Prince of Broadway by Joanna Shupe.

If there's one thing Joanna Shupe loves, it's a hero (or a villain turned hero) who hates your dad. This book opens with our casino-owning hero beating the shit out of someone, and when he meets the headstrong spoiled rich girl who wants to open a casino for ladies and needs mentorship... He takes her up on it. All while planning to take down her father (as revenge!!!).

While Clay isn't a super hardcore bad guy, he is pretty violent and pretty diabolical. What makes this book is, of course, his dynamic with Florence, and her defiance of norms that quickly has him completely besotted. This book has a very good grovel, and it should. Does anyone deserve Florence?

... and after reading this one, you can mosey over to Shupe's next book, The Devil of Downtown, in which a bad, bad gangster gets his ass emotionally kicked by Florence's goody goody angelic sister.

The Dragon and The Pearl by Jeannie Lin.

This is another one that benefits from reading its previous book, Butterfly Swords, first. In that novel we're introduced to the treacherous warlord our heroine is fleeing--Li Tao. Lin doesn't shy away from his intimidation factor: he even gets into a sword fight (that turns into an outright brawl, lmao) with the hero. In this novel, Li Tao gets full focus, kidnapping a former emperor's concubine to get information out of her.

What follows is a match of wits that gradually gives way to two manipulative, emotionally closed off people falling madly in love with each other while being unable to say it. Li Tao is a cold, seemingly-unfeeling villain-as-hero, and he really pushes how far he's willing to go to reach his end goals in this book. Also, there's a sex deal. If that matters to you.

Daring and The Duke by Sarah MacLean.

Again, one that does in fact benefit from reading the two preceding books, Wicked and The Wallflower and Brazen and The Beast (fortunately, they're both good!). Ewan, our titular duke, is the villain of both--and he is completely batshit insane in his pursuit of his childhood sweetheart, Grace. Who, for reasons relating to villainy, wants absolutely nothing to do with him.

This is a book-long grovel the way Sarah MacLean does it best--with abject shame and humiliation. Ewan is put through the ringer: and he should be, because he did a really bad thing! And was legitimately a nutjob of a villain! But that's what makes it so, so good.

PARANORMAL/FANTASY ROMANCE

The Four Horsemen by Laura Thalassa.

This series has the rather bold take of "what if the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Fucked". Starting with Pestilence, bleeding into War and Famine, and ending with Death, this series is a bit bonkers. But it doesn't let up on the extent of the villainous heroes' determination to lay waste to the world. There is a lot of gore. There is a lot of moral ambiguity.

But it's also legitimately funny. Pestilence discovers the joys of a bathtub. Death receives his first blowjob and is like "I don't know, maybe the apocalypse is bad". It's campy, and it's fun, and it leans the fuck in to the concept. I would recommend reading these in order, as the love stories stand alone but the overall arc leads to a big finish (and there are lots of finishes in between, if you know what I'm say--)

The Tenebris Trilogy by Kathryn Ann Kingsley.

If you're interested in the occult and some Lovecraftian vibes set in a pseudo-1920s world, this is it. Our heroine is on the search for her brother, and who is to assist but his stuffy-hot professor who happens to be a cult leader and has perhaps merged his body with that of a Cthulu monster?

What's interesting about this series (which cannot be read as standalones, and must be read in order) is that our hero is legitimately loony tunes, and our heroine is into it. She falls in love with him and his monsters, and that does... extend to the physical. (Tentacles, everyone! Shadow tentacles! Think Venom.) I will add that there's a lovely secondary romance with a trans heroine (with a hero that's not a villain) and it is excellent, but at one point an antagonist is transphobic towards her. An attempted off-page forced detransition occurs. The main heroine is totally supportive of the secondary heroine and stops it, but read with caution.

Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole.

This rare villainess/hero romance sees a sorceress heroine take a deposed demon king captive to coerce him into impregnating her so that she can bear his heir (all for villainous purposes, of course). Yes. So this book is heavy on the dubcon--lots of edging, lots of people chained to beds--but to be frank? He is into it. We have a stern, morally upright hero being driven to the brink by the baddest of bad girls, and it's great.

This book is a bit controversial because of the content, and I do recommend checking out my IAD Cheat Sheet before reading for a full list of triggers/details about the world of Immortals After Dark. But it reads fairly well on its own, and I personally adore it. The sex is hot, the romance is angsty, he gets back at her in every possible way, and it's so fun to see a villainess take center stage and bring out the dark side of such a noble hero.

Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole.

Here, we focus on an immortal valkyrie heroine who's had centuries of near-misses with her would-be Berserker love--every time she kisses him, he remembers his past lives with her and promptly dies in increasingly gruesome ways. He's always be good and loving to her... which is why she's so shocked when he returns to her, this time in the form of an immortal-hating torturer who's taken her captive.

This one is dark--yes, he does torture her (not that badly, but there are other scenes of torture at the hands of different villains which are... bad). But if you can hang in there, I think you'll find a very compelling romance with a legitimately troubled, intense hero and a woman he can't get out of his head. There's also a very, very good bathtub scene that turns into "let me blindfold you so you can't see my hideous scars".

Lothaire by Kresley Cole.

The villain romance to end all villain romances (best read after Dreams, so you get the one-two punch of a pair of very different villainous heroes). What happens when you mix a 3,000-year-old megalomaniacal vampire with a 24-year-old whip-smart human woman he believes houses the soul of the goddess he's supposed to wed? A fucking ride, and possibly my favorite romance ever, that's what.

Lothaire goes HARD. It goes hard on the villainy (this is a story of a villain falling in love, not a villain finding redemption), it goes hard on the sex (with possibly one of the most infamous sex scenes in romance, and I love every word of it), and it goes hard on the angst. As much as Lothaire fucks with Ellie's head and is determined to deny his love for her, she's determined to one-up on him and will never, ever break. I think this book is always best summed up in a scene early on where he kisses her, bites her lip, and draws back, smugly expecting horror--only to find her grinning through the blood and pulling him in for another kiss. Tell me that isn't villain romance perfection.

Sworn to the Shadow God by Ruby Dixon.

Not so much a super hard villain romance as it is a "falling in love with Death himself" book, this wacky romance finds our gamer girl heroine falling through a portal to another land and... yes, sworn as the mortal companion of the God of Death as he attempts to complete a trial set before him by the father god. It is funny, it is sexy, it's adventurous, and it is for the Reylos.

You think I'm joking. No. He is very clearly modeled after Kylo Ren, and he sweeps around in dark cloaks and emo smashes about being the God of the Death, and it is glorious. He's less bad than he is detached and uncaring, but, you know... Death. By the end of the book, though? He cares very much about one particular person.

Look, man. Check your triggers always, especially with romance novels about villains. These won't work for everyone. But I imagine... if you like a villain... some of these are for you.

[little-de-vil]

Look, I know I’m a day late and I don’t really contribute much, but 🥳Happy 10th Anniversary to Hannibal🥳. If it weren’t for this silly little romcom of a show I wouldn’t have met one of my greatest friends, @xxgothchatonxx.

I got into the show for very superficial reasons, at first it was because of Gillian Anderson and how she fit into this world and her relationship with Hannibal. But very quickly, I realized how much bigger this show is. I like to joke that it’s a comedy most of the time, and it is, but it is just truly teeming with romance. It is a desire, a need, a want for acknowledgment, and for understanding without being questioned too harshly. I like to argue that each season does completely different things, even the A and B are very different from each other, but they all hold those sort of through lines very consistently. season one is not only our starting point in terms of our introduction to the world that we’re in, and the characters, but it is the beginning of a friendship that shifts into a betrayal that then morphs into what it was ultimately in the beginning, way in the back of everyone’s head, as a romance. Season two, my favorite season, is the betrayal and then the acceptance. There is so much betrayal, but it’s not like that gets swept under the rug once will gets out, he is very slowly returning to his own world of normal, with the addition of Hannibal by his side less as a guiding light and more of a companion (as indifferent is that relationship may seem to either side). Season three, arguably the most superficial of the seasons, is beautiful and gaudy, and definitely feels more of a distraction, especially the first two episodes. Not to say that it isn’t leading the plot forward, but Hannibal just went through a really bad break up and he is recuperating with wine, men who look like his ex, and being rash (and also pushing police officers out of windows that have a 20 year vendetta against you, bowls out). The first half of the season is pretty, a little bit slow, but as it goes on continues to draw our two leads closer together into being complete full characters (biting cheeks off and everything that that entails)! The second half of the season is bad ass. Hannibal won’t ever let go over the break up, sitting in a sexy glass cell, thinking he’s the shit with his little haircut and books and desserts with blood and chocolate. and I love sexy glass cell Hannibal, and it was fun to watch him squirm a little bit after he was caught, but to see him and his true form at the end with a man he loves killing the dragon that he helped create, it was beautiful! Will was in peace, there was a true normalcy, and there was a family, and there was no want, let alone need, to return to his old world. The dragon forces him back, back to the world he wanted nothing to do it from the very beginning, and back to the man who was his guide, but who almost killed him, twice. Power dynamics change, outfits get switched around, color schemes evolve, in the end we have a dead dragon and a cliff.

This feels stupid. I just re-told the entire fucking series, and I don’t even know why. I think I’m just a little out of it. I don’t know if I wanna go back in, and I haven’t even touched on my silly little characters that mean absolutely nothing to everyone, and mean everything to me. I’m sure I’ll be back to those two at some point, but for now I will just like every post I see, and I apologize for the spam.

Also, shout out to Eddie Izzard‘s Abel Gideon specifically! What a wonder she is!