#the one het romance is super adorable

[triaelf9]

Okay, Renegade Nell is actually really fun, highly recommend giving it a watch ^_^

[watchingblsnowandforever]

My (mostly regularly) updated GMMTV 2025 lineup in order of my preference: (they understood the assignment and kept only 1.5 het shows so my work is easier)

Cat for Cash: I am looking forward to this so much you have no idea. FirstKhao in a series with only fluff and found family? A literal dream come true, honestly.

Me and Thee: UNO reverse NLMG meets KinnPorsche with PondPhuwin? Consider me SEATED. I am absolutely here for this and this will become my entire personality. This is your warning <3

A Dog and A Plane: The name could use some work but it seems promising. I have a soft spot for TayNew and just getting off the high of Peaceful Property, and they have never disappointed me. The premise is a little eyebrow-raising, but it's just the pilot so lot of time for fine tuning.

Ticket to Heaven: This is in between Excited and Hopeful because I absolutely adore GemFourth, and they are brilliant actors, especially Fourth, but no angst for me, thanks. I do understand religious guilt, but I'm not Catholic and I didn't grow up very religious (I mean don't get me wrong my mom is super religious but my dad is agnostic at best so I grew up in this weird middle ground and now I don't believe in God, not really. As it is, my religion is polytheistic.) So I can't wait to see this but I'm also gonna gently poke at it like it's a wild bear first.

Dare You to Death: I love a good mystery, but that's not what drew me to this. JoongDunk did. From a switch in their dynamics in THK to a switch back, this got me hooked. And as I said: mystery.

Whale Store xoxo: cute slice of life fluff with MilkLove? YES. I am a tiny bit weary though, since the last time I was so excited for a MilkLove series, it turned out... well. Not as I'd expected. I still am hopeful, though.

That Summer: WinnySatang? In a Disney BL. Hmm. I wanna see how this turns out, especially for the side couple. Generally speaking, I am not a fan of the amnesia trope (they have three of those lined up like. why.) but I might just like this.

Memoir of Rati: GreatInn? In a historical BL/ period drama?...go on.

My Romance Scammer: Gay rights and gay wrongs all in one place. Need I say more?

Boys in Love: True high school fluff is what I live for. Okay, maybe not entirely true, but I really did like the trailer, and I do love my fluff.

My Magic Prophecy: Someone in GMMTV watched Agatha All Along, and used the theme of tarot cards and fortune telling to cope with Lillia's death. Jokes aside, I like JimmySea and Jimmy playing a doctor is just so funny to me, I might just watch it for the irony. And also, they deserve better after Last Twilight (why, P'Aof.)

Burnout: I will watch this if not for anything else, then the Not Me nostalgia. And Gun in black lipstick and a lip ring. I might stop after a few eps to wait out until it finishes airing though, cause Love Triangle is definitely not for me.

Mu-Te-Luv: Fortune telling, fate, tarots, blah blah blah. Some het, some queer, I'll see which ones I watch (hint: won't be the het ones). Gives me 7 Project vibes, honestly.

Head 2 Head: What in the Bad Buddy. For anyone who hasn't watched the trailers: this is a Bad Buddy rip off, but the parents want them to get along, and one of them has a weird clairvoyant thing going on. Oh, and everyone is studying fashion designing. And the side couple is exes to lovers.

Girl Rules: I see messy lesbians and bisexuals, but I also hear misogyny and patriarchy. Only Friends GL version. I didn't really like Only Friends so-

Only Friends: Dream On: Maybe.

Wu: I have no idea what this is, but it kinda intrigued me. Little bit.

Love You Teacher: Um.

Melody of Secrets: Horror or psychological thriller is not really my thing so I will mostly be ignoring this unless I find something that piques my interest.

[guarddoggf]

mmg 27, she/they/it.

abrosexual (like how gender fluid exists, so does orientation fluid) nonbinary trans woman who is a plural system. fluctuate between lesbian, omnisexual, pansexual, enbian, demisexual, and asexual.

am hijabi; dont feel comfortable putting explicitly sexual posts on main, this is a safe place to explore desire romance and sexuality. im monog and dreaming of being a wife.

this tumblr is sapphic and/or enbian only. some trans men are sapphic and/or enbian so may be included here. some dykes are fags and some fags are dykes (which is both morally good and sexy asf). if i reblog u and u dont feel comfortable being on sapphic/enbian blog lmk will remove.

kissinghisheart is my duaric desire blog. duaric meaning relationship het(ish) + participants queer.

we are switchy, monog, and single. we can't formulate attract purely based off online chatting so will not play on here - unless ur actually our friend and we've spoken/seen each other. basically no casual shit, it's just not practical. we could maybe meet our partner here but it'd have to be fr and naturally happening outside of dms anyway.

ie asexuality: nakedness, sensuality, intimacy, and love do not inherently contain sexual feeling for us. the root of our desire is often non-sexual. pls be respectful of our choice not to be sexualised by default.

mutuals who are sapphic or enbian can express desire via the ask box, and can ask consent to be sexual.

we follow back from moodymeangirl.

zionists/supremacists/bigots can fuck right off.

18+ only no minors.

as is stated on main: paedos can die in a ditch fr.

Kinks/Limits follow under the cut:

As a domme: I'll do basically anything that involves hurting, causing pain, psychological/physical torture, crying, dominating and controlling them/their life, free use, cnc, giving punishments, dressing them, rulemaking. Praise, caregiving, protection, being adored, being their guard dog (love that one!!), service dommeing, and piss. Also size kink, being called Mommy/Daddy, and lots of casual dommeing outside the bedroom :3 We like both fiery little brats and super melty good girls/people. Our instincts for sadism are an expression of love/affection. I'm not a soft domme by any means, but my actions are intended to be recieved as loving / lovely / affectionate. Masochists to the front, basically.

As a sub: looked after, gently tended to, touched and groped, taken advantage of, praise and degraded, objectified, dominated, and used. We enjoy power imbalances where sapphics who have authority over us in some way abuse their position to fuck, rape (cnc), or sexually touch us. We also have some trauma kinks as a sub. Mainly we like to feel desired, protected, and useful. We like to have done a good job and to worship/adore our domme (esp orally). Sub4sub play is also rlly fun. Our favourite kink as a sub is cnc/abuse of power.

As a system we lean ever so slightly domme, maybe like 70/30.

Soft limits: sex when im ace (ask).

Hard limits: harm or damage (hurt and injury are fine), self harm (including subs giving consent for certain kinds of play bc inwardly they want my behaviour to emphasise self hatred or assist them in self destruction or harm) , raceplay, detrans, misgendering directed at me, any patriarchy other than the butch one, religion or god fetishes, vomit, any degradation that has real hatred or bigotry behind it, and any kind of dynamic lacking cleatr verbal communication (we have a learning disability. to practice safely verbal comms is a Must. non verbal subs r valid but thered have to be significant negotiationand pwrsonal knowledgeof each other to even consider going there ).

[foxys-fantasy-tales]

Writeblr Re-Introduction

I never did this quite right the first time. Get ready, cause this may be a long one. May be oversharing, but hey no character limit and I feel like being super in depth in my soon to be pinned post is on brand. -Ahem-

Hello! You can call me Denise. I use she/her pronouns and I am 32 years old (ancient for Tumblr, I know) with a love for writing fantasy and romance with a lot of dark elements and intrigue. My characters can be messy and sweet and that makes them good to me. I have a lot of bad things happen to my characters, but I like a triumphant tale in the end where at least most people are happy or things turn out alright. I really have fallen for each and every one of my characters and feel the world in general needs some hope in conflict. I am bisexual/biromantic, demisexual/demiromantic, and polyamorous, so a lot of my characters are queer in some fashion. I love writing demi characters and polyam relationships the most so far, though it's taking a bit of build-up to get my first series to that point. My partner (married) is non-binary and I have trans and token cis-het friends and more, so I feel I have a good group helping and reading my books so that my characters come off the page as they should, even if I'm writing a label not my own. I'm also disabled, and in two of my three current projects there is a disabled character present. I only found this out a few years ago, slightly before the pandemic (wooo) and I still have no idea what's causing most of my issues even though doctors have proven something is wrong. I may have an undiagnosable condition with no name yet, so please be patient if I'm not quick to respond or post a lot. I have chronic pain, fatigue, GI issues, and migraines. Going to rattle off some ending facts about myself here. I love playing DnD and have an over two year campaign ongoing right now where I play a sorcerer. I adore cosplaying when I can afford it. I'm addicted to Final Fantasy 14. I still play Pokemon. I have been watching anime since I was about eight years old, which was at the same time I began writing my own stories, so I've been in this for a while now. I hope to always keep improving. I have a BA in English with emphasis in Creative Writing, and though it hasn't served in finding me gainful employment, I hope it helps me in entertaining with my words, which is what I always longed for anyway. All of my works have dark themes, and if you buy my books there will always be a specific trigger warning section in the front so you can make an informed decision. So with that out there, let's talk about my works!

Published Works

Arigale: Spite in the Spirit (Aug. 2021)

Status: Complete and Published

Genres: Epic fantasy, Romance, Action and Adventure Audience: Adult, maybe YA Length: Around 170k words

(gray morality, friends to lovers, exploring a new world, critique on religious extremes, multiple ships to sail, magic galore and a practical armory, apparently a hot villain, LGBTQIA+ Rep (still building on in book two), found family, humor and at times dark humor, Multiple POV ensemble cast)

Judith and Chit are called to the lonely tower outside their city with little explanation. The one who summoned them is an old, elven wizard named Maleth, who will send them on a quest to lower their floating city of Arigale to where it once resided. Maleth is intrigued by Judith’s strange form of necromantic magic, yet he is also certain of the anxious young man in training to be a spearman and scholar.

Judith, a bubbly yet mysterious young woman, is eager to accept. Chit remains withdrawn and cautious, a remnant of being raised by the Order that presides over their land. Soon, both discover their meeting with the wizard carried dire consequences. Can they accomplish what has been asked of them and save Arigale by exploring the land below, no matter the lengths they must go to?

Available at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Indiebound, and Kobo.

First five chapters are available here on Tumblr for preview! Chapter One - Bonds Chapter Two - Blood Chapter Three - Beseeched Chapter Four - Brazen Chapter Five - Betwixt

I also have a book trailer for this one on Youtube and Tiktok.

Works In Progress

Arigale: Bond in the Blood (WIP)

Aesthetic placeholder for now. The cover is in progress!

(Many of the same tropes as listed above, but more darkness and trauma themes than book one had. Another added romance that is friends to lovers to enemies to ??? You'll have to read to find out!)

Status: Drafting (60%)

Genres: Epic fantasy, Romance, Action and Adventure Audience: Adult, maybe YA Length: Not yet complete - Coming 2023

Judith and Chit's journey across the seas to Galavarn was not as smooth as they had hoped for. The standard of living here is much different than what they encountered on the mainland, and the newfound bond between them will be tested. Enigmas run rampant here, along with a woman from Maleth’s past who claims to hold the key to defeating them for good. Unfortunately, this woman has an unruly and strangely apathetic nature to her, along with a profound hatred toward their distant companion on Arigale. 

Meanwhile, back on the mainland, those left behind must bear their own struggles as a stranger appears and insists on taking one of their number with him. This man with red, sunken eyes bears a sharp grudge against Stemoss and worse obligations to a certain deity. 

Secrets of the past will come to light on this desolate isle, and the friends left behind will struggle to not become a cog in a plan devised long before they were even born.

Made to Taste (WIP)

Made this placeholder cover in Canva, may or may not be final

(critique of racial relations and capitalism, LGBTQIA+ Rep, monsters and mayhem, dark boy and maybe not sunshine but optimistic girl, meet cute, Terrible CEO villains, small business owning woman protag, magical races in modern day, first kiss, ferris wheels, cute confessions and fluffy moments mixed with helping one another during awful ordeals, they were roommates)

Status: Possible series in the works. Book one draft is complete and editing begins soon. Book two draft in progress as well.

Genres: Urban fantasy, Romance, Paranormal Audience: Adult, maybe YA Length: Not yet complete - Book One possible in 2023

When Lyra Morley accepted a rough and tumble new hire from her bar, she didn't think he would end up her new roommate in a week. Noel Akatash brings his own debts, and the people holding the accounts aren't to be trifled with. Magical home invasions aside, Lyra is more worried about her business serving the city nightlife any food she can handle all made to order.

Cooking with a halfbreed's sense of smell comes with its perks, and one of them is that she can hide her skills in the kitchen so no one is any wiser about her true nature. The night-only diner called Made to Taste is meant to be a haven for those the city would rather keep buried. Lyra, the pacifist and abstinent dhampir, would fight to keep it safe. Good thing Noel knows a thing or two about being scrappy.

Dream Escape (WIP)

Another aesthetic placeholder for now, but I have a cover in mind

(dreams vs reality, learning to cope, TW: suicidal themes are major part of this book, disenchantment, finding your purpose, joy in the little things is better than no joy at all, painting and artistry used to convey these themes, portal/dreamscape fantasy, Alice in Wonderland vibes, enemies to friends to lovers) Status: Plotting stage

Genres: Urban fantasy, Romance, Drama Audience: Adult, maybe YA Length: Not yet complete - No determined release YET - Standalone novel around 80k words

Emma Reed, 26, has a Master of the Arts and no place to put it but in her desk drawer. Once proud of her accomplishment, the lights quickly dimmed when she ended up living back in her old childhood bedroom at her parents place and flat broke. Helping Adrien with graphics for their streaming or Sarah with banners for her pet business is all well and good, but it's not at all how she imagined scrapping by. When her newest piece is rejected from the gallery she had finally convinced to give her a chance, Emma hits a downward spiral.

When she awakens, she finds herself in a strange new world with a strange man hovering around her. He calls himself Jasper, a dream painter, and quickly proves his prowess at sculpting others' dreams. Emma was in his care, but though he's petitioned her to wake up, she can't. Neither knows how she ended up in this place, but surrounded by the dreams of others quite literally brought to life around her, Emma makes the decision to stay.

Jasper won't let her. For one, if she stays there is no telling how badly that could go for her, or for his hopes of a promotion. Emma goes along with his plan to cart her across this new place, more as a sightseeing tour than the arduous task he finds it to be. Along the way, a bit of the light comes back into her eyes, and he can't help but remember how bright they both used to shine. Dulled and muddied palettes that they both became, can they start over?

Links & Socials

Find out all the info you need for Arigale, with pages for my other works upcoming when they are closer to release dates at my website.

You can support me with my illness and with saving for promotion, editing, and artwork for my writing over on Ko-Fi.

You can also find me being a struggling writer, but also a huge geek who loves DnD, anime, cosplay, RPGs, Otome, and more here on Tumblr and over on my other socials at Twitter, Tiktok, and sporadically on Instagram.

My Tags

I haven't been great at using these, but I'm going to try and be better.

#Arigale - for anything related to my Arigale series

#Made to Taste - for anything related to Made to Taste series

#Dream Escape - for anything related to my standalone titled such

#Writer Woes - for rants or jokes about how hard this can be

#Writer Advice - to take with a grain of salt please

#Mental Mess - when I have a bad mental health day

#Physical Mess - when I have a bad physical health day

#Free Commentary - When I reblog with additions in tags

And I'll of course be using #Writeblr #Booklr and other necessary tags as well when called for.

[otakusheep15]

fav ship tropes???

Soulmate Aus:

I love soulmate aus, but I feel like not many people actually know how to write a soulmate au well, so I don't read them as often. However, when a soulmate au is written well, it is easily one of the best tropes in my opinion.

Rich x Poor

Again, this trope can either be done very well or absolutely horribly. There needs to be a good sense of balance between the two, and nothing can be too one-sided. But it's such a cute idea in theory, and when people pull it off, it's a very fun trope.

Friends to Lovers

I'm a sucker for wholesome fluff, and childhood besties to lovers is the ultimate form of fluff. There's nothing better than watching two kids who have known each other since childhood slowly develop feelings for each other. It's the cutest.

Villain x Sidekick

This is a very particular trope, but it's always lived in my head rent free. Imagine the sidekick to the hero is injured or something. You think the hero is gonna go and save them, but instead the hero decides to sacrifice their sidekick and leave them to die. The villain sees this and is horribly angered and decides to defend the sidekick, taking them in and treating their injuries. Romance ensues.

Shy x "They asked for no pickles"

Basic but adorable. The one who's scared of confrontation, and the one who handles all social situations for them. It's a perfect combination and it's just really wholesome.

All Powerful Deity x Some Dude

Just the image of an all-powerful being who can control literal universes falling for some rando mortal is so funny to me. Bonus points if the mortal is super oblivious to the whole thing as well.

T4T

As a T4T myself, I love it when other creators write T4T content. It doesn't matter if it's queer or het T4T, as long as it's two (or more) trans people vibing and being in love with each other, living out my dreams.

Cinnamon Roll x Would Kill You

Extra points if their aesthetics are swapped. Ya know, a big, beefy, scary looking character who is secretly a big softie with a heart of gold, and a small, adorable character who is super violent and has probably killed a man before. It's entertaining, especially when their personalities are mixed up by others.

Royalty x Bodyguard

The potential is real with this one. There's so many ways a trope like this could go, and I just love that versatility. It could be angsty, it could be fluffy, or it could be a glorious mixture of both, but they're all wonderful options.

Flirty Extravert x Nerdy Introvert

Really, I love any kind of opposites attract, but this one might be my fave. I just find it funny, and a lot of my favorite ships fit into this trope well, so it had to be mentioned. It's fun, and the amount of stories it could lead to are basically endless.

And I'm sure there are plenty more, but these are the only ones I could think of at the moment. Thank you for asking!

[absolutebl]

Top 10 Cutest BLs 

Here are my top 10 picks for BLs that satisfy a cute criteria. Which is to say, mostly up beat and happy with very little angst. No violence or triggers. Just oodles of adorable softness and comfort. (No one who knows BL will be shocked to see stuff from Korea on this list as this is currently their speciality, although all the ones from Japan might surprise you.) 

Cherry Magic (Japan - indie subbed) AKA 30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii - the sweetest, fluffiest, most charming bit of office-set adorable ever, full of found family and slapstick, the characters are utter spazzes, but so cute about it. All angst is self confidence based, nothing really distressing ever happens. 

Restart After Come Back Home AKA Risutato wa tadaima no ato de (Japan - indie subbed) - this one is perfect if you just want a beautiful loving movie, and one that is well filmed and lyrical. The only drama is family conflict of the silent grumpy kind - will baby take over Dad’s furniture business or not? OH THE PERIL of it all. (sense my sarcasm, okay? there is NO peril) 

Seven Days (Japan - grey in 2 parts Seven Days: Monday - Thursday, Seven Days: Friday - Sunday) - one of the best live action yaoi mangas ever made. The leads have excellent chemistry although it’s low heat, there’s still more kisses than Cherry Magic. Popular first year Seiryo has a policy of going out with any girl who asks… for one week. On a lark, third year Yuzuru tests to see if that policy also applies to boys. Seiryo agrees that it does. Along the way they accidentally fall in love. All the angst is just teen confusion. 

To My Star (Korea - Viki) - is a touch quirky, but utterly appealing once it hits its stride. It’s the ultimate grumpy/sunshine pairing plus the most appealing light-filled kitchen of our dreams. Famous actor (adorable bundle of neurosis) takes refuge in the house of a reserved chef and is immediately smitten by Mr Tall Dark & Glowering. The chef is also smitten but refuses to admit it to himself or anyone else. What angst is there is so confusing and low grade it hardly matters. 

Wish You (Korea - Netflix or Viki, you want the movie version) AKA WISH YOU: Your Melody in My Heart - low stakes high pining romance about a pianist who falls in love with a busker who is on his way to being the next big idol. It’s about singing but this drama is very quiet. 

Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding (Korea - grey) - Cinderfella in drag. Boy assumes his sister’s identity and marries another boy, together they have to hide this from the in laws. Unbelievably soft and very 12th Night esk. Too absurd to trigger anything and there is no angst, just a bit of family conflict wicked step-sister style. 

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line (Taiwan - Viki) - super low stakes sweetest story of the bad boy who falls hard for the senior on the volleyball team and then works to earn his love. You know it’s Taiwan so the kisses are great but in this case it also ends well. Only trigger is that the side couple is the stepbrothers trope, and some don’t like that.

Oxygen (Thailand - YouTube) - softest seme in the universe sings his affection to the older boy at the cafe. Let the slow burn courting commence. There is a tiny bit of angst at the end, and one storyline is naff (the doctors) but this is high production Thai softness so I forgive it. 

2gether & Still 2gether (Thailand - YouTube) - this show is ABSURD. But if you can suspend your disbelief and get through the first few episodes it is delightful to watch Sarawat pine after Tine and the levels to which Tine will go to remain willfully oblivious. Is that angst? Not really, just ridiculous. 

You Are Ma Boy (Vietnam - YouTube) - is there angst? Nope even what could have been angst (a gay idol) doesn’t materialize, it’s just cuties in a cafe confusing each other with cat & mouse games. The side het couple is a touch disturbing, tho. 

Newer offerings that might also satisfy:

Semantic Error 

Cherry Blossoms After Winter

Love Stage!! (Thai version) 

Rainbow Prince (for Disney fans) 

See You After Quarantine? 

Kieta Hatsukoi AKA My Love Mix Up

Honorable mention: 

En of Love: Tossera (Thailand - YouTube) - younger boy wants to court older boy and does and... that’s it. No really that’s the WHOLE STORY. There is actually no angst, drama, or, indeed plot. But are they the softest bois ever to BL as a main couple? Yes they are. ( @heretherebedork would be most put out if they were not in this post) They don’t make the top ten because really there just isn’t any story here. 

Ingredients (Thailand - YouTube) - if all you want is two soft boys being domestic, cooking together, cuddling on the couch, cat sitting, and babysitting - just put this on and be cozy. Doesn’t make the top 10 because it ends with the main characters parting (promising to reunite) so be wary of that. I still find it a very comforting watch. 

Step For You (Korea - YouTube) - microfilm from Strongberry about a reporter from the student newspaper who has to interview an older dancer and falls in love with him. 30 minutes of fluffy and time well spent, but it’s too short to make top 10. 

Stupid Boys Stupid Love (Vietnam - YouTube) - 3 couples, BL, GL, and het in high school navigating friends to lovers. Very soft friendships, no angst, just teens, hormones, and HEAs for everyone. Would make the top 10 but it’s very scattered and low quality, cute tho, and so nice to see some good GL in the mix.

What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Japan - grey) - middle-aged gay couple who live together, one of whom loves to cook and the other who loves to eat. That’s it. That’s all that happens. There’s a bit of a coming out segment but it’s so low key. It doesn’t make the main list because I don’t see how it qualifies as BL under any criteria. But it’s very comforting and very gay. 

No one should be shocked that there is so little from China or Taiwan on this list as both of them specialize in high angst plots in their BL. 

Similarly I have a Top 10 Most Romantic BLs for Valentine’s Day post. 

This post originally requested by @jmphria June 2021. So more might have happened since. 

I also created a My Drama List for this. 

(source)

[olderthannetfic]

Any good recs for getting into western BL?

--

Jordan L. Hawk is one of my faves for how he dislikes alpha heroes, is staunchly pro-AO3, and generally has opinions I like and agree with. He also has multiple series, which I always appreciate. (Also a trans dude who came out recently if people are looking for that.) His main series are Hexworld (historical souldbondy witch/shapeshifting familiar), Whyborne & Griffin (historical Lovecraftian adventure novels), SPECTR (federal agent magic shenanigans).

Jordan Castillo Price's PsyCop was too woobie-ish for me at the start, but I loved the arc plot and a lot of the side characters, and I liked the lead more and more as it went along. I adore Price's very, very dumb, pun-filled gag series The ABCs of Spellcraft. A fast-talking twink and failed magician tries to get a job at a greeting card company and ends up in the middle of a conspiracy. To give you an idea of the tone, the villain tells his Russian enforcer to "take him outside and pound him". And magic is very literal and writing-based in this universe, so the twink is like "I have an idea..."

KJ Charles is one of the more famous and you'll see lots of recs. I'm a huge hater after formerly loving her stuff, both because she rags on people's dubcon kinks publicly way too often and because she keeps trying for diversity and flubbing it, then going and writing another book in her old style about two white people.

Cat Sebastian writes gay Regencies that sound exactly like mainstream het Regencies. (A number of authors have tried this, but I don't find that most of them nail the genre conventions and sound.)

Charlie Adhara's Big Bad Wolf series is about FBI partners working for the FBI department that deals with secret werewolf shit. The arc plot was developing interestingly last time I checked it out.

Hailey Turner's Soulbound series is another FBI + magic one. This one reads a lot like the Dresden Files or early Anita Blake.

E.J. Russell is a much less well known author but one whose work I love and whom I ran into at GRL (the industry conference). She writes series romance (in the 1 ship per book sense), which I'm not normally into, but hers keep growing an arc plot that runs between the books. Her connected stuff is set around Portland and is all topics like shenanigans at a supernatural dating agency or angry wetlands conservationist druids. (It's very, very Portland.) She seems to have just branched out into series mystery, which I'm excited about, though I haven't had time to read yet.

Meghan Maslow writes a super goofy alternate world fantasy series in the style of Robert Aspirin's Myth series. Think puns. Elf secret agents. Gnome mafia. The audiobooks of these taught me to like audiobooks.

I'm sure I have other recs... doh... I'm deep in a BTS fic reading phase at the moment. I'll have to look through my kindle for others, but I'm going to post this before tumblr eats it.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Have you read all of Elisa Braden’s Rescued from Ruin series? Would love to get your thoughts on it - favorite heroes, favorite heroines, best and worst books… I’ve started the first one thanks to your rec (loving it!) and was wondering what your take on the rest of the series is.

Thanks for reaching out! I have not read the entire series. I think I have two books left. I'll definitely finish it, but Elisa has somewhat pretty limited backlist and I want to avoid exhausting it too fast as she seems to be slowing down releases (skipped a main novel release this year).

Here are my overall thoughts thus far! I think it's a really fun series, and overall it's quite good. She's naturally funny, the books are hot, and they're compulsively readable when they're at their best. She writes really good angsty heroes, and she's definitely a writer for heroes (not an insult, many het romance novelists are). Her heroines can trip the books up for me sometimes. I resent the fact that there are as many books in this series as there are and the series is published as recently as it is... with soooo many virgin heroines. Like, with that many books, I do think at least an even split between virgins and non-virgins would be owed. She writes good sex scenes, but this does add an element of repetitiveness to the sex, the sexual tension, etc. Like, my one complaint about the series is that sometimes it can lean a bit vanilla, not just in terms of sex but in terms of conflict. It's very *comforting*, but she's super talented and could go further, imo. Her best books include heroes who are a bit colder, I think she could take it up a notch by having heroines who are littttttle less tolerant of that, just to change it up. I find a lot of them to be really understanding lmao.

But anyway from what I've read, I'd rank them thus:

When A Girl Loves an Earl. This one would also have my favorite heroine and hero from the series, actually! I love it, a top read for me this year. I just love that Viola is fully insane and just hurtles herself at this man because he's big and picked up another guy by the throat to defend a lady's honor. Same, very relatable. James is a great, classically "Scottish lord raised in England" type hero, and the switching between accents (plus Viola not realizing he was Scottish until he did, lmao) was excellent. And I'll never complain about somewhat rough sex in a historical.

The Truth About Cads and Dukes. Another really good one. I loved the fat rep in this, mostly because while the heroine is insecure about her looks, it's not overdone and the hero is fucking crazy about her body. Like, his physical attraction to her is just STRESSFUL for him, and I adore a cold hero who gets distressed about his boner (the book above has a similar aspect to the hero). I also love an efficient hero, and Harrison like... efficiently killing a dueling opponent.... hot. Has my favorite love confession in the series--just breaks down mid-thrust while bending over over his desk.

Ever Yours, Annabelle. I love a "we were childhood sweethearts but shit got messy and now we don't know each other" setup and this one does it really well. I do enjoy the way he basically traps her as well. That's super fun. Really good balance of angst and humor.

The Madness of Viscount Atherbourne. I just think it was hilarious that this started with a girl having a nipple orgasm on a terrace and the hero going "a-HA my NEFARIOUS PLAN is in MOTION". Very solid, even if the reveal was kind of like... a little too obvious lol.

Twelve Nights As His Mistress. Points for a widowed heroine!! This is a Christmas novella so there's not a ton of plot here, but I really liked the emotional development, the ages of the hero and heroine, the way this was the culmination of a two-year wonky courtship... Also, suggestions that he felt her up a lot during that courtship? Added to the sexual tension that was just brimming between them and popped off (lmao) so well. Very expected last minute twist, but it's fine.

Confessions of A Dangerous Lord. I have a hard time with friends to lovers, but this one worked, even if I never fully understood the spy plot, or why he didn't tell her about it. I enjoyed everyone just being like "... okay ..." about this man's wacky ways. And a really good "what are youuuu eating for dinner" cunnilingus scene in a kitchen.

The Devil is A Marquess. So in retrospect I think I like this one a bit less than I did initially, because although the sex is very hot, I'm not sure it dealt with the hero's alcoholism in a way that felt real to me...? In general, I think addiction is very hard to do well in romance, and I just don't know if I bought the plot progression there, which made the heroine seem a bit more long-suffering. I did love the sex and the setup of the marriage and that one giant fight that led to wine cellar sex... But I didn't love the way the alcoholism was handled.

Desperately Seeking A Scoundrel. Colin lost me as soon as he was described as a skinny pretty boy with white-blond hair. Honestly, his scams were kinda fun, but the book started with him already being depressed and basically emotionally reformed (Atherbourne works a lot better because he's not reformed when the book begins). His heroine is kinda boring too.

Anything But A Gentleman. I took a pause here (not permanent) because I really disliked the heroine and the beta romance. Good hero in theory. But you're really gonna have a plot where she offers to be his mistress and just... not have them fuck... until what...? Marriage? And meanwhile her sister has a hero who's giving exoticism and it's just... not the best.

[mirandaputsherbestbuttforward]

copy/pasting this from my rp blog since I’m gonna delete it there later but

yknow, as i’ve gotten older and realized some things, it’s tough to be a lesbian in fandom spaces. (this is mostly spurred on by recent lore in apex but it applies to the bio.ware fandoms too).

so like, apex has built up a relationship between bangalore and loba that’s essentially rivals to possible lovers over the course of 4 whole seasons in game. I know it’s a BR but they are adding lore and how all these stories are intertwined. anyway, tl;dr it now seems like they’re throwing in a love triangle arc with valkyrie/loba for some reason and it’s like... yknow i’m glad valk is the first lesbian character, but also like bangalore is distinctly coded as a masculine / stud lesbian and for once i’d like to see good masc/stud/butch representation bc we get called “stereotypical” and thus so many wlw end up being super feminine or just “tomboy-ish” but never fully in the realm of masculine lesbians.

so like, ever notice how in bio.ware, all the wlw romances are... with feminine women? And the one woman who is more masculine in appearance wound up being a het romance because they wanted to ‘subvert stereotypes’? and i mean Sera has a lot of issues in the writing (given that her writer was a straight man lol) and the treatment of her character is kinda garbage too bc you can be so rude to her as inq and for what reason??

anyway this also applies to Sam bc as much as I do LOVE her romance and Alix’s voice acting (espec since Alix literally has two mums herself), the weird obsession with the shower and later the hot tub in the citadel dlc is absolutely catered to the het male gamer playing as fshep who fetishizes women. It’s sad, but this is what happens with a lot of men writing wlw romances. they just don’t get it.

and also, playing a lesbian fshep? Don’t get me wrong, I adore Liara, but it is clear that a) she was intended to be the Main romance with the amount of content she gets and b) that it was definitely made with mshep in mind first as the entire series truly was so there’s nothing distinctly unique about it if you romance her as fshep. (which tbh there are things that are gendered specific to fshep in the game, so it would’ve made sense e.g. eve and fshep bonding over being women; anderson saying she’d make a good mom, that kind of thing). and same goes for Kelly’s “romance” (we love kelly here, don’t insult her pls) was v much made for a male gaze.

and so these attitudes, in my experience, are often reflected in fandom spaces (which includes the rpc but this isn’t a vague at anyone, it’s just a general Vibe that I’ve gotten over the years) wherein people who aren’t into the big main straight romances (sorry garrus kaidan and thane) aren’t like,,, acknowledged as much? Like, there’s already enough hate for ash and miranda as is, but being a sapphic person who loves them in the gay way? it’s tough because your content isn’t as widely accepted as others, be it art/writing/rp, yknow?

anyway this is me just rambling as i’m finally feeling a bit better but i’m glad for y’all that stick around and support my Brand™ because sometimes i’m made to feel :/// about my presence as a lesbian in fandom, yknow?

[dangermousie]

I am 200 chapters into Rebirth of the Tyrant’s Pet. It’s a rare het novel I love, in large part because our heroine is a combo of genuinely terrifying and caring deeply for both the fucked up Royal Princes and in equally large part because no part of this story involves her scheming against her sisters or aunts or whoever (she doesn’t have any, anyway) but instead having her fight arena being politics/war/control of the throne.

Her transmigration and reincarnation skills, her ruthlessness and brain, are all used to ensure her “brother” Gong Che gets to be the next emperor and her “brother” Gong Jue has power, money and comfortable life. She makes explosives, builds canals and murders assassins. That is very much my speed.

The other thing I love is that usually when someone transmigrates back into their younger self, they spend the bulk of their time avenging their wrongs from past life possibly with a side of protecting the people who were good to her in past life. Which is understandable but always makes me wonder why they are reliving things all over again (and the issue of “will they even do the same thing again when everything around them changes?” plus the paradox of “is person x even culpable when they haven’t committed those sins yet” which none of the het romances I’ve read with this theme address. One of the reasons I love 2ha is because it deals with this head on.) Gong Yi Mo...does not.

She doesn’t have many people who treated her amazingly in past life who she wants to protect (except that foreign prince and she does take care of him but it’s not a big focus) but even more importantly, in most stories the narrative would be her taking down Gong Che and Gong Jue aka the two men who wronged her most in past life - GC married her and used her brain and power for the throne and then had her killed and GJ is the one who carried out the murder.

And when she first wakes up as a child, she is not exactly charitable towards either BUT - she is almost unique in this type of novel in going “they are literally children as of this moment, I am a grown woman even if in a body of a child, what the hell would I be doing taking kids down?” And not just that, she has the ability to evaluate and be just and look at the situation the way it is. For example, she sees child (I think he’s 8? Can’t remember any more) Gong Jue abused and she’s appalled because whatever he grew up into, he’s a small child now and she’s not copacetic with child abuse! And so she protects and saves him because that’s the right thing to do.

And the thing is, fine, Gong Jue is our male lead, so I could see a novel going with “she tamed the psycho” narrative (though even within it, her understanding of why he killed her in past life - he had no relationship with her, was ordered to do so by woman he worshipped for being kind to him - is pretty unique for a web novel heroine - she understands that everyone has their own stories and their own perspectives and their own truths).

But they do the same thing with Gong Che!!!! The husband who betrayed her in past life! Compare him and his arc and his relationship with Yimo to something like Rebirth of the Malicious Empress and Shen Miao’s relationship with her erstwhile husband. The set up in past life is fairly the same - heroine chased the man who had no interest in her, married him and helped him to the throne, he resented her, fell for someone else, and had her offed.

BUT!!! The ex of Shen Miao is a villain while Gong Che is probably my favorite character in the novel. He’s smart, ambitious, drawn to Yi Mo, interested in justice, and very very human. He’s not saintly (no royal prince is) but he’s definitely a better human being than Gong Jue, much as I love that Chinese version of Cesare Borgia. And I was blown away by how Yi Mo became genuine friends with him in this life because she sees his good points and because she’s clear headed enough to understand that the blame for past life ending is as much on her as it was on him. She’s a genuine good sister to him and loves him that way and wants to help him be the emperor because he will be a good one and this is freaking unique. (Don’t get me wrong, I love Malicious Empress but I find this novel’s take super refreshing.)

Btw, lest you think this book is high literature, it’s not - it’s the perfect combo of concepts I love inside a deliciously trashy package. I mean, if you love fakecest, this is like a feast. Because while Yi Mo and the reader know she is not the emperor’s daughter and thus not half sister to either Gong Che or Gong Jue, the guys do not and both have to deal that they have fallen and fallen hard, for their sister. Gong Che is horrified and tries to suppress it while Gong Jue goes “I need enough power so nobody will be able to complain when I hook up with her.” Heh.

Meanwhile, Yi Mo treats them as an older and younger brother respectively while wondering why Gong Jue especially is clingy, like the MC in one of the danmeis who can’t puzzle out why the stallion protagonist is now princess carrying them everywhere instead.

Anyway this novel is delicious! And I adore it! I wish they’d adapt it. They could easily drop the transmigration aspect (just have her be smart and good to her “brothers”) and you are ready to roll. I’d love it!

[saintqueer]

I can't imagine this is a pleasant kind of ask to get if you like KS. I’m sorry if it’s bothersome you don’t have to answer! Considering you seem like somewhat a fan from your recent post... I wanted to ask if you know if she is a controversial person or is she overall misunderstood? I don't know much about  Kristen Stewart but I haven't heard the best things. Since I am in the One Direction fandom and Larry fandom I’ve learned not to trust what I read unless I’m invested because there are many narratives. So I only know as much as a casual twilight watcher has heard which is that she was in those movies and she may have dated her co-star Robert Pattinson or it could of been pr or closeting?  Shes is bi or lesbian..? and of course like most people I heard about the cheating scandal with her director.  I have no interest or energy in shaming people especially if I don’t know them. I was just curious because of the controversial stuff I’ve heard and I see that many people adore her still so I’m curious if it’s just a bunch of BS that I have against my will been fed by media.  Hey, thanks for reading and I hope you have a lovely weekend 💜

hiii baby! Kristen is GREAT!!! she actually just got engaged to her girlfriend i think. im not a super knowledgable fan of hers or anything but i think she is an excellent actor and very hot lol. i believe she identifies herself as bisexual.

her and Rob were definitely a PR relationship for the entirety of the Twilight film series. idk if they had any sort of romantic relationship within that PR, it's possible, but i know that the birth of that relationship was definitely classic hollywood PR and it ended not long after the film series ended. i feel just as positive that the cheating scandal with the director was also PR (feels very holvia actually *triggered*). very gross PR imo. but this is all classic hollywood stunting so i don't fault her. she once wore a t-shirt that said "sometimes dykes have to date dudes for PR, get over it" or something along those lines. hilarious!

i could definitely see a possibility that her relationship with Rob served some bearding or closeting purposes back then especially if she was dating women during that time. because they likely would not want it known that the star of a teen het romance series was gay. and she did start publicly dating a woman not too long after the entire series was over so i would find it pretty easy to believe they wanted her to stay closeted throughout the franchise. it'd be interesting if she shared more about that someday but it's very unheard of for hollywood stars to be transparent about the amount of fake relationships that are used to promote films.

i really let my mouth run away with me didn't i? anyway hope that helped

[restingdomface]

Lan Wangji makes extremely deadpan videos of his daily life with Wei Wuxian and their kids and nephews (and nieces if JC and JYL had more). This would include:

*shows a video of LWJ staring out the window for a solid thirty seconds, face entirely unchanged and somewhat disappointed, turns camera around to show Wei Wuxian and the kiddos putting mentos in soda bottles and trying to chuck them at each other, camera pans back to his face, still entirely devoid of emotion*

That one time Jin Ling got stuck up a tree and Wei Wuxian tried to get him down and also got stuck up there and now the other kids are looking for a ladder while LWJ just watches them from the patio, drinking tea. The kids finally give up and shamefully come to LWJ and ask him for help, he gets his husband and nephew down without a word.

The one where he buried 5yo A-Yuan in a pile of bunnies and got scolded by Lan Xichen for it because they might bite him if they get annoyed with him.

There is an entire compilation of rabbits that won’t leave him alone. Climb into his lap. Follow him with every step. Get excited when he comes outside. Hear a guqin and start looking for him. Just. He’s the rabbit whisperer. One of the black ones is just about always with him.

Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian interacting in any capacity is going to involve a lot of hitting each other and pushing each other over. Only-child kids think they hate each other, but people with siblings are all ‘no no, siblings are just Like That’. People think Yanli is all innocent till they realize she def only tells them to stop when she thinks they might actually get on each other’s nerves. She’s in the ‘boys will rough house and probably only have one collective braincell’ category.

People won’t stop asking him if he speaks so he vaguely makes mentions of having extremely low verbility. They ask if he does sign and he’s not really sure how (lol cause words hard) to explain to them that sign doesn’t really help when the issue is more of him not having much to say tbh. This is apparently the wrong thing to say because then people start being all ‘yeah I get you, I’m pretty dumb too, at least you’re pretty’ and he’s just sorta sitting there with this smacked fish look on his face while WWX can’t stop laughing next to him at the very idea of someone calling his husband slow. Wow. LWJ just sorta finally gets out that he has like two degrees and teaches giqun lessons and it’s amazing. The kids find out about it and can’t stop laughing for hours.

“Hey, why did you name your son ‘sorrow and longing’?” *commense 10 minute video of that time Wei Wuxian got arrested for something to do with a satanic ritual and that’s when LWJ ended up with custody of his adopted son for the next three years and he was in a really angsty mood tbh so it just kinda happened* not a single commenter expected that, even less so when he mentions that they weren’t even together at that point

Films what the viewers think is a prank at first, where he pours a dangerous amount of chili powder into a mug of hot chocolate (with a completely straight face) and then brings it to WWX who takes a drink and makes a dreamy little sigh and goes ‘you always know how to make it just like I want it’ and no one is sure how to react to this video. It’s like watching someone peel and eat a lemon.

You know that video of the girl with the deadpan voice saying she went downstairs to take a shower and there was something brown in the bottom of the tub but it turned out to be potatoes and she’s all ‘not a problem I was expecting, but a problem I can handle’? Okay so that’s how he talks in every video. WWX hands him a baby and he talks to them exactly like that. People ask if he’s good with kids and WWX is all ‘yeah, he’s not just a rabbit whisperer, he’s a baby whisperer too, he’s super great with kids’ *shows LWJ talking to a baby in That Voice while the baby looks at him in utter adoration*

“What’s it like growing up gay? Do you ever get shit for it?” LWJ.exe has stopped working, he has only met one straight couple the same age as him and they’re his sister in law. His brother has three boyfriends, one of which is his brother-in-law. He doesn’t know what a het-er-o-sexual is and he doesn’t want to. Pretty sure his uncle is acearo and hasn’t seen his parents in like 20 years.

LWJ: ‘I apologize for being so emotional in my last video.’ *viewers scrambled to find what video he meant because they ain’t ever seen that man emotional before but end up finding a video where Sizhui told him he loved him and called him papa and gave him a hug while WWX filmed, you can barely see LWJ’s left eye twitching and he pets Sizhui’s head for a moment* viewers are very confused on how this constitutes emotionalism.

Viewers ask to see his brother ‘you know, the one who apparently has three boyfriends’ and LWJ posts a video of LXC passed out on a couch with like three fully grown men all in various states of sliding off onto the floor while the teens play a game of ‘who can stack the most random objects on uncle’s bodies without them waking’ because apparently LWJ and WWX were gone for a weekend and the uncles were supposed to watch the kids (like, all ten of them probably, there’s probably a lot of kids) and it’s Sizhui filming the whole thing cause he’s the ‘good one’ and never does bad things. But he’s also like Auntie Yanli and is totally gonna egg them on from the sidelines.

WWX hands LWJ literally any food and LWJ will eat it all with a completely straight face but as soon as WWX is turned around LWJ is chugging a glass of milk with a look of death on his face. The kiddos straight up can’t stomach his cooking.

😭 someone asks why their hair is all so long and LWJ puts up a video of chatty adorable Sizhui braiding WWX’s hair while he tells him about his day at school. It’s. Too. Cute.

The never ending debate on if LWJ’s deadpan personality/speech is acting or not. No matter how much everyone assures them he’s really just Like That people just aren’t convinced.

Someone points out several times that in their house they have a room with a satanic symbol on the door. That’s just WWX’s home office it’s all good. This is treated as ‘lol WWX is so dramatic’ for like four whole weeks before LWJ posts a video of Sizhui standing outside the office looking nervous. ‘What’s wrong?’ He says. ‘Dad called me into his office.’ Sizhui replies. ‘WWX must be a very strict father,’ the viewers think. That’s not it. That’s not it at all tbh. That video got flagged on like four different platforms and kept getting removed for graphic images and half their viewers don’t. Want. To know. What happened. In that office. (WWX doesn’t even see what the big deal was, that goat was dead when he bought it shut up.)

The others do videos sometimes too lol. Videos include

Jin Ling’s compilation of ‘Mom, what’s for dinner’ and the answer is Always Lotus root and pork rib soup. Someone asks ‘lol she must make that often’ and JL is all ‘lol often, fairly sure she got same-food syndrome, it’s always soup’.

Lan Sizhui at like 17 years old: The one true secret I’ve never told my dads? My most shameful lie? Rabbits aren’t my favorite. My favorite is butterflies. *proceeds to cuddle a bun* I’m sorry Mister Bun, but you just aren’t nearly as pretty as butterflies.

Shaky video of someone sitting on the couch, pointed at NMJ: Brother, while you’re away on vacation with your boyfriends, I don’t plan on leaving this spot for even a minute. NMJ: Oh yeah? What’ll you do when you have to use the bathroom? NHS: Listen, I found a guy on Craig’s List who’s exact fetish is lazy young men who refuse to move and also diapers exist and he’ll be my slave for the week if I let him change me. NMJ: ...I’m taking you with me on vacation. NHS: Yay! NMJ: I’m also taking your phone away. NHS: -wait, no- NMJ: Too late.

Jin Ling: JiuJiu, I spilt soda on your Valentino white belt. Jiang Cheng: *incomprehensible sputtering* -soda on my Valentino white belt-!

Sizhui: *brings Jingyi a bowl of food* Here. Jingyi: Thank you! *takes a bite, face falls in terror, gives Sizhui a betrayed look* Sizhui: Dad’s worried I’m getting sick, he said this would clear my chest cold up. He didn’t consider what horrible things it would do to my bowels instead. Please eat it, he gets sad when I don’t finish what he makes. Jingyi: *glaring* Just dump it down the garbage disposal! Sizhui: *def has a fever if he didn’t think of that* Oh. Good idea.

LWJ: *swaying in place* WWX: This bitch drunk as hell. LWJ: I’m. Gonna comit. A crime. WWX: *crying a little* I love drunk hubby times. A full shot of vodka and he’s not gonna remember any of this. Hey kids, I’m taking Papa on a walk! Sizhui’s in charge!

Zizhen: *sitting quietly on the couch while LSZ, LJY and JL all argue behind him somewhere, covering his mouth with a slightly horrified look* Jingyi: I mean, that’s not fair at all! Who HASNT made out with their cousin at one point or another? Ling: ... Sizhui: You said you’d never bring that up again please shut up. Ling: ...!!!!!! Zizhen: Amazing.

That one time the kiddos hypnotized Jin Ling into thinking he was a kitten. The adults all thought it was really weird that he was finally going through the whole ‘pretending to be an animal’ phase at like ten, but then the kiddos fessed up to learning how to hypnotize and they aren’t sure how to fix it. WWX instigated a rule that no brainwashing is allowed outside his office from now on.

People ask how WWX and LWJ met and it’s told from the POV of Lan Qiren who progressively getting drunker as he tells the story of the terrible high school romance that he had to watch between bad boy WWX and his precious baby angel nephew that made him consider quitting and how no one believed them when they insisted they didn’t get together till after WWX got out of jail for the cow incident.

[local-ethernet]

My Top Dramas of 2021

I don’t usually do long, written posts on here, but I felt compelled to write one about my favorite 2021 dramas. I was going to make it a top 5 list, but it ended up a top 6 because why not! 

Why almost all the TV shows I watched this year were dramas  

I got way more into watching Asian dramas this year (mostly Korean, but also some Chinese and Japanese) in part because the whole Drama format of TV was kind of soothing to me. I got tired of starting some streamer show only for it to get canceled after one season, especially when most of the first season seemed to be setting up the second season, and shows that were tied into greater Cinematic Universe lore weren’t appealing to me.

Something I like about dramas is the built-in endpoint. The story you’re watching might drop off in quality after a few episodes or when it gets to the ending, but at least you know you’re watching a story with an ending that’s almost guaranteed to get to it, rather than a show that’s likely designed to go on as close to forever as possible. I appreciate a story that says “the end!” and lets me move on, and if I don’t immediately move on and want to revisit it, that’s my decision! This attitude probably comes from the creeping feeling of being crushed under late capitalism or something. 

Anyway, with that out of the way, here are my top 6 dramas from 2021 that I watched in 2021.

6. Vincenzo

Is Vincenzo good? Is Vincenzo bad? Month after it ended, I’m still not totally sure. The best answer might be that Vincenzo is camp. 

The pros: I was super invested in seeing Vincenzo and Cha-young get to together in a way I hadn’t been about a canon het couple in years. I loved a lot of the side-adventures people went on (Vincenzo dressing up as a shaman, the proposal in the museum, Vincenzo seducing a MILF) and parts of the main plot (especially all the stuff with the gold.) I was invested in all the characters, despite most of them having moments that made me cringe a little.

The cons: Sometimes this show did make me cringe! And the sheer serial killer-esque, punitive violence of the ending put me off. It obviously fit with Vincenzo’s character arc and the overall message about the justice system, but how graphic the ending was for such a comedic show just didn’t vibe for me, even though I did vibe with the show’s overall fantasy of destroying rich people while also getting to wear luxury clothing all the time. 

5. My Name 

My Name is basically an 8-hour revenge thriller movie, with Han So-hee’s character instantly a top-tier woman protagonist in that genre. I was also endlessly entertained by how shamelessly DILF-y Park Hee-soon was for the entire show. The scene where he basically stripped out of his suit in frustration as he entered a room killed me with how thotty it was. I loved it; I loved him and his outfits. 

The plot of My Name is good in the same way the plot of Knives Out is good. You basically know what you’re getting and can see mosts of the twists coming early on, but it doesn’t matter because it’s such a well-executed kind of genre story with strong performances and visuals, plus enough fresh stuff to keep from feeling like something you’ve seen before, even though you’ve probably seen something pretty similar if you’re into the genre of the piece. 

4. Word of Honor

Word of Honor is the second show in the Great Chinese Drama BL Adaption Wave that I’ve gotten all the way through after The Untamed, and it was worth it. Sags a little in the middle, but overall the love story is beautiful, the costumes and set design are beautiful, the main non-romance plot with the Ghost World and the Martial Arts World is compelling, and the side couple is a perfect (painful) combo of adorable and heart-wrenching. Basically, a really good adaption of a fantasy romance.

Ultimately, it’s not that faithful of an adaption (of the book Faraway Wanderers, which is really good, 9/10 recommend) at times because of the restrictions of Chinese TV. A lot of the book wouldn’t make TV almost anywhere, but I think a lot of other markets could allow the characters to retain more of their moral grayness from the book, or retain it for longer. This sometimes made the show feel like a fluffier AU of the book.

That being said! They still made this show as gay as possible and adapted the character arcs really well! I’m just glad I both read the book and watched the show, even more so than with MDZS/CQL. 

3. Squid Game

When I first heard of Squid Game I was like, “Lee Jung-jae doing TV? Interesting!” and then it became the most popular show in the world, lol. I think the first 6 episodes of this show (everything up to the bridge game) are untouchably amazing, and then the last episodes are dragged down by predictability, crappy English performances, and character arcs getting way less interesting endings than they had beginnings.

But still, the first 6 eps. The tug of war. The marbles episode. The crushing relatability of feeling trapped by money and making questionable decisions to get out of it. This show deserved to be as popular as it was this year.

2. Kieta Hatsukoi (Vanishing My First Love)

I don’t watch a lot of high school stuff now that I’m in my 20s, but I’m so glad I made an exception for 消えた初恋. This show is cute. This show is so cute. Aoki is such a wonderful, adorable dumbass protagonist and Ida is exactly the amount of weird needed to make the premise work. I love every second they’re on screen together. 

Though the characters are over the top, their inner lives are also defined enough that it’s easy to follow and get invested in their journeys to figuring out their relationship and their sexualities (that second part is handled more vaguely, but in a way that works.) I’m definitely going to watch this show again since it was like 5 hours total and probably read the manga.

Bonus points: there’s a good side couple, a good female lead, and a really nice friendship between her and our protagonist who used to have a crush on her.  

1. The Red Sleeve 

Coming in right at the end of the year, The Red Sleeve was by far my favorite drama of 2021. I started watching out of curiosity about Junho’s acting and got more and more sucked in the more complex the story and the characters became. 

The Red Sleeve delivers some great romantic moments from across the spectrum - comic, emotional, sexy - while also pulling no punches about a romance that takes place in its setting. It makes the case that if you’re not already a royal, falling in love with a handsome prince (and the handsome prince falling in love with you) is basically the scariest thing that could happen - and it’s probably right! Princes are assholes! 

At its core, this show explores the question of how people can make meaningful lives for themselves in a world that prescribes them strict roles. That world is a very specific one - a 1700s Korean royal court rife with assassinations, political maneuvering and backstabbing, and some wild power dynamics (gender- and class-based) - but the question still rings true for people today, living in the structures of their own societies. 

There’s more I could say about this show’s Themes, plus almost every episode has had me like “I need these people to kiss, oh my god.” That’s how you know it was a top tier romantic drama.

[king-maven-calore]

Do u have any good suggestions for books?

YES I DO! I’ll just give you a bunch of categories, and pick according to your mood

If what you’re looking for is a YA thriller (i think that is the genre) read A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo. Super easy to read, fast-paced, unsettling and creepy in the best way. It gets progressively odd as the story goes and it keeps you wondering what the heck is happening. I can’t say too much. 

YA fantasy, give Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust a try. Lovable bi heroine, cute romance, the plot is eh but it deals with things like generational and family trauma, as well as acceptance and self love in a very simplified yet beautiful way. It’s a standalone book.

another YA fantasy rec is Wicked Saints by Emily Duncan. It’s a love it or hate it kind of situation, so proceed with caution. Very dark, self harm TW, amazing aesthetic and worldbuilding. There’s one het romance I love to hate, and a slow burn mlm romance I adore.

The best book I’ve read this year so far is Take a hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hilbert. It’s a romantic comedy with the fake dating trope. The protagonists are so cute and it’s so well written, from their inner struggles to their friendships and cultural backgrounds, IT’S PERFECTION. ⚠️ Be warned, it is +18.

And here’s some shameless promotion of Yves Olade. Their poetry is to die for. They mix divine and visceral imagery, like renaissance paintings turned into words. And it’s only like 5 bucks because they are independent! 

[absolutebl]

Best High School BL from Each Country 

JAPAN: Seven Days (2015) 10/10 grey Japan’s poster child high school yaoi adaptation and still the best. FIGHT ME. Of course it you wanna dip into the well it’s Takumi-kun all the way. The OG of all BL OGs. History and art and hella wack. 

JAPAN: My Love Mix Up AKA Vanishing My First Love AKA Kieta Hatsukoi (2021) 8/10 Viki  Completely adorable absolute chaos bi disaster muffin falls accidentally and utterly in love with his classmate - hijinx and friendship result. This BL deals with things like homophobia, asexuality, and one-sided affection in an extremely gentle and palatable way. 

KOREA: Light On Me (2021) 10/10 Viki  Korea’s fantastic high school love triangle friendship group in crisis. Where Your Eyes Linger is also good but it is more like the Chinese style of HS BL than it is Korean. 

TAIWAN: HIStory 2: Crossing the Line (2018) 9/10 Viki  Taiwan’s high school sports romance take, one of my first BLs. I love it so much. (Taiwan’s first real BL is actually a high school one, microfilm Pair of Love from 2014, but they don’t do much with this setting. Since they dwell in high heat and prefer to use mature actors, they kinda focus on uni and workplace romances.) 

CHINA: Addicted Heroin (2016) 8/10 Viki  China’s remarkable entry, still full of the destructive obsessive love and warped power dynamics yaoi loves, sadly cut short. 

CHINA: River Knows Fish Heart (2018) 6/10 GaGa This high school BL managed to sneak by the censors (and audiences) probably because it’s not very well acted and low budget. It’s in Addicted’s territory, the jock falls madly for the nerd and then moves into his house to takes over his life. The tsundere uke is VERY tsundere and the seme is hella pushy so it goes right into dub-con territory but also it’s very teen angst about it. 

VIETNAM: Follow My Sunshine AKA SAU VẠT NẮNG (2021) 6/10 YouTube  Classic story of the popular boy next door falling in love with the gay nerdy kid. Make sure you watch all the way through the end credits to the stinger. 

VIETNAM: Stupid Boys Stupid Love AKA YÊU ĐI SỢ GÌ (2021) Youtube  3 couples, BL, GL, and het in high school navigating friends to lovers. Very soft friendships, no angst, just teens, hormones, and HEAs for everyone. I also highly recommend Vietnam’s microfilm Hay Rival, I LOVE YOU!

THAILAND: Love Sick 1 & 2 (2014-2015) 7/10 YouTube grey Thailand dominates High School BL, but it does so with mainly pulps, so I never rate them very highly, Love Sick is the best of a rough bunch, and by comparison to what BL would become it’s not objectively great. But IT IT great on character, script, and performance and as the start of everything. If you are a fan of this genre in general you probubly should watch the 3 Thai BLs that started everything Love Sick (the others are SOTUS & 2gether). If you do like Love Sick, then give Make it Right a try. 

THAILAND: Second Chance (2021) 7/10 YouTube  A pretty classic Thai BL pulp this is a good companion piece to Love Scik because it shows what that narrative would become in this genre. It’s three messy couples trying to figure their shizz out, and some are better than others, and the story is uneven, but the chemistry is excellent. 

I chose only BLs where the high school setting is actually the primary location for shooting and/or is key to to the life state and experiences of the protagonists. (So Color Rush is set at high school but not really about that experience, so despite the fact that it’s one of my favorite BLs it doesn’t make this list. Cherry Blossoms is also good and My Beautiful Man is amazing, but they both move from high school to uni so...)

To that end Takumi-kun, Great Men Academy, and The Eclipse, deserve a mention since they utilize a boarding school setting, which is super common in teen romances globally. However, Takumi just isn’t very good, and there’s honest debate as to whether gender body swaps qualify as BL, so while I actually really like Great Men Academy, it may not count. That leaves The Eclipse which is currently airing as of this update. 

There are a few Pinoy ones but I really haven’t enjoyed any of them. 

What narrative elements do we expect from high school BL? 

school friendships & student interactions 

a SERIOUS crush 

uniforms & desks 

strained family dynamic (for one or both protags) 

bildungsroman/coming of age - journeys of self discovery & self actualization (but not necessarily coming out) 

What romance tropes are ubiquitous? 

friends to lovers 

forced proximity 

miscommunication

obsessive love 

What BL tropes are common? 

confession 

faen fatal (usually a GF) 

face caress 

hair drying 

supportive bestie(s) 

flirting over phones 

cooking for/with him 

stepbrothers

significant (often dropped) hand holding 

rooftop (or isolated remote location) assignation 

tsundere/sunshine pairings (that can go either direction so far as seme/uke is concerned) 

My Top Rated High School Set BL

There are 92 high school set BLs on my spreadsheet as of mid 2022, 4 currently airing, and 5 dnfs. The ones I have rated 7 or above are as follows: 

Light On Me (Korea) 10/10

Color Rush (Korea) 10/10*

Seven Days (Japan) 10/10

My Beautiful Man AKA Utsukushii Kare (Japan) 9/10*

Cherry Blossoms After Winter (Korea) 9/10* 

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line (Taiwan) 9/10

My Love Mix Up AKA Kieta Hatsukoi (Japan) 8/10 

Given (Japan) 8/10

Where Your Eyes Linger (Korea) 8/10*

Red Balloon (Taiwan) 7/10*

Addicted Heroin (China) 8/10 (also my highest rated BL out of China) 

Love Sick 1 & 2 (Thai) 7/10

Make it Right 1 & 2 (Thai) 7/10

Second Chance (Thai) 7/10

* Less about high school than they are using it for set dressing.

Of course Taiwan’s H3 The BL That Shall Not Be Named could have been the top on this list. But we all know why I hold my nose and stare in the opposite direction humming to block out the very idea. 

(source)

[accidentallyadramablog]

Review: Down With Love (2010)

I felt a little nostalgic this week and decided to rewatch Down With Love, a romcom out of Taiwan featuring Ella Chen (from Hana Kimi) and Jerry Yan (Meteor Garden).

This is more of a brain dump as opposed to a real review. More below the cut.

Let me just start with the fact I love dramas with tomboys, gender benders, and gender non-conforming women and girls in general. I'm a 40 yr old gnc bi-woman, so some of these storylines really resonate with me - despite the trend of making those female characters glaringly stupid and pitiable.

Tags: Nanny, Love Square, Tomboy, Male Chases Female First, Sismance, Rich Man/Poor Woman, Pretends To Be Gay, Single Parent, Sisterhood, Boss/Employee Relationship

Our girl Ella Chen plays tomboy Yang Guo. Yang Guo works, has friends, and a shitty boyfriend of 5 years. She acts naïve, but she actually has a lot of life experience due to a *tragic backstory*. After her mother died, her father ruined the family business. Their family plunged from riches to rags and their father abandoned them. Yang Guo is 6 when this happens and it falls on her older sister Yang Duo to raise them both while homeless, starving, and navigating the homeless camps in the parks of Taipei.

Yang Duo (Kelly Huang) has raised her little sister by herself, beginning from poverty and homelessness to having a house and making a life for themselves. They bicker good-naturedly, but Yang Duo is very protective and supportive of her sister. She's managed to earn a job at a prestigious law firm as an admin assistant with strong accounting skills. She is seen as frugal, clever, and competent. Several characters make comments throughout the series about how it was a shame that she didn't go into certain careers because she's so accomplished despite not having a formal education. It's obvious that Yang Duo has put her own dreams and happiness on hold to make sure that she and Guo have financial security. Yang Duo is my favorite character btw. She is a supporting character that is multi-faceted and has her own character arc. I really like seeing her growth in this drama, and she gets some cute side couple action later in the series. Skip the last episode.

Due to growing up in poverty and scrabbling to lower-middle-class, the two girls work nonstop. After Guo is fired from her job waiting tables, Duo gets Guo a job as a nanny for her boss Xiang Yu Ping by lying and saying Guo is a lesbian.

Xiang Yu Ping (Jerry Yan) owns his own law firm and is seen as cold and overbearing. He is raising his dead brother's kids and none of the nannies he's hired have lasted either due to being chased off by the kids (a la the Sound of Music) or by trying to seduce him because he's a rich handsome lawyer. Relieved to have found a nanny who definitely wouldn't seduce him (because he thinks she's a lesbian), he just pays an unreasonably huge salary to keep her there with the kids despite their abuse.

Supporting characters: Amanda Chu as the best friend Yan Ling with the messy dating life is also delightful, but I've enjoyed all her roles. I may rewatch Lion Pride for her, now that I'm walking down memory lane. The office of 'just some lawyer dudes being dudes' are funny. I love when they gather around to watch drama and place bets on what's happening. They're also slackers. I would love/hate to work with them.

So that's the setup.

Honestly, I hate the 'pretends to be gay' plots. It's typically really offensive and this was no exception in a lot of places. (It's not at the same level as Personal Taste, but it's bad.) One of the cases Yu Ping takes on is unlawful termination and blackmail of a gay teacher and he asks for Yang Guo's advice to help the man. Taiwan was trying in 2010, but it wasn't exactly good representation to have a fake lesbian help an actual gay man faced with employment discrimination and blackmail over his orientation. When I compare this with Love is Science (2021 twdrama) that has two out lgbt characters employed in their office with significant roles, I'm just so happy that lgbtq media representation is still progressing.

I don't care about Yu Ping's best friend Qi Ke Zhong or Yu Ping's ex-girlfriend Ding Hui Fan because they're both terrible people that don't deserve forgiveness and their only purpose was to drag out our leads getting together. Since this was a rewatch, I knew how much I hated their scenes and skipped them as much as I could. You're not missing anything. Someone on YT needs to just make a Yang Duo/Xiang Yu Ping cut, tbh. Also? Go ahead and skip the deadbeat father.

The nanny bit only lasts three episodes (the kids are adorable), but it's long enough for Yu Ping to catch feelings and think his lesbian nanny is cute. He actually is not cold and overbearing as episode 1 makes him out to be. Yu Ping is supportive and tries to be a good friend to Guo. When he thinks her 'girlfriend' is cheating on her, he absolutely flips out because he feels she deserves to be respected and loved in her relationship. He learns about her family. He learns about her friends. He knows where to look for her when she's upset. He knows how to cheer her up and later, he knows how to make the perfect date. When he finds out she lied about being a lesbian, he's not even mad. He admits it was his fault for making certain demands in the employment contract. He's just upset that he's lost chances to flirt and court her.

Listen. It's a dumb premise in this drama and the misunderstandings suck. But it's so refreshing to see male leads be decent to women that are romantically and sexually unavailable to them. The bar is so low, in RL and in dramas, that Yu Ping belongs in the top tier of male drama leads. This dude was just going to continue in a supportive friendship for an undetermined time, both when he thought she was a lesbian and later when his shitty weasel of a best friend dated her under false pretenses. He didn't burden her with a confession until her relationship was over. And whenever she asked for space, he gave it to her. And when she confronted him on instances of jealously, he apologized and gave her space.

Yu Ping never tries to change Guo. He doesn't give her a makeover. She has a makeover scene that is instigated by another character and all he does is try to make her comfortable when she's so obviously uncomfortable. Then he cheers inwardly when he sees her overcome her awkwardness and have confidence. But by the end of the drama, she is still dressing and acting the same as in act 1. It honestly reminded me a little of Coffee Prince in that the fancy male lead is still just as enamored with his gnc woman by the end and the way she presents herself doesn't have an effect on their romantic relationship. Again, this is content catered to me as a bi & gnc woman in a relationship with a cis-het man. I often am mistaken for a man when I go out with my spouse and he's still super into me so let's normalize gnc people with gc people already it's 2021.

Anyway, if you watch romances for kisses, there's really only a couple of pecks and one nice passionate kiss and they're all in basically the last 3 eps of the series.

The last episode sucks. Stop at episode 15. Seriously. Don't watch episode 16. Why oh why do you let terrible people back in your life? Qi Ke Zhong and Ding Hui Fan are toxic and should but cut out of their lives. The end of ep 15 had a happy ending with a family-style breakfast for our two sisters with their boyfriends. Ep 16 threw in some more misunderstanding, jealousy, and separations followed by a time skip for no reason and brought back my two least favorite characters.

Anyway, I will live in my little world with Yang Duo and her sweet lawyer boyfriend Liang Zhi Hao (Ian Yim/Cyran Yan/Yan Yi En yeah, this actor has three stage names) that supports her interests and self-determination while they save money on mass transit by using his motorbike. And they build her dream home that she designs. Perhaps they put aside funds for her to pursue a degree in what she's passionate about.