#love me some of the sunshine/grumpy trope but in gay

[harrowharksoup]

*hollers into megaphone*

THE SUNSHINE ONE AND THE GRUMPY ONE

[absolutebl]

Top 10 Great BLs That Are REALLY hard to find (but worth tracking down)

You may want to go hunting anyway!

Seven Days

Seven Days: Monday-Thursday

Seven Days: Friday-Sunday

Japan 2015

Never doubt my ability to recommend this show. One of the best live action yaois ever made, with perfectly structured angst, fantastic characters and acting, and no problematic tropes (rare in Japanese BL). The leads have excellent chemistry although it’s low heat there’s still some really cute mutual kisses.

Cherry Magic AKA 30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii

Japan 2020

The sweetest fluffiest magical realism BL, packaged as a pinning office romance, very low heat (practically chaste) but the cutest. It’s truly great.

Cherry Magic Thailand

Thai 2024

A soft charming warm hug of a show about crushes and mind reading and self worth, with no-fuss execution from a consummate team and an OG lead pair proving why they remain eternal and deserve to grow up. Look, here’s the thing, Cherry Magic is a great Thai BL in its own right not comparing it to any other iteration. But even when I do compare (and I've seen all the Cherries and read the manga) it still stands. I personally like it slightly better than the Japanese live action, but I think that’s because I just really like Thai BL and I LOVE TayNew. Also all the kissing was both present and better than any other iteration. As it should be from Thailand.

I Feel You Linger in the Air

Thai 2023

IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework (much like Until We Meet Again). Steeped in history and family drama it edges into lakorn (but no as much as To Sir With Love and with way less scenery chewing). This is an elegant and classy BL... from Thailand which normally doesn't even try for classy. The main couple (both as a pair and individuals) were excellent, particularly Bright (Yai) whose eye-work acting style is a personal favorite of mine. Pity about the ending. Oh it wasn’t that sad but it wasn’t good either. This show could easily have earned a 10/10 from me except that it fumbled the… erm… balls in the final quarter. Argh. Whatever.

All about the ecstasy and the agony here.

Restart After Come Back Home AKA Risutato wa tadaima no ato de

Japan 2020

Atmospheric study in rural Japan meets complex family dynamics built on a romance framework of city boy meets country boy, grumpy/sunshine. It’s beautiful and icy sweet. Slow moving in places but ultimately worth the patience, low heat, low angst, and stunning.

Given

Japan 2021

Boy joins band, falls in love with other boy. The singing is terrible, fast forward through that but with the possible exception of the hair styles, this BL could have been made in 2015 and no one would be surprised. As such, it wasn’t ground breaking, but it didn’t disappoint either.

Make a Wish

Thai 2023

A doctor who can see the dead strikes a bargain with a wish-granting irreverent tree angel - naturally they fall in love (from Sammon: Manner of Death & Triage). Stars Fluke Natouch opposite not-Ohm, but who tf cares because Fluke has chemistry with everybody. Once again the Thai afterlife is incredibly bureaucratic but I enjoyed the premise and the unfolding of the story (it’s not predictable but still satisfying and with nice little twist). I like that the doctor is just gay AF - fag hag bestie and all the swagger. The cast is excellent even if the comedic stylings are a bit overblown and tonally off. It had sad parts and did make me cry but is ultimately happy with a great sex scene, good smiley kisses, and all the agency. Definitely recommended.

2 Moons The Ambassador AKA 2 Moons 3

Thai 2022

A Thai pulp that felt like it came out 5 yrs prior, with many of the flaws inherent to that time and studio system, including manufactured angst and convoluted plot, but an ultimately sweet main couple that (as a pairing) feels a bit more modern and satisfying to watch than they started out. This will probably go down in history as one of the few BLs where I genuinely didn’t care about any of the side couples. All that said, I find this show oddly appealing and rewatchable and I have no excuses for that except, I enjoyed it probably more than it deserved. Nostalgia & d**k, it's what's for dinner.

I Want to See Only You AKA Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai

Japan 2022

This is a beautiful well acted piece of cinema, about two boys who are opposite personalities and grew up together. Gifted and serious Sakura pines after outgoing eccentric manic pixie dream boy, Yuma. It is very pretty and this is the kind of atmospheric elegantly performed BL that only really comes from Japan (complete with dead fish kisses - what you though Korea invented them? oh no). If you want something stylish, this is it.

Triage

Thai 2022

BL does Groundhog Day featuring a doctor stuck in a time loop who must save a poor little rich boy from death by seducing the stuffing out of him, then PLOT TWIST, poor little rich boy must do the same for the doctor! Unfortunately... stuffing keeps leaking. I thought the plot was engaging if a little redundant and occasionally exhausting. The pairs were all well done, low heat but with decent chemistry and the support characters were likable (or unlikable, as required). If anything, the romance arc detracted and distracted from the main plot, but that doesn't stop this from being a genuinely good show.

HONORABLE MENTION

Great Men Academy

Thai 2019

Bodyswap involving unicorns turning a teenage girl into a boy makes this questionable as a BL (because, ya know, gender). But the fact remains that James is killer in the lead, and I (who do not like bodyswap) loved this damn show. Look, there is actual plot, hotties at boarding school, "bully the one you love" trope, some weird VR shit, very bad CGI, and yes, the boys end up together... whether they boys or not, so to speak.

Some of these shows may appear on a smaller streaming service, like WeTV, or they may be on a legal platform in your territory. I hope it goes without saying you should check there first.

(source)

This list updated Spring 2024, not responsible for cool stuff that went missing (or was added to a platform) after that date.

It's it last in a series the rest of which are:

[fahye]

book recs: oct/nov 2023

I read an obscene number of books during my weeks travelling in the USA, so here are some highlights!

A GENTLEMAN UNDONE by cecilia grant - I actually read all three in this excellent series, but this is the highlight. a tense, engrossing regency romance between a gentleman desperate to make money in gambling halls and the woman who teaches him to count cards, who unfortunately happens to be someone else's mistress. extremely horny and very smart.

SHADOW MAGIC by jaida jones & danielle bennett - after HAVEMERCY I desperately needed the rest of the series, and happily I had dinner with jaida and dani and was given them! this one is classic political fantasy: assassins, ambassadors, a devoted bodyguard and his beautiful prince, and a flamboyant little chaos magician who wonders why nobody else in his delegation is enjoying the beautiful local Fashion Robes. this book has never had a heterosexual thought in its entire life.

AMERICAN QUEEN by sierra simone - okay, this is a rec for the entire series (AMERICAN PRINCE & AMERICAN KING follow), a modern arthur-lancelot-guinevere retelling where they're american politicians and they're all in love and kinky and fucked up about it. mostly smut, lots of angst, occasional plot. maybe the hottest thing I've ever read in my life?? damn, sierra simone knows what she's doing.

THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by robert a. heinlein - what if we were a moon colony and we decided to stage a revolutionary war and we asked a bored AI computer to run the logistics for us? I'm such a sucker for logistics, and heinlein delivers in spades. very funny, great worldbuilding, fun characters. has aged surprisingly well, I think.

10 THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED by alexis hall - a pure shot of gay grumpy/sunshine delivered via FAKE AMNESIA TROPE and a plot lovingly and lampshadily borrowed from the classic sandra bullock vehicle while you were sleeping. alexis hall's protagonists and glorious supporting casts always grab me, and this was no exception.

THE FALL THAT SAVED US by tamara jerée - do you like the good omens setup of bookshop angel vs. snarky demon, destined to be enemies but oh no we're in love, and you'd like to add some recovery from family trauma + sex scenes + also they're sapphic? yes. good. enjoy.

CHAIN-GANG ALL-STARS by nana kwame adjei-brenyah - holy shit!! finished this one yesterday and will be thinking about it for a long time. premise: criminals can choose to compete in deadly televised gladiator matches instead of remaining in prison. this is an absolutely brutal examination of the prison industrial complex and the violent commodification of bodies (especially bodies of colour) under our capitalist hellscape. lyrical, wonderful, cutting. very queer and very angry. I flew through it. what a fantastic book.

[kyuusberry]

assign you're moots to an idol & a trope for valentines 🤭? and explain why 🤭?

key to your heart | moots - imagine

pairing: moots x idols

genre/theme: fluff, many different tropes lol

warnings: kissing, cursing

notes: all of my stories, oneshots, drabbles, ect are all fiction (fake/made up) except for the idols!! my stories do not depict how these idols actually act or their sexual orientation (straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, aromantic, ect). the only time you'll ever read semi-true things is if it's my headcanons then i do use some facts from kprofiles and sometimes youtube videos but that's it.

a/n: before we start, i'm going to sincerely apologize because i've never done this before, so this will be a struggle.. the only time you'll ever see me write male idols as well because i gotta create a variety for this type of stuff!! also, i only have 3 moots atm, so that's sad lmao

credits (tropes): @delusionisaplace , @urfriendlywriter

cis men, homophobes, racists, 20+, smut accounts dni

female idols:

kai (@rosiehrs): i feel like ningning (aespa) tbhh! your personalities match a lot! and i think a stay with me tonight trope where ningning would be playing with your hair while watching a movie and after the movie, you say that you have to leave, but she doesn't want you to leave!! she would say something along the lines of "don't leave me alone.. please?" she'd be attached to your hip, wanting to shower you in hugs and kisses all of the time!! just wants to show her affection :((

ash (@aeriniee): giselle (aespa) with a grumpy x sunshine trope!! gigi is totally the type of person to not show her affection cause she's too shy!! just randomly hugs you and hides her face in your neck!! or whenver you hug her, she either stiffly hugs you back or just stands there like an npc, all flustered. she looks and seems so mean all of the time, but she's such a softie on the inside, spoiling you with gifts and stuff.. chose this because i think you're honestly like this trope sm!! so nice and loving :( these r just sounding like headcanons at this point LMAO

yin (@yinyinwon/@so-lychee): wonyoung!! (iz*one & ive) and maybe like a fake dating trope??? cause wony wants to get back at her ex or smth lmaoo!! she'd end up falling in love though! i feel like it would be something along the lines of her asking you (more like bribing you) in the bathroom because she wants to get back at her ex for leaving her, trying to convince them to take her back, telling you stuff like, "they're looking. kiss me. now." until she falls in love with you, completely forgetting about her ex and telling you stuff like, "forget them, i'm yours now." gdhkaldskxndbv i want this for myself aw chose this 'cause i lowkey think you'd fit with wony!! ur posts are so pretty and your personality is very beautiful lol

male idols:

kai (@rosiehrs): hyunjin (skz) for sure!! with an academic rivalry or something! he'd be so cocky whenever he gets better grades than you by like 1 point or something!! bothers you 24/7. always appears when you're doing something other than working/doing schoolwork like taking a break or texting your parents!! everyone thinks he has a crush on you and he always denies it!! i chose this trope and idol cause i think you're very nice and smart!! picked hyunjin 'cause he fits this lol (in my imagination)

ash (@aeriniee): soobin (txt) with one-sided love probs?? like he really likes you and he tries not to make it obvious?? but everyone thinks he's obvious!! loves giving you gifts and affection (hugs, holding hands, ect) such a sweet baby tbhhh!! says stuff like, "your smile is pretty." while smiling so sweetly gkdlksjb based this off of your post asking if u should come out as lesbian cause you haven't liked a boy since the 8th grade LMAO, but soobin cause ur both very funny and caring!! leader material as well.

yin (@yinyinwon/@so-lychee): jungwon (enhypen) ofccc! (it was because of ur user..) a chaotic duo, i feel like! nothing romantic, just pure friendship! you two would do everything together, some crazy shit too.. people would honestly think you two were drunk!! would be something along the lines of, "bitch, what the hell are you doing!" "i'm walking!-" then one of you runs into a pole or whatever.. chose this because you two are the sweetest people everrr! so adorable <33

a/n: hope you enjoyeddd!! this made my head hurt a lot lmao, so much thinking and trying to match idols.. mooties, i hope these didn't make you uncomfortable lmaooo!!! love you guys and happy valentines <33 i'll take you guys all on a virtual date sometime /j

[nerafris]

Tag game: tag 9 people you’d like to get to know better.

I was tagged by @viharistenno and @confusedspaceotter thankee for the tag :3

Last song: Placebo - Too Many Friends (my computer definitely knows I'm gay, but there ain't no way I'm throwin my baby away :D)

Currently watching: rewatching Warehouse 13 and oh my god I forgot how absolutely perfect this show is.

Three ships: whiterose (RWBY) - grumpy x sunshine is an S tier trope and this ship has me in a chokehold; catradora (SPOP) - friends to enemies to lovers, what's not to love? also plenty of angst which I live for; pricefield (Life is Strange) - sacrificing the world for your lover trope is pretty damn powerful, also it's the game that almost singlehandedly cracked my egg so it's special that way.

Favorite color: just about any shade of purple, but if I really had to narrow it down it'd be lilac or violet.

Currently consuming: green tea with jasmine.

First ship: probably Illidan x Tyrande from Warcraft? I'm a sucker for tragic romance and I hate it.

Relationship status: single

Last movie: D.E.B.S. (2004) - I finally got around to watching it and I so regret not finding the time earlier, it's an actual masterpiece.

Currently working on: does trying not to fall apart count? how about trying to get through my plan-to-read list?

Gonna tag some of you, no pressure though :)

@evergreen-femme @greenteawarlock @keyboardsareforcoding @human-in-name-only

[girlsdads]

Hello! If you like to read, who's your favorite author of all time? What's your favourite book? If you don't like to read, can you recommend me a movie or a music album? :)

Hi anon! I’m really flattered that you thought to ask me for book recs 🥹 Hope you or someone finds this helpful!! 🫶

One of my favorite books of all time is actually a YA novel- A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb. Love story with a ghostly twist. Changed my LIFE as a teen. Still holds up as an adult.

My fave from more recent years is The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. Period drama, Great Depression era, Dust Bowl. Strong female characters. Made me SOB.

My favorite series right now is definitely A Court Of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas. These books are definitely hate them or love them. EYE personally love the world-building and storyline and hotsexy characters but what do I know 🙄 Would encourage haters to give em a chance.

Psychological Thrillers/Crime/Etc.

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough. FUCKED ME UP. BLEW MY MIND.

Survive the Night and Lock Every Door, both by Riley Sager. Easy reads, lots of suspense.

And Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell. Storytelling at its finest!!!! Anything by Lisa Jewell is perfect.

The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund. Deeply chilling and so good. (cw sexual abuse of a minor)

Period Romance

Anything by Cat Sebastian. Most of her books are m/m but she’s got some variety. Tender bodice rippers. (Faves: The Soldier’s Scoundrel 😏, We Could Be So Good)

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske. m/m. Fantastic Beasts vibes. Heart-achingly good.

Captive Prince trilogy by C S Pacat. The GOAT. m/m. (cw sexual abuse of minors, very dubious consent situations, sexual slavery)

The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley. f/f. We love gay girlbosses in victorian era England.

Contemp. Romance

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun. m/m. The Bachelor but give it a gay happy ending.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang. m/f. “Practice sex.” Sizzling 🥵

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall. m/m. Fake relationship, grumpy/sunshine, all the tropes.

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon. m/f. Lots of banter, only one bed 😳

[guardian-angle22]

I read books! Sometimes, I remember to talk about books!

Here’s a roundup of some of my favorite things I read in 2023. I'll put half of this under a cut to save the timeline.

Middle Grade:

When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten - This is a sweet story about friendship, grief, and family set in a close knit community in Jamaica following a young girl who can't remember anything that happened the previous summer. I don't read middle grade often so I wasn't expecting to be on the edge of my seat during this book, but I sure was!

Garlic & the Vampire by Bree Paulson - An anthropomorphic village of vegetables - what more could you ask for? When the village learns a vampire moved into a nearby castle, they decide Garlic has to be the one to face him. A cute, wholesome graphic novel - and the sequel Garlic & the Witch was also lovely!

Nonfiction:

A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott - This is a collection of essays by an Indegenous author covering a wide range of topics including race, gentrification, parenthood, and mental illness. I annotated the shit out of this book... which is always a sign of a well loved read in my house.

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou - A fascinating account by the journalist from the Wall Street Journal who broke open the case against Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes. The entire story is absolutely bananas and made for a wild read.

Excellent on Audio:

How to Be Perfect by Michael Shur - If you watched and enjoyed The Good Place, this audiobook should be required listening. Pretty much everyone from the cast pops in at random times to narrate something. It was also just a great, thought-provoking book. I actually read this for a work book club and it prompted me to finally finish The Good Place. Most successful book club pick ever.

Finding Me by Viola Davis - She won a Grammy for the narration of this book (and earning her rightful place as an EGOT) and it was well deserved. I'm not usually one for celebrity memoirs, but Viola's life was incredibly interesting and her narration was amazing.

Thriller/Horror:

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas - This is a Mexican, historical, gothic horror novel set after the Mexican War of Independence. It features a secluded, potentially haunted hacienda and a priest who might actually be a witch. Atmospheric vibes are peak here. Highly recommend listening to the spotify playlist the author made while you read!

No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole - The official blurb says "the gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood takes on a sinister new meaning" and that about sums it up. It also compares it to Get Out and that's a pretty good comp, in my opinion.

Poetry:

Artemis Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer - I'm not gonna lie, this poetry collection and the one in the series before it (Aphrodite Made Me Do It) were absolutely cover buys. The cover art is stunning! but luckily the inside is good too.

If My Body Could Speak by Blythe Baird - This collection deals a lot with the feminine experience, how we relate to our bodies and its traumas. Definitely check the trigger warnings for this collection first before picking it up.

Romance:

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert - I'm not one to read a ton of romance books but I did enjoy a couple this year. This one was definitely the most explicit but also wholesome and something has to be said for being able to do both. Fun tropes include: fake dating & grumpy/sunshine.

Glitterland by Alexis Hall - While this is still a romance book at its core, it also deals heavily with depression. Fun tip with this book: definitely get the re-released edition with this cover because it has author annotation notes! It was very fun to read those at the end of every chapter.

Short & Quick Reads:

The Appendix by Liam Konemann - This is a very small little pocket book, part of the 404's Inklings collection. In it, Liam is reacting to transphobia he encounters through various media, but also discussing how he navigates being a gay trans man in today's culture.

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh - I think I would best describe this as a queer forest fairytale. I'm a sucker for any story that can transport me to a mythical forest and while this one clocks in at a little under 115 pages, it packed a good plant magic punch.

Misc Books I Couldn't Find a Category For:

Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat - I never thought I would read this series, but I stumbled into the first one and then devoured the entire series in the span of 2 days. While I know the core of what people love about this is the love story... the political intrigue happening absolutely gripped me!

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore - Another trope/plot device I love is time travel... or whatever weird timey wimey mess you would consider this: Oona faints after she's about to turn nineteen and awakens 32 years in the future in her 51 year old body. She learns that after each year completes, she'll leap to another age at random. It's as messy and complicated as it sounds but never a dull moment.

[ancientgreecehistorynerd]

hi moottt how was ur day?

i have some bookish questions for u bc why not

-what is ur favourite genre of literature?

-what are your top 5 favourite books?

-what are your top 3 favourite authors?

-do you have a favourite book character? if so, who are they? (feel free to list more than one)

-what is your favourite romance trope?

-what do you like to see in a main character?

-what are your thoughts on queer literature?

-what is a bookish pet peeve you have?

-do you like to purchase books, borrow them, or read them online?

-do you often read books translated from other countries?

thats all for now :) have a nice day

hello! i’m doing okay in the middle of moving tho so stressful haha

help did i never answer this? i’m sorry i’m actually tumblr illiterate like crazy

My fav genre is probably hm… def fiction haha young adult and contemporary…? it said those were genres i’m so sorry i don’t know the names of them and i’m an anxious mess! but if it’s got gay people and mental illness i’ll take it. i like dystopian as well!

top five NOT IN ORDER LOL

-girl in pieces by kathleen glasgow

-solitaire by alice oseman

-radio silence by alice oseman

-the perks of being a wallflower by soeben chbosky

-blood of olympus by rick riordan

(they change all the time haha)

-for authors i would def say

-rick riordan

-alice oseman (obv)

-and hm i haven’t read more than one of glasgows books so possibly suzzanne collins maybe? AUGHH IM SO INDECISIVE! (i do have fav fanfic authors tho haha)

NICO DI ANGELO THE SON OF HADES AND WILL SOLACE THE SON OF APOLLO THEYRE FROM RICK RIORDANS GREEK DEMIGODS SERIES(S) AND I LOVE THEM SO MUCH THEYRE MY SPECIAL INTETEST THEIR COOL AS FUCK AND HE IS SO ME I AM SO THEM THEYRE MY EVERYTHING AND I LOVE THEM MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF (wait that’s not a good comparison uhh) I LOVE THEM MORE THEN FOOD ITSELF 🗣️

as someone who is demiromantic i’ve got to say friends to lovers since nothing else makes sense in my mind haha other then that hurt/comfort and just being domestic are UGH love it! SUNSHINE X GRUMPY as well. I eat it up everytime.

i love when main characters are similar to me so mentally ill gay very sad etc etc lol but besides that i would say complex? i hate it when authors make “i’m so happy all the time” characters the main character like i need DEPTH where’s the FLAVOR. so i suppose just not being perfect?

there needs to be more of it lol. i’m loving how much of it is being made to day but tbh in my opinion some authors do it wrong… i love when being queer is a major part of a characters personality because well they’re proud! but it’s when an author makes the entire character based off of that with no other personality traits. sexualizing queer relationships too like…. yikes! would love to see some more aroace and genderqueer rep that isn’t just boy/nb/girl tho!

when endings are rushed! it’s terrible i remember i loved this one book when i was younger that had the og “i’m nothing like y’all” as the cover haha. i forget what it was called sorry! but there was a great story and then it ended with her friends saying “sorry for excluding you and they went on to win the state math fair!” what. YOU JUST HAD A FULLY FLESHED OUT STORY AND YOU DID THAT??? i’m sure nobody likes them but they especially piss me off. skipping over important scenes as well and just showing the aftermath! non floppy books. FIX ITTTTT. also tbh smut? i mean i don’t mind it but that’s what ao3 is for i’m fine with the smut where they don’t show it like in charlie and nicks first time in heartstopper where it’s just kinda vague but as soon as i see a dick beint described im OUT. and books that just are smut like dude there’s so many better things you could be writing about!

ngl i am a massive book purchaser. i used to get them all from the library but thennn i got a bookshelf and discovered what annotating is… i just love being able to go back on what i’ve read whenever i want! and the covers are pretty :)

no actually! i don’t think i ever have tbh? i think the only time that happened was when i translated an official nico di angelo short story from italian haha

thank you if you listened to my yap! also i’m so sorry i didn’t see this :( also if i already responded to this and i forgot you can just kill me please and thank you. also have a good day too so sorry i didn’t see this! :(

[qqueenofhades]

honestly, reading comics canon & the end of said comics canon while at the same time reading really well-thought-out takes like AITWW which takes what is, indeed, a beautiful queer bit of unpredictability flung into an otherwise faithful adaptation of comics canon and turns it into a whole story of its own-- is really making me personally excited for all the ways fanfic writers can use that as a Spanner in the Works/disruptor for Morpheus's canon ending. being Also An Old that potential gets me far more than anything canon may or may not do with hob, personally.

(which is to say thanks, AITWW has made my own creative brain do several backflips of excited Possibilities. so many possible stories.)

I mean... yeah. Obviously there are a lot of queer characters/themes in the Sandman to start with, but I think everyone imprinted on Dreamling like a baby duckling because a) it fulfills the obvious Grumpy/Sunshine trope that fandom loves, and b) it offers the thing that everyone loved about Our Flag Means Death, where the queer characters got to talk to each other, share interests, develop over time, and actually offer a real emotional basis to ship them as lovers. Of course, OFMD did that in ten episodes as opposed to just the back half of Sandman 1.06, but it's the same thing. And also, I would note that despite all the other queer representations/characters in the show, there isn't really anyone else to actively ship in a canon-supported LGBTQ context? We see Johanna's lover Rachel die in the same episode that we meet her, the Corinthian's entire life motto is be gay and do crimes but you don't exactly ship a serial-killing nightmare with any of the minor characters who he menaces and/or eats, Hal is great but still a bit-part player who gets paired off with Carl in the background, and Alex and Paul are already out of the picture by the end of the first episode. (Besides, Alex, keeping the dude you desperately want to fuck locked up in the basement for decades even after your terrible dad is dead is, uh, Bad.)

Fandom can, of course, imagine and headcanon interactions between various queer characters, but as far as an active, possible, ongoing relationship goes, where we are shown them developing feelings for each other and the narrative makes a point of underscoring them in a romantic context, Hob and Dream are kind of IT. Many shows just throw a queer couple in there as token representation and don't really take the time to actually show why they're compatible as a pairing, but there's so much possibility with Hob and Dream both that is already depicted in-show and can easily be extrapolated from the source material, the actors' and writers' interviews, the themes that are present in their narrative, and so forth. They're one of the most deeply romantic interactions in the whole show, despite never explicitly verbalizing their feelings or having any physical moments. You genuinely believe that these two immortal beings are truly affected by each other, they have incredibly complex feelings about each other, it absolutely means something special for them to reunite, and that no matter what happens, they will never entirely let go of each other. Which I think is a credit to the acting, writing, and how quickly we got that in the course of 20-30 minutes in one episode.

So yes: Dreamling IS a deeply queer and deeply romantic disruption of the source material (in a good way), and offers possibilities that have already been foreclosed or minimalized in other storylines, including in comics canon itself. They're one of the relatively few moments of sheer queer happiness, they were left open-ended and in a good place, Dream is obviously the main character of the whole series so developing a queer relationship for him is more than just what's going on in the background, and I really hope they continue to lean into this when writing/planning future seasons. Obviously, I love them and want to see more of them, but I feel Some Kinda Way about queer immortals, who can persist in all ages and eras of history, and not be consigned to just die, whether from narrative carelessness or Bury Your Gays or whatever else. There's something incredibly powerful about queer characters who literally can't be killed (also why I imprinted on Old Guard so much), and who are shown experiencing and overcoming adversity in so many different ways, and at the end of it, still choosing to keep living. I just have many feelings about that.

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

My Opinions on Every VRAINS Ship

Well, every VRAINS ship that has an official ship name here on Tumblr, plus three bonus ships at the end that don’t have names but I’m familiar enough with to talk about. Gonna go in alphabetical order by their ship names because that’s the easiest and most unbiased way to do it. Gonna be rating them on a scale from: NO, not my thing, funny or cute idea, like, and love.

Because fair warning, I really don’t like some of these ships.

Abyssalshipping (Ai x Aqua)

NO. The one thing I dislike about Manjome in GX is his weird, sometimes creepy crush on Asuka and… yeah, it’s the same thing here. Not nearly as bad, as it’s less focused on and Ai doesn’t try to make her be with him or anything, but still, really weird and unappealing ship. I much prefer them platonically, which is what they are in Flame of Life.

Aiballshipping (Ai x Yusaku)

This is my OTP of VRAINS, and probably in all of Yugioh if I’m being honest with myself. I love their dynamic, their back and forths, all the build up and little moments throughout the series leading up to that gut punch of a finale. Their relationship is also the one thing keeping the VRAINS storyline of Duel Links afloat for me don’t @ me.

Algorithmshipping (Kengo x Shoichi)

Honestly, I had never heard of this ship before I read the list so I have no real opinion on it. Not really sure how it would work but I don’t mind its existence I suppose.

Altarshipping (Aoi x Ema)

NO. I always saw Ema as more of an older sister figure to Aoi, emphasis on “older” because Aoi is a minor and Ema… never had her age confirmed to my knowledge but watching the show, I always interpreted her as in her twenties. Early twenties sure, but too old to be with a minor.

Almondshipping (Aoi x Miyu x Yusaku)

Each of these individual ships are coming up and I have wildly different opinions on each of them so for now I’ll say I’m indifferent to this specific throupple, but throupples in general are nice to have.

Angelmakershipping (Aoi x Yusaku)

No. Out of all the ships here that aren’t like… illegal or messed up on this list, this is the one I hate the most. Because it feels so obligatory. Like in the blissful days before the god awful VRAINS dub, it was only a ship because “he was a boy she was a girl can I make it any more obvious” when they don’t have that kind of relationship at all. I think it’s actually novel and really nice that despite some pointless teasing early on, they were only ever friends and Aoi had a character arc and development completely separate from Yusaku. I feel like making their relationship romantic would’ve just ruined that. It’s not my bias to Aiball, trust me, I ship both Yusaku and Ai with other characters as well (as you’ll see coming up). This ship just really rubs me the wrong way, especially because the dub warped the text of the show to push this ship more, which coupled with their gay erasure, comes off as gross to me.

Blueghostshipping (Aoi x Spectre) NO. Even harder NO than the last one, jesus christ. Spectre is a huge creep to her, psychoanalysing her out of nowhere, manipulating her, and then beating her to death… in a card game but that’s basically assault in the YGO universe.

Blackholeshipping (Jin x Ryoken)

Really random (with only one canon interaction that is not good) but I honestly really like this ship. It has some really fun content here on Tumblr and the way I personally characterise Jin is this really cheerful upbeat person, who isn’t fazed by others’ rudeness. So Ryoken’s bluntness wouldn’t faze them at all. I just really like the whole “the sunshine one lifts up the grumpy one” trope and this ship, and really any Jin ship for that matter, is that dynamic to me. Plus I love Ryoken so putting him in that dynamic is really fun.

Braveangelshipping (Aoi x Shima)

No. I don’t have a strong take on this one like I do some of the other no’s, it’s just… no. He certainly has a crush on her, but I can’t see her ever requiting.

Bulletstormshipping (Ryoken x Windy)

Okay so this one’s tricky. I enjoy shipping Ryoken with Ignis and I really love both of these characters. There’s also pretty good content for this ship out there. But… the way I characterise purple eyes Windy (aka: Windy’s true personality) is really sensitive and kind of clingy, and he would be especially emotionally vulnerable after finding out that after his data was rewritten, he killed his origin. And blunt Ignis racist Ryoken would not be a good match for that. This is why the only WindRyo piece I’ve written is set at a point where they’re far into their relationship for the record. Ryoken taking in Windy as his partner (in the Ignis way but potentially the human way eventually) is a very cute potentially funny concept as long as one or both of these sides of them are scaled back. So while I like this ship, it’s not one I can see myself writing much.

Canineshipping (Akira x Kengo)

Like the ship name, don’t care for anything else about it. Okay come to think of it, maybe I just don’t care much about Kengo, because his ships are the only ones I’ve had virtually no opinion on so far…

Cauterizeshipping (Flame x Takeru x Ryoken)

My most recent currently ongoing fanfic, Flame of Life, is about this throupple. I love every individual ship in it, and I love the dynamic the three of them have. (Especially Flame and Takeru teasing the hell out of Ryoken, last week’s chapter was probably my favourite to write in the whole fic.) This is my favourite polyship in Yugioh, by a landslide. It doesn’t have any basis in canon, but the potential was enough to suck me in and write my own narrative for them that I’m really in love with.

Celebshipping (Go Onizuka x Yusaku)

I don’t really like Go Onizuka because he’s a different person every time we see him so it’s hard to get invested in him but this ship is fine. Go is a bit old for him but three years isn’t as bad as some of the other ships’ age gaps. It is a ship that exists I suppose.

Charismashipping (Aoi x Go Onizuka)

Same as above. This is indeed a ship that exists.

Chatshipping (Shima x Yusaku)

Similar to Braveangel, I think Shima has a crush on Playmaker, but I can’t see Yusaku ever requiting that, especially since he canonically finds Shima stupid and annoying. So no.

Chesspieceshipping (Go Onizuka x Queen)

No. She was willing to let him die with that AI chip implant stunt. Also, I don’t like either of them, but I hate Queen far more.

Cobrashipping (Go Onizuka x Ryoken)

I love Ryoken and am not attached to mister Go so this ship is not my thing. Their duel was pretty good though.

Coexistshipping (Ai x Pandor)

Uuuuuuuuuuh.

I mean, I see Ai as gay (or attracted to men I guess) but if I had to ship him with a girl, Pandor is probably the best option? So I don’t ship it but it’s fine. It’s harmless.

Conduitshipping (Akira x Ema x Shoichi)

No. I’ll elaborate on why in the Ema/Shoichi section.

Crystalheartshipping (Aqua x Earth)

Finally another ship I like. Earth’s crush on Aqua was cute, as much as I make fun of the whole “pushing Aqua off the hoverboard” thing. Still, it’s cute. Basic, but cute.

Cybersedragonshipping (Firewall Dragon x Topologic Bomber Dragon)

I have no idea why this is a ship, but I’m glad it is because it’s really funny. I don’t like Datastorm, but I can get behind this.

Darkcrystalshipping (Ai x Aqua x Earth)

Normally, I would say/joke that the best solution to a love triangle is polyamory but in this case… Aqua does not like Ai, and I do not like that ship. So I don’t care for this one.

Darkfireshipping (Ai x Flame)

Meh. I only ever saw this as platonic but it’s perfectly harmless. Would make a funny enemies to lovers fic honestly.

Datastormshipping (Yusaku x Ryoken)

I never saw the appeal of this one. I still don’t get why Yusaku was so desperate to reform/reach out to Ryoken after Ryoken said to his face that he regretted saving his life and the fact that this ship is just… everywhere and often characterises these two in ways I don’t personally agree with makes me really not care for it. I don’t hate it like I hate some of these other ships but I do feel nothing toward it. So it’s a no.

Daybreakshipping (Yusaku x Jin)

Nah. I always think of these two as siblings so I can’t see a romantic relationship between them.

Any Haru ship

I have this opinion for every ship involving Haru: I know he’s an AI, but he looks and acts like a little kid so I don’t feel comfortable shipping him with any of the teens or adults. So all of his ships are a no.

Dischargeshipping (Jin x Lightning)

This one’s weird for me. I really ship my version of it in Blissful Ignorance: where Lightning isn’t a human hating serial killer that tortures children, they’re just kind of a jerk and Jin has no memory of them so their dynamic is essentially a “tsundere/deredere” and “the cheerful one lifts up the grumpy one” dynamic and also Jin is getting revenge without either of them realising it. And that’s how I like the ship. Other renditions of the ship… vary because the canon foundation is just awful and fucked up. So this ship is a yes in very specific circumstances.

Disastershipping (Ryoken x Takeru x Yusaku)

Really funny name and throupples are fun but I really only care for one of the pairings in this set romantically so it’s not my thing.

Elfinshipping (Ema x Hayami)

I hate Hayami so no. Ema is a lesbian probably, but Ema also deserves better.

Embershipping (Ryoken x Flame)

My favourite Ryoken/Ignis ship. Not really for anything canon (although I do like the scene where Flame tells Takeru that it’s possible Ryoken was trying to apologise to him) by throwing their duel but because of how I wrote in my story, Flame of Life. It’s just both precious and hilarious.

Emissaryshipping (Yusaku x Playmaker)

…what? No.

Entrustshipping (Takeru x Kiku)

Confession time: the first time I watched VRAINS, I thought Takeru and Kiku were brother and sister. Now that I know they’re not, I just find it really odd that Takeru asked this random friend of his to look after his grandparents while he fucked off to another city with no indication he intended to ever return until the very end of the series when he’d already been gone for a long time. Maybe Kiku was just his only friend at the time, the only person he could trust with something as big as this, which… sure, okay. But still, not telling her he intended to return and just taking off like that? That’s weird.

So I never really got into this ship. It feels like another obligatory “he was a boy she was a girl,” though I don’t vehemently hate this ship like I do Yusaku/Aoi. So it’s… fine. It’s a ship that exists.

Extinguishshipping (Flame x Windy)

Again, I really like these two platonically, and I can see where the ship comes from, but I don’t quite see it romantically.

Fireballshipping (Flame x Takeru)

Yeeees, love these little beans. I’ve always loved their canon dynamic and I always love reading fics about them. I love that Flame supports him but also isn’t above roasting him.

Firestormshipping (Takeru x Yusaku)

…yeah, I never got into this one. I honestly expected to ship it more than I did, but I vastly prefer it platonically than romantically. Nothing wrong with the ship, it’s just not my cup of tea.

Gateshipping (Ema x Ryoken)

No. She seems a little too old for him. I know Ryoken is 18 but that still seems too young to be dating someone who’s seemingly in her mid twenties.

Hireshipping (Ema x Akira)

I mean… I admittedly shipped this a bit on my first viewing, despite my meme about Ema being a lesbian. But like… I can kinda see this ship and her being bi instead. So, this is a very light “I ship it” but… yeah, I kinda do.

Hotdogshipping (Yusaku x Shoichi)

No. They’re stupidly far apart in age (with Yusaku also being a minor) and I always interpreted their relationship as more of a brotherly one.

Hydrogenshipping (Lightning x Aqua)

Absolutely freaking not, I might like Lightning as a character but Aqua deserves way better than them!

Ignisshipping (Ai x Aqua x Earth x Flame x Lightning x Windy)

…okay, I don’t particularly ship any pair in this romantically (besides Aqua/Earth) but I’m gonna say I ship it out of the humour and chaos factors alone. This is hilarious.

Infectshipping (Aso x Kyoko)

Yeah sure. I get behind this. I can especially get behind these two being a couple and also acting like parental or older sibling figures to Ryoken. That’s cute.

Lieutenantshipping (Aso x Genome x Kyoko)

I don’t like Genome. This ship is better without him.

Manipulateshipping (Ema x Kengo)

HARD NO. THEY ARE SIBLINGS.

Yes, half siblings, but they’re still related by blood and know they’re siblings. If this ship came about before it was revealed they were siblings, then I get it, but they’re siblings now so this ship is a hard no for me.

Mascotshipping (Ai x Shoichi)

Nah. Although the reason behind the name is funny.

Monkeyshipping (Ryoken x Shima)

Again, really funny ship name but I don’t particularly ship it. I wouldn’t be adverse to reading about it though. I have plenty of ships that revolve around the concept of annoying the shit out of Ryoken and honestly? The more the merrier. It’s what he deserves.

Monopolyshipping (Poly SOL executives)

…okay this is the best ship name out of all of them. It’s funny as shit but also legitimately clever. I’m won over to it by that fact alone… even though I don’t know exactly what the ship entails XD

Moonlightshipping (Miyu x Yusaku)

Wow. What a pretty ship name for a ship I give absolutely no shits about. I’d take it over Yusaku/Aoi, mostly because I can imagine Miyu’s adult personality to be whatever I want it to be (which for me is very positive and extroverted, so a good contrast to Yusaku’s introverted pessimism) so I can see them having actual chemistry beyond friendship. Plus Aoi and Ai acting as wingmen to Miyu and Yusaku respectively is a really cute idea, especially if it’s with the intent of inducing them into a polycule.

…actually you know what? I take it back, I can actually get behind this ship. It’s obviously not one of my favourites or anything, but I could see it being potentially cute.

Motherearthshipping (Earth x Spectre)

Yeah, I ship it. Spectre needs someone in his life he can feel close to who doesn’t have power over him in some way. Uh… spoilers for a later take I guess. This ship is good though.

Pathwayshipping (Ema x Shoichi)

No. I’m pretty sure the only reason this is a ship is because of that dub exclusive scene where Kusanagi… really crosses the customer service line and flirts with one of his customers. Gross. No. Bad.

Patronshipping (Ryoken x Shoichi)

Speaking of shipping Kusanagi with his customers! Yeah, I don’t like this one either. I’m sorry, the art is really pretty and some of the concepts are neat but Kusanagi is waaay too old for him. An 8 year age gap might not be a big deal for people who are 30 and 38 or something but Ryoken is 18 and Kusanagi is 26. You can argue Ryoken acts older but within the show, it is plot relevant that he is around the same age as the lost incident kids, one of which is Kusanagi’s little brother. Ryoken is closer in age to Jin than Kusanagi, who is also a lot older than Jin. So it’s uncomfortable.

Perennialshipping (Aoi x Kiku)

Huh. I didn’t know Kiku was shipped with anyone other than Takeru to be honest. Blue Maiden and Swift Storm should duel. Maybe date I dunno. Cute idea.

Phoenixshipping (Aoi x Takeru)

Okay, super dope ship name, don’t really care for the ship itself. Though that being said, out of the “Superhero” throupple (which I’ll get to) this is probably the pairing I can most understand. Takeru’s fanboying over and admiration for Blue Girl could easily turn into a crush and post canon they could comfort each other over the losses of their Ignis. And maybe bond over them if they ever got them back. I like that better platonically since I prefer other ships, but I can understand this ship.

Pistolshipping (Kengo x Ryoken)

Great ship name but like Kusanagi/Ryoken, Kengo is too old for him. Actually, I think it’s even worse in Kengo’s case because he’s quite a bit older than Ema, who’s also too old for Ryoken, something we learned was the case before these two even met. I’m sorry but a character being “legally of age” does not make large age gaps like these less uncomfortable for me.

Piushipping (Ai x Ryoken)

Ha. And I thought TakeRyo was a hate ship before this ship made its way into my life. I just think that the funniest way for Ai to get his revenge on the Ignis hating dirtbag would be for Ryoken to catch feels for him. Especially if Ai… well, I want to keep this post SFW so let’s just say that while I do ship this, it’s mostly for the memes and *clears throat* NSFW reasons.

Poltergeistshipping (Ema x Yusaku)

No. She’s too old for him. Moving on.

Proveshipping (Aoi x Akira)

No. That’s incest and has a stupidly large age gap of ten years, not to mention he sort of raised her. That’s gross. Moving on.

Rainwatershipping (Aoi x Aqua x Miyu)

Yes! Water throupple! The two water ladies should absolutely have shared custody of the sweet water bean!

Respectfulshipping (Spectre x Ryoken)

I am so sorry, MerryFortune, I love your work, but uh… Ryokie here has too much power over Spectre and recently (while writing Flame of Life especially), I’ve been thinking of these two like siblings. I’m not gonna cry incest or anything, as that’s just my interpretation of their relationship but that and the power imbalance make it really hard for me to see this as a romantic pair like I once did.

Yeah about that… this is actually the only Yugioh ship I’ve ever fallen out of love with. I shipped it when I first watched late season 2, as I disliked both of them at the time and those episodes made me take notice of the fact that despite everything, Spectre and Ryoken actually cared about each other, which I thought was really cute. And I still do, it just… doesn’t work romantically for me. I’d take it over Datastorm though.

Recoilshipping (Takeru x Ryoken)

Damn. Going right from my first Ryoken ship to the one I dropped that ship for. Well, okay, it’s not that simple, but I did start getting into TakeRyo around the time that SpecRyo began falling from grace in my mind. So TakeRyo is like the foundation of what I want out of a Ryoken ship: someone who’s his opposite, who’s willing to call him out on his BS, and be forward enough to annoy/fluster him. Well, in my writing at least, Ryoken was the more forward one at first, and for this particular ship, both work for me but yes I do have a preference for Takeru being the more forward/confident one, at least when they actually start dating. So yeah anyways I ship it. I like how they went from hating each other to being actually kinda okay with each other by the end of the series and damn is their second duel one of my favourites in the whole series.

Roboaishipping (Ai x Roboppi)

No. The jokes about them uh… being intimate in early season 1 feels like early series weirdness with their relationship in season 2 and especially season 3 shifting to more of a brotherly bond. And unlike SpecRyo, that is actually canon: at least to an extent, Roboppi calls Ai “big bro” and just generally looks up to him like an older brother. Even if they aren’t blood related, that is still the relationship they have so I can’t bring myself to ship it. Plus like Haru, Roboppi is baby, he is my son, I can’t ship him with someone who’s far more mature and just older seeming!

Wait a minute… Haru and Roboppi… Haru and… Roboppi… okay, new ship. Haru/Roboppi, Robobroshipping, named so for them both being robots with older brother figures, who’s with me? :D

Rockdustshipping (Earth x Ryoken x Spectre)

Merry, is this ship name your handiwork? :) I know you ship it and as much as I don’t like SpecRyo, I can actually kind of get behind this. Because shipping Ryoken with Ignis is a fun pastime plus EarthSpec and polyamory are certified bangers.

…I just realised it might have been important to note that I’m polyamorous earlier in this post.

Royalghostshipping (Queen x Ema)

No. Ema deserves better. I don’t ship her with Hayami either but even that would be better. Although the most ideal outcome from this set of characters would be the two mean girls getting together and creating the most toxic workplace on earth… okay I probably shouldn’t have described that as ideal. Oops.

Safeshipping (Akira x Shoichi)

Uuuuuuuuugh. Soft nah on this one. There’s nothing wrong with it, I just don’t see the appeal.

Saviorshipping (Ryoken x Spectre x Yusaku)

I don’t like either of these two with Ryoken because he has too much power over both of them, Spectre more so but Ryoken/Yusaku also has the problem of Yusaku putting Ryoken up on a pedestal, just to a lesser degree. And, it’s an issue that would probably be exacerbated by putting the three of them together. So this ship is a no from me.

Scytheshipping (Ema x Kyoko)

Yay! A decent lady for Ema! I ship it!

Yeah, she was a cyber terrorist I guess but she eventually did the right thing :)

Stauroliteshipping (Earth x Aoi)

I am confused why this is a ship (because Aoi took in Aqua maybe?) Cool ship name though, really creative.

Subservientshipping (Jin x Spectre)

Back when I disliked Spectre I hated this ship. Now I’m pretty neutral to it. I can’t think of a particular reason to dislike it but I can’t say I care for it either.

Superheroshipping (Aoi x Takeru x Yusaku)

I love these three as a group of platonic friends. These three plus Ai, Ryoken, and Miyu are pretty much a clique in my VRAINS long fics but I don’t particularly care for it being romantic.

Teardropshipping (Aoi x Aqua)

I mean as you could probably tell from my cheers of “water throupple! :D” earlier, I ship this. I think it’s cute how Aoi took her in and how supportive Aqua was of her in their duels. I wish we could’ve seen more of them together. Duel Links, I’m still pissed at you for fucking up Revolver so badly, but make this happen!

Tornadoshipping (Windy x Lightning)

No. Lightning is so bad at making friends they have to either create them or brainwash them. Sweet lil Wimdy would never have gone along with Lightning’s plans if not for them brainwashing him! Which is 100% canon, rewatch Lightning vs Revolver, they explicitly say this.

But yeah anyways my point is Windy deserves better.

Trickmirrorshipping (Ryoken x Aoi)

Eeeeeeeeh. Ryoken did try to kill her back when he was evil, but I ship pairings who’ve done far worse to each other. And having another character on team Ignis punching Revolver in the face with their lips is always a good thing…

Wait, am I only considering this because I ship Ryoken/Aqua?

Okay, well, uh, I’d never write this (because I see Ryoken as a gay man who only initially made an exception for Aqua cuz tentacles) but this is honestly a decent ship. Like, if I was tasked with shipping Ryoken with a girl, and it had to be a ship with an official name, this would be my pick.

Vaporshipping (Flame x Aqua)

Meh. They get along pretty well so I can understand where this came from. Not my thing though.

Vestashipping (Ema x Flame)

I’m not surprised this ship exists since they’ve canonically flirted. But uh. No.

Wildfireshipping (Takeru x Spectre)

This seems like it would be very messy. Could work I suppose, though it’s not a ship I’m all that drawn to.

Wisteriashipping (Yusaku x Spectre)

One of my newest ships. I got into this one while straight up searching for characters to ship Spectre with and out of the human pairings, this one stuck out to me the most. So I read a fic about it and… yeah I really like it. I’m very into opposites attract narratives if you can’t tell and these two had the exact opposite reaction to the Lost Incident. Interesting drama :)

Zinniashipping (Aoi x Miyu)

More flowers. Guess these two are water girls and flower girls. Maybe they’re mermaids? :D Anyways, Aoi/Miyu is a yes. They were the tertiary ship in The Lost is Found (even in the bonus chapters) and are featured again and Flame of Life so I think that was obvious. Maybe childhood friends to lovers is also just a favourite trope of mine because I started shipping it pretty much as soon as it was introduced. Maybe it’s the Lion King fan in me.

Okay, bonus ship time! Disclaimer: these are all Ryoken ships, he’s probably my most shipped character in anything.

First off, Ryoken/Miyu. Aka: a rarepair I respect enough to not steal its name, Watergunshipping, after I realised it was being unofficially used for them. Like Ryoken/Aoi, it’s not my thing at all due to my preferences/headcanons but like if people wanna make it an official ship I’d vote in the polls for its name.

Next, Ryoken/Lightning. I suggested a ship name for them but it was generic and I didn’t care enough about this pairing to come up with a new name or push any harder for it to have an official name. Because the only reason I wrote about it was to complete a set, it is not a functioning pairing in the slightest for many reasons. They cannot stand each other. And between the two of them, I actually root for Ryoken more than Lightning so the concept of Lightning getting revenge isn’t even particularly appealing.

Finally, Ryoken/Aqua. My one true exception to Ryoken being exclusively into men. Came for her tentacles, stayed for her cute, beautiful, wonderful soul- I have a crush on Aqua, I admit it. But also pairing the lying gruff tsundere disaster man with the sweet gentle living lie detector Ignis is just a hilarious idea to me. Some of the other Ignis might openly flirt with and try to seduce him, Aqua would just exist around him and watch with a smile as he falls further in love. This is probably the reason I’m a little more okay with Ryoken/Aoi and Ryoken/Miyu. I don’t ship either of them but if he’s with them, Aqua will be close by. Neeheehee :)

[the-yuri-librarian]

This is GL challenge for you (if you choose to accept them).

1.a) Please write your top 3 or top 5 favorite tropes in GL.

b) From each trope, write at least 3 GL that you love.

(Feel free if you want to write the reasons or not of why you love them).

2. a) What is the first GL that make you want to know more about and eventually love GL?

b) What is that one GL that have a special place in your heart (for whatever reason)?

The GL can be in in the form of manga, manhwa, manhua, books, tv series or movies.

Thanks so much if you want to answer this long ask.

Ok here we go:

1. Tropes I enjoy with series as examples:

A. Idk the proper name for it, but I really love stories where the grumpy one falls in love with the sunshine one. Series with this trope: Pulse, Mage & Demon Queen, Moonlight Garden, Opium, Kemono to Waltz, maaaayybbbeee What Does the Fox Say, there's probably more that I'm forgetting. Realized after I moved on to other tropes: Mobile Suit Gundam: Witch From Mercury is very much this, as is I'm in love with the villainess....there's definitely more

I really like this trope because I just think it's romantic and adorable. You get to watch as the sunshine one's quirks slowly melt the heart of the grumpy one until the grumpy one has fallen head over heels, and they often have no idea it's happened until it's too late.

B. I also (and I hope this is not too cliche of me) really enjoy stories where one or more characters have a queer awakening. Series with this trope: Love Thy Neighbor (sort of), Bloom into You (sort of?), The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at all, Failed Princesses, Can't Defy the Lonely Girl, The Summer You Were There, Lily Love, Octave, Wono to Waltz (pretty sure at least, also been a while), I Love Amy, Goodbye My Rose Garden, Her Tale of Shim Chong (sort of), Blooming Sequence, After Hours, Hana & Hina After School, I Can't Believe I Slept with you, The Barefoot Nina (I think), etc. etc.

This one is also great because of the sheer cuteness. The intense blushing, the heart racing, the way their crush slowly starts to consume their thoughts, their eyes begin to linger on their crush's lips. It's also really fun to see what the final thing that makes them realize they're gay is, cause it's always a little different. It's especially fun when they're already doing gay things and are just in denial about their feelings. I hope this isn't too basic of me lol

C. Honestly it's hard to pick a third, but as of right now I would say that I really enjoy stories where the characters are doomed by the narrative. I haven't read a lot of girls love comics (manga, manhwa, webtoons, American comics) where this is the case, so I'm gonna be including some books and a couple anime here as well but: Love Thy Neighbor (probably), Qualia the Purple, The Locked Tomb Series, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Kitanai Kimi ga Ichiiban Kawaii, The Barefoot Nina, Destroy it all and love me in hell (maybe, I've only read the first couple chapters of this), The Summer You Were There, Throw Away the Suit Together, Nevermore (ending pending) etc.

I just really really love a tragic ending. Sometimes, love isn't enough. It can't save you. Sometimes love is too much. It dooms you. It's just so incredibly compelling to me. Not to say I dislike happy endings, but ya know

Sorry there are so many repeat titles. More about this below, but I haven't actually read *that* much yuri, all things considered

2.

A. So, funnily enough, the first time I encountered the term yuri was through yaoi? Like, when I was an early to mid teen, death note yaoi and Naruto yaoi were wrecking havoc on the early-ish internet, and that going "what's yaoi" also got me the definition of yuri also, which lead me to Naruto yuri AMVs

But, in terms of what made me interested in girls love as an adult, there is only one answer: bubbline. Basically, during my extended undergrad, I watched adventure time all the way through for the first time and fell in love with Marceline X Bubblegum as a ship. To use an old school term, they were my one true pairing. That lead to Steven Universe (shout out to IRL friend Selena (psuedonym, they know who they are)) and she-ra. Then, I went and got my master's in English, which lead me to reading a lot of canon literature, and while there was some queerness, it was fee and far between.

After I graduated, I had about a summer where I had no job, I was about to move in with my partner, I was about to get my second master's in library science, and I was like "fuck. I really want to read something that made me feel the way Bubbline made me feel at first." Which class to the answer to the next part:

B. When I was in that state of "I want to read something gay that makes me feel like Bubbline does," I went to my local bookstore, where I just so happened to pick up Gideon the Ninth (I refuse to say more except read the series if you haven't it's great). And it blew me away. Afterwards, it was a two years straight of reading a ton of queer fantasy, scifi, and horror (there was a fair amount of non-queer stuff there too). Then, in February of 2023, I read A Restless Truth. It is the second in a historical fantasy trilogy, I had not read the first one, I just knew it was sapphic, and WHEW. It was the first book I ever really read with what we affectionateky call spice in the girls love community. And it broke my brain. I finished reading it (the main couple is great btw) and two days later immediately read it again. It's SO hot. This made me starved for sapphic content with a desperation I had not felt before, which lead me to witch from mercury, with lead to revolutionary girl utena, which lead to yuri comics (this is Sept of 2023), which lead to well....here. so, all things considered, I have not been reading yuri/girls love comics for all that long, but now that I've started, I'll probably never stop

I hope that answered your question? And I hope it wasn't too boring!

[imaginedmelody]

please feel free to talk about any of your middle aged gays wips I would LOVE to hear about any of them 👀💖

Beloved, this is literally my love language and you KNOW that 💖💖💖 A few of these are either not quite middle-aged or only one of the two members is, but here we go:

Allen Hynek & Michael Quinn, Project Blue Book- Listen, I know Allen Hynek was a real person, but the version of him in this TV series is very fictional and my version is even more so 🤣My top WIP right now is an aromantic-Allen fic which I am going to tentatively say is ALMOST done. It's what I'm usually working on in sprints (and I'm going to say something bold here: there's one passage in this that may be some of my favorite words I've ever written.) This pairing has the cocky fighter pilot/nerdy professor dynamic we've all been waiting for. The show is enjoyable if not outstanding, cancelled 1 season before it should have ended, and the fandom is not nearly big enough.

Irving & Burt, Severance- The ULTIMATE canon yearning! I've been working on a fic about them for months, but the fact that there's so much mystery associated with this show means that trying to write a romantic interaction with them outside of Lumon is proving complicated, lol. I've written pretty much all of it except the part that requires any explanation of the logistics of this show's universe. IDK, I am just deeply drawn to the vulnerability of two people whose knowledge of each other is confined to this very limited existence, stepping outside of that place's boundaries and discovering each other in the process. This fic has Irv and Burt flirting over classical music as well; between pieces I'm going to mention in the fic and other non-classical pieces that remind me of the pairing, I'm tempted to include a playlist along with this when I publish it.

Ted Lasso & Trent Crimm, Ted Lasso- Okay, okay, I don't have any solid WIPs about these two at the moment (there's one I started a long time ago that is in sleep mode until I figure out what I want to do with it), but Season 3 premieres March 15th and Trent Crimm apparently plays a "significant role" in it, so you KNOW I will have ideas in the very near future. I enjoy writing these two so much; they have such unique voices and that is so much fun to play with as a writer. Plus this trope is like grumpy/sunshine if the sunshine was secretly a clinically anxious mess of a human and the grumpy's harsh exterior was only a facade and he was unexpectedly very willing to have an open mind and see the good in someone.

Murray Bauman & Alexei, Stranger Things- (Alexei probably isn't quite "middle aged" here, but I'm including this anyway) Another underrated pairing, but I love their dynamic. Two people on opposite sides who could very easily be bitter enemies, but who (in the show, in canon) instead bond with each other so quickly! They snark and sass, but Murray is quite literally the only person who speaks Alexei's language, in personality as well as in actual words. I've already written fic for them, and I thought that was gonna be it, but I have more to say, lol

There are so many more middle-aged gays I love but haven't written for too! Truly we are in our best era with all of these wonderful pairings.

[absolutebl]

hi there 🖐🏼 what are your recs for bl movies with great acting?

BL Movies with GREAT Acting

Specifically Movies? Do KBLs that were cut into movies count? Hum, I'm gonna make a judgement call given how few actual movies I have to work with and say if it holds as a "movie going experience" I can count it. I should say in order to really push this into the superlative acting space the BL aspect on many of these is... light.

His

Japan 2020 Viki

His is about being a grown adult and still struggling with coming out as gay. It addresses the consequences of life choices disingenuous to identity. Nagisa turns up on Shun’s doorstep with his precocious daughter in tow. This is a touch confusing to Shun since they were each others first love and ended badly. Shun has retreated from society, rejecting the world before it can reject him, already brokenhearted because without Nagisa he never had a reason to fight. Nagisa went the opposite way, tried to pretend to be something he was not and ended up with a daughter he adores and a wife who hates him. The acting is killer, Miyazawa Hio is sulky in the best possible way, the filming is beautiful and the setting unique and interesting...

I'm not wild about the ending. Moody arthouse smackdoodle is going to pretend that "ambiguous" is somehow unique and special rather than bog standard commonplace for narratives of this type. But endings are my hangup, not yours?

This is not really BL (the prequel was), so few of the tropes are used. You do not need to have watched the prequel.

Your Name Engraved Herein

Taiwan 2020 Netflix

This movie is fantastic but it is also seriously depressing. It’s a self acceptance journey that goes emotionally array on the alter of history, but if you wanna wallow in high quality acting and serious gay drama, this’ll do it. I would say it's not really BL, no real trope drops at all.

Okay those two I chose more on the strength of the acting than BL. These others are not going to be at the same standard/style.

If you want moee of the above level of drama, things get very sad in the BL world, so Love of Siam, Dew, Eternal Yesterday, Goodbye Mother, etc...

Restart After Come Back Home (Risutato wa tadaima no ato de)

Japan 2020 Gaga?

Atmospheric study in rural Japan meets complex family dynamics built on a romance framework of city boy meets country boy, grumpy/sunshine. It’s beautiful and icy sweet. Slow moving in places but ultimately worth the patience, low heat, low angst, and stunning. The acting is a touch stiff, in that Japanese reserved way.

This is the only BL movie, as a movie, that I could pull. There are others, I jsut don't think the acting is good enough.

So here are some highly rated short bingable series that are movie length (1.5-2.5 hours) but not really movies - BUT with killer acting. So they still might satisfy the itch. I places them in order of acting and filming quality, not my own personal preference.

From Japan

Old Fashion Cupcake

Tokyo in April is...

Life: Love on the Line (director's cut)

My Beautiful Man

I Cannot Reach You

Seven Days

From Taiwan

Red Balloon

We Best Love (esp part 2)

About Youth

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line

From Korea

To My Star

Long Time No See

The New Employee

Where Your Eyes Linger

More like this?

I want to shout out The Eighth Sense here too. It's longer than movie length but so well acted.

(source)

[indigoinka]

Hi! I’m finally getting around to that intro post I promised months ago, and honestly, you could be here for some time.

I’m squatting on a whole bunch of social media accounts, but this is the only place I feel safe anymore, though I do have a little reader group on the Meta-hole (🤢). I wish I could get my AuDHD head around Discord, but it feels like the old Yahoo boards mated with a speeding train, and I'm just too tired for that. 

Wherever you look, I’ll be indigoinka or Inka York there.

This is me:

About me, then:

I love tea. Would I even be British if I didn’t?

I love cake. British.

And cider. British.

Yeah, and pie.

Food. I like food.

Please rec queer TV shows to me because I don’t watch as much as I should, and sometimes I just need to refill my crusty old well.

I love supporting indie authors, and rarely read trad stuff these days unless the blurb and sample are god tier.

Feel free to ask questions and tag me in writing games, or whatever shenanigans you get up to around here.

What do I write?

I write queer books, mostly urban fantasy, and usually set in the same storyworld. I also write contemporary gay romance, sometimes with an alien twist. And I’m wide with my books, so you can find them at all the major online retailers and in library catalogues.

I write what I like to read, which sometimes includes problematic tropes, but mostly includes wholesome shit like twin stories, sibling banter, ride or die friendships, a hearty mix of fluff and angst, found families, annoying ghosts, salty supernaturals, cinnamon rolls with knives, and sentient vehicles. Oh, and goats. I love me a judgemental goat.

My favourite tropes

Well, it started as a love triangle/square/dodecahedron, but now everybody's fucking (I don't know what this trope is actually called)

Forced proximity/only one bed (or coffin, in my case)

Friends to lovers (AKA idiots who took too long to notice how perfect they are)

Grumpy/Sunshine

Secret twins

Rivals to lovers

Hurt/comfort

My storyworlds

Cascade Apocrypha (queer paranormal/urban fantasy in many subgenres from pirate adventures to cosy mysteries to paranormal romance)

Feverish (contemporary gay romance)

Dracate System (AKA Gay Space Bridgerton)

My books

My first series, Not the Same River, is urban fantasy, upper YA/crossover, set in the Cascade Apocrypha storyworld. It features angels, demons, vamps, vaewolves, goats, succubus nuns, and villains to cry over. Book five is out this month, and the final book is out in February. This is the story of my heart, and the one that spurred a thousand spin-offs that I'll never have time to write.

The first book in that series, A Storm of Paper Starlings, is complete on Wattpad and Inkitt. I was gonna put it on AO3, but it feels weird because I tore all my Potter fics down when JKR started flashing her arse at the entire world, and everything I had on there felt dirty. Anyway, I digress. I might go back. Talk me into it.

I also have two other books updating on Wattpad:

🩷 Victorian Vampire Daddy (MM historical romantic suspense/Cascade Apocrypha)

🩷 My Ex & His Boyfriend (MMM/Feverish storyworld)

My other current series, Tales from the Noctuary (Cascade Apocrypha), has two books out at the retailers:

🩷 Secrets at the Door (historical mystery/suspense with lesbian romance): fat, beekeeping lesbian vampire, queer well-demon with a bad haircut, nonbinary treasure who sometimes makes bad decisions, everybody be gay.

🩷 Puddles in the Pavement (historical mystery and outright shenanigans): queer archangel brother detectives, a perky butler, an escort of indeterminate gender with the worst singing voice in the known world, a vampire duke with terrible table manners, and a Home Secretary with an unasked for appendage (let's hope that doesn't get around).

I have two more books written for this series so far, which will likely debut in my subscription.

Getting to that...

My subscription

13 Club: After Dark is hosted at Ream Stories, the only subscription platform designed specifically for authors and readers, and it is amazing.

You just click on the book cover you want, and the app will drop you into the social e-reader right where you left off, so you can comment right there inside the story. It’s like Patreon + Wattpad + a community board + extra sauce.

Honestly, I could gush about it all week.

This is also me:

So, what’s there?

Well, first, you can follow me there (which is free, obvs) and get access to:

The Weakest Link (Not the Same River #0): features the series MC’s twin sister and the coven she grew up in.

The Cursed Bones of Sergeant Boom!: a contemporary paranormal mystery involving a ghost who gatecrashed a funeral and got followed home by a necromantified corgi (as one does).

Pride’s Treasure: a series of mini adventures with characters from all the stories above, where all the chaos is your fault, because the MC of this story is YOU!

In the paid tiers, there’s 8 weeks early access to the two stories updating on Wattpad, the whole Not the Same River series so far (book 5 is updating now, before it hits the retailers at the end of October 2023). There’s also a 13 Club exclusive story called Earth Render, which is MMMMF (but not reverse harem), again set in the Cascade Apocrypha storyworld. That one features a witch with no beginning, a raven shifter with the best taste in pets, a vampire with memory issues, a vaewolf who can’t control his wolfism, and a nephilim with a huge secret. I promise not to give the Archangel Gabriel a horse penis in this story 👀

There are also physical welcome packs for some of the tiers, and all members are rewarded with After Darkling points, which they can save up each month for sweet treats, like a personalised drabble, or a one-shot featuring their favourite character, or some mystery merch. I love my After Darklings and my little club so much.

My main WIPs at the moment are:

Earth Render serial (mentioned above)

The Dryad's Curse: Pirates of Siorai trilogy (paranormal pirate adventure with romance/Cascade Apocrypha)

Gay Space Bridgerton (space fantasy romance with interplanetary political intrigue and hapless humans/Dracate System)

Almost done... maybe

That was a whole lot of intro (mate, do I love the word shenanigans), but I’m a busy goblin, and though my days are only marginally more comfortable than my painful nights, I still feel grateful that I get to do this every day.

I’d love to chat with you here, on Wattpad,  in my FB group (same name as my sub) or over at 13 Club: After Dark. My subscription is what keeps me and my writing going, so if you’re here because you already love my stories, and you have the means, I’d love to see you over there. Your support would mean the world to me, whether it’s a follow or more. I love in-story comments more than life.

I’d love more friends on here, though. So if you’re into queer media and love reading, feel free to follow and I'll follow back.

That’s it from me. I’m finally shutting the fuck up.

Come chat with me whenever you want.

Stay safe!

❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜

[wynnyfryd]

Steddie Ask Game right back at ya 💖: 1, 8 & 13

thank you for the ask, lovely!! (link to the steddie ask game if anyone else wants to play)

1. Why do you like this ship?

Oh god, you’re gonna get a dissertation lmao here we go

firstly: the Joes are hot and they spend a lot of screen time making soft gooey eyes and staring at each other’s mouths

second: because they’re so different in so many ways, but they’re the same person in all the ways that matter. They’re multiverse versions of Dustin’s antihero-to-hero big brother and I think that’s very neat and they should kiss about it

third: I love a good chaotic gay and grouchy bisexual pairing, and I like how they’re an aesthetic inversion of the grumpy x sunshine trope. Hell yeah, Steve, you frown your ass off in that butter yellow sweater. Eddie being covered in chains and leather and scary tattoos while being the embodiment of the 😜 emoji? Excellent.

fourth: because all of the hcs you could draw from canon for them are so perfectly complementary. Steve is hard of hearing but Eddie is loud. Eddie stresses about money but Steve has access to the Harrington coffers. Steve is touch starved but Eddie is so tactile. Eddie wakes up screaming from nightmares, but Steve’s been here three times before and knows how to calm him down. They both make each other feel brave.

8. Favorite Steddie Headcanon you’ve read or written?

read: HOH STEVE MY BELOVED!!! And someone on here said that Eddie headbangs during sex and I cackled so probably that one

written: I wrote a little famous author Eddie Munson AU that I had a lot of fun with

13. If they went on vacation or traveled somewhere, where would it be?

I think they’d go to Chicago - it’s only three hours away and Steve wants to show Eddie the beach.

Eddie: It’s a lake, Steve, it doesn’t count.

Steve: No, it’s a Great Lake. Now stop whining and come get back in the car before I leave you.

Eddie: You’d really leave me stranded at some random gas station?

Steve: (slurps slushee)

Eddie: That’s cold-blooded, baby.

Steve: (slurps louder)

[gaypleasantview]

dirk (and dustin if u want) for the ask meme? :3

hell yeah!!

Dirk:

Sexuality Headcanon: gay, i enjoy other headcanons for him too but the version of Dirk that lives in my head is definitely homosexual/homoromantic, just feels so right to me. im thinking of putting him on the asexual spectrum somewhere (where is my drink) probably demisexual. his type is probably straight up someone like Dustin if we're being honest here

Gender Headcanon: trans guy! came out as a kid long before Darleen passed away and got lots of support from his parents about both his sexuality and gender <3 i don't know if he realized both around the same time but he knew himself pretty well pretty early on, good for him

A ship I have with said character: ever since i realized the possibility of Dustin/Dirk it has changed my life lol. like it was really always there and it's such an obvious set up but it went completely over my head like it did for most of us i guess, the way maxis seemingly intended is good too because Lilith/Dirk feels like a very exciting couple to play with if you see Dirk being attracted to girls/whatever gender you hc Lilith as. D&D live in my mind rent free tho. it's an easy enemies to lovers for me and some would argue that trope is overdone but there is not nearly enough content about these two that fit the trope perfectly sooo i wanna make that content. speaking of Dirk in this relationship, at first he admits Dustin is cute but hates the dude's attitude so he's gonna be in denial about his Dustin situation for the longest time. he's probably gonna be the one to make this actual relationship happen even though he's gonna be scared. but when Dustin opens up Dirk starts feeling really comfortable with him and falls in love deeply

A BROTP I have with said character: easily him and Lilith, in my hc she's a lesbian and they are fake dating while actually being besties so they don't even have to pretend much. these two are an opposites attract situation too but their energies match so well?? i should probably make them other friends though because no one has more than 2 friends in my stories 😭 i mean Dirk's also good friends with his dad but. yeah

A NOTP I have with said character: this must be about romance but i don't have much to say so i'll talk about enemies instead in this question. well i dont believe he has enemies aside from Dustin and that one's not exactly fitting for this question as we already know so probably no one lol. Dirk doesn't like Angela too and i never realized until just now btw that his relationship with her after he gets with Dustin is gonna be REALLY AWKWARD

A random headcanon: he's a giant bookworm, tries to be the best at everything and is quite grumpy, i feel like he would be very successful in college because he's just a shining star however you look at him. absolute delight (but can be a bitch). he loves cats and the color purple (i actually thought of making it his signature color but he's already assigned blue by maxis so im confused). also a big taylor swift fan

General Opinion over said character: gives off rainy vibes but is actually such a sunshine. i love him so much and im so glad i discovered how great of a character he is a few years ago, he's a certified son of mine (it's actually crazy to think that if he's a teen he's younger than me... like that is a noticeable age gap. huh)

Dustin:

Sexuality Headcanon: i would say the definition that feels right to me is homosexual/biromantic, sometimes i think it could be one or the other but i always remember that it doesn't have to because sexuality is a wide spectrum and im very happy to represent someone who has different romantic and sexual attraction! his gayness is powerful and i also cherish the girl-liking side of him and i think it's beautiful. i don't know if he's allosexual yet but i feel like he's probably demiromantic i hadn't even realized that until just now! im excited

Gender Headcanon: im still wondering about this, i see him as a guy and currently as cis, i really like the idea of him being trans but given how i hc him and his family i feel like by the age of 16 he would be unlikely to freely express himself or maybe even discover himself at all? he's quite emotionally repressed and doesn't give himself time to process his feelings so he probably wouldn't even know what the feeling means if he had it. hmmm

A ship I have with said character: Dirk ofc. Dustin didn't know he was gay and likely had inner homophobia but after meeting Dirk he knew what was up and he embraced it (after they stopped hating each other first heh). he had a pretty wonderful relationship with Angela so i like these two a lot together but with Dirk it's just a whole another story. Angela is like a comfort place and with Dirk it's like a rollercoaster and Dustin is just addicted to the feeling. he will be the first one to make a move but it's gonna be in a bit of a stupid way of course because he's secretly really awkward so it'll take time for them to actually see what's up

A BROTP I have with said character: Angela. she helps him with the kids and just generally spends so much time with him and they genuinely love each other so much as bf and gf but then as friends too, the breakup is hard for Angela but after some time it definitely gets better and they are just a great couple of peeps who care for each other :) i would say i need to get Dusty other friends too but i'll be honest with you i don't even think he has any. poor boy i gave him like 2 or 3 nice points

A NOTP I have with said character: Lilith hates Dustin and wouldn't engage 😭 she learns to tolerate him but imagine these two put in a room they would fight to death

A random headcanon: Dustin is a huge family boy and the only times he is genuinely expressing his feelings is when he is with his little siblings. Brandi and him have a weird relationship that is full of fights but in its core their relationship is not the worst, she's a loving mom just not very good at it. he probably has some obscure hobbies but i don't remember which rn. he likes sports (sadly). he's a very angsty teen and 100% listens to angsty teenage music in his room. he's gonna be such a great man in college when he matures and starts being honest with himself about things and this is the best glow up ever

General Opinion over said character: i love Dustin. i am so proud of his growth and bravery <3 he is kind of a menace in the beginning of my story, super mean but i don't want to throw him under the bus because his soul is so beautiful. wait is that bus thing even a saying or did i make that up. anyways boy needs therapy and hugs

thank you so much for the ask!!! this is really long but i love talking about them <3