Reading

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Six Sentence Sunday

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Hello wonderful people!

I've got a fantasy story that's set in early 18th-century Venice. I don't speak Italian, and definitely don't know the difference between the various regional dialects, so I'm looking for some help with a nickname in Venetian.

I have a priest who can use magic, who is not exactly a nice guy. Nobody likes to be around him, he's the kind of person you can just tell will erupt like a magic-spewing volcano the moment something doesn't go his way. My main character is ten when she first meets him and has a very visceral Do Not Like reaction to him, comparing him to a pack of rabid dogs. She is not told his name at the time, so in her mind she dubs him Father Mad Dog (creative, I know).

Several years ago I tried to parse "Father Mad Dog" into Italian/Venetian, and I don't know where I came to the conclusion that it'd be "Don Can' Pazzo" but that's what I've been using. I guess somewhere along the line I was under the impression that cane would get shortened to can when used like this. Is any of this correct? Or do I need another phrase entirely?

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Top Form (2025)

Top Form is adapted from one of my favorite manga, Dakaichi: I'm Being Harassed By the Sexiest Man of the Year. Already the title of the manga let you understand there is a controversial episode in the original story: the young actor, Jun, forces the older actor, Akin, to have sex. Of course it's a romance, therefore Jun and Akin fall in love at episode one and from them moment one it's a slide towards happinness, actually I cannot say if it's an happily ever after, since the series is ongoing, but it's a given. For the drama adaptation, they used the flashback in the manga to fill the first episodes of the story (with little adaptation) and the famous (or infamous) sex scene that is in the first volume of the manga, is actually just a request for an hug in the drama; sex will arrive a little later. Aside from that I have to say they managed to maintain the light comedy style, with little drama. I found a little disconcerting to see it in a Thai drama, instead of a Japanese adaptation, but that is just a visual effect. Both the Thai actors they choose for the drama are good and their chemistry together is really good. The moment of intimacy don't feel akward at all. A little pet peeve of mine, I would have liked some more budget spent on the sideline effect like setting and wardrobe, but indeed the music is really nice. HEA. You can see it on WeTV. Heat Level: 5/6.

Heat Level:

1/6: glances, caress, hugs, no kisses

2/6: kisses, closed mouth or camera angles

3/6: full kisses, clothes on

4/6: full kisses, some clothes off, hands above the waist, pants stay on

5/6: most clothes off, they have sex, but it’s masked, no sexy sounds

6/6: full nudity mostly hidden by camera angles, they have sex, sexy sounds

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What I'm Reading: Ew, It's Beautiful: A False Knees Comic Collection by Joshua Barkman

✓

kingstoken's 2025 Book Bingo: Non-Human POV

(I checked this square off my bingo card last time, but this new release arrived with perfect timing, so I'm doubling up.)

Ew, It's Beautiful is the newest collection of cartoonist Joshua Barkman's webcomic False Knees. It contains around 120 short comics, the majority of which were new to me, separated into sections for winter, spring, summer, and fall based on their setting.

The stars of False Knees are usually birds, but there are some cats, insects, and at least a couple of beavers in the mix here. Barkman's art is legitimately beautiful, with a naturalist's specificity and a knack for combining human expressions with realistic animal features, and his writing captures the universal experience of being a small creature in an unfathomably big world. It's full of absurd humour, occasional moments of awe, and recurring bits about the creative process, self-image, and the way friends or family can be on entirely different wavelengths. The comic is where I got my current default icon from, and it almost never fails to bring me a little joy or give me something to appreciate.

( 3 Comics )

Manga (Anime) series info?

I'm writing a story where my main character stops his friend, a dad to a 13-ish year old boy, from purchasing some ~~anime~~ manga books because the main character knows the book series is too adult (sex, violence, both) for a 13 year old. The main character then recommends a different series because the story line is more appropriate for the age of the teen.

The story is the relationship between the main character and the dad, so this is a small piece of the larger story. But I know absolutely nothing about anime (or manga, obviously!) and would appreciate some recommendations of titles that would fit those categories.

Thanks!

ETA: I'm looking for currently available titles and perhaps where they are best purchased (a bookstore, a comic book store, a specialty shop, online?)

ETA2: I'm looking US-centric here.

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REC: Day by Day by surprisepink (Our Flag Means Death, Stede Bonnet/Izzy Hands)

Fandom 50 #22

Day by Day by

surprisepink
Fandom: Our Flag Means Death
Ship: Stede Bonnet/Izzy Hands
Medium: Fic
Length: 1361 words
Rating: Teen
My Bookmark Tags: slice of life, romance, humour, happy ending, established relationship, izzy lives, future, flirtation, compatibility, service
Summary: A typical raid for Captain Bonnet and his new first mate.

Excerpt:

“I’m getting the hang of this, if I do say so myself,” says Stede, cheerily.

“And you do.”

“What’s that, Izzy?’

“Say so yourself.” The man looks entirely unimpressed, but it does take a lot to impress Izzy. Stede has accepted it by this point, and knows not to take it personally. Knows, too, that if Izzy actually wasn’t at least a little happy with him, he could leave the ship just about anywhere and find another pirate crew to join. And yet, port after port, he doesn’t.

And all Stede had ever wanted was for people to stay.

This is everything I love about the idea of Stede and Izzy together on the Revenge, with Stede captaining and Izzy serving as his first mate. The way they rile each other up is perfect, tempered to just the right heat by a better understanding of each other. Izzy's ways of trying to serve Stede while keeping his ego in check are moving, and so is Stede's growing sense of what he's doing and what it means.

The story's funny, with a comedic moment early on that made me laugh out loud, and the sexual chemistry between Stede and Izzy absolutely crackles. This one really made my day.

Rebuilding journal search again

We're having to rebuild the search server again (previously, previously). It will take a few days to reindex all the content.

Meanwhile search services should be running, but probably returning no results or incomplete results for most queries.

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Six Sentence Sunday

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book group,
books

book group

I hosted book group last Sunday and I'm only just feeling recovered today. We read How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community, by Mia Birdsong, which is a very timely book about weaving the web of connections that we all need to survive the current omnidisaster. Eight people showed up at my house!

I made broccoli & tofu with peanut sauce, a tomato-lentil dish, spiced nuts (sweet and not sweet), and served salad, bread, cheese and crackers. My friend Karen made mojitos.

I also had door prizes: a stack of books. Six of them went home with someone.

( pics )

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You Love Me, Huh? Don’t Make Me Laugh by Tsubame Sato

After a night of heavy drinking with his competent and dependable coworker Kamiya, Kaji slowly begins to regain his consciousness... Only to find Kamiya straddled right on top of him, legs spread and wearing nothing but a half-unbuttoned shirt. When Kaji is finally able to muster the energy to get up, he immediately asks Kamiya to explain himself. His response? "Things went sour with my hook-up buddy, and I've been pent up lately. That's all." Since that day, for some reason, Kaji begins feeling drawn to Kamiya. This is the story of a recently divorced man, his coworker who's secretly promiscuous, and the attraction that forms between them, set in the world of the ever-competitive Toto First Bank's head office.

My Rate: 7 (amzn.to/4l3VttE)

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Wails of the Bound: Return by Keri Kusabi

Alpha Keisuke Takaba and his Omega Mate, Miyabi Karasuma, are finally living and working together in blissful harmony–despite Karasuma being Takaba’s boss! But when Takaba is transferred to a new department, their perfect world is once again turned upside down. Will Takaba prove his worth in the entertainment world and find the confidence to work side by side with his Mate? Or will the proximity to a new alpha acquaintance ruin everything when Takaba’s possessive instincts kick in like never before?

My Rate: 8 (amzn.to/4l4nP77)

The mood in the second volume of Takaba and Karasuma's story is very light in comparison to the previous dark tone. Here we have still a very nice graphic, a lot of cute moments, and a cat too! So yes, enjoys some fluffy stuff, no more drama, just smile and relax.

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bl manga,
conro

Sweet or Bitter Love by Conro

In this day and age, same-sex marriage has become the norm. After failing at both marriage hunting and relationships, I have recklessly fallen in love with my coworker, Odajima, a super high-spec, perfect, handsome man.

In an age when same-sex marriage is the norm…
Gloomy office worker Ichigi has totally given up on marriage. After all, marriage isn't the key to happiness! Ichigi is perfectly happy to be on his own! Besides, it's not like his long-unrequited crush on his colleague, Odajima, is going anywhere...
That is, until Ichigi braves a blind date only to find himself face-to-face with Mr. Perfect! Weirder still, Odajima seems enthusiastic about partnering up with Ichigi, and makes a shocking proposition: "Why don't we try living together for just one year?"
How is Ichigi supposed to keep his feelings for Odajima hidden for a whole year?! Plus, there's no way Odajima could be serious about marrying someone like him... is there?

My Rate: 8 (amzn.to/40oo0BN)

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Star Crossed by Crimson Chains

This is a love story about a king and his knight...

The popular fantasy BL with nearly 7 million views on Webtoon, available for the first time in full-color paperback!

In a universe where destiny is literally written in the stars, the two star-crossed souls fight to keep their people and each other safe. Battling rival kingdoms and the internal forces that threaten to tear them apart, the night-kissed knight and his shining royal must break free from the shackles of their circumstances to stay together. Will their love shine bright enough, or will it be extinguished before it even begins?

My Rate: 7 (amzn.to/4epUj9r)

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Shout Loud, My Heart by Reiri Youga

A sexy new BL one-shot manga that will seduce you with its sultry tones! A rocker meets a smooth-talker and falls deeper and deeper...until he finds himself longing for more...

College student Gen plays guitar in a rock band called Eve. At a gig one night, he meets a man named Mike. Mike’s the kind of person who has no trouble saying what’s on his mind, and Gen soon finds himself captivated by this smooth, handsome voice. The next day, the two meet again when they realize they go to the same college. Be it on stage or in casual conversation, Gen finds himself more and more captivated by Mike’s voice. The more time the two spend together, the more Gen realizes it’s more than just Mike’s voice he’s attracted to…

My Rate: 8 (amzn.to/3TfS1jC)

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Sanctify: Lost Paradise by Godsstation

The spinoff bonus volume of sexy, supernatural boys love series Sanctify.

Happiness slips through our fingers the moment we reach for it... And once it's gone, it's lost forever.

Two years after Gilbert's demise, Lance is plagued by visions of his partner. Unable to reconcile the truth of their past lives with the tangled tragedy of their present, Lance has pushed himself to the absolute limits of his power as an Exorcist... and his body bears the scars of his self-destruction.

Called to investigate a new string of serial murders, Lance discovers a connection to The List of Hell: a sinister artifact similar to Gilbert’s. With nothing left to lose, Lance dives into the case, and a familiar foe reappears... In the end, can long-lost promises ever be fulfilled?

My Rate: 8 (amzn.to/44svk0B)

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My Dear Insecure Lover by Rui Akisame

Popular novelist Isatora Motobu fell in love at first sight with Shinobu, the successor to the long-standing traditional sweets shop Kamijo. Motobu's the type to passionately hone in on his target once he's set his eyes on them, and this time is no exception. But to his surprise, Shinobu doesn't resist when he invites him over and brings him to the bedroom. Conflicted between feelings of obsession, and displeasure over Shinobu's seeming experience with men, what's Motobu to do?! A steamy, yet candy-sweet romance between a hunky writer who loves to lavish his affection, and the alluring, refined young man he meets.

My Rate: 7 (amzn.to/4ngtPeu)

Entry tags:

bl manhwa,
dogaek

My Adorable Betrothed by Dogaek

Leo, the son of a wealthy family, is the silent and shy adopted brother of the cool and regal Sui. When they were born, their parents predicted they would be wed, and after Leo's parents died he joined the family officially, but his relationship to Sui changed forever.

Leo and Sui have been "engaged" since their parents introduced them in childhood... but in the years that followed, they were barely even friends.

That is, until much later, when Leo's parents passed away and he was adopted into Sui's family. As the "brothers" grew closer in adulthood, they could no longer resist their attraction to each other... and yet, they remain unwed.

Ignoring the pressure from Sui's parents to tie the knot, the two live together in blissful sin. Despite Leo's encouragement, Sui resists the urgency of marriage, hoping to keep his adorable betrothed all to himself just a little longer...

My Rate: 7 (amzn.to/40ultWT)

I'm not sure what to think about this one. It feels like a good story with a lot of sex, and then, for whatever reason, they removed all the part without sex, and let only a sex scene after a sex scene. I think the only scene where they don't have sex is when they introduced Sui's parents, who wants for them to get married since they want to see their grandchildren... so what is this about? it's a mpreg romance? in which country they are since same-sex marriage is legal? Too much unsaid and too much sex: the incipit was nice, but the development non existing.

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Imitation Play by Ann Homare

If you've got no objections...
I'll spend tonight with you.

Bar manager Nagisa has been in one-sided love with his coworker, Haruma, for two years... so when Haruma breaks up with his girlfriend, Nagisa assumes he doesn't stand a chance. And since he can't be with the one he loves, anyone else will do for the night.

When Haruma stops Nagisa going home with his hookup, Nagisa suggests they go home together instead... the last thing he expects is for Haruma to agree.

Sex is one thing, love is another. There's no way Haruma could love Nagisa the way he loved his girlfriend... is there?

My Rate: 8 (amzn.to/40vrUJc)

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I'm Here, Beside You by Natsuno Tea

Ibuki Doi has never forgotten his first love from high school—Mikami Baba, the kind, handsome, and totally straight student council president. Though he was too shy to approach Mikami back then, Ibuki always held his idol near and dear to his heart, wishing him nothing but the best! However, when he learns Mikami is soon to be married to a man, he just can't help it—he's absolutely devastated. He drinks himself into a stupor to drown his sorrow but is surprised to wake up and find...he's back in high school?! Could this be Ibuki’s second chance to make things go his way?

My Rate: 8 (amzn.to/3TM0JGl)

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I Didn't Mean to Fall in Love: Double by Minta Suzumaru

Yoshino and Rou's love story continues in the sequel story to the hit Boys' Love manga I Didn't Mean to Fall in Love!

Charismatic college student Rou never expected his one-night stand with thirty-year-old Yoshino to amount to more than a casual fling. But more surprises are in store for this unlikely couple! Rou has just joined the workforce and is looking forward to a happy future together. But things get off to a rocky start—Rou butts heads with Niko, a colleague at his new company, and the two lovers find they have less time to spend together now that they’re both working. When Yoshino begins to suspect that there’s more going on between Rou and Niko than Rou is letting on, his insecurity and anxiety threaten to tear their relationship apart!

My Rate: 9 (amzn.to/3I2vAfi)

The second volume in this series concentrates on Rou's first job experience, and the entering in his life of a new friend, Niko, very similar to Rou, and for Yoshino, the old say that opposite attracts seem to work on the contrary, and he fears that Rou will be attracted to the younger and cooler Niko. Of course, like the first book, this is a no drama love story, so readers don't need to worry. Just enjoy a sexy, but not dirty, love story, with a nice graphic. Sometime that I have to highlight is that the graphic is clean, sometime the panels are so rich in details that they are distracting. Here instead the focus is centered on the characters, and that is really nice. Also the bubbles are not too much wordy, and again, that is nice.