Reading

Entry tags:

Vs. Love by Shigeyoshi Takagi

Two schools alike in dignity, in fair Japan where we set our scene. A Boys' Love take on Romeo and Juliet between rival delinquents and their gangs! From the creator of Blood Night Market--also available from Seven Seas.

Fūun High and Raiden High are two rival schools locked in an intense turf war, led by their top students, Ibuki Marin and Tsuzumi Nikoru. But one day, away from the rivalry and fighting, the two gang leaders meet. Unaware they're enemies, a love begins to blossom between them. Though they're destined to be enemies, will these star-crossed lovers come together... or is this story destined to be a tragedy?
A BL take on Romeo and Juliet set against the backdrop of a colorful cast of delinquents and their youthful struggles!

My Rate: 7 (amzn.to/48zwdZ9)

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Star and Hedgehog by Nayuta Nago

Outgoing college student Ikumi heads home for the summer, where he meets Harukiyo, a shy gardener with a soft spot for house plants.

Despite seeming totally resistant to Ikumi's charms, Harukiyo eventually admits his attraction to Ikumi, and Ikumi is surprised to discover he feels the same way about Harukyo! At summer's end, the pair embark on their first long-distance relationship...

Once reunited, Ikumi and Harukiyo stumble together through the early stages of their newfound romance, tripping over the stark differences in their personalities. Can a blossoming love between a shining star and a prickly hedgehog go the distance?

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

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Officer Takano Doesn’t Know How to Be Loved by Kureha IZUMI

”I've got no privacy， and the junior officer with isn't cute at all... I gotta get out of this police dorm...!!” Takano is a patrol officer with an oddly stern look on his face that he can never turn off. He spends his days working at the station alongside a charming but loud and energetic officer named Soma. One day， Takano sees his high school crush after so many years， only to hear him make a joke of the confession he made so many years ago， but as Soma comes to be there for him something begins between the two of them...!! ”I would do it with you， you know...”

My Rate: 7 (amzn.to/3VRA1x5)

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Nine More Times and You’ll Be Mine! by Ryouko Chiba

Yuasa is a capable worker on the fast track to success. He has a nice face to boot， but his personality is a bit of a problem..! As he carries on with his power-harassment toward the new trainee， the amicable Iguchi， it soon comes to light that Iguchi is the CEO's son... In exchange for not telling his dad about said power-harassment， Iguchi offers him a deal...?!

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

Entry tags:

asato,
bl manga

Is It Okay to Fall in Love With My Customer? by Asato

After becoming entranced by the beautiful suits abroad， Rui Hattori decided to become a tailor just like his father. One day， the tall and handsome Oda walks into the shop for his first bespoke suit. Once Rui begins to measure Oda’s muscular body and he is instantly turned on by his body. Oda on the other hand has an unexpected awakening looking down at Rui’s cute countenance. Their love is stifled as they are merely tailor and client. As Rui crafts Oda’s suit， their relationship begins to deepen. Will they ever break out of their strictly business relationship or will they be stuck in this limbo forever?

My Rate: 7 (amzn.to/4o9eigk)

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In Love's Key, Reprised by Guri Nojiro

Rural Respite for a Weary Heart

Forced by poor health to take a leave of absence, curmudgeonly conductor Kiri returns to his rural hometown for some much-needed rest. But on his very first night back, he comes dangerously close to freezing to death—until local grocer Osamu scoops him up out of the cold and into the warmth of his embrace. Can this younger man, a years-long fan of Kiri’s work, thaw out the ice in the maestro’s heart? Or will Kiri be doomed to a life of frigid loneliness forever?

My Rate: 7 (amzn.to/46PN2w7)

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I'm So in Love With You by Akira YOSHIO

Iori's your average high school student... except that he couldn't be without Hazu ever since he was born. Hazu's 5 years older and friends with Iori's older brother， and is busy working as a celebrity and model. He's gorgeous and mature， but has a little bit of a mischievous side to him... He's been turning down Iori all of these years， but the two are overjoyed just being around each other! Finally on the day Iori graduates from high school， something seems different...?

My Rate: 7 (amzn.to/4mRU7lQ)

Entry tags:

bl manga,
gomouriki

I Can Hear My Childhood Friend's Thoughts?! by Gomouriki

Saku and Azusa have been together. They were even born the same minute. Now that they’re off to college， it’s finally time for them to separate， and the ever-anxious Saku is feeling lonely while the calm and cool Azusa is as aloof as ever. One day， Saku suddenly hears Azusa in his head! What’s more it almost sounds like Azusa is in the middle of pleasuring himself while looking at Saku’s photo! Will this newfound power bring the two closer or will it drive them apart?

My Rate: 7 (amzn.to/3IZC13v)

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Garnet in the Rough by Mageyuishi Inuno

Kanae, a hitman, is attacked by Sara, a half-vampire, near a trash dump. With no attachment to life, Kanae is apathetic to having his blood sucked or being followed home. Sara was treated as a defective vampire and discarded by his progenitor. Starving for blood, he makes Kanae a proposal: "I'll take care of your degenerate life, and in return, you'll be my food supply!" Because of the arousing effects of bloodsucking, the two begin a physical relationship. As they discover the warmth of touch, they begin to melt each other's loneliness... This is their tale of finding love in a brutal and despicable world.

My Rate. 7 (amzn.to/48my2Zj)

Entry tags:

bl drama,
thailand

Doctor's Mine (2025)

Doctor's Mine was sort of... meh. Meaning, I didn't mind it, for once the actor playing Knight, Lee Long Shi, had a role where he wasn't a complete asshole, but the apex point of the story, the reason why Knight is so fixated with Mild, and also why Mild's brother hates Knight so much, is totally unbelievable... Do you really want me to believe that Mild was asleep all the time and that Mild's brother believes something has happened without him awakening? That is quite insulting for Knight's manhood, if that was the case

Anyway, aside for the joke, this is the classical college drama plot, with the Engineer falling in love with the Doctor. As always there is this sort of fanbase for a particular Engineer's student, like he is some sort of celebrity. In this case, we are also dealing with extremely rich kids, both of them, and for once, the fact they are both men seems not to be an issue... maybe cause Thai same-sex marriage is now a given? Btw there are two main couples playing the first stage role (Knight/Mild and Per/Kan) and two side couple (one male, Tum/Klah, one female, Natcha/Great)... so this is quite a crowded drama, with something for everyone... I don't know, but maybe I wouldn't have minded to be a little less crowded and a little more on Knight and Mild only. HEA. You can watch on GagaOOLala. 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

Current Mood: accomplished

Chromatic Characters Podfic Anthology VI!

This is the official post for the sixth annual Chromatic Characters Podfic Anthology! This year, the anthology contains 57 podfics, featuring 52 characters of color, read by 18 podficcers.

This year's optional theme was: persistence.

cover art by

silverandblue

Listening options:

The Chromatic Characters Podfic Anthology VI podbook, (m4b format, 63 kbps, 153 mb, 05:30:53), with chapter stops for individual podfics

A zip file (236 mb) with all the anthology podfics in mp3 format

A spreadsheet with direct audio links or links to the AO3 pages where you can download individual anthology podfics and leave feedback

Links to the text of the fics, where you can go to leave kudos and comments for the wonderful authors, can be found in the "comments" section in the metadata of each mp3 file as well as in the spreadsheet. Thank you to

Avanie,

godoflaundrybaskets,

wilfriede0815,

wjgravity, and

cosmicology for technical beta. We also thank the 5 cultural sensitivity betas who lent their time and knowledge to this anthology.

The bonus collection for podfics longer than the maximum for the CCPA and/or extra submissions can be found here.

You can find the full AO3 collection for this year here. Please feel free to leave feedback/comments on this post! You can also follow the podficcers to their individual AO3 accounts to find more of their work:

429_CarCrash,

AirgiodSLV,

bluedreaming,

blackglass,

cosmicology,

deepestbluesky,

farkenshnoffingottom,

flowerparrish,

godoflaundrybaskets,

kbirb,

kitsuneheart,

LittleRedRobinHood,

mific,

MistbornHero,

pezzax,

semperfiona,

Tipsy_Kitty, and

wilfriede0815.

Entry tags:

My Bias Is Showing?! (2025)

I liked My Bias is Showing?! for the actors more than the story. I explain myself: both actors were quite good in letting me believe in their characters, plus Na Ae Joon was real cute and Choi Si Yeol real sexy. With just words they were able to convey all the steaminess I needed to believe in them as a couple. And that is the reason why I said I liked more the actors than the story: the story was sexy, the original manhwa as well is, but here the two men don't go over sweet kisses... In a way, you could say it was better like this cause in this way the betrayal of Choi Si Yeol is sort of less dark, he just played with Na Ae Joon's feelings (that is still a bad thing, but at least in this way Na Ae Joon is able to forgive him). So nice drama, it kept me hooked till the last episode. HEA. You can watch on GagaOOLala. Heath Level: 2/6.

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

Entry tags:

bl movie,
japan

Aichaku (2024)

Considering all the rumors around this movie, Aichaku, I have to say I was expecting something more sexy. Said that, the movie, even without basically sex, is really nice, really sweet, and, I don't know, real? These are just four days in the life of two strangers, but in those four days their life will be completed overturned. Despite the tought men appeareance of both men, Lucas, an American teacher living in Japan, is actually really sweet, really cute, and totally gay. Probably living in rural Japan, him being gay is not so clear to the villagers, but the people who need to know, do. On the other hand, Ken, half American/half Japanese, has lost all his Western traits, probably since he was abandoned by his American mother when he was just one month old. He wants to learn English, and his sort of attracted by Lucas, I think right because Lucas is part of those roots Ken has lost. As I said their meeting is a big event in their life, and it's also very physical from the very first night, but we don't "see" it: they kiss, deeply, and then they wake up in bed together the morning after. I sort of feel like I wanted something more, because the director wasn't shy in showing as naked showers and baths in an onsen, so I really don't understand why suddenly becoming shy when they are intimate. Anyway, it's an HEA, and it was not a given. You can watch on GagaOOLala and Prime (amzn.to/4gF1xHz). Heat Level: 3/6.

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