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Jan. 25th, 2026 07:12 pm
bluedreaming: white-sheeted ghost in a field with a lantern (*kat_lair - field ghost)
[personal profile] bluedreaming
It's maybe a little odd to phrase it this way, but only after like 4+ years of on and off watching BL dramas (and getting into GL dramas) am I getting to stage of actually being okay with/open to "bad" endings again because it's not about the gay, it's about the plot. You now have my trust that you're not “killing off the gays” because they're gay, so I'm okay with killing off main characters if the plot makes sense that way.

[spoiler about a 2025 GL series]I really loved Runaway.
And I probably would not have been ready to like it 4 years ago.

Right now I'm making personal bets about characters dying in
[vague not-really spoiler about a currently airing BL series]Goddess bless you from death
and having a lovely time.

(Okay I’m still not going to watch heavy political/etc. type dramas but that’s just a general preference.)

[ SECRET POST #6960 ]

Jan. 25th, 2026 03:19 pm
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[personal profile] case posting in [community profile] fandomsecrets

⌈ Secret Post #6960 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


01.


More! )


Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 23 secrets from Secret Submission Post #994.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Sunday Sweets: Watercolor Cakes

Jan. 25th, 2026 02:00 pm
[syndicated profile] cakewrecks_feed

Posted by Lindsey

Apparently watercolors date back as far as the cave paintings of Paleolithic Europe. (Thanks Wikipedia!) It was done on things like stone, leather, papyrus, and now ...

(By AK Cake Design)

You guessed it! Cake!

 

Heck, maybe it was always done on cake, but everyone ate the evidence back in those days.

(By Nevie-Pie Cakes)

I mean, given the choice between a slice of beautifully watercolored cake such as this one, or a hunk of buffalo carcass, I'd go for the cake.

I probably wouldn't have survived very long back then.

 

But enough talk of carcasses. (Carcassi?) Back to the pretty cakes!

(By Hey There, Cupcake!, Photography by Siegel Thurston Photography)

And this pretty cake is particularly stunning. Look at all those bright beautiful colors!

 

I love the transparency here, almost like the cake was wrapped in tissue paper:

(By A's Exquisite Cakes & Chocolates; Photo by Jessica Schmitt Photography)

(Dear wreckorators: PLEASE do not go and actually wrap a cake in tissue paper. Please. No, really. Put. The paper. DOWN.)

 

Did your art teacher in school ever show you that trick of sprinkling salt over your watercolors? It gives it this super-nifty texture, kind of like... this!

(By neli)

It's like an ocean wave of the night sky, with pretty flowers for stars. Love it.

 

Of course, my watercolors all tended to be a drippy mess - but thanks to this next one, I know drips can be deeeeeLIGHTful:

(By The Art of Cake; Photo by Erik Hornung Photography)

Like rain down a window, or tears down a cheek, or something equally poetical and artsy.

 

Or how about a modern Jackson Pollack approach, with random splatters and splashes?

(By I Dream of Cake)

Bonsai!!

 

Edible paints are sweet, of course, but good ol' buttercream can also give you that soft watercolory look:

(By Miso Bakes)

It's like springtime on a plate! I love those dreamy pastel roses.

 

And how's this for a painting come to life?

(By CakeCentral member Panel7124)

Once again I'm not sure I could bear to let anyone actually CUT this cake. I just want to put it on a shelf and stare at it forever and always.

 

And finally, check out this frothy, watercolory wonderfulness:

(By Lucia Simeone Cake Design)

I dub thee... rhapsody in blue!

Happy Sunday, everyone!

******

P.S. If you've ever wanted to dabble in the arts, this is for you:

GenCrafts Portable Watercolor Kit

Comes with a pad of watercolor paper, 2 re-fillable brush pens, and a handy travel case.

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

The latest bestseller list is brought to you by blankets, snacks, and our affiliates sales data.

  1. Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  2. Wildflowers by Kylie Scott Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  3. Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  4. Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  5. Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  6. A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  7. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare Amazon | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlay
  8. The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  9. The Everlasting by Alix Harrow Amazon | B&N | Kobo
  10. Viscount in Love by Eloisa James Amazon | B&N | Kobo

I hope your weekend reading kept you warm!

[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you!

Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun!

If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section with exclusive content and events.

Everything you’re used to seeing at the Hot Pink Palace that is Smart Bitches Trashy Books will remain free as always, because we remain committed to fostering community among brilliant readers who love romance.

Star Trek: vulcanterprise, by almondrose

Jan. 24th, 2026 06:52 pm
laurajv: Holmes & Watson's car is as cool as Batman's (Default)
[personal profile] laurajv posting in [community profile] fancake
Fandom: Star Trek
Pairings/Characters: Kirk/Spock
Rating: Teen and Up
Length: 4188 words over 2 stories
Creator Links: almondrose at ao3
Theme: Crack Treated Seriously

Summary: "an AU where the enterprise is a VSA ship filled with vulcans"

Reccer's Notes: This short series (two stories, "logical" and "illogical") is one of my favorite pick-me-ups. Captain Skirk of the VSA's exasperation with his CMO's insistence that Spock is human slays me, as does said CMO's reaction to encountering his alternate-universe human self.

Fanwork Links: vulcanterprise

[ SECRET POST #6959 ]

Jan. 24th, 2026 02:35 pm
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[personal profile] case posting in [community profile] fandomsecrets

⌈ Secret Post #6959 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


01.



More! )


Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 45 secrets from Secret Submission Post #994.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Whatcha Reading? January 2026, Part Two

Jan. 24th, 2026 09:00 am
[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

Christmas wooden mansion in mountains on snowfall winter day. Cozy chalet on ski resort near pine forest. Cottage of round timber with wooden balcony. Fir-trees covered with snow. Chimneys of stone.January is soon coming to an end. Here’s what we’re reading right now:

Lara: I tried to read a book featuring a disabled/chronically ill couple but instead of relating or learning, I just felt deeply triggered. So that was that. Now I’m flailing looking for something to take me out of my head.

Sarah: Oh heck I hate when that happens. I’m sorry you’re going through it. Do you have a “break glass in case of emergency” book?

I’m listening to Grave Expectations by Alice Bell, ( A | BN | K | AB ) which is entertaining if not compelling. I love one of the side characters but the main character is giving me increasing feelings of frustration.

Lara: Sarah, I had an emergency nap which always resets me. I’m going to dive into one of Jodi McAlistair’s bachelor inspired books tonight. Something new to me from an author I really enjoy. I’m hoping that’ll set me on the right path.

Elyse: I’ve really been on a historical fiction kick this month. I just finished Meet the Newmans ( A | BN | K | AB ) and now I’m reading The Star Society. ( A | BN | K | AB )

A Marquess to Remember
A | BN | K | AB
Claudia: I ‘ve just finished an amnesia Harlequin historical and loved it, much to my surprise! It’s A Marquess to Remember by Jenni Fletcher.

Susan: I’m reading the first volume of Art Thou Ailing by Ru Si Wo Wen, and all of the beats of the romance feel very familiar. Not in a bad way, just in a “Ah, here is where they pin each other to a wall to hide from a guard… Here is where there’s only one bed… Here is where they fall over and one protects the other from snow…”

This is not a complaint, btw. I read fanfic, you KNOW I will read these tropes in every form they come in.

Shana: I’m reading Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao ( A | BN ) and it is such a perfect comfort read. It’s about a trans woman healing from a bad breakup, who moves in with butch woman who has some healing of her own to do. There’s union organizing, and forced proximity, and so much yearning.

Carrie: I am reading The Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet by Melinda Taub ( A | BN | K | AB ) and it is a delight.

Amanda: My latest game board square is to read something published ten or more years ago. Motivated by our latest solved HaBO, I picked up book one in the series: In Bed with a Highlander by Maya Banks. ( A | BN | K | AB )

Whatcha reading right now? Tell us in the comments!

[personal profile] mific posting in [community profile] fancake
Fandom: Game Changers series
Characters/Pairings: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
Rating: Explicit
Length: 4639
Content Notes: Discussion of unplanned pregnancy and of abortion as a treatment option. Brief mention of a tapeworm analogy.
Creator Links: SirMxALotts on AO3
Themes: Crack treated seriously, AU, Canon LGBTQ+ characters, Mpreg, Established relationship

Summary: Most people in Shane’s position would call a doctor after two positive tests, but Shane isn't most people, so instead of doing that, he takes 17 tests over the course of two days.

Final result: 16 positive, one negative.

Reccer's Notes: A classic crack trope this time: Mpreg. The reason why a man could become pregnant in this AU isn't given, nor why Shane did nothing to prevent it (or didn't expect it), but it has happened so he faces a choice. This is where the "taken seriously" part comes in, as it's the same difficult choice any woman faces with an unplanned pregnancy. Rather than an unrealistic tropey outcome, Shane (after ignoring the whole problem for a while) finally talks to Ilya about it and makes his decision. I enjoyed the realism and the way Ilya was supportive without trying to persuade Shane one way or the other. We don't see the final outcome, but the story covers enough so that we know Shane's decision.

Fanwork Links: nothing but some heartburn, baby

[ SECRET POST #6958 ]

Jan. 23rd, 2026 07:27 pm
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[personal profile] case posting in [community profile] fandomsecrets

⌈ Secret Post #6958 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


[All secrets have content warnings today!]


More! )


Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #993.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
[syndicated profile] smartbitches_feed

Posted by Amanda

Butcher & Blackbird

Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver is $1.49! This is book one in The Ruinous Love series. I read this one and these are my thoughts from my Goodreads review:

This one started off really promising. Unfortunately, the pacing started to falter about about a third of the way into it. The last quarter was suspenseful and I appreciated the twist, but yeah…the middle of the book felt mostly like filler. I also didn’t feel a ton of romantic progression between the leads.

One thing that really confounded me was that Sloane is described as being in her early twenties. She’s an accomplished serial killer and quotes Zoolander (which came out in 2001). Look, I love Zoolander as much as the next person, but it’s not exactly the Criterion Collection. It really took me out and had me wondering when exactly did this story take place.

Overall, I enjoyed the tone and dark humor. It’s a unique romance, but needed some refinement.

Every serial killer needs a friend.
Every game must have a winner.

When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of a like-minded, pitch-black soul. From small town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country. But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love. Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves? Or have they finally met their match?

Butcher & Blackbird is the first book in the Ruinous Love Dark Romance trilogy of interconnected stand-alone dark romantic comedies. This dual POV novel ends on a HEA.

***Butcher & Blackbird is a DARK ROMANCE intended for an adult audience – please see Brynne’s website for a comprehensive list of CWs***

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Do Your Worst

Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan is $2.99! Lara was middling on this paranormal romance and gave it a C-. I enjoyed Danan’s contemporaries so I remember looking forward to this one. Did you read it?

Riley Rhodes finally has the chance to turn her family’s knack for the supernatural into a legitimate business when she’s hired to break the curse on an infamous Scottish castle. Used to working alone in her alienating occupation, she’s pleasantly surprised to meet a handsome stranger upon arrival—until he tries to get her fired.

Fresh off a professional scandal, Clark Edgeware can’t allow a self-proclaimed “curse breaker” to threaten his last chance for redemption. After he fails to get Riley kicked off his survey site, he vows to avoid her. Unfortunately for him, she vows to get even.

Riley expects the curse to do her dirty work by driving Clark away, but instead, they keep finding themselves in close proximity. Too close. Turns out, the only thing they do better than fight is fool around. If they’re not careful, by the end of all this, more than the castle will end up in ruins.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Other Princess

The Other Princess by Denny S. Bryce is $1.99! This one was featured in a previous Book Beat post. We’ve also had Bryce’s debut Wild Women and the Blues on sale before.

A stunning portrait of an African princess raised in Queen Victoria’s court and adapting to life in Victorian England—based on the real-life story of a recently rediscovered historical figure, Sarah Forbes Bonetta.

With a brilliant mind and a fierce will to survive, Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a kidnapped African princess, is rescued from enslavement at seven years old and presented to Queen Victoria as a “gift.” To the Queen, the girl is an exotic trophy to be trotted out for the entertainment of the royal court and to showcase Victoria’s magnanimity. Sarah charms most of the people she meets, even those who would cast her aside. Her keen intelligence and her aptitude for languages and musical composition helps Sarah navigate the Victorian era as an outsider given insider privileges.

But embedded in Sarah’s past is her destiny. Haunted by visions of destruction and decapitations, she desperately seeks a place, a home she will never run from, never fear, a refuge from nightmares and memories of death.

From West Africa to Windsor Castle to Sierra Leone, to St. James’s Palace, and the Lagos Colony, Sarah juggles the power and pitfalls of a royal upbringing as she battles racism and systematic oppression on her way to living a life worthy of a Yoruba princess.

Based on the real life of Queen Victoria’s Black goddaughter, Sarah Forbes Bonetta’s story is a sweeping saga of an African princess in Victorian England and West Africa, as she searches for a home, family, love, and identity.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Rebellious Desire

Rebellious Desire by Julie Garwood is $1.99! This is a Regency romance that was first released in the 80s. Garwood fans say this isn’t their favorite book of hers, while others enjoyed the mystery element added to the romance. Have you read this one? What did you think?

Before there was Downton Abbey, there was Rebellious Desire…in this classic Regency romance from bestselling author Julie Garwood, an American heiress must land a titled lord.

Of all the dukes in England, Jered Marcus Benton, the Duke of Bradford, was the wealthiest, most handsome—and most arrogant. And of all London’s ladies, he wanted the tender obedience of only one—Caroline Richmond.

She was a ravishing beauty from Boston, with a mysterious past and a fiery spirit. Drawn to the powerful duke, undeterred by his presumptuous airs, Caroline was determined to win his lasting love. But Bradford would bend to no woman—until a deadly intrigue drew them enticingly close. Now, united against a common enemy, they would discover the power of the magnificent attraction that brought them together…a desire born in danger, but destined to flame into love!

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

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