A gripe
I have a VERY IMPORTANT question: why is so much of published m/m such utter, brain-rotting crap? (People I know who write the stuff, you are obviously exempt, as are a select handful of authors I have found who don't make my brain screech in its grooves with horror.)
This question normally doesn't bother me, but right now what I am using to shield my brain from the TRAUMA OF LIFE (oh god guys I am so tired and so busy and so surrounded by incompetence) is light, frothy, delightful m/m romances, and THERE AREN'T ENOUGH. And those that exist are BURIED UNDER A MOUND OF AWFULNESS.
At some point I will tell you all the decent ones I've found so you can spare yourself the sheer boredom I've had to endure trying to find the things. I'll rec one that I've really enjoyed just now, though: Wight Mischief by JL Merrow. Set in Britain: refreshing! Light h/c: delightful! Lacking in terrifying sex scenes, skeezy consent issues, rigidly enforced top/bottom roles, excessively purple prose, utterly stupid plotting, unlikeable protagonists, overly likeable protagonists, ridiculous levels of emotion ('Men don't cry' is bullshit. 'Strict societal gender roles mean that men who tend to perform masculinity don't cry very often or in public', on the other hand, is solid as a rock. If your male character's in tears, I want some reason why the normal opprobrium either isn't landing or isn't being felt.), overwrought love at first sight, and people who don't act like people: makes it head and shoulders above most of the stuff out there. I have to warn for slightly thin plotting, but seriously. It's pretty good. Also, it has a cover which is not eye-searingly bad, always a plus.
AND NOW I FLY AGAIN, BACK TO THE LAND OF NOT ANSWERING EMAILS OR DOING ANYTHING USEFUL. MWAH, I LOVE YOU ALL. (
eccentricyoruba,
pulchritude, I swear to you, some day that photo will get to you. I just can't find my camera cord atm, I think it's at home.)
Also posted on Dreamwidth at http://surexit.dreamwidth.org/55801.html with
comments. Comment wherever you like.
This question normally doesn't bother me, but right now what I am using to shield my brain from the TRAUMA OF LIFE (oh god guys I am so tired and so busy and so surrounded by incompetence) is light, frothy, delightful m/m romances, and THERE AREN'T ENOUGH. And those that exist are BURIED UNDER A MOUND OF AWFULNESS.
At some point I will tell you all the decent ones I've found so you can spare yourself the sheer boredom I've had to endure trying to find the things. I'll rec one that I've really enjoyed just now, though: Wight Mischief by JL Merrow. Set in Britain: refreshing! Light h/c: delightful! Lacking in terrifying sex scenes, skeezy consent issues, rigidly enforced top/bottom roles, excessively purple prose, utterly stupid plotting, unlikeable protagonists, overly likeable protagonists, ridiculous levels of emotion ('Men don't cry' is bullshit. 'Strict societal gender roles mean that men who tend to perform masculinity don't cry very often or in public', on the other hand, is solid as a rock. If your male character's in tears, I want some reason why the normal opprobrium either isn't landing or isn't being felt.), overwrought love at first sight, and people who don't act like people: makes it head and shoulders above most of the stuff out there. I have to warn for slightly thin plotting, but seriously. It's pretty good. Also, it has a cover which is not eye-searingly bad, always a plus.
AND NOW I FLY AGAIN, BACK TO THE LAND OF NOT ANSWERING EMAILS OR DOING ANYTHING USEFUL. MWAH, I LOVE YOU ALL. (
eccentricyoruba,
pulchritude, I swear to you, some day that photo will get to you. I just can't find my camera cord atm, I think it's at home.)
Also posted on Dreamwidth at http://surexit.dreamwidth.org/55801.html with
comments. Comment wherever you like.