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JUNE 2021 PLAYLIST + WRAP UP

June is summer and summer means Pride and CONS!


Pride + Fujocon

Celebrating Pride Month with some fun tags and the yearly playlist. I don’t know if our city ever had a parade, it’s a conservative place after all. Also COVID. But our company celebrates Pride Month. I might complain about the work, I still consider myself lucky to work in a place that is serious about promoting diversity and inclusivity. I notice this because they do it all year-round and not just putting out rainbows every June.

Fujocon was my most anticipated event this month. It is the con for anything and everything boys love. I am so HAPPY international cons went virtual.

I first got hooked on BL in the 90s. That was the time a local channel aired YuYu Hakusho. My very first ship was Hiei and Kurama. They were the reason I discovered fanfics. They used to call the explicit ones “lemons’. I don’t know why.

When the first internet cafe opened in my school campus, I splurged money on fanfics print outs. I still remember that OMG moment when the guy at the printing counter randomly checked out a page. I nearly died of embarrassment. He had no reaction so I think he didn’t find anything incriminating. But still, gad!

Since this was an international con, it practically went non-stop from June 11 to 13. So there were panels, games, whatnot anywhere from US, Japan, Philippines to Thailand.

One of my most anticipated panels was Nick J. Russo’s talk on MM audiobooks. Sadly, I missed it because it came on around 12 AM my time. I forgot to set an alarm so I slept through it. Man, I felt so so bad! Audiobooks narrators are not so commonly featured so I was really looking forward to it. I hope the organizers would have the heart to post it on Youtube.

Another event I was really excited about were the live drawings and Q & A. The guest of honor was Scarlet Beriko. She did Jackass! and Jealousy. If I remember right she also drew the graphic novel for K.J. Charles‘ Think of England. She was awesome! She had such a fun personality. I love her answers to the questions.

There was one time somebody asked, what question would you like to be asked that nobody has asked before? Her answer: Who among your characters has the biggest dick. LOL!!!

Nozomi, Yondaime Ooyamato Tatsuyuki, Scarlet Beriko

BTW, it’s Nozomi.

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SONGS OF JUNE

Queer pop star Toye Sivan opens the month with a catchy song about liberation. A lot of new-to-me bands make their appearance as well, including Bleachers, Prince of Eden, High Sunn and Night Terrors of 1927 singing alongside Tegan and Sara. Indie mainstays, The Vaccines, 90s icon Dave Matthews Band, indie singer Ruelle and new age artist Arula round up the list.

We also have the Pride Month Playlist


JUNE READS

  • WoodA.E. Via (3 stars) contemporary romance, age-gap, enemies to lovers, ex-con, second chance, tattoo artist, construction worker, found family
  • Flame and Ash Morgan Brice (4 stars) paranormal, magic, witch hunter, established couple, action, suspense, mystery
  • UnholyMorgan Brice (4.5 stars) paranormal, magic, witch hunter, established couple, hurt comfort, forced separation, curse, action, suspense, mystery
  • The Murder Between Us Tal Bauer (5 stars) police procedural, serial killer, mystery, federal agent, out for you, angst, hurt comfort, one night stand, coming out
  • Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien ArtifactsLyn Gala (5 stars) sci fi, alien, interspecies, hurt comfort, slow burn, bdsm, size difference, trust, soldier, trader, linguist
  • Assimilation, Love, and Other Human OdditiesLyn Gala (5 stars) sci fi, alien, interspecies, hurt comfort, slow burn, bdsm, established couple, size difference, trust, soldier, trader, linguist

A record-breaking month with not just one but three! 5-star books. Two of them from the same series!

My first Tal Bauer was the gripping police procedural/coming out story,. The Murder Between Us. This was the very definition of emotional rollercoaster.

Lyn Gala surprised me with how mind-blowingly good an alien romance series can be. The first two books, Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts and Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities were both highly immersive, wildly entertaining and full of heart.

Morgan Brice also made her best work to date with Unholy, Book 5 of the paranormal series, Witchbane. It is a dynamic book with lots of action and a cockblocking curse that made the feels come alive. Book 4, Flame and Ash, was almost as good. It was all about family and hope.

A.E. Via‘s contemporary offering, Wood, didn’t really live up to my expectations. It was a slow-going age-gap, enemies to lovers romance about two ex-cons. I liked it enough to give it a passing score.


MANGA

Hamsters win this month with the super adorable manga, Kimi to Hamu Hamu Shitai no Da!.


ON THE BLOG THIS MONTH

Short Films

Misc

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