#!friendship

[princesweetpea]

People forget that Archie is a literal sucker for Betty. Not in a romantic way, but they’re the best of friends. I feel as the seasons go on it’s kind of forgotten, but rewatching season one is a great reminder.

“When I think of where I feel safest, it’s us in a booth at Pop’s.”

“Me too.”

Yes, this was in an emotional moment where Betty was hurting over the 7 minutes in heaven from the previous weekend, but that was a completely wholesome and vulnerable admission from Archie, that he loves and adores Betty and felt safe when he was with her because she’s his best friend.

[theslashpile]

Rec: Fourth Point of Contact (Legends of Lobe den Herren Book 1)

Title: Fourth Point of Contact (Legends of Lobe den Herren Book 1) Author: AJ Sherwood Format: Kindle; Paperback Published/Free: $3.99; $13.99 Length: 335 Status: Ongoing series Rating: Mature Warnings: Death Link: https://www.amazon.com/Fourth-Point-Contact-Legends-Herren-ebook/dp/B07JJZR6H9/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3866HGLRLJ0XZ&keywords=fourth+point+of+contact+aj+sherwood&qid=1560636918&s=gateway&sprefix=the+fourth+point+%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1 Summary:

“Renjimantoro.”

Ren’s head snapped up, as Brahms only used his full name when being completely serious.

Those dark blue eyes met his levelly, penetratingly, as if he could see every thought going through Ren’s head. And he likely could. The man was exceptionally good at seeing through people. “Come with me.”

Oh hell. He really had no defenses against that plea. Brahms rarely asked anything of him, and every time he had, it turned out to be for Ren’s own good. “You realize that if I go, your reputation is never going to recover. People assume I’ve seduced you over to my side as it is.”

Brahms just stared at him.

“Right, you don’t care. Of course you don’t, silly me, why am I worrying about it?” Relief filled him, making him a little giddy with it, and he had the strangest urge to giggle. Which wasn’t manly, he stamped that out immediately, but still a grin took over his face. “Alright, alright, I’ll go home with you.”

—

Not once in the past five years has Castle Warden Sho Renjimantoro regretted following his best friend to Aart. How can he regret it when he finds open acceptance regarding his sexuality from everyone around him (even if they don’t understand it), and he gets to be with the man most important to him?

No, finding someone in this country is a fantasy best forgotten.

General Arman Brahms, finally home from deployment, has waited over two years to show Ren he’s wrong, that fantasies can come true. Unfortunately, his plans get put on hold to help Ren solve the crisis unfolding in the castle.

Someone is doing their level best to make sure the engagement of Prince Charles and Princess Alexandria of Scovia falls through—by fair means or foul. In addition, they’re trying to make Ren deemed incompetent and dismissed from his position. While hunting for the perpetrator, Ren and Arman do everything in their power to protect those they’re sworn to before the irredeemable occurs.

And along the way, prove that even an ordinary life can become extraordinary.

Review: A nice entertaining read. Really liked Arman and Ren. Excited to see what happens next!

[theslashpile]

Rec: Strings of Fate

Title: Strings of Fate Author: rez-zie Format: Webcomic Published/Free: Free Length: ~50 pages currently up, will be several hundred by the time it’s finished Status: WIP Rating: Everyone Warnings: Depressed character, illness mention Link: Tapastic: tapas.io/series/StringsofFatecomic  Tumblr: stringsoffatecomic.tumblr.com Summary: STRINGS OF FATE is an angsty story about a naive boy who tries to find his place in the world. His fated path is a long one, where he experiences the joys of first love and adventure, but some aren’t so keen on where it’s taking him.

Stay with him as he unravels the bittersweet truths of the world.

/// This story focuses on a POLY ship! But there will be many twists and turns, seeing as life can throw you in unusual directions.

Review: Very upbeat and gay, so there’s no shortage of fun, but there are hints of disabilities and issues that will greatly impact the series later ! I wanted to give a face to depression and abandonment issues to give the reader something to relate to, but also happy themes like security and friendship. Strings of Fate is an LGBT+ coming of age story that i’ve dedicated well over a year to and i hope that people find comfort it !

[theslashpile]

Rec: A Game of Wings and Marks

Title: A Game of Wings and Marks Author: Rebecca Crunden Format: Standalone novel Published/Free: Published // Free if you have Kindle Unlimited. Length: 76K~, 240 pages Status: Finished Rating: Mature Warnings: mentions of past abuse, fight scenes, sex scenes Link: Amazon // Goodreads Summary: When Octavia Coal goes to the mountains to clear her head, she doesn’t expect to find an angel in trouble.

He tells her his name is Tamiel and he’s one of the Irin – the army of angels tasked with keeping demons from overwhelming humanity. But Tamiel broke a sacred law – he fell in love with a human – and now he’s being hunted by the same angels he once served.

With nowhere else to go, Octavia and Tamiel – along with Jack, the human in question, and her brother Caleb – appeal directly to Zev, the Demon of Games. A trickster of unparalleled power, Zev gives nothing for free, and the gift he offers Octavia to keep Tamiel alive comes with a confusing catch: He makes her the Healer of Raphael, archangel and Commander of the Irin.

Suddenly a target for both angels and demons, Octavia quickly learns that the only way to survive is to play the game better than they do.

The only problem is, she doesn’t know whose game she’s playing …

Review: This book’s central focus is a m/f pairing, but the m/m pairing are a huge part of the story and are a driving force of most of the plotline. 

[theslashpile]

MON★STAR Studios

Title: MON★STAR Studios Author: vampmilk Format: Webcomic Published/Free: Free Length: Ongoing Status: WIP Rating: Teen Warnings: Mentions of/implied sexual content Link: https://tapastic.com/series/monstarstudios Summary: In a modern city where humans and monsters live together peacefully, college dropout Ramone Garcia makes some strange and exciting friends when he becomes the first human employee at MON★STAR Studios, a monster-centric gay adult film studio.

Review: This comic will focus on themes of sexual positivity, open mindedness and the freedom to shamelessly enjoy one’s interests. The entire cast is made up of LGBTQ+ characters. It is made to be fun and lighthearted.

[theslashpile]

Rec: Comet, a space adventure~

Title: Comet Author: Magmethius Format: Webcomic Published/Free: Free Length: The first chapter just finished, at 28 pages. Status: WIP Rating: Everyone Warnings: Mental illnesses (ex. anxiety and depression) are a major theme. Link: Comet Summary: Comet is about several anxious nerds who flee their homeworlds in search of greener pastures but end up in heaps of trouble instead. It’s about saving the universe, healthy ways of dealing with illnesses, and friendship. Most of the cast is LGBT+. They’re aliens. Review: i-it’s mine so i don’t think i should review it but it’s pretty decent i think/feel/hope.

[theslashpile]

Rec: Crosscurrents

Title: Crosscurrents Author: Adam Phillips Format: Novel Published/Free: Free Length: 266,000 words Status: Complete Rating: Mature Warnings: Contains m/f as well as m/m; some angst. Link: https://www.gayauthors.org/story/adam-phillips/crosscurrents Summary: Andy and Matt, best friends and teammates from childhood, grow together, learn together, and struggle to remain friends when their evolving relationship outpaces their ability to understand it. Review: A high school story with some autobiographical elements, this is one of the few stories out there that addresses bisexuality in a realistic, honest way. Andy is in many ways the quintessential high school jock, and can come across as arrogant at times, but he's also remarkably self-aware. (Original Post)