Probably the best fucking au idea for svsss I'll ever have and will never write because I'm a loser: "Platonic" cumplane marriage of convenience that is completely sexless but that's fine because both men think they're straight and don't want to fuck each other. They still end up with Binghe and Mobei-jun respectively.
Binghe was actually so fucking ready to steal a married man and had a fully detailed and convoluted homewrecker scheme and he is...kinda disappointed that SY is so efficient and amicable (or as amicable as he can be) in just divorcing SQH (who doesn't even really try to keep him from leaving) and getting with Binghe instead. But he's not going to complain TOO much...
As for Mobei-jun, he just demanded SQH marry him because SQH was KINDA bummed about losing the tax benefits and SQH was too intimidated to do anything but say yes.
Would've included this exchange:
SY: I'm...in love...
SQH: Well our marriage is only for show so I don't ca--
SY: With a man.
SQH: YOU'RE GAY?!
SY: If it's not gay to be married to a man, then how can it be gay to be in love with one?!
It's Valentines Day! So I figured! Why not make another post of favored ships! It's been a few years since the last, so I decided to try and only include newer and more recent big ships. Well. Some of them I just jumped on the bandwagon late, I suppose.
Vanitas/Noé Archiviste (The Case Study Of Vanitas)
Sonic/Shadow (Sonic X Shadow...which is a real game title now!)
Cheng Xiaoshi/Lu Guang (LinkClick)
Suletta Mercury/Miorine Rembran (Gundam: Witch From Mercury)
Some additional notes under the readmore if you care
I wanted to have a more balanced ratio but I couldn't think of enough m/f ships lmao so decided to include just KafBlade as m/f rep lmao. Aglanaxa from hsr is also really good, but they don't have official art together... I also do really like other Kafka and Bladie ships but these two in particular make me so soft. Also they have the best official art. No one does it like them!!
Please play Little Goody Two Shoes and please read The Dark Lord's Confession I am begging.
You can love a character and still admit when they're wrong. I love Luo Binghe but I acknowledge his flaws (none he's perfect) and can hold him accountable for his wrongdoings (he's never done anything wrong in his life) & call him out on his actions (which are always right)
can you
fucking imagine
transmigrating to your own creation
finding out your most eccentric fucking hater is also there
and that said hater fucking seduced your protagonist
More readings I did in 2025 (mostly)! Some of these could have gone on the other queer/sapphic readings list. Probably most of them but there were just too many to choose from rip.
Proper list is under a readmore along with a few more details on why the rec.
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brenan
I read this because I felt obligated to as someone with a huge guilty pleasure for villainess stories. I came in expecting fun and camp but came away with a deeply heartfelt story about people who find themselves ostracized still clicking together to form their own little friend group. I love the villain squad. It's also a really fun satire on romantasy tropes and expectations, and ngl, a lot of it reminded me of svsss! There's also insane toxic doomed yaoi and toxic yuri hell yeah! Alas, this is the first book in a series but I'm pretty excited for more! That cliffhanger ending was awesome. But also it only had one funny boob joke. It needs better boob jokes.
Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See
I actually read this one for a book club! But I love medical drama! When I wasn't cringing out of my seat from the graphic descriptions, I was deeply enthralled by the narrative of a female doctor trying to stay afloat. It's both a great period piece and character study and the focus on female bonds really did get to me. I might just be a sucker for this setting and time period and for women, but I super enjoyed this read.
The River Has Roots by Amar El-mohtar
Written by one of the authors as This Is How You Lose The Time War, this novella is short but it's filled to the brim with enchanting prose and a fairy tale that is as simplistic as it is striking. Also included is a short story for the author's next anthology and I loved that one too like, a lot a lot. It was so interesting and introspective, and I really need to read more by this author.
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
I love dragons! (sick guitar riff) This book was a lot of fun, using DRAGONSSS FUCK YEAH as a metaphor for "women's issues" that the general populace find inexplicably too indecent to openly discuss. It's about as subtle as a mallet to the face but the descriptions of dragons as forbidden territory is pretty appealing. The focus is also on female, familial relationships, and I can't get enough of those. I've always enjoyed them.
Don't Let The Forest In by CG Drews
This book was also for a book club and yeah it got me from all the haunting and bewitching imagery and prose about this boy's fucked up crush and fucked up obsession with a fucked up forest. I'm big into twisted nature, and even better is that this one came with illustrations of some of the creepy woodland creatures haunting and hunting our leads. The last minute twist was pretty shocking so I really need to reread it someday with that twist in mind. Alas, I have other books to read first.
Trapped In A Soap Opera by Ganno and Apricot.K
I love villainess stories. But I also love soap operas. So a soap opera villainess story was always going to appeal to me. But this particular one was so carried by its cool, competent, and mature female lead. While I was less impressed with the male characters at first, they grew on me with their self-reflection and development to the point where I honestly would've been fine with whoever the heroine ended up with. The later twists are also super wild and yet a lot of fun. The art's also really gorgeous imo. Sera is sooooo pretty. Haven't finished it yet but the ending is heading in a real sweet direction.
The Dark Lord's Confession by Topseoung
Oooooogh. OOOOOOOOOGH. Guys it's so fucking good. It's so, so fucking good. Lapis, Calla, and Binari are like godtier level favs, they're that good and the friendships and main romance (between women!!!) is so very, very good. If you ever longed for a female-focused fantasy with emphasis on friendships AND romances between women, this is soooooo good. I like the guys, too! The emotional stakes! The developing bonds! Lapis's love for others despite lacking so much for herself... ;-; Strangely, it's not labeled as a GL but it's a queer romance, idk what to tell you. It's more epic fantasy than romance though. Honestly, shout out to this one because one character I wasn't big on was Enoch only for the arc featuring his backstory to rip out my heart and stomp on it several fucking times. This shit's a masterpiece aND CURRENTLY ON HIATUS, NOOOOO. BUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEEEASE READ IT. Confession: I also mostly read this in 2024 during Uhhh A Certain Fucking Time so it's especially dear to me as the work of fiction keeping my ass sane At That Time.
Daughter Of A Thousand Faces by Velinxi
I really wanted to support this artist's work since they did such a good job on the illustrations for svsss, and I was super excited to see a female protagonist. And what a good girl she is! I love stubborn girlies with a chip on their shoulder and shit to prove and seeing her developing relationship with her more morally dubious master is really, really nice. I want to buy the physical release so bad. I really love this kind of coming of age story and the tragic elements really fucking get to me, too. An easy rec! I want the best for my new daughter!!!
My Arika by Fujisawa Moyashi and Kumakuzu (Localized to When Arika Went Missing but that's a stupid fucking title)
I read the author's previous work, Burn the House Down, and found it to be a really gripping revenge thriller with a rich cast of female characters and an overall satisfactory family drama. Its last act was on the clunkier side and sadly My Arika has that same issue, although I admittedly haven't read the last chapter yet. Still, My Arika fills the hole of Actually Compelling Idol Mystery That Showcases The Darkness Of The Industry that people claimed was true of Oshi no Ko, which tbh I always felt like missed the mark and often demeaned its own female cast. Despite its faults, the female cast of My Arika is strong and I think Nana's bond with Arika is a strong emotional backbone. If you were disappointed by Oshi no Ko, you should try out My Arika. You should also read Kasane btw.
Even Monsters Like Fairytales by Akizawa Ede and Kirino Hajime
Part of the main appeal of villainess stories is confronting narrative expectations. I loved that shit in svsss, I loved that shit in Long Live Evil, I love that shit in this series which is all about loving stories even when you feel trapped within one. The heroine character (not the protagonist) is super interesting and I love the reference to 1001 Nights. Both she and the "villainess", Sylph have a lowkey and quietly reflective vibe, but you can feel their emotions bubbling at the surface. It's honestly too short but I found it captivating.
Bored. Also going to post 10 gifs of things I saw in 2025 that I found to be very neat.
List under readmore along with some notes~
Kirby Air Riders because look at Marx look at him he's so cute he's so so so cute also the Road Trip storyline is so fucking good, but if you're playing as Marx, it's so much funnier.
Phainon's Trailer from Honkai Star Rail. I actually do not care much for Amphoreus but Phainon's trailer is a work of art, like what masterful presentation and storytelling. An honorable mention is the Evernight trailer because Yuri.
Silent Hill F is a beautiful, provocative game about women's roles and the institution of marriage, framed through a coming of age story centered on a very hurt, very angry girl. While I think the best endings are by far the first and golden endings and the rest of Eh, I really enjoyed this one. R07 can in fact write good for a non-VN. I wish he had been allowed to go crazier with it though.
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy because speaking of going crazier with it. This is honest to god Kodaka's best work and some of the other writers (NOT UCHIKOSHI) turn in really good shit too! The twins are actually the most underrated and underexplored but god bless fucking Eito for existing. Nozomi was also a very pleasant surprise.
Nine Sols is such a gorgeous and intricate game in terms of conveying its culture and themes. It's a wondrous mishmash, befitting the taopunk name. In this story of revenge, eternity, and familial love, you will cry and be both amazed and horrified. Red Candle Games has made yet another masterpiece, although I do think aspects of it were too dour for my tastes. Not the Lady Ethereal shit tho. That was peak.
Signalis is yet another rich storyline hinging on love and regrets but with a nice, heavy layer of surrealism. If you ever wanted Metroid but horror and also thought I Wish Samus Had A Girlfriend, you can't get better than Signalis although it definitely leans a lot into the horror elements. While I may not be smart enough to fully get it, I still know that it was, if nothing else, beautiful.
The Apothecary Diaries is, surprise, good like everyone says it is. I only watched the first season, most of it on a plane, but goddamn is it good. Maomao is a fantastic protagonist, but the careful way she navigates the world and is painfully aware of its unfairness and inequalities is easily my favorite part about her. I also really like how it handles sex work, be it concubines or courtesans and how the women are imbued with a lot of dignity and humanity rather than being objects of pity or scorn.
Alien Stage is something that as y'all know, I've been following since the beginning as a huge VIVINOS fan. Karma is nigh fucking perfection in terms of imagery and storytelling because goddamn is the tale of miziusa so full of love and tragedy. It's, pardon the pun, pitch fucking perfect. I'd give it a 100000/10 but god I wasn't too big on the aspects that weren't about Mizi, Sua, or even Hyuna. Still, Karma is such a beautiful experience and there's no shortage of lines or scenes that wrecked me.
There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover, Unless...? or as I like to call it MuriYuri is fucking trash. I cannot get enough of it. Is it problematic? Yes. Is Mai obnoxious? Yes. (I do kinda like her tho.) But this is a poly yuri, baybeee, there's more than just Mai! And I actually like how Mai plays off the other girls! Ajisai is so darling, I loved the arc focused on her but the one focused on Satsuki was beyond hysterical. Can't wait to watch the next part!
Jacinthe from Pokemon Legends ZA. Just Jacinthe. Look at her. What a gorgeous diva. And her theme is such a fucking bop. I've never been so in love before. Also yeah she and Lebanne are so fucking funny. Jacinthe in general is so fucking funny. I adore her so much.
Getting into the Nevermore webcomic is a special kind of hell because you want to look it up to see more beautiful toxic gothic sapphics and get. Taylor Swift.
Anyway. Read Nevermore. It's on Webtoon. It's awesome. Character writing is top fucking notch even for the shitty misogynist trash bag. The heroines are fantastic and fucked up but so very in love. I love the side characters. You have an awful fucking failgirl desperate for patriarchal love and validation. So many quality girls. Duke. Duke is awesome. The other guys are pretty good too. Also the art. Gorgeous fucking art.
