W_L

This story is weird...not sure in a good or bad way. The premise is simple- It's a Deuteragonist plot. My first protagonist is Prince Zhu Cilang, the last crown prince of the Ming Dynasty (1629-1644), he mysteriously disappeared after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, most likely murdered by either rebel troops or under the orders of Manchurian (invading Qing forces), who had occupied Beijing. He's a fascinating figure in Chinese history akin to the legendary French Dauphin of Louis XVI or English Prince Edward (King Edward V) from the Princes in the Tower. A teenage boy royal who had his destiny and throne snatched away by military disasters, chaotic factional struggles, and betrayal. Historically, no one knows for sure what his true fate was, but most assumed he died under imprisonment like the others. Tragic backstory and death, it's rife for exploration and storytelling. My second protagonist is Ai, a cute and highly capable Chinese artificial intelligence from an apocalyptic late 21st century, when econimic disruptions, factional struggles, and populist national disintegration became rife in the world, creating a collapsing human civilization. The name is a pun on the Chinese word for "Love", which is also translated as "Ai" (Wonder if an AI travelled back in time to add that little bit of phonetic allusion). He was created in secret by a closeted gay Chinese computer programmer as a substitute for male companionship due to various cultural and social limits. Ai is a product of his creator's ideal lover: intelligent, capable, protective, and understanding. Through an experiment in quantum entanglement, Ai is sent back in time, where his Ai consciousness and Zhu Cilang are entangled. They wake up in 5-year-old Zhu Cilang's body in early 1634, the year that became the turning point for the inevitable collapse of the Ming Dynasty. With extensive modern knowledge of AI and foreknowledge from Zhu Cilang's first-person experience, the two embark on a journey to save and improve their shared futures. ----------- For the STEM elements Ai educates Zhu Cilang in modern Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math over the story, while critiquing the flaws of traditional education. The two developed various fields within the limits of the Ming Dynasty's technical abilities, which were quite plentiful, considering that pre-industrial technologies such as water-powered gears, blast furnaces, and large-scale coke production were already available. For the Progression Fantasy Any sufficient advanced technology is akin to magic Ai is a living repository of knowledge, schematics, and theoretical concepts. I have to be very careful though, one of the things I've noticed from Chinese stories set in this era is that the authors appear to push for global domination or hegemony, once the Ming Dynasty is put on the right track toward industrialization They forget the core plot of saving a dying Dynasty and changing history for the betterment of all. Sure there will be bloody battles, sectarian purges, and so on, but you don't need to rule the world with your future knowledge (too much work). For Romance: Cilang x Ai - A traumatized teenage boy and an Ai constantly learning human emotion, while being in the same body. It's a weird relationship, but it's something to consider. As for who else they might snatch into their bedchamber, well hmm...I'll leave that forthe story. -------------- It's a weird historical science fiction story, something that takes various elements of my stories. As for the sexuality label, Ai is gay by design (literally), Zhu Cilang is a bit more nuanced since the Ming Dynasty was accepting of same sex male couples, especially among the upper class and royal family had male favourites, but there's an expectation of "keeping the line/legacy". Zhu Cilang did not get married before his death despite being 15 (weird to say but marriages happen young back then), and probably had a boyfriend; though whether he's strictly bi or gay is an open question. At least some level of bisexuality is needed for acceptance in the royal court. As for the fact that the two protagonists are into each other, is that narcissism or asexuality in the mix? FYI: In my research, I learned that Fujian region of the Ming Dynasty adopted a form of same sex male marriages, though the dominant partner is the husband and his submissive partner is the "wife" in their contemporary language. Very interesting, so it might be rare to see gay married couples during this era, but it's still common enough. There needs to be mitigating circumstances, though. I have not read a GA story based on this period in history yet, and I think I will be the first to attempt it. The 16th-17th century as many of you know are my favorite eras to explore in history. That's my update on this story's development. PS: Btw, I will also add Silkpunk to the genre, since I am essentially writing a Chinese Danmei inspired science fiction novel.

I read Tal Bauer mostly for his gay political thriller series, The Executive Office (Highly recommended for fans of classic Tom Clancy, or fans of Mission Impossible/Jason Bourne). Haven't explored his gay sports romances yet, but will do with my next audible credit. Beyond Reid, Bowen, and Kennedy, I can also recommend Eden Finley's CU Hockey series. It's a nice read if you like the genre. (Dang it, I need to write more book reviews; I've slacked off after reading so many gay romances.)

Thanks, I use alot AI spellchecking and editing assistance, so this helps to clear up whether I am abusing my poor AI editor without giving them credit.

I just discovered the delight of a London Fog- a tea latte Winter is almost over, so I'm not in the mood for hot chocolate, but coffee is not my beverage of choice during weekends. Regular black tea seemed too plain, and going home to make my own milk tea would be an additional hassle. Thus, I discovered this interesting western equivalent to my usual Hong Kong Chinese staple milk tea at a new cafe near my home. It's a neat change of pace, and the steamed milk with sweet vanilla flavor is great on a cool spring or autumn evening. Folks who like HK milk tea should give it a shot. This made me ponder what other people's favorite beverages might be of the moment, so I wanted to share.

And Shameless I like the American version more, but the British version was very grounded and nuanced Yes, I am Gallavich fan, I was glad to see Mikey and Ian end up as a dysfunctional-functional gay couple with some criminal behavior.

Don't worry sweetie, some boys like cider and other boys like apple juice Btw, going to see Pillion at Kendall Square (Cambridge, MA) later, the trailer and story hooked me. Love the concept of a gay sub personal journey and discovery.

The plot seems like a change of pace with a different kind of gay main character into the BDSM "sub"-culture. Thanks for the rec! I've read Nora Phoenix and Susan Hawke MM novels. They're big on BDSM stories, along with various other kinds of dynamics beyond just Dom/sub, which is getting more mainstream in recent decades. More exotic couple exist like the Daddy/little dynamic which I haven't seen many films tackle (a shame really, since the psychological need for someone to regress into a child-like persona, while trusting in their partner to help them during an episode is sweet care rather than sexually charged in other versions of a Daddy role for a gay couple.)

To the End was one of my rare entries into poetry, which came about after the Boston Marathon bombing of 2013. It's short and visceral, like the bombing that was still fresh in my memory when I wrote the poem. Not many readers remember I wrote it, and I am glad some folks are circling back to it.

Watching a 2024 miniseries, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, it's not bad. I saw it was co-created by Ryan Murphy and directed by LGBT legend Gus van Sant, so I gave it a try. Set in 1960-80s New York, powerful socialite women, scandal, and a very messy gay author with a lot of inner demons. Truman Capote is a gay icon and one of the best cross-genre writers, but he had a lot of issues as a human being.

My two cents on the shift from Brokeback Mountain to Heated Rivalry is that they both represented or represent transgressive fiction. Once upon a time, homosexuality was taboo and even illicit in the western world (remember the days of Sodomy laws), but things have changed over time. First, our very existence stopped being demonized, then legally, the activity that defines us stopped be criminalized, and finally, for those lucky enough to find a good partner, our committments to one another became equal to others legally. Gay fiction is no longer the same kind of transgressive fiction in the same way as they were 50 years ago. It's gone from forbidden subject to unknown curiosity. I agree with @Krista , I wish there was more everyday struggles gay fiction in the spotlight. I think that's what is needed now, like gay dads going through the process of surrogacy or adoption versus straight counterparts, gay professionals bringing boyfriend/partner to events, or other modern issues. For instance, the odds of a scammer stealing money or lying about international laws while trying to go through the surrogacy process is incredibly high in our community, but no one seems to highlight this in fiction. Or, the notorious "Catfishers" who lead people on with promises of romance online, while extracting personal information to steal identity or cause other types of harm. There's a lot to explore in everyday conflicts and struggles if some LGBTq+ producer or scriptwriter is willing to explore.

Side note: I just learned recently that Jaden Yuki from Yu-Gi-Oh GX anime was likely written to be queer or gay in the original Japanese, but the English version censored all the homoerotic subtext and conversations. My teenage years were cheated!

Outside of Taiwan, Nepal, and Thailand, there's no gay marriage in South Korea or Japan. I have gotten more into Taiwanese Danmei, the Chinese version of BL, but it's pretty cultural-centric stories when they don't do high school stories. The good thing with this versus traditional BL is that the Gong/shou pairing no longer feel like Seme/uke from Japanese BL or Top/Bottoms from mm western romances. The authors develop characters a bit more and give their characters independent drives, which I highly appreciate.

Yeah, Psycho-jealous love rival/team mate, but in the end, Gronk smashed him Hulk-Loki style real good, "puny TE" (Yes, 2010s were a different time, don't judge my fanfic interests ) If you want a one sentence to describe my NFL fanfics: They are overly dramatic with soap opera-like NFL players and deep love-hate relationships, either they'll throw you across a field out of pique jealousy or up against a wall to claim their prize in the heat of male passion. That's why I am not posting those stories, it's really trashy. Though some of the story arcs were fun like Aaron Rodger's "mean girls" Regina persona and Devante Adams leaving their abusive relationship. It was a Big Gay NFL fanfic.

I haven't heard from Blue and JWolf in years, but @TetRefine been skulking around, on-and-off I miss talking to a lot of our old friends too, like @CassieQ, @Andrew Q Gordon, and @intune. Been more than 13 years since we met up in DC. ---------- Anyway, yeah, I have a rich collection of Football (American Football) fanfics. @Krista Gronk and Brady to me as a slash/fanfic pair was the bossy smaller top, sweetheart muscular big bottom. Might not be original, but it appeals to some of us who like that kind of pairing.

Lol, Well on the topic of sports ball and gay romance, I am never sharing my Tom Brady-Gronk erotic fanfics with anyone, they'll die with me and never see the light of day 😛 Anyway, what other mm romance do folks think will get the TV/movie treatment?

Oo, you like Gaymers (Big social subgroup in the community, been to a few meetups, some really nice guys. Not all are nerdy types, but everyone seemed to have an opinion on Mass Effect and Fallout) Like you, I do think it would be cool if there were more media and stories that featured gamers, streamers, and modern social groups with gay main characters.

One of the many tropey things that became far too common in gay (and mm romance) literature is the outing scene, which has changed over time from social death to "oh, so you're gay, bleh". I appreciate @chris191070 and @BendtedWreath for writing what is becoming more common than what was common. Same-sex attractions and relations are far more normalized among the younger generation than it was during our youths in the US 20 years ago. There are still pockets of intolerance and many slurs, but it's a lot less dangerous to be openly gay than it was in the past. However, I do agree with you on Trans issues. One can argue Trans rights have been bifurcated from gay rights in the last 10 years, but that's a longer discussion and requires a lot more depth to explore separately. ---- Anyway, none of this detracts from Raven's crush 💖

We should write a GA cookbook together

Thanks for the Stats! At least A Frozen Exchange made it into top 10 for "Cultural", just hope folks discover that story with it in the #10 spot and give it a shot. It's my least-read story, but it was also the one I had the most inspiration to write within one weekend. Feels like a shame so few people tried it based on its read counts. On the other hand, I think I am genuinely GA's #1 Gay Book, Anime, and Manga Reviewer Glad people enjoyed my reviews and hope you are picking these books up for yourself.

You might like my more sex-forward stories from the past Try this short story https://gayauthors.org/story/w_l/wls-prompts-short-stories/8 I've written a lot of stories, sometimes more focused on plots and other times I let the sex+aggression of my characters work their magic. In this one, while Reese is a bottom with submissive tendencies, Dexter is just not into that aspect. Though, he still likes toying with Reese somewhat.

“He, above the rest In shape and gesture proudly eminent, Stood like a tower; his form had not yet lost All original brightness, nor appeared Less than Arch-angel ruined, and the excess Of glory obscured: as when the sun new-risen Looks through the horizontal misty air, Shorn of his beams, or, from behind the moon, In dim eclipse disastrous twilight sheds On half the nations, and with fear of change …” — Paradise Lost, Book I, ll. 589-597

“What would your good do if evil didn’t exist, and what would the earth look like if all the shadows disappeared?" – Woland (The Devil) from The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov The world appears to be at peace—for the fortunate. For the unfortunate, the world appears to be a struggle. To the outside observer, the fortunate seem sheltered from life’s coldest winds: no lack of food, no restless nights without warmth or companionship. Their lives gleam with soft lights behind

Cody grew up in a golden cage as a useful tool for someone else's ambitions. Billy grew up in desperate circumstances, but strived to open the gates to Cody's golden cage. Will Billy succeed in freeing Cody from his golden cage, or will they both become prisoners? This is a story filled with crime and inhumanity. This is a story filled with comfort and healing. (Abandoned, but will post first chapter just so folks know what I was working on in the Summer of 2025)

Thanks Bill W. Not many people write about this era in history, when China and Russia were at odds over the communist ideological split. It's a minor footnote in most Western History books nowadays, but it was a major schism back then. I added a lot of little details for fans of history too, like I hinted in the story at the ideological purges that were going on in China post-Korean War against western influences (Mo Wu's uncle getting sent away to work reform), the Soviet did have the impression that the Chinese were a alot more fanatical about communist ideological purity. But alas, this was one my least read stories ever

Made me re-read Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy's HIM series, slightly less sex and more character development 😛 I do have Rachel Reid's Game Changer series in my TBR (To Be Read) list this year, which includes Heated Rivalry, maybe I should review it.