Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Anthology: Cross Bones

Cross Bones eBook
Who doesn't love gay pirate erotica?? (The answer to that completely rhetorical question can be found here.)

The problem with anthologies is that that you usually get a one great story. The reason "Cross Bones", aka "Gay Pirates Fucking" is so great is because *every story* is consistently good.

And you know how anthologies usually have one story that's just incredible? Best of the bunch, stand-out?

Cross Bones had several.

For the sci-fi lovers: "Rough Trade" by Cooper West was just incredible. It's about Gunner, the unofficial captain of a murderous AI ship. The ship (Carthage, she calls herself) wants a doctor for her crew, and no one's going to stop her. Luckily, the man in question, the handsome Dr. Sagittarius Diefenbaker, has a reason to stick around...

"My Hand in Yours" by Emily Moreton is a short tale about a town sheriff (referred to in-story as a "peacekeeper") who starts a fuckbuddy relationship with a pirate captain. This one was not only romantic but scorching-hot. The end gives you a real sense of freedom and satisfaction, that the two men can pursue their romance without either of them giving up their ideals.

"From a Simmer to a Burn" was incredible. Not gonna lie - I get pretty bored reading about white guys. But this is the story of a former African slave overcoming his own racism as he falls in love with someone he initially despised. That's a pretty fucking difficult topic to write about. And yet, B. Snow (the author) handles it like a professional. I mean, it's just incredible. She picked a hard story to write, and she wrote it anyway, and she did it well.

And the rest were all within the three to five star range. Which, like I said: pretty good for an anthology.

But seriously: gay pirate erotica. Have I mentioned how hot that is? *fans self*

Friday, April 6, 2012

F/F Friday: Girly


Girlyyy
Today's topic: LESBIANS!

Specifically, f/f romance. For those who don't know: f/f stands for "female/female", the same way m/m means "male/male".

I'm not sure how many m/m romance readers are also fans of f/f, due to the fact that I'm pretty sure most m/m romance readers are straight women. But I, personally, am a fan of all things gay, and that includes hot girl on girl lovin'.

Today's recommendation is a very popular webcomic: Girly, by Josh Lesnick. It's the story of Otra, a pink-haired girl who, despite her enormous financial success, feels her life is empty. Until one day she meets Winter, a psychotic, homeless blonde who begins stalking her.

It's kind of like a Saturday morning cartoon - lots of ridiculous gags, lots of people being blasted into outer space or smashed with hammers and giant dildos, people getting bodyswapped... ect, ect. The reason this comic works is because it's got Otra, who's just as confused and irritated by the strange antics around her as you, the reader, will be.

Sometimes, I feel like guys don't really "get" lesbian romance. Like they're writing it because it's hot, and they don't really understand how women interact. But Josh Lesnick avoids that, and that's just wonderful.

You should read this comic if you have a lot of time and you're willing to get invested in it - because it is long. While most webcomics stretch a couple hundred comics at best, Girly is a whopping 764 pages - and often the pages are long.

If you haven't got time, but want to check it out anyway, start here. The author put in a second beginning new readers partway through, around the part it gets good.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Anthology: Myths and Magic


Myths and Magic: Legends of Love eBook
I bought four anthologies today (I couldn't help it!) because Dreamspinner Press was having a sale.

The first one - Myths and Magic: Legends of Love - so far, has been worth buying solely for one story. "The Sower and the Reaper", by Helen Madden. (Some of the other stories were good, and one or two made me roll my eyes, but I won't get into that here.)

It's the story of an eighteen-year-old boy who goes looking for a God (who is, amusingly enough, named "Ozzie") in order to save his people. The apocalyptic world it's set in is very original, IMO; I'd describe it, but I don't want to spoil things.

The sex scene was great. Picture this: a God-like immortal, and a barely-legal kid that's pretty much forced to have sex with him. This is normally the part where the author has some sort of pseudo-rape scene. But no! Ozzie's just so human about it, so rational, so blunt, so understanding. He doesn't use force or coercion. He's not a creep. He explains things and treats the kid like an adult.

I mean, I can't even describe how much I loved this story. It makes this anthology 100% worth buying.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Blog: Male Submission Art


Wearing his shirt pushed down to his waist, a man stands before a bed. His head is bowed and his long red hair is pulled over one shoulder.This photograph was suggested by Madam Harkonnen, who wrote:I get a strong sense of narrative in this light, poised photograph: the cloth tangling his arms in a suggestion of things to come; his hair just brushed aside to bare his shoulder for someone, and long enough to wrap around his neck.  Now he’s just waiting with elegant composure for a word or a touch…waiting for the storm to break over him.This picture strikes me as almost more angelic than most images depicting angels do. The white light, clothing, and bed linens set a simple but, in the absence of much else, surreal tone. However, it’s the model that carries the image.The man’s hair is especially worthy of note because, while I think its length is beautiful on him, it’s also transgressive. In some religions, long hair is often thought to be appropriate only for women, as this Christianity-inspired article showcases, saying that Men should look like men, and women should look like women. God is not interested in, nor does He accept, “unisex.” While god may not be interested in gender presentation, I am, because not all cultures, or religions, agree on what is manly or womanly. Moreover, as gender isn’t a dichotomy, it’s very possible to mix gender signals of one kind with signals of another, resulting in additive gender.-maymay

Today, I'm recommending a blog.

No, don't stop reading! It's a really cool blog, honest. It's called Male Submission Art. (Link is NSFW.)

It's not completely m/m. It's a mix of male/male, male/female, and solo male art. But even in the heterosexual pictures, the focus is on the guy.

The fellow who runs it, maymay, created the blog because "there is not enough porn wherein submissive men are the erotic subject matter". IE, porn focuses too much on women, so maymay decided to even things out a bit by showcasing hot guys tied up.

Some of the art (like the most recent image) is more philosophical than hot. Most of it is both. The blog is no longer being updated, but it still has fifty-something pages of art.

Look at this! Isn't it just gorgeous?

A young man is pressed against a wall by a larger man, who holds the smaller man’s head near his own.This gripping photograph is from the Model Mayhem portfolio of Eri Nicholas Vohnson, and was suggested by ohmyfckity, who had this to say:I came across this picture tonight and just had to share. I love how the younger male is utterly enjoying the dominating older man. There is no fear in his expression and he’s so willing.This picture took my breath away because the juxtaposition of forcefulness with willingness is searingly sexy. I also like that, in a clearly dramatized scene, both models are wearing very plain clothing. Further, the androgynous look of the smaller man adds several dimensions of power to the narrative, including gender, age, and culture.Finally, the shorter man’s untroubled expression is particularly interesting in contrast to the taller man’s aggressive stance. Coupled with his queered gender presentation, the image challenges a culture that indoctrinates many people—including men—with the belief that male lust is dangerous, and uncontrollable. Interestingly, homophobic men, like Mark Schwartz, Republican Senator Tom Coburn’s chief of staff, are arguably the group most afraid of male sexuality. According to Mark Schwartz:Pornography is a blight. […It’s] my observation that boys…have less tolerance for homosexuality than just about any other class of people. They speak badly about homosexuality. And that’s because they don’t want to be that way. They don’t want to fall into it. […] All pornography is homosexual pornography, because all pornography turns your sexual drive inwards.Ignoring for a moment this statement’s supreme stupidity with regards to pornography, Schwartz’s internalized homophobia can be logically explained. As Figleaf points out:It seems to me that if you’re sold on that view of men then homophobia is a twisted but logical outcome. Because if you’re raised to believe that you literally can’t resist sexual temptation of any sort but you’re not actually sexually oriented towards other men […] it makes sense that you’d be wildly intolerant of gay men. […If] one believes men are ravenously, uncontrollably sexually impulsive then one must live in mortal paranoia that not only might one inadvertently receive an aggressive sexual advance not only from perceptibly “homosexual” men (who are falsely presumed to be sexually interested in any possible opportunity for sex with any possible man) but equally uncontrollable straight men for whom, after all, must also believe “a hole is a hole.”Put another way, the shorter man’s androgynous look allows homophobes to more easily view him as “less than” manly. They define masculine sexuality so narrowly, both his appearance and his serenity in this situation breaks the mold.As for Schwartz, well, one does wonder if his hands are afraid of his penis since, by his logic, masturbation must be the most homosexual act of all.-maymay

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Webcomic: Tripping Over You


Tripping Over You
Another m/m webcomic! (Avery fact of the day: I read too many webcomics.)

This one's called "Tripping Over You". It's the tale of two school boys: Liam, an ornery kid with a strict father, and Milo, his talkative and flirtatious best friend.  

It's cute, and a bit short at the moment (72 strips so far, plus extras), so I haven't got much to rave about. 

Why you should check it out: 
(1) Ornery uptight kids are the best.
(2) Pining best friends are also the best.
(3) It's really funny. The alt-over text is hilarious.

But also, like I said, it's short On top of that, it's easy to get into. If you click on this link, in five minutes, you will be entertained, and in twenty minutes, you'll have reached the end of what's been posted so far.