Forum › Posts by Simca

Simca
En-Aid discussion 01 Jun 01:25
joined Jan 3, 2020

Clearly the National Suicide Hotline should just hire cute lesbians to patrol the streets. Fixes everything.

Simca
joined Jan 3, 2020

I mean if they kill him and escape the island... happy ending possible?

joined Jan 3, 2020

I am not a fan of how this anal sex setup was achieved.

I know this is basically a hentai work, and I'm probably overanalyzing, but if you have to pressure your partner this frequently for anal, and they keep saying No but you keep trying it anyway, you're not listening to them.

Then this chapter we see in her internal monologue that she really doesn't want to do it, but tells her partner she is ready because she wants to please her partner, who has been constantly pushing for this.

I think the story is probably set up for us to assume that she's in denial and actually does want to do anal play (just like she was initially in denial about how good everything else felt), but this just felt wrong to me (maybe because it hits too close to the issue where anal sex is pushed on men to an extreme degree and normalized despite a large amount of women not being fans of the idea).

Just my two cents, and I know I am overanalyzing this.

joined Jan 3, 2020

Not a big music person, but I love this kind of story, where a romantically-assertive girl chases another one who didn't get a chance early on to clarify their gender (and doesn't correct the person later because they find they kind of like it).

Kind of like a coming of age story but with different cliches, so it feels fresher.

Also, the art style is fantastic. I really like how the artist manages to bring across the character's feelings without solely using blushing. The facial expressions are very emotive, and the light application of blushing (whereas many are heavy-handed with this) does so much more in my opinion to immerse the reader.

joined Jan 3, 2020

"I split my ass on the night bus."
"Your ass is split to begin with."

What does that mean? Is it an idiom to say she sat for so long that her buttcheeks became separated?

No. At least in English, this wording is just an alternative for "ouch, my aching backside" or other similar expressions. Her response is actually common. It's actually so particular it makes me wonder if it is a reference, either here or in the original Japanese.

joined Jan 3, 2020

And this arc has finished! Looking forward to what's coming next.

My comments as a Light Novel reader (spoilers in case you wanna swap to the LN some day)
This is a moment I've been looking forward to for a while now. And honestly, I feel the manga kinda lets it down. Lene and her brother were much more sympathetic in the Light Novel as unwitting accomplices blackmailed into betraying the people they loved, rather than mostly willing participants who didn't quite think things through (that's not to say they weren't entirely innocent in the LN ). But this moment also felt so much more bittersweet LN, because you felt they weren't entirely being fairly punished. Claire crying into Rei's arms felt more emphasized and it ending on a less mysterious note. Either way, I'm gonna keep reading.

I mean... as both an LN reader and a manga reader, I feel like they were incredibly lucky to live. Hell, even in modern society they would be lucky to get anything but life in prison.

They tried to destroy a school and destabilize a government on behalf of a foreign country (blackmail or not doesn't change those facts). This isn't just a medieval society being unreasonable in its punishment.

Let's not forget that in both versions the brother rigs that wand that covers an unwitting innocent in 3rd degree burns. They ruined lives.

joined Jan 3, 2020

wow how did i miss this? just binge-read all of it

It was uploaded on Dynasty only recently, was already at Chapter 21.

Simca
Secret discussion 26 Apr 06:44
joined Jan 3, 2020

The yandere bit is very much out of nowhere.

joined Jan 3, 2020

What was exactly going on with the boys during Minamo's thought monologue?

It started with them teasing that one guy who is obsessed with Minamo, then he left and Yurika bumped into them. And then there's some blushing on both sides and some girls gossiping quietly across the hall. Is Yurika getting outed here or is it something else?

Maybe one of the guys confessed or invited her to that party.

Simca
joined Jan 3, 2020

Does anyone know where I can read the translated light novel version of "A Yuri Story About a Girl Who Insists "It's Impossible for Two Girls to Get Together" Completely Falling Within 100 Days"?

NovelUpdates has the links to the translations. Meatbuns did translations of volumes 1 and 2. I've read those; they're good, but you have to forgive some typos and grammar mistakes (this is common though). Haven't read the volume 3 stuff yet. I honestly thought volume 2 was the end of the series because the end was so natural. Guess I need to catch up.

https://www.novelupdates.com/series/onna-doushi-to-ka-arienai-deshou-to-iiharu-onna-no-ko-wo-hyakunichi-kan-de-tetteiteki-ni-otosu-yuri-no-ohanashi/

joined Jan 3, 2020

I already owned the chapters apparently, just didn't connect them in my head because the titles were different (and apparently hadn't gotten to reading them yet).

Got to say, I like the translation from knight heron more. I feel like the official translation leaves out quite a few words in many speech bubbles. It's done for the sake of brevity, but it comes at a sizeable cost to depth. There's a few speech bubbles on Chapter 2 that just don't make sense as translated in the official version.

It's not terrible or anything, but I found myself wondering in later chapters "what did they leave out of this speech bubble in order to make the font this big?"

last edited at Apr 12, 2022 6:02AM

Simca
joined Jan 3, 2020

This is a crazy one. Also not the biggest fan of the chibi art style, but it's not a deal breaker.

joined Jan 3, 2020

I really like this one. The characters are pretty relatable. It's nice to see an accepting family and some friends for Yurika. Minamo is an interesting second lead, and it highlights some of the hardships of poverty.

There's a few interesting hooks into future plot threads at the moment in the story (chapter 21). First, it seems like something went very wrong in Yurika's past relationship, but we've only gotten hints as to what happened there. Also, both Yurika and the teacher have also asked Minamo if somebody hasn't been coming to class recently. Tsubame is more than a little obsessed with Tsukie, and the story implies that she has some psychological issues (showing a thrice daily prescription during the obsession narration). Lastly, of course, there seems to be signals (blushing, heart flutter thoughts, etc) of a brewing romance between the two leads. This is most obvious on Yurika's end, and she does seem consciously aware of it (while Minamo is not).

Simca
joined Jan 3, 2020

Yeah, that's a good one. If we're recommending light novels; A Lily Blooms in Another World is decent and I'm In Love With The Villainess is fantastic.

Simca
joined Jan 3, 2020

I read a whole article about this and yet I still came here unsure of what term I'm supposed to use (lol), but I'm looking for recommendations for novels involving F/F romance, without that meaning that the primary genre has to be romance though. I'm curious about adventure (in either a fantasy or realistic setting) and sci-fi stories, but historical drama or slice-of-life would also be good. I don't really mind the age of the characters, but I don't want an age gap romance. Incest is also out (note: step-sisters who haven't grown up together are okay). Oh, and no vampires/werewolves please. NSFW scenes are okay, but not as the main focus.

I'd rather it be available online ('cause I can't afford to have them in my library for a number of reasons...), so webnovels and amateur original works are more than welcome, as long as they are completed.

As for what to call it, there's a lot of answers and it usually depends on where it is from. Western fan fiction and amateur works often use F/F, femslash, or WLW. Western published novels tend to be under Lesbian Fiction (shortened to Lesfic by fans), though the Girls' Love (GL) term is finally gaining some ground outside amateur circles, especially on online platforms. Manga, manhua, and manhwa usually use Yuri (which you probably already know).

I've read a good 400 or so Lesfic novels in the past 5 years, more if we count amateur works. Personally, I tend to avoid fantasy and sci-fi settings in general because most of the Lesfic novels I've read in those subgenres are not particularly great. It seems like the genre isn't mature enough in this particular area, and even some of the mildly popular stuff feels like self-insert power fantasy, which can really take me out of things. That said, it's obviously not all bad (nor is this problem endemic to Lesfic, see popular mainstream titles like Ready Player One for non-GL examples).

Anyway, here's a few of my favorites that fit your requirements, spread out among different themes:
* The Lily and The Crown - One of my favorite Lesfic stories of all time, and it is even Sci-Fi. It manages to capture some really unique emotional spaces and situations, and it comes up in my thoughts periodically even years after reading it. There is a bit of age gap between the characters but... it isn't ever really relevant, and the younger lead is still in her 20s.
* Poppy Jenkins - Nice little romance novel about a quiet Welsh town.
* Chasing Stars - Superhero romance. Good change of pace.
* Gideon The Ninth - This is the least romance-focused suggestion, but it is so unique and interesting I would have considered reading it even if there wasn't any romance at all.
* About That Kiss - One of many Hollywood/actress-focused romance novels. This is my personal favorite of that setting.
* Tryst Six Venom - This is a really weird one because the leads start off hating each other so strongly. I almost stopped reading about a quarter of the way in, but it actually kind of became an odd favorite.

Also after typing up this post, I remembered there is a dedicated thread here for Lesbian Fiction in other media, which probably has a lot more book suggestions, though I do remember that it focused a lot on movies and TV shows.

joined Jan 3, 2020

I have complicated feelings about this one.

I really related to some bits of this. Either the author is trans or is really good at empathy because the "I can't stand men, especially myself" bit is straight out of my own thought process in my darker times. Additionally, the "I was planning to disappear, so nobody had to hate me or feel disappointed" line of thought is also something I have considered often.

But what they did to Botan was absolutely savage. They ruined her life and their own family by extension. Then Kasumi reveals she really isn't into girls or willing to have a life without marriage, children, etc. Then everyone is so crippled by poverty that they all have to give up all their dreams and ambitions.

Realistic? Yes, but maybe realism this stark isn't what I wanted at the end of a trans story.

joined Jan 3, 2020

Cute and wholesome with a touch of lewdness. Love it.

Totally agree.

As an aside, I bought Scarlet Vol 2 in English and found out first hand why nobody ever finished translating that one. Nobody deserves to have to read that ending. Yikes.

It's one of those "then everyone died. The end." kind of deals that was obviously written on the spot (because there's loads of unhandled plot threads).

last edited at Mar 25, 2022 2:56PM

joined Jan 3, 2020

I found Volume 2 and 3 to be enjoyable. It's all complicated, messy, and shockingly realistic.

If you liked the first 7 chapters, then you will like the stuff up through Volume 3.

Simca
joined Jan 3, 2020

Wanted to briefly shout out The Girlfriend Project on Tapas (https://tapas.io/series/the-girlfriend-project) as being fantastic so far. Both the leads are great, too. Requires purchase past the 5th chapter, but I found it to be worth it.

My current favorite series is actually Bai Lijin Among Mortals (available on Bilibili Comics up to ch 70 and manga aggregators up to ch 112). The main couple in that are so good.

Both worth considering if you are somebody like me, who has devoured all Yuri that exists with such ferocity that there is nothing left, so any new title you do find is a precious resource.

last edited at Mar 25, 2022 2:41AM

joined Jan 3, 2020

I liked this chapter in some aspects, but the tropes slightly took me out of it. I can't even begin to count the number of romance stories I've read where a rainstorm triggers them sheltering in one character's house, which is followed by bathing drama. Then the author combined in the ever-prevalent "character faints in bathtub" trope, which has always been a strange one (clearly the Japanese all bathe in temperatures at the edge of human endurance).

As for the ongoing debate/discussion around romantic/sexual identification terminology, it's very complicated, obviously. Attempts to simplify it inevitably remove complexity and exclude at least someone somewhere. (Which I'm about to do, so I appreciate the irony.)

An analogy I like to use is to think about sexual attraction as a vector. Vectors are mathematical line functions that consist of a magnitude and a direction. The directional component of a vector of sexual attraction is the person's sexual orientation. Strictly speaking, this is what the 'LGB' terms were originally used to be a catch-all to represent. The magnitude component of a vector of sexual attraction is the level of sexual interest you have towards somebody. This is where terms like asexual come into play. There are probably a very broad range of sexual interest levels (not just 'sexual' and 'asexual'), but there isn't great terminology in this area to describe them. Some people may use terms like hypersexual or celibate, but those terms are intended to answer a different question that is less about initial sexual attraction and more about ongoing sexual activity.

Pansexual and demi-sexual are terms answering a different question ('why are you attracted to the people who you are attracted to?') that is partially related. Lastly, romantic attraction/love are different concepts for the most part.

All of this is compounded in complexity by how hard it is to fully understand and know even oneself. This is partly what manga like this one are showing. Everyone assumes they are one thing (or don't even think about it) until they grow by either physical age or by meeting more people and being exposed to new ideas.

Simca
joined Jan 3, 2020

Oooooh that was good! They are really cute together, especially once Waon went back to her old style and turned on the charm. I’d love to read more about them.

I can imagine her mother and grandmother going irate when they find out that not only is she mingling with a commoner (le gasp!), she’s also going to be dating her in the future (oh muy lawd!). Would love to be a fly on the wall when that happens.

Agreed. I wish there was more so we could see this and see her push back against her parents.

Simca
joined Jan 3, 2020

I have a hard time investing in a story with these tags at the start because I need a happy ending.

That said, this intro is really interesting.

Simca
joined Jan 3, 2020

This is great. Super unique twist.

joined Jan 3, 2020

Interesting. This is probably the first vampire story (yuri or otherwise) I read in which the main couple are both vampires. The usual setup is a vampire and a human.

Several webcomics, webtoons, and novels do the vampire couple thing, but yeah it is a bit less common in manga.

First manga that comes to mind where both leads are vampires is one of Mira's series, lol.

joined Jan 3, 2020

There can never be enough vampire Yuri, though I admit I do slightly prefer it when only one of them is a vampire.