Don’t be (too) ashamed. What’s the slop you’re getting into this week? Games, movies, tv shows, etc.

I’ll go first I suppose. I’m watching Burn Notice. I’m on season 3 episode 3. Some of the dialogue is so painful I’m embarrassed to watch it but then I power thru it and finally get to a high quality action scene. Former spy works w former girlfriend, his mom, and a fair weather friend to solve some problems in sunny Florida. It’s completely believable and socially redeeming.

So let’s hear it.

  • EnsignRedshirt [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    2·
    19 days ago

    The fetish/harem stuff is infuriating, partly because it adds nothing, but mostly because it tends to sneak up on you. You think the book is setting up a normal (if hacky) romance subplot, and then the author starts introducing one or two more characters who could potentially be romantic partners, and then you have that moment of like “oh god, not this shit again.” I’m not one of those “there shouldn’t be sex in fiction” people, but sometimes I wish that horny jail was real. That said, the point about Patreon whales is a good one.

    Thanks for the recommendations! I find it hard to get a sense of what’s good from reading reviews because people seem to be all over the place about what they consider to be good writing, and the stuff that’s broadly appealing isn’t always my jam. Wandering Inn has come up pretty consistently, so with that endorsement I’ll put it in the queue.

    • abc [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.netMEnglish
      2·
      19 days ago

      The fetish/harem stuff is infuriating, partly because it adds nothing, but mostly because it tends to sneak up on you.

      10000-com I get so disappointed when a serial is written incredibly well and has a pretty interesting premise but for whatever godawful reason the author feels the need to introduce their ideal Manic Pixie Dream Girl/Guy or a harem and you can tell the trajectory of the story’s quality is just gonna plummet. But then there are the rare stories where the protagonist has a romance/love interest that is written so well that I’m like “I can’t only read stories that explicitly advertise themselves as having no romance at all”

      For what it is worth in terms of the recommendations, I would say that all of the recommendations I tend to make are the ones I would tell my non-reading friends about if they asked - purely on the basis that I consider their writing/editing/plots to at least be on par with most sci-fi or fantasy you can find on the Best Sellers table at like, Barnes & Noble. I think Worm, Wandering Inn, and Pale Lights have the same writing quality (better, if I’m being honest) than your average Brandon Sanderson or Sarah Mass novel.

      Let me add The Elf Who Would Become A Dragon to my previous recommendations, because it is definitely my favorite serial of 2026. and I was reminded of it when I mentioned the rare story where romance is written genuinely well. It isn’t even the focus of the story - it is at its heart shaping up to be a story about rejection/cultural dissonance shown through the lens of elves and how their long lives make parts of their culture difficult to change. Fantastically written. It, Pale Lights, Worm, and even TWI are all books I would purchase physical copies of and proudly display on my bookshelf!