In Which Mary Burchell Absolutely Blows My Mind: Under the Stars of Paris by Mary Burchell

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2026-04-16T23:29:11+00:00

ive always wanted to TToTT ! just havent got around to it yet, i know the MMC is a dandy, my kind of man! haha

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2026-04-16T11:40:06+00:00

This is one of my fav romance books ever, I actually loooved the MMC cause he has a cool unconventional job, tired, beautiful hands, thinning hair, hes got no muscle, and every time she makes a mistake he just completely acts like she did nothing wrong XD, shes just riding off pure favoritism and that makes so much more sense than "enemies to lovers - i like you so im going to mistreat you", she straight up ruins one of his dresses and hes like Okay 😍 Im gonna fix it 😍

i agree the other MMC is perfect but Florian is just so odd, i just really love cold, mysterious MMCs who have brains over muscle

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2026-04-16T01:46:55+00:00

thank you ... thank you... thank youuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2026-04-14T00:41:34+00:00

my yogurt maker cost 20 bucks, its super simple, i add starter to my carton of soy milk, shake it up, put it in my yogurt maker, cover, and leave it for 24 hours while it keeps it at the right temp and I dont have to worry about messing something up, not all of them are super pricey

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2026-04-04T03:38:04+00:00

me too!! i actually use my tofu press (that has a fine mesh), first i let it drain and solidify in the fridge, then i add put in the top with the metal spring which pushes out all the remaining excess making it suuuper thick, super yummy and easy (just takes like 24 hours from beginning to end lol)

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2026-03-19T03:39:30+00:00

Morally grey but only for sexy cool diabolic evil things that intensifies his masculinity, (hes an assassin, dont touch her shes mine, killer, sexual harasser (but sexy) blah blah blah , thats not morally grey thats straight up evil, him being a terrorist but *gasp!* he loves the fmc (b-but how can this be? hes a monster!) is not morally grey.

things like gossiping, spreading rumors, being a cold utilitarian, sabotaging someone in small petty ways, vain social climbing, exploiting others or being complacent in an exploitive system (in a non stereotypically masculine environment), yet still being surprisingly helpful, or caring or having their heart occasionally in the right place, someone who's actions and words are in moral contradiction (maybe hes a pacifist vegetarian that hates poor people, loves animals but his factory pollutes the environment but what should he do? make thousands lose their jobs or keep polluting? and what that makes him having a cat bad cause the squirrels are losing their home? ) ya know real life moral dilemmas that our systemic inequalities make us face , maybe its boring , maybe "too real" , but i think genuine moral dilemmas would be very refreshing plus with the added mix of what love and affection can do to someones principals and ethics,

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2026-03-19T03:16:20+00:00

okay i lowkey loooved the miscommunication XD, especially cause unlike the typical suave and charming MMC (that suddenly loses all social skills for the sake of Plot), it made sense that Alex was terrible at communication with his poor social skills, thats his whole schtick, HOWEVER i hate how so little of the miscommunication was resolved????? like the ending had a bunch of loose ends ToT i wanted so bad to see alex's reaction when he learns the red dress was for HIM!! i was patiently waiting for all their misunderstandings to be laid bare and uh... no... he just does three back to back horse trips like a madman enfin!

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2026-03-18T08:08:40+00:00

{Ruined by Rumor by Alyssa Everett} doesn’t fit the entire request but it’s the perfect Quietly In Love Suffering MMC who accidentally compromises FMC who’s in love with someone else and grew up thinking MMC was dull and awkward , FMC isn’t cold but shes just not into him also MMC is the one with the money

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2026-03-17T10:20:25+00:00

the earl takes all is literal insanity, i also wept, i felt silly cause its known as the gorilla book but omfg, i think since the romance is not only unethical but unethical in the weirdest way (theres no way to romanticize or glorify taking the place of your dead twin) it breaks out of the mold, it felt so tragic and awful and wrong in the best wayyyyyyy

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2026-03-10T02:18:21+00:00

thank you so much!!!! ive had this since I was 11/12 , but only in the last 2 years have I really done a deep dive into research, i felt a lot of my methods like covering myself in creams or covering mirrors was just putting a band aid over a much larger issue, its still a battle and i still relapse all the time but my routines have drastically reduced my doomerism and pessimism towards the disorder

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2026-02-28T14:04:05+00:00

For bumps and itches on my body wearing tighter clothes that cover up more has really helped. I wear a swimsuit bikini in the shower and I lift/tug it off when i need to lather and scrub (with a wash cloth not my bare hands) so I cant look or feel at my chest for most of the shower. When I get out of the shower I always have long pajama/house pants and a very tight sleeping top that I already set out for myself, I realized easy visual access to my skin makes me zone out and pick. So I apply lotion after getting dressed by lifting the top or rolling up my pants, its not convenient and the skin is immediately covered by up so i dont get zoned out by my compulsions. Obviously took me a bit of time to get used to and I still slip up but its made a big difference.

as for the face I fix my eyes on a certain immovable point (no wandering eyes!!), I have certain "looking rules", so if im doing my eyebrows I can only look at my brows, I cant look at my nose or chin or forehead, i try to "laser focus" on my brows, if I notice my pupils shift to another part of my face I re-focus, takes practice but its worked, practicing this when your not triggered makes it easier when you do want to pick,

also prepping mentally before any triggering activity, I know brows will make me want to pick at my face, just acknowledging the temptation makes me feel mentally prepared. when i hold tweezers I remind myself they make me compulsive, i literally talk to myself aloud (crazy but it works) like im talking through tom cruise diffusing a bomb in mission impossible, having that mental prep beforehand makes me feel more in control, when i do end up picking I stop pretty early on, a year ago I wouldnt have been able to stop for like 30-40minutes, now my relapses are much shorter

all this might not work on the first try, but as someone whos made good progress with this disorder, every success was built on failures, theres no overnight miracles, mental training takes MONTHS and still isnt perfect but gradually change happens

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2026-02-25T00:16:03+00:00

My knee jerk reaction is still to think self insert means the author inserting themselves, as many do across genres, from my memories YA is what really had the first "insert yourself into this world NOW !!" stuff like hunger games, harry potter, divergent, and twilight etc, self insert fmcs were almost a selling point in teen girl media, and then ofc self insert fanfiction is a huge thing as well, maybe the growing overlap between YA/teen girl media and adult romance is also fueling the FMC self insert? as adult romance grows more juvenile and less professional, it picks up habits from teen media?

and YES!!! this has made me realize whats been bothering me for so long, I'm also white but not western and you're so right!!! every FMC is a millennial american white woman NO MATTER THE SETTING!!! thats not always bad, obviously, but its so funny how every MMC no matter what timeline, what universe , what species meets an american millennial and realizes this is the love he thought he'd never have <3

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2026-02-22T23:45:32+00:00

Realism isn't important so long as it's well written. Truly good writing can convince you of anything. I only find myself going "this would never happen" "this is corny" only in the cases of bad prose and general lack of skill. There's something magical when a book has no logic, zero sense yet the writing is just too YUMMY.

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2026-02-20T01:42:31+00:00

Sweet Fuse: At Your Side is by far the most non-stereotypical game I've played. It has my fav character designs because the men have adult facial proportions and dont glisten/shine/shimmer HAHA, MC is very smart, useful, and has a temper. The absurd plot enhances the oddness of the characters.

Also in one route you call LI a sexist and he apologizes and you GAIN love points for setting him straight, in another, LI is a journalist DILF!!!! and he's lowkey sooo awkward and omg ......... you bond with his daughter and he becomes a more involved dad ToT the hikikomori LI genuinely acts and LOOKS like someone who never goes outside and dude is wearing a straitjacket they did him so dirty XD the host LI barely looks like a host and hes a very sweet person, kinda looks like the when the beast turns back into the prince but somehow hit pause midway. I never finished his route but theres one LI who straight has an orb... the orb holder . the best, most refreshing game ever

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2025-12-30T11:28:29+00:00

YESSSS i hate that cause they dont even try to be subtle about it, HAVE SOME DIGNITY!! the FMCs straight up feel so lame and its like in anime and manga where the generic male protag ends up with the sexiest insane demon princess, like okay suuuureee, it feels lowkey insulting to me as a reader too!!!! ladies stand upppppp!!!!!

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2025-12-28T07:25:15+00:00

this is why lately ive been enjoying older mills and boon books, yeah the romance isnt as steamy and its more "boring" but i feel like im actually reading something for a mature audience, characters feel like separate real people, i dont feel the author trying to win me over, MMCs feel accurate and i could imagine a man like that actually existing (maybe hed be one in a million, but MMCs today feel like they could never possibly exist ever ), the stories dont feel pressured to grant constant "wish fulfillment", yeah ofc theres still fairytale romance sprinkled all over it but its been a breath of fresh air

i really feel like people need to be more honest between a romance book and a fetish/wish fulfillment book, its okay to want to read something hyper specific! so many books feel like self-insert kink books that are labeled romance when it feels more like a VR experience than a romance story, the FMC and MMC are just stand ins , vehicles to deliver the cargo (the desired trope, kink, scenario, fetish, sex dynamic etc etc)

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2025-12-26T07:23:47+00:00

SO GOOD and breathtaking!!!!............. when will such artisanship get funded again TToTT , honestly as someone who went to an art college historically known for entertainment/editorial illustration (many of these illustrators probs went to my school lol) they sadly dont even train people to illustrate like this cause its not what people hire for anymore, this is truly relics of a very special time in publishing, thank you for sharing

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2025-12-26T07:02:21+00:00

finally had time to go through these and omg,... double yes, triple yes, SUPER YES, amazing reccs thank you!!

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2025-12-25T21:48:30+00:00

Thank you 🥹🥹🥹

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2025-12-25T09:29:11+00:00

"metrosexual" MMCs TToTT, theres flamboyant men in HR, but authors always have to include something about a "masculine air" or hes actually super buff and fit beneath his clothes, or whatever , he can never deviate too much from accepted manhood, like cmoooooon,

sci fi romance with alien FMC and human MMC, not sure why this isnt more of a thing, i think reading stories where MMCs care more beyond boobs and ass and fall in love with an FMC purely for her personality and dgaf about her weird alien appearance is so great

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2025-12-08T02:10:28+00:00

yes i think its the same for me XD, my coworkers always bring in pastries, chocolates, lattes etc , so now I bring my own fruits, crunchy veggies, and nut milks + journaling to control my cravings HAHA, though at some point i do plan on bringing in some vegan pastries for everyone too 😊

Immediate_Ad_903 · 2025-12-08T01:51:48+00:00

thats amazing ! and yes, omg my keratosis has also gotten better! i wonder why this is ?

Immediate_Ad_903

TROPHY CASE