Wowza, you made our first year one for the books. In this episode, we look back at what we loved, what we fought about, and what we learned about ourselves.

Thank you to our dozens of listeners for your love and support <3 We promise to be just as unhinged next year. See you in March!

We're joined this week by a special guest, Vannah: a real lesbian!!

Do soulmates exist? Do we put too much emphasis on romantic relationships in life? What does it mean to be aromantic?

Trigger/content warnings: alcohol use, mentions of parental neglect, abandonment, explicit sex Tropes: BFFs-to-lovers, second chance, snowed-in, left at the altar, angst, Christmas, grumpy x sunshine, one bed

Master Kim’s Corner:

• Queer women have been killed on television for decades. Now The 100’s fans are fighting back. - Caroline Framke

• • Adding insult to fatal injury is the fact that many lesbian character deaths seem to happen for no other reason than to further a show’s plot. This might mean a show focuses on how a gay woman’s death affects her straight co-stars instead of focusing on the dead woman herself, or it might mean a show uses a gay woman’s death to give the partner she left behind an extra boost of motivation.

What makes a Christmas romance novel? Are there Christmasy tropes we should expect (ie. Christmas markets, Santa, snowed-in)? How does someone overcome the parental pressures to get married and/or have children? And, are there any merits to car sex?

Trigger Warnings/Content Warnings: profanity, death of children (off-page), hospital setting, children in hospice, diet culture toxicity, fatphobia, football injury (off-page), mental health struggles, explicit sex

Tropes: fake dating, one night stand, small town romance, Christmas, instalust, Ex NFL Player, grumpy x sunshine, miscommunication

Master Kim's Corner

The History of Hallmark Christmas Movies - Anne Taylor

You’re not fat, you’re beautiful - Jenny Zigrino

What is it about tentacles that gets us all hot and bothered? Is there a difference in (female) pleasure based on whether or not a guy is circumsized? And will Kim ever stop choosing books based on their cover??

Trigger/Content warnings: depression, group play, tentacle play, anal, explicit language

Tropes: MMF, tentacles, novella, monster romance, Christmas, unrequited love, snowed in

Master Kim’s Corner:

The Straight Dope - What’s the deal with Japanese Tentacle Porn - Cecil Adams

Do we NEED to define our sexuality with one label? How does that help folks feel seen and affirmed, and what are the pitfalls? Why was the female main character doing so much emotional labor?

Trigger/content warnings:

Polyamory, fisting, toy play, oral, BDSM, anal, double penetration, primal play, rough sex, mentions of the foster care system, discussions of sexuality, mentions of parent death, and mentions of PTSD from one character's time in the military, humiliation, degradation, strong language.

Tropes:

MMF, grumpy sunshine, Christmas, gay/bi awakening, snowed in/forced proximity

Master Kim's corner:

Bisexual Stories from IRL women on how they figured out their sexuality - Paisley Gilmour and Lois Shearing

First and foremost, free Palestine.

Why do so many romance novels (and Disney movies) have a dead or absent parent? Does anyone use dental dams? What IS sex?!?!

Trigger/content warnings: Ableism, Alcohol, Bullying, Emotional Abuse, Injury, Mental Health diagnoses, Panic Attacks, Sexually Explicit Scenes, Toxic relationship (not Main Characters), Vomit

Tropes: sapphic, workplace romance/sports romance, rivals to lovers, grumpy sunshine

Master Kim's Corner:

-https://prismreports.org/2024/01/18/bipoc-book-creators-boycott-st-martins-press/

Join us in donating!

https://gofund.me/cf8d4230

Why are people willing to stay in unhappy relationships? Bc they're used to it? Bc it's comfortable? Why do hetero women want to date taller men? Why do we want to feel small?

Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of religious topics, cheating (off-page), divorce, self-isolation, a family member going through terminal illness, feelings of anxiety, loneliness and not belonging, graphic sexual content is between consenting adults, monstrous anatomy, tail play, horn play, praise kink, stretching, spanking, rimming, and double penetration.

Tropes: small town romance, female main character over 30, age gap, praise, special peen, deal with a demon, love after divorce

Master Kim's Corner:

Why So Much Cozy? Thoughts on Jam, Cheese, and the Rise of Cozy Fantasy - Sarah Beth Durst

Is kink becoming pop culture? Do we create dating profiles to be ABOUT us, or to ATTRACT? In the world of interracial romance novels, why is a Black female main character so frequently paired with an Asian male main character?

Trigger/Content warnings: panic attacks (past, mentioned), anxiety, depression, PTSD, infertility and miscarriages (mentioned), domestic violence (past, mentioned, includes emotional, verbal, physical), alcohol consumption, death of a parent (mentioned), therapy sessions, marijuana use (edibles, smoking), nightmares, divorce (past), DUI, absent parent (past, mentioned), sexually explicit content, spanking, edging, toys, “daddy,” public play

Tropes: found family, black cat x golden retriever, neighbors with benefits to lovers, opposites attract, he falls first

Master Kim’s Corner:

• • What Is a Pleasure Dom? Develop a ‘Cum’-manding Presence - Grindr Editorial Team
  • What is a Pleasure Dom? - Evie Lupine