bl classics aka yaoi hands

3/5 -- might be a classic but it's chock-full of cliches and stereotypes -- still enjoyable if that doesn't bother you tho

this is dense and depressing but definitely representative of 2000s BL -- idk if i could read it now for the sake of my mental health tho, this would be way too masochistic of a read

3/5 -- before transmigration tropes, we had exotic fantasy adventures with demonic curse marks and fuck or die subplots

4/5 -- tw: setting-typical rape, violence, vulgarity, racism, murder, infidelity -- one of the first representations of interracial couples i saw in BL (still one of the only where one partner is black, which, kudos, but i hope its not just cus its a prison setting) -- their "love" is really circumstantial and they go back and forth, getting caught up with other people, because of jealousy/possessiveness, prison politics, etc. but that's also what makes it an entertaining read

4/5 -- spin-off -- i like how sen and sword's presence is still reverberating here, but not in a positive light for most of the characters. an interesting dynamic you dont usually see -- why norman and will's story so tragic bro wth

sequel -- UGH has a lot of old yaoi tropes and a lot of non-con issues but... it's prison...... and i feel a weird nostalgia for it LOL

time travel -- would revisit this

mafia -- prison break -- og bromance -- forever incomplete :))

5/5 -- a CLASSIC -- slice of life, life-long story