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jay ⭑.ᐟ

@caphewritings

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aspec transmasc lesbian 🏳️‍🌈🇻🇳🇨🇳
international politics master’s student
queer romance ⋆ BL/GL ⋆ nonfiction
〔EN/VI/CN〕 ♡ 📍 hanoi 🛫 wuhan

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hii ヾ(*’▽’*) it’s been ages since i was last active on here, so a new introduction is in order!

(1) i’m jay, and i’m a chinese-vietnamese, aspec transmasc nonbinary lesbian! i speak vietnamese, english, and serviceable mandarin. when i’m not reading, you can find me drinking far too much caffeinated beverages, listening to music, watching sports, tending to my plants, or daydreaming 😌

(2) i adore romance—it’s been my comfort genre for the past few years, particularly m/m romance. that said, i’m actively seeking more sapphic stories lately (and you’ll hear all about them 😋). in addition, i’ve been challenging myself to explore more complex and unfamiliar reads, especially nonfiction on leftist politics, anti-imperialism, and queer/gender studies.

(3) while i try to be open to anything, queer books—especially by lgbtq+ authors—are my priorities (if it’s queer, there’s an 80% higher chance it’ll end up on my tbr). same goes for diverse stories by authors of color.

some more bookish tidbits about me:
♻️ rereading rules!!!! i love revisiting favorites—or even books i was initially iffy about—and uncovering new layers and interpretations.
📚 while i adore collecting print books (pretty shelves! and it’s a family tradition), i do most of my reading on kobo e-readers.
⭐ i’m a generous but picky rater, most books land between 3 and 4 stars for me. anything higher than that is pretty rare. 5-star ratings are reserved for exceptional reads—like james baldwin’s ‘no name in the street’.

(4) so what’s next? @caphewritings will be my media journal where i share thoughts on books, music, films & more! i log everything i consume on tracker sites (check out my linktree!), but i miss the community side of social media—especially when it comes to books. this time around, i want to focus more on being my authentic self. i used to have a book blog, and while that was fun, i got caught up in trends and hype and lost sight of what made reading fun for me. now, i’m trying to avoid that pitfall by only sharing what i genuinely consume and experience. this account probably won’t fit into any specific niche, though let’s be real, it’ll still be overwhelmingly queer 🙂‍↕️💖 Blurred photo of the poster in pastel pink áo dài at a pagoda with bold “get to know the reader” text taken in Hanoi, Vietnam by @caphewritings

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2 years ago

this will be my first year spending new year’s in china, so it feels fitting to post my ‘life in china’ recap as 2025 comes to an end. what a long fucking year, honestly. my time here flew by, but it still feels like i’ve lived several different lives in 2025.

the highlights of my first semester? a lot of socializing—more than i ever did at home. that was what i looked forward to the most before coming here, and thanks to the vietnamese community, international student bodies, and my school’s efforts to welcome new students, i didn’t spend the past few months stuck in my own bubble. nothing wild, but i did step out of my comfort zone and made some really meaningful memories and friends 🙂‍↕️

adapting to life here has been a breeze, despite the language barrier (my communication skills are still pretty subpar lol). maybe it helps that vietnamese and chinese societies share a lot of similarities, and maybe it also helps that being part-chinese means i don’t stand out too much. i don’t have any local friends yet since my program is in english, but i have plenty of semesters left for that—and for exploring the queer scene, too. i’ve been a bit, idk, shy, but having everyone use my english name (it’s masc-ish, yeah?) instead of my vietnamese name has been…strange and wonderful, to say the least.

another highlight is the campus cats. there are so many stray cats here, and somehow zero stray dogs. i say hi to every cat i see, of course. pet dogs too, when their owners aren’t weird about it. but yes, the cats absolutely deserve a mention.

and we can’t forget all the danmei/baihe books and goods!! despite reading almost nothing these past few months, i’ve been having a BALL browsing and buying stuff. it’s been so fun just being surrounded by it all. maybe the spark to actually read will come back later—i’ve been a bit ~weird~ about my interests—but this is still one of the highlights of my time here so far. on that note, i’ve actually been reading a lot more journal articles, and most of them are not even for class. it’s honestly nice to feel excited about academic reading again, so i’m posting a zotero-wrapped soon to share my favorite reads of 2025 🤭 taken in Wuhan, China by @caphewritings

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10 months ago

hiii (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) .ᐟ.ᐟ

💭: share with me some random news if you want!

if you don’t know it yet, i’ve officially moved to wuhan, china for my master’s study! i’ve been here for a little over a week, and since classes don’t start until next week, i decided to do a little update post!

i took the first photo while visiting yellow crane tower with my parents! it features my current read — hôm nay tôi lại bị ép sống lại [今天我又被迫复活], vol.3 — though i haven’t read a single page for two weeks now. hopefully i’ll get back to the groove of reading soon. i’m actually reading manhwa a lot, so i’m still reading something 🙂‍↕️

on a more personal note, this is my first time living away from home, and in a different country at that! so far, it’s…overwhelming, to be honest. my chinese is, well, rather basic, so communication with the locals is a bit awkward. but there’s a supportive vietnamese community and the international students community is very lovely as well, so i think things will be alright.

the best thing about being in china is all the danmei/baihe books and merch i can find in person! i keep himefujoshing out whenever i visit the mall right near my university, because there’s just…so much stuff. my self-restraint is being tested majorly. although, this is giving me motivation to finally read some of the series that i’ve been seeing around, like ‘reply to keats’ — there’s an insane amount of ‘reply to keats’ merch around, i’m guessing it’s because the manhua has just launched? in any case, i’m being artbaited sooooo hard.

not sure what’s going to become of my posting schedule. i don’t feel like i have to post, but i want to make content and share them with you all eventually. maybe towards the end of this month? we will have to see 🫣

[ #bookstagram #lgbtbookstagram #bookcommunity #bookrecommendations #booksbooksbooks #bookishedit #bookphotography #fiction #romancebooks #lgbtqbooks #queerbooks #queerromance #bl #gl #boyslove #girlslove #yaoi #yuri #danmei #baihe #travelgram #china #wuhan ] taken in Wuhan, China by @caphewritings

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a year ago

july wrap-up ོ༘₊⁺☀︎₊⁺⋆.˚

here’s my july wrap-up, only two weeks late 🤣 it still hasn’t fully registered to me that july is over — what do you mean it’s already mid-august??

i focused on tackling my physical tbr in july, and it went well! i finished a novel in print (今天我又被迫复活) for the first time in ages, and the feeling of accomplishment was [chef’s kiss] 😋🤌 granted, it was one of the more recent additions to my tbr rather than one of the older ones, but hey, a win is a win. it was also the first danmei series i started this year and…mmhmmm. i absolutely adored it. loved the blend of horror, chinese folklore, mystery, humour, and of course, romance.

i read 8 physical manga volumes, plus 4 more digitally! i was so fixated on reading from my physical tbr only that i felt kiiiiind of guilty picking up ~anything~ digitally, but these were calling my names, so who am i to refuse 🫣

overall, july was a pretty decent reading month! i liked pretty much everything i read, though some stood out more than others. my favorite discovery has to be amamiya’s works. ‘blue blue blue’ might not have much going on plot-wise, but i loved the couple’s dynamics and the vibes — it kept lingering in my mind, and the after story took it to another level (though i read that in august, not july). i read ‘naked color’ soon after, and dayum. probably one of the sexiest, most tasteful manga i’ve read recently! and of course, i have to mention green yuri!!! i finally read it!!!! i can’t wait to continue the series, i need ipm to release new volumes like yesterday 😩

still, my biggest obsession in july was ‘monochrome diary’. scroll to the end to see just how big. yes i’m completely normal about this manhwa.

[ #julywrapup #readingwrapup #monthlywrapup #bookstagram #lgbtbookstagram #bookcommunity #bookrecommendations #booksbooksbooks #bookishedit #fiction #nonfiction #romancebooks #lgbtqbooks #queerbooks #queerromance #mangagram #mangarecommendation #bl #gl #boyslove #girlslove #yaoi #yuri #yurimanga #manhwa #blmanhwa ] taken in BOOKSTA by @caphewritings

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a year ago

blue! blue! blue! 🎐🫧

blue! blue! blue! follows takiya kippei, a college student working seasonally at a ryokan, who becomes intrigued by his (slightly) older employer (co-worker?), honjou masumi. after honjou witnessing takiya’s breakup and offering him understanding, takiya’s interest becomes something more. he begins pursuing honjou, but honjou — still processing his own unrequited feelings for a friend — turns him down and dismisses him as a kid.

there’s not a lot of plot in this one-shot. it’s really just takiya pursuing honjou, but it’s really lighthearted and tender. takiya is persistent but not aggressive, he gives honjou space and finds his own way to get into his heart — and his patience is rewarded at the end. the paneling is a bit confusing at times, but overall i really like the art style! it’s a cute read for a summer day 🥰

#SweatAwayYourTBR ⟶ read something that has a color in the title

i have other titles in my tbr that fit this prompt, but this one is such an obvious choice that i have to go with it 🤣 even @booksofyeon suggested it, it’s just the perfect title 🙂‍↕️

[ yaoi manga, bl manga, manga recommendation, manga review :: #アマミヤ #BlueBlueBlue #Amamiya #bookstagram #lgbtbookstagram #bookcommunity #bookphotography #bookishedit #bookstagrammers #queerromance #gayromance #mangareview #mangarecommendation #mangagram #mangacommunity #mangalove #lgbtmanga #yaoimanga #yaoi #blmanga #bl #boyslove #lovemanga #graphicnovel ] taken in BOOKSTA by @caphewritings

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a year ago

the guy she was interested in wasn’t a guy at all 🎸⋆⭒˚｡⋆

y’all!!! i finally read green yuri!!!!! i took these photos in june because i had planned to read it in june, but well, that didn’t happen. but i finally did it!!!!!!!

i once saw someone on twitter said that tgswiiwagaa (what an abbreviation) was all vibes no plot, but this first volume has plenty of plot for me — and the vibes are excellent of course 😌🤌 i immediately fell in love with both aya and mitsuki and their dynamics, they’re so different but they complement each other beautifully. and their styles!!! easily some of the coolest high school characters in manga. the manga can be a bit … melodramatic at times, but, teenagers, man. i’d say it’s perfectly realistic 🤭

#SweatAwayYourTBR ⟶ read something that has been on your tbr for months

i thought i’d use this manga for the ‘has a color in the title’ prompt, then i immediately realized ‘green yuri’ isn’t its actual name 🥴 luckily it fits this prompt — i’ve had the first volume on my shelves for months. the hype was so massive that i was afraid it wouldn’t live up to it, but i’m happy to say it totally deserves the popularity 🙂‍↕️ so happy that an anime adaption has been announced! that’s kinda insane for a series with such a humble beginning 🥹

[ yuri manga, gl manga, girls’ love, manga recommendation, manga review :: #TheGuySheWasInterestedInWasntAGuyAtAll #SumikoArai #TGSWIIWAGAA #気になってる人が男じゃなかった #新井すみこ #greenyuri #bookstagram #lgbtbookstagram #bookcommunity #bookishedit #bookphotography #bookstagrammers #sapphicromance #manga #mangareview #mangarecommendation #mangareader #mangagram #mangalove #glmanga #girlslove #gl #yuri #yurimanga #wlw ] taken in BOOKSTA by @caphewritings

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a year ago

ngày mưa lạnh đôi mình hẹn ước ☔🌈
also known as: hisame furaba koi chigiri

💬 what was the last manga you read that features non-human characters?

this is such a cute little one-shot about a graduate student in folklore studies and an actual (local) god! itsuki being a geek and shamelessly asking hisame questions about all kinds of folklore once he realizes hisame is, like, THE source material, is so funny. the story itself is nothing special (human meets god, god wants to marry human, human says no but they end up living together), but the art is very pretty and the couple is really cute, which is all one really needs sometimes 🙂‍↕️

#SweatAwayYourTBR ⟶ read something that has a non-human in it

i didn’t expect this to be one of the first prompts i finished, i don’t even have that many manga/books with non-human characters on my physical tbr. i only realized this manga fit the prompt after i finished it, i was originally going to use it for a different prompt 😭

[ yaoi manga, bl manga, manga recommendation, manga review :: #氷雨降らば恋契り #梢子 #HisameFurabaKoiChigiri #Shoko #bookstagram #lgbtbookstagram #bookcommunity #bookishedit #bookstagrammers #queerromance #gayromance #manga #mangareview #mangarecommendation #mangareader #mangagram #mangacommunity #mangalove #lgbtmanga #yaoimanga #yaoi #blmanga #bl #boyslove #lovemanga #graphicnovel ] taken in BOOKSTA by @caphewritings

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a year ago

mid-year reading recap ٩(>ᗜ<*)و ⋆˚࿔

my reading has been kind of…unremarkable, to be honest. i’ve finished 50 reads in the first 6 months of 2025: 32 books and 18 manga volumes. out of the 32 books, half of which were rereads — though i’m half-sure the number is higher. most of them were firmly in my comfort zone, and lately i’ve been feeling the itch to break out of it. that’s where the nonfiction came into play. i’ve read 6 nonfiction books so far, compared to 0 last year (if we’re excluding books i had to read for school, of course). i’m pretty proud of this number! it feels good to read nonfiction for myself!

i’ve definitely been reading less this year, and i think it’s mostly due to my new medication. i started a new antidepressant and antipsychotic that’s been great for my mental health overall. BUT. i used to read so much at night, from midnight until 4 or 5 in the morning. it isn’t healthy, but it’s when i read best. being on antipsychotic means i can’t stay up late anymore — which, again, is good for me! but i haven’t quite figured out how to read during the day yet. i still read, it’s just that i’m not putting up numbers like i used to. it’s not necessarily a bad thing, i guess.

my reading life is probably going to shift again soon, because there’s a major life change happening later this year. i’m going to china to start my master’s program in international politics this fall 😳🤯😱 i’ve been sitting on this news since mid-may because it still doesn’t feel real? (and i don’t want to jinx anything lol) but it’s happening. i’m moving to china soon. wow. this means i’m going to have to leave all my physical books behind for a while (maybe i can ask my parents to mail me a few?), but since i’m already doing most of my reading digitally, it should be fine… the bigger challenge will be adapting to a whole new routine and lifestyle. that said, i’m hoping living in china will be the push i need to read more in chinese (again, aside from assigned readings lol).

for the rest of my time at home, i hope to get through as much of my physical tbr as i can. and maybe stop buying more books, since i soon won’t even be here to read them. aaarrgh 🙃 taken in BOOKSTA by @caphewritings

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a year ago

june wrap-up ☀️🌴🌊🫧

💬 what was your favorite read in june?

took me so long to put this wrap-up together because 1) i just couldn’t believe june was over?? like that was it??? 2) it felt like i didn’t read anything in june — which was partially true, i only read four books in june and two of them were rereads. BUT! i did get through more manga, most of which were from my physical tbr! not that it made much of a dent, since i kept buying manga throughout june…oh well. more to read in july?

i’m also pretty proud of myself for finishing two nonfiction books in june! i have been in the mood for nonfiction lately — not just books, but also articles. hopefully i can get my shit together and post about some of them soon 🤞

for july, i will be joining the #SweatAwayYourTBR challenge, hosted by @nuwang.b @fujoshi_x_reviews @wintersmanga @nine.talks.manga! i want to focus on my physical tbr for this, because these books and manga really deserve better than sitting on my shelves collecting dusts 😔

here’s everything mentioned in the graphics!

🗺️ nonfiction
- jules gill-peterson - a short history of trans misogyny ♡
- mohammed el-kurd - perfect victims: and the politics of appeal ♡

💘 fiction (both reread)
- briar prescott - the dating experiment ♡
- b.a. tortuga - cowboy logic ♡

🌈 manga
- 🇯🇵 shout loud, my heart [arc] ♡
- 🇯🇵 my broken mariko ♡
- 🇨🇳 she is also cute today, vol.1 ♡
- 🇯🇵 i think our son is gay, vol.1–2 ♡
- 🇯🇵 kimi to ishin denshin!
- 🇯🇵 don’t call me daddy
- 🇯🇵 seaside stranger, vol.1
- 🇯🇵 marriage to the wolf
- 🇯🇵 zense yori mo zutto aishiteru

- 🇰🇷 driver’s high ♡
- 🇰🇷 projection
- 🇰🇷 a first of summers
- 🇰🇷 monochrome diary

p.s. my method for making the graphics was throwing everything at the wall and seeing what stuck…i like how the music spread turned out though :D

[ #junewrapup #readingwrapup #monthlywrapup #bookstagram #lgbtbookstagram #romancebookstagram #bookcommunity #bookrecommendations #booksbooksbooks #bookishedit #fiction #nonfiction #romancebooks #lgbtqbooks #queerbooks #queerromance #mmromance #manga #mangagram #bl #gl #boyslove #girlslove #yaoi #yuri #yurimanga #manhwa #blmanhwa ] taken in BOOKSTA by @caphewritings

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a year ago

my thoughts on alice oseman’s comment and queer censorship — and a crash out at the end 🫠

i went back and forth on whether to post this (who cares? am i making sense? am i being mean? who gives a shit?) but fuck it we ball.

needless to say i’m never touching an alice oseman’s book again, not even with a ten-foot pole.

[ #bookstagram #lgbtbookstagram #queerbookstagram #bookcommunity #booksbooksbooks #bookishedit #bookstagrammer #mangagram #boyslove #girlslove #yaoi #yuri ] taken in BOOKSTA by @caphewritings

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a year ago

here’s my stack for #ProudlyCutsleeves! 🌈

thank you to @dawn.writesstuff & @meirinasoe for raising awareness about what’s happening to queer authors in china.

chinese danmei/baihe authors are being arrested, heavily fined, and even imprisoned for their queer works. as a queer person of chinese descent, and a fan of danmei and baihe, this recent event, and the broader hostility from chinese authorities toward queer works, deeply upsets me.

i’m not the most eloquent, so i’ve compiled a few articles by queer chinese scholars on the politics of danmei that i found really insightful. all these articles are open access and you can easily find them on google. i’ve also included posts by @minyue.writes that highlight concerns raised by chinese people. i urge everyone to follow the lead of chinese voices when raising awareness and discussing this issue.

most importantly, keep speaking up, keep raising awareness, and keep putting pressure on the chinese authorities.

here’s every book in the stack! they’re all vietnamese editions ☺️🇻🇳
🔸 mxtx - heaven official’s blessing vol.6
🔸 priest - silent reading vol.4
🔸 qiu chi - mr. prejudice
🔸 mxtx - heaven official’s blessing vol.5
🔸 jiang zi bei - wait for me after school vol.1
🔸 da feng gua guo - wishful egg
🔸 fu hua - her mountain, her sea
🔸 tang jiuqing - ballad of sword and wine vol.3
🔸 priest - guardian vol.1

[ book stack, pride books, danmei novel, baihe novel, boys’ love, girls‘ love, bl, gl :: #bookstagram #lgbtbookstagram #queerbookstagram #bookcommunity #booksbooksbooks #bookishedit #bookstagrammers #bookcollector #bookstack #booksofinstagram #bookphotography #queerromance #queerbooks #danmei #baihe #boyslove #girlslove #bl #gl #moxiangtongxiu #tianguancifu #heavenofficialsblessing #mxtx #tgcf #qjj #qiangjinjiu #balladofswordandwine ] taken in BOOKSTA by @caphewritings

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a year ago

Shout Loud, My Heart by Youga Rayri 🎸🎤⚡️
thank you @netgalley & @kodanshamanga for the e-arc!

💬 what’s your favorite manga one-shot you’ve read recently?

Gen and Mike are two college musicians playing in different bands, drawn to each other by their talent. After Gen realizes they attend the same school, the two begin to grow closer—and what starts as mutual admiration gradually deepens into something more.

For a relatively short one-shot with pretty straightforward premise, ‘Shout Loud, My Heart’ packs a surprising punch. Through their interactions, we really get to know Gen and Mike as individuals. They’re opposites in many ways, but the chemistry between them is electric—I was giggling and kicking my feet the whole time. I especially love how both characters express themselves through music, be it intentionally or subconsciously. It adds another layer of realness and emotional depth to the story.

Even with the short length, the pacing is incredibly well-done. The relationship development doesn’t feel rushed or forced at all. It unfolds naturally, with a softness and intimacy that gave me butterflies. I’ve already gone back and reread certain scenes more than once.

The thing about a really good one-shot is that it leaves you wanting more. We do get a few sweet extras after they become a couple, but I’m still desperate for more. I want to see how they are together in a domestic setting, or how their relationship might influence their music. Even the side characters—mostly their bandmates—are so fun and full of potential! There’s so much room for a sequel here.

But as it stands, ‘Shout Loud, My Heart’ is about as close to perfect as a one-shot can get in my heart 🙂‍↕️🫶🏼

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4½)

[ yaoi manga, bl manga, manga recommendation, manga review :: #ShoutLoudMyHeart #YougaRayri #陽歌れいり #bookstagram #lgbtbookstagram #bookcommunity #bookishedit #bookstagrammers #queerromance #gayromance #manga #mangareview #mangarecommendation #mangareader #mangagram #mangacommunity #mangalove #lgbtmanga #yaoimanga #yaoi #blmanga #bl #boyslove #lovemanga #graphicnovel ] taken in BOOKSTA by @caphewritings

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a year ago