Hi all,
Story Diary was a space — a love letter — to express my love for books in a visual, factual and semi-creative way for five years, but I want to expand on my creativity in more ways than one. Which means, this chapter has come to an end.
But this is not the end of Story Diary.
I will continue the Story Diaries as a feature on my new blog:
Thank you to those who came by over the years, and I hope y’all follow along on the new journey.
xx, Genissa
No Two Ways by Chi Yu Rodriguez
Contemporary F/F Romance, LGBTQ+, Filipino Lit
April 27, 2019
AJ Felipe makes the most of being the head information security engineer for a local law firm with the help of her loyal team of nerds. Their job isn’t really the most fun, but things take a turn when one of her junior security engineers decides to nominate her for a makeover show.
Enter Jackie Niño, the one-night stand AJ didn’t expect to meet again—who also happens to be the makeup artist who’s going to get her all dolled up on national television.
More complications arise after the episode is aired and another ghost from her past comes back to haunt her: Axel Herrera, the ex-boyfriend who still thinks she left him because she’s a lesbian.
Spoiler alert: She isn’t.
Being bisexual is hard enough. How will AJ navigate new feelings while finding closure for old heartaches?
(Disclaimer: F/F Romance, On-page F/F and M/F only)
CW: mention of transphobia; mentions of biphobia; depictions of inappropriate workplace behavior
Metro Manila, Philippines
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Utang naloob = a debt of one’s inner self; debt of gratitude
ano ba = what?
grabe, sarap = very delicious
Siyempre, masarap = of course, it’s delicious
ayoko na = I give up; I don’t want to do it anymore
tabi tabi po = ‘excuse me’ in reference to filipino superstition when entering/nearing areas where ghosts or goblins live
ano pa nga ba = what else?
kolehiyalas = female collegian
anak = child
Po, Tita = ‘po’ used before someone’s name is a term of respect for older people; ‘tita’ is auntie
lola = grandma
lolo = grandpa
kuya = term of endearment for older brother or male relative
walang = no
balita ko = I heard
alam ko = I know
tangina = expression of feelings
yaya = care taker
pababa na po = going down
chismosa = gossip
tuksuhan lang naman = only joking; teasing
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“The token straight friend has arrived!” Ren yelled.
–Chi Yu Rodriguez, No Two Ways (Loc 272)
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It was never the most comfortable experience explaining my sexuality to other people. Being bisexual was literally not black or white.
–Chi Yu Rodriguez, No Two Ways (Loc 1100)
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“You can’t assume whether a person’s straight or not just by how they act or present themselves.”
–Chi Yu Rodriguez, No Two Ways (Loc 1116)
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“If I were to meet a person and they were put off by a woman wearing pants, then no thanks.”
–Chi Yu Rodriguez, No Two Ways (Loc 1180)
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I was secure in my faith as I was in being bisexual.
–Chi Yu Rodriguez, No Two Ways (Loc 1587)
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I didn’t waste time on people who chose to judge or question my sexuality. If they had a problem with me being bisexual, it was always an easy “good riddance.”
–Chi Yu Rodriguez, No Two Ways (Loc 1605)
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I’d always felt uncomfortable about sharing the permanent parts of my life with temporary people.”
–Chi Yu Rodriguez, No Two Ways (Loc 1900)
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“Sexual harrassment is sexual harrassment. Just because your friends think it’s all in good fun, doesn’t mean everyone else will.”
–Chi Yu Rodriguez, No Two Ways (Loc 2000)
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Chi Yu Rodriguez has many feelings. Sometimes these feelings find their way to paper in the form of short stories and fiction online. Sometimes they don’t come out at all and end up as unresolved sexual tension or terrible internal angst.
She prefers making imaginary people go through these feelings for her pleasure. Her muses hate her for it, and they repay her by being forever fickle.
She wrestles with them in her head everyday.
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Website | Instagram | Facebook | RomanceClass | Goodreads
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Amazon US | Amazon CAN | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | Amazon IN | Romance Class
The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic
Contemporary, Older YA/College Sports
January 15, 2013 from Smashwords Edition
Neil Josten is the newest addition to the Palmetto State University Exy team. He’s short, he’s fast, he’s got a ton of potential—and he’s the runaway son of the murderous crime lord known as The Butcher.
Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn’t need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed.
But Neil’s not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil’s new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can’t walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he’s finally found someone and something worth fighting for.
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Exy is a huge thing in this trilogy, as it is the center and connection in all of the characters lives, so I’ll give you the lowdown on the sport.
Exy is a sport played on a soccer-sized court that has walls and ceilings made of Plexiglas. It is “an evolved sort of lacrosse with the violence of ice hockey.” A team consists of six players, each of which has a racquet with varyind depths of netting. To score, the players must shoot the ball at the goal, a rectangle marked on the shorter wall. The goal will light up in red if it has been hit. The objective of the game is to out-score one’s opponents.
Six players per team are allowed on the court at a time. Generally speaking, this allows for two strikers, a dealer, two backliners, and the goalkeeper. The goalkeepers is an optional position, however, a manager may sacrifice the goal for an extra player under certain circumstances. The minimum size for an NCAA team is nine players. In theory, this allows for six on-court players and a sub for each position save goalkeeper.
[Read the authors full explanation of Exy on her website here!]
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There are four positions:
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The equipment’s needed are:
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AKA my fox children: the Exy team of Palmetto State University.
In their first year, Palmetto State refused to sign any female players Coach Wymack asked for. After their disastrous first season, he was allowed to sign the three women and made Danielle captain – the first female team captain in NCAA Class I Exy. GO LADIES!!!
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“It sounded like a dream; it tasted like damnation.”
–Nora Sakavic, The Foxhole Court
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“Hope was a dangerous, disquieting thing, but he thought perhaps he liked it.”
–Nora Sakavic, The Foxhole Court
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“Neil couldn’t remember what it felt like to have someone hold him up. It was terrifying and liberating all at once. His life was out of his control now; he was giving it to Andrew and hoping Andrew would keep it safe.”
–Nora Sakavic, The Foxhole Court
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“It’s not the world that’s cruel. It’s the people in it.”
–Nora Sakavic, The Foxhole Court
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Sagittarius & barista. Army brat & Japanophile. Sex-repulsed aro-ace. Love-hate relationship with writing; love-love relationship with alcohol. You gotta work for your happy ending around here.
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