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Confined Together with the Horror Game's Male Lead

Also know as the Male Lead and I Are Trapped Together in a Horror Game.

Okay, we're going to take a bit of a twist on this one. The story goes like this - a girl who loved to play horror video games ends up in one of the horror games she could never manage to beat. She's not the protagonist of the game however - she's the guide for the protagonist, a maid named Charlotte that is as much tormentor and a part of the game's trap as she is helpful.

I'm just going to let you know right now, this is a dark manhwa. It's not full blown gore or endless grinding despair and I don't know that I'd label it horror so much as psychological horror. The game our heroine is set in is in an old Edwardian type mansion. The 'plot' of the game involved getting enough keys on each level to make it to the next floor and then starting the process all over again. Each floor has its own history and its horrors are all tailored to that setting. You see, once upon a time, a young girl grew up trapped by her family in this mansion and each floor is a different stage of her life and the subsequent horrors that she had to live through during that time. The 'hero' of the game, though 'victim' might be a better word, is Dietrich, a fallen holy knight with a heart of gold and try as she could, when playing the game in the real world, our heroine could never manage to get him past the second floor before he died no matter what she tried.

The game isn't really interested in killing Dietrich however - or rather, it will kill him, but that comes secondary. What the mansion really wants to do is break Dietrich and steal the light from his eyes, corrupting him into someone unrecognizable.

And - perhaps - it wants to corrupt Charlotte as well.

Look, I am not going to recommend this if you're in a rough place or you just want something light and distracting. It's not the worst thing I've ever read but its one of the hardest because it does such a good job of making you care for Dietrich and Charlotte. Watching the things the mansion does to Dietrich, the ways it digs at him psychologically and mind fucks him hurts. There were multiple points where I had to set this aside and go do something else for a few days because it was chewing at the back of my brain. There was at least one point where I had to set it down with a softly horrified 'no no no don't do it please Dietrich don't do that'. This is one of those stories that gets under your skin and wiggles around in the back of your brain and while I am warning you about it - I absolutely also LOVE that in a story and this one does it so well. It drops so many breadcrumbs for you to find and pays them off slowly - keeping you like a fish on a hook as it reels you slowly in. You feel so good when you figure something out first and the story affirms it later because its a clever story and it makes you feel clever figuring it out. Watching Charlotte fighting to find ways around the way she's limited as a 'part' of the mansion to still try to help Dietrich - and just how clear-mindedly ruthless she's willing to be to do that is like the shock of cold water against your face after a gritty day. Dietrich has such a good heart, so beaten down and yet so devoted to simply helping anyone around him that needs it that you root for him so hard and each time the mansion twists him a little more its a root driven down through your heart. It is so easy to understand Charlotte and why she's fighting so selflessly to free him while also being a flawed human.

It's just - its a really deeply twisty story that breaks your heart and has you trying to figure out ways to solve things even when you're not reading the story.

And where we are currently? Oh my GOD! Its horrifying and completely understandable because the writing has built up to it so solidly and yet I'm over here kind of hoping this is a good thing?!

(come on, Noah, I'm counting on you to save -redacted- )

The way this story psychologically manipulates is just on point is what I'm saying.

The artwork is just a bit stringy, just a bit lean, just a bit thick and messy while still being beautiful and it really adds so much to the story. I have no idea where its going to happen next which is nice when so many stories, and manhwa in particular, are predictable and I'm really rooting for Dietrich and Charlotte - as well as the poor girl that was trapped in that house long ago. This is a story that really lingers.

Just - yeah, great story and a real good proof that a well written story can psychologically manipulate you if you're willing to take that ride.

rating: going to go with an R for this. The sex isn't graphic but I think sex combined with the gore and themes might rate either a light R or maybe NC17

warnings: blood, gore, undead, corruption moral and mental, sex, death, murder, incest, horror game elements, killer teddy bears, war, PTSD and the after-effects of war on a solider, family neglect, not enough family neglect, talk of rape, brainwashing, suicide, child and animal endangerment - look its a horror game, bad shit is going down, straining hope

finished: thank goodness, no

abs: chapter 14 - horror games are rough on clothes, okay?

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Behold! As promised.

Charlotte and Her 5 Disciples - completed. After going to great lengths (trust me, she needed to) to finally die in peace mage dies presumably without regrets. She wakes up in her child body (no time travel involved) and realises that her one regret is not finding love. Story starts from there. Magic, adventure, romance. Possible end of the world. Romance is important, yes, but there are other important things going on. Plenty of humour. There are some abs, eventually.

The Gourmet Gamer / Please Have A Meal - completed. A cook loses his sense of taste and smell after illness, sinks into depression. Discovers VR game where all his senses work and he can cook! Proceeds to get better. Combination of VR game and real life, entwined and interconnected. Food, adventures, quests, food, human connection, recovery, food. There's a character w eating disorder. Recommend having snacks on hand. Mostly light but Very Serious About Importance of Food (not in annoying way).

I Stole the Number One Ranker's Soul - completed. This is a popcorn read, YMMV. Dungeons appeared in the world, must be cleared by hunters. Your average girl awakens as low level hunter, gets sucked into a dungeon, miraculously survives w help of top ranked hunter who then dies. She collects his body for proper burial, accidentally 'harvests'(skill) his soul. Turns out he is not as dead as he seemed! She promises him to kill all dungeon bosses. And on it rolls. It's pretty fun. Fighting, human connections, possible end of the world, some politics, romance. I didn't expect much from this one, but got really invested, enough to read till 3am for several days straight.

Master Villainess the Invincible! / I'm a Martial Art Villainess, but I'm the Strongest! - completed on MangaBuddy. An author reincarnates as a villainess in a novel. Proceeds to change everything. Politics, murder, mystery, murim world (martial arts), human connections, romance. I'm somewhat feral about it. Love her so much!

I Shall Master this Family! / I'll Be the Matriarch in This Life - ongoing. Woman dies and wakes up in her childhood body. Proceeds to try and save her family (she loves her family so much!) and become a matriarch. Politics, wholesome family, romance. Intelligent villains. Healthy amount of drama (so far). Our girl is quite clever and does not become stupid after falling in love (so far). Very enjoyable.

Who Made Me a Princess? / Suddenly Became A Princess One Day - completed. Girl reincarnates in a novel as a child princess destined to be murdered by her heartless emperor father. Proceed to try and win him over by cuteness. Not all is as it seems. No romance, as I recall. Emperor shamelessly flaunts abs.

The Villainess's Stationery Shop / Please Don’t Come To The Villainess’ Stationery Store! - ongoing, the end is in sight! Wakes up in a novel as a villainess destined to die. Proceeds to change the story, opens stationery shop. Magic, found family, dragon, romance. Refreshingly has found family (siblings energy!) between a man and a woman (not love interest, yo!), love their dynamic, they can be so silly! Her backstory isn't light, but not super tragic. Hers is a strong spirit! Parts light, parts heavy. There's actually plot.

The Male Lead's Little Lion Daughter / I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter - ongoing. Woman reincarnates as a girl in a novel, gets adopted by the most terrifying Duke. Found family ensues. Turns out they are related! I love them all, you honour. Magic, mystery, politics, murder, family. The Duke is as described + adores his daughter. We stan Voreoti in this house. Did I mention I love them? To be fair, I love everyone on Voreoti's side. What's a little murder between friends? What's a little murder when it's your enemies dying? The girl loves muscles, doesn't really care about the plot (except as vague guideline and reference), truly becomes a daughter who loves her dad and a true Voreoti. This is delightful. The emperor has sinister plans for Voreoti, may he die in a fire. There's more to the story than appears at first glance. Contains cursing.

Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner - ongoing. YMMV. MC is scouted to go to necromancer school. He has plenty of talent, many deem him genius. He excels in several fields but not in everything. Works for his skills. Starts out at school, eventually proceeds to bigger scale. Necromancers vs Saints. Something strange is going on in the world, imo. Looking forward to future developments. Magic, friendships, mystery. So many people obsessed with MC. May or may not turn into harem? He's currently clueless about romance, too busy surviving school and whatnot. Discovered this last Friday, then binged over the weekend and now I'm feral for updates. It's not very deep, but I'm invested, dammit.

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Confined Together with the Horror Game's Male Lead

Also know as the Male Lead and I Are Trapped Together in a Horror Game.

Okay, we're going to take a bit of a twist on this one. The story goes like this - a girl who loved to play horror video games ends up in one of the horror games she could never manage to beat. She's not the protagonist of the game however - she's the guide for the protagonist, a maid named Charlotte that is as much tormentor and a part of the game's trap as she is helpful.

I'm just going to let you know right now, this is a dark manhwa. It's not full blown gore or endless grinding despair and I don't know that I'd label it horror so much as psychological horror. The game our heroine is set in is in an old Edwardian type mansion. The 'plot' of the game involved getting enough keys on each level to make it to the next floor and then starting the process all over again. Each floor has its own history and its horrors are all tailored to that setting. You see, once upon a time, a young girl grew up trapped by her family in this mansion and each floor is a different stage of her life and the subsequent horrors that she had to live through during that time. The 'hero' of the game, though 'victim' might be a better word, is Dietrich, a fallen holy knight with a heart of gold and try as she could, when playing the game in the real world, our heroine could never manage to get him past the second floor before he died no matter what she tried.

The game isn't really interested in killing Dietrich however - or rather, it will kill him, but that comes secondary. What the mansion really wants to do is break Dietrich and steal the light from his eyes, corrupting him into someone unrecognizable.

And - perhaps - it wants to corrupt Charlotte as well.

Look, I am not going to recommend this if you're in a rough place or you just want something light and distracting. It's not the worst thing I've ever read but its one of the hardest because it does such a good job of making you care for Dietrich and Charlotte. Watching the things the mansion does to Dietrich, the ways it digs at him psychologically and mind fucks him hurts. There were multiple points where I had to set this aside and go do something else for a few days because it was chewing at the back of my brain. There was at least one point where I had to set it down with a softly horrified 'no no no don't do it please Dietrich don't do that'. This is one of those stories that gets under your skin and wiggles around in the back of your brain and while I am warning you about it - I absolutely also LOVE that in a story and this one does it so well. It drops so many breadcrumbs for you to find and pays them off slowly - keeping you like a fish on a hook as it reels you slowly in. You feel so good when you figure something out first and the story affirms it later because its a clever story and it makes you feel clever figuring it out. Watching Charlotte fighting to find ways around the way she's limited as a 'part' of the mansion to still try to help Dietrich - and just how clear-mindedly ruthless she's willing to be to do that is like the shock of cold water against your face after a gritty day. Dietrich has such a good heart, so beaten down and yet so devoted to simply helping anyone around him that needs it that you root for him so hard and each time the mansion twists him a little more its a root driven down through your heart. It is so easy to understand Charlotte and why she's fighting so selflessly to free him while also being a flawed human.

It's just - its a really deeply twisty story that breaks your heart and has you trying to figure out ways to solve things even when you're not reading the story.

And where we are currently? Oh my GOD! Its horrifying and completely understandable because the writing has built up to it so solidly and yet I'm over here kind of hoping this is a good thing?!

(come on, Noah, I'm counting on you to save -redacted- )

The way this story psychologically manipulates is just on point is what I'm saying.

The artwork is just a bit stringy, just a bit lean, just a bit thick and messy while still being beautiful and it really adds so much to the story. I have no idea where its going to happen next which is nice when so many stories, and manhwa in particular, are predictable and I'm really rooting for Dietrich and Charlotte - as well as the poor girl that was trapped in that house long ago. This is a story that really lingers.

Just - yeah, great story and a real good proof that a well written story can psychologically manipulate you if you're willing to take that ride.

rating: going to go with an R for this. The sex isn't graphic but I think sex combined with the gore and themes might rate either a light R or maybe NC17

warnings: blood, gore, undead, corruption moral and mental, sex, death, murder, incest, horror game elements, killer teddy bears, war, PTSD and the after-effects of war on a solider, family neglect, not enough family neglect, talk of rape, brainwashing, suicide, child and animal endangerment - look its a horror game, bad shit is going down, straining hope

finished: thank goodness, no

abs: chapter 14 - horror games are rough on clothes, okay?

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I finished reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time in my life. With all of *vague gesture at everything* this going on.

I Am Not Okay

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Anybody else have a growing fear of updating their tech cuz everything seems to be getting worse and worse

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For all of the northerners that stood up for Texas during our freeze and said, "Don't make fun of them, they've never dealt with this before. Their infrastructure isn't made for snow and freezing."

This one is for you.

Where I live 108°F with 80% humidity with no wind is normal.

Pacific North West is dealing historic best waves 35-40°C or 95-105°F.

First of all. Don't make fun of them for bitching about the heat. Just like Texas isn't built for a freeze and our pipes burst, Pacific North West isn't built for heat and a lot of their homes don't have AC.

If you live somewhere with a high humidity like 80+ HUMIDITY IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. The "humidity makes it feel cooler" is a lie once it gets beyond a point.

If you live somewhere with a lower humidity, misters are nice to cool off outside.

Once you get over 90°F (32°C) a fan will not help you. It's just pushing around hot air. (I mean if you can't afford a small AC unit because they're expensive as hell, by all means a fan is better than nothing).

If you have pets, those portable AC units aren't safe. If your pets destroy the outtake thing, it'll leak CO2. Window units are safer.

Window AC units will let mosquitoes or other small bugs in. Sucks, but that's life.

Now is not the time to me modest. If you have to cover for religious reasons, by all means. If you don't, I've seen people wear short shorts and a swim top. It's not trashy if it keeps you from getting heat stroke.

If you do have to cover up for religious reasons, look for elephant pants or something similar. They're made with a breathable material.

Shade is better than no shade, but that shit it just diet sun after some point. Don't think shade will save you from heat stroke.

I know the "drink your water" is a fun meme now, but if you're sweating excessively you need electrolytes. Drink Gatorade, Powerade, or Pedialite PLEASE. I don't care if you're fucking sitting in one spot all day. That shit WILL save you from heat stroke.

Most importantly. RESEARCH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEAT STROKE AND HEAT EXHAUSTION PLEASE!

If you're diabetic and can't drink Gatorade, mix water, fruit juice, and either lite salt or pink salt

If you can afford it, cover windows with thick curtains to insulate the house

If you have tile floors, lay on them with skin to tile contact. If you don't, laying your head on cool counters works too.

If the temperature where you're at is hotter than your body temperature, don't wear heat wicking clothing. Moisture wicking is safe though.

Check your medication labels. Many make you more susceptible to sun and heat

-Room temperature water will get into your body faster. This is something I learned doing marching band in high summer in Georgia, and it saved all of our asses. Sip it, don't gulp it, especially if you're getting into the red; same goes for whatever fluid you're drinking. And just in general drink during the day.

-If you are moving from an air conditioned space to an un-air conditioned space, if at all possible try to make the shift gradual. When my dad and I were working outside and in un-ac houses a few years ago, he'd turn the air down to low in the truck about ten-fifteen minutes before we got where we were going. This way your body doesn't go from low low temps to high temps. S'bad for you.

-If you can, keep your lights off during the day. Light bulbs may not generate a lot of heat, but the difference is noticeable when it gets hot enough. I literally only turn my bedroom light on in the evening when it gets too dark.

Don't be afraid to just like... pour water on yourself if you need to. The evaporation will cool you off.

Put your hand to the cement for 15 seconds. If you can't handle the heat, it'll burn your dog's paws. Don't let them walk on it.

Dogs with flat faces are more prone to heat stroke. Don't leave them out unsupervised.

Frozen fruit is delicious in water.

Wet/Cold hat/handkerchief on your head/neck will help you stay cool.

Pickle juice is great for electrolytes! You can even make pickle juice Popsicles!

Heat exhaustion is more, "drink water and get you cooled off." Heat stroke is more "Oh my god call 911."

Image Description provided by @loveize

[Image description: an infographic showing the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The graphic is labeled "Heat Dangers: First Warning." Signs of heat exhaustion: faint or dizzy, excessive sweating, cool, pale, clammy skin, rapid, weak pulse, muscle cramps. If you think you or someone else may be experiencing heat exhaustion, get to a cool, air-conditioned place, drink water if conscious, and take a cool shower or use cold compress. Signs of heat stroke: throbbing headache, no sweating, red, hot, dry skin, rapid, strong pulse, may lose consciousness. If you think you or someone else may be experiencing heat stroke, call 911. End description]

Be safe.

-fae

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sometimes the tragedy of distance is very simple. i want to get groceries with you

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Sineater

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Behold! As promised.

Charlotte and Her 5 Disciples - completed. After going to great lengths (trust me, she needed to) to finally die in peace mage dies presumably without regrets. She wakes up in her child body (no time travel involved) and realises that her one regret is not finding love. Story starts from there. Magic, adventure, romance. Possible end of the world. Romance is important, yes, but there are other important things going on. Plenty of humour. There are some abs, eventually.

The Gourmet Gamer / Please Have A Meal - completed. A cook loses his sense of taste and smell after illness, sinks into depression. Discovers VR game where all his senses work and he can cook! Proceeds to get better. Combination of VR game and real life, entwined and interconnected. Food, adventures, quests, food, human connection, recovery, food. There's a character w eating disorder. Recommend having snacks on hand. Mostly light but Very Serious About Importance of Food (not in annoying way).

I Stole the Number One Ranker's Soul - completed. This is a popcorn read, YMMV. Dungeons appeared in the world, must be cleared by hunters. Your average girl awakens as low level hunter, gets sucked into a dungeon, miraculously survives w help of top ranked hunter who then dies. She collects his body for proper burial, accidentally 'harvests'(skill) his soul. Turns out he is not as dead as he seemed! She promises him to kill all dungeon bosses. And on it rolls. It's pretty fun. Fighting, human connections, possible end of the world, some politics, romance. I didn't expect much from this one, but got really invested, enough to read till 3am for several days straight.

Master Villainess the Invincible! / I'm a Martial Art Villainess, but I'm the Strongest! - completed on MangaBuddy. An author reincarnates as a villainess in a novel. Proceeds to change everything. Politics, murder, mystery, murim world (martial arts), human connections, romance. I'm somewhat feral about it. Love her so much!

I Shall Master this Family! / I'll Be the Matriarch in This Life - ongoing. Woman dies and wakes up in her childhood body. Proceeds to try and save her family (she loves her family so much!) and become a matriarch. Politics, wholesome family, romance. Intelligent villains. Healthy amount of drama (so far). Our girl is quite clever and does not become stupid after falling in love (so far). Very enjoyable.

Who Made Me a Princess? / Suddenly Became A Princess One Day - completed. Girl reincarnates in a novel as a child princess destined to be murdered by her heartless emperor father. Proceed to try and win him over by cuteness. Not all is as it seems. No romance, as I recall. Emperor shamelessly flaunts abs.

The Villainess's Stationery Shop / Please Don’t Come To The Villainess’ Stationery Store! - ongoing, the end is in sight! Wakes up in a novel as a villainess destined to die. Proceeds to change the story, opens stationery shop. Magic, found family, dragon, romance. Refreshingly has found family (siblings energy!) between a man and a woman (not love interest, yo!), love their dynamic, they can be so silly! Her backstory isn't light, but not super tragic. Hers is a strong spirit! Parts light, parts heavy. There's actually plot.

The Male Lead's Little Lion Daughter / I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter - ongoing. Woman reincarnates as a girl in a novel, gets adopted by the most terrifying Duke. Found family ensues. Turns out they are related! I love them all, you honour. Magic, mystery, politics, murder, family. The Duke is as described + adores his daughter. We stan Voreoti in this house. Did I mention I love them? To be fair, I love everyone on Voreoti's side. What's a little murder between friends? What's a little murder when it's your enemies dying? The girl loves muscles, doesn't really care about the plot (except as vague guideline and reference), truly becomes a daughter who loves her dad and a true Voreoti. This is delightful. The emperor has sinister plans for Voreoti, may he die in a fire. There's more to the story than appears at first glance. Contains cursing.

Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner - ongoing. YMMV. MC is scouted to go to necromancer school. He has plenty of talent, many deem him genius. He excels in several fields but not in everything. Works for his skills. Starts out at school, eventually proceeds to bigger scale. Necromancers vs Saints. Something strange is going on in the world, imo. Looking forward to future developments. Magic, friendships, mystery. So many people obsessed with MC. May or may not turn into harem? He's currently clueless about romance, too busy surviving school and whatnot. Discovered this last Friday, then binged over the weekend and now I'm feral for updates. It's not very deep, but I'm invested, dammit.

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[two tumblr soldiers bleeding out on the internet frontlines]

“heh… remember strawbebby…. And ranibow spramkle… always made me laugh”

“Don’t talk like that man. We’re gonna get out of here i prommy.” [mortar fire sails overhead and land nearby] “christ its like a childrens hospital out there”

[through shallow breaths] “I always loved…… the color of the sky…………”

End scene

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I

LOVE

this kid!!

The Baby Fairy is a Villain

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Botanical Garden, Mount Lofty, Australia,

Photography by Bo Le.

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So it turns out I live in a fey neighborhood

Today while texting my sister instructions on how to get into my house and how to find what she needed to I realized some of my list sounded suspiciously - well 'fey'. Some of the highlights ere:

if a small child comes to the door, do not let him in no matter what he says. Do not give him food, do not give him drink.

an orange tailless cat will greet you the second you step out of your car. You can follow him wherever he wants to take you but do not let him inside the house either.

the key is in an old 1950s salt shaker between the pineapple sage and the lemon thyme in the herb garden

be careful going out the sunroom door. The garden plants have gotten bigger than I expected and the cantaloupe/watermelon WILL try to trip you on the stairs

if you turn on the attic light, remember to turn it off but only after you've made sure the attic door is completely locked first

ignore the sounds coming from the fireplace I sealed with duct tape and cardboard. Also ignore the sounds that sound like footsteps coming from the ceiling in the living room

and lastly

7. make sure you appease Sam (my black rabbit) with treats. Your welcome in the house depends on it.