#manhwa discussion

[koneko-chan-hai]

I’ve been thinking about Monster Duchess and Contract Princess, and you know what? I like that in contrast with other rofan/European style webcomics there is no time travel or incarnation into a pre-existing story that spurs on the protagonist to act. After a traumatic event (without regression!) Leslie decides on her own that she’s done with her family and seeks answers by herself. She doesn’t have pre existing knowledge about the characters’ past or actions, her decisions all come from her own, single, present experience.

Btw I’m not dissing on webcomics that use this trope. I do enjoy reading them. I just feel that this one in particular has a pretty refreshing take on the genre

[nc-vb]

𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚, 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐡𝐰𝐚, & 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐡𝐮𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐬

a long time coming that I've meant to compile a list, but it just kept growing and growing and growing...

the webtoon list includes my very personal & important in-my-heart recommendations. aaaaand the rest are mostly smutty, kinky, and even a little dark.......... do not perceive, just enjoy. and support the official author's work and translations if you can!!

if there are any in this list you'd like a heads up about before reading, feel free to drop me an ask and I'll give you my honest opinion/review.

if you're having trouble locating anything, shoot me an ask (because i have most, if not all, of the links saved).

and feel free to gush to me if you liked any of them!! i'm always happy to talk about mmm's.

[updated july 3rd, 2023] - newly added titles are in green.

𝐵𝐿 = boy's love genre 𝐆𝐋 = girl's love genre 𝟏+ = includes harems & poly relationships ❤ = absolute masterpieces, highly recommended! ! = proceed with extreme caution/heed all warnings

please heed all warnings and tags found within each of these recommendations, as well as my own warnings from the symbol legend above and found throughout this post.

some of these are sfw and some aren't. some of these aren't for the faint of heart and will be marked to be read at your own risk. additionally, not all are translated into English. 𝐵𝐿/𝐆𝐋 are separate from the general list.

𝐖𝐄𝐁𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐍

A Messy Fairy Tale 𝟏+

A Summer Night's Dream

Age Matters ❤

Back to You

Bailin and Li Yun BL❤

Bitten Contract

Boyfriend of the Dead

Castle Swimmer BL

City of Blank

Dating With a Tail

Daytime Star

Devil Number 4 ❤

Devilish Romance

Down to Earth

Dreaming Freedom

Ghost Wife

Ghostly Buddie

Half-Ghost

Harem of LuuAnh

Hello Baby ❤

I'm the Grim Reaper

I Love Yoo ❤

It's Mine

Jeff's Disorders

Kind of Confidential

Little Rain

Lore Olympus ❤

Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell ❤

Mage & Demon Queen GL

Marry Me!

Maybe Meant to Be

Meow Man

Midnight Poppy Land

Midnight Rain

Mom, I'm Sorry

Morgana and Oz

Muse on Fame

My Beloved Emperor

My Dear Cold-Blooded King

My Four Husbands 𝟏+

My In-Laws are Obsessed with Me ❤

My Lovely Bodyguard

Nice to Meet You

Not Even Bones

Operation: True Love ❤

Pastel-colored Pages

Phase

Scorching Romance

See You in My 19th Life ❤

Selina ~ Moon Bride ~

Siren's Lament ❤

Soleil

Space Boy

Strange and Wild

SubZero

Swimming Lessons for a Mermaid ❤

Take Off BL

The Devil is a Handsome Man

The First Night With the Duke ❤

The Guy Upstairs

The Newlywed Diary of a Witch and a Dragon ❤

The RUNWAY

There Must Be Happy Endings

To the Stars and Back BL

Trapped ❤

Unlovable Replacement

When Jasy Whistles ❤❤

Winter Woods

Your Smile is a Trap ❤

𝐒𝐅𝐖

Abe-kun's Got Me Now! (Abe-kun ni Nerawaretemasu)

A Master, Who Woke Up As a Concubine ❤

And Yet, You Are So Sweet (Na no ni, Chigira-kun amasugiru)

Beloved in-Laws (poor transl.)

Bon Appétit ❤

Don't Blush, Sekime

Forget My Husband, I'll Go Make Money (Aug 2023)

Golden Forest !

I, My, Me, Mine ❤ (アイマイミーマイン)

I Became the Male Lead's Adopted Daughter

I Can't Keep Up With My Stallion Duke ❤❤

I Will Change the Genre

I Will Rewrite the Dead End Novel

In the Clear Moonlit Dusk ❤ (Uruwashi no Yoi no Tsuki)

It's My Destiny to Be the Hero's Saviour !

Kubo Won't Let Me Be Invisible

Love's in Sight!

Loving Yamada at Lv 999 ❤❤❤

Male Lead, I'll Respect Your Taste !

Ookami no Musume ❤❤

Pink and Habanero ❤ (Pink to Habanero)

Protected by My Dragon Knight (Seijo wa Ryuukishi-sama ni Mamorarete)

Scary Faced High Schooler and Miss Plain Jane

Second Life of a Trash Princess

Sinking too deep in your rabbit hole, now I'm drowning in your love

Stella Next to Me ❤ (Tonari no Stella)

The Cunning Princess and the Shark ❤

The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity ❤ (Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku)

The Muscle Girl Next Door

The Obsessive Second Male Lead Has Gone Wild

The Reasons We Fall in Love ❤ (Watashi-tachi ga koisuru riyuu)

The Tyrant's Comfort Doll !

To the Dear F-Phantom of the Opera (Shinai naru F e: Opera-za no Kaijin)

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun ❤ (Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun)

Vampire Lord's Greatest Wife ❤

Welcome to the Yandere Cafe (rating subject to change)

Yojouhan no Ibara Hime

𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐒𝐅𝐖

あざと可愛い✕くんの執着サド交尾は本物です x!!!

無能力巫女は狛犬の淫紋快楽漬け x❤!

2LDK IKEMEN Tsuki Bukken Arimasu !!

A Dream Between the Sheets ❤❤

A Gentle Sea Monster and a Lonely Girl !

A Predator in a Skirt !

A Sip of Poison !

Boy's Abyss (subject to change, new read) !!

Childhood Friend's Secret Massage !

Consort to the Fox Spirit Lord

Dark Fall !

Depths of Malice !

Devoured by a Bookworm Girl !

Fire in His Fingertips ❤

Former Delinquent Farmer's Sex Appeal is Dangerous!

From Him to Who? ~Sex With My Body-Snatched Husband ❤

Gokudou to Omega - Mukidashi no Katsuai

Hana's Demons of Lust !

Hare-kon 𝟏+

Heat 200 Meters Away (200 M Saki no Netsu)

Honey, I'm Going On a Strike!

How to Make a Frigid Girl Cum

I'm in Love With Mr. Hanabusa

Lady K and the Sick Man ❤❤

Last Order wa Ojou-san de Dekiai Jouren Kyaku ni Kyuuai saretemasu

Junai - Pure Wet Love

Kuma to Tora ~Taikakusa Osananajimi no Hajimete kara, Kemono ni Naru 2-kakan made~ x

Madoka Exorcist ❤!

Mede Little Roy !

Mr. Tada is a Top Performer

Muttsuri Akazukin-kun kara wa nige rarenai

My Cold Co-worker Obsessively Loves Me

Pet Baby Doll

Pygmalion's Savior is a Big But Immature Love Monster !❤

Red Hot Proposal: Surrounded by His Tanned Body

Sadistic Beauty !!!!

Sakaki the Lazybones Shows His Talents at Night ❤❤

Sapphire Dew ~ Infatuated Gentlemanly Boyfriend Seizes the Initiative !

Seishun no Hekireki

Seriously can't pass this up. - Kohai's passionate sex won't stop until morning

Sinful Nun Pays Penitence to the Serpent ❤❤

Spring Amidst My Wintertide ❤

Superstitious Nine ❤

Sweet Lies Layered Like a Mille Feuille ❤

Tadano Renai Nanka de Kikkonai ❤❤

The Golden Forest !

The Goldfish’s Corpse Lies at the Bottom of the Swamp !!!!!!!!

The Greengrocer is a Carnivore in Bed!?

The Man Who Saved Me in My Isekai Trip Was a Killer!!!!!!!

The Neighbor in Room 203 Disappeared Leaving a Key Behind !!!!!!!

The Reincarnated Saint Falls for the Demon Lord

The Tainted Half !

The Virgin Witch

The Weird Senior in the Seat Next to Me ❤❤❤! (Tonari Senpai)

Toshishita Osananajimi ga Watashi o Shibatte Hanasa nai! x

Totem's Realm

Touching is Better Than Looking

Under the Oak Tree

Until the Obedient Bodyguard Exposes the Body and the Lie of the Fake Lady ❤

"Wanna Cum?" The Pure Taiga Advances Slow and Sweet ❤❤

Welcome to the Muscle Salon ❤❤❤

When Beauty Meets Beasts

When You Are Reincarnated As The villain NPC's Girl And Be Loved By The Strongest Prince Who Is Not A Capture Target !!

Wild Eyes

Will You Pledge Your Love to an Incubus?

Wish Upon a Husband

Yaba Ai Instructor !

You're Too Cute for Me to Be Gentle

𝐁𝐋 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐒𝐅𝐖 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐒

4 Week Lovers BL

A Handless Day BL!

A Hot Wet Job for Three -Adult Toy Tester- BL, 𝟏+

A Kiss for You, My Shinobi BL

A Tree Without Roots BL❤!

Angel Buddy BL❤❤

Bidou Wakadanna Koi Shitau Wa Koushoku Otoko BL❤

Bitten by Moonlight BL

Black Mirror BL!!!

Blind Play BL!!

Can't Think Straight BL

Cherry Blossoms After Winter BL

Confession Night BL

Dangerous Convenience Store BL

Dawn of the Dragon BL

Dear Door BL

DEATH or LOVE BL

Delinquent Omega Belongs to the Beast King BL

Demon of Lustful Hell BL

Desharow Merman BL❤

Die If You Aren't a Virgin BL

Eat Me Up, My Husband BL!

Ennead

Eunsoo's Good Day BL

Eye Contact BL

Fake Fact Lips BL

Frenemies: Thicker Than Blood BL❤

Friends, Engaged

Fucking in the Dorms BL!

Ghost Gate BL!!!!!

Healing Paradox BL❤

He's a Better Top Than Me?! BL

Home Far Away BL❤!!!

Horeta Otoko wa Shin'yuu de BL!

Housekeeper's Love Affair BL

How to convince your best friend to sleep with you BL

Hyperventilation BL❤❤❤

I Didn't Ask You to Eat Me!

I Love You, Nothing Else Matters BL❤

In an Empty Classroom BL

Indigo BL

I Ship My Rival x Me BL

It's Just a Dream... Right? BL❤❤❤

Jinx BL!

Kabukicho Bad Trip BL

Kiss de Egaku Ittousei BL❤

Kiss Me, Liar BL!

Lala no Kekkon BL!

Liveta BL

Love in Kitsch BL

Love is an Illusion BL!

Love Jinx BL❤

Low Tide in Twilight BL!!

Mad Dog BL❤❤

Miscreants and Mayhem BL

Missing Love BL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (<I cannot express this enough.)

My Delicious Dream Boy BL❤

My Demon Crybaby, Maria BL

My Partner Suddenly Got Younger - An Omega Caretaker Plays Alpha BL!

Natsu no Teppen ni Saku BL

Old-Fashioned Cupcake BL❤❤ (has a j-drama)

Pain, Sweet Pain BL

Passion BL

Payback BL❤❤❤

Pearl Boy BL❤!!!!!!

Pink Heart Jam BL❤❤

Please, Candy! BL!

Roses and Champagne BL!

Sadistic Beauty: Side Story BL!!!!!!

Secret Inside My Head BL❤❤❤

Semantic Error BL (has a j-drama)

Sensei wa Nekketsu ga Areba Juubunda! BL!

Sick BL

Sign BL❤❤❤

Sketch BL❤

Speak of the Devil BL

Steel Under Silk BL❤

Surge Looking for You BL❤

Sweet Trap BL

Tabetemo Oishiku Arimasen BL

Tentacle Recipe BL(?)❤

The Blessed Life of a Retired Nian Monster BL

The Crybaby's at the Mean Devil's Mercy BL❤

The Foxy Mouse's Romance BL

The Origin of Species BL!

The Pizza Delivery Man and the Gold Palace BL

The Pure-Hearted Puppy and the Erotic Tattoo BL❤

The Silent Concubine BL!

The Unquenchable Mr. Kim BL❤

The Words in Your Snare BL❤❤❤

To Take An Enemy's Heart BL!

Tomodachi Engagement BL

Trick Turned Into a Threesome With the Tachibana Brother BL

Under the Greenlight BL

Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami BL❤

Unromantic Romance BL❤

Young Lover BL!!

Your Wish is My Command BL❤

Yours to Claim BL

Zenryaku, Onii-chan wa Seijo ni Narimashita BL!

more recommendations will likely be added as time goes on! feel free to copy these recs for your own checklist of 'to reads'.

hope you enjoy them like i did! :)

[futurewgarbage]

Waaaiiitt hold on i wasn't expecting sss class suicide hunter to be actually good????? It has a shitty name like the million empty rip off light novels and manhwas but it's...so good????????? How?????

I just started binging it today but it's so compelling. It has themes and they're discussed from different angles and it tells stories that matter and the mc actually changes so much throughout the story.

As im writing this im at ch 78 of the manhwa and im just. Floored. Holy shit. I assume there's a lot more in store for me moving forward but goddamn?????? It's so touching, so moving and so cool also. Im impressed. Im amazed. People should be talking more about this wth!!!!

[jeding-png]

What about...

Mr Verdandi and Duke Eckhart, when they were young 🔮⚜️

The original art belongs to SUEUN (@A_Sueune on Twitter). What Marquis Verdandi looks like is just my guess!

Winter's father is mentioned only once, in chapter 68 of the novel (or chapter 63 of the manhwa).

All that is said is that Winter was still very young (I think around 18-22 years old) when he lost his father. Also, the good relationship between Winter and Duke Eckhart was explained by the fact that the duke was friends with the former Marquis Verdandi. But what was the cause of the elder Verdandi's death?

However... what if Winter's father died fighting the Laila clan? Could he also have been a sorcerer? Was he as ideological and charitable as his son?

Most people know what a powerful wizard Winter really is. But he couldn't have learnt everything on his own, could he? Someone had to guide him and teach him how to control magic. Could it have been his father or his wizard friends? According to Verdandi himself, people who have a lot of mana cannot be called wizards if they do not know how to control it.

Okay, I think Winter has taken a lot from his father, but I'm interested to hear your opinion on this and the interaction between the Duke and the past Marquis...

By the way, is Winter's mother dead too?

In this world, it's not enough that fathers don't have their own names, but all the mothers of the main characters are killed here???

P.S. (with spoilers) I just realised that the Duke had seen his wife, daughter, and best friend die, and then he had seen his son almost killed. That the duke himself was almost eaten by a monster, and that he also survived the war... and then realised how he had ruined the lives of his children...

Listen, we need a separate post about Duke Eckhart. He's also an interesting character, but he doesn't have his own name.

Imagine, there are actually many details in the VADD universe that have not yet been fully revealed. Many characters were not revealed, even though they would have little impact on the plot.

[homeless202]

I’m new here and I absolutely love your type of blogs with analysis and meta and long texts~~

I was wondering—is Eunyung and Haejoon’s relationship the kind that could be interpreted as romantic?

first of all, welcome and ty! and sorry it took me so long to reply, i hope u're still around anon. now to answer ur question

i'll take this opportunity to share all my thoughts on the topic bc i have Many.

TLDR: it is possible to read it as romantic if you really want to, but it's not meant to (at least not as of right now in the story aka ch.224)

deep dive under the cut as to why

-> can Eunyung and Haejoon’s relationship be interpreted as romantic?

i like how you phrased that bc, the thing is, interpretation is very subjective. you're welcome and allowed to interpret things however you want, but in EY&HJ's case, i feel like you'd have to work a lil extra hard to get to that point.

-> is Eunyung and Haejoon’s relationship meant to be interpreted as romantic?

this one's easy bc no. objectively Not. the genre of No Home is drama and slice of life (and once upon a time, horror). even if they were to ever end up in a romantic relationship, that's not what the story is about.

when i ask myself what the author's intention is with this story, i'd say it's to (realistically) portray how a young person with trauma would navigate another young person's trauma. and showing how easy it is to unintentionally fuck it up for various reasons: lacking context as to what exactly said trauma is, generally not knowing how to navigate it, their own trauma getting in the way, lacking the necessary resources. take your pick.

think of it like "how should i carry someone else's baggage when i have my own to deal with?" while also keeping in mind they're kids; they often don't have enough experience to know how to help, and even when they know what the right thing to do is, they're not old enough to take (legal) action.

and especially, the most heart-breaking yet realistic thing, when you're just getting to know someone, you can't know everything about them. it's so easy to accidentally do or say sth that cuts or offends when it wasn't meant to. but when they've got their own issues, it's hard not to take it personally (eg. EY talking about HJ's parents without knowing his mom died not long ago in the beginning of the story).

-> what even is Eunyung and Haejoon’s relationship??

this one's so funny bc i have no idea how to answer and i'm convinced not even EY and HJ themselves would know how to answer. they're not really friends; they got off on the wrong foot and kept walking with two left feet way too much to call themselves friends. the things that pushed them together the most were the dorms (not anymore) and the same friend group (more or less since EY has multiple).

what fits them best i'd say is "the universe forced us together against our will and now we're stuck with one another altho we hate each other" (<- at least in the beginning) extended with the "misery loves company" sentiment. finding comfort in someone who gets it, even tho they only kinda get it but not really but it works out anyway except it doesn't <- THERE'S NO NAME FOR THAT *cry* they invented a new type of character dynamic smh (i've never read a pairing with so much (romantic) potential only to see them completely fuck up their chance so royally by the end of their interaction EVERY SINGLE TIME. like yeah, enemies to lovers whatever BUT NOT TO THAT LEVEL HOLY SHIT)

they've changed each other, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. they're compatible in the way they understand each other on a deeper level and incompatible in the way they don't.

...however...

this is how HJ thinks of EY: (and also what No Home is truly abt)

and this is how EY feels about HJ after EY found out HJ used to steal as well (aka that HJ isn't perfect like the stuck up bitch EY thought he was at first):

so...

<- -> EY's first impression of HJ was that he was looking down on him and sth like "does this guy have ulterior motives? or is he just that naive being so trusting?" until EY found out HJ wasn't that different from him. after that, EY started admiring HJ for still managing to achieve things in life despite the hardships he had to go through. the type of admiration that can easily (and sometimes does) slip into envy.

-

since the beginning, EY has helped HJ (or at least tried to) without him knowing. sometimes it worked out, sometimes not. most times EY tried doing sth nice for HJ was (from EY's perspective) in return to HJ trying to help him or doing nice things for him (which, again, sometimes worked out, sometimes not). EY was just paying back a debt to "this stubborn naive guy who keeps getting into trouble and butting into his business. gotta look out for this idiot or he might get scammed." (<- eg. when EY offered to get HJ's money back from his uncle)

he doesn't do it for credit or friendship or out of obligation, he's just doing what he thinks is the right thing bc he doesn't want to owe anyone anything. he can't accept people just genuinely being kind, genuinely caring and genuinely wanting to help. but he's been learning and slowly coming to terms with it.

-

<- -> HJ first wanted to try befriending EY despite not liking him bc, well, the guy did steal his wallet and stab him in their first interaction. after trying and failing at it multiple times, thanksgiving happened, and HJ started thinking of EY as his underclassman bc he realized EY's just a kid with issues and he should keep an eye on him (discretely bc EY hates pity).

-

with time HJ has come to understand EY better by going after him whenever he ran off and slowly realized that EY does mean well and has his reasons (as fucked up as they might be sometimes). but his mentality abt EY is still "i gotta push him in the right direction cuz he's my underclassman and i unintentionally got attached to him (somehow??)" (also bc he knows EY already gave up on himself so he needs a lil help to find his way again. also also bc he knows EY is lowkey suicidal and he's scared it'll be his fault if sth happens) <- his care for EY comes from a protective/nurturing (/possibly maybe guilty) place which started when he realized EY was just a kid^^. in other words, HJ still bothers with EY out of a subconscious sense of responsibility/obligation in a way (a good way tho. or at least a way that gets better)

see, sth i struggle with is if HJ thinks he has to or wants to or thinks he should or can't just not help/care for EY. i can't exactly pinpoint where the sentiment is coming from. his face is too blank for me to read sometimes T_T

-

to summarize: HJ is EY's goal, what EY wishes he could've been. and EY is HJ's 'responsibility' so to speak (bc 'burden' doesn't quite fit since HJ is there for EY willingly) -> EY has a positive opinion of HJ while HJ has a neutral opinion of EY (which is also gradually getting better)

note1: i think HJ's intention (maybe subconsciously) was to be to EY what HJ's upperclassman was to him. aka someone who's there when you need it and can help guide you. it would explain why HJ kept chasing after EY despite not really having a reason to and EY repeatedly rejecting HJ's care/help.

note2: i also believe the 'upper-under-classman' relationship dynamic fits them the best atm bc it also matches the way the story often singles EY out as he's the only second year (aka younger) of the 6 MCs.

-> Romance in No Home?

another thing i should mention is that No Home rarely leaves things open for interpretation. the deepest arguments EY&HJ had were always spelled out for us, to make us understand exactly what the problem was, and how there isn't a good guy and a bad guy. it's just two people with issuesTM.

from what we've seen in the story up to this point, i couldn't pick out a moment where i'd go "here! that's romantic! that's the moment they realized SomeThing!" yk

when it comes to romance specifically, i feel like a handful of opportunities were missed. there are scenes which could've easily been written trough a rosy lens but simply weren't.

exhibit A:

HJ was speechless bc "wow this mf really is actively picking a fight with an authority figure. i gotta make sure things don't escalate" not bc "hoLY sHiT hE's PreTTy. all his fangirls are on to something". however, this only becomes more clear when you keep reading the next few chapters, so i understand how you could interpret it as the latter.

exhibit B:

here they got so close and the moment was so deep bc "woaa he said he believes me. no one's said to me that before!". unfortunately, EY was panicking too much for it to mean something bc of the guilt he felt for HJ trusting someone so undeserving of trust like EY.

exhibit C:

this is maybe the closest we got to romantic between these two. i think this might be the only (or at least first) ever deep interaction between them that didn't end in a fight or misunderstanding. is it meant to be romantic tho? -> ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

-> what do i think?

first, full transparency: i went into reading this story fully expecting it to be a BL and for EY&HJ to end up together. but the more i kept on reading, the more i got the ick thinking about them being in a (romantic) relationship bc, at least from what we've seen so far in the story, their relationship would be so ToxicTM (which i personally don't enjoy reading).

as they are right now, i wouldn't want them to be together like that. like, honestly, you still can't really consider these two even friends; they just tolerate each other if the stars align correctly (altho, i'll admit, their relationship is gradually getting better!!). every big argument they had i thought "god, there's no coming back from that. i'd cut ties so quickly if was them wtf". i still don't know how they managed to keep on interacting, props to them ig.

there's a lot of unresolved issues between them. and a lot of resentment which would not bode well in a romantic relationship. the smallest argument would turn explosive and they'd be, at best, in an on&off type of relationship. they both have the power to break the other and neither would be afraid to use it. they have a lot of history together, which is not always pleasant, so if they ever were to go the romantic route, it would have to be a long way to go.

technically, i could see them in a romantic relationship if they both went to therapy first and talked out all the baggage they're carrying (both individual and shared). realistically tho, what i think will happen at the end of No Home is that either they never cross paths again after high school ends (which would absolutely break my heart Wanan pls don't), or they somehow (unintentionally) end up living together bc they both desperately needed a roommate to pay rent (which would be a hilarious fucking gag LMAO). just, HJ going to uni/work and EY doing his own thing (prolly an actor) while still cohabiting together; hanging out to watch a movie before bed <- (whether platonic or romantic being left up for interpretation)

<- -> in conclusion, from what we've seen up to this point, their relationship is mainly upper-under-classman; reluctant (maybe) friends who tolerate each other but also care (too) deeply. they've changed each other, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. in some ways they're compatible and in others they're not.

all this being said, their relationship is improving and romance between EY&HJ is not impossible, just rather unlikely imo. but, again, interpretation is subjective and u're welcome to read their relationship however you want.

[bnuyy2]

i need u girlies to hop on this barbarian quest with me so that you can all meet and fall in love with urich

he is my baby angel

and also a terrible beast

and u should love him too. thank you. 💗

[sscarletvenus]

guys do you think the basement hulk got eli offscreen???

[toontalks]

Let's talk about "The Guy Upstairs" (contains spoilers, a lot of them)

With the season finale of The Guy Upstairs not too long ago, readers were left with a lot to digest.

To start off this discussion, we're going to talk about the most recent episodes because it's not hard take one's mind off it. What if the officer is just teaming up with Adam (serial killer) because he wants to find more information on his allegedly “missing” sister? What if he thinks Adam killed her and wanted more information? After all, if you can't beat them, join them. The question is, how far would he actually go to get what he wants?

Unfortunately, the chances are that Adam doesn’t trust Officer Alex either. Let’s be real, Adam is a serial killer who ties up all loose ends and is very thorough in his clean up, the idea that there is another person out there who might blab, especially someone in the force at that. It would make anyone paranoid of betrayal. 

One scene that may confirm the theory that Officer Alex is double crossing Adam is where he is surprised when Hawa reveals the lipstick stained shirt in his car. His expression reveals quite a lot, especially the fact that he was genuinely surprised. The fact that he is so thorough in cleaning up after himself suggests it was something planted there.

On the topic of Hawa, (Adam’s girlfriend and Rozy’s best friend), the creator deserves applause for her portrayal of this specific character. Hawa, at first glance, is simply the dumb but supportive best friend who constantly needs her knight in shining armour (which is Rozy) As the story progresses, we see that she becomes less frustratingly naive and optimistic and starts trusting Rozy more when it came to her advice and intuition.

She also plays a little part in trying to catch Adam in the act, although it feels as though Rozy puts her in more danger revealing the truth. Hawa is bound to appear less comfortable with Adam now that she knows he’s a  psychotic murderer. In the end, Rozy just wants what’s best for her friend.

Is that really a good thing though? Think about it. Despite the way Adam phrased his assessment of Rozy and Hawa’s friendship and the obvious intention to drive a wedge between them behind his mentioning of it, he had a point. Rozy has a very unhealthy attachment to Hawa. To paraphrase Adam, she already has one cherished one and thus, does not see the need for other companions or friends, even her platonic relationship with Officer Alex was a means of securing Hawa’s safety.

She pushes away Ravi, who ironically, just wants to take care of her (even though her analysis of him being a “guy who won’t take know for an answer is spot on, which is shown a little later down when he flat out rejects him and he punches the wall and storms her) as well as other characters who help her in her plot to catch the harasser (Teddy) on campus. She holds everyone at arm’s length.

Her clinginess to Hawa may be born out of concern and affection, but it is borderline possessive. Although her wariness of Adam is mainly contributed to by him being a serial killer allegedly, there is also the presence of a subconscious fear of losing the only person who “truly cares for her”. This is something Adam exploits in an attempt to waver Rozy.

Adam is toying with Rozy. This much is obvious. The threat against Rozy’s safety (even though she is neglectful of it) is minimal as Adam clearly could have killed her at any point but has deemed her harmless. Or rather amusing. It’s no secret that he enjoys riling her up and gradually chipping away at her sanity. Something that can be seen where she contemplates stabbing him in the back (literally) to end it all. Maybe being psychotic is genetic.

Siblings, a plot twist the author reveals as she (sadly) cancels the series. This revelation only adds to the loose ends within the story. Is the scar on Rozy’s abdomen somehow related to the car accident Adam was in as a child? Is it a possibility Rozy has repressed memories? Maybe Adam as well.  Or perhaps Adam remembers. It would certainly explain why he ‘coincidentally’ ended up renting in the same building just above his sister’s floor. Perhaps he made the connection when he saw the picture frame in Hawa’s house that may have had Rozy with long hair in it. Rozy does have the same hair colour as his mother after all. Maybe seeing the photo surfaced some memories. It would certainly explain his expression after seeing the photograph.

Rozy and Adam’s relationship is already rather tumultuous to say the least. Why did he let her find him in the last episode? Perhaps he finally wants to have a proper conversation. Maybe he wants to frame her for Teddy’s murder and force an alliance. Her cleaning skills were very emphasised in the series, perhaps he wants to recruit her for evidence clean up. If not, it’s not far-fetched to believe at some point Rozy will end up committing murder for Hawa’s sake and Adam will be the only one she can turn to.

I can only pray Rozy’s plot armour would have been thicker than her apartment walls.

[snow-and-saltea]

sorry imma put this one on here, i wanna reply to it but i won't be able to without watering down my intent, and if i do my point loses its weight

edit: nvm LMFAO i worded it nicely in the end, under the cut tho cus this is mf long

(context: in this chapter of a manhwa, the sister of a criminal who attempted to kill the main protagonist talked with her and told her about how her other brother died in interrogation for being part of the revolutionary group against the monarchy. his death was happening in tandem with the main character's violin recital, of which her father left his duty from interrogating the brother, just so he could attend. it was framed in such a way to show how oblivious she was to the political climate surrounding her, how her privilege kept her sheltered, and how even when the criminal's sister went to their gates she was detained and shooed away and dismissed as "causing a fuss". their eyes meet from the MC being up high on the balcony, and the woman from down low past the fences, officers manhandling her into going away as she was a commoner and could be seen as an ally to her brother as part of the revolutionary party. the woman says specifically that she doesn't think that the mc is guilty, she just wants her to know what happened. and the mc reflects on all of this and realises how clueless she's been, how sheltered of a life she had that, until now, she couldn't find the common thread between the two of them, and she starts crying and apologising. later on, when she calms down, the weight of her privileged birth and its responsibilities hits her, and she's steeling herself, and the chapter ends.)

first of all. hmmm?? "what exactly is the FL's fault"? of course, if we were to go by straightforward, linear logic, SHE hasn't done anything wrong. she never ordered her dad to kill people. she doesn't even know people are dying. no one has been put under harms way by her direct actions. all these things would be enough to clear your conscience.... if you are a child, that is.

if you are an adult, like she is, you will eventually realise that you have the power to impact people and things and your surroundings. if you are an adult with a moral conscience, you will feel BAD about your obliviousness to others' suffering that makes you rethink about what your blindspots in perception are; how could i have missed something so vital - how long has this been going on - why did this continue to happen? and this is the stage she is getting at. by our estimates as modern people living in modern world standards, it is very late to be living this long and not realise that you are not the only unique occupant of the world, blind to other people's perspectives. but that's besides the point, because everyone has their own path and pace to follow. it doesn't matter how long it took to get here, we're just glad you're here now to do the good work with us.

do you not feel some sort of revulsion knowing that a family member of yours is acting in immoral ways, and you've been the unwitting beneficiary to that immorality? does it not burden you with responsibility when you realise you could have had multiple opportunities to speak out against the hurt being inflicted onto others, while you were in a position to do so safely and without extreme repercussion? THAT is what she's feeling. she knows that she technically do anything wrong, but she didn't do anything right, either. and it is not enough to know suffering exists, but to strive to heal it, whenever you are able.

this is obviously a fictional story so it doesn't have to be that deep; except it can be, and it's trying to be, because this story is set after the revolution has toppled over the monarchy, so themes like classism, privilege of birth and how to quantify someone's 'value' will be present.

nevermind i wrote all of this but i got so heated instead that i actually managed to write a pretty polite sounding response to the comment, leading with curiosity abt their perspectives and trying to sound friendly and Open to Discussion. the proofreader in me will never die as long as im pissed off at people but trying to find a constructive way of communicating that upset 💪😎👍

anyways. this is what i wrote instead

i don't do zines these days but my proofreader ability for real saves my ass so many times in writing communication. fr i think i would've made some very regretful choices if i were trigger happy ajdhskdjkdjd i'm quite satisfied w what i wrote, i lined out what i got different from them and expressed curiosity on their perspective, posited positives to recontextualize things so that i'm not just going "no ur wrong and Here's Why", gently went "we can agree to disagree!" and remained pretty lighthearted throughout, with no accusatory or pointed language. i'm p proud of myself!! i am able to engage in discussions without pissing myself and other people off!! hurray!!

[starryrock]

Waiting for an reincarnation manhwa to drop where the Reborn Hero just doesn’t wanna fight. Bro’s so tired of saving the world the first time around they go hard into the Bard archetype and just seduce all the enemies. They’re still immensely overpowered and could destroy the Dark Lord with a flick, but they decide to start rolling for seduction.

Bonus points if there’s one (1) healer that is completely obvious to all this but sticks with them throughout their journey to make sure they don’t die.

[ultramarine-spirit]

I was reading the novel and this time something caught my attention that I don't know why I had overlooked it before, and that is how Athy talks about her life in the orphanage. Athy says that the children in the orphanage knew things that the children should not know, that she had to fight for what she wanted and that when she left that place she felt a kind of freedom.

To me, that screams abuse.

It bothers me that the fandom so overlooked the fact that Athy was abused not only in her first life (neglect) but also in her second life and I'm sure it must have been hell. I wish the manhwa had put more emphasis on this because many fans overlook Athy's trauma when she is literally the character who suffered the most.

Yes, to me it's canon that Athy was heavily abused in her second life. Adding to what you said, I remember her mentioning having to literally fight for food (a bowl of rice), or how they got a single sad birthday celebration per month. That's also where her initial fixiations with candy, money and her genuine love for studying come from, as Athy herself admits, she never had those kinds of luxuries (she mentions having to eat expired food in a "haha funny" way, but if you think about it for two seconds, it's just tragic. Like, she died from overdosing on sleeping pills to deal with the cold). I know a thing or two about how orphanages operate from my field of work and acquaintances, and kids in those institutions suffer from abuse in all sorts of ways while being completely ignored by society. I'm not from Korea, but going by what Plutus wrote and reading about the subject, the situation seems to be similar or even worse.

If I want to get overanalytical, part of her depression while living alone could be a consequence of the treatment she received at the orphanage. It's super common for kids in those situations to end up with depression, PTSD, having issues forming emotional connections, facing prejudice, etc. It's also canon that she was verbally and physically abused at her workplace. Athy treats her death as an accident, but in my opinion it's implied that it was a suicide, perhaps not in an "active way", but her behavior was edging the line. Which is again, common for people with that background. I think this plot point is interesting, as to my knowledge suicide is a taboo subject in East Asia. Most manhwas don't have their FL reincarnate after that.

I get what you mean, that part of Athy's trauma is often overlooked, but it probably has to do with most people not reading the novel and with Athy herself not really acknowledging it. She mentions her life as Lee Jihye at the beginning of the story, and then very rarely brings it up. But if anything, that's pretty consistent with how Athy deals with her trauma and negative emotions, refusing to acknowledge they exist until their weight is too heavy for her to endure. I like this piece of characterization a lot, but it leaves us with many questions that are hard to answer when Athy herself doesn't remember or actively tries to forget the trauma from her past lives. You could draw some parallels with Lucas and Claude's respective ways of dealing with trauma, loss and trying to forget (but Athy's mindset is more healthy and not so self-destructive lol).

Also yes, to me Athy is the character that has suffered the most by far. Not like this is a competition, but *gestures at LP* and the fact that she was a working class woman in Korea while the other characters (sans Lucas and Diana, I guess) are and always have been rich aristocrats in pseudo-France says enough /hj.

[skriblee-ksk]

I Can See Your Death Episode 37 Brainrot

BECAUSE LIKE

PELL

most of the princes in romance fantasies or otome isekai are barely seen doing anything relevant to their position besides tripping over themselves to romance the FL

And even if they are seen doing stuff, it’s usually things like paperwork and getting fawned over by others in a public space, as if that’s all that is to their higher position.

Pell is one of the princes who actually means something to the citizens of the the Eliore Empire. He isn’t just a label or title and he has an actual relationship to the common people. He want’s to help them when they are suffering. He even gets captured by the lord when he’s supposed to be undercover and get back to the throne because he arrives at the district and sees the citizens suffering in poverty under the lord. And he decides that the danger of getting captured is less important than the danger his citizens are facing right now.

It’s just as one of the maids said. He is their hope. He became their hope just by being there. Just by existing.

Anyway, I think that’s so cool of him.

[rivalkieran]

why are there like no good video essays on orv. WHO am I supposed to shout “THATS WHAT IM SAYING” at. rhis was my one coping mechanism I had in mind while waiting for my friends to catch up. What the hell

[too-pirate-to-function]

about to go off on a Pearl Boy rant, just read the ending and I have Thoughts. trigger warnings in the tags, please read

1. chapter 79 and 80 ruined this story for me, watching Dooshik lead a gang rape after all the trauma that he’s watched Jooha go through was one of the most jarring experiences i’ve ever had in reading. how did we get here? Dooshik is the guy who always fucking saved the victims, whether he knew them or not. the idea that he organized and supervises a gang rape, comes up with this method on his own, and doesn’t even flinch is crazy to me. i thought he was going to join in at one point, that’s how bonkers this story got. the fact that Jooha finds out about it later is so so fucked up. this could’ve easily been just a torture scene and that WOULD have been in character for Dooshik! nothing else would’ve had to change, Jooha could still find out, the twins could’ve had their big moment, but no, Dooshik had to become a rapist in the final season and destroy everything his character stood for. generally i don’t complain about SA in bl stories because it’s so rampant but this is a crime against characterization

2. why didn’t Jooha get to kill Pilwon??? i thought the story was building to this from the moment Dooshik put the scissors in Jooha’s hands! he even goes to Pilwon’s house to kill him! confronts him on the roof yet the only thing he gets to do is act as the damsel! and then Pilwon gets killed offscreen by a side character!!! i cannot believe the writer fumbled the story when narrative satisfaction was right there.

3. why the two drownings?! if they were always going to die why did they drown twice?! first when they jumped off the cliff together and then a second time for no reason after they had found a bitterly sweet happy ending. it feels redundant and honestly it cheapens the second one which was already the weaker one.

4. Jooha died twice. first when he lost his memories after falling, but hey he got to fall in love all over again without the trauma or understanding of what he’s gone through with the man he loves. then he dies for real after chasing his cats onto thin ice. i cannot. pick a tragedy lane and stick to it goddamn it. Jooha was who i finished this story for and i was so upset to see how dirty this finale did him. when he walked out on the balcony with Dooshik and Pilwon and a chain around his wrist i thought maybe we’d get another badass Jooha moment where he whips that chain into Pilwon’s stupid dick face. hit his other eye. or at least he’d inherit Pilwon’s fortune after he dies since there was some adoption paperwork in place?

5. the main characters die after Jooha chases their cats out onto thin ice. wtf. where did that come from?! it honestly fucking feels like the writer gave up and slapped us with her balls on the way out the door

6. Choonbae briefly appears to fight Jooha because??? and then that doesn’t even fucking matter since Jooha loses his memory!?! the friends Dooshik has and his family literally don’t even matter which is so frustrating because i enjoyed his host friends so much and i wanted to meet his sister.

7. Choonbae was another character done so dirty because the manwha introduced him and made him seem like he was going to get more involved with Pilwon right before it dropped him harder than me as a baby. if Jooha wasn’t going to kill Pilwon then Choonbae would’ve been an acceptable replacement, especially if he saw what a monster he really was.

8. the pearls completely lost their significance the last season, but i think if the world saw that one revenge porn video then Jooha’s secret might’ve come out? plus by the end Pilwon isn’t even doing this for the pearls anymore, not even as a creepy memorabilia type thing. i just feel like the importance of the pearls to the villains and the danger of people finding out got strangled by the narrative

9. the author’s note at the end that claims this story was written out beforehand, i call BS. i feel pretty confident i can tell what storybeats were planned out and which ones were slapped together and this dumb tragedy ending where they drown together after chasing their cats is obviously the latter. it’s so frustrating to see this story fumbled in the third season, in the final act.

10. WHO IS RUNNING THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT IF THE LEADERS ARE ALL ON VACATION. I JUST WANT TO KNOW.

[houxe]

The Problem with Using Certain Manhwa’s for Dsmp AUs

Recently I was scrolling on Twitter looking for fanart (I do not have a Twitter, I was on guest, don’t ask me for it) and I came upon a thread talking about how a fic shouldn’t have used a manhwa for inspiration because of the connotations it presents to the characters, how the fic was portrayed, and the subject of the manhwa itself.

And I agree.

I think the thread was right and that we should have a discussion on what stories are appropriate to make platonic, or romantic aus, out of with the Dsmp characters.

So I���m going to talk about it here.

This thread was talking about a specific fic that’s grown popular, but I don’t want this to be a witch hunt or a call out of their work, so I won’t be mentioning the thread name or the fic. You can go find it yourself, but I want this to be a discussion and for people to check what they plan to take inspiration from before using it.

If you do find the threat and the fic, please do not attack or belittle the creator of the fic it was talking about. My post here is only to spread awareness on topics we as a community shouldn’t blatantly use as inspiration.

Now, there are many manhwas and webtoons and stories in general that have amazing plotlines and characterization to play with. I can completely understand why people would want to make aus out of them.

However, stories that involve the sexual abuse and manipulation of women by men in power should not be used for inspiration, especially not for stories where you are taking out the important plot points to force it to fit.

These stories include manhwas like: ‘The Remarried Empress’, ‘Your Throne’, and ‘The Villainess is a Marionette’. 

Obviously, this is only naming a few popular ones, but all three of these stories heavily touch on, or use it as the main plot, the topic of women being view as objects and baby incubators, like in Remarried Empress’s case, or lesser beings that should be submissive and bow to men, like in Your Throne and The Villainess is a Marionette’s cases.

The Dsmp fandom in general focuses heavily on the cis male characters of the fandom, and I find it to be in extremely poor taste to take a story based around the abuse and belittlement of women, or other marginalized sexualities and genders, by men in power and turn them into aus about all men and then removing the vital parts of the story that focus on their gender or sexuality.

Which is the main issue. The removal of those vital bits to make the story work, when you could've easily used another or used a similar plotline but not follow the main plot of the manhwa.

This is especially true in cases like the Remarried Empress, where the antagonist quite literally takes in a runaway slave and uses her to stroke his ego because she is a powerless child and he wants to get a baby out of her before tossing her aside. Basing a Dsmp au off of that, and taking out that vital context (i.e. wanting to use her as a baby maker), is horrible. 

In fact, in my personal opinion, I think it touches far too close to boundary breaking. The characters are not the content creators, however they still put up boundaries for said characters they created. Specifically ones about sexual themes and the like.

And, to clarify, it would be the same if they took a story about a man being abused in a specific way only men, or masculine presenting, characters could be abused and took out vital pieces to make it into a story about women. Or if you took a story about a trans character's abuse and took out vital pieces to make it into a story about cis characters instead.

I'm only using these manhwas because they're unfortunately the most popular in terms of specific sexual abuse, and a lot of the Dsmp ccs made it clear they do not want their characters to be involved with sexual themes. Using these manhwas and taking out the vital pieces (the sexual abuse) really bastardizes the whole point of the story.

This isn’t me singling out Remarried Empress, either. Your Throne heavily goes into the topic of manipulating and grooming a young, little girl into being the ‘perfect’ submissive wife to an emperor and how she must always bow to him. Putting a Dsmp character in that position? Or in the emperor’s position? No.  

If the stories that people take inspiration from were about parents abusing their child, or siblings abusing their siblings, or someone being raised to be a ‘perfect heir’, then those are fine! They don’t focus on the systemic abuse of these gender identities at all!

You are free to make your own stories and take inspiration from others, but don’t do so with works that focus on the systemic abuse of some gender identities, then proceed to take those vital points out. Again, that is the real issue here. 

I’m going to end this off by saying, again, please do not attack anyone who does this. This is to be used a discussion and to spread awareness of things that are just not cool. 

I don’t want to dishearten anyone from creativity, but we as a community need to draw a line when it comes to these sorts of things. There are so many other stories that can be used for familial abuse or friend abuse or regular abuse of power that don’t involve such disgusting and specific topics pertaining to how certain identities have been treated throughout history.

Please have a good day and take breaks if you need them.

[marveltaughtmetoread]

The way some comics about a character being wronged are beginning to say that it is an internal issue is deeply disturbing to me

Because yeah, standing up to a person can stop them walking all over you, and yeah making yourself into an aloof person is probably gonna prevent a lot of people from trying to take advantage of you

But it won't stop everyone, it's only gonna stop the people who just need a nudge to respect your boundaries not the people who don't care whether you have them, and the people who hurt you are still in the wrong

You suddenly growing a spine will not result in the major changes you see in the comics, were they literally repair the bridge between every character who ever hurt them with simply standing up for themselves once

Standing up for yourself is definitely a good thing to do but it won't suddenly stop the bullying and change how they treat you entirely, it won't suddenly make them respect you if they were never gonna do that anyway

Like it can lead to very long conversations and slow change but it's not gonna magically make everyone who was awful to you become a better person as well, some people can't be changed

I could fix the relationship between me and my parents through discussion because they love and respect me enough to try and change in small ways to better accommodate me, they were misunderstanding me so laying down clearly what I needed from them gave them that clarity to treat me in a way that respected my boundaries better but it only worked because they love and respect me and wanted to try

I can't fix the relationship with my sister through anything I do alone, because she will never respect me enough to treat me well so the only thing I can do is walk away, I can explain what's wrong with how she treats me until I am blue in the face and she can reiterate what I said but ultimately she doesn't want to respect my boundaries so me explaining it to her won't change anything, it's better for me if I walk away

And sometimes walking away is the best way to stand up for yourself

But that wouldn't make a compelling story for these frequently Isekai story, they wanna keep the same characters and benefit from the setting so the way they handle it is to just have the relationships between the main character and everyone around them be fixed by the main character growing in confidence

Which is even more problematic than it needed to be because the current method to Isekai in these stories is possession of another person's body in a different world

So not only are we lumping all the responsibility for being abused on to the victim, because apparently growing a backbone is the only thing you need to do to be seen as an equal by these people, we also the icky implication that well you need to become a completely different person entirely for it to happen, you can't be yourself otherwise they would abuse you

And nobody sees the problem with this, nobody recognises that hey if you have to change completely to be accommodated by these people maybe the problem is theirs and maybe you should just walk away

The people who abuse you are the ones in the wrong, the people who take advantage of you are the ones in the wrong, the people who mistreat you are the ones in the wrong, not you, you are a victim

Sure growing a backbone might fix the relationship between you and the people who made mistakes when interacting with you but you shouldn't have to change completely for that to be the case, and it won't fix an abusive relationship

The only way to deal with an abusive relationship is to walk away, to have the strength to walk away and into the arms of people who can and will support you in escaping from your abuser, whether they be organisations or people your abuser isolated you from

There is no way to fix a relationship between someone who genuinely doesn't respect you, who constantly undermines your boundaries and who you are as a person, and it was never your responsibility to fix

I cannot reiterate this enough they are the ones in the wrong and it is not your responsibility to fix the bridges they burned