#or any of the other manhwas with this kinda vibe

[gifti3]

Arranged marriage au with asmo

I need asmo to be in some type of royal otome slowburn manhwa

ramblings ramblings

the drama guys....the DRAMA! dont tell me a bunch of nonsense wouldnt happen

remember the post where i was like indifferent/passive aggressive asmo becoming curious about the MC fics are peak

similar thing is happening here! honestly i think theres some resentment coming from asmos side at first but mc is like ay....you do ur thing and i do mine

im not gonna make u do anything u dont want, i dont have any expectations from this arrangement. lets just try not to make each of our lives hell u know

lol i bet when asmo first meets MC after finding out that hes supposed to marry them he's like thinking "......ig theyre not that bad looking"😒 (he literally would have been flirting with them in any other circumstance)

hmmm mc needs to be apart of a pretty influential family i think since this is gonna be a political type marriage

and asmo,,,,i feel like he doesnt really engage in the specifics when it comes to politics or anything. it's just not something thats important to him. he has his side hobbies and business endeavors that cares about. But topics outside of those things are left up to his family

so perhaps one day, the head of the family (i wanna say lucifer but since i want the person in this role to give off more a mysterious vibe, where his word is final michael might be a better choice) is like... this specific family...theyre kinda important and we want them on our side so get married to their eldest who has rejected every other person ever but has agreed to marry and since u dont do much when it comes to political affairs im gonna have you do this whether you want to or not

and asmo is just like....HUH he tries to get lucifer to help him out here but lucifers like...yea dads not budging sorry lil bro (he doesnt say it like that but similar sentiment lmao)

now mc never really wanted to get married cause they didnt wanna have to go through the motions against their will and they like their life as is but their parents have been breathing down their neck about marriage for years now. And now that this BIG opportunity has present itself to their parents, it feels like the pressure is really on now! at first mc is like shit...idk if i can weasel my way outta this one

and then......they realized that maybe this could probably work out in their favor actually.....

mc agreed to married him cause asmo has a bit of a reputation as a partier and a playboy

with asmo they feel like things can stay as they are for the most part if they let him continue to do as he pleases (not like they could have stopped him if they wanted to lol)

everything can be the same, they can still live their own separate lives, just now they have the title of spouses!

and thats the plan, like i said before asmo comes in being a bit rude at first but it kinda changes to indifference and a little passive aggressiveness once MC is like...yo chill im not gonna shit on ur parade. i just wanna be left to my own things. you do you sir

yes thats the plan...thats supposed to be the plan and it was going as mc expected for a good while

but as we know if u put something or someone in front of asmo enough times hes gonna get curious

[konu-d]

Sorry but I can’t help but stare at the way Edmond’s drawn in both of his sprites

Cause like, they absolutely could’ve gone the regular ol’ “is he man or a vampire” route considering that’s ALWAYS how Edmond Dantes has been portrayed in most media especially visual ones like in the movies or hell even the Gankutsuou anime, he’s always been shown as vampiric

And hey maybe there ARE vampiric references in him in his purple Count form esp with that one attack of him like, curling up in his cloack and dropping upside down and all that

But visually?? Like his face?? The hair the silhouette the vibes??? It’s so interesting

Komatsuzaki Rui has a very iconic artstyle lbr, everybody knows the Danganronpa artstyle, so I can’t even say things like “Oh the artist doesn’t know how to draw rugged characters” because they do! They do know how to draw rugged and buff or old or slender kinda vampiric lanky characters, but what did they do for Edmond Dantes? They gave him a baby face and slapped him in some green robes and a hat

“Behold, the most famous face for revenge storylines, the predecessor of Batman, the og reincarnates and takes revenge on those who wronged them manhwa” and they give us… young man? White hair anime pretty boy? (Let’s be real, he’s a pretty boy. The hair is a consequence of the artstyle but you can bet your ass that shit is soft and well-cared for, let’s be so fr.)

Just putting him next to any other Edmond Dantes in history will have you bamboozled because like… why? What was the idea here? Please Komatsuzaki-san, let me inside your head to see your thought process in designing this idiot who now has my brain in his iron grip

It’s… it’s the baby face that gets me, I think. The man is 33 when he busts out of prison, 19 when he was first thrown in and lbr we’ve seen what he looked like when he was 19,,, young,,, so full of hopes and dreams,,,, boy’s smile is so bright it could compete with the sun,,, ough,,,, I’d go to war for that smile

I don’t know why I’m so hung up about this!!! “Maybe they just wanted him to look visually distinct from every other Edmond in history Konu, it’s not that deep” IT IS TO ME!!! IT IS TO ME WHO HAS LEARNED NOT TO SQUANDER ANY ASPECT OF DESIGN AND KNOWS THERE HAS TO BE AT LEAST SOME FORM OF A REASON

He looks,,, so young. Early 20s at most. Handsome, absolutely, a bit of an acquired taste maybe

I just

I dunno man

I just wanna know what they were thinking when they designed this idiot

[blank-house]

Omg I wasn't expecting at all their hobbies?? Mostly Jamie, I love that he reads manhwa! And Deja being a gamer girlie...💘 That's really unexpected. Now then I got even more questions!! These are more basic I guess?

Do any of them have a second language or is English not the first one? With Jamie being an exchange student and Deja speaking to herself another language or so in the demo I got curious about their backgrounds

Sorry not sorry but the haikyuu reference during the volleyball game got me dead 😭 I need to know about the besties hobbies too! Cameron's such a cool character fr

Okay maybe this is kind of spoilerish but... Have any of them had any serious relationship before? The vibes of the demo and it happening on college gives the vibes of first love kinda. Just out there trying to guess! I really am a fan of the trope

Tysm for answering! You just gave me such a detailed answer!! I didn't expect it 🥰 It really shows how much you care about little details when writing hehe

I should start on a master list of facts for everyone to quick nav on tumblr haha but I love your enthusiasm for the cast! Let's get cracking on Q2!

Languages/Background

I was also waiting for this kind of question because I thought about it-- a lot, way too much, in fact lmao. I won't go too in depth about each of their backgrounds, especially since some of it is heavily intertwined with their stories, but I'm happy to indulge the basics!

So down the entire cast, we got:

Percy - Japanese (1st Gen); he's fluent in Japanese and it is his first language but he definitely uses English the most nowadays. He only ever speaks his native tongue when he's at home. He also knows a bit of Hawaiian Pidgin. It's what he picked up from Elio when they came to know each other in high school.

Elio - Hawaiian (Dad)/Thai (Mom); English is his first language but his family makes sure to teach him Hawaiian, Hawaiian Pidgin, and Thai. He's conversational with the first two, especially since that's how his grandparents on his dad's side would choose to communicate with. However, since he doesn't get to visit his relatives in Thailand often, Thai is definitely the less practiced of the bunch. At this point, he can somewhat hold a conversation but it's more like-- he understands the language better than he can speak it.

Jamie - Swedish; Swedish is his first language but he is the biggest polyglot on the team, and I mean big. He's fluent in English and most, if not all, European languages (German, French, Italian- you name it, he can probably speak it). Korean is something he recently picked up, though- just so he won't have to wait for translations for the manhwas he likes lol. Learning languages is easy to him and if he's motivated enough he could be conversational in a couple of months.

Deja - Haitian; English is her first language but she's conversational in Haitian Creole. She only speaks it if she's with family, especially her oldest and more distant relatives, or when exasperated. Deja isn't really in the business of flexing her second tongue since it's not something people immediately close to her use a lot.

Cameron - Nicaraguan (2nd Gen); English is also their first language but they dip into Spanish with their family, especially their grandparents. In the KF world, I believe you wouldn't catch this unless you're fluent in Spanish, but Cameron would speak with Nicaraguan phonology so some of their pronunciations might be weighted with 's' sounds.

Reynah - Filipina (1st Gen); English is her second language with Tagalog as her first. However, after being in the states for so long she's not as fluent in it. It's the same case as Elio and most children who migrate at a young age- Reynah understands better than she can speak. That being said, her accent surprisingly lingers. You hear it when she's angry or speaking fast, and you hear it at the end of her sentences or at a break- that short 'ah' sound Filipinos speak with.

And that's all of them! Though it's probably too redundant for me to note, everyone doesn't have an accent except for Reynah and Jamie. Jamie keeps his Swedish accent even though he's fluent because it's too much effort to use an American accent lol

Hobbies (Deja and Cam)

Aha yeah, gotta sneak in anime references when I can and I'm glad you like Cameron too! They're very endearing to me ^^ But okay bestie hobbies! Def gotta know this since MC's best friends with them. So to start--

Deja

Deja's got a handful of hobbies. Does she have time for all of them? No, but she's got them! And they're mostly to help her unwind. For games, she tends to like the ones that relies on strategies and skill. Platformers are her go-to's as well as party games. She's not competitive in the way Elio is but she'd be damned if anyone took her spot at the top of the leaderboard.

Besides video games, she likes to tend to plants and players can see that their shared apartment is littered with them. If she miraculously got more free time, then she'll pick up a knitting/crocheting project.

However, her favorite thing to do in her pastime are her nails! At the apartment, her and MC would indulge in movie nights/marathons so that she could paint and dry her nails during the duration of the showing. The last thing you'd catch her with is a broken or chipped edge.

Cam

As you peeped, Cameron watches anime! They only watch though- they like the action compared to reading. They've been on the grind for a while so you can consider them a veteran haha. Their favorite genres to watch are Slice of Life's, Sports, Shoujos, and Dramas and Thrillers. I know, I know, that's sort of weird jump from their other favorites lol but they like being swept up into the story line like Percy. So if they start crying about a fictional relationship or jumping on the couch because of a murder mystery- then it's safe to say they're enjoying the show.

Other than that, Cameron really likes art! In fact, it could've very well had been something they majored in! They're that good. But alas, they decided on a pre-law track so painting and drawing remains as a past time.

And of course, who can forget music. They only play one instrument and it's not often, but they love listening to it- especially Kpop. If you look through their car, you might find a photo card or two tucked away somewhere. That, and their albums lying next to their seat. (I'm not supposed to be referencing actual bands but Cameron has slipped into the diamond life iykyk)

Past Relationships

Oh, first love is a good guess! But out of the entire cast, half of them have been in a serious relationship before and that is Percy, Deja, and Reynah. Everyone else either had crushes or went on a couple of dates but never went official with anyone.

I won't go into the specifics for either Percy or Reynah, but since Deja's your roommate and best friend-- conversations about her love life would have cropped up before the start of the game. So at the very least I can say that she's dated a couple of guys during her high school and freshmen college year.

She broke up with all of them pretty quick though haha I wouldn't say she was wasting her time with them- she doesn't date for the sake of it like some might. So every relationship could've been something- but she's got zero tolerance for cheaters or massive fuck ups so they ended up being nothing. C'est la vie

~*~*~*~

And that's that! Phew, these explanations are getting longer and longer so I'm sorry for the word dump but that was fun! Thank you for asking another question!

[tanenigiri]

I'm floored that people are still liking and reblogging the collage of BL and BL-adjacent works that I reviewed two (!!) years ago. I haven't stopped growing my collection of manga, so I figured I'd make a sort-of Part 2 with a collage of some other fluffy slice-of-life BL and BL-adjacent titles I've enjoyed ever since I ended that project.

While I don't have time to give them full-fledged reviews like before, you can find some of my quick thoughts on each of them under the cut. I recommend all of these titles just as much as the 18 I included in the first collage - if you liked any of those, give these 10 stories a try!

Hirano and Kagiura by Shou Harusono - From the creator of Sasaki and Miyano and set in the same universe, this series revolves around one of Miyano's senpais and the roommate that he's been shipping him with since the start. This is every bit as charming and wholesome as Sasaki and Miyano, though I think this is a lot more chaotic considering the more hilarious take on the main pair's dynamic. I did a more comprehensive review of its first volume here if you wanna check it out.

Candy Color Paradox by Isaku Natsume - I'm not usually a big fan of enemies to lovers - the tropes they work with are rarely my cup of tea. This is one of the few stories I've read where that dynamic works really well, though, with these two reporters clashing a lot early on but finding out that they're exactly what the other needs. I wasn't too sold on the first volume but the second one really brought me onboard - I thought they treated the personal conflicts of one of the main characters incredibly well there.

My Brother's Husband by Gengoroh Tagame - More BL-adjacent than BL, this tells the story of a man reconnecting with the husband of his late brother (and no, there isn't any romance involved at all - this is a family-centric story first and foremost). It doesn't focus entirely on dealing with this loss, though - it's also a look into the protagonist's own family dynamics and troubles, with his daughter being a very prominent character here a la Tane in Our Dining Table. One of my favorites of this batch as it has a lot of heart and soul poured into it.

My Love Mix-Up by Watanu Hinekure and Aruko - The most comedic title here, this takes the misunderstanding trope to a really funny direction and builds a really good story out of it. The main couple is very adorable, and their dynamic with the side couple evolves in such a fun way that I ended up seeing this as a story about the four of them that just so happens to have two couples. If you watched the live action, the manga has a slightly different take on the story, and of course it spends more time on certain plot points, but it has the same chaotic and hilarious vibe.

Hyperventilation by Bboungbbangkkyu - I've only read a few Korean BLs, but this one is easily my favorite of the ones I've read so far. This is a lot steamier than most of the titles in this and in the previous collage, but those scenes are surrounded by a heartfelt dynamic between its two leads who are realizing that the connection they shared back in high school was a lot deeper than they thought. If you've watched the animation of this title, the manhwa's pretty much that but in book form, but I did notice some differences in the manhwa that made the story stronger in my opinion.

I'm Kinda Chubby and I'm Your Hero by Nore - I was slightly wary of this title since body image issues are quite difficult to tackle, but it turned out to not really be the focus of the story - one of the protagonists just happens to be chubby, and while there is some discussion on it, this story focuses a lot more on his growth as an actor and his newfound dynamic with the story's other protagonist. It's a really sweet story at its core, and the pun is definitely intended as the other protagonist is a pastry chef lol. (I'm also not sure if I would consider this as BL or BL-adjacent, coz by the second volume (which is the latest one so far) they aren't really together, but you can definitely sense that their dynamic goes beyond friendship.)

That Blue Sky Feeling by Okura and Coma Hashii - Picked this up mainly because the story is by the same person behind I Think Our Son Is Gay, one of my favorites in the original project. This has a slightly similar vibe, where it focuses more on exploring homosexuality and identity instead of romance, and it does so with the same interesting depth that Okura did in the other work. This one definitely has more BL tropes than I Think Our Son Is Gay though, and I'm more inclined to call it BL than BL-adjacent.

I Want to Be a Wall by Honami Shirono - "Marriage of convenience between a gay man and an asexual woman" is such an incredible pitch that I picked this up immediately, and I really enjoyed it for what it is. Said asexual woman is also a fujoshi, and the man that her husband is crushing on (who is straight) is a prominent supporting character, so you can imagine the hilarity that ensues. This isn't a comedy though - it's very much a heartwarming tale about identity and finding joy in a situation that isn't exactly the best.

Delinquent Daddy and Tender Teacher by Tama Mizuki - Already the second title here that has the same two-male-leads-plus-child dynamic as Our Dining Table - do you see the clear bias hahaha. This is quite far from that story and My Brother's Husband though, and I honestly thought that this was going to be trashier than it was because of the title, but I really shouldn't have judged this book by its cover as it's a great story about family and building connections with each other. It ended up being closer to Would You Like To Be a Family? in that regard, but this takes the time to flesh out the relationship between the two protagonists and the child, creating a silly but heartwarming dynamic.

Hello, Green Days by Ayu Sakumoto - Stumbled upon this short story online, and it has stayed with me ever since even if it doesn't have a physical English release (yet?). The dynamic between the protagonists is really sweet, and how it weaves in the plant talk (one of the main characters is a botany major) into the story is very clever. I also did a more comprehensive review of this before, so check it out here if you want.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! I hope you found more titles to add to your to-read list.

[bloody-wonder]

First of all, thanks so much for sharing your books recs and reviews. I love reading your blog (especially since I did not find many books blog that as good as you in tumblr). 💐🥰

Can I ask your opinion on something? So, I saw some discussion on why shounen series (or series with strong bromance vibes) have more romantic vibes than BL manga/mahwa (MLM books). (Sorry, do you like any BL manga/manhwa or shounen series?) And I kinda agree. But what do you think?

Sorry for this random ask, feel free if you want to ignore this ask....

wow thank you! i love sending my bookish posts into the void and i love it even more when the void expresses its appreciation haha

i didn't know about this discourse but in general i agree with the controversial (?) opinion that non-canon queer-coded or homosocial relationships oftentimes make for more compelling ships than their canon counterparts. one could argue that it's bc something that is just out of reach feels more appealing than something that you already have but in regards to my personal frustrations when reading romance stories and plotlines it often comes down to how the relationship of characters who the author already decided are going to fall in love has little room to breathe beyond that - the sword of damocles of romance is constantly hanging over them and determining their entire narrative. there's little intrigue in that bc when you're an experience reader or a genre-savvy media consumer you know exactly how it's gonna go, bit by bit.

furthermore, i think it's interesting that women and people who used to identify as women when they were young are likelier to write an explicit romance or a canon queer relationship bc they have been socialized to value that type of fiction and in doing that they will, whether by intention or not, regurgitate all the possible tropes and clichées which doesn't necessarily make their original story a compelling romance. by contrast, people who grew up socialized as men have been taught to suppress emotions and value no homo male bonds with their bros which is why a stereotypical cishet male sff author will 1) write an absolutely yucky romance for his male lead and his female love interest, 2) rather die than acknowledge that queerness exists and 3) pour all the most profound and intense feelings his conscious and subconscious mind is capable of into the depiction of the male lead's relationship with his male sidekick. ambiguity tends to make things more interesting so no wonder people will feel more drawn to a ship that is ambiguously homosocial in eve kosofsky sedgwick's sense rather than to a ship that is merely a love story between two people of the same gender.

which brings me to my last (more personal) point: as someone who has been socialized as a woman i am slightly obsessed with romance. however, as someone who identifies as aroace i don't find most romance books or even romance subplots relatable or compelling. this contradiction is a source of constant frustration that accompanies my reading experience - i often seek out romance books bc i do so enjoy a good love story and end up disappointed and alienated most of the time bc of this built in failure to connect with fiction that is written by allos for allos. for example, i have tried to take refuge in historical mm romance bc i figured that neither comphet nor modern identity politics would spoil the magic of two people falling in love for me in this case. however, having read quite a few of those, i have noticed this compulsion the authors have to 1) let the reader know by any means necessary and as soon as possible that the characters in question are in fact into men and 2) state explicitly that these men find each other attractive - a compulsion that speaks to the allo experience of being aware (most of the time) what type of person you're attracted to and being able to interpret a perceived connection as romantic or sexual attraction almost immediately. a compulsion which i, as an aroace reader, find utterly bizarre and terribly frustrating. not to shame allos for how their sexuality works or anything, but i think trying to convince the reader that two characters are into each other without relying on these two conveniences would be a good writing exercise.

by comparison, a relationship that is just allowed to develop without its participants interpreting it as a romance (bc the author who wrote it didn't intend them to at all) feels like freedom. yes, it's unfortunate that they won't kiss or fuck in the end of all that quality time but ah well, i can go to ao3 for that. and yes, if they're not canonically queer it's not real rep etc etc but i think that by now we have all understood that media consumption is not activism and queer rep in your favorite tv show will not bring about the age of tolerance. what i'm talking about in this post is why it sometimes feels like queer fiction fails to depict queerness and romance in a compelling way.

[kohakus-tv]

Do you have any recommendations for things with kohakiha vibes?

hmhm this needs quite some thought but here are the ones that come to my mind

so, of course, for anyone else seeing who hasn't seen my other post for it, white angels have no wings and white angels get no rest mwah, love it love it, the kohakiha vibes are amazing

pet's aesthetics could give me a them vibe, but maybe a bit more on the softer side, and same goes for another manhwa called on a leash

generally, i find it hard to find something that would make me think of kohakiha right away (except from just concepts) but i could see SEVERAL sex scenes that i could see them working with manhwas like bad thinking diary or sadistic beauty and sadistic beauty side story

also kinda random but not entirely, they remind me a bit of two characters from oniisama e. specifically i could see akiha as fukiko and kohaku as mariko for some reason. there no ship of those to at least as much i'm aware of (unless it's a rare pare that i didn't know of) but yeah sjjcksdb just something i wanted to add to this tehee

[honeymouthedtales]

manhwa anon - omg didnt expect to get a special cla rec list thank you!! 😭🩷 i cant really describe what tropes are my favorite because i am a total newbie but from the few i’ve read: i also LOVE villainess tropes, esp. those with smart and cunning fl (im currently reading villainess turns hourglass, obsessed with the fl she’s so evil and smart, and not really a villainess but think navier of remarried empress- her brain is just so huge ugh im in love)

another aspect i like is when the story focuses a lot on imperial politics and high society strategizing etc, i find it really fascinating!! basically the heavier, more dramatic stuff, as opposed to light topics & fluffy romance all throughout the story :3

if you have any !!must read!! recs for beginners pls also share, even if they dont fit those tropes!!! 🫶

sorry this took a lot but my mental illness went downhill these days

i've already mentioned my faves i think but i can go a little further. you've already mentioned navier who's a real queen, but when it comes to scheming main characters I can mention:

The Villainess Is A Marionette: the setting is a bit all over the place with the inspiration but the art is gorgeous and both she and her twin brother are schemers and tbh even if he is the villain sometimes I feel like siding with him ahah. There's a lot of intrigue and court factions in it!

The Way To Protect The Female Lead's Older Brother: i am in love with this webtoon, not only the art is gorgeous, everyone in it is kinda insane. The fl doesn't want to be a villainess but has to become it in order to survive and isn't she an amazing villainess? I also somehow really love the male lead, I like when they deviate from the buff guy stereotype, he has a very youthful vibe (and I loved that he was a prisoner of the fl's family at the beginning of the story). I also love the other male lead and I normally despise the second guy very bad, but tbh as someone who read the ending of the novel I personally wouldn't know who I was really hoping to win in the end. Anyway, if you like gothic and a little gory themes and a lot of scheming this is also very pretty.

The Broken Ring: I really like the female lead so much, she's one of my favorite in existence. When you read villainess webtoons, most of them are just normal girls who end up a villainess and conquer everyone with their charm/sweetness, but in this case she is a girl who gets to live her life for the third time and after suffering in both the previous lives she is quite tired and just wants to marry her 'no thoughts in that pretty head' chosen husband and live on her own. There's not that much of a plot with adventures and kidnapping but I love that it has a very mature feel.

The Villainess Lives Twice: if you like the fl of villainess turns the hourglass you will also like her. The plot does sometimes get a little unbelievable but there's a lot of politics and intrigues and going to ballrooms to make connections, I definitely recommend but don't expect a very how can I say refined plot.

I tamed my ex husband's mad dog: I thought it was a little strange at the beginning bc it's one of those adopting a very cute weak teenager and then he grows up to be my knight who loves me and I can't control him anymore damn, and when they meet he's 16 and she's 25, but ACTUALLY I'll put the spoiler after a few lines bc idk how to write it in white so you can avoid it ;;

apparently the guy is a isekai returnee as well? So he was just pretending to be a child after reincarnating?

Do of this what you want. Anyway they're both kinda selfish and trying to use the other for their selfish reasons in the end.

The Princess Imprints a Traitor: this is also one of those stories that are about a returnee who comes back and tries to change the past. She's absolutely not a villainess, but I like how smart she is, how she protects her people, and how she goes hard into politics because the only way to save everyone would be becoming crown princess and changing things herself. Also the plot is very unique, with magic and alchemy and spellbound servants who serve their masters in bed? Although she's too noble so she refuses lol

Isn't Being a Wicked Woman Much Better? I live for people who become a villainess and decide to keep living as a villainess. She's smarter than everyone, she's rich, she has power, I just hope she can leave everyone penniless and enjoy herself forever.

I'll be the matriarch in this life/I shall master this family: she's not exactly a villainess but after returning from the dead Florentia is the most scheming and business savvy 5yo and then 8yo and then 12yo in existence. I've been waiting for her to grow up for two seasons and I can't wait for her to show me what she can do in the next seasons as well. It's more light-hearted compared to everything I've recced until now but I think it's a top read and I love the fl <3

This got very long but if you send me another ask I might do a part two!

[theres-a-bea]

any kdrama recs? i've been binge watching "the last empress" nonstop and im kinda getting tired of it :')

AN ASK !!! i have to warn you tho: i probably have no taste in k dramas cos i just watch whatever seemed interesting in my recommendeds, but here are a bunch of shows that i really liked in no particular order (bc i added a star rating)

(take note: i don't always like them for the plot, sometimes aesthetics is enough for me cos my brain shuts off and forgets there's even a story)

• the glory ★★★★★ (massive slay bc everyone got what they deserved + ha ye sol my queen fucking soloed)

• extraordinary you ★★★★ (idc about the plot of this one, but if you've seen any of my manic 3am tumblr rants you know this is on here for aesthetics and worldbuilding)

• true beauty ★★★ (again, idc about the plot, i'm here for aesthetics. + bonus points to worldbuilding after the universe was officially confirmed to be the same as extraordinary you)

• under the queen's umbrella ★★★★★ (fuck. yeah. i was lowkey scared abt what it was going to be cos when i tell you i went in blind, but yea overall i love love loved it)

• alchemy of souls ★★★★★★ (this, right here, is my shit. world building, magic system, straight up quality organisation, set design, costume design, AWOOGA. historical fantasy always gets me popping my pussy i fucking love this show. still pissed they wasted my heart my wife my sweet angel princess babygirl jin cho-yeon tho)

• business proposal ★★★★ (romcom is not dead. ik it gets a lot of hate cos the plot was rushed and ok sure it's kinda basic and overhyped and basically straight propaganda but i had a proper giggle from this shit. it was funny, and attractive characters have personalities and they actually had more depth than the manhwa. and yes the manhwa sucked cos it may have had more plot but the characters were flatter than in the show)

• summer strike ★★★ (ngl i kinda liked it but it had absolutely ZERO plot. just vibes. lucky it had enough vibes to carry the fucking show cos i would've abandoned it halfway cos literally nothing was going on. if you want to shut your brain off and settle on pure vibe alone go ahead and put this on)

• school 2015 ★★★★ (this actually ate i loved the plot and the characters are a lot more serious than usual k dramas, for a teen drama in 2015 this was a fucking slay, given that 2015 really was kind of the year of teen dramas ngl cos skam came out the same year)

• taxi driver ★★★★★ (no words, just yes. i love justified violence)

• law school ★★★★★ (all you ladies pop your pussy like this shake yo body don't stop don't miss— kim bum has my entire heart my neck my back my pu— yes. kang sol b can step on me and i'd thank her. i fucking love this show. watch it)

• extraordinary attorney woo ★★★★★ (YES !! ABSOLUTELY. I LOVED it. Every character is so well written, plot is well thought-of, and the representation, chefs kiss. they got lesbians in there !! with a happy ending !!! woo to the young to the woo, bitch)

• happiness ★★★★★ (don't you just love it when you get to live with the love of your life pretending yall are married ? i fucking love this show sm. honestly i watched cos i'm absolutely in love with han hyo joo but i ended up sobbing cos i would've just killed myself if i had to deal with the fucking neighbours that they had iesu fucking grist.)

• kingdom ★★★★★★ (as you can obviously see i am a whore for historical fantasy. i do not give six star ratings often but if letterboxd let me i would've given it to this show. zombies, political turmoil, LORE, sexy ass protagonist—idk i'm easily seduced by political leaders actually doing what they're supposed to do, probably bc we don't have any of those where i live)

• revenge of others ★★★★ (i'm afraid to admit that this is the first other thing that i did with my disney plus subscription outside of actual disney-backed content. but i love a good murder mystery. the fact that shin ye eun literally filmed this alongside the glory is insane. kinda sad it's not as gay as you would think it was in the middle)

• all of us are dead ★★★★★ (i forgot to add this but it's ok it's here now. this right here is THE exact situation that i daydreamed about when i was like, eight. idk maybe that's a lil twisted but by god it would bring about a different kind of thrill in my boring ass life. but here it is: high school kids trapped in a school during the zombie apocalypse, the literal plot straight out of my dreams)

i think that's enough to keep someone occupied for a few weeks at least !! thank you for the ask !!!! ok love you

mwa

[nvrcmplt]

[ 10. what genre do you most enjoy, whether in roleplay, or fiction as a whole? (fantasy, period, superhero, etc.) ]

Genres ::

Found Family

Crime / Drugs / Gangs

Shameless Smut

Goddess Era / Worship / Cultural Lores

Mythical Beast / Familiar

Yokai / Familiars

I think anything I can world build the heck out of within either plotting or throughout threading. I just get so much inspo with a good connection - so it is grand.

In terms of like the standard settings, any really tickle my fancy, but the main bubbles are ::

Fantasy is the biggest, I'd say on this blog.

And Slice of Life is always a top tier too, do love just a simple chilling w/ each other's muses and vibing through domestic house/home settings.

Anime settings would be another thing, where it's just normal for someone to be able to backflip x50 times or eat 90x the size of themselves kinda lenience.

Last one would be my addiction for System Manhwa/Stories, EG: My latest Dungeon Muses, their abilities to evolve and level up over time and live in a world that's semi-game like is just amazeballs to me. Solo Leveling / ORV / Seoul Druid for some examples.

[pashminalamb]

hello love!

its not any fun if you push yourself to exhaustion, so don't worry about it! although, i wont stop you from making a 5th edition. just be careful if you do, okay? we dont want you overworking yourself!

back to convo: MY IN LAWS ARE OBSESSED WITH ME YESSSS <33 WHAT IS UP WITH LIKE ISEKAI AND REINCARNATION? LIKE ITS FUNNY BUT ITS INTERESTING EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING DOWN? Oh. its the hot men. oops. well even though its predictable, theyre still fun to read even though theyre cliche.

KRJDJSB YOUR LEAST FAVORITES LMAOOO 😭 THEYRE EGOISTS BUT THEYRE HOT? THE ONLY EXCUSE TBH. but your last two, tbh theyre not that hot in my opinion... i totally get it 😭 nothing like being a camera/women whore to make us angry.

YES PINK <3 I SAY ITS THE BEST COLOR OUT THERE! i myself am more of a reddish-pink but like- really light yknow? pastel, but its really cute! painted my room a piglet pink for that :) the other pastels are cute too! even orange, which is the worst color. guys can hate on me but i hate orange. if you like orange youre WRONG 🤬 (ofc guys im just joking please dont get offended 😰)

THATS SO CUTE? EXCUSE ME? A LITTLE SAFE HAVEN MANSION PLEASE AND LIKE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST? GOALS? <33

about me, huh? umm its a little long sorry

my favorite songs are bug, fragile, & airhead(vocaloid). my aesthetics are softcore, cottagecore, kawaii, & japanese school aesthetics! basically anything pastel, pink, beige, plant, or japanese! i looked up softcore to confirm my suspicions and um... i got p*rn. uh guys make sure when youre searching up softcore that you search up 'softcore aesthetic' instead because.. i mean unless you wanna get p*rn. that's fine ig?

my top favorites animes/manga are toilet bound hanako kun, bungo stray dogs, hunter x hunter, & blue lock :) mainly because they contain my favorite characters: aoi akane, ranpo, killua, & nagi :)

i love sweet food, as well as asian food (especially basic beef pho)! i cant handle spicy, but im fine with the burn. its the pain that comes with it. ouch. BUT IM ASSUMING YOU HAVE HIGHER TOLERANCE 👀 like jalapeños? you can eat them without dying, right? please tell me some good spicy foods for beginners! i can handle like... pepperoni and like... spicy barbecue sauce, and hot doritos? 😭

AND THE PANTIES DISCUSSION? THERES MORE. INTIMATE THINGS? NO. GET READY FOR:

loincloth

undies

underpants

underclothes/clothing

long johns

underthings (did u already list this? 😭)

skivvies

I KNOW THAT SOME ARE FOR GUYS BUT I CANT IMAGINE WRITING A SMUT FIC AND PUTTING: "take off your long johns babe, because it's gonna be a long night." LIKE PLEASE? WHAT? 😭😭 I CANT???

also im sorry im not calling you belle! im used to calling people love or lovely! if youd like me to instead call you belle just tell me! its ok if you dont like the nickname :)

DESPITE ALL OF THAT i hope today's a great day/night for you as well! byebye lovely! <3

- 🌸 anon

ty for understanding doll 🥹 so yeah there would be a 5th edition but I'm taking my time with it Don't even get me started on the hot men in webtoons (got a woman in there too) - I’ve read a lot of Manhwas too (some BL)

i started reading one today - the boxer (still on chapter 3 - but so far it’s going good) my moods in two panels

one of the comments really said “albino Bakugou” 🥹😭

they certainly are hot v.v adam disappointed me. There was so much potential in there the beard n aura but no. oliver is kinda a whore my whore pink is also said to have a calming effect compared to other colors. imo- yellow is the worst color out there, but I've gotten used to it haha yeah the Budapest hotel is my mansion :) ooh vocaloids! i listen to them as well (esp the wowaka's album) n deco! (i listen to a lot of genres tbh, phonk, classical n all - you name it but i think my writing gives lana del rey vibes cause it is tragic n ambiguous at times?) oh yeah there have been times when i have seen nsfw things on tumblr when just scrolling through for some blog aesthetics 0v0 i have one too many fav animes but here we go :

• jojo's bizarre adventure

• kamisama hajimemashita

• Hanayori no dango (its boys over flowers - the original one)

• tokyo ghoul (it was one of the first anime series i watched but after season 2 i wasn't a fan of it)

• death note

• devilman crybaby

• black butler

• slam dunk n knb

• haikyuu

• maid sama! (one of my personal favs)

• ouran high school host club (i watched it a few months ago n it was good)

• free!

• beastars

• jujutsu kaisen

• promised neverland - the first season was good the second.. we know happened to that

• bsd was one of my favs too! i have one too many favs from there

• yuri on ice (contemplating to watch it again)

• blue lock (manga wise - anime i don't keep up with the eps)

• vinland saga (yet to catch up on season 2)

• the ways of a househusband i was watching the time i got reincarnated as a slime (good watch imo), baki (v interesting too-) yeah there are a lot of animes to name

hentai too jalapeños... yeah i eat those. not spicy for me tbh, apart from that the real spicy stuff is the samyang noodles confused crying how do people even eat ghost peppers 🥹 i like enough spice in food to trigger my palette n brain but not spicy enough to burn my stomach or intestines i'm not the best person to ask spicy food for beginners cause some people can't handle spicy food well - depends on the kind of food you grew up eating n the kinda diet you have as it could trigger your body ; but i added chilli powder to bland foods - including Szechuan sauce or sriracha n now that's my go to for spicy food or making fried rice i feel like if uncle roger saw this he's gonna make sure my cooking career goes up in flames loincloth 💀 underthings? 💀 long johns 💀 how... where do you even get these words - i don't even want to know how do they invented these i read that sentence in the most victorian woman voice ever.

actually same here, i tend to call ppl doll, angel, pretty, lovely at times- cause it makes a person smile (i say girlie pop too, honey, gem, sweetness) but at times i hesitate cause idk if the person is comfortable with me calling them that and please! feel free to call me love or lovely! idm it at all 0^^0 i hope you have a great morning / afternoon / evening too doll ! <3

[sharlulu]

Hi! Hi! It's me again! Loved your previous answer! Stephan and Gray are truly made for each <3

Also if you don't mind I'd like to know which manhwa/manga are your favorites? And which underrated manhwa or anime would you recommend is a good read/watch?

Thanks and have a good day!! (Guessed it might be day where you are since our time zones seem to match. It was pretty late where I live too when I sent the previous ask😅)

Hi anon! Yup, it's day for me too, hehe.

Fav mangas:

Pandora hearts (i actually own physical copies of this one; if I were to rank my favs, this would take the first place. Great worldbuilding for a fantasy story, great characters, and the end just left me in tears) completed

Witch hat atelier (started reading it not long ago, and just loved it! I adore the magic system here and the concepts that this story explores are also immensely interesting) monthly updates

Frieren: beyond journey's end (a very melancholic fantasy story, I loved the atmosphere and the characters; and the artstyle was also great)

The apothecary diaries (one of my fav main characters and a great detective-ish storyline + palace intrigue + setting in ancient china) but oh my god are updates slow

Adabana (a very dark story about sexual abuse, murder and just angst in general. Nearly all men here, except for one, are trash. I guess this has an interesting potrayal of female rage and I'm pretty sure that the main heroines loved each other) completed

Fav manhwas and recs:

Duty after school (one of my first favs, has a very interesting artstyle and storyline. It's, hm, humans vs aliens war, but focuses on the characters and their relationships. And, eh, they are all high schollers) completed

Annarasumanara (actually has a k drama adaptaion, beautiful love story, just vibes no plot) completed

Hand jumper (has a very interesting fantasy concept with a morally grey and very smart mc, who is also not op) on hiatus

The weight of our sky (a story inspired by real events in 1969 kuala lumpur malaysia, emotionally gripping and also made me cry) completed

And ofc weak hero ;)

They are all available on webtoon btw. And I would say that half of them are criminally underrated

Oh and i also have the guilty pleasure of reading all those villainess reincarnation manhwas. Tho i never finish them 😅. The only ones which i can kinda recommend are Your Throne, Raeliana, Who made me a princess.

Underrated anime recs (not sure if these are underrated, but anyway):

A place further than the universe (slice of life, a nice story about chasing dreams) 13 episodes

Death parade (have no idea how to describe this 😅 interesting concept and great execution?) 12 episodes

March comes in like a lion (a story about a shogi prodigy; focuses more on internal struggles that actual shogi. I'd say the season 2 is better that the first) 2 seasons, 22 episodes each

Magi (typical fantasy story with great animation and character design. Keep in mind that it's not finished, and won't get a continuation any time soon) 2 seasons, 25 episodes each + a prequel

Whoa, that took a long time 😳, thanks for the ask, i had so much fun making this list, hehe

Have a nice day, anon!

[refriedrambles]

Purple tech people and red clad theater villains are a recurring theme in characters that end up being my favorites

Which I guess explains my need to make Purple to be like anal about his weapons and super knowledgeable about paks while Red's far more unintentionally cruel in general whilst really trying to come off as kind most of the time (where Purple's just purposely cruel with people, the man doesn't care), despite doing horrible thing in the need for attention. It's why he's both such a pushover and yet also a bully. Which feels both a bit like flipping what I usually see with them on it's head but also very aligned with them too

Which is kinda weird

That being said I typically like the overly pathetic theater villains (with at least a touch of mad scientist vibes) the most ei Zim or Jack Spicer, the kind where the narrative never gives them a true win, which my Red doesn't really fall in line with as much. Always just wanna see how these kinda characters would react if they got something they wanted and I guess Red fall more in line with a post preputial state version of that. Red's the Tallest now, sure that wasn't his dream, but now everyone knows his face, most irkens adore him, he's got constant access to pretty much any sort of attention he wants

And I'll be honest I'm very swayed by a character's design in gauging how much I like them. Zim easily could have been my favorite character ever if his design fell more in line with my visual tastes, but it wouldn't be Zim at that point. His design fits him perfectly for IZ ya know? He's definitely still one of my favorites, he's too entertaining and checks too many boxes on whatever subconscious list I got to determine how much I like a character to not be

If you give a character that would normally make me want to tear my hair out an old Disney villain aesthetic or red hair (be it bright fire truck red or a more natural color) I'll at the very least be okay with their presents in a story.

Also it's a down right shame the more characters don't have scars and shit and this could just be from me reading ungodly amounts of subpar manhwa (don't get me wrong here I wouldn't read them if I didn't enjoy them), but 'curing' a curse or magically healing a character of scar/curse marks that was a huge point of insecurity in their character when they finally begin to accept themselves or that someone can actually love them is bullshit. It defeats the point of maybe I can live in my own skin if you decide to immediately tear it off and give them a shiny new unblemish layer. Let them learn to truly accept themselves not just open up to the idea of it then nixing that part of them completely. fkfjhdjgh This applies to lingering disabilities as well. If someone's gonna suddenly regrow a limb or have a magic replacement against all odds in universe dig into that, give me some body horror, some trauma, an adjustment period, little details about how said new limb comes with a new set of daily rituals/maintenance, anything.

Their disability doesn't need to be a conflict or a story point if it's established as simply a part of them, these things don't need to be constantly acknowledged or pointed out (nor do most aspects of a character), but if you're gonna keep picking at it story wise (if that makes any sense, like there is a fine line between shoving something down your throat and have it effect the character often, invisible illnesses are a thing and they're fucking nightmares but would have to be approached in a different way in comparison to something more blatant in terms of showing, different limitations and quirks that might crop up more frequently that the other characters might not be aware of and all that) or bringing it into a conflict fucking COMMIT!

There's something about regrowing a limb that just screams to me there'd be some internal conflict about it, like maybe the character had begun to adjust to not having it and now it's unwieldy leaving the character frustrated at being unable to simply just DO the things they KNOW they're capable of now or the new one doesn't seem to be quite right, missing freckles or birthmarks, thick hairs grow on it that the character could have simply overlooked before but seeds them with suspicion that this limb isn't truly their own. That kinda shit, I never really see it in shit and with how weirdly common the curing trope is, it's a crime. Basically if you're gonna cure something don't just cut the plot threat there.

These are things I will try to implement in my own writing and when I say you I'm not really meaning anyone in particular or trying to get people to write what I want to see. I'm mostly bitching at this point

Since this feels a smidge preachy and I didn't intend to go off on this tangent, let me talk about how much I like Toph. She's just great, my favorite Avatar character behind Zuko! She's got a magic bandaid for her blindness and I don't think there's anything wrong with that cause the avatar writers are brilliant and implemented it nicely. She's rowdy, tough, rough and tumble and over all just a brilliant character. She's not incapable or helpless to the point it's a recurring gag other characters straight up forget she's bilnd. But like she IS still blind, its a part of her. She gets frustrated with people and herself if she or they forget her limits. She can't see the signs they're putting up for Appa nor the painting being done at the end of the series but like she doesn't get stuck on those facts or get miserable cause of it, she just moves on or uses it as an opportunity to break the tension. I love her

[queenharumiura]

15 Questions for the writer

1. are you named after anyone? no, but I had the hanja of my name picked out by my great grandfather, I believe.

2. when was the last time you cried? If the question was about the last time I teared up, I'd say today. Cried? Does crying because I was sweating at Disney and so sunscreen got into my eyes making me cry count? No? I don't recall, in that case.

3. do you have kids? no, unless a pet dog counts.

4. do you use sarcasm a lot? Eh... I use it a bit? I feel like i'm more of a sassy banter kinda gal. I'm also more on the honest side so I just say what I'm thinking/feeling. If I'm being sarcastic, i'm probably mad, I think-- or recounting a story in which I was mad.

5. what’s the first thing you notice about people? I think it's something along the lines of body language? Like, from it, you can kinda gauge their vibe and see if you think you can mesh with them or not. If not that, I guess their sense of humor/personality is the first thing I notice, which again, boils down to the whole 'how well do I think i'll vibe with them.'

6. what’s your eye colour? light brown

7. scary movies or happy endings? I am a big pansy, so I don't like scary movies. I like happy endings a lot.

8. any special talents? does getting incredibly obsessed with things count? No? How about my strong inability to forego water because the concept of hydration mentally disgusts me? No? Then idk what you tell you, i'm pretty average with a select number of skills.

9. where were you born? Seoul, South Korea

10. what are your hobbies? I like to read manhua/manhwa/manga. I like to write things, but I really love getting lost in my thoughts and plotting random scenarios. I guess i'm pretty boring. I tend to hyperfixate a lot, so my hobbies do flucuate quite a bit.

11. have you any pets? Used to have lots of fish when I was young. Had a Shitzu when I was in middleschool. We adopted the current family dog my freshman year of college. (I had imaginary pets as a youngion lolol do they count?)

12. what sport do you play/have played? I... //flashbacks to dodgeball where I managed to throw the ball behind me and another time I threw the ball and it somehow hit me I'm not very coordinated. I trip over my own feet, or trip over air. I'm not a sporty kinda gal. Oh, I do mental gymnastics with how my brain likes to jump through hoops and jog through ideas.

13. how tall are you? How short am I? I'm either 5'2.5" or 5'3".

14. favourite subject in school? Choir should fall under music, no? I really enjoyed choir. I also had fun in art class. In regards to academics, I think I did tend to enjoy Chemistry more than the other subjects. It was the subject I did slightly better in than the rest of the subjects. Does it mean i'm good at it? Ehhhh--- idk. <- A chemist.

15. dream job? //distantly stares off into the void. My childhood dream job was to be the US president-- it only lasted a minute. Remember, I was born in Korea. LOLOLOL My mom burst my bubble real quick. Then I had the brilliant idea to be a professional babysitter. I changed that when my brother came into the picture. I don't really have a dream job to be honest. Like, there are things I may find interest in, but idk, I don't feel very strongly about it to call it a 'dream'. Really, the dream is to just be happy with myself and make myself happy and proud of myself. That's all. Tho, I do have a story that I want to write one day and I think it would be fun to publish it. As a novel? No. Maybe somewhere where I can just post it and enjoy the process. Not really caring if anyone else reads it. I just like the self-satisfaction of completing something. That's what I like.

Tagged by: @zcitgcistcr Tagging: I don't tag, steal it.

[confusedgeek]

you make me dance (2021) review

this review contains !! spoilers !! so do not read if you haven’t watched it already >:3

so i started this BL kdrama earlier today and finished it at 2 AM (as im writing this hehehe)

honestly let’s get straight (what the kdrama ISN’T LMAO) to the point

WHAT TURNED ME OFF IN THE LAST EP (ep 8) IS THEIR KISSING ALRIGHT (u_u)

when it comes to ANY kiss scene I MUST HAVE IT PLAYED AS REALISTIC AS POSSIBLE CAUSE IF THE KISS ISN’T FUCKING HOT WET SHUSSY SEXY AND *coughs* REA-FUCKING-LISTIC HOW CAN I ENJOY IT YK WHAT IM SAYIN ( ˊ̱˂˃ˋ̱ )

in ep 6 or 7 as i recall they had their first kiss on the sofa, it started out mehhhhhh but then when jin hong seok GRABBED HIM AS HE ALWAYS GRABS HIM (melts in the corner) HE SMASHED THOSE LIPS INTO SONG SHI ON’S SO FUCKING GOOD I WAS LIKE *screams at the top of my lungs with a pan ready to be launched at me from 6 meters away* FINALLY ANOTHER GOOD ASS BL WHERE THE ACTORS DON’T PISS THEIR PANTS AT THE THOUGHT OF GIVING REAL HOMIE KISSES DURING THE BEST PART!!!

but oh no, the actors grabbed my balls, squeezing them and said “not so soon” AND IN THE FINAL EP THEY HAD THE AUDACITY TO PLAY THE MOST UNREALISTIC JUST STRAIGHT UP HEART BREAKING KISS IVE SEEN ALRIGHT *sobs* (p_-)

i mean it was cute or whatnot, BUT LIKE YOU’RE BOTH SUPPOSED TO BE IN LOVE YK???? THATS THE TIME TO CRASH THOSE LIPS INTO EACH OTHER LIKE CAR TOYS OR SMTN!!! (or maybe they kissed that way cause jin hong seok didn’t have the heart to give into it entirely, cause maybe he visualized the morning after, when he’ll have to leave korea for a while) (*⁰▿⁰*)

overall, THE DRAMA WAS RLLY GOOD THE STORY WAS UNIQUE AND I LOVED HOW SLOWLY THEY BECAME CLOSER, THE PARTS WHEN SONG SHI ON YELLED AT JIN HONG SEOK WERE PLAYED ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUSLY AND REALISTIC (showed REAL EMOTION AND I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT)

THE DANCE WAS FABULOUS (esp when he showed up to the audition wearing THAT FUCKING SHIRT GGGRRRRR ZOOWEEMAMA FUCK ME TILL IM AS BLUE AS MY BALLS THOSE SHOULDERS *licks lips* I WON’T MIND GET BUMPED BY THOSE NGL)

i recommend this to anybody who LOVES THAT TENSION BETWEEN TWO GAYS (T-T) AND (kinda reminds me of this manhwa called “pirouette into my heart” - haven’t read it but kinda gives the vibe of it {maybe because there’s a dancer in this BL too TT TT})

[sparrow-stunned]

I've been readings so many manhwa's lately that I have a idea for the title for the platonic Zhongli mini series what if we called it the child of the overbearing dragon and the late goddess of dust

I would and in is in love with the broke god of freedom but that is way too long

i'm wheezing, because this is such a manhwa/light novel name, with the long ass descriptions. absolutely perfect. let's make it even more exciting by adding some exclamation marks and some buzzwords

i hereby dub the platonic zhongli & reader series, "my overbearing dragon father keeps trying to ruin my marriage!" ("overbearing dragon father" for short).

i wish i could have added venti in there but that would indeed be too long... (alternatively: i married the broke god of freedom and now my father wants to kill him)

[blueteller]

"Trash of the Count's Family" Review Series: Chapter 0

I've realized something quite terrible today.

I joined the TCF/LCF fandom recently and I wanted to see some reviews, since reading comments and seeing other people's reactions is half the joy of being in a fan community. Except, when I tried to check out some reviews...

I couldn't find any.

Seriously, I can't find any reviews!! Anywhere!!! This is criminal! How can there be no reviews?! This series is quite popular, or at least it seems like it! There's plenty of fans on tumblr! Why is the review section of this fandom like a barren desert!?

Then, came my moment of enlightment:

if there are no reviews, then I shall make them myself 😎

Reviewing the webnovel would be an incredibly daunting task, I'm not gonna lie (with over 770 chapters, it would take years!), so I'll stick with the manhwa for now. There are currently 77 chapters out (almost exactly 1/10th of the whole story – nice!), so I'll have plenty of material for a while, before I run out.

Just so you know – I like analyzing stuff, but I do not consider myself a harsh critic. I'm inclined to be more forgiving of things I actually like, in contrast to how many errors I can find in something I disapprove of. However, I will try my best to acknowledge flaws and be a fair judge of content.

With all that said – let's begin Blue Teller's TCF/LCF review series. Please enjoy!

***

Trash of the Count's Family Manhwa: Chapter 0 (Prologue)

The first chapter is numbered 0, as it serves as a prologue instead of an actual chapter. It mirrors the webnovel well in that aspect: as the book also starts with a prologue, told in 1st person point of view – unlike the rest of the story, which has typical 3rd person POV. It is an important detail, as the majority of this story's comedy comes across through various misunderstandings. It would be impossible for the reader to experience them fully if we were stuck in Cale's POV. But the prologue being in 1st person POV also gives the novel that classic isekai vibe: which is fairly misleading, as we will find out in the future. I believe it is a deliberate move on the author's part. But we will get to that later... much, much later.

We begin with a dark background. Then, fire appears. Ominous. Something terrible is going on, the reader can already tell.

Then we get the title "The Birth of a Hero".

With flames connecting images, we get exposition about a book: classic fantasy isekai premise, with a Korean teen (kinda?) as the protagonist. We see our MC, Choi Han, meet people in a certain village, then return one day to find them all dead. The narrator explains how Choi Han was pure and innocent before, but the incident causes him to snap and kill people for the first time, in revenge for the villagers who were like family to him.

The panel with Choi Han's enraged expression is pretty amazing, as we can still tell that his facial features are supposed to be young and soft, despite how twisted they are in the moment. There are subtle shadows around his eyes, and sparks float around him: partly because the village is burning, partly because they symbolize the spark that made such a kind-hearted person go on a bloody rampage.

In the next several images we see Choi Han fighting and killing the assailants: the artist displays their skill with dynamic images. You can tell Choi Han's movement in every frame, despite the pictures being still. It is very well done.

While the scene isn't nearly as bloody as it probably should have been, you can tell the artist is under obligation to censor most of the violence, including the gore. There are splatters of blood visible in several shots, but not much of it. Considering how bloody this webnovel is – in the most literal sense – some fans could take that as a bad sign. However, I am not a big fan of gore either, so I can't say I mind it... There's still some blood, so it could have been much worse.

We can still tell that Choi Han definitely, very much murdered a bunch of people. I don't care if the scenery isn't entirely covered in blood, even if technically it should be. (It was probably also easier to draw, to be honest.)

The next is another close-up of Choi Han and to be honest with you, I can't tell if he's sweating or crying. Either way... it looks very painful and quite heartbreaking. You can tell that revenge did not give Choi Han as much relief as he would have hoped.

The narrator explains that Choi Han failed to get any information from his enemies, and once he snapped out of his blind rage, he was overcome by despair.

Next we see Choi Han burying the villagers and crying (this time it's definitely crying) while swearing revenge. The narrator tells us that Choi Han then truly understood sadness, and Choi Han leaves the village, ending the dark background which had been present since the beginning. The dark introductory part is now officially over.

Next, we see a noble crest of a Golden Turtle, with a shell shaped as a rocky mountain. Choi Han arrives in a city, which to my knowledge is either called Weston, Westin, or Rain City, depending on translation.

Next we see the face of our true protagonist for the first time, and to be honest – the style is kind of weird for me here. I noticed there are numerous images where there is only one character present, and yet for some reason, the author refuses to draw their eyes. It's certainly a convenient shortcut in drawing, and I've seen some mangas and animes apply this technique. However, usually that's reserved for background characters, character's with faces yet-to-be-revealed, characters standing far away from the viewer, OR characters hiding their emotions.

While you could argue that OG Cale (original Cale, the character before our MC's transmigration) is a mysterious figure and thus not showing his eyes is justified... it's not the only moment where I find the use of the "no-eyes" technique extremely awkward. I will be definitely mentioning more in the future, as I think this author has a problem with it. It doesn't look terrible, but... it doesn't look good, either.

Anyway, Choi Han gets angry at this noble "ruffian" (BTW, Choi Han's "no-eyes" shot look much better, at least there's a fringe and shadows covering them – as it should be!!) named Cale and beats him up... with a lamp? LOL, that part wasn't in the novel?? But it's kinda hilarious. I approve. You can make so many puns with that: "Allow me to enlighten you, Young Master~!" 😂

(Also, how the heck a lamp like that works in this world?? There's no electricity here... I assume it must run on mana or something. Eh, whatever.)

Then finally, we are given the first look at our true protagonist, Cale Henituse; in all his bare-chested glory, haha.

I admit, I am kind of a prude, so I don't like looking at the shots of Cale's bare torso very much. But I can imagine the crowds of thirsty fans eagerly thanking the author for the fanservice. I checked the novel just to be sure, and while Cale looks at his body in the mirror and comments that it is very handsome and fit, it does not mention whether he was looking at himself naked or not. I mean, he takes a bath soon afterwards, so it's not a big leap of logic, but... Let's face it, the author just wanted to draw Cale half-naked. Very well, who am I to judge. Since this novel has no romance in it, this is the most action those poor thirsty fans will get. Enjoy it while it lasts, I suppose. Next time Cale exposes his skin to this extent, he will definitely be dying or something.

No, wait, there's also that bathrobe scene in like 50 chapters, isn't there...? Darn, the author really likes drawing Cale exposed. Ok, have some fanservice as a treat, why don't you... I'll just politely avert my eyes.

Anyway, we are finally meeting our MC, Cale, aka. Kim Rok Soo, the transmigrator who fell asleep reading a novel, and the next day woke up as one of its minor villains. We see a glimpse of Cale's old body, and all we can tell is that KRS has (probably) black hair, a fit body and a black outfit. Pretty non-descript.

KRS, which will be called Cale from now on, looks at himself in the mirror, and thinks that this is bad. His expression is kind of cute, as you can tell through the sweat drops that he's distressed, but he keeps a rather calm expression in spite of the situation. This will become a trend, because even though the Manhwa made Cale more expressive than in the webnovel, he's still someone who appears calm almost all of the time. It will cause quite a lot of misunderstandings in the future.

Cale thinks about his situation and provides some background about himself: he was an orphan who didn't have friends or family to miss back home. So, he decides to make most of this new chance at life.

We get more shots of Cale as he considers his lack of scar, and who OG Cale was as a character. Once again, I really love his expressions. They're very calm and thoughtful and they really fit his character a lot. The author truly came up with an excellent design for the MC.

There is some more of exposition monologue, which the author birlliantly illustrates with images of the room Cale is currently in. It's a clever technique, as they are clearly from Cale's POV, and we get a better idea of his surroundings and the atmosphere. Simply put: Cale's family is loaded, and you can tell from every item in the room. Very good use of "time" by the author.

We also get the first "chibi" image of Choi Han, and it's adorable.

The panel of Cale's Very Serious Face as he states "For now, let's try not to get hit" is the first glimpse of comedy in TCF. It all starts with Cale's very simple and very selfish motive: he doesn't want to get beaten up by Choi Han, the protagonist of "The Birth of a Hero" novel. Cale's very simple plan will soon become very complicated, and the viewer can tell from the dramatic ZING effect in the background. Cale, darling, I have a strong feeling it won't turn out quite as you hope...

Another shot of Cale's naked body, the biggest thus far, please spare me I am a poor little prude over here... also, I can hear all the thirsty fans fainting and nosebleeding over here. My goodness. That's enough of that bathing scene, thank you!

We finish off with Cale stating his dream – to live a peaceful life – and that's the end of the prologue.

Nakedness aside, this chapter was a very solid introduction. The art style is very nice, and depite my nitpicks I think the author is really talented. The story is framed in an interesting way with a glimpse of humor, which will get explored later. Overall, not a bad start, not at all.

Feel free to leave comments!

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