#the 6th loop

[rambling-abyss]

So Regarding the Heroine in a Villainess Iskeai Story.

*note if a series has an official English title that's what I use for no other reason then it's easier for me to remember

enjoy!

A thought that has come into my head recently. And as the title of this suggests it’s something related to the heroine in a villainess iskeai story. Now bare in mind this isn’t super deep dive into the trope. More like a simple observation I’ve come to make after years of reading a certain niche. And that little corner I figured this out was female lead iskeai and iskeai adjacent stories. Usually the setting of a medieval kind about noble ladies living life in noble society sometimes doing things sometimes nothing at all.

I’ve read many those of stories in both manhwa and manga form over years. Can’t say I am expert on this niche topic. In fact a major backbone of the this niche being Otome games is something I very lacking with experience and information. Cultural osmosis from reading this stuff(as well as some interesting YT channels that cover the subject) do I even have a clue to what that’s all about. But that is unrelated to what I am going to talk about. as that’s for someone a bit more versed into those to deep dive into how they formed the backbone of this little genre.

So what exactly about the Heroine I am going to talk about. To put it bluntly how a story uses them is a big factor in deterring the quality of a Villainess story. If they total ignored or missed used then they is a high change that Villainess story is going to kinda of stinky. While the ones that bother to use them to any degree worth something will not come out as smelly. Wow the a story’s use of idea will determine the quality of it is mind blowing right! In this 15 hour video that just recaps episodes of Save by the Bell scene by scene I’ll blow even more of your brain until it’s just a stock.

Joking aside I am going to attempt to make a point about this. To the best of my rambling abyss ability. I will using the two series that made realize this to help make my point as well as use others that can help with. So the two series are

The 6th Loop: I'm Finally Free of Auto Mode in this Otome Game

And

The One Within the Villainess

Because both are a bit of a mouthful to type and to help with brevity. They will be shorten to 6th Loop and OWV respectively. Now this pair are total opposites of this spectrum. And they both end up hitting home of asking the question of just what is the point of having a Villainess story. A Question that only a writer trying to come up with one would ponder. This question only came to me because I’ve read large swathes of them ranging from the good, the bad, and the just plain mediocre. However with the two example I’ll be using I’ll mostly be focusing on a major linchpin for this kind of story. It which is oh so obviously reference in the title of this

Let’s start off with 6th Loop. The Villainess of this story is a poor girl focused to live though a total complete playthrough of a Otomo game. Five lives of misery only able to be observer watching your body reach it’s inevitable doom. Not a bad way to start off a series. It give the reader a good idea of why the lead know the contents of the game so well as well as give them a solid idea to why the lead wants to not walk down the path of the villainess. So what about the heroine then? A faceless specter of the future that were told is important. But once you’ve past the finish line and look back. She’s nothing more then a minor foot in the set up.

Now with OWV it’s a story that asks the question what exactly happens to the original villainess when a Iskeaier posses they body. Well the end up a observer watching the life the otherwolder is now making of their body do. And while watching his somewhat typical iskeai villainess story about a girl wanting the best outcome for everybody. The villainess gets as charmed as the various male leads the girl is helping. And it gets to a point where out villainess see her poser as a someone very important to her. the endless kindness and sincerity not lost on her. But were dose the Heroine matter in this. Well it’s simple thanks to her shameless selfishness the Villainess is forced to surface and the real story begins. And the craziest part is the heroine never 100% vanishes beyond the set up.

What these two examples make me realize is just how important a The Heroine is to a story about a Villainess. And that a total disregard of them misses the entire point of a story of this kind. Robin Hood can’t be Robin Hood without at someone like Prince John around. This doesn’t mean the Heroine has be the bad guy of the story. Not all the time. My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom is a foundational series for this niche. And the heroine is the best friend(and some might even part of the bisexual harem) of the lead. She still a very important character. And a lot of lesser series tent to forgot how important that element is.

6th loop is a one of those lesser series and one that’s been stuck in the back of my head as I pondered about this niche. Not because it’s a uniquely bad one. It’s a painfully mediocre and very unoffensive read. It’s something that you’d have to a back of the dumpster licking freak like me to really remember it. and even then I could forgive for you for forgetting about it or even mistaking for another and much better series by the name alone. But why its sticked was that might be a near perfect example of a generic store brand Iskeai Villain story.

A mostly uneventful story about well-meaning girl trying to stop the bad ends that await her. Maybe even find someone that loves them for who they are along. Maybe make some real friends and overcome whatever personal problems that keep her living her best life. Having all that to the maybe lead up to the happy end she wants. I don’t know it man it kind of just ends with a implied flashes of the future after a bizarre reveal that felt out place for what it going for. really felt like they should have been a bit more after that. But it didn’t get that more. Not a uncommon thing to happen to the shorter of the this niche.

But minor digression aside, 6th loop really falls into a lot of stereotypes and cliches trappings. That a lot of lesser ViS heavily relay on without really adding much else to it. I am not among those unreasonable assholes that think cliches are remnants of Satan’s left nut. As long as I don’t have a truly terrible  time, I can be pretty forgiving. And as proud member of the Bragin Bin Divers Elite. It takes a lot to really offended. Btw Redo of Healer is probably the most famous work in Iskeai that managed to limbo under such a low bar I set.

By now you wondering how OWV counterpoints this? And if that’s the impression I give then I am sorry. Cause really what makes its work is because it’s use of cliches. It’s just that it’s use of it’s twist to the formula that helps it come together. And that twist use an element that is often overlooked in ViSes. It makes full use of it’s idea to help make the base for a compelling story. And hell that idea also leaves room for some interesting implications.

That’s the most frustrating part about 6th Loop it dose have a solid base for itself. A story about the fears of control and assumptions is in there. But the feeling a creeping disinterest in the own story it wants to tell just hurts it. Doesn’t matter nothing was done wrong on a technical level. It’s still a D+, see me after class.

So where dose the heroine really matter in this. Well it’s shorthand way to give you an idea if the author wants to really engage the story they telling or not in this hyper specific niche. Of course it not going to perfect. A writer worth their salt can make you forget about the heroine exists at all in a Villainess’ tales. I am just saying if you going to bother to have one present use it. Cause more times then not it’s only one in a conga line of mistakes made. It’s also the most obvious trope to spot when causally reading something. You’d be amazed how consistent it was that a not-so-great ViS just toss aside the heroine.

However I am really not going to fault creatives behind those duds. Yeah I’ll critic they work until I lose interest in it. But a lot of the stinkers are the results of the great and unstoppable CONENT MACHINE™!!!! A terrible beast made of unforgiving deadlines, sometimes little to no real help from editorial. And because the machine deems more and more a lot of inexperienced talent get a chance on the market as pro because they quickly throw together a comic like these. Can’t give them too much crap for that. Mostly because those ones tend to not last long.

Remember the Iskeai Boom from a sometime ago(maybe) was more then just male power fantasy about get many bitches. Some authors used it as excuse to write the pulp fantasy stories that always wanted to do. and I respect that. However, I’d say that machines have since calmed down a bit in recent. Now that the genre has made itself audience. Hopefully all those dud makers are doing fine these day and have learn the experience and have grown as artist.

Recently I’ve been watching this game reviewer/cook guide guy where every video he said to a nauseating level. Art isn’t content. While I don’t disagree with this remark at any level. Content and Art aren’t totally inseparable, however. Because of how our current society works sometimes art is made for the need of content. And artist the try hards they be sometimes do their best with whatever limitations are strapped on them.

I definitely wouldn’t have notice the trend if it wasn’t for the machine. I do think the trend wouldn’t exist at all if it wasn't for the machine else. Or at the very least amplify it.  I guess this part me bitching about something notice because I’ve read too much of one kind of thing. And the other part is me bitching about the content machine™  again.

But really its me asking writers to not forgot an important elements that make your premise your premise. Writing is hard I know. But you’ll have better idea of what you really want to do if all your pieces are in front of ya

Got Ghosted for Errand Boy Position

Abyss

[untilyouremember]

The 6th Loop

Available digitally (included in MangaUp subscription)

[aceinthetrap]

7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! (2024)

manga text: vol.1 chapter 5.2

anime: ending credits

[phriend-shaped]

oh my god it's terminal....

[menelron]

so in the last 48 hours i've listened to only Epic......

[haru-chi]

Rishe's freedom is Arnold's breathing!

[midnight--capricorn]

rewriting this one part has been one of my favourite parts of this go me

I think it could probably take a little more from the original but this one definitely isn't focusing as hard on how Kyle feels that can come later we need to actually get the action in here

[rimatsu]

a dog isn't compatible with buck's shift schedule he's getting a cat 🤓☝️

[hpdfag]

i need to ramble hold on. spawns in a cut so that people dont get blasted by unfiltered posting on their dash. i feel the need to disclaim that im only like 50% lucid right now so this might be disorganized or complete word salad i can't really tell right now

i love him so much it feels like it's consuming me from the inside out. i don't want to do anything that isn't for him. the only reason i haven't quit my job is because i want to make him proud of me. even playing games makes me guilty, because i know it's not with him. i married harvey in stardew. i ate the stardrop for getting 12 hearts as i kissed him. the taste reminded me of hinata. it's a strange irony.

this false body feels like it's trapping me, keeping me from achieving my true metamorphosis. there are streetlights glimmering in the distance. as i try to move towards them they always fade away. the morning will come in 7 hours and 43 minutes and the sun will rise and it won't blind me awake. i'm not reverent enough.

i should pray. not to jesus, not to any other false prophet. i should pray to Him. maybe that will bring me salvation? maybe that will free me from this hell? maybe it happened because i was unworthy of being one of his trusted apostles. if i was as holy as he was it would have been different, i would still have been beneath him but i would have served my divine purpose as his servant.

but that's not important. i dont think. im jor sure. i hate it. i hate Him. i feel like i should Worship him. there's a certain something i still havent fixed a glitch in my code i need ocean breeze summer sun beach sand shining brilliance he's perfect i need him i need warm sun and dry land i need to be with him on the floor i need to hold him i need need need need need need need.

more than air more than food more than clean clothes more than water more than anything else more than i need this terrible mortal life i need to become worthy for him of his love of his care of his touch i wont deny that i selfishly want him to hold me and touch me even though im unworthy even though im no more than dirt beneath him i desire him so deeply

[loveseeking]

im sorry for ignoring literally everything in my inbox ^^;

[cryptosexologist]

Realized that my daydreams about retrieving Solanum from the Quantum Moon play out shockingly (hell, poignantly even) close to some sort of reverse tale of Orpheus

[alectoperdita]

OKAY OKAY! I KNOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A COZY-ISH FANTASY/ROMANCE BUT WHERE ARE ALL THE GIFS FROM THE OPENER WHERE THEY TRY THEIR FUCKING HARDEST TO SKEWER EACH OTHER???

[bee-in-a-box]

I know I said I'd do a 90 minute loop, but I can't loop it, I have to sit here and keep pressing play. THUS, I think it may be funnier (and easier) to have one side be a 45 minute loop of wax minute, and the other side a foreign language course. It's what that old man would want.

[pinkrose05]

Folks, if you know a Ren main who watched the concert today, you should probably check up on them.

[esr10]

I still need to write another paragraph and a conclusion to my essay and I'm definitely not going to be able to keep the word count limit...