I legitimately despise this ml. I don’t necessarily think the fl is that dense so much as she has a lot of things going on and just doesn’t have the bandwidth to notice other stuff. She trusts him as his friend and she doesn’t have similar relationships to compare it to. This happens to women all the time, they trust a guy friend and don’t recognize the signs until they have to reject their advance, often causing the relationship to fall apart.
He manipulates, lies to, and gaslights her whenever she tries to probe about anything. He’s had plenty of chances to confess, but he seems to prefer to puppeteer her into a position where she can’t refuse rather than risk rejection, because he knows she wants to be free.
He knows exactly what the rumors and him gifting the necklace have done, and will continue to do, making it harder for her to avoid being connected to him. He knows why she’s angry but chooses to trivialize and ignore her response. He skillfully redirects to avoid dealing with the conflict. He is honestly just as insidious as Yuri once you really dig into his behavior, just in more outwardly subtle ways.
It’s just becoming increasingly obvious that all the support he gave her was just lip service, and that he was always less concerned about taking off her leash than being the one who is holding it. It’s clear that he views her more like a cherished pet than a partner. Sure, he wants her to happy and safe, but he doesn’t tolerate it when she wants to behave in any way he doesn’t like. When she does that he doesn’t respect her autonomy, but trivializes her and obfuscates until he no longer has to deal with it.
It’s extremely common for FLs, no matter how old, experienced, or worldly to be infantilized by the author, but even if she’s too dense to notice his feelings, that doesn’t mean she deserves to be manipulated, gaslit, and trapped into a one sided marriage again. It’s not like the ML is violent or abusive, but he’s such a horrible, disrespectful, selfish partner that it’s ruined the story for me. I think it just really hits home because you see this type of personality in real life, and actual relationships that involve a person like him almost always implode.
Chinese manga will literally do anything to avoid having the abuser take genuine accountability for their actions. This bs amnesia arc just gives him a do over. He gets a chance to not be horrible to Yan, so his character development is acting like a decent partner. The bar is in hell. Because of his abuse and negligence, Yan almost died, which is ironically what gave him this opportunity to try rewrite their history. And now even if he did wake up and want to leave, he lost all of his powers, so he is completely vulnerable.
If you look really close, no matter what abuse occurred, the end result will always go with what the “reformed” abuser wants, usually because the victim caught random feelings, is dependent/can’t leave, or arbitrary plot forcing. Even if the abuser recognizes their wrongs and feels guiltY, it’s extremely rare that they actually apologize, or respect the wishes of the victim. They usually just give them some slave while they skulk around still trying to get the ending they want.
I’m sobbing this was so tragic, beautiful, and hopeful
╥﹏╥
So I get that people are pissed off at the mom for having a psychotic episode and stabbing Yunhwi, which is totally valid, but that’s not even the worst thing about her. So her family has had a sentient (non malicious) spirit chained up in their basement for hundreds of years to force it to give them good luck… and it never occurred to her to set him free? It seems like he was basically chained up in the dark for most of that time, so basically solitary confinement and restraint. Her stabbing him was a the result of a sudden mental breakdown (not to say she doesn’t have to take blame and responsibility for it), but she got up every day since she was a kid knowing he was imprisoned for her family’s convenience… and never thought about how horrible that was. To me, that’s way worse than her attacking him.
Imagine all the chaos, drama, and suffering that could have been avoided if they had just let Wooyeon process his trauma naturally instead of suppressing it with magic memory loss （/TДT)/
It’s like continuously suspending the sword over someone’s head to hide it from view while just really hoping it never falls on the person. If you leave the sword out in the open that person can observe, analyze and get used to it to minimize the risk of being hurt
I don’t know if this is a hot take, but I really don’t think Sejin is in the wrong here (I’m on chapter 14). His sexual tastes run a bit rougher, but with his first boyfriend it sounds like he communicated what he wanted to do, got consent in advance, and set up a safe word in advance in case he wanted to stop, which was never used.
With Jiwoo he has made some over the top requests, but he asked plainly and Jiwoo always agreed. He’s also made efforts to avoid pushing him too far before he was ready in some cases. He made it known that he had unusual tastes before agreeing to date Jiwoo, who was fine with it.
Sure, Sejin isn’t necessarily boyfriend of the year, but it’s not like he lied to, manipulated, or pressured either one of them into anything. It sounds like both of them were in the relationship for primarily superficial/shallow reasons (Sejin being hot/kind on the surface), which doesn’t mean they deserve to be mistreated, but seems like they never really clicked or understood each other on a deeper level.
The first boyfriend didn’t communicate their limits properly and ended up agreeing to something they either really didn’t want to do or weren’t prepared for, but it sounds like Sejin made efforts to explain, get consent, and make sure it was safe as possible, it’s just that he couldn’t handle it, which is not his fault, but there should have been more communication between them.
Sejin is being more cautious with Jiwoo now because he learned that even with prior discussions, verbal consent, and a safe word, things can still end poorly.
And I don’t agree that he should necessarily just know to go slower. How is he supposed to know Jiwon’s pace if he doesn’t tell him? If Jiwoo has reservations he needs to speak up and set boundaries. Sure, some people may take advantage of a partner like that, but it’s just as likely that Jiwoo is excited because he’s found someone with very compatible preferences.
I might get proved wrong soon, but these observations are based off of what I’ve seen so far
I’m really upset about how everyone trivializes Soorim’s actions and emotional responses. He was isolated and held against his will since he was a child by violent abusive men, finally managed to escape, only to end up imprisoned by stranger again. Sure, the cage is prettier, but that’s still what it is. Nobody has really explained anything and even if they tried he has absolutely no reason to trust them. But he’s the silly/childish/naive one for acting desperate, trying to appeal to his second captors through every means available to him, and trying to escape without a concrete plan?
He’s clearly psychologically and emotionally stunted by trauma, and lacks any real world knowledge or education, but it’s insane that they are supposedly protecting him altruistically… without explaining anything, yet expect him to trust them and be obedient. They have already mentioned that they have connections to the group that was holding him captive. I just hate the way they talk about him like he’s a mischievous little troublemaker that just doesn’t know any better when he’s just responding rationally to a very threatening series of events.
The artifact idea is so brilliant because he can make up whatever rules he wants and explain away any of her abilities
Damn, that was an elegant and beautiful ending ┗( T﹏T )┛
I did notice that even though the chapter is titled “finale”, there was still the usual “to be continued” message at the end so finger crossed. I’m hoping for at least 100 chapters of side stories. (づ￣ ³￣)づ
I’m still bitter that there were no Randolph x Ulysses scenes when there was so much psychological and plot buildup for their relationship. I actually think Ulysses is a very interesting character and it would be cool to explore his past and future in more detail as well. Enoch and Sihav have a checkered past and an interesting dynamic with both each other and Ulysses. They’ve also been around for and integral to the entire rebellion and most conflicts that occurred afterwards, so it could be cool to see things from their perspective. I would also love some happy retirement vibes from Shin and Wolfgang, god knows they deserve some peace and quiet. ヾ(❀╹◡╹)ﾉ~
I also found it hilarious that the rebellion was made possible almost entirely by the political maneuvering of Shin (while he was still a literal child), a semi feral but extremely athletic princeling, and Ulysses’ army/harem of buff killer masochists, so without two children and an older teen the entire coup would not have been possible. (๑•ㅂ•)و✧
It’s even more impressive when you consider that Shin did everything while being constantly watched and under lock and key, Wolfgang managed to hone his skills enough to take on most elite knights and his family within only a few years of being in the palace, and Ulysses’ managed to disguise an entire army as a harem by publicizing his unorthodox sexual preferences… and also using it as a legitimate harem. ╮(￣▽￣)╭
Ok but the April Fools pairing/dynamic is actually way better than the main story one
(づ￣ ³￣)づ
I’m actually really pissed about the prince killing her family (no matter how abusive and horrible they were) behind her back. She thinks they are exiled, but now they will never have a chance to recognize their wrongs. And Reiju may want to discuss and unpack her childhood trauma at one point to get closure. It might happen, it might not, but now she won’t even have the option, or worse, she’ll go looking for them only to find out the truth. I don’t agree with the “it’s for his/her/their own good” justification crap. He told her they were being exiled and she was satisfied with that, but he lied and went further. He didn’t really do it for her, he did it for himself
When you get sued by your toddler who you didn’t know existed Σ(っ°Д °;)っ
It’s giving woman written by a man in a big way. Very much catered to male fantasies and patriarchal ideals. He basically exploits her in her time of need while pretending to help. He capitalizes on her kidnapping, financial hardship, and family medical crisis to get her to agree to be his baby factory/sex doll for embryos made with his deceased wife, but his obvious selfishness and lack of genuine care for her well being are fine because he lets her live in luxury, and she caught feelings, thinks he’s hot, and is happy to alleviate his sadness “even a little bit” by acting as his live in sex doll and selfless tradwife…
The King is too obsessed with power, to the degree that it’s destroying his country. Honestly the king is a shitty, yet interesting character. He obsessively clings to power even as his actions continuously destabilize the ruling forces of his country, thus ensuring that he will still have to keep fighting. He feels threatened by both Lawrence and Cedric and constantly tries to play them off one another, always dangling the prize of the crown prince title.
Lawrence has never been an ideal prince, but he is useful to his father. The king never raised him or taught him how to be a person or a ruler. Lawrence’s mother wasn’t a paragon of virtue, so it’s not exactly shocking that he would grow up with character flaws. The king was always more interested in using his child’s behavior than correcting it, and then when he grew up into an opportunistic adult capable of seizing power, he felt threatened.
He named Lawrence as Crown Prince, but then he needed a counterbalance to hamper him and essentially used Cedric, whose family he has exploited and discarded before, as a rival. Then when Lawrence screwed up, was politically harmed by his mother’s actions, and demonstrated poor/threatening character, he pivoted to Cedric.
Even with Cedric, who is generally honorable, who married his stepdaughter, who is a father to a child blessed by god as a Crown prince, he still can’t let go of his paranoia. He tries to bring back Lawrence, who he now knows to be power hungry and duplicitous.
He sees the position of successor as a lever to be pulled to manipulate potential usurpers, but can’t tolerate the idea of an actual successor to hand off power to.
I think people are being overly harsh on MC. Even if he had dodged the needle, it wouldn’t have ended there. He essentially snuck into a drug party, and the people there would be extremely suspicious of anyone who refused to take any. It would have been like announcing he’s a cop. In actuality, undercover agents may have to do drugs to maintain their cover or avoid losing the trust of criminals depending on the situation. In the US it gets reported to your superiors and then the agent goes to the hospital ASAP to detox and get some care.
If anyone is at fault, it’s MC’s superior’s for running such a trainwreck of an operation. They sent a brand new agent into an incredibly dangerous mission alone, with no weapons or resources, and without any guidance or oversight.
It’s clear they offer no support, so MC is now in desperation mode, trying to close the case before the criminals get suspicious of him or his bosses find out what they did to him.
He also now knows that he likely won’t be able to get in without taking drugs again, so he’s trying to get it all done in one shot. He’s basically been backed into a corner by both the criminals and his bosses even though he followed protocol
Actually I think the bosses are more at fault than MC
1. This is his very first assignment, so he is completely inexperienced, which is an important part of properly gauging and reacting to potentially dangerous situations. He has never been in the field before or gotten the chance to learn from more experienced agents (idk about Korea but that’s usually how it’s done in the US)
2. He has literally nobody watching his back, no partner, no handler, no coworkers. Nobody monitoring cameras or audio to make sure he’s safe, give advice, or exchange intel. If he had died the first time he got in, literally nobody would have known where he was or even where to look.
3. He doesn’t seem to have any weapons or digital resources usually utilized by agents (this isn’t uncommon for undercover agents, but combined with all his other disadvantages, makes for a bad situation).
4. His assignment is to not only locate, but infiltrate and gather evidence from a drug den/ring of indeterminate origin and danger…alone….with no weapons
5. When he first got in, he was doing everything right, but just didn’t expect someone to forcibly inject him with drugs. After that, he was essentially helpless, but even if he had physically stopped the guy, that might have made them suspicious as to why he wasn’t partaking, potentially putting him in even worse danger (undercover agents sometimes have to do drugs to maintain their cover, but in the US, they immediately report it in and go to the hospital ASAP to detox afterwards)
6. The department he works for must be unsupportive and unreasonable if being forcibly administered drugs by a criminal would be an immediate firing offense. Of course it’s not a great fit of confidence in MC’s skills, but not really his fault either. Now he has to hide that event, meaning that he likely won’t seek medical care
7. Now he’s in a sunk cost fallacy because he’s desperate to close the case as fast as possible without being further compromised, either with his bosses or the criminals
The structure of this investigation is so horrible, minimizes chances of evidence collection, and makes it so that if a single thing goes wrong, MC will be screwed with nothing or no one to help him. They put a green agent on a difficult and dangerous assignment with absolutely no margin for error
Sorry, but Dionel is an exceptionally mediocre ml. He’s entirely self centered and doesn’t give any thought as to how his actions might affect the people around him. He used and strung along Rosephine for almost two years and tossed her aside once she (understandably) got expectations. Her political and personal reputation took a serious hit from that, not to mention the emotional trauma. He was never serious, but she always made it obvious that she was.
And did he expect Daisey to wait for 10+ years at the pond, just waiting for him to visit? He was butthurt that she left, but it was ridiculous to expect her to live alone, doing nothing until it was convenient for him to visit or take her with him. I’m not saying he’s a villain, but in terms of relationships, he puts very little thought or effort into the other person.
If this wasn’t a fantasy, he would be the first boyfriend that dumps her for dumb reasons before she meets a better guy, after which he would come crawling back to no avail.
This is a classic development that really shows that Minchan is sexualizing and objectifying Taewook, but isn’t really seeing him as a full human. It’s very common in romance stories that the man (if it’s a straight relationship) or top demonstrate strong possessiveness despite a disinterest in relationships and unwillingness to commit to a casual partner. These characters consciously or subconsciously consider their partners to be their property., and apply a lot of double standards.
In many cases it’s the possessiveness itself that leads to the formation of a relationship rather than legitimate affection, because the person on the receiving end is irritated and a line gets drawn. You don’t get the privileges of being in a monogamous relationship without committing to the obligations of one. It’s a very entitled mindset very common in groups deemed to be most powerful socially. In this sense, alphas take the masculine role of entitled oppressor, while omegas take historically feminine role of oppressed, even within relationship dynamics
I have to say, Qian is a true ride or die. He was only dating Rui for a couple months and he is all in. He’s now been taking care of Rui in his catatonic state for longer than they’ve known each other. That’s true love
IDK, the tree is giving off major colonizer vibes now. He moved to another continent and got attacked by the natives, but somehow it’s their fault for being “warlike barbarians”. Yikes