u know what's crazy. i deleted like, 4 more paragraphs before posting this bc i got embarrassed about the leng

lukewarn_piss December 25, 2025 6:16 am

*this post is so freakishly long and i spent an hour writing it while i double-dosed on vyvanse and now i feel like a nerd but i don't hhave the heart in me to delete it despite the shame it brings me, bc i really love brett LOL. like this post could be COMPLETELY wrong, i just really like talknig about brett

honestly. i love how hayden reacted, it shows that he's changed as a person even if his feelings had not, and i think his reaction is satisfying bc as much as i love brett, i hate it when people don't get what they deserve. i don't think brett necessarily "deserves" hayden's response, but rather, that hayden deserves to have his perspective defended. it's just unfortunate that it's unfair to brett, since brett was always honest about his intentions, beliefs, and character- hayden "knew" what he was getting into, he just underestimated how unconventional brett really was. i'd argue that ultimately, brett "loves" hayden, but it's never going to be the type of love that hayden or most of society would qualify as love. like i would call it obsessive or objectifying in most scenarios, it's just that brett objectifies himself, as well, so he doesn't carry the same stigma of power-tripper that people who obsess over others and treat them a posession usually does.

like i feel like the author commits to brett's "transactional" view on things, because i feel like it's in-character that regardless of how he learns to place emotional value on certain things because of others, he himself will always calculate losses and gains- it's just in his nature. he believes that if he continues to invest more time, effort, and value into their dynamic then eventually people will look past the fact that he sees everything from such a business standpoint, since logically, you must like someone to invest as much as you do, regardless of how give-and-take things are. but he doesn't seem to realize that regardless of what he invests in it, if it's under the guise of "transaction," they will never be seen as signs of affection. to him, he thinks intimacy and affection given as a trade-off to something means that if he's giving them to you, then obviously, he cares about YOU as an individual, especially if it concerns trading signs of affection. but no matter how he much he states that, to literally any normal human being, you will always feel objectified if you are told that; you will not see that affection as coming from a place of love, regardless of whatever the other party wants in return. because then you, as Party B of this contract, will always feel like it is the contract that holds the most power in your relationship, versus you as an individual, while to Brett, it's the fact that he chose you as Party B, that shows that he cares and likes only you. Brett thinks this obvious selectiveness of his is a sign of affection for Hayden as an individual, because he himself does not emotionally empathize with others' sense of wrongness and objectification even if he's in the same situation as them. he always tries his best to be aware of his emotion-blindness, but when he is ultimately proven wrong because there is no way for him to really calculate something he cannot foresee, he comes off as inconsiderate. he's always defensive when confronted about these things, despite overlooking what an average person would notice, making him appear cruel and calculating. even if it's not necessarily his fault that he's unaware of things he was never told about, since those are things you're naturally supposed to do as a human being, he gets socially punished for them because as much as he tries to be honest about his nature, people can't help but impose these "innate" expectations of humanity onto him, especially since he's proven to be capable of emotions and friendship. he's not sociopathic in the way people expect, but he's not fully complete the way people are, so people assume it's purposeful or deranged when he cannot extend his capacity to certain areas of his life, especially when he comes off so charming and humane.

but anyways, i LOVE brett. i love him. he's so fun. he's great. he's my favorite. i love how he's acting rn and i feel like the author solidifies his character with each response he gives, and from an outsider's POV we see how pathetic that makes him look bc we understand his internal thought processes at times, as well as his way of thinking. that way we know that this really is a massive step of development for him, since he seemed always predisposed to some type of sociopathy (or at least, lower levels of empathy), which when combined with growing up with the family and social circle that he did, he's only been reaffirmed time and time again that transactional relationships are the most equal and "fair" relationships to exist. meanwhile, others who grew up in similar environments may not positively view these types of relationship through a sense of emotional conflict. bc even if they never experienced/witnessed a healthy relationship- it's just in your nature to feel dissatisfied, clingy, hurt, or torn if you're involved in such a transactional relationship. in other stories, you might start off with characters similar to Brett, but the overall plot is seeing how they grow to learn outside of that, and they show massive emotional outbursts of affection and love for their love interest. a big point of conflict is that they learn and understand that they can't just give things to the other party to make them "stay," since it's not really loving them for who they are. it's like their apathy was learned, and they view transactional relationships as "effective" and never cared for how emotionally dettached they come off as until they meet someone who made them feel differently.

meanwhile, the author COMMITS with brett. like in NO way do i feel like that will happen to brett- this is who brett is at his core; he will not "feel" normal love the way that other CEO, cold, domineering MLs did after meeting "the one." brett has emotions, but he will not suddenly be rewired to feel them the same way others will. like the author commits to the nature vs nurture thing; it is not in brett's nature to emotionally value these services of affection or to value societal conventions (dates, relationship statuses, etc), and rather he finds satisfaction in more "primal" things (sex, intimacy, and simply just companionship regardless of their labels). there is no value to him in certain social conventions, but a part of it is because in nature, he also isn't very normal. it's normal for humans to value social conventions because we are social creatures- we crave intimacy and affection and vulnerability from others, and these statuses that are manmade are like milestones and tangible proof to us that we are achieving social connectedness. brett, while he has emotions, definitely is apathetic to all of those things.

and that's not his fault, nor anyone else's fault. that's just who he is- he does not desire belonging, so he doesn't desire an intimate, monogamous romance with anyone. if anything, he always settles for coexistence, believing it to be proof of acceptance (and possibly his only idea of "love" atm), and isn't disatisfied with it despite what rejection suggestions (i.e.: he and his brother; he's clearly content with the peace and dynamic he has with him now, but his brother's initial rejection of his shaped how he sees his sense of self in relativity to everyone else underneath societal conventions). rather, he just has feelings and emotions and knows what he likes, but he has to experience these things first; he doesn't have the emotional capacity to yearn for it just by watching others, and in any given situation, there's a high chance he won't even "experience" a certain emotion that most people would. he's just not triggered by the same stimuli, and doesn't have the emotional creativity to imagine something he has no precedence for, so he doesn't desire anything more than what he already has and likes. he is always content with however he is with hayden, and therefore never desires more because he really is just satisfied- he only acts when he recognizes he will lose hayden. he doesn't have any tiers or categories with intimacy, all of his relationships are individualized and independent of social categories, so there is no benefit to him if they're labeled as boyfriends, friends, or husbands, etc. he doesn't kiss hayden if hayden is his boyfriend, partner, fwb, or friend- he kisses hayden because he wants to, and he does things because he feels like it. to brett, there is no "emotional intimacy" in these actions, but it's also undeniable that he wouldn't do those things with someone else because he thinks about how hayden would feel, but not out of feelings of guilt or love. it's moreso loyalty in the nicest terms, and in hayden's eyes, some form of "obligation," which sounds too distant in a relationship he wants. he wants brett to do these things out of love, but brett just can't. and brett also can't pursue a closer relationship with hayden "out of love" either, because he doesn't have the emotional creativity to dream of an emotion of satisfaction, so to him, there isn't even really an assumption that there's something "better" out there. he's content with what he has now, he doesn't romanticize things such as kisses, going to parents' houses, or getting to know your partner more. all those things attributed with "closer relationships" are all things he can do right now if he wanted to, so to him, there's no point in being closer to hayden than he already is. if he wanted to do something, he'd just do it regardless of their label- there's no actual point to the label, as long as he can do what he wants and hayden doesn't turn him down.

Meanwhile, Brett does not fight for his brother's affection or love the way he does with hayden, so to everyone else including brett's own brother, he probably comes off as indifferent or mocking since brett is basically unbothered by the fact that his brother is clearly uneasy and scared of him. which isn't normal, if you loved your brother or even saw him as a human. in reality, brett probably doesn't push for anything else because he thinks his brother already rejects who he is at his core, and he can't change who he is or who his brother is, so there's no point in being hung up about it. and brett doesn't take it personally, doesn't think there's something "wrong" with him, since he thinks it's natural, instinctive, and faultless for his brother to be unsettled by a person like him, but it's also faultless of him to be born the way that he was. brett doesn't actually feel conflicted emotions himself, so he learns they exist through others. and i think brett doesn't "fix" this because he thinks this is just a natural outcome of their dynamic, but also bc there's no benefit to him, since he doesn't desire anything more. meanwhile, with hayden, the very real consequence for exposing his true self is that hayden is going to leave him, which means brett tries to imagine a "closer" relationship with hayden the way hayden wanted with him, because he knew hayden wanted that from him. but since he cannot really imagine that, he continues to treat hayden with the dynamic they previously had, which to brett was satisfying and in his own way, a loving relationship, but to hayden, feels callous and insensitive and proof that brett still sees him as someone who could be bought.

and i like how brett in his own way, does love people, because he practically goes out of his way to try and follow social conventions to gain others' love, but he doesn't really get how shallow or tasteless it comes off as, since he doesn't have the sincerity in the desire to do these things. and i love that he probably will not ever come to feel that way. like he can mimic all these things, but if someone does all of these things to him, he only "feels" their love if he knows they love him. when hayden treats him a certain way, it never really feels like brett gives a fuck about those services or things, and doesn't seem touched by any signs of affection whether it be kisses, hugs, stares, or gifts, or whatever. he doesn't really see these things as love or exclusive to romantic feelings since he doesn't have the emotional sensitivity to differentiate all of his emotions by those labels. rather, he assumes the feeling behind them based off of what he knows about the other party. he knows hayden is romantically into him, so he knows these actions are sincere signs of affection and romance. his heart never really seems to flutter when hayden is obviously infatuated with him, but you can tell that brett never has an interest in anyone but him, and seems happy to do whatever with hayden as long as it's with him. brett is the same if they go to hayden's family home, if they go to a party, if they go shopping, ete etc. while hayden is clearly touched by the different levels of intimacy that comes with those settings, to brett, there is no difference- he just enjoys his time with hayden, which is why i think he doesn't really gaf about the idea of being more than whatever they are now. if they get married, it'd mean everything to hayden, while to brett, it's just them hanging out again at the wedding venue. he does not categorize the importance of these things by activity- rather, the value of these settings are entirely dependent on hayden's presence. most people would have a balance of both, as in if you were to get an arranged marriage, there's be an emotional conflict, partially due to the emotional ties and implications of a marriage. meanwhile, brett probably sees zero worth in the intimacy or implications of a wedding, and if not for hayden, would not gaf if he stood on the altar with an arranged partner. so i think it makes sense that brett treats everything lightly until hayden voices his opinion. like as much as brett is clearly the dominant one in their relationship, he's really at the whims of hayden's emotions, since he doesn't have the same emotional capacity for these things to even give him guidance on what to do next. and that's not anyone's fault, but it's literally because brett himself does not instinctively feel these emotional responses to things- rather, he has to assume things based off of what he's seen and learned, and with hayden, love is a very new emotion he has to learn and understand to value, even if he can't romantically (or platonically) "feel" them the way that hayden does. meanwhile, i love how we know that brett does feel strong emotional "love" for others, and how it ultimately reveals he really isn't like others, and in a rather questionable way. because when he does do what others want, which is to take charge in gifting something from his heart, he always gives something severly messed up since they always cross a severe boundary that shows signs of inhumanity, betraying his inability to instinctively know social conventions.

and i LOVE how the author shows those moments. i enjoy how brett appears clearly gets hurt and defensive and almost spiteful towards hayden's unwillingness to engage or to understand him upon "gifting" him something, and the way that he was upset by his brother not accepting his gift as a goose. to brett, while he thinks he shouldn't be penalized for stepping outside of the "transactionality" of his dynamic with others, he is also probably feeling hurt because in a way, he went out of his way to do something that he genuinely wanted to do for them. these gifts are specifically done not because the other party requested it, but because brett had some form of emotional investment. they are gifts whose values aren't in how others would see them, but rather, how he saw them. so we see that his indomintable indifference to others and how they perceive him can be shaken, because in a way, he's the most vulnerable when he tries to engage himself in an affectionate way that's outside of the callousness or societal expectations he allowed others to see from him. and what i like most is that brett never faults or blames himself. i really enjoy that. we see moments where he recognizes the familiar pattern of those he cares about seeing him as a monster, and the way it's visually designed with the black ink and brett's indifferent, cold expression that appear almost impassive shows that this perception does create some form of disturbance, almost trauma to his pretty hardcore psyche. and it feels like he knows he is in the wrong even if the boundary he crossed was done for the other party, and that there was no way for him to even sense that boundary since he is different from others. and there is an indescribable feeling of frustration he feels towards their unwillingness to understand him, but also how he gives off the vibe of someone who recognizes that he cannot connect with the other person no matter what he does, that he cannot empathize with their reaction. while we don't get insight into what he thinks about this (i.e.: he wishes he wasn't born like this), we know that he is instinctively aware of this gap between him and others, and even if he doesn't seem to blame himself for it, he knows he's the common denomination of disturbance, not them. i think this level of self-awareness is so cool, since most characters would go along the route of having a ton of insecurities or self-doubt or self-hatred. with brett, it feels so in character that he ends up deeply impacted by this moment in a way that it clearly influences his beliefs of how others will always see his nature, yet it doesn't impact how he feels about himself as a person. it keeps his natural indifference towards others, but lets us see deep-rooted hurt that's being seen as "wrongness" or "discomfort" the moment he feels truly rejected. while he doesn't care that he's seen as emotionally disturbed by others, and if anything seems to weaponize and enjoy the fredom his nature offers him, he is also very hurt the moment it's truly rejected on a level that's out of his own control.

brett is also funny bc of his thing with control. he thinks he's in control of everything because he can manipulate others and rationalizes cause and effect of everything, and he doesn't come off as that way because he's always more than willing to let others use him to get what he wants. which is why i think he's so casual or indifferent towards the sexual assault- he already doesn't align with social conventions of shame and humiliation even in circumstances where he is being shameless, so in a situation where he is literally faultless, he ofc doesn't feel these things. but even moreso, the way he uses that assault to get what he wants shows that he's super hardcore in terms of mental fortitude- he already has low empathy for others including himself, but he just does what he always does, use whatever means to get what he wants, even if that means using himself.

additionally, we see how he really only cares about others' feelings if it impacts his ability to control them. while he does care about others' feelings and emotions, he does it because he knows others are impacted by it. he never really does anything because he himself empathizes with the thoughts of- "i wouldn't like this done to me" or anything that indicates he puts himself in their shoes. however, he tries his best to be considerate of others, but he will always fall short of understanding them at the end of the day. which is why he also isn't too bothered by their disatisfaction with him, since it's not like he really grasps the severity or source of their emotions, and therefore cannot rationalize how that makes him and his impassiveness come off as. and i think that stems from the fact that he doesn't seem able to feel emotions for a lot of things that most people would. bc brett does not gaf if others disrespect, dehumanize, or mess with him. like you cannot ragebait him, and he doesn't feel humiliated, he never feels shame and is always audacious towards hayden, and he doesn't give a fuck about how others treat him- they're all mobs to him, and in a way, he treats himself with that type of objectification, too. if he can't even feel those types of emotions himself, he's bound to make mistakes while interpreting others' emotions. even to those he cares about, such as hayden, he has a similar disconnect even when hayden shows legitimate emotional distress or displeasure with him. brett almost treats hayden like a kid throwing tantrums during every argument, always smiling as if hayden's feelings aren't as serious as hayden sees them to be, but i think that's simply because brett himself has no frame of reference as to how deeply impactful those emotions- and his reactions to them- can be. like i feel like nobody gets under brett's skin, and therefore when others are upset, he's unable to truly empathize with them. the only time he really gets riled up is if you are someone he values the opinion of, and you do something that he realizes he cannot take back (i.e.: his brother's rejection of his true self and gift; hayden leaving upon seeing his true self and gift), he realizes he loses his edge in the transaction, that this isn't an argument or event that he can just wait for it to be over.

2♥ Like

Responses

Elijah December 25, 2025 6:51 am

THE WAY I WAS READING THIS AND THEN WONDERED "how long is this?" I SCROLLED AND MY JAW DROPPED OUUU LAWDD THIS IS AN ESSAYS WORTHH HOLY MOLYYY

Boobieslut December 25, 2025 8:02 am

YOUR CHARACTERIZATION OF BRETT IS ON POINT, understood every aspect of him

misterrr December 25, 2025 9:11 am

ugh ur so right and correct about everything. i also think there's an element of pride that comes into his interactions. he loves that he can manipulate people to do what he wants because it proves he's just built different. so when he loses control of a situation he cares about, he acts out of character (breaking into hayden's apartment and assaulting hin, drugging hayden after seeing him with another man, etc.). he loses a bit of superiority because not only does he care, but he's not sure why he gives a fuck

misaki08 December 25, 2025 9:28 am

100% agree with this long ass super cool rant about Brett. He is my favorite character, because the complexity in his inner self is magnetic.
I love how the author stays true to the character reals essence

misaki08 December 25, 2025 10:24 am

Another thing I wanna say is that I'm sorry for Hayden but I think he's gonna have to give in at some point. Just like Hayden couldn't change there relationship by himself...neither can Brett.
I'm not saying Hayden is 100% wrong but he need to really understand how not normal Brett is and work around it...I don't wanna come across as saying he should just put himself at Brett's mercy in the name of love but...Loving and wanting a relationship with someone with the psychology of Brett is not easy game. It's not gonna go as planned, hes never gonna be like other people becuase he simply cant.
And I loved the end in season one when after the ink scene Brett broke straight into Haydens real issue and called him out on his hypocrisy.

Like Brett knew Hayden couldn't take the real him, because he is dangerously aware of his own nature and concluded Hayden couldn't accept it...and he was right.
It was such and intense moment when Brett called him out that I was shocked. Because he was right on point cuz what Hayden likes, loves and wanna be with was his illusion of Brett, lets call it...an incomplete Brett ..what Brett allowed himself to show, intentionally hiding and measuring the amount of real him he thought Haydan would accept...and again he was right. He carefully measured just how much of is apathy to normal conventions and expectations he can show, how much emotional blindness he was showing Hayden was measured.

So again when you analice it that way Hayden comes across like an hypocrite man in love with his own version of Brett of what he thought Brett should be or the Brett he could bring himself to love...and thats wrong. And at the first moment Brett unintentionally revealed a bit of his real emotionaly flawed nature, he was rejected. That hurt him and even more so because he was expecting it, he was proven rightin the worst way. So again Hayden needs to take a moment to decide what he really wants and if he is gonna try to make it work? Again I wanna make clear I'm not saying he need to adapt 100% to Brett true nature but you need to play the smart game...Believe or not Brett had changed to a degree while being together with Hayden, his version of himself was slightly out of what he normally behaves and that itself works in Haydens favor if he knew how to manipulate it or use it.
He doesn't understand that when Brett is matching himself to Haydens mood and affection..Hayden is the passive dominant in the relationshipsand he can make thing work in the ways he wants just by understanding that...which he hasn't.

I like to think from the perspective of Brett emotional complexity because it's interesting...like you love me? But who do you even love? If you don't really know me fully, just what I showed intensionally?..He questios clearly the normal society expectation of labeled relationships or feeling such as love and affection.. Is it love because I don't tell you that all i do, I do it in exchange of what I want, your presence, your time, your companionship, intimacy etc...He doesn't get why the labels or not being clear about the exchange make it more important and sincere? Why should I endure your despice or rejection the moment my inability for emotional affection and society expectations doesn't meets your standards...when I have always being honest about how I was different?
Hayden can't understand the fact that Brett doesn't give two bucks about labels or conventional definiotn of feelings? His constant need to be with Hayden, how he values him and stays close is real for Brett and for him if you call that love or liking its good for you but if you don't it's the same for him, he doesn't acts or thing inside the sane circle people do...He simple doesn't get what the issue is if at the end of the day he feels and behavs the way he wants and nothing affects that.

So what I mean at the end is that both characters need to work together in this and right know it's just Brett and that not gonna work. Brett rationality understood Hayden wouldn't accept him so he cut him loose, not fully expecting himself to wanna be with Hayden so bad he would try to mimic more normal behavior or emotions he hadn't needed before. Right know he is aware of Hayden existence weight for himself and he is determined to get Hayden even he has to get out of his normal psychological and emotional patters.

I'm gonna end it here because I wrote so much but I love this series for the complexity itself of the emotional and psychological part in the characters, it's a masterpiece really

Germinal December 25, 2025 11:09 am

I agree on a lot, but Brett calling out Hayden's hypocrisy was again a way for him to run away, exactly the same as the restaurant scene.

Disagreeing with someone doesn't mean rejecting him. When Brett cut things off, what was Hayden's first reaction? "Wait, not now", he wanted to talk things through. During the restaurant scene, what did Hayden say to Brett? "Don't dump stuff which happened with others on me, you never tried with me". Again, we all understand Brett is different, Hayden included who has seen that from a close, that doesn't mean he should validate every single thing Brett does, and the fact that he criticized it or was upset about it, didn't mean at all he was being a hypocrite. Hayden asked him to be honest with him, yes Brett was after delay and maybe Hayden should have taken two steps back at that moment, but having m*rder plans, normalizing one's terrible ass*ult in the face partly for his sake? No wonder he felt the way he did.

Hayden said it multiple times in season 3, that Brett is repeating the same stuff again and again, the outcome is doomed to be the same and he's not interested in partaking in that

Gomi December 25, 2025 12:51 pm

I love YOU for saying all these like preach!!! such a fun and insightful read. [:

Akira December 25, 2025 1:27 pm

This was so good to read!!!!

GodMother December 25, 2025 2:11 pm

As I read your comment, especially about Brett and Primal desires, I realize that for Brett this emotional affection that he seeks from Hayden is also a primal desire for him. But his way to achieve it will always come to his transactional view of the world. He'll get it if he's "loyal", "gifts", etc. And to normal society, his view might seem shallow but if you really look at society, these are actually practices we do in order to show and feel affection from others.

I think he comes off as shallow or "not love" in Hayden's perspective because of his pride. Brett thinks he is always above others like he sees through them — stemming from his wealth, how he was raised, and his nature to look at things in a transactional view and his low levels of empathy. He thinks that he always knows how to get others to do his bidding or he will do things (blackmail, drugging, digging information, etc.) to get them to do his bidding whether or not it breaks the law. He creates a step by step process, what to trade, what to invest, and in the end, he'll always get what he wants. which could make someone feel objectified. It's like they were only a trophy Brett wants to achieve.

And one thing I love is how the author writes Brett when he doesn't get what he wants. He comes off initially as logical, cold hearted, arrogant but when he doesn't get what he wants, he gets desperate, he breaks things off because he's heart, and I love the extreme in how he shows his anger — drugging Hayden, making the one who shot Hayden, shoot himself; and shit. (I don't like how Hayden was drugged but the writing of the author okay?) It just screams ASP tendencies.

regis December 25, 2025 3:43 pm

What a masterful analysis. I loved it. You can write more about each chapter, I'll always read it, no matter how long it is. I regret that this series isn't more popular, because for me, among Korean works, it's the best BL at the moment! An underrated work of art.

sottovoce December 26, 2025 3:20 am

a gold star for you for this reply
and op can write all the long-winded essays they want if they continue this level of character insight

lukewarn_piss December 29, 2025 5:09 pm

THE WAY I WAS READING THIS AND THEN WONDERED "how long is this?" I SCROLLED AND MY JAW DROPPED OUUU LAWDD THIS IS AN ESSAYS WORTHH HOLY MOLYYY Elijah

no but the length of that post got me sitting there in silence as i wondered what i was doing with my life.

lukewarn_piss December 29, 2025 5:10 pm

YOUR CHARACTERIZATION OF BRETT IS ON POINT, understood every aspect of him Boobieslut

TY BOOBIESLUT, YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO FW THIS POST AND HEALED MY SHAME FR

lukewarn_piss December 29, 2025 5:12 pm

dude i actually regret not mentioning the pride- other ppl brought it up, too, and i think i was too absorbed in whatever i was writing to notice the obvious. i 100% agree that brett has a superiority complex bc he always thinks he has the upper hand in any given scenario, and i really enjoy that part you brought up where he's also very bothered by the fact that he gaf

lukewarn_piss December 29, 2025 5:12 pm

I love YOU for saying all these like preach!!! such a fun and insightful read. [: Gomi

:3 tyyyyyyy !!!

lukewarn_piss December 29, 2025 5:12 pm

This was so good to read!!!! Akira

I'M GLAD !!! :D

lukewarn_piss December 29, 2025 6:50 pm

yesss i agree! i also saw other comments mentioning his pride, which as you said is basically the explanation for so many of his actions as well as his reactions to others not falling for his gameplay.

i also really like the point you brought up about how society communicates affection in a manner that's not far off from brett's way of doing it. he probably follows those social customs better than the average person, since the average human is emotional in nature, while brett can follow any given social rule or role without batting an eye. i'd also imagine that brett depends on the predictability of these socially-acceptable practices, and thinks they're the most proven and reliable way of getting what he wants. especially since anytime he's tried to DIY signs of affection by himself, it has lead to him irreversibly crossing unspoken boundaries. i would think he also fulfills these social practices of displaying affection "better" than others because he has the resources to provide the best options or gifts in any deal. realistically, brett follows these social guidelines perfectly, even to the point of having the same purpose of trying to follow these practices to show affection. but his commitment to these deals will always belittle the individuality and autonomy of anyone he interacts with, as if their desires can be calculated and that they will always inevitably be bought by something.

and i 100% agree with the fact that brett totally exhibits traits of ASP, and i love that the author really just goes full-in with it as well.. like that's MESSED UP that he drugged hayden and messed with him underneath his initial dubious consent. and brett's attempt of getting revenge for hayden was because "eye for an eye" is the safest and most obvious choice of repayment, despite knowing hayden's character and forgoing his input or even say to do what he thinks is best. yet, brett is still caught off-guard by how strongly hayden reacted, really highlighting that brett is lacking some type of emotional intuition to categorize the emotional weight of certain scenarios. brett always has a logical justification for some really emotionally-provocative situation such as revenge, violence, blood, emotional betrayal, or sexual assault, which i think kinda aligns with ASP tendencies, tbh. the lack of differentation in personalizing emotional responses to specific scenarios feel sociopathic, regardless if he's diagnosed or not. and i agree, i love that he responds so drastically to an emotional conflict that the average person with their average emotional intelligence would never justify such a response to, much less even get themselves into in the first place with. i also think he does such drastic and extremely unacceptable actions because just like when he gives gifts, he can't actually interpret a scenario that will get him the reaction that he wants if there's no former precedence for it. he himself isn't emotionally moved or provoked by most things, so his ability to make appropriate steps for an emotional response that's more specific than just "negative" or "positive" is shit. he can't fine-tune that stuff, so i think he just blows it up and thinks he can tank it, lol. like he goes from 0 to 100 and i like to think it's because he legit has no idea what would go in between, so he maxes out his actions to 100 as in "let's do smth that's big enough so that you can't ignore it" and always (presumptiously) assumes the emotional reaction is something he can deal with after it happens, since he just really wants an emotional response first and foremost.

this is also definitely a side-thought, so sorry if this is long, but i was thinking a lot about how you talked about brett's sense of pride. i never really thought about it before, but he really does come off as someone with an indomintable superiority complex, which other readers quickly picked up on (i'm kind of slow with these things, ngl). and i think it's because he comes off as someone unpretentious since he doesn't think he's above being a chess piece in his own game, so I overlooked that the fact that he treats others this way because he thinks they're no better than these social rules that he knows the ins and outs of. and if i really think about it, even if he sees everyone else including himself as a pawn, he never really acknowledges others as a potential player. he thinks due to their emotional nature people will always be at the whims of these mechanisms, and can never escape their influence the way that he could. he definitely has a sense of smartassery that comes from thinking that he is more capable of seeing these practices and rationalizing how they function, while others are the ones being caught in them. but in reality, since his emotional compass runs on a completely different reality than everyone else's on the board, he's the one who's limited by these rules because they're the only things that offer him insight into how others might move or react to certain actions. brett's first mistake was really just seeing others as pawns. reading your comments as well as others reminded me that even if brett's logic makes sense at times, it's already unnatural and egotistical to see relationships as an objective and others as chess pieces in the first place. And if I were to be on the receiving end of that treatment, even if he was friendly and treated everyone including himself as easy, I'd totally think he thought too lowly of others.

lukewarn_piss December 29, 2025 6:50 pm

lukewarn_piss December 29, 2025 6:53 pm

lol. sorry i accidentally replied tot his 2x haha

misaki08 December 30, 2025 9:00 am

I keep coming back here to read these threads It's super good. Makes me wanna write longer analysis of Brett and stuff hahaa. But again I love this series, it's way underrated. Like many bl readers don't even know it and I'm shocked cuz it's sooo good. Plot, art and character wise I mean, such a deep masterpiece I keep re reading and every time I have a new analysis I wanna talk about.

u know what's crazy. i deleted like, 4 more paragraphs before posting this bc i got embarrassed about the leng

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