Honestly, I couldn't agree more, from a storytelling perspective, it was so cringe, DID really didn't make sense here, in a matter of where it came from and how it worked at the end, as if the author didn't do any research before reaching for this topic, and honestly I was dissapointed, looks like author wanted just to use the topic to meet her expectation and use as an excuse for this sexual dynamic (two people on one body), but yes, execution was poorly handled. MC from the main couple was interesting, but also there were moments where his personality shifted (kinda ooc) to somehow meet author's later idea for a certain scenes... how artstyle is amazing indeed, storytelling and pacing not there for me.
And yes, second couple, second to that, ML here was totally soulless for me, he just was like put in the box author made for him, a sick psycho, and that's all, seriously, feel bad for MC here, because he was matched with an asshole...
Author seriously should learn about characters design and storytelling, this could have been a good story, but ended more like a porn focused only, what is sad because ot was really promising at the very beginning
I agree about the DID aspect. As a p-DID system, I felt quite icked by some of the details. If ANYTHING, I’d say he’d have OSDD-1a, which is characterized by having blackout amnesia but the alters are different versions of the host (for example, your “work mode”, “the you who does chores”, you who is “always angry), etc). But even with this minor difference, it doesn’t change the weird tidbit they added about an alter completely disappearing if they don’t front? Yes, they can go dormant, but they can always come back unless they merge or are purged by another alter who has the ability to erase alters. We have a few dormant alters who suddenly disappeared, not just progressively stopped fronting, and they likely still exist, we just don’t know where they are or when/if they’ll come back. I also have a friend with DID who has had alters who were previously dormant, including their host, who came back and now front frequently. Also, I SWEAR no author gets the origin of developing a dissociative disorder correct EXCEPT Swallow You Whole (only incorrect part is that it isn’t childhood trauma, but it does have great explanations of why alters split and they did go an extremely long and traumatic experience), which I’ve left a huge analysis under, you can find it on my profile lol. I genuinely wish people could at least thoroughly research a disorder, especially one as stigmatized DID/OSDD, before making a story about it.
However, I will praise one thing I like about this one; the turmoil of not knowing who to love, who you are, not knowing what it is you’re forgetting, and fighting with alters. And the notes, that is something I haven’t seen yet. Leaving notes for yourself to have alters respond, especially during the questioning phase, is a completely real experience and advice you’ll find in plural communities or even by therapists.
Yup, agree with everything you've said. Honestly, the art style was one of the main reasons I kept reading, apart from the suspense in the first couple lol. And yeah, the concept in both couples was good, but the execution was a mess and the character concepts flopped. DID truly felt like 'ohhh sexyyy' device rather than a debilitating condition the ML was suffering from.
Very insightful comment, thank you! I didn't know about the type of amnesiac DID with different fragments of the host as alters themselves. That got me curious, I'll definetly read into it. I guess many people know DID as just that, but there are more subtypes, no?
About the origin of DID - indeed, I haven't read a (BL) story with DID included where there's a proper explanation of or at least, logical enough indications of how the DID came to be in the first place. Swallow You Whole rings a bell... I'll definitely check out your analysis of that.
Yeah, I feel like by not properly researching, authors, knowingly or not, signal that they truly don't care about the depth and severity of the condition and just like the shock of 'quirky' factor of it or worse imo, just the purely sexual fantasy of multiple personalities within a body fighting to get the MC for example and switching during sex, having a threesome with the personalities, etc. It feels more like a fetish than exploration of a relationship with someone who has DID. It feels disgustingly reductive, given it's a serious condition that stems from severe trauma. I don't know if you know about the YT channel Special Books By Special Kids, there's a great interview there with someone who has DID and how they handle both daily life, and a relationship with it (the partner is also there in the interview), and that alone was so insightful... It's truly not hard to research both academic stuff, and personal accounts.
Now that you mention it, that part (the inner turmoil) was probably the most interesting part, indeed! Especially where the ML didn't truly know where he starts and where the altar ends or if his feelings were his alone or the altar's. It was probably the only moment the story touched a little bit upon the sheer intense struggle of dealing with DID, I can imagine. The part about the notes - I also didn't know it was used as a method of communication recommended by therapists and others dealing with DID in real life. Just learned a lot of new things from you, thanks!
I just checked, I have Swallow You Whole in my want to read list, now I'll definetly get to reading it :))
Yes, you can say there are different typed of DID, but also different dissociative disorders in general. DID is under the dissociative disorder umbrella, accompanied by PTSD/C-PTSD, OSDD, DpDr, maladaptive daydreaming, etc! For DID itself, there’s other types, like polyfragmented for example, which is a type of system that has many alters, some not entirely developed as their own personas, and sometimes even including subsystems (which have a wide variety of experiences in and of itself). P-DID is a type of DID from a different diagnostic manual. While all the others I listed are in the DSM-5, p-DID is from the ICD-11! It’s only difference to DID from a simple standpoint is that the host (or usually the host, anyway) is described as being “front-stuck”. It shares all the same characteristics as DID, but the host tends to be co-front or at least co-conscious like, 80% of the time or more, making it harder to recognize.
Also, I hope you enjoy Swallow You Whole when you do read it!!! It might currently be my favourite for DID rep in BL so far. Though yes, of course, it’s always going to be fetish content in the end, the author of that one did a good job incorporating DID into a supernatural concept. It works really well and includes a lot of realistic elements to the disorder! :D
Conflicted about this tbh. The DID makes zero sense in the story (like, where was the extreme and prolonged trauma that triggers the split into different personalities? So was it just the - oh, hyung feels bad about, rightfully, having dirty feelings towards the kid he looked after as a brother so he split as to repress his desire and his shitty personality parts? That's it?), the integration of the personalities was also kinda lazy and didn't make much sense, and it was cheesy af. Like, the author didn't even try to get at least some parts of DID right.
On a positive note, it was interesting to see the dichotomy of the MC feeling guilty, but also tempted into sleeping with the second personality, and that's what kept me reading. The sex scenes were hot for the most part, especially the one in the bathroom stall. Apart from that, the thrill and suspense of what could happen was there, but resolved rather poorly imo. It didn't catch me the way it was set up, I had higher expectations. ML is also kind of a creep tbh. He should feel bad for wanting to sleep with a much younger dude he took in as family. DID was his punishment lol
Then there's the second couple... The ML is just a pushy creep and he disgusts me a lot. I actually like the MC here a lot, he's fun and kinda relatable, but I feel bad for him ending up with a creepy dude who randomly decides to top him while he's feverish... The whole 'I'll read him like a book and tame him' dynamic was so sleazy cause the ML was just very unpleasant and lacked charisma. It's a cool concept, just executed with a shitty character. The fact the ML also was like 'tEll mE yOu LovE mE' while fucking him even though they haven't really had the chance to establish a deeper connection was... A choice. Second couple was fumbled even more than the first one. And what a shame, considering the MC here is a cunty diva and he could've ended up with a cute, whiny ML who respects him and lets him shine like a dominant diva. Sigh