That ML is in full BPD mode and it's too hard to deny it at this point. I was speculating while reading and now, it's just as clear as day. (He can't control it as he said, the fact the MC has become his favorite person, and how intense his preoccupation has turned with him; this helplessness due to drowning in intense, painful emotions and obsession with someone who's avoidant reminds me of BPD a lot.) The ML's childhood is also the perfect substrate for preoccupied/disorganized attachment disorder and with that, BPD and fear of abandonment. Like, I've never seen it so clearly depicted like in this story. Poor baby, he's struggling greatly. Also poor MC because it's not easy to deal with the position of the favorite person.
I feel like ur thinking isn’t necessarily trying to down play bpd but coming from someone who’s diagnosed I can definitely see some parallels but yea I do think he got a lot of other stuff wrong with him as well
The author already mentioned on twitter about the whole bpd theories people have, it’s best not to apply it onto him because people hyper focus on it and waters the term down…
Yeah for sure, there's a lot to unpack with him, maybe he wasn't intended as a character with BPD but some patterns of behavior kinda remind me of that.
I wouldn't say it waters the term down when people speculate about it as, in this case, he does, indeed, display behaviors and issues similar to BPD. (Otherwise, people wouldn't mention it many times; I don't know about the discourse on Twitter, don't use it, but it makes sense many readers are coming to that conclusion) He's a fictional character after all, one can just project onto him and the signs are there to an extent.
If the author means they tried to create a character with issues without the label BPD, fair. I don't think it overshadows his character though, it adds more to it even.
The Kevin Home Alone t-shirt as he's about to be sexually assaulted as a child... I come back again and again to reread this, I get chills.
64 chapters in, I'm mostly disappointed and annoyed by this more than anything. The ML here is the typical alpha whose lack of respect for boundaries as well as consent is played up for the funsies (and it's so on the nose with his quotes even, like how strong nos mean a strong yes, body reactions are more important than words, how he admits to doing whatever he wants anyways, etc.etc.) , that it's kinda hot, and is accepted as a mild annoyance by the story and its portrayal, seen as just who he is by the MC. It's even a bit horrifying of a story considering the unconsensual creampies (the MC explicitly said he hates it when anyone cums in him, which the ML violated multiple times; the ML could've taken more rut suppressors and could've prevented them from meeting as to not violate that boundary as its a possibility in a rut, so he's super irresponsible and just let this happen because of his lust for the MC), that led to a pregnancy that was forced onto the MC as he otherwise would've had to risk losing his fertility (which, itself as a concern reminds me of the scare tactic used against women who want to abort). The MC had no choice basically, apart from the story trying to make it about the MC feeling attached to the baby. (He had to cope somehow, knowing it would've been a risky abortion). Their whole dynamic feels off to me, and I know the author tried to create an MC who's a tough shell with a soft spot for the ML and an ML who's very forward going with his feelings and sexual energy, but really, it comes off as the MC enduring boundary violations by the ML (the author conveniently lets those happen as the MC is written as a cute contrarian with thick walls who doesn't always mean what he says, but in crucial moments, he DID in fact, mean no as no) whilst accepting that because the ML has a hot face and he conceptualizes that as his personality more so than a behavior problem, it's all fine and actually, sex just happens to the MC, inflicted by the ML. I didn't see super enthusiastic , reciprocal sex. (the art style didn't help either ngl).
Then as of now, we haven't explored much of a background story between the ML and the MC, despite some flashbacks that could've given us more insight apart from them feeling just sexually attracted to each other. I think this would've created more depth to their relations right now. They had threesomes together and knew each other since childhood, their connection falls a bit short and those are tiny puzzle pieces of information that don't make a lot of sense without further exploration.
The MC is a cool character and I rooted for him (he's the only reason I gave this an additional star, so 2/5 in total). I like how buff he is, his fiery personality, his defiance and loud mouth, and at the same time, I wish we would've seen more of an exploration of his struggles as a non omega presenting man who is actually one, and who has gone through pheromone suppression. What this could've done to his secondary gender identity, how the fact a dominant alpha is into him despite the MC being the top in previous relationships could've been reality defying to him. Very shallow story, with lots of left out potential and lots of omegaverse slop tropes and behaviors. A shame, I wanted a cool, buff omega who fucks up a cocky, dominant alpha. We just got... A kinda plot-, kinda character- forced mpreg marriage story without even the good, juicy mpreg part.
I had to scroll hard to finally find a decent analysis. I can't agree more. Unfortunately, I think you wasted your breath because this comment section is packed with red flags apparently. There is a limit to what can be morally accepted, even if "it's just fiction".
Yeah, the comment section here is very uniform, everyone just goons to it or thinks it's cute or whatever. At least someone here shares my perspective
The plot is kinda thickening like cum that hasn't been let out for a while and I'm here for it. Gimme a bit of angst. Also, the ML up until now has been wholesome af, pls help and support this cute, tortured hermit MC and give us hot sex for his artistic studiesss
The plot and character interactions are an absolute mess, but I crave a story with an actually sadistic, dom bottom and on that note, the story is eating without leaving crumbs, so I'm super happy about that and staying for the otherwise chaotic ride lol
You know what? I'll just cope by thinking the author wants to give us a full course meal after edging us with all the appetizers... Not even appetizers, just tiny drops of blood........ Th-that will just make the experience of them boning balls deep that much hotter, right? Right??
Yeah, for old yaoi standards, kinda fresh, kinda kinky, but when I see a sadist bottom on the cover and in the title, I wanna see a truly sadistic bottom. Their BDSM play consisted of the top begging for the bottom to be his queen, some sexy (and tbh cool) fetish wear, the bottom being a bit of a dom for a very brief moment (I liked it when he served dom faces), and then just him getting railed by the top who, tbh, felt more like wearing the label sub and masochist than actually living it. (Even the play was always cut short when they could've got to the actually kinky parts - pain, humiliation, restriction, asphyxiation, etc. Best we got is a bit of sounding... BOORING) He was manipulative af and that took away from the bottom's dominance imo. He didn't have enough playing field to take over the top, so instead, it was the top dominating the relationship, moulding and pushing it the way he wanted to (which was acknowledged in the story briefly; also the top's 'sadistic heart', which we didn't see much of though apart from the confrontation with the shit ass brother). Dunno, this whole story with its lackluster BDSM moments felt like it was cosplaying BDSM more than being BDSM. Pretty kinky harness clothes and a bottom who rides the top and has him on a leash at times doesn't make for good, true BDSM and especially not a story with a truly dominant, sadistic bottom. (Bottom was whiny af and had avoidant attachment, that's it lol) This story baited me.
It's cool to see vorarephilia depicted in a carnivore who isn't just a wolf, but also wants to be eaten by a herbivore. That alone already flips the script of what it's usually like in nature, and subverts the expectations of an anthropomorphic animal setting where you'd usually have a typical carnivore-hunts-herbivore food chain.
Another interesting aspect here is the showcase of trauma turned kink, I'm assuming as a coping mechanism. Trauma was rewired as desire to experience it again, maybe as a way of the brain to push for exposure as to overcome what's happened, but the brain overcorrected it straight into a fetish. I wish there was more gore tbh, it would've made it that more raw (lol) and sensual even. I can't lie, I also missed at least some smut, but the sexual tension from the kink alone was actually hotter than the usual fwop fwop you see in many manhwas.
Apart from that, it would've been nice to just learn a bit more about the herbivore as well. For example, why he tasted meat in the first place, why he felt desire to eat meat later on and even bit the professor while starved (apart from what he later identified as just falling for the professor), and how his desire to consume someone else came to be. It seemed like he was enjoying the position of the consuming sadist and that could've been explored more.
What's also intriguing is their seemingly 'doomed' relationship based on the ultimatum of the professor allowing his student to eat, and therefore kill him, at some point. That seems a bit complicated considering the student seemed like he was actually falling for him, and even confessed to the fact he just wanted to pretend to try to eat him and didn't even like his taste. His 'yes' to the professor's ask if he'd be up to eating him to death felt insincere given that information, or like he was making a promise he couldn't keep just to stay by the professor's side, knowing fully well he'd have to eat the one he developed feelings for later on. In this way, the herbivore is clinging onto someone who, from what he's saying, isn't even gay, and will probably die for his kink when he decides the time is right or when life just gets him in a suicidal enough mood. That's a tough dynamic for sure and its further exploration would've been fantastic to read about. Oh the angst we missed out on because this is way too short!!