This author has a special skill for making manga that goes from super cute to wtf so fast, I keep getting whiplash istg
I mean like, there'll be a cute, genuine moment and then suddenly seme is squishing the uke's toes ???(or sexually assaulting him while drunk . . . at least the toes thing was funny)
They also seem to consistently make their protagonists unable to blame or properly hold the person who caused their "big-past-trauma" accountable
My own morbid curiosity wouldn't let me stop reading but at least now I might be free QuQ
The couple was really cute and I really like this author's works, but this trope is one that I always find super depressing . . .
Idek why, but the indebted idiot being coerced into sex work is an idea that just makes my heart sink and really taps into my empathy for some reason and genuinely makes me think about how in that situation I'd rather just throw myself off a bridge.
I think I'm just really afraid of debt.
I already feel powerless enough in my life just trying to get by as a slave to capitalism, the idea of just accidentally occuring a large amount of debt of no real fault of your own is terrifying, even in fiction. You'd lose what little power you had over your life and have to work ten times as hard forever not just to get by, but to pay off this debt. Plus, it'd be a thousand times worse if your debtor dictates the kind of work you do to pay it off (especially if it's something as vulnerable and potentially traumatizing as forced sex work)
The thought of how hopeless that situation feels and how powless I'd be makes me sick to my stomach and I'm already too mentally unstable to bother trying to endure that kind of shit. I would 100% off myself.
It hurts but I really relate to both characters so much because they really do care about each other so much but they're both too in their heads to have the hard conversations they need to have (and the hard conversations are never actually a hard as your anxiety convinces you they'll be)
Specifically Joon is getting a lot of hate because he isn't telling Doha about how he's going to go abroad
But I remember being similar in my first relationship, there was something important that could very negatively affect my relationship with my girlfriend at the time but I was so scared to hurt her or distract her during finals that I convinced myself it'd be better to wait and then convinced myself it'd be better to just never tell her and try to cope on my own because I was always afraid of pushing her over the edge and her spiralling.
My situation was different ofc, but so so similar in so many ways at the same time it's insane
It's giving "Caressing the nipples of my sleeping bear" vibes. (For those who don't know, title of another manga)
I genuinely think this is direct inspiration from that because there's the "I raised you as a small child then you went away and grew up the rest of the way so it's not weird I promise, but I still feel guilty as a character which is telling" trope and then there's the bear with big tits.
So this is basic just fanfiction at this point, but what if instead of being fucking stupid, the royal family actually publicly revealed the truth about Amaryllis having been a homunculus and the origins of the prophecy, and lets pretend it actually manages to convince the majority of people, leaving only a small sect of religious fanatics, convinced that the kingdom is doomed by the darkness that has consumed the royal family, unless they bring back the light. This gives birth to Amaryllis' "final form" as a villainess: a religious symbol, revered as a savior (which she already supposedly was on a level, but somehow all the plot leads tied to her really were just dropped) that needs to be risen from the dead. The real fanatics accept that she was a homunculus and take it upon themselves to make new homunculi in her image and have the ultimate goal of overthrowing the royal family to purge the palace of the darkness.
Meanwhile the royal family gets to be tormented by the face of their enemy being the face of the daughter and sister that they loved and lost, back now to haunt them and destroy them for their incompetence.
I am unwell and will be hyper fixating on how unsatisfying this conclusion is for weeks
Ty for this, im going to pretend that this is actually what happened.
I'm glad you appreciate my idea QuQ
She's finally leaving which is great; I just wish she'd done it way sooner, consequences be damned
I mean, her family won't even tell the truth about Amaryllis and the prophecy because they still care more about Amaryllis' peace in death than they do for Ashtarte's who is still alive.
Don't get me wrong, I pity Amaryllis' situation. Even tho she was a bitch, she got worse than she deserved, but she's dead now. That's the peace she gets. Yet they still won't clear Ashtarte's name to the best of their ability because they're selfish.
I'm so glad she got out of there and away from her family that literally would never put her first, even if it was the only reasonable or logical option.
Another tangent: they REALLY should have cleared up the prophecy, cuz this is the kind of situation that creates violent religious fanatics, and without clarifying the prophecy to the public, the people are more divided and therefore way more vulnerable to religious fanaticism
Her family is stupid and could realistically have riots (or even people storming the palace) on their hands of people convinced that the palace is overcome by darkness because of the death of the light that was foretold in the prophecy they still believe.
And even after that dies down, all it takes is one charismatic guy to start a cult based on these beliefs that are already widespread
They could even face issues in their own court, because the prophecy wasn't only believed by the common people.
And Ash's main supporters are only those who have seen her power first hand (which I think is only the people in the capital) but the belief in the prophecy is nationwide.
Basically, the prophecy didn't only make Ashtarte look bad, it makes the whole royal family look just as evil as they thing Ash is, because in the eyes of the believers, the prophecy was fulfilled and the world (or the kingdom at least) is in end times.
None of this is preventable, but they could at least take steps to control the narrative
Confirming the true order of events that took place is the only logical damage control.
I couldn't agree more. I really want his family to at least redeem themselves to her but they are pieces of trash. I just side eyed when her brother cried, I mean if he really cares at least do something.
For real!!! This really just reminds me of the toxic men in my own life who would feel, like . . . self pity really, for harm that *they* would cause
Like when you call them out they do the "I know, I'm awful :((( and I feel awful because I'm the worst and I wish I could change but I can't and I don't know how so I wish I could just die :(((("
I feel like amaryllis was set up well from the beginning to be a victimized pawn. She was definitely a bitch with an awful personality but I felt like it was made clear that her actions, while malicious, weren't done with a greater plan in mind. So there was only so far she could go as a villain herself when someone else was pulling the stings.
Her death was sudden but I'd blame the chapter limit the author was given more than anything.
I do really like how ashtarte thinks of amaryllis at the end tho, kind of acknowledging how while she was evil, she was definitely used. She was created to be used and thrown away.
While I absolutely didn't like her either I will acknowledge the fact that her whole life she wasn't given a chance to have her own opinion on Ash she was fed the same lies everyone was to the point where it created some superiority complex this Still doesn't justify her actions but it's something that also has to be acknowledged
That execution was rough imo . . .
I mean I'm glad they didn't drag it out super long
But idk it's probably just me but I wanted a little more emotional pay off after so much build up
Like . . . It was essentially building up to this reunion since the moment Jaewoo died (or even before then ever since he made the deal to die). This is supposed to be the big moment that wraps up that whole emotionally heavy arc but there's no emotional release, they're just back to being all casual, smiley, and blushy like nothing even happened
it feels like they all are acting like it's no big deal and just moved on really fast
i agree with you. they want to keep it short and on point, but it was like abrupt and the pacing is weird when ppl said they found out about jaewoo fast, i didnt think it would be this fast....i feel like it didnt settle right with me. they should have make the identity reveal as a big history moment of the story, not just casual cut panel moment like that sheesh