Rec request

I just finished re-reading Checkmate (TAN). I think the magnetic tension mixed with the actual loathing feelings of the GLASSES black hair (best combo) mc was delectable to read. I like how those feelings were layered and portrayed with a good balance of show and tell. And I like how they were both toxic to each other mutually lol I kind of didn’t like the antagonist’s plot on the 2nd read even tho it was a huge part of the story

heavenly grand archive’s young master, so good i busted bro it’s awesome i love the art and the plot and it doesn’t take itself too seriously, like it has serious moments but also #deep moments, and i like the recurring fat jokes abt hu gong… I AM NAWT FATPHOBIC it’s just funny in the context i can’t wait for it to update, lowk i was gonna try to wait until it had 100+ chapters but i couldn’t help myself, also his crew is awesome

To Deny the Route. Boys' Love. Very sweet dating-sim game isekai which follows protag Jerry as he grows up. I really enjoyed the manhwa's use of game mechanics. For the most part, it's a nice, light-hearted read, but there's also a nice bit of intrigue, with the game mechanics somehow acting differently than how it's supposed to run. The art is lovely, too. It's a surprisingly addicting read once you get into it. I never found the pacing too slow, despite what the premise entailed.

...But the thing is that the ending is unsatisfying. The pairing gets together really quickly, and there's no time to witness how they function once they're in a relationship. Many plot points are left answered, too, including the question of why the game was acting weirdly.

I plan to pick up the novel where the manhwa ended, because of this.

I just woke up but I need to answer RAINBOW CITY (novel). Ahhhh where do I begin? Let’s begin with the depth of the characters and how deep they are. MAJOR KWAK SUHWAN omg that man THAT MAN. Lets me start with the fact that THIS MAN seems like your stereotypical fuckboy seme who does whatever tf he wants, and doesn’t give a shit about anyone then becomes obsessed with the Uke. NO THATS NOT THE CASE. There are so many tiny hints through the manhwa but mostly the novel of this man actually caring about others. First of all, at the beginning when the Uke passed out from drinking (also he got a fever, he could’ve just him in the science lab for other people to get him, like it ain’t his job. But he took it upon himself to treat the guy, wipe him down and wait until he got up. SECOND I don’t think people realizes when he tells his subordinates to collect the dog tags of his dead comrades, it’s his way of caring, yes it’s a way for the city to keep track of which soldiers are dead (but fo you think they give a shit, soldiers get replaced every single day and are literally used as meat shields) also, you literally never see anyone else ask to collect dog tags from rotting corpses. (I would be grabbing quotes from the novel rn but babes it’s 5:00 am and im on my bed in my phone typing this), but anyways point is there were so many tiny hints of his man and him being thoughtful that couldn’t fit in the manhwa. For example in the raws where he was killing zombies when he got a call from the Uke he wanted to meet him. In the manhwa it only showed he showed up right away, got can outfit change. But in the novel it stated he took a shower and cleaned himself before going cause he knew the Uke didn’t like the smell of blood. THOSE THINGS. He was a soldier yet he didn’t play into the governments bullshit.
Now let’s talk about the Uke, Dr.Seokhwa. Dr.Seok on the surface seems like your stereotypical twink Uke, but there’s actually a reason for that that is EXTREMELY vital to the plot and was a huge reveal. In the beginning it tells you he’s just born like that, a body that’s so weak it can’t even run BUT NO. (I’m not gonna spoil it here but it is quite the plot twist). The manhwa isn’t there yet but in the novel omg Dr.Seok endured so much, bullet wounds, exploding helicopter, kidnapping, being bitten by a zombie and surviving with a burning hot fever, being infected with the virus and suffering extreme nosebleeds. BEING THE HOST of the virus himself with the entire city wanting to kill him. And still baby survived. He had so many doubts of himself and thought he was a burden to the ML and the others around him but no HE WAS SO STRONG and actually helped so much. He was the one who discovered the vaccine being handed out WAS FAKE and the real functions of it DURING a zombie outbreak, he developed the real vaccine and tested it on himself, Injecting himself with zombie blood to prove to the people. And if you still think he’s weak, you’re stupid. Okay moving on
MAJOR LEE CAUSE MY GIRL DESERVES A HUGE MENTION, Major Lee is a side character and let me tell you SHE IS CLUTCH. My girl Major Lee loves beefing with the ML but when it comes down to it she still cares about his wellbeing. Major Lee cheers up Dr.Seok when the ML is away and doesn’t let him blame himself for shit that ain’t even his fault. Major Lee does whatever she can to bring the Ml and the mc together and was the one who jumped with Dr.Seok down the exploding helicopter. She’s almost always there to protect the Uke when major Kwak isn’t there, and she knows what decisions are the best to make. She’s strong and loves to fight but realizes the limits of her own abilities and knows when to retreat. And when Dr.Seok was being kidnapped while the kidnapper threatened to shoot Dr.Seok’s limbs if she doesn’t back down, she instantly knew what’s good and instead asked Dr.Seok if he was okay instead. And in the very end, betrays the military to save the ML. Major Lee is clutch so is Major Yang but (sorry Major Yang I gotta move on)
Moving on to the dynamic, UGH ITS PERFECTION. These two start with thinking each other is annoying To BEING ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED. Like I would argue the Uke is even more down bad than the seme. Dr.Seok got a poker face and doesn’t talk much but he really does care about the people around him. And Major Kwak, who seems like a fuckboy that don’t care, also cares ALOT. Dr.Seok throughout the entire novel is extremely honest with the ml on just about everything. “I wanna extract your sperm today”, “I want to touch your testicles”, “I want to hug you naked” HE DOES NOT GAF ABOUT SHAME GOOD FOR HIM. Like even the ml who makes dirty jokes all the time is like :0. But he loves him for it. Also can I just say that later on Dr.Seok was sick with a fever and tells the ml that “he doesn’t want to die and wants to live” and after that the ml basically just does whatever to make sure Dr.Seok survived. Like heck in the end he sent Dr.Seok off in the helicopter cause he knew the military AND the people in the entire city were after him, so he sent him off despite knowing this would separate them and that he might not survive himself. And his last word to him? “Live” THRVRVDVEVGR. THEIR DYNAMIC MAN it’s so interesting and intense. And I just LOVE how happy they get when they see each other, (even if it’s not like the YAY :D kind) you can tell from the words and their actions that THEY ARE HAPPY to see each other everytime they get United again no matter if it’s like a day, a week or half a year. I love them do so much, you can really feel the love radiating off the pages.
Now let’s talk about the intensity of the plot. The plot of rainbow city is so well connected to each other that you need so much context and a lot of squinting to actually understand it all. Yea the basic plot like is there but there are so many extra elements and loose mysteries to consider when reading it AND YOU NEED to actually read to understand WHY A CERTAIN EVENT HAPPENED. For example, Dr.Seok gets bitten by a zombie that was in the shelter. Why was there a zombie in the shelter? The zombie was a soldier that was infected transformed. But why was it in the shelter? That specific soldier was appointed by the ml to watch over Dr.Seok so how could it be in the shelter??? You find that out way later that the problem lord in the vaccine and you needed to connect those 2 dots for it to make sense. Ofc you can just assume “a zombie got loose in the shelter” but that’s not what actually happened. Things like that. The beginning of the novel sets the stage but the thrill, and the iceberg starts to unfold as the story goes in and you can find SO MUCH MORE LORE AND REASONS BEHIND EVERYTHING, not just the basic plot itself. And the antagonist, omg he made my anger issues worse. Like the whole theme with the virus evolves around the Bible’s garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, and terminology like that is used throughout the novel and really contributes to what is what and the roles of these characters, it’s so so so well written. And it’s so emotional with the 2 leads as well, like DONT EVER SEPARATE THEM.
SO GOOD 1000/10. I mean what I said when I said to me, NOTHING will ever compare to the rainbow city novel. It’s so underrated compared to other web novels. It deserves everything. Chaepali deserves every last bit of my money for this masterpiece.