the panel of jaekyung looking incredibly panicked + confused when dan tried to kiss him SENT ME representation at last
(no but i hope piss kink boy finds out dan was drugged and fucks his opponent up!! )
I completely understand that it's not gonna be everyone's cup of tea - every piece of media isn't gonna be for everyone, but I really don't think it's a bad story in and of itself.
aside from a complete and total lack of lube at times, nothing so far seems out of place within the confines of this story. jaekyung is a brash and bullying yet self-deprecating and isolated figure who's risen to the top of his sport through sheer aggression and perseverance. dan is a tenacious, immensely skilled hardworker with a history of exploitation (sexual, financial, and physical) violence, and a clear fear of abandonment (i think he's a orphan? idk but he grew up poor with only his gran). Nothing Dan has, has ever been handed to him, he's had to work and struggle for a pittance.
you put these two into a world where money is king, and so the power dynamics are entirely imbalanced in favour of jaekyung. and yet, both characters are actually dependent on each other, although one party (jaekyung lmao) refuses to acknowledge that.
then you throw jealousy, lust and love into the pot???? fucking hell, what a banging mix! not only does the author (imo) brilliantly explore the socioeconomic differences between the two, and how that affects their relationship, but they also show how these two change each other.
is a lot of this explored through dark, grim, and non-consensual means? absolutely! and if that's not your cuppa tea, that's so understandable!
that was such a bittersweet ending, gonna tell myself that the main story is a reincarnation fix-it story
someone's tryna sabotage j, I wonder who it is??? Dan is actually my bby, nothing had better happen to him!
Scenario 1:
- Jaekyung is gonna have the mother of all breakdowns before his match
- Dan comforts him, gives him a pep talk, idk
- Jaekyung realises he's in love
- power of love + bl logic = Jaekyung wins the match, proving the haters wrong
- he becomes a semi-better person and takes Dan out on a date or sumn
- at the same time in Korea, granny either dies or has a health emergency
Scenario 2 (what I want sksksk)
- Jaekyung has a really bad breakdown just before the match (stress + losing too much weight)
- J Loses the match and spirals into self doubt and depression, lashing out at everyone
- Dan refuses to leave Jaekyung (bc of course), and instead refuses to let him wallow in misery
- Dan helps him recuperate, J catches feelings and realises he's in love
- granny either dies/health scare, OR recovers, and moves in with Jaekyung and Dan??? (she's the biggest wildcard imo)
Really wanna find out more about their backstories - parents, siblings, jaekyung's jinx, his MMA origin story, why does Dan live w his grandma, how did they get into so much debt?? so many avenues to explore, and I'm excitedddd
dgmw I adore following finnian and snake boy, I just have no clue how this all relates back to the ciel storyline... lemme go find a video essay or sumn
lolllll we all thought we were getting a cute lil grumpy asshole/"I can change him" dynamic, the domestic violence in Ch 59 spun me I couldn't believe my eyes, kudos to the author for not giving into yaoi logic
I shouldn't be confused bc I feel like nothing is happening, but at the same time I'm so out of the loop.
what does this current PR storyline have to do with anything? I think I've forgotten what the stakes are - I know there public can't find out who's funding the MC, but is that it?
