so i got to ch 9 and so far it doesnt explain why ml fell for mc. if there is in future chapters, can someone tell me the chapter number cuz im on the verge of dropping it
any stories where the mc was bullied by a group in the past and the story starts when the mc meets one of them again who is regretful and mc decides to use them to elevate his/her life and take revenge on the other bullies. if there's romance, i dont want it wholesome btw
so is it weird if, let's say, two 24-28 yos reincarnate in the same area in 10-yo bodies, in which they meet each other as teens, become aware of each other's reincarnations, and fall in love at 18-20? is it still pedophilia or not?
im gonna be that person and ask if there's any BL stories similar to this. bully mc x victim secretly in love with bully cuz he's the only one to pay attention him.
look, as chronically online person who read a ton of toxic red flag "dark romances", ill take this type of story any day over than some smut-filled rapist apologist romanticized story where a rapist becomes a good lover bc he falls for mc, whom he hitherto treated as a sex toy, and it becomes wholesome bc the mc "fixed" him. at least in this story, jerome only raped raymond bc he was driven crazy with a need for revenge and lacked autonomy bc he was under the thumb of hugh's family. and even then, it only lasted one arc, in which he came to respect mc's strong will to not break and perseverance, which was the groundwork for his future actions helping mc. for the rest of the arcs, since he wasn't compelled to, he doesn't SA mc again until mc is willing, and made no acts to appear to care about him until the most critical moments. he legitimately has no power and authority to wield, and that one time he helps mc at the risk of exposing himself, he actually suffers the consequences and is drugged and made a spectacle (and at that point, Raymond still despised jerome and contributed in humiliating jerome). and why this is such a significant act is bc jerome was actually treated the same way as raymond, and this is the basis for his revenge, so he basically willingly risked undergoing the same trauma again and sacrificing the revenge he worked on for ~15 years just to help raymond. and this isnt the only selfless act he did for mc. novel jerome is 10x more compelling and complex than your typical black flag ml will ever be. but if u want cliche powerful capricious rapist ml who submits to mc after hitherto forcing him to his whims, this just isn't for u. if u want a cathartic revenge story, ultimately it is (Raymond gets his revenge and so does jerome) but it is also a very gritty and nuanced exploration of Stockholm syndrome, depicting realistically to a degree the self-gaslighting, self-hatred, resignation, and emotional dependency of the victims.
let me mention as well, Raymond doesn't fall for jerome even after his enacting revenge twice and knowing jerome is a victim too and ONLY after jerome saves his life, and this was the catalyst to choosing love over hatred for the sake of his own survival. yes he has stockholm syndrome, but it was neither affection or sympathy, it was just a parasitic emotional bond based on trauma. after raymond tried to kill jerome at the end of the first arc, he actually managed to kill him in the third but he immediately revived him not bc of love but bc of said emotional bond. it was then he realized he couldn't live without "the boys" even when he desperately wanted to kill them. he couldn't move on from them either, so the only way to survive in the world with them was to give up on revenge, suppress hatred, and resign to love instead. after more than a decade of hate. it had nothing to do with "he's changed to someone I can love so I should give him a chance". (and if u think this is stupid, jerome thinks so as well. he is the one to reignite raymond's hatred.) the author makes it very fucking clear that what jerome did is unforgivable and even if he beg and save mc it would not rectify his wrongs, and this is reflected in jerome's actions when he keeps a distance from mc even after mc falls for him and only tries to seduce him/be openly affectionate and kidnap him to a remote inn to live together away from reality when mc loses his memories of his trauma (ngl was my fav part of the novel cuz it provided a lot of insight on jerome's character). and when mc recovers his memories, jerome becomes cold and wants to run away again. anyway, that's why I think this is better than the stories where the narrative pussyfoots around making rapist MLS not quite irredeemable bc they were raised into an arrogant POS, had a sad backstory, and/or the mc "enjoyed" the sex.
ill also say, that the other characters (hugh & George) and (nicholas & Christine) actually exemplify what happens to a unromanticized relationship based on stockholm syndrome if the victim didn't have the necessary mental resilience and the abuser doesn't see their lover as equals and still wanted to control them. hugh remain an abusive scum even after falling for George, who in turn became as twisted as hugh and just gaslighted himself to accept being his pet and sex toy bc of love. the victim of the second couple couldn't gaslight themselves into being happy, but he also couldn't reconcile his love and hatred. so he chose to go down the path of death. (raymond & jerome) only end up together bc raymond is mentally strong enough and jerome is just a traumatized normal person who loves raymond more than his own life but is completely aware of his own sins. all in all, if u can handle these types of dark thriller stories, this is for u; u can criticize the literary tropes themselves, but u cant immediately dismiss the story as "bad" just for having them if u haven't even read it.
so im been thinking, why is this story so particularly moving? (other than the sheer sweetness of their relationship.) i think it's bc of the simplicity of their love story. neither of them had any grand ambitions, when they could've easily wanted revenge and/or to raise their station. with their talents, they definitely could've. but no, this is a story about what we all ultimately want and need is love. the main couple found complete fulfilment in their lives thru each other's companionship and love. they would've been perfectly content to stay in their mundane bubble, away from the plot. this unchanging desire, in stark contrast to the tragedy that had marred their lives and the constantly unfolding drama threatening to shatter their peace, captures the profundity and simplicity of their love.
and despite the story being about them, the world doesn't feel as though it revolves around them. bc every character (except the brother) is moving forward in their lives and at a new milestone by the end of the story, while the main couple's relationship is relatively the same as it were when it was peaceful and just the two of them, before the "plot" came back to their lives unbidden.
that's all to say, this is one of the best historical bls ever.
look im willing to read dumpster fire and look past the bad pacing and glaring plot hole (how is that mc's twin didn't know the drama that went down in hs and that mc developed amnesia?), but I will drop this if mc end up with either of them
any stories in which the mc and lover addresses mc not wanting kids, but they get pregnant anyway and mc either 1) gets an abortion 2) gives birth but have trouble loving the kid. could be bl or straight.
He bought me for 50 sacks of rice. Soongap is nearly beaten to death by his master when friendly gia...
- Author: Son Gae Pi
- Genres: Webtoons / Yaoi / Historical / Smut / Drama
absolutely hearrtwarming love story about a gentle and kind giant and the traumatized slave mc he bought. the backdrop is written well and relatively realistic, and their relationship is the purest and sweetest despite the trauma and conflicts they face
The serious Ito and the child-like Nishi meet by chance during a single player game of “White ...
- Author: TOKOKURA Miya
- Genres: Drama / Romance / Slice of Life / Yaoi
are there even any in the first place?
im looking thru the spoilers and damn this story has PLOT. it's a reverse harem in the sense that multiple men fall for her, but she does end up with one guy
are people so naive? just bc their avatar is a guy doesnt mean the author themselves is a guy. did they even confirm their gender?
recs where the mc's hatred for love interest is relentless and long and the romance happens super late in the story after an arduous process of redemption
Daegun Gal is a salaryman currently suffering from long night shifts and little pay. Then, one night...
- Author: Chickenmeat
- Genres: Yaoi / Drama / Romance / Slice Of Life / Webtoons / Tragedy
4.3/5
for 1st and 3rd couple
let me tell u the groveling was soooo satisfying bc the MC never felt an ounce of sympathy or affection she hated them the entire time and it was glorious and i wish more revenge + grovel + redemption stories would be like this
does anyone know if the image of the blonde girl and taller freckled girl from the bottom of each chapter from a manhwa
some readers really have no idea what is enemies to lovers lol. at most, this is rivals to lovers