Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #Psychological(72)

It’s a difficult pathway to love for stepbrothers Saku and his onii-chan Toujou. Toujou has a terrible past from the years he lived with his birth mother. That has left him with severe PTSD when in the presence of women, especially if they get close to him. When his father took custody and he met his new little step brother Saku, the two instantly bonded. And as they grew older, Saku’s feelings changed and he loved his onii-chan in a sexual way. He dealt with those feelings by being sexually active with women. When Saku went to college he moved in with Toujou and the two started to be confronted with their feelings for each other. I felt sorry for them both. Saku loved his Toujou so much, but Toujou had so much baggage and a need to put Saku first that he pushed him away constantly. Until one day, something made him wake up to how long Saku had loved him. I felt annoyed at both guys so many times for not communicating properly, and for how often they hurt each other. It was such a relief to have them be open finally, but given Toujou’s history (idk that Saku even knows about it) it made sense.

Non identical twin brothers who are different in most ways but who have always cared for each other. Yuji is the younger twin who confidently excels in life, acing classes, dating girls and popular. Kazuma struggles more but has always been proud of his twin. He tries to step back, feeling he holds Yuji back, but no matter where Kazuma goes, Yuji will follow. When these two make the step towards being sex partners it’s not with full honesty by Kazuma about his love for Yuji, and he calls out others names. But Yuji knows his brother too well. He has always known that for Kazuma there is only Yuji, and the night Kazuma calls to Yuji in bed their lovemaking is more intense than its ever been. I wished for them to be honest with each other because Yuji’s reaction to his name and his obvious love for his brother really seem to match Kazuma’s dedication to him. A few more chapters on this oneshot would move this pair where they need to be; they are already confessing to the other when they sleep.

Warning: Sex with violence, blood Do not expect this to be the mangaka’s usual works because in this bunch of short stories, the mangaka explores darker themes. 5 Seconds: The longest story (Chapter 1 & 2 and final chapter) with Hayato and Terada. Hayato has an hereditary ability that triggers when he holds a gaze for 5 seconds. He has tried to hide it from his childhood best friend because he doesn’t want to spoil him with a power that he hates. But when Terada finds out he doesn’t run from his friend..This was my favourite story and the sweetest of the group. The Way To Nurture Love: Identical twins reunite at a gay bar where Yuuichirou (who had run away from home) cross dresses as a girl. Keiichirou is conflicted with the reunion, realising that the brother who looks just like him is still so different in every way other than appearance. Moving in together these two became increasingly close. I didn’t really bond with the twins, it made little sense why one ran off with no contact with the brother he obviously cared for and tbh I didn’t get any real feeling of intensity that would justify their move to being lovers. Even with the “only you can” comment, it was a little underwhelming for me. Too: Stalker Kudou imitates the unsociable loner on campus, right down to the brand of shoes he wears. Each are aware of the stalking, but there are no confrontations or reports to the police. But when he makes a change he gets more attention than he anticipated. This story was interesting but it needed more chapters to do it real justice. We get to see the trigger, but when did the stalking actually start and what happens next. The ending was really not a good place to stop. Itai No Itai No: Easily the darkest story, this was perhaps too sad for me to find erotic. Rei, the “ordinary” one in the trio of friends had terrible childhood experiences that twisted him into someone definitely NOT ordinary. Yet like many a psychopath, he seemed so very normal. The picture he drew in the room with his mom was revealing and again, too sad for me. The friends who were masochists seemed so normal with their kink, but Rei, it came from a darker place. It made the story really interesting but seriously not (in any way) erotic. A story like that needs to be much longer to go from damaged child to darkly sexy guy. Just coz you put someone in an erotic scene doesnt make it erotic. Mushuusei No Ohisama: The AV story, my least favourite by far. I just skimmed it tbh, I don’t like seeing sweet young friends in the beginning ending like that. Not my kink and not fond of AV stories often anyway. Only read one that I liked.

Trigger warnings: Forced, S&M, sexual control 36yo Japanese teacher Aoki has never had a successful relationship. Mentally scarred by his mother, this unkempt and tired man goes through the motions in life and avoids difficult situations. Nothing is more difficult for Aoki than dealing with the 32yo nurse teacher at school, Tengoku. Unable to avoid him when a student is in trouble, Aoki is swept into the sphere of a keen predator looking for an Aoki sized toy to torment and pursue. What followed was a psychological game that had me feeling uncomfortable for Aoki. Tengoku was the kind of lover to obliterate boundaries. He was very sexually experienced and savoured the fun he got from Aoki’s helplessness as he uncovered Aoki’s masochist nature and his own sadism answered. Tengoku was difficult for me to like for many chapters. But as the story progressed his own intense need for Aoki started to reveal his vulnerabilities too. It’s probably safe to say he is some sort of sociopath based on his actions throughout the years, but the bond he unwittingly forms with Aoki is actually pretty intense and even sweet in its way. Turns out he was more naive than you would think, at least when it comes to love.

Trigger warnings: Rape, domestic violence, abusive seme Izumu-kun is a quiet college student who tends to avoid social outings. When he catches the eye of Kurokawa-senpai, the older student sweeps him into a relationship that has the lonely Izumu feeling content. That is, until senpai starts showing another side to himself. An intensely jealous and possessive side that is so extreme that Izumu is shocked to realise that Kurokawa is even jealous of the time he spends at his dead cousins grave. In a fit of jealous fury, Kurokawa goes so far as to rape Izumu on the grave of his cousin. Obviously senpai is yandere. This is a psychological story and Izumu is the one who apologises after Kurokawa hits him and abuses in any way. This is clear domestic violence, to the point others comment on his injuries. While I love a good yandere story, if they cannot protect and care for their lover even from themselves, then it’s not for me. There is NOTHING romantic about an abusive relationship. Even with senpai’s backstory, there is no justification to rape, hit, demean etc, the one you profess to love. All I see is a future of bruises and excuses.

Lovely, sweet story with a touch of sad heartache for the lonely Tama (alpha). Uchiumi (Omega) picks up a stray cat on his drunken way back home one night. Only it wasn’t a cat but a beautiful man wearing car ears. Tama, with his many cat like qualities, would wander in and out of Uchiumi‘s home and life, and other times he would be staying with other men he was having sex with. I thought that Uchiumi was so sweetly nurturing and protective towards the alpha and you could see him falling for the beautiful man. But there were some deep emotional wounds from the past that needed to be resolved before Tama could trust in love. And Uchiumi was just the guy to give him the loving push he needed to leave. Really, something in this was so sweet, despite the translation being beginner level (appreciated it though, ty translator).

What a story! It broke my heart more than a little to see how shattered trust resulted in so much devastation between the MCs. There was something so sad in witnessing the insecurity and desperation felt by Jihan (beta) as he tried to hold on to Jaeun (omega) after he snuck out to treat Siwan’s (alpha) dog and came back in heat and with a bite. We are all shaped to some degree by our past, and the fathers of both MCs left some deep scars on their psyche. Their closeness in large part arose from being each other’s best ally and defender in their mixed family. Jihan had the added emotional trauma of being abandoned by his father who chose his fated mate over his family. As his mother mentioned, he had a darkness within, and everything happened in such a way that his need to protect became tarnished with the need to control. How devastating to realise that you have only hurt the one you love. That he left immediately was the hope for redemption. If he had stayed, knowing fully what he was doing and how it affected Jaeun, would have been too selfish. Both MCs needed the time apart to be sure of what they wanted, and that they could be a positive person in the others life in the manner they had always been before Siwan. This story was angsty yet sweet. There were a lot of things that made me angry for the characters and some that made me frustrated at the MCs. I even cried for them. Thanks to the author for the satisfying and heartwarming ending though. It was a roller coaster of emotions with a great finish. Signs of a really good story for me.

Two orphaned boys sharing a room at an orphanage become a pair. It should be sweet and simple for Habaki and En who have forged the closest of bonds, but it becomes anything but simple when Habaki has his rut triggered at school by an omega’s sudden heat and attacks the omega. Fast forward a few years an Habaki is a detective investigating a serial rapist and murderer of omegas. His bonded partner En is avoiding him and refusing marriage and at the same time is struggling with writing. The beautiful man seems trapped and hurting but Habaki showers him with loving support. Ah..the pain in this story that is burdening En is shared freely with the reader. While he seems distant and even cold at first, as his writing starts to make sense we can see that En is really the sweetest of men; a man trapped by good intentions and his own loving heart. Really, all praise to the mangaka for the story that made my heart ache and the art which was simply brilliant. This was a gem in Omegaverse.

Such an interesting spin on Omegaverse. Alpha are the next step in human evolution but they are feared and often resented by the wider public. Miyuki has just found out he is an alpha of significant power and the pheromones he releases compel others to do his will. When Sawamura is pitching his desire to please his battery is so consuming he is morphed into an omega. Literally shaped to bear the progeny of an alpha. Miyuki is overwhelmed and distressed by the changes in his life, but as he grew to understand what it is to be alpha and omega, he embraced his friend and the two willingly bonded. It was beautifully intense, how much the two revolved around each other once they took that step. To an outsider it may seem strange, but I found that alpha/ omega dynamic like perfect chemistry.

Trigger Warning: Dubious Consent A sadistically controlling seme and a reluctant intersex uke? What a great premise for a story but it was too short to do the characters any real justice. I can’t even tell if the uke is a submissive masochist or really unwilling.