Viscari

Ghost Story Gotta Work (#gsgw, #gdcg, #choisol)

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun (#tbhk, #aoikane)

Link Click, and To Be Hero X (#tbhx)

Fantasy: Witch Hat Atelier (#wha), Magus of the Library

Genshin (#genshin impact, #outlander twins) and ZZZ (#zzzero)

Miscellaneous series, likely shoujosei, danmei, romfan

I’m generally up to date with everything I post about but I do try to note spoilers! Sometimes I finish things (#my art), sometimes I make myself post unfinished things (#fic drabbles and discards), often times I analyze or make AUs about my current fixations. Thanks for listening to me ramble about my beloveds!

For the longest time, I was wondering why KSE started questioning LSH. The outcome was basically a done deal by that point, right? The two of them will die, the rewards will be transferred to the member outside the door. Then, they probably would have gone back in to piece LSH together. After all, Choi also said that KSE would ‘surely succeed.’ If both KSE and Choi thinks it’ll work, won’t it definitely work? And yet, KSE starts questioning LSH, essentially monologuing to confirm his own guesses, going on until he more-or-less admits to cheating, and the casino captures him. Why would he sabotage his own guaranteed outcome? Obviously it’s related to the plot, but making the character ooc and pushing a certain outcome in order to achieve plot is bad writing, and I don’t think bds-nim would so something so contrived.

So, a minor switch of topic. There’s a fairly common theory among choisol-ers that Choi is KSE’s fav DER character. I’m biased since I also ship choisol, but imo it comes across in things like ch 193– where KSE comes out with a whole monologue on Choi’s tricks and how to effectively disarm him (even tho KSE had no reason to think Choi would be there, and reread to prepare accordingly)— and ch 223– where, despite KSE’s mental state, he has a whole page’s worth of dramatically introducing Choi. Fan theory aside, I think such details do a good job of showing how KSE’s emotional state tends to come across through action and not thought, even tho GSGW is written in his POV. Of course, we get his shock and horror and dry humor, but he—if you take the POV quite at face-value— seems to repress strong emotions ASAP, without giving himself time to process.

another, more neutral example of “through action, not narrative” is how we ALL know that KSE hates the death of his ‘coworkers’ and tries desperately to circumvent it, and we know he feels guilty, but imo the extreme depth of his guilt doesn’t come across until the Home Shopping arc. And, the main reason why we know is through his actions, instead of his thoughts. Isn’t it basically a fandom joke now, how KSE always tries to use the contract to save people?

And so, back to the main topic of ch 267. Why would Soleum unnecessarily put his own plan at risk? EHJ, RJK, LJH, Choi— all of their deaths were described with one, singular sentence. And then Soleum’s narration moved on. Even the gore of it goes largely unmentioned. One sentence of blood being splattered, and that’s it. All in all, each death only takes up 2 lines of narration at the most.

If we’re in KSE’s pov and he only bothers to give 2 lines of narration to the deaths and the gore, then he must not be very bothered, right~? It’s his perspective, after all!

well, no

maybe it’s obvious to other readers, but it took me multiple months of (passive) character analysis to understand this oddity in ch 269. Kim Soleum, who values his coworker’s lives, who hates other people sacrificing themselves for him, who does everything he can to save one more coworker— why would you suddenly, unnecessarily, put your plan and your coworkers’ sacrifices at risk? So much effort to save LSH, and it all goes down the drain because of an unnecessary questioning?

You must have been really shaken up ㅠㅠ

Maybe KSE, who saw his coworkers die one after the other, wanted confirmation that LSH is really still there, and really can be saved. Maybe KSE, who hates being alone in scary situation, wanted confirmation that someone he knows is with him, and that he’s not alone in the horror that he just witnessed. Even if he logically knows there’s someone outside, even if he’s technically aware that none of his coworkers are actually dead… emotionally, how he supposed to handle such a thing?

He so, so carefully doesn’t think about what just happened at all. Two sentences max per death. Not a single thought of how he’s feeling. The narration simply moves on. So carefully not thinking about what just happened, but his frazzled, illogical, ooc actions make it obvious how affected he is ㅠㅠ he’s taken risks before, but how often has he ended up sabotaging his own plan? Is this the first time? Wow, Soleum-ie, I can’t even imagine how he felt

Now, reading this chapter makes me really sad. Was he shocked by the visual of their deaths? Feeling guilty because they all died when he’s the main one who wanted to save LSH ? Was he scared, being in a room full of blood where the only person left is a chimera he’s desperately trying to save? Did he hate himself for a moment, when he realized he screwed the plan up? How frantically did he run to get those body parts? How terrified was he when he brought that gun to his temple, and he shot it anyway? Was his hand shaking (even in his narration, “and then, and then…”, he can’t bring himself to say he shot himself. Instead, “the bullet entered his head”. Such a clinical description, so carefully devoid of attachment)? By the time he was carried out, did he become numb from feeling too much? And even when numb, he asks about GYG’s situation.

They’re both main characters of a meta story that’s a love letter to a certain genre and we’re moved to another world against their will, which causes them to have extremely high walls and an inability to rely on people. They also have self-esteem issues, are confrontation avoidant, and are oddly convinced they’ll be shunned for who they are.

So one day, in the process of saving the world, Agent Choi gives up his memories of Kim Soleum.

Of course, even if Agent Choi is experienced at losing memories and practiced at hiding it, it becomes obvious to Soleum, esp when Soleum hints at shared secrets that Choi should know, and Choi misses them entirely. To be honest, the hardest part is figuring out why Choi lost his memories.

But once Soleum figures it out, he goes to the Tiger General and offers his memories instead. And so, he forgets about Agent Choi.

And he’s far worse at hiding it, esp since so much of his knowledge depends on DER entries that he’s also forgotten. Once Choi finds out, wouldn’t he go to the Tiger General to make another memory exchange?

His eyes reflecting light makes him look especially delicate and pretty, but I bet that sometimes light will gleam off his eyes and make him look super scary. And then dead eyes Soleum really gives a melancholic, hopeless atmosphere. These character design details…. Seriously the best.

Is this how it feels to wish for your own downfall? Disgusting and macabre creatures, please! Eerie setting and atmospheres! Paneling set up for jump scares!

Better yet, if it has music audio! Or Autoscroll! Animated panels and glitching text! It would all be so fun!!

But I will definitely be unable to sleep peacefully!!

I called it but I think I’m the most impressed wtf. Reinhardt who?? Eun Haje is so cool!!!!

It’s extremely fun because the artist seems to be playing around with traditionally femme and masc traits (in art, particularly manhwa)! Haje’s eyes are higher up on face and have a sharper shape, both of which are traits farrrrrrr more common on guys (in manhwa art). Meanwhile, her chin appears to be slightly rounder and her eyebrows are thinner, which are more common to see on women (in manhwa art). You can compare to the released character teasers to see, or I’ll leave images from the artist’s other adaptations under the cut, since it’s a very strong example of traditional gender appearance in manhwa (and shows the artist is aware/capable of them).

It makes me superrrrrr excited to see the other characters, esp the women!! Jin Nasol must have gorgeous hair, Seonghae I have no clue what fun details will be given to her design… and then of course, the charas that will appear far down the line :>

It seems to focus on the Cute vs Cool spectrum of fashion and how to balance it,, which is fun because a diff manga I’ve read (If You’re Gonna Dress Up, Do it Like This) focuses more on the balance of Formal vs Casual; the latter is more focused on men’s fashion tho, so that makes sense. Fashion is 90% about balancing contrasts (atmosphere, material, silhouette) so it’s super fun seeing diff explanations of it

I love how Nozomi’s styles varies so much, from cute to cool to elegant, always carrying a mix of elements. Plus, it’s always fun when characters do their hair in different ways! And then how Ruka uses her initial set in different ways, mixing and matching the two pieces with a bunch of other pieces in her closet, it’s *such* a fun detail. Sets are always great because they can mix and match!

And I adore how Ruka isn’t made to start over because she was wrong. Instead, we’re given different explanations for why her initial look didn’t work. Then, she’s given alternatives for that look, and she experiments with it, ultimately using it a lot!

And, the detail about how to add fashion or contrast in small, simple ways is lovely. After all, it doesn’t have to be difficult, and even the smallest steps can make you happier/more confident/bring joy/etc. In the manga, Nozomi braids Ruka’s hair to add a bit of cuteness to a 100% cool look. There’s other such minor tricks too: small ribbon clips put in hair, delicate lace accessories like a bracelet or choker, a bow tied around a belt loop of pants, cute socks, etc etc. Such details are part of fashion’s charm, right?

Of course, the fact that Ruka went so extreme at first instead of adding small details is part of her charm, and it shows her inexperience. Fashion does seem daunting, so it’s easier to go to extremes than understand contrast and balance. Ruka and Nozomi are at extreme ends of their fashion journey, and at extreme ends of their willingness to try new things and be ‘wrong. It’ll be fun to see how, through having the other accept them, the two of them learn to express themselves and forgive themselves and love who they are without caring so much about how society perceives them.

Plus, isn’t fashion one of the best vehicles for “a journey of self-expression and confidence”? There’s potential for it to go quite meta, considering ‘fashion’ is often ‘aesthetic’ according to society’s standards. Personally, the point of fashion is to boost my daily self confidence, and give me a burst of joy whenever I see a reflection (as someone who rarely wears makeup due to a skin condition, fashion is the reason I could start looking at mirrors and be happy, instead of immediately looking away). To be honest, even if it’s not ‘fashionable’, if there’s something that gives you joy to see on you, then get it and wear it! Height, weight, skin color, eye color, body type, preferences — society will always impose opinions, but fashion is something that should be catered to you, to make you feel happy and confident.

The shadows both give him a scary or melancholic vibe, and makes him look stressed/haunted/sleep deprived. I wonder if it’d also make him look frazzled/timid, later on?

I also like the red eye highlights! Hoping the adaptation makes full use of the highlight potential. Changing the color of it according to scene/setting, removing the highlight at times, making the highlight way more saturated at other times. Imagine it’s more saturated the more contaminated it is?

(Youngeun’s and Soleum’s waists are at basically the same height)

- rejected his crush, saying something like “I’m scared of horror” with a deadpan expression

- brings donuts to coworkers

- ceremonial dancing

- trying to hide between shelves and under a counter

- trying to hide behind a smaller girl (but their waists are the same width)

- lifts a manhole cover with one hand

- throws a telephone through the glass of a telephone booth

- appears out of someone’s wardrobe, thriller style

- pins someone down and twists their arm behind their back

- carefreely riding a bike with no expression

- flower-adorned mascot

- security team uniform

- wearing cliche disguises, like all black with a face mask or a long coat that hides body shape

- preaches about a pink bunny doll plush

- watches children cartoons and sleeps with the lights on

It’s all this guy

~ spoilers for part 1~

Failed to Abandon the Villain’s main couple are very different (they’re codependent whereas Choisol can’t stop trying to leave each other), but also a bit similar (Valeta is more poker face and seemingly rational but actually kinda crazy, like KSE. Reinhardt smiles a lot and schemes even more, like Choi). It’s fun to think of scenarios…. Should I make an AU? KSE reincarnates into a villainess who’s been brainwashing the male lead, Choi! Or, they’re both transmigrators!

My romfan mind is going crazy right now. Fav romfan couple, paired with my currently active fixation. If it’s side stories, AU where Choi kidnaps Soleum from another world… Ooh, or maybe KSE somehow summons DER!Choi into his world…

Guys guys guys I don’t even have words!! (/pos) I Failed to Abandon the Villain is one of my favorite ever romfans!! The toxic, codependent relationship of the main couple, whose trauma deeply affects both of them in a way such that (they feel like) only the ‘other’ can understand them. A mutual understanding that makes it hard to push away the other even if they hurt you. Of course, I have a personal fondness for toxic romance, but this one I adore because of how well thought out the trauma and its effects are, as well as the main cast that both means well but are really jaded. Plus, the plot itself involves massacre, literally noncon attic wifing (not to the FL), human chimeras, etc etc. it’s definitely ‘horror’. It has a lot of themes and while I’m definitely going to reread the manhwa, I have the impression that the artist adapted the novel and its atmosphere very well!

So! For all these reasons! I’m so excited!! For Gsgw!!! I wouldn’t have connected the two together because they’re completely different genres, but honestly there’s a lot of similar themes! GSGW has tons of characters that ‘aren’t human’ or ‘don’t feel human’, similar to Reinhardt (in fact, both Reinhardt and Braun rein in their more morally careless tendencies in consideration of another person). Both series involves a lot of atmospheric and story horror, along with classic gore. Both series have really interesting characters, with backstories (and trauma) that strongly influence their current selves and stories. Of course, our beloved KSE is a far more morally upright character than the FL Valeta, but GSGW has a lot of themes of “ends vs the means” and “personal morals vs societal morals” (plus how it changes when the society is supernaturals vs humans) and “inner personality vs presented self” and “inherent value vs material/entertainment value”

Again!! I need to reread the manhwa and I will!! But my impression is that artist-nim really understood and appreciated the dark themes of Failed to Abandon the Villain, including all the more subtle nuances of “yes the main couple are traumatized and that’s not a good thing and they’re need to heal to be happy AND toxic romance is fun”, and the artist was able to convey that appreciation in the manhwa adaptation. So! It gives me a lot of hope that the artist will also understand all the themes of the overarching Gsgw story and the individual characters. KSE’s changing personas and how he changes his actions, or the changing trust and dependency on Braun, or how Jaekwan can commit murder despite his seemingly righteous morals, or the way that Ho Yuwon’s past doesn’t change his actions in the present (but it does change perception of the present), or the contrast of Seonghae’s cute and lively energy vs her cold categorization of people into ‘good’ or ‘bad’, or Yongyong’s scary but well meaning pursuit of KSE— I can go on and on and on. All the characters are so nuanced that I’m scared for adaptations and popularity, because I don’t want them to be portrayed wrong, or simplified into a few traits, or be made one dimensional. It’s the same fear I have for stories as dark as Failed to Abandon the Villain.

So, the artist bring the same gives me a lot of relief?? I think they’ll really try their best for the characters, because they probably understand the characters’ good and bad points, and how both points on their own and the combination of them are what makes the characters attractive. Of course I think the artist will learn a lot, both by virtue of the different genres, and because Gsgw really has every type of horror, and each type has a diff atmosphere that will definitely be difficult to translate into art. But they’ll definitely try, and that makes me really excited!!