#ditoeftvleila

[booradigm]

"Calm down..."

"I got you."

———

Insanity Mode

An AU where Leila went after Penelope after Vinter turned back time, since Penelope has a lot of potential of being a useful "brawn," given that she is a descendant of the ancient mages.

It was an idea inspired by how in the OG world, Leila (I'll call the Laila that possessed Yvonne's body as "Leila" for distinction's sake) let Vinter live because he swore allegiance to her when he was brainwashed.

And these scenes, too.

I get the feeling that Penelope would have been Leila's BIGGEST, most lethal weapon. Her younger mind would have been easier to manipulate than an adult's like Winter (not saying she's weak, just that even if she resisted, her brain is just biologically not fully developed yet), AND she was an ancient mage, so she (if awakened) can most likely take on other mages like Winter, as well as possibly the other Lailas that were sealed in the mirror that tried to kill her after being freed.

So, Penelope can possibly guarantee her safety from both the Lailas sealed in the mirror AND from mages that can stand up to them.

However, it is double-edged. Because IF Leila awakens Penelope, yes, while that COULD make her such a boon if she got her in the cult, it could ALSO backfire BADLY if Penelope breaks out of it.

That's why Leila will have to make sure Penelope loves her TO HELL; at least until she finds a way to restrain Penelope and deal with potential threats on her own—

Because having to use human souls to get power is just WAY too much of a hassle if you consider the mages' abilities, and how not only the Laila cult seems particularly weak to ancient magic, but their vessels can still be harmed even with non-enchanted weapons (like the dagger Siyeon stabbed Yvonne's body with), if the mirror is still incomplete.

So Leila will have to complete the mirror first, among other things, before she can attempt to get to Penelope.

But seeing as the reason it was incomplete in the first place because Siyeon took a shard from her in Soleal, it can be assumed that by the time she returns to the manor, she would have ALREADY completed the mirror.

Especially seeing as Penelope knows next to nothing regarding these things, Leila can act as her "enlightenment," and feed the former any information she wants her to believe. Yes, grooming (eugh) basically.

So yeah, if Leila went after Penelope, there would be no hope for humanity at all.

[booradigm]

Honestly, I would have loved a special chapter of OG Penelope.

Like, you're telling me she literally died so many times, was implied to have all sorts of experiences in her attempts to stop Leila, but NOT ONE TIME was her pov shared?

Don't get me started on how disappointing Leila’s character was. I mean, she's okay as a villain, but I genuinely cannot imagine her or her cult as a true danger when they never really 'won' in any depictions of it. It was like as long as Cha Siyeon had the male leads around, she'll win (at least for the majority of the time).

Leila is centuries old, and you're telling me she lost just like that? It apparently took her the ancient mages to have her cult sealed away, but she couldn't defeat the cast (Vinter is a mage, but logically speaking he couldn't have possibly been on par with the ancient mages who Leila dealt with) apparently.

It would have been fine if it was her intelligence that made her scary (like Johan), but even then, there was not even any of that. No shows of her being sly or cunning that genuinely makes her intimidating.

There was SO much potential for her (she can literally suck the life force of someone via a kiss, and can remember the loops) but instead she was simply the bad guy, nothing more than that. Not even a brief glimpse to her mind or anything, of why she's so okay with treating humans like tools, or how she was able to defeat Penelope so many times, of even FOR WHAT she was doing it for other than the cult's unified desire to extend their own lives, and so on.

Smh, I swear I'm gonna make this blog all about it. It will be over for yall once I figure out how to draw or write to make proper content of what's going on in my head.

[booradigm]

Who hurt you so much or why are you so angry about a novel? It's almost like you're just another attempt at being a ragebaiting account about VADTD and I'm sick of people like you, who excuse themselves by saying that it's your opinion and end up doing what you criticize other fans for doing with all possible malice. Other people have already had your opinion too, and with almost the same words, it's even strange that you end up repeating their same patterns. But in the end we all are or were part of that chain of hate that makes us act like rabid dogs following a car that will take us nowhere. I hope you can break the cycle someday.

You really gonna give me that block paragraph anonymously, huh?

First off, I don’t need to be unhappy to have an opinion that isn’t just praise. While I do think the premise was good, that doesn’t change the fact that it wasn’t executed well. That’s why even the side characters don’t feel human.

Second, I assume what you said of me “doing what you criticize other fans for” comes from how I’ve said I like Leila and wanted to see more of her, while saying that Callisto's boring and overrated.

So let me clarify what I meant, since it seems like my words are reduced to just "oh, Callisto sucks.”

If someone likes Callisto but hates Eckles or Derrick for the SAME possessive behavior, THAT is a double standard. My issue isn’t with liking villains or morally gray characters, it’s with how people selectively excuse bad behavior in him while condemning the other two for doing the exact same thing.

I condemn Leila for being a maniac who feeds on human lives, just as I condemn Callisto for his own misdeeds. Like I said before “Don't treat one character as if they're actual people whose bad deeds should be taken seriously, then another as a fictional husbando whose actions are all okay because it's fictional." and I stand by that.

When I said it, I was pointing out how the DITOEFTV fandom constantly shifts between “fiction is just fiction” and “fiction has real-world implications” depending on what they want to see. If you say Derrick and Eckles are bad because they’re possessive, but Callisto’s possessiveness is fine because it’s fictional, that’s just contradictory and hypocritical.

That’s why this ISN'T the same as what I criticize others for. Because while I’m interested in Leila as a character, I have NEVER excused or justified her actions. I’ve specifically stated before in a previous post that I don’t see the Leila x Penelope ship as romantic.

My interest is in how they spent dozens of loops together, most likely having countless clashes that I think a lot of people would have loved to see.

Leila is clearly a HORRIBLE person, possibly the worst in the cast. And that’s EXACTLY why I would have loved to see her interactions with Penelope - someone who is practically her opposite (and has always tried to stop her in the loops). It’s really such a shame the story never explored that complexity despite the potential.

Wanting Leila and Penelope to have had more screentime because not just their DYNAMIC but also THEY THEMSELVES could have been interesting is NOT THE SAME as the people I criticize for excusing Callisto’s behavior but then turn around and shame Eckles and Derrick for the SAME thing. (I don't like them either, but again, Callisto put a magic tracker on Siyeon and locked her in her room before, and you seriously cannot say that would have been something Eckles and Derrick wouldn't do, because they ARE similar).

Now, as for you saying that many others share the same criticisms of this novel as me, what exactly is wrong with that? Obviously, if some people love it, others will dislike it. But, it's like you find ONLY the latter strange. It’s as if you think any criticism is inherently bad and should be rid off unless it aligns with popular opinion.

If that’s not what you meant, maybe you should clarify it next time.

And of course, I know we’re part of the same fandom. But when you say I should “break the cycle,” you make it sound like I’m mindlessly hating for no reason.

I’ve clearly explained my thoughts and my reasoning for them.

YOU HAVEN'T, though, have you? All you did was say "you're all the same, hope you get better", acting like you're on a higher moral ground. You AREN'T, buddy. You're just butt-hurt there are people who give valid criticism on your 'precious' novel.

Like anyone else, I can change my mind based on new information. I am open to change, but since nothing I said was wrong, I don’t see any reason to.

And if there are, then people should point it out to me and hopefully not just be as cowardly as you.

If you think something I said is wrong, then ACTUALLY POINT IT OUT out instead of dropping a vague and passive-aggressive message that was NOT ONLY ANONYMOUS, but also had NO REAL ARGUMENT to it.

Anyway, thanks for the ask, I’ll be rereading the novel later to see if there’s anything I missed.

[booradigm]

Someone has to help me understand why I don't like Callisto and Cha Siyeon AT ALL. But then again, I don't like anyone in there aside from Penelope, and maybe Leila, whose blankness makes her somewhat interesting to think about.

I think in Penelope's case it's because she's the type of lead we usually root for in these kinds of genre.

And yet even with such little information, we can somewhat get the gist of it. Penelope, despite being emotionally immature, must have had the mentality of a BEAST (taking her soul dozens of loops to shatter) while having a pure heart (as proven by how she still tried to save the same people that would kill her time and time again).

Compared to that, Cha Siyeon frankly only cares about herself or those she cares about (notice how she uses and can discard people, only shows pity when she sees others similar to her past, and even victim-blames Penelope many times). It is understandable to be that human, but when you look back at her after thinking more on what Penelope’s story was, it really just feels disappointing.

Just imagine for at least a minute on just how wild it would have been to get at least ONE side story of Penelope suffering throughout the loops, the number of deaths she experiences, and desperation of STILL trying despite always losing. It's a determination that is so hopeful and engaging, especially considering just how much she was already suffering. Even Siyeon can't handle that as she gave up after Eckles betrayed her.

Callisto is your typical romance male lead, really. Sad backstory, doesn't care about anything but himself and those he's personally affiliated with, and extremely violent (like many men lol). I don't get all the hype about him.

His possessiveness was not romantic at all and he is much more similar to Eckles and Derrick than people are comfortable of admitting. All three of these men are extremely controlling, as clear by their actions, and Callisto who locked Cha Siyeon up in a room later on, and put a magic tracking device on her is no different.

Stop cherrypicking. It really does get annoying when someone hates a character for something that another character is loved for. A great example of this is how people hate Eckles' 'yandere-ness' over Siyeon and his desire to keep her to himself, then go "uwu, Callisto so manly and romantic, he threatened whoever Siyeon is interested in (even BEFORE they were official)." Fucking hypocrites.

Callisto’s fear of losing Cha Siyeon should NOT have overrode her most basic human rights (i dont even like her, but cmon, she's entitled to that much). Don't treat one character as if they're actual people whose bad deeds should be taken seriously, then another as a fictional husbando whose actions are all okay because it's fictional.

I likely just read too many romances, but literally everything about him was predictable (but then again, perhaps a lot of the characters are).

Maybe I'm being a bit too harsh. There are simply too many plot holes, in general, and the system and mechanics are underdeveloped.

I seriously am just considering making myself content. I doubt there are a lot of people who share similar views (that much is clear from the amount of glazing around), but I stand by everything I say. I like the story overall, and especially those that are interesting to me. Personal preference.

[booradigm]

Oh my god, I just found a lowkey Leila x Penelope fic on ao3 and I am... I don't even know what to say to that.

Guilty ship? No, I couldn't be guilty about that because they aren't romanticized and is meant to be toxic, unlike some that excuse dastardly ships out there.

Thinking about it now, I don't ship them as a couple. Definitely not. More like... eternal archnemesis. And that's interesting enough.

Come on, I read "If you just wanted to make it easier for yourself, I can treat you much better than they ever did." And I was HOOKED. That is the kind of tomfuckery I would binge the hell out of. Whatever Penelope and Leila would have, I wanna see it. Someone feed me.