Hello, hello, I’m Viscari! 20+, she/her, a chronic story-consumer. I consume all genres, but have a particular love for psychological (horror, mystery, slice of life, romance, coming of age). Main things I currently post about (roughly in order) are
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)
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!
Loveeee how reflective KSE’s eyes are. 10/10, will give him super cool scenes and screenshots (white light from the refrigerators, red reflections from blood, yellow reflection from spotlights, etc etc) AND the lack of light can emphasize how tired he is.
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.
The horror is definitely going to horror and KSE will look attractive no matter how scared he is and I will have to emulate KSE and start sleeping with the lights on because I Am Very Bad With Visual Horror.
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 :>
Pictures from the other adaptation’s side story AU~ perhaps you can see why my expectations are so high? (But note how the woman’s eyes are bigger in general and in proportion to her face, and her eyebrows are thinner. The guy’s chin has the slightest curve inwards to show sharp jawline. Also, more defined neck)
I’m not up to date with it, but It’s Not Easy Being Cute is so much fun!!! I will alwaysssss have a fondness for fashion manga, esp ones about everyday style, small ways of incorporating fashion, adding minor joy into your everyday life, and— most importantly— self confidence!!
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.
There’s a fairly obvious reason for why Qiao Ling is always connected to screens and monitors (part 2 spoilers), but part of me wonders if there’s a reason besides the obvious?? Is it a plot point? A metaphor? Or is it simply connecting a character to an item, like they’ve done with the pink rabbit?
First it’s his more feminine waist, now it’s shadows under his eyes!!! Oh my, the details are really everything !
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?
Color theory wise, the brightness of the highlight and the positioning at the bottom of the eye make the shadows under his eyes stand out more :> the details are seriously amazing
Soleum’s waist that’s higher up than a normal guy’s, creating a more feminine feeling that’s entirely at odds with his masculine broad shoulders. This sense of contrast!!
(Youngeun’s and Soleum’s waists are at basically the same height)
Whoever was involved in the character designs did a good job! It’s a relatively minor detail but it works super well!!
btw for dancing, which has a lot of shifts in weight and uses the balls of the feet a lot, I can’t imagine his? …prosthetics? New legs? To be useful.
if anything, it might stop him from dancing entirely, based on exactly how it works and how much control he has over it. If the ends dig into the ground, it’s a lot harder to jump or leap or do a rond de jambe. Because they probably burrow into the ground more when he turns, there’s way too much friction for a spin. Dance also includes a lot of shifts in levels (height, via bending knees, going on tiptoe, etc), but that might be harder with his new legs, too? I’m not sure if we even know if he can flex or pointe his feet. They seem permanently pointed with limited toe mobility? And the branches might press against his ankle and the front of back of his arches, forcing it into that position normally (granted, maybe that constant pressure gives him some comfort).
maybe he has full control of it and they don’t impact the ground the way they realistically would because, well, magic. And I’m sure there’s lot of fun, pretty things he can do with them. But somehow it’s still not the same. Of course it’s far better than being unable to use his legs at all, but it’s terrible to lose that ability. “Now he can walk, but he can’t/doesn’t dance”. Losing that kind of wonder is always terrible. The arts are the joy of life, and even if brimhat magic gives him necessities, it doesn’t bring him that joy (meanwhile, the pointed caps aren’t willing to even give him that ‘necessity’. Tartah and Coco, however, did at least try to give that ‘wonder’. Flying instead of dancing. It isn’t as romantic as it sounds but I think it does show some of the differences between the three main groups thus far)
It’s not even comparable to dancing in heels, cause heels also have the ability to rock back and forth and shift weight as needed… as a dancer, these sharp points aren’t good at all. I wonder if we’ll ever see him dance again…?
Can’t stop thinking about Choisol, wife chasing, regretful male lead Choi, but it’s not a fanfic or AU, it’s just canon ㅠㅠ
~ spoilers for part 1~
- Confronts Soleum without being considerate, is overpowered, none of his words are believed. Makes the situation worse for Soleum. Feeling guilty, he buys an apology drink, but doubts himself and crosses out his words. Then, he…. leaves to go mountaineering and ask a supernatural being to help remove Soleum’s affliction.
- rushes back across multiple cities immediately after climbing a mountain for the sake of saving Soleum
- saves Soleum without Soleum’s consent (or informing him), then regrets because the outcome isn’t what he wanted
- pacing around outside, anxious, unable to do anything, pestering others about Soleum’s condition (what is this, a hospital arc?)
- Choi’s mood improves when Soleum is released and he happily waits to see him. Then, he finds a goodbye letter. Upon reading it, he slams the door open and chases after…. Nothing. Is completely unable to stop Soleum from leaving
~ part 2 ~
- months pass as he thinks about Soleum, trying to find info about the wish. Upon getting a potential hint, he immediately contacts the enemy to get more info
- gets the info, chases after, and just barely misses Soleum even though Soleum is right in front of him, hahahahaha
- finds out he missed Soleum, regrets more, goes on a dangerous outing with the enemy
- finds Soleum, immediately loses him, instantly ready to sacrifice his own self in order to kill the perpetrator
- treats Soleum more carefully, doesn’t probe as much as he did before, actively stops others from probing too much. Like he doesn’t want to scare Soleum off? And I’m not sure (need to reread to check) but it feels like Choi is more tactile with Soleum, as compared to part 1. Aka,,, regretful lead treating more carefully in overcompensation for past mistakes
- Finds out Soleum is a friends with a dangerous entity. Really worried, angry, stressed that Soleum keeps putting himself in danger, but can’t bring himself to scold Soleum for any of it, feeling like he doesn’t have the right to scold. Wants to separate Soleum from the danger, but can’t
- loses Soleum again, with another goodbye letter. Loses sleep, goes back to the well, stares into the well with blank eyes, wondering if he should try to join Soleum
- tries really hard to help, but due to a lack of trust between the two of them, only ends up harming
- Loses Soleum again x2, takes care of the comatose body for months and months, just wanting him to wake up. During these months, prepares himself for a fate worse than death
- wants to sacrifice himself, tries to be honest and vulnerable, leading to another argument with Soleum where they both decide to go their own routes
- is, in fact, unable to sacrifice himself (no matter how much he wants to)
- despite his desires and preparations, his plans don’t come to fruition, but it’s okay so long as everything ends well and Soleum is alive. Things are looking up!
- Soleum immediately stops being alive
- holds Soleum’s melting body in his arms until there’s nothing left to hold. Gathers the melted remains
- their last meaningful conversation was, I think, the argument
- in the end, regrets are meaningless, and there’s no opportunities to apologize or make up for past wrongs. All he can do is try to fulfill Soleum’s final wish, and watch as Soleum leaves
~ end of part 2 ~
There’s no need for a wife chasing AU fanfic when canon is the wife chasing story… Choi didn’t even bully Soleum, he jumped straight to the “regretful male lead” part.
Notes
* I haven’t done a reread of part 2 yet, so some details or the order may be wrong (hopefully not, but…)
* for the above reason, there’s likely some stuff I’ve forgotten that would fit this list. Will likely update in the far future after rereading! If there’s anything you think of please lmk~
* if fanboy!Soleum theory is canon then it really fits, the “wife” having admired the male lead for a long time, being disillusioned, and leaving to fulfill their own happiness
I can’t believe that all my Choisol Romfan AUs suddenly became a little bit more real?? Since they’ll be drawn by a romfan artist!!
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…
It wouldn’t fully make sense from a character motivation perspective, but it’s okay because it’s fanfic!!
Apparently, GSGW is getting a manhwa adaptation, and the artist is the manhwa artist for I Failed to Abandon the Villain!! (Its registered on a licensing website, from my limited understanding)
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!!
And obviously, it’ll be so much fun to see the characters drawn in such a pretty art style!!!
because I care way too much about this, I’m actually thinking of making a TBHK character chart with
Idealized gendered traits
Negative gendered traits
Opposing-gender traits (each character has at least one)
Complexity/contradiction of idealized gendered traits (I.e. Sumire saves animals for her ego)
The effect gender has had on them
mental health
their agency/role in the story
goals/desires/ending and how it or conflicts with idealized gender stereotypes (in contrast to what society/stereotype would have wanted)
Idk, I think TBHK goes about normative gender roles and its effects extremely well. For example, Aoi’s and Nene’s affectionate, tactile, almost flirtatious friendship is something that I very rarely see in media, but it’s similar to my female friendships and it is something that is way way more common in female friendships than mixed gender or male gender relationships. Feminine camaraderie is one of the best things. At the same time, Nene sees herself as ‘not good enough’ and thinks she should ‘be more feminine’, while Aoi ends up isolated and exhausted from trying to adhere to standards of femininity. It has negative effects on both of them. They both gain things from it. Their femininity is inseparable from both of their characters. And of course, they’re both far far more than just their gender or how well they fit into gender stereotypes.
isn’t that how gender is? It doesn’t define you, but it inevitably impacts you in all sorts of ways. I think all of the cast have intricate characterizations involved with gender, including how their gender impacts how they act, or how their gender is used to add complexity to a narrative, or how their gender defines a narrative. Kou, the shounen protag-like guy with a hero complex. Nene, the naive love-obsessed girl whose optimism drives the latter half of the plot. Hanako, the perverted and mischievous brat who protects the boundaries between schools. Most of the TBHK characters closely follow one gender stereotype or another, but are complex and interesting because of how they explore and/or contradict the those stereotypes. Gender is so so instrumental to TBHK
Aoi and Akane actually have a pretty interesting (balanced? Maybe?) dynamic wherein
Akane has a lot of agency and a ton of his own arcs, but his Entire Life revolves around Aoi. He studies for her sake, exercises for her sake, does extracurriculars for her sake. All his hobbies involve her. All of them.
Aoi has a bunch of hobbies and a decent life-work(study)-sleep schedule. She could live without the cast, and even if she may be lonely at first and dislike people, she could live alone comfortably until she finds people she can trust (I.e. how she didn’t really have friends until Nene. Good people will always appear in life). She has a Life. But her main character arc revolves around Akane.
I saw someone say that this is bad writing (that female charas in TBHK are always tied to the male charas) but on the flip side I actually think Aidairo explores gender, gender stereotypes, the pros and cons of gender, and the effects of gender expectations extremely well. That said, I think the Akane and Aoi arc isn’t even about gender (the focus of the arc, at least. Aoi’s character is pretty intrinsically connected to gender, stereotypes, expectations, and burdens of trying to be ‘perfect’)
the reason her arc revolves around Akane is that Aoi wouldn’t try to come back on her own. The exact reasoning is a bit vague. Maybe she’s a bit suicidal. Maybe she’s tired of trying. Maybe she’s tired of being lonely. Maybe she’s tired of having an image forced on her by other people. Whatever the reason, she’s not exactly fighting to come back. Akane is. Akane would do anything her to come back, and that’s why he’s the center of her arc. Because of his agency and desires, not hers.
TBH, it didn’t have to be Akane. I think the same outcome would have happened if it was Nene, although obviously the method would have been different. The important thing for Aoi was realizing that someone genuinely cares about her and wants her to live (a trait Nene has shown to the audience multiple times but not really to Aoi). It didn’t have to be Akane, but it ended up being Akane because his Entire Life revolves around her. Even if she wanted to forget him to make life easier on her (I headcanon that pre-her-arc, she might’ve gone overseas for uni without telling him), he literally would not allow her. He’s always orbiting her. Because his Entire Life revolves around her.
One of them has ambition but no life. The other has a life but no ambition. Am I crazy to think it’s surprisingly balanced, in terms of what they each have as an individual and are lacking as an individual? rather than bad writing, this feels entirely, completely intentional.
not important to the story, but Daydream is a really famous pharmaceutical company, right? I have no clue what the requirements are for who they interview (highly doubt they accept everyone since that’d be suspicious), but it must suck for the people who are so happy to have gotten in. And, maybe they’re high achieving people, too? The ones who suffer through college with a thousand and one extracurriculars at the cost of sleep, then work hard on applying, get accepted at a prestigious company, then you die. Or maybe you’re not in a good place and you’re applying everywhere in desperation, and somehow you get accepted at a prestigious company, and you think maybe you can turn your life around. And then you die. Maybe I’m projecting because the job market here is in terrible straits, but the drop from joy/relief to terror has to be crazy
spend so much time building your resume and applying, and then you die at the orientation…
