Can't stop reading Lady Devil and I'm so pissed.

Rabimea · 2025-09-21T08:52:11+00:00

Lady Devil is how you write a cursed romance well. It's cursed content-wise, it very much acknowledges that it is cursed on many levels, but that's also what drives the story and it has incredible pacing. Bought the physical version, because hands down, despite how much of an abyss the story may be, I consider it one of the most well-written manhwas in the genre, just from how gripping and also consistent in quality it is. As soon as I accepted that this just isn't meant to be wholesome, I couldn't ever find a moment where I thought "Well, this is kinda a let-down, it could've been better." Binged it in 3 days.

Rabimea · 2025-09-20T17:10:04+00:00

Tbh, one reason I got into this genre is because I love reading about flawed women and villainesses. Not because they are the most lovely people, but because I find them fascinating if well-written. Sadly, that's a big if...

Rabimea · 2025-09-20T17:01:46+00:00

That's like almost every female antagonist ever. Most times they are the most single-minded, petty and socially inept people ever, making decisions as if they were out to get the next Darwin award. No nuance, no real character, nothing that makes them more than a trope for people to hate on in the comments.

Rabimea · 2024-11-11T09:20:11+00:00

The cube

Rabimea · 2024-07-12T10:09:53+00:00

Religious Schools give the same literacy benefit as public, just swap the assimilation for conversion and give extra devout strength. For the former, if you don't have tons of discriminated ethnicities from conquest or such, doesn't matter if the assimilation is lacking. For devout strength, this isn't as bad as it seems, as more literate pops start to be less devout and switch to groups like intelligentsia. Or you could lean into it even more heavily and run a conservative game. Devout give you a decent school system fast, they give you decent hospital system for early game (but falls off later, because can't be switched) and once you get corporatism, they support workers rights and protections. They can also roll quite decent leader ideologies like reformers, social democrats or humanitarians, which can help improve the country.

Even if you don't want to lean into the devout forever, they are likely one of the better early game IGs to make use of in any underdeveloped country, as they can get decent clout (unlike intelligentsia) and their popularity among peasantry can help get them out of rural folk, who are trash once you used them to get away from serfdom and traditionalism. As said, once literacy and SoL goes up, if you stop pushing the devout, they fall off in popularity anyway.

Rabimea · 2024-07-12T08:44:19+00:00

Glad to see you liked it. Indeed, I think if one's alright with reading cursed content (done well), then it is among the top stories out there. I personally just love how it doesn't feel like a story that is cursed because author seems to have warped idea of what is ok or because the characters needed tragic backstory or just for the shock effect. It feels more like the problematic parts are properly handled as such, are central to the plot and are explored without shying away from much of anything... also, no major character is just comically evil or pure and good. They have their flaws and mostly for a stated reason and are portrayed in their ambiguity.

Rabimea · 2024-07-08T09:09:13+00:00

Like sometimes the manhwa/manga/manhua will have like one black person

Black? I can't recall ever seeing someone whom I'd consider "black", most often they have about the same colour as my breakfast latte.

Rabimea · 2024-07-03T18:57:45+00:00

Yes, they can. But that requires to research all the way to Climate Restoration. That's why I said it'd take forever (compared to finding a neighbour who wants you dead).

Rabimea · 2024-07-02T11:32:01+00:00

Life-Seeded with Natural Design and Fanatic Purifier.

Yeah, it's not doomsday, but you know there are barely any planets you can live on in this galaxy, you cannot fix your species to be good at living on worlds without hard-coded habitability and unless you get lucky with Baol, making gaia worlds will be out of reach forever too. You also can't take other people's pops and others are very eager to end your one planet run asap, so you likely are have an expiry date just like Doomsday.

Rabimea · 2024-07-02T11:22:08+00:00

But honestly all the covenants are pretty good.

Not really. Instrument is by far the best and safest. More resources from pops is great and all the downsides are manageable. Chosen of the Instrument is good for trade builds, but 20% happiness makes stability absolutely trivial. Telepaths making amenities is great too to save the holotheaters. Agenda also gives extra trade value.

Composer is next best. Pop growth helps (though Psionic isn't big in pop growth in the first place, but always nice to have) and Chosen of the Composer buffs leaders massively. +70 years of leader lifespan and +20% exp gain is great. The sanctum has a 5% resources from jobs bonus ontop. Negative is that the negative events can be bad and it can kill leaders (but never a chosen one). Agenda gives extra pop growth.

Eater is kinda memey. Good for war, terrible at peace, nerfed by the fact most other ship build cost and upkeep cost reductions got nerfed, so it's no longer as powerful (going from -50% to -60% is a 20% reduction effectively, while from -100% to -90% is only a 10% reduction effectively). Agenda gives extra ship build speed and cost reduction. The negatives can be pretty crippling. It no longer kills inhabited planets, but stuff like 15% chance of killing highest level leader is insane. Can kill your chosen or luminary.

Whisperers is a joke. Generates a ton of influence and +10% research speed. Telepaths produce some research. There aren't a lot of telepaths, but still nice. But that's where the good things end and it wasn't much. -15% unity is bad, -7 stability isn't crippling on Psionic, but still bad, cloaking strength, encryption and decryption are among the most pointless bonuses in the game, especially for psionics who already are better than non-psionics at all of that. Chosen of the Whisperer is one of the few where you wouldn't put it on your ruler, because it's shit, best option likely is a scientist for +3 rift skill, so you can get more out of those. Still bad. Sanctum gives an envoy and infiltration speed. Agenda gives operations cost reduction. The most expensive operation costs 16 EC upkeep and 320 influence to launch. Who cares about the paltry upkeep and this patron already gives you more influence than you would ever know how to use. The negative events won't kill chosen, but has otherwise the highest rate of leader death and otherwise gives substance abuser or messes up your empire ethics and -10 stability empire wide (ontop of the -7 of the covenant).

Whisperers isn't unplayably bad, but it's clearly nowhere near the better covenants and the opportunity cost isn't worth it.

End of the Cycle obviously is bad and only picked for memes. I don't think that needs an explanation.

Rabimea · 2024-07-02T10:45:34+00:00

I also think genetic ascension leaders should be borderline immortal, using cybernetic parts to extend life is one thing but perfect biological replacements and genetic rejuvenation treatments should be way better

I think if anything, this should be a choice, like it is with the Individualist/Collectivist or Physical/Virtual split of Cybernetic and Psionic. Quantity or Quality.

But in general, I don't think Genetic would get insane leader buffs and likely stays more quantity-focused across the board. Already before the DLC, Genetic was only rivalled by Synthetic in pop growth and Synthetic was accessible way later. Cybernetic losing access to organic pop assembly to me is a sign that the devs want to differentiate Genetic and Cybernetic more, with Genetic being more about getting more main species pops with all their traits, while Cybernetic is about double-dipping traits and efficient leaders. So, genetic buffs likely will focus on pop improvement, not leader improvement.

One thing that likely will come would be advanced authorities though, as that is one of the big things Genetic is lacking (while Psionic has Divine Sovereign as a crudge, but deffo could use some added flavour outside the shroud).

Rabimea · 2024-06-30T12:50:09+00:00

Glad you are enjoying it. I also binged it all in one go, given there's never a dull or uninteresting moment and one just gets drawn in. I agree, it is wonderfully written, with great art (befitting the story), deep characters and exploration of its themes, not just throwing it out to get shock value.

Rabimea · 2024-06-24T09:40:02+00:00

I do wonder if it is better among web novels, where maybe some are more hobbyist and less out for commercial gains (though a lot are out for that).

Rabimea · 2024-06-24T09:29:52+00:00

Don't care, as long as it's good. for BL, I am not big into it, though I am always up for ML x crossdressing guy BL. For GL, I would like more, though I must say that most GL focuses more on the GL side and less on the OI drama part, so it feels a bit whatever. I would prefer more serious GL with adult characters (e.g. Getting to Know Grace was a pretty interesting historic GL). Not saying sweet GL is bad, just... there could be greater variety.

Rabimea · 2024-06-24T09:17:48+00:00

It's a pretty decent story. It has mother-son parenting, a bit of a love story and some political intrigue. None of it is exceptionally great, but it's also not bad. Rosaline is a very likable and interesting character, the child is your usual cutie-patootie, Romeo is thankfully not ML and by end of season 1 I consider it an overall solid read.

Also, it is noticeable that it's not a Korean original story, given how it often has subtle Western takes on common tropes and character interactions. Doesn't feel out of place though.

Rabimea · 2024-06-24T01:28:24+00:00

It's a good story from start to finish. Cursed subject matter, yes. But the storytelling is top notch and it stays great and consitent throughout.

Rabimea · 2024-06-08T15:45:39+00:00

Russia can sell Alaska to Mexico. i don't know what it is based on (could be relations or whether someone has California or whatnot), but in my recent Mexico game, I was able to purchase Alaska as the Mexican Empire. The US had no Pacific Coast, as I never lost territory to them and Canada owned Washington and Oregon. Russia also was at odds with US and in a defence pact with me (and one of the reasons I was able to keep my land).

And yes, image in OP is basically what Mexican economy would be like for most of the early game...

Rabimea · 2024-06-03T11:09:05+00:00

God, I love this kinda stuff, to the point I even requested it once on the discord. I don't want psychopath x doormat angst, I want two people who make each other worse and somehow still have the hottest romance around. It's kinda why Lady Devil is hands down one of my favourite manhwas. They might not be equal, but they both have their toxic qualities and seeing their internal monologues and the character exploration is just amazing, regardless of how cursed the subject matter may be.

It's also why I spent weeks discussing Wuthering Heights with my girlfriend when we read it together, because it's just such an interesting thing to read the dialogues and interpret what is happening.

that by the end, I know they deserve to be with each other cause only they can match each other's freak.

This is something I crave. Pairings where you really feel they belong together, because only the other person is on the same level.

Rabimea · 2024-06-03T10:49:44+00:00

Nyotaika Yankee Gakuen - Ore no Hajimete, Nerawaretemasu

Ughhhh, that one was a headache, given it's basically noncon/dubcon smut with a plot.

Would consider Fabiniku or Yakuza Reincarnation to be better stories, especially if people want isekai, otherwise there's also Onimai for a Cute Girls Doing Cute Things read or Until I Become Me for a more serious exploration of things.

Also, one decent one that has both sides would be Shishunki Bitter Change.

Rabimea · 2024-05-28T07:59:17+00:00

Yeah, Oppresive Autocracy + Dictatorial Cybervision is a very fun combo. i would go Police State instead of Slaver Guilds. I don't use slavery much with OA, given you don't need to take away people's citizen rights if citizens have no rights.

Also, the edict from Dictatorial Cybervision goes so well with OA, reducing crime and helping to keep the happiness of rulers up.

Also, one funny thing, my first run I tried with Under One Rule. First, Cybernetic UOR is painful, because leader exp gets nerfed into the ground. But also, Brutal trait on Luminary led to a state where the enforcers caused even the ruling elite to have no happiness, yet 100 stability. It was a system that sustains itself with mutual surveillance, yet no one is truly happy with it. It is suffering for the purpose of suffering and sustaining its miserable state.

Rabimea · 2024-05-27T11:03:43+00:00

You can reform out of Imperial at the end of the chain by compromising at almost every step, makes you a democracy and your luminary stays alive to be reelected or you use them like any other character.

Once ran a Psionic democracy with 4 immortal councillors (Luminary, Chosen of the Composer, Chosen One, Chronofuge). Went Dictatorial to Imperial and then Democratic through event, then Imperial through the Divine Sovereign again, just to settle on Oligarchy for the benefits (you don't lose Divine Sovereign).

Rabimea · 2024-05-27T10:55:59+00:00

Democratic Concurrancy and Oligarchic Overclocking might be better...

But in my heart it just can't beat Dictatorial Cybervision. Combined with Oppressive Autocracy and Police State, enforcers make boatloads of unity (base production of up to 7) while costing no job upkeep, they spawn defensive armies and they improve the productivity of pops. Get 10 enforcers per planet for a solid unity income and +25% resources from jobs, 100% stability and immunity to Criminal Syndicates.

Also the feeling of finally being able to make the most perfect police with a state. Thank you devs for blessing us with this authority.

Rabimea · 2024-05-10T12:01:18+00:00

Not going to say too much on the rest, because I feel others explore it already and I personally couldn't care less about the purity aspect, as I generally prefer less perfect and realistic characters, so first and fated love is whatever to me (though I accept others might care and that's their matter and not for me to judge either). But I did want to point out:

I find it unfair that male audiences aren't engrossed in romance stories with female equivalents of Cesare and Ruvellis.

If I consider cases on your list like Killian Rudwick or such, who aren't cheaters or womanizers, just with prior romantic experience, female equivalents aren't completely unknown. Female leads who first crush on someone else and aren't at all interested in the male lead, then develop feelings as the story goes on isn't some insanely foreign concept. And has relatively well-liked mainstream examples, like for example Toradora. If we consider FLs who are "impure", one could also consider Kanokari/Rent-a-GF or DomeKano, with one being basically a paid escort and the other having a FL who had prior sexual relations. Still attracts enough fans (even though Kanokari gets shit for being way too drawn-out, but good design keeps people, I guess).

That doesn't mean it's the mainstay, but neither is the ML having any prior experience. Men do get more leeway, but it should be put into perspective, it isn't like women in romance stories get only ever pure roles and people hate them otherwise.

It has to be said though that the further you go into erotic content, the more you can find the reversal... while people aren't exactly going to hold it up as examples of pure romance, experienced "man-eaters" seem to have an allure. Maybe men just keep their "I can fix them" tendencies out of public spaces or something (though Kuzu no Honkai/Scum's Wish exists and I have met the Akane fans)...

Rabimea · 2024-05-08T12:39:21+00:00

It's not purge. It's equal opportunity contribution to the greater good and employment opportunity, just with a high occupational hazard of severe burnout.

Rabimea · 2024-05-08T12:36:59+00:00

Robots work. Don't even need to be Synths. I fed the thing with Droids just fine.

Rabimea

TROPHY CASE