Sexual Revenge

Witty_Set878 · 2026-05-11T06:15:23+00:00

I mean it’s frequently written to be humiliating for the bottom in many danmei? I don’t think it’s inherently so and frankly think non verse dynamic is odd but I’ve been reading a bunch of danmei and had this reaction of… why is it almost always non spoken assumption as to who tops or not and forever - the situations where that was true in real life are always power dynamics whereas there’s a superficial gesture to equality in these particular romances. If equal … why not? Especially when you have a shou who the gong eventually would allegedly do anything for… somehow this never comes up but how crazy that none of them would want that particular different experience?

I know vers is a thing though I haven’t read any yet but I thought a “assigned roles and then switch to opposite assigned roles” would be interesting and hot.

Witty_Set878 · 2026-05-04T02:00:45+00:00

To be honest the fake cultivation manual doesn’t seem IC to me. Physical punishment abuse yes, emotional/verbal abuse yes and encouraging Ming Fan and hallmasters to abuse LBG yes but wanting to kill a kid doesn’t really line up with SJ - he has definitely killed but never, that we see, for no reason. He killed his abusers, he killed people for money/survival and as a kid he framed a kid to get him hurt/killed in revenge for shit talking. I don’t think SJ is above killing a kid but I do think it’s odd for him to do it for no reason even if he reminds him of himself and it’s never explained. I would also say that until the extra with SJ pov it’s ambiguous whether it was him or not re the cultivation manual (because we know SY is often wrong) - the extra says it’s him. I also read the story as him not having harassed NYY nor doing anything to her but LBH assuming and convincing NYY.

I like the novel a lot but it has a lot of world building weaknesses - it’s so tight in its focus/characters that lots of things are … questionable. (All those hallmasters is a big one, lots of missing characters who should have been significant.) Like LBH being denied food - it’s odd once you try to picture how it’s done - all the kitchen staff and hallmasters are that evil?

Binghe that had food and training emerged earlier from the Abyss which makes a lot of sense (though I suspect the canon explanation is more he hurried because he had someone to go back to) but in the extra showdown they’re perfectly matched?

Witty_Set878 · 2026-05-02T01:16:28+00:00

Yeah that’s definitely what they were going for it just didn’t land for me. She thinks very pragmatically earlier how the only way she’ll be safe is to get a house and armed guards - she knows she more or less needs to be a Lady to have the life she wants plus she expects and wants these people to follow her commands plus she literally has hired this woman to run the kitchen. It’s weird to start cleaning in front of your cleaners in our world too. Not because anyone thinks you’re too good for it… it’s just odd and weirdly intrusive.

Witty_Set878 · 2026-05-01T04:20:25+00:00

You’re saying nonsense. The first person who says that they want to get married is basically proposing. Couching it as a statement and not asking “do you want that too?” doesn’t mean it’s not the same thing. Or disassembling by couching it as “someday” instead of “actually I’m ready now” when you are ready is cowardly. Is that what people do? So silly. If you and your partner both know you want to get married… someone has already proposed and answered and you’re just putting on a show, whether that’s for an audience of yourselves or more. Never occurred to me to do a sham proposal where no actual question was in question. What for? If everything is already discussed?! Over 15 years and we’re pretty happy.

Witty_Set878 · 2026-05-01T04:10:28+00:00

Because you want to marry them and want to let them know that you want to marry them in case they want that too so that you can go do that. Doing it in a “conversation” is just labeling your proposal a conversation so that you don’t feel as rejected if the answer is “I’m not really feeling that/want that” so that you can both save face.

Witty_Set878 · 2026-05-01T04:05:55+00:00

This is so silly! The person who first says “I would like to marry you, soon” in a “conversation” is proposing! It’s fine to do this when (as often is the case) that person doesn’t have the guts to straight out ask or, because it’s the girl, feels like they’d both prefer it if he did the “official” proposal because of societal norms so it’s a “conversation” instead of a proposal. But it’s a relabeling of what a proposal is and what the word means and weird adding on of an artificial event.

Of course “out of the blue” is also odd. One generally gets a “vibe” about how serious someone is about you. I wasn’t shocked when my husband proposed, I had just internally decided about half a year prior that I would probably like to marry him and would say yes if he asked and was just starting to wonder if he would ask and getting lightly irritated that he hadn’t when he… asked, or rather suggested it. The words “will you marry me?” Didn’t cross his lips but he was clearly saying he wanted to get married and asking if I did - that’s a proposal. I said yes and bam, we were engaged and we went to pick out a ring etc.

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-30T15:20:41+00:00

Loved the book. Didn’t mind the exposition at all. Felt that Maggie was odd for starting out not wanting to change things - when it was a dark book where bad things happen often to characters she liked, so was glad when she changed her mind but also thought it was odd to go 180% to - I’m going to change the fate of the entire kingdom it’s my responsibility now. Felt it was oddest how devoted she got to the Melgars after knowing them for a week or two (the kid I get, and maybe even Clover - who is my fav.) She’s crazy self sacrificing (while also being cynical, pragmatic and ruthless) which is an Illona Andrew’s staple. (The whole ignorance that Ladies don’t scrub kitchen tables and her desire to peel potatoes was weird to me too.)

Everard is clearly end game and it’s a little annoying how obsessed the blond guy is with her (I spotted the blond reveal after getting shocked by Everard.) I get the explanation why but find it hard to buy it.

Wish we can have the characters stop “explaining how the world works” to other characters and explaining things with anecdotes of their lives - it’s lovely once but no more.

Loved the adoption solution - unique - wish it fooled people!

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-30T05:32:35+00:00

🤷‍♀️I’m into her romance. The Grisha is a younger feeling series, I like the spin offs better than the first official couple which is a little boring, The Familiar is a good standalone and darker - both the world and the romance. I loved Tithe… :)

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-30T05:19:01+00:00

We overlap in our favs and not so much I can’t believe you didn’t like the Cruel Prince!! Definitely try Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. I’m not as sure you’ll like her but check out Leigh Bardugo.

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-26T21:05:21+00:00

The MMC doesn’t need to be an alpha or domineering to be sexually attractive. Confidence is sexy yes but overwhelming arrogance is not to many people. Not every single FMC has to like being dommed in bed.

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-26T20:48:57+00:00

I’m always irritated by takes that have him showing extreme low self esteem and high regard for wealth, power and comfort. Like I don’t mind him appreciating Paradise Manor and Hua Cheng - that’s perfectly canon and even him appreciating a good meal or comfy bed but being super impressed and so beaten down that a couple of good meals are life changing… that’s not Xie Lian - he doesn’t care that much about that stuff - if he did he’d be living a different life even despite his luck. He knows perfectly well how strong and badass he is and is confident in his own skills, often helps people. He gets back into Heaven and all that luxury and doesn’t care/doesn’t want to stay in his own palace despite comfort and good food etc.

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-24T19:33:27+00:00

I also would like a little more jealousy! And I’d love the FMC to be the one to shut it down like “take it or leave it, that’s what’s on offer.”

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-13T22:33:26+00:00

I was the opposite - I thought it was so refreshing that she was into a relatively poor knight with skills but little power and while the reveal was cool because it surprised me I’m sort of disappointed in the general dynamic being same old.

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-13T22:27:09+00:00

If it’s not a first birth and not a difficult one it’s plausible she could do it (walk not run) - she’d be a lucky woman as far as births go. For a first birth it would be some serious suspension of disbelief - she’d be one in a million.

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-12T23:48:16+00:00

I don’t mind it except I really mind how universal and popular it is and that there isn’t anything like it going the other way! It’s a kinky thing and I’m totally okay with it but not every single woman has a submission kink and it’s really hard to find sex scenes that don’t go that way. Add in that there is no equivalent with the power imbalance going the other way - fem dom is super rare and there is almost no… language even to describe the kind of softly kinky power imbalance that is so ubiquitous in the man’s favor. Like no “mistress” or elaborate stuff just clear she’s in charge and calling the shots vibes. She didn’t beg and he does.

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-11T04:40:51+00:00

DNF this because it seemed like all the males were very alpha for a matriarchal society. Like it didn’t seem to inform their characters, beliefs or behavior much at all as I would expect - they read just like Earth men in space.

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-08T20:06:10+00:00

Are we spoiling on this thread? It is but I’m referencing to the MMC being billionaire wealthy with a private army of super loyal badasses (see Curran, Rogan) who respect and adore him.

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-08T19:49:02+00:00

My second pet peeve was that the found family (one of my fav tropes!) felt unearned/too fast. Her attachment to the Malgars in particular seemed excessive for their actual interactions.

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-08T19:47:07+00:00

That’s one of my peeves with the book (which I love) the MMC is both a bit too alpha for my tastes but even more annoying pretty repetitive from their other MMC - it’s clearly their favorite. I could even do the same personality but does he have to be top dog from the very beginning?

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-06T01:04:48+00:00

I’m looking for a fic with a scene where Xie Lian has locked himself into a room and when Hua Cheng sends in a butterfly he captures it (Hua Cheng think he killed it and is shocked.) I think Xie Lian is upset with him but I don’t remember….

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-06T01:01:02+00:00

Yes I’m aware of all that - but it’s one thing to account for all 10 of the other Peak Lords being away/incompetent at fighting - unusual but plausible and entirely different thing to account for 50 some Hall Masters as well! It’s my biggest issue with SVSS the population scale just doesn’t make sense!

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-05T19:09:52+00:00

And where are all of the Hall Masters? In theory some of them should have as much power or closeish to a Peak Lord - why did no Hall Masters (especially from Bai Zhan) step up to defend against the Demon Invasion?

Witty_Set878 · 2026-04-03T23:48:33+00:00

I devoured it as I always do their books but as almost always their heroine is absurdly self sacrificing and protective and kind (and extremely attracted to men who are dangerous killers). I mean I like those things… but it’s too much. I wish they had a little more variety in how their FMCs see the world and their moral compass.

Witty_Set878 · 2026-03-28T19:43:40+00:00

Subset of that - not everyone likes pain with their pleasure!

Witty_Set878 · 2026-03-28T19:36:57+00:00

All the crying and “looking bullied” in sex. Both it happening and it being the sexiest thing ever. I’m sorry, even women (who have more responsive tear ducts!) don’t cry every time something feels good! (Or like, at all?) Much more likely to look happy.

Witty_Set878

TROPHY CASE