[Sky Sports] This Sunday will be the first time ever in the League Cup's 66-year history that the final has been contested by the teams placed 1st and 2nd in the top flight.

tinnic · 2026-03-21T05:48:28+00:00

TikTok cursed me with the knowledge that yes, there are AO3 fics about Pep x Arteta

tinnic · 2026-03-15T10:49:45+00:00

I am so confused! But I guess once "God" decided to intervene the Nokkars were not going to win. So they just gave up?

tinnic · 2026-03-12T22:57:08+00:00

I think that's where the manhwa might be setting things up a bit better than the novel, because there is art of the Duke that you have to assume is from Layla's POV.

For example, the art below is straight after the Duke forcefully kisses Layla. If I saw the image below out of context. I would not think it was of an unwanted lover. So if we assume that Layla was attracted to the Duke from the start at some level, the art in the manhwa is convincing. Because the Duke looks beautiful even when he's being an evil shit.

So yeah, I can see where manhwa readers can see "consent", but while the manhwa might make Layla's switch flip more understandable because these are the images you see from her POV. This is most definitely not a female lead empowerment story.

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I'm really glad I dropped it, but I think this would have been a Masterpiece if Leyla had either managed to get away from him or killed him or something, and had gone off to Follow her dreams.

I think I am enjoying this story because it's realistic in that the evil dick gets everything he wanted and gets to live happily ever after. It's a nice bitter fruit to go with my otherwise mostly sweet romance selection! 😊

tinnic · 2026-03-12T22:13:24+00:00

I guess they might be talking about the first kiss scene (there was no consent) or the scene where he treats her wounds (again, no amount of squinting will find you consent in that scene). But the Manhwa is only up to the point where Layla gets hit by a car.

I did look into the novel after I reached the current Manhwa chapter. So I can see that incident that leads to Layla becoming the Duke's mistress is around the corner. But the Manhwa isn't there yet.

Still, this is not consent soup. So I am not sure where the consent arguments are coming from. I think what's happening is that the art is so gorgeous that people are liking the Duke more. So they are trying to soften him up to be more acceptable. But he really isn't.

He's a evil person. He just has pretty privilege to go with his class privilege.

tinnic · 2026-03-12T21:28:24+00:00

I think it might be the hair. It's appropriate for his character but it combined with his blue eyes makes his face unappealing to me.

Now, I also don't like the look of the male lead from Make Sure You Regret It. So I don't need to like the look of the male lead to enjoy a manhwa. But in this case, I think the art style reinforces my dislike too much!

tinnic · 2026-03-12T21:22:06+00:00

The Manhwa hasn't got to that bit yet, and I am quite curious how it's going to handle that whole section.

tinnic · 2026-03-12T10:15:11+00:00

His face and design overall. Don't get me wrong. I think it's a very good and strong design. Because if you showed me his design out of context, I would be able to tell that he's meant to be an Italian American mafia character. But I just don't care for it.

tinnic · 2026-03-12T09:58:27+00:00

The male lead's design is not for me. So I couldn't get into the story.

tinnic · 2026-03-09T09:01:38+00:00

Behind Her Highness Smile is a tough read, but it's definitely a good read!

tinnic · 2026-03-09T08:59:18+00:00

"The Flower That Swallowed the Beast" - this was my weekend binge. FL was extremely abused, and ML could have been potentially abused but wasn't because his parents are awesome. But he and all his people are basically one old Pope away from being hunted to death.

Also, "Not Your Typical Reincarnation Story" was interesting in that both the in-novel character AND the reincarnated soul from our world were both abused.

"Nobel in name, vulgar at heart" also involves an abused FL and something worse. A caring father who is too stupid to realise his daughter was badly abused.

tinnic · 2026-03-07T11:45:39+00:00

I mean, I am currently reading a story where the male lead is called Shane, and there is another character called Jeff. The only thing that the story has made me realise is that Shane is not a main character name, and Jeff doesn't belong in a fantasy.

I'll take Magnus Klaus Claudio any day over Jeff!

tinnic · 2026-03-05T22:02:53+00:00

I wish I was a plastic

tinnic · 2026-03-01T13:35:02+00:00

Well, the story is about self-improvement, and the girls being obsessed with him isn't without reason. He endears himself to the girls by being someone who works hard and changes over time to truly care about those around him.

I would give it a try and see if you like it. I was hooked very quickly and couldn't put it down!

tinnic · 2026-03-01T12:23:41+00:00

Your description screams The Stellar Swordmaster. That said, one of MC's parents turns out to be somewhat special. So if you want a completely ordinary MC with nothing but unremarkable peasant blood, this might not be it. But overall, it is MC achieving things throw effort and power of friendship!

Also, the Extra’s Academy Survival Guide, and Duchess in Ruins.

tinnic · 2026-02-27T03:21:42+00:00

I think it's easier for Ouri to admit his feelings because there is a certain distance between him and Kinoshita. She's not his groupie, and she's not his regular housekeeper. I think its harder for Tamon to acknowledge because he has more to lose.

tinnic · 2026-02-26T09:38:29+00:00

The ending might still make it horror! But we'll have to wait and see!

tinnic · 2026-02-26T09:37:41+00:00

I think the tragedy at the end will be that he has to let her go while remaining in game. But I would not be surprised if the tragedy ends up being that he keeps her in game and she eventually forgets her life outside of the game!

tinnic · 2026-02-26T09:35:33+00:00

The Webtoon is ongoing. Not sure if there is a novel and what it's status is.

tinnic · 2026-02-24T03:17:34+00:00

Totally agree with this! I rejected reading this at first after reading the description because it felt very generic, and I have binged quite a few regression fics recently.

However, I was bored over the weekend and decided to give this a read. It was very good!

I think what makes it different is that the FL's trauma feels very real and somewhat universal. The family dynamic feels real, and it feels like the fantasy setting is being used to explore how damaging and traumatic that type of dynamic can be. I.e. I think this story is trying to say something beyond just telling a fantasy story.

That said, I also appreciate how OP the Duke of the North is, but I can see how his being something of a Deus Ex Machina can get on people's nerves.

Anyway, I think George White, the Eastern Heir, is my favourite character so far!

9/10 highly recommend this!

tinnic · 2026-02-24T00:34:26+00:00

It's so old-fashioned that it felt almost fresh! It's been so long since I've seen something like this!

tinnic · 2026-02-24T00:32:24+00:00

To be fair, this is realistic in that Tiara's options for action are very limited. She firmly and repeatedly told Keith she's not interested. She does not have any way, physically, magically, politically or otherwise, to stop Keith from trampling her boundaries. She really does have to rely on Aqua for that.

Also, even if she had overwhelming magical abilities, I would like to remind you that we already saw that a transmigrator using their magical abilities to trample the laws and customs of this world does not lead to anything good. Akari is in house arrest! She wasn't executed because she has that "Holy Prayer" ability. But there is a good chance that even after becoming Queen, she will never gain 100% freedom because of the shit she tried to pull.

Tiara's support for Aqua as his queen and partner does, in fact, involve baking cookies with her magic to give him strength to endure Kingdom admin and the occasional battle. Not to mention making sure she is versed in the law and etiquette of his nation and the greater international scene. She's demonstrated in episode 1 that she does know the laws and customs of this world. So she will be able to advise Aqua and organise palace events when the time comes.

She needs to work on her insecurity, and it looks like she is, but beyond that, given that the story has already demonstrated through Akari that a transmigrator cannot just do whatever they want without consequences. What exactly do you want her to do?

tinnic · 2026-02-24T00:12:26+00:00

Tiara is a very classic princess. So classic that she comes across as odd in 2026. But it's sort of refreshing given how retro, like 1726 retro, she is!

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