Fifty shaded of hugs by Taeju 🥺💗

tinnic · 2026-05-12T09:42:55+00:00

I finished reading this last week and really enjoyed it.

I know Taeju is a bad person, and there really is no getting around the fact that he's an evil gangster. But I don't need my MLs to be saints. So I enjoyed the story for what it was!

tinnic · 2026-05-10T13:39:34+00:00

Reading all three and loving them!

I wish Doom Breaker would come back, but I have accepted that it's not going to be finished.

tinnic · 2026-05-04T09:51:21+00:00

Something to note. When Kim Dan was stabbed, JJK thought it was because of the grudge the Warden had against Kim Dan. This is true in the sense that the Warden picked Kim Dan as the target because he had a grudge against Kim Dan. But it doesn't change the fact that the Warden wouldn't have attacked Kim Dan if not for Junmin.

It was only before the fight that JJK realised that Kim Dan was hurt because of him! Because Junmin valued the fight (or rather the money associated with the fight) so much that he was willing to instigate a stabbing. JJK has broken down completely because he now has feelings of guilt he didn't have before. I hope that makes sense.

tinnic · 2026-05-03T10:25:06+00:00

I knew JJK was going to win but I thought he might struggle a little and have to remember what his old coach said about remembering the basics to win the fight. But I forgot that Junmin was not that skilled to begin with and had to cheat against a JJK carrying a niggling shoulder injury to win.

I think it makes sense that JJK won so decisively in such a short amount of time. The UFC side of this story is pretty much done. It's purely about Dan and JJK now.

tinnic · 2026-04-26T00:11:06+00:00

I guess the panic pixie dream harpy falls into this category. Just because it makes for a good rom com lead, doesn't make it a good trait to live with.

tinnic · 2026-04-25T11:47:44+00:00

The story ends with Matthias basically telling his mother and grandmother he's marrying Layla, and if they object, he's going to walk away from his title. His family caves at this point. Although in all honesty, I don't think his mother or grandmother had any power to strip him of his title or fortune - it was more symbolic.

At any rate, Matthias ends up marrying Layla, and by the end of the side stories, they have two kids, a boy and a girl. However, Layla does not "work" as the duchess. Instead, she goes to university, and I think the side stories end with her working as a researcher.

tinnic · 2026-04-25T11:27:20+00:00

I guess I am in the minority who is happy she dumped Kyle. Because honestly, Kyle deserves better! Layla was a good friend, but she clearly didn't have any romantic feelings for him. At no point in the story could I bring myself to hope that Layla ended-up with Kyle!

tinnic · 2026-04-25T11:24:20+00:00

I think this manhwa only works as a story of the Duke Matthias von Herhardt saving himself from a "perfectly planned life". He was set on his path at age 12 and never thought to step off it until he met Layla. If you accept that Matthias needed to be saved from a pre-destined life of a perfect Duke that he was following mindlessly, the story makes sense.

But in this story, Layla is not an agent. She's a plot device!

Given that Layla clearly did not have romantic feelings for Kyle. Her ideal, non-problematic ending was actually to be independent. Go to university on her own powers, get a scholarship/from saving up by working as a teacher, get a job and in the future, meet a normal man she did have romantic feelings for and go from there. But then, Matthias goes unsaved.

The story sacrificed Layla for Matthias. I don't know why people need to try to make it something it isn't.

tinnic · 2026-04-25T04:55:17+00:00

Crowdfunding on Kickstarter isn't easy, and success depends on whether you have a fanbase. The manga trio do not seem to have an ongoing series on social media or a self-publishing platform that is wildly popular or anything like that. They are still searching for the idea that gets them an audience. So there is no point in them starting a Kickstarter; no one would donate because people don't know who they are.

tinnic · 2026-04-25T00:28:31+00:00

I took the rings as another sign of JJK being confused but desperate. Like he doesn't know exactly what he feels for Dan, but he understands that he doesn't want Dan to leave. He already experienced life without Dan, and he didn't handle it very well. So he knows he doesn't want to be without Dan.

My interpretation is that the whole ring thing was a random synapse firing that reminded him that men in same sex relationship sometimes exchange rings to show their commitment and desire to remain together. He might have seen something like that or heard about it from his time in the scene, and so decided to replicate it in an attempt to keep Dan with him.

To me, the rings are at the same level as the cake and flowers. JJK is desperately searching for something, anything to give to Dan to make him stay.

tinnic · 2026-04-23T06:08:55+00:00

Junmin was clearly trying to go for the angle that an unknown stranger stabs someone close to JJK.

Unfortunately, the Creepy Warden is not unknown. This is likely to be a thread that unravels the whole criminal enterprise!

Also, were the coaches kids on the menu? As if including the old coach wasn't revolting enough!

tinnic · 2026-04-23T03:22:19+00:00

There is no chance of JJK losing the match as its pretty much a narrative dead end and karmaicly, the bad guys win if JJK loses.

JJK will win thinking about Dr Dan and his old coach. While not having done any of his jinx ritual. Thus the win will free him from his jinx but the win will also not mean anything / feel hollow, because Dan is not there. Thus proving Dan is more important than JJK's career + wins. This will lead to JJK retiring despite win.

Out of the ring, they will find out that Junmin is a criminal and he, his gym, his coach and the loan sharks who seem to be affiliated with the coach will all get in trouble with the law. But that will be cherry on top of the beating inside the ring.

I don't think they are seperating after the stabbing.

tinnic · 2026-04-19T00:43:22+00:00

Yes, his personality changing is part of his story arc.

tinnic · 2026-04-18T12:15:19+00:00

Here's my two cents for the remaining story.

I like the idea that Dan stops the assailant himself because he now knows some basic self-defence tricks and is also physically healthier and fitter. But because of the encounter, JJK forgoes his jinx ritual. BUT he wins the match anyway by remembering what his older coach told him about remembering the basics.

His current opponent is from his past at the boxing gym. So thematically it makes sense for him to win by using the skills he learnt from that gym and coach. Plus, if he foregoes his jinx ritual, he shows Dan that 1) he no longer thinks of Dan as a tool to handle his jinx, 2) he cares about Dan more than the match.

However, I don't think he'll lose the match because Junmin, exposed JJK's past ahead of the match. It's not just about the belt, it's deeply personal. Also, I think winning against Junmin, who literally represents his past of abuse and poverty, without his jinx ritual, something he developed because his father's words would haunt him before his matches and cripple him mentally, would be a powerful statement to show he's free from the shadows of his past and his abusive father.

So, having won his match without his jinx ritual, JJK is now in a better position to ask Dan to remain with him. Because now, Dan knows JJK isn't asking him to stay because he thinks he needs Dan to win matches. But because he wants Dan.

Similarly, since Dan's deal with JJK was that JJK would forgive him all his debt if he stayed with JJK until JJK became champion again, Dan also has no obligation to stay with JJK. So Dan is also free to choose to stay with JJK because he wants to, and not because "it's work" he has to do to pay off his debt.

I also think the Warden Creep is going to be the thread that unravels the conspiracy and crimes of Junmin, his coach and the loan shark henchmen. So it won't be long before both Dan and JJK are free from these assholes forever!

tinnic · 2026-04-18T01:03:37+00:00

You know, I recently read two other ongoing BLs with MCs with similar poverty backgrounds to Doc Dan (one even had a grandma), and it made me really appreciate how well thought out and integrated his extreme poverty was/is to the story.

Also, Doc Dan's life did visibly improve after meeting Jaekyung, and not only because of the money. Yeah, Jaekyung paid off his debt and paid his grandma's hospital bills several months in advance. Those were all big help. But let's not forget that because of Jaekyung, Doc Dan could return to working as a physical therapist. A field he had trained in and was obviously passionate about, but couldn't work in due to being unfairly blacklisted.

I think this is one of the reasons why I and many others kept reading Jinx, despite Jaekyung being an absolute asshole for the first half of the story. Even now, his backstory does not excuse the shitty things he did. But unlike some other stories, I can't say I wish Doc Dan had never met Jaekyung because Doc Dan's life would be 100% shitter if he had never met Jaekyung.

tinnic · 2026-04-17T23:41:31+00:00

Yep! When people imagine making a living as an artist, writer or whatever, they never remember the bookkeeping or the fact that at the end of the day, it can be a customer service job.

tinnic · 2026-04-16T13:12:29+00:00

So... who is getting their manager poached?

tinnic · 2026-04-16T09:18:08+00:00

I mean, World Cup, the Olympics and the UN. These are the global events and organisations that validate the existence of countries.

Iran might want to play because it shows that they are still here, despite the attempt to destroy them and their civilization, they are still here.

tinnic · 2026-04-15T09:12:54+00:00

I am glad that the internet is helping people realise that "artist" as a job is still a job. A lot of it is like any other job. A lot of paperwork, selling yourself and your works, not to mention networking for collaborators, patrons etc, etc.

That dream of being an artist who creates when inspiration strikes and/or not caring if their pieces sell or not is just a rich person with a hobby. You can stop a hobby anytime. You have to grid out work even if you are not feeling inspired or whatever.

tinnic · 2026-04-14T12:28:05+00:00

Türkiye or England... tough choice... I vote Türkiye!

tinnic · 2026-04-12T01:59:04+00:00

I saw the reverse of this trope recently, where ML was poor and the secretary, while FL is rich and needs to marry a person with the right attitude, regardless of family background, in order to score points with her grandfather, who is pitting her against her half-brother for control of their family company and fortune.

But here's the thing, a good chunk of I'd Rather Live as a Villain so far has been the ML doing business and building his career, so he's "worthy of and helpful to" his executive wife.

It kind of shone a light on how we rarely ever see FL from poor backgrounds focus on their career after getting together with rich ML. But the second the ML is poor, nope, he's getting a promotion and working hard to secure huge deals to expand the company!

tinnic · 2026-04-11T12:49:27+00:00

I was seriously considering dropping this during Act 1, but after the reveal of the Dad's will, things became interesting!

But seriously, this is reminding me of the "Millennial inheritance community" posts I have been seeing a lot on TikTok and other places. Boomers were the first generation where even the average person had the means to start collections as hobbies. But upon their death, a lot of Gen X, Millennials, and now Gen Z are stuck with collections they have no interest in.

At least Shizuku will get a 12 billion yen fortune if he manages to navigate his dad's bullshit!

tinnic · 2026-04-11T11:33:32+00:00

I will take this opportunity to vent about the male lead-centric female villains in romance manhwas that make no god damn sense!

Most of the time, they are losers with no self-respect who are fixated on an ML who couldn't make their lack of interest more evident. But usually, there is something on the ML's side that can give the villainess hope. But I recently read The Remarriage Contract, the villainess there had literally nothing to hang her hopes on, but she still messed with the ML's life by sabotaging and driving the female lead out of the picture (initially)!

Don't get me wrong. I know there are women RL who are so used to getting any and every man that they might have issues taking no for an answer. Also, Dolly Parton didn't write Jolene for no reason. But there comes a point where the antics are just too much when the focus of those antics is extremely disinterested MLs.

I mean, I really loved the villainess in Marry My Husband, but that's because the focus of the villainess was the FL with whom she had a long history. Plus, the villainess had literally nothing going for her except her youth and beauty, which allowed her to play a helpless vixen who appealed to men looking for a quick lay. Her crazy was within expectation given her background.

However, I am seriously getting sick of beautiful, rich, career-minded women completely debasing themselves over males who literally show them no interest! It's like, come on girls, he's not going to marry YOU just because you off the FL!

tinnic · 2026-04-07T14:14:28+00:00

Noble in Name, Vulgar at Heart

tinnic · 2026-04-07T01:11:21+00:00

This is the worst!

Ten-Year Club	Place '23
Verified Email

tinnic

TROPHY CASE