The title of this chapter reminded me of those old mobile game ads that became a meme. "Come Play Discretely, My Lord"

I don't know if it has to do much with "reclaiming slurs," especially given this is translated and not originally in English, but there's definitely room to interpret Hanako's hatred of being called "witch" as a matter of repression on a marginalized identity. But that's also the topic pretty directly of "Ayako Is In Love With Hiroko", so I wouldn't be surprised if Sal Jiang is branching out to a different kind of lesbian story this time.

Yeah but they don't want to. They're throwing away their bad old lives to build a new happy one together, that's unreservedly a happy ending

That was absolutely precious, Komaki's face as Erika put her shoe on was so good. This isn't just mastery of body language and posing and motion, but paneling and framing, too.

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/lets_hang_out_when_the_black_plague_is_over_a_slow_life_of_modern_civilization_in_the_world_of_middle_age_europe_ch05#26

I'm not an expert, but I think the dress of the second girl from the left is crazy complicated. Like common people started wearing stuff like that after the Industrial revolution made weaving patterned textile cheap.

There's paintings of people dressed like that from before the Industrial Revolution, but they're all royalty. Maybe the local knight lord gave her the dress or something?? Because yeah a pattern like that would have to be entirely done by hand for each spot. There's probably more labor put into that one child's dress than everyone else in that spread lol.

Also, not a criticism of the research or anything, but I'm skeptical of that recipe for garlic sauce, particularly with the ratio of ingredients. 6 egg yolks plus water and vinegar, for only 1 tablespoon of garlic? Sounds like you'd barely taste the garlic lol.

This was fantastic, I love it. The symbolism in the whole final chapter is super well done. I feel kinda bad for the people confused, because imo this is an extremely clear and straightforward ending, if you can read between the lines. :P

To be clear for those folks: this is unambiguously a happy ending. They're ending their old lives but getting new ones by leaving town together. The point of Konno's inner monologue is to show that while what she thought she wanted was to hurt someone, to left a mark with her death, what she actually wanted was for someone to see her as a person and care about her. And in realizing that, she also realizes she feels the same way about Yunimaru.
There's a lot more past that, like Yunimaru's side of the ending, but what's in this post of enough to know the ending is happy.

last edited at Jan 20, 2025 4:28AM

Lol this is basically a parody of "What Is Normal Love?"

God the faces Tongtong was making this chapter, starting right out the gate by doing a Cathy XO type face. Never thought I'd see an American newspaper comic get referenced in manhua. And she makes an Adventure Time face too lol.

last edited at Jan 16, 2025 2:17PM

Oh no, I hope she's okay :(

I'm gonna jump in early and say "omg poly route!?" in response to the implication of this cliffhanger that the knight likes the princess lol.

Is that last shot of Io panting and blushing a sign that Hase being violent on her actually does the trick too, or is it just she's afraid?

Both, but that isn't the blushing you should be concerned with. She was blushing when her manager slid up her body while pulling up her dress--even had the typical heart pound to make it clearer. She had a similar reaction their first time. She seems to only catch herself after a bit of time passes with Manager. In this scene only after manager had already slid down her back and pulled up her clothes did she catch herself. Those aren't quick motions and the blushing and heart pound aren't there for show. It's not the first time her manager interactions have been depicted this way before shifting. The implication is not something I'm a fan of. I see it as something predictive and I'd rather the story not go there, especially with them now living together.

She seemed to have some involuntary physical reactions but that only really says something about how Hase was touching her, rather than Io's preferences or feelings about Hase. Those are defined pretty clearly by Io fighting her off and then putting a locked door between them, and she's definitely "scared and overexerted" not "horny" in that final panel of the chapter. Io's BDSM interests aren't anything in Hase's favor. Subs don't just take on anyone just because they're subs.

We'll have to see where the story takes it. I'm not that confident in your interpretation of her behavior, or what it's implying. Would love to agree with you though and it's possible that's all it is. I'm a bit skeptical at the moment.

You can go back and compare the look on Io's face in this scene compared to her scenes with Misa. The only thing they have in common is that her face is flushed, and when the way that's drawn is different from how her blush is normally drawn.

She blushes like she always does. We're talking about page 28. The only persuasive argument I've heard is that she's blushing (and having the typical "ba-dump" heartbeat effect) because of the mention of Misa's name. But she is definitely having an aroused moment there and until she reaches her room. It's not any different from any other time.

The start of this quote chain is talking about the final shot of Io lol. On page 28 her heartbeat is lined up with the mention of "being under Misa's thumb" so if there's any emotional level to her reason it's there. I think this is likely also a good explanation for how Io got to the point where she's willing to use force to defend herself from Hase early like this, because the statement and Hase's touch risked crossing those streams (a thing Hase might have even been intending to do) and Io reacted violently to that. She emphatically does not want Hase anywhere near her sexuality imo. I would be both surprised and very disappointed if the author really went for Io in any way warming up to Hase sexually as the story continues.

Is that last shot of Io panting and blushing a sign that Hase being violent on her actually does the trick too, or is it just she's afraid?

Both, but that isn't the blushing you should be concerned with. She was blushing when her manager slid up her body while pulling up her dress--even had the typical heart pound to make it clearer. She had a similar reaction their first time. She seems to only catch herself after a bit of time passes with Manager. In this scene only after manager had already slid down her back and pulled up her clothes did she catch herself. Those aren't quick motions and the blushing and heart pound aren't there for show. It's not the first time her manager interactions have been depicted this way before shifting. The implication is not something I'm a fan of. I see it as something predictive and I'd rather the story not go there, especially with them now living together.

She seemed to have some involuntary physical reactions but that only really says something about how Hase was touching her, rather than Io's preferences or feelings about Hase. Those are defined pretty clearly by Io fighting her off and then putting a locked door between them, and she's definitely "scared and overexerted" not "horny" in that final panel of the chapter. Io's BDSM interests aren't anything in Hase's favor. Subs don't just take on anyone just because they're subs.

We'll have to see where the story takes it. I'm not that confident in your interpretation of her behavior, or what it's implying. Would love to agree with you though and it's possible that's all it is. I'm a bit skeptical at the moment.

You can go back and compare the look on Io's face in this scene compared to her scenes with Misa. The only thing they have in common is that her face is flushed, and when the way that's drawn is different from how her blush is normally drawn.

I thinks you guys are reading between the lines here.

I do not thinks the dad is homophobic just an overprotective dad. He doesn't want his daughter to get married and especially to a girl which society will not approved. And in his current standing it is impossible for him to protect them. All other reasons he cook up with is just an excuse he not realy mean it.

But after witnessing Elsa's power I thinks he will drop the act and start appreciate that he's now have two daughters.

And yes if Elsa is this OP then there're rooms for magic babies.

Reading between the lines is a good thing lol. All stories have a lot more to say than the plain text due to implication, tone, references, etc. This is what forms a story's "subtext," and "reading between the lines" is paying attention to the subtext instead of accidentally skipping it. For example, the subtext of the last two chapters is that Yvonne's father is a man you should like, despite having some pretty clear flaws like heteronormative biases and looking at Elsa as a useful resource. The people rubbed the wrong way by that are not making shit up, they're disagreeing with the positive framing that presents those flaws as things that can be part of a good likeable character, a good likeable man.
I think based on the regular text of this arc that the dad is an ignorant dick and needs to be sat down and educated if he can ever be trusted to do right by Yvonne and Elsa. Unfortunately, the framing implies at the very least that Yvonne and Elsa don't see it that way. That's sad for them tbh. They should expect and get better from their parental figures.

Is that last shot of Io panting and blushing a sign that Hase being violent on her actually does the trick too, or is it just she's afraid?

Both, but that isn't the blushing you should be concerned with. She was blushing when her manager slid up her body while pulling up her dress--even had the typical heart pound to make it clearer. She had a similar reaction their first time. She seems to only catch herself after a bit of time passes with Manager. In this scene only after manager had already slid down her back and pulled up her clothes did she catch herself. Those aren't quick motions and the blushing and heart pound aren't there for show. It's not the first time her manager interactions have been depicted this way before shifting. The implication is not something I'm a fan of. I see it as something predictive and I'd rather the story not go there, especially with them now living together.

She seemed to have some involuntary physical reactions but that only really says something about how Hase was touching her, rather than Io's preferences or feelings about Hase. Those are defined pretty clearly by Io fighting her off and then putting a locked door between them, and she's definitely "scared and overexerted" not "horny" in that final panel of the chapter. Io's BDSM interests aren't anything in Hase's favor. Subs don't just take on anyone just because they're subs.

Bro if something bad happens I'm about to scream

Little late for that, isn't it? Lol

I hope that the other girl's investigations are supportive of Misa and don't mess up Misa's life. Like, what if she was just a concerned friend who ended up giving Misa a shoulder to lean on? Ah, optimism.... gets me nowhere lol. Probably gonna witness some crazy blow up between Misa and Hase. I wonder how Io is going to get Hase out of her house, or trick her in order to sneak out.

I don't think you're reaching that far out on the puppy girl, she's certainly not framed as malicious at all, just tactless, curious, and possibly even wanting to be friends with Misa. Her amoral client acting without her hoping for some kind of profitable scoop seems much more likely as a threat imo.

I wonder why this chapter is called "You Can Stay Here," given the opposite statement was implied by Io telling Hase to get out of her apartment. The title got my hopes up a bit, that we'd see Io cohabitate with Misa lol.

Is that last shot of Io panting and blushing a sign that Hase being violent on her actually does the trick too, or is it just she's afraid?

...She was afraid and they were physically struggling. She's not blushing, her face is flushed from being in a fight. Io was definitely not turned on by this woman she hates fighting her, that's not how kinks work. The person and the context matters. I don't even understand how this could even be difficult to see, she kept thinking about Misa the whole scene ffs.

I don't think she literally "strengthened her genes," she just knew the body of made up of smaller building blocks than her peers and so focused on making as tiny changes as possible.

Yeah that's fully intentional, the basic kinks are fine but these are people who have serious problems and are leaning on their kinks as a maladaptive coping mechanism, which is extremely not fine.

It's one thing to irrationally hate a baby for the events of its birth, I know that's sadly a real thing some incredibly awful parents do. I've known mothers who resent their children for all their lives just for being particularly painful or unpleasant to deliver. But to expect a complete stranger who didn't know anyone present or effected to also hate that baby because of its birth? Extremely weird lol. It makes me think Koveras might be on to something with that cursed love idea.

What's with the club they went to at the end for help? "Karites sans Frontieres"? I know it's an MSF reference but I can't figure out what the first word is supposed to be (presumably not literally karate lol) and why. Did this come up earlier in the manga and I'm forgetting?

It's French lol

It's "Charité sans frontières"

And this school is drowning in too many clubs, our couple decided to either trim the superfluous ones or help the legitimate ones consolidate their activities so the subculture club escapes the chopping block.

Ahhh I don't think I would have ever been able to guess that one lol. Thanks :)

Shoujo is a magazine demographic, not an art style. But yeah there's absolutely shoujo yuri, a lot of it even lol. And of course plenty with that classic sparkley big eyed style people associate with shoujo, Yuri Hime has published a lot of it despite not having a specific demo tag (since it's focused on a fandom target audience rather than age/gender target audience). Here's a random example.
https://dynasty-scans.com/series/love_flag_girls

Edit: also while this manga isn't quite in that classic style, a lot of modern shoujo definitely looks similar to this. It's arguably the modern evolution of it, influenced by the moe style and higher printing resolution changing things.

last edited at Jan 9, 2025 5:06PM

What's with the club they went to at the end for help? "Karites sans Frontieres"? I know it's an MSF reference but I can't figure out what the first word is supposed to be (presumably not literally karate lol) and why. Did this come up earlier in the manga and I'm forgetting?

last edited at Jan 9, 2025 4:46PM

What's the sound effect over Lan's head as she asks about "if you could live outside the palace would you?". It looks like it says "clohen" lol. All the others are perfectly fine but just that one I'm struggling with.

I wish people would stop blaming "China" for the censored kisses, it's the webcomic platforms with that rule. China doesn't have any anti-kiss laws lol.

So ask yourself why the Chinese platforms are censoring kisses?

https://www.exurbe.com/tools-for-thinking-about-censorship/

"The majority of censorship is self-censorship, but the majority of self-censorship is intentionally cultivated by an outside power."

The self censorship is by the manhua artist, not the hosting website. Bilibili is the "outside power" here, they're a major corporation enforcing homophobia, just like Facebook and Disney and a thousand other major corporations around the world, because they're run by the same kinds of people. Bilibili's frequently called "China's Youtube" and you can see similar patterns on that site, where queer discussions and depictions are discouraged and frequently outright censored by classifying them as adult content inappropriate for the general public. No outside force made Google set the youtube algorithm to treat "lesbian" as a pornographic term, they did that themselves because it's what they believe.