#I have an entire tag for it btw where I've been drooling over it /lh

[incorrect-web-novels]

[Image ID - two replies by @thepurplewombat. The first one reads, "Can you tell me more about DPA? You grouped it with Scum Villain and now I'm intrigued 👀." The second reply reads, "I'm obviously also gonna google it (thanks for putting the name in the tags) but personal opinions are the best" End ID]

It’s not like SVSSS at all tbh (maybe the MCs are a bit similar? But it’s not really the same). I went off on a huge tangent, but here are some of the best points about DPA imo: 

Easy to read - things are very clearly explained and repeated when necessary. You can usually just drop it for a while and come back without many issues

PLOT. It starts off with the MC - Reinhardt - dealing with surviving in the Temple and has evolved into more complex politics. There's quite a few subplots roaming about where I'm at rn

Characterization - all the characters are really interesting, but even Reinhardt himself subtly goes through quite a few changes, especially with his own identity in the story, without being overwhelming

Deconstruction of religion / religious fanatics (while not demonizing all people of faith or the faith itself) 

Silly subplots feed back into the main plot in surprising ways (he’s almost discovered by someone he SHOULD NOT be discovered by because of a cross-dressing competition)

A non-OP protagonist. Reinhardt's growth progression is very good, and even now, he still has quite a few people who are much stronger than him, including his best friend

It’s just good, bro

Anyway, the tangent is below the cut

It's technically a Harem novel, which is understandably a big red flag, but it's SOOOOOO good. I'm coming up on 400 chapters, and the most romance-y or Harem-y stuff so far is just. Not what you'd expect? If that makes sense? Like, the only part that I really disliked was when two female characters were at odds bc they both liked the MC, but it's somewhat resolved and very indicative of their personal character arcs (Not completely removed from their relationship with the MC, but it's also. Not really about him lol)

The "romance" aspect of it is there with female characters falling in love with the MC, but it's very well thought out and believable (and very slow). Even when there are tropes like, "This guy just said we're supposed to get married in the future 😳" (which doesn't happen too much), the author is very clearly keeping the characters' personalities in line, which means in said situation, both characters - instead of being overly brushy and awkward bc they ~secretly like each other~ - want it to be true because they would both be alive to get married. The author does not compromise on female characters to make them be in love with the MC, which is VERY good. Characters who seem to have a crush on him are still their own characters and have significant character development outside him.

That being said, from what I've read so far, you can actually read a lot of the characters, including the MC himself, as being aromantic / aro-spec. Idk how it ends or progresses in the later half of the story (it's a little over 700 chapters 😩), but the MC has not shown any romantic interest in a single character to the point where he’s obviously not interested (which makes sense when you consider the actual plot). There's even a side character who ends up leaving the academy (called the Temple) because of people falling in love with her - and she was so fond of the MC because he only saw her as a friend.

Anyway, the Actual Plot - the MC is placed into his own novel - the Demon King Is Dead - as Valier Jr., the Demon Prince who doesn't show up at all in the original story. It starts with him trying to survive the humans' Demon Conquest Army that's come to kill the Demon King. A couple of plot-important events happen as he escapes (no spoilers ^_^), and he ends up in the Imperial Capital of the Eredian Empire. He meets up with a couple of spies for the Demon Realm, then decides to join the (Gardias) Temple, a VERY important academy where nobles and commoners are to be treated equally (not religious btw - that's just the name), under the name Reinhardt, pretending to be a beggar, because he knows he cannot survive the plot of the second half of the novel without significant power (the original Valier Jr. was incredibly weak lol).

The story is just… super good and interesting. I recently got to a plot twist that is consuming my brain SO MUCH, and I can’t wait to read more. Characters will not show up for a long time, but they Have NOT been forgotten, don't worry. They will appear in such interesting ways with deliberate thought into what they've been doing, which you would think would be nigh impossible due to how many characters there are. 

Just *clenches fist* consider reading it. You can drop it if you don’t like it, but I think it’s worth sticking it out for (I don’t EVER read novels this long lol)

I really enjoy criticizing media, but I need you to know that stories like Scum Villain, DPA, and other "cringe" novels are actually SUPER good - so good that it's a lot of fun to deconstruct and joke about them. Same with characters I tease or make fun of - we're psychically connected

[Image ID - a photo of a woman putting a box on a high shelf while an upset child looks at her. The box is labeled, "my favorite characters and stories." The woman is labeled, "Me, who criticizes them constantly." The pouting child is labeled, "Ppl who actually hate/misunderstand the story/character (and are dicks about it)." End ID]