#SUOL & GWON GYEOEUL

[hatsumishinogu]

Villains Are Destined to Die Vol.7

[bukubook]

I bet you think about me.

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Villains Are Destined to Die Vol. 4

Author: Gyeoeul GwonArtist: SUOLLetterer: Chiho ChristiePublisher: Ize PressReleased: August 22, 2023Find it on Goodreads | More Manwha Summary: You know how the story goes: a young woman in a horrible situation wakes up one day to find herself in a new world—complete with a new face! Usually, this second chance at life is a dream come true. Not for Penelope. She’s the unwanted Daughter of a…

[lauraagrace]

If anyone were to ask what #manhwa I'm currently obsessed with, it’s this one by IZE Press: Villains Are Destined to Die!

SO VERY GOOD!

Can't enough of Penelope and how girlboss she is!

EAGERLY anticipating volume four because I need more, especially with that cliffhanger!

[roseunspindle]

What I Read in June 2023

(via Frankenstein Daily) I thought honestly that every character gets done dirty in most movie adaptations, and also that if Viktor stopped having fevers every five seconds things might have not gone so badly.  

I really liked this one, where it didn’t romanticize his disability but also didn’t focus only on the negatives either, and also how the author let our main girl actually have a voice when she wishes to express her feelings. 

I want to smack both this poor girls families. 

result of my brain deciding that harry potter was my new hyper focus subject. ^_^’ (I enjoy the books, please do not infer that I agree with or support the author in anyway.)

A fun beginning, should be interesting to see where it goes.

I enjoyed this volume, would like to have more of a look into his view of finding out he turns into a tiger though.

these were quite fun, I love this video game stuff, interesting that he’s the only one “playing” so far.

So good! (pulled the other two out of my closet to read right after finishing. )

still loving this series and how attached everyone is getting to each other.

[lesparaversdemillina]

Seule la mort attend la vilaine T3 de Gyeoeul Gwon et Suol

Ce troisième tome est riche en rebondissements avec Pénélope luttant pour sa survie et cherchant à exposer son point de vue. Les couleurs des planches sont punchy, le rythme est prenant, et le tome est plein de suspense.

[songedunenuitdete]

Seule la mort attend la vilaine T4 de Suol et Gyeoeul Gwon

Mon avis : Je ne me lasse pas de ce webtoon papier, et cette suite était encore plus palpitante que les précédents tomes. Un vrai régal autant pour l’intrigue que pour le scénario. Notre héroïne qui doit tout faire pour gagner des points de sympathie (avec les pourcentages d’affinités) dans l’espoir de survivre, va se retrouver confrontée avec la bonne société et ses intrigues, parfois bien…

[theanimeview]

[Theory] Villains Are Destined to Die: I Think It’s a Coma (Spoilers)

Source: https://www.amazon.com/Villains-Are-Destined-Die-Vol/dp/B0B5JTTG2N?

By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

I tend to dislike “it’s a coma” theories when I read them because the idea of everything being a dream or part of a coma is overused and clichéd. However, I can’t say that these types of theories don’t have merit. I mean, a cliché becomes one for a reason, right? And, for the first time (I think) in my reading of a work, I have a coma theory.

For some context, a coma theory is a common fan theory in which the main character of a story is theorized to be in a coma. The events of the story are imagined or dreamed up by the character while they are unconscious, suggesting that the character’s subconscious is creating an alternate reality to cope with the trauma of their injury or illness. The coma theory has been applied to a wide range of fictional works and is sometimes made canonical in the work itself. For example, Bones had an episode in which the main character Booth was in a medically induced coma for a short period, and he dreamed of an alternate life. There are movies too the most prevalent example being Disney’s The Wizard of Oz (1939) adaptation wherein Dorothy wakes up from a dream at the end and exclaims that everyone around her was also in her dream of an alternate world. However, despite being a trope in fan theory communities, these kinds of theories are often dismissed, usually because of canonical reasoning.

While a coma theory is often easily dismissed, I don’t think that will be the case for Villains Are Destined to Die. Rather, I believe that the creators of the series, SUOL and Gwon Gyeoeul, intend for this story to be about a coma victim rather than a girl who has simply transmigrated into an otome-game. Moreover, I don’t think that they plan to have her wake up at the end. Let’s get into it:

For those not yet familiar with this story or those needing a refresher, Villains Are Destined to Die follows the story of a college student who is excited to start school and pursue her interest in, assumably, archeology. This college girl has a tragic backstory. Following the death of her mother, she was taken in by her biological father who was also parenting her two older half-brothers. Her relatives were not friendly or welcoming, and she seemed to suffer from neglect and bullying at home–regularly finding herself starved for attention and food. She has found some success in school and living in an apartment away from home.

While she does not have much in terms of a disposable income, she does have a single vice for the mobile otome-game “Daughter of the Duke, Love Project” that is popular at her school. She has played the game multiple times at varying levels of difficulty as the heroine, but in the final and hardest mode, she’s set to play as the hated villainess Penelope Eckhart. In this version, she’ll be given a head start prior to the heroine, and since the game is set to the most difficult setting, one wrong move could lead to death. Upon pressing start, she is able to play in hard mode a few times before going to bed. However, after falling asleep, she wakes up not in her bedroom but in the body of Penelope Eckhart. To make matters worse, there’s no reset button in sight, with options that are limited and painfully difficult to comply with, “Penelope”–the main character–has an end goal of gaining the full affection of at least one of the male leads to clear the game in a single play through if she hopes to be released from her death flag filled fate, and all five romantic interests are going to be extremely hard to charm for various reasons given her role as the villainess. Moreover, she really only has a chance up until the game’s normal/easy-mode heroine makes an entrance since the heroine has a much easier time romancing the male leads.

Source: Villains Are Destined to Die, Chapter 44

Changing The Story & Overlapping Visions

While in this other world, Penelope regularly gets a window and otome-interface, and while the choices on the interface make a difference, the otome’s story progression is not optional for Penelope, so the story will progress through the game regardless of Penelope’s agreement or disagreement. What I have noticed though is that her words have a significant amount of influence over current events and the story than the choices she makes that are provided through the otome-interface. This is the first plot inclusion that makes me think Penelope is in a coma, and not just a character that has been transmigrated into the otome game.

For example, in Chapter 44, Penelope gives game-Penelope a tragic backstory that overlaps with her own past from the real-world. This includes the events of being taken in by her biological father, the tragedy of starving and the bullying at home, as well as the dashed hopes of living a happier life with her father and half-siblings in said home. We know that Penelope is drawing on the experiences of her past because she tells us so. We also know that this Penelope is unaware of whether these events are true to game-Penelope’s past.

After Penelope overlaps her personal story with game-Penelope’s situation, this becomes the new reality of the chacater’s past as shown in a later chapter when Duke Eckhart confirms in a later chapter the tragic beginnings that current-Penelope created in Chapter 44, which included not just her real-life experiences but also a bit of potential fiction–like being in the presence of her mother’s deceased body for a period of time and eating of rotten food from the trash to survive prior to being taken in by her father.

Source: Villains Are Destined to Die, Chapter 17

Beyond the overlap of visual imagery, I believe that there is a potential argument for the overlap of the sensory experiences too. This is certainly more speculative, but not without some merit. Many coma patients, particularly those who have undergone a medically induced coma for treatment have described sensory overlap between what was happening to their bodies and what was going on in their dreams.

For example, ice packs being laid upon the body to help lower a fever being perceived in a dream as having visited a cold place or overheard conversations being perceived as a personal interaction. Claire Lucia Wineland’s, an American activist who spoke on health issues and illnesses among other things, video on this subject provides a great example:

Title: Claire Wineland Talks About Being In a Coma | Source: https://youtu.be/DRQoayUBcBE

In the literary depiction of a dreamworld or coma story, rather than multiple dreams the patient tends to have one long and continued narrative. As such, Penelope’s story of transmigrating to a game-world and staying in the dream consistently as the story progresses makes sense.

Penelope seems to get injured around her neck and other places pretty consistently and I believe that these could be examples of further sensory overlap. For example, in Chapter 2, she wakes up from a pin prick by her maid, which could be her body experiencing the real-life introduction of an IV. There is also the cut to her neck in Season 1, and an additional neck injury near the end of Season 2 that I suspect could also be related to patient care as long-term coma patients often require additional supportive care like breathing assistance and the administration of medicines through multiple veins. Perhaps, going a step further, what she experiences as arguments or unexpected visits from her game-family are actually her experiencing her real family visiting her in the hospital. This would match well with the overlapping images we see in the arguments with her second brother, and also account for some of the responses she’s getting.

Perhaps as the affection levels of the leads go up, what she’s really seeing is a softer or more affectionate side to her neglectful family. Assumably, then, the other male leads and characters could have another real-world equivalent too. Perhaps doctors or nurses, which would explain why she has a much easier time raising the affection levels of those outside the family and those in the duchy.

In The Wizard of Oz movie adaptation, there was also a high level of overlap between the real-world family and friends of Dorothy and the characters from her dream, as revealed at the end of the movie. Dorothy also had a level of impact in the world and story progression, as she made the choice to help others and often decided what the group would do (and why they would do it). This also seems to be a trope of many other examples of coma-storylines when seeing the story from the dreaming character’s perspective.

Source: Villains Are Destined to Die, Chapter 2, 8

A Chance To Change & Waking Up

The idea behind coma plotlines is typically that, in this dream, there is a chance for self-reflection and a change of perspective. If Penelope is in a coma state, then the trope would be that she needs or is reflecting on her biological family’s treatment of her and letting go of that pain. If my theory is correct regarding the affection levels, then she may unconsciously be repairing her relationships (literally) as the family comes to visit. However, Penelope is pretty clear that it doesn’t matter whether the relationships repair or not. Frankly, I don’t blame her since these characters are not really making a redeeming effort as time goes on outside of, maybe, Penelope’s personal maid.

All that matters is Penelope surviving and gaining the freedom she’s always longed for since coming into her father’s house. A freedom where she can explore her passion for archeology, enjoy a life away from her cruel family, and perhaps find the same kind of love the heroine from her favorite game experiences. This is why I think the creators don’t plan to have Penelope wake up at the end.

If Dorothy’s freedom was longing for home and the motto “There’s no place like home,” Penelope’s would be the complete opposite. With the choice to stay in a dream that ends happily as romances do, or the choice to return home–I think Penelope would choose the former because of how awful her family has been and how difficult the real-world is compared to the wonderful dream that’s getting better all the time.

That’s my theory. What do you all think?

As a side note: To be honest, I’m thinking about picking up the novel to find out. I know that adaptations to a different form often take on different story aspects or even different plots entirely, but I want to know if the same thing that has happened in the comic has occurred in the original novel text too. Out of all the transmigrated to a game-world as the villainess stories I’ve read, this one really does feel like it is trying to do the “it’s a coma” trope rather than an actual tale of transmigration and I kind of want to read about it to see if the feeling sticks. If, and this a big if, she is in a coma story, do you think she’ll wake up? That is the most typical answer, but I’m leaning heavily towards a “no,” and I’d be interested to hear if others agree or disagree with me. Well, thanks for reading!

[mymangamemes]

Me when someone tells me their doctor is a big quack

From Villains are Destined to Die by Gwon Gyeoeul and SUOL

[kahixxi]

My fav villainess manhwa:

A Villainess for the Tyrant (Yu-iran, Jagae)

For Better or For Worse (No Heeda, Eunren)

How to Win My Husband Over (Spice&Kitty, Siru)

The Villainess Tames the Beast (Norae, Seolyoung)

I Fell into a Reverse Harem Game! (Inui, Goya)

Cassmire: The Loyal Sword (Shion, ilye)

The Villainess Flips the Script! (Ken, Garine)

Rewriting the Villainess (Honghye)

Villains Are Destined to Die (Gyeoeul Gwon, SUOL)

[chadsuke]

Comics Read in 2024:

A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation Vol. 1 by Misaki, Momochi, & Sando (2019)

A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation Vol. 2 by Misaki, Momochi, & Sando (2019)

Villains are Destined to Die Vol. 7 by Gwon Gyeoeul & SUOL (2024)

Skip and Loafer Vol. 1 by Misaki Takamatsu (2019)

Skip and Loafer Vol. 2 by Misaki Takamatsu (2019)

Skip and Loafer Vol. 3 by Misaki Takamatsu (2020)

Somari and the Guardian of the Forest Vol. 1 by Tako Gureishi (2015)

Somari and the Guardian of the Forest Vol. 2 by Tako Gureishi (2016)

Rise of the Dungeon Master: Gary Gygax and the Creation of D&D by David Kushner & Koren Shadmi (2017)

[ID: Covers of the aforementioned books. End ID.]

[hatsumishinogu]

Villains Are Destined to Die Vol.6

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Villains Are Destined to Die Vol. 2

Author: Gyeoeul GwonArtist: SUOLPublisher: Yen PressReleased: February 21, 2023Received: LibraryFind it on Goodreads | More Manga | Manwha Summary: You know how the story goes: a young woman in a horrible situation wakes up one day to find herself in a new world—complete with a new face! Usually, this second chance at life is a dream come true. Not for Penelope. She’s the unwanted Daughter of…

[fuchsiareign]

Get to know you meme

Thank you to @jaal-ama-daravv for the tag! ♥

Three Ships:

Marazhai Aezyrraesh/The Rogue Trader

Handsome Jack/Rhys Strongfork

Gamzee Makara/Karkat Vantas

First Ship: Megatron/Starscream

Last Movie: Jumanji

Last Song: Jenny (ft. Kim Petras)

Currently Reading: Fearsome Fairies (Edited by Elizabeth Dearnley), Path of the Dark Eldar by Andy Chambers, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, The Dreams in the Witch House by H.P. Lovecraft, Void King: A Rouge Traders Novel by Marc Collins, The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren-sensie, and Villains are Destined to Die (manhwa) written by Gyeoeul Gwon and illustrated by Suol. Plus several fanfics I'm currently following. Yes, I am reading all of these at once.

Currently Watching: I just finished Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and Delicious in Dungeon, and I'm not really sure what to watch next. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Currently Eating: Pizza

Currently Craving: Pizza

Tagging: @west-tokyo-incidents @amphyxia @nylloth @sinick @trinarysuns @shaydh @captastra @kaine719 @thetartmuse and anyone else who sees this!

[roseunspindle]

Villains are Destined to Die, 1

[lesparaversdemillina]

Seule la mort attend la vilaine T2 de Gyeoeul Gwon et Suol

Pénélope lutte pour sa survie et son identité, entre résilience et incertitude. L'intrigue de Seule la mort attend la vilaine captive.