#please singshong

[freyadragonlord]

Finished reading The World After The Fall and idk how to deal with the fact that Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint was the happy SingShong story.

[orviposition]

lhh: is pierced by yjh's spear

yjh (41): arrives to get his spear back

lhh, internally: the protagonist finally came

yjh (41): notices unconscious lhh

lhh: ??? huh why does his expression look like he just found out his favorite dumplings are all sold out??

[lee-hakhyun]

he tries to write sentences. the success rate is less than 0.01%.

he tries to write it so even if he is severely injured, they both survive. the percent rating is the same. the rlaehrwks say it's too obvious if everyone important stays alive. his stories lack probability.

he had probability points he could use but- there was an error with the skill. ever since he fought with han sooyoung, there's been something wrong with his skills.

while he's panicking, he notices someone else. there is one way for both him and jung eunho to survive. even though he didn't want to write it, he did it anyway. the success rate was high, with positive reactions from the rlaehrwks. but, he couldn't. so he erased the sentence and kept writing.

even if the success rate was 0.01%, he would rather go with that low chance than use what he wrote.

The colour of the world was returning. In that bleak scenery, I thought maybe I wasn't qualified to be a writer. I wrote down something that I wanted to write, not a sentence that would complete the work. The success rate was thin, and the reproduction success rate was close to zero. And yet I prayed. If anyone is reading this story, please add probability to this story. [Failed to reproduce the scene.]

the scene he wrote failed. but he starts hearing other sentences.

the sentences that he wrote and then erased, the story he didn't want to write, was playing out in front of his eyes.

jung heewon throws a knife at the jiangshi running at lhh, which kills it. but the one running at eunho is still running, and lhh can feel the story of the god from another world in the zombie. it was smiling at him. he asks to himself, why are they doing this? but he knows the answer. they wanted to be recorded in this story.

he turns and looks at someone nearby jung eunho. someone he doesn't know very well, just that he read that he read this story.

this story is still omniscient reader's viewpoint. it was written for only one reader. and it was completed with the sacrifice of one reader.

jung moonho uses himself as a shield to save jung eunho. the explosion ripped the flesh off his back, burned his organs, he couldn't be saved. he was just a reader. he was about to join the military, and was just about to confess to the person he liked. he wasn't jung heewon's father. but he still said the words he had been practicing.

"Good job, Heewon-ah."

[metanarrates]

i have a lot of mixed feelings regarding trans headcanons in orv, or in general in fandom spaces because of how often its taking transmisogynistic jokes and bending them to actually have a cool and awesome meaning instead of just reading fiction with transgender characters. how do you feel about this as an everyone in orv is transfem poster (not accusatory tone i am genuinely wondering your take on this)

I think it's complicated because i Do agree that most trans headcanons in fandom are rooted in transphobic ideas, especially when it comes to transfem characters. I actually personally wouldn't trust most people who headcanon characters as trans unless they're able to point out when something in the text is transmisogynistic. and orv does have transmisogynistic stuff in it. the whole joke with nirvana and the entire scene with the pink kids is based around transfems being predators and men in disguise. I really don't want to hang around other orv fans unless they're able to point that out. (also, i would Definitely not trust anyone who refers to those characters as trans icons or whatever.)

I'll also fully admit that I don't remember the revolutionary arc all that well. at the time when I first read it, I just simply assumed that jang hayoung was meant to be a trans woman, and any issues kim dokja had with recognizing her gender was interesting because of how it tied into the metafictional elements about how characters can change beyond a reader's perception. from my recollection, and from the readings of other people in my life who have read the novel, it seemed canon that she was intentionally transfem. similarly, I felt like the plot point of "yoo joonghyuk has a female alter ego" was taken pretty seriously, rather than being a meanspirited joke. if I'm not remembering that right, though, please let me know.

orv in general has a problem in depictions of lgbt people. there's the abovementioned transmisogyny with nirvana and the pink kids, and there's also the undeniable fact that "kim dokja and yoo joonghyuk are gay but haha Not Actually" is leaned on a little bit too much as a joke. I have a similarly complicated relationship to the idea of shipping them for that reason - I think their relationship is meaningful and rich, but I really dislike that the fandom seems to just take that joke as an uncritical BL trope, rather than discussing how it's sometimes a bit homophobic. again, I don't trust joongdok shippers who aren't able to discuss this.

at the same time, though, I do think that if you're aware of the problems in the text, it's possible to construct a lot of rich meaning out of applying queer lenses to the text. there's a lot to dig into regarding how the story depicts gender, for example, and how it depicts transcendence and self-actualization. you can't credit the authors here - like I said, their writing has several issues with lgbt people. but as long as you aren't advertising the story as Queer Fiction, I find that it's extremely valuable to discuss how a trans reading might cast an interesting light onto a character. and on a more personal level, I think having these sorts of open discussions about both the problems and merits of trans readings, as well as the issues present in a text, do tend to make a lot of trans people feel more welcome in fan spaces. both are necessary for making a story and space that may be hostile towards them feel more welcoming.

yes, I do agree that it would probably be better to read fiction with better trans characters. those stories are out there! this is also why I am wary to praise singshong for jang hayoung's character - I don't think orv exactly Deserves a reputation as a trans inclusive story, especially when there's a lot more of those that are much better at it out there.

but at the end of the day, there are going to be trans people who do like orv, all the same. I'm one of them, though I will say upfront that I am tme and therefore much less affected by the story's problems. my fiancee is transfem and she likes it. a lot of my mutuals who like orv are trans. I don't think it's such a bad thing that we've constructed these community readings in a work we already liked for its other merits. we're going to be here anyway. as long as we do our best to be respectful and point out problems as they arise, I think it's a good thing that we're having these sorts of discussions.

[who-do-i-know-this-man]

lee hakhyun anti-propaganda before he’s kicked out of the tournament entirely;

lee hakhyun is an author who wrote bestselling novel omniscient reader’s viewpoint in another universe, except he was brainwashed by his own characters into writing the book at the end of the book, and he slowly learns in the side stories that none of his successes are apparently his own, and reaching even further beyond that his entire life is apparently a lie and he’s got a gigantic existential crisis coming his way

except was it really. was it really a lie. without giving anything away about what kind of mindfuckery awaits in orv’s side story (which is, in fact, a sequel using the label of side story to fit its meta narrative) a lie - a wish - is just as much of a story as an origin is, because it’s YOUR wish, YOUR story - and some things are more genuine than you ever could have imagined. follow lee hakhyun as singshong pluck him out of the discontinued novel he came from and back into the driver’s seat as their beloved protagonist

common sentiments when reading through the side story include ‘what the fuck’, ‘lee hakhyun is a masochist’, ‘lee hakhyun is in love with kim dokja’, ‘orv’s entire goal is to trick you into loving yourself on several levels’, ‘what the fuck’ and most importantly ‘married couple singnshong is trying to kill us’

please read orv’s side stories if you have money to spare to the authors. translations available for anyone with proof of payment by @/lee-hakhyun on tumblr and @/vapolunes on twitter

^

[milkmynk]

SingShong please, my brain is not galaxy enough to keep up, I already have trouble understanding ORV itself let alone your side-stories...

(ALSO??? SS I LOVE YOU BUT PLEASE ACCEPT THIS GRIPE... PLEASE. DO YOU. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE TERM “SIDE-STORIES” MEANS. YOU’RE BASICALLY WRITING A WHOLEASS NEW NOVEL...)

[tamaharu]

how did yoo mias first scenario go!! what is she up to while her brother gets into weird yaoi shit!! singshong please

[mundane-author]

Hey there!

You can call me Dane. I want to make friends who like reading too, so please message me because I’m kinda lonely ;)

Also, if any of you have any recommendations based on the lists, please don’t hesitate to message me! I’m always happy to put more books in my very, very long want-to-read list.

Below is a list of books I’m reading, hoping to read soon, my favourites of all time, etc, just so we can compare our taste!

Currently Reading

All the Light We Cannot See • Anthony Doerr

Book Lovers • Emily Henry

Caraval • Stephanie Garber (Caraval #1)

Daughter of the Siren Queen • Tricia Levenseller

2022

Anatomy of a Misfit • Andrea Portes

Cinderella is Dead • Kalynn Bayron

Comics Will Break Your Heart • Faith Erin Hicks

Daughter of the Pirate King (Daughter of the Pirate King, #1) • Tricia Levenseller

Devil in Ohio • Daria Polatin

The Girl He Used to Know • Tracey Garvis Graves

I Am the Messenger • Markus Zusak

I Know What You Did Last Summer • Lois Duncan

Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, #1) • SingShong

Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, #2) • SingShong

Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, #3) • SingShong

Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, #4) • SingShong

Only Mostly Devastated • Sophie Gonzales

Six Crimson Cranes (Six Crimson Cranes, #1) • Elizabeth Lim

The Suspect (Kate Waters, #3) • Fiona Barton

Turtles All the Way Down • John Green

Tweet Cute • Emma Lord

The Veldt • Ray Bradbury

You’ve Reached Sam • Dustin Thao

[orviposition]

at this rate you will never see me say a joongdok au is ooc cuz i fear singshong might come up behind me and murder me in my sleep or smth

[lee-hakhyun]

helloo, I wanted to ask did singshong made another announcement that they're still sick or did I dream it? (after their announcement for 1st december) I remember reading it on twitter. I don't have access to naver and munpia so I can't check

yes, they're still sick :( the delay announcement was on series first, but they elaborated a few days later on munpia.

here's a translation by camie, but tl;dr their condition worsened during the hiatus. they don't want to delay serialization, so they set dec 1st as a deadline to recover enough to continue writing.

[lee-hakhyun]

a couple hours later, having rested, and i am still not over this. it's all falling into place. god, i am so excited to see how part 2 ends

no chapter on monday (10/2)! the next chapter will be wednesday instead

[orviposition]

genuine question but isnt kim dokja average? i can understand ugly as like, 'oh the fourth wall fucks up with their perception of his features' but what are you getting at at here? (not trying to start shit, genuine question i have from reading your tags, sorry if this comes off weird)

no he isn't. even in the main story just from trying a bit of lipstick he was like "hmm someone who would contemplate whether slapping yjh's cheek once (aka he was considering himself to be as pretty as kyrgios just more humble cuz you know, "contemplating") was staring at me in the mirror" theres also the fact that 'being ugly/average' was never a reason that got him bullied

and in the side story when lhh gets kdj's face people around him keep calling him pretty / handsome (so yes, it is explicitly stated now) and lhh says that he looks like kdj did in the novel cover(s)

also also korean dudebros did get mad at singshong when orv was serializing and wanted kdj to "remain ugly" because pretty kdj would please the female readers but singshong didnt listen to them. and I'll be damned if i agree with dudebros on anything.

like i get it that some people want kdj to remain ugly or average because "ugly and average people deserve to be loved too" and my question is, why do you consider yourself to be ugly or average even? yes kdj is loved no matter how he looks because No One loves him because of his looks

[orviposition]

It's so funny to me, that KDJ's library had that book about mysteries of sex. I know that it's supposed to be implying sexuality as opposed to sex. But the amount of ppl who keep saying that KDJ is straight. Like sure SnS said that they hadn't intended to write JDJ as though they seem extremely gay or bi. But they're also the ones who said that readers can have their own interpretation. Selective memory at its finest. I just wanted to ask whether there were any changes in the ebook regarding it.

yes im very happy that the mystery around that book was cleared lol. personally i really cant look at kdj at any point during his life and think "ah yes hes definitely gotten laid" cuz he doesnt give off the vibes. the man is vibeless (affectionate)

as for singshong, i do believe theyre trying to please both sides in some way... .. saying that kdj and yjh arent sexual minorities while also saying that whatever interpretation each individual reader has is correct are two statements that can coexist somehow. my guess is that's because orv is structured as a novel with multiple possible endings.

[lee-hakhyun]

singshong. please. i knwo they're not in the right here . she can't be dead right

[lee-hakhyun]

hahah, his friends are. NOT going to like this, i suspect - sure, a kim dokja that actually cares is there now, but i have a really strong feeling that the people he’d been with up to that point are going to ask ‘where’s lee hakhyun/cheon inho?’ including jung heewon, who’s probably gonna resent that this supposedly more well-beloved person has taken the place of the person she’d come to adore despite what she found out about round 3 cheon inho

there are so many ways this could go wrong. lee hakhyun’s incite could very much fall apart and the readers end up pulling the e x a c t same thing kimcom did with 49 and reopening a bunch of traumas, not to. not to mention lee hakhyun’s first story about AN AUTHOR BEING CALLED A LIAR for NOT ACTUALLY GOING THROUGH THE ‘ORIGIN STORY’ HE WROTE

oh dear. oh dear. oh dear. i do hope he’s able to reconcile who he WAS in a past life with the fact that that isn’t who he IS and that he’s very much his own person, because while it doesn’t sound like he RESENTS it right now the way he’s going about it is uh. repression repression push it down and focus on this problem instead,,,

lee hakhyun PLEASE don't lie to your party

hiding your author status is fine. making them probably think you died is NOT fine

i am so, so worried for him. he even told kdj before that 'this story doesn't have a happy ending' and. i can't just ignore things like that it's singshong. at the very least he's alive right now. 3 weeks of believing he's safe during this hiatus

thankfully from the last few lines of the chapter it seems that he's more confident in who he is, but. he can't keep up a lie forever

[lee-hakhyun]

is it a lie or a wish? a wish is made upon a star…

and h. hey. that can’t be the end for lee hakhyun, though, right. hey. it’s only season 1 ;-;

good god

there is so much left to explain. WHY CAN HE NOT REMEMBER HOW HE BECAME A WRITER. if he's gone before he tells his party he was this worldline's author of orv i will be so devastated. he deserves that much at least i will take any lhh i can get. please singshong