straightforwardly (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
straightforwardly) wrote2023-10-17 08:13 pm
straightforwardly) wrote2023-10-17 08:13 pm
250 | thoughts on a wicked tale of cinderella's stepmother + more high rollers aerois
► So, the other night I made the foolish error of picking up the webtoon A Wicked Tale Of Cinderella's Stepmom shortly before I was supposed to go to sleep. There was a post compiling the webcomics in this year’s Yuletide tagset, and this was one of the ones that caught my eye, but I honestly just thought I’d read a few chapters and then drift away or DNF it or something. Instead, no, I read through like half of the available chapters that night and went into work very exhausted, and instead of doing the wise thing and going to bed early the next night, I ended up reading the rest of it instead.
So, yeah, I’m into it! I do love transmigration webtoons and manga of this type—relatedly, if you want to know who the target audience of all those villainess novels set in “otome games” that bear no resemble to any otome game that anyone has ever played is, hi, look over here, it’s me—but this one did distinguish itself a little bit from the crowd for me.
The main character, Matilda, does play a big role in that. She’s older than the typical heroine of these novels—37, twice married and twice widowed, with three adult daughters (two by blood, one the stepdaughter)—and since she has all of the memories of the person she transmigrated* into, she very much does see them as her children. She’s very focused on her children and on providing for their future/helping them as they debut in society, but that’s not all there is to her either, and that dichotomy—that she gets to be both a mother and the romantic heroine of this webtoon—really interests me.
I also love her romance so so much. He’s younger than her! (By which I mean, early 30s.) And so so so into her! And she’s so laser-focused on potential suitors for her daughters that it flies on over her head! I really liked how he slips his way into her life, helping and supporting her, and the development of their relationship has been really working for me. (That scene at her home, after he tells her how he feels, when he asks for permission to kiss her hand… /fans self).
I’m also quite curious about whatever the hell is going on with him, because that man has secrets, and I agree with Matilda’s brother that he’s clearly dangerous. But, considering that there’s at least two characters who Matilda would have straight-up killed for harming/threatening her daughters had someone else not stepped in first (and her smiling, “what a shame” reaction when thinking about the lost opportunity after the second one <3)—I think they’re well-matched on the “affable exterior, hidden dangerous streak” front, lol. Though, at least based on the art gallery incident, I do think she’s still probably the more moral one of the two of them.
* honestly, with how transmigration works in this one, there’s not any real difference between it and her just having straight-up reincarnated before regaining memories of her past life. The only real difference between her and the other Matilda is that she loves Ashley and sees her as a third daughter, whereas the other Matilda hated her. But otherwise, they have all the same memories, and no one comments on her acting like a different person, so…?
Both the characterization and relationships feel very solid and real, beyond what I usually see. Particularly with the family dynamics! Matilda’s relationships with her daughters (and their relationships with one another) feel so nuanced and real. Iris is probably my favorite of her daughters—I love how much she loves her mom, her romance with Leon is so so good, and that subplot about her complicated, jealous feelings about Ashley and Matilda’s care for her felt imo very nuanced, realistic, and well-done. Yes, I’m repeating adjectives, but that’s the best way to describe it! But also the more minor side characters as well—her relationship with her brother, for instance, feels like the kind of sibling relationship that exists all the time in real life, but doesn’t necessarily get portrayed as much in this kind of media.
The pacing so far feels very deliberate, like the author is slowing slotting pieces into place. The Kyla subplot, for instance. I’m curious to see where it all goes.And also, am dying to see Iris f i n a l l y find out that Leon is the prince.
I’m not as invested in the Lily/Lord Casey romance, but I’m fine with it. Though some of her earlier opinions on marriage did get me craving an f/f romance with her, haha, or her staying unmarried—but this dynamic isn’t bad either, and I like how it leads to them both having moments where they have to reflect on blindspots in their worldview. I’m unsure as to what her current feelings on him are, though—clearly he’s interested, since he literally just asked her mom for permission to marry her in the latest chapter, lol (and ahhhh, I’m so interested in knowing Matilda’s reasoning for that no), but I’m not sure to what extent she is, if at all.
Also, Ashley being the beauty and the only one without a romance subplot so far(and indeed, seeming to be uncomfortable with the attention she does receive)—that does work for me, yeah. Her focus on family bonds, and how precious her relationships with Matilda and her stepsisters are to her does touch me.
► More brief High Rollers: Aerois thoughts. (The amount of posts I’ve made about this so far considering that I’m still only on episode three of the show is kind of ridiculous;;;) Mostly, I just want to say that I’m finally starting to get a sense for Nova as a character, and am growing fond of her as a result. I’m also getting super into her dynamic with Lucius. They’re both disasters, but in such very different ways! And their mutual excitement about the fire bear was just <3 <3 <3 I loved it. Fingers crossed that this is a friendship that gets focused on/developed further over time, because yeah, I’m here for it.
So, yeah, I’m into it! I do love transmigration webtoons and manga of this type—relatedly, if you want to know who the target audience of all those villainess novels set in “otome games” that bear no resemble to any otome game that anyone has ever played is, hi, look over here, it’s me—but this one did distinguish itself a little bit from the crowd for me.
The main character, Matilda, does play a big role in that. She’s older than the typical heroine of these novels—37, twice married and twice widowed, with three adult daughters (two by blood, one the stepdaughter)—and since she has all of the memories of the person she transmigrated* into, she very much does see them as her children. She’s very focused on her children and on providing for their future/helping them as they debut in society, but that’s not all there is to her either, and that dichotomy—that she gets to be both a mother and the romantic heroine of this webtoon—really interests me.
I also love her romance so so much. He’s younger than her! (By which I mean, early 30s.) And so so so into her! And she’s so laser-focused on potential suitors for her daughters that it flies on over her head! I really liked how he slips his way into her life, helping and supporting her, and the development of their relationship has been really working for me. (That scene at her home, after he tells her how he feels, when he asks for permission to kiss her hand… /fans self).
I’m also quite curious about whatever the hell is going on with him, because that man has secrets, and I agree with Matilda’s brother that he’s clearly dangerous. But, considering that there’s at least two characters who Matilda would have straight-up killed for harming/threatening her daughters had someone else not stepped in first (and her smiling, “what a shame” reaction when thinking about the lost opportunity after the second one <3)—I think they’re well-matched on the “affable exterior, hidden dangerous streak” front, lol. Though, at least based on the art gallery incident, I do think she’s still probably the more moral one of the two of them.
* honestly, with how transmigration works in this one, there’s not any real difference between it and her just having straight-up reincarnated before regaining memories of her past life. The only real difference between her and the other Matilda is that she loves Ashley and sees her as a third daughter, whereas the other Matilda hated her. But otherwise, they have all the same memories, and no one comments on her acting like a different person, so…?
Both the characterization and relationships feel very solid and real, beyond what I usually see. Particularly with the family dynamics! Matilda’s relationships with her daughters (and their relationships with one another) feel so nuanced and real. Iris is probably my favorite of her daughters—I love how much she loves her mom, her romance with Leon is so so good, and that subplot about her complicated, jealous feelings about Ashley and Matilda’s care for her felt imo very nuanced, realistic, and well-done. Yes, I’m repeating adjectives, but that’s the best way to describe it! But also the more minor side characters as well—her relationship with her brother, for instance, feels like the kind of sibling relationship that exists all the time in real life, but doesn’t necessarily get portrayed as much in this kind of media.
The pacing so far feels very deliberate, like the author is slowing slotting pieces into place. The Kyla subplot, for instance. I’m curious to see where it all goes.
I’m not as invested in the Lily/Lord Casey romance, but I’m fine with it. Though some of her earlier opinions on marriage did get me craving an f/f romance with her, haha, or her staying unmarried—but this dynamic isn’t bad either, and I like how it leads to them both having moments where they have to reflect on blindspots in their worldview. I’m unsure as to what her current feelings on him are, though—clearly he’s interested, since he literally just asked her mom for permission to marry her in the latest chapter, lol (and ahhhh, I’m so interested in knowing Matilda’s reasoning for that no), but I’m not sure to what extent she is, if at all.
Also, Ashley being the beauty and the only one without a romance subplot so far(and indeed, seeming to be uncomfortable with the attention she does receive)—that does work for me, yeah. Her focus on family bonds, and how precious her relationships with Matilda and her stepsisters are to her does touch me.
► More brief High Rollers: Aerois thoughts. (The amount of posts I’ve made about this so far considering that I’m still only on episode three of the show is kind of ridiculous;;;) Mostly, I just want to say that I’m finally starting to get a sense for Nova as a character, and am growing fond of her as a result. I’m also getting super into her dynamic with Lucius. They’re both disasters, but in such very different ways! And their mutual excitement about the fire bear was just <3 <3 <3 I loved it. Fingers crossed that this is a friendship that gets focused on/developed further over time, because yeah, I’m here for it.