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MPL Ep 36 - High-Res Artwork + Discussion (Patreon)

Published:
2020-06-13 01:36:34
Edited:
2020-07-11 01:40:43
Imported:
2026-06
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Just a heads up, this episode takes a darker turn. So if you're having a rough day/week, you might want to hold off for a bit 😔❤️ 

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Comments

Lauren Robinson

Thanks for the update!!! All our love to you!

Crispy Kernel

Omg🥺 and don’t push yourself queen💕💕💪🏿💪🏿

Alondra

I really hope Tora is okay .. he literally got a slice of heaven for 2 seconds

CoCoPuff_BB

It turns me on how deadly Tora is when you is around men. Like his alpha nature defiantly shows through but when he with Poppy he is a lovely softy!

GenX

Anything involving Vincent is dark. Poppy is Tora’s sunshine and the one to pull him out of that darkness.

ladykatie

I just wanna hug Tora 😭😭😭

kluebcke

Thanks for the update and will be here to read it when it's up! I'm kinda looking forward to a dark turn of events, as much as I love the happier moments. (Does anyone else love torturing characters when they write/draw? Just me? okay...)

Lemonsy

I have this odd feeling that Tora could just easily take over Vincent....and maybe the entire organization, since it almost seems like Vincent himself is intimidated by Tora's dark aura. And well, everyone is intimidated by Tora anyways 🤔

andrea

Kept me on my toes, from waiting for the post since morning til I saw the episode...if not for that strawberry hair tie... I was tearing up

Mona Martin

Let’s be real, Tora could really fuck Vincent up if he wanted to😂😂😂

Carol

My heart breaks for him💔💔

Girl Wonder Podcast

THANK YOU, LILY! We appreciate your hard work. Wow, I’m really starting to think that Vincent views Tora as a tool or an animal, not even a person. Back in ep 5, we saw Tora kick down a door during a clan meeting, covered in blood and Vincent was kind of proud of him, saying something like, “I’ve trained him since he was a child. And I’ve done a rather good job.” Others were shocked at Tora’s violence. But Vincent was basically chuckling with joy. Vincent literally views Tora like a dog he trained, to use however he’d like. He uses terms like “loyalty”. He put the boy in a cage for crying out loud. So in this episode, which was really well written, I think Vincent uses terms like “son” to manipulate Tora into doing what he wants. Thanks for all you do! Thanks for sharing this story with us!

EmeryDiLoncrete

I was freaking out when I didn't see the fast pass. Sorry! Hehe ☺️

Vikki Smirnoff

Wait wait hold on...is Vincent Tora's biological father?

caseyjarryn

Thank you Lily! Don't stress yourself... We are just overly eager! 😘

andrea foster

Thank you Lily! Definitely a darker episode, but I just love the hair tie. The little light of hope in the all consuming world of hatred that is Balthuman.

Shprinze

Was amazing, I feel bad for Tora, but mostly I’m impressed how one simple strawberry hair tides help him calm down in the instant

larosamorada

HOLY FUCKING HELL. okay y'all, I'm gonna need like an hour, maybe 90 minutes with this one. *Wheezing*

Blueberry

I definitely see why Quincys dramatic. And Vincent better watch out I think that deadly aura is aimed at you Sir.

caseyjarryn

Poppy is his light in the darkness 😍😍😍

Talisha

If Vincent hurts one more hair on Tora's head I'm climbing through my phone.

Afton Jennings

I fucking love that Tora frightens Vincent. Through all the doom and gloom, that was even a small glimmer of hope for me that Tora isn't entirely powerless against that Douche Canoe (I'm coining that phrase from the last thread, it's all too fitting).

sara bedard

Damn. But that ending though. 🥰😍🥰

Lacey Blankenship

This episode is a solid reminder that Tora isn't just a good guy. He's done a lot of terrible things, and without much hesitation. But Poppy clearly grounds him and makes him rethink his choices and possibilities. An incredibly complex character, well beyond the "charming bad boy turned good" trope.

Randi Upton

Man, I can't wait to see more about Quincey and how he grew up, because so far he comes off as fairly harmless. I also want to protect tora, and tell him I know how he feels, he can get past this and love a normal life. Also want to kill Vincent.

Ann Om

“Bobby” is his most recent incoming message at the top of his phone. I wonder if she just seen the news 😖😩 imma stay positive and pray it’s just a late night “I can’t sleep” or come snuggle me/booty call.......

Alpaca

Abusive relationship 😭 I'm glad Tora can hold his own even knowing the power difference in their relationship. I really want to see how he'll crush Vincent and the Balthumans.

Cynthia

I wish I could provide in-depth analyses like some of y’all but... I just scream. Oops. So so many things! Goliath! Clan war! my brain is tingling - WHOEVER HAD THAT THEORY ABOUT TORA BEING PICKED OUT OF A GROUP OF “TRAINEES” you’re a GENIUS!! I literally gasped at the end when Poppy’s hair tie made him pause because BOY YES. YES YES YES. Vincent is the definition of manipulative/abusive. Periodt. The yelling and then apologizing and asking for 1:1 time? Gives me the heebie-jeebies. Makes me cry for Tora, and ever more glad that Poppy is in his life. This just keeps getting better and better!! Loving the color schematics and moody settings Lily 💕 and damn RIGHT Vincent you better be scared.

Blueberry

Also that panel with Tora enraged was perfect.

Alpaca

Also can someone explain why poppy is both Poppy and Bobby? Did I miss something? (・_・;)

otominei

This was such a good episode!! Really helps us feel get a feel for Tora!

Leslie

This ep was so good in so many ways but the Hair Tie moment BROKE. ME.

mapahuit

First of all... The strawberry hair tie, I'm dying!! 😭😭😭 Vincent is afraid of Tora, but he manipulates. That filthy sugar daddy knows his ways and that makes him son dangerous... He's such a great character and he brings a lot to the storyline. You're such a genius Lily! On the other hand, poor Tora boy, pulling himself together after the job and the passive aggressive messages, but being safe by a hair tie... Bobby's hair tie. He such a cutie in search for love and affection. I did love this episode, it was dark, it kept my heart running, it reminds us that we all have demons and secrets. That no matter how much of a thug someone can be, we're all vulnerable.

EmeryDiLoncrete

Holy 💩 our boy Tora is a sniper! Such a bad boy! 🔥🔥🔥

ladyface

That was an intense one. I did not take Tora to be a great sniper, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since our boy can do anything 😤 Daddy Balthuman is an angry mess of a terrible human. I do not like. And I was worrying that maybe Tora dropped the strawberry hair tie at the scene, but then it showed up on his wrist and my heart clenched. I’m just now recovering.

Pigresse973

Wonderful work....as always.😊 It seems like he stopped as the stawsberry hair tie Made him think about his sweet bobby How much he already needs her ❤️

Jan

I wonder how many boys Vincent had available to pick from 😭

MissT

Did anyone else feel like Vincent busting that angel to bits was symbolic of how he destroyed Toras own innocence? And Tora stood there, blankly watching. As much as Tora showed his dominance in that interaction, that little bit really chilled me.

Janoha Novella

It's heartbreaking. Vincent wanted Tora to kill those people without telling him directly. Tora avoided it, but how he avoided it doesn't make it that less hard or haunting. It's a prison with no walls.

Nicg20

I can’t wait until Tora goes against Vincent. I’m glad he makes him nervous. The hair tie at the end was the perfect way to end this episode. Now I’m curious to know what poppy had to say.

Life is beautiful

I am worried that 1.. Vincent forced Tora to do something or 2.. His next mission is to kill poppy....

SuperSody

Y'all notice Tora started to smoke once Vincent started smashing that statue? He's anxious!

Annie J

That chapter was so awesome! 🥰 I love to learn more about Vincent and I guess that finally answered my question about him possibly being Tora's father! 😅 There was so much plotting going on, Tora bluffing his way about the notebook, agreeing to Vincent's hit to keep him away from the notebook. Vincent losing his composure in front of Tora. He must trust him indeed to show him this side to him. Now what I wonder about is Goliath. We saw Goliath text Tora in the first chapter and we saw them in that picture. I'm guessing Goliath was one of those kids with Tora as Vincent picked him up. But the fact that Vincent talks about Goliath so impersonally makes me wonder when both boys were separated and if Vincent knows they kept in touch. Again, Tora was smoking in his presence, probably to annoy him. I love how Poppy's influence stays with him. He is starting to change and think better of himself. I guess before he would have hurt himself without hesitation but seeing that strawberry probably made him think about her reaction to his injuries. ❤

Meghan Richardson

Amazing episode!! So dark and gritty. I loved it! I feel so bad for the way Vincent manipulates Tora. I’m really rooting for Tora to give Vincent what he deserves. It’s going to be awhile though. Tora is a victim of abuse and unfortunately it takes a lot to overcome that cycle. He’ll have to learn to love and respect himself before he can truly see what’s being done to him is wrong. Luckily he has our sweet and strong Poppy! She’s going to be the one to treat him the way he deserves to be treated. I love seeing the development of these characters we all love. Lily you are simply the best. Your storytelling has so much depth to it. You amaze me every week! If you were drawn as a character you’d have so many thought bubbles popping out of your head 😂 your brain is incredible!!

Rachel Rossi

This story and art are simply perfection Tora is becoming more complex with each episode and of course that🍓 💗

Ele_Smiles

Vincent gives me the creeps. That part where he says ‘that’s what I love about you, apart from being easy on the eyes!?’ WTF!? Then he keeps calling him ‘son. It’s all so twisted 😱

leilani simmons

You put so much detail into the background. I was looking at the panel with the tv and all the chords behind it. The attention to detail is amazing, cause it looks like my TV set up in my room. Awesome job keep it up!

Erica Vanesa

Omg, I feel like Tora accepted to take care of that “situation” for Vincent so quickly to get him to stop talking about the notebook and forget about it...because obviously the notebook is tied to Poppy 😩

Red

Yoooooooooo. Love the depth to the characters and artwork. Tora isn’t innocent of any wrong doing. He is multifaceted. Human. And Vincent... maybe some humanity exists there that we haven’t been exposed to yet.

Monica

All I have to say is 🍓🍓🍓🍓

Cristal Mendoza

So was the plan to miss or not? Why was Blathuman calling him so much then?

Lizzaye

I could feel the pain and hurt in Tora. Now I really wonder how dark of a childhood he had. I was thinking he was an orphan and "bought" by Vincent for his son as a companion/plaything(for Quincey) and brought up with an agenda. To be loyal to the Balthumans and serve as a bodyguard because they "saved" him from a wretched place. Hmmm. But I could be totally wrong. But I kinda like this darkness, balances all the sweetness. ♥️

Lola

Ok so we were all panicking there. I sure was. I lost my marbles but uh, my husband helped me find them. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) I-is that his apartment? Looks more like a basement :/ Do we have the same tv? I think we do! Lollll Dat ass ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Bare bones but amazing sound system? Lol. Priorities. Ok I know I should be worried about what they are saying on the TV about the gala and how that is an important plot point because 4 high ranking clan members were wounded but not assassinated and rival clans are suspected but who knows if it was Tora but dat ass. Let me thirst in peace. Don’t @ me kids. Bare bones but it looks pretty clean I guess? *waits with towel for Tora’s face* *wait, is that my shirt I’m using as a towel?* whoops. Ok imma calm down. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Maybe. That wet face makes me think my mind will continue to be right where it should be: the gutter. Bye. Bobby!!!! ♥️ I love that he didn’t even bother to capitalize it. 😅 Lol @ 20 missed calls WHy aRe YOu ObSSEssEd witH mE? Thank you Lily for including toilet paper there. 😅 Not sure if I’m still holding to my first impressions of cleanliness but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ that tshirt is distracting me. Oh is he using my shirt as a towel? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) it looks like he is. God the contrast between how Vincent lives and Tora lives. Poor angel. Tora’s face. But those tight pants. Get Martin to find it for ya -POWER MOVE JUST THE MUSCLE. - POWER MOVE OK SORRY EMILY but he looks like a psychopath on that panel, Vincent I mean. Tora putting his feet up and his arm on the pillow- POWER MOVE Easy on the eyes? Eew! I mean he’s not wrong but I don’t like it when it comes from Vincent. Stay away from my baby!!! Ok so people in Narin City are tinfoilers like the rest of us and speculated that Tora is Vincent’s secret son. Bloodline pure is some bullshit. Cut the crap indeed baby boy. Get to the point or I’m leaving- power move Him smoking in front of Vincent - power move Nine daggers! Yaassss! Goliath is their general? Damn boy! He moved up in the world! No more than 5- damn boy. Power move. Tora giving that look to Vincent is giving me throwback vibes to when he was a boy with red hair and was a bratty teenager. That little freak :/ my baby! Stay away from him. Deadly aura of his comin for you, Vincent! Him being the martial arts expert and expert sniper makes me think that Ulaan’s legacy is slowly showing up in his veins? Wonder what Poppy will think when she sees those canines? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) she’ll be into these shenanigans I’m sure. Him calling Tora “son”,makes me sick to my stomach. “I promise not to yell at you” omg blergh Oh shit, Tora about to get a boxer’s fracture. No worries, baby, I got you. Oh! THE STRAWBERRY IM GOING TO CRY!!!!! Enjdndkfndkcnkenfodnfodkdkf Damn it Jejfjeodnoenckenfoenfokrf I thought I had my marbles this time!!!! Djcjejfnkenfkrnfkf Baby boy!!!

Rachel B.

I love how even Vincent is a bit afraid of Tora. Probably more so than he's letting on . Also, that look he gave Vincent... I know it was supposed to be scary but it made me feel differently. *Anime girl giggle* I hate it when Tora is angry. It makes me want to jump through my screen and hug him. I adore the fact that Poppy's hair tie brought him out if his rage. She is so good for him. Oh and Vincent's meltdown make me laugh so hard. So much for Mr. put together Balthuman. No wonder Quincy is dramatic as all get out.

LouCas27

(Edited) Holy sh*t - that was intense and a good balance to last week’s emotional roller coaster ✌🏻. Not only he’s an intimidating fighter, he’s an excellent shot as well (which makes him even more sexier). Perhaps Vincent wanted him to kill the 4, but Tora made the last minute decision to just give them a warning/traumatize them in the long term and instigate a police investigation on the rivals. Strong, intelligent, charming and straightforward - he’s a mafia boss’ dream lieutenant. Vincent made the perfect weapon, and yeah, he should be afraid of Tora. I mean his decision not to follow Vincent’s orders turned out pleasing the elders, so he definitely has potential to become a strong clan leader. But despite Vincent’s favoritism, he finds no pride in such a life. Then boss resorts to calling him “son” as sort of manipulation or emotional blackmail. When things seems so hopeless, the tiger meets a little hamster. That hair tie is so powerful, enough to remind him that he deserves kindness, respect, and even, love 🍓. I guess I am speaking for everyone here in this fabulous community when I say I NEED TO KNOW WHAT BOBBY TEXTED HIM. 😘 Thanks to Lilydusk and team for an amazing episode!

Katie

An episode dedicated to Tora & The Balthuman Boys - I’m so here for it 😍 This one left me shaking and quaking with this Tora and Vincent repertoire it was…not what I expected. *Cue being thrown into that windshield of emotion* 4 almost impossible shots on a windy night by himself?? What can't this boy do (other than love himself *TEARS*) All those missed calls and texts from Vincent - *SCREAMING* Yes, IGNORE THAT (still fine) ASS! The one missed message from Poppy - Opeeennnn itttt! You know you wanna 😏 Honestly though - Vincent losing his shit like that in front of Tora and then trying to regain composure and then going off the rails a little…You all right over there Vince? Need a vacation? Some time locked in a cell to get your shit together? Is that wishful thinking on my part? 👀 It’s a little alarming that Vincent seemed almost taken aback by Tora’s willingness to get involved in/clean up his problem so easily and it was more than a little unsettling that he seemed jarred by how violent and cold Tora is. What did you expect, Vince? You abused the boy for how long, what did you think would happen? Our poor baby. High-key hoping that upbringing will backfire on Vincent in the future. I was surprised at how tough it was for me to gauge whether or not Vincent has actual affection for Tora. Is it all cold manipulation or is there a little bit of love and longing there wishing Tora was his biological son? Also, that comment about being “easy on the eyes” 😂 I’m dead. You’re not wrong Daddy Vince, you are not wrong (and I’m sure your son would agree!)! (ETA: I don't condone or support this super creepy vibe/manipulation from Vincent - It also made my skin crawl - but I was just trying to bring a more humorous look to this super dark and twisted landscape that is there relationship). Tora’s emotions pulled hard, hard, HARD at my heart this episode as Vincent’s changing tone/feelings fucked with him. Here Tora, I made you a blanket for comfort from my tears 😭😭💧💧 I LOVED how Poppy’s presence was felt in this episode. That sudden stop of his fist and halt/freeze to his violence seeing that hair tie on his wrist. Our girl coming in clutch PER USUAL 👏 I’m struggling to put how this made me feel into words it was just so…incredible. Even sans the romance she's already become so important to him as a person that her influence in his life has him pausing to think and I that speaks volumes about the kind of foundation their blossoming friendship/relationship has. This moment for me seems like a really big one, an opening floodgate, the breaking of a dam if you will, for all that is to come for them. Tin Foil Time: I wonder if Quince inherited Daddy Vince’s off the wall temper? Or is he more like his mom? Who and where is mom? I’m dying to learn about this woman! And where did Tora come from? Does Vincent not know about Goliath’s tie to Tora? Just how much DOES Vincent know about Tora’s life?? Does he keep Tora close because he understands that he’s a threat? Am I misreading that? Will Quincey take over the clan as a figurehead in the future while Tora calls the shots? I have burning questions ya’ll. BURNING. There’s so much happening in this episode - I’m here for the reacts! Emily and larosamorada - I totally need that inhaler now and the pepper spray. Gotta be sure not to get them confused 😂😂

rubia1213 .

The story is getting so good. I screamed when read the last panel. Can't wait for next Friday night

Patricia

My poor poor baby boy. Poppy you better text him again and fix his soul. Ugh! Vincent go die eww

Ele_Smiles

Really want to know what “Bobby’s” message said. If this was SG it would be a booty call, am I right? 😘😳

daisy echave

Although I love Tora and poppy, I’m excited we get to see more of his mafia life, and learn more about him... also is no one going to talk about the (possibly dead) cat on his floor?? *Eeek*this was a rollercoaster of an episode for me ♥️

Andrea Chen

The background detail is 😩👌👌 The apartment Tora is in reminds me of the cage that Vincent put him in, it’s gray colors and industrial design. It’s so cold, devoid of any color and really symbolizes the lack of hope Tora has for himself. The window is so small and high up, it feels like Tora is imprisoned even in his own home, much like how trapped he feels living a life in the mafia. In the end, the only color that comes through is from the strawberry hair tie that Poppy gave him, symbolizing the small shred of hope and life she’s shown him and we can already see the impact it has on him. I can’t wait to see how their lives unfold as they become more and more invested with each other... 😏

Kat Em

The depiction of emotional abuse and manipulation is so chillingly accurate. I've never been happier than I am now, but there was a time I was dealing with the same kind of radical emotional swings from important people in my life, and the whiplash is enough to make you feel like you're breaking. I've never felt more empathy for a character in my life, and I know it won't come easy, but I just want to believe he and Poppy can be what the other needs. Tora deserves so much.

Derf n’ Bob

This is getting so good-checks all the boxes!!! Poppy is totally the hero, she the tiger tamer! She can fix what Vincent has done with her ❤️💃🥰

Lexnewt

I don’t know if this has been mentioned yet, but I really appreciate the symbolism of the cigarettes. It’s sooo apparent in this episode that it shows when Tora’s stressed. Especially when facing off with Daddy Vincent, where Tora needs to seem calm and collected, but that’s a pretty hard thing to do while Vincent is smashing a freaking statue with a golf club. But this also reminds me of other situations where he pulled out a cig, like when he was visiting Poppy’s apartment (ngl, the whole situation with the security guard still makes me laugh). Makes me think that he was super nervous to see the girl that he likes, enough that he had to light one up? I don’t know, the thought severely softens my perception of him.

Meowdreamz

I love it when it goes dark! I love the suspenseful and intimidation that toras story makes me feel! So juicy!

Emily Basso

I have some serious issues when it comes to Vincent. We know this... and yet... this episode was still somehow one of my favorites. It was dark. And twisted. And messed up on so many levels. And so here we go... 1. Tora washing his face as soon as he came in had me so sad... if I’m being practical maybe he was washing off gunshot residue? *shudder* But really it’s just feels like he’s trying to wash away his thoughts and fears and separate himself from what he Just did. And I want to hug the crap outta him. .2 Tora and Vincent’s power struggle captures my soul. Chapter 5 is still my all time favorite chapter from a psychological standpoint because the balance these two have struck is like a terrifying, high stakes dance. Volititile Vincent scares the hell outta me... that man has a temper and quite frankly, scares the shit outta Tora too. He does a great job staying completely blank during Vinny’s tantrum, until the end where those cigarettes come out. And again, my heart breaks at the one crutch he’s leaning on... 3. Quincey definitely gets his flare for the dramatic from his father... drama queen must be a dominant trait. 4. Disheveled Vincent. I...won’t... give...in... I promise I know... he’s... evil... GAH MOVING ON BEFORE MY WEAKNESS SHOWS! 5. okay... I’m okay. Daddy Vinny back to his cool cucumber mode. Such a sweet, doting father figure! Yeah this churns my stomach.... I’m definitely back on the wagon again. Love Tora playing coy, but Vincent’s not stupid... he keeps you close to watch you just as much as use you. This whole relationship deserves dissertation level attention... 6 Easy on the eyes? Intelligent? “That’s why people think you’re a secret son” WELL HELLO THERE. Aren’t you a narcissist? I mean we knew this. But damn man have some false modesty here. Also bloodline? Should we have a Ted talk on eugenics here Vinny? Because this just keeps getting worse and worse. 7 “as much as I would love to—“ damn you lay on the father figure shit THICK don’t ya? And god I love it. All that “we need to have you come around for dinner more” and “I miss our chats” crap is just SUCH GOOD VILLAN DIALOGUE. I’m eating it up and crying at the same time. Why do I love bad men so much? He’s just so sick and warped and skilled at manipulation it’s terrifying. 8. The news paper! I can already feel all the tin foil hat theories popping up! Gyu knows something. And I can’t wait to see what all your crazy brains come up with! Are they trying to get Vincent off the notebook trail? Is this all to protect poppy? If so, Damn. That’s elaborate and deep... maybe it’s just actually he nine daggers? 🤷‍♀️ I’m here for the ride. 9. So... that remark about Tora’s aura... kinda has me freaking out. “Just gets stronger and stronger as he gets older” yeah... until it’s aimed at you and you can’t control him anymore. This father figure bullshit is already getting old and you can see that. Which doesn’t leave Vincent with many options... and I don’t like that. Sure, for now he doesn’t think Tora’s a threat. But... it’s there in the back of his mind. 10. Watching Vincent’s arc from petulant son of a bitch to loving father via text was so incredible and yet so terrifying. It was like a paper trail of his madness and I’m stressed just watching Tora read them. I don’t even want to know how many cigarettes he’s smoked after this scene. 11. Does he not hit the wall? I’m trying to pick up clues in the art but his fist against the wall feels so quiet. Like he just... stopped. And bumped it. And I immediately think back to Poppy putting her hands in his lips. “You’re getting angry again aren’t you?” JFC now I’m sad again. In the most heartbreakingly happy way possible? He’s a sentimental soul and if I didn’t need a hug before all this I sure as hell Do now. Im sure we all do. This seems to be a theme here. Weekly group hug commence?? 🤗🥺😭

shirley montes

@_@ i have this tier but cant see anything am I just dumb?? am I missing something

Pleione

But what did the message from Bobby sayyyy 😩

daisy echave

I also have a question... Does Poppy not know Tora is in a gang? I mean I’m sure she has to have some idea, but the Balthuman name is pretty well know (as mentioned in the episode where Quincy uses Tora in his boss and the boss KNOWS not to mess with him after he says his full name), so the crest would also have to be well know I assume, and being that it’s on his neck i figured she would have some idea.... I don’t know, has it been mentioned before? And going along with that I have a kind of out there theory, but what if poppy saw the news and suspects Tora has some involvement, or at least info, with the shooting and gang rivalry and that’s why she is messaging him.... Just a theory

NurseAmethyst

VINCENT IS A PSYCHO CREEP. JERKFACE. ASSHAT. MOTHER FUDGING BLEHANSJUEJENDJDKDKEIEIBDF that is all. Also, Tora baby, you are still my ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ Open up that text so we can see what Poppy sent you. Thanks!

Leslie

Ooooooh the power play from Tora through that whole interaction. “Why do you think I keep you close to me?” Vincent it’s because the beast you created scares you shitless but if you keep him close you keep him where you can see him. That Dark Aura is something you made and fed but now it’s gotten bigger than you can handle and you are afraiiiiiiiiid. The fact that Vincent smashes the cherub statue until the head breaks off, and Tora wears a balaclava with the body (no head visible) of a cherub to shoot people. A destroying angel. Avenging angel. Fallen angel? Those skin tones on that balaclava stuck out sooo much in the grey/green of Tora’s place it was impossible not to look at them. I’m in full Tin-Hat/Free-Association land here but the image of two angels crumpled up on the floor in this episode and the reiteration of “Son” by Vincent makes me think how Lucifer was God’s favorite angel/son before he fell. Someone else unpack this for me because I didn’t make it very far in Sunday school. Tora smoking - anxious as fuck, or power play to annoy Vincent? When we first see Vincent and Tora, Vince tells Tora to quit smoking because he needs his body healthy and strong. Smoking strikes me as Tora’s way of claiming ownership over his own body - even by destroying it. It says fuck you, there’s one part of my body that doesn’t exist to serve you. The. STILLNESS. Of Tora in that office. -woof- -questions how queer I actually am- -yowza- Especially that panel from underneath, looking up at Tora while Vince had his lil’ tantrum - it made me realize that this is the consequence of beating and brutalizing the emotion and fear out of someone - you lose the ability to intimidate them into doing what you want. As long as Poppy stays out of it, there’s probably nothing Vincent can do to Tora that’s worse than what he’s already done to him as a teen - and more so, now Tora knows that Vince actually NEEDS him. So Tora has two aces in his deck. The emotional contrast between explosive Vincent and ice.fucking.cold. Tora was exquisite. The brown and greens Tora wore - he practically blended into the furniture in Vince’s office. It’s both small - but also stealthy. An interesting choice of camo against Vince’s fancy shoes and ostentatiousness. You’d think Tora was trying to be invisible - but while a scared boy might try to hide, a sniper relies on not standing out, as well. I wonder what other shots Tora was lining up while Vincent was rampaging that we don’t know about? But oh wow, the COST to this beat up broken stoic tiger. I thought he was sweating in that bathroom and it unnerved me so badly I had to stop and breathe through it a second. Here’s the thing : Poppy lets all the good sides of Tora come out into the world. Those things were always there, but I think Tora kept them on lockdown because he can’t hold those parts of himself in line with his stone cold killing work in the mafia. If he did he’d explode or flunk out of the mafia and get shot. So....what I’m now really worried for is how, as Tora begins to let that softer, vulnerable, hopeful, optimistic side out, that holding these two separate personalities in his brain and body is actually gonna break him, and the pressure is gonna get worse the more he lets his “good side” grow and expand. Gahhhh ok someone come here and microanalyze symbolism with me. Lily, you’re a genius. Carry on.

Fe

Whew! This is a lot lol. Before I even get to the episode, let’s just mention the pre-post panic lol. I think we all need some yoga, or meditation, or some water or something lol...clearly we’re addicts. But more importantly, Lily I hope this reaffirms your absolute gift as a creator. You are a phenomenal writer/artist. You are the reason many people even wager to indulge in comics or Webtoons at all. Anyways, you’re amaze balls. Thank you for being the bright spot in our week.... anyway back to this bomb chapter! There are so many details in this chapter. Like..😩 idk where to start. But could you sell some emotional support strawberry hair ties??? 🍓. Cause that last panel 😭😭😭 Big baby tears over here. **Patiently (I promise this time) waiting on whatever you grace us with next. **

kluebcke

I wonder how significant it is that he didn't read her message. My theory is that he doesn't want to read it because he doesn't want to know. It could be nothing or, based on their conversation on the roof top, he can't be sure if she's asking about what just happened. He doesn't really want to lie to her, it seems, but she might be asking something he either can't answer or WON'T. I also find myself wondering, given the likelihood he was that gunman, would he have missed, but for his recent interactions with Poppy? As in, he can't change what he's done in the past, there are certain things he can't get around doing if he wants to stay alive, but he can change his future if he truly wants a real relationship with her. Also, am I crazy or has the strawberry hair tie full on replaced the black bracelet that was Joe's? If it has, is that a symbol for a change in moral guidance? (It sure seemed Joe was at least a reasonably positive person in his younger life.)

Ele_Smiles

Tora did not want to snipe fools to death with Poppy’s strawberry hair tie on his wrist. They owe Poppy their lives. 🍓🍓

Liga Z

"..the good old days." THE GOOD OLD DAYS????!!!! ARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH That surely means Punishment! Sure, the elders might think it's fine for now, but Vincent still takes this as not following orders. His 180 degree change of tone in just 13min is waaaay more threatening and unnerving than another 20 voicemails of him screaming at Tora. This episode left me visibly shaking. 🤕 I'm gona go hide under the bed till next Friday. 😭

Ditto12g

It was perfect. I absolutely loved the development of the complexity into Tora and Vincent's relationship and the mob business as a whole. The emotional turmoil in Tora's character. The last frame. Ugh. Very well done.

Schkaka

The inner turmoil Tora must be going through...he is one tough man to stay so calm like that during his chat with Vincent. I personally think you can tell how much Vincent fudged him up cause he snaps with those last few messages about him being concerned about him and wanting to get together for dinner.

Chrisse

I loved the imagery Lilydusk, you truly captured manipulation through fear. My father was scum like Vincent, worse if you can believe it. He never saw me as a person, only as property, a possession. All i can theorize now is that Vincent is slowly realizing he doesn't have a dog on a leash... he has a tiger. A wild fucking tiger. And... last time i checked... they eat dogs... and cannot be tamed. Makes me curious as to Poppy's role in Tora rediscovering his righteous side. I'm so freaking excited for next week now! Well done!!! (Insert rampant applause)

Kat

Okay. Okay. I liked this episode lots, it gave us a lot in terms of both how Tora operates within the clan (very interesting) as well as his relationship with Vincent (even more interesting.) BUT ENOUGH OF THAT, I HAVE A THEORY. First, lemme quote the opening lines of the story. Poppy tells us, “Life is made up of a series of dots. At times, you’ll feel like nothing seems to make sense. … But when you look back at your life, you’ll see that all the dots are connected. No, seriously, they really are connected.” -Side note, I think our Lily likes to weave in callbacks just for the visual poetry of them, which is both rewarding to the reader upon second (or twenty-second, as the case may be) read, as well as a clever way to slip in foreshadowing without being too damn obvious, because hey, that foreshadowing is now just one fish in a school of red herrings. So, like, Poppy’s avatar on Tora’s phone is an avocado, and her search history for the Balthuman organization also has a page about something called the Avocado Advocacy, and I don’t necessarily think there’s anything to that, although I could concoct a theory if I wanted to (laughs in ADHD). There’re other callbacks like the filet mignon tart thing that shows up again as a 1-for-1 special. So, some stuff like that is probably just Lily being clever. Okay, that said… here is my favorite theory I’ve come up with so far. We know Poppy is hella clever, observant, resourceful, and she’s aware that people underestimate her because she’s little and cute, and she leverages that. To quote her friend Erdene, she’s “always doing this play-along thing, and people fall for it all the time.” She put two and two together about Tora being her rescuer from the tree, for instance, long before she revealed it. She figured out how to rescue Mr. Lam. She did extensive research and found out about his wife and her ambition with the book. Etc. Girl knows how to keep quiet and pay attention. At this point, I have no idea what Poppy has up her sleeve or what she does/doesn’t know anymore, because honestly, I think anything is on the table. But! I did notice something quite interesting while looking for information about the strawberry motif (more on that later). This may be nothing, or this may be another instance of “Poppy notices the ring and bracelet and realizes that Tora is the guy who caught her when she fell.” So, they go to Alice’s, and Tora hits his head on a pipe upstairs. It’s cute and funny and reads like straight humor, yada yada. She tries to wrestle his hat off as she says, “You can get a concussion if you hit your head this hard, you said so yourself.” Cue Tora’s hands slipping from the hat as he looks somewhat startled. So startled that Poppy gets the hat away from him, and they stare at each other for a second without speaking with Poppy holding the hat aloft and Tora looking like a tiger caught in the headlights. We are immediately diverted from this moment and what Poppy has said because it’s cute how flustered this very bad boy is about his messy hair, and then, Alice has sassy things to say, we’re distracted by Tora being embarrassed about Alice’s teasing as he hastily ushers her downstairs, etc. I remember it sticking out to me kind of like someone lightly tapped me on the nose and said, “remember this later, and, um, when did they talk about concussions?” I’ll come back to that. Okay. So, strawberries have been a consistent motif with Tora. The cans lying scattered around on the ground of Goliath’s place are some kind of strawberry drink, there’s a can of something with a strawberry on it in the sack of food he got before he rescues Poppy from falling, his order at the bar of course, I assume strawberry juice is “the usual” that he orders at Alice’s (that she tries to overrule by telling him he can have “alcohol, alcohol, or alcohol,” although later she references “sipping green tea” so maybe it’s that) and of course, the strawberry hair tie that Poppy gives him on the rooftop. Now, if you look back at ep 30, Poppy is drinking from a * strawberry juice box * in her flashback where she and her dad see the white van. Connected dots?! But, there’s more to this theory. In the pic that guy finds of the teens posing in front of a white van, the one titled Kings of Ares Street, you can see what appears to be Tora helping a little girl in the background. Did Tora and Poppy meet when they were kids? Does Tora associate strawberries with the little girl he helped—maybe something about their interaction touched him, and now he loves strawberries/strawberry juice? Is this where his obsession with strawberries starts? Not finished yet… And, maybe as he’s helping her up like we see in the picture, he says to her… wait for it… “You can get a concussion if you hit your head this hard.” ??? And maybe our exceptionally clever and play-along-with-things Poppy has realized by this point in the present day story that Tora is the same boy who helped her as a child, which allows her to trust him a bit more despite his working for an illegal crime syndicate. (At first, I thought her mention of concussions could be a callback to when he caught her when she fell—but I read that scene like 4 times and I didn’t see anybody mention a concussion. So unless it’s an editing error with the dialogue, it has to be referring to something else.) Strawberries. Poppy. Tora. White vans. Concussions. Trust. Have they been rescuing each other for a lot longer than we realized? Are these dots connected? (If this has already been theorized and debunked, I apologize. I’m new here!) I hope my theory is true, because the possibility of it reduces me to a puddle of joy. Also, regardless, one thing is clear to me from re-reading and looking for clues—we’re in the hands of a master storyteller, and that’s not the kind of thing you find everywhere. We’re lucky, fam. I am not asking Lilydusk to confirm or deny any of this of course. Thank you for coming to my TEDtalk. 😊

Victoria Dias

Such a deep episode, loved every frame of it! 🔥 Thank you for your amazing work, Lily, never fails to impress us with such clever storyline and stunning art!! I love how romance is even on dark settings like these, subtle, but present (the strawberry hair tie) ✨♥️

Nordorr

The unread Bobby message, I think he's not in the right headspace for it. Right now he's probably at his most volatile and doesn't want to taint any of his interactions with her with how he's feeling. Or maybe after shooting 4 people he doesn't feel worthy of her friendship/relationship.

Leslie

On another note, props to Lily for being out here reading all these comments. I can just imagine the internal monologue: “I have created an extremely sex-positive community muahahaha” “But also you all need help.” “OOOOH she’s actually almost figured it out.” “I need to add another red herring to the next episode then, or they’re going to put it together too soon.....” “Oh honey, sweetie pie, how did you come up with THAT theory?” -checks script- “Oh ok, I kinda see it.” “YES! They noticed the [insert microscopic tiny detail that there are now three dissertations on in the comments]” “Hmmm. Let me just go in and add a comment that won’t mislead them at all.....hehehehe.....”

Callie Adkins

I'm such an idiot, it took reading the episode three times before I connected the sniper story to Tora 🤦‍♀️ I love that the strawberry hair tie (representing Poppy?) Is like the anchor to the good inside of himself that calms the rage. This has BY FAR become my favorite series on Webtoon

Darla (Tora’s THOT)

Alright WHAT DID I TELL YALL!!!!! He took off the strawberry hair tye, wearing it on his wrist and CHERISHING IT!!!! 😭😭😭 ohhh and when Vincent and Tora were sitting together all I could think about was - DAMN 2 MUFKN ZADDIESSSSSSS!!!!!!!! Oh and in vincent kinda gay???? Calling tora easy on the eyes??? BIISHHHHH GET OFF HIS JOCK- he’s mine and poppy’s dickwad! And yeah eff off the notebook situation Vince! My tora got it under control and your ass don’t need to know!! And I knew baby was a boss being a sniper hit man BO$$ daddy!!! Love him even more!!! Ok my head is THROBBING!!! Read this in the long car drive home!!! I’m loving how beautiful the scenery was yet such a terrible predicament tora needs to constantly be in!!! Just hold onto that strawberry sweetheart ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ 🍓

Julia G

The amount of mold in Tora’s apartment 🤭 the fact that he’s loaded but chooses to live in such a rundown environment is a reflection of how Tora thinks of himself. The way someone decorates their living space shows a lot about that person. This dirty, sparse and dingy environment is vastly different from Quincey’s apartment even though Tora has said he lives in the same building. Tora doesn’t like what he does or who he is so he lives well below the luxury he could easily afford. He sees himself as this dark and dirty person, he hates himself and his choice to live in this “apartment” is almost like a penance. “I’ve done horrible things to earn this money but I’m not going to use it. I’m going to live like a disgusting human being like me deserves, in darkness.” Noticed that guitar in the corner 🎸 Hoping Tora plays something for Poppy some day. That guitar, TV and the game console seem to be the only items Tora has purchased to make the space his own. The way Tora just stands there, shows no reaction while Vincent loses his shit! It’s probably happened so much that he’s used to it. The only thing he does is pull out a cigarette, which we know is something Tora often does when he’s anxious. My guess is that Tora got anxious, not because of the violence itself, but from memories of “training” Vincent put him through as a child to ensure that Tora doesn’t react to violence. I just imagine Vincent hurting Tora or making Tora watch while others were hurt until Tora was desensitized to it. Breaks my heart just imagining the horrors Tora has suffered because of Vincent. I’m a little confused in the exchange between Tora and Vincent the part about why Vincent keeps him around and what Tora said about his idea contradicting what Vincent said. I’ve re-read that part a few times and I can’t quite understand what they’re both saying/implying. Anyone got an explanation? That comment about Tora being “easy on the eyes” *shudder* somehow having Vincent say that doesn’t sit well with me 🤢 Tora’s glare!!! Reminded me of Poppy’s “leave it to me” moment. Vincent was beating around the push and Tora jumped straight to the point he knew Vincent was really trying to make, that an example needed to be made so the humiliation would stop. I get the feeling Vincent does this a lot, beats around the bush “I want to put an end to this nonsense” so when Tora agrees to do something it seems like Tora is doing it as a favor. Vincent acting all surprised that Tora was agreeing to carry out the attack Vincent was trying to slyly pitch *glares with Tora*, we all know Tora is being manipulated into doing it. Tora’s glare was more or less, saying “Of course I’ll do it. You may be acting like it’s some kind of request but it’s an order. Don’t have much choice.” Vincent even says “ Brilliant choice” like Tora made the decision himself. Tora may have been the one to say it, but it was Vincent’s idea, one Tora’s learned to foresee. That “dark, deadly aura” is the result of everything Tora’s been through and Vincent is right to be nervous. It grows with Tora’s hate for Vincent and sadly, for himself over the years. Vincent seems to think he has complete control and for the moment he might but eventually I think that darkness will lash out at him. It also reminds me of Tora’s apartment, dark and moldy which mold can be deadly. Vincent’s manipulative texts 😡 berating Tora and then praising him. He’s like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Calling him an idiot one minute and brilliant the next, then suggesting they get together for dinner. Vincent is so toxic. It makes me sad that Tora had such a violent reaction to Vincent’s manipulative messages. The conflicting feelings he must have. The anger at Vincent’s mean words, the relief that he probably won’t be punished, the disgust at being called “son” by someone who so vehemently opposed the idea of someone like Tora being part of his bloodline (maybe this one was just me) and the comment about “the good old days”, which probably also sparked Tora’s rage by reminding him of all the times Vincent had him do something he hates himself for. In that moment of rage, we see Tora wearing the strawberry hair tie. His ring and brackets are important to him. He chooses to display them on his wrist and he carries them with him in his pocket when he can’t have them visible. We even see him touching them in his pocket when he was leaving Alice’s as if they were grounding him. The fact that Tora has the hair tie on his wrist instead of in his hair, where it can be more inconspicuous is very telling. Like the ring and bracelet, Tora has placed the hair tie in a place of importance where it is also visible and the calm that came with him seeing it on his wrist tells us that it is also grounding for him. These items remind him of the person that other’s (Poppy, Joe and Alice) see in him, the person he doesn’t think he is but wishes he could be. Those are his most prized possessions, the things that hold the most meaning to him, things that I think he’d fight to hold onto because they represent the few healthy human connections he has had in life.

ThirstySquirrel

I absolutely adore this episode!!!! Side note: am I missing something about the white tv screen/phone screens, or is something not loading right on Webtoons? Maybe I’m just missing the point of it being blank?

larosamorada

Trying this again... hopefully it sticks, but if not, I will also link a Google doc to my comment above. Sweet fucking hell, what an episode! I’m drowning in things to discuss, I’m not sure I blinked the entire time I was reading. The plot thickens! 👀👀 First thing I noticed- the window- it’s up so damn high, like a goddamn prison cell. Sterile, vacant. Even the fluorescent light is devoid of home. This physically hurts to think Tora lives here. 😭😭😭 The drop of the ruck sack, those boots- like a solider dropping his shit after a mission. And there it is. The thing I was suspecting all along but was hoping I’d be wrong about- Tora is Balthuman’s personal hit man. A fucking sniper. And snipers don’t miss; those were definitely warning shots. Now whether it was a tactical move or avoidance of Tora having those lives on his head- who knows, maybe it’s both. I have a strong feeling that tactic may have been a Joe lesson from long ago. Do what you have to, but be quick, quiet and intentional.  Do what’s least expected and you’ll never be bested. Because now those guys will likely get arrested and Tora didn’t have to kill them. Jesus, that thousand yard stare; our boy is checked out y’all- calm before the storm like.😭😭 Those fucking text messages from Vincent- wooo….that man is SO manipulative and abusive. 🤬🤬🤬 The escalation he demonstrates in their interactions; Vincent is a ticking time bomb and he has zero composure when something pisses him off.  You can see it in his body language- the defensively placed arms, the shaking leg- like he’s going to launch out of that chair. Gives me the damn shivers.🥶🥶 Then this temper tantrum Vincent has destroying an angelic statue-  it’s absolute violent poetry. Vincent is someone who takes innocent lives and destroys them, mutilates them for his own gratification and financial benefit. Vincent is a baby man who’s used to getting his way and always looking good. So when someone makes him look like a fool, the wrath comes out. Tora is just standing there, stoic waiting as if he’s the parent and Vincent is the child. Out comes the cigarette again- Tora is stressed to the max, but he holds it all in. Fuck, this is so twisted. Tora, I think we all know you’re not just the muscle- you’re calculated in your moves. And now I’m starting to believe that Vincent knows better than that too. Y’all. Holy shit, that instant switch in facial expression from Vincent-  it’s more emotional manipulation -“Of course I trust you.” Keeping him close for brains and physical protection—keep your enemies closer, so to speak.   I really love how disrespectful and casual Tora becomes around Vincent once he sits down- feet on the table, smoking inside his personal quarters, talking straight shit to his face. But you can tell he’s still in self-protection mode- posturing to keep Vincent at bay. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tora ashed on the couch he’s sitting on, just to spite Vincent.🚬🖕 I find it really interesting that Vincent cares more about his reputation than the money that was clearly at stake from the Ninedaggers destructo path. Eleven major shareholders and a yacht explosion are no small issues financially. How fucking loaded is this clan? Hey Narcissus, you need to collect your mortal doppelganger. This next scene is just packed with dancing power plays. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think Tora and Vincent were sparring.  Tora interrupting the notebook train of thought from Vincent was a smart move. He doesn’t let Vincent muse about its existence so he doesn’t go searching for it further. Very sneaky; you are definitely more than just the muscle, Tora. But these are stalling tactics from Vincent- he’s trying to butter Tora up to do his bidding, to make it look like he’s not asking him to kill people. Tora already understands where this is headed and knows damn well there is no choice in what he’s about to do, so he cuts to the chase and lays out his terms to gain some of his power back. That look he shot Vincent said it all- “I’d like to strangle you right here, but instead I’m going to call the shots on this hit.” 👊👊 The dark aura- there’s that hint of supernatural- Tora has power deep down and that sniveling asshole Vincent is using it to his advantage. I smell human trafficking and that just shatters my heart for Tora. “Brilliant choice, son”? OOF that pisses me off so bad, he slid that line in to remind Tora of his place. Tora may call some of the shots, but at the end of the day, Vincent has the last word. *angry Tora vein twitch*  🤬🤬 Damn, those last two texts from Vincent- I want to fucking vomit. 🤮🤮 To go from complete berserk tantrum to “Oh I’m so sorry, I promise I won’t yell. I’m worried about you.” Vincent: FUCK ALL THE WAY OFF, YOU SADISTIC SON OF BITCH.  *I* want to strangle him now! Also, note that Vincent is a black void for his icon- he’s a black hole, sucking the light out of everything (okay, maybe I went a little *too* deep there, but still). Oh Tora, honey…that anger is justified, believe me. But don’t let it destroy you- that’s what I felt that little hair tie meant. 🍓🍓It’s the only brightly colored thing in that whole bleak space- a reminder of the good you have in you. If that ain’t foreshadowing, then I don’t know what is. Poppy’s got you boo, don’t give up. 🙏🙏 Okay, please excuse me while I go cry now. Jesus, what a ride. 😭😭😭

CoolerThanFriezer

Little joke but - A man that doesn't wear socks with his loafers cant be trusted.🖕I said it once and I'll say it again. Also, I love your mind so much. Thank you for posting. 💗💗💗

Shay

I’m so glad Poppy’s 🍓 hair-tie stopped him from hurting his hand. He’s super strong and that looked like a concrete wall ☹️. Also, so glad that he remembered to replace it with a regular hair tie so nobody would catch on that he might have a gf. Vincent is cray AF. Thank goodness so far it doesn’t look like he bothers Quince. He probably does or will somewhere down the line since Quince seems to be the heir to his “pure line.” Well it definitely looks like Vincent is scared or wary of Tora since he called him a “freak” in his mind. Tora has to balance staying important and enough of a threat to stay useful while not becoming so much of a threat as to not be taken out by Vincent. 🥺😭 Tora just wants to try to live a new life with his Poppy! Ugh hope Vincent gets taken out in the end...if the clan still exists and Quince took over idk what would happen. Quince doesn’t look like he’d want to take over, but he would definitely support Tora and Poppy loving their best (peaceful) life together. Their world is so dangerous and complicated idk if Quince could get out without being taken out by other members of his clan or some other clan. 😩 hope after the roller coasters to come that they all get their happy ending somehow🥺

soup

appreciate the warning re- rough week, but these panels MADE my week. amazing work lily! the visuals, the text, the subtext... really gorgeous. dare i say genius? hope that you can take a well-deserved breather this weekend or sometime soon. geniuses need and deserve rest! 💕💕💕💕💕

Lise

As always, it was worth waiting for!

annerose22

Couldn’t help but get choked up when I saw the 🍓 hair tie around Tora’s right wrist. Maybe Poppy’s guiding him in the right direction... since Tora only injured those four clansmen rather than killing them? But this episode was really intense/eye opening into Tora and Vincent’s relationship, and also Vincent as a person and his ego. Seeing Vincent smash the baby angel and saying go to hell, and then being pleased/alarmed by how dark Tora has become as he’s gotten older, to finally his choice of words at the end “It has certainly served you...quite well.” Evil personified. He doesn’t see Tora as anything more than a puppet. To “tie” it back to the beginning, even in his frustration at knowing how his life is not his own, Poppy’s hair tie was a gentle reminder of the goodness that was out there and perhaps in himself. It’s truly beautiful how Tora keeps the things he loves so close at hand from Joseph’s bracelet and ring to now Poppy’s hair tie. Joseph’s wish at planting a seed in Tora’s heart is taking root through Poppy. 🌿😭 Thank you, Lilydusk, for another amazing episode.

Kayla

So this episode answered so many questions and yet left so many! One I had a theory that Vincent might be Tora’s dad but this episode debunked that. Also him saying he wanted to keep his bloodline pure, *smells like some elitist/messed up ideology*, and also makes sense bc his woman is blonde and Quincey is blonde. Could they be related or part of some clan bloodline? Is this Targaryen shit? Two could the papers trashing Balthuman establishments and highlighting be a direct result from Tora and Gyu when he told him to check the papers tomorrow? Is Tora causing the clan to push to the brink of war? Is it to get out? To lure Goliath out? So many questions on that front. Three I find it interesting that one Goliath was apart of the Fivedagger clan and two that he got to choose his clan. Vincent mentions that he chose Tora “from all the others”. Im so curious as to what that process was. Was Tora an orphan? Did Vincent have a connection to Tora’s parents? Are Tora and Goliath brothers then or did they just become close as street thugs? I feel like this will be revealed eventually. Lastly the dynamic between Tora and Vincent is soooo much to unpack. On the surface, Vincent seems like the classic mafia leader. Bat shit crazy yet extremely calculated. In his twisted mind he really does see Tora like a “son” and is proud of him. Proud when ppl think he’s his illegitimate child even though he wants his bloodline to be pure ( I really hope she unpacks that). Proud when the other clan leaders are happy at his decision even though it went against his initial orders, granted he wasn’t specific. Praising him saying he’s smarter than Martin, Scharch, and Claude combined but Tora cuts that shit down basically saying he keeps him close bc he think Tora is easy to manipulate, blindly loyal to him and thus not smart enough to ever turn on him. Which is crazy to even have a conversation with someone like that. There’s a moment when I feel like even Vincent is intimidated by Tora, when he mentions how his aura gets more and more deadly as he gets older. And he allows Tora to say, do and act in ways no one else is allowed to. The crazy thing is we can all see that Tora absolutely hates him. That anger after him wanting to hang and reminisce of the “good old days” has so much pain behind it. He despises him and he doesn’t even pretend like this clan is a family to him the way we’ve seen others. I wonder if he ever did? Was there a time where he saw Vincent as a father? To what extent? We saw Tora going into his own apartment at a teenage age, did he grow up in Vincent’s household? Did Joseph have a had in breaking the facade and helping him realize the truth? What happened to Joseph?! Bc we can tell his love and attachment to him based on how much he values his ring and bracelet. ALSO the strawberry hair tie. THE STRAWBERRY HAIR TIE. It brings me back to when Ulaan said he would calm the lands for Yuwa at the thought of her during his weakest moment. And thats also a correlation, he cherishes the strawberry tie like he cherishes the ring and bracelet from Joseph. This is so good and I really cant wait until next week bc again I HAVE A MILLION QUESTIONS!!!!

Celeste

Daddy balthuman is about to become a major force, I reckon...

Shay

I hope the text message from Poppy says: Can you come over please Tora?ASAP! 💞

BookDragon

I might be crazy, but did anyone else notice when Tora was standing in front of the double doors in Vincent's office that the panels had little demon skulls carved there on either side of his head?

Heather Hutton

Just had a really sad thought... When and if Tora finally tells Poppy everything... I hope the dam doesn't break too hard. The psychological and physical abuse and trauma he's been through at the hands of that psycho, and we don't even know everything that happened. He is so conditioned it is sickening. I just need Pops to hold her big scary Teddybear and help him heal. I am sure Tora doesn't see Vinny as a dad, but to have your "dad" be like you're easy on the eyes... Eww you sick shit. I need to know what Poppy's text said.

Nina Castelmonti

Noolo I lost for a few seconds mi connection and all what i write just get lost 😭

Nina Castelmonti

I was saying... Its morning in Europe, and im reading this in my bed. Seems like if the boss sees in Tora the "next boss" because his real son is... soft. And maybe he choose Tora to be his right and mortal hand. Its just my perception. But Tora its so broked inside. Poor.... 😔 Tora looks spectacular in this chapter. The way he look in the boss house its wow, I just was thinking that I just cant stop to watch a guy like him. With a beauty like he have... he is like a rome sculpture. A piece of alive art in all his extension. Thank you.

Nina Castelmonti

I really liked the detail you have put into what the boss has said. As Tora grows older, his aura of death and darkness grows stronger. Very good that dialogue, excellent. I am sorry not to give more explicit details of many things that I see but many times the language prevents me from doing as I would like. And when I use the translator it is not the same, it changes words and puts meaningless sentences. Little kisses. Ciao.

Christina Agan

You know, just when I think it’s not possible to hate Vincent any more, Lily gives us this episode. A unstable, screaming, tantrum throwing, manipulative Vincent. If it was possible for me to have even a single shred of respect for the man that abused a young Tora for years, that shred is gone. He needs to go.

Christina Agan

Also, Lily, my Queen...again, I bow to your masterful use of color and light to shift the moods so rapidly. Last weeks beautiful rosy toned sunset compared to the dull, almost....sickly feel of Vincent’s rooms were jarring and noticeable. Also Tora’s apartment that green toned and muted. It really makes me feel for him. The Spartan furnishings compared to Vincent’s gaudy trinkets. It’s just such a change in surroundings. Thank you for all the INCREDIBLE work you do. This episode had me feeling physically tense and on edge, the entire time Tora was near Vincent. I felt that need to punch something almost as viscerally as Tora did by the end, and was just as startled to see the strawberry hair tie. I do hope Poppy left him a nice text message, it seems he could use it. Thank you once again, Lily. You made my night!

Rhdina

I am sure most of what I want to say has been said before by our wonderful crew here but let me put my two cents in ... This episode was so deep, after reading I had to go back to the previous episode and jeez what a jump ..the change of colours is intense! In the last episode we had lots of warm colours fitting to the mood - and then this episode, it's so dark again. And even the places Lily chose fit so well to the story. When they were kissing, they were on the roof with lots of open space. Tora's place instead reminds me of a cellar- the colours even remind me of the sewers ..how much more down can you go ..from the very top to the lowest. This might be me interpreting too much, but god that rips my heart out 😭 Another thing that really caught my interest was the power relation. On the one hand, Vincent is the one who makes all the rules and gives the orders but Tora shows us in this episode that he's definitely not without power when it comes to dealing with Vincent. As far as I understood it, it was Tora who came up with the plan to wound the men and not kill them ...I guess Vincent wanted them dead? So, Tora was the one who went against the orders and came up on top because Vincent admitted that his plan was genius. In a way it feels like Tora won this battle. However, seeing his reaction in the end- he also loses because he didn't want to be involved at all. I wonder if he agreed to do the job to protect Poppy and keep Vincent calm(er) and distracted? Even Vincent seemed surprised that Tora agreed so quickly. The power relation between those two is really interesting- it's not static; it changes and is evolving. Can't wait to see where this is going 😁

Myosotis

Intense but I loved that Tora didn't kill them. It conforts the idea he hates being a gang member

Tara Taylor

Fabulous art as always x i really did think that Vincent was pulling the statue so a secret door would open up though 🤣😂

Tara Taylor

I also loved that while Vincent was throwing a tantrum, Tora didnt move a muscle. He knows exactly how to act around Vincent. And Vincent is so manipulative. And i love the strawberry hair bobble, seeing it just calms him down instantly 😊 on a serious note though, what did Poppys text say????? I need to know!!!!😯

Martina Csiki

I've the feeling that this is not going to be a totally happy ending story. I think Quincey takes over but he will not be able to do it alone. He needs Tora...his "expertise"...his "intimidating" appearance. Even he wants to do better than his father...it is still the mafia we are talking about :/

Nina Pestner

Ommggg his hair tie made him calm down♥️💯💯💯💯💖💖 altough you onky showed us what vincents text said :(.

Liga Z

One thing popped into my mind about this "easy on the eyes" comment everyone is disgusted with. I don't think Vince meant it in a sexual, pervy way. But like Hitler, who was obsessed with this ideal looking humans being the master race and ruling others, Vincent is very particular that all his high ranking officers that he needs to interact with and represent his organization are always clean and flawless (yes, still drooling over Shing Ma and his jaw of God with that insane braid) and dressed impeccably like him (look how Martin lost it when Tora turned up drenched in blood). So he is just pointing out that he is glad his perfect monster Tora isn't a hunchback of Notra Dame that he needs to hide from everyone but can proudly (honestly can't come up with better word) throw in everyone's face as even Toras beauty can be used as a weapon to disarm and intimidate.

Chocolate Chip

Don't push yourself ❤️ thank you for all you do

saucytuggles

Darn you Patreon comment-eating goblin. Trying again: The beautiful image of water falling from his face perfectly evokes the tears he (almost) never spills nowadays. So one time in middle school I came home and my bed was gone. Yes this is about Tora, just hold on. I asked my mom where’s my bed, and she said your aunt came because they bought a summer cottage and went around to the family to get things to help furnish it. I gave her our pink dessert dishes and your bed. What am I supposed to sleep on? I said. The floor I guess, she answered. But don’t worry we’ll get you another bed. So it was about 5 years until another bed suddenly appeared, and when I tried sleeping on it was horrible. High off the ground and soft and just weird. So I piled my school books on the bed and continued to sleep on a blanket on the floor. Last time we saw Tora’s pad was Episode 1. He’s clearly cashy, and probably doesn’t need to live in a bare concrete basement, but I get why he does. It’s the same reason I kept sleeping on the floor. His real home is a bare underground concrete tunnel. He spent days there, and even walking around in the world it goes where he goes. It may sound paradoxical, but it’s his comfort zone. He knows who he is between those walls. Those bare walls aren’t a symbol of emptiness, but of familiarity. Home. Anyhoo, let’s not forget that Tora started this day off buying a muffin. I would like to brainstorm for a moment, all the best ways Lily could painfully kill Vincent. He could Disney-die and kill himself somehow like by slipping and falling off a castle roof or something – so unsatisfactory. He could be shot by a rival gang – equally unsatisfactory. Quincey could have to drive himself around one day and could run his foul ass over – not bad. Mr. Lam could buy his stupid empire and he could hang himself in shame – has some poetry to it. Shing Ma could hand him over to Scharch who in classic style could feed him to some pigs or something – oh, Shing, you didn’t! Alice, catering event, crossbow…maybe? But oh hell, let’s just have Poppy ice him. I agree with other folks that the explosive wind up to strike panel is so powerful and beautifully done. His face shows such pain and fury. But Poppy’s been touching him and he’s been grabbing her wrists since the kitty cat incident. Every time – hair tuck, hand on arm, fingers on mouth – it kind of resets him. Here it’s her hair tie touching him, on the wrist, no less, for a reset. Like he’s in a SHU (solitary housing unit aka “the hole” in prison), where a prisoner spins out by himself over and over, but here a door has appeared and suddenly there’s a possibility where there was never one before. In this case, a strawberry-shaped door. I absolutely adored the flashback structure to this episode. It created so much mystery and excitement. If this had been told in a linear fashion it would have lost so much dynamic energy. Masterful again. Also, I really want to start complimenting Lilydusk on her cinematography because I don’t think there’s any other word for it. Did you notice the timing of Psycho Jackass Daddy’s texts? 10:15 F bomb idiot!!!, 10:17 F bomb F bomb obey me, 10:20 I’m cool now what a great idea you had, 10:30 lets have supper son and reminisce about me torturing you. Cripes Lily is a GENIUS at painting villains. Okay that’s it. But remind me what’s in the morning paper, Gyu?

Barbara Viggo Enoch

Vincent talking about Tora's dark aura like he is a normal non violent citizen. I recall him carefreely cuting the throat of a young man with a fancy knife like it was butter. just saying.... A total mad narcissistic pervert man, but makes sense, he is the leader of a gang after all. Can't wait to see in which way Tora is a freak. no way he is a well balanced normal human being.

Myosotis

I just re-read it. The strawberry. It is everything

BlueCaty

This was a great episode! And so fitting after all the heart flutters the last episode gave us. I was anxiously waiting to see the relationship dynamic between Tora and Vincent and Lily did not disappoint! But before that, Tora’s apartment...gray, cold, empty, only fitting for his life. And the windows so high up meaning that he lives in a semi-basement. The fact that he has no other home for himself means that he is USED to this, makes me think how much time did he spend locked in that deep cage? Because the cage was also in semi-basement. „This is the only life I’ve ever known”- his words, foreshadowing from the balcony episode. This is obviously not a home, but Tora does not know what a home is, this is why he looked so bewildered at Poppy’s place, studying all the trinkets, books, plants and useless stuff that warm up a place and give it life. The way he acts around Vincent – he is so smart. Yes, he is traumatized by this man, but it goes beyond that, his survival instinct is extremely powerful and the pupil has surpassed the master in terms of training. While Vincent cannot hide his rage, cannot control it and smashes whatever object he grabs, Tora is keeping his cool, puts up the silence wall and the stoic look, waits for Vincent to finish his tantrum because he knows how that man works, he knows that after he calms down he will think and come up with a solution. This is exactly what V does. The smoking may be the only way we are lead to know that Tora is also frightened by V, he smokes when anxious, one more reason to keep his temper around that man. V calling him a son is so twisted but also a masterful manipulation method. Tora’s stance with his arms crossed over his chest – this is body language – shield from the man in front of him, also symbol that he is not telling the whole truth, that Tora hides something (Poppy, his distaste for the man, his fear). Vince smashing the statue – he likes pretty things but has no problem destroying them, they mean nothing to him (the same way he destroys Tora’s spirit), they are only means to an end, to make him look good, powerful and handsome by association. Pick Tora from all the rest of the children for his dark aura? – oh, my imagination has gone wild, so very psycho of V – he needed the perfect weapon. And that was exactly what he has forged – a deadly weapon, his own personal hitman. Only that the narcissistic nature of Vincent will be also his downfall because although he can see how much stronger Tora is, he is also in denial about how smart could he have become after so many years learning from the best. I also want to talk about the colors – every time Tora is alone or in the company of Vincent, during clan dealings, on the streets the colors contain gray, greenish, darker shades as opposed to when he is with Poppy, where brighter colors emerge: rosy, yellow, orange, warmer hues and tones. Every time Poppy enters his world, her light fades a little and she is also touched by these darker shades – into Quincy’s apartment, for example, Quincy being an extension of his father in some sort, on Ares street and now the strawberry. Oh my God, the strawberry hair tie, which was so bright in Poppy’s palm on the rooftop, now in the cold Tora’s bathroom it has the same grayish shade as all the rest. The fact that Poppy is already a beacon of light for him and that she has a beautiful power over him is so wonderfully put together by Lily in the last scenes where he stops in the middle of an angry fit, because of one little thing that represents her. To wish to be a better man because of that little woman, that is love and although Tora does not know it now, her influence will guide him (hopefully) out of his cages both spiritual and physical. Thank you, Lily! Your art is a feast for the eyes AND for the mind!

Oreocatpicklepie

@Lilydusk I’m really sorry I took a screenshot of one of the episodes on webtoon by accident I promise I didn’t mean to😭

TicklemeAli

I guess we can say Tora has 20/20 vision... huehuehuehuehue I’ll let myself out 🍓

noonanoonayay

I can totally see Vincent as a character if the show Archer was still airing. 😂 And of course Archer would completely turn the mood of the episode if he were in Tora's shoes lol

JanieSmalls

Oh Tora! This episode really hit home to me how much hurt he’s in for. He’s spent the better part of his life ignoring his emotions and actively “shutting them off”. Poppy is making him feel all sorts of good things, but unfortunately you can’t choose which emotions you want to feel. Once you start opening yourself up to the good things, all that nasty stuff you’ve been hiding away comes barreling to the surface. It’s gonna hurt, and I’m fully expecting some serious attempts at pushing Poppy away. I’m holding out hope that this fierce little hamster can guide him with love and not get drained in the process.

pdinnny

Lily, what is the thing on the floor at Tora's place? It's right above the dialogue "But the men have refused to provide statement, and with good reason" (sry if this is repeat question, didn't see it above).

pdinnny

Thanks you! ::weeps for the half naked scene that could have been:: 😅

Vita

Goliath Timeline I am planning to post twice cause I had a LOT of thoughts on this chapter! I ended making a timeline for myself regarding Goliath’s activities and how they relate to Tora. My thoughts and theories are not completely all together on this one, but the wheels are definitely turning! Any, here is my timeline of events below! 1. We know Tora, Quincy, and Goliath were childhood friends. And that Tora likely met Poppy when she was younger (Chapter 10) Goliath and Tora, in particular, are very close – based on the picture we see of them together (Chapter 2) 2. Goliath used to work as a waiter in a waffle house (Chapter 10) 3. We know Goliath would make recordings of his business interactions based on a conversation between Tora and Gyu. He likely did this for leverage in case he needed to use it (Chapter 23) 4. Goliath becomes a mafia boss with his own clan – Ninedaggers – but gets caught by the police. Maybe he gets caught cause he’s a newbie boss (Chapter 2 and 36) 5. Goliath ends up betraying Tora to the police since Tora is a “bigger fish.” Tora gets arrested. This may have happened during Vincent’s 60th birthday party when the police came to Ares St (Chapter 1, 2 and 4) 6. Someone is leaking information to the police via video recordings. That guy that works at the waffle house found a video on Modi Suzuki in Goliath’s storage box. Connecting those dots – Goliath is the police informant and provides them with video evidence (Chapter 10 and 23) 7. Goliath and his notebook go missing (Chapter 1) 8. We have an inclining of what is in the notebook – Tora said the page he found had a list of names of politicians and clan leaders (Chapter 2 and 23) My not-well-fleshed-out theory: I believe Goliath went missing because his clan realized he was the one leaking information to the police and took him out. His clan is now capitalizing on their leader’s disappearance and blaming the Balthuman Clan to take their “revenge” and weaken their powerful rival. Meanwhile, they know of the existence of the notebook with incriminating evidence and are looking for it as well. Additionally, Tora might be a new informant for the police, Officer Lane, in particular, to take down an even bigger fish – Vincent (Chapter 4 and 18). But I am not convinced of this particular theory yet. Anyway, this timeline made it easier for me to put some of the pieces together. Still not 100% sure on the bigger picture, but I’d love to see the theories you guys come up with! Also, let me know if I’ve missed anything big in the Goliath timeline!

Alex

Poor tora, I think part of the reason he was about to punch that wall was not just out of fear and outrage over what Vincent texted him I think it’s also cause deep down even tho Vincent has treated him so awfully and he knows it, I think tora deep down still wants his love and approval, which he knows he will never get from Vincent since 1. Vincent is a manipulative sociopath, and 2. Vincent clearly stated that he can’t have that cause tora would impure the bloodline of his family tree. Which is like umm hypocritical much dude?? 🤦‍♀️ 😠

Vita

THE NIGHT IS LONG AND FULL OF TORA! Sorry, is it too soon for a GoT reference?? 😁 We knew this chapter would be dark thematically, and it definitely was! Here is my second post on the thread and my thoughts on the chapter! 🤗🤗 Apartment Analysis His apartment is so sparse! I’m sure he has money, but he obviously doesn’t use it to make his space feel like home. I bet he limits the amount of stuff he has so that we can leave quickly when the need arises. In a way, he’s always on the run. The contrast is so stark between his apartment and Poppy’s. I’m sure too that at some point Poppy will visit and we will see it through her eyes. It’s so interesting to see what Tora values enough to buy though! Like the guitar and the video games. Also, is it weird I want to know what scent his soap is??? 👀👀 And I have to spend a minute on the fact that he loves shoes! Precious bean!! 🥰🥺 We see his distress in one of the earlier chapters when his new pair get ruined with blood. And in this week’s episode, we see him purposefully change out of his regular pair to keep them from getting ruined. Love seeing that little window into what he likes! Tora and Vincent I think the contradicting comment was regarding Vincent’s obsession over the notebook, while simultaneously saying he doesn’t care about it. Which makes sense because he cares that the notebook humiliated him, but he doesn’t necessarily care about what’s inside. That was Tora’s way of getting back on topic on why Vincent called him over. Vincent totally likes to hear himself talk… Both Poppy and Tora are both masters of disguise in their own way. He plays down to his intelligence with his “I’m just the muscle” comment. By downplaying his intelligence, he hides one of his most essential assets. Sound familiar?? I’m looking at you, Poppy! When it comes to intimidation, we already know that Tora has mastered himself to express exactly what he wants to express. Like that full-on death glare to Vincent. Using both of these traits, Tora purposefully manipulated his express and the conversation when he realized what Vincent wanted. But he did not explicitly agree to do anything. He only asked for names and Vincent made his own assumptions as to what that would mean. Which allowed Tora to act with his conscious to the best he could given the circumstance. That comment about dark aura? I think that is just Tora having mastered his emotions. And Vincent using “son” to manipulate Tora. OOOOOFFFFF! 😓😭 Tora he must have been so confused growing up with Vincent as a father figure – until he met Joe and other positive role models. And it still must haunt him, that there is a part of him that sees Vincent as a father. He had so much raw emotion after he read Vincent’s text that validated Tora’s actions. We didn’t see Tora get visibly upset when Vincent was cursing at him. NOPE! We saw it when Vincent was being nice to him. With the pattern of abuse Tora faced at his hand, there must have been a small part of Tora that felt glad to gain that validation from his abuser. And we saw him almost punch the mirror because he was disgusted at himself for those feelings. I hope he saved Poppy’s text to open after on purpose, to end his day with something good instead of the manipulative crap from Vincent! The Notebook (not the movie) I’m convinced Poppy knows and is hiding the notebook!! I mentioned this on in a comment last week, but I wanted to mention it again. I think it has been INCREDIBLY telling that when Tora and Poppy are together on the roof and in Poppy’s apartment and are talking along the lines of the notebook and mafia business, we have been hearing TORA’S thoughts, not Poppy’s. We just don’t know what Poppy is thinking other than she IS thinking. Like, I would not have guessed her thoughts were what they were after the apartment dinner! This brings me to Vincent’s comment “assuming the notebook does exist…”. Wouldn’t it be wild if Poppy destroyed the notebook to protect Tora or something along those lines? That’d be a wild plot twist! What move that would be on Lily’s end!! 🤣🤣🤣 Tora and Violence Did Tora always have a distaste for violence, or did he learn it? If he learned it, where was that from? Probably from Quincy, Gyu, Alice, and Joe. We can only imagine at this point the type of trauma that Vincent would have put Tora through. I think he was able to withstand the abuse because of the support system he had. What we do know is that Tora does indeed have a distaste for violence!! Case in point, he does not kill the men in the most recent chapter like Vincent wanted. Additionally, when Tora is alone, we see him visibly shaken in Chapter 5 after Vincent kills a man and we get insight into what he thinks of himself in Chapter 34 with his conversation with Gyu. Going one step further, Tora is a good person at his core with a great capacity for kindness and selflessness. Here are the examples: when he helps the girl in the photo in chapter 10, the fact that he is willing to save Goliath in chapter 1 DESPITE his betrayal, and when he saves Poppy from falling off the tree. All this happened BEFORE he started to develop a relationship with Poppy. This brings me to a very subtle point. Poppy doesn’t make Tora a better person, he ALREADY is a good person. What she does is open the door for him to imagine another life. But she doesn’t change who he is at his core!! Lily is breaking out of that tired narrative mold that when we meet the right person, we will become a better person. That’s not how real-life works!!! People can’t change you! YOU CHANGE YOU!! 💯💯💯 That's not to say that they can't bring out better qualities in each out, we have seen them already do just that. Just that Tora is already cinnamon roll at his core and Poppy creates the atmosphere for Tora to just be himself. To not wear the facade he is forced to wear when he is with the clan. In addition to that, Tora has had other people that have helped guide him - Quincy, Gyu, Alice, Joe, and probably the other Ares Street King boys. They are the reason he is who he is now, someone that does not have a taste for hurting other people, not Poppy. We have already seen Joe and Alice help him cope with his lifestyle in the past because he has never seen a way out. When he spends time with Poppy, it is the first time he really thinks about “what if?” That subtlety! YAAAAAS! Which makes it even more precious that he wears Poppy’s 🍓🍓 hair tie on one arm and Joe’s bracelet on the other. They are a symbol both of who he strives to be and the future he can only start to hope for. Though I get the impression that Tora hides the strawberry when he’s in public for Poppy’s safety. This brings me to perhaps an unpopular desire: Tora saves Tora from the mafia. Poppy is there for support and to show him a better life is after. The inverse is true for Poppy. She is already a badass bitch, but she is just starting to figure that out for herself. Lily – you have me writing ESSAYS!! I have never done this willingly for anything I have read in the past. Thank you so much for creating a story with so much food for thought and an environment to share it too!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

MzsOddball

Hello everyone, I’ve been lurking in the comments for some time now but… now I want to do some theories here, assuming the story is somewhat trying to be as realistic or plausible as possible. Forgive me if it sounds like gibberish though, first time posing and I’m trying to get the thoughts out. Also, I apologize if other people have had these theories too, I just haven’t gotten around to reading ALL of the comments because it takes me a while to write these things. When one is an enforcer for a criminal organization, they lead two different lives and CANNOT cross or else, that enforcer is as good as dead. For Tora, he cannot allow anything, including Poppy, distract him from his work or he can easily get killed or get her killed. So, when he’s on the job, that’s where his focus is. In this case, Tora had one specific assignment - to assassinate four people. How these things generally work is that a hitman is not given names or any information on their target prior to the hit… they are given locations. If they have ANY prior knowledge of their target, there is an increase likelihood of hesitation and therefore, a failed mission. So, while we saw that Tora asked for names, there’s a likelihood that he wasn’t given names, but the location and when he got to his job site, he saw exactly who he was to hit… and wasn’t particularly happy about it. Remember they photograph from Goliath’s stash of all those young boys? Where are those boys now? Probably alive and well, but in a rival gang. From that photo, we can almost assume that those boys were friends and it’s a possibility that Tora had been ordered to kill four of them. Imagine being a hitman, being sent to a job site, and find out the last minute that your targets are four former friends (and maybe the friendship ended because they ended up in rival gangs, not by choice). Tora decided very last second to carry out the job by making the strategic decision and not kill them, but scare them (and it worked). I don’t think Tora has a distaste for violence or else he would never be where he is, he’s very desensitized to it and needs to be, or else… I’d fear for his and Poppy’s safety. In this world, one has to be ruthlessly pragmatic, or they’re dead. I know people are calling Balthuman a cry baby and only caring about his reputation. The thing about these criminal organizations is that respect and reputation is EVERYTHING - especially to the leader. Insubordination usually results in heavy discipline and even death (and even though Tora actually did a very good job in his assignment, he’s likely going to face disciplinary measures for being disobedient, not death though because Balthuman is not stupid enough to kill his best man). It’s a little weird that while Tora is supposedly an elite level member, the others don’t seem to give him that respect. Again, I’m basing this on how real-ilife criminal organizations work. Real-life gang members value respect so much that it kinda puts regular civilians to shame to be honest. So, Balthuman had a very good reason to be pretty upset because one does not make a fool out of the mob boss. As for the ending… Tora was already upset when he walked in to his place. He was so despondent that he didn’t even look at Poppy’s message or Vincent’s message until 20 missed calls later. This is assuming that the theory above is correct, and the last messages from Vincent was the straw that broke the camel’s back that pretty much triggered Tora to almost break his hand. Fear not for Tora in terms of him potentially slipping up and exposing his vulnerabilities (like, people were worried he was going to forget to take off the hair tie). People like him do not make mistakes like that. Everything he has done up to this point has been methodical. He had one main objective: find the notebook. Oh, this girl has it, okay then charm her to see if she has the notebook. Everything else was incidental (which is a good thing because every moment he spends with Poppy or doing things for her, he’s learning to be more…. human). I just hope that it doesn’t interfere with his abilities to keep himself alive because the threat of not waking up the next day is very real to him. Oh, and about Goliath… he’s likely to be alive, but severely injured and missing, and his gang may actually be looking for him (he could’ve contacted them as well to save him from whatever he was running from). If he had gotten killed, there would have been no evidence of that by the time Poppy stumbled in to that mess (hitman are VERY good at cleaning up). Unfortunately, that means that his gang will figure out that she was there because… I don’t think she has gotten around to removing that scooter. And it could be registered to her name because she bought it, or registered to her ex’s name because it was a gift to him… either way, it will be traced back to her. Poppy might have the notebook. Poor Tora thinks she’s calm therefore she hasn’t read it. But we all know that Poppy is very good at hiding things and being deceptive. One theory is she did read it and didn’t understand it because it might have been cyphered (coded, common practice in criminal organizations). Or she read it and saw Tora’s name… and then started Googling Balthuman and saw the link she didn’t want to click… and was trying to see for herself if he’s as dangerous as the notebook would indicate. I just hope Tora doesn’t get too upset when he finds out she had the notebook the whole time (which meant that he would find out that she lied as well when he asked if she found anything else). Or better yet… I hope he doesn’t find out the hard way.

Cynthia

I knew Tora was thinking something along the lines of “fuck you, vincent”, but to see it and know that’s exactly what he says is so satisfying.

Krystal

That sentiment was DEFINITELY communicated. We didn't miss it at all.

caseyjarryn

I'm concerned about Vincent alluding to Tora's good looks being one of the reasons he 'keeps him around'.... I hate Vincent enough already without him also being a sexual predator!!

Katie

The added in dialogue just destroyed what was left of my heart 😭 even though it was there without being there, to see him say it took the emotion to another level.

~LostSoul~

I really really wanna know what the bobby message says but..1. Tora is not in the right headspace to read (tho I almost feel like it would make him feel better) and 2. I know Lily will reveal it when it's meant to be....

patience

@Lily, Was Tora getting ready to give Vincent the paper he found from the notebook before Vincent went hulk-smash? Or was that just his cigarettes? It's been eating at me since the episode dropped.

patience

Oh ok. I was going all tin foil over here.

HappyCamper

It’s so relate able when Tora just watches Vincent’s tantrum and doesn’t need react. When you have a parent with such a bad temper, you really begin to find it pathetic and immature after awhile. It becomes like watching a child throw a tantrum. It still hurts, but more on a level of disappointment in them.

Lee4992

I know Lily is already setting this up but I totally see the meek Poppy being Tora’s savior and not just emotionally. I see them falling deeply in love and to preserve it they have to run away together and make a new start somewhere and Poppy supporting the two of them while Tora figures out how to assimilate into civilian life, maybe becoming a a MMA instructor or personal trainer and going back to school. I think Tora deserves to be cared for and Poppy is the super hero to save him.

Celia Mitchell

You know... I went back and watched me some Buffy this week and there's a quote from Spike that came back to me that applies so much to Tora and Poppy: "I know I'm a monster, but you treat me like a man."

Rachel Akau

Well... none of this bodes well. Hmm. Very happy Tora still has the strawberry hair tie.

The Breakdown (formerly Vicky Chang)

I don’t know if anyone has talked about this yet (my phone and computer are too old to load 400+ comments) but I just realized how differently we meet Quincey vs. Vincent and what different people they are. Quincey is nothing like his father (he’s actually got a Poppy-esque aura), and I would even deem them opposites (Quincey freaks out at blood/violence and writes sexy romance novels while his father treats humans like objects - I think the Cupid-like statue that Vincent destroyed was symbolic of Tora in Tora’s childhood), but Tora interacts with the both of them in largely the same fashion: passive stance/nonchalant attitude, straightforward, smoking (which seems to be a subtle stress-relieving trait? Since he doesn’t really smoke around Poppy, which likely means she actually relaxes him and causes him to let down his guard). I wonder if Tora KNOWS that once Vincent dies Tora’s life could very likely change for the much better or if Tora believes Quincey will still end up like Vincent somehow despite their insane personality differences. I wonder if Vincent was like Quincey before, too, but was changed by his own father to be vindictive and violent and cruel. I can’t help but be both hopeful and worried now seeing the polar opposition between Quincey and his father’s characters. Quincey represents the potential for Tora’s life to change and be a 180 degree turn from his current state if Quincey’s character remains the same as it started, but Vincent represents how Quincey can be changed or possibly turn out to keep Tora trapped in the chains of violence and revenge and clan wars. It’s amazing how two supposedly side characters can determine the fate of the mains!! Amazingly done with this episode, Lilydusk!!! Thank you for the phenomenal thought and depth you put into your comic and story!!

Jackie Bellamy

He didn’t kill them because he was thinking of Poppy and how she would possibly react!?!?! Anyone else see that? Or am I being delusional??? It makes sense, especially since the hair tie calmed him down in The end!!! 🍓🍓🥰😍🥰😍 Vincent is loosing his “muscle”. Tora is clearly over everything this man has to say. This could have very well started way before he met Poppy and it just kind of amplified after meeting her. Lily did an amazing job this episode in giving us a peek into the “relationship” of Tora and Vincent.

Kiwi

I've mostly been quiet on here but I really wanted to say that Lily, your storytelling is amazing! You show so much about a character in little to no words. Brilliant! I also love that even though we're here for the romance journey with poppy and Tora, their individual journey is just as compelling!

Elena Riley

Idk if someone’s already talked about this cause I haven’t had a chance to read all the comments but why is Tora’s apartment so meh cause we know Tora gets paid pretty well he has a nice car we’ve seen him hand poppy just a whole wad of cash he pays for two steaks at that fancy restaurant and then just gives them to Guyu and immediately afterwards orders a bunch of sushi at the other place. So clearly he has enough money to have a nice apartment or atleast nicer than that one so why doesn’t he?

Mariana Mahe

I believe his live is so uncertain that he doesn't make any effort about build a home... is more like just a room... I believe he is saving money because I believe he plans to leave the mafia... But it is just a theory that I can not explain without spoilers... so I don't know if it is the place to talk about...