A thread about King's Maker's themes & its massive content warnings because I think it's easy to forget that a lot of things in it can be very triggering for ppl. Despite its important messages about these things, KM does contain pedophilia, abuse, death, blood, & gore. (1/11)

Ppl are recommending KM w/out trigger warnings for new readers & it's dangerous to let people go into this story blind. The biggest conflict of the story is the pedophilia, & though it is always being condemned by the protags, it STILL exists and can be a problem for some. (2/11)

One of the biggest appeals of King's Maker is that it is SUCH a cathartic read. It's painful. It will make you angry & uncomfortable. However, if you can stick with it to the end, it's like a huge weight has been lifted off your OWN shoulders; not just the characters. (3/11)

Very rarely do we get stories that deal w/ troubling topics & actually get to have a fleshed out narrative that doesn't try to sympathize or romanticize the very thing it was intended to criticize. And that is VERY important to why I personally hold the story so dear. (4/11)

Haga & KJY openly said KM is about love & its different forms but what it's also about is overcoming trauma— that those who support us in our endeavor of putting an end to the sources of our trauma are some of the most intimate relationships we form. (5/11)

KM tells readers that victims aren't helpless. We, like Shin, are capable of taking things into our own hands & fighting back no matter how big or small. That sometimes, our great victories come at great losses, & that we shouldn't let those losses determine our fate. (6/11)

KM tells you that your pain & anger are JUSTIFIED. It is your right to feel wronged by your abusers & it's your choice to do what you want with that information. Revolt, rebellion, revolution, etc. those all rely on our shared pain— our desire for change. (7/11)

Also, people REALLY don't know how to write kids anymore & while Wolfgang (kinda) & Shin are pretty mature for their age, it is no doubt that they are STILL CHILDREN in a very messed up situation. Like Avatar: The Last Airbender, they were forced to grow up fast. (8/11)

The amount of times I've reread KM since I first read it 2 months ago feels JUST as fulfilling as the first, and I know many fans feel the same. Due to everything I've mentioned, I think it's easy to forget JUST how heavy the content is when recommending KM to others. (9/11)

I haven't personally recommended the story to people online, but I have to a few of my friends irl. I REALLY try to be careful to let them know that a BIG part of the story is about pedantry, dealing with the EVILS of oppressive leaders, and that pedophilia is WRONG. (10/11)

TLDR; If you are sensitive to the topic of pedantry, even if it is written in a negative light as abuse victims & their friends actively try to bring an end to their shared abuser, do not read king's maker. Or just be wary that it exists as a big conflict in the story! (11/11)

I love this story so much & how it approaches trauma w/ SUCH nuance. I wanna share it w/ the world like so many of us do but lets try & do better for our pals who need content warnings first! I'm pinning this thread to my profile & will use it in my source tweets from now on <3