erm

i know packing a whole plot into a few chapters is difficult, but the pacing is so snappy which makes it difficult to actually connect with the characters. the author doesn't show any good trait that the characters have, so we're left with tired archetypes: a pushy clingy seme, cranky older uke who hurt his ex's feelings in some way, and the one female character who has to be the bad guy in the main gay relationship. why did the uke and his ex break up? what made him fall in love with someone he considered annoying and obsessive? am i supposed to wish for these people's happiness?

there's a oneshot that shows a couple's relationship throughout a couple of decades using flower motifs, and their characterization somehow manages to still be more in depth despite the numerous life events, ambiguity, the big time gap between scenes. a plot as simple as this bl should've made the pacing more loose and the characterization easier, but ig not lmao