I have been reading bls for a LONG time, and I've read quite a lot, ive read red flags, black flags, literally the worst characters you can think of. Never in my reading history have iever hated an ML more than i hate this fucker. this is gonnabe a long ass rant btw im of the opinion that you can write toxic and abusive relationships, and you can write them well and in a way that the readers can enjoy them, but THIS????? so insanely bad that its not even funny like, I'm fine, good even, with abusive tops. I think they can be written in a compelling way, and they make for interesting characters in darker stories. I love angst, so when a story actually ends tragically, with the MC ending up with his rapist/abusive partner/just a bad person in general, I EAT IT UP, I think its interesting to explore even those darker situations. but the thing is, it has to be clear and/or implied that its a bad ending. that its a bad thing, a tragic thing. that the abusive partner is a bad person, who's doing something bad. here, the ML is such a fucking shitty person and its in no way shape or form addressed by the author, the story, of the characters. and it goes all the way back to the beginning of the story, when ML just started spanking MC for shits and giggles, which was later literally never addressed. every time the bottom ends up in a shitty situation (and yes, some are results of his own choices but that's literally besides the point) the ML acts like its MC's fault that he got raped and literally punishes him for it. like what??????? and again, i would have NO problem with it if it was framed as being a bad thing. in the latest chapters MC is literally shaking in fear of the ML, and the author and the story still frames the ML as the good guy in the situation. like the bottom repeatedly tells the top to stop, to get away, that it hurts, and the top hurts him more as punishment for not doing what he says. which again, I would have NO problems with if it was written in a way that made it clear, or even just implied, that the ML is doing something bad. but it is clearly being framed as romantic, as nothing out of the ordinary. like, I'm a BIG fan of toxic relationships, and I love when they're literally insane and even when they hurt each other, but you have to frame it as such. like, you cant write a toxic, abusive, and a rapist ML and then tell me its a green flag. its not. and its okay that he's not, just don't try to sell me the story as if its something its not. like wdym you're punishing the bottom for being drugged and raped for days on end, and you try to gaslight the bottom and me into believing its romantic?????? you literally FORCE the bottom to have your name tattooed and then act like its a normal thing to do????? wich by the way, I'm into that kind of shit. I LOVE marking. Just don't try to sell me gold when its clearly just painted yellow. so I guess the real problem I have is with the author pretending the story is something different than what it actually is. like, imagine the same story told as a phycological tragedy, with the bottom being manipulated and slowly convinced to trust the top and mind broken. slowly descending into his tragic ending. literally what's happening but actually framed as what it is. wouldn't it be better? idk idek if anything I've said is comprehensible but idk like take beasts of desire, the ML is clearly a bad person and rapes the bottom repeatedly, but I have no problem with it. like, yes, they will end up together, but it is clearly framed as a bad thing, what the top did/does. its like, here, we're supposed to take the top's side and that its the bottom's fault and I just think that's an absolutely insane thing to do???????? idk idk idk anyway I could go in and on and on but im tired now so peace
I have been reading bls for a LONG time, and I've read quite a lot, ive read red flags, black flags, literally the worst characters you can think of.
Never in my reading history have iever hated an ML more than i hate this fucker.
this is gonnabe a long ass rant btw
im of the opinion that you can write toxic and abusive relationships, and you can write them well and in a way that the readers can enjoy them, but THIS????? so insanely bad that its not even funny
like, I'm fine, good even, with abusive tops. I think they can be written in a compelling way, and they make for interesting characters in darker stories.
I love angst, so when a story actually ends tragically, with the MC ending up with his rapist/abusive partner/just a bad person in general, I EAT IT UP, I think its interesting to explore even those darker situations.
but the thing is, it has to be clear and/or implied that its a bad ending. that its a bad thing, a tragic thing. that the abusive partner is a bad person, who's doing something bad.
here, the ML is such a fucking shitty person and its in no way shape or form addressed by the author, the story, of the characters. and it goes all the way back to the beginning of the story, when ML just started spanking MC for shits and giggles, which was later literally never addressed.
every time the bottom ends up in a shitty situation (and yes, some are results of his own choices but that's literally besides the point) the ML acts like its MC's fault that he got raped and literally punishes him for it.
like what??????? and again, i would have NO problem with it if it was framed as being a bad thing.
in the latest chapters MC is literally shaking in fear of the ML, and the author and the story still frames the ML as the good guy in the situation.
like the bottom repeatedly tells the top to stop, to get away, that it hurts, and the top hurts him more as punishment for not doing what he says. which again, I would have NO problems with if it was written in a way that made it clear, or even just implied, that the ML is doing something bad. but it is clearly being framed as romantic, as nothing out of the ordinary.
like, I'm a BIG fan of toxic relationships, and I love when they're literally insane and even when they hurt each other, but you have to frame it as such. like, you cant write a toxic, abusive, and a rapist ML and then tell me its a green flag. its not. and its okay that he's not, just don't try to sell me the story as if its something its not.
like wdym you're punishing the bottom for being drugged and raped for days on end, and you try to gaslight the bottom and me into believing its romantic?????? you literally FORCE the bottom to have your name tattooed and then act like its a normal thing to do?????
wich by the way, I'm into that kind of shit. I LOVE marking. Just don't try to sell me gold when its clearly just painted yellow.
so I guess the real problem I have is with the author pretending the story is something different than what it actually is. like, imagine the same story told as a phycological tragedy, with the bottom being manipulated and slowly convinced to trust the top and mind broken. slowly descending into his tragic ending. literally what's happening but actually framed as what it is. wouldn't it be better? idk
idek if anything I've said is comprehensible but idk like take beasts of desire, the ML is clearly a bad person and rapes the bottom repeatedly, but I have no problem with it. like, yes, they will end up together, but it is clearly framed as a bad thing, what the top did/does. its like, here, we're supposed to take the top's side and that its the bottom's fault and I just think that's an absolutely insane thing to do???????? idk idk idk
anyway I could go in and on and on but im tired now so peace