It genuinely feels like BL authors are competing to see how far they can push the ML into being toxic before readers finally ask, “WHY THE FUCK WAS THIS STORY WRITTEN?”
Like they keep taking things people already despise and stacking them together until the character is basically a walking red flag with a pretty face. And then they slap “TOXIC” on it like that automatically makes the writing interesting.
At this point, toxicity has gone beyond toxic. We're entering radioactive waste levels of bullshit. And the worst part is, the characters barely have any remorse for the shit they do, while the narrative somehow expects us to sit there and find them attractive or romantic.
Like authors, PLEASE. Toxicity isn't a personality. Suffering isn't character development. And making an ML increasingly horrible doesn't magically make the plot deeper.
I'm beyond, BEYOND, BEYOND frustrated at this point.
imo i think the sheer cruelty makes it more interesting and angsty. unlike other authors, this author doesn't leave a small 'out' to justify forgiveness or a happy reconciliation, such as misunderstandings, evil external factors trying to take down ml, a secret past where mc committed a wrong against ml, etc. ml is straight-up terrible and his crimes have consequences that last (actually the manhwa didn't include smth he did in the novel that makes him worse). anway this means the author knows what they're doing. The more horrible the ml, the more he will grovel and regret (and that's basically the whole point of the story, not a love story). The author doesn't bend over backwards to pin blame on other factors to make ml less condemnable; the story emphasizes that everything that follows is his karma.
I mean I've read shit ton of toxic yaois. This is the first that has no communication( even a bad misunderstood one is better at this rate) and no feelings( from both sides) ....like nothing. They are just total strangers. king rapes him and thats it? The fuck dude.