Honestly, more than the SA (and we all saw it coming, tbh; we just hoped really hard that this time would be different), it’s the poor quality of the writing that makes me pause. The dialogue is so weak. I mean, Flashlight has never been particularly subtle to begin with, but reading this chapter was genuinely cringe. They kept saying the same things in different ways throughout the entire chapter. It was so bad, so flat and underwhelming. Like, it’s been a YEAR since they last saw each other. We were all waiting for their meeting, why make it happen so fast in such a meh way? Where is the tension? The real angst (because hell no SA doesn't count as angst in my vocab)? Okay, they can lie, they can pretend, but at least give us something in the unspoken moments, in their eyes, their expressions. Where is the chemistry these two were so famous for? It feels like they’ve completely lost their spark, and THAT is what I find truly disappointing. I’m not trying to normalize SA, but as sad as it is, as BL readers, we can’t pretend it isn’t a recurring trope in these stories, which is honestly disheartening in itself. Disappointed but not surprised, yet again.
Honestly, more than the SA (and we all saw it coming, tbh; we just hoped really hard that this time would be different), it’s the poor quality of the writing that makes me pause. The dialogue is so weak. I mean, Flashlight has never been particularly subtle to begin with, but reading this chapter was genuinely cringe.
They kept saying the same things in different ways throughout the entire chapter. It was so bad, so flat and underwhelming. Like, it’s been a YEAR since they last saw each other. We were all waiting for their meeting, why make it happen so fast in such a meh way? Where is the tension? The real angst (because hell no SA doesn't count as angst in my vocab)? Okay, they can lie, they can pretend, but at least give us something in the unspoken moments, in their eyes, their expressions. Where is the chemistry these two were so famous for? It feels like they’ve completely lost their spark, and THAT is what I find truly disappointing.
I’m not trying to normalize SA, but as sad as it is, as BL readers, we can’t pretend it isn’t a recurring trope in these stories, which is honestly disheartening in itself. Disappointed but not surprised, yet again.