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This and Killing Stalking is Psychological manhwa done right!
Trope like this should make you feel uncomfortable not 'entertained' or 'arouse'. That's how you know it stimulated your brain more than anything else. And that's how you know it's different from bl manhwas that seems to tag itself as 'Psychological' but are actually just 'kink-fuel'.
To my dear authors... YOU DON"T NEED TOXICITY FOR YOUR STORY TO SELL.
Sure, there are consumers who love good rough smut, including me; but don't treat us readers like idiots who ignore the plot and only care about spice. At least, not me.
A strong story doesn't even need explicit scenes to be brilliant (Lost in the Clouds proves that). And no, I'm not only looking for fluff. I want complex, layered characters and dark themes. So, I'm calling Flashlight out not out of "moral outrage", but because the plot simply isn't good enough to justify Aaron's actions. The non-con and confinement scenes feel totally out of place.
Everyone has kinks and fetishes, and I get that this is an outlet. But you can still call out an author when the story stops delivering on quality (some of these stories get a pass coz of the artwork. Never mind if the story is ass.)
If a story uses dark tropes, it needs compelling reason and well execution to back it up. I’ve read hundreds of works featuring non-con, but those elements were grounded in hard-hitting narratives. Pure jealousy between a supposedly romantic couple, on the other hand, doesn't make any sense.
"Killing Stalking" is polarizing, but it’s widely recognized for its strong execution. "Ouroboros" is less mainstream, but it's one of the few BL manhwas that tackles trauma and PTSD genuinely well. These two are psychological drama done right! They make you feel uncomfortable because dark tropes should make you feel uncomfortable, not just entertained or aroused. That’s how you know a story is stimulating your brain, and that’s what separates a true psychological drama from a series that uses the tag as cover for kink-fuel.
"Oh, but Flashlight isn't psychological!"
Well, then damn... that was the only way the author could have made this work. If it's not a psychological then, how is Yujin supposed to accept this? How is Aaron supposed to recover from this?
My dear authors, people talk about your work because of shock value might bring temporary fame, but it's for all the wrong reasons. I hope you know a good story will always stand on its own.