Fuckers getting me mad

I am wondering the same, the art is beautiful, but the plot and the dialogues are awful… I think I have read the word “portrait” like 10000 of times in just two chapters

For me it's the revenge, mixed with feelings of confusion due to the nature of sex. There is a subtlety in the plot that puts all the characters against one another, in a very raw emotional flurry of action and reaction between everyone involved where obsession is rampant and revenge puts everything in motion. It's not a happy story in the least but I personally think it's amazing. The images make up for the lack of actual dialogue, expressions relay so much.

I'm not saying I'm smarter than anyone for this opinion or anything, I'm just explaining why I love this story so much so that I was able to read the whole thing in only two sittings.

bc people like to project and entertain the idea of having a horrible but ~sexy~ lover without having to deal with real life consequences. like sky diving; you just want the adrenaline rush with all the safety measures without actually having to fall to your death.

Not me, I don't know if you happened to read my reply (I know you were replying to the original comment) but I don't think the rape is sexy at all. I think of it as both a vehicle for revenge as well as a way to have both characters involved to have more complicated feelings toward one another than just hate. Kind of like rape itself. Don't get me wrong, it's terrible and horrible and anyone who does anything to anyone without their consent is a terrible person period; but that doesn't mean that when being touched in a sensitive area, although roughly and against your will, can't also feel arousing. I won't say it feels good cause honestly it doesn't. It just makes you slightly horny, and when horny, oxytocin is released which is often referred to as the “love” hormone.

With this story specifically, he's not even technically being raped. Don't get me wrong, in the moment he wants nothing to do with it, but his over all plan is to have sex with him so he gets poisoned by the toxin and dies. So Emperor douchenozzle he's raping him, but it's all part of his plan to begin with... It's the most fucked up “it's complicated” I've seen in awhile.

no i get you. i don't like the sex here but i'm staying bc i like conflict and tension, and i'm just referring to the general idea around why most people read romance/smut: to project. toxic/dark romances are oftentimes a sandbox for people to play in before getting out into real life again, and this is no different.