that’s literally up to you to decide if you wanna forgive him or not. People aren’t born evil, they experience horrible stuff and either come out as damaged or overcome the hate. You don’t have to feel sorry for people who are horrible even though they had shitty childhood, but it’s not a “trick” to explain why are people the way they are
Having a terrible past is not an excuse to treat other people badly. He's still a rapist who forced Dan to have sex with him multiple times. It can absolutely be a trick to have people sympathize with an abuser. People who are damaged don't typically become an abuser, his career and fame inflated his head so much that he thinks he's unstoppable and look where that got him? It's karma, really. He doesn't deserve shit.
Too early to judge the direction of this story right? I don’t think he’s been redeemed yet. No one is forgiving him. It’s just a backstory. Every villain has their origin
It feels like the author is using his backstory as a lazy attempt at redemption instead of holding him accountable. Understanding his past doesn’t mean we have to forgive or excuse his actions. Explaining why JK is the way he is shouldn’t be a shield to downplay what he’s done to Dan, especially when it’s rape and abuse. He still chose to hurt Dan. That’s on him. In the end, he became exactly what he hated most. He really is his father’s son.
I can already see where this story is heading, especially since I’ve read BJ Alex. This author is known for turning toxic, red-flag MLs into “uwu I’m just a sad boy who deserves love” green flags. Most toxic BLs like this lazily redeem the ML, pair him off with the bottom he abused, and call it a happy ending. It’s rare to see BLs where the ML is actually held accountable for his actions.
This is literally their 2nd bl story, how can you say they’re “known” for turning toxic, red-flag MLs into green flags by making an assumption based on ONE story and an unfinished one lol
Creating a sob ass backstory just so the author could redeem his shitty personality without holding him accountable, boohoo. Am I supposed to feel bad for him even though he became just like his dad?