TLDR: I'm working on a fantasy comic that kind of has a queer romance subplot, but it's a grey area. How should I label it to prevent disappointing my readers.
This is about hashtags and queer genre labels on Tapas, but also about online marketing and reader expectations in general.
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Issue 1: Subtle’ish’ romance in a non-romance comic
The main genres of this comic are fantasy and horror. However, there are openly queer characters (mentioning previous relationships, flirting with others at a party, etc). that clearly have a connection together showing they love each other and are more than just friends. However, there is no 'I love you' moment, no s3x or kissing scenes.
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Issue 2: Slightly problematic relationship
While their relationship is often cute, the story frames it in a way that shows a possibility of ulterior motives and manipulation. (this will be presented as a bad thing btw)
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Issue 3: Things might change in the future.
I have completed the story outline, but the details and attention I will spend on each plot point will be decided during the making of each individual episode. This way I still have creative freedom and won’t lose interest. I might decide to focus more or less on the relationship than previously planned.
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What to do?
The comic focuses too much on the relationship to not mention it at all, but probably not enough to really label is as a romance (subplot).
I do kind of want to mention it to my readers. Some people might not like romance and will be unpleasantly surprised if they see it. And let’s be honest, saying that queer elements are present will attract readers. But I also do not want to queerbait and disappoint people who expected more. (I guess it’s not queerbaiting if the openly queer characters caress each other’s cheeks, but still)
Right now the draft for my disclaimers mentions the following: ‘There are some LGBTQ+/queer themes, but keep in mind that this is a fantasy/horror comic, not a romance comic’.
Labeling it as ‘some queer elements’ might be the best option.
Idk, what do you guys think?