What do you think about thumbnails with "bl" label?

[villainesayre]

What do you think when you see yet another comic thumbnail with "bl" on it? It's just like on smackjeeves here recently.
I'm somehow tired of it, a romance is a romance regardless gender. I feel like it's a trend, boy's love is popular I get it, but one could just write about it in a comic description. It's just like putting a label on it, do heterosexual relationships in comics need to be marked as well?

I'm also a creator of a bl comic Names and I didn't write a "bl" on my thumbnail and I won't do it. I know people who don't like boy's love and those won't even click on the thumbnail to view the comic and many will subscribe only because it is a bl.
I just want to say that I'd like more people to read bls not for the sake of boy's love, but to see it as a romance comic where two characters love each other.

What are your thoughts on that?

[joannekwan]

I can't agree more! I feel the "BL" label somehow cheapens the series, and I'll admit that I myself have been disinclined to check out a comic when I see it on there. I think if you want people to know, just leave it in the series description.
I have my own series about the relationship between two men and I had considered putting "BL" on the thumb but I thought to myself, "nah, I want people to appreciate the story and characters, not just a superficial label." So I left it out, and I'm glad I did.

[ghostnxs]

This is funny and I was going through the main page and thought about the same thing. I nothing against bl I'm subscribed to a few but it just bothers me to see them labeled as bl. Maybe its to warn people? I don't usually click on bl comics that say bl because it places images in my head(not like that) and I start to create my own stereotypes on the story.

@joannekwan
I like Heavy Horns because it is interesting and it has nothing to do with bl at all. I first thought man with horns, COOL

Maybe people who only read bl comics like it, I wouldn't know. It just seems tacky and unintuitive.

[keii4ii]

The way I see it, BL isn't just homosexual romance/erotica; it's a very specific thing involving pretty boys (not just any kind of good-looking males) typically in unrealistic relationships. If it's an organically portrayed romance between two men, I probably wouldn't call it BL? That's just romance to me.

Thus I don't have any problems with the practice of using the BL label on what I consider BL -- which is a very specific subset of homosexual romance/erotica. I see it as niche marketing.

[ghostnxs]

it's a very specific thing involving pretty boys (not just any kind of good-looking males) typically in unrealistic relationships.

I wasn't aware of such a thing because I thought that's what most romances consisted of pretty people loving pretty people that would never happen to me Maybe I just don't read enough bl. But all the BL I've seen seemed pretty normal relationships(or nothing I haven't seen in a regular romance story) but what would I know.

[joannekwan]

Haha, if you read enough BL/yaoi, you'll definitely start noticing recurring themes and tropes.

[winglesscomic]

I agree with keii's line of thinking (at least with the very niche part). When I see "BL" on the thumb I immediately pile the series into the list of yet another wish fulfillment comic between two ~hot boiz~ written by a 16 year old girl who fetishizes homosexual relationships and has no concept of how real relationships actually work (more often than not paired with scary conceptions about how male rape is "hot" and OK). Also I'm assuming just by the BL on the thumb that there is no actual plot and is just two men kissing because reasons.

Some people like these comics (well, more than some, SmackJeeves is inundated with it), and that's fine, but I stay away from them like the plague.

Edit: I should say that I have never fully read any BL comics, mostly because I despise romance. But skimming pages and some reviews on certain popular BL comics horrifies me with the themes those particular comics are presenting. Which is why I now have the bias against anything with a "BL" in its thumbnail since the only BL I have been exposed to is that generic seme/uke shit with no plot and is just there for fap material. I would assume anything with an actual plot and isn't just fap material that also happens to be a homosexual relationship is just a romance and not BL.

[villainesayre]

And that's exactly what I'd like to change about those kind of comics - many people avoid them cause as you've said they are mostly done by some fangirls who've read to much yaoi and think that everything revolve around sex - so it would be nice to show people that not all of the BLs are like that.

It's funny cause I also didn't like romance (and I still can't stand most romantic books/movies etc) but I like a non-stereotypical way to show two characters in love.

Edit: According to your edit, my comic shouldn't be marked bl then? Well it's about boy's in love but it's also not a "bl type" you've describe, ehh it's hard to classify then...

[ashriott]

As mentioned by above posters, I'm lumping comic thumbnails labeled BL as hot dude x hot dude going through some form of unrealistic sexual romance. But I did notice the increase of these BL thumbnails lately and was just thinking to myself it's like Smackjeeves all over again. I have nothing against BL, but I'm less inclined to click on a comic series with the words "BL" plastered across the thumbnail. It's probably a smart move on their part, since regular yaoi readers are their audience.

[joannekwan]

To me there is a difference between BL and yaoi; yaoi being smut and BL being the light fluffy stuff. But it seems these days people use the terms interchangeably.

[SpavVy]

I honestly don't really care I don't read BL often or romance in general xD I see the label as like a safety precaution because unfortunately there are still people in this world offended by homosexuality today which is sad.

[villainesayre]

You didn't have to comment if you don't care

[darlingGrim]

I like BL and use to read it a lot, but I've come to associate it with fetishizing gay men. So I tend to avoid comics that put it in their 'advertisement'.
I don't think it should need to be labeled (we don't label hetero as het). It all feels forced and uncomfortable (in the past it didn't). BUT this might be because I've sort of grown detached from romance at least ones whose plot is the romance. I like my romance on the side and gradual.

[villainesayre]

Yes, people don't differ those terms, I usually use yaoi and shounen-ai terms, since it came from Japan (mostly)

[SpavVy]

You asked what we think about it and I told you what I think.

[Jelw]

BL in its assosciated form obviously has its audience so rather than try to mold the term to comics that stray away from the damaging cliches and fetishing, just use a new term! Rather than using BL just add "LGBTQA+ inclusive" at the end of your summary (don't plaster it on the thumbnail). "LGBTQA+ inclusive" has a very different image than BL in my mind. Besides then it's a mystery. Are there lesbians?? Transgenders?? Bisexuals?? Gee I don't know but I want to find out!

[villainesayre]

Yeah, sure - I've seen you've edited your post so I'll say a few words about it.
I don't see the label as a safety precaution, it's a marketing. The thumbnail almost shouts "hey it's a comic about gays".
I won't label my comic just because some people are offended by homosexuality and I hope that maybe because of my comic some people will stop being homophobes and start noticing that it's natural

[villainesayre]

That's nice, I didn't consider that! And LGBTQA+ really sounds like "I want to find out!" I'm off to editing my comic's description!

[SpavVy]

To some people it is a precaution, it really depends on how the author sees it and if some want to label it that way for marketing reasons I don't see that as an issue either, as long as someone finds a comic they like then I think that's all that really matters in the end

[jshockmo]

I prefer they say that it is labeled, so readers know what they are getting.