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

[Tindabox]

I'm not really bothered by the BL label because it's convenient for people that are actively looking for that sort of thing. The content might be a little questionable, but you can't stop people from drawing what they want.

[AffectedMind]

The content might be a little questionable, but you can't stop people from drawing what they want.

The "problem is not that people do them, it's more about the audience, if you draw BL it's more likely to be noticed than your other work. Some creators may feel discouraged because BL have all the attention.

[joannekwan]

typically aimed at a female audience and usually created by female authors

Yes, this this is the core of it.

I'll admit, I'm a cis female and I create a male x male romance series, but I know there are gay men reading my story, and I want to do right by them. I want to do right by all people. ; _ ;

[TsarLenaSunLit]

I think all I can add is "To each their own."

Also not everyone likes the same things. So you are going to offend someone somewhere no matter what you say. I just wish people could act more civil about it. Instead of becoming raging hulk trolls throwing a temper tantrum that a two year old would be proud of.

[LordVincent]

Women liking male x male and men liking girl x girl isn't bad, I hope noone's trying to imply this... although I do get that feeling from a few posts here. You shouldn't feel any more ashamed about your sexuality and interests than I should about mine.... I.E: Not at all. Unless you're killing people then you probably should BUT ANYWAAAAY

What matters is portrayal and understanding of the subject. I don't want to see another damned yaoi where it's all just fetishized nonsense with SELF LUBRICATING ANUSES WHAT EVEN IS THAT... or the newest trend in yaoi, that's trying to tell us all men want to stick cateters in their partner's urethras.

If it's well portrayed and the characters are well devloped, it doesn't matter one bit if the person behind the comic is a cis straight woman, a gay guy, a transgender person or a damned giraffe. If it's a good story with good art, I'd totes read, I'd totes approve.

[FixerTheWise]

No one said that anyone's sexuality is wrong, or taste for that matter.

[LordVincent]

Subscriptions DO mean shit, it just depends on the series. My comic has 2.7k subs, give an episode a couple days (I update daily) and it'll have 2.7k views or, most of the time, MORE. Let me point out that this comic had a BL label on it until recently (the new thumbnail keeps homophobes out of reach nicely without those two letters). I get a lot of comments and likes and I have a very communicative audience. They point my errors out and support me.

So, I'll get right back to my original point: The thumbnail is the outer face and acts only as such. It works for first impressions, but keeping or losing your audience after that DOES depend on the content itself. Subscribers DO mean shit if you serve them something worth checking for regularily. Don't generalize too much.

[FixerTheWise]

I didn't generalise. Subscribers can be empty. One can subscribe to a comic and never check it out, or plan to check it out someday, the bottom line is they're not a reliable way to gauge your popularity.

Recieving comments, getting likes and having views means a lot more. You can only do those things if you actively read the comic. From what I hear you have a very good audience and I congratulate you.

But that's what I meant by them "not meaning shit".

And is it inconcievable that people who like BL subscribe just because they see the BL thumbnail?
But I do realise they DO mean shit, i was just trying to cheer up the guy alright?

[LordVincent]

I think there are ways to cheer one person up without putting other people down... but if that was your intention, I can understand xD

It is not inconcievable, but for someone to actually actively read, the content needs to be entertaining for them.

Let's mention one big thing that sets some things "fair", though, for those who are pissed that BL tags are getting some comics more attention than others: I have yet to see a single gay comic that had a tag on it get featured on the main page. I have no idea about staff picks, but the gay comics I can remember being featured were Red Velvet and A Matter of Life and Death. Neither of them have, or have ever had from what I know, a BL tag on tapastic. So while the tag may be a little boost in the start, it seems to be a death sentence to ever getting a spot that will get you the REAL big prize of attention.

[FixerTheWise]

It's kinda like the BL label gives you attention but not really the kind you want. Or am I misinterperating?

[AffectedMind]

I have yet to see a single gay comic that had a tag on it get featured on the main page. I have no idea about staff picks, but the gay comics I can remember being featured were Red Velvet and A Matter of Life and Death.

If you visit staff picks section, popular and trending, there will always be a BL on the first page at least one, tho I was always seeing couple of them xD It's nothing that would surprise me now, I would be if there wasn't any BL o-o

[LordVincent]

On trending and popular, yes. I never check staff picks, so I wouldn't know about that one! What I mean by getting FEATURED is when you get that big banner on the top of the main page.

[AffectedMind]

What I mean by getting FEATURED is when you get that big banner on the top of the main page.

Yea I know, but that's not picked by popularity tho. They pick something they think deserves more attention ^^
Then eventually it becomes popular.

[LordVincent]

Yes. That was part of my point. While the BL tag may get you on trending or popular, it will kill your chances of being featured there because it seems they avoid any comic that ever had the tag on it xD
(Although it should be made clear that a lot, if not nearly all, of the featured comics are popular already before they get featured... xD)

[FixerTheWise]

Yes.. that was my original point. The BL tag may give you lots of subs but that doesnt mean you'll get a lot of traffic from it.
We're in agreement

[LordVincent]

Please don't try to twist what I say like that.

You'll get traffic if you have content worth staying for. My above stated point was not that it gets you attention you don't want, nor was it what you just said, it was that it attracts some people, helps some people find content they want, and pushes others away (tapastic staff seeming to be included in this group of people). What then comes of it varies. You can do fine without a feature, you can do fine without the tag, you can do fine with the tag, you can do fine with the feature. What happens with attention and advertising depends on the content you provide.

[FixerTheWise]

It's not just about the content sadly. I know plenty of great artists with great stories who just are not popular. It's important to be good at your craft that's true but it's also important to network and sell yourself to get people to come to you. You have to not just be your own publicist, your own advertiser, your own PR person and a lot of people are lacking in these departments.

Putting "BL" on the thumbnail is just one technique people use to get attention.

But I guess this is a topic for a different thread.

[Caelestie]

I did hear about david bowie being a child rapist. Though he influenced a lot of people I still feel horrible about the children he raped. I don't really want to listen to any of his music now since I know People that were actually raped and I don't want to be listening to someone that did that horrible act. Plus rapist get away with that crime way to often I just don't feel that is really great.

[Caelestie]

well I mostly have a problem with how straight people fetishize gay and lesbian couple for their own sexual needs. I know the lesbian community don't even want to call themselves lesbians (instead they use gay women) because it make them sound like they are made for straight guys porn. So it is a big problem.

[Vikiro_Hop]

To sorta expand on what I said earlier and sorta keep with the serious downward spiral this thread is taking I think I'll clarify a few things.

First of the popularity of BL doesn't bother me at all. I don't think the content I create has very much if any overlap with the audience for that genre. Yeah people will get a lot of subs with the BL tag, but that just shows there is a demand for it. A lot of creators of any kind of content seem to have a very narrow view about the people they are trying to reach. Yeah we want our stuff to get to as many people as possible, but that doesn't mean you have tons of potential readers being distracted by someone else's series.

As for the content from what I gathered there is some pretty questionable stuff going on, but that happens with every genre. If its purely for entertainment purposes then to each their own. Yeah I wouldn't be cool with any comic that came off as glorifying rape or any of the other crazy examples people have given, but it is fantasy and should be treated as such. In the end I think the audience should be responsible for making the division between fact and fantasy for the content they consume.

While I particularly don't care for it I don't see the need to demonize something like this.