hahaahh yeah that had crossed my mind, oh well, what can ya do
I just wanna make a comment on this. Comics with the LGBTQIA+ label I actually don't mind, as they actually feel more like the tag is there to get readers from the said named community or readers who might be interested in it.
Something tagged with BL just sounds like bad porn, the labels has turned into click bait for fetish comics as that's what most of the ones I have read with that tag are (not all, there are some that are just fine, but then there are just REALLY horrible ones that are just there for the sake of filling a fetish that happens to be really popular)
To give examples when I was first trying to understand my sexuality make sense of myself I looked up BL (as that is what was recommended to me) it was a bad idea and a horrible experience, here are some following examples that for whatever reason, pop up a LOT when I was going through them.
I read a few BL where it was 'cute/funny' to jam an umbrella (or some other long large objects, whatever the author decided was cool I guess) causally up another guy's ass because 'heheh look at him blush, so cute, he's a uke'
I read a whole bunch where 'girls are evil rapists' yet the guys acted even more like rapists but THAT was ok'
There were a frightening amount of comics where literally all the woman in the world have been killed of (I duno, the reasons very usually it's a virus) so the guys are FORCED to fuck each other because they need to keep population numbers up and there is no one else to reproduce with. They aren't even gay (a lot of them like to bring it up, then they feel confused). They're FORCED to fuck other dudes because there are literally no woman left alive.
The rapists... why are there so many stalker rapists?
I read a comic where this one young boy was unsure about his sexuality and suspected that he might be gay. So what does his 'best friend' do to help him figure it out? Organize a gang rape.
That being said ^^^THIS is what the BL tag means to a lot of people. People are not bothered by it because it's a boy/boy relationship, most people here complaining about the BL titles can read comics that have male/male relations JUST FINE. That's not the issue. The issue is that they are bothered because the BL tag's been associated way too many times with fetish porn trash. It's no longer a tag that targets people in the gay community, it's a tag that targets yaoi and gay porn fetishist fans. (In fact, it technically NEVER was. IF you look it up you will learn that the title originated from Japan, 'Yaoi, also known as Boys' Love (BL), is a Japanese genre of fictional media focusing on romantic or sexual relationships between male characters, typically aimed at a female audience and usually created by female authors. It's not made for the LGBTQIA+ community. It's made for girls with a gay fetish.)
EDIT: Oh, ANOTHER really popular one, a comic where a guy is constantly getting raped, but they believe that they 'deserve it' for whatever reason, they are also addicted to it for some reason. They purposely go out and put themselves in situations were they will get raped because they want to punish themselves because they did something to 'deserve this' (usually the thing they did to deserve it is THEM BEING GAY... so yeah I can't see how a comic were the theme is the main character constantly punishing himself for being gay because it's wrong/unnatural/evil can possibly be aimed at the gay community)
@kurapikasuki This is exactly how I feel and my thoughts on the matter. Well said.
@kurapikasuki, my hero claps
I couldn't have said it better.
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.
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.
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. ; _ ;
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
It's kinda like the BL label gives you attention but not really the kind you want. Or am I misinterperating?
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
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.
Yea I know, but that's not picked by popularity tho. They pick something they think deserves more attention ^^
Then eventually it becomes popular.
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)
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
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.