I struggle with this too. My stories cross multiple genres, and with my series being a collection of stories there are some where the main focus IS an lgbt romance and others where there's none to be found. Granted, only one of my stories is up at this time (the next drops tomorrow), but with their length it wouldn't make much sense to me to separate them as individual series since they'll all tie in together at some point.
I think it’s important to hit the tropes people expect because otherwise you won’t get the readership. I started my novel in BL, because a lot of it rotated around the romance between the male characters, but it didn’t really speak to the BL readership, so I moved it to fantasy.
What I feel makes for a more successful BL is a setting that is close to here and now, and with environment that doesn’t distract from the BL component itself. So something like college, high school or office.
I hesitate to comment on anything else, because as I said, I failed to get readership in BL, so I didn’t understand the genre. I think though that an attractive sensitive main that is paired with a confident and high-achieving Love Interest is a good combo.
I have seem pretty dark BLs to do well so long as the main couple was the focus
I guess it depends on where you are from. I noticed that most western audiences prefer a romance centred BL while here in Asia (well maybe most Asian audience), BL covers broader genres.
A horror novel that features two males as main couples are BL.
A gaming novel that features two males as main couples are BL.
A zombie apocalypse that features two males as main couples are BL.
A fantasy novel that features two males as main couples are BL.
An interstellar novel that features two males as main couples are BL.
A thriller novel that ... I think you get the gist.
Long story short, as long as the end game is that the main couple are both males, it's BL.
Of course, in the end, it's all up to the author how they want to market it and who the target market is.
PS: There's also one BL where the couple did not get together and instead, marry another woman because both are from two different kingdoms that had been at wars for years and both are monarchs. And yes, it is still BL.
For me BL/GL as a main genre means a romance story with mxm/fxf main couple,if the romance not the main focus BL/GL should be used as a subgenre
I haven’t read enough GL to know enough about the genre.
However, from my understanding, BL are usually defined by protagonists who are teens or young adults. This sort of sets them apart from just a MLM or LGBT label. So a story similar to The Birdcage would not be a BL because the couple is too old. Other than that, a BL can about anything and can be depressing and have a sad ending.
I wish it was more like this here, but I sort of understand the need to put it into the genre the reader is actually looking for. I think the BL aspect needs to be stronger than the setting/window dressing of the novel to make it in BL
That's definitely not true. I've read plenty of BL comics about older men.
The main thing is that BL/GL are mostly used to describe certain genres of Japanese and Korean comics. They're most relevant as genre-markers for original English language works IF those works are taking clear inspiration from the tropes/storytelling approach of those types of comics.
But on their most basic level, BL is just anything that centers a m/m relationship, and GL is just anything that centers a f/f relationship. It doesn't have to strictly be only a romance, but the romance should at least be one of the main focuses of the story imo.
So if you're story is a drama about a m/m relationship, that would count as BL, no matter how dramatic it is. If your story is primarily a drama, and the m/m relationship is incidental or secondary, then it might be better to classify it as a drama.
But I've read a lot of very dark BL comics. BL can definitely be depressing and still be BL
Can you give me links? I had an idea for a male love story with 50+ characters but I felt like no one would want to read it. But it would be cool to see if other people write these kind of stories.
I think it's basically any gay romance/nsfw that gets kinda grouped under the label. People think it's less dicey than yaoi/yuri but they kinda blend over sometimes and the definitions get blurred. I've been on comic sites long before that label was even a thing lol
I second that there should be BL about older men. Tbh, one of the unfortunate unspoken rules about what defines BL, and definitely about what BL gets popular, is that the characters have to be conventionally attractive. Especially to straight girls. Hopefully that'll change as more people write more diverse stuff (Long Exposure is one of the most popular comics on here and neither of the characters fit the typical BL prettyboy mold, which is great). But it's hard to find popular BL where the characters don't all look sort of the same.
Well, I know of a couple even just here on Tapas:
Office workers in their 30s are pretty common in BL in general. One particularly good one (that even has a live action drama adaptation on Crunchyroll) is:
-Cherry Magic! 30 Years of Virginity Makes You a Wizard??
A couple comics I know feature protagonists in their 40s are:
-40 x 40 Chikuwa Kaigi
-It Can't Be Mutual Love!!
One that I can think of that has a protagonist who I'm pretty sure is in his 50s is:
-Suki ni Nacchau Yo
That's all the specific examples I can think of off the top of my head, but I read a lot of single-volume comics and then immediately forget what they were called lol.
Stepping outside of BL comics specifically, I can also think of several movies from around the world that feature older gay couples. More than just The Birdcage.
-Four More Years
-An Almost Ordinary Summer
-Love is Strange
-Ideal Home
-Uncle Frank
-Twilight's Kiss
(I remember more movie titles because I track the movies I watch more carefully than the comics I read lol)
It's not actually an uncommon theme! I tend to seek out stuff about older couples, so there's definitely an audience for it if that's what you want to write.
Hey, I found a really good article that details what I was trying to say about GL/Yuri's lack of a firm demographic:
I know there are several shows and movies with older gay protagonist. I am more interested in the comics.
Also 30s isn’t old. 
I really enjoyed the article you’ve cited. In particular, it’s concluding paragraph:
Although it is still important to prioritize the voices of those with the experiences and identities depicted in a work (especially when their opinions are too often marginalized), all people should be encouraged to consume and comment on whatever they enjoy—titles that excite them, that inspire them, and that challenge them. Media benefits when a multitude of diverse voices experience and explore it. Barring any group or person from participation ends up hurting everyone else.
I think I see BL/GL as more of a descriptor than a proper genre. Obviously it has been developed as a genre in a lot of ways, and there's tropes associated with it, but I don't ascribe to the idea that anyone creating a BL/GL should be obligated to follow those tropes. My only requirement has always been that the central relationship is gay.
I mean, romance can be depressing and dramatic, so as a genre goes, there's probably a lot of overlap there regardless? I don't believe BL or GL has to always be fluffy and soft, and I've read plenty that's not.
Yeah, I think there's a lot of negative tropes and things associated with the genre, so I'd prefer more openness for creators to make it better and offer more variety. =)
It's relative. There were people earlier in the thread claiming BL was only about teens. I was arguing that's not the case because BL comics about men in their 30s are extremely common.
I am the only person who mention teens. I didn't say that it is only teens, I said that it is mostly teens and young adults and that 45+ year old characters wouldn't be BL. I not saying there are not 30 something BL, I am just saying it is mostly about young characters (35 and under).
I also find the whole CEO stuff I bit creepy, ngl
Just want to say, while I can see why the name "boy love" would imply youth, I don't actually think age is relevant to the qualifications. It's just more so a young demographic of readers and creators.
Not that I'm the decider of what is or isn't, just personally, as a reader of the stuff, if I found a BL and the pairing was middle aged, I wouldn't think "that's not BL!"
Maybe I'm too open minded*? I don't see any of those things as mutually exclusive. Especially on a site where the genre options are limited to LGBT or BL. It's not like those are options, so putting it under BL wouldn't be unreasonable.
But other readers might be pickier about it than me. XD
*just mean "open minded" in the sense of, like, not being strict about genres. Reread the sentence and it sounded weird to me.
