Multifandom: Your daily dose of Saltiness

THE "AU" WORLD OF BL: w/o homophobia, everyones gay, and a top or bottom

So one of the most read chapters on here that isn't an obvious one like chapters on riverdale .. is actually my review of history 4 close to you. AND I LOVE THAT.

Like I don't expect anyone to read this book but the fact that those who do read that chapter ahhhH GOOD. Because the topics in that chapter are so important and I'm glad to not just yell into the void.

I mean I wish I had like a YouTube channel where I talk about these topics but who has the tiiiiime. Not me.

Anyways not the point of this chapter. So I talked about these very problematic things in boy love series. And the negative effects on the lgbtqia community. And there is often this "argument" , aside from the brainless dumb ass argument that it's just tv and we shouldn't see it as having any impact in real life or whatever, WHICH IS SO STUPID. Who doesn't know media reflects, mimics, creates new ideas or reinforces them and influences our ideas and beliefs come on now.

Lemme not get too side tracked. As I was saying, a big argument authors , watchers etc of bl series / books/ webtoons say is that we shouldn't criticize too much because the world the characters live in isn't our real world. It's a world where everyone's basically gay or bi or pan or etc or has the potential to date someone of the same sexe (only if they're a man ofc bc ofcouuurse women in bl cANt like women. If you hear something it's my eyes rolling).
This world is also void of homophobia. A world where being gay is normal.
Annnd every guy has this ascribed role. There are terms for it and it depends if the series or webtoon is for ex taiwanese or Korean or thai. What most people know ig is the husband and wife of Thai bl.
The often broody more serious and tall guy is the "husband". And .. the top.
And the more fun more silly or cheerful or cute guy is the "wife". And the bottom.

It is ridiculous.

And because this "bl world" isn't our world, some weird shit can happen. Or fcked up shit.
There's this webtoon I was reading that addressed some concerns of readers about consent between the main characters. And that just because it's two men it shouldn't be framed as just a sexual encounter.

AND THE AUTHOR. A STRAIGHT WOMAN.
had the AUDACITY to say that we shouldn't criticize it that much because it's not the real world but a boy love world where there's a husband and a wife and that eventho consent is still important, ir works different bc there's this wife husband relation.

GIRL IF U DONT STFU.

I know everyone should be allowed to write stories about lgbt characters. And I would encourage people to write them because ffs we need the representation but mygod if you aren't part of the community in any way, you should at least 1. attempt to understand that queer experiences are different from straight ones, 2. you should maybe ask your lgbt friends-family whoever about some things you do not understand, 3. actually listen to criticism lgbtqia community gives you and adapt the story. ANDD especially for miss webtoon writer who I mentioned before^ 4. understand that gay people do not exist as a fantasy they are REAL.

and even then it is tricky.

I mean the reason alot of us feel alienated by BL stories is not because of 'simple' things like we dont relate to their lives, or if you're not a man you don't relate because it is a mlm and not a wlw story, but that is not really true. Me, and many of my fellow lesbians, relate to mlm relationships if they are actually written well. Like heartstopper, did I relate to the characters eventhough I'm not a man? Yes. Did I relate to the lesbians in the story the most? Well yeah obviously alot. Some specific things about the main couple, Nick and Charlie, I and many queer people, can relate to is Nick's confusion about getting to know his identity and the fear of being different in a world where people expect you to behave in a certain way. That is relatable. Hell, in our flag means death, even pirates who are from a whole ass different timeline, and.. are literal pirates, are more relatable to us than BLs.

Why???

Because alot of BLs are written by straight women.

And straight women write from their experiences: with men.
This doesn't even only come from the fact that it's their own experience. Hell even nonstraight women or maybe even some gay men who write, will think from a heteronormative mindset. It's how we're all raised. For centuries.

And that's why these mlm relationships often seem so... hetero???? yeah literally men being in love and it got this hetero scent. Like this whole "wife" and "husband". Wife?? It's a MAN in a relationship with a MAN. So why isn't it husband and husband ???

Why is there always one person associated with feminine traits (whatever the frick that means) and one with masculine traits (also whatever the fck that means). I mean even straight people don't fall into these categories perfectly of course but they do fall into this "opposite sexe" category and gay men are getting placed into it by the writers.

Its even more evident when you look at the tropes, the way they're described (in the books), or drawn (webtoons). Like this one kind of damsel in distress small kind guy and the cold but soft for his love kinda tough guy ready to rescue his prince from doom. The prince is drawn as this boyish young looking pure innocent guy and the rescuer as this broad tall handsome man. Tbe height difference is so insane sometimes lmaoo.

And the tropes. Especially the toxic ones in a lot of dramas. Like tbe ones where the man is obsessed with tbe girl and tries to get her attention by bothering her or making advances until she gives in.
That trope is very common in BL.
Or the trope of them protective boyfriend who wants to know where they girl is at all times and wants to be the only one in her life.
Also a common trope in Bl.

And although even the hetero's are criticizing these tropes. They're being used by bl writers.

And because it's "not a real world" it apparently doesn't need to be relatable to actual lgbt. To the people it's written about.
But that's the thing.

These people live in tbe real world.
And saying that only in a fantasy world, gay men can be in love. That only in a fantasy world there are more than 2 lgbt characters. That only in a fantasy world there can be no homophobia.

But in THIS world the real world we got all of this. Why create a seperate world where gay men live straight experiences when you could place them in the real world where being in love with the same sexe IS REAL where it's also accepted by people not only hated, where lgbt peoples lives aren't just tragedies of homophobia and hate.

Maybe it would be more relatable to the people living in this real world as lgbt.