Sigh

"We gays?" I'm gay, and I don't need a story to perfectly mirror my experiences in order to enjoy it. I find comfort in positive, "sugar-coated" fictional parallel worlds that offer respite from the struggles I've faced. Constant reminders of homophobia or homophobic bullying are triggering and emotionally taxing

The gay experience exists on a spectrum. Some gay people have supportive families and friends. Only depicting hardships perpetuates a limited understanding of the gay experience and invalidates the experiences of those who have had positive journeys

"... just makes everything feel so fake and unrelatable ..."

The horror of seeing happy, supportive people in fiction. Positivity is the worst! /sarcasm

Fiction is fake. It's not reality to be relatable. Do you want relatable and miserable? Watch reality TV, a documentary or something

Anygays, what's the deal with your obsession with what "cis straight women" are into?

Fanservice can be a powerful, healthy marketing tool for BL actors to harness their on-screen chemistry without compromising their personal lives. Toxicity won't develop, provided that fans understand the context of fanservice

Just as the actors only taking on "straight" roles are not pressured into trying BL roles, actors specializing in BL roles should not be pressured into trying non-BL roles

Encouraging actors to specialize in BL roles challenges the belief that non-BL roles are "more diverse" and contributes to the growth of the genre. The industry is doing the right thing. BL is a diverse enough playground for actors to show their talent and versatility

Practiced responsibly, fanservice and shipping are healthy and enjoyable. They create memorable experiences for everyone, allow fans to explore different relationship dynamics, and promote celebrities' body of work

Fanservice is part of a performance. It doesn't reflect the actors' off-stage relationships. On-stage, they are together. Off-stage, they might not be. Mature fans grasp the distinction

Shaming fans isn't the solution. Respecting celebrities' privacy and not pressuring them to share personal details about who they are "dating" will dismantle toxicity within fan culture

"... and never automatically assume it has to do with homophobia"

Homophobia influences everyone's decision-making. It's the omnipresence of homophobia that channels actors and actresses into "straight" identities and roles. Since you stand against toxicity, encourage them to step out of their toxic comfort zones and take on BL/GL roles

BL has the potential to harmoniously blend with medical, thriller, mystery, horror, action, comedy, etc. Actors can play the roles of doctors, detectives, criminals, heroes, villains, morally grey characters, and bring to life romantic relationships between men. They don't have to play "straight" roles to be "diverse"

Ever asked yourselves why BLs are filled with fluffy "lovey dovey" goodness?

Picture this. You’ve had a long day at work/school and spent hours honking at traffic. Your boss/principal/professor thinks your name is "Hey You." You come home to kick back, relax and watch a good ol’ gay love story

In comes BL, our shining knight in rainbow armor, transporting us to a gay-friendly world that could have been. A happy-go-lucky world where being gay isn’t an earth-shattering revelation, where gay love is the norm. This is the comforting break I need from the harsh reality of adulting

Life is a drag, and there's no shortage of "LGBTQ+" stories that bury the gays and make you sob into your popcorn. You can have the sob stories. I'll have the happy stories

You’re a fan of the male gaze? "Straight" content and Bara, BL/yaoi by gay men for gay men, are part of the male gaze lexicon. Get ready for a tour through the dark, twisted depths of traditional gender roles, sexual assault, homophobia, toxic masculinity, pedophilia, bestiality, and plenty of WTF moments

Give the female gaze a chance, and you will sometimes witness a delicate balance between femininity and masculinity, and sensual love scenes between men that’ll make your heart flutter. Gay men have sex. I know, mind-blowing!

Male or female gaze, any gaze can be problematic, or not. It doesn't matter who's doing the gazing. How they are gazing matters. Gaze away, but gaze wisely

Agreed. The issues we see in BL Kdramas can be chalked up to the short number of episodes and limited screen-time. It's a bummer, and I'm crossing my fingers that we'll get longer BL Kdramas in the future

How could we "forget" the reality of being gay? I live the ups and downs of being gay every day. When I immerse myself in a story, I'm looking to leave my baggage at the door. I'm not looking to relive my daily struggles

Some characters voiced their belief that, "gay is disgusting." Ouch! Where was the character development? We didn't see them grow out of this mentality. It felt like a part of the story was missing. Couldn’t the short screen-time have been used for a story that fosters understanding and compassion? It definitely could

I’d rate the drama a solid 9/10. But there's room for improvement

And 99% of what I watch is BL/GL. I've watched so much BL/GL that my laptop is trying to tell me something

"#JustSaying. #GoPlaySomewhereElse"

I didn't know this was your personal playground!

Funny how you call me childish, when you're throwing hashtags like confetti in a conversation. There's nothing more mature than bragging about yourself and calling others childish, right?

"... to be honest with my critique as to what makes a good, or bad BL"

Honesty is the best policy ... unless it comes wrapped in condescension and arrogance

Judging from your ratings, you give BLs the side-eye and fawn over mid, overrated "straight" storylines like Trash Landing on You, Doona!, Flex X Cop and It's Okay to Not Be Okay. I will take your opinions on homophobia with a grain of salt

Facts

The fans who publicly congratulate or support celebrity "relationships" are inserting themselves into celebrities' private affairs. Their intrusion establishes a precedent, paving the way for public criticism or cancellation of the same celebrities. The best way to respect their privacy is to refrain from commenting on their personal lives in the first place

Bless your heart for being patient with the less-than-brilliant. We need more people like you

I didn't realize that a lack of enthusiasm for celebrity gossip was a sign of misery. I'll make sure to force a smile next time I see a headline about celebrities' latest fling /sarcasm

"Her reality show is about her personal life"

Yeah. Western celebrities have turned their personal lives into a full-blown reality circus

Kim Kardashian is an example of how celebrities' personal lives overshadow their professional work. She's famous for her reality TV show and her "relationships," not for acting or singing

The "relationship" between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, was a huge topic of discussion that overshadowed their individual work for a period of time

Attitudes towards "dating" news in Korea are different from Hollywood. That doesn't mean they are "abnormal." Different cultures have different norms and expectations. The hypersexual, promiscuous Western approach isn't superior to that of Korea

Why are you normalizing "dating" news? Celebrities' "dating" lives is none of your business. It's not your job to normalize them

Celebrities should start "dating" secretly, in underground bunkers, with secret handshakes and code names. If they insist on broadcasting their affairs across social media, they are practically pleading with us to care about their personal lives. They have dug their own graves for any criticism or cancel culture that follows. They don't get to dictate how the public reacts to their lifestyle choices

"People date." People also eat, sleep, and use the restroom. We don't see headlines about that

"Let them live." Let us live without hearing about every detail of a personal life

"... fans find who their favs date interesting, news will share it"

Fans are peeping through the window to see who's "dating" or "marrying" whom. And the news outlets are the nosy neighbors encouraging their behavior by providing binoculars and popcorn. It's all stalker-ish and creepy

You chose to support celebrity "relationships," others are free to choose to voice their dislike or disapproval. This is a natural consequence of being in the public eye; something that won't change by you kicking and screaming. Instead of trying to silence differing opinions, you can ignore and not engage in the conversation

Getting upset at celebrity "relationships" is a sacred tradition, passed down from generation to generation. Fans can't break with tradition

Kim Kardashian is associated with her "marriage" to Kanye West. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were associated with their "relationship," and referred to as "Brangelina." Taylor Swift is known for writing songs about her "relationships." People associate her with her high-profile breakups. Beyoncé and Jay-Z are popular musicians. Their "marriage" is a big part of their public image

Celebrities are making headlines for their "relationships." They are associated with them to keep themselves in the spotlight

That's a great point. Diversity of thought is what makes comment sections an interesting place

I'm glad we were able to share our thoughts without things getting heated or disrespectful. You rock

Using "dating" news to "humble" fans is like using a water gun to put out a forest fire; ineffective and likely to make things hotter

The personal lives of Bollywood celebrities can affect their professional success. Actors associated with promiscuity, divorce, high-profile "relationships" or scandals are seen as unreliable or unprofessional. Fan backlash and unfavorable media coverage result in reduced box office numbers and a decline in popularity

For example, Hrithik Roshan's popularity fluctuated, and his recent film, "Vikram Vedha," did not perform well at the box office. His divorce from Sussanne Khan and other affairs have been the subject of criticism. They might have played a role

Toxic behavior exists in any environment. The lack of restrictions and monitoring creates an environment where toxic behavior is more likely to occur