I first got into BL during the Covid era, and I was immediately hooked. Back then, most of the titles I read felt genuinely well-written and even relatable. There was a solid balance between fantasy and realism—enough to pull you in emotionally but still grounded in human connection.
Lately, though, it feels like many BL writers have lost touch with what makes a good romance. It’s either the uke is overly promiscuous right from the start, jumping into bed with a seme who’s unrealistically endowed, or the story gets bogged down in convoluted world-building I couldn’t care less about.
Where are the slow burns? The realistic chemistry, the gradual flirting, the emotional buildup, the nuanced mix of healthy and toxic traits, the exploration of family dynamics? All of that seems to be fading away, replaced by shallow hookups and over-the-top sexual tropes. Even the artwork feels like it’s slipping in quality.
I first got into BL during the Covid era, and I was immediately hooked. Back then, most of the titles I read felt genuinely well-written and even relatable. There was a solid balance between fantasy and realism—enough to pull you in emotionally but still grounded in human connection.
Lately, though, it feels like many BL writers have lost touch with what makes a good romance. It’s either the uke is overly promiscuous right from the start, jumping into bed with a seme who’s unrealistically endowed, or the story gets bogged down in convoluted world-building I couldn’t care less about.
Where are the slow burns? The realistic chemistry, the gradual flirting, the emotional buildup, the nuanced mix of healthy and toxic traits, the exploration of family dynamics? All of that seems to be fading away, replaced by shallow hookups and over-the-top sexual tropes. Even the artwork feels like it’s slipping in quality.