Discussion What is the difference between BG and BL or GL?

I, myself, have yet to read anything but BG. But, I can't help wondering why some people be like "I don't read anything but BL (or GL/ BG)" or the opposite who stays away from anything that has those tags. For me, I don't really view the gender of a couple as anything other than that's their gender. So, I would like to ask, what makes BL or GL more/less appealing than BG? What else changes with the story other than the gender? I am genuinely curious of what people think or what goes through their minds when they read these novels. Is it just how the authors write these genres (?) differently or what?

 

For some reason, in my personal experience josei BL writers often put more emphasis into elements I like (action, world building, horror and grand-scale plots, to name a few) than josei BG writers. Thus I tend to like BL more.

 

Personally, I’ve noticed that BG/BL/GL tend to lean towards certain tropes. I do read BG but sometimes the leads get too annoying for my taste. It really grinds my gears when FL is naive and frankly, just plain dumb. For BL and GL they also have their annoying tropes but there are a few where the plot and writing have really impressed me. I think it’s because BG is more mainstream that there’s a lot more trashy ones you have to sift through to find the good ones. Also sometimes no romance is good too

 

This thread is going to be shut down so fast by the G-mafia and their protectors

 

Honestly, not much. Two people fall in love. Experience hardships and pull together instead of apart (unless it’s a BE). Some books are good, some aren’t, no matter the genre.

 

I don't have a preference. I started reading BL with manga like TenDance. Now I read a lot of BL but I can't say I prefer it. As long as I get that fuzzy feeling reading about their love, gender doesn't matter. And I get it that fuzziness in both many many BL and many many BG so it's a stalemate. I read yuri more rarely but the fuzziness quality is on par.

 

I don't read nearly enough romance in general to say anything about differences in writing style between these.
However same sex pairings in fiction do potentially have it easier to avoid an unequal power dynamic between the characters, at least if you ignore the fact that there are plenty of writers that still make one of them submissive to the other.
Personally I don't really care that much which type a story is, they are all just romance to me.

 

I basically read only BL... IDK, it just appeals to me. Maybe it's the lack of the typical "romance, fiancee, villainess, baby, get married" kind of trope I got sick of with BG, but it might also be because I tend to like the plots and world settings (especially in QT) that I find often in BL more. It's just... a general good feeling, I guess?

As for GL, I'm not sure. I've never read GL before, and don't really want to try. I have heard people say it's really wholesome though, less abusive than BL can be sometimes and more friendship-like (?)

 

I don't have a preference for the gender because I don't care much about the romance in the first place but I read a lot of Chinese BL these days because (not sure why) there are a lot of translations of novels that have the kind of premise, plot, characters, and so on that I like

 

In regards to reading smut. I usually read BG or GL smut. I don't read BL smut simply because I don't find the body stimulating (✿^‿^)

 

I've actually wondered this before, too. One thing I've noticed is that there are more BL survival game and horror novels, which are my cup of tea. I read tons of them.
I also like reading melodramatic romance with complex family relationships and way too many coincidences, but I read both BG and BL of that. Never tried GL, but I assume it's mostly the same (?)

Ultimately, there are good and bad ones in every genre. It depends on what you like, I guess. Some people just dislike reading BL or GL. I think I saw a thread before about a guy complaining that NU or NUF was oversaturated with BL content?

?

 

Just ignore it, this thread will remain more open than his chrysanthemum.

 

I want to like this post, but at the same time, I kind of wish I didn't see it...
I feel guilty for actually understanding what this means *cough*

 

I have that effect on people, i bring out your inner pervert potential.

 

hmmm nothing but the forbidden theme~ really~ there similar of bad story on each side but normal have more story so there more trash there~ if the setting somehow normalize same sex romance imo it just same as bg~
this cat read bl and gl just for sake of forbidden drama unfold cuz each can be funny, cute, engaging, lusty or just pure trash ya know~

 

I will drop any novel when the MC suddenly becomes an idiot or helpless child as soon as the ML enters the picture so I don't read many female MC romance.

there are a few more BL where the MC is smart and equal partners to the ML, so I read more of those.

of course I mostly read stories where the romance is only a secondary plot point to the story, rather than the focus; preferably horror or cultivation novels with a male MC.

 

i read both BG and GL. wouldnt touch BL with a ten foot pole.

 

I read it all no matter the gender/pairing because I’m strictly in the camp of “if it’s good, I’ll read it” but what I have noticed is this:
when you read BL/GL, you’re generally more ok with it because the gay/les pairing is already part the spectacle that you’re here to see. Not saying BL/GL is a novelty/gimmick, but you’re actively choosing it over BG/Het. Also I’d argue a good portion of the female protag romance novels on here are “transmigration/rebirth villainess” novels and there’s only so much I can take before I’m tired of the same old plot line with minor changes.

 

It really depends? I read plenty of BG (written for women, I’m not really interested in the ones written for men), but the majority of my reading is BL, particularly Chinese BL these days. I just find it easier to find more equal relationships and good world building in BL. That’s not to say there aren’t problematic stories in BL, oh, boy, there are, but it’s easy enough to drop those ones, unless I keep reading for another reason (like world building, for example). When it comes to other mediums, my romance diet tends to be more diverse. In fact, I’m currently reading BL the least when it comes to comics, although that certainly hasn’t always been the case. (My boxes and boxes and boxes of BL doujinshi are proof enough of that.) Fanfiction is pretty much exclusively BL, although I am reading a GL fanfic* by my best friend and enjoying it. In paper back, I recently finished reading several no romances, a BG, and am almost done with another no romance.

*because it’s written by a woman, I don’t get the feeling of wrongness I sometimes get when I’ve attempted reading GL in the past. (Note: I have not attempted to read NU GL, and am not making a statement about NU GL.) I’m sure guys feel a similar wrongness when trying to read men written by women.

 

I tend to go for GL or BG but ratings, language, and tags matter more to me. Mostly my hate goes towards Japanese yuri. Simply 'cause the majority of them are always gonna be gender bend or poorly written, and that somehow cuts down my choices by 30%... Not including my requirements of 4 or above either.

Honestly, as long as it has good reviews and a decent plot I'm all for it. A protagonist with a generic IQ is okay as long as it doesn't drop as soon as they meet a love interest. Like, don't throw your life away for someone who cheated on you bro, I didn't spend 5 hours to watch you turn green.

And similar to a fellow above, I generally won't touch BL. Not every BL is MDZS level quality and I can't relate to the feeling of a male's stimulation. I just can't. Some BL I've read are amazing, but GL is the priority these days.