What
if you could make money by writing gay fanfiction? What if you could get paid
at least forty dollars for writing a fictional piece on how Dr. Watson and
Detective Holmes were in love all along?
The
more accurate name for gay fanfiction, is BL, also known as Boys Love.
Originating from Japan, the subculture genre focuses on portraying homoerotic
relationships between two men, whether they be fictional characters, or actual
figures in reality.
“What if I were to tell you, that nothing
can be labeled love, if it isn’t you and me?”
Cheesy? Yes. Cliché? Probably. But did I get
paid just to write that sentence? Definitely yes. I know the ins and outs of
the BL subculture, because I take part in it. I ask myself questions based on
the requests of the readers who pay me 3000 won for 1000 words. What if Harry
Potter and Draco Malfoy were in an intense love-hate relationship all along?
What if the subtext created and fueled by the MCU fandom on the relationship between
Captain America and Iron man aren’t entirely bogus? Based on these questions
raised by the clients, I produce works of fanfiction whether it be “angst” or “fluff”
However, one major problem exists in the BL subculture, no matter
how much I enjoy my participation in the genre. In BL, female characters exist
as plot devices that either assist or interfere with the male protagonists’
relationship. Their portrayal is flat to say the least, and they are at most of
the times blatantly excluded from the narrative. Moreover, despite the male
protagonists being the center of the narrative, they are mostly presented as
rigid stereotypes that exists to fulfill the desire of the readers. The actual
hardships that the queer community faces, such as lynching or outings, are
exploited to heighten the dramatic value of the story line.
Then
why on earth, would I, who attends the Seoul Pride Fair annually, constantly
checks for the un-PCness within me, keep up with BL? The answer is simple: the
BL subculture too, is changing, inside and out.
I
remember receiving a mail from one of my readers on a fanfiction I uploaded. The
fanfiction was requested by a fan of BTS, a Korean boy band with members whose
names I unfortunately do not remember. Though anonymous, the reader told me how
it felt as if he was relaying his first crush that made him realize his
sexuality. That was when the thought hit me, that the BL subculture was no
longer an area of objectification, designated for heterosexual women. The genre
is now opened up to the queer community, to those who feel they lack the
qualification to tackle the area of Queer Literature, but nevertheless wishes
to participate.
BL has become a site for exploration and participation to the queer
community: the fact that fanfiction borrows the voices of fictional, celebrated
figures makes it easier for the queer consumers to share their thoughts and
experience. As Paul Margs stated, as a queer, you read into texts.
You hope that something is gay, rather it be a couple on aTV show, or a
character in a video game, as you hope someone is. You search for signs and
signals, read into things, often too much, in hopes of constructing your own
narrative, one that is blatantly, and undeniably queer. And so, you take
something you love and you read gay romance and subtext into it. It serves as a reflection into their
desires and identification with themselves, as they delve into, and eventually
find themselves within their interpretation.
So there it is.
Sometimes,"bromances' and girl crushes aren't enough. One simply has to
read some more into it, and eventually, rewrite it. Whether it be
through the voice of Captain Kirk, or Doctor Watson, or even myself.
