u/Fun-Mall7678

And before anyone says it, I know this isn’t just a BL thing 😭 rich powerful men have been romanticized in media forever. BL is just the genre I consume the most so that’s the perspective I’m talking from and I wanted to hear your thoughts specifically.

Not in the sense that this is a “new” thing. BLs have always loved the cold rich CEO/chaebol/heir type. But I think the current state of the world has changed how I see these characters a lot.

Before, it felt easier to separate it as fantasy. Just dramatic escapism. Now it feels a little too real in a way that makes me uncomfortable sometimes 😭

The MLs are usually insanely wealthy, untouchable, feared by everyone around them, capable of ruining lives with one phone call, and the story frames all of that as attractive and desirable. Employees worship them, people want connections from them, consequences barely apply to them, and they treat normal people as disposable half the time.

And maybe years ago I could read that as “fictional alpha male fantasy,” but now all I can think about is how people with generational wealth and massive social power exist in real life too. They’re not fantasy princes. They’re often the exact people benefiting from systems making everyone else miserable 🥀

Also side note, these stories LOVE pretending these 27-year-old CEOs are “self made” despite owning hotels, pharmaceutical companies, media corporations, and 3 private jets. Then the backstory is “he studied abroad and worked very hard for 2 years.” Sure. And I personally built the pyramids. But nvm that’s a whole separate conversation 😭

So what was I saying again. Right. It’s getting harder for me to see these stories as harmless fairytale escapism. Sometimes it just feels weirdly dystopian now. Like the narrative wants me to find exploitation and unchecked power attractive because the guy is handsome enough.

I still understand why the fantasy appeals to people. Wealth in fiction removes problems, creates security, gives the ML influence, etc. I’m not judging anyone for liking it. I just can’t see these characters in the same light anymore and it’s honestly affecting my enjoyment of certain stories.

Anyone else been feeling this way lately or am I turning BL into accidental class analysis at 1am 💀

Need BL recs where the bottom actually feels like a person 😭

I’m tired of stories calling the bottom “strong” just because he has a job, carries a gun, or has a mean expression, but the second the ml shows up he suddenly loses all survival skills and becomes a full-time hostage.

Like I don’t mean buff or physically strong. I mean competent. A bottom who can actually affect the plot, make decisions, hold his own, and exist as more than someone the ml constantly rescues or overpowers.

And please give me relationships where they actually respect each other 😭 I’m tired of stories acting like humiliation and bullying is peak chemistry.

One vibe I really liked was Stay Alive because the bottom actually felt involved in what was happening instead of just being carried unconscious through the plot.

At this point I’ll take anything. Manga, manhwa, whatever. I just need a bottom who can do something besides stare wide-eyed in danger while the top unlocks ultra instinct.