This is both a warning and an invitation for gay men (or anybody interested in gay literature) to read the BL webcomic Semantic Error, illustrated by Angy and written by J. Soori. I finished it and have had no one to talk to about it, so here I am. Please feel free to add anything you wanna discuss about the work: I would appreciate the back-and-forth.
The writing was better than I expected–it containing sexually graphic content and all–so I thought it would just be a thirst trap. But it was more than a step above that. Despite some clearly unrealistic moments, I found the story very healing and heartfelt. And the illustrations? They are simply a work of art–especially the SFW parts, which shocked me. Both the writing and the illustrations I found polished and disciplined, and I am never going back to porn. This, by contrast, is so much more wholesome and had so much more thought and consideration put into the finer details. The one caveat is, you have to read it on the official pay-to-read Manta site in order to get the best translations and publishing quality – but there do exist free chapters (which I cannot condone) if you just want to dip your feet in and don't mind the downgrade in translation quality.
So why the warning, then? Well, without spoiling anything: it makes me envious. A simple thirst-trap comic wouldn't make me feel this way. Even BL movies and shows don't make me feel this way. Porn will never be good enough for me again, and don't blame me if the same happens to you. But for those of you who have finished reading Semantic Error, here is a more in-depth answer with spoilers: The happy ending made me feel something both good and bad that I've never experienced before. So often in gay literature, we are left with tragic endings; this is not one of them. I couldn't be happier for these two fictional characters, and yet it's also left me wondering, "Why can't that be me?" This book touches heavily on themes of "ownership" and commitment. These two principles are simply not very popular ideas in gay culture in the country where I live. It rarely even happens in Korea, either, where the story takes place. Yet here we are: we have two men who turn out to be both exclusive and dedicated to one another, who are fine with each other's unhealthy possessiveness. It's a fantasy, really, and it's spoiled real life for me. [end spoilers]
Semantic Error is a breath of fresh air in gay literature containing NSFW scenes. It is not only a fix but also an expression of art that, while melodramatic, is not too melodramatic in the ways that matter… if that makes sense. Did other readers get that same sense from this webcomic, too? I'm curious as to how it fits in with the rest of BL literature from other people's POV, and if others felt the same emotional reaction from it.
by Islandbridgeburner