Discussion Rec less offensive Asian queer lit?

So I have been lurking around reading Asian Light Novels for a little while now, I am more of a Manga reader normally but got kinda hooked 1 -2 years ago hehe. Anyway, one thing I personally from my pov find offensive are certain tropes used in BL or GL or with queer side characters when reading LNs. Especially CN LNs in my experience so far. I think that's just the culture though, and it's not like I can do much about it, but it is 2019 and I am just so surprised about some of the things that seem to be seen as normal. I guess those are my pet peeves? And I have been wondering if there are any BL or GL LN out there that, for someone western I guess, is less offensive? Maybe I should give an example? Liiike, I don't believe you can fuck somebody gay, or straight for that matter. Sure you can come to a certain enlightenment about yourself, but we are more than our sex drive imho. Also, stalking is not cute and neither is gaslighting ... And rape is inexcusable and not a show of how much you love somebody. This seems to be an overall theme, not just in queer lit. I feel like this has been better represented in Mangas than LNs , from my experience. Or maybe I just read more shounen ai fluff??? It might just be the difference of culture though from JP Vs CN Vs KR etc. I just think the younger generation might have a different view so maybe you guys can recommend something more recent? Or maybe I am just putting my hopes up ... Am I overthinking this?? Is my google Fu outdated? Do I just overlook all the good queer LNs out there? Help lol

 

There are good BL novels in CN. JP is still perverted and sometimes harem. And KR... Stalking is involved most of the time but it's deep. Rape may occur in the older novels, but newer novels mostly don't have it.

 

If you need recommendations for BL don't hesitate to dm me!

 

Summon @Moonpearl the expert on this topic

 

I recommend “The Earth is Online” and “I’m Not Shouldering This Blame” as examples of healthy BL. (・ω・)ノ

 

@Shem

 

so, you don't like to have characters reduced to their sex-drive and orientation, nor do you want anything outside a normal (gay) fluffy romance, is that right?
"less offensive" is pretty much a useless thing to ask, because you will either get things that can't offend anybody (but probably also are as boring as waiting without anything to do) or things that others don't find offensive. it's subjective, so yeah

 

Beloved Marriage in High Society
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/beloved-marriage-in-high-society/

Rebirth of a CV Star
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/rebirth-of-a-cv-star/

 

Cultural differences are powerful! It is 2019, but a number of the Asian countries are significantly more conservative than western ones.

 

There are quite a few GL and BL novels without the "turning a straight person gay" trope. "Rape victim becomes a lover" is also far less common in GL than in BL. I'd say that avoiding the "stalking is a funny way of courting" is more difficult.

Here are some BL that you might be interested in:
"The Founder of Diabolism" - This is a huge favourite in the BL community. It's a mystery set in a cultivation world, plenty focused on the story and with a gradually developing but very loving relationship. The horror aspects of it are seriously scary, so try not to read them in the dark. (I'd explain the plot, but it's a little hard to do without spoiling it...)

"Kiss the Black Cat" - This challenges a lot of the assumptions that BL novels make. The plot is about one of the king's magicians (who's always underestimated) being set the mission of secretly impersonating a black cat to guard a foreign prince, while a certain royal knight has the official job of guarding him. Growing a little closer first as a cat and a human, they later become lovers...
Well, the plot is really about the couple themselves. Both accept their interest in men quite freely, there's no forcefulness or stalking... The smut is high quality, too.

"The Unicorn Legion" - One of the best BL available! The main pairing is a calm and friendly ancient elf x a devoted knight. It's a slow-paced fantasy novel that seems to be about uncovering what happened before and after the elf went into hibernation 300 years ago. The main pairing is very sweet and, although they haven't reached the point of talking about their feelings, I haven't seen either of them faffing about being straight.
The only red flag in this novel is that it shows an adult's relationship with a little kid as a good and romantic thing... But it's only a few chapters, doesn't show anything, and the adult is already dead. It's a back story relationship, if you can fight your way through it.

"No. 6" - The relationship in this novel is really toxic, but it's acknowledged to be toxic and it's part of the dystopian setting. There's no "romantic" rape, no "straight-to-gay", and the obsessive love is a plot point. The main story of this series is about a dystopian city, corrupt leaders, and what it means to be a good person. It also delves into the guilt of realising that everything you have is reaped from the blood and suffering of others.


And here's some yuri that I'm pretty sure avoids the "obsessive courting" trope, or at least doesn't do it very badly:
"Didn't Know General Was Female" - We're not at the point where the general's gender is revealed yet, but this is a very sweet and wholesome series. It's about an arrogant noble woman who has an unhappy marriage and regrets her life. She dies suddenly one day and wakes up back in her own childhood, just before the greatly accomplished general gets brought into her house as a penniless orphan. She decides to pursue him so she can have a better marriage, but she really does fall in love~!
(There's some persistent courting, but only because the general is incredibly dense. The feelings are always mutual.)

"The General’s Manor Young Concubine Survival Report" - Short but funny. The MC does court quite persistently, but I don't think it ever gets to the point where it goes beyond comedy. Everyone just treats her like she has a screw loose.
This is about someone who wakes up in the body of an ancient concubine and thinks that she knows just what to do because she's familiar with transmigration stories. She wrongly assumes that she's the general's disfavoured concubine, fated to climb up the ranks now, and throws herself at him for forgiveness... Even after realising that the general is a woman, she decides to take it in her stride and go the yuri route. However, she's not the general's concubine, but the general's husband's concubine, and is entangled in a huge conspiracy.
I really like the general stories, so I really like this. XD The MC is eccentric because she's basing all her decisions on cliche plot elements and the general plays the "straight man" in the comedy routine, if you will.

"Female General and Eldest Princess" - I've been told to expect a manipulative relationship from this, but that's because this is a novel about political intrigue. The general is a woman whose entire village was slaughtered by the enemy, so she impersonated her brother to join the army and get revenge. The princess' mother has just died, so she's forced to scheme to protect her little brother and ensure he succeeds in becoming emperor. It's supposed to be a happy ending.

"After Exchanging Shadows" - Two famous actresses swap bodies by some magic - the cold and arrogant goddess of the acting world, and the friendly has-been that she despises. Until they figure out how to undo it, they have to pretend to be each other.

 

Didn’t Know General Was Female
The Noble Consort’s Pet Empress
After Exchanging Shadows
The General’s Manor Young Concubine Survival Report
Female General And Eldest Princess
Living in the Last Days
Female Protagonist is a Blackened Villainess

list all yuri novel, no rape. hardly find rape in yuri novel.
https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/77/

 

I second these recommendations. Both novels have very equal couples who are both gay to start with and develop a romance over time. “I’m Not Shouldering This Blame” remains one of the healthiest relationships I’ve read, period. Be sure that you get the title of “Blame” right, though, as there are one or two other titles with very similar names.