Just a Secret Creampuff

like… being lgbt+ in this society is literally, actually traumatizing. it is a traumatic experience, even if you are closeted, even if you have lots of reasons to believe the people you love would accept you if you came out.

we are trained by society at large to see this part of ourselves, this huge aspect of who we are and how we live in the world, as a thing to hide, apologize for, fear exposure, feel guilt and shame and disgust at ourselves over. that has a fucking impact.

the act of working through all that enough to allow ourselves to be known by people we care deeply about, who could very easily reject us and face no social consequences for doing so… that can require an incredible amount of courage and hard work.

cishet ppl need to have a little compassion for us. u need to recognise the hard work lgbt+ people are doing to live healthy, happy authentic lives in the face of overwhelming pressure to hide and disappear.

if someone trusts you with this crucial truth and ur response is to shame them for “not knowing you’re safe with me sooner” – you aren’t being safe, and you aren’t being supportive. i get that it can feel bad that u didn’t know sooner but you cannot take a loved one’s response to a traumatic environment and make it all about you. you should not ever ever respond to someone coming out by trying to make them feel bad.

Have you heard of a webseries called All For One? If you haven’t, let me tell you, you’re missing out! The first and second series can be watched right now on YouTube (here) and is released on the same channel as Carmilla. If that’s not enough to entice you – the lead of the show is RESOUNDINGLY BISEXUAL.

Here are some recs for casual/feel-good f/f representation! All links are to my reviews.

Good Enough to Eat - super cute lesbian vampire rom-com

Promises, Promises - parody of LotR/D&D starring three lesbians on a quest for magical stuff

Everything Leads to You - Hollywood f/f YA about a young set designer who falls for a girl she meets under mysterious circumstances

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - ensemble-cast “crew of a spaceship” story. Mostly just random adventures, includes a f/f couple who survive the book.

Roller Girl - contemporary f/f romance about trans woman who joins a roller derby team

Not fluffy, but the angst is SFF-stress rather than “living under homophobia/biphobia” stress:

Ascension - queer disabled ladies fighting Big Pharma in space–you wanted space bi’s, come get your space bi’s (actually, if you want more space bi’s also check out the anthology Fierce Family.)

Chameleon Moon - review is of an earlier edition and I hear the new one has even more great representation. Trans woman superhero with two female partners living in a dystopian city that’s on lockdown from the government after everyone develops mutant powers in response to a wonderdrug.

Not Your Sidekick - in the future, what happens when your parents are superheroes but you never developed powers? You intern for the baddie, of course! MC is bi and ends up in a f/f relationship, and the sequel will star her trans bestie.

Gay Pride and Prejudice by Kate Christie - What it says on the tin. Elizabeth Bennett is a lesbian and the haughty Caroline Bingley is the last woman she could ever be prevailed upon to love.

Escape from B-Movie Hell by M.T. McGuire - Silly British sci-fi with a lesbian protagonist

Heart Trouble by Jae - A doctor gets shocked by a defibrillator while saving a woman’s life in the ER. Now they have a soul bond!

Finding Ms Write by Jae & Jove Belle - Collection of short stories about women who love women and also love books.

The Wind City by Summer Wigmore - Urban fantasy drawing on Maori mythology. Protagonist describes herself as “at least 60% gay” and falls in love with a monster girl.

Sword of the Guardian by Merry Shannon - Bi princess and lesbian bodyguard fall in love.

Beauty & Cruelty by Meredith Katz about the evil with falling in love with sleeping beauty (lesbian)

High & Mighty by S.S. Skye - a princess stuck in a tower who is decidely Not Amused about it (lesbian)

Humanity for Beginners by Faith Mudge - Two friends and a halfway house for lesbian werewolves (lesbian)

Hunting a Lady by Cari Z. and Caitlin Ricci - a woman who needs money goes to rescue a kidnapped lady for the reward (lesbian)

Lies & Reverie by Camilla Quinn - A shopkeeper’s daughter who loves to day dream, and the beautiful woman who runs the town (lesbian)

Love Rampage by Alex Powell - a girl in love with her best friend, and the unicorn who helps her (lesbian, trans)

Modern Serpents Talk Things Through by Jamie Brindle - a modern dragon who falls in love with the human who invades her cave (lesbian)

Prom and Other Hazards by Jamie Sullivan - super cute story about a girl, her best friend, and the prom (lesbian, bisexual)

Slaying Dragons by Sasha L. Miller - a frustrated mage, some dragons, and the lovely new partner she’s stuck with (lesbian)

The Broken Forest by Megan Derr - a Huntress, and the beautiful witch she meets dealing with a troublesome forest (lesbian, bisexual, trans)

The Mercenary by Annabelle Kitch - a peasant girl, the princess she loves, a quest to win her princess’s hand in marriage (lesbian)

The Persephone Star by Jamie Sullivan- a proper lady working in the post office, a notorious criminal set on revenge, and a bit of kidnapping (lesbian)

The Secret of Mermaid Cove by Megan Derr - an improper lady, an unwanted engagement, and an island full of secrets

Witch, Cat, and Cobb by J.K. Pendragon - a princess fleeing an arranged marriage, a witch, and a cat (lesbian, trans)

Zombies in the East End by Roxanne Dent - steampunk, zombies, and two tough ladies

California Skies by Kalya Bashe - bandits in the wild west, a hunt for jewels, stubborn people (bisexual, genderqueer)

Henry: Now way!

Dorothy: You can’t just give up! Is that what a computer would do?

Henry: What?

You may have heard of BIFL - the webseries which is currently running an excellent fundraising campaing, and also snagged endorsements from a few different DCTV celebrities. If you haven’t - well what are you waiting for?

Asexuality is an extremely misunderstood sexual identity. Sexual intimacy is important for many of us. Because most of society deems sexual attraction important, asexuals are often ostracized – even pitied – for their sexual orientation. Asexual people often feel out of place because of the lack of knowledge concerning asexuality. Well, we’ve got news for you. Asexual people don’t need your pity; they need your understanding! Confused about what it means to be asexual? Psych2Go has a list of some of the basics that the ace community would like you to know.

Asexuality Is…

Asexuality is broadly defined as a lack of sexual attraction. People who identify as asexual – or ace – are not typically sexually attracted to anyone. According to current statistics, 1% of the North American population identifies as asexual, though many sexual psychology experts believe this number is higher.

1. It’s a Sexual Orientation

Asexuality is a sexual orientation that falls in line with heterosexuality, or bisexuality or homosexuality. Asexuality can sometimes…….

Dorothy, seductively leaning against the stove: Just my desire for you, babe.

Portia: Whatever you’re gonna say, save it for 10 seconds.

Dorothy: What happens in 10 seconds?

Henry: Just hang on for another 5 seconds and know that we’ve all been there at one point or another.

Dorothy: What happens in 5 seconds?

Happy National Coming Out Day

This chart shows (as best I could manage with the information I had) the connections in the LIWEU (literary-inspired webseries extended universe). 

A guide to the lines: Shows connected with solid lines mention each other as real people in video canon. Shows connected with dotted lines have characters who interact through transmedia, including video descriptions. Dashed line connections are for Inseparables in All For One, since those are really their own category. And the tiniest dotted lines are for shows that are fictional in each other’s universes. There are a lot more of those, but if I added all of them, this chart would cease to make any sort of sense.

I only used arrows when the shows are clearly in a weird situation with each other (mutually fictional or just super not on the same page).

If ever you are feeling down about your work attire, just remember…

A dream team. A team of dreams.