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messrsnana · 11 months

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What goes on in marls head

#marauders fanart #marlene mckinnon #dorcas meadowes #dorlene #marauders era #dorlene fanart #we love soft lesbian representation #Marlene and Dorcas #happy pride month btw!!

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sapphos-darlings · 27 days

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There's something I've been thinking a lot recently, about how lesbianism is truly a unique sexual orientation even among other minority ones, and how that affects our art and writing that should be about self-expression. Lesbians are so far in the margins, being first women, then a minority of women by being same-sex attracted, and then a minority of those ssa women by being exclusively ssa. That's not even mentioning other factors that might intersect, such as race or ability. This can leave us feeling isolated and scrambling for support and allies, and in my opinion, one can compromise too much while struggling to be understood, and even lose important parts of yourself in the quest for solidarity and inclusivity.

So, what I want to say to my fellow lesbian writers and artists:

Be bold.

Be honest.

Be unapologetic.

Question your motives and biases again to make sure you're not holding yourself back. Don't let yourself become your own lesbophobic call-out-poster or a narrowminded critic. Don't chew up your ideas, opinions and creativity just so some hypothetical audience would have easier time swallowing it.

Don't shrink back and lie to make your art appeal to others. Dare to prefer women and lesbians. Dare to put lesbians first. Dare to center lesbians. Dare to center lesbians like you and focus on topics that are important to you.

Personally for me becoming the loud and self-centered lesbian writer has meant that I've started to write lesbian/lesbian couples without feeling the need to "be fair" in terms of representation. I've started to write about explicitly homosexual experiences, where women love women not "despite their sex" but because of it, and are sure and happy about that.

I no longer cloak lesbian sexuality in "soft sapphic vibes" or leave it without a clear definition. I've started to exclude men from the women's stories. I've shed the need to include heterosexuals in main roles, even other women.

I started to exclude hyper feminine tropes just because I don't like them. I started writing masculine women and butches without worrying they are "too much". I create lesbian characters who are flawed, in pain, evil, complex and unlikable, and put them in thrillers and horror without worrying about crossing a line into that dreaded "too much".

I've pushed down many invisible walls by examining the ways I've people-pleased and shied away from how strong and unique the lesbian experience is.

Behind all those walls are stories I really long to tell, the kind that resonate with me, the kind I want to have in this world.

And I know no one else is going to depict lesbians like we do ourselves. No one else is going to tell our stories like we do, or paint us like we do, so let's stop wasting time pleasing others and start telling our own stories - unfiltered and proud.

#wlw #lesbian positivity #lesbian pride #lesbian safe #lesbian writers #lesbian artists #lesbian #c: Lavender

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fatphobiabusters · 4 months

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Gotta say, as a fat person and a writer, one of the most healing things I've done is writing fat characters of my own and giving myself the representation I never got to have. My two favorites are: a stereotypical 80's/90's skater guy who calls everyone "dude" or "bro" and fucking loves classic rock and has fluffy bleached hair that always covers his eyes and he's kind of got Bill and Ted vibes, I'm just realizing.

And a chronically ill lesbian whose weight is viewed as super positive because it's a sign she's recovering from her most recent bout of illness and she's artsy and passionate and geeky and her girlfriend absolutely adores her soft, round face because it reminds her of the moon.

We need more fat characters who get to be more than just The Fat Guy, I don't get why people just seem to refuse to give their OCs actual human traits and instead revolve everything around their fatness and how funny or bad it is to be fat.

I'm glad to know there are people who are actively working on bettering the miniscule positive fat representation we have in media currently. I especially love when people make fat characters who are the opposite of all of the stereotypes and tropes forced on us. The athletic character being a fat person whose body has stayed fat all these years, a fat video game character who isn't forced to be a tank, the fashionista character is a fat person who grew up having to sew their own clothes and now is a sewing master with the best sense of style on this side of the Mississippi river. The fat person with an eating disorder who actually gains weight in recovery, the popular girl in school who's fat and not the bully, a love interest who isn't stick thin for once. I hope you continue to write fat characters you enjoy!

-Mod Worthy

#fat representation #royalminty #ask #Mod Worthy

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deramin2 · 7 months

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Tonight I got to show my boyfriend Big Eden (2000). I love that movie so much. It's sappy and cheesy but no one had EVER made a gay romcom like like that. No queer movie had existed with that softness and living acceptance. It's 5 years older than the homophobic misery porn of Brokeback Mountain being held up as representation we should be grateful for. Big Eden broke as many barriers as Philadelphia (1993) or The Boys in the Band (1970).

Queer romcoms are only now becoming common 20 years later. Bros (2022) would have no queer Hallheart movies to simultaneously mock and long for without Big Eden. No The Way He Looks (2014), no Cloudburst (2011), no Fire Island (2022), no Spoiler Alert (2022), no Booksmart (2019), and no countless other films.

They exist because Thomas Bezucha said we deserve these stories, too. We deserve gentleness and love and small town crushes held onto for decades and someone who pours all their feelings into cooking for you and pretends it's not him because he's too shy. He deserve a Greek Chorus of old men who do nothing all day getting roped into it and hardware store lesbians and an old busybody playing matchmaker that realizes her errors. We deserve silly love triangles with gentle endings for everyone. We deserve the fantasy of it all. We deserve no queer people dying or being pressured by their family or corrected by anyone. Just love. Sappy, soft, gentle, healing, protective love. We deserve our own take on old tropes. And that's still something special.

#queer media #big Eden #queer romcoms #queer history

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bengiyo · 30 days

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This is a broad one, so take it whatever direction you wish: what are five shows, actors, or creative teams that have exceeded your expectations or pleasantly surprised you?

WOW. I struggle with broad asks because there's so much I like and think about.

Nadao Bangkok

I loved Nadao Bangkok so much. I had basically only engaged with really stylish Thai movies and media before BL. It's the kind of stuff you see at film festivals. I was not really used to the quick and efficient production processes and talent pools of the TV show production of BLs. I adapted, but it was such a relief to watch things like Project S, I Told Sunset About You, I Promised You the Moon, and Great Men Academy. I also just adore the talent they cultivated and how so many Nadao alums are still doing things in entertainment. They really did something special there.

Koisenu Futari (2022)

We talk so much about about representation and wanting to see more kinds of stories. I really loved the way this story explored the spectrum of asexuality alongside loneliness and the search for companionship. I love that it's a story about people who all care about each other, but they are all out of alignment for various reasons. I love that so many of the relationships don't resolve in a way that pairs people in an expected way. The sister left her cheating husband, Sakuko and Takashi don't live together, and Kazu was actually able to just be her friend. It's an unexpected delight.

For the Boys (2021)

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I will never stop pimping this show out. Many of the folks are new to BL and queer TV in general, so they don't even remember Noah's Arc. I've been wanting more shows about black queer friend groups, and this show delivered. Every week I check on Slay TV to see what else they're up to. This show features a femme/GNC character finding their way through presenting publicly and dating, a fat black gay man struggling with body image and race identity issues, and a promiscuous black gay man struggling with his place in the world. It's a nuanced look at queer friendship, and I really wish more people would watch it.

Ossan's Love: In the Sky (2019)

I already apologized to this show once, but I'll bring it up again. This AU season could have been a real flop, but in some ways it's my favorite. I love doing an AU as a way to soft reboot your characters and dig deeper into their interiority before returning to them years later. I like Haruta so much more because of this season. I also really love the bonds between men in this series and the ways they push each other. It's really excellent, and this is a special franchise we have been lucky enough to return to multiple times.

Sherri and Teri Polo on The Fosters (2013-2018)

In an era where almost every TV lesbian died, these two delivered some of the best onscreen chemistry I've ever seen. They felt like a married couple for the entirety of a dramatic and often-messy Freeform (formerly ABC Family) TV show. We talk about Business Gay Performance (BGP) around here a lot, and these two are masters of their craft. At no point did you ever think these two actresses were secretly dating or cheating on their partners, but they were open about how much they loved each other and how important the friendship they built on this show was to them. I have immense admiration for the work they did and continue to do in the queer space. We are really lucky that these two took on the role of playing loving moms to all them kids, who got to also got to have a romantic and sexual relationship with each other onscreen.

Thank you for the ask! Since it wasn't explicitly BL, I decided to have some fun.

#answered #koisenu futari #the fosters #ossan's love #nadao bangkok #for the boys #for the boys slay tv

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alexissara · 6 months

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Diving into Heather Fire Emblem

So Heather Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn is a character with very little screen time but as Fire Emblem's first 100% canon lesbian she has always had a special place in my heart even before I was out or really looking for representation I was drawn to this woman and her affection for other women. Today, I want to dive into her character, my reading of her and why I think she is a really great character who has potential to be a truly amazing character if she was ever given the spotlight and focus she deserves in some kind of Remake.

Heather is a poor woman, raised in the rural areas of Crimea which of the Beroc [This world's humans] nations is one of the more peace loving but least wealthy nations. Heather has a sickly mother at home, one who she cares for deeply. In her caring for her mother her job a thief has a strict purpose, bring money home for mom, take care of her, even if you have to get into riskier situations to get that money. It is in her mother's illness that Heather knows she must go out boldly and runs into the events of Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn.

If she dies she cries “Mother... Forgive me... I...lied... I stole... And this...is my punishment...” showing her mother doesn't know how she cares of her or the lengths she goes to to tend to her mother lying about how she makes the living for the pair of them. This speaks to a core element of the character, she is a soft hearted woman, she cares for her mother a lot and would do anything for her and she learned that in this world she needed to lie and steal to survive. Heather is a compassionate survivor who wears the masks she needs to wear in order to make it in the world.

As mentioned earlier one of the most notable things about Heather is her position as Fire Emblem's first canon lesbian a positioned she would be alone in until Fire Emblem Three Hope's Monica entered the screen 15 years later. This means something in her own world as well though, while the land of Tellius more certainly seems a little more inclusive in terms of women's places in society that does not mean queerness has been elevated into being a norm. For the most part we don't know much about queerness in the continent of Tellius we see through Heather that there is still heteronormative expectations at work for common women. Kyza's supports also imply at least a small pressure for people to be a bit more private about their sexuaity and gender.

Heather is hit on by men and likely has been hit on by men as a fairly traditionally attractive, unmarried adult woman for some time. She learned how to manipulate men into getting meals and other things from them outside of just robbing them but her manipulation is totally harmless, it is men doing things for the expectation of something Heather has never promised or even implied, simply a man's expectations for women. We know Heather has no history of abuse from an interview question where it was also affirmed she is simply a lesbian, that is just her nature and that she was never abused. So this kindness comes not from a place of trauma but in a place of solidarity with other women. We can see that the harassment of men is a factor for her though from her ability in the fire emblem TCG "Buffoonish men are in for a thrashing!" which shows how much she is just done with men being an asshole to her.

Unlike the men of the world her love for women comes with no expectation that they'll romance her, she likely thinks she is the only woman who likes other women, that she will be alone in her desires. So she simply works to make pretty women happy, content to give them a small flirt and a gift then leave them to do their own thing. Just getting to see a pretty woman is what she wants from a desire to see Princess Elenica and see if she lives up to the stories to wanting to help women like Nepheene and Illyana. She knows both that her taking care of her mother most come first but also that she's unlikely to be able to meet another woman to love.

I don't think it's an accident that the two women we see her be most into are bother fellow commoners when you look at Heather a a woman who is focused on solidarity between women. Heather's mechanics in Fire Emblem Cipher tend to lean on her attraction to women as well having women based abilities. In fact one of her abilities is called "For the smiles of girls!" showing that what she is doing is simply to see another woman smile. The end goal isn't marriage, isn't sex, isn't a relationship but just to see other women smile. This places her as a woman who is deeply rooted in community with other women and solidarity with them.

All of this comes from so little in the game and card game but I think together it paints a picture of an extremally kind woman with a roughish slant. She can be a scoundrel but only to people who deserve it and she is willing to steal and blackmail but it's always for a woman who is in need. At the end of the game Heather returns home to her mother, she lies and says she won't go be a thief again but she makes sure her mother is taken care of for the rest of her mother's life. She has no paired endings and is left alone at the end of it, proving that her own assumption is correct that she wouldn't find love so instead she would settle for smiles.

I want the best for Heather and I wish her love with many women. In my head she has a nice polycule to go see and helps nurse her mom to good health but regardless I think she has so much potential that was not explored thanks to Radiant Dawns bad support system and in general just being a minor character in a very massive cast. I love her and I hope I showed a bit of what draws me to her and why I think she is so special. If you enjoyed and want more, let me know and maybe I'll do more character deep dives. And of course Patreon and Ko-fi are always great ways to support me slash get me to do what you want.

Little ending note here, I wrote this before Heather got announced for FEH! I am so excited and I will totally be listening to her voice lines and stuff and seeing if there is any more gold about her, maybe I'll update this if they have something I feel adds to my reading but as it looks like now it's same old lesbian Heather being gay for Nephenee and women in general.

#Heather Fire Emblem #Heather #fire emblem radiant dawn #Heather Radiant Dawn #Heather FE #Heather RD #Fire Emblem #FE #RD #FE RD #Character Dive #FEH #Fire Emblem Heroes

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uncriticalbunny · 10 months

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me whenever I see people desperate for the writers to make sydney asexual and/or a lesbian.

long post ahead.

as a black woman who is ace, I don’t think sydney being asexual would be revolutionary or interesting. it would actually be so incredibly, hugely, profoundly... boringggggg. and people who insist on sydney being asexual get a massive side eye from me. especially white asexuals, because fuck your representation, and cishet people because who the fuck are y’all?

so rarely are black women in tv and film treated with respect and nuance, much less when it comes to romance. so rarely are we treated as a person to be desired. to be loved. openly. warmly. carnally. even less so when it’s a darkskin black woman. writers pick from one of two things when it comes to black female characters: hypersexualized vs desexualized. superficially, for all outward appearances, there are lots of asexual black women in media. that is to say, they are certainly almost treated that way. unintentionally. intentionally. maliciously. void of sexuality or sensuality. no romance because she’s a Strong Black Woman who doesn’t need a man. or a relationship so pathetic that it can hardly be called a romance. would it be nice to have an asexual black female character who has a storyline that treats asexuality with respect? yes, yes it would. but that’s not really the point of this increasingly wordy essay. if the creators/writers are to be taken at their word that sydcarmy is strictly platonic, and they had her reject marcus because he misread their interactions, then it just shows they’ve developed nothing for sydney romantically. all the shots of carmy looking at her like she hung the moon and the stars are simply because she's his #bro. marcus really only liked her for her personality and simply confused that for romantic longing. platonic connections and a one-sided pursuit with zero heat. how groundbreaking.

every fucking white character can have all of the romance-related things though. they can kiss each other, be shown as desirable, etc. etc. nat can be cuddled and cherished by pete. richie can go on dates in a nice suit with dirt caked under his nails, be loving with his then-wife, and ostensibly be wanted by jess. tiffany can still be yearned for by her ex-husband as she prepares to marry a new one. carmy can skip around like he’s in a romcom while neglecting his responsibilities to make out with claire and call her beautiful. claire can be shot in soft, dreamy sequences with closeups of her face and have a convo with her ass out for no reason other than to say she’s desirable and fucked carmy. claire and carmy can have screentime set aside for their relationship and a tender lovemaking scene. it’s expected for white people. it’s the norm. no romantic love for sydney though. because she’s driven. because she deserves better. because romance is unimportant. because she wants that star. because she can have no distractions. because asexual. because representation. [audience cheering]

sydney being a lesbian would also bore me immensely. too often are black female characters treated by writers as russian dolls with every diversity point they can think of. books, comics, tv, film, etc. she’s black, she's lesbian, she’s trans, she’s disabled, she’s poor, she’s this, she’s that. the diversity and representation everyone wants. why is every other character surrounding this ~pinnacle of diversity~ straight, or white, or a man? yes, because that’s who’s mainly writing and casting and greenlighting these things and maybe it’s silly to expect otherwise, but still, what the fuck? congrats on being represented by this fictional character. but it doesn’t feel genuine; it feels spiteful and lazy and self-congratulatory. like where's the other black women and diverse characters lmao. to be clear, I do want to see all the black lesbians in media because there's still not very many. and black women with one, or two, or all of those “diversity points” do exist in real life. we are lesbians, we are bi, we are disabled, we are trans. we're all of those and more. and we are loved and adored. on screen? maybe with a nonexistent or poor romantic storyline. or perhaps a decent and maybe even good storyline that eventually crashes and burns. there's a popular twitter thread right now about the disposable black gf trope and the examples that keep pouring in are bleak af.

the black lesbian character headcanon/canon increasingly feels like just another way to fridge us romantically. #notalllesbiantruthers but too many tbh. a black female character will simply exist without uttering a word and a slew of white women will be there to loudly proclaim her as the lesbian representation they want, need, crave, and adore. especially if there’s zero indication of the character being a lesbian. just stereotypes and vibes. hollow, insincere proclamations. bi black women don't even exist in their world. all these things I’ve observed with sydney. she's a bro, she's butch, she's a top, she's so husband-coded. babygirl is only reserved for the most woeful, pitiful white male characters. it's hilariously #coded. and no one will push back because after all, any gay representation is a good thing.

you’ll see hit tweets about how they know deep down sydney's a lesbian or how it will be so funny when the writers make her one. really, why is that? she can't be bi lest she actually gets with carmy. carmy can't be gay because they want to fuck him too badly. yeah I’m not so convinced all the lesbian sydney truthers earnestly want to see her loved, adored, cuddled, kissed, or fucked by another woman. because would that really be the writers’ objective or finished product? or will they just make her a lesbian and pat themselves on the back for doing only that. a throwaway line? maybe give her a cute romance built largely off-screen? lesbian sydney is a win for diversity and that’s enough. and who really wants to see sydney loved on loudly or be sexual anyway? that's not who she really is! she wears minimal makeup and oversized shirts and sweaters. let’s just focus on her working herself to the bone and getting that star. and I think deep down a lot of these truthers know her storyline possibly wouldn't be done justice. that's why it's going to be so funny to them when they make her one.

it all feels so shallow. fanfiction of sydney x fem!reader or original female character or nayia (the gorgiana black chef from s02ep03) is quite literally nonexistent [!!!]. sorry, y'all are not progressive or galaxy-brained. we get a black female character who’s multifaceted and fascinating, a deuteragonist even, in a show with a fandom that barely considers her as a person, and you’ve set your grubby paws upon her to be shelved romantically. bffr, the writers are already flailing romance-wise when it comes to sydney; they would not do an asexual/lesbian storyline justice. and even if they somehow make a halfway decent attempt, maybe they should have made it clear from the very beginning. not in season 3 or 4 or 5 or wheneverthefuck after they’ve given all the white characters romantic angles and developed her strongest and most important relationship with carmy, the main white guy or possibly because they hate the fact that people ship her with the main white guy. because then it just feels reactionary. and spiteful. and lazy. anyway, this ended up being way longer than I wanted. thanks for reading. fin.

#sydney adamu #the bear #no one has to justify their headcanons or whatever cuz who gives a fuck #but when I see your blog is filled with incestuous and other crazyyyyy romantic pairings #and you're desperate for sydney to be single #kill bill sirens fr #ok but the fanfiction thing gagged me so bad bc the sydcarmy sistren are going to work meanwhile #all their naysayers and supporters of other sydney ships/headcanons have vanished when it comes to ff #nobody wants to work these days #text

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do-angels-dream-of-starry-seas · 1 year

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I just have to wax poetic about the beauty of gentlebeard, particularly why I, as an autistic person, love them so much and project onto them so badly

This might get a little long, so a read more will do

But first off, some fun brief history lesson on autistic relationships in media :). Which sucks most of the time :)))

Ok I'm really not gonna get too much into it cause most of its the same; white autistic man/white allistic woman (The Good Doctor, Adam, etc). There have been steps in more diversity when it comes to this (Jane Wants a Boyfriend and Extraordinary Attorney Woo, a flip on this trope, and Heartbreak High has an actually autistic actress as a main lesbian character) but some of these media aren't being continued anymore (Everything's Gonna Be Okay you will always be missed)

As of right now, the themes of these stories are usually about the disability, teaching allistics and just overall centers around autism itself, which considering how many of these projects aren't led by autistic people, it's shitty repetitive portrayals (The Good Doctor, Atypical, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, As They See Us, blah blah blah blah blah)

But then you got these two pirates.

And let me explain how they pressed all the right buttons for me:

1. Both neurodivergent coded

Stede Bonnet my autistic icon. Just, the way he goes about social interactions and his knowledge about things is so reminiscent of trying to understand social rules and masking and special interests. There's even the little things like his love of books and needing things spelled out to him and when he commented on the textures of the privateer clothing.

And there's definitely a reason loads of people love to read Ed as adhd: his brain thinking of plans ahead in the future, feeling stuck in life, collection of items in a "messy" room, and that fancy French party man. His reading is less overt and more nuanced to me, but I still feel connected to him like I do with Stede, like how I would feel when watching a show about autistic people.

2. Their neurodivergent relationship

I've said before that most relationships we see are with an autistic/allistic. It falls under the "teaching" category and makes me feel like its trying to make a point, like yes, autistic people can have relationships like anyone else and they are lovable enough to neurotypicals!!!1!!1!

So imagine my absolute glee at how when Stede and Ed have their first proper conversation, it goes like

Ed seemingly seeking a sensory touch from the softness of a fabric

Stede instead of judging him on doing something "weird" asks if he enjoys it

And because they find they both enjoy this certain thing

Stede shows him his safe space to Ed full of this same kind of thing Ed liked

Ed then expresses his personal feelings to Stede

And gets no judgment, in fact a show of agreement and sympathy

And then they do something that's like an inside joke that's really only funny to them

And then Ed encourages Stede to be confident by supporting him

This is thee meet-cute, nothing can ever top this cute and honest beginning of a medium-burn relationship, change my mind

Most of what autistics want more than anything, romantic or otherwise, is to feel listened to and accepted. And we get this almost immediately, with BOTH Stede and Ed feeling appreciated!!!!

3. No neurodivergent preaching

When autistic love is shown in media, it's usually never the focal point. The main thing is about the person having the disability - even shows I love and praise for its relationship representation like Extraordinary Attorney Woo and Everything's Gonna Be Okay do the same thing

Ofmd acknowledges issues existing like colonialism, racism and homophobia, yet this show is not about that. The characters are allowed to exist and be themselves and happy without having this fact shoved down their throat every waking second and the villains who keep up the systemic issues get their comeuppance, usually by that person they were hurting.

And I here what you're saying: that neurodivergency is not canon and so doesn't have the direct acknowledgement like the other issues I mentioned... well.

We don't see sexism in ofmd, yet we all understand how Mary wouldn't be able to make the same choices Stede could on leaving their family. We know that the French party were entertained by Ed, not just cause of his stories as Jeff The Accountant.

Stede was bullied in his childhood by his father and classmates for not fitting in, for standing out - yes this obviously reads as homophobia, but many neurodivergents can relate to feeling exactly like this, some i bet almost being in the same situation as Stede is when it comes to things like crying easily and liking to pick flowers

So a moment like Stede playing Stark Revelations, where he gets to make fun of people that were like those in his old life AND being able to defend his one and only friend? That felt pretty damn good to watch myself.

Even without the romance, you still have a show where the two main characters are encouraged to be themselves in every way. This is a far cry from other media where even though they aren't explicitly stated to be neurodivergent, they are generally unlikeable and/or characters around them scold and pressure them to change into something "better" (Sherlock, Big Bang Theory, etc etc). Doesn't change the fact they are read as neurodivergent and thus seen as harmful representation for people who are "similar" to them irl

Meanwhile, Ed and Stede love each other because of who the other is, no narrative about them having to fall in love with the other despite their differences... but because they found something in each other they always wanted to find, and to feel loved in return

And the narrative doesn't preach to you or tries to fix them. Instead it says "this is our main character who happens to be white and middle aged, and this is his love interest who happens to be middle-aged and a Māori man, and this is their love story". And it is so goddamn neurodivergent

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd meta #blackbonnet #gentlebeard #stede bonnet #edward teach #autism #actually autistic #autistic love #autistic relationship #let.me.dream.with.ofmd

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yellowjacketslesbian · 1 year

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Reasons you should be watching Yellowjackets as a lesbian:

Let’s start with the obvious, shall we, the canon lesbian ship (VanTaissa). Which includes a masc/butch lesbian and a lesbian of color! Like we love to see the representation! Their relationship also feels authentic in a way rarely seen in media. Their scenes really shine with the underlying playfulness of young, first love.

Did I mention they’re played by an openly nonbinary lesbian actor and a queer actress in the 1996 timeline and Taissa in 2021 is played by another queer actress! And the cast has been allowed a lot of involvement in making their characters stories even more authentic (though the show runners and writers already do an amazing job).

Speaking of their story, one of my favorite things about the show is that their relationship and queerness isn’t treated as an obstacle to overcome, as it is many times in media. In fact, relationship is really a source of joy and strength for both characters when they’re stranded in the wilderness. Also, it should be noted that both of the lesbian characters have well developed storylines and motivations beyond their relationship.

And in 2021 we learn that Taissa grew up to have a beautiful family with her wife (who isn’t Van) and get to watch her campaign for state senate as an out lesbian. Enter the internal conflict of wanting to root for Taissa’s marriage in 2021 while simultaneously wanting a decades spanning love story for Van and Taissa.

On the topic of Van, she’s one of the best representations of masc/gender nonconforming lesbians I’ve seen in my lifetime. The show allows her to be sweet and soft and emotionally vulnerable in a way that masc/butch lesbians are rarely allowed to be on screen. (I could go on about what that portrayal personally meant to me, but that’s a whole other thread)

However, the show’s overarching queerness and exploration of lesbian identity goes far beyond the canon relationships. Jackie and Shauna are two best friends on the show who have an underlying (and very obvious) romantic tension to their friendship complete with longing glances and homoromantic friendship breakups.

Let me put it this way, if you even remotely liked Jennifer’s Body, you will be head over heals for JackieShauna. And don’t even get me started on the visceral portrayal of Jackie’s comphet in the pilot (or do if you want a dissertation). And there’s also queer coding in so many other characters (stares at Lottie and her purple laced docs and Nat and her everything).

Also, I cannot stress enough how incredible this show is even beyond it’s queer elements! Like from the 90s vibes to the incredible writing to beautiful cinematography, it’s worth the watch. Like it’s a riveting psychological horror mystery that explores the brutalities of girlhood with heart and humor.

Did I mention Showtime renewed through season 3 before we even got a trailer for season 2, so we’re guaranteed at least two more seasons! (Not to mention Showtime has a long history of supporting lesbian and queer narratives)

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deadlydelicious · 13 days

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The influx of new watchers from the netflix dropout is great, but once again...

new Black Sails watchers who complain that it isn't gay enough...

Why is it that 'gay' to you is only two men kissing? why do you need soft uwu romance with two men you can sexualize for it to 'count' as gay. why don't women count. why doesn't the scar of lost love count. why don't bisexuals count?

To hammer it in - Why don't the lesbians count? and don't 'cishetero male gaze' me. I'm a lesbian and i enjoy watching Anne and Max fuck. see the point above - lets be honest here 'queer enough' is when you can fetishize gay men. Your fetish is gay men.

The lesbians and violence are too 'cishetero male gaze'. I think this one pisses me off the most. Most Black Sails fans are queer. Most of the fandom are queer. Interestingly enough its the 'allies' I hear this from the most. Not every queer piece of media is going to be soft boys gently falling in angsty love. some times it's violence, sometimes it's lesbians, sometimes is queerness being a person and not a titillating makeout scene between two abercrombie models.

Maybe admit that you're not actually an A+ ally, you have a fetish for queer men. Which like...we all have fetishes, but you don't get to deem a queer piece of media 'not queer enough' just because you couldn't get your fix from it. Black Sails is queer from episode 1. fucking grow up

Like to be clear, I also disagree with the current marketing of the Netflix Black Sails drop as 'forget about OFMD this is the greatest queer pirate show'. For some people, OFMD is their purest representation. THAT'S FINE. for an angry gender queer lesbian like me, it's Black Sails. I mean....It is my favorite show, ad you don't have the right to invalidate my experience by saying it's 'not queer enough'.

I go back to what that one blogger said when OFMD first came out. Recommending Black Sails to OFMD fans is like recommending Hannibal to B99 fans because they're both cop shows. Not every OFMD fan is going to want to engage with the violence and overt sexuality of Black Sails, AND THAT'S FINE. It's got similar themes but it's a different genre entirely, and you don't have to like it. But that doesn't make it any less queer, how dare you even insinuate that.

#the 'hot takes' from new watchers have started #someone save us #black sails

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delistravaganza · 6 months

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I swear I relate to everything you have written about the enemies to lovers trope and lesbians.

it’s not even about lesbian representation, at least in fandom, of course that’s important but it’s not the point here, it’s about having wlw stories that are as...complex? Messed up? Intricated? as straight or even (in more recent years) mlm romantic storylines are allowed to be. I feel like I am constantly hungry of complicate stories with lesbian or bisexuals female characters involved in messy relationship. But almost every popolar ship that I meet on fandom or tv shows either is watered down, made all soft and sweet and not threatening and so not complicate enough to be appealing. (or in the fews that are not like that in the original media they get made in this way by the fandom- it’s so unnerving). it seems to me that’s it is either “tragic dead lesbian” or “soft sapphic story all is sweet uwu”. As someone who love stories with romance only when the romance is very complicated and not necessarily healthy and full of ambivalent feelings (don’t judge me as you said it’s just a matter of preference ashahaha) I sometimes read slash (mlm) fanfiction on ao3 that feature very complicate and not necessarily healthy dynamics and I go damn I wish that there was a fanfiction exactly like this but with two women instead of two men.

I get this 1000%. To be fair, I don't think it's just the wlw couples being UwUified in recent films and shows, this happens to all queer representation because of the pressure to create "good rep". To some extent, it's even happening with straight pairings because people are more aware now of sexism and what it really means to consent, though everyone still seems to be willing to let this knowledge fly off if teh guy iz HOT.

But there seems to be a particular issue with writing f/f interactions that are manipulative, dark or somehow more adult, not necessarily meaning sex but rather a more nuanced portrayal of the relationship. Whereas all the straight toxic romances went to specific (and thriving) genres such as "dark romance" (which at least seems to be more self-conscious as the Reylo fic I mentioned before), and we get glorious epics of m/m fanfiction stories (and books that feel like fanfiction), it sometimes seems like the women characters are treated as little girls.

Even in a dark, creepy, cannibalistic, adult-oriented show such as Yellowjackets, I found myself more interested in the hypothetical Jackie/Shauna pairing because oh boy that was complex! than in the actual lesbian pairings involving Tai, who is a great and somewhat nuanced character except when it comes to her (sanitized) relationships. Is it really just me favoring problematic and unhealthy dynamics or is there some truth to this? (It may be me.) Is Tai a bit tamed down because she's gay AND black?

Also, to be completely fair, I think that I have more expectations when it comes to wlw plots, maybe because I subconsciously think of them as more "me" than the others. I've read a lot about how women use slash to slip away from the narrative and write more freely, and the fact is - I've read a lot of trash when it comes to m/m. And I definitely don't remember it with the resentment I save for f/f media like First Kill ("you fucking set out to be everything I wanted and turned out to be a pile of dog shit!").

I have also read extremely interesting books featuring f/f dynamics on the latest years, which I could post here instead of whining à la Louis de Pointe du Lac, but the fact is that these books already set out to be a work of literary merit and weren't written to dwell on the romance or possible romance itself. I'm not even counting MBF here as I read it a while back for the first time, but it could be an example - I don't know, but it definitely wasn't written with UwUification in mind. I'm still thrilled at how much the marketing DID and DOES UwUify our girls and their relationship. Sometimes the marketing is like: Wouldn't you just love to have such a special friendship like these two? Uhhh what? No, thank you, I had my share of that shit?!?

Oh, and also - I'm not even sure it comes down to self-identification either. I said I identify with Catradora, but the fact is I don't necessarily identify with either Catra or Adora. I just identified with their feelings, and I felt empathy for them, and I worried and I suffered and I felt frustrated and I so, so, so hungered and feared for their fights and God, you should really check this one out because it's really on the edge between UwU and dark, and I think it's this mixture what made it work in today's world. It seemed to appeal to both parts of me - the one who lowkey wants the positive, young-and-healthy-oriented rep she didn't have as a teen, and the more prevalent one who prefers angst and twisted things. And yes, it's a cartoon. A cartoon did what many real, adult-oriented shows and books couldn't do with me.

But Catradora probably also worked because we, the audience, were purposefully kept in the dark about them, so we got to experience their story as it developed and without any clear expectation as what the end would be (compared to: here's your wlw romance of the day! Ship them! Hope they don't die!), something I'm sure you wouldn't be able to achieve now that all the info is out there.

Anyway, I'm rambling now and already taking too much time off work. But I find this topic fascinating. If anyone else wants to join in the conversation or point me somewhere that isn't Buffy/Faith or Catradora or Villanelle or Nicky/Lorna (YES I STILL SHIP THEM AND WILL ALWAYS DO) or our Neapolitan toxic friends, please do. And as always, nice talking to you. <3

---

P.D.: Here's a long video analysis that I really liked that tackles why "good" LGBT representation is boring (not wlw representation exclusively).

#queer representation #my brilliant friend #yellowjackets #jackie x shauna #catradora #f/f #sapphic #first kill #wlw

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gmwsuperfan5467890 · 2 years

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So if we get a season 2 of Paper Girls, here’s what I think will happen with Kajemac.

1) We’ll get a scene (like in the comics) where Kj puts herself in danger to save Mac or all the other girls and Mac will get mad at her for it. Bonus points if this incident makes Mac realize her feelings for Kj or if Mac has already realized her feelings for Kj.

2) Mac will ask Kj why she punched her and Kj will either confess her feelings for her or will confess that she’s a lesbian.

3) They will reference the scene in season 1 where Kj talks about the first time. That same scene was also in the comics but it ended differently. In the comics Kj was a bit more detailed, she talked about how Mac had drawings on her shoes which were drawn with a Bic pen and how Mac ate string cheese by biting into it like how a monkey bites into a banana instead of peeling the pieces like a normal person (her words not mine) and Mac was clearly very touched by this because she cried and realized she could trust Kj and she was not an ‘evil gay clone’.

This scene was one of my favorites and in my opinion so important because it showed that Kj is a person who sees Mac, who sees the person she is behind the defense mechanisms, the tough attitude,the bravado. She not only pays attention to Mac but she also sees Mac as someone important and as someone worth remembering every single detail about. That whole concept is very beautiful, especially for someone like Mac who has been deprived of affection, love and attention for her whole life. That was why I was very disappointed with the show’s version of that scene; it definitely doesn’t send the same message and doesn’t have the same impact.

However, I think the writers did that on purpose because they had a different plan this time around. I think Mac will have a chip inserted into her or maybe a future creature bites her or any type of altercation with the environment in the future. Coincidentally, Mac will realize her feelings for Kj around that time, thus will start acting weirdly around her. Kj will get suspicious and think that Mac got infected with something from the future and turned into a spy for the Old Watch or that she is a clone made by the Old Watch. Mac will gain Kj’s trust by talking about the first time she saw or met her and it will be more similar to Kj’s version in the comics. Kj will feel very touched and will realize that she was wrong and that the Mac she is talking to is the real Mac. This interaction could even lead to a confession.

I could be wrong but I love theorizing, especially about ships. i think Kajemac is very special because 1) positive sapphic representation for young girls and 2) They compliment each other perfectly. Mac is a tough girl with a hidden soft side and Kj is a shy and quiet girl with a hidden tough side. You could tell that they both understand each other in a different way than everyone else does and they’re both so gentle with each other (for the most part).

#paper girls #kj brandman #mac coyle #kj x mac #kajemac

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jrdnmichelle · 4 months

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so also and primarily i write lesbian paranormal romance. i am a traditionally published author of three straight ones, but i recently picked up writing about my own beloved community and it is so fun. my goal is writing novels that are free of homophobia, transphobia, racism, etc. i don't see why those things have to be a factor in a paranormal romance. there is no internalized lesbophobia, biphobia, no dysphoria either. i know this sounds ridiculous but it comes off as realistic and like... breath of fresh air, because in literature we are CONSTANTLY being reminded of our oppression. i want my books to be an escape.

my first story featured a butch/femme relationship, a wild adventure across a world of my very own. it is a second-chance romance and its very hot and cute; the femme is a water goddess, the only one left. the butch is kind, handsome, calm, willing to take control and lead as needed. she is soft and very sweet and patient with her femme (who is bipolar). i love their dynamic and i love that my butch is not a stereotype--she's gentle, she carries joy with her. i kind of made her perfect because we need butch representation that shows how truly soft and kind and protective they can be. the book im working on is about a masc nonbinary lesbian of color and a private detective. ellis (the nb person) hires the detective to attend a party on her private island, posing as her fiance. it is so sexy, the chemistry is unbelievable. i'm really enjoying working on it.

honestly representation is great and all, and i totally have it in my mind, but mostly i write a lot of diversity in my stories because, duh, we are just people. we go on adventures and love. everyone is an option to be a character, so the most powerful person in the world is a disabled black lesbian amputee, and the most beloved characters are a latino gay man and a very small, very morally grey and loved nonbinary person. i could go on and on but i won't.

anyway that's what i'm about in my writing. i'd like to post things here and stay engaged in that way.

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claremikas · 1 year

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Claymore ships that I love

Clare x Jean- THE BEST CLAYMORE SHIP RUINED ME FOREVER

Helen x Deneve-their dynamic is just so much fun even if you see them just as buddies the fact that they were together from the start makes me soft

Teresa x Ilena-aka Clare's moms. them recognizing each other's yoma aura in canon makes me go feral whenever I think about it. in modern au they're cabin lesbians living off-grid (it's true yagi himself told me)

Miria x Galatea-LISTEN, once you start thinking about it they take over your brain and you realize that it makes a lot of sense. also that one fanart of them changed my worldview for the better

Miria x Hilda-I can see it either as them being lovers or Miria being in love but never getting the chance to confess... the angst of it all

Audrey x Rachel-truly the femme x butch representation we need

Isley x Rigaldo-I think they're just neat tbh

#claymore #clare claymore #i just think that claymore needed to be a bit more gay #although there's practically no romance in it so i can let my imagination run wild

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tuiyla · 2 months

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NATLA Ep. 4 "Into the Dark" initial thoughts

Okay wow, I think this is my fav so far in terms of changes they've made. The best ep so far is probs Warriors but this was quite bold in the changes it's made and you know what, the first episode made me fear they'd be too timid to actually lean into their changes but no. Just like Danny Pudi put his whole Pudissy into his role, this episode committed to its direction and I can respect that even in places where I don't agree with the changes. The only exception is Bumi's tests, a lot of the dialogue and other aspects lifted straight from ATLA didn't work because it felt more forced in this context than anything. And overall I think Bumi is my least favourite part of the episode and its adaptation.

I was glad to see Jet in this episode, too, even if it was brief. I'm still lacking stronger emotions and a stronger presence from Katara but I'm glad for this goodbye with Jet and how it sets up exactly what it needs to. We did lose Jet being a foil to Sokka and there was a major missed opportunity in having Jet actually interact with Sai but ah well, can't have everything.

Instead of Sokka foiling it out with Jet there's the surprise inclusion of basically Book 2 Chapter 2 which I did not expect but am pleasantly surprised by. This ep went hard on the music taken straight from ATLA between the nomads' songs and Leaves From the Vine playing over the Iroh flashback. And! And!! Oma and Shu are lesbians!!! This is not a drill, Oma and Shu are lesbians in love. If there was one thing I hoped for in terms of the live action show it was casual queer representation and I got it in the most unexpected but pleasant place. Love it.

And!! On top of the surprising but not unwelcome inclusion of The Cave of Two Lovers, the story is recentered entirely on Sokka and Katara. I'll share more thoughts on this later but suffice to say I always love me some Water Sibs appreciation and this was much needed in this version. I still take issue with essentially erasing Katara's mothering of Sokka but it's clear the impact Hakoda leaving had on them is the same and, most probably in lieu of Bato of the Water Tribe, we get this storyline with them. The fact that love being the answer was reframed as the love between these two siblings is honestly a galaxy brain change and decision and I respect the hell out of it. There's still much lacking in terms of really fleshing out our cast but I will never, ever say no to more Water Sibs content. If we were gonna spend so much time in Omashu and put so many familiar faces in there, makes sense to also do the Omashu backstory AND utilize it to shine some light on the sibling dynamic that otherwise doesn't have much room to breathe in the live action. This is the kind of bold new direction that they have to take and own to make this show work.

I also enjoyed the Zuko and Iroh stuff and that's some interesting inclusion of more Book 2 things as well. The way even their plot from the Winter Solstice part one ep was integrated here is quite clever and I enjoyed both the past and present Iroh scenes. We'll see how they handle the actual Zuko backstory and I do think this version of Iroh needs a bit more, how should I put it, softness, but there's much to like here. Especially giving Zuko the option to pursue Aang instead and having him choose to rescue Iroh. Similar to a choice he made in the above mentioned Spirit World ep but honestly, lowkey more poignant here.

That's it for me for today but I'll watch the second half of the season tomorrow. I have to say, so far it has at least provided some interesting new takes worth taking a deeper critical look at, and I don't agree with those who dismiss the show entirely. It has merit even if, halfway through the first season, it's yet to convince me it can justify its own existence.

#this sounds very positive and to note i do have major issues with the bumi stuff lol #but i really do respect the bold changes made in these two eps #feels way more cleve than just. having Kyoshi scold aang #natla #natla initial thoughts #oma and shu are lesbians 😭😭😭#netflix avatar #the worst thing this show could have been is bland and it's not that

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daddyissues133 · 2 years

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I want to touch you/Robin BuckleyxFemReader

Rating: Explicit 18+

Tags: rough kissing, praise kink, secret crush, Lesbian sex, fingering

Authors note: so since stranger things season 4 just came out and since its pride month I think Robin deserves some fucking hype since she is one of my favorite lgbtq+ representation. Also I wrote this very late at night so it's not edited and is kinda short and super plain and quick so I apologize. so yeah, enjoy. also there will be more of her in the future.....

“You’ll be fine, right?” my mother asked me, as she pulled up to Robin’s house. I rolled my eyes at her protectiveness. “Yes mom, it’s just Robin” I said, adjusting my jean jacket. She sighed and responded “okay, be safe. I love you Y/n.” I smiled at her and replied with “I love you too mom, and again it’s just Robin. She’s literally harmless.” If only I knew. I opened the busted up car door, and slammed it shut, holding my book bag close to my chest. Suddenly my mom drove away with a worried smile, but I didn’t care. Robin was my friend and I loved her like a sister. Whatever my mother was implying because she’s a lesbian was wrong, because Robin would never do anything. As I walked up to her front door, a lump caught in my throat. When Robin opened the door she smiled and gave me a quick and simple hug before directing me to her tiny room.

I always felt cramped here when I stayed, but it wasn’t like my house was really any bigger than Robins. When we got to her room she shut the door behind her and attempted to lock it so her parents wouldn’t interrupt, drunk. After she finished she finally sat down on her bed. “So, Y/n. What do you wanna do?” Robin asked, shifting on the bed closer to me. “We can watch a movie. I brought more vhs tapes” I suggested, but Robin groaned dramatically. “Or….we can I guess play a game” I added. Robin's mood changed dramatically, “yes! Perfect!” I let out a chuckle as I stared into her blue eyes. They were so pretty, I could get lost in them for centuries.

“Wanna play truth or dare?” Robin suggested for a game, I nodded eagarily, the last time we played Dustin and Steve kissed. It was priceless. But they both couldn’t come, Dustin was on a family vacation and Steve was working double shift and wouldn’t be here till later. Loser. After I nodded in agreement, Robin told me to ask her truth or dare. So I did. “Robin, truth or dare?” I asked her, and she responded with “dare.” This was my time to shine. I’ve secretly had a crush on Robin for a few weeks, but was too shy to say anything. But this dare would be my time to shine. “You have to say yes to what I’m gonna ask, okay?” I told Robin, and she nodded eagerly waiting for the dare.

“Can I kiss you?” I asked, Robin’s face fell in shock.

The color drained from my face, I hid my face with my hands repeating “oh no.” But then soft delicate hands took my hands and removed them from my face. “Yes” she smiled, and my face lit up in surprise. Robin sat directly across from me and sank into her soft sheets. Her soft plump lips hit mine and as my eyes fluttered closed, I instantly melted away into another universe. She pulled away slowly, making a pucker noise as our lips parted. I stared at Robin in disbelief. “Was that real?!” I exclaimed, she giggled and nodded. I sighed and fell back onto the bed. “Did you really mean it” I asked Robin, silence broke out. I wanted to scream, what if she didn’t mean it, what if- But all paused when Robin replied with “yes, I did mean it. Did you?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed, chuckling, tears filled my eyes. I saw Robin’s face blush up completely, a dark shade of red all over her cheeks. I leaned in once again and kissed Robin softly, making sure to cup her face. I gently tipped her back on the bed, deepening the kiss more. I flipped over on Robin so I was laying on top of her, kissing her. She slipped her tongue through my mouth and basically explored my mouth, brushing every edge and scooping up any salvia she could get. She flipped me over till I was on the bottom, my back on the bed. Robin started to kiss down my jawline, and then worked her way down my neck. Sucking on the sweet flesh of my neck, leaving hickies.

I leaned my head up and started kissing Robin’s jawline, as she worked her way down my neck and to my collarbone. She kissed the skin on my bone, the touch sending spine tingles. Robin whispered “I want to touch you” then followed with “so bad, can I?” A moan escaped out of my mouth, as I nodded lazily. Wanting more connection between us, as she started to take off my jean jacket. Then followed with my tank top, till I was left in my plain black bra. Robin gawked at my breasts, and a blush creeped up against my skin. I helped by unclasping my bra, till my breasts fell out of my bra. My nipples, hard from the chill air.

Robin cupped my right breast in her hand, kneading it in her hand, as she sucked on my left nipple. Swirling it in her mouth, she looked up at me and I looked down at her as I laid back on the bed. Robin smirked up at me, and I let out a whimper at the sight of her eyes glued on me. My back arched at the feeling of her mouth latched on my nipple, swirling and swirling around the bud. Then she did the same treatment to the other one. Swiping her tongue over my bud, and swirling it around in a slow motion. Robin finally pulled away and motioned to my pants. I nodded, whimpering as I did. She pulled down my pants and underwear in one quick motion, leaving me utterly naked under her view.

Then Robin took off her shirt and pants till she was in just a bra and a pair of underwear. She hovered over me and planted a kiss on my lips before returning to the bottom of the bed and started kissing the insides of my thighs. Sucking on the softness of my upper thighs. I groaned in pleasure, as she edged closer and closer to my wet core that glistened in the fluorescent lights hanging above us. Then without even realizing after a moment of nothing a long swipe of Robin’s tongue was felt on my slit. I arched my back and moaned very loudly in pleasure.

“Aw, so wet for me?” whispered Robin, as she leaned back up to ear. Then went back down between my legs, Robin said to spread my legs further and further till the muscle stretched between my thighs. I groaned in pain, but iI was still getting treatment from Robin with every swipe and kitten lick on my slit and core. I felt like I was in heaven, I was utterly amazed at the wonders her tongue could do. But I couldn't tell her that, because of how wide my mouth was and how I was covering it up with my hand to keep her parents out of her room or growing suspicious.

I held onto Robin’s hair, pulling the brown locks out of her face. She appreciated it, and told me that by inserting two digits into my core, liquids dripped from my sopping cunt, as she thrusted her fingers in-and-out of me. The faster she went the closer I was getting to cumming. As she kept pushing her fingers in-and-out of me, she started to rub my clit, in slow small circles then gradually getting more aggressive by the second.

My stomach started to coil and I have never felt more full in my entire life, Robin’s fingers were thick and manly, so they filled my entrance right where I needed it. I felt my heart beating faster and faster until I finally released all over Robin’s fingers. As she took them out, I breathed heavy pants, as she cleaned me up, lciking up all the liquids that poured out of my cunt. “Now it's your turn” I said sternly, still out of breath. “No, just you tonight, baby” Robin responded, passionately kissing me, as I sat up and laid with Robin on her bed, naked and happy. I know we just confessed our love for each other (well sort of) but this felt like the right thing to do.

Then out of nowhere there was a knock on the door, me and Robin both panicked, our hearts dropping out of our stomachs. “It’s Harrington,” Steve called from outside the door. As me and Robin quickly dressed ourselves I couldn’t help but smile the whole entire time. I felt so happy that Robin liked me as much as I liked her. Finally Robin opened the door for Steve. “You both have some explaining to do,” Steve said. Me and Robin both stifled a chuckle.

#robin buckley #smut oneshot #stranger things #robin x reader #x reader #female reader #Maya Hawk #Stanger things season 4 #pride month #lgbtq #w/w romance

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