#one of the trials and tribulations of being a wlw:

[13eyond13]

Where's all the kinda morbid funny dark lesbian manga that also focuses on adult characters huh

[calchexxis]

40k Femslash Appreciation Post

There isn't nearly enough good wlw in Warhammer 40k, and don't get me wrong, I understand why. Considering the majority of the narratives consist of manly men doing manly things while wearing a buick on their torso and a refrigerator on each arm, there's going to be an obvious skew, and that's okay!

But today, I want to highlight some of the ladies of the 40k universe, as well as the other ladies that those ladies like to kiss. For the record, all of these will be on Archive of Our Own.

In my own corner, I've contributed:

Ennui: A longform about a Dark Eldar Wych and a Sororitas who find unlikely love on a world plagued by Orks, and in the process, discover a much darker plot that will threaten the fabric of the galaxy.

From Afar: Local Eldar Pathfinder pines after a pretty PDF guardswoman from the distance in the months while the Great Devourer approaches.

Saintsbride: A series rather than a single fic, that creatively reinterprets Saint Celestine and Inquisitor Greyfax's relationship in the audio drama Our Martyred Lady as being very gay.

His Fury, Our Hearts: Three Sisters Militant of the Adeptus Sororitas Heavy Armor division do battle against cult elements of the Alpha Legion while defending an irradiated hellhole, and also they kiss each other.

More excellent femslash can be found in the hands of user OnTheHuh.

The Iron Tower: An unflinching look at the darker side of the 40k universe on the smaller scale through the eyes of the 'bedmate' of the Planetary Governor of a Feudal world. Absolutely mind the tags, but you're in the mood for some angst and Regency-era style lesbian pining, this is your jam.

Sister Militant: Some of the best Adeptus Sororitas work out there, follows the trials and tribulations of a haunted Sister Militant as she struggles with her worth, her faith, and the demons in her mind. Very much mind the tags, again, but also again, Lesbian Angst and Pining. Also some really top notch action.

Finally, some more excellence from user AncillaThings!

Nemain's Bellum: A story that follows the ascension of a Sister Novitiate by her mentor, Palatine Caddel, through her first war and onward, when I said 'Sister Militant' is some of the best, this would be the rest of the best. Great sci-fi action and more girls kissing. Also trauma, but that's what we're here for, right?

Pigeons and Eagles: For fans of the truly excellent Rogue Trader game by OwlCat studios, and who maybe wants to see Sister Argenta being cute and gay with the God-Emperor's weirdest perfect princess, Cassia Orsellio, this one is for you.

[i-mybrunettelady]

20 questions for 20 writers

i was tagged by @accidentallyadorable, ty for the tag friend <3

tagging: @archesa, @thevikingwoman, @scionshtola, @antariies, @anneapocalypse, @ghostwise and whoever sees this and wants to participate <3

q1. how many works do you have on ao3?

i don't post all my work on ao3, but on ao3 alone, 28!

q2. what fandoms do you write for?

guild wars 2, wayfarer, ffxiv, blood moon, infamous, the exile <3

q3. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

tales of the red wayfarer - a cassander character study

overflowing - intellis pining

somewhere after midnight - cassmel post-sex cuddling and pillow talk

ties that sever, ties that bind - an inteus family study, currently being finished

songweaver - more intellis pining (all wayfarer works lmao)

q4. do you respond to comments?

always! they're few and far between so i make sure i do <3

q5. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

hard to say... i write angst, but i write hurt/comfort, so like. by that alone it's ties that sever because cass cries by the end of each one and is very much alone so like. ties that sever??? bonus points go for scenes of an arson site also.

extra bonus points go to on theokleia, my mother which is a part of the ties that sever series, but a piece that haunts me to this day.

q6. what is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

hm.. ones that gives me budging hopes are a flickering light, or a tale of two survivors (ffxiv) and my future will listen to me! i'm really fond of the endings of these two even if they're not typically... happy. i have happier endings but these two seem a different kind of happy to me. a wistful, hopeful happy as opposed to a typical happy.

q7. do you get hate on fics?

so far no and i hope it stays that way. i only recently hot my first hate ask lmaoooo

q8. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

yes! i write for.. pairings, moreso than one type. so far i mostly have mlm smut, and that's because they're cassander pairings and he is a bisexual/achillean dude, but i do want to write wlw smut if the inspo strikes, and i do wanna write some het scenes i have in my head (namely a crossover that's nyra/estinien atm tbh. i also wanna write nyra/mirka for that wlw stuff.)

i also have a nyra solo i'm very proud of :>

q9. do you write crossovers?

i wrote a wayfarer/ffxiv crossover (a flickering light), and i wanna write a gw2/ffxiv crossover (nyra and estinien!) i also wrote a wayfarer/gw2 crossover with mordrem!cassander (a story of how (not) to be a big head)

other than that i rarely write crossovers tbh

q10. have you ever had a fic stolen?

girl no god forbid :xxxx

q11. have you ever co-written a fic before?

a long time ago, yes, with @guildwarsgirl! it was a braham shippy one, and i wrote for braham <3

q12. what's your all-time favorite ship?

honest to god? i got a few ships i cherish and keep near and dear to my heart: cassmel (cassander and melchior, wayfarer), trammander (nyra and trahearne, gw2), elion (el and liv, gw2) and angelina and farro from blood moon! i may not write about all of them equally but i do cherish them deeply

q13. what's one WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i do have certain series i wanna finish, such as my nikartoirel apology trilogy, called trials and tribulations - parts 1 and two are out - and ties that sever <3 when ffxiv brainrot comes back, i'll probably finish the nikartoirel apology series.

one other thing i wanna finish but it's not high on my to-do list is nikartoirel bridgerton au <3 gotta love regency husbands

q14. what are your writing strengths?

character voice! on god i love character voice so much and it shows.

q15. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i technically am since english is my second language! so yeah, full speed ahead

q16.first fandom you wrote for?

gw2 baybee <3 back in 2021. my first fic was actually trammander <3

q17. favorite fic you've written?

please don't ask me that ;; but between us... my future will listen to me, ties that sever, ties that bind, say hi to yourself, scenes of an arson site, a gravitational pull !

q18. what are your writing weaknesses?

fighting scenes hands down

q19. have you ever had a fic translated?

not yet but if anyone wants to.. i owe you my LIFE,, i could also tecnically do it but translating your own work is hard as fuck

[bookster2000]

Holidays!

Since its the holidays I decided I’d read a bunch of Christmas themed books.(I found all of these on kindle unlimited just an fyi.) My list so far is:

Set The Record Straight- This one is onlyy just a little under 200. It was a super cute queer romance novella. It’s about two best friends fake dating because one of their ex’s is throwing a holiday party. And of course who’d go to an ex’s holiday party alone? But alas we all know how the fake dating troupe goes soo not trying to spoil but thats the whole premise lol. Its just about their cute little love story (and lots of smut) I gave it 3 stars (on goodreads) at first. Just cause how short and rushed it felt, but I changed it to four since it is a short story and they were friends for years so them moving so fast makes some sense. When you know, you know I suppose.

Home for The Holidays by Erin Zak- I gave this one a 4 stars on goodreads. It was a super cute WLW. It’s set in Indiana in a small town. Iris (MC) agrees to fake date her bestie/roommate (Zac) so he doesnt have to come out to his mom. So they travel to indiana together and Iris stops by a cafe to get treats where she meets Heidi(MC 2). This one is a such a cute romantic read. It also has the trials and tribulations of coming out woven in there. There is an age gap in the relationship in case thats something you’re not into. Sometimes the descriptions of the characters got a little repetitive but other than that the writing was pretty upbeat and funny. This was a longer read but it was so fast paced and funny it felt short. Id recommend if you’re just looking for a cute holiday read.

Corporate Mantdated Holiday Romance by Nellie Wilson- This book got a 4 stars from me. It was another fake dating troupe. The Female MC is named Brooklyn, she works in marketing at a company that basically sells being eco friendly. The M/MC is a journalist. Brooklyn finds some sketchy things going on and together they start a story on it. Along the way they hangout and fall in love. What made this book so unique from these others is, it was more inclusive with other holidays. It made me aware of how ignorant i am to other holidays. Especially judaism. The author writes some scenes that are a great of example of how to help be an ally without being an SJW or speaking over people.

Mistletoe Mistake by Nichole Greene- I did not finish this book. It’s 170 something pages of just bad to be honest. The writing is pretty wattpadish. It feels like it was written in a day and by how many grammar mistakes and weird sentences it had, I would say it most likely was. Also losing points cause it’s advertised as a holiday book but it just felt like a badly written plain romance. The characters are boringggg, the writing is boring, the storyline? Boring. Maybe i just wasnt fucking with it because it was the second in a stand-alone series but i could not connect with the characters or story. Like the “romance” was just poorly written and cheesy. It had a cute cover though so ill give it that.

[catty-words]

the gurlgroup hanging out with each other, sharing the floor in a more balanced way as they talk their lives, is actually everything i wanted from the fourth season. so while that was super enjoyable, it’s also very upsetting that we’re only getting to it now, when there are a couple episodes left in the series.

on top of that, i need to vent about the dumb way they resolved every one of the gurl’s issues except for paula’s, whose problem was about appearances so it’s kinda hard to have an unsatisfying conclusion to such a surface issue:

valencia: having valencia realize she can purpose is the opposite of what needed to happen. the storyline should have focused on why valencia feels she needs that kind of commitment from beth in the first place when their lives are already seriously entangled.

with josh, the desperation for marriage makes sense -- particularly from a compulsory heterosexuality angle. she needs the relationship to follow a predetermined and socially acceptable timetable to feel like it’s real because she doesn’t actually have the emotional investment to indicate to her that the commitment to and from her partner is long-lasting and stable.

this follow up on her need for marriage should have been a way to address her POV when it comes to her relationship with beth -- which has been entirely and completely lacking. does she feel insecure in her identity as a wlw and needs this commitment to feel authentic? does she feel like she rushed into everything else with beth and now needs this grand gesture as reassurance that she made the right decision?

either of these angles would allow for a richer exploration of how valencia’s still trying to follow a script and force emotional commitment instead of letting it develop naturally. it would fall in line with the show’s thesis that love cannot and should not be used to fill voids in your personhood. you have to figure that shit out on your own.

instead, valencia’s relationship to beth is functionally no different than it was with josh. she tries to manipulate her partner into the big gesture because that’s just what valencia does. and she cares about marriage because she always has (no need for self-reflection! it’s baked into her character!). but don’t worry! now that she realizes she can ask the big question herself, everything is sunshine and roses! i’m sure that marriage will come into being for all the right reasons!

heather: jesus fucking christ, you cannot throw out this idea that hector is relying on heather as a mother -- the codependent parental relationship that was hector’s only defining character trait for a good half of the series -- and then sweep that away with a single conversation!!!! that’s fucking nuts!!

i’m not opposed to this being a problem in general. it actually seems like a logical and organic obstacle for heather and hector to have to navigate. gross, but organic.

my problem is with the pacing. because this is such a huge part of our understanding of hector, a little buildup and a lot more deconstruction is merited. because now i’m left with the sense that this isn’t actually going to go away, and heather will be stuck dealing with this bullshit for as long as she stays married to hector. BAD!

rebecca: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

this imposed idea that rebecca has to choose one of these three men and has to do it NOW or forever be alone is ludicrous! and i don’t understand why all four of them seem to be operating under this assumption.

setting that aside though, because obviously the next episode will have plenty to say about it, the thing i hate the most about how the writers have worked rebecca’s love life into these final episodes -- and the final season in general -- is the way they’re missing the forest for the trees.

rebecca’s complicated relationship to romantic love and her desire for it to give her life meaning/value isn’t totally worked out, sure, but that’s mostly not the issue anymore. maintaining a relationship without giving herself over to the old habits, and her tendency to lose hope/stamina when her relationship doesn’t remain in a rosy, perfectly happy love bubble is more the problem.

which is to say, to see rebecca healing and patching over her old, destructive notions when it comes to romantic love would be to see rebecca working through the trials and tribulations of settling into a long-term relationship. for all the weight her flings with these men have been given, they’ve really only been that. flings. i don’t think that any relationship we’ve seen her engage in has lasted longer than a month.

but now it’s too late to show us something like that, to show us rebecca using her newfound sense of self to cultivate her other interests alongside a romantic relationship. we won’t get to see her stop throwing everything else out the window to focus on love -- which she did this episode!! -- and we won’t see her feeling secure and happy and truly loved after finally and completely letting herself be known by multiple people in her life -- her gurls and whoever ends up being her romantic partner.

and that SUCKS. it sucks that we’ll never see rebecca handle her love life healthily, and it sucks that we keep wasting time on the love quadrangle when there’s no satisfying end except rebecca leaving all three of them behind*.

*which is not to say that can’t be a satisfying way to end the series, just that if it IS how it ends, i’ll feel like we’ve wasted time on the story when we could have focused on literally anything else

[theladyisafuckingdandy]

how do you deal with the frustration in regards to people undervaluing wlw romantic relationships and ace/aro people arguing for the value of friendship as equal to that of romantic love? like i don't want to be rude or invalidate someone's experience but I also feel like the experiences I deal with as a woman dating a woman and being told our relationship is lesser than are... real? idk

That's a relatable feel. It’s very very annoying to be in a position where you feel safe enough to assert your identity and to have people basically ignore that. Like me and my gf have been at bars being very affectionate and had people ask if we were sisters. Society (specifically men) don’t wanna believe that romantic and sexual relationships can exist without them. I’ve gotten a lot of “hey baby whats your number” “I’m a lesbian” “oh I don’t mind/I can change that/give me a chance” and it’s disgusting and incredibly frustrating.

I believe that in the face of this, flaunting our romantic relationships (when it’s safe to do so) and emphasising how wonderful being in love with someone who isn't a man is is not only powerful but necessary. I don’t wanna let them forget that I’m happy, I’m in love, and I’m a lesbian and I don’t need men to be happy in romance.

I’ve been seeing a lot of very odd posts on here lately about how society  is “obsessed with romance” and that’s “incredibly toxic” and in one particularly bizarre case “contributing to the evils of capitalism.” And I get wanting to emphasise that friendships are valuable, I do. But I personally think it’s very harmful and dangerous to use this language devaluing romance when society only is obsessed with a very specific type of romance. Society is obsessed with heterosexual cis white romance. Not romance as a concept. The narrative that is pushed is not an ambiguously romantic one of “fall in love,” it’s a much more specific narrative of “find your heterosexual partner, settle down, and have babies.” No one pressured me to find a girlfriend. People pressured me to find a boyfriend, before and after coming out. I think that criticising that specific narrative is more than fair.

But this idea that I’ve been seeing lately about how romance is evil has to stop imo. Emphasise friendships, yes. I don’t think anyone would argue that friendships aren't important tho?? Like desiring friendship and forging close connections to friends isn't an anomaly, just look at all the media centering around friend groups and their various trials and tribulations. Friendship isn't actually devalued, I don’t think, in the way that people seem to think it is. What is devalued is not fitting in to the heteropatriarchal view of what romance should be, be that because you are in a same sex relationship or because for whatever reason you don’t want a relationship. Those very specific pressures are the ones we should be criticising, not romance as a whole, because tbh that’s just damaging to gay people. My romantic relationship has been the best thing that has ever happened to me and my partner is the light of my life in many ways, and that doesn't mean that’s the way for everyone, but to be quite frank I shouldn't have to emphasise that. Because people should get enough perspective to know that a lesbian talking about how romance is very important to them is not the same thing AT ALL as “get married have babies.” It just isn’t and I really wish people would stop acting like it’s even on the same planet. Romance and sex mean different things to different people, and often different things to different groups of people and it’s ignorant and harmful to lump same sex relationships and attraction in with (cis) heterosexual relationships and attraction.

This got away from me a bit lol, I hope it’s coherent and a bit helpful! Basically keep flaunting your relationships and your romance and don’t let them forget that you're in love with a woman and not “just friends.” And if anyone tells you that “playing into” a romantic narrative is shitty, fuck them, because a same sex relationship is nothing like the societal narrative of heterosexual marriage and babies that is actually pushed by society. You aren't playing into anything. You're radically subverting the dominant narrative just by your existence as a woman dating a woman. So keep doing you

[funakounasoul]

My Personal 10 Fave Webcomics I Read in 2017

So there was this post making the rounds from Vice (yeah I know) about some "journalist's" top 10 comics from 2017 that instantly boiled down to "there were no good comics". The comic community - mainstream and indie alike - were furious. My reaction was to make my own list. I read when I could since I have my own stuff that I was working on, but I read some neat webcomics this year. Some were started this year while most have been going on for a while and are still in-progress. So, below the cut, I shall share my top 10 (in no particular order):

Slightly Damned by Chu - I’ve actually been reading this one since 2007 (Leigh introduced me to it) BUT we both started a major re-read this year, especially since a major event was going on for a while. This one bases itself around the classic “Angel vs Devil” trope, but does twist it around and also includes other races that are caught in the middle. It’s got its hilarious moments but then gives you such mood whiplashes that you better be strapped onto your chair when you read this or your head will fly.

Missing Monday by Elle Skinner - I TECHNICALLY picked this one up late 2016 (so I may as well count it as a 2017 fave, especially as the story got REAL interesting in this past year!)...though little known fact - I was commissioned by the creator to draw the main couple back in 2014, and that’s where the interest began~ This one is a low fantasy, wlw tale involving time/dimensional traveling and some bargaining with dubious creatures~

Nwain: The Night Who Wandered Dream by Terrana Cliff - This one’s really unique. It’s an animated comic (not a Flash comic, but like, each panel is a bit of a storyboarded-style animation). But what really caught my attention was the curious cast of characters. From the eponymous, quick-witted knight from another time, to the cute robot mouse and (currently) a wild cast of contestants from various lands...Their personalities are so colorful and...well..animated!

Radio Silence by Vanessa Stefaniuk - I love music, so I was instantly attracted to this comic. It’s a slice of life, kinda dramatic at times tale of a British rock band that’s trying to make it big, the trials and tribulations involving such things. Something unique about this one is that the band’s songs are legit composed by a relative of the creator, so whenever you see lyrics with music notes...it’s a proper composition. And also major props to Vanessa for doing SO MUCH research on the locations involved in the story. It’s fictionalized, but despite being Canadian, it really feels like it’s a story being told by Brits (and a Scottish lass and a German guy)!

Heroic Shenanigans by Haley Martin - This one shows off where superhero kids go to train and also socialize in a summer camp-like setting. It’s silly but it’s got a little something underneath it all...agendas and questions and whatnot. But overall, a fun tale of three kids coming of age, so to speak.

Magi Soldat by Star Sumiaki - You like anime? Especially the anime of the 80s and 90s? Magical girls and technology? Then you should check this comic out (that is also read AND paged like a manga, so definitely pay attention to those page arrows!). Earth’s in danger, and it’s up to some unlikely “chosen ones” to learn how to use their new powers and save mankind! And yes, hilarity ensues. (And why, yes, that IS Miko in one of the most recent updates~)

Lavender Tea by Joichi - If you have known me for a period of time, you know I tend to lean more toward wlw and/or female-centric stories in general. This one, which focuses on two boys, actually caught my attention! It’s cute, fluffy, it’s SO unlike the typical BL stuff that tends to make me go elsewhere. Just a simple tale about two boys, and one already has a crush on the other (as far as I know from what I’ve read so far).

Junk Hyenas Diner by Chu - Yes, another one by Chu! I found this one just this year and it’s another great read. Much simpler than Slightly Damned, and it’s a B&W comic, but who cares? It’s still got Chu’s brand of funny. This one is a sci-fi-ish series of random events that take place around a diner run by some mutant hyenas and their robot friend.

MoonSlayer by Mónica N. Galván - R-RATING WARNING FOR THIS ONE. It’s a high fantasy tale of a girl who is trying to write her own destiny because her original one is a terrible one (like, REALLY terrible, not just run-of-the-mill stuff like crappy parents). I haven’t been able to catch up in the latter half of this year, but the story that I’ve read so far has been SO captivating, especially seeing how this girl grows up with so different influences in her life.

Vatican Assassins by MJ Massey - Literally read this one just last week and caught up THAT fast. It’s got demon hunters (see why I got interested so fast? lol) but with a Catholic theme - the hunters work for the Vatican, and pray to saints for battle blessings and the like. They are also mostly a bunch of teenagers, so it’s got teenager problems and conflicts alongside the demon hunting plot, which gives it a bit of a relatable touch since most anyone has experienced, in some way or another, some typical teenager issues.

....And that’s it for this year’s list. I still have quite a bit of a list to go through. I definitely didn’t get to all the titles I wanted to read....so I hope to start reading more titles in 2018! Maybe my list will grow! Also, you definitely should check these out, and maybe make your own lists, even if you’re just a reader. We love hearing recommendations!