Page 87 of the Gay Sci-Fi Webcomic Artifice

melinda stumpf

aaaww look at that he is more human now *cry’s happy tears*

http://twitter.com/chubbylovenug Erin Brady

… Well damn.

Hot!

And I will be sad to see this end. :C

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_J7W4JMZ6MXCVA6KKCFVAMW44OU Summer

I squealed. And it was awesome. Nuff said.

http://www.facebook.com/andrew.caudill2 Andrew Caudill

LOVE IT!

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_EC2PGGNT5DWMNBDD6ZGQ5LHFGQ Jaiden

Ohmygod
Ohmygod
Ohmygod
Ohmygod
I LOVE THEM.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001175581081 Damian Sowinski

penultimate page? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Aikka

Awwww… *-*

i was wondering if we will be able to see a scene like that now, and not only we are but it was done so beautifuly *-* But what else we could expect from both of you :>

Though it was a weird feeling to see Maven in the BG on that 4th panel… “XD

B-but… next page is the last page? ;-; Noooo… i don’t want it to end ;—;

I knew it will be around 90 pages but but… ;-;”

As for the fanart : love them <3

Araceli Rodriguez

*gross sobbing*
i can’t believe it’s going to be over. do not want.
but. goddess this page is beautiful. i love how Maven is in the background. pfffft. and that second panel!!! excuse me while i die of cute.

http://www.facebook.com/hamish.c2 Hamish C

I will admit, it is still odd seeing Deacon use such a ‘human’ term of endearment. Though perhaps it could be argued that feeling love has made him a lot more human than some of the flesh-and-blood people in the story – I would certainly think so!

I love this page! The only thing I’ve been missing the last few is Jeff’s hair. It was sexy as hell! I hope we get to see it again, maybe in some kind of omake or wallpaper. That’d be the absolute best.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000851208448 Darby Roorda

Cutest thing I have seen for a long, long time. Thank you so very much for this fabulous page, and this amazing comic!
It’s been an amazing ride!

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

You’re very welcome, Darby. It’s really been our pleasure.

AnyOtaku

Awwwww This is sweet! Love the first panel!

But I can’t believe there’s just one more page! i knew it was coming to an end but it’s still so soon… I want to see how they get out, and I’m afraid that with just one more page the ending will remaind open…

I’m missing it alredy sniff

P.S: now I was thinking about how will all end, and I imagine two theories: one that they only appear preparated for the battle

AnyOtaku

or that everything happens really fast and in the end there is an explosion while they jumpto freedom

thisboybroken

I love how Maven is just choking in the background. lol

Henrithe9th

And for how long has Maven been choking down there by now? D

http://talesofthetwinmoons.smackjeeves.com/ Von

One word and that is UNF.

fujoshifanatic

Oh my gosh, what a sexy, romantic, badass and poignant page! I love how “Pinnochio becomes a real boy” so to speak with just a simple, “Missed you baby.” And the way they are kissing/embracing in panel 4 while Deacon is holding a gun — exactly the kind of “romance with a side of badass” I have come to love from this comic! And of course, the smooching itself — yum! Thank you for giving this yaoi fangirl a final “squee” for the road. :-3

Also, I love that in panel four we have Maven bearing witness to all this. It’s a fitting “behold what thou hast wrought in playing God,” allegory with her, both as a representative of Noneco which created Deacon, and as a psychologist/meglomaniac who attempted to control and manipulate said creation. Human beings — no matter their origins — can be full of surprises indeed.

This is such a lovely, layered page that I will just savor the goodness and not think beyond it just yet. *sniffles while holding back tears*

Becky

Only one more page?! But but but but but…!
Well, we’d best get that Kickstarter campaign up to $25,000, that’s all I can say! :)
Also, Alex, your short-story writing chops are really showing here at the end–the last few pages (and even just this page by itself) effectively fill us in on the level of intimacy these two developed during the 6 weeks or so that they had left together on DaVinci Four between when we last saw them, saying “I love you” for the first time, and their forcible extraction from the planet; without having to delve into lengthy backstory or explanation. You are a genius of economy, sir, and your style pairs very well with Winona’s expressive art to give your audience a well-rounded story in a mere 90 pages.
And less eloquently: D’awwwwww. <3

strangeangel24601

Very well said. While I too would have liked to see more of our heroes’ time together on Da Vinci Four, it definitely takes skill to write a story that doesn’t NEED to delve into extensive backstory to be compelling.
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Thank you. Thank you very much. ::blush::

http://dauwdrupje.deviantart.com Dauwdrupje

Melancholy is filling my heart… *sniff* Alex and Winona, thank you so much for your hard work. You made me fall in love with sci-fi for the first time, and I will never ever forget this awesome webcomic, ’cause I’ll keep rereading it untill I’m 80. Heh.

As for this page: it’s lovely! It’s the most romantic, sweet and hopeful almost-last-page that we can wish. ♥

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

You’re very welcome, Dauwdrupje. I’m glad we could introduce you to the pleasures of sci-fi. Thank you very much for coming along on the ride with us!

http://www.facebook.com/jamiepd Jamie Dutton

Oh wow, did anyone else get all tingly when Deacon called him “Baby”? I don’t want this to end! It feels like when they ended “Firefly” or “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” or “Veronica Mars” T.T
Dang, Alex look what you’ve done to me *sniff*

Sam

Firefly… Curse you, Fox! *twitch*
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Wow. That’s some incredible company you’ve put Artifice in. I’m very, very flattered. Thank you.

http://profile.yahoo.com/PBSU6WMQEZFFEG2R3TWIKP6G44 Toli Bera

….Wait… hasn’t Deacon violated Asimov’s trilogy?

tzelemel

You mean like he did on Da Vinci Four?
http://twitter.com/_BrantM Brant Martin

Asimov’s laws aren’t universal.
Besides, I think Deacon was built more to emulate a human than just an android. Perhaps on simpler models, they do enforce them -shrug-

http://twitter.com/Planetes_Aster Maeglin Bashimoto

I didn’t expect the end to come so soon. What will I look forward to on Saturdays and Wednesdays now? T.T

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Well, I very much hope you’ll stick around for The Young Protectors. Be great to see you there!

http://twitter.com/MiotaLee Desirée Eriksson

am I the only one who doesn’t like the term “baby”?

http://twitter.com/_BrantM Brant Martin

Nope, I hate it.
Side note: In French you call someone ‘mon petit chou’ (my little cabbage) shit you not.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Ewa-Karwowska/1664982604 Ewa Karwowska
  
  my little cabbage?! srsly? ha ha ha LoL
- Oliver
  
  Or, alternatively, ‘mon petit bijou’ (my little jewel). I like that one much better.
- http://pulse.yahoo.com/_BBHOWFDLZLECVVMJZBJH6FHR7U Toki
  
  Or if you’re the TF2 Spy, you call them “mon petit chou-fleur” (my little cauliflower).
- http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
  
  Fun fact: I read that with the closing parentheses moved one word to the right. I was like “And I thought the French were supposed to be romantic”.
Sam

Yeah, I’m not a fan either. But somehow it was still ridiculously adorable to hear Deacon use it :3

KBatty

Maven’s just suffocating to death in the background with the heroes make out a bit. lmao So classy~

Jenny Blue

this… this is just too much…. I’m speechless (of course not, you know me.) IT’S JUST SO STINKING CUTE!!!!!!!!!!! The art, the lines {as in words}, Deacon’s expressions, poor Jeff’s scrapes and bruises, {and the fact that He’s wearing a hospital gown XD} maven just sitting on the floor clutching her throat, and the smooching!! and LOVE!!! it just makes me want to awwww and squeal!!!!!! I’ll probably cry when this is over. Alex, Winona, great job. LOVE IT!!!! (^_^)

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Thank you, Jenny! Glad you liked the update!

http://www.facebook.com/people/Ewa-Karwowska/1664982604 Ewa Karwowska

i’m following this comic for some time and after every new page i love it more <333 can't wait for next update

http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S

One more page? B-but that can’t be right! When you said there was only a few more pages I assumed you left out “dozen” or “hundred” or even maybe “dozens of hundreds”. *frets*
Well screw it! Who needs sleep anyway? I am SO camping Tuesday night. Something tells me Artifice is going out in a blaze of glory and I’m not going to miss it.

crimsonkiss22

Usually I’m not a fan of kissing before an epic escape, but man, THIS. SO MUCH THIS. <3

YangYueLan

1) AWWWW 2) I just watched your bloopers, Alex. Oh my God! You are adorable! The dogs totally would have made the video better.

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Hehe. I agree. The dogs would have made the video better.

http://www.facebook.com/Toris.kun Ariel Kiyari Roesner

I love it, but one more page?! NO! I think I’m gonna cry……. I love this too much for it to be over! ^_^

Sam

Go figure I find something wonderful like this two weeks before it’s set to end

Oh well… At least there’s more Tough and The Young Protectors to look forward to, not to mention shiny pretty printed copies of Artifice in October

Now lemme just look at the page again to recollect my thoughts… Shit.

*EXPLODES*

Michele M.

Love it!!! <3

chikao

I like how maven is still dying in the corner while they make out! XDD
Also I have such a suspicion that they going to be on the brink of freedom when one of the two get seriously injured… Just a feeling.

http://twitter.com/Dannysmartful Dan Miller

Can we get panel 3 as a Christmas post card or something? Just put a Santa hat on Jeff or something XD OMG HOLIDAY BONUS MATERIAL! Wait, do they celebrate such things in space? Meh, maybe do a Birthday instead, Jeff can pop out of a cake. (hehe)

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

I like the way you think.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Cassandra-Javor/100000272803257 Cassandra Javor

Finally! I’ve been waiting forever for another kiss. It’s rather comical to see Clarice just hanging out in the corner (hoping no one forgot about her) watching all of this. The x-ray is a nice touch, so pardon me if I point out that it looks off to me. The clavicle and scapula make it look like it’s got pointy shoulder-pads or something. Funny yes, but I noticed.

And you can’t end it yet, they are still locked in the room! Few more pages…Deacon, Jeff, get a move on!

Yukiness

Maven dying has me dying. I refuse to believe that this is all ending. I’m going to muster up something and so help me buy this comic. I need to smell the fresh glue, stoke the pages and have a full fangirl moment.

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Dex X.

OH SO CUTE. nice to see maven in the background. made me lol. xD

leorising

Panel 3, best happy kissage EVER (and I’m something of a connoisseur of drawn kissage, I likes ‘em, I does.) Major kudos, Winona! ♥

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1105655967 Mercedez Clewis

I love how Maven is in extreme pain in the background during the kiss. She’s probably got a crushed windpipe and bruised vocal chords. It probably hurts like the dickens.

It makes the kiss more romantic.

Nikolicious

You deserve all of the fucking awards for that comment.
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

LOL, Mercedez.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Fred-Rodd/100000194705799 Fred Rodd

Man, over already? :(

Kel Z

First off: this page is full of so much awesome that it’s pixels are jumping with awesome. I just wanted to put it out there. Wall of text ahoy as I’m chatty this morning.

Some things I love:
-The detail in panel 4 of Jeff’s injuries and stiches. It’s a little thing, but I really love how it illustrates what he’s been through, there’s a nice contrast between that and actually getting to kiss Deacon again. That’s probably the silly romantic in me (… yeah, I’ve done the same thing, something about beating people up makes that kind of stuff more impactful, there’s a tone of having to work for it, for having to struggle to get there, which is way better than easy… somewhere in my head, my characters are flipping me off for this…). Winona also makes a really nice bruise!

-I’m laughing at Maven in panel 4. I know that’s a jerk move on my part, but she’s just sitting there while they’re so caught up in the moment it’s like they’ve forgotten all about her. Is she thinking “I could make a brilliant research study on this if I wasn’t headed towards certain death or debilitating injury?”

-It seems like Deacon’s conversations with Maven, if anything, have deepened his sense of humanity. He seems more casual, although part of that could be that there’s a lot of him and Jeff together that we didn’t see before the ship showed up. However, it just strikes me that he’s grown a bit in terms of his reactions since then. There could also be a component of being away from Jeff and I imagine that Deacon’s a great multitasker. Telling Maven one thing while secretly thinking of what he’d get up to when this is over? Heh.

-On that note, there’s been growth from Jeff as well. He seems more bold, mature, and more willing to stand up for himself. He’s gone from being a bit resentful of not having a place in society because of his sexuality, and being awfully protesty about a lot of things, to being someone who seems more comfortable with himself.

Next page is the last page! Oh man! You’re going to have to leave it to our imaginations where it goes after they get out of here! I have to wonder, will they find themselves somewhere quiet to settle in and hope everyone forgets about them? Will they end up finding somewhere that they could do some good? I mean, they are a pretty kickass pair! It seems a shame that they’d hide out for the rest of their lives, but there’s also that risk of discovery. Could they blow up the corporation? Take it down? Expose it’s dirty secrets?

Re: video: Alex, you’re freaking adorable. Really!

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Hehe. Thank you for such a wonderfully thoughtful comment, Kel—and for the props re: my blooper video!

(And who knows? The Kickstarter campaign is less than $3000 away from the bonus comic that picks up with our heroes after this webcomic ends, so you might get some answers to those questions. )

http://www.facebook.com/people/Sheana-Knight/100003325998063 Sheana Knight

hiya after reading your entire webcomic i made a decision to pledge you book and after reading it and seeing your video, all i can say it’s worth every penny. love it!

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Thank you, Sheana! You’re a sweetheart! I can’t wait to send the book out to you!

http://twitter.com/CiliegioCake Elle

Only one more page?! *flails*

Though after watching your video where you talk about always wishing for stories like this you made a point of saying how you wanted stories where the gay character/s DIDN’T die in some tragically horrific way…I fully expect a happy ending to be implied at the end of this and then confirmed in the promised bonus extra. I better see about upping my donation if I can just to do my part. I’m plotting for my happy ending, dammit!

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Yep, I do like happy endings. I’ll see what I can do.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_5WI26OOMCXSKU3OKBZC3AEN7RY Kelsie

SO. HOT. GAH.
don’t let it end… O.O

http://sonneillon-v.livejournal.com/ Sonneillon

Yay kisses! And endearments. I remember how awkward Data was with that. Is the psych still ALIVE? I’m dying to know what’s going through her head right now. Provided it’s not a 2000 word screed riddled with profanity.

Lorescien

True romance: kissing each other lovingly while a choking, insane blonde psychiatrist chokes in the background. They really are an adorable couple, especially while wielding firearms. :3

Esleny

Dancing in a room full of unconscious bodies, why not? They look so happy together. And with good cause too.

http://profiles.google.com/michanforever A. V. M.

Hmm, I’ve got a couple things to say, long comment warning lol:
1) DeaconxJeff~<3 And I just love the dialogue they share. And the details they're drawn with. And just about everything.
2) Pfft, poor Maven is still lying in her corner, clutching her neck and watching this go on. I almost feel bad. Almost.
3) That blooper video is just adorable, Alex! xD No really, those mistakes are just too cute. (Is it weird for me to call a man older than myself adorable? … o.o) Which reminds me, are we ever going to see Winona too? Do a video together, maybe, pretty please?
4) Is this really coming to a close? D: Ah, I'm going to miss it, it was definitely a fun ride while it lasted. All good things must come to an end, eh? I'll be following The Young Protectors for sure.
/end long comment

W Nelson

We can probably do a video together when I go to Alex’s side of the country to sign the books
- http://profiles.google.com/michanforever A. V. M.
  
  Really? Yay, I hope you do make the video I think it’d be awesome~
- Aikka
  
  *-* do it please!
- Kel Z
  
  Dooooo iiiiiiit! :: bounce ::
- http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
  
  Sounds like a plan.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Kristi-Schoenhaar/100003523327316 Kristi Schoenhaar
  
  Yippee!
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Thank you—for the props about the dialogue, the kind words about my blooper video and for letting me know you’ll be following The Young Protectors!

And it sounds like you might just get your wish for a video with both Winona and me.
- http://profiles.google.com/michanforever A. V. M.
  
  You’re welcome~<3 All the praise is very well deserved. :3
  
  Also, really? /happy bounce/ It'd be just awesome if you two really made it. And, y'know, you could totally dedicate it to me, because I'm amazing like that… /shot
  
  Really though, I hope it happens~

metisofarabia

Aww, endings make me sad.

Enamoril

The reason the donation bar is going so slow this time is because people don’t want it to end, Alex :3 Not because people are losing interest. <3

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

I don’t want it to end, either…

ithilloke

*sniff*

http://twitter.com/xXScarletBXx Clare Gudem

I don’t want this to end. ;_;

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ODTYRNLPDTIZWUVMJBCDAFY27E DivaLady

;-; It’s gonna end? Saaaaaaaaaaad

http://twitter.com/irenicPie Lucy

Omg, I’ll have to stop measuring my weeks in Artifice updates. What am I gonna do? D:

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

I for one hope you’ll stick around for The Young Protectors, Lucy!

http://twitter.com/PockyPuck Meghan

I love the shot of Maven on the floor in the background–they are completely wrapped up in each other. XD Guh this is a great page.

Aaaaagh almost done?! ;_; Hate to see it go, but love to watch it leave!

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Tanko

It’s ending??? So sad! Please write more! T_T

Jasmine_Howards

why is it that every time I enjoy something it has to end so soon. why couldn’t it be stretched to at LEAST 100 pages TT-TT

http://cathcer1984.dreamwidth.org/ Cathcer

I love how Maven’s watching on

And this has just made my shit weekend slightly better. Thank you Alex <3

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

You’re very welcome, Cathcer. Glad to hear this page gave you a boost. Hope things get better for you soon!

Erica

ah ha ha haaaaa yeah thats right Maven. Observeeeeeee. mwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha This proves how much I’m stressed about school and work. I completely forgot about wednesday AND TODAY’S update until i saw one of my fan pics. @ _@ gooodness gracious. hahaha

http://savedbytheblog14.blogspot.ca/ Madeleine

I remember in the preview of Artifice sent by email, there were some sketches of Deacon and Jeff having sex, including in the shower. Please tell me the final page features some of these. Please!

peanut5507

“Show these bastards we’re just full of surprises.”

… So THAT’S what Deacon means…
- http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
  
  LOL

Syanana

-giggles- I love how Dea calls Jeff Baby. Omg, totally made my week.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Kali-Yuga/752150458 Kali Yuga

i think that this is actually my favorite page so far. i just love how Deacon and Jeff interact with each other after having been separated for awhile.
not sure how you are going to wrap this one up in one page but i will be eagerly awaiting it as always.
i am totally in love with your new series too so at least i won’t be too sad after this one finishes.

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Thank you, Kali. And I’m very glad to hear you’re onboard for The Young Protectors!

Winterlove

Lol shes choking in the background, why oh god why do I find that so amusing!!

HoneyThistle

Because it is.

Ryn

RAMPAGE!

yeah, i have nothing constructive to say. Other than i’m looking forward to Jeff and Deacon wreaking havoc on these turds. mwahahaha…

peanut5507

Good god, they’re so friggin adorable. Guns and kisses and smiles and all.

…

Oh hey, and there’s a random Maven sitting in the corner.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Britny-K-Fox/100001751513892 Britny K. Fox

This is soo freaking adorable. I love how the author and artist have both viciously clashed together to not only make them say they love each other, but also make it look and feel as if they do. I am definitely getting this in print when it is available.

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Thank you, Britny! Winona makes my job as writer really easy.

lilith8

Honestly too cute for words! I’m hoping for a happy ending <3

Myrtu

It’s ending so soon? Sadness :<
But it's been great reading this, I love every page. Can't wait to see the final page, I'm sure it'll be great <3 These last two are so incredibly cute, I love them
And I'm heading over to The Young Protectors to continue bothering you~

eleutherios

D:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000472830383 Jennifer Bauters

It’s ending so soon? It’s been fabulous reading this, and I plan to donate so i can preorder a book, I want one sooo bad.

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Thank you, Jennifer! I’m really glad you enjoyed the ride. And I can’t wait to get that book out to you!

http://www.facebook.com/people/Kristi-Schoenhaar/100003523327316 Kristi Schoenhaar

This page is so funny.

I can’t even imagine what the final page will be like. Thanks so much for the ride, Alex and Winona!

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

You’re very welcome, Kristi. It really was our pleasure.

nurg

Squeal! Last page coming up? As sad as that makes me, it also lets me stop worrying I’m not gonna get a happy ending! Yay!

http://amidstdancers.blogspot.com/ Shard Aerliss

Awwww!

That is all XD

http://www.facebook.com/m0nkeynuts Michael Cox

Wha? I’ve only just got hooked on this!

jilisa.barnaby

You just slowly die in the corner whilst we passionately kiss

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000474863111 Justin Cauduro

wow! I’m a newcomer to this comic, but have to say absolutely love it!! The artwork is so good! ^^D An that frame with deacon holding his lover awww!!! =D Good to see that doc get what was coming to her too hehe!

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Welcome, Justin! I’m glad you’re enjoying Artifice! I hope you’ll stick around for The Young Protectors!

dyeitblue

Pledged for the Kickstarter! Woo!

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Thank you, dyeitblue! You rock!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000199870333 Sofie Marlene Arvsell

Gaah finally they kissed after such a long time~ <3

krissdevalnor

I have definitely enjoyed it! Wonderful story! wonderful art! and you have been a great ‘host’, Alex - following the audience, explaining, answering questions and teasing us with hints and bonus page goals. I am very grateful to be able to read this comic:)

krissdevalnor

and btw. I totally agree wth Justin: the panel with Deacon in Jeff’s arms is so cute!!!!!!
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

You’re very welcome, krissdevalnor. Being a host to y’all has been incredibly fun and gratifying. You all have made this into an incredibly special experience for me. Beyond my wildest dreams, actually.

Guest

and they’re all like ‘mmm baby’… and she’s all like “gakkkk …curses…foiled…my trachea”
<3
they need to shoot her, I'm afraid, a necessary thing. but he's a good soldier, he'll do it.

strangeangel24601

Nah, something tells me she’s got some hostagin’ to do first. It’s the only reason I can think of for Deacon not killing her outright.

Ambler

And then he whisked him away on his robot chariot, taking out snipers from the tops of building as they went…

I bet Maven is totally like “If I wasn’t dying, I’d be turned on right now.”

http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S

Okay so this is off topic, but I don’t think Alex will mind. I just came out to my brother today in a completely unintentional slightly embarrassing way. Andrew always seemed homophobic and is one of the people who uses “gay” as a synonym for “stupid”. Joining the Army seems to have increased that. I had been avoiding telling him that I like guys because we have a really strong bond and the thought of losing it terrified me. It still does.
Anyway, Andrew recently came back from Afghanistan on leave and we’ve been hanging out. He, his girlfriend, and I were going to see The Hunger Games today and Andrew forgot his jacket at their hotel. So Andrew and I were looking for one of my spare hoodies in my room. He found my porn stash. Andrew didn’t actually see anything, thank God, because I caught him in time and told him not to go through it. It didn’t take him long to figure out why I cared if he saw my porn or not.
He asked me if I was joking a few times (to be fair that is probably something I’d pull if I were straight. I like messing with him.). Then he asked how (I said I knew since I was about ten and it wasn’t a choice). Then he said “no” a bunch of times, seemingly out of surprise; he didn’t seem like he was angry or in denial anything. He seemed to still think it was all a joke. Then his expression turned serious.
I’m normally a very calm, rational person. I don’t say anything without thinking it through first and I usually have a hundred thoughts in my head at once in any given moment. But in that moment my mind was completely blank. I realized that the entire future of my relationship with Andrew was based on how he handled this, on whether or not he could deal.
He took a deep breath and said that we were still brothers. I honestly felt like I shed a two hundred pound burden. Andrew asked if I ever kissed a guy and I said no (which is true, I’ve done other stuff but I kept quiet about that detail). He told me he didn’t want to know if I did, which confused me because I already answered him but I realized he was probably confused himself. Andrew told me he might be able to talk to me about all this later, but not today. I thought it was just as well because his girlfriend was still waiting outside by the car. She was probably getting cold.
So the three of us saw The Hunger Games and Andrew was still acting like himself all night. We joked and talked and bonded like nothing was different. Things still feel natural between us and I think (tentatively) it’s going to stay that way.
I’m posting this for a few reasons. Firstly, for support. I’ve never before been apart of an online community where the members are obviously pro LGBT. I mean, why else are we here, right? Second, I want others to know that coming out isn’t always a scary thing. If someone truly loves and cares about you, your sexuality isn’t going to change that. You need to trust that person, even though it may be hard. Lastly, I’m curious about other coming out stories. Feel free to share if you want.

EDIT: I just realized that people may be curious about our ages. I’m 21 (I’ll be 22 in May) and Andrew just turned 23.
PS: It might be worth noting that Andrew wasn’t the first person, or even the first family member I came out to. That particular scarring memory is a story for another time.
PPS: Alex have you thought of making a forum? I know Artifice isn’t the first comic you’ve done and you’re doing the Young Protectors after this. I think this site could benefit from a place where things like this could be discussed.

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Hey Alex,

I’m a bit swamped at the moment, but I had to respond to this. Wow, that’s an incredible story. I’m proud of you and I’m proud of your brother for pulling it together enough to be cool about it in the moment. There might be some ups and downs as he tries to figure out what this means (you’ve had 11 years to figure out what’s true and not about being gay, he’s had less than 24 hours), but I’m very encouraged by what he said and even more encouraged by how well you handled this unexpected coming out.

I’ve talked a little bit about my own coming out in some places, here and there, but I want to make it clear that this is a completely appropriate thing to share with the community and I welcome the discussion and what I’m sure will be an outpouring of support.

As for a forum, as always, I’m at the service of my readers. If there is serious interest, I’ll look into making one.

Please let us (and me) know how we can make this any easier. We’re here for you.
- http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
  
  Thanks. That really means a lot. I came to terms with my sexuality when I was about sixteen. I adopted a sort of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” attitude about it. I wasn’t ready to announce it to the world, but I wasn’t going to pretend to be straight either. I accepted myself for who I was and felt a lot better for it. If someone couldn’t handle it, that was really their problem.
  My brother is a different story, his opinion actually matters to me. I guess deep down I should have known there wasn’t really anything to worry about. We accept each other for who we are and that’s that. I was the only one he told when he eloped with a girl he only knew for about a month (it ended badly, no one was surprised) and he was the first person I told when I started having panic attacks as my high school graduation came up (Kind of a “Holy shit I have to be a responsible adult! I don’t know how to do that! Taxes! College! Finances! Career! How have I lived 17 years and never thought to ask about any of it?”)What I mean is that I know my brother would love me regardless of the gender I’m attracted to. It’s just that I don’t think I could handle it if he loved me but was ashamed of me at the same time. Thankfully I don’t think that will be the case.. And I know you’re right about him needing time to adjust. I’m pretty sure he can handle it though. I guess getting shot at for a living puts things like your brother’s sexual preference in perspective.
  
  Oh and I know that you;re busy right now, but keep the forum idea in mind. I’m sure I’m not the only one interested. Thanks again. : )
  - http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
    
    You’re of course very welcome. (And feel free to remind me about that forum idea once the Kickstarter project is done. If there is interest, then I’ll make it happen. )
- xLizardx
  
  It would be awesome if you set up a forum – as you’ve mentioned, there seem to be some very supportive and articulate readers on here, an actual “community” – and well, what better way to enhance and promote that community than by creating a discussion place? Not that it isn’t awesome to be able to comment on individual pages – but it definitely seems to be a theme in some of the posts I’ve just been reading that people have never properly discussed some of these issues before, and find this site a really great place to do so… so, as Alex s. suggested, a forum would probably work really well. You could probably get some people to volunteer to be moderators, or maybe help with coding? and I’m sure everyone would gladly contribute ideas for content/ layout etc. It would be awesome!
  - http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
    
    Hmm. It does sound like there might be interest. If I were to do it, I would need some moderators to help me with it. Moderators whom I could trust to keep the tone I’ve worked to establish here—not just in moderating comments, but in always responding to folks in a kind and thoughtful way.
    
    As I said, I won’t have time to look into this until mid-April. But if folks are still wanting a forum, I’ll set one up.
    - http://hacktheneverland.blogspot.co.uk/ enchantedsleeper
      
      I definitely have serious interest in a forum for this type of discussion I’ve been completely engrossed in everyone’s stories here for the past several hours and I love the supportive community which has formed around this webcomic as well as the intelligent discussion it has engendered. If we can transfer that to a forum of some sort, the results will be mind-blowing I’m sure.
JJCalem

I am glad it turned out well for you with your brother. I actually ended up coming out to my sister in a similar way, except she caught me looking at porn at the time :$. Was when I was only in high school and before I was ready to come out so I made a bunch of miserable excuses and she let it drop.

A few months later when I was ready to come out I ended up coming out to her and she was supportive in the sense it was completely irreverent to her. Still, she was never weird about it and we continued to have the exact same relationship. Also she never outed me to anyone else which I did appreciate.

Actually, quite lucky for me everyone in my family (other then my grandfather) has been quite supportive or at least indifferent to me coming out. My mom just never made and issue of it and my dad on two occasions brought it up to make sure I knew he was completely okay with it.

Anyway, that is just my own experience, and I know I am quite lucky. I am glad at least with your brother you will get to have the same relationship.
- http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
  
  That’s almost exactly what happened with my mom. I was 14 and being, well me, decided that the rational thing to do was research (on the computer) what exactly a gay lifestyle entails. This lead to porn sites which my mom found in the history. I also did the weak excuse thing. She tried to be supportive by saying she wouldn’t tell the family (and by the family, she meant The Family as in all our relatives) which only proceeded to scare the crap out of me and made me determined that no one in the family would ever find out. It took me almost a year before I could talk to her about it.
  Luckily our family in Massachusetts is very small. Just me, my mom, and my grandmother. Though I can tell you that my grandmother will never hear about it from me. She’s made her thoughts on homosexuals quite clear (and black people, and Mexicans, and Baptists, and Democrats. Otherwise she’s quite pleasant.)
  
  Thanks for sharing your story.
  - Adam Black
    
    AlexS,
    Its a Massachhusetts MO Miracle:
    Been unble to comment for months(on mobile)! but the Yaoi goddess of the internet let me through to say some kind words to Alex S. What a great story! You are not alone. Mass Artifan right here buddy !! Glad to have you on board ( Been lurking for months since my HD crashed. droid usually fails to post!! ) I apolgize for terrible editing. Minor ‘Mo miracle if this works.( it did! YaoRay.) You should consider checking out BAGLY, you could make some local friends your age going through the same things. or just look me up…. G: +Adam Black … AdamRocketBlack@gmail.com
    p…
    Ps: You sound like you grew up in one of the many conservative pockets of the state. My general advice is visit Metro Boston, make friends, and move in…You WON’T be sorry. The smallminded burbs are soulcrushing even if you are straight!! One more thing. Boston is undergoing a RockNroll Renaissance right now. The Rock Club scene, and the Underground Scene are HUGE. Im always on the lookout for new friends who are music fans too
    Adam Black
    PPS Obviously I fail to respond here, its because I’m locked out again…
    So gmail/gplus or not… ( BAGLY is Boston Area Gay Lesbian Youth…your. own deacon or jeff might be waiting for you…gay clubs, http://www.BostonTogether.com festival, Concerts, Punk shows, community Sailing, http://www.BostonCyberArts.com Festival,—and you Are probably just an hour from Civilization! Its going to be a good spring…
    WELCOME
    - http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
      
      I actually had a great experience visiting BAGLY back in the day. Haven’t thought about that for a long time…
    - Adam Black
      
      Alex,
      I never actually did myself. I met a lot of friends who had… Clearly I missed out. But what is the present for but making new memories..
      If you do a webcomic tour to Boston, you’ve got fans
    - http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
      
      Hi Adam! I almost missed your reply buried down here.
      Glad to hear from you even though Artifice is ending. Lol, you seem to know a bunch of party places. I might have to check some of those out. I live about a half hour out of Boston.
      
      Yeah I spent ages 7-14 growing up in a snooty condo complex with my grandmother. My brother and I were honestly the only children in the place. Not fun .
      
      PS: What does MO mean? I keep on thinking Missouri but that can’t be right.
    - ErykaSoleil
      
      I was wondering that too–trying to search for the answer online was highly entertaining in its results, but I don’t think any of them were right.
    - Adam Black
      
      MO….MObile,
      MOnday,
      Man Overjoyed
      March Over
      ( Ho)’MO…..(urban dictionary )
      “We met up with some ‘Mos at Sunday Brunch”
      
      “Deacon confessed a secret fantasy involving two more ‘Mos, Military Issue rope,a shower, a VidCam, and a guest RoboPsychologist. Jeff was forced to codecommand the Arti-MO until the donation bar hit 5000. That’s some MO.
    - http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
      
      You forgot Modus Operandi .
fujoshifanatic

Hi Alex S,

I just wanted to say “Welcome to the family!” and that you and your brother handled your coming out to him in an admirable way. Just accept that it’ll be a process for both you and him, and with some time, patience, and the obvious love between the two of you, things should be just fine.

For what it’s worth, my coming out was a heck of a process; it took me until I was 25 or so to fully come out to myself, after I had fallen in love with my first girlfriend (I thought it was “just her” and not that I was gay, whatever the hell that means). I was raised in a Caribbean household, so I never knew there was anything other than straight, so it never occurred to me that the feelings I had for girls were anything other than deep admiration.

Once I started coming out to other people, to my relief the process went much more smoothly than I thought it would. I was already an “out there” kind of person to my friends, so most of them, gay and straight, reacted along a range between “So?” or “About time!” to “Fabulous! Let’s go shopping/to the gay bar/to drag karaoke!” I only ever lost one acquaintance after coming out. And I have been lucky enough to have worked in places where it didn’t matter at all (being in a creative field helped lots).

And the girl who was my closet key? We went through a rough patch when I first told her (leave it to me to fall for a girl from Jamaica, one of the most homophobic places on the planet), but we found our way back to friendship, and even a brief relationship, before she decided she preferred men. To this day, she is one of my best friends, and I regularly hang out with her and her husband, and am a “cool auntie” to her little girl.

My boyfriend miraculously stuck by me through all of this upheaval (it helps that we started off as friends and never stopped being that to one another), and he remains my best friend to this day. I also enjoy a great relationship with him and his wife as well.

As for my brothers and sisters, they pretty much figured I was gay, so when I told them, their exact words were, “And?” before they went back to what they were doing, and our relationship never changed. One even came out to me a few years later.

My parents were a little tricky. My father came across my shelf o’ lesbian lit one day nosing around my apartment, and after making some obnoxious noise about wanting to see his children dead than gay, he never said another word again (it was right around the time he learned he had colon cancer, so I guess that made him reassess some things). To this day, we have never really discussed it, although he has met a couple of my girlfriends and has always been polite to them.

I did come out to my mom, though I kind of had to walk it back the first time after she got hysterical. I came out and stayed out about a year later, when I introduced her to my girlfriend, who she actually liked. Interestingly enough, I find I have to come out to her again every couple of years, especially if there is a long period of being single between girlfriends. I take it in stride though, and the silly questions (“why don’t you just try dating men?”) become less and less with each outing. She is always kind to my girlfriends, though she still asks about my ex-boyfriend (over twenty years later!) and is thrilled to see him on the rare occasions we stop by her house together. :-

For what it’s worth, I’m in my early forties, and I hope you’ll see from my experience that if you’re true to yourself and the people that love you are true to themselves and you, coming out for the most part tends to work itself out, often in unexpected, but totally welcome and beneficial ways.

Sorry for the wall of text, but I hope it helps you in some way, and I wish you and your brother the best.
- http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
  
  I guess I’m lucky that I have a small family, in this state at least. That sounds like a lot of stress and work.
  
  I actually did something similar with my best friend at the time (now my roommate). We were about 14 and she asked me out. I said yes because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings and we dated for a few months. She was the first person I came out to (voluntarily at least). It was easy because she was already out as bisexual. She was never really in the closet in the first place, which is something I always envied and admired about her. She’s also the first person I would have gone to about this thing with my brother, but she just got married yesterday (figures) and is on her honeymoon.
  
  Thanks for your kind words and for sharing your story!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000472830383 Jennifer Bauters

Hello Alex S!

What a story! I haven’t heard many coming out stories, a lot of my friends are still closeted from family. I’m happy to see there are some positive ones out there and I’m happy that your experience wasn’t nearly as terrifying as my own.
I have no siblings but my family, including any extended family like my aunt and uncle has always been tight nit.
My cousin on my Aunt’s side and myself have always been close, if I had to name a sibling he’d be one. We’ve grown up side by side together, and there’s never been a moment were we weren’t together playing or exploring.
Naturally someone like that, I felt like it was okay for me to be honest with him, and in that I told him about my discovery at the time. He was cool with it, which I was happy for, my aunt and uncle got wind, and were also cool with it.
It wasn’t until I went to see my girlfriend at the time did my aunt drop a bomb on me, tell my mother or she will. I did not want my aunt to tell my mother, my aunt as much as I love her, has a way of “dressing” up stories to be more dramatic than they are. So I called my mother and asked her to come get me, in tears she drove me home, and along the way I braved the inevitable.
I told my mother, who nearly killed us in the car, in hindsight that was not the smartest moment of my life. I spent the rest of the 15 minute car ride home, listening to all the standard garble ”You have to be born with it! no one in our family is gay” “You’re not gay, you’re just mislead” and it went on and on.
She finally settled, but my relationship with my long distant girlfriend ended poorly, due to my mother prohibiting calls and never driving a 16 year old me over to see her any more during summer break.
As the years wore on, she kept on dropping hints about how “you have to be born with it” but we never spoke of it openly. In fact, she tried to deny the fact all together, and when ever I saw an attractive woman on TV, I couldn’t say anything positive about her without getting “You’re not that way” thrown at me with a hateful glare.
The subject was once again reopened, when I broke up with my “boyfriend” who I attempted to date to appease my mother. Only to find a girlfriend who was much much closer than my first one, unfortunately. When I was speaking to another friend about how I was goign to break this to my mother, guess who happened to over hear? My mother, naturally! She was so upset but not nearly as upset as she was the first time, I think in many ways she was trying to grasp the situation. Luckily she came to accept who I was, but it hasn’t been without it’s set backs, not long ago, in fact 2 months ago, she asked if I was dating another friend. To which I replied, “no, why do you ask?” and she said “because I think it’s disgusting” so maybe she HASN’T entirely accepted it. Least she has stopped saying “You’re not that way”, which has been an improvement of sorts
So coming out hasn’t been so easy, but it hasn’t deterred me in the least, I’m very open with my sexuality. In fact, I don’t hide it from anyone, if someone asks I’m honest enough to admitted it, if they don’t like it, it’s not my problem. Though I won’t force it on anyone naturally, so I try not to say it in a way that makes people feel uncomfortable with it either. Though I hope your relationship with your brother continues to be very good! Take care!
- http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
  
  It’s too bad that your mother is like that. At least you have the rest of the family though. Thanks for sharing your story and for the good wishes.
- http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
  
  My heart goes out to you too with the way your mother has been handling it. But it does sound, despite some hiccups, she is coming around. It took my parents years to move from grudging tolerance to full acceptance. But eventually they did get there.
  
  It sounds like you have a really good head on your shoulders and a good heart. This is tough stuff, but you’re right, if someone has a problem with it, it really is their problem, not yours. And eventually, unless they are determined to stay out of touch with reality, they will come around. Especially as they learn that gay/bi folks aren’t some weird “other”—they are their beloved daughters, sons, siblings, cousins and friends.
  
  Thank you for sharing your story. I’m sending you big Internet hugs!
geneticsgirl

Congrats to you for coming out. I want you to know that through out your coming out process, you will have a loving online community here, of both straight (like me!) and gay people.
- http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
  
  Thanks! I really do love the community we made here. That’s the whole reason why I posted the experience. I’m sad to see it go . Maybe we all can jump ship to Young Protector?
  - ErykaSoleil
    
    I’m game.
    - http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
      
      Yay!
ErykaSoleil

-Hugs.- I’m glad things are going as well as they are.
- http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
  
  *hugs* Yeah so far so good. I honestly haven’t seen him much since that night, but he seems pretty okay with it.
  - http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
    
    That makes me happy to hear, Alex. Keep us posted.
wasEnkidu

I want to talk about myself but I feel I can’t. That’s sort of what I did to myself by telling my mother. Why is it always mothers who take it the worst? She says she’s worried and sad for me since it means I will have to endure prejudices. I hate it when she treats me like I’ll be alone forever. So I’m not allowed to tell anybody. She’ll accept it if I say I’m bisexual because she doesn’t want me to give up on the opposite gender. I think she thinks I can only live a happy life if I’m married and socially accepted?
Well since this is the second to last page and we’re all being honest, I’ll tell you guys something I never admit online. I’m a girl. I don’t like how people act differently to you because of your gender, so I tell people online that I’m a boy. I would love to be gender-neutral more than anything. I have a very masculine brain and I feel more hardwired to be a guy. I used to want to change my gender when I was about 19. But I’ve since become more accepting of it.

I recently dated a guy, an old friend from college. By all accounts it should have worked out between us. We were good friends because he felt more female than male and understood that about me. But being with him made my gender anxiety come back. I felt trapped in the female roll whenever he wanted attention and I avoided any kind of intimacy with him, physical verbal or emotional. (god, this is turning into the War and Peace of replies. -_- ) The entire time I was with him I felt full of anxiety and self-loathing and trapped because I knew he was crazy for me ever since we went to school together. I didn’t want to crush him, but breaking up made me feel like a dark cloud of oppression had blown away.

I didn’t feel like that in high school when one of my two best friends dumped her friends in favor of her boyfriend. There were three of us. The other girl who got dumped had to drive me home. When I got home I couldn’t stop crying, I curled up on my bed and felt like I was going to die. It hurt so much it took me YEARS before I forgave her. That brought me and the other girl much closer together. She was the first person I ever kissed.
I used to throw parties all the time in high school, but if I threw a party and SHE was the only one who bothered to come I would still be happy. It didn’t matter to me if anyone else cared about me. That’s what I told my mother when she told me that I didn’t understand my own feelings because of my Aspergers.

I love my mother and we’re very close. I don’t mean to bitch about her or make her out to be someone terrible because she’s NOT! But I can’t TALK to her about this at ALL or she freaks out and that hurts! It really really hurts because I thought she would love me no matter what and she says that she acts this way out of concern because she DOES love me, but what she’s doing is rejecting a part of who I am. Both of my sisters have boyfriends but I don’t want one. I found that out the hard way. I just am not attracted to men physically. Even when my friends and I would pick out bishonen from the anime we were watching, I picked my favorites based on who I wanted to BE not who I wanted to DATE.

So for those of you who couldn’t finish this massive monster of a post, sorry I blabbered so much. This is the first place I’ve actually admitted any of this. The only other person in my family who knows is one of my sisters, so I don’t really have anyone to vent to.
- http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
  
  I’m very touched by your story, Enkidu. And the way you’re feeling makes perfect sense to me. You expressed yourself very, very well and I wish your mother was in a place right now to hear you. It took my parents years before they were ready to really listen to me, but eventually they were. I don’t know your mother, so I can’t guarantee that you’ll have the same experience, but the way you just put this… Well, I guess I’ll just say it gives me faith in you for evenually turning her around. Maybe not this year, but I can see a day where she really listens to you about this. Which you deserve and so much more.
  
  I’m typing this on a bus so I don’t have the time to really express myself the way I’d like, but your presence here has always been something that has made me very happy. And this comment only makes me wish for even more happiness for you.
  - http://pulse.yahoo.com/_J7W4JMZ6MXCVA6KKCFVAMW44OU Summer
    
    I agree with Alex. I don’t know why your mom isn’t accepting of it. Truthfully, I don’t know why any parent would be against their child finding love, gender notwithstanding or not. Prejudice against LGBT has never made sense to me since it’s, well, it’s LOVE! How can anyone be against love?
    - ErykaSoleil
      
      I’ve found that a noticeable number of people I’ve met who are against (or at least seriously uncomfortable with) homosexuality, feel that way because of the physical aspect. It’s not that they’re against love, as much as they’re against anal sex, or using dildos because there’s not a flesh-and-blood penis involved, etc. There -are- a lot of people who are just hateful and close-minded, but there are others who are just disturbed by it because they feel like sexual intercourse is male-and-female-missionary and anything else weirds them out (even if it’s a straight couple doing it).
    - http://pulse.yahoo.com/_J7W4JMZ6MXCVA6KKCFVAMW44OU Summer
      
      Ah, the shades of gray debate. Sure, there are technicalities involved, but a sexual act is not an area where other people should have say unless there isn’t consent. SERIOUSLY. I’m straight. I identify as straight. Having said that, if I want to find a delicious-looking man, tie him to my bed, pour chocolate sauce on him and then clean him with my tongue, that is between the guy and me, not anyone else! Same for someone who wants to use a dildo, or have anal sex, or any other kind of sex! The only problem I’d have is whether or not there is consent.
      
      You’d think people would learn after Texas finally removed their stupid anti-sodomy law. What were they going to do there while the law was in effect, post officers outside peoples’ bedrooms, set to go in once a person (also including the fact that I know that hetero couples can and do enjoy anal) reached for the lube and an ass in that order? Ludicrous.
    - ErykaSoleil
      
      Unfortunately, there are still a lot of states with anti-sodomy laws on the books, regardless of the sexes involved. However, I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say.
      
      I wasn’t referring to the people who are actively against homosexuals and trying to ban gay marriage or anything like that. I was merely pointing out that some people are o.k. with the idea of same-sex love, but not same-sex sex. If you re-read the last part of what I typed, you will see that I was saying these individuals feel uncomfortable with the idea of -anybody- doing those things. And, let’s face it: when there’s two guys involved, the sex will never be the same mechanically as a man and a woman making a baby. Between that obvious cue, and the fact that a lot of people these days (of all sexual shades) are very open about their sex lives, these people are kind of forced into dealing with something they just find plain old icky. It’s not that they hate anybody for being different; it just makes their skin crawl when they’re reminded of that particular aspect.
    - http://pulse.yahoo.com/_J7W4JMZ6MXCVA6KKCFVAMW44OU Summer
      
      Okay, I understand now. At the same time, I don’t, because how two people get it on really isn’t anyone else’s business but the people involved :
    - ErykaSoleil
      
      Well, the specific person I was thinking of when I typed that, is kind of grossed out by the idea of anybody having sex, period. I know another person who honestly believes people should only have sex with the goal of procreation.
      
      They’re both in favor of allowing gay marriage because they don’t think it’s anybody’s place to say who you can and can’t marry; they would also both much prefer it if -everybody- would just stop talking about their sex lives publicly altogether.
    - Adam Black
      
      ErykaSoleil,
      The US Supreme Court overuled ALL sodomy laws, in the US, and laws against gays having sex, ( the texas Case mentioned ) on grounds of privacy, equal protection, and um…something Kennedy referred to right to get ones Yao on.
      Scalia was bull. ( Souter and Kennedy don’t share their comics ) He said if we make it legal the quality will drop in the BONDAGE bara. Thomas holder of the largest LesbiAn VHS collecion the court has ever seen until…NOw,
    - ErykaSoleil
      
      While you are partially correct, there are still multiple states with sodomy laws on the books:
      
      http://equalitymatters.org/blog/201108080012
      
      I personally know someone who was prosecuted under VA’s anti-sodomy laws after Lawrence v. Texas, and it did a great deal of damage to him that he is still trying to clean up. He spent time on probation as a result, and the police “accidentally” placed him on the publicly-accessible sex offenders list (they refused to correct the problem, saying they “weren’t allowed to just take him off now that he was on it”). They were able to bust him because he was 17 at the time, and his partner was 16. The 16-year old’s parents learned their son was seeing a boy, and decided they were not having it. There is someone challenging the state’s laws, but it will be a while before it gets cleared up: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/us/11bar.html
- http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
  
  That’s the beauty about the internet. You can vent all you want about whatever you want knowing that no one has to know who you really are. And what’s even better is that with this particular community, there’s no judging.
  Sexuality can be a complex thing. I used to identify as gay until I fell in love with a girl when I was about sixteen. It hasn’t happened before or since but that’s when I decided that people really don’t need to put labels on sexuality. I have a friend who identifies herself as bisexual. She says she falls in love with men emotionally (whatever that means), but isn’t sexually attracted to them. She’s attracted to women but can’t stay in a relationship with them (her record being a summer). My point is that a person’s sexuality is hard to pin down and sometimes is very different from what is considered “normal”. Some people have and easier time understanding that than others.
  - ErykaSoleil
    
    Just a word of caution, though: Be careful what you put out there. One of my family members found out about a problem I was facing, because she saw something I had posted on a forum–it accidentally posted with my real name, and the site wouldn’t change it for me for quite some time. Fortunately, it turned out o.k. in my case–but I have seen it turn out badly for others. I’m not criticizing anybody for telling their story or sharing what they feel comfortable with telling people online, just . . . be careful.
    - http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
      
      That’s really good advice. I once Googled a friends youtube username out of boredom and her twitter came up. Let’s just say that her background picture showed parts of her that I’ve never seen before. She still doesn’t know.
      I do make a point to not put anything on the internet that I wouldn’t mind someone I actually know seeing. Though I admit I would be embarrassed about squeeing over Deacon.
  - Adam Black
    
    “But I do judge you, Jeff. I just judge you positively”
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Kristi-Schoenhaar/100003523327316 Kristi Schoenhaar
    
    ”She says she falls in love with men emotionally.” That’s called asexual-romantic. There is also bi-romantic and homo-romantic.
    - ErykaSoleil
      
      Yeah, I finally had to bookmark a bunch of glossary pages because I couldn’t keep track of all the different terms that I didn’t use in my daily life. :/
- ErykaSoleil
  
  I wish you the best of luck with winning over your mother. I don’t know her or you, but as a parent I can see where she’s coming from in her concern about you being “accepted”.
  
  When I was a kid, I was seriously bullied and pushed around and ostracized by pretty much everybody. Even though my kids aren’t in school yet, I feel a deep anxiety whenever they suffer any kind of real pain, whether it be emotional or physical–I think any decent parent would. And I worry about the kind of world my kids are growing up into, and whether or not they’ll face any of the deep emotional wounds I am still dealing with. I absolutely love my kids, and every day I tell them both, “I love you always, no matter what.” But it pains me to think that when they meet Someone Special and fall in love, they may face the same ridicule and violence that I’ve seen my friends deal with; regardless of whether the issue is homosexuality, religious background, race . . .
  
  I hope that’s what your mother is feeling; because if that’s the case, things will turn out alright over time. If that’s not her motivation, there is still hope that her love will win out over her concern about your acceptance by society.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_J7W4JMZ6MXCVA6KKCFVAMW44OU Summer

::hugs:: Support right here, my friend.
- http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
  
  *hugs back*
xLizardx

*additional hugs* I’m so glad for you that it went ok with your brother. I can imagine you must have been so nervous, but it’s fantastic that it seems to be working out. I think it’s great that so many people are posting their stories on here – as you say, it’s a pretty cool community. Creating a forum is a fantastic idea – I really hope Alex does so. The more people who talk about their sexuality, the more people [hopefully] will have the confidence to be true to themselves. Kudos to you for sharing your story, and providing inspiration to others in similar situations [which I think is pretty much Alex Woolfson's aim!]

I’m sorry to hear you describe your other experience as scarring *even more hugs* I’m sure you’d meet with a lot of support if you decide to share that story one day as well.
- http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
  
  *many hugs back* Sorry I’m so late in responding. Your reply kinda got buried.
  I am so happy with the way the community responded here! With all the support and people sharing their stories, I’m actually kinda glad this happened. People are reaching out to each other. It makes me feel like we’re apart of something here.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7TS3OGKO7F2UEAR7HQYCU7IN24 Nitsuji

I feel a little bad, but I’m taking a lot of pleasure from the fact that the good doctor is on the floor watching, being all throat-punched and all.

Kiwi Kujikawa

You should take pleasure from that!
Gods, I love it, too!It’s kind of hilarious.
“See, androids can feel love!”

mikakitten

AAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!! Only found this today!! The day after my birthday!!! What a gift!!! Awwwwww!! KISSES!!! I knew it!! So happy!!! ;_; this is bar far my favourite page ever!! I love the composition!! And Deacon’s cheeky little face…awwww!!! I love the large panel so much!!! T_T I am going to miss Artifice so much!!! Please don’t end!! You have both been so amazing! And so consistant…you’ve never taken a break, every week…without fail! I am so following ‘the young protectors’ but Artifice will always have a special place in my heart <3 Love you always and forever Jeff x Deacon!! Would LOVE to read the establishing of love scene if it ever comes to be! <3 kisses!!! Reaction after doing it for the first time. gah!! <3 I miss you already! Looking forwards to the last page though! Lots of love! x x x x

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Thanks for the love, mikakitten! Glad you liked the update and glad to hear you’re going to be following The Young Protectors!

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
- mikakitten
  
  Awww!! Thanks Alex

Adam Black

I cant beleive i was abe to sign in!!
winona, Your art here has improved dramatically!! The nuances of expression and small touches look great! space scenes backgrounds, so many little details. That Motivated me to look up your other work. I went on your website and fell in love with the story you are working on. ( forget the name…Casseopeia mybe? but if i go look im afraid ill get locked out!…edit—->
http://www.winonanelson.com/comics/cass1/cass1.html )
For fellow Artifans, Its a fantastic CyberLove sex war space Opera .I strongly encourage people to see it. ( Im sure Alex wont mind me plugging it. Its been decades since I have seen penciling like it! Its just so intricate! I really hope Winona finishes I!. Trust me Yaois and yaoiers, ..Story and Artwork are already amazing….

Alex,
Thank you for your hard work and talent, and making me happy. I needed this Happy ending).
I do hope you consider a new Volume when the time is right. ‘After happy ever after’, is a story we might need to hear even more…>In real life, Not Falling apart, is harder than getting together… and the popculture models just aren’t there…
But, I no longer think a film is the best Medium for Artifice ( unless Whedon becomes free!!!) I think an HBO series would better showcase the Nuances while not holding back on the erotica. I see Alyson Hannigan as a good Maven…There are definitely stories between the panels… ( How could they not want it? Its Brokeback Bladerunner) sorry for the terrible edit, I’m just glad to be able to speak here again!
Been doing all my computing on a moto droid for months since a power surge! The browser or your website wouldn’t let me post or sign in since late dec!…
Please consider joining the smart people on G+. It would be great, you can offer (teleconferencing) Meetups to your fans… ( makes a good donation incentive)
Kept the faith,
ADAM

W Nelson

Aww thanks for the plug and kind words about Casseopeia! It’s still in the very early stages but I’m so glad you like it
- http://twitter.com/ihavedna elena
  
  Oh man… I really want to read more of this! <3
  - Yukiness
    
    A huge second on my part. That first image of Ramsey was so striking, I dropped my activia on the floor
http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S

I can’t believe I never thought about googling Winona! I read through Casseopeia and now I want more.
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

An HBO series? That would, of course, be awesome. Feel free to have Alyson’s people get in touch.

And thank you very much for the props! As for G+, well, I will look into it. But I’m not the best social networker…. I’m barely able to keep up with my Twitter and FB accounts. ::sadness:: But it’s a good idea!

Gilderoy_Lockeheart

I am… melting a little inside, right now… That was a beautiful rescue, tense up to the last moment, and resolved very plot-consistently! As always, congratulations, you’re awesome. The depth of expression of the leads, their interactions, make me want to giggle insanely and hug my laptop to death. And maybe cry a little, sometimes.
Thanks so much.

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

You’re very welcome, Gilderoy_Lockeheart. I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying Artifice. It really is our pleasure.

http://twitter.com/Jourreve Reve

I just found Artifice less than two hours ago… which is almost hard to believe, honestly. I’ve been completely absorbed in the story and I’m incredibly attached to the characters! I’m kind of amazed (and a little disappointed) that I came in at the second-to-last page — but better late than never?

I’ve been seeing ads for this comic over at KhaosKomix for a while now, and I’m SO glad I finally decided to check it out. Thank you for a heart-melting, heart-wrenching, and heart-racing two hours! I’m looking forward to final page… even if I’m sad to see the story end.

sketchwizard

Aww yeah! another who joined Artifice from KhaosKomix! Ahh, tracing these back to the beginning, first there was my roomate’s yaoi, then Starfighter, which led to Teahouse, and then Khaos was mentioned on a comment there, (which of course led to reading all of Khaos at once), and then I got here!

Oh, internet advertisement, thou art like a map leading me to many great treasures of talented storytelling and art! Serious love to Alex and Winona!
- ErykaSoleil
  
  I’m pretty sure I found this site through an ad on Oglaf. And yes, the internet advertisements are awesome just often enough for me to not mind them (except for those super-annoying video ads–Alex, don’t ever do one of those!).
- http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
  
  Hehe. Very interesting to hear how you found us. Love, back!
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

You’re very welcome, Reve! Glad you found us (and thank you for letting me know how you found us—that’s always helpful for me).

Thank you very much for the kind words. And I hope you’ll stick around for The Young Protectors!
- http://twitter.com/Jourreve Reve
  
  Of course! (… Especially since it’s about superheroes! I cannot resist superheroes.)

Hrilmitzh

The doc in the background made me giggle… I am a bad person…

Bianca Simone

Found Artifice over the weekend… I’ve read through the entire thing TWICE this weekend and introduced two people to it!!! I keep refreshing this page because I keep hoping the next page will appear like magic (I mean, when the past 86 pages have appeared like magic… what do you expect!!!)

I liked reading everyone’s coming out stories on this page. I feel like I want to drag some of my friends out of the closet, but I also understand that my sexuality isn’t one that requires dragging out of any closet (people may label me as ‘bisexual’ because of my preferences, however I’m getting married to a guy so people probably perceive me as ‘straight’).

Also… is it too early to camp? I have snacks for everyone Water bottles and pretzels and dried fruit and chocolate kisses!!!!

ErykaSoleil

Nope, not too early. I would have checked in earlier, but I have kids to deal with. I’ll take some of the dried fruit, please. I have crunchy Cheetos, Fritos, and stuff to make hummus.
- Bianca Simone
  
  OOHHHHH I’ll trade you dried fruit for hummus! XD
  - ErykaSoleil
    
    Deal! It’s made from scratch and fresh, too. Oh, and I also have spinach-bread tortillas I’ve baked into chips.
    - http://pulse.yahoo.com/_J7W4JMZ6MXCVA6KKCFVAMW44OU Summer
      
      Ah, my heart is happy that there is hummus. Hummus is integral to my life. I have potatoes, frozen yogurt, chocolate cookies, and milk! I shall cheerfully have some of those spinach-chips as well.
    - http://www.facebook.com/people/Kristi-Schoenhaar/100003523327316 Kristi Schoenhaar
      
      I’m out of yogurt over here and helping myself to yours. Oh boy!
    - http://www.facebook.com/people/Kristi-Schoenhaar/100003523327316 Kristi Schoenhaar
      
      Mmmm. Canned chickpeas or chickpeas soaked overnight? Just curious for no reason… We usually bulk bin our legumes in my tent.
- wasEnkidu
  
  I… I’ve got puffy cheetos, crunchy cheetos and several kinds of sodas. Gosh, I feel like we should be breaking out the dom perignon and grilling up some steaks in honor of the last page. This is our last Artifice camp, after all…
  - Bianca Simone
    
    How about sparkling cider and burgers?
  - http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
    
    I’ve got cheesecake! It’s the 30th anniversary at the Cheesecake Factory and they have this awesome cheesecake they made for it. Also a fruit salad for the vegetarians (apple slices, grapes, strawberries, pineapples, honeydew, cantaloupe, etc)
    - ErykaSoleil
      
      O_O Cheeeeeeeesecake! -Swoops!-
    - http://www.facebook.com/people/Kristi-Schoenhaar/100003523327316 Kristi Schoenhaar
      
      FRUIT SALAD. YUMMY YUMMY!
      
      The Wiggles approve.
    - ErykaSoleil
      
      RRRGH. The Wiggles make me grit my teeth (I have a 3-year old who likes to watch them every now and then).
    - http://www.facebook.com/people/Kristi-Schoenhaar/100003523327316 Kristi Schoenhaar
      
      Oh, the terror of three-year-old children and their musical taste. That’s why my parents brought me up on old classics mostly.
      
      Barney was their true foe. XD
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Hi Bianca! Glad you found us! Thank you so much for introducing Artifice to your friends—I really appreciated that!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Kristi-Schoenhaar/100003523327316 Kristi Schoenhaar

More hummus from me to go around. Veggie style this time.

I may have already giving myself an upset stomach with dried fruit tonight, but I’ll help myself to yours anyway!

ErykaSoleil

Ugh, I -just- saw that the next page is the last. I’m curious to see how you guys manage to tie up all the loose ends so quickly.

And it figures that when I have to be away for a few days, you guys all bust out with the deeply moving personal stories that make me tear up and want to spend way more time on here than I really have time for right now. :p

It occurs to me that some of you might want to check out this website, if you haven’t already seen it: http://www.itgetsbetter.org/

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

That Web site is something I really believe in. And I know the videos there have saved lives. Definitely worth visiting. (Thank you for linking to it, ErykaSoleil!)
- ErykaSoleil
  
  No problem.

wasEnkidu

TTwTT I love Deacon and Jeff so much!! I will miss them when this ends!
I get the feeling the next page is just going to be the door opening and that’ll be it, leaving us to interpret to ourselves whether or not they made it or how it ends. >.<

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Howdy Enkidu!

I’m not sure if this will ever get to you, but I’d like to use one of your cool comments in the upcoming printed version of Artifice. Could you please contact me using the Email Alex link at the top of this page?

Thanks!

Alex

Tavi_the_Witch

Gotta love panel 4 where they’re kissing and Maven’s just sitting there slowly dying of asphixia, just watching them, can you imagine what’s going through her mind, “Fuck, just fucking great. See Maven?? I told you you can’t trust the android, but did we listen NOOOO, now look where we are!”

ErykaSoleil

Either that, or, “OMG! THIS IS THE BREAKTHROUGH WE WANTED! Where is my notepad?!”
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Kristi-Schoenhaar/100003523327316 Kristi Schoenhaar
  
  Your comments are just as good to me as Artifice itself, Eryka!
  
  Maven: If only I could move, we could begin couples therapy!
  - ErykaSoleil
    
    -Blushes.- Aw, thank you Kristi. Your comments are pretty funny, too.

http://www.facebook.com/victoria.myer Victoria Hrenda

So very sad that this is all ending. :( Fantastic story… I’m hoping you guys may pick up these characters again sometime!

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Thank you, Victoria! And I’d like to pick up with these characters again soon. (And the way the Kickstarter project is going, that just might happen…)

http://raistlinsama.livejournal.com/ Raistlinsama

Only one page left!
I enjoyed the ride very much, so I’m a little sad that we are at the end. Amazing story (Sci-Fi, gay characters!) and amazing art!

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Thank you, Raistlinsama! I’m so glad you enjoyed the ride and I hope you’ll stick around for The Young Protectors!

KatBugbee

Since everyone seems to be giving their coming out stories I think I’ll tell mine. =D

I have to say, despite never really truly getting along with my parents they were pretty good ones. They raised me in a home that was free of any prejudices and allowed me to follow any religious beliefs I chose to delve into despite their own views. Granted in the end I ended up having the same but having the choice always there for me without fear of ridicule or rejection was a very… comforting to say the least. But I digress. Because I grew up in such an open minded household I knew my parents had no issues what so ever when it came to gay people. My mother even told me stories about a gay friend she had in her 20′s that she loved. It still didn’t change how nervous I was when I thought about coming out to her when I had fully recognized and accepted my sexuality when I was 15. I wasn’t even fully ready to tell my mother when it all happened.

At the time I had already been dating my first girlfriend and no one but 2 of our friends knew it was going on. We even pulled those sleeping over at a “friend’s” house thing which in then end caused our pre-mature coming out confessions. As young and inexperienced teens we of course didn’t really think it through when we first got to kiss each other and both of us ended up getting hickeys all over our necks lol. I planned just wearing my scarf all the time to hide it but my god my mother saw them on the ride home from her house. I gave her some cheap ass excuse by saying “Oh no her cat scratched me when I was sleeping.” She didn’t say anything more during the car ride but later that night when I was dozing off in bed my mom came into my room, laid down next to me, hugged me and said “Marykate, if you really want to be with Lyss then that is perfectly okay with me. I will love you no matter what and I completely support you in any relationship you pursue.” She kissed my forehead and then proceeded to leave the room. I sobbed so hard in complete and utter relief. I knew she would accept me but I didn’t know it would go so well.

My father found out a little while later and he fully supported me as well he just told me he doesn’t believe in bisexuality.*facepalm*I think I’ve proven him wrong over the years, though. After all, after my first girlfriend I had a boyfriend and then I have a girlfriend now. Hard to say there isn’t such a think as bisexuality when that smacks ya in ze face lol. I’ll wait a few years to tell him that really I’m more than bisexual and that gender doesn’t play any role at all when it comes to finding a partner which makes me pansexual. I don’t think he’d be able to process that yet, though lol.

In the end, even though I lost nearly half my friends in the process of my coming out and my one friend’s(who isn’t homophobic) father even banned me from their house(she did nothing) I can at least say that my family accepted me wholeheartedly. My sister was nonchalant about it. She actually said to my mother “Ah, that explains the camo cargo pants” lol. She also came out as being bisexual several years later and I honestly think and hope that I helped a little with that. Afterall, she IS my OLDER sister by 6 years..

*huge sigh of relief*Phew that was long as heck. I really wasn’t expecting that but I guess that’s because I never actually told someone my whole coming out story in one go. Its kind of nice. =)

P.S.
Definitely donating to kickstart once I get my paycheck this week.
This is such an amazing story and has inspired myself and a number
of my friends many times. I turn more and more people I know onto
this story whenever I am able. =D
<3

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_J7W4JMZ6MXCVA6KKCFVAMW44OU Summer

I’m glad you came out and had such a supportive and loving family! I hope your life is everything you’ve ever wanted
- http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
  
  It’s kind of a relief to hear a coming out story like that. We’ve had some downers. Props to your family! (and you of course)
  
  Edit: This was obviously meant to be a reply to Kat. But Summer deserves props for being awesome too.
  - http://pulse.yahoo.com/_J7W4JMZ6MXCVA6KKCFVAMW44OU Summer
    
    You are awesome as well!
ErykaSoleil

That was a really sweet story; and it’s nice to see another pansexual around.
Bianca Simone

awwwww <3 I always feel like the awkward bisexual girl! ^5 to my bisexuals and pansexuals! (now someone can share in my awkwardness )
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Thank you for sharing that very cool story. I’m sorry to hear that some of your friends couldn’t handle it, but in my experience, the ones who can accept you for who you really are were actually the real friends to begin with. And your parents reaction was awesome. Really heart-warming.

Thank you very much for the props re: Artifice and for spreading the word (and for the offer to back my Kickstarter project!) Big hugs!

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Howdy Campers!

Very good to see you all here. My main goal in writing Artifice was to create an entertaining story. But I also tried to create the kind of story I always wanted to see as a small step towards creating the kind of world I had wished I had lived in growing up, when I was coming out. So it’s been especially gratifying reading all the coming out stories and then the supportive responses folks have been receiving here. It makes me feel that in at least some small way we are building that kind of world right here. And that feels very good to me. So, thank you for that.

Anyway, I have a question for you all.

As you can see, we haven’t hit the $250 donation target for a bonus page to post tonight. But this is the last page and I feel so grateful to all of you, my first instinct is just to post it anyway. A small thank you gesture to all of you who have made this “experiment in webcomics” into something so wonderful for me.

But I’ve read in the comments that the reason why folks didn’t tip us over the edge for this particular page is that they don’t want Artifice to end. Or at least, not any sooner than it has to. Obviously that’s something I can understand and want to respect. And I don’t feel it’s my place to subvert that, if that’s truly what people want.

So, I’m asking for your thoughts. Should I post the last page tonight as a “thank you gift”? Or should I hold off, post the last page as a regular Saturday update and let the camping last for the next three days?

What do you think is the best way to honor all of you? Because ultimately that’s what I most want to do.

Let me know your thoughts.

Sacreddoll

Do what you feel is best. I donated but not because i wanted the page. I did it to support you guys and your work. I would like the page…. but if you wanna wait, go ahead. Whatever you wanted would work for me
http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S

I vote for Saturday! Letting Artifice live for a few more days can only bring good. Plus I think we have something special going on right now with the coming out stories. What better way for the “Gay Sci-Fi Webcomic” to go out?
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_J7W4JMZ6MXCVA6KKCFVAMW44OU Summer

I vote Saturday. I wasn’t sure initially whether or not the last page would be today or not, but I figured there’d be new comments to read I don’t want it to end! Let’s make the camping last a while

How about a blooper page? :P
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

All righty then. I hear you. Saturday update it is. And three more days of camping and hanging out!

Me? I’ve got an early start tomorrow, so I’m going to crash. But have some smores for me. Thanks for letting me know what was best. G’nite, y’all!
- ErykaSoleil
  
  Thank you.
ErykaSoleil

Alex and Winona: If I ever meet either of you in person, I’d like to hug you. You two have managed to not only create exactly the type of “guy-on-guy romance” I’ve been looking for in a comic format for quite some time, but you’ve also managed to attract a fan base that is actually supportive of one another, and has intelligent conversations in the comments. There have been a few snide comments here and there, but the overall feel of the Artifice community is very positive and open-minded. I sincerely hope that all of that carries over into The Young Protectors, now that Artifice is coming to an end.
- http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
  
  I hope the same thing, ErykaSoleil. My fingers are crossed that that we’ll be able to keep the same tone over at The Young Protectors. (And I have faith in you all that we will!) The community we’ve formed here has been one of the greatest pleasures of putting out this comic.
  
  And thank you very much for the props (and the super generous Kickstarter backing!) Big hugs back!
  - ErykaSoleil
    
    Thank my husband for saying it was o.k. for me to spend his money on it (and yes, I did ask him first).
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=591482984 Deejay Mumin

I live in hope of Artifice 2. There has to be a sequel, otherwise how could there be the film in TYP.

[huge chibi eyes]

And thank you for writing it (and Winona for drawing it), I have read and re-read Artifice several times now and each time, I find something new.
- http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
  
  You’re very welcome, Deejay. I’m very glad that you’re finding something new in each re-read—for both Winona and me, that’s awesome to hear!
  
  And I see what you’re doing their with those huge chibi eyes…

mewta

Coming out story bandwagon!

My family are a bunch of super religious mormons and they didn’t talk about same sex relationships. I had no idea they even existed until I was twelve and stumbled upon a copy of Mercedes Lackey’s “magic’s pawn” book during my quest to read every book in the school library. It was the first time I even realized a relationship with another boy was possible.

Fast forward to me at 15 and crushing hard on this sweet guy named John, art buddies in high school, we had the same friends and always ate lunch together. Big brown eyes and curls and the nicest smile. Still get warm fuzzies thinking about him. And he was straight. One night I was sulking because John was going on a date from a girl in our group and while I was happy for him, I was not happy about the fact it was Amy and not me.

My dad just came in, hugged me around the shoulders and started talking about how love is hard and he could remember being a teen. For a while i just scoffed, because he didn’t know, didn’t understand. Then he ruffled my hair, told me I’d meet a nice guy who liked me back and to get over John. I was kinda floored. Stared at him and barely managed to squeak, “You KNOW?” And he just laughed. He knew, my grandparents knew and siblings and cousins, all my huge family had figured it out and despite their religious leanings loved me anyway.

So, I didn’t so much ‘come out of the closet” as find out I had never really been in one.

Sending love to all my GLBT brothers and sisters out there!

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

That is an awesome story. It’s got me grinning from ear to ear. Thank you for sharing it. And lots of love back!
- mewta
  
  Glad to make you smile! It’s been a lot of fun reading everyone’s stories and seeing all the supporting comments
  
  Random thing, even when I let John know I liked him (by drawing him a little comic page with cartoon me confessing and asking him out because i was too shy) he was still my buddy afterwards XD He’s actually still one of my best friends, and is who introduced me to Arty, my love muffin who I’ve been with for five years and had an adopted son with for three XD
  - http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
    
    An awesome story with an awesome happy ending. I am very, very happy for you. Love for you and your family!
  - http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
    
    Go you! It’s refreshing to hear stories like that.
Orange_Narcolepsy

wow! I’m mormon too, and recently accepted that i was Bi. I was also raised as a super religious mormon ( so much in fact that i thought holding my boyfriend’s hand before marriage was a sin – no kidding ). It also never helped that my parents dont talk about ANYTHING with my siblings or with each other. . . i have no clue how they’ve managed to stay married with such poor communication. but anyway, I’m very happy with your story. I have yet to tell anyone in my family. . . my uncle mark was gay, and he died when i was 3, and i never really knew how my family felt about him – being that we never talked. I hope my family can accept me like yours accepted you Good luck to your future!
- http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
  
  *crosses fingers*
http://twitter.com/AyakoNoChou Nan (Deanna)

That’s so cute! *squee* It gives me a lot of hope for my family (very catholic religious). I’m so happy for you! <3
http://www.facebook.com/people/Kristi-Schoenhaar/100003523327316 Kristi Schoenhaar

Well, I just uttered a nice collection of lovingly amazed squeaks. That story is what true family bonds are made of, dear me.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UY6MFIQ4LQ3HPB5HGWNERIAKFU Noah

I love seeing peoples coming out stories! They are all so cool! I might as well tell mine I guess…

I was 15 when I realized I swung both ways. I have two brothers, one younger, the other older. My older brother has a best friend he’s known since second grade, Luke. He was always over at our house ever since I could remember. On my older brother’s birthday, he had all his friends sleep over/a pizza party. I came down real late to warm up some pizza and Luke was in the kitchen. We talked a little about nothing really important, just school and my brother’s antics. Then out of NO WHERE he just leaned down and kissed me. My face was on FIRE and I just kinda smiled like a looney tune at him and he smiled back and went back into the living room and went back to sleep. I told my brother about it a few days later and he wasn’t surprised at all, and I confided in him I thought I might be gay. Me and Luke went out a few months later and I came out to my parents that I was bi. My mom didn’t really care, and my dad was a little taken back at first but over all they were really cool about it. ^_^ I’m about to turn twenty and Luke and I are still together.

ErykaSoleil

Awww! That’s so sweet! Congratulations to you and Luke.
- http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UY6MFIQ4LQ3HPB5HGWNERIAKFU Noah
  
  Thank you!
xLizardx

Lovely story! Made me grin like a loony tune on your behalf It’s really sweet you’re still together as well – it’s not easy to stay with the same person at that age, as you’re changing and growing up, and maybe moving away for college etc – so as Eryka said, congratulations [and kudos to your brother for introducing you, sort of] Another reason I smiled is that my boyfriend is also called Luke. It’s obviously a good name!
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Best yaoi story ever. Totally sweet and has me grinning with happiness for you. Thank you for sharing it!
http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S

Awww, that’s so sweet!

Yukiness

Wow, some of these coming out stories are so sweet they make my teeth hurt, while others are as difficult as I expected them to be. I haven’t quite come out the closet so to speak; I kinda stumbled out, fell on my face and quietly returned to it because it was safer there.

I came out, inadvertantly, to my mother during one of my “episodes” and she figured it out from there. Life has not been nice to me in any matter and it has been preticularly harsh in terms of…love(?). I was aware of such relationships since I was little and the first time I heard the term “gay” it sounded like an odd disease to my 5 year old ears. No one had explained it to me. My ever loving sister gave me the abridged version (guys love guys, girls love girls, the end) and since I had family members who have been like that since I had known them I concluded that it was nothing to get worked up about. Fast forward to a 10 year old me who had completely given up on living perusing through the internet when I happened across the most beautiful art I had ever seen: Yaoi. I found a scanned image of Sanami Matoh’s FAKE and made it my mission to find it. On the same site I found one of Bohra Naono’s work and, well, fell in love with her.
I fell hard for a boy in middle school named Seiji, who was the sweetest, most tolerant individual I’d met. People then weren’t kind to me at all and just speaking to me was enough to make him my friend. He (and yaoi) got me through some of my worst years as I endured a serious fight and constant harrassment from students and teachers alike. Someone had it in their head that I was a lesbian (I’m Bi) and spread it around to the point that school officials were walking up to me about it. Seiji was my support system and I knew I liked him once he passed out in front of me, forcing me to carry him on my back through frigid weather all the way to school. Months later, I confessed to him only to be utterly destroyed and never spoken to again.

To this day, very few people actually know about my sexuality. My mother, my best friends, and my older sister (I think). While I’m normally a brave person to the point of recklessness, confessing to people about being Bi leaves me with an unsettled feeling. Such feelings were exacerbated in highschool when people assumed I worshiped satan (and/or had cancer) because I shaved my head the summer before my first year there. My friends didn’t know until they asked me politely and thankfully I haven’t lost them because of it.

Currently, I do have someone dear to me who is a friend but I can’t bring myself to say anything. While I can take rejection, I cannot handle losing friends.

AJTheShifter

Aw that was cute and sad at the same time. Where do you live?
- Yukiness
  
  New York City
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Your story has really moved me, Yukiness. As far as I’m concerned, coming out is a very personal process and one that a person should determine at their own pace. While ultimately I decided that being fully open about who I was, was something I needed to be truly happy in my adulthood, that certainly wouldn’t have been the case when I was younger.

It’s my hope that you’ll be able to surround yourself with people who can truly accept you for who you are. Heck, not even accept, embrace you for the wonderful person you are. You deserve that.

But in the meantime, please take care of yourself and take it at your own pace.

Thank you for sharing your story. Big hugs.
- Yukiness
  
  You have this weird knack for making me cry Alex. That’s it, I’m calling it: You are a web comic wizard
  - http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

AJTheShifter

Did we just miss a Wednesday release? MADNESS!!! You are no longer the nation of Sparta, how does that make you feel Artifice readers? HMMMMM?

RustyBurrell

I died a lot. The world just like shattered around me when there was no new page.
- W Nelson
  
  Wednesdays only happen when we hit the bonus donation target… It’s weird for me too, hehe!

JM

Oh my god there was no new page! This is….aah! Ok ok, even though Wednesdays have always been *bonus* pages, there has been one for the last, like, 20 weeks or something. It’s become a normal update day for all of us haha.
Aaaand ok Alex, I just noticed your comment below. Damn are you awesome! I actually really didn’t want it to end today, so lets all continue keeping the magic alive another few days on here

W Nelson

Ahhh you wonderful readers are the best! These coming out stories are really fantastic. You’re all so sweet and amazing to each other, it made me get all tingly-faced and misty-eyed. I love you all <3

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1096996726 Anne Staszalek

Heh; came here for a fix, learned that I’d be waiting until Saturday– and am so cool with that… I hate endings. Yes, there is the yummy new Alex-y written goodness, but, well, I’m going to really miss Deacon and Jeff, I am.

Coming out story? ::raises hand:: Got a funny one here. My wife’s family kinda always knew… they figured it out one after the other, and hell, I practically lived at her house, so it was always good… in my time I was the class mother for trips for my wife’s sister, annoyed the crap out of both her mother and father, and danced with my lovely wife at her brother’s wedding… hell, for her graduation party, the first dance was instigated by her aunt who dragged me and her to the floor ALONE to dance the first dance… We’ve been together since my junior year in High School… way back in 1982… yeah, we’re one of *those* icky couples LOL.

But on my end, well, my father was older, and we both figured he was the sort to “don’t ask, don’t tell” but then a few years back, his emphysema got worse, and we went to live with him. One day, while my lovely partner was out, my father and I sat together– he was watching, of all things, Oprah, and I was reading. It was a show about coming out, and how horribly it went for some kids. I *pointedly* ignored it, figured my father was dozing and waiting for the news.

And then the show ended.

He turned to me and asked. “So, are you gay, Anne?” I sighed, but hell, not ashamed of anything, I told him yes. He paused. “Is Veronica gay too?”
So trying NOT to laugh, I solemly assured him that yes, she was. He nodded, smiled and said “That’s good– otherwise you and she might have problems. Just remember to always take care of her– she’s a smart, but might get lost without you.”

And that was that. He was fine with it. A year later, when he was in the hospital for the last time, while barely conscious due to lack of oxygen hitting his system, the doctors tried to make Veronica leave– family only. Dad SAT UP IN BED and told the doctor OFF; told him that that was his damn daughter and she was STAYING!

We’ve been lucky; love and acceptance like that can be hard to find.. and trust me, we treasure it.

http://twitter.com/AyakoNoChou Nan (Deanna)

That was such a sappy sweet story! <3 I hope if I end up with a girl that my dad takes it that well~
ErykaSoleil

That is an awesome story. Three cheers for your dad, too.
CharlesTohru

Great story, and cool dad! Thanks for sharing.
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Agreed. Great story and a very cool Dad. Thank you for sharing it.

http://twitter.com/AyakoNoChou Nan (Deanna)

Jeff and Decon were so great this page. I loved that we really got to see “them.” Like the “Missed you, baby,” the things that make them “them” in the relationship sense that we otherwise haven’t seen. Also, kissing with a gun, nothing hotter! Like that is sexy beyond belief! <3 <3 .< Like a I found a picture of you (Alex), but it no moves and talks! D':
EDIT: I made them work! Alex you're so cute! Can we get one of Winona now? I bet she's adorable on camera too!

So, coming out stories…

I'm bisexual. My story starts out I only liked girls. Major crushed on them. Had no idea this was what a crush was because I figured all girls did this, and when they fell for boys it was different. I was naive and blond. So now we jump to eight grade and I fall for a boy for the first time. (He was gay. Most boys I fall for tend to be…) But, I realized then that the crush I had on him was the same as the crushes I'd been having on girls for years. All these years at school I'd been made fun of for not dating or having crushes and suddenly it all made sense. In a nonsensical way.

Being raised Catholic, we didn't talk about "teh gayz" in my house. Or homosexuality. I had no idea there was a word for my feelings until I and the internet did some deep bonding. And then I learned how much a lot of religious people hate "us." And then I hated myself in turn and tried to pray the gay away from myself.

Long story made short, that didn't work (current day I'm still catholic and believe God loves us gays, etc etc), and I found some very supportive people on Gaia Online (lol gaia). And I met some people that claimed bisexual didn't exist and we were just attention whores. But the supportive people, they made all the difference.

So, in high school, I came out to my Mom, who told me it was probably just a phase and that she loved me anyways. I tried to talk to her about it again and she freaked out and said she didn't want to know or hear anything about it, to talk to my big sister if I needed someone, and that I could secretly experiment in college. We've never talked about it since. She doesn't know the girl I mentioned liking became a girlfriend for a period. When I dated a guy my Mom hated, she told my big sister "At least he's a boy." He turned out to be a very abusive boy and really fucked me up mentally for quite a while.

Freshman year of college, my dorm room (a single) was full of posters of lesbians kissing. I'd take these down before family visited. A surprise visit from my Dad resulted in him seeing these. He promptly said nothing, turned away from them, and never brought it up again (though he's much less homophobic now than he used to be and almost never makes homophobic comments around me).

Some of my cousins think I'm a lesbian and I've responded to them on a very individual basis. I come out to my close friends and people in my college's Rainbow Alliance (I'm a senior now). I'm straight yet active in gay rights as far as my facebook (publically) is concerned.

I used to like girls more, but lately it's about 50/50 and I really like a guy at the time. If we end up together, it will be a non-issue with my family and such. If we don't work out, and I end up with a girl, I'm pretty sure I'll have to re-come out to my parents and then come out to the rest of my family…

Adam Black

!Nan ( Deanna )…my 2 cents: fight your battles from a position of strength! With your boyfriends, arm in yours, ask your family to support your current relationship.
And your sexuality as a bisexual. Let them know you don’t stop being bisexual when you are with a man or a woman! That your current relationship seems healthy, and they should support it, Like any and all relationships you have with men or women, if they are healthy and treat you with respect. I would also point out that they have in the past scewed up and shunned your healthy relationships who were with women, and supported unhealthy ones with men. Let them know that your current relationship is going well, that you have forgiven them for their past mistakes for not understanding. But it is important to you that they only support your relationships because they are good for you. That you would once for all like them to accept you as a bisexual, and hope they give your new booyfriend a chance. Be very clear he hasn’t turned you straight. That you are with him BECAUSE you are a bisexual, have Always been a bisexual and
care for him. And good luck…
( you could also explain to your parents in private, that unbenownst to them, they are undermining your relationship to a good man, by witholding their support for your sexuality. That it isn’t fair for your boyfriend to wonder if you are with him just to gain approval from your parents for seeming straight.!
Make it clear as day to them that the best way to support your current relationship with a GOOD MAN, is not to place doubts in his mind concerning your motives. And if they undermine your relationship, by not accepting your full sexuality, your next boyfriend could have a Vagina.)
Of course clear this strategy with your current bf first.
He will not want to feel used or tricked. If he feels secure in your relationship,Since, you have come out to your parents before, if he’s a decent guy who loves you …he should embrace this.
Your parents will probably need some convincing from the bf that your relationship is real, healthy, and he accepts your sexuality, so the least they could do is the same.. Your parents, if they don’t feel too manipulated may do the calculus, and go along…Its really the best option they have!! And that you have!

Also in private to parents:
You should also point out their support as a bisexual.
Needs to be permanant. If they just pretend, and take it back if you ever date another women in the future, it will permanantly undermine their credibility to any man who might be a future husband. IIn other words, by not permanantly accepting you As bisexual, they are undermining ONLY your relationships with Men . And Look at them like they are A little strange..’why would they want to undermine your relationships to men?’ I mean you can always date women without this problem’

I wish you the best Bi to Bi
- http://twitter.com/AyakoNoChou Nan (Deanna)
  
  Thank you so much! I read your comment shortly after you posted it, sitting in the doctor’s office waiting for a blood test for mono (negative, yay!), but it’s something I’ve thought a lot about since then. You bring up a lot of valid points, ones that I’d never considered before or would have realized. I never thought about how their viewpoints could undermine a “straight” and healthy relationship, just unhealthy and lesbian ones. When I talk to them in the future, because now I know I must, I’m definitely going to talk to them about that.
  
  Thank you so much for taking the time to write me all this. It means so much, especially since most advice I get comes from the solid straight or gay community, as opposed to being from other bisexuals.
  
  Also, I wish you the very best in your bisexuality and relationships therein!
  
  Again, thank you so so much.
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Hey Nan! Thanks for the props re: the videos. And for sharing your story with us! It’s my hope that no matter who you end up with that you’re family will learn to embrace them. (And value them for the great people they are, instead of merely for their gender—which as you pointed out is a very unreliable measure of someone’s character…)

And I hear you about having to keep coming out to your family. Some gay friends of mine and a lot of bisexual friends of mine have had that experience. I do think that despite the “advantage” of being able to pass, that many bisexuals have had a harder time finding acceptance in either community. But I am heartened by the fact that things seem to be changing a lot around that. Even in the last ten years, I’ve noticed huge changes in the gay community in terms of overcoming ignorance around bisexuality. So, hopefully over the coming years, it will only get easier.
- http://twitter.com/AyakoNoChou Nan (Deanna)
  
  Thank you so much. Your words mean a lot to me. The last ten years of the gay community are pretty much the only years I’ve seen, short of stuff from documentaries ^^’ Thanks so much for your time. It always means so much when you respond to one of my comments, because you have so many other comments to read and think about (and because, in my head, you’re someone who’s “above” us all being all book publishing and webcomic making and all, much as I claim to view people as equals).

http://profiles.google.com/hansendesigns Hansen Designs

WHATTT????? ur saying u r ending the story here? :O i’m a little shocked. i got all attached. u have a fan base and good characters. you have presented a world that is believable, yet it’s one i have a thousand questions about, not to mention the robot/human issues. i guess i thought this would be an ongoing webcomic not just an erotic short story. :’(

crimsonkiss22

In what way was this an erotic short story? There was hardly any scenes of sex between the two protagonists, and what little there were had nothing explicit. This was a story that I imagine Alex felt needed to be told, and it’s ending at the point where he felt it best to end. I understand people are disappointed, and it’s to be expected when an author and artist have created such an amazing piece of work, but that should be a good thing.

Alex managed to make all of us care about these two men and their struggles, and now that their story is nearly finished, we should be happy that they’re at least together, barring any unforeseen circumstances on the next and final page.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Kristi-Schoenhaar/100003523327316 Kristi Schoenhaar
  
  You may be getting a little defensive here, Crimson. This comic is a short story that features erotic scenes. Nothing was wrong about what Hansen said.
  
  A more accurate description would have been “a romantic/erotic action short story”, sure. (I chose this wording to suggest that it is an action story that is also erotic, by the way.)
  
  Anyway, some people don’t like short stories as much, but that’s fine. I will read longer stories, but I generally prefer shorts. Nothing wrong with that.
  - http://profiles.google.com/hansendesigns Hansen Designs
    
    yeah the idea was that it was short when i thought it would go on indefinitely. (and erotic because foreplay counts). I thought it would be a constant companion like one of my (three years and counting) faves, the comedic MA3
    - http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
      
      Yeah, Artifice was always intended to be a shorter comic. But I’m very flattered that you’d like it to have continued. And hopefully, there will be things in The Young Protectors that you will find enjoyable. That one is multi-chapter and will (God willing) continue over years.
- ErykaSoleil
  
  Well, I see where Hansen is coming from. It -is- a fairly short storyline, and it is on a site called “Yaoi 911″. I don’t think it’s out of line to call Artifice “an erotic short story” in webcomic form. Just because there are only a limited number of sex scenes in a story doesn’t mean it can’t also be considered erotic.
  
  For what it’s worth, I’ve been describing Artifice to all my friends as being a really awesome sci-fi webcomic that has a bit of an erotic undercurrent and happens to feature two men.

Pronombre

“So… looks like we’re coming in for a landing here… I hope y’all have enjoyed the ride. And I hope to see you at least one last time for the next and final page! ”…

WHAT!????
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!? QAQ NOOOOO
You can’t do this to us *cry* tell me that is “the end of volume 1″ kjdsfksdjfksjdfjsd plzzzzzz This have been my fav web comic EVER and… and… it’s coming to the end ; A ; NOOOOOOOOOOOOO …
scuse me while I “sdafjsdjfsdf”in sadness OTL

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=591482984 Deejay Mumin

I cannot wait for the final page to arrive, but at the same time I don’t want this story to end either!

Midwestmutt

Dang! Once again I discover an excellent webcomic only to have it end. (shades of DIGGER)I shall begin a re-read, this time including the comments which seem to compliment the experience. Congrats to the writer and artist.

Little Miss Perspicacious

Another Digger fan! I caught up with digger maybe a month before it ended? I’ve only been reading here since December, but that’s pretty good, considering how short it is.
- Midwestmutt
  
  I see my re-read including comments will extend my Artifice journey more than I anticipated. 200+ comments per page, Yeep! This ain’t a comic, it’s a community. I doubly regret only discovering it last week.
  - http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
    
    Hi, Midwestmutt! Welcome! Yep, the awesome community here is at least half the fun. I hear you about coming in just as it’s ending. But I hope you’ll stick around for my next webcomic, The Young Protectors! That one is just beginning
    - Midwestmutt
      
      I will definitely have a look but it’s gonna be one tough act to follow. Good luck topping yourself.lol.
    - http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
      
      Heh. I hear you. Just remember that is was many pages in before folks really started to get into Artifice. It might be a little while before The Young Protectors reveals all its charms. But hopefully, in the end, you’ll have found it a worthwhile read.

Brittany Brain

The next page is the last one? D: I don’t want it to end… I’m glad you started another webcomic though.

I like all the coming out stories. They’re really nice. It seems like a lot of you guys were accepted, and it gives me hope.

CharlesTohru

Good luck! Be smart about it, and know that you have tons of people that are in your situation.
- Brittany Brain
  
  Thanks
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Hey Brittany! I don’t want it to end, either. But I am looking forward to sharing that new comic with you.

And I’m glad the stories are giving you hope. If you like these, you might also check out the It Gets Better project online. Very cool coming out videos there.
- Brittany Brain
  
  Oh I’ve checked out It Gets Better. I love it!

Lauren

Ha, coming out stories…

Erm, I’m still not out to my grandparents. They’re both very religious, one pair are Jehovahs Witness’s, and it would just upset them, but everyone else knows I’m bi.

My friend’s and I never even had a conversation about it- all my friends in high school were guys, and they’d talk about girls and I just…joined in, and being into girls just came completely naturally to me. I’d crush on the guys I was with, and the girls I knew. My first two crushes were about a month apart, a really adorable girl with green eyes and freckles (such a sucker for freckles) and a guy who was this hilarious prankster and a georgeous smile. and I was fairly blindingly obvious (the girl actually started avoiding me), but still, it meant that my friends always knew.

My mum’s family, well, we have a tendency to get together, have a barbeque, drink, laugh, have a chat, and one of these nights I said I was into girls, and that was that.

Wasn’t until 6 months later when they hadn’t got too drunk yet when I mentioned a girl I was crushing on at the time and they went:

Uncle- “Wha? You were SERIOUS? You REALLY like girls?! Huh. We thought it was one of you’re weird jokes.”

Me-”Why would I joke about that?”

Uncle-”Don’t know, you’re weird.” *pause*…*grin* “Oh I HAVE to be there when you tell your Nan”

Brother- “She’ll shit herself!”

Me- “Not gonna happen.”

Uncle-”Don’t ruin my fun. I’ve always wanted to tell mum someone in our family was gay. Only I thought it would be your brother sucking cock.” *gets empty plastic cup thrown at his head*

…*conversation continues*

So, yeah, that went pretty well:)

The thing I have issues with is I never got to talk to my dad about it. He died about a year and a half ago from brain cancer and for the year before that his doctors told him that any shocks or stress could cause the tumour to grow faster, so I let it go. And he might have known and not told me about it, or wanted to talk about it, because my stepmother found out and outed me to my Dad’s side of the family. I don’t know if she told him and he just didn’t want to acnowledge it or she kept it from him like I did so he didnt get put under stress. It’s difficult- I don’t know if he was OK with me or not before he died (although there’s alot of other stuff tied in with that). I wanted to have that conversation with him, and I never got to.

I’ve also encountered alot of negativity from lesbians I’ve met, which makes we wary of the LGBT community. Oddly, I’ve had less straight people have a problem with me than lesbians telling me that I’m either kidding myself, faking it or experimenting. Bollocks to that, I know who I fall for and I’ve never been in any doubt since I was a 12 year old blushing cos the pretty green eyed girl was sharing her sandwiches with me.

xLizardx

Your Uncle sounds like a Legend!
CharlesTohru

Yeah bisexuals do sometimes seem to be treated as the black sheep of the lgbt community, with a lot of misconceptions tying in as well. Good luck. If you stay true to yourself, and it seems you are, then genuine friends will find you.
reyrey25

I’m really happy you posted this. I’m a bi and a girl but I haven’t really come out to anyone. Well. . . I’ve tried, but I get much the same experience that you described, they think I’m joking.
But I also find myself isolated from LGBT communities. Sometimes I feel like neither fully straight people nor fully gay people really get it. It’s made me question myself, like “maybe I’m really straight, and I just feel affection for girls.”
But then I think about my first true crush and first kiss. She was my best friend and straight, but for some reason after drinking my first beer (a whole lot of firsts ) we just sort of kissed each other when we were laying outside on her trampoline. I probably wasn’t any good and our teeth kept clacking but it made my heart want to explode. After, we went riding around her neighborhood on her dirt bike at 2 in the morning. It’s probably the closest feeling I’ll ever have to a knight in shining armor.
I think about that, think about how much I want to kiss her to this day, and I just *know* that my feelings are real.
- http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
  
  People seem to love to put labels on others, but in my opinion, no one knows your own heart better than you do. If your heart tells you that you fall in love with girls, that’s what I’d trust, not those who think you’re joking or kidding yourself. Your feelings sound pretty gosh darn real to me. And your “knight in shining armor” story is very sweet.
- http://twitter.com/AyakoNoChou Nan (Deanna)
  
  This made my heart melt and formed all sorts of “d’aww” <3
  
  I think you're in the running for sweetest story ever. (Plus, I have *such* a thing for knights-in-shining-armor, which makes this even better.) I think I want to draw the scenes you described the way I picture you two in my head c:
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Heh. Your uncle sounds like one of my relatives…

Great story. I’m very sorry to hear about your father, though. I’ve heard of others who had a similar experience with a terminally ill relative. Very hard.

I’m also sorry to hear about the negativity you received from certain lesbians. All I can say is, yep, there are people like that, but they are becoming an endangered species. At least here in the Bay Area, I’ve found lots of folks who are truly accepting and embracing of those who identify as bisexual. It’s really a shame that you encountered that kind of attitude right out of the gate and I hope that you’ll be able to find folks like that in the LGBT community soon. Certainly the folks here would be a good start!
http://twitter.com/AyakoNoChou Nan (Deanna)

Your uncle sounds awesome.

My experience with the dying tends to be they realize how precious those close to them are, despite any flaws they may perceive in those people. I didn’t know him, but I’m sure your dad knew he had a very special daughter. And now, being religious myself, I think he’s somewhere up there watching you, and while he knows everything he may or may not have known in life, he doesn’t have the usual bias given by life, but rather the eyes of one who’s able to look down with pure love and see you being able to love someone and be loved in return.

As for the LGBTQ community, they’ve always been off and on for me. In the same area with the same people I’ve amazing support of us bisexuals, and I’ve seen gays and lesbians deny there is such a thing. (It really hurt when the big face of our Rainbow Alliance said there was no such thing in front of a huge audience. Though usually he was good about educating people that we all exist). The thing is, we’re part of that acronym, and slowly more and more of us are being recognized. Maybe we’re not a big group yet, but one day. And at the very least, when that day comes, we can say “I told you so.”

http://www.facebook.com/people/Kali-Yuga/752150458 Kali Yuga

i think that this is actually my favorite page so far. i just love how Deacon and Jeff interact with each other after having been separated for awhile.
not sure how you are going to wrap this one up in one page but i will be eagerly awaiting it as always.
i am totally in love with your new series too so at least i won’t be too sad after this one finishes.

http://fantasticfunnygorgeousrory.tumblr.com/ nailalian

I love how you commented, this really thought-out nice paragraph, and all I’m thinking is first “kissy kissy oo” and then “KICK SOME ASS”
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Kali-Yuga/752150458 Kali Yuga
  
  don’t feel bad! that was my first reaction too! LOL
  I was like WHOOT go Deacon and kiss your man and then go kick everyone’s ass!!!!!
  then i calmed myself after fangasming and wrote my comment lol
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Thank you, Kali! I’m really glad to hear you’ll be sticking with me for The Young Protectors!:)

http://twitter.com/BecaSantanna Rebeca Santanna

I just love the way this story keeps going. <3

And I still look at the new pages and keep wondering: But why is the hair gone?

http://twitter.com/AyakoNoChou Nan (Deanna)

I thought that too! But then I was like “they probably shaved it.” I mean, everyone else there has short hair, right? And the whole girly-guy/gay thing seems to not be universally accepted in this world, so it’d make sense they’d “groom” him to their perfection. If nothing else, fulfilling Godwin’s law, Hitler shaved the Jew’s heads, so maybe they’re pulling a Hitler! (I’ll shut up now.)

http://www.facebook.com/people/Mathew-Cole/100000466624809 Mathew Cole

Last…….page??

??

Aw…….

Emma Kennard

Thanks for this comic, Alex and Winona! The art is gorgeous and it’s awesome to see guy heroes who dig other guys.

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

You’re very welcome, Emma. It really is our pleasure.

Emma Kennard

Also, I hope Maven is in excruciating pain.

Caroline Burnet

Are we sick of coming out stories yet?

First of all, I want to thank everyone who’s shared already, and I want anyone else who might be visiting from the closet to know that however bad or scary it seems, you are not alone, and people CAN come around.

I realized that I was attracted to both genders as early as age 10, but quietly denied it for years. I didn’t even know about bisexuality until age 15 or so. A couple of months of self-wrestling followed; and with the help of the internet and a friend who is still very dear to me, I finally worked up the courage to tell my dad. The two of us were eating dinner in silence, and I blurted it out – “Dad, I’m not telling you this because it’s your business, or anything, but it’s probably better if you know– I’m pretty sure I’m bisexual.” He looked at me mildly and simply said, “I know.” I gaped. He asked, “What do you want for dessert?” And that was pretty much the end of that. Later he gave the ‘I love you no matter what’ speech, but in that moment he’d let me know nothing had changed. And even though I was weirdly disappointed at the time (probably because I’d been building it up in my head) I think now that is the best reaction I could have ever hoped for. I wish every parent could have that kind of nonchalant acceptance for their kid.

After that, coming out at school felt like a piece of cake; and my experience there is probably pretty rare, because nothing has changed – partially because of my wonderful and protective friends, partially because of my good reputation, and mostly because it’s no secret to anyone that I can whip a bigot to bloody bits with my tongue and have been itching for the chance. So far no one has had the privilege. That said, with my friends, my school, and my dad all in on the secret, I was still terrified of telling my mom, and I didn’t plan to – but it slipped out when I cracked a joke in her presence and the ensuing discussion was long, and painful, and full of disbelief and denial. She’s Christian, and very non-confrontational, so for a long time we didn’t talk about it again. But I couldn’t leave things where they were, and finally we had our second conversation, where she admitted she didn’t fully accept it, perhaps never would, and found it “unnatural” because it was “not what God intended.” And I had to ask it: “Then why would He make me this way?” She couldn’t answer, things got ugly, and it was a very black, bitter night for me.

But the next day she made a tearful confession – my uncle had a homosexual experience in his youth, and was cut off from the family. My mom told me how awful it had been to watch her brother go through that, and how the last thing she wanted was for me to feel cast out or unloved. She admitted she still struggled with the idea, but told me she would support me and do her best to understand me better. And she meant it. Even if she still has spiritual issues with my orientation, they never come to the surface. Her support has been constant, and she even helped break the news to my grandma when she came to visit us this week (who has not made an issue of it at all). The rest of my grandparents don’t know, and most of my dad’s side of the family, hailing from the deep South, is in the dark too. For good reason. I mean, come on, it’s the South. But my dad’s unwavering love and my mom’s astonishing turnaround have made me second-guess how coming out to the others might go; and even though it’s still nobody’s business except the people I’m intimate with, if and when it comes up, I know I’ll be able to deal with it.

Gabriel Grey

Funny, my coming out to my parents was similar to yours facing your father. I told them I had a relationship with someone of my own gender, mum said simply: “We already guessed something like that” and finished eating. That’s my mum.
xLizardx

I loved this part:
“and mostly because it’s no secret to anyone that I can whip a bigot to bloody bits with my tongue and have been itching for the chance. So far no one has had the privilege.”It’s awesome that you haven’t encountered any prejudice, but if you ever do… I kind of want to see the look on that narrow-minded person’s face when you completely and utterly destroy them.

Haley Weigman

If you did more pages after the finale, it would simply be cool to see more flashbacks of when they were together on Da Vinci 4, just them interacting, talking, playing around, planning, Deacon giving him the codes. It would be fun to get more back story as a bonus page.

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

That’s definitely something I’d like to do too (and revealing how Jeff got the codes is part of the “romantic scene” I’d like to make that’s a “bonus goal” in the Kickstarter project :) ).
- http://twitter.com/AyakoNoChou Nan (Deanna)
  
  If so, I really hope it’s available to those of us who can’t get a book yet! >.< !

Roan DeSeer

I’m looking forward to seeing how this ends, it’s been a wonderful story so far, and one I have found to be both believable and endearing.

Coming out stories….

Don’t have one Straight as a ruler, and yet I still have found enjoyment from Artifice.

I believe in a world where love is cherished just for its own sake. Gender doesn’t matter. Love is complex. It is both wonderful, and terrible, and lets us feel both the best and sometimes the worst extremes of emotion. It is one of the greatest teachers in our species, allowing us to experience this range of feelings.

A wise person once said ‘It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.” Many of us will feel this when we lose a family member, a pet, a first crush, a long term partner, a fiancé, the list goes on… And yet, we are able to love others, to love new people who may come into our lives, and many will marry one of these very special people.
Love takes many forms, including platonic love as well as the intense personal love Deacon and Jeff share, and when one looks at the awesome variety and complexity of love itself, worrying about what GENDER people are becomes completely laughable.

I have gay and bisexual friends. I rarely refer to them as such… they are simply my friends. I have never looked at them any differently to any other person I have met, and I find it as easy to accept their choices in life with regards to love, as what music they like, or what colours they wear. I find it no harder than accepting people of other nationalities or skin tones.

I am the product of a household that valued religion through my mother, and practicality through my father. I am the product of a school system that taught me about every religion, science, but ALSO tolerance and the consequences of bigotry and unfounded hatreds.
I am the product of literature and being confident in my own thoughts. I have my own personal library of books, and from a young age (via The Dragonriders of Pern books) I have been aware of same-sex love.

Love is love. It is a gift, and it does not follow a set of rules. The best world of all would be one in which ‘coming out’ no longer existed, in the same sense that straight people do not have to ‘come out’ to their families and friends.

I believe every person should be able to make their own choices, and act upon them so long as they do no harm to another while doing it.
I believe Artifice is a wonderful comic for so beautifully highlighting both some of societies issues today, as well as those we may hypothetically experience in the future. If nothing else, it got people talking and that’s always a good thing.

http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson

Thank you, Roan—for the props and also for such a thoughtful take on the discussion here. I agree—it is good to get folks talking. Especially when the dialogue is a thoughtful one.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_J7W4JMZ6MXCVA6KKCFVAMW44OU Summer

I must agree with Roan DeSeer in that I also do not have a coming-out story. I am straight. I wondered about that a few times since I can easily admit that fellow women are pretty, and I’ve sat myself down and thought about it hard. Conclusions? The only one I had is that while I appreciate beauty, I am not sexually attracted to women, nor do I find it wrong for other people to have attractions to the same or both genders. I try to go by one of my favorite bits from Star Trek regarding love; “infinite diversity in infinite combinations.” IDIC for short

Also…the immature part of me that I try to squash down at times would like me to remind you all that two attractive men getting cozy with each other is downright delectable, so yeah, no problems here.

CharlesTohru

Hehe, I agree. I write amateur gay fiction and when my straight friends read it, it’s just love!
- http://pulse.yahoo.com/_J7W4JMZ6MXCVA6KKCFVAMW44OU Summer
  
  I write fanfiction Also, some of my characters in my original fiction definitely do not always lean in the hetero direction.

CharlesTohru

I’m new to commenting, but have been reading for forever! Hi, my name is Charles.

My coming out story is hopefully one of encouragement, and also one that is a shout-out to those who have struggled with societal labels and the gender binary.

I am what could be considered an androgyn, in the sense that I physically look very middle of the spectrum, I guess. I am a man, and have always considered myself to be male, but all of my life I’ve been quite pretty. Growing up people would say “What a cute little girl!” and my mother would have to correct them and say “*Charles* come over here and meet –” Puberty didn’t help much- I can’t grow a beard, I’m 5’6″ and thin (though I was born way early so) and my voice is seriously alto, not tenor. When I was fourteen, I heard something at school and came home and asked my mother if I was born intersex and they just changed me with a surgery at the hospital (not the case).

I grew up in Oklahoma City, which depending on who you ask is either part of the South or the Midwest- two conservative options. Honestly I’m lucky in that I am such an airhead that in high school people tended to treat me as just a dope instead of bullying me for being a pretty-faced gay. I was terrified to give any indication, but I remember at the senior talent show a boy got up on stage in drag and sang “It’s Raining Men” in front of six hundred people! Seriously, he’s a hero.

I remember being eighteen and finding Tom Spanbauer’s “Now is the Hour” at the Downtown Oklahoma City Public Library. I read it in one go and confirmed in my heart- I am definitely gay. I tried it with girls, but it always felt like a duty, an obligation. No matter how much I loved my girlfriend as a person, my chest never ached the way it did when I was with the boy I secretly liked.

Unfortunately my experiences with both gay and straight men have been them simply wanting to try doing it with such a pretty dude. My dream is to find a man who can call me his boyfriend despite my face.

Coming out was hard on my mom- she said I wasn’t allowed to return home but changed her mind at Christmas. My dad said he is much more concerned about me being a horrible judge of character, and emphasized that whomever I date, I must bring them by the house so that he can meet them and make sure I didn’t pick up a pathological liar or something.

It has been hard being androgynous when I don’t feel that way inside. I am now twenty-five and people still get confused despite the slacks, button-up shirt and tie. I’ve even been called a lesbian, and a cross-dresser! Seriously! But one of my favorite characters is Ranmaru from Kizuna, by Kazuma Kodaka. Sure, he’s gay, with the pretty face, the hair, the eyelashes, but if you’re not careful he’ll kick your ass in kendo . Sorry this got so long. Best wishes!

anonymouslizzy

I love you man! And I also hope that you find the man for you. Also, I adore the fact that you talked about Ranmaru there! He’s one of my fave characters other than Enjoji! Do you happen to have Facebook and deviantART? I would love to add you for both! We could talk and boy watch together (I’m a chick BTW, but I don’t think that’ll matter). XDD
- CharlesTohru
  
  Hey! Yeah! I don’t have a Facebook but I just created a Deviantart with this same handle and my gmail is also the same <3

Lleyn

Hi all,

I’ve been reading through all your fascinating coming out stories, some sad, some funny, some amazing and all of them quite moving, and I thought I should perhaps share a story ‘from the other end’, as a straight person who her very best friend came out to – and who reacted badly.

I have to mention something first before y’all think I’m a homophobic:

I am completely, utterly in favor of gay people having all the rights that straight people have and being entitled to live the same lives that straight people live, naturally including the right to adopt children – and let me tell you that I am quite alone on that specific position in my circle of oh so gay-tolerant, educated, straight friends.

So, when my best friend told me in a letter that she is gay, it merely registered as new information with me, nothing more. What shocked me, however, was that she also ‘confessed’ in the same letter that she’d fallen in love with me. At the time, we were so close that I referred to her as my soul sister. I have a twin brother and I tend to have very deep relationships, so she was like a twin sister to me.

I’m not sure I can convey what her confession of love meant to me. It felt like my soul was torn apart. My love for her as my ‘spiritual twin’ had nothing to do with her love for me as a human being. I now know, of course, that she fell in love with me because of the bond we shared, but back then, the sexual component of her love for me as a lesbian made me realize that I was very much not okay with her being gay.

To make a long story short: I wrote her a letter back that explained it all, which she unfortunately did not receive for several weeks and to make matters worse, I avoided her anxious questions about her own letter and because I was so upset by it all, was so curt with her that I’m afraid I hurt her pretty badly. Surprisingly enough, she accepted my letter once she read it and though our relationship has gone through a very rough time, it has survived.

Today, we are still very close and we talk about gay issues all the time, but I cannot help but wonder how much of our bond has suffered because of my initial inability to cope with her coming out to me. I don’t know if I was the first person she came out to, but if I was, then that must have been a bad experience for her and to this day, I feel sorry for that. I’m pretty sure that I was her first love and the thought haunts me that my rejection might have broken her heart.

CharlesTohru

Thank you for sharing your story. From what I’ve seen, the close, spiritual twinsy relationship is like crack to lesbians. One of my close friends is a lesbian and she are her fiance seem like twins to me. I’m glad your relationship has survived though, despite everything that happened. And in the end, it’s good that you were honest and didn’t lead her on. That way she can find the person she is truly meant to be with.

DOVE

I am so deep in my closet no one will ever find me, why? A deeply religious family who take my son of me.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1096996726 Anne Staszalek

::sends a huge hug:: I hope that, in time, you get to a place where your family cannot ever be a threat to you
Talyseon

Stop letting them control you. If you are a competent parent, there is no way they can do this; simply apply for a job in another city, move, and live your life as you feel you should. They don’t have to be a part of it.
- krissdevalnor
  
  As a parent I understand her hesitation. To lose your child is the biggest fear in the world to me.
  
  I agree, however, that it would be wisest to cut ties with them. A family who would take a child from a parents due to an uncommon sexualty/identity is not worth having.
- http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/ Alex Woolfson
  
  I completely understand feeling passionately about this issue. It stirs up feelings in me as well. And it makes me want to take action! No one has overstepped my comment policy or anything, but I have a request: let’s be careful with the tone we use in offering advice. For some of us, cutting ties, applying for a job and moving, especially with a kid, is a very difficult, maybe even impossible, prospect in this economy. It’s a good option to consider, but it might not be “simple” for Mrs Sorrentino even though she very much might want to.
  
  Some people have shared some very painful stories here. It’s natural to want to help. But it’s hard to know what obstacles people are facing from comments on the Internet. Sometimes advice can come off as unintended criticism which I’m sure was the last thing you or anyone else here would mean. I make that mistake all the time myself. Just something I’d like folks to keep in mind if they can. Thanks!
Ayella

I really feel bad for you. I hope you find a way out of this. Your sexuality has nothing to do with whether you are a good parent. The only real requirement to being a parent is the ability to love. Have strength and faith in yourself. Most of all: know that there are others like you all over the world who know what you are going through. You are not alone!
CharlesTohru

That’s tough, but you’ve got to be true to yourself. I think a lot of Americans are so individualistic and independent that the easy answer seems to be to just pick up and leave with your child and go somewhere you can be free. If that family is your emotional support though, things might be more complicated. You’ve got to really search inwardly and see what you can handle and how much time and space is needed to be able to handle it. Then plan things out financially and choose a place where you have complete legal rights over your son and the community is likely to be sympathetic toward you, like San Francisco or Boulder or someplace. Ultimately your child wants you to be happy too, so remember that.

xLizardx

Agreeing with Summer – I think it’s normal to be able to aesthetically appreciate other women, without being necessarily sexually attracted to them. I believe it’s quite socially acceptable for women to complement one another – in some respects, I wonder whether it must be harder for bi or homosexual guys, because there does seem to be a culture where the majority of men don’t really complement one another on appearance.

Personally, I think that most women are more aesthetically pleasing than men – but, as far as I’m aware, I’m straight. I say “as far as I’m aware” because I’ve never had any non-heterosexual experiences, and also because I don’t really believe that sexuality comes in absolutes – people just assign labels to it to make it easier to understand. Whilst, from an evolutionary standpoint, it makes sense that the majority of people would engage in heterosexual relationships, [because those are the ones that would pass on their genes] that does not preclude people ALSO engaging in same-sex relationships passing on their genes, or [as in times gone past] having to suppress their natural sexual feelings in order to conform to social conventions.

Ummm… I suppose what I’m trying to get at, is that whilst I believe that most people are probably MOSTLY straight, I suspect that very few people are absolutely straight. It’s just that we’re brought up to conform to particular gender roles, so I think for someone to subvert their environmental conditioning, they probably would tend to have quite a pronounced attraction to the same sex. Perhaps this is why, as society gradually becomes more liberal, more people seem to feel free to experiment with bi-sexuality.

I’ve been lurking and reading people’s coming out stories [partially because they're awesome and fascinating, and partially because I have several essays to do and I'm a persistent procrastinator]. It actually seems to be that the majority of people, on here at least, identify as bi-sexual, and well, when you think about it, that really makes a lot of sense. As humans, we’re supposedly the most intelligent animals on the planet [except for the dolphins and mice, but the latter are really aliens, so they probably don't count*] and we have this concept of romantic love. We use phrases like “soulmate”. Well, surely if people were to choose partners purely on the basis of “love” – a deep and complicated bond of affection, intellectual connection, yadda yadda – then basically everyone would be bi-sexual?

I’m not saying that sexual feelings don’t come into it, of course not. But if you run with the idea that sexual feelings are very much affected by social conventions, then it’s interesting to speculate what society would be like if those conventions were simply… removed. I don’t think they ever can be, absolutely – we are all a product of where we came from, historically and sociologically speaking – but I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the future, [provided we don't all get blown up by nuclear missiles/ slowly roasted to death by built up greenhouse gasses/ become victims of a zombie apocalypse] we have a society where both gender roles, and social expectations assigned to sexuality, are significantly reduced. And that would be a pretty amazing thing, because people would finally feel free to just be themselves. Stuff like what sexuality, gender or race you are is irrelevant, and should be treated as such. Whilst social conditioning [in all aspects of life] cannot be extrapolated from society itself, perhaps in the future we can condition tolerance instead of intolerance, understanding instead of ignorance, curiosity instead of fear.

Um, also, just realised it might sound like I think EVERYONE is secretly bisexual, and therefore no one is gay or straight. I think people can have an almost total preference for one gender, on a physical, biological level. I just believe that a combination is probably much more likely, so for instance, most people who identify as “straight” probably like 80% prefer the opposite sex, etc. Obviously that figure is completely arbitrary, and it’s hard to separate someone’s biological inclinations from how they’ve been taught to interpret those inclinations. In many respects, people are taught to find the opposite sex attractive – which is not to say they don’t – just to say that any latent tendencies in the other direction probably get ignored/ stifled, unless they are quite significant.

On a personal level, I don’t find the idea of making out with another girl unpleasant, though I don’t find it a turn on, either. But then, when I was a kid, and I first you know, learned about sex and whatever, I thought the whole idea was completely gross. Kiss a boy? Eeew! It’s taken a good few years of relationships to get myself to the point where I feel very confident, sexually. Trying something with another woman would be like re-learning that whole experience… that fact is far more offputting than the actual idea itself.

Anyway… erm… to summarise: labels suck. Being yourself is awesome. Kudos to everyone who’s been posting their stories. It takes a lot of guts to stand up for something you believe in, sometimes – even when that thing is yourself. I’ve been nervous about my parents’ reaction over getting a tattoo or dying my hair [still did it anyway, of course!] – so I can only imagine it must be so much more nerve racking to tell them something so personal, significant, and filled with so many potential social connotations. I have so much admiration for you guys, because not only are you being brave and true to yourselves: the more people who feel free to be open about stuff like this, then the better the world we will live in will be tomorrow.

OMG, that sounds so pretentious. O.o It’s still true though!

*According to Douglas Adams.

CharlesTohru

Thanks for sharing . I’ve met a number of people who think along your lines as far as humans being naturally a bit bisexual. I too don’t believe in absolutes, so I guess it could technically happen for me. My experience has been that my body reacts to intimacy, but for one gender my heart is not involved, and it’s difficult to convince it to be involved. My experiences with women have all been with close friends, so I loved them for sure, but not passionately, per se.

Sharon Kerr-Bullian

It’s taken me a few days to summon up the courage, and the words, to say this, even though I have come out elsewhere on yaoi911.

I don’t have much of a coming out story to tell. My parents discussed the issue with each other while I was a very young child.
Mom: What would you do if you went to take Shan a cup of tea in the morning and there was another pair of feet in the bed?
Dad: Ask the other pair of feet if it wants a cup of tea.
Mom: What would you do if it was a pair of female feet?
Dad: Ask the female pair of feet if it wants a cup of tea.

So… yeah, my parents were chill and laid back about this stuff. I did tell my mom about the crush I had on a female friend, no differently than I told her about crushes I had on guys. She said “Does -friend- know?” I told her no. I didn’t want it to get weird between my friend and I. Friend still doesn’t know, and I haven’t spoken to her since the late 90s. We went to different high schools and colleges, and lost contact with each other.

So my parents know I’m at least a little bi… but they don’t know the more important issue (for me): I’m a mostly gay man in a woman’s body.

So, I’m not completely out to my parents yet. I think that’s likely to go something like this:
“Mom, dad, did you know I’m pretty certain I’m actually a man?”
“You always were tomboyish and wanted to wear dungarees and trousers and play with cars and trains, not dolls and tea sets. Does your husband know?”
“Yep.”
“What does he think about it?”
“He’ll deal. I can’t have what I actually want for my body anyway, so why make a fuss over it and spend a ton of money to only get halfway to what I feel I am inside? That’s just not very smart financially, so I’ll just keep looking like a very tomboyish woman, which suits him fine, and which I’m used to anyway.”
“So this isn’t going to change anything?”
“Nope.”
“Okay then.”

If my mom finds this by googling me… well, that’s fine too. So mom, if you read this: Now you know.

krissdevalnor

I think it’s wonderful that you have such understanding parents and I hope it goes well when you say it to them.

Why did it take courage to say it here? I can’t imagine anyone who read this story would be negative about it.
- Sharon Kerr-Bullian
  
  It always feels like people will think I’m just making fun of them. I’ve always felt like certain elements of the LGBT community aren’t so accepting of people who feel they’re of a different gender AND gay. Maybe that’s just my insecurities, but I don’t know. That’s why it’s hard to say it, and ultimately why I decided to say it anyway. If I say it here and now, maybe someone else will see they’re not alone, there are other people who can understand them.
CharlesTohru

Thanks for sharing. . I’ve read a little bit about girl-gay-men and guy-lesbians on the internet. Good luck with everything.
- Sharon Kerr-Bullian
  
  Thanks very much for the good wishes, Charles.

http://tatatroses.blogspot.com/ Tatat Roses

Homosexuals are very much accepted in my family. My 2 of my cousins are gays, and 2 of my aunts are lesbians. (My mom even goes to Gay Beauty Pageants as a judge every year.)

This often makes me wonder, why is it so hard for me to tell them I am bisexual and is currently into a happy relationship with a beautiful woman?

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1096996726 Anne Staszalek

Honestly? I think it is just often hard to offer your innermost self TO your family– part of you knows that they’ll be fine, as you say, but part of you wonderes that “what if this makes them hate me for no real reason” or similar feelings– add in the way society on the whole often works at making anyone outside the norm as freakyt and odd, and you get the feeling at the bottom of your tum that makes it hard to tell anyone anything that makes YOU outside the norm.

Congrats on your relationship, and I hope that, when it is right for you, that you tell anyone that you want to tell and it goes wonderfully! ::virtual hug::

rayrayravona

I first came out to my parents as bisexual when I was 14. The reaction was not a satisfactory one. They told me that I was wrong, and it was just my way of rebelling. At first, they threatened to kick me out. Then they sent me to a religious therapist (which was HILARIOUS because she recommend I look at male porn to “combat the homosexuality”). It was basically three years of struggle between my parents and I. However, once I went away for college, my parents began to accept that I wasn’t just acting out, and that I have legitimate feelings for women. However, they still don’t accept that I’m bisexual. They believe it’s possible that I’m a lesbian, but they don’t believe in bisexuality.

CharlesTohru

Good luck with everything. That sounds tough. I have a little bit of that with my mother. She sent me to a therapist in high school because she couldn’t figure out why I was depressed (I was scared and gay in a homophobic school). The therapist was also religious and I couldn’t come out to her and tell her I was gay, so I just had to sit tight-lipped with her each week and waste my parents’ money >_<;;

http://contagiousoup.tumblr.com/ contagiousoup

My sexuality in general was hard for me to figure out. One week I was loving girls, the next I was flirting with boys. I honestly thought it was a strange phase. Then I was told there was a term for what I was, and it happened to be bisexual. At first I didn’t believe that I truly was Bi, not that I had anything against being it, but it seemed like lots of girls were bi in my school. They mainly used it as a tool for awkwardly seducing boys…. O_o And I really didn’t want to be considered one of those girls. One way or another, I figured out that who I am doesn’t have to be what is socially expected of me.

Being bisexual while growing up in foster care was a very strange and confusing experience. My therapist kind of figured me out, I’m still not sure if I completely came out to her. Either way, every one in the system that I knew or had to meet knew what I was after that. On one hand, my case worker (or any one else professionally involved in Child Protective Services) was supportive in that ‘I’m doing this because it’s my job’ sort of way. Or they had a billion questions about my sexuality because apparently CPS has some kind of future-homosexual pop quiz (just kidding.) But they also felt the need to site a lot of statistics about homosexual teen suicide and depression. Either way, I was pretty fortunate to have some sort of support from them. My foster families were another story. Most I didn’t come out too because they wore their intolerance on their sleeve, and if I did think about coming out to them… Let’s put it this way, I really didn’t want to talk about it in therapy any more because it wasn’t a mental illness.
The one person I did officially come out to was my biological mother. It was mandatory that her and I talk once a month. At the time, my mother was a severe morphine addict and alcoholic. She also blamed me for putting my younger brother and I, in foster care. So, to say the least, she didn’t really like me at the time. To this day, I have no idea why I came out to her. However, I’m really happy I did. She was the first person to say, “That’s okay. Own it.” Honestly, I was very confused by her reaction. But her words stuck with me. My mother did a lot of bad things, things that a mother should never do. But she did this right, and if it weren’t for her believing in me at that moment I would never have gone on to join my school’s GSA or to advocate for younger foster kids who are LGBT.

It’s amazing what is happening on this site. It actually brought me to tears. It’s extremely important for LGBT people of all ages to have a community that supports them. It can save lives. It takes courage to live this life, but its easier to do it in numbers. Thank you all for your stories, you are truly beautiful people.

CharlesTohru

Wow, your story put tears in my eyes! You are so strong despite or in light of your experiences. The only friend I’ve had who was in foster care had a really hard time of it, so it’s great to hear from someone as bright as you coming from the system. LGBT rights within the state system must be hugely neglected and an area in need of much work. Thank you for your words.
- http://contagiousoup.tumblr.com/ contagiousoup
  
  Oh wow! Thank you so much!
  - krissdevalnor
    
    I’d wish every parent would react the way your mom did. Thanks for the story
Guest

**HUG** I’m amazed at everyone having so many moving stories here… it reminds me of another comic I read that is about LGBT young people in the UK
http://www.khaoskomix.com/archive the artwork is a little rough but its a great story and I think a lot of you may enjoy it. I’m a Bisexual woman who just recently came out to my male partner of 5 years. And we couldn’t be happier now that we are both being more open about our wants and needs. I hope everyone finds love in this world and as your mom so wisely said contagiousoup “OWN IT!” :D I know so many people who have shit parents… but deep down they still love you and can surprise you with very wise and understanding moments.
http://twitter.com/AyakoNoChou Nan (Deanna)

That was an amazing story! I’m so glad you and your mom could connect in that moment and that, despite her many failings and issues, she could offer you strength, support, and love, even if only in 4 words. Touching beyond belief. Also, good on you for getting through all that! Things like that would be too hard for many many people, you are strong and amazing and deserve to know it.
- http://contagiousoup.tumblr.com/ contagiousoup
  
  Thank you 83

Ditzite

Awww man! I love this comic so much, and now I love all of you extra bunches too! Reading your stories is inspirational and heartwarming!*hugs to everyone*

Ayella

My mom was the first one I came out to. And I only did so by accident. I was seventeen and she walked in on me and my best friend Hellen making out. After an embarrassed rushing back into clothes and my friend taking off, my mother asked me whether I was in love with Hellen. When I told her ‘no’, my mom said: ‘Sex is not a game.’ and that was all she had to say about it. It did not matter at all to her that she had caught me in the act with a girl.

I guess I’m one of the lucky ones who did not have to fight against a prejudiced family or community. Much. I suspect that these days homophobia exists everywhere in the world. Surprisingly though, a lot of prejudice I had to live through came from people who are like me. Judith, my first real girlfriend, was a lesbian and thought that me being bisexual made me less of an ideal partner. Then there was that lesbian in San Francisco who presumed I was straight just because I was wearing high heels and have long hair. And not least of all: Hellen was raving mad at me for discussing our relationship with my mom. It was all just a game, Hellen said, nothing more: she was certainly not a lesbian or something.

http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S

I heard that attitude against bisexuals is common. Parts of the gay community have the attitude that bisexuality doesn’t exist and is just the person’s attempt to stay partly in the closet. After all a man/woman isn’t really gay if he/she likes the opposite gender too. It really ticks me off. Really gay guys/lesbian women? You really want to harp on someone’s sexuality because it’s different than what you consider normal? You guys of all people?! (Sorry it just strikes a nerve with me)
And then there are just as many people who feel like bisexuals (especially bisexual women, and particularly if they’re young) just want attention. This I can kind of understand (but not agree with) with “bi-curious” girls being portrayed in media as alluring to men.
And that damn Katy Perry song “I kissed a girl and I liked it” Yeah she’s so bold and wild for getting with another woman. “I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it.” But don’t be confused, she’s strictly hetero. Her boyfriend has a penis and everything. And then she comes out with “You’re so gay and you don’t even like boys”. This is to show us that the word gay in this instance is strictly derogative and not to be confused with the other definition. Yeah she’s enlightened.
Sorry for the rants. I guess I’m trying to say bisexuals tend to have it a little harder from both gay and straight people.
- Ayella
  
  Thanks for the rant, Alex I originally ended my story with a little rant as well, but in the end decided to delete it and let the story stand for itself and try not to be too moralizing. Silly me. XD
  
  In my experience sexual prejudice often comes from people who are not entirely secure in their own sexuality and therefore feel a need to stereotype. The use of the word gay in a derogative way is a sad example of that. In the Netherlands (Dutchies like to think about themselves as oh so tolerant) the word homo is used as an especially offensive insult to guys. People even write it as ‘homeaux’ to show how chique and witty they themselves are when using the word. It’s what insecure people do all the time: instead of working on their own self-respect, they feel the need to degrade, devalue someone else in an attempt to place themselves above that person.
  
  And then so many people ask me why a lot of glbt people have such need to show themselves off. Why do so many of us feel the need flaunt our sexual identity? I think the question needs to be put the other way around. Why do people feel offended when a girl acts all butch or a guy all camp, when we cross-dress, genderbend, wave the rainbow flag? Why the heck would anyone care?

http://profile.yahoo.com/CQKX24CFJYK3HJUEJJVXQYHVYE Cenny

I was more comfortable coming out to my friends than to my parents. I suppose my mom knew before we lost her to cancer over 9 years ago.

Coming out to my father, though, was…. interesting, since he’s 55 years my senior.

in 2008 I started dating a guy, and we’d spend every Wednesday afternoon (my day off in the middle of the week) curled up in my bedroom, watching television or playing video games. Dad would wander past on his way to the kitchen, look in, say hello, and continue on his way, paying absolutely no attention to how entwined our legs or bodies were.

Three months into the relationship I started having seriously bad nausea. Like, dry-heave in the morning bad (sorry, but this is key to the story). Went to my doctor. Talked to him. Told him about my relationship and about how I had yet to come out to my father. His advice – talk with my dad, since it was probably stress making me ill.

Came home. Told dad that -guy’s name- was my boyfriend. His response was, “I had many boyfriends when I was your age.” To which I responded, “No, dad, he’s my boyfriend-boyfriend. We’re dating.”

Dad’s reaction was what I consider to be super fantastic. When I told him that was why I went to see the doctor, he said he thought I went to the doc because of a heart condition (those tend to run in our family. Oh joy). I did a comedic death scene, and we’ve been cool with it since. He doesn’t care that his only son is gay.

Now my sister, on the other hand…. um… yeah, haven’t told her yet, since we’re not exactly close (she lives on the opposite side of the country).

The only time I met with resistance was when I told one of my very religious girlfriends. She told me that it wasn’t right, and that she would pray for me. I straight out told her that she needs to stop that, or we couldn’t be friends. We agreed, from that point, never to talk politics, or religion, and to go guy-watching from time to time.

http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S

“I had many boyfriends when I was your age.”

I know you probably were feeling a lot of emotions at that moment, but that is freaking hilarious. Good for your dad. And good luck with your sister.

I’m so glad that most of these coming out stories end relatively well family wise.

Damien_C

I’ve been seeing a lot of people telling their coming out stories on here, and it really does my heart good to read most of them and how strong everyone is. I’m proud of you all. My story is probably not all that interesting- it was at about thirteen that I first realized that I didn’t really fit in well as a girl. It took me much longer to find out that there actually are people like me who live stuck in the body of the wrong gender. I was lucky to have an EXTREMELY supportive best friend through high school who is still my best friend today.

I was also extremely lucky with who I came out to first. I struggled hard for a long time to figure out who I was and what category I fit into and in my junior year of college I took a psychology class for my major and our professor instructed us to write on a notecard our names and something about ourselves we’d never shared with anyone else. I wrote that I felt like a man trapped in a woman’s body. My next test showed up with a note on it reading ‘see me after class!’ and I did.

It turns out she is a huge advocate in the GLBT community and one of her closest friends is a transgendered man. She helped me formulate a plan to come out to my mother- which went better than expected- and then invited my mom to class to hear her friend speak and set it up so we could sit down with her friend and discuss it as a whole. It was very relieving to be honest. I think even if she’d hated me and kicked me out it would have been a relief, but luckily she was just confused and worried for me. I don’t blame her. Nobody wants their child to have a rough time in life, and being this way does make life rough sometimes. She still doesn’t accept me fully, but she’s trying in her own way.

I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I accept that I’ll never be able to have the procedures needed to fully turn my body into a male one due to financial issues, and instead have backed off of the subject and don’t classify myself as a gender at all. It’s called genderqueer and I think it suits me well. It gives me the freedom to be comfortable in my own skin and I can portray myself as either gender happily depending on how I’m feeling that day, though I will still never fully identify as a girl. I just hope someone who is searching for who they are can maybe use my story in a helpful way. If I had known what genderqueer was all along, I wouldn’t have had struggle so hard to put a name to what I was feeling. I feel like I should say something inspiring, but after a stressful week at work I feel like just putting it all out here is sort of cathartic in its own way. I feel so much better now! :3

dezree

I know I said this in a previous post but your story so reminds me of Tom’s story from khaos ,
http://www.khaoskomix.com/archive
(I really don’t mean to spam so sorry but I really think that you would enjoy it.)
((HUG)) I’m so amazed at how strong it is when people share their stories.
- Damien_C
  
  -hug- Thank you! I’ll try to find the time to read it xD And it’s fine. Nobody will be angry at you for spamming! Well, I mean maybe if you spammed like everything here, but two or three spams is forgivable. :3
Sharon Kerr-Bullian

Thank you for sharing this. I just want you to know that I understand where you’re coming from, and I wish you all the best

Oddly enough, I think it was going to psychology classes that helped me too, but in a different way.

That year had been hell, but I couldn’t think why it was any worse than any other year, just that I was grappling with some very scary thoughts about suicide and self harm.

I was sitting in psychology class, and we were discussing depression. That’s when I had an ah-hah moment. That was definitely how I felt. That same day, I went home, made an appointment with my GP and a free counseling clinic, and went to those without telling my parents what it was about. I told my parents I was going to a movie with some friends.

When I got home from them both, I sat my parents down and told them what I’d really been doing. They didn’t believe in depression, they thought it wasn’t a real condition, so that was kind of rough. I had supportive parents otherwise, but for some reason, depression was harder for them to accept than me being bi. But, the treatment I got worked, and things started to improve, and that changed my parents’ attitudes on depression, and they started making an effort to support me in battling my depression.

Life got better. I still battled with thoughts of self harm when I was under intense stress, but like everything else, those too would pass. I haven’t had a thought like that in two years, so I think I’m finally over the last hurdle.

Now I know that depression and suicide rates are higher in the LGBT community than elsewhere, it’s not surprising I battled with it myself. I may not have figured out I was transgendered back when I was struggling with depression, but it’s very possible that was part of the problem for me. I never had fit in with the girls. I never really fit in with the boys either, I think I was a bit intimidating for them. And because I didn’t fit in, I was bullied, and felt very isolated.

As it turns out, a lot of the friends I had in high school have come out as gay or transgendered, but none of us had a clue about it until we started coming out.
- http://twitter.com/AyakoNoChou Nan (Deanna)
  
  I’ve struggled with self harm for years. I’m on a clean streak at the moment I’m trying not to break. My Dad never believed in mental illness until my Mom had a nervous breakdown that nearly killed her and still had a hard time while I was in high school cutting 3+ times a day, happy one moment, depressed the next. My Mom, who knew all about depression and stuff, was convinced it was hormones. She’s now convinced it’s depression. I’ve been diagnosed several times as bipolar with an anxiety problem.
  
  I’ve been trying forever to find a good combination of therapy and meds to help me. Having a supportive partner has always helped me more than anything else.
  
  Hopefully my story will go like yours soon and I’ll find a good therapist and good plan of action and start doing a whole hell of a lot better. Thanks for giving me hope <3
  - Sharon Kerr-Bullian
    
    I’m glad I could give you hope, and I really hope you can climb out of that hole you’re in. It’s tough, but it can be done, I promise it can! Don’t give up trying! <3
  - Damien_C
    
    I found out that I also have bipolar disorder through an irrationally difficult manner that I won’t get into. (I feel like I only get diagnosed correctly after seeing several people who look at me and immediately decide what I have and refuse to listen otherwise.) It took forever to get on a medication regiment that helped me, but don’t give up. Even if people try to tell you the meds you’re on are bad (which they do for me, God knows why…) don’t listen. Do what makes you happy, please! If not for yourself then for me. I know it seems rough, I promise I do, but you CAN do this. Take strength in that thought. If someone as weak willed as me can survive this, surely someone strong enough to share their problems in the midst of having them can too. I commend you and wish you the best of luck!
- Damien_C
  
  I’m glad you’re getting help. It wasn’t until my mother found out about my cutting that she finally realized I had a genuine problem- I think for a lot of parents with teens it’s easier to believe that it’s teenage drama than that their child has a problem. That’s not a rip on parents, it’s just that no parents want their child to have a problem like depression- most parents simply want their child to be happy. I’m glad you’re getting help and that you’ve got people to support you now. <3
  - Sharon Kerr-Bullian
    
    I’m sorry you went (are going?) through that kind of trouble as well. I think I was lucky that it never went beyond strong ideation for me. I hope things keep getting better for you too, I know it’s an uphill battle, but it is one worth winning, if you haven’t won it already
    
    I think you’re right, it’s hard for parents to accept that their child has a problem. I think they go through a period of denial, which sadly, in many cases, only compounds the problem for their kid.
    - Damien_C
      
      There’s nothing to be sorry for. For the most part I am even and stable, so that’s good. A little outbreak of depression once in a while isn’t so bad compared to what a friend of mine and I call the “Dark Ages” back when it was really bad.
      
      And I wholeheartedly agree. Parents are not always as in tune as they think they are, sadly. :/
xLizardx

Your tutor sounds awesome Thankyou for sharing your story – it’s not so common to hear about biological girls who identify mentally as men, i think, so it’s cool to see some people on here being open about feeling feminine or masculine. Have you heard of a band called the Cliks? Their frontman is transgender, and has an amazing voice. He’s taken testosterone more recently, so his voice has changed, but it still sounds awesome. I admire him for having the confidence to be publicly transgender, but mainly because he makes awesome music. Check them out on youtube!
- Damien_C
  
  Yes, I am definitely lucky to have come across some of the single most amazing people on the planet to help guide me through my life. And I haven’t heard of them, but I gotta say it warms my heart to hear that your first thought is of his music and not his transgendered status. That’s awesome- that you literally just see a person making music and that everything else is on the back row.
  - xLizardx
    
    Well, music is extremely important! Do you play anything yourself?
    - Damien_C
      
      Piano and air guitar. I play air guitar better. :3
CharlesTohru

Thank you for sharing your story. Have you read the book Gender Queer? It’s a collection of interviews. I have it checked out from the library but haven’t read it yet. I’m glad you found a way of thinking that helps you to accept yourself and feel good about it
- Damien_C
  
  I haven’t, but I’ll definitely be checking it out!!!

Lucy0in0the0Sky

I know we’re supposed to be focusing on the love between the guys, but I can’t seem to do anything but giggle at the Doc still choking around in the background.

anonymouslizzy

I’ve been reading these comments and my heart is breaking for some of them. You guys seem so nice and kind and the fact that you aren’t being accepted into society hurts me. Unfortunately, I have no stories to share. I’m a female that likes males. I’m as straight as they come. I can’t say that I understand what half of you guys are going through because I haven’t been through it. Sure, I read, write and draw yaoi, and sure I love reading about gay men finding love, but I always feel the slightest bit awkward around real homosexuals.
I know I shouldn’t. They are just as human as I am. They have hearts, they have spleens, they have kidneys. They aren’t any different. I guess it’s the fact that I’ve been growing up in a Christian family my entire life.
My mother is a very supportive woman. I told her that my best friend was into guys and she was okay with it. I always feel as though I have to be careful around her though.
I have a deviantART account, and on it, I post USUK fanfiction. If you guys don’t know, USUK is the pairing between America and England from the anime Hetalia. I have quite a few friends that are always looking forward to a new chapter. My mother has always told me that I have a knack for writing, and I would have loved to show her my success, but the first time I showed her a gay story I wrote, she told me that she loved the romance, but that it was wrong to cast two guys in the role. She asked me to change the “uke” to a woman, and I told her no. After that, I couldn’t even look at it, so I deleted it.
I’m afraid that my mother will find out about my secret love for yaoi. I know that my story isn’t nearly as sad as some of yours, but I guess this is my confession. *Shrugs*
I want you guys to know that I’m on your side in the “homosexual” arguement. We’re all human. XD
If you would like to talk to me about anything, you can talk to me at these websites:
*deviantART- MegaAnimeFreak7
*Facebook- Problemsbff
*Hotmail- anonymouslizzy @hotmail.com

http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S

Lol, you’re straight and still manage to be in the closet. *grins* I find this amusing.
- ErykaSoleil
  
  It happens.

anonymouslizzy

Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! They’re making out with Mavin in the back. XDDD

YangYueLan

I am conflicted as to weather or not I want Saturday to come.

SteveMcSheffrey

Okay, coming out stories: When my mother told me my grandmother was dead, my first thought was what if I died and she found out at my funeral. So it went ‘Steve, your grandmother is dead’ immediately followed by ‘Mom, I’m gay’. My siblings? One sister was supposed to go to Colombia with her husband on mission work and back then missionaries had been killed in the area. I didn’t want her to leave possibly forever without knowing who I really was so I took her aside and was honest. She told me our brother had already told her. See, I had called a morning talk show in Philly that had an ex gay ministry on and I had called in to rip them a new one. Turns out my bro and his future wife had cut class that day and had been watching the show down the shore and he had immediately called our sisters! There’s some discrepancy about how Dad and his new wife found out. He either found out at dinner out when visiting with that same sister and she said that it was cool I was staying with them ’cause she was learning all the gay slang. She says jaws dropped but I’ve also heard it was the first time he got an email from me when I had the address nancyboy@gay-isp.com!

http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S

That is a hilarious story! Seriously, it’s worthy of a sitcom or something. I’m glad it all worked out for you. *internet hug*

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_W7TCY24F2ILZGSVJ32TJG4LJGU Jamie

Like some others on here, I’m straight so I really don’t have a coming out story. But, I wanted to share my mom’s story. I’m from Oklahoma and indeed it can be very difficult, especially in the smaller towns, to be not just gay but different in any way. I can empathize with everyone not just from the intense bullying I went through growing up but also because of what my mom went through to be with my dad.
He was her second husband and 10 years her junior, but the thing that really started the whole mess is that he is “white” while my mom was full blood Native American. Back then inter-racial relationships were a huge taboo, even just being friends could get you in trouble. But, to date one or heaven forbid marry one, you were lucky if you only got run out of town! Worst part, as my mom would tell my siblings and I later, was that it happened on both sides, “white” and other Native Americans. Both fathers refused to meet either of my parents when they started dating. Everyone kept trying to get them to do “the right/ Christian/ moral thing” which was to break up. They both refused and married a year and a half later. To say all hell broke loose in that very small town, I guess would be an understatement: their car got burned, threats, ugly names, etc.
My mom always said she wasn’t too upset at the entire town going crazy, that was kind of expected. She would be very quiet for a moment then would say it was my grandfather’s reaction that broke her heart. He refused to see any of them, not even my four half sibs from her first husband who had been full-blood himself. He took all of their stuff, put it in boxes and set it on the curb for her to pick up. My dad was so worried that he packed my family up and moved them to North Carolina. They didn’t speak to either family for 5 years after that. It was only the birth of my sister that broke the ice. They began writing very polite letters. Yet, my mom refused to go back even when I was born a year later. It wasn’t until I was a year old and she had just had my little brother that she decided it might be ok. My mom was always worried that her father would treat us differently than my half brothers and sisters, but he never did. She always thought it was the distance and the fact that he was alone after they left that finally mellowed him out.
As for the town, we never moved back there. My sibs and I don’t talk about it, but growing up half-blood has never been easy. Until about 10 years ago, I was still getting called names and being ignored by some of the older, full-blooded people. My mom would just tell me they weren’t worth my time or energy. I still miss her. She was one of the most tolerant people I have ever met in my life. She took in every stray friend of ours who needed a couch or just a shoulder.
My mom would always tell us that no matter what choices we made, she would love us unconditionally, if a little exasperated when she didn’t quite agree with us. She said that one day, all of these people making such a huge deal out of gay rights, marriage, etc would be so embarrassed and ashamed of themselves. She would point to one of the many inter-racial couples walking down the sidewalk holding hands without fear and say “,See it’ll be just like that for everyone, someday.”

krissdevalnor

wow. Your mother was a wonderful, wonderful person! As a scandinavian I have never experienced/seen these problems. Here it doesn’t matter what skin colour you have – as long as you treat others well.
I am so sorry for all your troubles. Thank you for sharing this.
- http://pulse.yahoo.com/_W7TCY24F2ILZGSVJ32TJG4LJGU Jamie
  
  I wanted to thank you and CharlesTohru for your kind words about my mom. I was a little worried that my telling part of her story would seem out of place here. She was indeed a wonderful and awesome person, even if I am a little biased on her behalf.
CharlesTohru

I too am from Oklahoma, but luckily I have not had as hard a time of it as you and your family. My mother is half Pawhuska, but my dad is from Anadarko which is majority Native American and minority everything else. Furthermore, my mother’s family didn’t sign up with the tribe, so while they didn’t receive any assistance or legal representation, it was not a problem for my parents to get married. Your mother sounds awesome. Keep the faith. One love.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_J7W4JMZ6MXCVA6KKCFVAMW44OU Summer

I’ve started facing similar problems as your mom and dad did. I’m Arab-American (my dad’s from the middle east), and honestly, when all the anti-muslim bullcrap started coming out, quite a bit of the stuff being said was being said around me. I had to politely correct a few people.

What I would like is an end to the prejudice that caused your family to lose time with your grandfather and is currently making the world war with itself.
- http://pulse.yahoo.com/_W7TCY24F2ILZGSVJ32TJG4LJGU Jamie
  
  I’m sorry to hear that you are going through that same kind of thing, Summer. But it’s nice to hear you stood up for yourself! An end to prejudice would be wonderful. Be strong and have faith in yourself and those around you who care about you.
  - http://pulse.yahoo.com/_J7W4JMZ6MXCVA6KKCFVAMW44OU Summer
    
    I certainly try. There’s nothing wrong with what I am or what I believe, and so I just won’t take it if someone maligns me for those things I will not change.

http://profiles.google.com/hansendesigns Hansen Designs

I thought Artifice would be a constant companion like one of my (three years and counting) faves, the comedic MA3 http://www.menagea3.net/strips-ma3/room_for_two_more_(vol1) Granted MA3 is more blatant about depicting sex, but it is lighthearted. They wind up each year by making a physical book for that year. Like Artifice, it is also written by a guy and nicely drawn by a woman. Somebody else posted here about khaos komix (and then i read the whole thing) so i thought a plug for the canadian MA3 might be ok. i read about six webcomics a week but Artifice was my fave. If only Artifice could go on a few more years…. Bye Jeff, Bye Deacon…

Lawenta Elar

So the story is coming to an end… It was an interesting, well written and well drawn story I enjoyed a lot. I’m still surprised Deacon let Maven live (at least for now), in my opinion she had it coming more than those nervous soldiers around him. In these last scenes she definitely showed a nasty mentally sadistic streak.

But just as much as I enjoyed the story, I’m enjoying reading all the coming out stories here, and the wonderful, supportive community. I hope they will have a happy end, too.

My own story is not a good story at all, it’s too plain and mellow and nothing really happens in it. I sometimes jokingly refer to myself as quartersexual, originally to have a name for being somewhere between straight and bi, but honestly, there aren’t that many people I would be attracted to. Most of the times they are men, sometimes they are women, and most of both are somewhat androgynous. I love human beings, not their gender.
There were some uncertainties involved when I was younger, but by now I’m very comfortable with myself. I just let the labels go. If I have to, I claim I’m bi, it’s fairly close to reality and closer to my heart than being straight. As for closets, I don’t think I was ever in. Secrets don’t suit me, I tend to lose track of who already knows And most of the people around me are tolerant enough.

I hope there will be more and more LGBT people who have it just as easy as me. Being different doesn’t have to be a drama. It’s what we make of it, and what people around us make of it.
Times are changing

http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S

That is EXACTLY how I feel about labels! Thank you!
I thought I was strictly gay until I was 15 and fell in love (or the 15 year old equivalent) with a girl. I started calling myself bi after that, but it felt wrong because it wasn’t split 50/50. I still preferred men by an enormous margin. She may have just been an anomaly. But didn’t that mean I wasn’t gay anymore? After a year or so (and one more “anomaly”) I decided that it didn’t matter. S

Sexuality is a complicated thing. If you don’t fit into the black and white view of either being gay or straight it can get tiring trying to figure yourself out. So why bother? Just go with the flow and accept yourself for who you are.
- Lawenta Elar
  
  Exactly.
  When I first realized I’m tempted to kiss a girl, I was already going out with my current boyfriend. I was fretting over it for some time – what if I cheat on him one day because I’m too curious about girls?! Then I realized how stupid it was to make some difference between being drawn to a woman and a man in this regard, and suddenly it was fine.
  
  Ten years later I still don’t know whether I would get past some kissing with a woman, or whether the attraction would end there. That was another thing to fret over – do I even have the right to call myself bi?
  But honestly, it truly does not matter. I am who I am. Nobody will take that from me, labels or no labels…

http://www.facebook.com/people/Abbi-Orenstein/100000436550169 Abbi Orenstein

I don’t have a coming out story either. nothing big anyway. I was watching tv with my mom where a woman was being black mailed with telling her mom she’s gay as the hook. she defeated her blackmailer by coming out to her mom who loved her anyway. I asked mom what she would say if I told her that. I was 13. she said it didn’t matter and she loved me regardless. so really nothing more was said and it set the tone for my later years. in my family its more like “yeah I know, pass the potatos.” its my extended family that’s has that as an issue…

my aunt dragged me out of the closet by asking my sister’s ex-husband if I was still bisexual. (like that can change right?) this was news to him. but he was a buttwart anyway so no one cares what he thinks. my extremely ex-roommate’s step father was the same way he couldn’t stop saying it. I think its because my extremely ex-roommate lied to everyone saying he was going to marry me. *sighs*

http://profile.yahoo.com/CUV3QHUIEHFU3GQHWO2LSEDQGU Morgan

I have no “coming out” story..And honestly, to each their own. It just kind of makes me giggle that in a sense, this comic suddenly took a backseat with Dr. Maven, with all these comments..!
I’m glad to see that a webcomic could stir such emotion and stories, though.
It’s a real good taste of the human experience..And like all flavors, there are good and bad.
Great job on the comic, Alex. Keep up the wonderful work!
Poor Maven, though. I know for as sadistic as she seemed, she did have a heart enough to be fooled. Hope that in disabling her voice, he didn’t cut off her air. A bitter doctor for later in the story would be awesome.

Edit: And not to be rude, a huge props to Winona for the awesome artwork. That must’ve taken hours to draw out and color each page! Just a quick question. Is photoshop used? Or some other art program like Sai?

Fulgin

*drops a bag of charcoal* In celebration of the final night of camping, I hit up Costco for a whole mess of steaks. How do you want yours? Oh, and some of you better stick around with me until morning to haul out the trash and roll up the tarps. Leave it cleaner than you found it, people.

ErykaSoleil

I’d like one cooked on the outside and red in the middle, please. Not sure if that’s “medium rare” or “medium done”. :/ And I’ll help with cleanup, that’s fine. I got some Girl Scout cookies!
- http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
  
  Eryka! I feel like I haven’t talked to you in forever. How are you?
  - http://pulse.yahoo.com/_J7W4JMZ6MXCVA6KKCFVAMW44OU Summer
    
    Medium well for me, please. Oh, and I shall supply the sides. Steak fries and veggies, anyone?
    - samae
      
      nope. had Chinese XD
    - http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
      
      Steak fries? *eats one* I love steak fries! But I’m full. Why must you tease me? *eats another*
    - http://pulse.yahoo.com/_J7W4JMZ6MXCVA6KKCFVAMW44OU Summer
      
      I’m a rather merciless tease to my friends. I too cannot resist steak fries.
    - http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
      
      You are evil! *snatches and handful and runs away*
  - ErykaSoleil
    
    Haha. That’s because everything got so serious in the comments. :p I am thrilled to death that I can actually see a small patch of dirt in one spot of my yard (right at my gate, where it’s been shoveled repeatedly). And we have roads again! Well . . . we have roads in most places. The rest of Fairbanks is kind of a giant, gravelly slushy with tire tracks in it. :/
    - Becky
      
      ALASKA! YOU’RE IN ALASKA! I LIVE IN KENAI! Haha, hooray, Alaskans! Actually, my brother’s up in the ‘Banks going to school right now.
      
      I can’t see dirt anywhere yet, just craploads of slush everywhere. Breakup. Joy. :)
    - http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
      
      I feel like I was robbed of winter. Massachusetts got like less than 12 inches all winter. What is the world coming to?
http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m full. I do have some KFC though. (that’s Kentucky Fried Chicken for you nonAmericans). I’ve got fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, potato wedges, and grilled chicken without skin for people watching their weight. Oh, and a bunch or gravy. Dig in!

And yes I’ll help with clean up. *brandishes trash bags*
- ErykaSoleil
  
  Ahhhhh, KFC. -Wipes away some drool.-
- Kel Z
  
  I’m good dude, we made burgers. We put bacon in them. GOOD STUFF. And homemade soda. With raspberry. I’m so full it’s crazy. More chicken for everyone else!
  - http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
    
    Argh! Why did I eat before camp? WHY?!
    - Kel Z
      
      Hey I still have some bacon! And soda!

samae

campcampcampcampcampcamp

Brittany Brain

Well, since we’re all here camping and everyone’s sharing their stories, I guess I’ll share mine. This isn’t really a “coming out” story though.

I never really thought there was anything wrong with being homosexual even when I was very young. It just seemed pretty normal to me.

I remember a conversation between me and an old friend about a book series we were reading in the sixth grade. House of Night series, anyone? Anyway, we were talking about how we were just like these two girls that look nothing alike but are like twins, and we were thinking they might be lesbians, and then we both look at each other and say, “what if we’re gay?”

Then, like a foreshadow, fast forward to seventh grade and said friend and I were dating. We kept it a secret for a while with only a couple of her friends in the know, until her parents read her text messages. They flipped and it all went downhill from there. My parents didn’t care but they didn’t want us to get harrassed at school. Her parents didn’t want anything to do with me. We eventually broke up that summer. We don’t talk anymore. I hope she’s doing alright.

I’m bisexual. I’ve had crushes on boys and girls. But I’m still young so I’m keeping it to myself for a few years. I only have a few friends who I’m sure will accept me. Most kids my age don’t really understand. And I don’t want to seem like those girls who claim to be bisexual for attention. “I’m bi, but I’d never do anything with a girl.” <— wut.

On a side note, Anthony Rapp is my hero. He played the original Mark Cohen in the musical Rent, for those who don't know. He wrote this amazing book, "Without You," it's a must-read even if you're not familiar with Rent. He talks about his relationships, his coming out, his experiences with sexuality when he was young, and also about the deaths of his mother and Jonathon Larson, who wrote Rent and died before he got to see his musical performed on Broadway.

http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S

House of Night, yes! The twins were my favorite characters outside of Damien (who I most identified with).

I know what you mean about trying to figure out who would still accept you after you came out. When I was about 16/17 I made a mental list of my friends and family who I thought I could tell. I was certain that my brother was out of the question. As was my male best friend. Everyone else fell under “maybe”. I’m 21 now and I can honestly say that every single person I chose to come out to has been supportive or at least tolerable. Though after reading some of these comments it’s clear I am lucky. Side story:

Strangely enough the first friend I came out to (besides my female best friend, Chrissy, who was publicly bisexual) was a hardcore Catholic. John and I became friends because I liked debating religion with him (I’m an agnostic). We were hanging out in his room and I asked why God created homosexuals, only to condemn them. John theorized (which is what I like about him, he doesn’t pretend to have all the answers) that homosexuals have the choice to either deny their “affliction” and turn to God and be saved. Or they can not do that (at which point he kinda trailed off uncomfortably. I presume he meant they would be damned.) I then told him that I was attracted to guys and what he thought God would do to me. I chose that moment because at that point John and I were close friends. I knew he wasn’t homophobic and I wanted to see if he would stick by his previous view. To his credit, he maintained his stance, which made me like him even more. John didn’t let my sexuality change his views (which says a lot about how devoted he is) and at the same time he didn’t let his religious views get in the way of our friendship. We’re still good friends today, about four years later. *end side story*

I think what I’m trying to say is if you’re trying to decide who to come out to, I suggest going to people who you think are mature (like I did with John). The rest can wait. You’d be surprised how much people can grow up in a year or two (like my brother). Or I guess you can do the “rip the baid-aid off” approach and come out to everyone at once and let the chips fall where they may (look, two metaphors in one sentence!).

I’m sorry about your friend. That’s a really sucky way for the relationship to end. Have you thought of looking for her online?
- Lhuna
  
  Something similar happened to me, two years ago I spent an entire Christmas night on my cellphone trying to comfort a friend who had come out recently. He was totally devastated because out of his 2 best friends (I was one) the other girl rejected him totally, and even told him ‘he’ll burn in the flames of hell’ for being gay. It was sad, we’ve known each other for more than 10 years and when that happened it really surprised me. I remember he was so scared that he even hesitated to tell me about it, because he thought I’d do the same.
  - http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
    
    That is so sad . How is he doing now?
    - Lhuna
      
      He’s ok; he moved on. He realized he was surrounded by people who actually loved him, no matter what.
    - http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S
      
      Good. That’s what matters in the end.
    - Brittany Brain
      
      I’m happy to hear that your friend moved on. It’s a scary thing to grasp that people so close to you will reject you but you find out along the way who really cares.
- Brittany Brain
  
  Oh yeah, there’re way too many maybe’s on my list, so that’s why I’m waiting. Most of my friends don’t have a problem with queers but they’d still feel uncomfortable around one. I’m gonna wait until they mature a little, and until my whole group of peers matures, too. I know some of my friends won’t even want to associate with me anymore, and well, that’s their loss.
  
  I like how your friend John sounds. It’s cool that he kept his stance as a Christian but still accepted you.
  
  I do have a few friends who are mature that I’m prepared to tell soon.
  
  My friend actually goes to the same school as me. I tried maintaining the friendship after the break up, but she had told me that she couldn’t be friends with too many people anymore because she wanted to focus on her education, so I took the hint.
Lhuna

Sorry to read that you lost contact with this girl, but you’re going to find people in you life who will accept you and others who won’t; it’s just a matter of how you live with it.

j chan

This is totally off the subject of most of these comments, but…

The transition from Panel 1 to Panel 2 is really, really awkward.

http://profile.yahoo.com/A6LXNDBF65PDZYZ7FYMBBRFGXI Alex S

*grins* It’s nice to have the odd comment actually be about the comic. I didn’t notice that until you pointed it out. *shrugs* My guess is that Deacon and Jeff are very very happy to see each other and are moving really fast.
ErykaSoleil

Maybe there was a little kiss that was skipped in favor of getting the story to fit in the space available?
Becky

I thought it was meant to be kind of a spin-shot from Panel 1 to the big long panel to “Panel 2″, and then continuing down the right-hand side of the page. You know, like in the movies where the heroes kiss at the end, and the camera zooms around them in a big circle? Just with the panels a little out of normal order. But also probably the moving quickly thing. We all know how speedy Deacon is. :)

Becky

Campity camp camp! Never done this before, but what the hell, it’s Friday night and it’s the last page (excepting any bonus material, of course). So I’m all snuggled in with some boring paperwork and a glass of wine. :)

http://gogglesandlace.com/ Kit Writes

I’m going to miss Artifice. =[ Well done, though. Loved the story. Absolutely wish there was more to it.

http://twitter.com/AyakoNoChou Nan (Deanna)

Alex and Winona, I love you lots and lots, and I’ve been attempting to camp. But I have to be up in 4 1/2 hours. So I’m going to bed now and will see your page in the (later) early hours of the morning. I still love you both and Artifice lots and lots. I just have to answer to my Mom if I’m bleary eyed tomorrow and have already received the threats about staying up late ^^’

*rolls out sleeping bag, snuggles in, grabs security blanket to cuddle with, and promptly falls asleep dreaming of beautiful men and women*

fujoshifanatic

Ah, I woke up in time for a little of the final camp! Reading through all these posts since I was last here has been truly amazing. *tears* The outpouring of support, and all the diverse, intriguing, funny, sad, maddening and heartwarming stories that sprang from a random comment made by one brave young man (hi Alex S!) has truly warmed my soul, and has made the experience of enjoying Artifice all the more special.

I will truly miss this little community that Alex W. and Winona built, and sincerely hope you all will continue to visit Yaoi911 not only for Alex’s great stories and talented artists, but for each other as well. *pets sleeping kitty while sipping coffee by the campfire*

Melissa Nolan

I haven’t camped here before waiting for an update, but I thought I would now. And I’m very glad I did; it’s been nice to be able to read through the stories people have posted.

I don’t have a huge coming-out story, as I’ve only ever told one friend. I’m pansexual, but that’s just a label – not a very exact description. Simply put, I’m attracted to people because of who they are, not what gender they are or associate with.

I’m a homeschooled Christian, and I do not believe homosexuality is a sin. There are good reasons for that, backed up by Biblical text, but that’d take too long to explain. But living closeted in a Christian world has been…difficult. To walk into church and have everyone treat you so nicely and be all polite, but then they say prayers like, “Dear Lord, help us in our battle against the homosexuals,” or something similar. My heart aches from all of it, but there’s nothing I can do.

When I was 13, I fell in love with my best friend at church. She didn’t know it, and I was denying it to myself, and hating it because I knew what my parents would do if they found out. Our friendship ended badly, and we’ve only spoken once since then, but we’re at peace with each other now, and I’m thankful for that.

I hope that some time in the future I’ll be in an environment where it’s okay to be a Christian and not be straight. Until then, I find comfort in comics and stories like this one, because in many ways, they are a safe place to be myself. ^_^

cjfrankie

Love, love, LOVE the little pirouette-dance-leading-into-passionate-kiss… *sigh* … So romantic!
Where can I get me a man like that?

Superjenny

Smooching like horny teenagers with muted psychotherapist on floor…

Priceless.

http://profile.yahoo.com/PQED5X5E5EQ2PQMNHLTMSG62II Angelia

lol shes still on the floor.DIE YOU HORRID HOEBAG!!!

YaoiQueen

AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS PAGE!!!!!!!!!! I JUST LOVE LOVE LOVE THE KISS IN THE
THIRD PANEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OnyxLight

I’ve read this (twice even) and realized I had made the grievous error of never reviewing a single panel. *Is correcting this now so pardon me if this is a bit long*

Innovative – You took societies current standpoint (the idea that homosexuality is some sort of flaw) and ran with it in a way that simply took my breath away. It made me wish someone would go all “Jeff and Deacon” on those out here in the real world who still have such narrow minds they’d get in the way of love for no other reason than them not liking/understanding it.

Plot driven – You had an idea (and at some points I think your muse ran away with you but it was for the best and I’m glad you let it run) This book had a point and it wasn’t just mind blowing art and hot sex. You get major kudos from me for that. You had us following two people falling in love not just falling into bed. NICE!

Speaking of mind-blowing art… OMG love it! Your scenes are complete and beautifully done… I just don’t have the proper words for it.

I know this one comment cannot make up for my lack of giving this wonderful work of art it’s proper due but I hope it helps.

Please keep up the excellent work. I’ll be waiting, watching, reading and now (thanks to Disqus) commenting ^_^ *hugs*

Beth Lebar

This is probably my favorite page in the entire comic. Not just for that gorgeous kiss, but also for that one line of Deacon’s. “Missed you, baby…” It’s so simple, but just so damn human and romantic to me, like that one little pet name sums up everything that’s changed in Deacon thanks to Jeff. /romanticsappysigh

Ree

Maven in the background
just
omg
thank you

http://profile.yahoo.com/GIRBDGJATX6535WYBFTMY7HMTI Grianne

I love that they’re making out while Maven is quite possibly choking to death in the background. LMAO Ultimate taunt! Also Jeff manages to be badass AND cute at the same time. Something Deacon is picking up on, I see…

http://www.facebook.com/MaylinDarkwolf Kayla Atkins

lol

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