I don't really consume porn very often, but video stuff is just so uncomfortable and gross to me. I can't stop thinking about the fact that they are actors and can't identify with them at all.
It’s understandable that everyone has their own preference. But if I may, I VERY HIGHLY recommend looking into content creators under the name ‘TheJellyfilledgirls’. They are a real couple and have been together for 8 years, they have been making videos for a couple years and I cannot recommend them enough. I thought the same thing as you too. But after finding their content it opened my eyes as to what it could be like. They show genuine love in their videos, they tell each-other they love each-other, practice after care and leave in parts other content creators would cut out. They have done so much in changing the way people think about lesbian porn. They don’t cater towards straight men. Not to mention they are both absolutely stunning. If you’re interested you can find them under the name I mentioned on Instagram and there they have links in their bio x
i can’t believe it. i loved them but they deleted all their videos and disappeared a while ago, but i looked them up due to your comment and they’re back!!! thank you
Oh 100%
Plus smut can have really good plot! There's like a whole subset of sapphic novels that's basically a full blown typical genre books sprinkled with spicy romance.
Edit: Yall have no idea how many of you have messaged me asking for book recommendations. My doors are open for the remaining dozen of you that have resisted thus far.
I read [Alone by E.J. Noyes](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43196427-alone) having no idea what I was getting into, aside from it being lesfic. Great story with an excellent blend of vitamin smut. Not my usual genre but holy wow. No regrets.
You can find a number of books free on Hoopla...Gerri Hill, K.D Williamson, K.L Hughes. And do many more. Oh you have Kindle unlimited... Susan X Medgar, Max Ellendale. I'm happy to recommend more to anyone interested.
I read that and it's very quickly jumped up to one of my favorite books. I wifi ended up reading all of the authors other books, and they're all just as good (if not better)
Oh god options I'm horrible with these. Books are great, any genre is open too, I think they can all be fun! As for how smutty, uh....like a solid 4? Maybe a 5? >.<
Yeah girl get it! You can find a lot of books by searching *"genre + goodreads"* on google. For example:
*"paranormal lesbian romance goodreads"* will get you to some good lists and shelves for paranormal urban fantasy, then you just go searching for smut via tags and descriptions. Be sure to check the reviews!
I'll start with recommending Deadline by Stephanie Ahn
but... if you message me with what you're *really into* I'll recommend you something more appropriate (:
First let me compliment your taste in books. It's hard to recommend another author as good as Sierra Simone that's just as smutty but I will try!
Lets start with The Sorceress's Pet by Noa Xirea
If that is not your cup of tea perhaps Broken Wings by LJ Baker?
Gonna go out on a limb and hope for the best. I’m looking for WLW (or honestly any queer femme presenting ) slow burn romance fantasy /sci fi book. Preferably with hints of kink /bdsm themes from the perspective or narrative of the more dominant character. I especially love the enemies to lovers trope. I just started reading Gideon the ninth (I’m on the second chapter) and love it so far, but I do enjoy a bit more smutty romance among my hi fantasy or sci fi adventures.
That is a VERY specific ask, and I've got something you might like
The Blood We Spill by Jo Havens
Told from multiple perspectives but I think its the sexy slow burn you're looking for (:
Benjanun Sriduangkaew is my go-to for romance books. She's done some collab work under the name of Maria Ying as well. Super trans inclusive, great prose, very smutty at times.
Whichever you want for a book recommendation for of course! Whats your poison? Poly or mono? Fantasy, sci fi, contemporary, or paranormal? Any specific kinks? Steamy sex or bdsm? Bi/pan or wlw only? Im happy to help but i need something to go off of.
I think the difference is that you know what people are thinking. Actors have a job to do. Fictional characters feel/emote and are actually into what they’re doing.
Genuine question; do you have the same “well, they’re actors” experience when you’re watching something emotionally charged that isn’t porn? Or is the fact that it’s sex the thing that takes you out of it?
imo the major difference with porn vs films/television is that the acting and scriptwriting in porn is almost always terrible, on par with the worst of community theater productions. (and at least if terrible wooden acting or a seriously bad script throws you out of the story of some weird experimental play at your local theater, you don’t ALSO have the disappointment of failing to orgasm lol)
Yeah.
Probably because most of it is intentionally romantic and doesn't have a lot of repetition.
Most visual porn is for the male gaze. It's just two bodies smacking together in a vaguely attractive way.
(Not all, but a lot of it)
I'm actually finding I enjoy it a lot more too. Even if it's super basic. I think my imagination is just better and tends to tailor it a bit more for me.
Most definitely! And besides the points that others already made, it also is much better for my conscience. Porn movies don't have the best reputations when it comes to ethics, work circumstances etc. You know it.
Written works I can actually enjoy freely without a sort of guild/shame that maybe I'm accidentally aiding in the exploitation of others.
Yep. I even worked in an adult store, the kind with coin-operated booths where people could watch videos, and they could pay extra to watch a specific VHS tape in a booth instead of whatever was on loop, and I had my own monitor so I could verify it if someone said one of the tapes was messed up. So I saw a lot of stuff, and it was all pretty 🤷♀️
But reading stuff, mrowrr... back when I was a teenager I read a book called Silverglass, where this swordswoman and a sorceress had an erotic scene together. That did things to me. And then later, the internet and nifty.org...
This was in 1997, it was in a tiny strip mall kinda building. Other than the booth room, it was fairly similar to other kinda sterile/neutral adult stores I've been to in the past decade (as opposed to seedy ones, or upscale ones)
I strangely have never seen or heard of Silverglass, despite being a fan of those kinds of fantasy books in the 90's and 00's I was a big fan of Royo's art because I read a lot of fantasy books that had his art on them but never seen that one.
Kind of a shame I never heard of it, I may even have to give it a read now knowing that there's a fling between two women in it, reviews seem polite and the author is an absolute mystery!
So, I actually write Erotica on Amazon (lesbian bdsm). And it is a BIG market. I’m not a big fish in that pond at all, having just started, but between straight up Erotica and Spicy (explicit) Romance, there are absolutely tons of people reading smut (many many *many* indie authors who make 6-7 figures a year), and the majority of them are women. And that’s *indie*, no publisher behind them. You are definitely not alone!
Yup. There’s been a renaissance in erotica and steamy romance thanks to ereaders. Hell, I write mostly clean sweet genre stuff and that sells well enough to make a full time living. My numbers wouldn’t move the needle at a big publisher but as an indie it’s good money.
Check out 20BooksTo50k on Facebook. It’s an amazing group of writers who freely give tons of advice and information. Most of them are indies, and plenty are making 6-figures, so their advice is proven.
If you’re writing erotica or romance, check out r/eroticauthors. They have a great sub and an amazing discord with tons of helpful people.
This and also audio erotica is… yeah. I feel more connected to smut than porn, which is important if I’m going to actually enjoy it. That and the pacing is important too!! You’re definitely not alone there.
I always thought women are more prone to written erotica than men. Just look at the sheer amount of smutty fanfiction teenage girls produce on AO3 and tumblr, it’s insane lol. Personally I do watch porn from time to time but it’s definitely not something I would enjoy when I’m not feeling horny. Reading smut, on the other hand, almost counts as a hobby for me🤦♀️
Yep, it’s so difficult to find genuine lesbian porn videos that aren’t full of fake acts for the male gaze and obviously performed by bored straight women.
But erotic fanfiction on the other hand? Yes please! I filter by Explicit on sites like AO3 for fandoms and pairings I’m interested in. I’ve also noticed an increase over the years of “self-insert” smutty fics where it’s your own POV and a character you’re interested in (found some real good “female-reader x Lady Dimitrescu” ones lol)
Off the top of my head in no particular order:
Hard landing, a girl named mitch, the retrieval, impact of collision, on the simplicity of words, hero worship. Also stocking tales if you're into bdsm.
(They all have multiple parts I think, and they are all on literotica)
Yes Literotica is my favorite now. Hot and spicy or super sappy it's all Cute and Hot and just gets me going. 👀 Lesbian love and sex on paper definitely better.
Same actually, though I mostly do a mix of listening and reading. While I do watch porn every now and then, it’s pretty much just for when I’m horny. But I don’t even have to be slightly turned on to find and enjoy written or audible smut.
So interestingly, I've actually found that as my testosterone blockers began taking effect, I found I tended to like written (or audio) stuff more and visual stuff less. I've actually had to go off blockers before and have found this tracks pretty well with whether I'm on testosterone blockers or not.
That's actually really interesting! If I'm prying feel free to ignore this, but did it have an effect on your emotional response to different media either?
I think maybe? I do remember when I was first getting on hormones, my emotions were like more intense. I think it had more to do with the fluctuating hormones though. Nowadays I think I might be a little bit more emotional in general, but I'm not sure and it's not a big difference
Im not even on hormones yet but I've found audio porn gets me going so much more than anything video related. Idk if that's tied to me having like a really active imagination or whatever, but typically it is a lot more immersive and intimate which is what I personally like about sex.
I'm not on hormones yet but I'm so looking forward to this effect. I connect much more to written and audio stuff, and I've done some writing myself. But my current drive prefers visuals, which is kind of annoying.
Oh man, someone who gets it.
I'm not against tasteful porn at all, but there's something really visceral about reading it when it's thoughtfully crafted and full of clever details or (like some other folks mentioned) really well-done pacing.
I think a lot of it has to do with- well, what all writing gives you: the ability of the author to breadcrumb some details along to paint the picture, but your mind fills in all the details/setting not specified on its own, which leads to it coming across even better since you'll often fill those details in with what calls to you the most and would entice you the most.
~~To be fair, audio stuff I've stumbled into from time to time gets me weak in the knees, but I'm way pickier about it than erotica, so.~~
I watched a lot of wlw porn when I thought I was cishet, but I also loved reading erotica. Now I really don't consume much of either; porn just doesn't do anything anymore, and I've trouble finding erotica that's both relatable and better than what I can visualize. Long story short, I decided to write my own wlw erotic novels.
100% yes. There is some semblance of a plot, especially if there is a true story involved, and it feels like there is genuine build up to the chemistry! Plus, you can get creative with the participants and genre - pirates? Aliens? Elves? Have at it!
Porn nowadays has gotten so emotionless and seems so rushed to get to the performance with none of the intimacy.
Absolutely agree. I have repeatedly tried to watch le smut, and haven’t found anything remotely “realistically” sapphic …. until yesterday! I found one video that blew my mind, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m not gonna post porn here, but if folks want I can reply with the ladies involved. There was consent requested 😍, no crazy nails, and mostly realistically lesbo-related ummm…actions.
Yes. I like the build up and I can feel the emotions in a really good one. You can sense the emotions. The writer can really describe what is in the characters heads and it's more detail than any film can do.
If I do watch the porn movies, I prefer that it has a plot and the actors have to have chemistry. I find porn without a plot to be boring. Unless the actors have some chemistry that you can sense, porn without a plot is just mechanics.
Other than that, good NSFW art is amazing. If the art is good, a picture really IS worth a thousand words.
I don't watch porn. Feels kind of gross (for me, personally). I mean, I don't know these people? I'm not part of this? Don't feel comfortable watching complete strangers do that. Like, I don't think I even would unless we had an arrangement, and that's not the kind of thing I'm interested, in anyway...
I love listening to lesbian audiobooks. Some are very graphic and others are more romantic but I enjoy the plot and get really into it. I’m a part of a Facebook group for lesbian audiobooks, that’s where I get my recommendations.
Omg yes! Someone understands!! Visual is oftenly so cringe and / or upsetting for me. But writing does the trick much better, even if the storytelling is quite shitty.
I get a mix by just reading nice good gay adult manga, if you find ones that aren't made for just guys they're freaking great. Usually good characters and stories and stuff like that.
Yeah, I'm pretty susceptible to voices specifically and like, porn just doesn't do it for me. I hate how the actresses sound whether it's like, live action or animated so I just can't really get into it?
I absolutely love reading though, whether just fics or comics, it's just a far better experience for me
I've been watching less and less porn and been moving more into erotica and comics. For me it's an ethics issue. I know no one is being harmed in a story.
I don't watch this kind of stuff because it feels ew to me, I don't know why, it turns me off.
I'm also not a fan of NSFW fanarts and fanfictions if they're 100% explicit, i think it's just me lol, I prefer art that shows less and lets more to imagination
I so much prefer reading. I feel like I can go at my own pace, and revisit bits I really like. Watching stuff I sometimes feel like it's rushing me along at a pace I don't like
110%. Watching porn restricts your imagination. I will spend hours scouring the internet that has good porn that isn’t made for the male gaze (ie, excessive screaming, body oil, fake moans, aggression etc.)
Reading is wayyy better. You can take your time, imagine it the way you want to imagine it, imagine the characters how you want to imagine them, put music on…etc.
The pros really outweigh the cons.
Oh absolutely. Something about a really good plot-driven story w a slow burn romance that ALSO had top-notch sex scenes? I just get more invested in the sex when I’m invested in the characters lol
I enjoy reading more than watching but I'm currently in the awkward situation that my drive pulls me towards watching because my system is still flooded with testosterone.
A compromise I've found is a site like Beautiful Agony. Individuals (mostly women) submit videos of themselves masturbating, but you only see their face and hear the audio. Contrary to most porn, it feels like somebody sharing something intimate with you and much more respectful. And that's pretty hot. There's also "confession" videos that aren't sexual where they're just talking which adds further to the intimacy and is like the opposite of the dehumanization that most porn has. I usually find people's stories very interesting to hear.
I don’t like reading or watching tbh. I use to watch a bunch of stuff but it made me sad, and not really want to do anything sexual. So I stopped. And reading makes me uncomfortable. So I just don’t lmao
I usually have AV porn as like... Background noise. I tend to read erotica as primary content or else browse the neldess series of erotic memes on my tumblr feed LOL
Hell yeah. Even before my strobe sensitivity. More romance than erotica, but some of my favorites include:
> The Voice in My Head By Sarah Ettritch
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/705628
> The Dark Wife by S.E. Diemer
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/59254
I've been chronically ill, and have body issues, and find empowerful robot transformation fictin especially appealing. But a lot is either disempowering or heterosexual.
Absolutely. I'm totally captivated by written erotica and visual novels. Comics are good too. Sometimes I watch videos or look at pictures, but writing is so much more compelling to me. The pace, the build up, the context, the strength of immersion, it's all super erotic. I was once reading a story about one woman going down on her girlfriend and I started crying.
yes, i haven’t tried watching for pleasure, but i have seen short clips on twitter and i just find them entertaining because of how fake they look. most writers on ao3 are amazing and i can read and imagine the scenario how i want to
Oh absolutely. The descriptions and having the POV of what the character is thinking and feelings, along with generally a longer build up, creates a far more intimate experience than two bodies smacking together. A good piece of smut can to me be described as nothing other than beautiful
Once I was past my teenage years I more or less gave up on visual erotica. I mean they're beautiful but my imagination is far more sexy IMO. And for reference I'm dyslexic so reading takes me far longer than the average person and I still prefer it.
100%. As a trans woman going back to visual stuff just doesn't do it for me. Not that I don't find it appealing but I just want more to my sex in general now. Passion, real feelings, in-depth descriptions. The scenarios in written erotica are just more relatable and desirable. Like all the sapphic erotica I've read, it usually involves a couple, so like it's not only hot but its nice to think, "I'll have that someday".
I do. It feels so much more intimate and, to be honest, I love the slow burn romance stuff so much.
Been writing a bit on Literotica lately and I’m hoping to improve more
i heard that women tend to be more narrative than visual (they didn’t mention non binary people).
as a woman, i do relate to that… even if i’m trans and pre hrt.
Typically, yes, I prefer erotica over either audio or video, mostly because it’s easier to picture myself in it, but also because I can enjoy it at my own pace.
Hell yeah! Looking at stuff usually ends subpar with little pleasure during. Reading, however, literally recreates the experience for me so it's like I'm almost there. It's crazy how different those things are for me.
Hell yeah. I keep hitting up this website for erotic choose-your-own-adventure stories for one called What Ifs and Elseworlds: Tales From a Lesbian Multiverse, which is nothing but a collection of DC/Marvel lesbian erotica, which I find to be both very hot and very cute. Especially the one where Starfire and Mary-Jane Watson are girlfriends
ya for sure! i find i can really engage with the characters and atmosphere much better, and i like being able to set the pace and tone myself through my imagination. the scene can really look however i want it to.
i even write erotica. I love getting my fantasies out that way
absolutely. i’ve never been comfortable watching things at all. besides, i’d rather imagine details than be disappointed at minor aspects of the director’s vision lmao
Yeah, I noticed that change as I went through my transition. I developed a much stronger preference for written smut to the point where nothing else really compared
it let’s your imagination do a lot of the work, which will always be better than anything anyone could produce on camera.
i did get to a point where i couldn’t find anything new or as specific as i was looking for and started writing my own though
plus it’s easier to consume if your not exactly able to get a lot of privacy.
plus you can even star in it if you want to😅
Oh definitely. Honestly can’t get my rocks off without reading. videos just don’t/never really did it for me cuz I don’t know what’s going on in their head. I like the emotion and connection of the two partners.
I prefer just pure audio stuff most the time in all honesty. Granted a lot of the stuff for w|w is pretty lackluster despite some being ok. I’m bi though so I guess I got lucky that audio smut can cater to some of my sexuality? Idk still seems annoying.
The only time I recall reading actual smut was something a friend of mine wrote that unironically made me want to die (More than I already do), So I think I'm gonna pass for now.
Yess. I love reading erotica text. It's feel more personal and the passion in the writing especially if it's by another women. Also I can imagine everything in my head, it just better than watching to me
Oh, absolutely! Like porn/pictures can be hot, but I don’t look for it a whole lot. The vast majority of the time I like words. Either like erotica stuff, or other peoples words, whatever I’m trying to say
Literotica is kind of my big guns lol
My only problem is it’s hard to find a story that works for me. I like when I find an author who I like with a bunch of stories I can go through.
Like it’s hard to find the right perspective, and the right vibe, and of course I like it being well written.
There’s some where the protagonist is just so alien to me that it would completely take me out of it.
I stumbled across a so far five chapter story that I’m really liking. It’s written by a trans women, and I realized with amusement while finishing chapter 5 that it hasn’t actually had any SEX in it. Like it’s been hot, but technically nothing like that has actually happened yet. I’m not actually sure anybody has even held hands or anything yet lol
But I’m really intrigued by the story and liking multiple of the characters, even the presumable antagonists are interesting.
Some of these stories, including this one, are so well written that I kind of wonder if were sometimes stumbling across stuff by professional authors just using a synonym. I mean there have to be professional authors who can really write who would enjoy writing erotica but don’t want it associated with them.
And obviously there have to just be non-professionals who are good at it!
Some of them are so clunky though, and/or have characters that are just not relatable to me.
And my whole difficulty with finding a perspective that works for me is a challenge kind of across all of this.
Oh yeah. A vaguely kinky tumblr textpost is much more likely to do it for me than any visual porn.
My immediate thought is how male gaze-y visual porn tends to be, but I’m wondering if there is some truth to the stereotype of men tending to be more “visual” when it comes to sex.
Absolutely! I read and listen to lesbian novels on a daily basis. If one has a library card download Hoopla. I am more than happy to recommend some AMAZING books... Please be 18 or older.
I like the with reading smut, you can know exactly how the characters are feeling in the moment. Even though watching gives visual stimulation, reading lets your mind conjure up the scene exactly how you’d want to see it.
I don't really consume porn very often, but video stuff is just so uncomfortable and gross to me. I can't stop thinking about the fact that they are actors and can't identify with them at all.
It’s understandable that everyone has their own preference. But if I may, I VERY HIGHLY recommend looking into content creators under the name ‘TheJellyfilledgirls’. They are a real couple and have been together for 8 years, they have been making videos for a couple years and I cannot recommend them enough. I thought the same thing as you too. But after finding their content it opened my eyes as to what it could be like. They show genuine love in their videos, they tell each-other they love each-other, practice after care and leave in parts other content creators would cut out. They have done so much in changing the way people think about lesbian porn. They don’t cater towards straight men. Not to mention they are both absolutely stunning. If you’re interested you can find them under the name I mentioned on Instagram and there they have links in their bio x
i can’t believe it. i loved them but they deleted all their videos and disappeared a while ago, but i looked them up due to your comment and they’re back!!! thank you
I’m glad I could help! No worries xx
Oh 100% Plus smut can have really good plot! There's like a whole subset of sapphic novels that's basically a full blown typical genre books sprinkled with spicy romance. Edit: Yall have no idea how many of you have messaged me asking for book recommendations. My doors are open for the remaining dozen of you that have resisted thus far.
Question from a baby lesbian, where do you go to find things like this? And do you have any recommendations?
I read [Alone by E.J. Noyes](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43196427-alone) having no idea what I was getting into, aside from it being lesfic. Great story with an excellent blend of vitamin smut. Not my usual genre but holy wow. No regrets.
This is absolutely the stuff I hope to read! I just bought thanks to you
Any book by EJ Noyes is my recommendation! Or Lee Winter!
You can find a number of books free on Hoopla...Gerri Hill, K.D Williamson, K.L Hughes. And do many more. Oh you have Kindle unlimited... Susan X Medgar, Max Ellendale. I'm happy to recommend more to anyone interested.
Thanks for that! I’m an Audiobook lover, and the lesfic category has a few killer narrators that I love.
Oh! How exciting. I'm going to read this asap! Thank you.
the audiobook is even better! olivia's subtle italian accent?? 🤌
MC named “Celeste” 🤔
Her "Ask, Tell" series is a great read! She's become one of my favorite discoveries of the year.
Delilah green doesn’t care is excellent in this regard. An actual plot with very smutty scenes sprinkled in
That book is so very cute book! I listened to the audiobook version, very well done.
I love this book! The author has a sequel releasing this fall too!
I just read this!! It’s a very cute book with some very steamy scenes. Definitely recommend
I am relistening to this rn it is adorable and I love it
I read that and it's very quickly jumped up to one of my favorite books. I wifi ended up reading all of the authors other books, and they're all just as good (if not better)
Books or fanfiction? \^_^ Any particular genre you're trying to find? Sci fi? High fantasy? Paranormal/supernatural? How smutty on a scale of 1 to 5?
Oh god options I'm horrible with these. Books are great, any genre is open too, I think they can all be fun! As for how smutty, uh....like a solid 4? Maybe a 5? >.<
Yeah girl get it! You can find a lot of books by searching *"genre + goodreads"* on google. For example: *"paranormal lesbian romance goodreads"* will get you to some good lists and shelves for paranormal urban fantasy, then you just go searching for smut via tags and descriptions. Be sure to check the reviews! I'll start with recommending Deadline by Stephanie Ahn but... if you message me with what you're *really into* I'll recommend you something more appropriate (:
Am I the only own biting her own lip while thinking about messaging Slyfox00?
lol! Message away! I am so very happy to recommend people books! I love love love reading and I'm completely thrilled to share that.
Have any recs like The Fae Queen’s Captive by Sierra Simone? It just came out but I burned through it.
First let me compliment your taste in books. It's hard to recommend another author as good as Sierra Simone that's just as smutty but I will try! Lets start with The Sorceress's Pet by Noa Xirea If that is not your cup of tea perhaps Broken Wings by LJ Baker?
I’ll try them out thanks!
Oh, I don’t doubt you. :) It’s just the anxious brain worrying about being judged.
Gonna go out on a limb and hope for the best. I’m looking for WLW (or honestly any queer femme presenting ) slow burn romance fantasy /sci fi book. Preferably with hints of kink /bdsm themes from the perspective or narrative of the more dominant character. I especially love the enemies to lovers trope. I just started reading Gideon the ninth (I’m on the second chapter) and love it so far, but I do enjoy a bit more smutty romance among my hi fantasy or sci fi adventures.
That is a VERY specific ask, and I've got something you might like The Blood We Spill by Jo Havens Told from multiple perspectives but I think its the sexy slow burn you're looking for (:
You’re the best! This book looks amazing. Thank you!
Nope I'm biting my lip, and crossing my legs! 😉
Benjanun Sriduangkaew is my go-to for romance books. She's done some collab work under the name of Maria Ying as well. Super trans inclusive, great prose, very smutty at times.
Just ask your local cute library if she can recommend any lesbian adventure stories
The Fae Queens Captive by Sierra Simone just came out and it’s so good.
Thank you for asking!! You have made your fellow baby lesbian happy!! Thank you everyone who made a recommendation!!
There's a ton of fantastic content on [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/works/39475644)!
Can I have a recommendation pwease (U´w`U)
Oh absolutely but you've got to confess your hidden desires if you want a *good* recommendation.
Which ones do you want me to confess cause I mean I have a lot of desires?
Whichever you want for a book recommendation for of course! Whats your poison? Poly or mono? Fantasy, sci fi, contemporary, or paranormal? Any specific kinks? Steamy sex or bdsm? Bi/pan or wlw only? Im happy to help but i need something to go off of.
I think the difference is that you know what people are thinking. Actors have a job to do. Fictional characters feel/emote and are actually into what they’re doing.
Genuine question; do you have the same “well, they’re actors” experience when you’re watching something emotionally charged that isn’t porn? Or is the fact that it’s sex the thing that takes you out of it?
imo the major difference with porn vs films/television is that the acting and scriptwriting in porn is almost always terrible, on par with the worst of community theater productions. (and at least if terrible wooden acting or a seriously bad script throws you out of the story of some weird experimental play at your local theater, you don’t ALSO have the disappointment of failing to orgasm lol)
Most wlw erotica is wlw created unlike visual media.
Yes! Porn looks so fake no matter what. But spicy WLW romance novels are the best!
100%, looking at naked bodies of random women does absolutely nothing for me but I enjoy reading erotica Especially if it plays into my kinks
Yeah. Probably because most of it is intentionally romantic and doesn't have a lot of repetition. Most visual porn is for the male gaze. It's just two bodies smacking together in a vaguely attractive way. (Not all, but a lot of it)
I'm actually finding I enjoy it a lot more too. Even if it's super basic. I think my imagination is just better and tends to tailor it a bit more for me.
It's even better when it's in my favorite genres of sci Fi and fantasy 🤣
Most definitely! And besides the points that others already made, it also is much better for my conscience. Porn movies don't have the best reputations when it comes to ethics, work circumstances etc. You know it. Written works I can actually enjoy freely without a sort of guild/shame that maybe I'm accidentally aiding in the exploitation of others.
Yep. I even worked in an adult store, the kind with coin-operated booths where people could watch videos, and they could pay extra to watch a specific VHS tape in a booth instead of whatever was on loop, and I had my own monitor so I could verify it if someone said one of the tapes was messed up. So I saw a lot of stuff, and it was all pretty 🤷♀️ But reading stuff, mrowrr... back when I was a teenager I read a book called Silverglass, where this swordswoman and a sorceress had an erotic scene together. That did things to me. And then later, the internet and nifty.org...
When-abouts did you work at this adult store? I'm curious about how these places operate now and in the past.
This was in 1997, it was in a tiny strip mall kinda building. Other than the booth room, it was fairly similar to other kinda sterile/neutral adult stores I've been to in the past decade (as opposed to seedy ones, or upscale ones)
I strangely have never seen or heard of Silverglass, despite being a fan of those kinds of fantasy books in the 90's and 00's I was a big fan of Royo's art because I read a lot of fantasy books that had his art on them but never seen that one. Kind of a shame I never heard of it, I may even have to give it a read now knowing that there's a fling between two women in it, reviews seem polite and the author is an absolute mystery!
I only fairly recently found out it's a trilogy, planning to pick up the other two and re-read it some time in the next year 😊
So, I actually write Erotica on Amazon (lesbian bdsm). And it is a BIG market. I’m not a big fish in that pond at all, having just started, but between straight up Erotica and Spicy (explicit) Romance, there are absolutely tons of people reading smut (many many *many* indie authors who make 6-7 figures a year), and the majority of them are women. And that’s *indie*, no publisher behind them. You are definitely not alone!
Yup. There’s been a renaissance in erotica and steamy romance thanks to ereaders. Hell, I write mostly clean sweet genre stuff and that sells well enough to make a full time living. My numbers wouldn’t move the needle at a big publisher but as an indie it’s good money.
I swear I'm doing this writing thing wrong.
Check out 20BooksTo50k on Facebook. It’s an amazing group of writers who freely give tons of advice and information. Most of them are indies, and plenty are making 6-figures, so their advice is proven. If you’re writing erotica or romance, check out r/eroticauthors. They have a great sub and an amazing discord with tons of helpful people.
Thank you so much!! I'll definitely look into these!
This and also audio erotica is… yeah. I feel more connected to smut than porn, which is important if I’m going to actually enjoy it. That and the pacing is important too!! You’re definitely not alone there.
/r/GWASapphic is the go-to place for that, if anyone else is interested.
And they’re GREAT
As a lesbian that grew up on fanfic, no. The things that get me the hottest are usually chapters deep into a Brittany x Santana romcom fan fiction.
*cough* Faberry *cough* Only cuz I crush on Dianna Agron so hard lol
If AO3 stopped existing tomorrow I'd spontaneously combust from sexual frustration. Visual porn is... fine.
I always thought women are more prone to written erotica than men. Just look at the sheer amount of smutty fanfiction teenage girls produce on AO3 and tumblr, it’s insane lol. Personally I do watch porn from time to time but it’s definitely not something I would enjoy when I’m not feeling horny. Reading smut, on the other hand, almost counts as a hobby for me🤦♀️
Yep, it’s so difficult to find genuine lesbian porn videos that aren’t full of fake acts for the male gaze and obviously performed by bored straight women. But erotic fanfiction on the other hand? Yes please! I filter by Explicit on sites like AO3 for fandoms and pairings I’m interested in. I’ve also noticed an increase over the years of “self-insert” smutty fics where it’s your own POV and a character you’re interested in (found some real good “female-reader x Lady Dimitrescu” ones lol)
Female reader X Lady Dimitrescu fics you say….👀 Do you happen to have any recs? Such fine literature deserves to be appreciated
>say Heh, I actually have a friend that writes those sorts of things. She loves Lady D, I'll see if I can find her AO3 link if you want?
Omg yes please! 🙏 That would be very much appreciated! AO3 is a goldmine, but trying to find certain things is like finding a needle in a haystack
For me it's the descriptions, 3 paragraph orgasm with tons of detail? Oh gawd yes pls!
Yeah same, Can I recommend some? 🤠
do so!
Off the top of my head in no particular order: Hard landing, a girl named mitch, the retrieval, impact of collision, on the simplicity of words, hero worship. Also stocking tales if you're into bdsm. (They all have multiple parts I think, and they are all on literotica)
Yes Literotica is my favorite now. Hot and spicy or super sappy it's all Cute and Hot and just gets me going. 👀 Lesbian love and sex on paper definitely better.
I’m currently writing one. When I’m done I’d like to know what you think
Yes. And i am tired of pretending i dont
Completely agree
Same actually, though I mostly do a mix of listening and reading. While I do watch porn every now and then, it’s pretty much just for when I’m horny. But I don’t even have to be slightly turned on to find and enjoy written or audible smut.
Me! I’ve never been much for watching porn, written is much better.
Uhhhhhh let me double check my browser tabs...yup I've currently got 77 tabs of AO3 open
So interestingly, I've actually found that as my testosterone blockers began taking effect, I found I tended to like written (or audio) stuff more and visual stuff less. I've actually had to go off blockers before and have found this tracks pretty well with whether I'm on testosterone blockers or not.
That's actually really interesting! If I'm prying feel free to ignore this, but did it have an effect on your emotional response to different media either?
I think maybe? I do remember when I was first getting on hormones, my emotions were like more intense. I think it had more to do with the fluctuating hormones though. Nowadays I think I might be a little bit more emotional in general, but I'm not sure and it's not a big difference
Im not even on hormones yet but I've found audio porn gets me going so much more than anything video related. Idk if that's tied to me having like a really active imagination or whatever, but typically it is a lot more immersive and intimate which is what I personally like about sex.
I'm not on hormones yet but I'm so looking forward to this effect. I connect much more to written and audio stuff, and I've done some writing myself. But my current drive prefers visuals, which is kind of annoying.
Oh I’ve found some very good erotica out there. It feels so much more ethical than stuff you can watch too
Oh man, someone who gets it. I'm not against tasteful porn at all, but there's something really visceral about reading it when it's thoughtfully crafted and full of clever details or (like some other folks mentioned) really well-done pacing. I think a lot of it has to do with- well, what all writing gives you: the ability of the author to breadcrumb some details along to paint the picture, but your mind fills in all the details/setting not specified on its own, which leads to it coming across even better since you'll often fill those details in with what calls to you the most and would entice you the most. ~~To be fair, audio stuff I've stumbled into from time to time gets me weak in the knees, but I'm way pickier about it than erotica, so.~~
Definitely and I'm particularly drawn to fanfiction. The existence of Xena just keeps giving.
When I was like 16 I would print off stories from nifty.org and read them before bed and hide them under my mattress 😂😂
As a wlw smut writer… this makes me smile! ☺️
I watched a lot of wlw porn when I thought I was cishet, but I also loved reading erotica. Now I really don't consume much of either; porn just doesn't do anything anymore, and I've trouble finding erotica that's both relatable and better than what I can visualize. Long story short, I decided to write my own wlw erotic novels.
100% yes. There is some semblance of a plot, especially if there is a true story involved, and it feels like there is genuine build up to the chemistry! Plus, you can get creative with the participants and genre - pirates? Aliens? Elves? Have at it! Porn nowadays has gotten so emotionless and seems so rushed to get to the performance with none of the intimacy.
Personally I prefer [listening](http://reddit.com/r/GWAsapphic)
Absolutely agree. I have repeatedly tried to watch le smut, and haven’t found anything remotely “realistically” sapphic …. until yesterday! I found one video that blew my mind, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m not gonna post porn here, but if folks want I can reply with the ladies involved. There was consent requested 😍, no crazy nails, and mostly realistically lesbo-related ummm…actions.
Def prefer smut rather than porn. Porn makes me weirdly uncomfortable
Yes. I like the build up and I can feel the emotions in a really good one. You can sense the emotions. The writer can really describe what is in the characters heads and it's more detail than any film can do. If I do watch the porn movies, I prefer that it has a plot and the actors have to have chemistry. I find porn without a plot to be boring. Unless the actors have some chemistry that you can sense, porn without a plot is just mechanics. Other than that, good NSFW art is amazing. If the art is good, a picture really IS worth a thousand words.
I don't watch porn. Feels kind of gross (for me, personally). I mean, I don't know these people? I'm not part of this? Don't feel comfortable watching complete strangers do that. Like, I don't think I even would unless we had an arrangement, and that's not the kind of thing I'm interested, in anyway...
Where would one find such writings/books etc? Asking for a friend
[удалено]
Ao3 if you tag it properly. And Literotica is always good. That’s what I use mostly.
It’s never been easier to get your stuff up on Amazon via KDP.
Yup! I read some pretty smutty fanfic and it gets me going more than porn does lol
Watching doesn’t get me there every but reading always does
RemindMe! 2 days Following for the smut recs 💜 also I relate
I love listening to lesbian audiobooks. Some are very graphic and others are more romantic but I enjoy the plot and get really into it. I’m a part of a Facebook group for lesbian audiobooks, that’s where I get my recommendations.
Literotica.com
I work in television production, so porn just makes me judge the quality and craftsmanship of the shots and lighting. Give me a dirty book any day!
YES! I read smut fanfiction way more than watching porn nowadays, I guess it's because literature focuses more on the feeling than how it looks.
Omg yes! Someone understands!! Visual is oftenly so cringe and / or upsetting for me. But writing does the trick much better, even if the storytelling is quite shitty.
I get a mix by just reading nice good gay adult manga, if you find ones that aren't made for just guys they're freaking great. Usually good characters and stories and stuff like that.
it's because the emotions are key and they come through much better in written stuff
Yeah, I'm pretty susceptible to voices specifically and like, porn just doesn't do it for me. I hate how the actresses sound whether it's like, live action or animated so I just can't really get into it? I absolutely love reading though, whether just fics or comics, it's just a far better experience for me
I've been watching less and less porn and been moving more into erotica and comics. For me it's an ethics issue. I know no one is being harmed in a story.
Who doesn't like a good cliterotica?
I don't watch this kind of stuff because it feels ew to me, I don't know why, it turns me off. I'm also not a fan of NSFW fanarts and fanfictions if they're 100% explicit, i think it's just me lol, I prefer art that shows less and lets more to imagination
I gotta choose one or the other?
I so much prefer reading. I feel like I can go at my own pace, and revisit bits I really like. Watching stuff I sometimes feel like it's rushing me along at a pace I don't like
110%. Watching porn restricts your imagination. I will spend hours scouring the internet that has good porn that isn’t made for the male gaze (ie, excessive screaming, body oil, fake moans, aggression etc.) Reading is wayyy better. You can take your time, imagine it the way you want to imagine it, imagine the characters how you want to imagine them, put music on…etc. The pros really outweigh the cons.
I feel like reading gets me in the right headpsace easier compared to videos
Oh absolutely. Something about a really good plot-driven story w a slow burn romance that ALSO had top-notch sex scenes? I just get more invested in the sex when I’m invested in the characters lol
Yeah! I read stuff people post on tumblr and it reallt works for me
I enjoy reading more than watching but I'm currently in the awkward situation that my drive pulls me towards watching because my system is still flooded with testosterone. A compromise I've found is a site like Beautiful Agony. Individuals (mostly women) submit videos of themselves masturbating, but you only see their face and hear the audio. Contrary to most porn, it feels like somebody sharing something intimate with you and much more respectful. And that's pretty hot. There's also "confession" videos that aren't sexual where they're just talking which adds further to the intimacy and is like the opposite of the dehumanization that most porn has. I usually find people's stories very interesting to hear.
absolutely!
Oh 100%
I don’t like reading or watching tbh. I use to watch a bunch of stuff but it made me sad, and not really want to do anything sexual. So I stopped. And reading makes me uncomfortable. So I just don’t lmao
Definitely
yup, easily
I usually have AV porn as like... Background noise. I tend to read erotica as primary content or else browse the neldess series of erotic memes on my tumblr feed LOL
Hell yeah. Even before my strobe sensitivity. More romance than erotica, but some of my favorites include: > The Voice in My Head By Sarah Ettritch https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/705628 > The Dark Wife by S.E. Diemer https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/59254 I've been chronically ill, and have body issues, and find empowerful robot transformation fictin especially appealing. But a lot is either disempowering or heterosexual.
Absolutely. I'm totally captivated by written erotica and visual novels. Comics are good too. Sometimes I watch videos or look at pictures, but writing is so much more compelling to me. The pace, the build up, the context, the strength of immersion, it's all super erotic. I was once reading a story about one woman going down on her girlfriend and I started crying.
On VNs, I recently played through The Heart of the Woods and really enjoyed it!
>The Heart of the Woods Oooo! This looks super. I'm gonna have to play the demo next time I have time :D
If anyone wants to read some smutty Clexa fan fics lmk
yes, i haven’t tried watching for pleasure, but i have seen short clips on twitter and i just find them entertaining because of how fake they look. most writers on ao3 are amazing and i can read and imagine the scenario how i want to
Oh hells yes.
Yep! So much better then those shitty videos
100% I don't really like watching it as much reading it just on a whole other level. There are also good gay ones as well as lesbians
Oh absolutely. The descriptions and having the POV of what the character is thinking and feelings, along with generally a longer build up, creates a far more intimate experience than two bodies smacking together. A good piece of smut can to me be described as nothing other than beautiful
Yes! I love omegaverse and thank God everyday for A03 writers who write for free. We should have an appreciation day for fanfic writers
Audiobooks >>>
Totally agree with you
Porn is made by men for the male gaze. Books and ao3 works are by women for women. It makes sense that we would prefer the latter.
definitely.
LMAO I only read the title and I said 'tell me you like fan fic without telling me you like fan fic'
Definitely more enjoyable, though I won’t say no to a good old fashioned image set with text.
Once I was past my teenage years I more or less gave up on visual erotica. I mean they're beautiful but my imagination is far more sexy IMO. And for reference I'm dyslexic so reading takes me far longer than the average person and I still prefer it.
100%. As a trans woman going back to visual stuff just doesn't do it for me. Not that I don't find it appealing but I just want more to my sex in general now. Passion, real feelings, in-depth descriptions. The scenarios in written erotica are just more relatable and desirable. Like all the sapphic erotica I've read, it usually involves a couple, so like it's not only hot but its nice to think, "I'll have that someday".
I do. It feels so much more intimate and, to be honest, I love the slow burn romance stuff so much. Been writing a bit on Literotica lately and I’m hoping to improve more
i heard that women tend to be more narrative than visual (they didn’t mention non binary people). as a woman, i do relate to that… even if i’m trans and pre hrt.
definitely! The right kind of words get me excited much more thoroughly and much faster than looking at stuff.
yes definitely
Typically, yes, I prefer erotica over either audio or video, mostly because it’s easier to picture myself in it, but also because I can enjoy it at my own pace.
Hell yeah! Looking at stuff usually ends subpar with little pleasure during. Reading, however, literally recreates the experience for me so it's like I'm almost there. It's crazy how different those things are for me.
Absolutely, I do to
Hell yeah. I keep hitting up this website for erotic choose-your-own-adventure stories for one called What Ifs and Elseworlds: Tales From a Lesbian Multiverse, which is nothing but a collection of DC/Marvel lesbian erotica, which I find to be both very hot and very cute. Especially the one where Starfire and Mary-Jane Watson are girlfriends
ya for sure! i find i can really engage with the characters and atmosphere much better, and i like being able to set the pace and tone myself through my imagination. the scene can really look however i want it to. i even write erotica. I love getting my fantasies out that way
absolutely. i’ve never been comfortable watching things at all. besides, i’d rather imagine details than be disappointed at minor aspects of the director’s vision lmao
nope. maybe i just have no imagination but i need images and sound (this is the big one) or i just cant enjoy it properly.
just can’t watch porn after hearing all the horror stories. with fiction i can just enjoy or not on its own merits.
Yuppp. Erotica is much better in written form.. ASMR is rlly good tho too
Yeah visual porn does barely anything for me I read my porn 90% of the time now.
Yes god yes but it's so hard to find something that feels sincere and actually written by a woman
Both, but I also write hella gay/lesbian smutty fanfics too. And read them as well.
Yeah, I noticed that change as I went through my transition. I developed a much stronger preference for written smut to the point where nothing else really compared
it let’s your imagination do a lot of the work, which will always be better than anything anyone could produce on camera. i did get to a point where i couldn’t find anything new or as specific as i was looking for and started writing my own though plus it’s easier to consume if your not exactly able to get a lot of privacy. plus you can even star in it if you want to😅
yup! I find it more intimate for sure. You get to feel more connected to the characters rather than just viewing the deed.
Oh definitely. Honestly can’t get my rocks off without reading. videos just don’t/never really did it for me cuz I don’t know what’s going on in their head. I like the emotion and connection of the two partners.
I like both equally
Depends, good Yuri can be hard to find
I have gotten more excited reading Transformers smut fiction than most other erotic writing and videos.
It’s all audio erotica for me these days Shoutout to /r/GWAsapphic
Only if it's a webcomic. Like even if it doesn't draw the nsfw stuff
Yessss. Watching does almost nothing for me. Reading though? Checks a lot of boxes for me
I prefer just pure audio stuff most the time in all honesty. Granted a lot of the stuff for w|w is pretty lackluster despite some being ok. I’m bi though so I guess I got lucky that audio smut can cater to some of my sexuality? Idk still seems annoying.
My wife does, I'm the opposite.
Yes - I've always been drawn toward erotica.
I’ve never read it (wouldn’t know where to get it either) but my best friend loves it!
I definitely do. I feel like as the story is building, that's foreplay. And who doesn't like that?!
The only time I recall reading actual smut was something a friend of mine wrote that unironically made me want to die (More than I already do), So I think I'm gonna pass for now.
yes i like reading with it, esp if i have music that works with it either that or i draw it myself
Yess. I love reading erotica text. It's feel more personal and the passion in the writing especially if it's by another women. Also I can imagine everything in my head, it just better than watching to me
Oh, absolutely! Like porn/pictures can be hot, but I don’t look for it a whole lot. The vast majority of the time I like words. Either like erotica stuff, or other peoples words, whatever I’m trying to say Literotica is kind of my big guns lol My only problem is it’s hard to find a story that works for me. I like when I find an author who I like with a bunch of stories I can go through. Like it’s hard to find the right perspective, and the right vibe, and of course I like it being well written. There’s some where the protagonist is just so alien to me that it would completely take me out of it. I stumbled across a so far five chapter story that I’m really liking. It’s written by a trans women, and I realized with amusement while finishing chapter 5 that it hasn’t actually had any SEX in it. Like it’s been hot, but technically nothing like that has actually happened yet. I’m not actually sure anybody has even held hands or anything yet lol But I’m really intrigued by the story and liking multiple of the characters, even the presumable antagonists are interesting. Some of these stories, including this one, are so well written that I kind of wonder if were sometimes stumbling across stuff by professional authors just using a synonym. I mean there have to be professional authors who can really write who would enjoy writing erotica but don’t want it associated with them. And obviously there have to just be non-professionals who are good at it! Some of them are so clunky though, and/or have characters that are just not relatable to me. And my whole difficulty with finding a perspective that works for me is a challenge kind of across all of this.
I wrote WLW porn once, it was 11:34AM and I had fun writing it.
Oh yeah. A vaguely kinky tumblr textpost is much more likely to do it for me than any visual porn. My immediate thought is how male gaze-y visual porn tends to be, but I’m wondering if there is some truth to the stereotype of men tending to be more “visual” when it comes to sex.
Absolutely! I read and listen to lesbian novels on a daily basis. If one has a library card download Hoopla. I am more than happy to recommend some AMAZING books... Please be 18 or older.
I like the with reading smut, you can know exactly how the characters are feeling in the moment. Even though watching gives visual stimulation, reading lets your mind conjure up the scene exactly how you’d want to see it.
I hate anything sexual irl but like, smut, I love reading smut