Vlad the Vegan Vanilla Vampire
I love drawing minority monster comics that highlight important issues of sexuality and gender, but sometimes I just think of a funny thing and write that instead. Though to be fair- whether you’re a minority or not is all about *context*- vampires in Alphabet soup land are way into kinky blood sports, so Vlad had to go against society pressure to express himself.
Food for thought.
Anyway- I’m managing to do about one of these a month- a couple of weeks to sort out voting then some time to polish off the comic! Just so you know a rough update schedule. :)
Which story should I do next?
Oh cool! A new one is up, and it’s the one I voted for! Yay!
The link in the margin on the right still shows Mx Alex, so I had no idea this was up.
-snerk- I *love* Fred’s reaction.
I’m totally ‘shipping Vlad and Lucie!
Oh no, has Hank been downgraded to a timeshare because he keeps losing the vote? :<
And what is I.M.P.S?
DAMMIT I JUST WANT HANK TO WIN SO I CAN BETTER LEARN WHAT HETEROFLEXIBLE IS
Some people seem to use it as ‘mostly straight but has some bisexual leanings’.
Idk as a bi person I don’t really like it and I see it used for bi erasure sometimes (eg “oh it means you’re heteromantic but bisexual lol!” uhh no that’s still bisexual, it’s on the bi spectrum). Maybe some others have a better experience of it.
I’m heteroflexible. I have never, ever found “bisexual” to fit my identity because male secondary sexual characteristics actively turn me off. (In other words, male body hair patterns, deeper voices, facial structure, height, muscle tone, and oh gods FACIAL HAIR.) To a lesser extent, social male gender clues on men also turn me off- typically male clothing, hair cuts, and definitely attitudes.
These things only bother me on men, though, and sometimes I will find myself looking at guys who aren’t pinnacles of either physical or socially-accepted masculinity. And I’m panromantic so if I meet someone who’s completely right for me all bets are off.
While I agree that bisexuality is often dismissed or ignored, I don’t think that ignoring labels that do fit people’s identity in favour of promoting bisexuality awareness and acceptance is the way to go.
… based on your description, Jason, I think I might be heteroflexible too… I always have gone by “bisexual”, but it always seemed a little off… and what you describe might be why.
I am v happy right now because I have never met another panromantic person before
I’m a pan ace so Panromantic people are here.
I am homoflexible myself, though I typically just say pansexual. The reason I took homoflexible is because my attraction to men is mostly sexual, I have never found myself romantically interested in a man (those it is possible) and it is a VERY rare type of guy who manages to make me physically attracted to them (though for fun sex, I don’t need to find someone sexy).
When it comes to women and non-binary folks though, my god, the varried types of people andl ooks I can fall for is insane!
I’ve heard it as, “I’m straight, but willing to try dating people who are not my preferred gender on the rare occasion when I think they’re cute.”
The only person I know who has ID’d as heteroflexible has not yet been interested in any women or NB people, but she says that she’s open to the idea, and sometimes finds women sexy.
I figured it was sort of like how I’m asexual because I don’t experience sexual attraction to anyone, but I still enjoy dating and having sex. Basically, it seems like you can identify as straight, and even only be sexually attracted to the opposite gender, but still have an emotionally and even sexually fulfilling relationship with someone outside that realm of attraction.
I used to identify has homoflexible. By this I meant that I primarily experienced sexual attraction to guys, pretty much exclusively, but on rare occasions, after already having an emotional bond with someone, I might start to feel attraction for other genders. Basically I thought of my self as regularly gay, with something similar to dimisexuality happening with other genders sometimes. It felt like lying to say I was gay, because other genders had a shot, but I didn’t like calling myself bi or pan either, most of the time that wasn’t how I felt. My everyday experience was like that of a gay guy but “sometimes things happen” I had to acknowledge that possibility; so homoflexible was the only label I felt comfortable in and that I felt reflected my experience.
Now, I identify as genderqueer and don’t like labeling myself in a way that assigns gender to me or any partner I might have. I still experience attraction the same way, but now I feel more comfortable labeling myself as bisexual, in part because I met someone who identified as bi who felt attraction the same way. When gender issues started bugging me I thought “If he can be bi, why can’t I? Bi doesn’t HAVE to say anything about my preferences.”
So, that’s probably more than you care to know, but that’s my perspective on whatever-flexible.
Most of the guys I know who identify as heteroflexible are basically down for sexy fun times that involve other men so long as women are involved as well (up to and including sex with other guys while their girlfriend watches. I also know a few guys who do gay porn and use the label because although they’re comfortable having sex with other men, it’s not anything more than a job. I also know one guy who identifies as heteroflexible because his spouse transitioned to male after they’d been together for several years. They’re still together and all, but he wouldn’t actually consider dating another guy.
After reading all these comments I am now convinced more than ever that sexuality and romantic interest is a spectrum. Their are so many different ways to feel and love and lust for other people and it’s a little confusing and overwhelming sometimes but I’m learning every day. I’m discovering new things not just about others but also myself. I guess that make me kind of like Fred huh
Tab–would you consider putting what minority each comic would portray in the voting? I know you mentioned that Ms. President was roughly in the neighborhood of a trans woman, and I think she’d get more votes if that were clear. Ditto the I.M.P.S., since I have no idea what that stands for.
Okay, will include it next time! Possibly just in brackets down the side?
Awesome, yeah! Thanks, Tab.
All I could find on I.M.P.S and LGBTQ was a improv group that are LGBT friendly.
Awww, poor Vlad. One would think Fred would have learnt his lesson by now. He met an asexual succubus, why not believe in a vegan vampire?
And, heh, Fukkit is a strange name for a demisexual god.
I’ve identified both as bisexual and heteroflexible, and now I’m not sure, maybe pan? Mainly, I would fall under the ‘hetero’ umbrella, but I did date another person of the same gender before, have been sexually attracted to people of the same gender, but not had similar romantic feelings for one (yet) as I have had for partners of my uh… counter-gender (?). I have also felt attracted to a trans* person of the same gender-identity as I am, so neither ‘bi’ or ‘heteroflexible’ seem accurate anymore. That’s why I’m interested in Hank, to see whether I’m right or wrong in that aspect. On the other hand, fuck labels. Hehe.
You could be a heteromantic pansexual. Romatic oreintation describes who you are romantically interested in romance wise. Sexuality is who you are sexually attracted to.
What does “Vanilla” mean in this context?
Interesting question. I thought we’d see Vlad engage in some vanilla sex, or at least vanilla cuddling, but it seems he’ll have to be lonely for the rest of his days, if everyone reacts like Fred. Poor Vlad.
(For all I know, “vanilla” is synonymous with “Something everyone likes”. Which would mean in this context that Vlad doesn’t bite people, as, while some people might have a fetish for that, most consider it unpleasant to be bitten by a vampire. Still, I would have expected something more sexy, as that is the context “vanilla” is usually used in.)
Fairly certain it just means “not kinky”.
I can’t stop laughing at Fred XDD.
This is only up-to-date until Tab posts the next comic, but I hope someone gets a kick out of what I made for April Fools Fandom Bodyswap http://teajaylore.tumblr.com/post/115250531150/for-april-fools-bodyswap-i-made-a-map-of-alphabet
I’m fascinated by the ways people identify themselves. ^^ Hetero/homoflexible is whatever it is to whoever uses it. I just use the word queer. I am transfeminine and pass for female usually, am mostly addicted to masculine energy in male or transmasculine bodies, but will make exceptions for non-masculine folks who share more traits with me (fat/trans girls, mixed race folks…)
Fred and Vlad need to be canon. I think there should be a comic about Fred, the baby queer.
I stumbled upon this today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c99NfY7S1aA&app=desktop
That, is AMAZING.