#solar bisexual sapphic

[vignetterose]

Bi Woman/Bi Sapphic Identities

Lunar Bisexual Sapphic (Fem Bisexual Sapphic)

Solar Bisexual Sapphic (Masc Bisexual Sapphic)

Stellar Bisexual Sapphic (Mascfem Bisexual Sapphic)

These are terms and flags to describe feminine, masculine, and masculine-feminine bi women/bi sapphics that aren't the lesbian terms butch and femme. I also couldn't find a term for what I experienced (both masculinity and femininity/fluctuating between the two) so I decided to create my own!

[cdrcrowdedroom]

ill love you in the way that when others look at you, you’ll know it’s in the same way i do — the most authentically beautiful woman stretching all the way to GN-z11.

[lionmom-svenomverse]

Sharing the concept art for my Chryslestia family! Gonna have to snip a lot of HCs/notes so you can find the full thing over on my dA. Anyways, more info under the cut!

💙 Queen Celestia - Ruler of Equestria. Sun Deity. Royal Batpony Alicorn (With Heliacorn Attributes). Agender (She/he/it/they), Pansexual Demi 💙 Queen Chrysalis - Ruler of Equestria, Former Queen of the Changeling Hive. Reformed/Former Villain. Non-Reformed Queen Changeling. Nonbinary (It/xey/they/she), Bisexual Demi 💙 Princess Antlion Aphid - Princess of Equestria. Heir to the Sun. Solar Astronomer/Engineer. Has anxiety. Royal Alicorn-Changeling Hybrid (With Batpony/Heliacorn Attributes). 35 y/o. Nonbinary (It/its and She/her mainly), Lesbian. Likes studying the sun, sundresses, large hats, hosting parties, yoga, calligraphy and diplomacy. Aphie is based off of antlion larvae, not so much aphids but it's a cute lil addition to her name. Special talent is using the sun to power technology! 💙 Princex Hercules Metalmark - Princex of Equestria. Heir to the Sun. Armorer. Has autism. Royal Alicorn-Changeling Hybrid (With Batpony/Heliacorn Attributes). 35 y/o. Agender (They/them and xey/xem mainly), Trixic. Likes puzzles/cipher cracking, keeping fit, fruit, fire, sappy movies, giving gifts and winter. Inspired by the Hercules Beetle and the Metalmark Butterfly! Special talent is crafting enchanted armor! 💙 Prince Joro Orb Weaver - Prince of Equestria. Heir to the Sun. Seamster at Carousel Boutique. Royal Alicorn-Changeling Hybrid (With Batpony/Heliacorn Attributes). 35 y/o. Transmasculine/Nonbinary (He/him, It/Its, She/her), Bi. Likes designing outfits, spoken word poetry, spiral patterns, fantasy shows/books, posters, journaling and social events. Inspired by the Joro Spider and the common Yellow Garden Spider/Orb-Weaver! Special talent is sewing outfits! 💙 Princex Tsetse Deathwatch "Click" Beetle - Princex of Equestria. Heir to the Sun. Nurse. Gravedigger. Mute. Has autism. Royal Alicorn-Changeling Hybrid (With Batpony/Heliacorn Attributes). 35 y/o. Genderfluid (They/them and it/its mainly), Omni. Likes history documentaries, playing the guitar, baggy clothes, cemeteries, volunteering, birds and brownies. It was initially named "Princex Malachite" and based off of the Malachite butterfly, but since I've changed its' name it doesn't really resemble what its' currently named after: the Tsetse Fly and Click/Deathwatch Beetles. Special talent is healing creatures! 💙 Princess Venusta Orchard Mason - Princess of Equestria. Heir to the Sun. Gardener. Builder. Farmer. Royal Alicorn-Changeling Hybrid (With Batpony/Heliacorn Attributes). 35 y/o. Transfeminine/Nonbinary (They/them and She/her), Aro/Sapphic. Likes worms, pottery, lemonade, architecture, foraging, climbing trees, falling leaves and making friends. She's mainly inspired by the strikingly blue Orchard Mason Bee, which I first saw around my early high school years iirc and fell in love with it. The other half, Venusta, comes from the Venusta Orchard Spider! The 'Venusta' part of their name actually wasn't initially there, but I thought it'd be a pretty edition, especially since the two bugs share the word 'orchard' in their names. Special talent is building strong structures! 💙 Prince Rosy Maple Brimstone - Prince of Equestria. Heir to the Sun. Influencer. Disc Jockey. Party Thrower. Royal Alicorn-Changeling Hybrid (With Batpony/Heliacorn Attributes). 35 y/o. Intersex (He/him), Ace/Queer. Likes hyperpop/house music, makeup, bright colors, flea markets/antique malls, soap carving, blogging and raves. Rosy is mainly based on the Rosy Maple Moth, but the other part of his name comes from the Brimstone Butterfly! Special talent is DJing and music production! 💙 Prince Atlas Adonis Blue - Prince of Equestria. Heir to the Sun. Drag Queen. Royal Alicorn-Changeling Hybrid (With Batpony/Heliacorn Attributes). 35 y/o. Demiboy (He/him and They/them), Gay. Likes singing, the stars, glowsticks, finance, karaoke, collecting mugs, clubbing, glitter and cleaning. Atlas is of course inspired by the Atlas Beetle and the Adonis Blue Butterfly! Special talent is performing!

[synnthamonsugar]

She convinced her family to join the space program after her coworker was killed by a rabbit embryo. She base jumped into a black hole. She achieved luxury automated lesbian space communism. She started a civil war. She decided to become the savior of humankind. She's bisexual. She's only had one known partner: the woman who was sent to assassinate her. She has powerful sapphic energy with every woman in her life. She made a deal with the literal consciousness of the solar system. She broke up a heterosexual couple and imprisoned one of them. She DIY'd a throne world as a fun weekend project. Eris Morn was the last person she thought of before she got obliterated. She came back from the dead. She ate her archenemy's power. She broke apart a pyramid. She died and came back again. She turned down the Witness. When her archenemy turned herself into a crystal, she hauled her metamorphosing body into her bedroom as a cool piece of decor. She killed Savathun without even trying to. She's a farm girl. She's fucking insane. I didn't name anyone but you just pictured her, didn't you?

[gabbbyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy]

Hiiii shows you guys all of my PvZH sexuality Headcanons because I wanna

Plants—

Green Shadow- Bi-curious Ciswoman

Solar flare- Panromantic Asexual Polyamorous Ciswoman

Wallknight- Questioning Cisman

Chompzilla- Sapphic Demiromantic Demigirl

Spudow- Pansexual Polyamorous Cisman

Citron- Bisexual Cisman

Grass Knuckles- Cishet Ally Cisman

Nightcap- Questioning (mspec) Demiromantic Polyamorous Demiboy

Rose- Pansexual Ciswoman

Captain Combustible- Het Transman (FTM)

Beta Carrotina- Lesbian Ciswoman

Zombies—

Super Brainz- Questioning Asexual Cisman

The Smash- Bisexual/Neptunic Transman (FTM)

Impfinity- nuh uh (I hc him as a 6 year old)

Rustbolt- Gay Demiboy

Electric Boogaloo- Gay Cisman

Brain Freeze- Unlabeled Agender(?)

Professor Brainstorm- Bisexual Transman (FTM)

Immorticia- Lesbian Trans-Demigirl (MTDG)

Z-Imp- Demi-Aroace Cisman

Neptuna- Omnisexual Ciswoman(?)

Huge Giganticus- nuh uh (Also a kid in my HCs)

Note: ⚠️NONE OF WHAT I SAY ABOUT THESE GUYS ARE CANON!!! PLEASE KEEP THAT IN MIND!!

ok thanks :3

[the-sapphic-moon]

Hi, I'm gay for mamamoo. What's your name?

[sendme-2hell]

Sapphic SFF book recommendation master-post part 1: Fantasy

Caption: 

Reminded me of: The Poppy War, Baru Cormorant, The Jasmine Throne

Other Notes: Main character is genderqueer & on the ace spectrum

Black Sun - Rebecca Roanhorse

Plot: Fantasy set in pre-columbian americas with 3 povs. A solar eclipse is approaching and the political landscape will change forever. 

Plot: Fantasy set in pre-columbian americas with 3 povs. A solar eclipse is approaching and the political landscape will change forever. 

Plot: Fantasy set in pre-columbian americas with 3 povs. A solar eclipse is approaching and the political landscape will change forever. 

Reminded me of: Steel Crowe Saga, Broken Earth Trilogy, Priory of the Orange Tree

Other Notes: Also Features: Nonbinary characters, gods, knife priests, a bisexual mermaid, crows. Romance is not a major aspect of the book.

The Tiger’s Daughter - K Arsenault Rivera

Plot: Love letter between two childhood friends from different cultures. They are both warriors. One becomes a ruler and the other becomes a monster. Features my favorite trope: a bonding road trip! 

Other Notes: I’ve heard it is not incredibly accurate to the cultures it represents. Also, it is a romance more than anything else. The main focus is the two women’s relationship. 

The Empress of Salt and Fortune, When the Tiger came Down the Mountain - Nghi Vo

Plot: Two sapphic novellas focusing on storytelling, power, narrative, and the plight of women.

Other Notes: Both really short and excellent! The tiger one is also really funny. highly recommend. 

The Jasmine Throne - Tasha Suri

Plot: A captive princess and her secretly powerful maidservant form a shaky alliance in a fantasy world inspired by the epics of India. 

Reminded me of: Baru Cormorant (everything reminds me of her), The Unbroken, She Who Became the Sun

Other Notes: I can’t wait for the next book in this series!

The Traitor Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson

Plot: Baru’s island is colonied when she is a child. She plans to rise up in society and destory them from within. It goes so well and nothing bad happens.

Reminded me of: Black Sails, A Memory Called Empire, Ninefox Gambit, Gideon the Ninth, The Poppy War

Other Notes: look up content warnings!! It will make you cry! This book ruined my life but in a good way. The sequels include lots of hot morally grey women, a great nonbinary POV character, and some of the funniest lines I’ve ever read. I feel I have to say this because no one wants to read the sequels after finishing Traitor. 

The Rise of Kyoshi

Plot: Kyoshi the earthbender discovers she is the Avatar and must deal with the consequences. She also gets a fire nation girlfriend.

Reminded me of: Avatar the Last Airbender (duh), The Broken Earth Trilogy

Other Notes: Felt more mature than ATLA but was able to keep the spirit. I bet you could read it without having seen ATLA. 

The Unbroken - C. L. Clark

Plot: Touraine has been raised as a soldier by the forces that took her homeland. Luca is a princess sent to stop a rebellion in aforementioned homeland. They meet. North African inspired fantasy, anti-colonialism themes. 

Reminded me of: Baru Cormorant, The Jasmine Throne

Other Notes: lots of (mostly morally grey) queer women characters

The Unspoken Name - A.K. Larkwood

Plot: A sword lesbian orc, her annoying gay brother (not biological), a necromancer, and an older morally grey necromancer-orc go up against an ancient God/father figure. 

Reminded me of: Gideon the Ninth, Priory of the Orange Tree

Other Notes: I just really recommend reading this if you want something to read after finishing the Locked tomb. similar vibes. 

The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon

Plot: This one is super popular so idk if I even have to say it. 4 POVs including a sapphic spy undercover as a handmaiden, a dragon rider, a nice guy, and a not nice guy (idk I’m losing energy making these summaries). 

Reminded me of: Crier’s War, GOT if it was less sexist, The Unspoken Name, The Queen of Coins and Whispers, The Midnight Lie

Other Notes: It seems long and it is! But it’s doable. I was so invested in the slow burn I didn’t even notice the length. 

[sapphic-september]

Welcome to the new home of Sapphic September!

Since 2020, Sapphic September has been run and cross-posted by two friends on two separate accounts, @solar-settings (Zee, she/her) and @cora-writes-things (Cora, she/her). Now, we’ve decided to streamline the process by creating an official account for Sapphic September and conducting everything here!

If your question isn’t answered here, please check out our blog’s designated FAQ page, which is updated regularly and includes answers to questions not listed in this post!

What is Sapphic September?

Sapphic September is a prompt fest that runs throughout September and is dedicated to creating sapphic fanworks, like fanfiction, fanart, and more!

What falls under the term sapphic?

Sapphic is an umbrella term that encompasses all women who are attracted to women, and also often includes non-binary folks who are attracted to women. It can include lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, gay, queer, poly, asexual, transgender, and non-binary people, as long as they have some level of attraction to women. Sapphic is sometimes used as a descriptor for relationships between women or media that centers these relationships. WLW (women loving women) and NBLW (non-binary loving women) are other terms used alongside sapphic.

What kind of fanworks do you accept?

We accept all kinds! Fanfiction, poetry, fanart, graphics, fancomics, zines, fanvids, textiles, cosplays, you name it; as long as it’s sapphic and falls under the given prompts, it’s welcome here!

Which fandoms do you accept? Can I write for more than one ship or fandom?

All fandoms are welcome! Furthermore, you can write for more than one ship or fandom, only write for your OTP or favorite fandom, or create one big fanwork inspired by the prompts — as long as what you create has a connection to the given prompts, it’s welcome!

Can I write/draw/create mature or NSFW content?

Yes, you may, but please remember to tag mature or NSFW content so that it reaches its intended audience! We reserve the right to reblog or choose not to reblog any content as we see fit.

Where can I post my creations?

Anywhere! If you post your works here on Tumblr, be sure to tag them as #sapphicsept[year] and/or #sapphic september [year] — we want to see your creations! If you post your works on AO3, tagging them as Sapphic September will make it so that other participants (and us!) can find your work. :)

When will the prompts be released?

We will post the prompts here on Tumblr on August 1st at 10:00:00 am CST so that people can get a head-start if they wish.

Do I have to use all the prompts?

Nope! You can use one, some, or all the prompts, whatever inspires you.

Can I combine prompts?

Yes, feel free!

What if I’m late? Can I still join?

Absolutely! At least one of our mods still has drafts for prompts from two three years ago now that have yet to be finished and posted, so it’s never too late to join! You can even take a peek at previous years’ prompts and see if any of them inspire you: 2020 (from @solar-settings’s profile), 2021 (from @cora-writes-things’s profile), and 2022.

Who created the graphics?

One of the mods! @cora-writes-things created them with Canva and Unsplash, with input from our other mod, @solar-settings.

Where do I go if I have other questions not answered here?

Great question! Drop us a line through our ask box and we’ll get back to you as soon as we’re able. :)

[lizzieraindrops]

Chapters: 6/6 Fandom: Destiny (Video Games) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Eris Morn/Ikora Rey Characters: Eris Morn, Ikora Rey Additional Tags: 5+1 Things, Hello destiny sapphics; allow me to introduce myself, Femslash, if nobody is going to write the content i want to see then i will create it myself, listen. it’s about perceiving the weak and wounded places in someone you love, and lavishing love and care upon them even when they won’t admit they need it, it’s about the Mutual Support, it’s about being kind to them even when you don’t know how to be kind to yourself, Light Angst, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, oh and ikora has the most Distinguished Bisexual energy i’ve ever seen so jot that down, it doesn’t come up but you needed to know, this is all just a bunch of softness and tenderness don't @ me okay, Grief/Mourning

Summary:

Five storms Eris and Ikora weathered and one they didn’t need to.

The Shadowkeep weblore lives in my head rent free. Set post-Taken King and mostly during Shadowkeep.

“As I told Asher, there is a storm coming…” “Oryx is dead. We’ve weathered the storm.” Ikora is upset. She has yet to understand the bigger picture. “Yet his sisters would see his will done. There will always be another storm.” “Then let’s weather it together.” -Shadowkeep Narrative Preview #1

Chapter: |  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  +1  |

Set early Shadowkeep. Happy Ikora returns day!

As the afternoon sunlight sweeps across her study in slow motion, Ikora thinks on time, and distance. Their immensity and insignificance are so deeply, paradoxically interwoven. Leaning over the many strike reports on her heavy wooden desk, she thinks on decades passing, centuries, and the way the earth still turns under the sun every day the way it always has. She knows that even without encouragement, the sun has always been running down to eventually collapse into darkness. Yet the process is so slow that she has not witnessed the slightest telltale change to indicate it in all her long life, and unless they are all very unlucky, she likely never will. 

She considers the great stretch of space from her desk chair in the Tower to the near reaches of the Oort Cloud at the edge of the solar system, the pitted stones of which her own eyes have beheld in her youth. That great span is not so different from the kind of invisible gulf that oft forms between people. Ikora will sense that spaceless distance yawning wide even between herself and someone mere paces away. With some time and thought, she can often close it again. Compassion and carefully chosen words, thoughtful gestures; they hold more power than most people credit. But other times, no matter what form of communication she employs to attempt to bridge that void, people cannot or will not hear her. It is endlessly galling. It can happen with anyone from intractable faction leaders during a Consensus meeting to dear friends she does not want to lose to her own Traveler-forsaken ghost.

Despite any physical separation, she knows that felt distance would collapse if only she could understand and make herself understood to those she cares about. If only she could find the right way to reach them. Then she remembers all over again: the too-frequent sensation of reaching and reaching and reaching and not even being met halfway.

Ikora thinks about the universe’s tendency toward entropy, and the way time and space have torn people away from her again and again, be it by kilometers or eternities. She cannot forget the way she lost her mentor, her closest thing to kin, to his obsession with the mysteries of temporality long before he physically left the City. She remembers the way someone she could have loved was already leaving before Ikora could ask her to stay, vanishing to parts unknown. She considers her own time on Io during the Red War: Lightless and lost, desperately seeking a connection to anything that would give her hope or answers. All she found was herself even more alone, feeling farther from everyone than she ever has.

Then, Ikora recalls the way Cayde and Zavala seized her in a doubly crushing hug the moment she returned to Earth and stepped onto the unexpected refuge of the Farm. There she was, weaker than ever and harshly humbled by her own insufficiency in the face of insurmountable odds. Yet they not only reached out to her, but caught her as she fell into their arms broken. Maybe, in their own way, they had been reaching all along, and she had been turning away unknowing. She didn’t know how she’d gone so long without letting herself lean on them.

Now though, with her closest friend ripped out of her life and buried in a few years of grief, she still doesn’t know how she’s going to do it again. There’s only so much of each other’s pain and weariness that she and Zavala can hold. 

She thinks of the way it felt when Eris returned, feeling their separation in time and space draw to a close while a buffer of uncertainty remained. Truly, after the years of silence following their painful parting, Ikora had never expected to see the woman again. Yet Eris came back. Now she lingers at the edges of Ikora’s space, in the back of her mind; sometimes closer. Ever drawn back to the Moon, Eris comes and goes; but now, she remains within reach. 

Eris has always been hard to keep up with. Impelled by her immense grief and rage and pain, she drives herself so hard in pursuit of vengeance or closure. Ikora has always admired her tenacity in reshaping her suffering into a knife of purpose, one effective and deadly beyond even the means of most Lightbearers. Eris’ knowledge and sacrifices are what enabled them to defeat two gods of the Hive. And still she strives to further eliminate the possibility of her cruel fate ever befalling another. But it pains Ikora to see her still flinging herself into the fight with fury while foregoing her own healing.

It feels different, though, to be around her now. While as fierce and focused as ever, something has gentled some of her edges while sharpening others. It’s evident that Eris’ return to the Moon has spiked her dread with memory. Sometimes she is as wary as she was when she first returned from the Hellmouth, hissing at shadows. But her conversations with Ikora turn soft and halting far more than they ever did before. Perhaps she has found some measure of peace, given a few years with the defeat of Crota and Oryx to turn her avenged grief over and over in her hands. Or — as Ikora distinctly suspects — she, too, regrets the harsh words of their previous parting and thinks of reconciliation.

Maybe it’s just that Ikora is hearing her more clearly now. Or perhaps Ikora herself has just finally learned how to listen. What she hears is something that could be, not an answer, but the beginning of a conversation.

Shadows grow longer and Ikora moves from her desk to one of the soft chairs in her little library of an office. Ophiuchus compiles in a small flurry of Light, and she brushes a hand over his shell as she passes by. He watches her settle into the chair to watch the setting sun through the window. They do that sometimes: just watch each other. It has only been a few years since they started speaking to each other again after many decades. It’s still hard. But now that they have, their silences are friendlier. Ikora isn’t sure that they’ll ever be as close as they were before they pulled away from each other. But she’s still glad for what they have now. This is the kind of thing she promised herself she’d do better at after the Red War, so she’s been trying even harder. If she’s going to rely on anyone, her own ghost should be first among them. All the time they spent so far apart right next to each other has left its mark. But this is one of the few rifts that Ikora has been able to even begin to repair, and she treasures every rebuilt link.

Ikora thinks about the way Osiris tore time and causality itself apart to breach one of those unfathomable distances and bring back someone precious. With a little help, he saved someone thought irretrievably lost beyond a thousand layers of temporospatial distance. And yet, Ikora cannot help but see the way Osiris still struggles to close that gulf even when Saint is right in front of him, impossibly alive. As guardians, they are given so, so many second chances, but they are still far from infinite.

Ever since the day she formally became Vanguard, Ikora has been telling herself she’s not going to let herself repeat his mistakes. She keeps a firm grip on her emotions, leashes her ego, puts the City and its people’s safety first. She has failed many times, but succeeded more often; the Last City stands yet. But it’s been so hard to reconcile those imperatives with the harsh lessons of the Red War: sometimes, she is not enough; and sometimes, having others in her corner with her makes them enough, together.

Perhaps she should have paid more attention to those smaller lessons before then. Losing her Light, however temporarily, showed her just how fragile the greater ones are without that groundwork. No matter how mighty, a tree that does not anchor its fine roots into the ground will bow before a stiff wind. 

When the dust had settled and her Light returned, she swore to herself that she’d learn to let herself need other people. Intellectually, she knows it makes her stronger, even when she feels weaker. But losing Cayde so soon after that decision demolished what progress she had made. Time and again she ends up trapped in her own attempts at self-sufficiency, alone whether or not anyone else is there.

Ikora already knows what she wants, what she needs. She knows she needs people. And she knows she wants someone.

She just doesn’t know how to go about it yet.

[thismeddlingkid]

Hey everyone, a friend and I (both nonbinary people) are trying to create something for and to educate people on nonbinary people and terms. If there are any terms, you think should be included, please message me. So far I have been collecting sexual and romantic orientations and have the following: trixic, toric, Azalian, Femaric,  Feminamoric, Gynephilia,  Neptunic, orbisian, Sapphic, Venusic, Androphilia, Marsic, Mascic, Quadrisian, Thistlian, Uranic, Viramoric, Strayt, Contraic, Gai, Symmaic, Dahlian, Mercuric, Androgynesexual, Delphinian, diamoric, enbian, lunaric, saturnic, ceterosexual, solaric, stellaric, terraric, Wisterian, irisian, enboric, Achillean, gay, straight, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, omnisexual, polysexual, aromantic.

Also if you'd like contributor credit for any new information added, leave what name or account you would like to be under contributor credits. Thank you.

[breeeliss]

[Femslash February]: Sunlight

...so yeah this is screaming beach au so we’re just gonna do a beach au, alrighty?

Day 10: Sunlight (Alyanette + class bonding :P)

Words: 1730

Link to Archive of Our Own: [AO3]

[Previous: Flowers] [Next: Style Swap]

So...the original plan was to take a day trip to Normandy. 

Alya had been getting restless staying in the city during the summer, so she brought up the idea of going to some of the beaches along the coast. Marinette had been talking her head off about the beach since the Spring, so she figured it would be a cute date idea and something that they could handle in a day trip. Juleka and Rose had offered to tag along and bring blankets and snacks, and they were in Marinette’s bakery figuring out the details. 

But Sabrina and Chloe happened to be there picking up a pastry order, and just the word Normandy had Chloe stalking over to their table in complete disgust. Alya was bracing herself for some silly, spoiled little tirade, but instead Chloe took actual offense to the fact that they were thinking of going to the Northern beaches. 

“Normandy is so damn cold even in the middle of the summer, and the beaches down by St. Tropez are way nicer.”

“You realize that St. Tropez is like eight hours away driving, right? This was supposed to be a day trip,” Marinette muttered. 

Chloe snorted. “So? Listen, I’ll not stand around and listen to you all plan a girls’ day out at a beach that’s not even worth it. At least St. Tropez is warm and the resort beaches will treat you like royalty. Honestly, that I even have to explain this...“

“Well, uh,” Rose spoke up. “We really don’t have the money for anything like that, as nice as that sounds.”

“Yeah, you’re apparently dripping in euros, do you have any suggestions?” Alya sneered. 

Sabrina chuckled and leaned towards the table, lowering her voice just a tad. “Sorry, Chloe’s really bad at extending invitations.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “Extending an invitation?”

Turns out that Chloe’s father let her invite as many girlfriends as she wanted to St. Tropez every summer for a weekend at one of the beach resorts, and usually the Bourgeois’s had enough clout to reserve most of the beach for themselves. In the past, it had always been just Sabrina and Chloe along with a few of her father’s friends, but Sabrina promised that, as long as the rest of them were alright with spending a weekend away from home, they were more than welcome. Chloe was off to the side -- arms crossed and looking sour faced -- but muttered something about texting her father regarding extra plane tickets. 

So Marinette called up Alix and Mylene to ask if they wanted to join them for a girls’ beach day. And not even a few days later, they were all flying down to St. Tropez, plane tickets, hotel rooms, and Chloe’s platinum credit card all on behalf of Andres Bourgeois himself. 

They were all set up and tanning in a long line along the beach in the early afternoon on the Friday that they arrived. Chloe even set a timer on her phone so that they could all toast for half an hour on each side before going into the water. Alya had to hand it to her -- she didn’t like Chloe, but this was really really nice. She had to remember to convince Marinette to sneak into the hotel’s hot tub with her later that night. 

“So here’s a thought,” Alya said. “Marinette, when you become a rich and successful designer with your own label one day, can we make this our honeymoon spot?”

“Of course,” Marinette replied immediately. “So long as you also take me to New York City when you finally become a world renowned reporter and can take me anywhere in the world.”

“Hell yes. And we’ll get your hamsters so long as I can get my dog.”

Marinette held up her hand and waited for a high five from Alya. “Fabulous.”

Juleka giggled and peeked over the edge of her sunglasses. “You two are adorable.”

“Listen, I already called dibs on designing our wedding dresses. I have been dreaming about this since I was seven. Of course I have my life planned out.”

“Listen,” Alya laughed. “This girl has wedding invitation designs set up already. Planned out doesn’t even begin to cover it.” She grappled around for the sunscreen in her bag and threw it over to Marinette. “Re-do your face, babe, so you don’t burn your cheeks again.”

Marinette pouted. “I put a bunch on already.”

“Remember that time I rubbed aloe literally everywhere when we went to the beach last summer? You’re pale, you burn at the drop of a hat. Re-apply.”

“Fine, mom.”

Chloe’s cellphone went off and she snapped her fingers. “Flip ladies!”

They all rolled over onto their stomachs, and Chloe propped herself up on her elbows. “You know, as disgustingly domestic as the two of you are, you two took for-fucking-ever to start dating. I mean, Jesus, Adrien and I both tanked our bets because you took way longer than either of us thought.”

Marinette frowned. “Wait, what? You were betting?”

“Just Adrien and I,” Chloe sniffed. “I may not like you, but as a fellow sapphic girl, I can’t help but root for two ladies in love. But, you know, thanks for dragging it out for over a year.”

“It was not over a year,” Alya rolled her eyes. 

“Um,” Alix snorted. “Dudes, I kept a fucking calendar counting down the days until this happened. Kim damn near cried when you two started dating, oversized romantic baby that he is.”

“Hold on,” Marinette interrupted. “Who else was rooting for us?”

"Well Adrien and Nino threw that literal celebration party, don’t you remember?” Alya mentioned. “Which was so extra and not necessary, but whatever.”

“The one at Adrien’s place that was supposed to be a ‘lycée graduation party’?” Marinette air quoted. 

“That’s the one.”

“Well, ever since Chloe told me that she was sure the two of you were in love with each other, I’ve been dying for it to happen too,” Sabrina smiled. “It was super obvious to me.”

Rose raised her hand. “Juleka and I were rooting for you two since day 1.”

Juleka shrugged. “Rose was really invested in it. I was just glad the two of you were becoming so close.”

“Ivan noticed it sooner than I did actually,” Mylene piped in. “But once he told me to pay attention to the two of you more, I was also getting some vibes from you two. This seemed like a natural enough thing to happen.”

Marinette looked up to the sky. “Why didn’t we know this?”

“Because you two are the most ridiculously oblivious people on the whole goddamn planet,” Chloe said with an eye roll. “I mean, honestly, not hard to tell that more than half the girls in our class weren’t straight. The rest of us were all coupled off practically waiting for the two of you to make it official. The most goddamn frustrating thing to ever watch. And I’ve seen every season of ‘The Bachelor.’”

“Okay,” Alya groaned. “We were not being oblivious. We got together at a perfect time.”

Chloe snorted. “Show of hands: how many people were annoyed as hell that they took this long to get together?”

Everyone’s hands shot up into the air. 

“You guys were literally flirting at every available opportunity, but the funny thing is that I don’t think you guys even realized you were doing it,” Alix said. 

“They were so close, I’m sure it was hard for them to tell,” Sabrina offered. 

Juleka snorted. “There are none so blind as those who do not wish to see.”

Marinette pouted. “I feel attacked...”

“I think it’s more a matter of the two of you needing to make up for lost time at this point,” Mylene giggled. “We’re all just poking fun, you know that.”

“Not me,” Chloe said, “I’m straight up judging and attacking.”

“It wasn’t that easy,” Alya defended. “I was new, I kinda just wanted to get my friend group solidified without adding in any dating drama.”

“Despite the fact that Marinette is like the most aggressively bisexual person I know?” Alix joked. 

Alya covered her face with her hands. “I didn’t want to be creepy.”

Marinette shrugged. “I thought you were straight, if I’m being honest. But I’m bad at picking up vibes from people.”

“In what solar system,” Chloe exclaimed, “did you think Alya was straight?”

“I don’t know!” Marinette exclaimed defensively. “Since when are you the freakin’ gaydar expert?” 

“Since birth!” Chloe scoffed. “It’s a survival mechanism, you amateur.”

“Okay,” Rose laughed. “We’re losing track of the conversation. The whole point being, we’re just glad you two are a couple. It’s refreshing! Really, we’re all just happy for you.”

Alya smiled. “I mean, good to know we had the class support. Now I have to interrogate all the guys about this.”

“Rest assured,” Mylene said. “Adrien and Nino did the work of ranting to all the boys in class about this. Ivan can attest. That ‘graduation party’ really was a collective celebration in every sense of the phrase.”

“So tell me,” Marinette mused, staring at Chloe. “Was this an excuse to get us a girlfriend getaway because you were secretly fangirling for us on the side?”

Chloe refused to look up from her phone. “Don’t know what you’re talking about. Sounds nothing like me...”

Sabrina took advantage of the distraction and mouthed a ‘yes’ to the rest of the group with Chloe wasn’t looking. 

“Well,” Alya sighed. “We’re here for an entire weekend. Might as well start ticking things off your beach bucket list if you’ve got one. Getting some sun is done.”

Marinette clapped her hands excitedly. “Oh! We can make sandcastles later! And run along the shore! And come here at night for a walk when the sand is all nice and cool. And play beach games!”

“Domestic!” Chloe shouted. 

“Oh hush, let them have their fun,” Sabrina chided. “Making up for lost time, remember?”

“Wanna have a beach volleyball match tomorrow?” Alix suggested. “Bet you Mylene and I can kick your asses.”

“Oh, and we can all watch the sunset from the lobby of the hotel. It has all those gorgeous windows with that amazing view,” Rose gushed. “It’ll be perfect.”

“Those restaurants looked pretty fancy too,” Juleka offered. “Romantic dinner on Chloe’s tab? You should take advantage.”

Alya knocked her head with Marinette’s. “Writing all this down, babe?”

Marinette winked. “Making an itinerary as we speak...” 

[gaganalyses]

Venus

Venus is a song inspired by ‘The Birth of Venus’, a painting by Sandro Botticelli.

She describes it as a hybrid of different things:

‘’(...) this song is a hybrid of a couple different things. One of those things is Venus, the goddess of love, as we know in Roman and Greek mythology; and then, it’s also about the planets. So, this song is about faith, but it’s also about finding faith in other places — in the beyond — and, my experience with love being something that took me a really long time to find.’’

She further stated: ‘’So, this song’s really about sex, but it’s about sex in the most mythological way.’’

To better understand her inspiration, let’s take a quick look at the mythology of Venus:

In Roman mythology, Venus was the goddess of love, sex, beauty and fertility. She combined physical and intellectual love. In the Greek mythology, however, the goddess of all those things was Aphrodite. Not only that: she was also the goddess of victory, fertility and prostitution.

This is interesting because Gaga mentions both goddesses in the song, deepening its meaning.

The planets in the solar system were named after gods, so she plays with a lot of symbolism here. Of course we have to reach a little here because we can’t know for sure if she actually thought about the different planets and what they stand for while writing the song, but knowing Gaga and her master mind, there’s a high chance that she did!

So, let’s analyse the lyrics!

‘Rocket # 9 take off to the planet, to the planet, Venus’

The story behind this part is sort of a chain reference: it directly took on the lyrics from the 1960’s song ‘Rocket Number 9’ by Sun Ra, which was later covered by Zombie Zombie (Venus also samples this song musically) - the song basically consists of those few words on repeat. ‘Rocket Number Nine’ is also the name of an ‘all-purpose external rocket-camera that orbits or is deployed around the Satellite of Love' in the 1988’s movie ‘Mystery science theatre 3000’.

Since Gaga stated that the song is also about planets and love, this could be her way of saying ‘Hey, I think I’m falling in love with you. Let’s run away to planet number nine, even beyond cloud number nine.’

If we look at the planet Venus as the planet of women, it can be seen as a reference to her bisexuality - this is being underlined by several metaphors throughout the song.

‘Aphrodite lady seashell bikini, garden panty, Venus’

This is a direct reference to the painting by Botticelli, where the goddess stands -nude - inside of a seashell in the ocean (which might also be the reason for the ‘sea theme’ that Gaga continuously used during the ARTPOP era). According to the mythology, Venus was born out of sea foam and came ashore on a shell. The girl on the right of the painting wants to cover her with a flowery mantle. In the back of the painting, you can see a forest.

Knowing all of this, it’s pretty easy to understand that Gaga views herself, metaphorically, as Venus/Aphrodite: she is proud to be a woman and owns it. Instead of standing inside of the shell she stranded in, she wears it and covers only her mount with blooming flowers to represent the beauty of femininity (and, of course, this could also be a metaphor for pubic hair = refusing to cover up) because she is not afraid of surrendering to her lover in her full glory (anymore). That would explain why she uses Aphrodite instead of Venus, since she’s also the goddess of victory, as we established earlier!

In the modern context, she’s owning her femininity and feels sexy. She adds a ‘get with me’ right before the pre-chorus, inviting her lover to be with her.

Let's blast off to a new dimension, in your bedroom, Venus’

Well, she’s obviously talking about mind-blowing sex here, probably using the ‘blast off into a new dimension’ as a metaphor for the climax (in her lover’s bedroom). At the same time it’s a fun wordplay with the rocket reference.

‘I can't help the way I'm feeling, Goddess of love please take me to your leader’

She obviously can’t control her desire. If we take back into view the theory that this song has some sapphic undertones, this could mean two things: either she can’t help desiring the woman of her longing, thus accepting her sexuality and embracing it. Or she’s talking to her stronger self - the ‘goddess of love’ - and calls her for guidance. In addition, ’Take me to your leader’ is a sci-fi catchphrase used by aliens, indicating that she has arrived on the planet Venus. Everything she feels is new to her.

‘I can't help I keep on dancin, goddess of love, take me to your planet, your venus’’

She surrenders and follows her drive. Throughout her discography, Gaga often uses ‘dancing’ as a metaphor for sex and masturbation.

‘When you touch me I die, just a little inside, I wonder if this could be love’

This is Gaga explaining her feelings with the kind of love she has never experienced before. It’s the same feeling she describes in ‘Perfect Illusion’: ‘I don’t need eyes to see, I felt you touching me, high like amphetamine, maybe you’re just a dream’. Perfect Illusion also picked up the last lyric, as she discovered that ‘it wasn’t love’.

'Cause you're out of this world, galaxy, space and time, I wonder if this could be love’

Her lover is out of this world, galaxy, space and time and Gaga feels like she’s dying a little inside whenever they touch her. She’s equating them with a god(ess). Could this be love?

‘have an oyster, baby, It’s Aphrod-isy, act sleazy’

Oysters are known to be an aphrodisiac, increasing sexual desire. She wants her lover to start acting dirty.

Oh, and someone stated that oyster is a metaphor for vagina (which isn’t too far off to be honest, if you ask me).

‘worship to the land, a girl from the planet’

As explained earlier, Venus was born on earth, but she is a goddess after all (a girl from the planet). She was a gift to earth (worship to the land) to spread love and sex. If I remember correctly, Gaga once mentioned that she sometimes feels like an alien in the music industry. So metaphorically, she could be encouraging the world to worship her, because she lives for the applause.

The bridge is quite interesting because Gaga didn’t list the planets and the gods they represent in the correct order of the solar system.

Looking at the order she put them in, this could unfold a new side of the story. Of course this doesn’t necessarily have to have a deeper meaning, but we should think about all the possible reasons as to why she did that. Even though each planet represents a god, I believe that Gaga focused more on the astrological symbolism here (I highlighted the different meanings and they sum up the essential struggles in Gaga’s life).

‘Neptune, go’ Neptune was the god of the sea (which symbolises faith). Astrologically, Neptune symbolises time: past, present and future. It also represents dreams. She lets go of her past…

‘now serve, Pluto’ …and embraces her power. Pluto was the god of the underworld. This could represent her fear of death and mental health struggles. Astrologically, Pluto stands for deep psyche and hidden power.

‘Saturn’ Stands for wealth, which could be metaphorical for her career and the struggles she has to face. Astrologically, Saturn stands for dominance, power & charge.

‘Jupiter’ Is the god of sky and thunder, which could represent her trauma; astrologically it stands for growth and healing.

'Mercury, Venus, uh ha!’ Mercury stands for boundaries and communication and astrologically represents the power of words. Mercury is neither feminine, nor masculine - it amplifies whatever it’s connected to. So in this context, this line clearly describes her bisexuality (she is Venus and the gender of her lover doesn’t matter). On a deeper level, this can be seen as a reference to Born This Way and the power its lyrics had, helping her and so many other people embrace their sexual orientation.

‘Uranus!’ Is the god of the sky. As Gaga sings in ‘Sine from Above’, music has always saved her. No matter if she’s talking about god or music sine waves here, it’s clear that it represents her faith in this context. In the astrological sense, it represents being weird, art, shock value.

‘Don't you know my ass is famous?’ This one is connected to the line before, Gaga obviously knows how much we love her bum and likes to show it. I think this is meant as a fun response to the criticism she faces for her art from the general public.

‘Mars’ Is war, masculinity and youth. She’s been at war with herself for so long and many people, especially men, have hurt her.

‘Now serve for the gods, earth, serve for the stars!’ She’s letting go of all of it and drowns herself in her art and love. Earth is feminine and stands for infinite creativity.

To get every layer of the song, we need to briefly look at the surroundings, too.

There were three different cover art versions for the single:

In the first one, Gaga has a scorpion on her face and a deep cut above her left breast. It was inspired by Marina Abramovic, who posed with the animal as a homage to feminist Frida Kahlo, who originally posed with a monkey. The scorpion stands for death, disease and danger. On the cover of the Candy Magazine in 2013/2014, Gaga wore a scorpion on her left boob.

The second one is a bit more abstract and if you look closely, you can see Gaga as a dead bat. The bat symbolises death and rebirth.

The third cover shows Gaga standing naked in the bathroom with a Venus clam in her mouth. The Venus Clam represents women, art, music, relationships, and was perceived as deeply creative.

All of this adds to the theory of the astrological meaning of the planets: Gaga is ready to be reborn and start a new life, possibly with her lover that she is now ready to surrender to.

Almost every time she performed the song, it was notable that she barely wore any clothes. Mostly, her outfit consisted of a seashell bra and a garden panty, that had only minor changes done for different performances. One exception was her performance on Smap x Smap in Japan, where she wore a body embroidered with flowers (another reference to the painting by Botticelli).

On one occasion at a gay club, she even stripped completely naked. At the X Factor, she wore nothing but a nude bikini and during her performance on Graham Norton, she additionally only had female dancers on the stage.

Another two things that are mentionable, are the long and bushy, blonde wigs that she wore in most of her performances and the fact that whenever she showed herself naked, she hadn’t shaved her pubic hair. All of those things add depth to the topic of the song, as she’s fully embracing her femininity. And lastly: the ‘V’ symbol she formed with her hands obviously stands for Venus, but now that we know about the more subtle topics within the song, you can let your imagination run wild *wink*.