The Yuri Writing Help Room (18+)

[Moonpearl]

If you want, you can, Ai-chan has no problem with it. But there will certainly be people who disagree because they didn't want to stop using the term. So it's up to you, Ai-chan doesn't mind either way.

As for NU, Ai-chan did ask Tony before, but he said it wasn't his choice and the tag was copied from mangaupdates.

Thank you~! It's impossible to change everyone's minds, but it will make a difference to those who would stop using it if they only knew the meaning.

As for the tag on NU... Well, I know that's still a messy and much-discussed issue.

 

[Chaaruzu_Corner]

Hmmm I might ask, what are some misunderstood things that are used in Yuri? Like is scissoring really that good or humping two clits can make you cum, stuff like that.

What are things exaggerated in porn and what's accurate is the better question xD

 

[Chaaruzu_Corner]

Although my story's isekai it had a lot of Yuri in it so your answers would help slot ^^

 

[Moonpearl]

Hmmm I might ask, what are some misunderstood things that are used in Yuri? Like is scissoring really that good or humping two clits can make you cum, stuff like that.

What are things exaggerated in porn and what's accurate is the better question xD

I've seen an article from a lesbian defending the wonders of scissoring before, so there must be some people who enjoy it. Most women I know don't, though, so I'm pretty sure it's a very, very rare few. Scissoring usually puts you at an awkward angle where, aside from your groins, you're not near your partner. It's difficult to get into that position, and personally I've never managed to make it work at all. I don't even find scissoring sexy as part of porn.
Rubbing your clits together is also incredibly difficult, in my experience. Things tend to slip around so, even if you manage to get the right angle for it, it won't last. It's then difficult to move in a way that rubs them together without losing that angle, and the pleasure you get from it is disappointingly low. I can barely imagine enjoying it, never mind reaching climax that way.

There are a lot of different types of yuri and I don't watch real life porn, so I'm not sure what you've seen done. I have seen random clips floating around from real life porn, though... And usually everything is exaggerated.
I remember seeing a porn gif that had some woman losing it because another woman was licking her over her shorts. That doesn't work, by the way; that's too many layers between the stimulus and the clit. You can cause some pleasure if you use fingers over clothes, but not too much.
Also, don't porn actresses usually have super long nails in those videos? As mentioned earlier in the thread, nails should really be kept short or you'll hurt someone.
Oh - and putting random objects up the vagina is weird unless you have a thing for that. It's also ill-advised because it can cause infections or tearing, depending on the object. I did play a yuri game where they thought it was sexy to use a lollipop as a dildo, and I shudder to this day.

I've also seen strange yuri where the women move as if they're inserting a penis even though neither have one or a strap-on... It's rare but especially strange. Like the author didn't even try to understand how sex works?

Porn also exaggerates the pleasure people feel, the amount of noise that gets made, etc. It tends to skip the build-up to sex and rush through things.

That's all I can really think of right now... There's a breakdown of what sex between women is really like earlier in the thread, which might help.

 

[Ai-chan]

Hmmm I might ask, what are some misunderstood things that are used in Yuri? Like is scissoring really that good or humping two clits can make you cum, stuff like that.

What are things exaggerated in porn and what's accurate is the better question xD

Ai-chan will just reply regarding scissoring.

Frankly speaking, it doesn't compare to being hit in the cervix with big, long strap-on dildo. There is pleasure in it, as the outer lips is very sensitive for most girls. Rubbing clits with another clit doesn't really work because that thing is very small. It's the size of a soybean, that if you try to rub your partner's clit with your own clit, it just becomes awkward.

What you can do is, to rub the outer lips, the labia majora. The labia majora is a very large target. Even if you miss the hole, the entire skin area is sensitive. It is like being rubbed with hands, except you will never end up doing it too hard (unlike with your hands), so it is a 'safe' option similar to using your tongue. This works best for puffy, fat labia and doesn't work as well with ones where the labia is flabby.

Ai-chan and Waiwai like scissoring from time to time, usually when we're not in a hurry as it feels intimate. Apart from 'lying down scissoring', there is also 'sitting down scissoring'. 'Sitting down scissoring' has reduced labia contact, but allows you to hold and kiss your partner and is considered one of the slow, sensual positions. You likely won't cum from 'sitting down scissoring', but if you're in that position, you're not actually aiming for it in the first place. You're just enjoying each other's softness and gazes.

 

[Sabruness]

Putting aside the merits when writing yuri (seems like the simple stuff is still the best?), this thread is quite enlightening in general.

 

[Moonpearl]

Frankly speaking, it doesn't compare to being hit in the cervix with big, long strap-on dildo.

Since this was brought up and it's quite a common trope in hetero porn, I'll also add: not everyone likes their cervix being hit.

I've been seeing a lot of images shared on the Bad Women's Anatomy Reddit about penises going through the cervix into the uterus. That doesn't and shouldn't happen; you should take your partner to the hospital if it does.
People are pretty split on whether they like their cervix being hit, though, so you're asking to get kicked off if you don't ask your partner if they like it before trying it.

Sometimes you can hit the cervix without the person really noticing. Sometimes it just causes pain.

And even if it doesn't cause pain at the time, it can cause cervical bruising. Cervical bruising can range from causing a mild discomfort or ache deep within the body to pain worse than a period. It can also be accompanied by cramping, bleeding/spotting and nausea, and can take anywhere from a few days to a week to heal.
You can find out more about it here: https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/bruised-cervix

It doesn't take a lot to cause bruising, either.

 

[Sabruness]

It's not technically yuri related but also is so i thought i'd ask:

What's a proper way to write about periods? like effects, actions women take while having them and etc. I only have the very vaguest and basic comprehension, being a guy after all.

 

[Ai-chan]

It's not technically yuri related but also is so i thought i'd ask:

What's a proper way to write about periods? like effects, actions women take while having them and etc. I only have the very vaguest and basic comprehension, being a guy after all.

You do not have sex during periods, period. It's disgusting, it's messy and it's not enjoyable for anyone, unless you have blood fetish. As for what women can do while having period, generally, everyday actions are still doable. Periods are an inconvenience and make women uncomfortable, but it doesn't actually stop women from doing anything.

Imagine it as if you're constantly peeing and you have no control over whether or not you are peeing. You don't notice you're peeing, but you know you've peed, because your crotch is always wet and disgusting. Now replace pee with blood. In the past, you deal with it by wearing cotton diapers, but that didn't solve the issue completely. Nowadays, you have the option of either tampon or diapers, both of which provide reasonable protection against leakage.

But it's still not foolproof and even winged diapers can leak if you perform very vigorous activities. So usually, women on periods will refuse to do fast-paced, rough activities such as playing tennis, running 5 miles, doing splits, or even walking down the road. 'That time of the month' is a perfectly valid reason for not going to your hated rival's birthday party.

 

[Sabruness]

That is actually very helpful @Ai-chan
How long do they last each time? just a rough timespan is fine.

 

[Moonpearl]

It's not technically yuri related but also is so i thought i'd ask:

What's a proper way to write about periods? like effects, actions women take while having them and etc. I only have the very vaguest and basic comprehension, being a guy after all.

Extensive information on periods coming up~!

Spoiler: Behind a spoiler due to length and a lot of detail about bodily functions

Periods vary a lot from person to person.
Some people feel hardly any pain at all from periods, and some people have periods so bad that they throw up or pass out. If you're towards the latter extreme, even a little, you're supposed to go to the doctor to get medication to help, but I think it's not common for people to do that until they're out of their minds with the pain. People expect you to grin and bear it because it's "natural" and "a woman's problem". I suppose there's also a little bit of shame in seeking help for the pain; people treat you like you're over-exaggerating and wasting the doctor's time.
Most people are able to go about their day more or less normally, although how much they're struggling varies.

Personally, I have really bad pain for the first three days, and it eases off afterwards. The pain doesn't hit as soon as I start bleeding, but I need to take paracetamol as soon as I see blood and then first thing in the morning for the two days following. If I don't, the pain will gradually build over several hours until I want to curl up on the ground.
It's still possible to work through that pain, but it's not easy. Once I started over a physical volunteering shift that lasted three hours. I completed the shift, but I was noticeably pale at the end of it, and I was tempted to lie down on the pavement and give up on the walk home. I had to rely on my family to bring me painkiller and a hot water bottle when I got home, because lying on the couch was all I could do.
With my painkiller, it's sore but mild enough that I can walk normally. I still prefer to lie about with my hot water bottle when I can, because no pain is better than bearable pain.

The length of time a period lasts and the time between periods also depends on the individual. The average they always claim is five days, but official sources also say it can last anywhere from three to eight - it's usually about the same in a person. For example, I swear mine always last about eight or nine. Some people have them last for longer, and are advised to seek medical assistance.
They say the average time between periods is 28 days, but it can range from 21 to 40 days. To find when your next period is due, you start from the day you marked your period as starting and then count your personal typical gap between periods. Sometimes your period won't come exactly on that day, but it's usually pretty close.
Periods can be delayed by stress. Sometimes they're also just a week late or so for no reason whatsoever. Even virgins panic when their period is late, just in case they're the next Virgin Mary... I wish I was joking.
And every once in a blue moon, your period will stop far earlier than normal, then start again full-force a day or two later. It can last much longer if it does this. I'm not really sure about the cause of this, just that they say that this happening once or twice for a person is perfectly normal. If it happens often, you should see a doctor.

Period flow differs throughout your period.
The very first "blood" that flows out for the first time on your first day is actually sticky brown sludge. It's nice to catch it when that's all there is, since it causes less mess, but it's not always possible.
After that comes the red blood. This is stickier and thicker than normal blood because it's actually uterus lining. It also has globs in it, but I won't dwell on that too long...
That usually comes out the most heavily on the first two or so days, and then gradually lightens up. Eventually it turns back to brown sludge and less and less of it comes out until you're back to normal discharge, and your period ends.
How heavy your flow is depends on the person.

You don't always feel the blood coming out, but you will usually feel the wetness of it being on your pants or on a pad.
You will feel it if there's a particularly big gush, though. This can happen randomly, but it tends to happen consistently when you stand up after sitting or lying down and when you sneeze. It does feel like peeing, just out of the wrong hole.
This is also why getting out of bed in the morning or standing up is a huge pain. It's a very uncomfortable feeling and there's a chance of whatever period product you're using having shifted out of place or become too full; if that's the case, that gush will go down your leg or stain your pants and trousers.

The main pain from a period comes from the cramps it causes, which causes a sore stomach and a sore lower back. It's a bit like an upset stomach or trapped wind, except not - it stays in once place and just hurts and hurts. Cramps can also cause nausea in some people.
The cramps and hormones also affect your bowels. Some people get constipated on or around their periods; some people get diarrhea; some people get both at different times.
Some people (most, I think?) also become bloated for the duration of their period. I personally also always feel a little bit "icky" - the kind of whole body "icky" you'd feel if you'd come down with the cold, but less severe.
Surprisingly, some people also become very horny during their period. No one's quite sure why, although theories have been suggested, such as the hormones causing the effect.
Some other possible symptoms include: tender and sore breasts, a sudden outbreak of acne due to hormones, feeling fatigued, muscle ache, joint pain, and difficulty sleeping.
Symptoms can appear a day or two before the bleeding starts.

Hot water bottles or heat packs are the best to ease cramps. I move mine between my stomach and my back to attack both pains. It sucks during summer when it's already unbearably hot and then you add a hot water bottle on top of that, but I'd rather strip naked than go through a period without one.
Painkiller like paracetamol or ibuprofen also helps, but it can take an hour to kick in.
Exercise is also supposed to ease the cramps, but I've never found that to be particularly reliable. Also, very few people want to exercise when they're in pain.

As a result of always being in pain and having to put in effort to go about their day, people on their periods can be especially short-tempered. If someone was annoying or interrogating you while you had a severe stomach ache, you'd probably be the same.
Culture tends to depict people on their periods as becoming completely and irrationally angry, but it's rarely true. The things that annoy people on their periods are the same things that would annoy anybody; and often, if they snap at you on their period for doing something that you did in the past without getting a reaction, the truth is that you were always annoying them and they were being patient with you.

There are several different products you can use when you're on your period.
If you use a pad, there are a variety of absorbency rates and lengths to suit your needs. So long as your pad is long enough and absorbent enough, it won't matter if you get a type that exceeds your needs. The disposable ones feel kind of like a mix between plastic, tissue and mesh. They usually have a sticky side that you press against the inside of your pants, and sticky wings that you fold around to keep it in place. You're advised to change it either every four hours or when it's full - whatever comes first. It's perfectly safe to wear overnight, though.
You can get reusable versions made of cotton and bamboo that clasp around your pants instead.

Tampons come in two main types: those with plastic applicators that help you push it inside, and those without. They also come in a range of absorbencies.
The benefit of tampons is that the blood never leaves your body before it's absorbed, so it creates less mess. However, if you get an absorbency that's too great for your needs, it will dry out your vagina and be painful to remove. They should also be changed when they're full or every four hours. If left too long, tampons are dangerous. The worst case scenario is that it will cause Toxic Shock Syndrome and potentially kill you (although that's rare).
It's difficult to insert tampons, though, and some people have so much difficulty with it due to their vaginas that it's not worth the hassle. Some people also just don't like them. And if you get one stuck in you, you have to sit in a bath of warm water and gently pull the cotton out until it's all gone.
The reusable alternative to tampons is a menstruation cup. These are flexible silicone cups that you fit into your vagina to collect the blood and then empty when they're full. They're quite hard to learn how to use, apparently.

There are some others, but those are the mainstream options right now.
Sometimes tampon users look down on people who use pads because they view them as being unclean or childish. Because almost everyone starts with pads before they learn how to use tampons if they want to, some people take the attitude that everyone should progress onto tampons and that pads are for children. Those people suck.

You should wash your vulva and your butt twice a day when you're on your period. As always, you should only use water, and treat them gently. Soap shouldn't be used on your vulva; at most, if you really feel you must, you can use a very mild soap very infrequently, and you should be careful where the suds end up. Never attempt to wash your vagina.
If you don't wash twice a day on your period, the constant wetness and stickiness will cause skin irritation. You need to wash your butt because, no matter what you try, the blood will always end up there.
(Normally you only wash once a day.)

Contraceptive can play havoc with periods. The same birth control can effect people differently, so it's a real mixed bag. Sometimes some contraceptive makes a person's periods irregular or stops them completely; sometimes it makes an irregular period regular.
Sometimes some contraceptive eases the symptoms of periods and/or makes a person's flow lighter. Sometimes it makes the symptoms worse.

On the topic of sex with periods... I'm personally in the camp of "so long as you lay down a soft, clean towel before you start, it's fine". If you wash before and clean up after sex, I don't see the problem with continuing on as normal - minus oral sex, of course. I've seen quite a few people who take the same stance.
It sucks to have to plan your sex life around mother nature's enforced shark week, especially if there are two of you. It also sucks to miss out on great sex if your partner gets horny on their periods.
Besides, there's a rumour that orgasms can help ease period cramps and even shorten your period by a day or two~!

 

[gaylolis]

There's some stuff I had been wondering.

In Japan, Yuri also has the meaning of Lily, as in the flower. How did the flower got associated with relationships between girls? When I try googling the meaning in flower language, it has no connection with such. Is it because of the same word, with that being Yuri?

I'm also curious about how All-girls Catholic School in Japan being a common setting for the classic Yuri stories, such as Maria-sama ga Miteru. Does it have some reference to real-life matters, for it to be a thing?

In Yuri stories there are also references to classical works, one of the most notable I came across is Wuthering Heights in Aoi Hana.
Revue Starlight's entire story was also 'bout classical work references. (as in Theatre) In the Flowers VN series, there are a bit of dialogue between the MC and the Nun 'bout Chronicles of Narnia. I wasn't really familiar with the old school Yuri movement and how it came to be, it just seem to be a thing to include Classical Literatures to it--maybe it's the Author's personal preference?

As in shounen-ai and shoujo-ai in Japan, does it imply the love interest (little boy or girl) or the relationship between little boys / girls (same sex)?

 

[Moonpearl]

There's some stuff I had been wondering.

In Japan, Yuri also has the meaning of Lily, as in the flower. How did the flower got associated with relationships between girls? When I try googling the meaning in flower language, it has no connection with such. Is it because of the same word, with that being Yuri?

I'm also curious about how All-girls Catholic School in Japan being a common setting for the classic Yuri stories, such as Maria-sama ga Miteru. Does it have some reference to real-life matters, for it to be a thing?

In Yuri stories there are also references to classical works, one of the most notable I came across is Wuthering Heights in Aoi Hana.
Revue Starlight's entire story was also 'bout classical work references. (as in Theatre) In the Flowers VN series, there are a bit of dialogue between the MC and the Nun 'bout Chronicles of Narnia. I wasn't really familiar with the old school Yuri movement and how it came to be, it just seem to be a thing to include Classical Literatures to it--maybe it's the Author's personal preference?

As in shounen-ai and shoujo-ai in Japan, does it imply the love interest (little boy or girl) or the relationship between little boys / girls (same sex)?

According to Wikipedia, the association with lilies likely comes from a letter column that was associated with lesbians, called "Yurizoku no heya". Lilies as a symbol for lesbians was then picked up by one place after another until it became a thing. The Wikipedia explanation is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_(genre)#Etymology

I'm pretty sure both the Catholic school trope and the classical literature has to do with yuri's predecessor, Class S fiction. This genre was inspired by classical English literature such as "Little Women", which happened to place a heavy emphasis on sisterhood between women. Class S relationships were usually between an upperclassman and her underclassman in an all-girl's boarding school, which was where girls went to school at that time.
Rather than my botched explanation, here are some links that go into a bit more detail:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_S_(genre)
https://ani-mentation.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F121601661502 https://remyfoolblog.com/2017/06/15/thoughts-on-yuri-anime-the-issues-and-influences-of-class-s/
You can probably learn more if you go looking into the genre yourself.

And from the Wiki article on yuri, it seems that "shoujo ai" would refer to paedophilia in Japan - adults taking an interest in children, not love between two kids.

Edit: I don't know why the Tumblr link insists on becoming an inserted bit of media, but I can't fix it.

 

[Sabruness]

Thanks to the 'why do all the yuri novels seem to be gender-bender?' thread (though the thought has no relation to GB at all), a thought that i hadnt actually considered yet popped into my head so i thought i'd put it in here for collective pondering.

With my zombie apocalypse story, it's GL and the protag is an "out" lesbian but i havent actually considered how i would do the romance. I see i have two options ahead:

• 1. Have the love interest also be a lesbian. This is possible because the alter world is more open to LGBT but also not fussed because most first world countries have properly equal rights (as in they are treated no differently to a straight person) but the hole is that they are long term friends so it wouldnt make any sense to have hidden it for so long.
• 2. Have the love interest be ostensibly straight but, internally, more confused and unsure of her sexuality. This option is appealing because of the potential depth (at least as much as my mediocre writing abilities can produce) but im not sure how i could go about it.

Anyone able to provide some thoughts or ideas on how it could be done for either way?

@Moonpearl perhaps you have some insight that may help.

 

[Moonpearl]

Thanks to the 'why do all the yuri novels seem to be gender-bender?' thread (though the thought has no relation to GB at all), a thought that i hadnt actually considered yet popped into my head so i thought i'd put it in here for collective pondering.

With my zombie apocalypse story, it's GL and the protag is an "out" lesbian but i havent actually considered how i would do the romance. I see i have two options ahead:

• 1. Have the love interest also be a lesbian. This is possible because the alter world is more open to LGBT but also not fussed because most first world countries have properly equal rights (as in they are treated no differently to a straight person) but the hole is that they are long term friends so it wouldnt make any sense to have hidden it for so long.
• 2. Have the love interest be ostensibly straight but, internally, more confused and unsure of her sexuality. This option is appealing because of the potential depth (at least as much as my mediocre writing abilities can produce) but im not sure how i could go about it.

Anyone able to provide some thoughts or ideas on how it could be done for either way?

@Moonpearl perhaps you have some insight that may help.

Is there a reason that the MC has to not know her friend is interested in women? If there isn't particularly and you just need a reason that they didn't take an interest in each other before, you can easily have the love interest be openly interested in women.
She could have been dating other people beforehand. If she was bisexual or pansexual, she could also have been more interested in men at the time.
They could also just have not been each other's type, or have other things on their mind that keeps them from thinking about each other in a romantic way. I was best friends with my girlfriend for years without us having any interest in each other, and we never even considered each other in that way. Our relationship didn't change until we left school and went through some hard times together.

If you want her to not know her own sexuality, there are various ways of doing that too.
She could be the sort of person who just doesn't reflect on things much and lacks self-awareness. This maybe works a bit better if she's bi or pan - if she has even a vague interest in men, she could always assume she's straight and not put a lot of thought into it otherwise. I have a character who's a little like this. She's been so focused on her career since she was little that she's never thought about romance or her sexuality at all.
Or, depending on how accepting of LGBT+ people your world is, and how much education about sexuality they therefore receive, she could think that she feels attraction to men when she doesn't. In real life, because of society's insistence that women more or less exist to please men and should always think of being attractive to them, even lesbians feels pressure to look attractive in the eyes of men. They might not feel any attraction, but they think they must because they go to such great lengths to impress them.

Another way you could spin it is that the love interest always knew she liked girls, liked the MC, but thought/knew that the MC didn't like her. If they met each other when they were young, a young girl might make the strange decision to pretend to be straight so that she could become friends with the MC without suspicion, maybe to try to get her to fall in love first.

 

[Sabruness]

Is there a reason that the MC has to not know her friend is interested in women? If there isn't particularly and you just need a reason that they didn't take an interest in each other before, you can easily have the love interest be openly interested in women.
She could have been dating other people beforehand. If she was bisexual or pansexual, she could also have been more interested in men at the time.
They could also just have not been each other's type, or have other things on their mind that keeps them from thinking about each other in a romantic way. I was best friends with my girlfriend for years without us having any interest in each other, and we never even considered each other in that way. Our relationship didn't change until we left school and went through some hard times together.

If you want her to not know her own sexuality, there are various ways of doing that too.
She could be the sort of person who just doesn't reflect on things much and lacks self-awareness. This maybe works a bit better if she's bi or pan - if she has even a vague interest in men, she could always assume she's straight and not put a lot of thought into it otherwise. I have a character who's a little like this. She's been so focused on her career since she was little that she's never thought about romance or her sexuality at all.
Or, depending on how accepting of LGBT+ people your world is, and how much education about sexuality they therefore receive, she could think that she feels attraction to men when she doesn't. In real life, because of society's insistence that women more or less exist to please men and should always think of being attractive to them, even lesbians feels pressure to look attractive in the eyes of men. They might not feel any attraction, but they think they must because they go to such great lengths to impress them.

Another way you could spin it is that the love interest always knew she liked girls, liked the MC, but thought/knew that the MC didn't like her. If they met each other when they were young, a young girl might make the strange decision to pretend to be straight so that she could become friends with the MC without suspicion, maybe to try to get her to fall in love first.

Hmm.....

First off: The status of LGBT in this alter earth is... mixed. First world countries like America, Aus, Canada, the nations of Europe and etc are very advanced on the subject. LGBT people have all the same rights as hetero people do. Some countries, including Japan, have developed a little differently over time and thus have become more open and equitable to match the "first world". Other areas..... havent changed compared to the real world.
As it concerns the story, pressures are almost non-existent. There's still the usual outlier extremist who thinks it's wrong (even though most, but not all, religions are more open because, hey, more followers XD) but they're in the far minority.

The protag's known, at least since puberty hit, that she was only interested in girls and is open about it. She's concerned about confessing because the awkwardness might hurt their friendship.

The love interest... After reading your post, i was thinking something like 'they've been friends for so long that she unconsciously sees the protag as a friend first thus hasnt considered her as a romantic option.' I'm just not sure how i would work the relationship developing from friendship into romance.

 

[Moonpearl]

Hmm.....

First off: The status of LGBT in this alter earth is... mixed. First world countries like America, Aus, Canada, the nations of Europe and etc are very advanced on the subject. LGBT people have all the same rights as hetero people do. Some countries, including Japan, have developed a little differently over time and thus have become more open and equitable to match the "first world". Other areas..... havent changed compared to the real world.
As it concerns the story, pressures are almost non-existent. There's still the usual outlier extremist who thinks it's wrong (even though most, but not all, religions are more open because, hey, more followers XD) but they're in the far minority.

The protag's known, at least since puberty hit, that she was only interested in girls and is open about it. She's concerned about confessing because the awkwardness might hurt their friendship.

The love interest... After reading your post, i was thinking something like 'they've been friends for so long that she unconsciously sees the protag as a friend first thus hasnt considered her as a romantic option.' I'm just not sure how i would work the relationship developing from friendship into romance.

It's not just legal rights, but the attitude of society that affects these things. If heterosexuality is treated as the default, I think non-heterosexual people will struggle growing up.

Anything that could trigger the love interest to see her in a new light would work.
Someone could secretly tell her that the MC has a crush on her, or suggest it by pointing out how unusually close they are, even for female friends. Someone else could get a crush on the MC and wax lyrical to the love interest about all her great qualities that she never noticed before.
Or circumstances could change everything. Are they going through life-threatening situations together? Or does the love interest suddenly enter into a tough patch in her life, and the MC steps up to help her more than most friends would? Nothing creates intimacy like banding together in times of trouble, especially if the MC risks her life or passes up on something that seems important to save/help the love interest. It shows just how much she values her.
(On a similar note, doing things like planning a murder together works too. I've discovered this with other characters. Keeping secrets together is a potent way to create intimacy.)
Even just becoming better friends can have the characters confiding more in each other and learning things about each other that they never would have known before. That can change your perception of a person.

 

[Sabruness]

It's not just legal rights, but the attitude of society that affects these things. If heterosexuality is treated as the default, I think non-heterosexual people will struggle growing up.

Anything that could trigger the love interest to see her in a new light would work.
Someone could secretly tell her that the MC has a crush on her, or suggest it by pointing out how unusually close they are, even for female friends. Someone else could get a crush on the MC and wax lyrical to the love interest about all her great qualities that she never noticed before.
Or circumstances could change everything. Are they going through life-threatening situations together? Or does the love interest suddenly enter into a tough patch in her life, and the MC steps up to help her more than most friends would? Nothing creates intimacy like banding together in times of trouble, especially if the MC risks her life or passes up on something that seems important to save/help the love interest. It shows just how much she values her.
(On a similar note, doing things like planning a murder together works too. I've discovered this with other characters. Keeping secrets together is a potent way to create intimacy.)
Even just becoming better friends can have the characters confiding more in each other and learning things about each other that they never would have known before. That can change your perception of a person.

Perhaps my wording sucked. Beyond legal rights, the attitudes are the same as what i talked about earlier. Apart from the outlier radicals, what gender you like is not a subject really given much thought. If you're a guy who likes guys, great for you. Same with girls and girls. At least in the more "advanced" nations.
Everybody in a position to have any idea knows that the protag likes girls. It's just seen as a personal issue so people dont bother to stick their noses in.

The third suggestion is what i'm angling for, considering the world's gone to pot in a zombie apocalypse type scenario. I was thinking as perhaps an early sign to the love interest is that when they're cleaning themselves (as best you can) or changing clothes, she starts to feel attracted to the protag physically. It would then steadily build up until a tipping point, which i already have the idea for, is like a shock to the system where she realizes exactly what her feelings are. Around that point, i'll probably do a chapter, at least, from the love interest's POV as she realizes that.

This has actually been quite helpful in working this out.

 

[Moonpearl]

Perhaps my wording sucked. Beyond legal rights, the attitudes are the same as what i talked about earlier. Apart from the outlier radicals, what gender you like is not a subject really given much thought. If you're a guy who likes guys, great for you. Same with girls and girls. At least in the more "advanced" nations.
Everybody in a position to have any idea knows that the protag likes girls. It's just seen as a personal issue so people dont bother to stick their noses in.

The third suggestion is what i'm angling for, considering the world's gone to pot in a zombie apocalypse type scenario. I was thinking as perhaps an early sign to the love interest is that when they're cleaning themselves (as best you can) or changing clothes, she starts to feel attracted to the protag physically. It would then steadily build up until a tipping point, which i already have the idea for, is like a shock to the system where she realizes exactly what her feelings are. Around that point, i'll probably do a chapter, at least, from the love interest's POV as she realizes that.

This has actually been quite helpful in working this out.

Not caring isn't necessarily helpful, though. What people treat as the default shows up in subtle ways. For example, people are always joking that little girls will attract men when they grow up and that little boys will be heartbreakers, or that any boy and girl that become friends are secretly in love and going to get married when they grow up. In books, the default couple is a man and a woman. When I was little, I didn't see a single LGBT+ couple in any of the stories I was exposed to.
Without proper education, kids assume they're the default and completely miss all the cues that they're not. LGBT+ people will remain a distant and barely understood concept, even if they hear of them occasionally.
Nowadays children will grow up and get to the stage where they can find information on the internet to teach themselves, but it can still take some of them a long, long time to realise that they're LGBT+. It's really quite confusing without help. Some people don't realise until they're adults.

It might not matter as much if you've decided to let the love interest know she's a lesbian, but it's something to keep in mind~!

I'm glad I was able to help~!

 

[Moonpearl]

We've been discussing futanari yuri in the Yuri Garden over the past few days, and a friend asked me to share my insight into why I don't like most futanari yuri material (although I do actually like futanari yuri) here. I'm lazy, so I'm just going to copy and paste my original rant~!

I mentioned that what puts me off the most is the "bad hentai sex", and another friend asked me to go into detail by what I meant by that because she wants to write a futanari yuri herself. My response was:

Spoiler: Rant about hentai-like writing

All hentai sex is bad hentai sex, if I'm honest.

Really, what I hate is really degrading sex that's not pleasurable or will even be painful for the woman involved. Most futanari works are aimed at men and I really feel that when I read them. They leave me, a woman, wincing and wondering what exactly is supposed to be sexy for me. Sometimes authors throw in a get-out clause like, "for magical reasons, she only feels pleasure/can't experience pain!", but that doesn't suddenly make it sexy to me.
Well, in case men are reading and don't understand... It's like if otaku women for some reason had a fetish for seeing huge rods shoved up men's assholes until it hit their stomachs, but tried to make it "all okay" by throwing in a "he feels no pain, he enjoys this!" Even so, you wouldn't enjoy reading it, right?

I'll go into some examples.

One is really forceful and painful oral sex. There's stuff like when they grab a woman's hair and shove her head down until she chokes, or they just generally place emphasis on how the penis is so far in it makes her gag.
Also treating oral sex as if it gave the woman giving it physical pleasure? I get being turned on by it and appreciating the sensations while you're performing it on someone, but hentai has women moaning and orgasming from it. I just find it lazy, if I'm honest.
There's also just ridiculous stuff like penises so big it would tear a person in two, a weird focus on hitting against the cervix (I know it works for some women, but I don't think it's a common enough desire among women to really expect it to succeed), and even incredibly horrible and impossible stuff like penises breaking through the cervix and going into the uterus or other organs.

I also really dislike the way that written hentai sex scenes focus purely on the physical and the bizarre. Writing has the benefit of being able to describe stuff on the level of every human sense, but they don't take advantage of that.
And they just immediately start treating women like sex dolls, ordering them about, calling them degrading names, so on and so forth...

I know there's a fetish for these sort of things, but I honestly wouldn't mind them as much if they were presented as works designed for that fetish. Instead, they're just thrown into what's supposed to be "normal sex".
Overall, the woman's pleasure is completely ignored. She has to get her pleasure only from providing pleasure, without the slightest understanding of female anatomy, so it's boring and a waste of my time.

TL;DR: Most futanari sex is aimed at men and isn't designed to bring pleasure to me anymore than it is the poor woman they heap themselves on in the story.

I believe the friend who asked me to share this wanted to point out that, above all else, writers should decide their target audience and consider how that will affect their writing. Yuri isn't like BL where it's aimed primarily at straight women - it's created and read by a whole range of people, women included.
However, I personally think that you'd be fine to create a yuri that all genders will read. Yuri manga aimed at particular groups is still read by the other groups so long as it's not written in a way that excludes the others.
But if you want women to read your futanari erotica (or any erotic yuri you write), it's important to take our perspectives into account. (Not that there aren't women who might like bad hentai sex, but it's likely to put most women off.)