BirtheV

A recently out divorcee must explore his identity and how to not be the straight-acting man he's been his whole life. Just when he has found his footing, a flamboyant trans man jumbles up his ideas about what it means to be gay, to be masculine, to be a man.***Edwin realises he's gay at the ripe age of 56. Coming-out should set him free to finally explore his sexuality, but honestly?He feels lost.He's getting a divorce after thirty years of marriage, half of his friends turn out to be homophobes, he feels an interloper in LGBT places, and for the first time ever, he's living alone. His only remaining certainty - the one he's risked everything for - is that he's attracted to men.To affirm his sexuality, Edwin focuses on everything masculine and seeks out gay men like him. But just when he finds his footing, a flamboyant gay man jumbles up all his ideas about what it means to be gay, to be masculine, to be a man.If Edwin wants to find his community, he'll need to re-examine what it takes to belong.***Updates every 2 weeks! (Now completed offline.)Cover by the amazing @SmokeAndOranges! Cover image found by @galaxiesuniverses…

BirtheV

When Dante drinks the blood of a woman with AIDS, his health takes a turn for the worse. His immune system should be infallible, but here he is: every day, he wakes up healthy, only to attract another painful and rare disease during the day that is miraculously cured at night. It is a never-ending cycle and dreams and reality seem to blend into nothing but pain.And unlike Prometheus, there will not be a Heracles to kill the eagle and break the chains. He'll have to save himself, but can he do that when he's his own worst enemy? There's no antidote for life or suffering.***Trigger warnings: loneliness, mild self-hate (mostly for being a vampire), passive desire to die, mention of past torture, detailed description of flu-like symptoms, symptoms of depression, anxietyCover by the wonderful @_coffeewithhoney…

BirtheV

From a transgender werewolf without much 'wolf' to awkward 14-year-olds or an asexual in his fifties, this is the place to be for lighthearted, fluffy LGBT+ one-shots with diverse characters (no, not everyone is white or straight/gay) and a twist on some clichés.1. Firsts - First crush, first date, first kiss and two shy 14-year-old boys.2. Broken light - A blind guy and his best friend go camping and talk about colours.3. Hearth - A middle-aged couple on a quiet Christmas Eve.4. In the bright sun - An old gay couple takes a walk in the park and reminisces.5. Yes - A casual, impromptu marriage proposal (part 1) and the wedding (part 2).6. Set up - Two twinks have a good laugh when they are set up by their straight friend because two twinks just don't go together.7. The parents - Sophia is going to introduce Elisa to her parents.8. Back to school - Charlotte smells her mate on the train back to university, and a glimpse of the future (Night).9. Good intentions - The trouble of LGBTQ+ parents when you're non-binary.10. Touchy-feely - Two girls speak different languages - and technically, they don't speak at all.11. Oh come, all ye faithful - Dembe doesn't kiss, not even under the mistletoe.12. The carpenter who didn't dare come out of the closet - Narnia 2.0, but weirder.13. Growing space - The cashier in the toy store is Noah's mate, but he is already mated to Leila.14. A Greek tragedy - Dramatists, pancakes and a blizzard.15. I'm Me - Flynn comes out on New Year with a letter.16. Feather Quest - A woman discovers a hidden hut and a beautiful bird.17. Locked up - Badass lesbians, need I say anything more?18. Aunt Tia and the Philosopher's Tooth - Jonas has to stay with his aunt, but she has crazy ideas.19. Spirits - The spirits in Felicia's oven are acting up again, but she gets help from her ex.20. You Can Do Anything - Trans engineer saves the day when a train almost crashes (same world as Spirits).…

BirtheV

discrimen (Latin), discrimin-is, neuter1. distance, separation2. distinction, differenceHold your head high and be proud if you can. Let our differences be what binds us, what enriches us. Not what divides us, for if we want to confront others' prejudices, we have to look our own in the eyes first.In which I explore more serious themes, some unique to the LGBTQ+ community and others to people that happen to be LGBTQ+ as well. Not all queer rep is explicit. These tales will tell about hardships, prejudice, hate and discrimination. As with Light of Heart, expect diversity of all kinds and some twists on clichés, but a lot more angst.1. A Casual Dinner Conversation - Jordi's dating someone, but it's not a girl nor a boy.2. Requiem - Sylvia relives memories of her father the night before his funeral, but he was not always her father.3. Dwelling - Ruth meets a boy that loves make-up and they strike up a friendship despite their age difference.4. Pride and Prejudice - Marie can't believe that her black neighbour isn't homophobic but does, in fact, kiss a girl.5. Siren - Literary flashfic about an alcoholic.6. Desert Child - A boy in the Armenian genocide.7. Strong - Autobiographical monologue about bullying.8. Going Home - Pigs fly, and a girl has a different idea about where their home is than her parents.…

BirtheV

The wind blows harderunder many shades of grey.The sun shone at dawn.***A collection of haikus, tankas, poems about nature, climate change, platonic love, and any other poems I feel like writing or translating to English.…

BirtheV

Nyanjura wants to be alone. Actually alone. She doesn't want to talk to anybody, and she doesn't want anybody to talk to her. She doesn't want to make friends, like her parents suggest, and she doesn't want hugs, or to talk about her feelings. And she definitely doesn't want to listen when her parents try to talk sense into yet another politician that space is not a trash belt.When her parents leave her in a room full of other children ("you can play together") while they accept more empty promises, she's had enough. She sneaks out and hides in the storage room of an empty spaceship.But the spaceship doesn't stay empty and while she's asleep, it leaves port. In the middle of space, she's discovered by two family friends. They try to notify her parents, but the communication systems fail. At first, Nyanjura is relieved. But the adults don't leave her alone. They try to return to port, but their navigation systems also fail.And then Nyanjura's epileptic seizures get worse.And then reality starts breaking apart.If Nyanjura can't learn to trust and rely on others, she'll have no way to trust what's real. And then she will truly be left all alone, in the vast and cold emptiness of space.***Hopefully coming in 2025, if I can complete it offline by then! Details still subject to change (eg. epilepsy representation, as I continue researching).…

BirtheV

De Holocaust is wellicht de beroemdste genocide, maar lang niet de enige.Dit verhaal heb ik geschreven op basis van getuigenissen en foto's. Het gaat over een genocide, dus er komen geweld, dood en verkrachting in voor.De foto op de cover komt van de site die ik in de bronvermelding heb gezet.…

BirtheV

"Is het geen mooie avond om te sterven?"***Dit is een collectie van kortverhalen die ik schreef, hoofdzakelijk voor het schrijfclubje waar ik lid van ben. Het zijn mijn schrijfoefeningen, mijn pogingen tot literariteit, dus elke feedback is welkom. Alles is mogelijk: historisch, mythologisch, fantasy, humoristisch, hedendaags, ...Ik voeg nieuwe verhalen toe telkens wanneer er eentje af is (ook al heb ik aangeduid dat dit boek 'compleet' is).…

BirtheV

Een woord Eén woord maar dat looft, belooft doordringt, doorklinkt dat zingt, dat blinkt niet verbleekt en niet breekt. Dat bloeit, dat gloeit, dat groeit. Een vuurpijl in de nacht Duizend bloemen op een veld Van alles wat ik dacht, is er niets dat nu nog geldt. Een noot Eén noot maar. Niets zal nog hetzelfde zijn. ***Een verzameling gedichten die niet in mijn andere bundels ('Verlangen' en 'Bitterzoet en schemerzacht') passen. Dit zullen kerst- en nieuwjaarsgedichten zijn, natuurgedichten, haiku's, ... De titel van de bundel was een opgave voor een gedichtenwedstrijd op school vier jaar geleden waarbij ik bovenstaand gedicht heb geschreven (en ermee heb gewonnen).…

BirtheV

Korrel voor korrelneemt de zee het strand inkust het met schuimige lippen.Waar de zee van de horizon dreigt te klotsenbalanceert de zontussen twee werelden.De zee smacht naar haarmaar ze stort zich in de armenvan de blozende lucht.De zee wil haar strelenmet stromende vingers.Hij reikt zonder te raken.Haar vonkende kinderenvoldoen nietals een vage afspiegeling van zijn geliefde.De zee wacht eindeloostot de zon terugkeerten hem in vuur en vlam zet.De gedichten bevinden zich in de volgorde waarin ik ze geschreven heb, waarbij het eerste dateert van juni 2015.…

BirtheV

Over verliefdheid. Over iemand die te veel denkt. Over mensen met hun eigen parcours, hun eigen hindernissen. Een discussie over liefde.Ik schreef dit verhaal voor een wedstrijd met als opgave 'verschillend en toch gelijk', die ik won. Dit is een kortverhaal, maar ik ben zo dol op mijn personages dat ik er graag een boek rond zou schrijven. Ik heb daarvan reeds het begin geschreven, maar voorlopig hebben andere projecten prioriteit. (De prequel staat wel hierin en gaat over de eerste ontmoetingen van mijn personages.)De scheldwoorden zijn niet mijn mening. Gelieve geen discussies te beginnen in de commentaren over het onderwerp of hatelijke opmerkingen te plaatsen.…

BirtheV

Bitterzoet en schemerzachtfonkelen sterren in wolkenwachtverlichten teder en vol krachtde schaduwen van wat ik dacht.Dromersdraden suikerspinmet glinstergaren dat ik winnog suikergoed in het begindan komt het zuur tot mijn smaakzin.Blaren springen in mijn mondik eet wat ik daarvoor nog bondde scheuten komen tot een wondtoch eet ik wat ik zond.Niets zo mooi als zomerzonik zou haar houden als ik konde dingen die 'k van 't leven wondie zij tot mijn boeien spon.Een verzameling gedichten voor mensen die ik moest afgeven.…