»Learn more about Virtual Lesbian Looks
This year Virtual LL expands to include not just web series, but podcasts, video games and beyond.
Web Series
Swerve
Swerve is the story of a young woman who decides it’s time to follow the overwhelming urge to yank the wheel of her life and careen into a new one. In its second season, Swerve is part thriller and always a complete surprise! Starring Carmilla alum Sharon Belle as the main character Elise, the series has fantastic production quality and a thrilling storyline, so its sure to please.
Web Series
Notas Aparte
Originally released on Netflix as part of its Latina America push, Notas Aparte is now available on YouTube with English subtitles. The series features Monica Rius as Sara, a shameful and naïve teenager who is in the closet. Her mother hires Helena, played by Aysha Daraaui, a professor of Art History to tutor her twice a week, so she can pass her university entrance exams. Before too long Helena is tutoring Sara in more than just art!
Web Series
CLAIREvoyant
CLAIREvoyant is a scripted series from KindaTV, the YouTube channel that brought you Carmilla. Starring Annie Briggs and Natasha Negovanlis as the Seer Sisters, Claire and Ruby. An absurdist sci-fi show about fake psychics trying to make a living, until everything gets complicated when Claire discovers that she’s really psychic and falls in love.
Podcast
Alice isn’t Dead
Alice isn’t Dead is about a trucker on a mission to find her missing wife. In the course of her search, she will encounter not-quite-human serial murderers, towns literally lost in time, and a conspiracy that goes way beyond one missing woman. Keeping to the absurdist and surreal aesthetic developed in Welcome to Night Vale, this podcast is thrilling.
Video Game
Curtain
Curtain is an interactive first-person narrative about Kaci & Ally, two queer women in a Glasgow punk band, which gives you a first-hand experience of their destructive relationship. A free video game that can be played in roughly a half-hour on any home computer, Curtain tackles issues of abuse in a non-exploitative way. Using an overly pixelated aesthetic this game allows the player to focus on the emotion and insert their own detail. A much-needed exploration.
Digital Storytelling
Buried without Ceremony
Queer art collective Buried Without Ceremony creates “little games” or one-shots that can be played in one sitting, such as the one linked to here. Written and designed by An Sheep and Avery Alder Mcdaldno, this three-player “game” is about queer women and their romantic relationships. Players design characters, decide if they are hooking up or moving in, and create queer space that is safe for all player characters. Ultimately, the primary game mechanic is centered around consent. A refreshing and innovative experience.
Cover art image by Amy Clare
