History SoYouWantTo / WriteAYuriManga

Coming back to an all-girl triangle, any variation of the TriangRelations is workable but some are easier than others. The reason for this is that just like with the lead girls, you have to give the third girl enough traits that are contrasting, complementary, and similar to her object of attraction to make her an interesting and believable rival. This is obviously easier if she is an [[BettyAndVeronica actual rival of one lead for the affections of the other]], in which case she needs traits similar (but not identical!) to the former to be a credible threat. If the third girl has it in for both leads... then the notion of {{Polyamory}} draws very close, with all the UnfortunateImplications about homosexuals it brings along.

When it comes to {{Love Triangle}}s in yuri, pretty much every kind of TriangRelations (see reference chart on the right) is acceptable... as long as the third wheel is another girl. If it is a guy, the relationship must feature a strong attraction or even commitment between the lead girls; otherwise, the story runs a high risk of turning into vanilla romance, which is a no-no. Here is a rough breakdown:

The BetaCouple in the yuri genre is a supporting lesbian couple, [[MentorInQueerness usually slightly older than the lead girls and much better adjusted both to each other and to their sexuality]]. They are introduced fairly early on and represent what the alpha couple will become in due time. Additionally, in this particular genre, they serve the unique purpose of showing the leads that happy lesbian romance ''is'' possible, despite what everyone else would have them believe. Their second, less obvious purpose is to reassure all the {{Yuri Fan}}s who live in constant fear of BaitAndSwitchLesbians Syndrome that yes, your manga is, indeed, ''bona fide'' yuri and is not about PseudoRomanticFriendship.

When writing the beta couple, have them largely mirror the leads' relationship, traits and contrasts, only projected a few years into the future. It is OK if they don't have the same edge and depth -- they are not the main characters, after all.

Because of its cultural roots in the pre-UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Japanese education system, a lot of yuri mangas produced in Japan these days are set in an ElaborateUniversityHigh or a OneGenderSchool. Consequentially, a vast majority of lesbian couples in yuri manga are in their [[DangerousSixteenthBirthday late teens]] to [[ChristmasCake mid-twenties]]. While you are in no way bound to this setting and age range, you may find it easier to come up with subplots and reach your readers if you stick to the classics.

* '''SugarWiki/{{WAFF}}'''[[note]]Warm And Fuzzy Feeling[[/note]]. This axis is defined by [[SugarWiki/SweetDreamsFuel feel-nice, trouble-free romance]] with lots of [[HugTropes hugging]] (but rarely kissing -- too dramatic), quality time together, [[SleepCute Sleeping Cute]], etc. This axis is responsible for most of the [[{{Iyashikei}} "Healing" Manga]] (and not only in yuri).

What yuri manga is ''not'' is an accurate depiction of lesbian relationships as they occur in RealLife--for much the same reasons that vanilla [[RomanceNovel romance fiction]] is rarely a faithful reproduction of everyday personal relationships between men and women.

The BetaCouple in the yuri genre is a supporting lesbian couple, [[MentorInQueerness usually slightly older than the lead girls and much better adjusted both to each other and to their sexuality]]. They are introduced fairly early on and represent what the alpha couple will become in due time. Additionally, in this particular genre, they serve the unique purpose of showing the leads that happy lesbian romance ''is'' possible, despite what everyone would have them believe. Their second, less obvious purpose is to reassure all the {{Yuri Fan}}s who live in constant fear of BaitAndSwitchLesbians Syndrome that yes, your manga is, indeed, ''bona fide'' yuri and is not about PseudoRomanticFriendship.

When writing the beta couple, have them largely mirror the leads' relationship, traits and contrasts, only projected a few years into the future. It is OK if they don't have the same edge and depth--they are not the main characters, after all.

In RealLife, neither "AllWomenArePrudes" nor "AllWomenAreLustful" is true. In fact, between these [[MadonnaWhoreComplex two extremes]], the vast majority of women are neither sex-obsessed nymphomaniacs, nor absolutely asexual--but a healthy, fulfilling sexual life is desirable for both heterosexual and homosexual women alike, especially young women who love and are loved. On the flip side, very few readers (and certainly none among the {{Yuri Fan}}s you are writing for) would object to the notion that GirlOnGirlIsHot, so a tastefully done lesbian lovemaking scene will be a great treat for both your characters and your readership. There are [[Manga/GokujouDrops a]] [[Manga/{{Octave}} few]] [[Creator/ShunintaAmano examples]] where it was done right.

Other popular settings, especially for adult heroines, include their professional environments (office, or wherever their job usually takes them) and outright {{Fantasy}} settings. For some reason, ScienceFiction yuri mangas are few and far in-between, which may or may not have to do with the [[MotherNatureFatherScience belief that science is inherently "male"]] and thus has no place in a story about females.

* Rule #3: Do NOT [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnFemale have one of the heroines sexually assault the other and expect the audience to still root for them to be together]]. While in the past, such a thing was not viewed as a big deal, increased awareness of the grim reality of female-on-female sexual assault, complete with survivors opening up about it, means you are more likely to get backlash and/or potentially [[TraumaButton trigger]] a survivor who might be reading your work. If, for whatever reason, you want to include female-on-female rape in your story, portray the aggressor as a rapist and villain while playing the rape as horrifying instead of titillating.

* ''Happy End'' by Sukekoro is a great example of how ''not'' to end a yuri manga--by breaking the Pitfall rule #2.

And just in case you have decided to write a lovemaking scene and wonder what kind of "[[UnusualEuphemism props]]" your girls should use, there are much better specialized educational websites out there for such questions than Wiki/ThisVeryWiki. OurSuperStrictLanguagePolicy doesn't allow such details, anyway.

* Seinen yuri tends to feature more {{Bishoujo}}-style art and to become LongRunners with complex plots and LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters -- but, again, works on the other ends of artistic and narrative spectrum have been published for this demographic.

** [[SempaiKohai Sempai — kohai]]

* As been mentioned above, there aren't many ScienceFiction yuri mangas, so why not try your hand at Girls Love [-IN SPACE!-] (well, not ''literally'' in space) or ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' [-WITH LESBIANS!-]? An aspiring {{Starfighter}} AcePilot is taken POW by a GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe enemy captain but accidentally freed by a wacky [[SpacePirate Space]] PirateGirl. FoeYay and PlanetaryRomance [[LoveAcrossBattlelines Across Battlelines]] ensues. Or opt instead for a more ''Franchise/StarTrek'' plot or ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' or what have you. ''Literature/IlivaisX'' or ''Anime/{{Iczer}}'' are examples on this wiki you can look for.

* ''Manga/HanjukuJoshi'' is a dramatic love story with a [[{{Anvilicious}} not-so-subtle criticism]] of the ClassS idea.

Because of its cultural roots in the pre-UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Japanese education system (see ClassS), a lot of yuri mangas produced in Japan these days are set in an ElaborateUniversityHigh or a OneGenderSchool. Consequentially, a vast majority of lesbian couples in yuri manga are in their [[DangerousSixteenthBirthday late teens]] to [[ChristmasCake mid-twenties]]. While you are in no way bound to this setting and age range, you may find it easier to come up with subplots and reach your readers if you stick to the classics.

* The leads are already committed to each other in a romantic way from the onset. This setup lends itself best to Comedy and WAFF-style stories and {{Beta Couple}}s (see below). In a more Dramatic variation, the girls have dated each other before but dismissed it as mere RomanticTwoGirlFriendship and "[[BaitAndSwitchLesbians moved on]]" to heterosexual relationships, only to discover that they are still in love with each other.

The BetaCouple in the yuri genre is a supporting lesbian couple, [[MentorInQueerness usually slightly older than the lead girls and much better adjusted both to each other and to their sexuality]]. They are introduced fairly early on and represent what the alpha couple will become in due time. Additionally, in this particular genre, they serve the unique purpose of showing the leads that happy lesbian romance ''is'' possible, despite what everyone would have them believe. Their second, less obvious purpose is to reassure all the {{Yuri Fan}}s who live in constant fear of BaitAndSwitchLesbians Syndrome that yes, your manga is, indeed, ''bona fide'' yuri and is not about RomanticTwoGirlFriendship.

* ''LightNovel/MariaWatchesOverUs'' is ''the'' yuri series that helped [[TropeCodifier Codify]] many tropes and popularize the genre. However, it is of the HideYourLesbians and RomanticTwoGirlFriendship variant.

* ''Manga/BloomIntoYou'' is a well-regarded series that combines excellent characterization and chemistry with a social commentary on the negative effects of the RomanticTwoGirlFriendship trope.

* Rule #2: Do NOT make them [[BaitAndSwitchLesbians break up in the end and have happy vanilla marriages]]. While it certainly defuses the challenge to heteronormativity posed by your work, it somewhat misses the point of the genre and is usually treated as a cheap-ass way around breaking the first rule above (heaven help you if you break both). If you want a BittersweetEnding that badly, please take the StarCrossedLovers route with an unspoken promise of the leads getting back together in undefined future.

Because of its cultural roots in the pre-UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Japanese education system (see ClassS), a lot of yuri mangas produced in Japan these days are set in an ElaborateUniversityHigh or a OneGenderSchool. Consequentially, a [[SchoolgirlLesbians vast majority of lesbian couples]] in yuri manga are in their [[DangerousSixteenthBirthday late teens]] to [[ChristmasCake mid-twenties]]. While you are in no way bound to this setting and age range, you may find it easier to come up with subplots and reach your readers if you stick to the classics.

* ''Manga/HanjukuJoshi'' is a dramatic love story with a [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped not-so-subtle criticism]] of the ClassS idea.

An important factor when working with a girl-girl-guy triangle, particularly one where one girl has to decide between the other girl and the guy, is the notion of heteronormativity: dating a guy is socially acceptable, an expected norm; dating a girl marks her as an aberration and, in the Japanese cultural context, an immature person clinging to adolescent romantics. Unless that factor is not present in your setting, it can and should be milked for dramatic tension and dilemmas.

* ''Manga/SasamekiKoto'' provides an excellent example of how to mix Drama- and Comedy-style yuri without {{Narm}} or MoodWhiplash.

* ''Manga/KannazukiNoMiko''. While a bit heavy-handed and often confusing, the anime adaptation was among the first openly yuri televised series and highly influential on all that followed.

* ''Manga/NanashiNoAsterism''. During the course of its run, the yuri love triangle gained more questions with no answers while the yaoi pair got increased attention. Naturally, the fans were not amused, leading to its cancellation.

* ''LightNovel/MariaWatchesOverUs'' is ''the'' yuri series that helped [[TropeCodifier Codify]] many tropes and popularize the genre. It, however, is of the HideYourLesbians and RomanticTwoGirlFriendship variant.

* ''LightNovel/MariaSamaGaMiteru'' is ''the'' yuri series that helped [[TropeCodifier Codify]] many tropes and popularize the genre. It, however, is of the HideYourLesbians and RomanticTwoGirlFriendship variant.

* ''Manga/OniiSamaE'' is an extremely influential series, however being from TheSeventies it features outdated tropes like BaitAndSwitchLesbians.

** [[UsefulNotes/{{Pettanko}} Flat-chested]] — well-endowed

Unless you are doing an epic fantasy or [[LesbianJock sports]] series, you won't see many stunts being done.