This really puts me in mind of our friend the college student in an unnamed fascist country, in that I could really feel like every word in this story is accurate and these two are great, or that every word in this story is accurate and these two kinda suck.
Something about the tone of these makes me feel this way about the ones I think are the best.
Yes that fascist country story is also one of my favorites :) I agree, as I was reading this I was like maybe these two are obnoxious. But even if they are, they are obnoxious together, which is so beautiful.
This choked me up a little. There is a lot that is similar to what my partner has told me about her life. She is very different from Simone; non-monogamous, lesbian-leaning bisexual, doesn't want kids or the house or marriage. But in the other ways her experience was very much like this.
One story she tells that I love is when she was just starting her transition she was talking to a (queer cis woman) therapist and she was worrying that she would be alone for the rest of her life. Like who would fall in love with a tall, nerdy trans woman who probably won't pass, would she ever have a girlfriend again? And the therapist just laughed in her face and was like... You don't need to worry about that, queer women don't GAF.
This one is spectacular – I re-read it again and again, trying to piece out how I felt about it.
I liked Navin's little dodge when Simone asks him about his own relationship with the Internet. Because as a nerdy guy and especially a South Asian diaspora guy he could have absorbed similar toxic sludge about his "sexual market value" that Simone has on trans 4chan. Or maybe he just doesn't have online baggage! Maybe the baggage is inevitable, maybe some are free...
Yes you know how men are, he will never express whatever toxic ashamed inadequate feelings he has about women. But he feels lucky to have found this person, and that at least comes through :)
Catholic trans girl picking the name Simone... checks out! (I'm actually wondering whether the specific dead-name/live-name combo is inspired by a very specific 2010s internet personality, but... probably not.)
Maybe love is real......... I love the optimism of this and many of your other tales. Sometimes things do just happen more or less the way they should, and people turn out mostly okay! It feels very true to life. Often when older people are narrating their life stories, they sound a lot like this tale. Yes, maybe they didn't achieve exactly what they dreamed of in the brilliant and hazy fantasies of childhood, but they made the best of it and found some satisfaction (the right person for them, the right job for them, a deep and abiding passion for model railroad construction) and ended up having pretty good lives after all!
This really puts me in mind of our friend the college student in an unnamed fascist country, in that I could really feel like every word in this story is accurate and these two are great, or that every word in this story is accurate and these two kinda suck.
Something about the tone of these makes me feel this way about the ones I think are the best.
Yes that fascist country story is also one of my favorites :) I agree, as I was reading this I was like maybe these two are obnoxious. But even if they are, they are obnoxious together, which is so beautiful.
"as I was reading this" meaning as you were reading your own story...? 😆
Yep!
All of your semi-parables are great but this one is really well done
Thank you!
This choked me up a little. There is a lot that is similar to what my partner has told me about her life. She is very different from Simone; non-monogamous, lesbian-leaning bisexual, doesn't want kids or the house or marriage. But in the other ways her experience was very much like this.
One story she tells that I love is when she was just starting her transition she was talking to a (queer cis woman) therapist and she was worrying that she would be alone for the rest of her life. Like who would fall in love with a tall, nerdy trans woman who probably won't pass, would she ever have a girlfriend again? And the therapist just laughed in her face and was like... You don't need to worry about that, queer women don't GAF.
And indeed that has been the case.
Thank you! I am glad you liked it. Yes it is much easier to date women :)
This one is spectacular – I re-read it again and again, trying to piece out how I felt about it.
I liked Navin's little dodge when Simone asks him about his own relationship with the Internet. Because as a nerdy guy and especially a South Asian diaspora guy he could have absorbed similar toxic sludge about his "sexual market value" that Simone has on trans 4chan. Or maybe he just doesn't have online baggage! Maybe the baggage is inevitable, maybe some are free...
Yes you know how men are, he will never express whatever toxic ashamed inadequate feelings he has about women. But he feels lucky to have found this person, and that at least comes through :)
This is as good as OG's tip-in.
High praise!
You are reinventing the short story form with these pieces. Incredible stuff 🔥
Catholic trans girl picking the name Simone... checks out! (I'm actually wondering whether the specific dead-name/live-name combo is inspired by a very specific 2010s internet personality, but... probably not.)
I have no idea who you’re talking about so probably not :)
Maybe love is real......... I love the optimism of this and many of your other tales. Sometimes things do just happen more or less the way they should, and people turn out mostly okay! It feels very true to life. Often when older people are narrating their life stories, they sound a lot like this tale. Yes, maybe they didn't achieve exactly what they dreamed of in the brilliant and hazy fantasies of childhood, but they made the best of it and found some satisfaction (the right person for them, the right job for them, a deep and abiding passion for model railroad construction) and ended up having pretty good lives after all!
Thank you! I definitely believe in love :)
So good!!!