I thought this one had an abrupt, underwhelming ending until I sat with it for a moment, realizing I can't remember feeling that way at the end of one of these tales...and gradually realized what's going on (I think) with the last paragraph. This is really terrific lol
One of the strange charms of these tales, especially with some of the O. Henry tricks, is they seem so focused on one clear/intimate situation, from the very first sentence, that they feel easier to slip into than a typical piece of fiction, especially online, that begins with something more ambient, and builds up gradually. These launch ahead almost like a joke, with the premise right there in the beginning.
I really loved this, especially the ending. You know, we all have complicated motivations, and we each decide to act in the ways that make the most, but not perfect, sense. Our era is all about ambiguity and conflicted priorities. Excellent story and theme. Also, writing a story about writers is a good choice.
That guy! He is so trapped. A while back there was a terf lamenting that all her friends had abandoned her, and I was like, they didn't abandon you because you're bigot--its because you're obsessed and dull.
I read "You have this audience that’s addicted to outrage. And you have to feed that audience to remain relevant." and my mind jumped to Zuckerberg's MMA training... a nerd at his core trapped by his hubris into running towards jockdom
"lots of other domestic shit always came bubbling up" from "Domestic Disputes" is a perfect line. The story overall definitely reminds me of the SF stories in Lincoln Michel's "Metallic Realms" (the best part of that book was the SF stories). Are there other SF writers who write like this?
Thank you! Hmm...I mean Ted Chiang. He is the best, if you haven't read stories of your life, there's where to start. Also Maureen McHugh--her best collection is After the Apocalypse
He's also really, really kind in person. I mean I only had one experience with him at World Fantasy — we were supposed to share a panel and his train was late, so it ended up being me grilling Kathleen Ann Goonan about Mary Shelly for an hour who...
...holy shit I just discovered she died of bone cancer during the pandemic Like nine months before my dad. That's super sad.
Anyways, I met Ted later at the bar and his was a very enjoyable presence. It's lovely when that goes with great writing.
Thanks for a fun, provocative read. People like to simplify and see things in black and white. That’s their right. But to me, backlash to people touting their moral superiority and holier-than-thou (and thus better than you) attitudes are part of what got us to where we are today.
Holier than thou? Did you read some of Andi's actual writing somewhere and assess it as such? You seem defensive, and surely the characters being female is not helping you make a fair assessment. Girls and women tend to be much more justice-minded, and those who do wrong and don't want to be held accountable automatically despise truth-telling women automatically without even having a clue what she has actually espoused in her work.
If someone has achieved moral strength, then that person is objectively better than someone who doesn't bother or goes the opposite way. Should we rate people on a scale of 1-10? YES. By character.
Anyone who argues this simply has skeletons in his closet that he wished to keep covered.
It's time to stop being wishy washy and say it like it is: Don't treat others as you would not like to be treated. If you do so, you are wrong. Some things are indeed black and white.
a few reflections here suggest Andi is somehow wrong … but I felt on a second read Andi may be right. And when I read (maybe too closely?) the title, doesn’t the antecedent on either side of the conjunction refer to a different subject? As in: *Andi* might have integrity, or *Sophi* might be a coward, or both. As a reader, I’m not told what the issue is; I can fill in different issues and come up with different answers according to my personal judgements.
This is great! Simple, direct story, with depth hidden in plain sight
I love the ambiguity here. Very much a litmus test.
I know. I thought I'd do one like a real story, just to keep people guessing :)
I thought this one had an abrupt, underwhelming ending until I sat with it for a moment, realizing I can't remember feeling that way at the end of one of these tales...and gradually realized what's going on (I think) with the last paragraph. This is really terrific lol
One of the strange charms of these tales, especially with some of the O. Henry tricks, is they seem so focused on one clear/intimate situation, from the very first sentence, that they feel easier to slip into than a typical piece of fiction, especially online, that begins with something more ambient, and builds up gradually. These launch ahead almost like a joke, with the premise right there in the beginning.
This is becoming quite a crash course!
Thank you! It's nice to have a reader who gets what I am doing :)
I really loved this, especially the ending. You know, we all have complicated motivations, and we each decide to act in the ways that make the most, but not perfect, sense. Our era is all about ambiguity and conflicted priorities. Excellent story and theme. Also, writing a story about writers is a good choice.
Andi is totally Jesse Singal.
That guy! He is so trapped. A while back there was a terf lamenting that all her friends had abandoned her, and I was like, they didn't abandon you because you're bigot--its because you're obsessed and dull.
I read "You have this audience that’s addicted to outrage. And you have to feed that audience to remain relevant." and my mind jumped to Zuckerberg's MMA training... a nerd at his core trapped by his hubris into running towards jockdom
OMG that guy. I agree, he's in too deep.
"lots of other domestic shit always came bubbling up" from "Domestic Disputes" is a perfect line. The story overall definitely reminds me of the SF stories in Lincoln Michel's "Metallic Realms" (the best part of that book was the SF stories). Are there other SF writers who write like this?
Thank you! Hmm...I mean Ted Chiang. He is the best, if you haven't read stories of your life, there's where to start. Also Maureen McHugh--her best collection is After the Apocalypse
He's also really, really kind in person. I mean I only had one experience with him at World Fantasy — we were supposed to share a panel and his train was late, so it ended up being me grilling Kathleen Ann Goonan about Mary Shelly for an hour who...
...holy shit I just discovered she died of bone cancer during the pandemic Like nine months before my dad. That's super sad.
Anyways, I met Ted later at the bar and his was a very enjoyable presence. It's lovely when that goes with great writing.
Thanks for a fun, provocative read. People like to simplify and see things in black and white. That’s their right. But to me, backlash to people touting their moral superiority and holier-than-thou (and thus better than you) attitudes are part of what got us to where we are today.
That is undeniably true.
Holier than thou? Did you read some of Andi's actual writing somewhere and assess it as such? You seem defensive, and surely the characters being female is not helping you make a fair assessment. Girls and women tend to be much more justice-minded, and those who do wrong and don't want to be held accountable automatically despise truth-telling women automatically without even having a clue what she has actually espoused in her work.
If someone has achieved moral strength, then that person is objectively better than someone who doesn't bother or goes the opposite way. Should we rate people on a scale of 1-10? YES. By character.
Anyone who argues this simply has skeletons in his closet that he wished to keep covered.
It's time to stop being wishy washy and say it like it is: Don't treat others as you would not like to be treated. If you do so, you are wrong. Some things are indeed black and white.
Domestic Disputes - Great story
Thank you! It is my baby
a few reflections here suggest Andi is somehow wrong … but I felt on a second read Andi may be right. And when I read (maybe too closely?) the title, doesn’t the antecedent on either side of the conjunction refer to a different subject? As in: *Andi* might have integrity, or *Sophi* might be a coward, or both. As a reader, I’m not told what the issue is; I can fill in different issues and come up with different answers according to my personal judgements.
This is great! Simple, direct story, with depth hidden in plain sight
The Lightspeed story was fun, too.