"I can feel the pinch. Something pointed that should be round."

September 27, 2024 12:16 PM

Two very different short stories about romantic relationships and change. "The Manifesto" by Ilse Eskelsen, published in Lunch Ticket Summer/Fall 2024: "Elizabeth sucked her bottom lip. She sprinkled cheese over another pizza. Eventually, she asked, 'How do you make guys think you’re smart?'" A girl reads The Communist Manifesto to impress a boy; it works, at first. "Transmogrification" by R.M. Pérez-Padilla, fantasy, published in July 2024 in The Future Fire: "It speaks to how freaked out I am that I told her about it at all." A trans person starts to notice changes in how other people look, especially when they're transphobic. (Content note: transphobic language/behavior, bodyhorror.) Interview with the author and the illustrator.
posted by brainwane (3 comments total)

(Those last 2 links seem to work in some browsers and not others, I think because the TLS/SSL on press.futurefire.net isn't working quite right.)
posted by brainwane at 12:18 PM on September 27

I mean, Grant isn’t wrong, but he’s also an asshole.
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:51 PM on September 27 [1 favorite]

Grant is both annoying and wrong! Mild abuse of power to enjoy music at work and give your crush free pizza is cool! I laughed.

Both stories are great. Trying to get into some nerd shit as an excuse to talk to dweebs is a classic move.
posted by Summers at 5:13 PM on September 27 [1 favorite]