Two-Fic Tuesday

Welcome!

Please enjoy two absolutely wonderful stories this week. Both of them had me coming away feeling a little better about things and sometimes that's all you need.

The Library of the Apocalypse - Rati Mehrotra - Clarkesworld
This was beautiful and aching and yet I came away with a smile. I loved everything about this story and knew I wanted to share it with other people as soon as I finished. It's almost soft in a weird way, and it makes your heart ache a little. I just adored this.

Going Out - Quinn J. Graham - Factor Four
This makes my nonbinary heart yearn a little. Being able to change my shape has always been something I wanted, even when I was small, but it's interesting when put like this. I never considered that what I would look like would make a difference if I had this power, but it probably would for the people I became intimate with. The idea of being accepted as a fluid creature, as something that is purely themself, but has no fixed shape, is something that appeals to me and is what makes me smile so much about this story.

this week also brings you an extra link, but this time it's poetry that I just totally adored. It definitely has a different vibe than the stories though. Still, I read it and knew I'd be sharing it.

Old Brooklyn Magic - Ian Li - Nightmare
This was wonderfully creepy. I've only been to New York a few times to visit family when I was young and have no memory of it, but I loved this so much. It's eerie and full of an unsettling sensation of want that I really enjoyed interacting with. Brooklyn felt hungry in this poem, and I thought that was great.

Be well, take care, and I hope you read something lovely this week

• Vale