Dress for the Genre You Want to Be

 

“To Access Seven Obelisks, Press Enter” by V.M. Ayala (Lightspeed, August 2025) https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/to-access-seven-obelisks-press-enter/

My notes on this one say "hot nonbinary hacker brings it all down by corrupting themselves with a memory of their father." 

This short story is probably the sexiest cyberpunk short that I've listened to in a while. Like, not in an about sex way (which this absolutely isn't) but, like, actually hot. 

Our enby protag, Zan, is a lowly tech-worker who, when the story starts, wins the lottery to attend the company's annual gala. We discover as the story progresses, that their "win" was planned as part of a great hack. Zan, we find out, is working in tandem with the mysterious "L," an upper-management mole/corporate traitor and it was L who arranged the invite as part if their heist/hack.

This story also wears the "costume" of cyberpunk very blatantly. This may sound like a complaint or a dis, but it isn't. When I was a co-host on the cyberpunk podcast Mona Lisa Overpod, Ka1iban and I talked a lot about the aesthetics of cyberpunk. There are stories that 100% are cyberpunk in terms of the questions they have, the types of heroes they have, etc.,  that just do not feel like cyberpunk because they don't dress the part. A perfect example of that, to me, is Murderbot Dairies.  We did a whole episode lying out my argument as to why Martha Wells is writing cyberpunk with that series, but conclude, as I agree we had to, that is just isn't, because it doesn't LOOK like cybperpunk.

In "To Access Seven Obelisks, Press Enter," Zan is everything you expect from a cyberpunk protag, including being, in many ways, an undiscovered digital genius. They can create a glass like no one else. "Glass," in this world, is sort of like a simulated reality. I think, and I will be honest I may have misunderstood this, but Zan seems to have cracked the code, as it were, to allow this simulated reality to bleed into our own. If I'm mistaken about this, the bleed is still critical to the hack, in part because it can cause obsessive behaviors that remove someone from the picture, permanently.

If you can't tell, the plot is very plotty in this one and so, having listened to it only, I may be misconstruing critical bits. I'm not sure that much mattered to my enjoyment, though? As I note, the story is hot--the attraction between L and Zan is ultimately the highlight, at least for me? The big revolution is kind of sideline to the question of will they or won't they get together... again, for ME. You should feel free to click the link and check the story out for yourself. I don't think you'll be disappointed, particularly, if you're in the mood for cyberpunk!

Cyberpunk Short Story Thoughts, Continued

 

I've turned into one of those women who colors. I'm not sure I like this new trend because it feels so... suburban white lady. But, my wife and I were at a Craft Swap the other day and I fell in love with a bucket of fancy markers. I do some visual art, but not so much that I actually need a huge collection of markers, so I grabbed an adult coloring book from another table on impulse. 

I have other crafting hobbies that I feel more at home in like handsewing nerdy quilts. But, it's been ridiculously hot here in Minnesota and so I have not felt like sewing a bit heavy quilt. So last night, while listening to "Charlotte Incorporated" I colored pasley-flowered swirls.

"Charlotte Incorporated," by Rachel K. Jones (Lightspeed, February 2016) https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/charlotte-incorporated/

 

I actually ended up listening to this story twice.  

I have a document file where I keep track of all of the short stories that I've listened to or read so, like with books, I won't accidentally read the same thing twice. Well, somehow "Charlotte Incorporated" evaded my notetaking!  

But that turned out to be okay because I ended up having two very different experiences with this story.

Initially, "Charlotte Incorporated" read to me as a story about not being in the right body and how expensive it is to transition. Our titualar heroine, Charlotte, is a literal brain in a jar (with what amounts to a automated wheelchair to get around in). She has been saving her pennies to be incorporated, which in this case, means having her brain put into a physical body. She puts up with fairly awful living conditions and a job where she gets shoved into a cheap "Henry" body in the meantime. 

This reasonates with me for a lot of REASONS, so it's not surprising that's what I most related to the first time through this story.

When I listened to it again last night, what struck me was the poverty. I think that this story got listed among cyberpunk short stories by the Reddit thread that I found it on because of the absolutely heart-wrenching poverty that Charlotte lives in and the fact that a couple of setbacks have utterly devestating consequences. 

Many of us are Charlotte in this last regard. Maybe not everyone can strongly relate to body dysphoria, but a shocking number of us know what it's like to 1) live with subpar equipment, etc., and 2) have the kind of financial existance where we are one car accident from total collapse. 

Right now, in fact, I'm composing this journal on a computer that I spilled coffee on several months ago. This has resulted in a glitch that--especially on humid days--causes a sticky key reaction and my keyboard will just produce a bunch of 6s all in a row. I was already using a wireless keyboard on this computer because half of the laptop's original keys are borked or missing.  And, laptops aren't even all that expensive for most people? I'm especially hard on my laptops, so I tend to be a bit cautious about just buying another one like it's no big deal, because I can not afford to replace my laptop that often. So I just live with it. And will do until money falls into my lap or the laptop finally, completely gives up the ghost.

In that way, I'm like Charlotte with her scuffed dome and wearing-out parts. 

And it's all so cyberpunk, you know? So dystopian, the way many of us have just learned to live with subpar or glitching products. Our society is so consumer-based, yet as Cory Doctorow noted there is a grand "enshitification" of the products we buy. Three years ago my Amazon Prime subscription bought me ad-free streaming. Now? Now, I just have to put up with interruptions. My once ad-free podcasts are interrupted by ads promoting AI or cars I can't afford or weightloss miracles--as are my YouTube videos, etc. There's this "what can we do?" attitude about it all, too. Like Charlotte, we just deal with the squeaky wheel because that's all we can afford, even as we hold onto this false dream of escaping our current socio-economic class, if we can just, somehow, save enough or make enough.

The ending of this one, which I will not spoil, is interesting in that it ends on a moral high note. The situation Charlotte is somewhat improved, but the real victory is a moral one. 

So, if you're intregued, check it out.

Trying Something New

 I was recently reminded that I have this blogspot blog keyed to show up on Goodreads. 

I don't really take advantage of that fact much. Heck, I barely remember to post anything at all. Part of that is where I am in my career, which is to say.. it's largely over. I'm not really writing much these days so it's not like I really need something like this for publicity's sake. 

But you know what journals like this used to be and what Goodreads often still is? Community.

And who doesn't need community? 

Lately, I've been on a short story kick. So, I'm thinking that this might be a place where I keep track of the short stories I'm reading (or, often, listening to). I might give a little review or just generally post a few thoughts on the story's theme or whatever. 

Because, why not? 

If you're interested, great. If not, this will be a nice little reference for me.

I'm going to start with a set of two that I listened to last night. 

• “RedChip BlueChip” by Effie Seiberg (Crossed Genres, June 2015) https://escapepod.org/2016/12/01/ep552-redchip-bluechip/, and
• “The Perfect Match” by Ken Liu (Lightspeed, December 2012) https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/the-perfect-match/

Both of these (arguably) cyberpunk stories are about The Algoritm, all caps. 

In "RedChip BlueChip" we follow fifteen year-old Mikila, on their birthday, the day that their brand loyalty is chosen for them with the insertion of a bio-wired chip (either Red or Blue). In "The Perfect Match" we follow Sai who is so plugged into a (not-so-distant) future version of Alexa that she makes all of his decisions for him, even who he might date. 

Book Club Zoom August 11 at 7 pm

North Country Gaylaxians is a local queer book club that has its meeting s online. So, you, my friends, can join this discussion with me on Tuesday, August 11th at 7 pm (Central) about Welcome to Boy. Net from anywhere in the world, if you are so inclined. The link to the Zoom is not up yet, but I will post it when I know it, or you can follow the North Country Gaylaxians on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NorthCountryGaylaxians/

It's always a little awkward as an author to drop-in on these kinds of discussions because I feel like my presence makes it somewhat difficult for the people who did not necessarily enjoy (or would like to critique some specific aspect of) the book to say so. But, maybe you have been burning to talk to me--or other fans!--about my most recent book? This is your chance! Put it on your calendar! As I note, I'll be sure to pass on the Zoom link as soon as its available. (I might recommend that if you do not want to miss this to go ahead and email David whose icloud address appears above.)

There's at least one typo on this flyer. I see that they accidentally have 2024 insteadof 2026 for their upcoming discussions. I did not design this? It's a little busier than I might have made this, but the Gaylaxians are 100% volunteer run, so I hope you will afford them a little grace. I have been to their discussions before and they're quite lively and engaging. So, there's that, if not perfect advertisement.

I am, as I'm sure it will come up in the discussion, quite stalled on the sequel. If you come, I'm sure I'll have a lot to say about all that.

Hope to see some of you there!

Minnesota NoICE

 https://www.patreon.com/posts/minnesota-noice-156554358

Naomi Kritzer, Marissa Lingen, J. R. Dawson and I talk about everything that's been happening in Minnesota to resist ICE... and, of course, our writing, too.