I've already talked a little about the short-lived cyberpunk podcast that I was involved with called Mona Lisa Overpod, https://www.iheart.com/podcast/53-mona-lisa-overpod-182995443/
I was the person who ended our run for reasons of my own, but I do regret the fact that we were never able to tackle some of the more interesting proposed episode subjects, like the one of the title of this post.
Possibly the first time I ran across sex work and sex workers in cyberpunk as more than just background noise was in the independently published American comic book American Flagg, where the hero was an ex-porn star turned cop. The main character, Rueben Flagg, lost his job because he was AI copied and replaced in the films, a problem that might soon be facing any number of Hollywood actors for real, in this, The Worst Timeline.
The cyberpunk of that early era mostly treated sex workers like they did queer folks--as evidence that the world had gone to crap. The background underworld that our hero moved through was DANGEROUS and thus filled with hos and homos, if you will. It was rough as a young queer (with friends who did sex work) in the late 1980s to finally be seeing representation, only to have it be a sign of the impending dystopian apocalypse.
It's interesting to me that queer (especially trans) protags are still often found in cyberpunk. More often now-a-days, as the story I talked about not long ago "Charlotte Incorporated," when we see LGBTQIA+ characters, they stand in for "the everyman." (<--ironic use here.) So, even though queerness seems to still be intrinsict to dytopian futures, that queerness is at least now centered often in positive ways.
I'm not sure sex workers have yet had their day.
And I say this as someone who has written a cyberpunk story abotu a sex worker (which you can find in the anthology, The Reinvented Detective, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CW569BR1?lv)
However, tht might be changing...
***
This story should probably, however, come with some content warnings. The absolutely incredibly crafted opening paragraph does give you a clear picture of what to expect, however:
The company man’s smile showed off his perfect teeth. Evie hated that smile; it meant he was going to kill her again.
What follows is a cyberpunk murder mystery, with the lovely twist that the victim isn't, given this opening, who you might expect... though because of this opening, I did spend much of the story absolutely worried for Evie (a great way to infuse tension and conflict, for those of you out there who are studying the craft of writing.)
I won't go into the murder mystery too much because I don't want to spoil the exprience for anyone who decides to pick this story up. It is also a new enough story that even regular fans of Lightspeed Magazine might not have had a chance to read it yet.
Instead, what I found most fascinating is the techological advances proposed for the "oldest profession." A lot of other authors and creators have forseen dolls or skins or holographic projections that sex workers might don in order to become the person you most crave. This is not the first time, I've come across tech that inables a specific kink, but this is possibly the first time that I've seen the enhancement be a non-virtual. This is physical, very hardcore tech.
And you get introduced to it right away. Very viscerally.
I might, in some future post, talk about graphic violence/descriptions in cyberpunk because, in someway, I do think they are part of the aesthetic. I blame, as one must, Blade Runner for this trend/trope. I actually walked out of Blade Runner in the theater because I couldn't take the graphic violence. I later saw the whole movie? But, I missed my chance to be super-cool and be able to say that I first saw it in the theater... because Pris's (speaking of "basic pleasure models") death did me in. To be fair to me, I was underage for an R rated film, not that people much cared back in those days, and I had been stood up on a date. So, I wasn't in the best of moods!
I do have to wonder, however, how much the two are linked, particularly in cyberpunk.
I mean, sex and violence are obviously a Thing.
Sex is a messy physical process and so is physical violence. Both are considered base instincts--not something that fancy, well-heeled people admit to doing. So, again, in order for a dystopia to feel gritty, dark, and rough sex and violence need to be present, on stage, and as graphic as possible, perhaps?
I don't know. I'm not sure I'm writing these blogs because I have any real answers. I'm mostly writing them to scratch the itch of wanting to explore both cyberpunk and the things I'm currently reading. So, I guess that's all I'll say for now. I did really enjoy "The Girlfriend Experience" particularly for the cleverness of the murder mystery and the resolution therein. So, since I won't spoil that, you'll have to go read it for yourself!
“To Access Seven Obelisks, Press Enter” by V.M. Ayala (Lightspeed, August 2025) https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/to-access-seven-obelisks-press-enter/
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 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.
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.
