breaking

i like to read weird and interesting stuff, especially when it's niche and queer! most of the zines i have are nonfiction or are didectly referencing personal real life experiences, but i don't often read nonfiction books :)

here's some fiction stuff you can read if you're up for being severely abnormal!

⎋ HYMN by Lynn Yerokhin

sci fi, gay, novella, free to access

hymn slightly exploded my brain tbqh. without getting too spoilery, as a queer person sometimes it's easy to fall into a place where you are in service of those who have power over you. even in places where you can be out it's far too easy to end up in a mindaet of assimilation rather than liberation, to fall into line rather than live the life you deserve and desire. to throw yourself and others under the bus because there's no saving you, because you cannot make it better. hymn follows this mindset, with its building fulitity. and then.

⎋ Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto

contemporary japanese, short story

this short story singlehandedly wrenched me out of depression a few times swear to god. i've reread kitchen like 30 times but asleep (in the book asleep) is such a devastating and heartening peace. the lack of control is gutwrenching. it's about a woman who sleeps a lot because she has nothing else to do inbetween that, shopping, and seeing her boyfriend. and then it all goes sideways. highly recommend!

also ⎋ kitchen is good.

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

sci fi, queer, series

this is not short. 7 books and still ongoing, tmbd is insane. it's about recovery. it's about being inbetween two discrete categories and refusing to fit yourself into either of them. it's decidedly queer. it's about not knowing what to do once you're free of a horrible system. it's about choosing to be better. it's about violence and a past full of it. it's about trust and lack thereof (largely of the latter). if you know me irl i have audiobooks. i am utterly obsessed with this series. if you're giving it a go i'd recommend trying the first two novellas before throwing in the towel.

⎋ The Beginner's Guide by Davey Wreden

psychological ?, playable

this is game, but i'd describe it as a story or narrative that you play rather than a traditional kind of game. avoid spoilers for this as much as possible if you really do want to play it. it's about someone struggling with something they don't understand. it's about a lot of things that a lot of people experience. it's about people. pay attention.

⎋ passenger9027 by Kociamieta

sci fi, playable, free to access

multiple choice sci fi thing about you and the vessel carrying you. very very fun format. very very regular. lonely.

the ache inside go away