not recs, i am simply going to try hashtag blogging more in 2026 in lieu of formatting a nice notion page or resurrecting the substack
five views of the planet of tartarus - rachel k. jones. i did not feel particularly invested or any which way from the 'twist' but still a very effective flash fiction piece... 550 words.. this post is probably going to be as long as it. wild.
three faces of a beheading - arkady martine, have not read much of martine's works at all but i love authors who clearly have their themes and interests. hell yeah historiography and plots and fate <3 make it VIDEO GAMES.
why don't we just kill the kid in the omelas hole - isabel j. kim not awful, but kept mentally comparing to the tumblr post i cannot find anymore which imo did it better with variations on omelas and THAT didn't get short story of the year award(s). i think the tone of it took me out of the story a little. anyway read omelas by uklg
you will not live to see m/m horrors beyond your comprehension - also isabel j. kim apollo goes to the oracle at delphi but with fandom as chorus. concept yes, execution less so.. i think i would have found it more interesting if all the voices didn't read as deeply familar with the certain tumblr fandom way of speech, rather than just the chorus etc. that is a tone of voice that knows what an ipad is
the gift of the magi - o. henry time to read a classic.. actually very fond of this, how kindly it portrayed its lovers, how heartfelt and sweet, and the humourous little descriptions <3 charming <3
oögenesis - karina lickorish quinn if your child turned into an insect.. of the list, the one i am recommending the most, insect tw, body horror tw majorly though! it evoked a similar dread that bloodchild did (which IS high praise you're right, for me to think of it in comparison) but with the same underlying twist of commentary, this time on the quagmire of the mother-daughter relationship and all its expectations and hopes and disappointments.. the second to last paragraph gawd 🚬.
ride or die - megan nolan friendship breakups; "i was really trying to flee a version of myself, a hapless and weak version. As soon as I began to see myself that way, I could not bear to be in the friendship any longer."
a supposedly close friend i might never seen again - audun mortensen in the same series as above about friendship breakups, reconnecting with old friends made me feel a certain je ne sais quoi
lol I’m trying to tell you how it feels for me - harriet armstrong i don't feel this reached a conclusion that resonated particularly with me, but interesting to read as a chronic 'lol' user. "the ‘lol’ is a way of asking for something – attention, reassurance, care or even love – while pretending not to ask for anything"... hm ok
guts - julia armfield the horror of the body through horror films and medical experiences of having some Thing inside you. a good consistently engaging writer as always. sidenote: surprised to learn she's english
titsay
gummygunk
janainaart
theartofmadeline
