In case you missed it on Twitter yesterday, I have to gush and squee right now about this story by my writing friend Merc Rustad.
I have a conflict of interest here because Merc and I beta (and alpha) read each other’s stories a lot, and are generally fans of each other, but this is my favorite story of everything I’ve ever seen from em, published or otherwise. I am glad Scigentasy picked it up, because it IS very much about gender identity, and about finding the people whose friendship and support will keep you alive.
There’s some other stuff in there. (Which is why it needs a Trigger Warning not just for gender/species dysphoria, but for suicidal ideation and a brief scene of psychological abuse.) If anyone is in a reviewing/discussing mood, I would love to see someone analyze the story from a mental health / social impairment / disability perspective, because I think there’s a lot about that hidden in the story, too. Due to my conflict of interest & general lack of distance, I don’t think that person should be me this time around.