SSBB no. 59 Some Assembly Required
Phew, I made it. Actually it didn’t take very long to read the whole SSBB issue this month, but it was a fun one! And I loved that the quality of writing was far more consistent and reliable than with the Don’t Read in the Closet event writings. I previously would have said they were about the same, but honestly there was a lot more mediocre writing and editing in the DRitC () stories.
But whatever, this month’s theme was Some Assembly Required, and it fit the theme really well overall. There were only seven stories, and of them only one had two parts. I probably could have finished them all yesterday if I hadn’t spent so much time trying to out-nap the cats.
There was no secret hidden theme this time, but I did find it interesting that two of the stories had BJs with condoms. I’m pretty confident that I can state that’s unusual, at least in fiction. I know it’s (allegedly?) not as dangerous to suck without a barrier in reality, but I also know the sex-how-to talks I somehow attended at college without burning up emphasized that one should always always suit up. And yet you don’t see that as much in fiction–not even when the characters are obsessed with protection the rest of the time. So to have two stories talking about poor flavoring and latex on tongues in a random selection of seven is odd (not entirely random, but you get the idea).
Anyway, here’s some summaries, which you have all waited so very patiently for:
Mimeo Killed the Radio Star, by Iron Eater: A young man commits himself to publishing a zine on mimeograph in the 80s (pretty sure it was the 80s), but finds the deadline looming too closely, and ends up calling on an unlikely volunteer. It’s a good non-romance story. There’s smut, and there’s dynamic between them, but it sets out not to be a romance, and it ends without being a romance (perhaps they become friends-with-benefits? or just booty-call-buddies? does that spoil too much?)
Be Careful What You Fish For, by Aosora Hikaru: An odd one where a Michigan man finds something unexpected on a regular fishing trip. This was our two-parter, and I think the best thing about it is the fact that it’s…a standard type of set-up, and I kept expecting this one thing to happen (because it always does in this sort of story)…but it never did, and the ending…I hate to call it a twist, because that makes it seem like it was really dramatic, and it wasn’t, but the quietly different path this story took was wonderful.
Another pair of hands, by Hyakunichisou 13: This was about a new homeowner, who needs almost as much work as his house, although he’s determined to do both by himself. It’s another quiet and not-quite-as-expected story, and I loved that it’s applicable to me because I’m just starting on a quest to buy a home, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be doing the exact same things as he did in less than a year…
Stuva, by Hiwaru Kibi: A new neighbor moves in, and it turns out he needs a hand with assembling a DIY crib, which the MC is content enough to provide when beer is offered. I think I might say that this was the hottest of the bunch, certainly it was the only one with pretty much any UST at all.
The Antidote We Make Together, by Iseya Misu: A certain young lordling secretly takes on a job as a servant-for-hire, providing any and all services required by the people he serves. Which makes him sound like a whore, and he’s not, I don’t mean that. It was…on the absurd/improbable side, if you think about it too hard, but it’s very sweet if you don’t.
The Lemon Priest, by Wasureta Yume: This was maybe the most unusual of the stories. The MC is sent to a far-away land to help a failing glass factory, but things aren’t as they seem, and the glass may be out to kill him. It helps that the gardener and the lemon tree are on his side, though. I really enjoyed the bits and hints of culture and character that the story gave us, but I must say that it ended far, far too soon, and I was really hoping it would be a two-parter, or that perhaps someday we can see more of this world.
Terra Cotta, by Kuruma Ebi: This is one where information is withheld from the reader until well into the story, so I’m not sure what I can say that won’t give something away that you’re not supposed to know at the outset (although it’s not my favorite story-telling style, so I’m tempted to just blurt stuff out), but…it’s a story with large monsters, a future both known and unknown, and a few people who just want to live. It was strange in a good way, and heart-warming in the best way.
