things have gotten worse since we last spoke and other misfortunes by eric larocca

this is a total stream of consciousness as i am not a professional. proceed with caution.

story one, things have gotten worse. 

i hate people who assign mitski songs to ships/stories. hate them. nothing personal, it just never really makes sense. however, as a 5 year mitski veteran, i have thoughts and will delve into the world i formerly condemned. i apologize for my former heart full of hate and despair, will happen again.

agnes and zoe are so wife by mitski, and even, get this, shame by mitski. i know, cold take. mitski cannot bear her loved one a son, you know who else can't do that? zoe and agnes, famed cis lesbians. mitski feels closest to her loved one behind closed doors and nobody knows, though it feels so good. you know who else talks to their loved one solely in the dead of night, leading, essentially, a second life in this relationship? both agnes and zoe. 

that's enough of that. i feel dirty. 

anyway, i liked this short story, and i'm a communist, so this was a communist story. this strictly transactional relationship mirrors an employee/employer relationship. a union was attempted, though it fell through. agnes believes her dreams will come true if she listens to this faceless entity that validates her and gives her money. aforementioned entity does not care about her or her well-being, and does not seem to care when agnes "quits" her "job." maybe i'm reaching. 

as a lesbian, i have thoughts. good ones, though crazed, good. i liked it. though this story was not written by a lesbian i think larocca understands the stakes in a lesbian relationship. as a member of the lgbt communuty i'm sure they've experienced the dependence. you're alienated in every other aspect of your life, though others may not know it, you're different. even in a lesbian relationship, there's a sense of discomfort if there isn't respect. it's the first time for each party living a portion of their life in a way that totally discards men. both agnes and zoe fall into heteronormative roles. agnes wants to be a mother, zoe wants to provide. they're both so scared of devouring the other because the other is all they have. not because of any pain they may cause, they don't want to be alone. 

story two, the enchantment.

i love religious imagery. so do many tiktok kids. unsure why. lots of catholics online now. puritans. kids that long for the "good ole days." not in a nostalgic way, in a weird fascist way. white kids who hate intercourse on television. white kids who hate "wokeism." white kids who want to go back to the 50s, when it was simpler. white kids who support the unabomber, in the weird way, not the cool way. traditionalism is poisoning kids. 

it's easy to see family's torn apart by this, larocca agrees. 

i have much less to say about this one than the other, as do most people. i wish this whole collection had the fame the former story did. i really loved it! i loved how the boy didn't have a name. i love a good slow descent into madness. sue me! whatever. again, not a professional. 

i loved the sharp turn at the end. i thought i knew what was going on, i didn't, apparently. i use commas a lot. sorry. 

story 3, you'll find it's like that all over.

so, this one was the most open ended, i feel. it feels very "weird middle school assigned reading you remember a few years later." that being said, i always loved those! 

this story is very anti-southern hospitality. i concur. making the main character a gay man amplifies this. as a gay person in a society that expects constant politeness, it's hard to stick up for yourself. it's also very difficult as someone who is perceived as a woman. constant comments, weirdos finding my instagram, my inability to say no when someone asks for my number just because i was nice to them. sucks. 

ermm. i'm tired now. 

i like things.