It’s Time to Review Complications
So Complications is one of those stories where it takes me a moment to remember – oh, yeah, it’s that one. And that never bodes well for readers.
Background
So this was originally a het fan fiction story. But with a few changes, it could go in another direction. And both of the characters were wholly original. But in the published version, it’s two different characters anyway. Essentially, the only thing I used was the scenario and some of the dialogue.
So it shows. This was, unfortunately, not exactly a big effort on my part. If I was to do it again, I would have worked harder on this. But when I needed to hand it in, I was pressed for time.
The Plot of Complications
The truth is, this story has very nearly no plot. Basically, it is a vignette with little plot, only sketches of characters, and no crisis or conflicts at all. Hell, it is barely even a scene.
Characters
The characters are the narrator, Suzanne, and her lesbian lover, Tellina. Tellina is not a human.
Memorable Quotes from Complications
“And you’ve never done this with a human before?”
“I’ve never done this with anyone before, Suzanne.” They kissed.
“And,” Suzanne asked, “When does it all, er, end?”
“I’m uncertain. I don’t know how much precedence there is for such things. What do you generally do after, uh, afterwards?”
“Get a snack, watch the viewer, go to sleep, hell, I’ve left on occasion.”
“Most of those are out of the question right now. Could you sleep, perhaps?”
Rating
The story has a K+ rating. While the action occurs “off screen”, there are certainly some allusions to it.
Upshot
So while it was great for Queer Sci Fi to publish it, Complications really did not deserve to be published anywhere. Because it is just not that good a story. I have written far, far better, both before and since. So be it. They can’t all be gems.
Complications could have been better. Ah, well.