Do you like adventures on the high seas? What about awkward trans boys? Adorable sea monsters named Timothy?
Than I would like to introduce you to my story "The Kraken Heist," now available in Runs Like Clockwork!
This very queer steampunk love story/heist stars Dax, who used to think he was a gay girl growing up in fancy high society but now he’s run away on a boat to start a new life because he's pretty sure he’s a man who likes to kiss girls and other not-men people. He’s also pretty sure he’s not very good at being a man, but it’s only been a few days so give him a break okay.
Dax is my precious little awkward queer baby.
He’s also got prosthetic legs that have not adjusted to life on a boat, giving him one more reason to hate boats.
Oh yeah, and he is… dun dun dunnn… a thief! At least, he will be, once he tricks the very pretty Sandrine into giving him the key to the tank containing his target: a baby kraken.
Sure would be real inconvenient if he were to get a crush on Sandrine, eh? (hint hint)
The Kraken Heist is genuinely one of my favorite stories I’ve ever written. It deals with queer identity and exploring nontoxic masculinity, and the idea that a woman doesn’t have to be "feminine" to be a woman, but I don't think any of my characters actually label their sexuality or gender identity other than Dax wondering if he is still gay now that he is a man who likes women.
There’s a parallel to be made about labels and words in the way Dax talks about boats. It was totally unintentional, in fact I only really noticed it today, but just because it is not intentional doesn't mean we shouldn't talk about it:
Dax hates boats. There are a lot of reasons, but one of them is the fact that boats have a whole separate, seemingly unnecessary and made up vocabulary for things. Why does left suddenly need to be called port just because you’re on a boat?
So he doesn’t make that much of an effort to learn boat words. He just says what he means: boat luggage, boat driveway, boat porch. Just like he describes himself: a man who has breasts (manly ones, he points out), someone who likes to kiss people who aren't men.
It’s simple to him, not something that needs to be explained or necessarily given a name. It's just a part of who he is, and that should be enough.
