Clarkesworld Magazine Sea of Fertility by Bella Han (audio)
Aug 28, 2025
In a vivid digital city, a protagonist searches for their missing brother, grappling with themes of reality and connection. The journey weaves through chaotic landscapes filled with nostalgic memories and emotional disconnection. They explore surreal realms, from an underwater bar to a museum of lost memories, confronting the fluidity of identity in a tech-driven world. Amidst haunting echoes of the past, the quest reveals the fragility of human connections and the longing for genuine relationships in an evolving digital age.
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Sister Finds A Brother Erased
- Lazuli wakes to discover her brother Weilang Yu (Azure/Ray) has vanished from La Puta with no trace in system records.
- She searches names and memories, feeling the city's permanence break as his account and archives evaporate.
Manufactured Sensations Versus Real Feeling
- La Puta supplies sensations and curated feelings, but manufactured sensations feel hollow compared with real human connection.
- Lazuli's work on Sunso candies shows artifice can sell yet fail to replace authentic emotion.
Club Backstory Recounts Band Tensions
- Lazuli visits Club Fanta where Azure performed and learns fans and bandmates react to his disappearance in different ways.
- Desiree and Vol reveal how fame, longing, and creative disagreements shaped Azure and the band's breakup.
