// "I Saw the TV Glow"

Astra (Regulus) and Sirius had been mindlessly scrolling through TikTok, their For You Page flooded with clips from the latest trend. “I saw the TV glow”—a phrase that had captured the internet’s imagination but left them both puzzled. “You know what? Let’s just watch the film. Maybe then we’ll finally understand it,” Sirius suggested, his tone laced with curiosity. For once, Astra didn’t argue. She simply nodded.

They settled down together, switching on the television.

The credits rolled, and the room fell silent. Sirius leaned back, frowning slightly. The story lingered in his mind, but its meaning slipped through his grasp like smoke.

“I don’t get it,” he admitted, his voice quiet yet tinged with frustration. “I mean, I know it’s about trans people—about coming out, or the fear of it—but I still don’t really… get it.”

He turned to Astra. “What about you? Do you understand it?” His question was gentle, curious, his gaze searching hers.

Astra didn’t answer at first. Her eyes remained fixed on the now-dark screen, her expression unreadable but intense.

“Astra?” Sirius repeated, this time with a note of concern.

Finally, she spoke, her voice soft but steady. “I… I do.”

She didn’t look at him. She didn’t need to.

In that moment, Sirius saw something shift—something profound and unspoken that had been there all along but was only now surfacing. Astra wasn’t just watching the screen; she was seeing herself, reflected back in its glow.

And Sirius realized the truth. He didn’t have a younger sister anymore. No—he had a younger brother. No, that wasn’t right either. He had always had a younger brother. He just hadn’t known it. And maybe Astra hadn’t either. Not until now.

For Sirius, the TV screen was dark, the glow long gone. But for Astra—for him—it burned brighter than ever, casting a light that reached somewhere deep inside. Astra was a boy. He had always been a boy. And nothing would ever change that.

The TV didn’t just glow. It illuminated. It revealed. It affirmed.