#For a female writer PG writes more like a man. I mean look at the Boleyn Inheritance there is a part where Katherine Howard seduces

[songtoyou]

Epiphany - Part One

Paring: Luke Crain x Female Reader

Chapter Rating: PG-13 

Word Count: 2,204

Warnings: Talks of drug use and recovery, mention death of a family member. 

Description: Life has never been easy for Luke Crain. After the death of Nell, Luke realizes that he needs to make some changes. He decided to stay in Massachusetts and attend rehab. He was determined to remain on his path of sobriety. When you get assigned to be Luke’s sponsor, it opens a new door of possibilities that neither you nor Luke expected.  

A/N: I finally watched the Haunting of Hill House a while back. I found Luke to be very interesting. This is my take on how Luke would go on with life after Nell’s death and how his continued path to remain sober would look like.

I do not permit my work to be posted on any other site without my permission.

Updated: Cleaned up for grammar and punctuation errors.

An epiphany is when a sudden and intuitive perception of insight into reality. It can provide a great moment of revelation and present itself as symbolic insight. Some people experience it while others often search for it.

Life was not easy for Luke Crain or his siblings. After the recent events of Hill House, Luke was scared of a life without his twin sister, Nell. Despite Luke being ninety seconds older, he always felt that Nell was his big sister. She was his protector. The only person to believe in him when others constantly sowed doubt. Unfortunately, Hill House ended up taking Nell in the end, along with his father Hugh. Luke was scared. More scared than he had ever been now that Nell was gone.

However, Luke was determined to get clean. To remain clean. He had to do it, not only for Nell but for himself. Both Steve and Theo pitched in to help pay for a good rehab center for Luke to stay. At first, Luke told them, no, but it was Theo who adamantly expressed her desire to support him.

“Luke, you have made it to 90-days. I can tell you want to remain clean. We all see it. Nell still believes in you and so do we. I want to be supportive of you because you’re my little brother and I love you,” said Theo.

With the support and help of his siblings, Luke decided to stay in Massachusetts for treatment. He took up residence with Shirley in the guest house since Theo decided to move out to live on her own. Despite her worries, Shirley believed in her little brother and his determination to remain clean. One could say it was her way to make amends for the guilt she held by not allowing Luke to attend Nell’s wedding.

It was actually Shirley’s husband Kevin, who recommended Banyan Treatment Center in Wilmington, Massachusetts. “One of my sisters went there for her alcohol addiction. She responded well to the program and has continued to stay sober for two-years. Banyan has a good family counseling program, along with outpatient therapy. Pretty much will have everything you need to continue your path for sobriety,” said Kevin one night after dinner.

It did not take long for Steve and Theo to be on board with Luke deciding on Banyan. Both liked what they read of the place. The treatment center was not uber fancy, like the one Shirley paid for all those years ago but also was a tad upscale compared to the rehab center in Los Angeles Luke recently attended.

The therapists and case managers at Banyan were nice and friendly. Rob, Luke’s primary therapist, helped ease him into a routine. Even though Luke was now over 90 days sober, Rob recommended intensive outpatient therapy every day for an hour session. Luke admitted to Rob, along with his siblings, that he was worried about relapsing due to Nell and Hugh’s deaths. He did not want to fall back into old and dangerous habits.

For 30 days, Luke was committed to his intensive outpatient therapy. Talking over his childhood trauma at Hill House and the recent events helped, not only explain his phobias but also tackle his post-traumatic stress. Hill House had a long-lasting effect that damaged his entire family. So much so, that all he wanted to be was numb. To not have to deal with the images in his mind or how the loss of his mother disturbed him.

When Luke “graduated” from intensive outpatient therapy to regular outpatient therapy, Rob recommended a sponsor for him. The Center’s alumni recovery program allowed for past patients who have succeeded in their program to help mentor those currently in the early stages of detox, treatment, and recovery. Having a strong and influential network of sober peers can make all of the difference between an addict relapsing or staying strong through hard times.

That is how you came into Luke Crain’s life. Rob recommended you to Luke as a sponsor. You had just celebrated your third anniversary of recovery. It was not that you had a bad childhood as the reason you turned to drugs. You were not abused, both of your parents were still alive, nor had you experienced any other forms of childhood trauma. Similar to Luke, heroin was your choice of escapism; the way to ease the feeling of pain and suffering. Not your own, but other peoples’.

That was the downside of being an empath.

Of course, no one believed you about being an empath. Your mother had always referred to you as an overly sensitive child and that stress was not something you handled very well. When having to deal with the ability to sense what people are feeling, whether the emotions are happy, sad, scared, stressed, disturbed, or angry, can be a lot for a person to handle. There came a time when taking on the pain of others became too much. You no longer wanted that burden. You no longer wanted to feel anything.

It did not matter how many rehab facilities your parents sent you to or how many times they pleaded; you did not care. For once, you put yourself first. Heroin helped you stop feeling. Helped you feel numb and content. You were happy. Of course, when the high wore off, as it always does, you were back to reality. You hated reality.

The last hit you had made you end up in the hospital. The doctor explained how you overdosed but were able to resuscitate you in time. That was when you finally realized you needed to change. Needed to get clean once and for all. You knew it would take time and patience. That you would not magically become clean and sober overnight. It was a process. Setbacks were a possibility. However, there was always a little voice in the back of your head that helped pull you through the dark times, to motivate you to keep going.

Now here you were about to meet the new mentee that Rob assigned you to. He only gave a little backstory about Luke, but not many other details. You ended up texting Luke asking him to meet you on Sunday at your favorite coffee shop, the As Good As It Gets Café. He promptly replied that he would see you there around noon.

 When Sunday finally rolled around, you headed to the café and waited. It was a quarter past twelve and Luke still had not shown up. You were starting to get nervous and wondering if he would ever appear. You were on the verge of texting him when the bell on the entry door chimed, indicating that someone was entering the café. You looked up and saw a very tall, scruffy, and attractive looking man standing by the door. The way he was looking around with a lost kind of look helped pinpoint that this was Luke. You got up from your booth and walked over to him.

“Luke?” you politely asked.

“Yes,” he said.

You introduced yourself and held your hand out for him to shake, which he took. You immediately became overwhelmed with the emotions that permeated this man. There was a lot of pain and loss underneath. But there was also a sense of hope and happiness that felt nice.

“Are you okay?” Luke asked wondering why all of a sudden you had a weird look on your face.

“Hmm? I’m sorry. I’m fine. I didn’t mean to…daze off for a second,” you laughed and pointed over to the booth you previously occupied. You walked over with Luke following.

“I’m sorry that I’m late. I was finishing up some homework and didn’t track the time properly,” Luke shared.

“Oh, where do you go to school?”

“Uh…I take a creative writing course at Bunker Hill Community College,” he replied.

“Nice. How are you liking it so far?” you asked him.

Before Luke could respond, one of the waitresses came over asking if Luke wanted anything to drink. Indicating that he just wanted coffee, the two of you were soon left alone.

“I like it. The instructor is really nice. It is the only course I am taking, so it doesn’t take up too much of my time. My older brother, Steve, actually encouraged me to enroll after I shared some of my writing with him. He’s a writer himself. I don’t know if you ever heard of him, Steven Crain? He has written a lot of books, mostly ghost stories. His most famous one is, ‘The Haunting of Hill House’. Have you read that book?”

“I have not. I tend to stay away from horror genres,” you told Luke.

There was a moment of silence between the two of you. Luke was adverting his gaze to anywhere but you. It was easy to tell that he was nervous and unsure of himself.

“Luke,” you spoke up to get his attention and said, “You don’t have to be anxious or feel uneasy. Getting here, to this step, is a big freaking deal. I get it, trust me. I absolutely get it. I never thought I’d be here. To be completely frank, I always pictured myself dead somewhere in the streets. I’m sure you pictured the same for yourself. But it didn’t. You’re here today because you wanted more for yourself. That is something to be proud of.”

Letting out a sigh, Luke sat back in the booth and crossed his arms over his chest. Sometimes he did not feel proud. He missed Nell. He missed her all of the time. She always believed in him no matter how many times he broke her heart. Nell always forgave him. She was always there when he needed someone to bail him out of trouble.

“You okay, Luke? If you would rather do this another time, that is okay. We can reschedule,” you offered. You could sense a feeling of grief underneath the surface of the man sitting before you.

“No. No, I’m sorry. I…uh…I was thinking about Nellie. My twin sister. She…she died recently. Well, not recent, two months ago. So, it’s still…very…it’s still a lot to handle.”

“I’m sorry,” you told him earnestly. “What was it like having a twin? I don’t have any siblings, so I always like to hear other people’s sibling stories.”

“Having siblings has its pros and cons,” Luke laughed, but continued, “They can be much at times, but I’m glad to have them. Especially now that Nellie is gone. They have been incredibly supportive, which makes all the difference in the world.”

“I really appreciate you sharing this with me, Luke. I know it can’t be easy. I am a stranger after all. You’re actually my second mentee from the alumni recovery program. My previous one …well her story didn’t have a happy ending,” you shared with Luke.

He could relate. When he left the clinic in Los Angeles to find Joey and bring her back to get her clean again. She was nine-months clean at the time but ended up using while being back on the streets. Luke would be lying to himself if he did not say he was rather disappointed in Joey. To him, Joey was someone who he could look up to while trying to get clean. He should have known something was off with her during what would be their last night at the clinic. Joey reminded him of Nell, so he could not stand by and do nothing. Joey helped him during his first week at the clinic. So, Luke felt that he owed it to her to return the favor.

Unfortunately, Joey did not want his help in the end. To this day, Luke still does not know what really happened to her after she swiped the drugs off him and headed towards that alley. But deep inside, Luke knew she did not make it. That her body would either be discovered or continue to rot in that alley. Theo would tell him that Joey was not his responsibility. That he had to put himself first when it came to recovery.

Luke pushed his coffee cup to the side and leaned on the table. You were so focused on your own coffee cup that you did not notice him staring at you intently. He was taking you in and assessing you. So far, he could admit that he found you attractive. You had a nice built. Your clothing was not too flashy. He could tell that you were the type to choose comfortable clothing over fashionable attire. However, it was your eyes that stood out. There was a softness and warmness to them that he found quite soothing. There were no ulterior motives behind them or any sense of malice. Luke could see that your intentions with him were good and that you really wanted to help him in his recovery by being a supportive mentor.

“Hey,” he said to get your attention. “I promised that I’ll come to talk to you if I ever feel like I might…. Or if I just feel like I need someone to talk to.”

“I appreciate that, Luke,” you told him sincerely.

[agentwhiskeysdarlin]

12 Days of Christmas with Jack: Day 1

Pairing: Jack Whiskey Daniels x OC (kind of, written in second person though)

Rating: PG (general rating for the whole series)

Warnings: FLUFF the whole series is fluff, brief mentions of family passing

Word Count: 1,589 (this was suppose to be a drabble series y’all)

Author’s Notes:*cracks knuckles* here comes a hella long note section to start this off with. My lovely friend, Charlotte ( @clint-aww-no-barton​ ) and myself came up with this little series idea. I promised myself if I ever did a longer series I would not do it as a reader name insert so I came with with an OC kind of. Legit just has a name. I did try to make it more gender neutral but it may lead slightly more a female. Most things I tried to keep in mind or not add in so everyone could read it and enjoy it, plus it was a lot easier to write out with a name inserted. This series will be posted over the next 12 days with the last day posted on Christmas Eve. I am serious pray to the writer gods I can keep trucking it to get it completed for all of you. The beginning of some days may not have all this mess before it, I’m not sure how I will go about that yet but gosh I hope all of you enjoy this. It has been fun (and stressful cause its me let's be real). Charlotte thank you for putting up with me during all this and already thank you for putting up with me in the future. I am going to put this in its own masterlist under Jack’s name so you will click on it and it will take you to another one with all the parts. I will also link the previous part because it will have a connection throughout. Now that I typed another story I hope you all enjoy!!

Series Summary: Agent Jack Whiskey Daniels of Statesman agency has not been a fan of Christmas for a long time. Ever since the day he lost his wife and unborn baby the holiday always left him alone and cold. His coworker Ryder finds this out and is determined to make him fall in love with the holiday again. Follow Ryder as they set up different holiday activities to bring the Christmas spirit back to Jack’s life. Will feelings blossom? Will Christmas end up being Jack’s favorite holiday after all? 

  “Wait you’re telling me Jack doesn’t celebrate Christmas at all?!” You stared in shock at Ginger who sat across the break table from you.

  “Hasn’t for awhile as far as we all know. He has no family to spend it with so he either goes off somewhere tropical or covers Statesman for emergencies so we can spend time with our families. We have all tried to invite him to things but he won’t have it,” she shrugged her eyes full of sadness as she spoke.

  “That’s so sad. Someone needs to revamp his Christmas spirit,” a smirk played on your lips and Ginger stopped chewing to look up at you.

  “I mean you can try Ryder but I don’t know if he is going to take to it.”

  “Oh he will. I’m going to make sure of it. That man deserves to have a good Christmas and I’m going to make damn sure he does,” you smacked the table under you lightly.

  Ginger let out a laugh at your determination.

  “I wish you all the luck.”

  You gave her a smile and continued your lunch. When you were finished you went back to your desk to work on some more paperwork for Tequila. You had been working for Statesman for a few years now as a secretary. You helped the agents with the paperwork and the rest of the desk work some of them couldn’t sit still long enough to do. You loved your job. They were all incredibly sweet to you and treated you like one of the family. Jack and yourself especially had taken a liking to one another right off the bat. Constantly flirting and finding excuses to be together or hang out but as Christmas grew closer you noticed a slight change in the usually perky cowboy. You had finally broke down and asked Ginger about it exposing Jack’s distaste for the holiday season. You understood completely and didn’t want to overly push the ordeal on him but you wanted to at least try to bring his spirits up. You sat a notepad in your reach so when a thought ran across your mind you could jot it down. After the day came to a close you had twelve ideas to bring Jack’s Christmas spirit back and you were going to give all twelve a shot.

***

  There was two solid rings before his southern drawl interrupted the third one, a smooth hello making you smile slightly.

  “Hey Jack. Are you busy today?” You asked cautiously.

  “Not a thing darlin’ what’s wrong?”

  “Weeeell there is a leak and I’m not sure where it is coming from or how to even fix it.”

  “I’ll be right over alright,” Jack was urgent with his words and you could already hear him getting up and moving around.

  “Thank you so much Jack it sure would be a big help,” you tried to hide the smirk in your voice.

  “It ain’t no problem darlin’ see you in just a few.”

  You spoke your goodbyes before hanging up and glanced over your apartment. Everything was already set up for your little plan for the day. You almost felt bad lying to Jack but you weren’t sure if he would come over if you told him the truth of your plans for the day.

Your normal all out Christmas decorations were out and soft Christmas music played from a bluetooth speaker in the kitchen which was already set up as well. You thought Christmas cookies would be something small and simple you could ease Jack into this little plan you had for him. You were just finishing up getting things out and tying an apron around you when there was a knock on the door. You smiled before hurrying to the door and opening it. Jack stood there in casual wear but still topped off with a cowboy hat, his toolbox in hand. His eyebrows knitted together at the sight of you.

  “Okay I lied to you to get you over here,” you gave him an innocent look as you moved for him to come in.

  “What is going on Ryder?”

  “Ginger may have told me how you were always alone on Christmas and never cared for it because of it so I thought maybe I might do a few things for you so that you are not alone and to well maybe get you back into the spirit,” you fidgeted with your hands and looked up at him.

  “Oh Ryder you don’t have to do this darlin’,” he shook his head and gave you a chuckle.

  “No I want to. I can’t even think of you being alone on Christmas Jack or even during the season. I know what it’s like and I’m not letting it happen,” your voice was firm and a smile tugged at his lips.

  “So what’s first on the list then?” He glanced you over as he set his toolbox down and took his hat off.

  “Christmas cookies, small and simple,” you smiled and pulled the apron you had been hiding behind you out for him.

  He chuckled before putting on the apron and following you to the kitchen where you had already made the dough and had it rolled out and ready to cut.

  “I did the worst part but now we get to cut them out and decorate them,” you were beaming and Jack couldn’t hid the smile that spread across his face at your excitement.

  “I think I can manage doing this,” he glanced over the cookie cutouts that were spread all over the counter next to the dough.

  He picked up a Christmas tree one and carefully placed it down in the dough moving it slightly to get it all the way through before carefully pulling it up. You smiled even wider as he picked up the Christmas tree and smiled showing it to you.

  “See perfect!! Now just place it behind you on the pan and after we get enough we will bake and decorate!”

  The two of you cut out cookie after cookie, re rolling the dough when need be until the two pans you had prepped were full. You slid them carefully into the ready oven and then it was time to wait.

  “You can fix yourself a drink and relax. I’m just going to clean up a bit,” you spoke brightly to Jack before moving around the kitchen and dumping bowls in the sink.

  You had gotten everything used in the already soapy warm water when Jack came up next to you.

  “You wash and I’ll dry?” He gave you a smile and you couldn’t help to return it.

  “We can do that.”

  You started to wash things off and then handing them to Jack. You realized after a few moments that he was humming the Christmas song that was playing and you couldn’t help smiling to yourself. You washed the last bowl off and handed it over to Jack whose hand brushed yours and you swear you felt a shiver run down your spine. You glanced up at his eyes when he didn’t move his hand away either and caught him watching you. The two of you stood there froze in a stare down and you felt the butterflies erupt in your stomach. You let your eyes move from his to his lips for a mere second and then he was leaning in slowly. Just as the two of you were a few short inches apart the timer on the oven went off causing the both of you to jump and clear your throats. Jack took the bowl from you finally and began to dry it off as you rushed to the oven to remove the now baked cookies. You planted them on the counter and looked back at Jack with another wide grin. You pushed your little moment to the back of your mind for later and made yourself focus on the task at hand again.

  “Time to decorate!!” You were all too excited and Jack let out a laugh as he came back over.

  You moved around the kitchen quickly getting the icing, the sprinkles and metal tips for the icing. You fixed some icing up for Jack before handing it to him and getting a very questionable look from him.

  “I’m going to show you. I promise it’s not super hard.”

  You fixed your own icing and started to instruct Jack on how to pipe the icing onto the cookies. You watched him and smiled at how well he was doing. You couldn’t help but to giggle slightly watching this cowboy pipe icing.

  “What are you laughing at?”

  “Just seeing you of all people pipe icing is just wholesome,” you shrugged and elbowed him earning a smile from him.

  The two of you kept decorating until all of the cookies were done and you stepped back to look over your creations.

  “I don’t think they are half bad,” Jack spoke with excitement.

  “I think we did good too. Now to eat them!”

  You both grabbed one and very softly hit them together before taking a bite and sighing at how good they tasted. You quickly fixed the both of you some milk and you finished your cookies and downed the milk. 

  “Hey Ryder I really appreciate this,” Jack turned to you as he set his glass down.

  “You’re welcome Jack. Trust me I have much more up my sleeve,” you gave him a smirk as you turned to him.

  “Oh darlin’ of course you do.”

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[nileqt87]

More thoughts on how to resurrect the Indiana Jones franchise post-Harrison Ford

Perhaps a proper, modern television show would be a good way to bring back a younger, but adult Indy (with perhaps flashbacks littered throughout). You can also get away with a lot more content (definitely aim for TV-14) and characters who are allowed to be flawed. Relationship dramas are serialized storytelling's forte in a way that is disappearing more and more from blockbuster films. Complicated characters are better left to television, as the audience expects and allows for it because of the nuance and depth the serialization affords. The complicated, messy story of Abner and Marion is a story best left to being explored only after the characters have some real complexity and development. It also wouldn't be forced to play to the mass audience of under-13s that makes modern PG-13 often meaningless. In comparison, TV-14 actually pushes up harder against its limits regularly--not just violence, but also with innuendo and sexuality minus nudity. The amount of historical-style, pulpy violence, not to mention potentially comically gruesome deaths, in Indy would also necessitate the rating. Indiana Jones might be niche enough at this point with an audience veering towards adults who grew up with it (Gen-X and the older end of Gen-Y), while Gen-Z has little awareness of it, that Disney wouldn't be forced to make it a total kiddie property. It's not the same situation as back in the early '90s with Young Indy being aimed at older kids who had recently seen Last Crusade in the theater. They could reboot it for television with a young adult Indy who potentially could grow into a fully adult version. And I wouldn't try too hard to not step on the trilogy's toes with the timeline. Just let it live in its own developing continuity.

Use of long-running supporting cast (parents, Remy and returning guest stars aside) would also be a big difference from Young Indy. Characters like Belloq (could potentially go from friend to antagonist, akin to how Smallville handled Lex), Sallah, Henry, Brody, Abner, Marion, etc... could actually be around a lot more than just for an adventure here or there. These are all characters Indy had clearly known for years. Actually put the show into a seasonal, serialized format that isn't a new cast every episode. You could also stick around in locations a lot longer this way, which would help with budget.

Another thought I've had since watching an absolute ton of fantasy/sci-fi dramas in the last few years is that the influence of Indiana Jones is actually pretty apparent in a number of pretty famous characters, sometimes overtly and sometimes a bit more subtly. Harrison, Indy or Raiders in general are outright name-checked in quite a few places, often by scrappy action hero types who tend to take hard beatings (the kinds of characters who should've died a hundred times over) while in situations they're way over their heads in or literally impossible odds they can't win. Like Indy, the intended prize isn't won at the end and, outside of a few gruesome baddie deaths, the shady, corrupt or evil barely get a dent. Fox Mulder and Dean Winchester are two characters who name-check the comparison overtly and you can see the writers and actors both having the influence in mind. It's obviously a male fantasy, too. The influence on The X-Files and Supernatural is definitely there. Supernatural is chock full of biblical MacGuffins (not to mention having angels and demons as most of its recurring supporting cast), so it would be a hard comparison to avoid. Raiders came up in the WWII Nazi submarine episode with a piece of the Ark onboard (it's subsequently a show to raid for Indy ideas, because they pretty much mined everything biblical), for example. The X-Files likewise was dealing with shady government officials and pretty blatantly copied the huge warehouse of government secrets loaded with alien relics (and then repeated the Cigarette Smoking Man's warehouse reveal with the tunnel of filing cabinets stretching on forever). Mulder was also very much a one-man army a lot of the time when it came to the alien conspiracy (no offense to Scully). Moments like him climbing/riding the tops of sky rides, trains and escaping the spaceship were total Indy-esque moments. Sam and Dean had literal God-tier levels of plot armor keeping them alive (repeated resurrections included). Angel is another one that, unlike Mulder and the Winchesters being very human, is a supernatural character (subsequently his level of pain tolerance and durability is at the level of regular impalement, defenestration out of skyscrapers and being set on fire), but the comparison still holds because of how often he's getting decimated and fighting forces way beyond his pay grade. Wolfram & Hart, the Shanshu and seeking redemption with the Powers that Be, like the mytharc conspiracy/alien takeover and literal God a.k.a. Chuck, is another endless, unwinnable fight that is so far beyond all the protagonists that there's no win/happily ever after and they'd be lucky just walking away from it with nothing. Angel also name-checks Indy with a blatantly Indy-inspired fantasy dream episode (Awakening in season 4) with Angelus making a crack about the Raiders fantasy. George Lucas actually visited the Angel set back in 2000 and was interested in how they were making mini movies every week and doing some pretty huge stunts on television. David Boreanaz had lunch with Lucas and has talked about it a few times over the many years. I mean, these are all shows starring action-oriented leading men and writing staffs of relatively similar age. Mostly Gen-X males with a few Baby Boomers (more so on the writing staff) with an audience that's primarily Gen-Y but appealing to a pretty broad age range (and probably a lot more female than originally intended!). Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford films in general were very formative to that generation. Harrison Ford is the ultimate leading man action star to a certain generation. Gen-Y got their familiarity with all of that by being the original home video/VHS generation and subsequently a lot more familiar with retro media (including things that were made before they were born or around that time) than Gen-Z. '80s movies have a lot of currency and familiarity still with Gen-Y, even if Baby Boomers were the stars of them and Gen-X were the ones who saw them in theaters. Gen-Y fangirls absolutely dominate the fandoms of many iconic television supernatural/sci-fi franchises (many are admittedly aging franchises). The WB/CW have catered to this group of fans for the last two and a half decades. If you're going to be reviving the character as a mid-20s-to-30s version (if the show lasts long enough, it probably will be stepping on the trilogy's toes timeline-wise by the end), I'd absolutely be aiming for this same audience and their tastes. They're also the audience who would be most receptive to and familiar with the character, IMO. If I were going to reinvent Indiana Jones for the television landscape, I would definitely be looking at those sorts of shows that have influence from the character already in their DNA. I think for the target audience, they'd definitely need to be aiming it at the same fanbases. Young Indy mostly tried to avoid stepping on Raiders' toes (despite Temple of Doom and Mask of Evil already making it ludicrous) by limiting the amount of supernatural elements, but I think a show would have to go all in on it. Indy would have to be transformed a bit in regards to trying to line him up with a character who would still be skeptical after all he's seen. Young Indy ended up forced into being a straight period drama with educational elements, which is very counter to what the audience wanted. There are things to keep from that approach (meeting historical persons, being a WWI veteran and witnessing history could absolutely be mined as backdrops to the stories), but the supernatural elements would have to exist in a revival now to get the audience who I think would be most receptive to it. While I would aim for a serialized drama format that would mean the globetrotting wouldn't have to completely change locations every episode (have it instead in arcs with some bigger MacGuffins and baddies perhaps crossing entire seasons), it's true that there would probably have to be more location filming than good, ol' Vancouver, but Disney is one of the few who could afford it (though Covid certainly would throw a wrench in it and political situations could potentially kill off certain locations). There's only so much green screen that Indy could get away with, though I imagine that a fair amount of it would have to be used for period piece reasons alone. There are a lot of modern intrusions even in historically-intact cities (Eastern Europe comes to mind as having a lot of its architecture intact and is affordable to film in) and around iconic landscapes to paint out. But at its core, it probably would need to bulk up its focus on the relationship dramas. Indy tends to have a girl at every port and to a degree you would introduce some of these love interests, but there's still a lot of relationships of every kind that could be developed and serialized. Certainly throw in a few femme fatales and tragic losses, given the Smallville-esque situation of there being an inevitable Indy/Marion endgame that should be kept--it thus becomes about the journey when it's a set conclusion. Absolutely have a strong recurring cast of Henry and friends new and old. The films actually have a lot of characters that Indy didn't just meet yesterday and could be developed to a huge extent. For a show to work now, there'd have to be a lot more connectivity to how often the recurring cast appear. Young Indy had a lot more of an anthology format with little chance of us getting attached to most of the revolving cast outside of a very tiny few. That's the biggest thing I'd change. You need characters to become regulars beyond just Indy if it were revived for modern cinematic television (the true successor to the film serials of the '30s!) in a way that isn't necessary for film installments.

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

Do you mean the characterization where the character relived all of Peter Parker’s memories at the end of ASM #700 and was trying his best (from his point of view) to be a hero and NOT a villain? It’s almost like an important, life changing/character-changing moment like that happened in between those two scenes. But go figure. :-D

@danslott-blog

I’m writing this because I wouldn’t have space in the original post. This is to be considered a direct reply to the above poster.

You know, I can’t be 100% certain if you are the real Dan Slott or a sycophantic fan of his. Your blog page…

…leads me to believe you are in fact the real Dan Slott. 

Thing is I saw this comment last night but I didn’t check out your blog until this morning. Nevertheless, last night my first instinct was to presume you to be the real Dan Slott.

The fact that my mind immediately jumped to that possibility, the fact that I can’t rule it out and the further supportive evidence of your blog, speaks volumes.

It speaks volumes about the person Dan Slott whether or not you are the genuine article or not. Because your actions so thoroughly fall in line with his behaviour.

And it is damning. As are your words. Let’s unpack them.*

So, did I mean Otto’s characterization? That’s what you were getting at. That my original post was in reference to Otto’s characterization between ASM #700 and Superior #2?

No.

I did not.

At all.

I was referring to Mary Jane’s  characterization. I elaborate upon the topic in this post.

Tl:dr: MJ was eager to sleep with ‘Peter’ in the former issue but not in the latter.

That should have been utterly obvious  to anyone observing the post because I was presenting events from 2 issues and saying they didn’t line up. Obviously  the purpose was for the readers of my post to play spot the difference.

The similarities were Otto’s desire to have sex with Mary Jane. The difference was with MJ.

As of this writing, twelve other people grasped that obvious intent Dan.

Why on Earth do they have superior reading comprehension skills than a professional writer  for the largest comic book company in America? Surely that should be a basic requirement of the job?

Not that I’m surprised. It is exemplary of the vast majority of your pathetic, reductive and damaging  work on this franchise.

But let’s dive deeper.

You claim that Otto reliving Peter’s memories in ASM #700 (after the scene in the OP) changed him hence he was different in Superior #2.

But he’s not.

In ASM #700 he tried to exploit Mary Jane’s misconception that he was Peter Parker (and her pre-existing feelings for him) to have sex with her.

In Superior #2 he was still  trying to exploit Mary Jane’s misconception that he was Peter Parker (and her pre-existing feelings for him) to have sex with her.

So he hasn’t changed. At all.

But for the sake of argument, let’s pretend you are right. In Superior #2 (because he relieved Peter’s memories) he was trying to be a better person from his point of view.

So you are saying from his point of view   raping Mary Jane by deception constituted trying to be a hero and not a villain?**

If Otto experienced Peter’s memories then that would logically entail his upbringing and morality. Meaning Otto would in fact know that what he’s trying to do with MJ is unethical. Or he’d appreciate that he’s not the real Peter Parker and it’d be a disservice to the real man who’s legacy he’s trying to uphold to sleep with the woman he loves. Or he’d know who MJ was and appreciate she deserved better than to be deceived.

But no. He was horny and was going to satisfy himself  no matter what. Hence later in the issue after he experiences Peter’s memories of ‘being’ with MJ he says he’s ready to move on and starts eyeing up other women, including Sajani.

Furthermore, even without Peter’s memories Otto would never have attempted to sleep with Mary Jane for two big reasons.

The first is that she is frankly not his type.

Prior to Superior, the women Otto held affections for (romantically or otherwise) were either scientifically gifted (Mary-Alice, Carolyn), admirers of his brilliance (Stunner, Carolyn, Mary-Alice) or unconditionally kind towards him (Aunt May).

You know…kind of like his own mother was!

MJ is not scientifically gifted. MJ did not admire Otto’s genius. As far as he knew she didn’t even admire Peter’s genius and even the times she has canonically it has been in a different way to the ladies in Otto’s life. MJ was never singing Peter’s praises for being so clever for inventing this or that, she was never borderline fangirling over his intellect. She also wasn’t unconditionally kind like Aunt May was, her kindness manifested in a starkly different way. She wasn’t taking Otto, Peter or a stranger home for a cup of tea or a nice meal.

Since Otto wanted to sleep with her before  he was exposed to all of Peter’s memories, the only rationale reason for his interest was the superficial. She was an attractive young woman and Otto wanted her body.

Which would be weird  right because I seem to recall you and your buddy Christos Gage saying Otto didn’t care about looks in his romantic partners?

This brings me to my second reason.

Otto is evil but he’s not Purple Man/Doctor Light levels of evil. He wouldn’t do something as debase as that, he’d view it as beneath him. In his own warped way he holds a certain respect for women. Hence he genuinely cared for Aunt May, Stunner, Carolyn Trainer, Mary-Alice and of course his mother.

But let’s say I’m wrong. Let’s say Superior #2 was covering totally virgin territory for the character that had never been touched upon before. As in there had never been a word written about Otto’s love life, attitudes to women, attitudes to sex, etc.

That being the case, you established as hard canon that Doctor Octopus, the villain of the pg-13 movie Spider-Man 2, antagonist in dozens of Spider-Man cartoons for children and video games for kids and teens, is an attempted rapist!

As in if MJ hadn’t turned him down all those times his attempts would’ve been successful and he’d just be an actual  rapist.

You took a beloved, fun character (who was unique for having a somewhat humanitarian side to himself) and made him utterly irredeemable. You had him attempt an act of evil that the readers know (within the context of the genre conventions) is one of the, if not the actual, worst things a villain can do.

Good job buddy.

Oh, and needless to say, you totally and utterly failed to take Mary Jane’s point of view into account; as you did in response to my OP.

You never considered how you were using the main female character of the franchise who is beloved  within the fandom and generating cheap, gratuitous tension by threatening to rape her.

In conclusion Dan Slott, you were never ever qualified for the job as Spider-Man’s lead writer. You never ever deserved the role because of how you lied and cheated your way into Marvel, disrespected the works of your predecessors and disrespected the characters you were in charge of.

You had good ideas half the time but your writing craftsmanship skills on the title were woefully lacking hence you could only competently execute them 1/8th of the time. When combined with the raw damage you wrought to the characters and narrative you are without question the single worst on-going writer of Spider-Man in history.

I’m sure you are pleased with that record considering it was blatantly obvious you were far more invested in cultivating an eventual legacy for your self on the character than you were actually serving the characters and organically developing them.

Author of ASM #600, 700 and 800

The only Spider-Man writer to have written 3 centennial issues in a row.

The guy who has written 1 in 5 issues of Amazing Spider-Man.

Oh, and also the worst on-going writer of Spider-Man in history.

Wow.

What an achievement.

Now, why don’t you stop searching for your own name or works online and do something more practical with your time.

Like learning how to write.

*Oh and btw, I’m writing this presuming you are the real Dan Slott.

Also I’m going to try my best not to swear but that is where my politeness ends. This isn’t CBR Dan, Mister Mets (nor any other moderator) is around to censor or ban anyone to protect you.

**And yes, having sex with MJ when she didn’t know he was really Doc Ock is objectively  a form of rape. Here is literally the first sentence  about rape on Wikipedia, with emphasis by me:

“Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without that person's consent.”

Contrary to what your buddies Fred van Lente or Stephen Wacker might have told you, force is not a requisite.

No consent = rape.

Had MJ had sex with Otto she’d have been giving Peter her consent not Otto. Therefore Otto would have been raping her. This was acknowledged in fact in a Dead pool comic book from 1998!

Courtesy of one of your Brand New Day peers, Joe Kelly, Deadpool v1 #12 saw Wade have sex with Siryn, whom he had feelings for.

However, in the next issue ‘Siryn’ reveals she was actually Typhoid Mary in disguise, a woman who’d endeavored to bring out Wade’s darkside against his wishes.

Wade’s dialogue and body language clearly convey how he feels sickened and violated by the experience. When he asks Mary why  she did this to him she replies it was simply because she could. Whilst Wade is on the ground feeling vulnerable she stands up, leans over and licks him!

The scene when taken in context is brutally unsubtle. Typhoid used trickery to exploit Wade. She put herself in a position of power and abused that power to dominate Wade, to remove his agency.

That is literally all rape boils down to. Not sex but power. The scene, especially the last panel hammers that point home.

But just in case  you still didn’t get it the very next page depicts Wade vomiting and saying he needs a shower.

This is a common reaction from victims of sexual assault, at least in media. The ‘I need a shower’ moment is practically a trope.

Why did a 1998 Deadpool story  have a clearer understanding of the topic being played with than a 2013 Spider-Man story…that was allegedly for children no less!

P.S. You know Tom DeFalco had Peter Parker wrestle with his emotions in the wake of the ‘Death of Jean DeWolff’ story arc way back in ASM #275.

You might say that witnessing such violence and examining his own actions with perspective was a life changing experience for him.

With that in mind, how about you explain to me why Peter experiencing death, deletion, abuse of his life and body, losing a whole year of his life and then returning to it totally changed doesn’t  count as a life/character changing experience?

Because you sure as hell didn’t write him reacting with the pain, the sadness, the anguish that he (or any normal human being) would’ve had after he came back. Nope. Just back to cracking jokes I guess.

Do you like…not know how human beings work?

That’s a rhetorical question because I know the answer.

[nancypullen]

Getting My Jingle On

We’re 42 days from Christmas and I am NOT ready.  For the first time in years, I’m not ready.   Not only am I not ready, I don’t even have ideas ready.  Normally by this time if I haven’t made some major purchases, I’ve at least got a list of who is getting what and I’m making progress.  What gives?  It’s not like I’ve had anything else to do, we’ve been on some form of lockdown for 8 months!   This morning I sat down and ordered Mickey’s gifts. Why did I marry a man with expensive tastes?  I’ve also got a few things for the grandgirl because it seems I’m always shopping for her.  Her big gift this year is a backyard playset - both sets of grandparents contributed to the cause and I have no doubt she’ll have years of fun on it.  Okay, I guess I have made a little progress, but I don’t feel ready.  Mickey has pressured me to tell him what I’d like to find under the tree this year and so far I’ve put an electric toothbrush on my list.  I’m just that exciting.  I mean, what do any of us need right now?  Clothes? Where the heck would I go?  Jewelry? Ditto.  I could probably use some new shoes but with my poor feet I’d have to try them on and that would mean going store to store - and who’s doing that?  Not me.  I suppose I should ask Santa for hobby supplies and wrinkle cream.  Those are the only things I’m using these days. I’ve been making cards again, but once more they’ve taken an inappropriate turn.  Apparently when left to my own devices I become a middle school boy.  I can’t help it if the photos I find lend themselves to PG humor.  When I saw this guy...

I turned him into this.

See? I’d never say that in polite company! I’m biting my tongue with this fellow because my mother raised me right.

Look at these two dolly birds and tell me you don’t want to make a wiener joke.

Okay, maybe not.  Maybe that’s my pandemic brain talking.

I don’t know what this guy is saying yet, but it’s the dog that cracks me up.

And this match made in Heaven is just waiting for the right words.

I love it when I find a picture that has writing on the back.  I laughed out loud at this one, “Don’t get excited.”

King of the Cheese...oh come on, it’s begging for a fart joke. 

And so it goes, I scan collections of old photos until I giggle and then I pluck that one and save it.   I’m usually drawn to photos of women. I loved these two and made them into cards for my fellow postcard writers and resisters.

I normally don’t duplicate a card, I tend to get an idea for an individual and send a card suited just for them. I did make multiples for Halloween and send them out, and seeing a female VP felt like a good occasion for another batch.  Why not? I’m inspired now, my head is full of ideas for Christmas cards.   See these kids?

Wouldn’t it be funny if they were getting the lyrics wrong? Joy to the world, the Lord has gum... Frosty the Snowman was a happy jolly soul, with a corn cob pipe and a butt and nose... I have a friend who spent years in Catholic school and she and her classmates used to sing, “Peace on Earth and mercy mild, goddamn sinners reconciled…” She said her mother once dragged her out of a Christmas Eve service. How about, Where the tree tops glisten and children listen to hear slave elves in the snow... Santa won’t let them unionize.

This one I’m singing in a southern accent. Think Opie.

My head is full of nonsense and that means I should probably head for my desk and make something of it.  I’ll throw some lunch at the mister and ignore my chores for a couple of hours.  I’m starting to feel that warm Christmas spirit, I talked myself right into it!  I wonder if that’s what this kid was feeling.

Nah, looks like he just realized that it’s only 42 days away.  Ladies, the holidays are upon us!  Be brave, stay strong, be the most cheerful elf in the workshop - let’s do this!  May your wrapping paper flow like a river, may your tinsel never tangle, and may the mistletoe always be in your favor. Stay safe, stay well, and let’s spread some holiday cheer! XOXO, Nancy

[ihavethoughtsplural]

Blood and Chocolate: An Adaptation in Name Only

Previously:  Section 0 – Introduction, Section 1 – The Book

Section 2 – Adaptation Challenges

Preface: I’m writing this section in the aftermath of the Artemis Fowl movie.

(Yikes?  Definitely yikes.)

Most of the professional reviews mention the lack of originality, the ineptitude, and the stink of franchise aspirations.  However, if you take a look at the audience reviews, you’ll notice a trend: lots of fans of the book are absolutely livid about the adaptation changes.  

To the fans of the books, I am so sorry, and I feel your pain because I’ve been there.

 An adaptation with only superficial connections to the source material?   

 An adaptation that almost seems like a deliberate insult to the book? 

An adaptation that legendarily misses the point of the original?  

I know that rage because I’ve been through it.  Blood and Chocolate fans know the pain that Artemis Fowl fans are currently experiencing.

But, why?  Why have so many beloved books been butchered in the name of film adaptation?  Let’s take a look at the process that took the 1997 Blood and Chocolate novel and turned it into the 2007 Blood and Chocolate movie.

Adaptation History: After its 1997 publication, Blood and Chocolate enjoyed some popularity and acclaim.  Unlike later YA behemoths like Twilight, The Hunger Games and Divergent, Blood and Chocolate doesn’t seem to have made an appearance on the New York Times Bestseller’s List, so it’s difficult to quantify exactly how much popularity it enjoyed.  Later that same year, MGM optioned the film rights, indicating that, at some point in the future, we could expect an adaptation. No news was heard on that front until 2004, when a screenplay appeared.  The US Copyright Office records the document as, “Blood and chocolate; motion picture project & screenplay / Screenplay written by Christopher Landon, with revisions by Jon Harmon Feldman, Leslie Libman and Larry Williams, Christopher Landon and Jeff King, with current revisions by Ehren Kruger.”  That’s one original script and six writers working on revisions – none of whom are the original author, Annette Curtis Klause.   According to a 2006-ish interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith. Klause was completely out of the loop when it came to the production, stating, “…I’m afraid that if you aren’t Anne Rice, J.K. Rowling, or Stephen King you don’t get much say in what the film companies do. The producers don’t even keep me up to date–I find my information on the Web.”

Book Challenges: Before we go any further, we need to acknowledge that any adaptation of Blood and Chocolate faced some necessary changes.  The story, as written, was never going to pass from book to movie unscathed.  Some of the major problems were:

o   The Esme Question: Esme’s relationship with Gabriel would be one of the first things on the chopping block. It was a minor detail in the book, it didn’t really impact the overall plot, and it honestly shouldn’t have been included at all.

o   The Age Differences:  No studio targeting a mainstream US audience is going to tell a love story between a 16-year-old girl and a 24-year-old man.  Filmmakers would need to adjust the age dynamics in the story, and they would probably choose to age the younger characters up.  This would enable them to skirt the complicated legalities of hiring underage actors and avoid Dawson Casting significantly older actors to play teenagers.

o   The Large Cast: The novel has a large number of named characters contributing to the plot in various ways.  An adaptation that keeps all of these characters would need to spend time establishing who they are and making them distinct from the other characters.  For reference, a list of the named characters includes: Vivian, Gabriel, Aiden, Astrid, Rafe, Esme, Rudy, Ivan, Lucien, Tomas, Bucky, Jean, Persia, Orlando, Finn, Gregory, Willem, Ulf, Quince, Kelly, Bingo, Jem, and Skull.  Including these characters and setting them up in a way that is memorable for an audience would take a LOT of screentime.  Cuts were necessary.  Roles would have to be condensed and some characters would need to be excised entirely.

o   The Rating: A strictly faithful adaptation of the novel would contain: Male and female nudity, explicit language, violence, gore, substance abuse, and sexual situations. This would likely have earned the film an “R” rating.  For those unfamiliar with the MPAA ratings, an “R”, or “Restricted” rating restricts the audience of the film so that those under 17 are required to have an accompanying parent or adult guardian to be allowed to see the film in theaters.  For a film based on a YA novel, an R rating would basically be the kiss of death – it would kill the film’s money making potential. Filmmakers would realistically have to edit the content of the source material to ensure a much more accessible – and profitable – PG-13 rating.

Film Challenges: In addition to the challenges inherited from the source material, translating the story from book to film creates a number of extra difficulties.

o   The Budget: Blood and Chocolate didn’t spawn the enthusiastic fanbase that Harry Potter or Twilight did, meaning that there was less of a “guaranteed” audience for the film.  The decade-long gap between publication and adaptation probably didn’t help matters, either.  As a result, an adaptation would entail a certain amount of risk.  Would the film have enough appeal to get non-fans into the theater?  What if they spent millions and millions of dollars on a film that only book fans wanted to see?  With no assurances of success, the adaptation’s budget would have to be restricted to what the producers considered an acceptable loss – what were they willing to lose if the film flopped?

o   The Special Effects:  In the novel, Klause goes into vivid detail while describing the bone-crunching, sinew-snapping transformations that take characters from human to wolf.  An adaptation, as a werewolf movie, would be expected to follow genre conventions and include these transformations on screen. However, this rubs up against the first point as including such transformations often comes at great costs. They had two options: practical effects or computer-generated imagery (CGI).  Rendering the transformations with practical effects would follow in the footsteps of genre classics like An American Werewolf in London and The Howling, but it could necessitate months of behind the scenes preparation and hours of painstaking makeup application.  

(This?  This won the first Oscar for Best Makeup ever .)

CGI would be cheaper, but less satisfying for traditional horror fans (an audience the filmmakers would probably want to appeal to).

(This was... less acclaimed.)

Studio Considerations: Let’s take a minute and talk about Lakeshore Entertainment.

o   Underworld, released in September 2003 by production company Lakeshore Entertainment, was a thriller featuring supernatural creatures, a forbidden romance, secret societies, and a muted color palette.  The story was ostensibly an original creation (although the role-playing game company White Wolf alleged otherwise).  It grossed $95.7 million worldwide against a $22 million budget and spawned a franchise that is currently in its 6th installment.

o   Underworld: Evolution, released in January 2006 by production company Lakeshore Entertainment, followed its predecessor and was a thriller featuring supernatural creatures, a forbidden romance, secret societies, and a muted color palette.  It grossed $111 million worldwide against a $50 million budget.

o   The Covenant, released in September 2006 by production company Lakeshore Entertainment, was a thriller featuring supernatural creatures, a forbidden romance, a secret society, and a muted color palette.  The story was an original creation.  It grossed $37.6 million worldwide against a $20 million budget.

o   Blood and Chocolate, released in January 2007 by production company Lakeshore Entertainment, was a thriller featuring supernatural creatures, a forbidden romance, a secret society, and a muted color palette.  The story was adapted from a popular YA novel.  It grossed $6.3 million worldwide against a $15 million budget – an $8.7 million loss. Now, let’s be clear:  Blood and Chocolate started filming before the numbers for its sister productions were in.  I don’t think that the diminishing returns seen by Underworld: Evolution and The Covenant affected the budget for Blood and Chocolate – its smaller budget is likely attributable to the more restrained story.  After all, Blood and Chocolate doesn’t feature a Mustang de-and re-materializing.  

It is a comparatively low key movie.  

So why did it fail? We’re going to get elbow-deep into that autopsy, but before we do, we need to take a look at the movie itself.

Next: Section 3 – The Adaptation

[janamelie]

LGBT+ Characters

What This Isn’t

A claim of “proof” of the sexuality and / or gender identity of any of these characters.  We don’t need that or anything else to “justify” shipping.

What This Is

A reference post to collate instances in canon which could indicate LGBT+ characters.  In the case of regulars, I won’t include every instance as it would simply take too long.

Rimmer

As I was saying… :p

Honestly, Rimmer is so obviously LGBT+ to me that I don’t know where to start.  How about his reaction to Ace in “Dimension Jump”?

RIMMER: "Commander Rimmer!" I ask you.  "Ace!" Barf city.  I bet you anything he wears women's underwear.  They're all the same, this type, you know, Hurly-burly, rough-n-tumble macho marines in public, and behind closed doors he'll be parading up and down in taffeta ballgowns, drinking mint juleps, whipping the houseboy.

KRYTEN: Sir, he's you!  It's just that your lives diverged at a certain point in time.

RIMMER: Yes, I went into the gents and he went the other way.

KRYTEN: I assume, sir, you are making fatuous references to his sexuality.  If I may point out, if --

Or how about Low Rimmer?  Surely Rob and Doug could have got their point across a little less graphically?

Or if you prefer something less rapey, this passage from “IWCD”.  Unlike the show, Rob and Doug had more time and leeway to explore the characters and this is what they chose to include for Rimmer:

“Rimmer began to regret his outburst. He didn’t like to see his other self upset, and he even contemplated briefly going up to him and giving him a manly embrace. But in a brief moment of homosexual panic, he thought his double might get the wrong idea. Not that he would, of course, because he was him and he knew for a fact he wasn’t that way sexually tilted; so obviously his double wasn’t and obviously his double would know that he wasn’t either, and it was simply a manly embrace meant in a sort of mano a mano kind of way…Perhaps he was tired…Two or three days in bed and he’d be his old self again…Who cared if his copy saw it as a sign of weakness? He’d suggest it anyway.” Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers, Grant/Naylor, pg 233.

And this from the end of the “Better Than Life” novel, when Holly - whose IQ has been restored - comes up with a way to bring Lister back from the dead (no, not as a hologram):

“Rimmer stood in the hatchway and his face yielded to a grin, which in turn gave way to laughter.  Not his normal hollow braying empty laughter, this was an altogether different noise.  This was a noise his vocal cords had never been called on to make before.

It was the laughter of joy.”

Better Than Life, Grant/Naylor, pg 218.

I know some fans read Rimmer as asexual and you can certainly make an argument for that, most obviously in “Marooned” where he describes his younger self as not “particularly highly sexed”.  Of course, that wouldn’t preclude him also being homoromantic or biromantic.

Lister

No-one’s denying Lister’s obvious attraction to and affection for women, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t be bisexual or pansexual.  In fact, his “I’m not gay!” protestations in “Duct Soup” is a fairly common way for people attracted to more than one gender to describe themselves if they don’t feel comfortable using labels.  Given that he was talking to Chloe!Kochanski to whom he’s attracted, it makes sense that he’d prevaricate like this.

And then of course, in the very next episode “Blue”, he dreams about kissing Rimmer.  It’s not only the fact of this, it’s the subsequent scene drawing a direct comparison between him missing Rimmer and Kochanski missing her Dave - her boyfriend.  And despite the ending of this episode, when Lister actually meets Rimmer again, he’s delighted.  Until he realises it’s not HIS Rimmer and even so, he gets used to nano-Rimmer and they eventually become quite chummy.

Not forgetting the chemistry between him and Ace, of course.

Kryten

I know he's a mechanoid, but no-one has any problem reading his relationship with Mechanoid - and later Blob - Camille as romantic and Camille literally says herself that both she and her husband Hector are actually androgynous, which makes Kryten - at the very least - panromantic.

And that’s before we get to his very obvious love for Lister which he states himself in “Back In The Red”.

Holly

Holly was actually conceived as a female character and became male due to Norman Lovett’s original casting.  Sources: “Stasis Leaked” by Smegazine writer Jane Killick and “The Unofficial Red Dwarf Programme Guide” by Smegazine writers Chris Howarth and Steve Lyons.

With Hattie’s replacement casting and later Norman’s return, Rob and Doug may not have intended to create a trans or genderfluid character, but that’s what they ended up doing.

Holly is also bisexual - male Holly was attracted to Hilly and female Holly to Ace.

George McIntyre

It was actually Rob and Doug’s audio commentary on the pilot version of “The End” on “The Bodysnatcher Collection” which alerted me to this possibility.  I know it’s a stretch but I’m including it precisely because I’m indifferent to George as a character and it makes no difference to me whether someone believes this one or not.

During George’s speech at his “Welcome back” party, he says “I don’t want you to think of me as someone who’s dead, more as someone who’s no longer a threat to your marriages - I think Joe knows what I’m talking about!”

We see a man and a woman laughing and the woman playfully pokes the man in the arm.  He stops laughing and looks a bit sheepish.

Rob and Doug comment confusedly to the effect of “Shouldn’t it be the other way round?  This is one of the things we had no control over at this stage.”

Come on, Rob and Doug.  Not only does this scene appear intact in the final televised version of “The End”, you also included extra background on George in “Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers”, showing the events leading up to his death.  Unlike the hologram he replaces, Frank Saunders, there is no mention of George having a wife or indeed any partner, so as far I’m concerned, we shippers can read whatever we choose into this scene.  We would regardless, but the way canon leaves it is particularly open-ended.

Deb Lister and Arlene Rimmer (“Parallel Universe”)

See previous entries.  If their male counterparts are LGBT+ then so are they, plus I always got that vibe from the performances anyway.

Camille

Yes, everyone uses female pronouns for her as that’s how she presents to the crew, but she says herself: “We’re androgynous, but I suppose you could call [Hector] my husband.”

Noel Coward Waxdroid (“Meltdown”)

Mr Coward was gay in real life and his fictional incarnation here greets Rimmer with “Delighted to meet you, dear boy!”  I rest my case.

Nirvanah Crane

And arguably the entire crew of the Holoship according to her speech: “It's a ship regulation that we all have sexual congress at least twice a day.  It's a health rule … Here it is considered the height of bad manners to refuse an offer of sexual coupling … We are holograms.  There is no risk of disease or pregnancy.  That is why in our society we only believe in sex -- constant, guilt-free sex.”

Does that sound as though they’re fussy about the genders of their partners?  It certainly doesn’t to me.  So:

Captain Hercule Platini

Commander Randy Navarro

Commander Natalina Pushkin

Commander Binks

Sam Murray

From the Series V DVD booklet:

“Briefly revived in “Holoship”, it came as a surprise that Sam was male.  In the original pilot script - and Series 1′s deleted funeral scene - deceased crew member “Sam Murray” is said to be dating “Rick Thesen”.  Possibly Red Dwarf’s first gay couple?”

Cop (“Back To Reality”)

I’m sure it wasn’t written as such and maybe he didn’t intend to, but the way Lenny Von Dohlen plays his character’s reaction to the Voter Colonel just pings my gaydar.

Frank Todhunter (“The End”)

I know the conversation in “Duct Soup” (which also includes a reference to a gay crew member nicknamed “Bent Bob” *cringe*) where Kochanski tells Lister that the Todhunter in her dimension was gay is played off as something she made up to take Lister’s mind off his claustrophobia, but she never actually says as much.  There’s nothing to say that at least part of what she was saying wasn’t true.

Ackerman (Series VIII)

In the Series VIII DVD documentary, actor Graham McTavish says he was playing Ackerman as someone who enjoys sex with women “or at a pinch, men dressed as women”.  So onto this list he goes.

Big Meat (“Only The Good”)

I don’t blame you if you’ve blocked this one out as I find the scene almost unwatchable, but he’s the big prisoner who takes to the idea of being Cat’s “bitch” unexpectedly quickly.

Katerina Bartikovsky (“Back To Earth”)

Credit to @clueingforbeggs for noticing that in “Pete Part 1” Ackerman claims to have been “having jiggy-jiggy with the Science Officer’s wife” and connecting that with Katerina being a Science Officer.  There’s nothing to say that the Joy Squid didn’t conjure up the image of an actual crew member.

But maybe the ship has more than one Science Officer?  Well, the way it’s said makes it sound as though there is only one but in “Holoship” Kryten gives Rimmer a mind patch from two officers, one of whom is Science Officer Buchan.  There is no mention of Buchan’s gender so who’s to say they aren’t also female?

Begg Chief (“Entangled”)

“We prefer the ship of green.  And the sexy light man with the lady legs so long and luscious!”

Chancellor Wednesday (“The Beginning”)

Actor Alex Hardy says in Series X DVD doc “We’re Smegged” that he was playing the relationship between his character and Dominator Zlurth with a homoerotic undercurrent and you can see it subtly in his performance.

Dolphy (“Cured”)

All I’ll say about this one is that if Messalina had behaved towards Lister as Dolphy does in this episode, nobody would have doubted that she was into him.

Ziggy (“Timewave”)

Proof that LGBT+ characters in this show work a lot better when Doug isn’t intentionally writing them as such.  Sorry.

Feel free to add any examples I may have missed.

@lord-valery-mimes  @aziraphale-lesbian   @notalwaysweak  @feline-ranger  @downonthepharm-red-dwarf  @hologrammette  @rosecathy  @cazflibs​

[monstrosibee]

g1firstaid

replied to your

post

:

back on my bullshit kids, time to write a 300 pg...

alt mode based gender binary….. my interest has been piqued..

look we all see the fans who r clearly recovering furries (you can be a robot fucker and furry at the same time you cowards) headcanoning seekers and fliers as having bird like mannerisms but we need to consider that the inherent inorganic nature lends itself to a broader interpretation of cybertronian biology based behavior and society. 

what kind of behavior is more expected of a more delicate jet moded flier than a boxy crane moded bot with a chassis shaped like a fucking brick wall? and theres not a direct analogy you can really draw with human gender because cybertronian gender is a whole different monster, but i will say that they both operate on the idea of “function;” in humans, the western gender binary dictates that “females” and “males” look and operate different all because they serve different reproductive functions. 

female humans take up less space because theyre inherently smaller cause they dont need to fight for a mate or whatever stupid baseless bullshit sexist transphobes like to spill these days. well, maybe there are similar modeist ideas about those with tool forms; why would a microscope need to be enormous (and we can argue that a bigger microscope can see things closer up but they can build quantum engines so eh they can have small electron microscopes)? what purpose would a rodimus sized data slug be? and again, a bot with a tool mode is usually used by others, so its thought that they should all be sociable and friendly because their mode is one that “serves others.” obviously we cant say that humans have any analogous gender to cybertonians, but the idea that “function” dictates expected behavior and shape is very much similar.

its also practicality based. if im referring to that flier over there but not that grounder, id want a pronoun and gender that implies that it is specifically the flier. because of how bot modes TYPICALLY operate, it would usually be obvious which gender (flier, tool, grounder, etc) a bot would be; remember how ratchet said ambulons bot mode didnt make any sense at first? he didnt have any typical markers for his alt mode, whereas most bots do. i also see him humanized as either a more masculine woman or a thinner more feminine man in fanart; obviously people arent necessarily thinking that “oh he has a weird bot mode so he must be gnc!” but it sets an interesting precedent when we consider how easily changed certain aspects of a bot mode are (think rung wearing the wheelie backpack.) 

if you have an issue of gender confusion among bots, it might be something like rodimus being labeled a flier because someone at first mistakes his spoilers for wings. a boxier, heavier bot like thunderclash or optimus is obviously a grounder; their wheels are obvious, on the outsides of their legs, and they have a bulkier build. rodimus has his wheels (usually cause these artists like to fucking change it up) on the inside of his legs, tucked halfway into compartments, and his frame is sleeker, obviously built for speed. speedsters in general could possibly be considered a gnc subculture; theyre often sleeker and with hidden wheels, making their  alt mode a little more ambiguous.

of course, this can make some interesting culture crosses when it comes to cybertronian verse non cybertronian gender. if we look at chromia, she’d be considered a gnc woman- short “hair,” a more masculine role, broader shoulders -  but a very traditional grounder. shes bulkier (although again, style inconsistency), and both her wheels are clearly visible, which means shes very obviously grounder. i think by the time that most of the contemporary idw comics take place, a lot of the old assumptions of cybertronian gender have gone the way of the functionist government, but we also have to take into account that this was also never the way the writers wanted to present cybertronian gender, just an interesting theory.

of course i say all this remembering that alt mode identities are all tied into clear racial and class based analogies too, but identity dynamics usually have more than one meaning too so. shrug.

also art style disparities between individual comic artists as well

[sassycassie-s-writing]

Returning the Flash Drive

By: SassyShoulderAngel319

Fandom/Character(s): DC/BatFam - Jason Todd/Red Hood

Rating: PG

Original Idea: An AU prompt list I found on Pinterest but was from Tumblr.

Notes: (Masterlist)(By Character)(About Me) The italic blocks of text are parts of the original project. And that original project is actually an actual original project of mine. @welovegroot @batboys-and-other-messes Posting way early today because why not and I have no self-control

^^^^^

Jason plopped down at the library computer, fully intending to just search the catalog for Sense and Sensibility, check it out, and leave.

But he got distracted by the bright blue flash drive sticking out of the USB port. There was a piece of blue masking tape on the side, with a heavily worn-out name written on it. But it was so worn, all he got was a T and maybe an e. Though it could have been a g. He wasn’t sure.

Curious, he clicked out of the library catalog window, and found the drive on the desktop. It was named, “Bat-Drive.” He couldn’t help but snicker as he opened it up.

There was a long list of Microsoft Word docs immediately there with weird file names. Angst Galore, Crimson Poison, Duct Tape and Safety Pins, For What I Love, and Winter Went Down to Georgia as some of the ones he noticed. At the very top, though, was a file that read, !!!IF FOUND PLEASE READ!!!

Jason clicked it open.

“Hi there, stranger! If you’re reading this, that means you found my flash drive. This thing is my life. Thank you so much for finding it. Please text me at ###-###-#### and say you found it and where I left it. I’ll promptly come back and get it! Thank you so much! I appreciate it!”

Jason blinked and got out his phone, already typing the person’s number into a new text message box. He closed the file.

SUPERNATURAL HIGH—DRAFT 3

Another file name caught his eye.

Knowing he shouldn’t, he opened it. The person’s little note for whomever found the lost drive didn’t have a name. Just a phone number. But the file name implied it was some form of fiction. Maybe there would be a byline.

Supernatural High

By: Me

Well that wasn’t helpful. Jason narrowed his eyes in frustration.

Chapter 1—My Roommate is a Vampire

“Welcome to Supernatural High School!” the banner read over the huge front door. I looked at it, reading the same five words over and over again.

“Wow,” I said to my mom. “I’m here.”

Jason tilted his head, attention caught. He leaned forward, laced his fingers under his chin, and started to read.

He knew he shouldn’t be reading this. He knew that someone else’s writing was a private thing until made public, but it was good. The writing style felt like someone around his age wrote it—probably a girl if the main character being a first-person narrator female character was anything to go on—and it was engaging. Creative and with an interesting premise.

Jason poured over the third draft of the story—and glanced at the page count. 102. Single-spaced. Wow.

Enraptured, he continued reading.

Vicky pulled open the A-G Freshmen filing cabinet. It took her three seconds to find Adamaris, Aaralyn (the name of the protagonist) in the front of the drawer.

Vicky snatched it and flipped open the light-yellow file folder.

“What in Hades is an aquatic hybrid?” Vicky hissed to Carrie and Vinnie.

“What?” two voices asked quietly. Carrie left the computer where she was trying to erase Aaralyn’s name from the teachers’ rolls and Vinnie left the door so they could both look at the file over Vicky’s shoulders.

Species: Aquatic Hybrid.

“Huh,” Vinnie grunted.

“Yeah… what is an aquatic hybrid?” Carrie whispered.

The light flicked on. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” a voice said from the doorway.

Jason paused reading for a moment. Who was writing this? He needed to return the flash drive to its owner…

Opening the file explorer window again, he scanned down the file names.

Me—Facebook Profile.jpeg

Eureka.

Jason opened the picture.

Weirdly, the girl looked like the kind of girl who would write the piece of fiction open on his screen. A wide, sparkling smile. Eyes full of sweetness and intelligence. A few wisps of hair caught in a breeze. She was standing on top of the Wayne Enterprises tower on the observation deck, arms thrown in the air and one leg popped behind her, obviously excited. A Batman beanie was hanging out of the bag on her shoulder.

Jason smiled and looked around the library. He couldn’t see around corners or shelves, but in his line of sight, the girl in the photo was nowhere to be found around him.

So he kept reading. When he was done, he’d turn it in to the lost-and-found or go searching for her through the shelves—and maybe even down in the children’s section in the underground level.

He was so entranced by the words that flowed so naturally, so casually, down the page that he really didn’t notice time was even passing. He didn’t notice his back muscles growing stiff or the occasional buzz of his phone in his pocket.

When he finally reached the end of the document—“Kalen’s arms found my waist as the disco lights swirled over our skin and the music beat its gentle rhythm into the floorboards and our hearts. I smiled and”—he almost flipped the desk over. Why did it end in the middle of the sentence? Why did it end at all?! Where was the rest of it? That couldn’t be the end!

In a frustrated state, he closed the document, and the picture, ejected the drive, and yanked it out of the computer. He logged off and roughly shoved his chair back. Holding the drive lightly in his right hand, he started to wander the library, looking for the girl to return it to.

^^^^^

I’d been sitting in the same spot in the library for hours. My apartment’s electricity was off for the day while some wiring was getting fixed and my laptop had broken. Not to mention the library was the only place my sister wouldn’t look for me and I’d been avoiding her for two days. Long story.

I was sitting in a worn-out old velvet armchair with Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan’s Curse in my hands. My water bottle was halfway empty—I’d need to get up and refill it before I left… if I ever left.

Something hit me in the chest.

“What the—?” I muttered, looking down.

It was my flash drive. Bright blue with my smudged-out name in masking tape on the side.

“Why did you stop there? How’s it supposed to end?” a voice hissed.

I looked up, one hand closing around the drive.

The man in front of me was so ridiculously handsome that my mind went blank and my breath went away. Tall, muscular, black-haired, blue-eyed, chiseled face with a jaw sharp and strong enough to cut glass. Wearing skinny jeans that showed off exactly how powerful his legs were, a white T-shirt with what appeared to be Red Hood’s red bat symbol on the chest, and a red hoodie.

I didn’t even process that he’d asked me a question. My brain was going more along the lines of, “Oh hot dang he’s handsome. How is a man that handsome even allowed to exist? Wait. Hang on. Did he say something? Shoot.”

When I didn’t answer, and just stared blankly, he sat down in the long-vacant armchair across the tiny coffee table from me, and continued, “Your Supernatural High story. Why did you stop writing in the middle of a sentence?”

I realized what he was talking about. “Oh. You read… my story…” I trailed off.

“Yeah, missy. And listen, I get that Kalen and Aaralyn totally have a thing goin’ on, but c’mon lady! He’s too old for her at that stage in their lives and he may be the hot, bad boy type but she’s so bright and sweet! What about Conan? I know he and Zurie seem to have a small flirtation but everyone knows werewolf-vampire romances are doomed so why not just give him to Aaralyn? Though, I do appreciate the whole Romeo and Juliet, star-crossed lovers vibe they have since you mentioned that the Wolfes and the Addingtons don’t get along,” he ranted.

I blinked but didn’t say anything. This handsome stranger wasn’t finished yet.

“I also really liked the Pride and Prejudice, Much Ado About Nothing feel between Aaralyn and Kalen. Especially with Zurie, Lyric, Conan, and Ryker contriving to set them up in a very Lady-Beatrice-and-Lord-Benedick way while the Mr. Darcy and Lizzie Bennet thing can be slyly represented by the fact that he’s a pureblood fairy and therefore more respected in the community while she’s a hybrid that others distrust for being half-human. What’s she even a hybrid of? A-hundred-and-two pages and you still haven’t revealed what her other half is.”

Someone in the library shushed him.

I opened my mouth, trying to come up with something to say. I hadn’t really intended for there to be all those classic literature parallels, per se, but it was nice to know someone could pull something out of what I’d written.

“I don’t even know your name,” I finally managed to say, whispering because we were in a library.

“I'm Jason. And why isn’t this published?”

“It’s not done, genius. Why do you think?” I retorted.

“Fair point. But seriously, what’s Aaralyn’s other half? What even is an aquatic hybrid?” he asked.

“A-hundred-and-two pages of implications and you can’t figure out what she is?” I joked. “With everything I’ve mentioned and every not-so-subtle clue. From her singing at the dance to getting pushed in the pool to what happened when those three boys drowned at the school decades before she even attended and you have no idea?”

^^^^^

Jason thought hard for a second, trying to puzzle through everything he’d just read. To be fair, he’d read quite a lot in a short time and it had almost overloaded his brain.

He glanced down at the book in her hands. He’d never read the PJO series but he’d heard a lot about it. His eyes also searched the ceiling, as though still reading the text on the computer screen up there.

An idea popped into his head. He looked back down at the writer girl.

^^^^^

Realization dawned on the man—Jason’s—face. His jaw dropped. He mouthed one word. I smirked.

“There you go. You got it,” I said, a little louder than I intended.

The librarian shot us a dark look.

“Look, I don’t even know your name, but I have to read the rest of this story. Please. It’s really good and I was really enjoying it and you ended it in the middle of a sentence!”

I smile lightly. “Thank you,” I said before offering him my name. “And if you really wanna read it, give me your email and I’ll send it to you as I work on it. I’d love a beta reader.”

“Absolutely. Please. I have to know what happens,” Jason said.

I pulled my notebook out of my bag and passed it to him, tucking my flash drive securely into a zipper pocket and zipping it up. Wasn’t going to lose that again.

He handed me back my notebook with his email address scrawled over almost an entire blank page.

“Can I take you out to lunch or something and you can tell me more about your stories? Especially this one but what else do you write? I saw a bunch of titles on your flash drive but I only read the one.”

My jaw dropped open. “Uh—I mean—yeah. Sure,” I said.

Jason got to his feet and offered me his hand to help me up. “I'm sorry if I'm freaking you out. I'm just a… voracious reader—” I could tell by that vocabulary word. “—and I’ve recently been getting into more contemporary stuff. There’s only so much classic you can read. It’s a finite genre.” He pulled me to my feet. I scooped up my bag and put PJO back on the shelf. Before walking next to Jason out the door.

“It’s okay. You freaked me out at first because you never expect someone to approach you accusing you of not finishing your story when you don’t know them and don’t realize at first how they even read your story, but I'm so unused to having someone so enthusiastic about what I’ve written that I was just surprised,” I replied. He smiled.

“I really look forward to the finished product,” he said.

“Thank you. I'm excited to have someone who’s excited,” I said as we left the library.

[yourkeeperoftherunners]

Gentle Monster Epilogue

Plot: AU All he wanted was a home, but it seemed like he was never going to get one. You wanted a friend who would keep you company. Upon stepping into the mystical pet shop tucked in the back alleys of a tourist area of town, you had no idea what you were getting into when you signed the paperwork.

Rating: PG (Language)

Characters: Dog Hybrid!Chanyeol x Female Reader, Magic Pet Store Owner!Kris, Dog Hybrid!Baekhyun, and mentions of other OT12 hybrids and owners

Notes: This is part of @oh-beyond‘s hybrid series – she gave me her blessing to write one for Chanyeol. The premise is slightly inspired by the manga Pet Shop of Horrors with differences (Ex. Chanyeol’s human form is only visible to the reader and Kris in private and Kris matches pets with appropriate owners versus Count D who used the animals to teach owners a lesson.) Chanyeol’s breed is a Great Dane Doberman mix (called a Doberdane), which is inspired by the writer’s own dog. The title was inspired by a real life experience when a young girl (same height as my dog) rounded the corner in a shop and saw my dog for the first time. (She dubbed my dog “a monster dog” when she ran to tell her dad because she had never encountered a dog as big as her.)

All content is fictional!

Banner created by me. Absolutely no reposting anywhere else as your own!

Ch. 3

Chanyeol stroked your hair as you slept soundly, smiling as he gazed upon your peaceful body. Out of concern for your well-being, he had turned off your alarm, reasoning that you could use the rest after a stressful night. Sure you might not be happy to learn what he had done, but he thought you needed a day off. 

He frowned when he heard your phone in the other room and pouted, wishing he didn’t have to move from his spot beside you. You were still asleep and hadn’t heard the phone buzz on the counter in the kitchen. He slipped out from under the covers and tried not to disturb you as he headed out to the kitchen to see who it was.

He frowned as he looked down at the screen and saw a woman’s name, unsure of who it could be. Well, it seemed rude to not answer, so...

“Hello?”

“Oh Y/N? Did I dial the wrong number?” the secretary asked.

“Oh no this is her phone,” Chanyeol responded as he pressed the phone against his ear. “I’m her...friend! She’s sleeping now but I can –”

“Chan, who are you talking to?” you asked as you stumbled out into the kitchen, messing up your hair.

He ducked his head and mouthed that it was a woman. You held out your hand for the phone and he passed it over with a sheepish look.

“Hello this is Y/N.”

“Hey! Wanted to call and check up on you – we heard about the incident at your complex. My God, are you okay?” the secretary asked.

Your eyes widened when you heard her voice and you glanced over at the clock to see what time it was. Crap, you slept in and had missed a meeting already! What happened to your alarm clock?!

“Your boyfriend answered and said you were sleeping,” she continued. “By the way, he sounds cute. Anyways, we just wanted to hear if you were okay – glad they caught that guy harming you.”

“Please tell our boss I’ll in right away!” you said as you began speed walking to your room.

“Oh no sweetie, stay home please! You have plenty of vacation banked up – take a day or two! The boss understands and he said you deserve a break. Don’t rush in here after a stressful night,” she reassured you. “No, I mean it! Stay home, pet Puppy for me, and let the cute boyfriend take care of you. Okay?”

You frowned at her sentence and stared back at Chanyeol. Wait, she could hear his human voice? Hold up – she thought he was your boyfriend?!

“Did we lose connection?”

“Oh um no! No! I’m sorry, uh yes I’ll take a day off,” you said as you sank into a chair. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Thank you.” You hung up and Chanyeol padded over to you with a guilty look.

“I’m sorry Y/N, I turned your alarm off so you could sleep more,” he admitted. “Last night was scary and you needed the rest. I heard your phone and didn’t want to ignore it so, I answered.” He clasped your hands in his and gave you a pleading look. “Please don’t be angry, I only wanted to take care of you.”

You tilted your head and shot him a knowing look. “Next time Channie, please don’t turn my alarm off unless its the weekend. But you were right, I needed to calm down after last’s night nightmare.” You closed your eyes and mulled over the secretary’s words again. She heard his human voice.

“I promise I’m not sending you back Chan,” you began, “but if my secretary could hear your voice, then I think we need to see Kris again to figure out why that was possible. I know she does not have a pet because her husband has allergies, so something’s up. Do you feel any different?”

He shook his head and agreed that seeing Kris would make sense.

“Did you lose a dog miss?” an elderly gentleman asked as you passed him, Chanyeol’s leash in hand.

“Oh um, no – I’m uh, going to adopt one!” you came up with quickly. You pointed in the direction of Kris’s shop and explained there was a pet store down that area.

Chanyeol caught up to you and he smiled brightly at the elderly man before greeting him. The man returned the greeting before noticing Chanyeol’s dog collar and frowned.

“Is that one of those punk trends you young bloods are into these days?” he asked as he pointed to the collar.

Chan tilted his head in confusion and you fibbed that it was, grabbing your dog’s hand as you hurried toward Kris’s shop. Once both of you had gotten cleaned up, you brought the leash but felt funny clipping it onto Chan’s neck, instead choosing to carry it. This time when you went out, people commented on the cute, child-like young man who was behind you, greeting everyone with a big smile. A few noticed the collar around his neck and you were regretting keeping it on him.

A random girl had stopped him during your walk over, flirtatiously trying to give him her number. Chan looked surprised but he quickly grabbed you in a back hug and murmured in his deep baritone voice, “Sorry Miss, but I’m hers!”

“Welcome to my – oh um, hi there!” Kris greeted when he saw both of you enter. He bowed his head and apologized to the mom and daughter who were admiring Tao on the counter. You shot him a polite smile and mouthed to take his time, gingerly leading Chanyeol over to a tank of fish to look at.

“I like this cat, he’s handsome!” the daughter remarked as she stroked Tao’s head.

“You’re going to take care of him?” the mother asked.

The girl rolled her eyes and huffed dramatically, “Mom, I’m 18! Not 8, I can handle a cat like a grown adult!”

Kris chuckled at the daughter’s response and produced the contract for the pair to review and sign. Chanyeol glanced over at Tao for a moment before you tugged on his arm to keep his eyes on the fish. You shot him a look and he took the hint, nodding as he remained silent. These two had no idea what kind of a pet shop this was and you didn’t want to scare them away if it meant Tao getting his forever home.

Once the pair finished the paperwork and departed, Kris walked over to you, motioning to the back. You and Chanyeol followed him and he led you to his office, closing the door behind you.

“First off, Chan’s not coming back,” you stated before Kris could ask. “We’re here because something’s changed.”

“Actually I was going to ask if you were okay,” Kris replied. “Saw the papers today and was glad they caught your ex. Albeit he should have been locked up sooner, in my opinion.” He glanced over at Chanyeol and tapped his index fingers to his lips. “Changed how?”

You relayed the accounts of this morning up to the street encounters on the way to the pet shop. Kris listened carefully and he glanced over at Chanyeol occasionally. After you finished, he pushed his chair back and produced Chanyeol’s file from a cabinet and placed it on the desk.

“That’s Chanyeol’s file,” he began, “my father brought him over from South Korea before he passed. At the time, he was mum about the shop and what it was like. Like everyone who steps through these doors, I had no idea what I was getting into.” He opened the file and pushed it towards you.

The documents stated that Chanyeol had one other litter mate that survived – a sister who was adopted after birth. The parents were split up and adopted by other owners and Chanyeol was taken overseas. Chanyeol frowned as he tried to picture his life before the shop but gave up and pouted.

“You were very young Chan,” Kris said. “Technically you should have been raised by your mom until you were fully grown, but the owners of your parents didn’t want to deal with puppies, hence the quick arrangements.” He flipped to a scribbled note in Chinese and translated it for you. “His father was a regular Doberman. Mother was the Great Dane and while my old man never saw her human form, he sensed something different about her. Also unusual that she only had 2 pups instead of more.”

“So...this condition is from Umma?” Chanyeol asked after a long pause.

“Possibly,” Kris said. “Apparently your sister never had the ability to take on a human form, which is why there’s some confusion about you receiving the trait. My guess is that it passes down maternally to male descendants – this would fit with Baekhyun-ah and some of the other dogs that were here in the shop.” He flipped through the rest of the file and tried to read his father’s spidery handwriting. “Import and customs docs – not much help there...hang on! When I was a boy, my father pointed out Chanyeol to me and said that he was a unique case.”

Chanyeol blinked and pointed to himself in confusion. “Me? How?”

“That’s just it, my old man was a master of theatrics!” Kris sighed. He leaned back in his seat and huffed. You pulled out your phone and started researching magical dogs for grins. You used your thumb to scroll through the results and you chose one on the fourth page about an old Anglo-Saxon myth on a myths fan page. You sat up straighter and showed it to Kris.

“I know Chan’s from Korea, but this myth from Anglo-Saxon mythology kind of fits with what happened to me,” you replied.

You glanced over at Chan as you read off the blurb, which mentioned a story of a family attending an animal auction when they needed protection. Because they couldn’t afford much, they were only able to adopt the runt of the litter, which the town mocked them for. Their youngest daughter of the large family took to him because she was always ignored in her family, raising him to be a loyal, helpful dog. One night wolves invaded the town and began killing and eating livestock. The youngest daughter was out trying to retrieve eggs from the henhouse when she was cornered by wolves. Hearing her cries for help, the family dog came to her rescue and defended his little mistress. He sustained wounds from the fights but refused to leave his frightened owner’s side until she was safely inside. He collapsed and the youngest stayed with him, crying that her dog had died saving her. But a god had looked down on them and healed her loyal dog, having fulfilled his purpose of finding love and protecting someone selflessly. Knowing the youngest was next to marry, the god changed her dog into a human, who would eventually become her husband.

Kris hummed once you finished and he nodded his head. “I know you found it on a fan site, but I have a feeling I’ve heard this somewhere too. ...So are you the youngest in your family?”

You nodded and explained that you had an older brother and a sister. “Brother’s 5 years older and sis is 2 years older,” you said. “I wasn’t planned but they welcomed me all the same. But I didn’t get everything I wanted like your stereotypical bratty youngest born. Remember when I said I never got to have a pet as a kid?”

Kris nodded and reassured you that he never assumed you had been a spoiled youngest child. Chanyeol had been silent, listening to both of you discuss the possible reasons for why he seemed to be stuck in his human form. He wished he knew why this was happening, but with the way things had transpired, he wasn’t complaining about his situation. He knew you would be a good owner who wouldn’t mistreat him and maybe you needed someone to share a little love that was missing right now in your life. His hands closed around yours and he squeezed them with a smile.

“I said I’ll keep you safe – that meant for as long as you have me,” he reminded you. “I’ll admit I like the sounds of that story you told us – maybe that’s why I’m human now.”

“Works for me,” Kris murmured with a nod. “Oh and Y/N? I think its safe to ditch the collar – doubt you want people thinking you control Chan in, um, some kind of way.”

“Kris-hyung, what do you mean? She is my owner,” Chanyeol protested with a confused look.

You blushed and stood up to loosen Chanyeol’s collar. Once you made it bigger, you prompted Chan to close his eyes before tugging it up and over his head. He was like a wide-eyed child, naive to the innuendoes you’d have to explain at a later date.

“Channie, I’ll explain it to you another time,” you said with a fond smile. “For now, let’s go home.”

Chanyeol was on his feet in seconds and he eagerly began leading you out the door. “Can we cuddle under the blankets when we get back?”

You laughed and ruffled his hair. “Course we can.”

[audriel]

Audriel’s FF Ouvre

As this tumblr is intended to be focused on writing, I think it’ll be fitting to list my favorites of all I’ve written so far and the reasons why they are my favorites.

Title: Ayame (FFnet) Fandom: Naruto Pairing: Gen, OCs feat. Uchiha Itachi Summary:  Ayame, a beautiful flower that means happiness for those who believe. Hikari Ayame was supposed to be an ordinary girl until a fateful event took her to Konoha where her fate entwined with unexpected people that will affect the future of Konoha.   Thoughts: My first published fanfic. Like every first in our lives, they have a special place in our hearts. When I published this fic, I’ve just truly started writing fanfic for a year or so, the kind of fic that is not just bits of pieces of dialogues or descriptions. Naruto was the most popular fandom back then, at least for anime/manga (was it Harry Potter? I feel old...) with a huge cast that is not dissimilar of Haikyuu!! so naturally it’s a perfect place to stretch writing muscles. Even back then I was content in exploring in the current universe/world, picking at the blanks and filling them up with my own ideas without straying far from canon, and those ideas are often my own characters.

Hikari Ayame is my OC, who was the daughter of the Yondaime (who was still a mystery back then) and teammate of Uchiha Itachi. Through Ayame I explored the world of Naruto, from its jutsu to its history. Looking back, I’m pretty surprised that I hit the nail in the head on Itachi being the good guy all along. It doesn’t have many reviews, but I had a blast writing it. Unfortunately, I didn’t end up completing the fic. By then I’ve figured out I’m muse-based writer, if my muse is shot, then there’s nothing, which holds true until now. Plus I was rather (if not very) faithful to canon, so once my ideas didn’t fit, I didn’t force them to fit, or take AU route.

Title: Promises (FFnet) Fandom: Final Fantasy VII Pairing: Cloud x Tifa, CloTi Summary:  Tifa's thoughts about a certain man... a certain ring... and a certain promise.... [Advent Children Spoilers] Thoughts: I wrote this after watching FFVII: Advent Children. Without prior knowledge of the games (I am and was not a gamer), I was intrigued by the ambiguous relationship between Cloud and Tifa. I remember pretty obsessed with the Advent Children, scouring the internet for screencaps, and backstory, then ofc, fanfics. Tifa’s ring was one of the things that caught my interest, particularly how it bore resemblance to Fenrir, Cloud’s Fenrir. So there went my muse and the result was my first one-shot and my first experience in having more than five reviews for my story. I remember how happy I was when I had such positive feedback, and back then FFnet did not have reply feature, so I just basked in them (or I PMed them? I’m not sure, but I did remember always trying to respond to the kind words).

Title: What Are We? (FFnet) Fandom: Naruto Pairing: Sasuke x Hinata, SasuHina Summary:  What happens when two of the most unlikely people are united in the holy matrimony? Especially when there is no love between them to start with. [Sasuke x Hinata] Thoughts: My most popular fanfic in FFnet with 13 chapters, 465 reviews, 323 favorites and 278 followers. I’m pretty sure it’s my highest achievement in terms of popularity. Even back in my Naruto days, I have strong preference towards rare pairings, and SasuHina was the rarepair, back then, not unlike KuroDai, the writers and the readers are often the same people and formed a close and tight-knit community. However, if I am to compare it with current pairing, SasuHina is more like OiKuro, neither have truly interacted in canon, but their personalities made them an interesting match to explore. (I like OiKuro, btw) And as I was wont to do, I have fun in exploring their potential. I used the common trope of arranged marriage because considering their families, it had the highest possibility for them and I was inspired by another SasuHina fic and author who used the same premise. I wanted to do my own spin on it, even though my only experience in relationships is through books and literature XDD

This story suffers the same fate with Ayame. The muse is shot, thanks to canon. Sasuke gets on my nerves. Until the very end, (honesty I cannot believe I managed to get myself finish Naruto, I gave up on Bleach at the same time) he is insufferable. He’s not worthy of Hinata. And don’t start me on Hinata and her characterization. Kishimoto sucks at making strong female characters. Hinata and Sakura are reduced to a love interest and damsel in distress, despite their potential. I was and am still mad at the injustice that I don’t even bother correcting them in fanfic. So unfortunately, this fic is discontinued. I’m not even sure whether I want to continue even if I still remember what I intend to do with the story. There’s still a possibility, if only to give the story a proper ending. Who knows?

Title: Shades of Grey (FFnet) Fandom: Vampire Knight Pairing: Zero x OC Summary:  A series of what ifs leads to a series of questions. This is the story that explores the question: What would be left for Zero if he let Yuuki go? A character study of Zero and an exploration of Vampire Knight world. Thoughts: My longest running fanfiction, with 20 chapters and 159K words and my first M-rated fic. The least popular of my fics but my personal favorite. I consider this story my pride and joy, because this story showcases my strength and growth best as a writer. By now I’m more flexible with canon, willing to play with canon divergence and alternate universe. So when I’m dissatisfied with canon/current storyline, I goes to fanfic to correct it. I really, really hate love triangle problems in shoujo/romance stories, because it often feels like it’s just thrown in there just to make relationship problems between main pairing and the third person usually ends up underdeveloped as a character, and there are times when the main character has more chemistry/potential with the third person than the person he/she’s meant to be with, which is what happens in Vampire Knight. Yuuki is meant to be with Kaname, but I just cannot like Kaname, or see him with Yuuki. And poor Zero gets the short end of the stick. It doesn’t help that Yuuki keeps him hanging. So frustrated I was that I stopped reading the manga and threw myself into writing my own version and gives Zero a love interest.

So it can be said that this is the most selfish work of mine. What I like most from OCs is that through them I can push the boundaries of canon without stepping outside of them. I use the opportunity to develop Zero as a character alongside with mine and explore the world of VK, which is not delved deeply in canon. While VK seems to take place in a distant world unlike ours, I make it as though it is our world’s alternate universe where we have vampires in our midst. So compared to my previous works, with the exception of Ayame, this story requires and demands the most research for the world building, which naturally pushes me out of my comfort zone of thinking and writing only of the characters and their relationships. I also delve into darker and more mature themes whereas before I did more gen or PG pieces. It ends up pretty angsty, it looks like I like to have my characters suffer ^^; Poor Zero and Misaki (my OC).

The story is currently on hiatus, due to writer’s block. Unlike Ayame and What Are We?, I actually have a rough draft of the whole story and even have the ending written. It’s only the problem of getting there.

Title: The Gentle Princess (AO3) Fandom: Princess (manhwa) Pairing: Yapha of Skarde x Theodora of Anatoria Summary:  What if Theodora was married sooner to Yapha and became his third wife, right after Haisha? How would this change the fate of the three kingdoms of ASR? Thoughts: This is my first taste of joining a Big Bang Challenge, to be precise Het Big/Little Challenge 2011 by het_bigbang in LJ (ooh, the LJ days, I’m lookin’ pretty ancient, aren’t I?). Wait, wasn’t it stated 2012 in AO3? Well, I didn’t manage to meet the deadline, so I submitted the completed work for next year’s challenge. This story has the most impressive word count (71,126 words), and I am damned proud of it, especially because it’s completed. OMG, it makes me really happy that I have completed multi-chapter work.

The only downside is the fanfic from a relatively unknown fandom and characters, which leaves not many readers and reviewers, but I’m still happy and proud of this work of mine, because now I can read this and pretend that this is how it goes in canon for this favorite, but minor pairing in Princess. (I’m pretty sure my fanfic is the only one in the fandom in AO3 XDD) Princess is a Korean manga, known as manhwa, which story revolves around the princesses of three kingdoms (and three generations, I think) of ASR. So it’s a epic story, which naturally makes the fic, an epic fanfic. However, unlike VK I have easier time in worldbuilding since the manhwa is quite thorough, the problem is in the political undertones and intrigue throughout the story. I am guilty of using the non con sex and unexpected pregnancy as plot device again in this story as in Shades of Grey. While I like how it affects the plot and development, I hope I do not offend or worse trigger anyone :( Otherwise, I love the development in Yapha and Theodora, and between them as they grow from strangers to friends and to potential lovers.

Title: Perspective (AO3) Fandom: Daiya no Ace, Diamond no Ace Pairing: Gen, Kuramochi Youichi, Shirasu Kenjirou, Miyuki Kazuya Summary: An unfortunate circumstance puts things into perspective. Alternatively, Kuramochi and Miyuki from Shirasu's perspective. Thoughts: My return to fanfiction scene after a year without publishing anything that is not a incoherent mess of ideas, of disjointed dialogues and descriptions. As I look back, I’ve come to realize that my muse works best when I start with a premise, then build on it. The premise is simple: what if Kuramochi gets sick? Injury does have the most potential, but I've got enough of that in Act I and now we have another in Act II, sighs. Then I explored the 5W+1H based on what I know (and hope) about Kuramochi and the others around him. And voila, 16K fic! Shirasu provides an interesting perspective, he does not have the all-knowing eyes like we did as readers, but I feel like he knows more than most of Seidou (esp he gets help from Miyuki-specialist, Kuramochi). The fic ends up into a pretty interesting character study, and most importantly relationship study between Kuramochi and Miyuki.

I was afraid that I was getting rusty but the response is surprisingly positive with 7 comments and 33 kudos, considering it is a rare gen fic among mostly slash fics in the fandom. Admittedly it can be considered as pre-slash, with my KuraMiyu goggles, they look like one :D I hope I’ll come around to write a proper KuraMiyu one day. Regardless I’m very happy and satisfied with this piece, because not only it’s completed, but it also achieved what I want to achieve, a further look into KuraMiyu and Kuramochi being treated as precious friend/teammate/brother as he should be.

Title: Until Next Time (AO3) Fandom: Haikyuu!! Pairing: Kuroo x Daichi, KuroDai Summary: Kurodai Week 2017 Day 1: First Meeting / Next Time Pacific Rim AU. Thoughts: Not exactly my first dip into Haikyuu, but it’s my first non-gen fic after my long break from writing and my first try in portraying my fave pair (and rarepair), Kurodai. I have a lot of reservation in writing in Haikyuu fandom. Despite having followed the anime and manga closely, I am not certain in my grasp of the wonderful characters, more so in my favorite characters and pairing. However, I’ve read the whole fics with Kurodai tag, to the front and back, and front and back again. Then, thanks to @spring-emerald who reblogged kurodaiweek, putting the prompts front and center in my dashboard, I was stoked to join, especially when I was sort-of successful with hqbrofest (though satisfied it’s another matter, neither fics from the challenge are listed).

It is also a mean to challenge myself, because for once, the theme is already decided and it’s up to me to make something out of it. Somehow it’s gotten to my head that I want all the fics for the kurodaiweek to be AUs. I have no idea why I wanted to do that, when my grasp on the characters were weak and tenuous at best, and now I had to put them in different situation/universe while keeping them in character. WTF BRAIN?????? 

My initial take of the theme/prompt is hello and goodbye and my mind goes to dark and depressing Hunger Games AU where KuroDai are from different districts who both in their own ways try to defy the Capitol and end up teaming up together to protect Hinata, the youngest and most innocent tribute. Despite death looming over them, they build a pocket of peace and happiness between the three of them where they become a makeshift family and KuroDai quietly falls for one another even they know it is not meant to be, but it strengthens their resolve to get Hinata home, and they do. In their final moments, they promise to meet each other in the next life and build a life together that they are robbed of in this life. 

asd;akjfadkjfslkldkjdfladksl, I’m only writing the idea and I’m crying. Not a very good way to start Kurodai Week isn’t it? So I scrapped the idea and look for other possible AU I can do (I have a list of AUs, believe it or not), and I end up choosing Pacific Rim AU. Unlike the HG AU, I have no clear idea in mind, except using the iconic Kurodai phrase of until next time. I spent half of the time researching and fitting all the characters into PacRim universe, and before I knew it, I’ve got 10K story. While I feel like the story is solid, I have my doubts whether it’s good enough, and it seems so with how few and sparse the hits and comments at the beginning, but then slowly it gains readers and reviews...and up until now I’m still flabbergasted at the reception. Right now it’s my highest rated and reviewed fic in AO3. I’m just glad that I finally write my own KuroDai, my first and hopefully not my last. Cheers!

[english2121]

Discussion Leader 12/5

Karina

Quote #1: “So don’t expect stars in what’s coming: nothing will twinkle, this is opaque material and by its very nature despised by everyone. That’s because this story lacks a cantabile melody. Its rhythm is sometimes discordant. And it has facts. I suddenly fell for facts without literature--facts are hard stones and action is now more interesting to me than thinking, you can’t get away from facts” (Lispector pg. 8).

Question #1: Based on our previous discussion in class how is this quote representative of postmodern literature?

Quote #2: I do not intend for what I’m about to write to be complex, though I’ll have to use the words that sustain you. The story--I determine with false free will--will have around seven characters and I’m obviously one of the more important. I, Rodrigo S.M. An old tale, this, since I don’t want to be all modern and invent trendy words to make myself look original. So that’s why I’ll try contrary to my normal habits to write a story with a beginning, middle and “grand finale” followed by silence and falling rain” (pg. 5).

Question #2: In this quote the narrator, as a writer, shows consciousness of readers and seems to address them directly. In what tone does he seem to address the readers and their needs? Does this quote seem like a criticism of writing and books? If so in what way?

Quote #3: “Now I want to speak of the northeastern girl. This is what I mean: she like a stray dog was guided exclusively by herself.I too, from one failure to the next have reduced myself to myself by at least I want to encounter the world and it’s God. I’d like to add by the way of information about the young girl and myself, that we live exclusively in the present because it is always eternally today and tomorrow will be a today, eternity is a state of things at this very moment” (pg. 10).

Questions #3: Given our discussion of identity in the postmodern period how does the narrator touch upon this topic in this quote? How does he touch upon collective vs. individual relationship? What may he mean when he says “eternity is a state of things at this very moment”.

Quote #4: “I’m sure of one thing: this narrative will deal with something delicate: the creation of a whole person who surely is as alive as I am. Take care of her because all I can do is show her so you can recognize her on the street, walking lightly because of her quivering thinness. And what if my narrative is sad? Afterwards I’ll surely write something cheerful, though why cheerful? Because I too am a man of hosannas and someday, perhaps, I’ll sing praises instead of the difficulties of the northeastern girl” (pg. 11).

Question #4: What parallels do you think the narrator is trying to draw between himself and “the northeastern girl”? What if any do you think he might be hoping the readers draw between themselves and the character? For what purpose?

Quote #5: “Nothing in her was iridescent, though the parts of her skin between the blotches had a slight opal glow. Not that it mattered. Nobody looked at her on the street , she was like cold coffee. And that’s how time passed for the girl. She blew her nose on the hem of her underwear. She didn’t have that delicate thing called charm. I’m the only one who finds her charming. Only I, her author lover her. I suffer for her. And I’m the only one who can say this: ‘what do you ask of me weeping that I wouldn’t give you singing? That girl didn’t know she was what she was, just as a dog doesn’t know it’s a dog. So she didn’t feel unhappy. The only thing she wanted was to live. She didn’t know for what, she didn’t ask questions. Maybe she thought there was a little bitty glory in living. She thought people had to be happy. So she was. Before her birth was she an idea? Before her birth was she dead? And after her birth she would die?” (pg.19)

Question #5: How have the narrator’s sentiments towards his character changed in comparison to earlier in the book? Can the narrator’s conflicting sentiments towards his character shed light on the postmodern perspective? How so?

Argument:  The book The Hour of the Star contains many of the same questions and uncertainty that plague postmodernism. It is a book that contains more questions than answers. Through the perspective of the narrator we are made to question what writing is? What life is? Is it possible to truly separate the self from what is written? The narrator claims to love the character he is creating and yet at the same time he speaks of her with much disdain, criticizing and belittling her existence, one which he is creating. The complex relationship between narrator and character seem like an introspective examination of life and an active effort to reconcile the parts of oneself that one loves and hates in order to make sense of it all.

Crystal Williams

Quote #1: “If this story doesn’t exist now, it will. Thinking is an act. Feeling is a fact. Put the two together-I am the one writing what I am writing. God is the world. Truth is always an interior and inexplicable contact. My truest life is unrecognizable, extremely interior and there is not a single word that defines it” (Lispector, 1).

Question #1: What is the connection between the truest-self and God as alluded to by Lispector? How does this relate to the genre of Post Modernism? Consider (if you are aware of Winnicott’s concepts) the notion of the true self and the false self. How does that relate to the act of writing and thinking as described by Lispector?

Quote #2: “How do I know everything that’s about to come and that I myself still don’t know, since I have never lived it? Because on a street in Rio de Janeiro I glimpsed in the air the feeling of perdition on the face of a northeastern girl. Not to mention that I as a boy grew up in the northeast. I also know things about things because I am alive. Everyone alive knows, even if they don’t know they know. So you gentlemen know more than you think and are just pretending not to” (Lispector, 2).

Question #2: What does Lispector allude to the duality of humanity and inherent intelligence and knowledge? Are both men and women endowed with the same intelligence, or is there a common truth, or knowledge that transcends gender?

Quote #3:”Could it really be that the action is beyond the word? But when I write-let things be known by their real names. Each thing is a word and when there is no word it is invented. This is your God who commanded us to invent” (Lispector, 8)”

Question #3: Who or what is God as described by Lispector? What is her connection to God? Would you consider her writing, or writing in general to be a divine act?

Consider: John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Quote #4: “The fact is I hold a destiny in my hands yet don’t feel powerful enough to invent freely: I follow a hidden, fatal line” (Lispector, 12).

Question#4: What is the fatal line that Lispector speaks on? How is it possible for her to feel powerless in a world that she created? Could this apply to us in our daily lives?

Quote #5: In her little superstitious imaginings, she thought that if by any chance she ever got a nice good taste of living- she’d suddenly cease to be the princess she was and be transformed into vermin. Because, no matter how bad her situation, she didn’t want to be deprived of herself, she wanted to be herself. She thought she’d incur serious punishment and even risk dying if she took out too much pleasure in life. So she protected herself from death by living less, consuming so little of her life that she’d never run out. This savings gave her a little security since you can’t fall farther than the ground” (Lispector, 24).

“Clarice Lispector was a great artist; she was also a middle-class wife and mother. If the portrait of the extraordinary artist is fascinating, so is the portrait of the ordinary housewife, whose life is the subject of her stories. As the artist matures, the housewife, too, grows older. When Lispector is a defiant adolescent filled with a sense of her own potential—artistic, intellectual, sexual—so are the girls in her stories. When, in her own life, marriage and motherhood take the place of precocious childhood, her characters grow up, too. When her marriage fails, when her children leave, these departures appear in her stories. When the author, once so gloriously beautiful, sees her body blemished by wrinkles and fat, her characters see the same decline in theirs; and when she confronts the final unravelling of age and sickness and death, they appear in her fiction as well” (The New Yorker, Web).

“Escaping the Jewish pogroms that were part of life in Ukraine and other parts of the Russian Empire in the late 19th–early 20th century, Lispector at age five immigrated with her parents and two older sisters to Brazil. There her mother died some four years later of syphilis, contracted from a group of Russian soldiers who had raped her” (Britannica, Web).

Question #5: With her life experiences in mind, do you feel that the northeastern girl described in the text is a facet of Lispector’s being? Why or why not? How would her experiences with the war, death and poverty shape her work and her views of the world?

Argument: Lispector argues that knowledge and experience are intricately linked to humanity and not gender. She as an author, transcends the trap of being pigeon-holed into a female narrative. Lispector is an unbiased omnipresent force who paints The Hour of The Star in trials, meaning she is writing, living and experiencing the story at the same time through different planes of existence. It is within these realms that Lispector explores the ideas of Winnicott and Freud, illuminating the theories of the true-self and false self, day-dreaming and the act of play.

Argument: Lispector in her writing uses the spark of The All (the ever creating entity, otherwise known as “God”) to conduct interrupted play that allows her to know who or what she is. Her form of play, seamless bouncing from introspective interpretations of both male and female further gives support to the notion of Lispector’s “God-self” in her writing. Writing is considered an act of creation, and this act gives her power and agency in the world of The Hour Of The Star.

[canvaswolfdoll]

CanvasWatches: Dagashi Kashi

How did this get a dub?

Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful it got a dub, of course, since I enjoyed Degashi Kashi, but… how did an anime about Japanese Penny Candies/Snacks earn itself a dub? It’s so niche, so obscure, and so unlikely that American audiences would experience any of these foods for themselves,[1] that I wouldn’t even dream of it receiving a a Sub-only Release, let alone a dub. Heck, my even knowing about it was a combination of vaguely recalling some random bit from LoadingReadyRun discussing its upcoming release, and accidentally finding it through Funimation.

And it’s second season is also getting a Simuldub, which makes this series even more inexplicable, as it doesn’t strike me as a show that would inspire a revival.

Why does Dagashi Kashi have a dub? How does any of this happen?

I love anime.

(Spoilers below the page break)

Degashi Kashi is a slice of life comedy about a young boy who kind of wants to be a Mangaka, but whose dad wants him take over the family business: a Japanese Candy Store.[2] The young boy would rather not. Then a quirky, Degashi-obsessed girl arrives looking to recruit the father for her family’s snack company, but the father will not take the job unless his son will take over the family store.

Hilarity ensues. Also lot of trivia and history lessons about the Dagashi and its surrounding culture.

It’s a charmingly odd show that makes the most out of having only five cast members. There’s Kokonotsu (the noted son) his father Yo, Hotaru (the girl seeking to get Kokonotsu to take over the store) Saya (Cafe operator crushing on Kokonotsu) and Tou (Saya’s brother who looks like Dave Strider).

There’s pretty much no major plot to speak of, with only enough premise to carry the episodes between various Dagashi lessons.

Also some pretty tame fan service. And odd character designs.

The eyes are weird. Kokonotsu’s are mostly fine, as far as generic protagonist designs go, and Yo and Tou don’t have their eyes visible often enough for comment, but the girls have pretty out-there eyes.

Hotaru’s eyes are concentric circles, making her look a little crazed and possibly unearthly. Her design over all is pretty eccentric, as she’s dressed in a simplified gothic lolita style and is the only one without natural hair and eye color, but that I’m broadly used to, because… anime. She sticks out like a sore thumb, but that fits her role so I’m okay with her design.

Also, her dub voice is… unconventional. There’s a usual timbre and speaking pattern that I’ve grown to expect from female characters. Usually sweet and light, but able to range into comedic anger. A little wiggle room for personalization, but mostly samey.[3] Hotaru can have that quality, yes, but when she really gets going, it’s usually a little lower pitched, and there’s this vocal quirk that’s… very difficult to put into words, where she’s not actually putting on a mocking tone, but is next door to it in pattern.

Please try and find examples of this dub voice. I was surprised at first, but I quickly grew to like Tabitha Ray’s performance for sounding very distinct.[4]

Returning to eye criticisms, Saya looks constantly crazed.

Her irises remain constantly tiny. The thing about giant anime eyes is it allows space for fine tuning emotions. Normally, the pupils/irises take up about 40-60% of the total space, allowing space to make them grow to show interest or more emotion, or (as is more to the point) shrink to show shock or extreme anger or just a loss in mental stability.

There’s an expressive language one learns as they watch anime, and Saya is locked in the tiny iris end, so she looks like she’s supposed to be crazy, possibly planning on burning you alive with a scalding pot of coffee at any moment.  But that isn’t her personality at all. Sure, her introductory scene was pretty textbook Tsundere, but she quickly eased into the Childhood Friend archetype, and either way, her shrunken eyes are unjustified. I got mostly used to the eyes, but it’s still poor design, since (ideally) character design should tell you something about the character, or at least be deliberately misleading.

Which leaves one last topic to discuss: Fanservice!

The portrayal of sexual elements is important for creators to consider. Good Art should hold a mirror to the human experience, and how an artist approaches the subject can say a lot.

Still, cultural norms and the ebb and flow of societal expectations, as well as the desire to draw in the target audience, makes the execution of fanservice fascinating to me. Where are the lines, on both a community level and personal level? Does the medium itself have an influence? Because a single misstep in fanservice can bring forth harsh criticism.

And, let me remind you that Avatar: the Last Airbender, one of the best animated series to broadcast on an American children’s television station, dedicated an episode to showing cute girls (and Zuko) at the beach in bathing suits. The oldest of whom was 16.[5]

So, Dagashi Kashi, to its credit, doesn’t feel fanservice-driven. Sure, some situations might be a little contrived (mostly surrounding Hotaru), but like the comedy of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, the show at least shows the steps that bring forth fanservice. And, to be honest, it’s pretty tame after the first episode. Mostly rain or sweat making Hotaru’s white shirt a little sheer to show off a little frill of her bra. Then the camera takes the perspective of Kokonotsu, who takes a very quick glimpse before averting his gaze.

Now, before I go further with my analysis, let me be clear: if the show cut all the fanservice scenes and took the maybe five total minutes they took (in twelve episodes) and expanded the Dagashi lessons, there would be no real loss. It’s superfluous material. But the fanservice shots also aren’t distracting nor derail the plot. They’re also mostly tasteful, and work is put in so the fanservice does work in context.

The element to execution that I think is most important is that it’s viewed through the the lense of youths, particularly Kokonotsu. No one’s ages are explicitly stated (not that I noticed, anyways), but there’s enough mention of homework that points to at least Kokonotsu, Saya, and Tou being school aged, most probably High Schoolers.[6] Hence, some awkwardness on the subject of romance and sex. So, yes, there will be some curious glances when the opportunity is presented.

Second, beside one scene concerning Saya, no one’s particularly victimized. The concept of fair consent is… curious when applied to fictional characters and the audience. It’s a debate that’s plagued superheroes for literal generations, and I’m not so foolish as to take a firm stance at this point.

So, setting aside arguments that fictional characters are inherently in a relationship of power imbalance with their writers,[7] in what cunning ways do you write a character (male or female) as being okay with a level of objectification?

You could have a character say they lack a nudity taboo, but that breaks the ‘Show, don’t Tell’ rule, and doesn’t clear accidental slips.

Dagashi Kashi manages to establish Hotaru’s lack of care in a such a blaze of insane glory that you don’t actually realize what the writers pulled until you’re writing a review spending an awkward amount of time discussing the show’s fanservice.

In the first episode, Saya meets Hotaru when the former sees the latter laying in the rice paddy she crashed into, coating her in mud. Being neighborly, Saya lets Hotaru use her shower. After which, Hotaru shows a casual disregard at being fully naked in front of both Saya and Tou. This is the most explicit scene in the series (in a PG-13 way) and is such obvious pandering, that you don’t even notice the show has taught you that Hotaru carries no reservations, so when the show very briefly shows off her body through the rest of the show, the audience knows Hotaru isn’t a victim.[8]

It’s a blatant, pandering scene that still serves a mechanical purpose. So that’s worth studying.

The only time either girl is victimized, it’s a transgression by Tou against Saya, when he uses a sticky hand to flip up her skirt. Credit to the direction, the camera stays firmly in front of her, where her skirt remained in place, and the audience sees nothing. Tou is also violently punished.[9] So the show went out of its way to show there’s a line: “accidental” fanservice from the indifferent Hotaru is kosher, intentional malice towards the unwilling Saya will not be justified by the camera.

I mean, obviously I’m not telling my fellow writers to showcase what they don’t think is okay to show, but I will say this: establish what you’re comfortable portraying and what you’re not, and try your best to inform the audience what the extreme is so they can decide if they’re on board.

Say whatever cynical thought you carry, I appreciate that many animes tend to front load the most egregious fanservice in the first episode, so after one episode you know what to expect.

Dagashi Kashi is a fun show, very educational about niche Japanese culture, and rife with things to overthink. Or not. The Japanese Snack trivia is a delight if you just want to watch at a surface level.

If you enjoyed this… frankly rambling navel-gazing review, consider supporting me on my patreon, checking out my webcomic or other works, or even just sending me questions or comments. Any support is nice. Helps me feel firm in following managka dreams instead of taking over the family candy store.

Except my family doesn’t have a candy store…

Man, why doesn’t my family own a rural candy store? That’d be cool.

Kataal kataal.

[1] Internet markets and subscription boxes aside. [2] Specifically a Degashi store, which seems to be a genre of Japanese snack foods. I cannot give further context, I’m afraid. [3] If I may have one quick dig at Japanese voice acting, girls always seem to have obnoxiously high pitched voices. [4] I should see if she’s done anything else. [5] A fact I present not as condemnation, but to provide an interesting perspective. I never see any debate over “The Beach”, which I think is also interesting. [6] I assume. Then again, Usagi of Sailor Moon is in middle school, so you can’t always trust your eyes. [7] Because it’s not a real person, and trying to apply such parameters to creator and creation is ridiculous. [8] And they don’t break the suspension of disbelief like Funimation did with Luccoa. [9] Now, the fact that this is a brother harassing his sister is a kettle of fish I will not dive into.

[lindsaycaroline14-blog]

Portfolio Post 2

           Looking at the prompt, I instantly had ideas flowing through me that worked perfectly. Hair is such a wide range of topic that it fit this assignment perfectly. I feel as though I can accurately discuss each section with a different aspect of hair. There is more to the topic of hair besides the gendered image of beauty, but also different aspects of agency, oppression, privilege, and intersectionality.

           To start, it’s important to understand that gender is a social construction. The social construction of gender is this idea that societal norms make up what gender is (which would fall into the gender binary). Threshold Concepts defines social constructionism as, “the view that gender, race, and sexual orientation are defined by human beings operating out of particular cultural context and ideologies” (Launius, C., et al. pg 200, 2015). Gender is something society views in a black and white sense (man and woman). Therefore, if someone doesn’t identify in the binary, they are considered deviants or outcasts. When thinking about hair, the social norm for women is to have long and straight hair (Thompson, 2009). At the beginning of Thompson’s article she quotes a verse from the bible, “If a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering. 1 Corinthians 11:15” (Thompson, 2009). Thompson uses this quote to point out that long hair has been idolized for many years. She also reflects on a more recent artifact, “On the one hand, scholars in the Caribbean, Britain, and the United States speak of the importance given to the dominant beauty paradigm, which privileges ‘white/light skin, straight hair and what are seen to be European facial features’ (Tate 301)” (Thompson, 2009). With this being the societal beauty standard, it doesn’t represent many woman for many different reasons. This social construction of hair has lead to many women damaging their hair because they want to fit into the societal beauty norms that are nearly impossible for women of color to reach.

           Agency is the option to choose and control aspects that are important to the individual’s life/sense of self. Gender Stories defines it as, “the capacity to act or make different; to have agency means to feel or believe that you can change things that matter to you. The essential characteristics of agency is the idea that you have some degree of control over the events in your life” (Foss, S., et al. pg 16, 2013). The connection of agency and hair was very easy for me. Instantly I thought of the natural hair movement. The agency one has with their hair, is whether or not they want to leave it natural, have weave or wigs, or straighten/chemically induce their hair. A person’s agency can be influenced by societal norms (for example how for many years women of color were essentially pressured to straighten their hair due to societal beauty standards). Ashe writes, “[comparing to black males] Black females have been more profoundly affected by the prejudicial fallout of surrounding issues of skin color, facial features, and hair. Such an impact can be attributed in large part to the importance of physical attractiveness for all women [going back to the idea of the social construction of gendered beauty]…For black women, the most easily controlled feature is hair…hair alteration (i.e., hair-straightening “permanents,” hair weaves, braid extensions. Jheri curls, etc.) remains the most popular way to approximate a white female standard of beauty…the black female’s ‘obsession about skin color and features’ has to do with the black woman’s attempting to attain a ‘high desirability stemming from her physical similarity to the white standard of beauty’” (Ashe, B.). Hence, one’s agency to wear their hair natural or not, is something that has been discussed for many years, but is finally becoming more talked about.

           The agency someone gets directly links to the next point, privilege. Privilege is benefitting from a characteristic that holds more power than another group (class, race, gender, sexuality, etc.). Threshold Concepts defines privilege as, “benefits and power from institutional inequalities; individuals and groups may be privileged without realizing, recognizing, or even wanting it [white privilege]” (Lanius, C., et al. pg 198, 2015). When thinking back to agency, for everyone, it’s not that easy being able to choose what they want (regarding hair). For some, they have the privilege to afford expensive weave, or countless hours at the salon, however, not everyone can afford to do that or has a shop near them. Wearing one’s hair natural doesn’t mean it’s easy or free; there are a lot of products, time, and technique that go into it. So for some women, having their hair straightened or chemically straightened may be the most affordable option, even if it means falling into the European beauty standards. According to Jeter, “whatever the reason, black hair trends are big business - and big bucks. Whether a quasi-beehive or a cascade of curls; it makes no difference. African-American whims translate into a multimillion dollar bonanza for the hair industry” (Jeter, T, et al. 1994). Black-American Mash-Up writer, Princess Jones, adds “Black women spend a lot of time and money to maintain their hair. Marketing firms have valued the Black haircare industry at $774 million” (Jones, P.). Thus, if the individual isn’t privileged with money, accessibility, or family/friends who can help with their hair, wearing their hair straight may be the best thing for them and shouldn’t be judged for falling into the European beauty norm.

           Much like how privilege went along with agency, oppression is hand-in-hand with privilege. Oppression is when a group of people are viewed as beneath another group/s due to characteristics like gender, race, class, sexuality, etc. Threshold Concepts defines oppression as, “prejudice and discrimination directed toward a group and promoted by the ideologies and practices of multiple social institutions” (Lanius, C. et al. pg 197, 2015). Hair is more than just something that grows out of one’s head, there’s history to it. Just like the issue of skin color, hair carries historical and social issues throughout the African American community (White, S.B., 2005). White writes, “Since slavery, the colour caste system within the African American community has perpetuated internalized racism and self-hatred. The system promotes a hierarchy that suggests the more European one’s features – the lighter one’s skin, the less ethnic one’s facial features and the straighter and longer one’s hair – the greater one’s social value”  (White, S.B. 2005). This not only makes a privilege/oppression in the community, but it also forms a situation that enforces horizontal hostility; where women are bashing each other for characteristics that society has told them are less desirable or beautiful.

           Intersectionality is what ties everything together. Intersectionality is when different perspectives and views are used when looking into a specific topic. Threshold Concepts defines intersectionality as, “the ways multiple forms of oppression and identity interact to create someone’s experience of and access to social influence and individual and institutional power” (Lanius, C. et al. pg 194, 2015). Thinking about everything I have written, there is clear evidence of intersectionality throughout this piece. By including race, gender, hair, body image, and a feminist perspective, I used an intersectional perspective. My entire topic is one that fits into the term, intersectionality. I am not only looking into the gender and sexuality aspect of hair, but also race, and essentially privilege. Patton writes, “Throughout history and to present day, African American women have challenged White definitions of beauty. What or who is considered beautiful varies among cultures. What remains consistent is that many notions of beauty are rooted in hegemonically defined expectations” (Patton, T.O., 2006). Patton is right, this isn’t a new phenomenon, but it is getting more popular and attention everyday. Society depicts what is beautiful and what is not, however, we are part of society and we can slowly help change the hegemonic idea of beauty and destroy the mythical norm that society has stuck women (and everyone else) in.

 Bibliography

Ashe, B. D. (1995). Why don’t he like my hair?: Constructing African-American standards of beauty in Toni Morrison’s.. African American Review, 29(4), 579.

Jeter, T., & Crittendon, D. (1994). Black hair: A crown of glory and versatility. Crisis (00111422), 101(2), 7. 

Jones, P. 8 Things You Always Wanted to Know About Black Women’s Hair. MashUpAmericans.com.

Launius, C., Hassel, H. (2015). Threshold Concepts in Women’s and Gender Studies.

Patton, T. O. (2006). Hey Girl, Am I More than My Hair?: African American Women and Their Struggles with Beauty, Body Image, and Hair. NWSA Journal, 18(2), 24-51.

Sonja F. K., Domenico, M. E., Foss, K. A. (2013). Gender Stories: Negotiating Identity in a Binary World.

Thompson, C. (2009). Black Women, Beauty, and Hair as a Matter of Being. Women’s Studies,38(8), 831-856. Doi:10.1080/00497870903238463

White, S.B. (2005). Releasing the pursuit of bouncin’ and behavin’ hair: natural hair as an Afternoon feminist aesthetic for beauty. International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics, 1(3), 295-308. Doi: 10.1386/macp.1.3.295/1

[yourkeeperoftherunners]

Gentle Monster Ch. 1 (EXO Hybrid AU)

Plot: AU All he wanted was a home, but it seemed like he was never going to get one. You wanted a friend who would keep you company. Upon stepping into the mystical pet shop tucked in the back alleys of a tourist area of town, you had no idea what you were getting into when you signed the paperwork.

Rating: PG-13 (Language, hints of relationship abuse, animal/human shifting)

Characters: Dog Hybrid!Chanyeol x Female Reader, Magic Pet Store Owner!Kris, and mentions of other OT12 hybrids and owners

Notes: This is part of @oh-beyond‘s hybrid series – she gave me her blessing to write one for Chanyeol. The premise is slightly inspired by the manga Pet Shop of Horrors with differences (Ex. Chanyeol’s human form is only visible to the reader and Kris in private and Kris matches pets with appropriate owners versus Count D who used the animals to teach owners a lesson.) Chanyeol’s breed is a Great Dane Doberman mix (called a Doberdane), which is inspired by the writer’s own dog. The title was inspired by a real life experience when a young girl (same height as my dog) rounded the corner in a shop and saw my dog for the first time. (She dubbed my dog “a monster dog” when she ran to tell her dad because she had never encountered a dog as big as her.)

Banner created by me. Absolutely no reposting anywhere else as your own!

Ch. 2

“When will I go home?”

“The right one hasn’t come in yet,” Kris replied.

He was met by two large brown eyes and a childish pout of one of his longer term animals, a Great Dane Doberman mix named Chanyeol. Due to his sheer size and exuberance, the pup had turned away many potential owners that came to look at pets. Every now and then a curious soul would inquire about a bigger dog, but Kris would dissuade them and match them to another animal instead. Chanyeol trusted the shop owner but eventually he was getting tired of watching his friends leave for their new homes while he was forced to stay behind.

“I’ve been here for months!” he moaned as he sank his head down to the carpet. “What am I doing wrong?”

“Nothing Chan, I know you’re a good dog but I don’t want you going to anyone who says they’ll take care of you then leave you at a pound a few months later,” Kris sighed as he rubbed his temples.

“I’ve been here as long as Zitao!”

“You say that like its a bad thing!” the tan cat hissed, before shifting to a human form. “I don’t mind waiting – maybe it means that I’ll find a rich owner, someone who can buy me nice things!”

“Shh,” Kris hushed as the bell on the door tinkled. He laced his fingers together and stepped into the stop front, bowing his head slightly. “Welcome, are you looking for something in particular?”

“Something small that I can take care of,” the young man replied with a slight lisp. “Preferably easy to train.”

Zitao perked his head up and smiled as he returned to his cat form, slinking out toward the front. Chanyeol rolled his eyes as he listened to the young man speak with Kris, followed by a yelp from the former.

“I think this cat has taken a liking to you,” Kris noted with a faint smile.

“Oh no no no!” the young man sputtered as he backed up, trying to put space between him and the cat. “I’m not a cat person! I was thinking more of a little dog.”

Chanyeol snickered and shook his head, trying to hide the amusement in his face as Zitao returned with a sullen look on his face.

“A child,” Zitao sniffed as he returned to his human form. “Too good to be true.”

“Sometimes I wish that man with the funny cat eyes took me over Chen,” Zitao whined over dinner. “He seemed nice.”

“He was a little intimidating,” Chanyeol confessed as he wiped his mouth. “One minute he was being savage, then next he was all cute. I don’t think it would be fun to guess his mood.”

“The person he was talking to on the phone was an idiot,” Zitao added. “I heard them blubbering and making excuses – I think that man was powerful and had money. I would have liked him.”

Of course you would have, Chanyeol thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. It was hard to see Chen go that day but knowing Kris, the former had found his forever home. Chanyeol didn’t fully understand the pet shop owner but he figured that Kris was sort of an animal whisperer in a way – he could tell what animals would be a good fit for their future owners and who was a trustworthy one. The only time someone came back was due to an owner passing away and the rest of the family being unable to care for said pet.

“Dinner okay guys?” Kris asked as he stuck his head in the back.

Both of them nodded and the owner smiled faintly. He glanced over at Zitao and offered his condolences about the failed attempt this afternoon.

“Well it’s no big deal, he probably couldn’t afford me,” Zitao said with a shrug. “Makes sense why he picked a bunny for his first pet.”

“I’m happy for Suho,” Chanyeol chimed in with a smile. “No he wasn’t a dog like that man wanted, but I think it will be a good match.”

“Yes I think Mr. Oh will be in for a bit of a shock when he sees Suho’s other form, but the young man needs a brotherly figure in his life,” Kris mused. He checked his watch and noted that it was time to close up shop. “I’ll be back tomorrow – behave yourselves and don’t wreck the place, okay?”

“Aww, but we wanted to throw a party,” Zitao joked.

"Welcome Miss, how may I help you?”

You shrugged your shoulders as you wandered into the shop, your fingers wrapped around your arm. “Was this shop here this whole time?” you asked curiously as you passed a fish tank. “I mean, I’ve lived around this area for a while but I’ll admit I’ve never wandered this far into this part of town before.”

Kris nodded and watched as you looked around the store, tilting his head when he caught a glimpse of a fading bruise under your shirt sleeve.

“Were you injured recently?” he asked.

You snapped your head back toward him and tugged the sleeve down. “It’s old,” you tried to explain with a wave of your hand.

He narrowed his eyes and frowned. “Someone put their hands on you,” he noted. “It’s not my business to ask, but I hope for your safety that you’re far away from that individual.”

“Ye-yeah I’m not seeing that guy anymore,” you insisted as you walked closer to the counter. “I carry pepper spray around in case.”

Kris nodded and folded his hands in front of him. “Are you looking for a particular animal?” He resisted the urge to laugh when Zitao slunk out from the back, jumping up onto the counter to brush against him. “Ah pardon the cat – he’s very curious about visitors. Little high strung, but a good cat nonetheless.”

“I wish I could pet you baby, but I have allergies,” you admitted as you stepped back slightly. You shot the cat a sympathetic look and he meowed at you before moving away to the register, rubbing against it to scratch an itch.

“Maybe...I mean, I’ve thought about a pet but I’m not sure if its the right time for one or not,” you replied. “I’ve always wanted a dog but wasn’t allowed to have one as a kid.”

Kris stared thoughtfully around the shop and pressed his index fingers against his lips. “Do you care if its a small dog or a big one? Older or younger?”

“Oh I’m not picky,” you said with a shrug. “Is there someone here that maybe really needs a home? Well, as in, they’ve been here for a while?”

He paused and told you to wait before disappearing to the back to grab Chanyeol. Softly, he whispered in the large dog’s ears to be gentle as he nudged him forward. “Slow and steady – she’s been through a lot from what I can tell.”

Chanyeol swallowed hard as he walked out, stopping a few feet from you and sinking to his haunches to sit. He tilted his head to the side, the large ears flopping over into triangles, making him seem more puppy-like. You stared at him and shyly stepped closer, offering your palm out for him to sniff. He pressed his nose to it and picked up a faint scent of tuberose and citrus.

He nudged your hand up and tilted his head down so your hand would rest on top of his head. You smiled as you gently scratched behind his ears and he panted, eyes closed into crescent moons and a smile stretched across his jowls. He shouldn’t get his hopes up about you, but he can already tell from your scent and these ear scratches that you were a good person.

“What’s his name?” you asked.

“Chanyeol,” Kris replied. “Seems he’s taken a shine to you already. Did you want him?”

You nodded and asked how much he was. Kris produced a contract from under the counter, along with a pen. You shot Chanyeol an apologetic smile as you moved away from him to take a closer look at the fine print. He followed you to the counter, leaning his head against your thigh as you read.

“He’s up to date on all immunizations, knows basic training, and he’s been fixed,” Kris explained as you read. “My contract’s pretty straightforward: feed him twice, if not three times a day, regular exercise is recommended, and if at any time you cannot care for him, please bring him back here. I’d rather be the one to place him again versus the pound.”

“I’m surprised this sweet boy’s still here,” you said as you looked down at him.

��Make no mistake, he’s good with other animals and is well behaved,” Kris added. “He eh, was a bit hyper as a puppy and sometimes hyper and big dog don’t go over well with everyone. Plus he can be a little clingy at times but he just loves being close to others.”

You nodded as you finished reading and signed the dotted line. You frowned about the payment line and shot Kris a baffled look. “Am I reading this correctly or is the payment asking for sushi?”

“I’ll take regular payments as well but in a pinch, I do like the sushi from the restaurant on the hill – top notch if you ever go,” Kris replied with a faint grin.

“Well Chanyeol, here we are – home sweet home,” you announced as you dropped your keys into the bowl by the door. You un-clipped his leash and hung it on the hook next to your coat before guiding him through the rooms of your apartment.

He was excited but scared – was this real? Did he actually have a home? Was he really going to sleep somewhere else that wasn’t the pet shop tonight? It was sensory overload for him as he sniffed things, poked his head into rooms, and tried to take it all in. He froze when he heard a growling sound and you giggled.

“Oh baby are you hungry?” you asked as you headed to the kitchen. “Well, I’ll make dinner for us and then we can take it easy for the rest of the evening, okay?”

Chanyeol sat as he watched you scoop food into his bowl you bought, along with some leftover chicken you had from the fridge. You mixed up the dry food and chicken before placing it in front of him, encouraging him to eat. He dove into the food, devouring it with gusto as you filled his water bowl.

“Hearty eater, huh?” you chuckled as you put the water bowl down. You dried your hands off and walked over to the phone to check for missed calls. You dialed the message center and listened for the automated voice to tell you if you had any missed calls. After a few moments, you froze when you heard a familiar voice and quickly deleted the message, hanging up the phone with shaking hands.

Chanyeol had watched all of his and was concerned by your reaction. He didn’t like seeing you scared and from what he heard, that voice didn’t sound good. He made his way over to you and nuzzled his head against your hip. You petted him and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“I’m sorry about that Chan,” you said as you scratched his ears. “Don’t worry – it’s just a message. I’m not seeing that loser again.”

“Oh c’mon Nancy, don’t go out there alone!” you groaned as you watched your laptop screen. You scratched Chanyeol’s ears as you watched the character storm off, hellbent on finding something to explain some of the disappearances in town.

He watched you as you kept your eyes on the screen, jumping whenever something scary happened. As the episode came to a close, you checked the clock in the upper right corner of your screen and sighed when you saw it was getting late.

“We should probably go to bed Chan,” you said as you closed your laptop and put it away. You beckoned for him to follow you to the bedroom and settled under the covers of your bed. He sat at the end of your bed, head tilted with a curious look.

“You can come up,” you coaxed him. “It’s okay baby, come on up!”

Chanyeol paused before springing to his feet and jumping up, awkwardly collapsing on your mattress when he discovered it was squishy. You giggled at his reaction – poor pup probably hadn’t encountered a memory foam mattress before. He scooted closer to your hand and his eyes fluttered closed as you stroked his fur for a few moments before eventually drifting off to sleep as well.

He slept soundly for a few hours before a warm, tingly sensation rushing through his body, jolted him awake. He opened his eyes and silently gaped at himself as he saw that his dog features were replaced with human ones. What? But he thought only Kris could see him as a human?! What was going on?

“Chan, are you okay? Bad dream baby?” you asked as you fumbled for the light. You rubbed the sleep out of your eyes and sat up abruptly upon seeing a tall young man, dressed in oversized clothes sitting on your bed, instead of the large mixed breed dog you adopted a few hours ago.

“What the HELL!” you screeched. “Who – what?! Where’s my dog? How did you get in here?!”

Chanyeol blinked as he stared at you with a confused expression. “Mistress, it’s me, Chanyeol!” He played with his collar that had his name tag and showed it to you. “See?”

You leaned closer and saw it was the same collar and name tag your dog sported. Your eyes drifted up to his and you saw the same warm brown hues – weirdly, this was your dog but somehow he was human?

Your head snapped to the table where your cell phone was charging and you groaned as you fumbled with the covers.

“If it’s the asshole calling, I am not –” you paused when you saw it was the number of the pet shop you adopted Chan from.