#top 4 and we’re offering her a second interview. RAGE RAGE RAGE RAGE RAGE

[pepprs]

[singingwordwright]

It's been so long since your last thread/analysis about #SaveShadowhunters. I see you continue to rts the hashtag, but what do you think? Now that the show is over, do you think it can get saved?

I’ve been looking at this ask for 24 hours trying to figure out how to answer, and I’m still not sure. Because I don’t want to take away anyone’s hope, but at the same time I don’t want to offer false hope.

This is long, so I’ll put it behind a cut. 

I stepped back from actively promoting #SaveShadowhunters and indulging in “cancellation meta” toward the end of last year for myriad personal reasons. More than one person very dear to me had multiple health crises, I was nursing a dying cat including hand-feeding for two months, the holidays were looming, I needed to go help my sister while she had surgery for her brain tumor, my self-absorbed, alcoholic mother finally pushed me to the point of writing her out of my life, finances were a big problem, all of this was contributing to my depression getting worse, and then to top it all off, The Toy Story Incident happened.

That was the final straw for me. I’ve said before that I’m not good at knowing when to give up on something. I was angry about the cancellation, but I was also making a concerted effort to NOT be angry and to accept the 25 Days of Teasers offerings graciously and with a positive attitude and to welcome the coming half season with joy, whatever the outcome for the show. Then that happened and the fact that @freeform was actively deriding and mocking our efforts filled me with such rage that I had to walk away from the whole thing. Because that sort of anger isn’t good for me and I just had too much else already weighing me down. I needed to keep Shadowhunters as a bright spot in my life, and the frustration of trying to save the show was preventing me from taking pleasure in the show.

I also, since that horrid letter from Constantin was released in August, have been firmly of the opinion that we’d had as much impact as we were going to be able to have, and that any decisions that had been made or would be made regarding the fate of the show were no longer within our sphere of influence. It would happen regardless of what we did or didn’t do. I stand by that. While it doesn’t hurt to gently remind people we’re still here from time to time, the messages we needed to send had already been sent.

All that said, your question is, do I think the show can be saved. To which my answer is a qualified “no.”

No, because I absolutely do not believe we’ll get a season four. If the show continues, I believe it will happen in the form of a spin-off (and not a TID spin-off, which I don’t really think of as a spin-off, anyway. That’s another animal entirely.)

Why? For myriad reasons, many of which arise from information that was not available to us early in the cancellation timeline.

Early on, we had a suspicion that the burgeoning Netflix/Disney pissing match had played some role in our cancellation, but the absolute cancellation carnage of all the Marvel shows on Netflix has cemented that tensions between Disney and Netflix are a much bigger factor than we knew.

We’ve also gotten a better picture now into Netflix’s decision-making process, particularly with the ODaaT cancellation. @bonibaru linked a Deadline Hollywood article on Twitter at one point that basically laid it all out. The bottom line is that for Netflix, with series that are not owned and produced by Netflix, there is little to no profitability for shows beyond their third season unless they’re tremendously, HUGELY popular. Like, juggernaut-type popularity. They don’t bring in enough new subscribers (and presumably, not enough subscribers decamp upon cancellation of those shows to have an adverse impact that Netflix would like to avoid.)

So, Netflix is NOT going to be our savior. It won’t happen, and people just need to stop going there. But Constantin has been very clear that they need an international distribution partner for this show, and since Netflix (and maybe Amazon Prime?) are the only international players on the board right now, well…

The other complication that became clear in the Marvel and ODaaT cancellations is this clause Netflix apparently has on all the shows that it doesn’t produce in-house, which is that that show (and characters from that show) cannot appear on a competing service for at least two years following the cancellation. This is why CBS AllAccess wasn’t allowed to pick up ODaaT, and why everyone is saying the soonest we might see the Marvel shows on Disney+ (assuming we do) is 2020/2021. While we don’t have any confirmation that Shadowhunters is subject to this clause, but we have no reason to believe it ISN’T subject to it, because it apparently is standard on all shows that Netflix distributes but doesn’t own.

So, if Shadowhunters were to continue, whether with Season 4 or a spin-off, the soonest it would happen is next year or the year after. Which is probably for the best because, again, it won’t be on Netflix. Freeform wasn’t just a distributor for this show, it was a production partner. Yes, Constantin has the adaptation rights and could start another, entirely new series based on the source material tomorrow. But THIS particular adaptation of the source material (and any derivative properties thereof) is partially Disney property and Netflix isn’t going to touch it. So any international distribution is going to be on either Disney+ or Hulu when they go international, which likely won’t be for another year or more.

So, assuming we could see the show again next year or the year after, why do I believe it will be a spin-off and not season 4?

In part, because of where the show left off. Things are wrapped up. Yes, there is room for continuation, there are places they could pick up the story from where they left it, but I think we would all feel like they were walking back the HEA so many characters got if they did that. There is just more storytelling potential if you introduce a show that has at least some new characters, maybe a few old ones, and then just takes off in another direction. That was sort of the point of pushing the big red reset button on Clary’s story altogether.

Also, Todd and Darren at this point are being very clear that they don’t see the show getting picked up, especially with all the sets dismantled and the props sold, and that maybe, MAYBE there might be a chance for reunion movies at some point, but this is pretty much it for Shadowhunters. I mean, even if I hadn’t stepped back from #SaveShadowhunters, it’s pretty hard to maintain denial in the face of what they were saying.

And then there’s Malec. My impression from Matt and Harry’s (TVGuide? Cosmo? I don’t remember) interview last week is that Matt and Harry are not writing off the possibility of returning in some capacity if the opportunity arose, but they’re not putting things on hold waiting for it to happen. They’re moving on. Harry made a very clear and unambiguous “goodbye, Magnus” tweet thread the day after the finale. And Harry specifically called out life changes like having a baby affecting things like being willing to work 3000 miles away from his family for more than half the year. I honestly don’t see anyone being willing to pick up this show for more seasons without Malec being a central part of it, because where Malec goes, there goes the audience.

So, a spin-off makes a lot more sense. It offers the chance of bringing in a new audience who maybe didn’t watch the original show, or watched part of the first season and was turned off by the low production values. It offers the chance to cycle out the part of the cast who doesn’t want to or isn’t able to return and cycle in new characters with new stories. It resets the clock on things like pay grades for actors who usually get raises after second and/or third seasons and enables the producers to bring in new, unknown talent who would be paid less. It enables a chance to relocate the production if necessary without recreating all the old sets in a new place. It also resets the clock on the “3 season profitability” guideline Netflix adheres to, which we could assume would also apply to other streaming services.

So why am I not talking about TID? Because like I said, that’s a whole different animal. TID will bring in dedicated book fans, but the casual, non-book-based audience who tuned in for modern-day urban fantasy with a strong presence of LGBTQ+ characters won’t necessarily tune in for Victorian gothic/steampunk-tinged fantasy with the only LGBTQ+ character in an abusive, het relationship. The Shadowhunters audience who came in because of the show and not the books will want a spin-off that is more of the same.

So, yeah. I’m not writing off the possibility of a continuation in some form. I just don’t think we can affect the outcome at this point, and what is going to happen will happen.

[ucflibrary]

The summer semester is ending and the prep for fall has started. It’s only a few short weeks until the 2019-2020 academic year begins. We’ll have a full cohort of students back on campus. The lines for coffee will be never ending and a free parking space will be nowhere to be found. Life will definitely get more exciting.

 Libraries staff has pulled together a full list of books that cover a whole range of areas. Some books are for our graduating students wondering what comes next. Some books are to help new incoming students start the year successfully. We even have books that staff read when they were your age (yep, books existed that long ago) that changed how they thought about the world.

 Welcome to the 2019-20 academic year!

 Click on the link below to see the full list, descriptions, and catalog links for the featured Back-so-School titles suggested by UCF Library employees. These 24 books plus many more are also on display on the 2nd (main) floor of the John C. Hitt Library next to the bank of two elevators.

 Bei qi baba shang xue: Going to school with dad on my back directed by Zhou Youchao Shiwa, the son of a poor Chinese farmer, is doing well at school. But when his mother dies and his sister leaves the house, he's the only one left to take care of his disabled father. Suggested by Tim Walker, Information Technology & Digital Initiatives

 Braving the Wilderness: The quest for true belonging and the courage to stand alone by Brené Brown Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives—experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. Suggested by Kryslynn Collazo, Scholarly Communication

 Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind: thoughts on teacherhood by Phillip Done A twenty-year veteran of the classroom, elementary school teacher Phillip Done takes readers through a lively and hilarious year in the classroom. Starting with the relative calm before the storm of buying school supplies and posting class lists, he shares the distinct personalities of grades K-4, what he learned from two professional trick or treating 8-year-old boys, the art of learning cursive and letter-writing, how kindergartners try to trap leprechauns, and what every child should experience before he or she grows up. Suggested by Richard Harrison, Research & Information Services

 Educated: a memoir by Tara Westover Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home. Suggested by Cindy Dancel, Research & Information Services

 Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger The short story, Franny, takes place in an unnamed college town and tells the tale of an undergraduate who is becoming disenchanted with the selfishness and inauthenticity she perceives all around her. The novella, Zooey, is named for Zooey Glass, the second-youngest member of the Glass family. As his younger sister, Franny, suffers a spiritual and existential breakdown in her parents' Manhattan living room -- leaving Bessie, her mother, deeply concerned -- Zooey comes to her aid, offering what he thinks is brotherly love, understanding, and words of sage advice. Suggested by Christina Wray, Teaching & Engagement

 Girl, Stop Apologizing: A shame-free plan for embracing and achieving your goals by Rachel Hollis In Girl, Stop Apologizing, Rachel Hollis sounds a wake-up call. She knows that many women have been taught to define themselves in light of other people—whether as wife, mother, daughter, or employee—instead of learning how to own who they are and what they want. With a challenge to women everywhere to stop talking themselves out of their dreams, Hollis identifies the excuses to let go of, the behaviors to adopt, and the skills to acquire on the path to growth, confidence, and believing in yourself. Suggested by Kryslynn Collazo, Scholarly Communication

 Glimmer of Hope: how tragedy sparked a movement by March for Our Lives (Organization) Glimmer of Hope tells the story of how a group of teenagers raced to channel their rage and sorrow into action, and went on to create one of the largest youth-led movements in global history. Suggested by Richard Harrison, Research & Information Services

 Hillbilly Elegy: A memoir of a family in culture in crisis by J. D. Vance Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The decline of this group, a demographic of our country that has been slowly disintegrating over forty years, has been reported on with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. J. D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck. Suggested by Katy Miller, Research, Education & Engagement

 How to Become a Straight-A Student: the unconventional strategies real college students use to score high while studying less by Cal Newport Most college students believe that straight A’s can be achieved only through cramming and painful all-nighters at the library. But Cal Newport knows that real straight-A students don’t study harder—they study smarter. A breakthrough approach to acing academic assignments, from quizzes and exams to essays and papers, How to Become a Straight-A Student reveals for the first time the proven study secrets of real straight-A students across the country and weaves them into a simple, practical system that anyone can master. Suggested by Joanie Reynolds, Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery Services

 How to Win at College: simple rules for success from star students by Cal Newport What does it take to be a standout student? How can you make the most of your college years—graduate with honors, choose exciting activities, build a head-turning resume, and gain access to the best post-college opportunities? Based on interviews with star students at universities nationwide, from Harvard to the University of Arizona, How to Win at College presents seventy-five simple rules that will rocket you to the top of the class. Suggested by Joanie Reynolds, Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery Services

 I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe  As Charlotte encounters the paragons of Dupont's privileged elite, she is seduced by the heady glamour of acceptance, betraying her values and upbringing before she grasps the power of being different and the exotic allure of her innocence. Suggested by Jada Reyes, UCF Libraries Student Ambassador

 I Just Graduated... Now What?: honest answers from those who have been there by Katherine Schwarzenegger Graduation is a time of tough questions whose answers we don’t—and sometimes can’t—know the day we receive our diploma. Determined to power through the uncertainty of post-gradua­tion, bestselling author Katherine Schwarzenegger embarked on a yearlong quest to gather the best guidance possible from more than thirty highly success­ful people working in fields like business, media, fashion, technology, sports, and philanthropy. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

 In Defense of Food: an eater's manifesto by Michael Pollan Because in the so-called Western diet, food has been replaced by nutrients, and common sense by confusion--most of what we’re consuming today is longer the product of nature but of food science. The result is what Michael Pollan calls the American Paradox: The more we worry about nutrition, the less healthy we see to become. Pollan’s bracing and eloquent manifesto shows us how we can start making thoughtful food choices that will enrich our lives, enlarge our sense of what it means to be healthy, and bring pleasure back to eating. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

 Mis(h)adra by Iasmin Omar Ata An Arab-American college student struggles to live with epilepsy in this starkly colored and deeply-cutting graphic novel. Isaac wants nothing more than to be a functional college student—but managing his epilepsy is an exhausting battle to survive. He attempts to maintain a balancing act between his seizure triggers and his day-to-day schedule, but he finds that nothing—not even his medication—seems to work. The doctors won’t listen, the schoolwork keeps piling up, his family is in denial about his condition, and his social life falls apart as he feels more and more isolated by his illness. Even with an unexpected new friend by his side, so much is up against him that Isaac is starting to think his epilepsy might be unbeatable. Suggested by Emma Gisclair, Curriculum Materials Center

 Never Eat Alone and Other Secrets to Success by Keith Ferrazzi with Tahl Raz In Never Eat Alone, Ferrazzi lays out the specific steps—and inner mindset—he uses to reach out to connect with the thousands of colleagues, friends, and associates on his contacts list, people he has helped and who have helped him. And in the time since Never Eat Alone was published in 2005, the rise of social media and new, collaborative management styles have only made Ferrazzi’s advice more essential for anyone hoping to get ahead in business. Suggested by Sandy Avila, Research & Information Services

 On Beauty by Zadie Smith Howard Belsey is an Englishman abroad, an academic teaching in Wellington, a college town in New England. Married young, thirty years later he is struggling to revive his love for his African American wife Kiki. Meanwhile, his three teenage children - Jerome, Zora and Levi - are each seeking the passions, ideals and commitments that will guide them through their own lives. After Howard has a disastrous affair with a colleague, his sensitive older son, Jerome, escapes to England for the holidays. In London he defies everything the Belseys represent when he goes to work for Trinidadian right-wing academic and pundit, Monty Kipps. Taken in by the Kipps family for the summer, Jerome falls for Monty's beautiful, capricious daughter, Victoria. But this short-lived romance has long-lasting consequences, drawing these very different families into each other's lives. Suggested by Jada Reyes, UCF Libraries Student Ambassador

 Parkland: inside building 12 produced and directed by Charlie Minn Acclaimed director Charlie Minn brings attention to the victims of the infamous massacre that occurred on February 14th, 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. A normal day at school became a true nightmare for Parkland, Florida citizens as they experienced something they had never thought would happen in their small suburb. In just six minutes, seventeen students and staff were fatally shot and seventeen more were wounded, while innumerable lives were changed forever. The true heroes of that day have come together to tell their stories and to bring words to those who are no longer here to offer them. This documentary reveals testimony and the raw emotions of those involved, highlighting the actions taken by individuals to save the lives of others through selfless and brave acts. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

 So What Are You Going to Do With That?: a guide to career-changing by Susan Basalla and Maggie Debelius A witty, accessible guide full of concrete advice for anyone contemplating the jump from scholarship to the outside world, So What Are You Going to Do with That? covers topics ranging from career counseling to interview etiquette to translating skills learned in the academy into terms an employer can understand and appreciate. Packed with examples and stories from real people who have successfully made this daunting—but potentially rewarding— transition, and written with a deep understanding of both the joys and difficulties of the academic life, this fully revised and up-to-date edition will be indispensable for any graduate student or professor who has ever glanced at her CV, flipped through the want ads, and wondered, “What if?”

Suggested by Rachel Edford, Teaching & Engagement

Sourdough: or, Lois and her adventures in the underground market by Robin Sloan Lois Clary is a software engineer at General Dexterity, a San Francisco robotics company with world-changing ambitions. She codes all day and collapses at night, her human contact limited to the two brothers who run the neighborhood hole-in-the-wall from which she orders dinner every evening. Then, disaster! Visa issues. The brothers quickly close up shop. But they have one last delivery for Lois: their culture, the sourdough starter used to bake their bread. She must keep it alive, they tell her―feed it daily, play it music, and learn to bake with it. Lois is no baker, but she could use a roommate, even if it is a needy colony of microorganisms. Soon, not only is she eating her own homemade bread, she’s providing loaves to the General Dexterity cafeteria every day. Then the company chef urges her to take her product to the farmer’s market―and a whole new world opens up.. Suggested by Katy Miller, Research, Education & Engagement

 Teacher Man: A memoir by Frank McCourt In bold and spirited prose featuring his irreverent wit and compelling honesty, McCourt records the trials, triumphs and surprises he faced in the classroom. Teacher Man shows McCourt developing his unparalleled ability to tell a great story as, five days a week, five periods per day, he worked to gain the attention and respect of unruly, hormonally charged or indifferent adolescents. Suggested by Rachel Edford, Teaching & Engagement

 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories can, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, above all, following our dreams. Suggested by Christina Wray, Teaching & Engagement

 The Secret Lives of Teachers by Anonymous Welcome to “East Hudson,” an elite private school in New York where the students are attentive, the colleagues are supportive, and the tuition would make the average person choke on its string of zeroes. You might think a teacher here would have little in common with most other teachers in America, but as this veteran educator—writing anonymously—shows in this refreshingly honest account, all teachers are bound by a common thread. Stripped of most economic obstacles and freed up by anonymity, he is able to tell a deeper story about the universal conditions, anxieties, foibles, generosities, hopes, and complaints that comprise every teacher’s life. Suggested by Richard Harrison, Research & Information Services

 We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins It's the first day of school for Penelope Rex, and she can't wait to meet her classmates. But it's hard to make human friends when they're so darn delicious! That is, until Penelope gets a taste of her own medicine and finds she may not be at the top of the food chain after all. . . . Suggested by Emma Gisclair, Curriculum Materials Center

 Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: an inquiry into values by Robert M. Pirsig Acclaimed as one of the most exciting books in the history of American letters, this modern epic became an instant bestseller upon publication in 1974, transforming a generation and continuing to inspire millions. A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son, the book becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions of how to live. The narrator's relationship with his son leads to a powerful self-reckoning; the craft of motorcycle maintenance leads to an austerely beautiful process for reconciling science, religion, and humanism. Suggested by Sandy Avila, Research & Information Services

[elliearchive]

GETTING TO KNOW YOU ➝ BECLENCIA.

TAGGING ➝ Becca Berry, Valencia Meeks.

LOCATION ➝ Clark and Len’s house.

TIME FRAME ➝ 4/23, afternoon.

WARNINGS ➝ None.

NOTES ➝ Becca and Len hang out and get to know each other.

VALENCIA MEEKS

Len and Clark both had varying work schedules. Clark worked long shifts and the times changed often, and Len worked two jobs so her schedule was always all over the place. So she often found herself at the apartment alone, which is why she had busied herself with some more decorating. Len liked to have her home feel like her own, which meant her and Clark had been doing a lot to paint and buy things that made the apartment come together a bjt more. What she didn’t expect was a knock on the door. Putting the picture she’d been working on hanging down she went to the door, opening it quickly and then blushing as she saw Clark’s sister standing there. “Oh, Becca.” She said, and then stepped aside to let her in. “Hi, I wasn’t expecting you. Clark isn’t home, but come in.” She said and the frowned, “Sorry, I don’t really need to invite you in, do I? It’s your brother’s apartment, obviously. Well, I guess it’s ours, but it was his first.” She cleared her throat, and decided to stop talking. “I just made some fresh coffee if you’d like some?”

BECCA BERRY

She really shouldn’t even have to check with him beforehand, because by now, Becca definitely should’ve known her brother’s schedule. But, alas, she found herself arriving at his apartment to be greeted by his girlfriend, rather than him. It was a reminder that she should’ve called ahead or something, but she also didn’t hate the idea of spending a little time with Len, so she offered the other girl a smile in greeting, nodding her head at her offer. “Hey. Yeah, sure. It’s fine, Clark never thinks to invite me in. It’s nice for someone to actually want me here,” she joked, making her way into the apartment and closing the door behind her. She held up the Starbucks drink in her hand. “I’m good on the coffee. You guys have been decorating?” She questioned, setting her purse down on the couch as she looked around the room. “So are you, like, officially moved in now?”

VALENCIA MEEKS

“Oh,” Len said with a small laugh at her words, “He also doesn’t think to pick his clothes up off the floor of the bathroom after he showers most days, so I guess I’m not surprised.” She said with a grin, though maybe that was a bad idea. Clark was her boyfriend so it was okay to tease him, and Becca was his sister so it was okay for her to tease him, but Len wasn’t sure if it was okay for her to tease him to his sister. Instead she just nodded at the question. “Yeah,” she looked around the room as she did and then sighed. “Yeah, I mean all of my stuff is here. And my apartment is month to month, so as soon as April is over it won’t be mine anymore. It was kind of bare before, so we’ve been trying to liven it up a bit. Or, I guess, I have, and Clark is either into it or a really good actor.”

BECCA BERRY

Becca playfully rolled her eyes, all too familiar with her brother’s disgusting habits. “I grew up in the same house as him, believe me, I know how he is.” She could give her brother a hard time, but it was all in jest. She loved him and she wasn’t trying to embarrass him in front of his girlfriend. She nodded along as Len explained the situation, plopping down onto the couch and beginning to sip on her coffee through the straw. “That makes sense. He is a pretty good actor,” she shrugged, “My parents always liked to lay it on really thick with the theatrics, we all kind of caught it a little bit, too. But I think he’s probably into it. If you’re close to him, it’s easy to read his tells.” Becca glanced over toward the other girl. “Speaking of my dads, you met them pretty recently, right? How was that?”

VALENCIA MEEKS

Len grinned at the other girl’s comment, happy to hear that she hadn’t overstepped. She laughed as Becca said he was a good actor. It wasn’t exactly calming her fears, but she appreciated the honesty. “I’d like to say we’re pretty close,” she said with a shrug before sitting on the couch next to the other girl. “Oh yeah, I did. A few weeks ago. They were great.” She licked her lips, thinking back to the New York trip and a smile formed on her face. “They were really nice, and they made me feel really welcome. They even helped me set up a little surprise for Clark while we were there, which was nice. I hope they liked me, Clark said they did, but I don’t know that he’d come out and tell if they didn’t.” She said with a small laugh. “Oh sorry! I didn’t even ask why you were here, did you need something?”

BECCA BERRY

“That’s good. I mean, you’re living together, so,” Becca shrugged, hoping she didn’t sound too judgmental. The situation was a little strange to her, but she was an openminded person, and if Clark was happy, she was happy for him. “Yeah, they’re pretty cool. Kind of goofy, but I guess whose parents aren’t, right?” Considering she spent so much time interviewing famous people, although Becca could be pretty withdrawn sometimes, she definitely didn’t struggle to converse with people easily. Len was a piece of cake in comparison to the fact that she was scheduled to interview Rage & Peace soon. “No, I’m sure they did. My dads like everyone, so if they don’t like you then it’s really obvious. We also would’ve heard all about it in the family newsletter. Which we didn’t, so you’re good.” She took another sip through her straw, shaking her head in response to Len’s question. “No, I just stopped by to see him. I got some pretty cool news at work today, I figured Clark would be interested. Do you know Paige and Reese McCarthy? Rage & Peace?” She paused. “Well, not know them, but know of them.”

VALENCIA MEEKS

Len wasn't totally sure how to respond to Becca. It wasn't as if she had said anything negative, but she had a strange feeling that there was something she wasn't saying, so she just shrugged and nodded. It wasn't her place to address anything that Clark's sister might be feeling. As the topic changed to parents, Len nodded again, her smile a bit sadder now. "Yeah, I guess. Mine totally were," She said softly, and then shook away the thought, "I mean, my parents now are too, I guess, but..." Len trailed off, this wasn't the direction she'd intended this conversation to go, and there was no reason to fall in so deep with her parents about her feelings during a light conversation. "Well, I'm glad to hear that then, that's a big relief. I obviously like him a lot, so I'd hate to think his parents -- your parents -- didn't approve of me or something." She nodded as the other girl continued, a big smile spreading on her face as she brought up the band, "I do! They're pretty good. What's the big news? If you don't mind me asking."

BECCA BERRY

“Your parents now?” Becca questioned, brow raising. Honestly, she didn’t know too much about Len, so she definitely didn’t know anything about her family. She was intrigued, though. She was obviously important to her brother, so she wanted to get to know her. It was kind of cute, the way Len seemed worried about their parents, and Becca couldn’t help her amused expression in response. “I’m sure they approve, don’t worry. If they ever tell me they don’t, I promise I’ll come right to you and tell you, okay?” She offered the other girl a reassuring smile, hoping to help ease her mind a bit. Becca had never really had a serious relationship, not to the point of meeting her partner’s parents, but she could imagine it was terrifying, and she knew the Berry’s were a lot. “Oh, I don’t mind at all. I’m a journalist, I work for Billboard. I’m interviewing them later on this week, so I’m pretty stoked.”

VALENCIA MEEKS

Clearing her throat at the question, Len paused for a second before speaking, she shouldn't have assumed that Clark would be sharing Len's past with anyone, so she should have realized that Becca wouldn't know what she meant. "My parents passed away when I was 6. Then I was adopted when I was 11. So most of the time when I talk about my parents, I mean my birth parents, and then my adoptive parents are my parents now. I should probably have a better way to differentiate them, I guess, but I've never really been very close with my adoptive parents, so generally I'm talking about my birth parents, I guess." She said, and then realized she'd probably over explained that quite a bit and blushed slightly, "Sorry, that was probably too much information." Her smile returned when Becca assured her about the Berry's, "Thanks, I appreciate that." Her eyes grew wide as Becca continued, on the list of awesome jobs Becca's definitely seemed to be close to the top, and Len was definitely a bit envious, in a good way. "That is insane. That's so cool! I can't even imagine getting to do something as awesome as that. What made you get into journalism?"

BECCA BERRY

Becca understood different family setups. She was raised by two men, she didn’t have a mother. Her little sister was the same. Their older brother was adopted. So, she got it, and offered Len a small smile as she explained her situation. “Got it. No, it’s fine,” she shook her head, wanting to reassure her. “I asked.” She paused, thinking for a moment. “Do you call them mom and dad to their faces? Your adoptive parents, I mean.” The thought of Clark not calling their fathers by their parental titles was weird, Becca couldn’t imagine any other adoptive parents being okay with it. Len was proving pretty easy to talk to, Becca found that she liked her already. Not that she would ever tell her brother who he could or couldn’t date — her sister’s boyfriend wasn’t exactly Becca’s man of choice, and she’d never tried to tell her not to be with him — but still, it was nice to know she was a good one. Her smile returned at the other girl’s enthusiasm. “Right? I get to interview some pretty cool people, but I listen to their music a lot, so I’m excited.” Len’s question, had she answered honestly, would’ve provoked a deep response. Becca chose not to get into that, and simply waved her hand. “Music, writing. I like both of them, so music journalism seemed like the right job for me.” She shrugged, wanting to change the topic. “What do you do?”

VALENCIA MEEKS

It was nice being able to talk to Becca like this. She was always worried about Clark’s family disliking her, after all, he was such a genuinely good person, and she certainly hadn’t always been. She wouldn’t have blamed anyone for thinking she wasn’t good enough for him, but Becca seemed to put her at ease a bit. “Oh, yeah. Of course I do. I mean they’re my parents, I don’t consider them to be any less of my parents. It’s just that when I think my parents my first thought is my birth parents. It’s strange. I love my adoptive parents, and they basically saved me from foster care, but it’s just always been hard for me because my parents were amazing. I always worry that if they’re watching over me or something that they’ll think I replaced them, or something.” She frowned, it had always been hard for her to explain the relationship she felt with her adoptive parents. “I was older when I met my parents now, and it took me a long time to learn to trust them, or to trust that they weren’t going to give me back or something. And then when I hit my teens I started acting out a lot, everything that happened when I was a kid got too hard to deal with and I guess I just kind of went off the rails. And then a few years ago some stuff happened that made me finally calm down. This is definitely more than you were asking about, but my point is just that there was a really big chunk of time where they just weren’t what I cared about, which was really selfish and I regret that a lot. We’ve started to finally build a better relationship now, but I carry a lot of guilt when it comes to them and what I put them through, because they didn’t have to adopt me and they didn’t have to keep trying to fight for me, but they did and I was just kind of terrible to them.” Len sighed, she didn’t know why she was telling Becca all of this, and shook her head. “I guess sometimes I feel like I don’t have the right to refer to them as my parents.”She was happy for the change of subject, back to something more exciting. “That is really cool. Will they let you take a picture with them you think?” She nodded as Becca explained and smiled, “It’s cool that you get to do something you enjoy, then. I work in a flower shop, I’m a personal assistant to the owner, and I’m also a bartender. I haven’t really figured out what I want to do with my life yet, I guess.”

BECCA BERRY

No, Becca really hadn’t been looking for all of that. But a large part of her job required her to listen to people talking about their lives, so she’d become a pretty good listener over the years. And it was evident that Len needed to talk, like she had a lot to get off her chest. Becca hung onto every word, nodding her head in understanding. “I get it,” she assured her. She couldn’t exactly relate, but it wasn’t like what Len was saying was crazy. She could see why it made her feel the way she did. “I don’t know your birth parents, but I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t think you were replacing them. I mean, if I put myself in your shoes, I know my dads wouldn’t expect me to close off to another family loving me, you know?” She shrugged, sure that her unsolicited advice wasn’t really doing much, but she at least wanted Len to feel heard. Hopefully she could talk to Clark about this stuff, too. Becca really didn’t want to talk about herself, not when Len evidently had so much going on, but she continued regardless, nodding her head. “Oh, definitely. I take pictures with most of the people I interview. It’s pretty cool.” She smiled genuinely. “Two jobs? Impressive. You still have time to figure things out, right? I mean, how old are you?” From the looks of things, they were around the same age, but she wasn’t trying to assume.

VALENCIA MEEKS

Len nodded at Becca, logically the things she said made sense, but her feelings weren’t really changed much by logic. She did appreciate it, though. “I’m sure you’re right.” She agreed, but hoped that they could move on from the subject, as she wasn’t generally one to really share much to begin with. “Who’s the coolest person you’ve had the chance to interview so far?” She asked, genuinely interested, and also hoping for a subject change. “Oh, of course. I’m about to be 25, so I definitely have time, I just wish I knew what I wanted, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out some day. For now I’m happy with the jobs I have. How old are you?”

BECCA BERRY

This wasn’t the kind of conversation Becca had expected them to get into, but she also didn’t mind being there to listen. She wasn’t going to push Len to talk about it further, though, and just offered her an encouraging smile in response. “The coolest…” She had to think for a moment. “I interviewed Fall Out Boy, that was pretty cool. I really love their music, so I fangirled a little about that. And before I exclusively did music journalism, I interviewed Reese and Paige’s older brother, you know Grant McCarthy? He actually became a really good friend.” Although she wasn’t doing exactly what she wanted, Becca knew she was lucky to be on the career path she was, so she felt for Len. “Right. Did you go to school for anything specific?” She questioned, hoping she wasn’t overstepping.

VALENCIA MEEKS

“Oh yeah, I know Grant, actually. I actually went on a few dates with him around the same time I met Clark.” She said with a laugh and then shrugged, “Now he’s actually engaged to my boss. I guess life can be weird like that sometimes. Robin and Grant are totally made for each other, and I’d really like to think Clark and I are, too.” She said and then blushed slightly, before shaking her head. “Fall Out Boy is awesome though, I’m so jealous.” Len sighed at her next question and shook her head, “No. I didn’t. 18 year old me was an asshole and staying in school sounded like the worst idea ever. I’d like to get a degree at some point, but school is so expensive, so maybe one day.” She said and then bit her lip. “What about you, are you single?”

BECCA BERRY

Becca raised a brow, though it was in interest, not judgment. “Small world, huh?” She commented, the idea that Len felt like she and her brother were made for one another drawing a smile to her lips. They were evidently happy, so Becca was happy for them. She may not have really understood the whole love thing, at least not for herself, but she was glad those closest to her had it, at least. “Oh, agreed. They were all really sweet, too. I think they’d be one of my dream collabs. If I was a singer, obviously. I feel like they’d be a lot of fun to work with.” Becca was about the least judgmental person around, so she got it, and just nodded her head in understanding. “You can do school at any point. I personally think eighteen is too young to have it all figured out anyway,” she shrugged, her nose wrinkling in response to the other girl’s question. “Oh yeah, very single. Which is fine. My boss is always like ‘aw, you’ll find someone’, but I’m not really looking. I think work’s more my thing right now.”

[popcultureliterary]

Pop Culture Based on Novels Part 4: The Brave Little Toaster

November is drawing to a close. For those participating in this year’s National Novel Writing Month challenge, this final week is often a huge push as everyone tries to close out their November goals. Hopefully everyone is satisfied with their progress and finishes the month with a bang! At the very least, you should feel proud of yourself for making the effort to set type to page.

In solidarity with those of you taking on this challenge, we’re spending the month taking a look at pop culture narratives based on novels. Last week, we covered the popular TV crime drama, Bones, which came to a satisfying conclusion earlier this year. Today, we’re discussing a pop culture work that has been around since my own childhood, one which I never would never have guessed was based on a novel: The Brave Little Toaster.

A Hard Sell

The 1987 film The Brave Little Toaster was based on a novella written by Thomas M. Disch titled The Brave Little Toaster: A Bedtime Story for Small Appliances, published in 1980. When he first approached publishers with his idea, they were reluctant to publish the story. In an interview with Strange Horizons, Disch states that the publishing companies believed that the notion of talking appliances was simply too farfetched for children to enjoy. Disch found their concerns to be ridiculous, considering the number of talking animal stories on the market. He persisted, and after publishing the story in  The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, he finally managed to get Doubleday to take up the publication through a five-novel contract that they had with him. By then, the film was already being worked on.

Disch was a skilled writer who produced both poetry and prose during his lifetime. His works include The Genocides (his first novel, published in 1965), The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of (winner of both the Hugo and Locus awards), and a sequel to The Brave Little Toaster, The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars, among other works. Disch was also part of the collaborative minds behind the 1987 text-adventure Amnesia released by Electronic Arts. He passed away in 2008, the result of suicide that may have been related to the passing of his partner of three decades, Charles Naylor, in 2005. Although Disch is gone, he lives on through his works.

The Death of a Flower

Near the end of my high school days, I decided to rewatch a few childhood favorites with my younger brother before I left for college. One of the films on the list was The Brave Little Toaster. I remembered it containing a large number of dark themes for a kid’s movie, and was intrigued to see how I felt about it as an adult. The darkest scene was the horrifying junkyard scene where broken down cars sing about their lives before being smashed down by a crusher. Thinking of this scene in particular, we decided to amuse ourselves by counting how many characters in the movie died. By the time we passed 20, the game stopped being as funny.

One of the characters that I remember counting during our morbid game occurred toward the beginning of the movie. The appliances find themselves in a meadow, where they run into some trouble with the local wildlife and get separated. While trying to find the other appliances, Toaster stumbles upon a flower growing alone in a single ray of sunshine. Upon seeing its own reflection in the toaster’s shiny surface, the flower falls in love with its new false companion and tries to get the toaster to stay with it in the clearing. Toaster, feeling uncomfortable and needing to find the other appliances, brushes the flower off and retreats from the clearing. After losing its companion, the flower is seen wilting, seemingly unable to continue living after discovering how lonely it had been. The scene stood out to me due to the symbolism of a flower (often symbolic of innocence) dying after falling in love (with itself?).

I was surprised to learn that this same flower shows up in the novel. In the book, it is a daisy that speaks in verse. When she sees herself in Toaster’s reflection, she imagines the reflection is a male flower and falls in love. I haven’t read the novel myself, so I don’t know if this scene ends with the flower’s death.

Gender Discussions

A notable difference between the book and the movie revolves around gender. In film, it is often difficult to create characters with no genders due to voice acting. Voice actors typically have distinctly gendered voices, and the characters they voice often take on those genders even if the connection is unintended. The same goes for the Brave Little Toaster film. The appliances have distinct genders and pronouns in the film due to the constraints of voice acting.

The novel is not limited by these same constraints. The appliances have no genders in the novel. This is highlighted by a scene that doesn’t make it into the film in its entirety. Fans of the film might remember a scene where Blanket is blown away from the group by a terrible storm after setting up as their tent for the night. After an exhausting night, the appliances find Blanket in a tree and work together to bring him back down. The scene plays out a bit differently in the novel.

When Blanket blows away in the storm, it is a pair of squirrels that find it named Harold and Marjorie. The squirrels help rescue Blanket, and get a chance to meet the rest of the appliances as well. Upon discovering that the appliances have no gender, the squirrels are baffled by the concept. A discussion about having no gender is an interesting concept to find in a kid’s book from the 80’s, but it is not a surprise for Disch’s works. The Poetry Foundation notes that Disch’s work was often known for containing “gender-bending conceits”.

Surprising Moments from the Film

As with any film adaptation of a print-based work, the novel and movie differ significantly from one another. The basic plot, however, is relatively the same: the appliances find themselves separated from their Master and set out to find him so that they can continue to serve him. Their adventures take many twists and turns along the way. I don’t know about the book, but the film offers many startling moments that you won’t find in children’s movies today. Here are a few of my favorites:

Aneurysm. In the beginning of the film, the appliances get into an argument with a grumpy old air conditioner. The oldtimer tells the appliances that they shouldn’t try to find the Master, and continues to berate them with unnecessarily unkind words. When they stand up to the AC-unit, it flies into a rage that causes it to overheat and explode. The appliances feel bad for the now dead unit, but move on with their journey.

The Junkyard scene. This is perhaps one of the most memorable scenes in the film due to its terrifying and dark nature. As mentioned earlier, this scene takes place in a junkyard and features a number of cars singing about their amazing lives before being crushed to death by a scrap machine (you get to watch them as they are crushed). The vehicles all know what is coming, and an unlucky few of them located close to the scrap machine find themselves constantly sprayed by the crushed remnants of their fellow anthropomorphic automobiles. To add darkness to the scene, the cars also sing about how worthless they are. Looking back, I feel like this scene was where a significant portion of my brother’s and my death list came from.

Boobs. I don’t know why I noticed this image the last time that I watched the old static-ridden VHS my family has owned since the 90′s. The picture appears for only a second or two when the Rabbit-ears TV set tries desperately to capture the attention of the Master and his girlfriend. The man in the box rips several photos out of a filing cabinet while ranting about how amazing the junkyard is for used appliances. One of his photos (the one on the top of the stack) features a nude woman with star-shaped pasties over her nipples. In more recent editions, a bikini or bra was added to the photograph.

Sacrifice. In the end of the film, the Master finds himself on a collision-course with the scrap machine that previously spent an entire scene crushing terrified automobiles. He’s trapped, and a crushing seems inevitable until Toaster throws itself into the crusher’s gears in order to save him. It is smashed and twisted between the gears, but ultimately stops the machine and saves the Master, seemingly at the cost of its own life.

The above moments aren’t all of the dark moments in The Brave Little Toaster, and I can’t yet say whether or not the novella carries similarly dark themes. Given that Disch is also known for works that offer dark views of the future, it is possible that his novella contains similarly dark themes. Given this intriguing mystery, I know what I’m reading next.

Do you have a favorite novel that you’d love to see adapted into another medium, or know of any that have already received adaptations? Leave a shout-out in the comments! You can also connect on Twitter at @Popliterary, or send a message. 

Be sure to check out my home Wordpress page for bonus content! 

And as always, if you have a literary device you want to know more about, or a game, comic, show, or movie that you want to see make an appearance on the blog, leave a shout-out in the comments!

[julie-streep]

She is my girl 4

The morning came quickly and Hillary was the first to open the eyes, smiled with love seeing her husband sleeping peacefully beside her, but soon the smile turned into a grin, she kissed his shoulder, then his chest, then get lower and lower. Bill was already half hard and he became very hard, when Hillary took him in her hand and licked the top of his penis, he was not awake yet, but Hillary continued her ministrations licking and sucking his dick, she stroked his cock with one hand and with the other she'd massage his balls. Bill began to grunt without waking up, Hillary decided to increase the pace and took him completely into her mouth, sucking hard a couple of times, at that point Bill was pushing his hips against her mouth and he starting to wake up with a smile on his face. "God baby, are you trying to kill me?” “But what a way to go” – Hillary kissed the head of his penis, tasting his pre cum, she began to pump his cock while licking his balls, she knew he was close so she returned to lick and suck his hard cock with even more force. "I'm coming Hill, fuck" – Bill came hard and Hillary swallowed all his essence, giving a last lick to clean his cock. "What a way to wake up, I wish we could do it every morning" “That would be great” - Bill smiled and nodded then bring his hand between the thighs of the goddess lying next to him. “Oh no honey, I have to be at the meeting in an hour” “Just 5 minutes” – Hillary shook her head, kissed him and got out of bed, wearing a dressing gown and heading toward the bathroom. “Will there also be that guy at the meeting?” – Bill asked suddenly, as he rose from the bed and followed her. “Who, David? Sure, It’s my assistant” “I don't like that guy, he gives you too much attention” “Bill you've never even met him” “I saw you on tv and he seemed a little too comfortable while he touched you" “Bill, don’t be ridiculous” – Hillary kissed him gently and went into the shower, Bill remained still for a few seconds, then decided to join his wife. "Oh no, honey I'm late" “I just want to wash your back, I'll be good"– Hillary accepted, how could she refuse an offer so generous and tempting. The two washed each other lovingly, then dressed and went down to breakfast. "What are you going to do while I'm at the meeting?" “I don't know, I'll go out on the town, maybe looking for a nice romantic restaurant"– Hillary smiled and leaned over to kiss him, at that time David reached them. "Hello Hillary, how are you?" "Very well, thanks, and you?” “Fine, especially now that I see you"– David smiled at her, completely ignoring Bill that fumed with rage. “Er” “Oh, excuse me, Mr. President, I didn't see you" - David said continuing to watch Hillary with a smile. “Hillary, yesterday I went shopping and I saw this necklace and I immediately thought of you" - David took the necklace out of the box and handed it to Hillary, she looked shocked and confused, while Bill couldn't believe the nerve of this guy, he was hitting on his wife in front of him. "I hope you like it" “It’s beautiful and it's very nice of you, but I don't think I can accept it" “I insist, you are so beautiful and you deserve to be covered with gifts" - at that point Bill was furious, he rose from his seat and approached David, making him get up from his chair. “Who do you think you are doing?” “I do not understand Sir" “Don't play dumb with me, you are flirting with my wife in front of me, what goes through your head?” “What is it? Do you feel threatened? Well you know what, you should be, because she deserves so much better than you, are you afraid she might look for a bit of revenge or someone that really love her? After you cheated on her so many times, I'm surprised she’s still with you" “How dare you?”– Bill was so angry that he was unable to resist and punched David on the nose, Hillary was shocked. “Honey are you crazy? David, I’m so sorry, now we have to go otherwise we'll be late " – Hillary turned to Bill and looked at him with disappointment. “Bill I’ll see you tonight, I hope you calmed down when I come back, I can't believe you gave him a punch"– Bill looked at David with anger, who instead was smiling and Hillary turned her attention to David. “We're going to get some ice before leaving"– they were about to leave, when Bill stopped her. “Are we still going out for dinner tonight?” “Yes, even if I'm very mad at you” - they would have talked about what had happened, perhaps after their dinner, Hillary could not believe that Bill had hit his assistant, she was angry with him, but it was so long since they spent time together and she would spend the evening with him, even though he didn’t deserve it. “I thought we were going out for dinner together" “I'm sorry David, but it is a week since Bill and I spent some time together and we need to talk" “Hillary, you should leave him, you deserve so much better" “David, this is none of your business" “Of course I'm sorry, but think about it”

For the next 6 hours there was no way to talk about something other than politics and Hillary was thankful for that, she could not explain why David and Bill behaved that way, she remembered the words of Bill, but it could not be true, David was 30 years old, he was smart, good-looking, funny and kind, he could have had any woman he wanted and she didn't believe at all that he was interested in her, but on the other hand he had behaved very strangely, first the touches at the meeting, then the compliments, then during the interview, the gift and ultimately what he had said to Bill, could it be that he was hitting on her? Was Bill right? Even if Bill was right he behaved disproportionately, he was always too jealous and possessive, when someone was looking at her or touched her in a way that he thought it was too friendly. She just couldn't concentrate on the meeting with all these thoughts that kept running through her mind, thankfully the meeting was coming to an end and she also couldn't wait to finish the day and talk to Bill, she was angry with him, but she missed him and she knew she could not stay angry for too long, she loved Bill and she had always forgiven him for his mistakes and in comparison to what she had passed during their marriage that was nothing, he would apologize, he would smile, with that look that made her legs tremble and she would forgive him.

It was missing only another meeting before she could get back to the hotel to prepare and look good for her Bill, but she couldn't concentrate and Angela noticed it. “Hey Hill, is everything ok?” “Yes, why?" “You seem distracted" “It's just that David and Bill had a small fight this morning" “Bill and David?" “Yes, Bill came here to surprise me and yesterday we spent a wonderful evening and this morning Bill threw a punch at David" “Hill, Bill is just kinda jealous, you're an attractive woman and you have to understand that men realize it even younger ones and Bill is afraid of losing you" “But he has no reason to be afraid, I love him and I won't leave him" “I know, maybe he just needs reassurance" “I thought I reassured him enough last night and this morning” – Hillary said blushing and the two women start to laugh, Hillary was feeling much better after the conversation with Angela, maybe she was right, she would reassured Bill, because she loved him and he would always be the man of her life.

Tell me what you think about it and if you have some idea for another work. And sorry about the errors.

[storysnapshot]

Fridays at the Local

I was a relatively average guy. Did well enough in school, did ok at university, landed a job as an accountant in the city. Proposed at 24, married at 25, now going through a divorce with my wife at the age of 40. No kids. I guess that makes the divorce easier.

For most of the working week I commute into the city, do the daily grind, and return home. On Fridays, I go to my local to celebrate the end of the working week, and catch up with some old friends.

In many ways, everyone’s oldest friends.

I walked into the pub, beneath the sign that loudly proclaimed the name of the establishment to the unseeing eyes of the masses. Most people walked right by the place. I took a stool at the bar, nodded at the man behind it, and was promptly poured a pint of lager. I took a sip, and felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Well, fancy seeing you here,” said the woman at my shoulder, blonde hair loosely spilling down her shoulders and onto her shimmering cocktail dress.

“No, it was surely meant to be!” A gentleman in a full suit ensemble appeared behind her, both smiling at me.

“Coincidence. Fate.” I greeted each one in turn.

Coincidence gave a big grin; “Hello, John. How’s your week been?”

I rattled off some meaningless nonsense about some issues I had with a work colleague. Fate and Coincidence listened intently, enraptured by the normal lives of normal people.

“And how are things with Susan?” Fate asked, casually.

I was shocked; “How do you know about that?”

Fate gestured to a table across the room, where a small lady with unremarkable features and thin rimmed glasses looked up and gave a slightly embarrassed wave. During this time her fingers never left her phone, constantly scrolling and typing.

Rumour. Of course.

“You didn’t really think you could keep it a secret from us, did you?” Fate seemed amused. He gestured at the bartender for another round, and escorted me to a table.

“Really, though, how are things?” He asked.

“It’s OK. I’m OK.” I responded.

As I said this I caught the eyes of a woman dressed all in white, who made eye contact with me and raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. She didn’t say anything, but I knew that she knew the truth. After all, that’s who she was.

A few more patrons had noticed my presence and come over to greet me. A sickly looking gentleman made an offer in a nasally voice - “I could make her have a very unpleasant few weeks, if you’d like…”

“Now, Pestilence, I don’t think that’s what John wants, is it dear?” The rather rotund form of Virtue smiled sympathetically at me.

“No, no, thank Pestilence. Best let her live her life.” I took a long sip of my drink. “I just hope the settlement goes smoothly.”

“I’m by your side, don’t you worry.” A waitress fetched the other drinks from the bar. “I will prevail.”

“Thanks, Justice.” She gave a half-smile and walked towards a very thin man tucking into a very large meal, and took another order from him. By the grease-stains on his shirt, he’d been eating there for quite some time.

“Fear not, my boy!” An elderly man, dressed to the nines in a golden suit with a cane to match strode over to me. “In your line of work, you’ll be perfectly fine! A promotion soon, from what Rumour hears.”

“Wealth, I appreciate the sentiment, but ‘money doesn’t buy happiness’ and all that.” I said outwardly, but reflected on the promotion news with a little bit of excitement.

Wealth clearly didn’t listen to a word I was saying and was busy ordering the most expensive cocktail on the menu.

“Thanks, guys, though. This does make me feel better.” I said to the room at large, and was met by murmured ‘No problem’ and ‘We’re here for you, buddy’-esq responses.

The door to the pub was suddenly thrown open, and in walked a girl. Young, probably only just old enough to drink, wearing a short pink skirt and fashionable top. I gave a start - it was unusual to get people in here that dressed anything approaching normally. More pressingly, I didn’t recognise her.

She surveyed the room, lips pursed together for a moment before spinning around and bringing a handheld camera out of her pocket. She began to talk - loudly and clearly - to the camera.

“What is up, guys?!” Her shrill voice rebounded off of the walls. “It’s your girl Fame here, ready to tackle a new challenge! I heard that this is where all the suuuuuper old and ancient guys hang out, so I thought I’d check it out with a few buddies of mine! Maybe we’ll see some familiar famous faces!”

Every sentence was ended with exclamation, and I relaxed slightly. She definitely wasn’t human - real people didn’t speak like that. The other patrons seemed a mixture of curious and a little tense.

“Hey, that looks like Time! Hey, Time, what do you have to say to all your long-term fans!?” She thrust the camera into the face of a very old man who was snoozing in the corner, beneath the grandfather clock, before she came in. He spluttered something incoherent as she began anew.

“Cool! Way to show us young-uns how to stay in the business! Ooh, let’s see who this is. Vanity?”

Vanity took to the camera instantly, and kept this new girl - Fame, wasn’t it? - distracted for a bit. While all that was happening, a few more faces had appeared at the doorway - again, all quite young. Presumably these were Fame’s friends.

The first was a skinny ginger kid, who surveyed the room with cold, dispassionate eyes. His glasses had a microchip in them, and was displaying a screen to him, while he tapped away at a phone in his off hand.

The second was a wilder looking girl, multicoloured streaks ran through her hair and she was dressed in a relatively revealing outfit. She hazily looked around the room and staggered to the bar, drunkenly slurring out requests for jager bombs.

The third was another guy - torn jeans and a plain white T-shirt covered in a denim jacket - unremarkable except for the tattoos of all colours, shapes, and sizes that ran their way up both of his arms across his dark skin.

At their entrance, Fame squealed and tore her camera away from Vanity. Vanity looked a little put out.

“Hey guys, look who turned up! Tech, a few words?”

The skinny ginger merely replied “Your camera’s out of date.”

“Haha, thanks Tech! Sesh, you?”

The drunken girl downed the last of her jager bombs, stared blearily at the camera and said nothing.

“Right on! Equality, what about you!?”

The third lad looked awkward, and said “Fame, don’t you think you should be a little quieter? This looks like a nice place and-”

“Sure thing!” Fame replied, making no difference in volume whatsoever. She began doing circuits of the pub, talking to well-known faces and interviewing them all.

“Sesh? Who’s THAT?” Virtue asked me.

I racked my brains, then remembered something.

“I think it’s a young people thing,” I said with a note of bitterness. “I heard some of the interns at work talking about it. Its going out to a club and getting fully wasted and not really stopping. One of the interns had been on a ‘four-day bender’ whatever that means.”

Virtue huffed up. “Well. No wonder I haven’t heard of her. Equality looks like a good kid though. He seems friendly enough.”

Looking at the kid in question, I realised his jacket was covered in pins from various activist groups. Sort of a freedom-fighter, I guessed.

Before I was quite aware what was going on, Fame was at my table.

“And here we have VIRTUE!” She squealed. “Oh, so many people said you and I wouldn’t get along, but I’m sure we’ll be great friends!” Virtue glanced at me, and got up and left.

“Well, we’ll work on that! Later!” Fame seemed nonplussed. “And who are you, stranger!?” She asked me. “How come I’ve never seen you before!?” She seemed fascinated by this concept.

“Oh, I’m not like one of you.” I replied. “My name is John, and I-”

“You’re HUMAN!?” She cried out, loud enough to draw the attention of everyone in the room.

“Yes, but-”

“You’re not supposed to be here! This isn’t a place for mortals! Who let you in?! What is this outrage!?” She began ranting, and I found myself unable to get a word in edgeways.

The kid with the enhanced glasses strode over to me. Tech, I remembered him being introduced as.

“You really aren’t supposed to be here.” He said, smugly and matter-of-factly. He brought up a file on his phone and passed it to me. “See?”

It was some sort of terms and conditions document. Highlighted was section 3 subsection 4 - ‘Under no circumstances are mortals permitted in establishments reserved for anthropomorphic personifications - those establishments with a license 42b (see appendix 7). Consequences permit the immediate termination of the mortal.’

“The implication is clear, but we are willing to be merciful.” Tech spoke, calming Fame down into a simmering rage as Sesh wandered angrily over from the bar. Equality reluctantly came behind.

“Leave now, and never return, and you won’t be killed!” Fame threatened, with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

“Come on, guys, he’s clearly cool with the rest of them,” Equality tried to speak up on my behalf, but Tech shut him down.

“The rules are clear. He leaves, or he dies.”

The tension in the room became palpable. Everyone knew I wasn’t supposed to be there, but I was accepted. The new kids stared at me, I tried to avoid making eye contact with anyone and not letting my fear show.

“Well, mortal? What’s it to be?” Sesh slurred at me.

I rose from the table, ready to say my piece and leave, but I was stopped. An icy cold sensation ran through my shoulder into my body. Sweat beaded on my forehead and my heart began thudding in my ears. The lights in the pub dimmed and became black as a great spectre appeared behind me.

“HE. STAYS.” The voice like tombstones spoke of a certainty that could not be argued with.

The new kids gave a series of frightened yelps, and left the pub in a hurry, tripping over themselves to get out. Only Equality stayed, shaking gently in his shoes, clearing his throat, ready to make a stand.

Just like that the presence was gone, my vitals returned to normal, and Equality gave a deep sigh of relief. The rest of the patrons looked shocked, directly at me. Equality sat beside me, for I has sunk back to my chair, and said; “Right, let's try that again. I’m Equality, nice to meet you. You are?”

I was many things at that moment - scared, confused, relieved, but most pressingly, alive. Also unable to speak, which didn’t allow me to articulate a good response.

Slowly the hustle and bustle returned to normal levels, and the night proceeded as so many had done before, and so many would continue to do.