Wonder Woman's picture
Wonder Woman from RI is reading 20th Century Ghosts November 17, 2012 - 6:44am

Look at that mug! My husband wanted a mini schnauzer. Please post a pic!

OtisTheBulldog's picture
OtisTheBulldog from Somerville, MA is reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz November 17, 2012 - 7:00am

Is it just me, or does anyone else here think of animals just as food or useful tools? All this being cutesy over dog pictures and talking about being a parent to an animal just skeeves me out.

Talk about my son like that again and he'll have forcible sex with your leg.

 

Good job Round 1 Part A writers. For me, I loved Em - I thought it was the most creative use of a prompt and well executed. She's firing one of her personalities? Fucking great. Good job Writer from Parts Unknown.

Sound's picture
Sound from Azusa, CA is reading Greener Pastures by Michael Wehunt November 17, 2012 - 7:47am

@Wonderwoman: I have dog allergies, too. Mini Schnauzers are like Yorkies, so I'm fine with them. Not so much with the pit, so he doesn't come inside much. 

Here's Gromit

 

Luna

bryanhowie's picture
bryanhowie from FW, ID is reading East of Eden. Steinbeck is FUCKING AMAZING. November 17, 2012 - 8:35am

Liana's picture
Liana from Romania and Texas is reading Naked Lunch November 17, 2012 - 9:17am

Yes Jefferey, I agree with the others. It is just you. You don't have a heart. Animals do, by the way. 

SConley's picture
SConley from Texas is reading Coin Locker Babies November 17, 2012 - 9:20am

I don't have aany pics right now but my brother's pit is the goofiest, friendliest dog ever. We take her to the brewery all the time and she's very popular there. She loves being around all those people.

Wonder Woman's picture
Wonder Woman from RI is reading 20th Century Ghosts November 17, 2012 - 9:23am

Oh, snap! I didn't know that! Not that I'd trade Bil for anything, but those pooch's are adorable! 

Ciarán Micheal's picture
Ciarán Micheal from Liverpool is reading Arrest Us stories November 17, 2012 - 9:57am

Just wanted to show support for Jeff on the issue of dogs. If it can't go on a sandwich I'm not interested. Dogs aren't adorable, they're just food in a very cunning disguise, hiding in plain sight.

Matt's picture
Matt from New Zealand is reading This is how you lose her by Junot Diaz November 17, 2012 - 10:14am

Wait, you guys eat dogs?

ReneeAPickup's picture
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ReneeAPickup from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck Wendig November 17, 2012 - 10:44am

I don't trust people who don't like animals. I know a lot of people who don't HAVE animals for various reasons, or don't like having dogs but have cats, or ferrets, or whatver...but when people straight up don't like animals that skeeves me out. Especially if the reaction to people who like animals is a "skeeving".

Ciarán Micheal's picture
Ciarán Micheal from Liverpool is reading Arrest Us stories November 17, 2012 - 11:00am

I can understand people having pets, everyone's got their own interests. It's when those pets become surrogate children/friends that I start to worry.

Although I have no idea what 'skeeves/skeeving' is - is it the same as being creeped out?

ReneeAPickup's picture
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ReneeAPickup from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck Wendig November 17, 2012 - 11:16am

Yeah it's the same thing.

And I don't think you can rightfully assume anyone here has made their pets surrogates for friends/children. People posting photos of their pets and talking about them in an affectionate manner doesn't mean anything other than they like their pets. Which, if they didn't...would be weird, right? I mean why keep pets you don't like?

Ciarán Micheal's picture
Ciarán Micheal from Liverpool is reading Arrest Us stories November 17, 2012 - 11:22am

I'm not assuming anyone posting on here has made their pets surrogates. I assumed that was just a friendly conversation between dog lovers, one I can't get my head round but there you have it. I was simply offering the other side to your 'I don't trust people who don't like animals' statement. There are weird pet owners out there, but then there are strange pet haters. I just didn't want there to be only one guy not loving dogs in this discussion.

For the record, my sister and her boyfriend have a cat niether of them like. It's more than a little weird, believe me haha

Jonathan Riley's picture
Jonathan Riley from Memphis, Tennessee is reading Flashover by Gordon Highland November 17, 2012 - 11:23am

@ Stark I think we are supposed to eat the ones we don't like.

ReneeAPickup's picture
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ReneeAPickup from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck Wendig November 17, 2012 - 11:26am

The reason I don't trust people who actively profess their disdain for animals is because domesticated animals are completely at our mercy, and when paired with responsible owners do absolutely nothing to affect anyone else's life. So, I find it strange. And you have to admit it is at least weird in the "statistically small" group, as the vast majority of people like animals. Even people in third world countries, even homeless people, seek out animal companions.

jyh's picture
jyh from VA is reading whatever he feels like November 17, 2012 - 11:29am

The reason I don't trust people who actively profess their disdain for animals is because domesticated animals are completely at our mercy,

so are babies

Renfield's picture
Renfield from Hell is reading 20th Century Ghosts November 17, 2012 - 11:41am

All you WAR zombies, you're just gettin in the way. Bout to take my rings off and get me some vaseline (not entirely sure what that means.)

Ciarán Micheal's picture
Ciarán Micheal from Liverpool is reading Arrest Us stories November 17, 2012 - 11:46am

I completely agree with you about the repsonsible owners bit, but I live in Liverpool. Arsehole owners make arsehole pets - it's really tragic.

"Statistically small" isn't the term. I recently started a new job, it was all going well and then a woman showed me a pic of herself hugging her dressed up dog. One 'I don't like dogs' later and I now eat lunch alone. I regret nothing.

So are babies

So true

Emma C's picture
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Emma C from Los Angeles is reading Black Spire by Delilah Dawson November 17, 2012 - 11:51am

Backing up Sparrow on this one. And lest anyone forget, humans are in fact animals. We're just a tad higher-functioning than most of the others.

The human-animal bond is a sacred thing, no more or less valuable than the relationships we have with other humans. Yes, there are people who go overboard in inappropriate ways. After spending six years as a tech I can attest to this. You don't treat a dog like a human, just like you don't treat a cat like a turtle or a bear like a bird. That doesn't mean they aren't part of one's family. Providing a high quality diet, medical care and comfort isn't coddling. Two of my cats outlived multiple relationships, moves, job changes and outlasted some friendships. When they died they were older than any of my friends' children. They were always there, even when people important to me weren't. 

Emma C's picture
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Emma C from Los Angeles is reading Black Spire by Delilah Dawson November 17, 2012 - 12:17pm

I completely agree with you about the repsonsible owners bit, but I live in Liverpool. Arsehole owners make arsehole pets - it's really tragic.

"Statistically small" isn't the term. I recently started a new job, it was all going well and then a woman showed me a pic of herself hugging her dressed up dog. One 'I don't like dogs' later and I now eat lunch alone. I regret nothing

My previous post was written before I saw your last one. It would seem that your problem is with people, rather than animals. That's cool, whatever, people can defend themselves. But it put me in mind of an incident when visiting my brother a few years back. I had recently travelled to see our sister, whom neither of us had seen in several years. When I showed him a few photos from my trip, including photos of our nephews, my brother's response was, "I don't like looking at other people's photos." Because of this (and other, related factors) he and I no longer speak. I have to ask: who's the arsehole in that equation?

ReneeAPickup's picture
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ReneeAPickup from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck Wendig November 17, 2012 - 12:21pm

so are babies

Yes, and? If someone has open disdain for babies I woud probably wonder about them, too. If they simply don't WANT a baby, or they don't like it when people bring babies into nice restaraunts and allow them to scream, that's fine. That affects them. But saying "man, people who like babies skeeve me out" would be a little disconcerting.

 

"Statistically small" isn't the term. I recently started a new job, it was all going well and then a woman showed me a pic of herself hugging her dressed up dog. One 'I don't like dogs' later and I now eat lunch alone. I regret nothing.

Right, but nothing like that was happening on this thread when JGB said he was "skeeved out" and it didn't happen before or after you started backing that idea.  And yeah, some people go overboard. But using those people as a reason to shit on a thread where people are showing off their pets really doesn't make sense.

Renfield's picture
Renfield from Hell is reading 20th Century Ghosts November 17, 2012 - 12:29pm

People gushing over pets could be allocated to its own thread, that might deter non-animal lovers from commenting.

 

^^^That's a fine idea!

ReneeAPickup's picture
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ReneeAPickup from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck Wendig November 17, 2012 - 12:32pm

Well, I suppose as LitReactor is known for all threads staying on topic all the time you have a point...

I don't care if they comment, they have every right to. I have every right to respond ;)

 

 

Your right to respond has been revoked. - Management

JEFFREY GRANT BARR's picture
JEFFREY GRANT BARR from Central OR is reading Nothing but fucking Shakespeare, for the rest of my life November 17, 2012 - 12:36pm

Emma C's picture
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Emma C from Los Angeles is reading Black Spire by Delilah Dawson November 17, 2012 - 12:41pm

In my limited experience it would seem every thread at some point becomes a pet-gush thread.*

 

 

 

 

*Ok, yes I know how that looks/sounds. 

Liana's picture
Liana from Romania and Texas is reading Naked Lunch November 17, 2012 - 1:14pm

How about people who can't have children for one reason or another but want to give their affection to a life form in need of affection? I think giving affection is healthy. I think it has something to do with blood pressure. And stuff.

kward's picture
kward from Alberta is reading Off To Be the Wizard November 17, 2012 - 1:22pm

There's some dishonesty at work here...when people are posting photos of their dogs and you happen to not like dogs you have two options. One, you can say nothing about your dislike for dogs - easily done, or two you can actively choose to put it out there that you don't like dogs in a thread where dog lovers have already established a conversation about their pets.

Truthfully, if you chose option two you did so knowing it would spark some kind of negative reaction. Are you bored? I like Lit Reactor, and I find the Community here refreshingly devoid of that kind of trolling - most of the time - so it's disappointing to see deliberate pot-stirring when not saying anything is the obvious and most logical choice.

If I see people talking about their love of cars, and they post all kinds of pics of machines they've customized and worked on, and are clearly proud of and passionate about - yes, I could interrupt the conversation with some comment about how their worship of rolling planet-killers "skeeves me out", but what would be my point other than to purposefully try and upset these people? It's easy to keep the thought to myself and address it in a thread where folks are not just having fun showing off their dogs, and conversing on something that makes them happy.

By the way, treating an animal with respect, and being responsible for them - when as a higher-functioning species, you have the option not to - speaks well of one's character.

Liana's picture
Liana from Romania and Texas is reading Naked Lunch November 17, 2012 - 1:27pm

Well, now I agree that you can get on people's nerves by posting repeatedly about something you are passionate about but some may not be (or even may dislike). For example, if many people posted pics of their pet snakes, I may stop looking at the thread. I respect snakes etc, but I wouldn't choose a pet that I  had to feed live things to. Just me.

My own point was more general and in response to people treating pets as children. I will just say to each their own, because frankly repeatedly posting pics of your baby everywhere can also irk some people, expecially if as I said, there may be people who can't have children and you're shoving it in their face that they can't. So I'm distinguishing between personal likes and dislikes, and generally thinking that animals deserve kindness too.

 

Ciarán Micheal's picture
Ciarán Micheal from Liverpool is reading Arrest Us stories November 17, 2012 - 1:41pm

@kward (in fact everyone)

You're right. I hadn't thought of it from the other perspective and certainly had no intention of trolling, or trying to piss anyone off. My sincrest apologies to those I may have offended. I don't like pets so jumping into a conversation about loving them is a bit of a douchebag thing to do with hindsight.

sean of the dead's picture
sean of the dead from Madisonville, KY is reading Peckerwood, by Jed Ayres November 17, 2012 - 1:45pm

class dismissed

drea's picture
drea from Rural Alberta, Canada is reading between the lines November 17, 2012 - 1:48pm

I know this has been asked before, but how does one embed pictures within the body of a post? 

kward's picture
kward from Alberta is reading Off To Be the Wizard November 17, 2012 - 1:51pm

@Liana - Agreed on the snake thing, though I like the thought of people loving and caring for those critters too. And yes, repeatedly posting baby pics can get tiresome...but I don't think that'd count as deliberately shoving it in anyone's face that they cannot have children - they're likely just proud parents/aunts/uncles/grandparents,etc - I see no need to deprive someone of that happiness.

But uh...yeah...how about them WAR stories? A lot of great reading so far in the second half of round 1. I can't get over the amount of talent here...I hope some of it rubs off.

Covewriter's picture
Covewriter from Nashville, Tennessee is reading & Sons November 17, 2012 - 2:03pm

I just read four stories in a row that all were good. I wish none of them had to lose, but two will. They were entertaining and well written. I'm almost done voting. 

Liana's picture
Liana from Romania and Texas is reading Naked Lunch November 17, 2012 - 2:08pm

Kward, you're right, there's no intention of making childless people feel bad. I exaggerate...

I'll start reading the new stories, I promise!

kward's picture
kward from Alberta is reading Off To Be the Wizard November 17, 2012 - 2:14pm

@Ciaran

You have completely validated my feelings about this site - it's not easy to apologize or even to try and see something from another's perspective - especially on an internet forum. That says volumes about you. It's weird...I don't want to say I appreciate your apology because it would validate the notion that that's what I wanted or "deserved". Yikes.

To be honest, I wasn't looking for that...now I feel bad that you felt compelled to do that; and yet, I thank you at the same time. I was trying to make a point, and lend some perspective, perhaps give pause; but I didn't want you or anyone else to feel so bad that you felt you had to apologize. Now I feel like I have to apologize. Obviously, you're an impressive person - I appreciate what you said, and want to let you know that I don't put myself as being more learned or "above" anyone...I was just trying to put things in their proper context and maybe make a point about that. But, okay, I've rambled enough.

Can we get back to talking about WAR?

The competition in the second half is just as fierce, I'm scared!

ReneeAPickup's picture
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ReneeAPickup from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck Wendig November 17, 2012 - 2:23pm

And now we're all better people. Group hug? No? Okay.

Ciarán Micheal's picture
Ciarán Micheal from Liverpool is reading Arrest Us stories November 17, 2012 - 2:30pm

*Internet hugs* - onto round two :-)

jyh's picture
jyh from VA is reading whatever he feels like November 17, 2012 - 3:02pm

That was all just some unnecessary dismay at someone else's unnecessary dismay at some other people's unnecessary comments and pictures.

[this has been an unnecessary comment]

OtisTheBulldog's picture
OtisTheBulldog from Somerville, MA is reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz November 17, 2012 - 3:35pm

I don't really care if people like dogs or don't like dogs. I'm not big into cats, so I get it. I consider them 3rd class citizens in the pet world, but that's because I'm judgmental. I also don't like children. They're awful, awful creatures. So I get not liking pets. To each his own.

But you know who doesn't care if you like them or not? Karl. Because Karl likes you. 

Liana's picture
Liana from Romania and Texas is reading Naked Lunch November 17, 2012 - 3:47pm

Marx?

bryanhowie's picture
bryanhowie from FW, ID is reading East of Eden. Steinbeck is FUCKING AMAZING. November 17, 2012 - 3:55pm

My picture was necessary.

OtisTheBulldog's picture
OtisTheBulldog from Somerville, MA is reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz November 17, 2012 - 3:57pm

No, Karl Pierre-Paul. My roommate. 

Richard's picture
Richard from St. Louis is reading various anthologies November 17, 2012 - 6:54pm

OtisTheBulldog's picture
OtisTheBulldog from Somerville, MA is reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz November 17, 2012 - 7:04pm

^^^^ Times New Roman, please.

Liana's picture
Liana from Romania and Texas is reading Naked Lunch November 17, 2012 - 10:41pm

The stories in this round are even harder to choose between! I need a coin.

Emma C's picture
Class Facilitator
Emma C from Los Angeles is reading Black Spire by Delilah Dawson November 17, 2012 - 11:57pm

Liana, agreed. Different feel to his round, overall. 

drea's picture
drea from Rural Alberta, Canada is reading between the lines November 18, 2012 - 9:23am

This says it all. 

Utah's picture
Moderator
Utah from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry November 18, 2012 - 11:04am

Wow, you guys devoted a lot of time to telling Ciaran he was an asshole for having a different worldview than you.  I'm disappointed.

Liana's picture
Liana from Romania and Texas is reading Naked Lunch November 18, 2012 - 11:32am

I apologize in the name of the statements I didn't make.

Awww come on. We all like debating minor issues. 

 

Wonder Woman's picture
Wonder Woman from RI is reading 20th Century Ghosts November 18, 2012 - 6:46pm

Meh. I have friends who love animals & aren't animal lovers whatsoever. Different strokes for different folks. Doesn't stop me from ribbing them all with LOL Cats, though!

 

 

As for War, I'm having trouble reading as much as I did last week. Lots of relatives & Thanksgiving prep this week, but I'm going to get through every story & vote on each one! Can't wait to delve into them all.