Out there, eh?  You mean out here?

• 20,000 Leagues Under the Street
  
• Descent of Mutant by Charles Darwin's impaled head
  
• The Fall of the House of Flusher
  
• Tom Sewer
  
• Scents and Sensibility
  
• Concerning Mutant Understanding
  
• A Midsewer-night's Dream
  If you prefer less potty-oriented and more obscure, here's obscurity as only DrThunder can present it.
  
• "The Raraven"
• Lusus Nature of Things

Snartski wades in with a little opinion of the Fry/Leela relationship:

Leela was the first person that Fry met when he was unfrozen (reborn) in a different age.  Somehow he and she made some sort of connection when she saw how hard he fought to keep his freedom of choice with his life and decisons that he made; that he was willing to trust her to make the right decison for him after she chased him through the city.

Being ignored by his mother while he was growing up, Leela's rebuffs to his clumsy attempts to ask her for a date only inspire him to try harder - his is use to rejection and disappointment from the women in his life that he deems important.

Leela on the other hand has closed herself to the world because of her past of constant rejection.  She makes hopeful, but poor choices in her dating life.  She is seeking validation for her own self-worth by persuing 'successful' and 'important' men.  As hard as she tries, she just never seems to meet 'Mr. Right'.

Fry just doesn't appeal to her because he is not ambitious, yet she does get jealous if he pays attention to any other woman than herself.

This is where 'The Sting' comes in:  Leela basically is reborn after almost dying - the first person she sees is Fry at her bedside crying over her.  As she becomes more conscious and realizes what happened - she now realizes that she does have some worth to at least one person in the world - a person that she ignored and was abusive towards several times. 

This has to open her eye (metaphorically speaking):  Fry not only risked his life (and almost lost it) trying to protect her, but had also spent every moment by her side so that she wouldn't be alone, or at worst, die alone.  He had no ulterior motive - he wasn't trying to get her to date him or sleep with him; he was trying to save her life.  A totally selfless attempt that would hurt him and benefit her.

This has to bolster her self-esteem and make her view Fry very differently.

If the series had been allowed to live another couple of season, I think that we would have seen Leela using a kinder, gentler hand in dealing with Fry.

Right on Ralph!

I was telling the same thing to my friend the other day! That's why I like Fry and Leela's relation so much. It’s too sad that the series was cancel before we could see how they ended up. In the last episode, they really show Leela's interest in Fry. She gives him many chances to impress her! (Also in the deleted scenes) At the end we can see that she's the only one interested in Fry's music but also she's interested in Fry's vision of their relation. (His vision of the “end “of the opera)

If only that series would come back or if they could do that movie so we could see the "real" ending of our beloved show….  Only time will tell!

Now on topic: Venus, when can we expect your next update? Can’t wait to read it!

I'm just a random type guy.

My 'assessment' is not important enough to open a thread for, but could easily dovetail with your story.

Plus it was an easy way to post on your thread and be on topic.

I wish that I could help with your search for 'Sewer Mutant Coffee Table Book Titles', but unfortunately, I'm not that intelligent or creative.  I will however enjoy what you find and how you incorporate them into your story.

Are you looking for books that would likely be flushed or mutant-based books?

Happy early Chrismahanaquanzadon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taco Bellevue Hospital, just outside room 413
7:46 pm
Recovery: Day 1


Sitting dejectedly on a bench just outside Leela’s room Fry dragged the toe of his sneaker across the tile floor causing it to squeak. A little while earlier Dr. Marsters had come to retrieve Leela and taken her off to begin various medical tests. She hadn’t actually been gone all that long but to Fry it felt like forever and he already missed her. Over the past two weeks he’d gotten so used to having her around that it felt unnatural and disconcerting to not have her within sight-range. He had desperately wanted to accompany her but hadn’t been allowed. And Leela hadn’t helped his argument with her constant reassurances that she would be fine without his presence and she’d just see him when the tests were finished. So left with little choice but to sit and wait he had decided to move into the hallway so he could see her the second she came back.
 
The sound of a door opening down the hall drew his attention from his feet. They were finally returning. Dr. Marsters seemed to be discussing something with Leela as he directed her hover chair down the hallway, but they were too far away for Fry to hear what. Leela seemed somewhat subdued which Fry found alarming. He stood up to greet them as they got closer.

“So how’d everything go?” Fry asked cautiously as he opened the door to Leela’s room for them.

“We’ll get the toxicology reports in the morning, but the preliminary scans looked good.” Dr. Marsters answered as he parked the hover chair next to the bed. Leela wordlessly transferred herself to the bed’s edge being mindful not to get tangled in her I.V. line. She hadn’t wanted to use the chair to begin with but had gotten tired of arguing, especially after Dr. Marsters and Fry had ganged up on her.

“Well,” The doctor said as he powered up the hover-chair, “I’ll be back to check on you in the morning. If your results come back okay we’ll see about disconnecting all those wires.” 

Leela nodded listlessly. After the door shut behind the doctor Fry walked over and sat in his chair. Leela was still balanced on the edge of the bed which left the pair sitting facing each other.

“Hey, are you alright?” Fry asked gently. She nodded. “I’m just a little nervous is all. There were an awful lot of tests they wanted to do. They told me it was all precautionary but it’s almost like they’re expecting to find something horribly wrong.”

“What all did they do?”

“They gave me a complete physical, which I think I passed, and then they asked me some current events questions, I guess to test my memory. Then they did some scans and took some blood and spinal fluid. An-”

“Spinal fluid?! Ew!”

“It wasn’t exactly a picnic for me either. And then they brought me back here.”

“They feed you?”

She shook her head and held up the wrist with all the wires attached. “No, I’m still hooked to the feeding tube. They’ll remove it tomorrow.”

She turned, slid under her blanket and leaned back. When she did Fry’s jacket, which she had still had draped across her shoulders slipped a bit, reminding her that she still had it on. She sat up again and started to slip it off.

“I forgot to give this back.”

Fry grabbed her hand, halting her. “No, you hang onto it for a while, I can get it later.”

She regarded him for a moment. “You sure?”

“Yeah. You keep it for now.”

Leela smiled at his thoughtfulness. Fry could be so sweet sometimes. The guy wore his heart on his sleeve.

“That’s very sweet of you Fry. Now leave.”

Fry looked startled. “What?”

“Go home.”

“Did I do something wrong?” He asked looking hurt.

Leela shook her head. “No, Fry. You’ve been great all day, but it’s late and after I call my parents I’m going to go to bed.”

“Late?! But it’s not even eight-thirty!”

Leela looked surprised. “Really? It feels a lot later. In any case I’m going to go to sleep soon.”

“But you’ve been asleep for two solid weeks! How could you possibly be tired?” Suddenly realization hit and he stiffened. “Oh… I get it. You’re just trying to get rid of me. ‘Thanks for being there when I needed you, but now I don’t so don’t let the door hit you on the way out’ is that it?”

“No! That’s ridiculous! I really am tired. I’ve been poked and prodded, and injected, fluids drawn out, fluids put in, I’m stressed, I still feel guilty for what I’ve put everyone through and I’m exhausted.”

Fry relaxed slightly. She really did sound tired. But as the insult wore off his concern grew back. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving her side.

“But what if you need something?”

“That’s what the night staff is here for.”

He tried valiantly to think of another passable excuse. “But...but...umm...but what if you need something?” 

Leela rolled her eye. Dr. Marsters had been right. Getting Fry to leave would be difficult.

“Bring me my wristcom.”

Fry was a little confused with the sudden order, but he obeyed without question. He retrieved it from the chair that held her other personal items and handed it to her. She accepted it and placed it on her nightstand right beside her stress-toy.

“There. If I need you I can call you.”

“But what if the problem is that you’re not in any condition to call me?” He asked anxiously.

“Then the hospital will call you, that’s one of the perks of being listed as next-of-kin.”

Fry wavered, shifting his weight back and forth from foot to foot. He wanted to obey her, he just didn’t want to leave her. What if she slipped back into her coma? What if the doctors had missed something and she just up and died?

“Why can’t I just stay here?” He pleaded. “I’ve slept in that chair for two weeks already.”

“Which is exactly why you shouldn’t do it anymore. Go home, sleep in your bed. And while you’re at it, take a shower and shave. Disheveled really isn’t your look.”

Fry moaned helplessly. Leela saw his distress and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

“I’ll see you in the morning.” She said softly. “It’s no big deal.”

“Maybe to you it’s not.” He mumbled under his breath.

“What?”

“I said I’ll be back in the morning.” Fry said with defeat.

He stepped outside and the door shut behind him with what sounded like a smug thud. He hesitated. He really didn’t know what to do with himself at this point. It was only eight-thirty which meant Bender would be out and the apartment would be empty. But going out didn’t seem too attractive either. Glancing around the hallway he spied the bench he had been sitting on earlier. A slow grin spread across his face. What Leela didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. Feeling triumphant he settled himself on the bench. It was even long enough for him to lie down which made it just as good as a bed. Or at least good enough to not feel guilty about being dishonest.

He’d only sat there for a few minutes when Amy’s phone, still in his pocket, rang. When he pulled it out and saw Leela’s name on the caller id his heart began to race. Something was wrong already?

He clicked the phone on. Leela’s wristcom didn’t have a video plug-in, so the screen remained black but he could hear her voice loud and clear.

“When I told you to go home, I meant it.” She stated firmly without greeting.

“Wha…how…?”

“I know you better than that. Now go home. I’ll be fine.”

Fry sighed. “Alright, I’m goin’.”

“Goodnight.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

He hung up and then mentally kicked himself. What if something really did happen and his last words ever to her were ‘yeah whatever’? For a moment he considered poking his head in her room and leaving with a more proper closing, but decided he’d just irritate her further. So left with no other choice he shoved the rising anxiety down and forced himself to walk away.


Robot Arms Apartment
7:08 am
Recovery: Day 2


For what must have been the twelfth time that night Fry awoke with a start. A glance at his bedside clock showed that it was just past seven a.m. He rolled over and moaned into his pillow. He hadn’t slept worth crap. All night he had been haunted by dreams of the hospital calling to inform him that Leela had died. The dreams had only gotten more intense after an actual call came through around two-thirty. It had only been one of Amy’s sorority sisters inviting her to an all night kegger, but for the few seconds between first hearing the rings and actually answering the call he had feared the worst. His anxiety was getting the better of him. He knew Leela wasn’t going to allow him to sleep at the hospital with her anymore. And sleeping at his apartment was something he was just going to have to get re-used to. But he just couldn’t help how he felt. The one person who meant the most to him had almost been lost and even though the threat appeared mostly over, the memories and fear were just too fresh to allow him to let his guard down.

Deciding he had gotten about as much sleep as he was going to get he rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. He showered and shaved, then dug up a fresh t-shirt from the mound of clean laundry he kept wadded in the corner of his bedroom. Once satisfied with his appearance he set out towards the hospital. If he had taken a cab he could have been there in ten minutes, but not wanting to crowd in on Leela’s alone time he opted for the twenty minute walk.

It was a warm day, not too hot, but nicely comfortable. Fry watched the people rushing past him. It seemed like New New Yorkers were always in a hurry. It was one of the things he had always liked about living in the city. There were always a lot of different kinds of people and a lot of things going on.

It was roughly eight-thirty by the time he made it to the hospital. Which meant Fry had gone exactly twelve hours without a Leela fix and he was more than ready to remedy that. He rushed to the nearest elevator and rode it up, fidgeting as he got closer to her floor. Once the doors opened he was off, shooting the nurses at the nurse’s station a quick wave as he passed. He slowed as he reached her room though, he didn’t want to seem too eager to see her. A guy had to maintain some dignity after all.

He opened her door and peaked in. She was still asleep, curled on her side facing the door. She had the collar of his jacket gripped in her hand, clutching it tight around her. She murmured something inaudible and burrowed herself in a little deeper, a soft smile flitting across her face. Fry watched her silently for a while awed to know that something of his could make her so happy.

Not wanting to disturb her he slowly backed out and allowed the door to close. Just staring at her for those few moments had completely erased all of the anxiety he had garnered during the night and for the first time in two weeks he felt calm. Happily humming the chorus of ‘Walking on Sunshine’ to himself he wandered in the direction of the gift shop. 


Taco Bellevue Hospital, room 413
9:16 am
Recovery: Day 2


Feeling surprisingly bored considering the short time she’d been awake, Leela tried to amuse herself by carving little designs into the jello she had been given by a hospital candy-striper. Earlier that morning her feeding tube had been removed and she’d been given the jello to test whether she could stomach solid foods after going two weeks without. But she had never really been a big fan of jello so she had taken to playing with it instead. The design she had been carving had grown rather intricate as her seldom used creativity sparked.

She was surprised Fry hadn’t shown up yet. She had fully expected him to be the first thing she saw when she awoke that morning but he hadn’t been. She was even more surprised that the fact he hadn’t been there had actually disappointed her. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was disappointed but whether she understood it or not the emotion was there. She even missed him a little bit. She found that to be a bit unusual. Fry was a good friend, she valued that friendship greatly, but she didn’t usually miss him when he wasn’t by her side. Possibly because her past had taught her never to get too attached. Attachment always led to pain. But Fry could be a hard guy to not get attached to. Especially when getting you attached was his main goal in life. After all he was a sweet guy. He appeared sincere. But then again, they all appeared sincere, at least at the beginning. And Fry did have a tendency to get bored with relationships amazingly quickly. Leela never really knew how to feel about him. And sometimes she didn’t feel like she knew what he really felt for her. It was all very confusing.

A sudden knock caught her attention and she looked up just as her door opened and a familiar face peeked in.

“Good, you’re awake! I was runnin’ outta things to do.” Fry stated as he stepped in. He had his arms hidden suspiciously behind his back.

“You were here earlier?” Leela asked.

“Yup. But you were sleeping and I didn’t wanta bug you.”

“You could have bugged me. I wouldn’t have minded.”

Fry smiled at her. “Brought you something!” He pulled his arms out from behind his back revealing a large bouquet. Flowers of all kinds were intertwined together in a configuration a lot more elaborate than the last bouquet he had gotten for her. But just as before the big eye-catcher was a centerpiece of Stargazer Lilies.   

Leela couldn‘t hide her amazement. “Ohhh, they’re beautiful, thanks Fry.”

“You deserve them.” He said earnestly as he handed the flowers to her. She looked up at him, somewhat confused.

“For what? Not dying?”

“Exactly.”

“But that was mostly your doing.” She pointed out.

“Not really, you could have died if you’d wanted to.”

Leela was silent for a few moments, considering for a moment what he had just said. She remembered full well the decision she had nearly made in her dream, right before Fry had pulled her back, while she was still in her coma. “Weird thing is, five years ago I would have.”

“What do you mean?”

Leela laid the flowers gently in her lap. “Well,” She said slowly as she stared down at her bouquet, “Five years ago I had a job I hated, no family, no friends. If this had happened back then nobody would have cared enough to sit at my bedside…I don’t think anyone would have even noticed I was gone. I had nothing worth coming back for…But that’s not true anymore.” She looked up, finally making eye-contact. “Also your doing.”

“Me? How?” He asked, surprised.

“You’re the reason I quit my old job, you’re the reason I found Planet Express, you’re the reason I have my family back, and you’re the reason I’m here now.”

Not really knowing where she was going with this, Fry chuckled nervously. “Wow! Sounds like I’ve been busy!”

“And I never really thanked you for it, have I?” She mused. “I am grateful though. For everything you’ve ever done for me. I haven’t forgotten any of it.”

Without noticing what he was doing Fry took her hand. “You don’t hafta thank me for anything Leela, I mean hey, it’s what I’m here for. Besides, just having you around is thanks enough. You being happy makes me happy.”

She smiled as she gazed at their clasped hands. “That’s really sweet. But I should really give you more credit. You’ve done more for me than anyone else in my whole life. And you at least deserve a thank you. So…Thank you. Having you stick by me like this really means a lot.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” Fry said softly. They gazed into each others eyes and for a moment something seemed to spark between them. Something in the air around them changed and almost unconsciously they drew closer together. Fry’s hand moved from hers and slid up to her shoulder. Their heads tilted towards each other, eyes began to close as contact was about to be made. Then the sudden sound of the door opening made Leela jerk away as if she had been shot.

Amy froze as she realized what she had just interrupted. “Sorry!”

“No, no it was nothing.” Leela insisted, looking disconcerted. Fry groaned softly and gazed up at the ceiling, throwing his hands up in a ‘why me?’ gesture.

Flustered, Amy couldn’t seem to remember what she had wanted to say. “I uh...I was just…um, on my way to class…and I was uh…wondering if either of you needed me to bring anything back afterwards or something…”   

Fry looked incredulous. “That’s it?” He blurted. His moment with Leela had been wrecked for that?

Leela, oblivious to Fry’s frustration, thought for a moment. “Could you drop by my apartment and grab me a couple changes of clothes? And could you check on Nibbler while you’re at it? Poor thing must be starving.”

Amy brightened, being given an errand made her feel less guilty about ruining what had obviously been a very intimate moment.

“Sure! I’ll go right after class. And you don’t have to worry about Nibbler, your parents have been taking care of them.”

Leela looked relieved, and then worried. “God I hope he doesn’t eat my mom’s cat.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think Layla's dead. I think the Cirque Du Soleil ate her.

Shiny's in Texas. The hicks got her.

 

Originally posted by Venus:

Shiny's in Texas. The hicks got her.

Sweet Zombie Jesus!  Texas?  I worked in Texas for about 2 months back in the early 80's.  Let's just say that the inhabitants in Texas actually made Georgia's and the Carolina's look like Patricians in comparision...


Let me know if we need to start a rescue effort to get her outta there! 

Ah, that was definitely worth the wait.  Although I think you did give us a preview of this chapter some time ago in the "fanfic release" thread. 

I like it.I can't wait to see what happens next.

I know that. But she didn't pull a 360 of change and became a nice-nice lady. She did all of that with the same attitude which is what I like.

   

Originally posted by Venus:
I think Layla's dead. I think the Cirque Du Soleil ate her.

Cirque Du Soleil doesn't eat people.  It just eats their souls.  Also, JBERGES.

I found some of the Leela/Fry stuff a little corny.  Some of it, in fact, seemed like creamed sweet corn mixed with high fructose corn syrup, but I am a horrible, horrible person.

Also, I take it by "still looking" you mean "those are not good enough, Thunder."  I will redouble my efforts.

 

Originally posted by Venus:
“Hey, are you alright?” Fry asked gently. She nodded. “I’m just a little nervous is all. There were an awful lot of tests they wanted to do. They told me it was all precautionary but it’s almost like they’re expecting to find something horribly wrong.”

This should be two paragraphs.  Like this:

“Hey, are you alright?” Fry asked gently.

She nodded. “I’m just a little nervous is all. There were an awful lot of tests they wanted to do. They told me it was all precautionary but it’s almost like they’re expecting to find something horribly wrong.”

 

He opened her door and peaked in.

I think that you mean "peeked", not "peaked".

 

“Sure! I’ll go right after class. And you don’t have to worry about Nibbler, your parents have been taking care of them.”

This should be: "your parents have been taking care of him.”

Sorry I don't have any non-technical comments to add other than my usual thumbs up. 

Aaawww i failed.

 

Originally posted by JBERGES:
Aw... why am I always placed outside of of the Venus/Shiny/Layla sphere of awesomeness?!

Well, actually...

I've heard very good things about your writing, but, um...I haven't exactly gotten around to reading any of your stuff yet. I blame my university, as it really uses up way too much of my life. But during Christmas holidays I'm sure I'll have lots of time to read Futurama fics, and yours are at the top of my list. Seriously.

Only if we can have it with the guac-a-mole.

I've been reading your store the last few days, Venus, and I must say that I am very impressed.  Whenever I'm on TLZ, I usually hunt for the ones that are exactly like this.  But enough with my praises.  I couldn't help but throw my two cents in while reading Spacedal's comment.

 

As for the whole thing in general, there's not that much humor, you have done a great job with Bender still being funny but that only reminds me of how much more the rest of the story isn't like that. You've done a really good job of writing and I really like your story but it's too serious I think, not as fun. I seriously thought that it was gonna be over when she woke up. Now  I can't help but wonder where it'll go from here which is what makes me keep reading it.

All I can say is that this is the way the fic is.  It's not meant to be 100% in character or completely true to the story.  We all know what happenes after this episode, so we know Venus can't add a new ending (provided she's sticking with the series which I believe she is).  As far as I understand, it has to turn out after this recovery period with the two apart, but still friends, as in the series.  On another note, humor is something that has to be used carefully in these types of drama fics.  If used too often or in a bad place, it can really kill the mood and mess up a good story.  I, for one am very satisfied with the way things are going now and it'd be a shame for it to change.

All in all, A++!

Yeah, but a good lifetime movie of the week.

Hey Venus! I haven't posted in your thread before (at least I don't think I have...) but I've been reading your story and I love it! I agree that Fry and Leela are maybe a little out of character, but I understand that it's necessary for the story and I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. And I don't care about the lack of humour in some parts 'cause, like you said, it's a drama fic. I really like your style!

I've been waiting for this part for ages and it was definitely worth it. Now I've just got to wait for the next one. Keep writing and bringing us joy! 

Don't hurry too quickly. Seems i may have jumped the shark.