Debaser
Debaser is a Duty Calls, short story originally released on April 2, 2019.
It features screenwriter Allan Smithee having a pitch meeting at Doug'N Dunuts regarding his screenplay idea titled Prosecutors Will Be Violated. The second half explores Allan's creative process as he links together concepts of a wiki called The Cyclo, universal customer tracking system The Database, and Google-style search interface The Engine.
The story ends on a meta note suggesting Allan is authoring the overarching jury duty frame story that is Duty Calls—or at least influencing it via Cyclo.
Cover Artwork
Parodying a mobile Wiki page from The Cyclo as described in the story, the cover also links to the series, the author, and a disambiguation page for the Debaser title in acknowledgement of its prior use as a Pixies song. The link to JL Civi's name is colored red, mirroring the style of a Wikipedia page that does not exist.
Below the main content, a previous edit by user Handoff333 refers to lead character Allan Smithee's most famous screenplay and the number repeated throughout Duty Calls.
A footer at the bottom of the page depicts links to Database and Engine, which are other websites created by Allan Smithee over the course of the work.
Connections to Other Stories
- Allan Smithee wrote the films The Handoff discussed by Shawn Smith & Bobby Zhang in Fester and Not An Ordinary House remembered by HJ in Copper on Parchment
- Doug'N Donuts is featured in Donuts & Deadbolts, is where donuts are catered from in Sent Packin', and is the source of the day old donuts Shawn Smith eats in Fester.
Behind the Scenes
The cold open was inspired by a real life event from 2007 when wireless carrier Sprint began firing customers it deemed too high maintenance for over-using customer service.
The second half is a behind the scenes peek into JL Civi's writing process.
Allan Smithee's name comes from the official pseudonym used by film directors when credited on a project they choose not to be associated with. The spelling of the first name is a nod to author and blogger Allan Wood.