Truth in Labeling (short story)
Truth in Labeling was a Jenny Everywhere short story written by Scott Sanford in 2022. It did not take place in the continuity of his “default Jenny”, instead briefly exploring the life of a Jenny from a Marvel- or The Cosmic Beholder-style superhero universe. It was also notable as Sanford's first known use of Laura Drake.
Contents
Plot
As downtown New York suffers an attack from a hundred-foot-tall robot, the Shifter realises her teleportation powers are useless against the metal titan and tries to persuade her friend Laura, who seems strangely unperturbed by the chaos, to help out. Though reluctant to join the fight because she's in civilian dress and because she doesn't want to delay her lunch date set with Jenny in half an hour, she ultimately agrees — which takes the form of her taking off her clothes to shapeshift back into her true form, an actual, gigantic Dragon. In this form she easily defeats the robot before shifting back, with Jenny all the more enthusiastic at the prospect of having lunch with her.
Worldbuilding
Jenny Everywhere
- This story features a Jenny native to a superhero universe. She is active as a hero herself under the name of “the Shifter”, wearing a red and black spandex costume.
- Her shifting produces “a soft *shft* noise”.
Laura Drake
- This story features a version of Laura native to a superhero universe. Her full name is Lauren Ipsum Drake. She is secretly a Dragon, but has the ability to take on human form as an innocuous-looking red-haired woman, maintaining a civilian identity. She also has a superhero identity in which she uses her ability to transform back into a Dragon openly. In civilian clothing, she wears a dress. She and Jenny are friends, and Jenny appears to be developing a romantic interest in her.
Universes
- This story takes place in a superhero setting, described in author's notes as a world that “might not be far from Reality Z-25 31-H, or Dimension 87:50:545, or some Marvelous settings”.
Other
- Numerous locations within New York City are mentioned: the robot is “stomping implacably along through the towers of Manhattan”, advancing on Broadway “a few blocks up from Erikson Circle”.
Behind the scenes
Background
When releasing the story on Dreamwidth in 2022, Scott Sanford appended some commentary to the story:
| New York City appears in many stories, across many worlds. This one might not be far from Reality Z-25 31-H, or Dimension 87:50:545, or some Marvelous settings; everyone will recognize its general features. I don’t normally use Laura but one day I thought to wonder why she’s called Drake… By the way, I read that “Gyaoon” (ギャオーン Gyaōn) is the official Japanese transliteration of Godzilla’s roar. It seemed appropriate. |
| —Scott Sanford |
Read online
The story is available on the author's Dreamwidth website.
