History YMMV / TheDogs

* AuthorsSavingThrow: At the time that the first seven or eight chapters started appearing, reaction to Bligh's [[spoiler:seduction and corruption of Cody as a way to get to Andrew]] was near-overwhelmingly negative even if people liked the character himself. Ever since then -- and it's been like four years -- the author has gone to great lengths to make Bligh more sympathetic and his actions a little more justifiable.
** Really, this is how the collection ''Literature/TheDogsBeforeTimeAfter'' more or less came about, starting with the spin-off story, "Maketh the Day Dark," which spelled out Bligh's motivations and gave him the needed sympathy Veidt thought he was due.

* HolyShitQuotient: TheReveal of Bligh as a half-dog, he's [[spoiler:seducing Cody and turned him into a half-dog as well]], and then him telling [[spoiler:Cody his intention to establish a polyamorous relationship between the three of them]].

** Really, this is how the collection ''Literature/BeforeTimeAfter'' more or less came about, starting with the spin-off story, "Maketh the Day Dark," which spelled out Bligh's motivations and gave him the needed sympathy Veidt thought he was due.
* HolyShitQuotient: TheReveal of Bligh as a half-dog, he's [[spoiler:seducing Cody and turned him into a half-dog as well]], and then him telling [[spoiler:Cody his intention to establish a polyamorous relationship between the three of them]].

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: Not the initial premise, but what happens after -- niche enough for a [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom furry audience]], which is saying something, but the attempts to elevate what essentially amounts to transformation porn [[spoiler: and an mpreg fic]] into high-quality LitFic can be rather jarring.
* AuthorsSavingThrow: At the time that the first seven or eight chapters started appearing, reaction to Bligh's [[spoiler:seduction and corruption of Cody as a way to get to Andrew]] was near-overwhelmingly negative even if people liked the character himself, and so the author went to great lengths (retconning and revising whole pages of dialogue) to make Bligh more sympathetic and his actions a little more justifiable, and greatly expanding his motivations and character in subsequent chapters.
** The entire premise of the spin-off stories, ''The Beast That Shouted Fuck At the Heart of the World'' and ''Maketh the Day Dark'', were about fleshing out Bligh's character and giving him the needed sympathy Veidt thought he was due, such as explicitly spelling out his motivations and desperation. This had the doubling effect of expanding "The Dogsverse" and adding more to the mythology of the story.
* HolyShitQuotient: TheReveal of Bligh as a half-dog, he's [[spoiler:seduced Cody and turned him into a half-dog as well]], and then him telling [[spoiler:Cody his intention to establish a polyamorous relationship as half-dogs between the three of them]]. This is all especially shocking because although certain parts of this are hinted at, a good majority of this is totally new to the reader.
** Because the story is told through Andrew's eyes, how flooring all of the preceding is [[FridgeLogic could probably show]] how deluded he had made himself that his life was perfect, unwilling or unable to see how it could all fall apart (or, following the theme of the story, ''change'').

** Stephen is getting to be this way too.

** Because the story is told through Andrew's eyes, how flooring all of the preceding is [[FridgeLogic could probably show]] how deluded he had made himself that his life was perfect, unwilling or unable to see how it could all fall apart (or, following the theme of the story, ''change'').
* TheWoobie: All the characters had definite struggles before the opening of the novel, but Cody's was especially horrifying, although this only glanced at briefly in ''Not Exactly Night'', it becomes abundantly (and heartrendingly) clear in ''The Beast That Shouted Fuck At the Heart of the World''.

* TheWoobie: All the characters had definite struggles before the opening of the novel, but Cody's was especially horrifying, although this only glanced at briefly in ''Not Exactly Night'', it becomes abundantly (and heartrendingly) clear in ''Red and Black''.

** The entire premise of the spin-off stories, ''Red and Black'' and ''Maketh the Day Dark'', were about fleshing out Bligh's character and giving him the needed sympathy Veidt thought he was due, such as explicitly spelling out his motivations and desperation. This had the doubling effect of expanding "The Dogsverse" and adding more to the mythology of the story.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: Not the initial premise, but what happens after -- niche enough for a [[FurryFandom furry audience]], which is saying something, but the attempts to elevate what essentially amounts to transformation porn [[spoiler: and an mpreg fic]] into high-quality LitFic can be rather jarring.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: At the time that the first seven or eight chapters started appearing, reaction to Bligh's [[spoiler:seduction and corruption of Cody as a way to get to Andrew]] was near-overwhelmingly negative even if people liked the character himself, and so the author went to great lengths (retconning and revising whole pages of dialogue) to make Bligh more sympathetic and his actions a little more justifiable, and greatly expanding his motivations and character in subsequent chapters. The first third of ''Dog Days'' ended up being very different, and probably better, as a result.

* TheWoobie: All the characters had definite struggles before the opening of the novel, but Cody's was especially horrifying. ''Dog Days'' only hints at it; the vast majority of it is [[AllThereInTheManual included in an appendix detailing the character cast]].

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: ''Plenty'' for Bligh, particularly in the earlier chapters. Reaction to his character and his actions were sharply divided when the story was first posted, and Aux Chiens even had a good friend of his [[SeriousBusiness stop speaking to him]] because he perceived the character, and the resulting plot, as being [[RuinedFOREVER irredeemably awful]].

* TheWoobie: All the characters had definite struggles before the opening of the novel Cody's was especially horrifying. ''Dog Days'' only hints at it; the vast majority of it is [[AllThereInTheManual including in an appendix detailing the character cast]].