BONUS CONTENT

c o a g u l a t i o n

Writing KRAUTHAUS was the easiest and hardest project I've done. It grabbed and squeezed till I bugged out like those eye-pop stress toys- but making it real meant confronting things I hadn't dared to in a long time. Most of them internal. I couldn't have done it without the support of those who helped bring KRAUTHAUS to a head like the zit-baby it is 💜

Thank you to the discord server (you know who you are). Thank you to the friends I can trust with this part of me. Thank you to my partner for being my first beta reader, an indispensable editor and advisor on how to make a disgusting situation even grosser.

o n o m a t o l o g y

CITRIC:

Citric acid is organic, colourless, weak. Occurs in the metabolism. Sour and fruity. Can be produced from mold. Irritant. Preservative. Cleaning agent that boosts the effectiveness of soaps and detergents. Can be used in developing photos. Over-exposure may cause pain, erosion of enamel, sore throat, cough.

Citrate helps to regulate Apatite crystals :)

APATITE:

Derived from the Greek ἀπατάω: 'to deceive'. Apatite crystals are a component in teeth and bone. Useage in manufacture of fertilizer. HIstorical pigment. Infrequent gemstone. Often contains uranium. Suggested as a material to store nuclear waste. Connection to water. Homophone for the desire to consume.

d i s s e c t i o n

Fun facts and Easter eggs!

CITRIC:

• He hates dogs. Says it's because they're too loud and dirty, but it's really because his father owned two dogs and it's obvious who was better liked, lmao.
• Amateur radio hobby. The dashes and dots before he spills his guts about the gun are actual Morse Code; RST 'Readability, Strength, Tone' is a code used by radio hobbyists.
• Youngest of three siblings.
• His sexuality is best described as 'Freud's Best Field Day'. There's not a modern term that fits him properly, but you could argue he's functionally bisexual. He’s been fixated on Apatite the majority of his life, but if they’d never crossed paths, Citric probably would’ve gotten married to a Good Woman--while having gnarly homo-erotic tension with whichever coworker he hated most.
• Tends to use 5 dollar words; words with hard stops and pops; has been bilingual since he was young. My word choices from his perspective, outside of dialogue, are also influenced by that.

APATITE:

• Took up photography after immigrating.
• Used to play tetherball and misses it, but he has very little time to pursue hobbies and prefers to focus on photography.
• Is still very athletic in other ways. He knows hard paryting is tough on his body, and he wants to keep spry for as long as possible.
• One of an astounding number of siblings. Does not speak to most of his family.
• American. I'm still unsure of the exact State, but it's a southern one.
• Often annoyed about the size of his dick- it's inconvenient!
• Tends to use flowing language, words with soft or long sounds. He's multilingual. Like with Citric, this influences my word choice from his perspective even outside of his dialogue. Conversational in English (first language), German, and Spanish.

Here's what I listened to during the making of KRAUTHAUS...

soundtrack for channeling an even worse universe

• 999999999 IN A DREAM - Ada Rook
• Living Dead Girl - Rob Zombie
• P*RNSTAR - Nessa Barrett
• MURDER DEATH KILL - HEALTH, Ada Rook, PlayThatBoiZay
• Auf Wiedersehen Boy - Zeromancer
• I'm Yer Dad - GRLwood
• Bitchboy - The Oozes
• EAT SPIT! - Slush Puppy, Royal & The Serpent
• IN MY MOUTH - Black Dresses
• S.L.U.T. - Nessa Barrett
• Power Play - HOLYCHILD, RAC
• Lust for a Vampyr - I Monster
• Closer - Asking Alexandria
• The Nobodies - Marilyn Manson
• Pet - A Perfect Circle
• Punish - Ethel Cain
• Who is She? - Slowed Down #1 - I Monster
• Eat Your Young - Bekon's Choral Version - Hozier
• On the Morning After - Fiorenzo Carpi
• We'll Meet Again - Vera Lynn
• Right Back Where We Started From - Maxine Nightingale
• Chick Habit - April March
• Autotheist - Baby Bugs
• Boyfriend - Against Me!

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Did you finish KRAUTHAUS and wonder what happened for sure? 'Did those two wacky kids make it after all?' While my preferred MO is ambiguity, I want to give dedicated dumpster divers a wriggly treat 💜

In the course of KH, Apatite never lies to Citric; it's central to one of his themes. When he says he'll keep Citric, he does. Post spontaneous traumatic orchiectomy, Apatite patches Citric up and helps him through (most of a) recovery. He keeps his new housewife boytoy hobbled and on a short leash until he can trust that Citric's broken enough to never leave. They get there eventually. Yay! Marital bliss.

Cue sunset, romantic music, and as the car pulls away we see Citric's skinny ass flattened on the ground and covered in tire tracks like cartoon roadkill.