Chokechain animatic by NittleBrittle
Edit 29/03/2026: The art below is NOT MY ART, it's by NittleBrittle.
This post is mostly to bring more attention to a really good piece of fan content for a short story that has NO OTHER FANCONTENT as far as I could find. (A crime.)
I also wanted to do my rambling analysis here. (And yes, that comment under the video with largely the same analysis is also me lol.)
Full credit belongs to NIttleBrittle on YouTube, of course. They also have a tumblr account under the same name, so if you like the animatic, check some of their other stuff out!
So, even though it's a pretty simple animatic, I love pretty much everything about it and have A LOT to say about it.
First of all, the audio: The "I bite" soundbite from Isle of Dogs fits the message of the animatic and the short story itself really well. Its almost performative vehemence makes it seem like Micheal almost has to convince himself to hate the Android, to project all his anger onto him, resisting the urge to see him as a person. I think that's underpinned by "I won't wait for you" being set to a scene of Micheal waiting for the Android in front of the car, showing that the monologue isn't wholly honest. The "I never liked you" part is also interesting because it shows how much of the hatred Micheal initially holds for the Android has to do with his resentment of the role his parents made him play. "I'm not your pet" reflects something similar, the fear of being domesticated, to be made into something he's not. The whole soundbite shows the fear that is the reason for Micheal's behavior, the fact that it's a defense mechanism. The song, I Bet on Losing Dogs by Mitski, on the other hand, signifies what Micheal lost in his decision not to be domesticated: the love of his parents. Reading the short story, I get the sense that he still holds love for them, but knows it is a lost cause because they will never love him for himself. The song also implies that part of Micheal's hesitance about seeing the Android as a person and allowing himself to have a relationship with him is because he believes that that relationship would be doomed to fail, too, because he is too hard to love in his authentic form, because he bites. The fact that the video ends when the Android reveals to Micheal that he's also transmasc might also mean that Micheal stops believing their relationship is doomed and that the Android is someone he needs to defend himself from at this moment. They're also both audio choices that fit the story's dog metaphor really well. Neat!
I like the red tint to everything, it reminds me of how Micheal's bottled-up rage colours everything and almost blinds him to the Android's personhood. I don't know if that's intentional, but I also think the empty eyes might be a symbol for how both characters can't really see eye to eye due to the roles they are forced to play.
I really like the character designs. The junkyard dog's many scars are such a beautiful, clear metaphor for where that misdirected rage and defensive behaviour come from, and that Micheal is like that because he was hurt many, many times. Also, I think the chain around the dog's neck is in fact a chokechain, which is not only a neat reference to the story's title, but is also almost definitely very painful for the dog, the chain's links digging into his neck, which I think is a metaphor for how hating an aspect of yourself, whether it be the part that cares about other people even if it's risky or the angry, defensive part, can really hurt people. Also, I don't know a lot about dogs, but I think the junkyard dog belongs to one of the breeds that often get their tails and ears clipped from his stature and how his muzzle looks. Neither of those seems to be the case here, which I think could be another sign that Micheal refused to be domesticated, to cut out parts of himself that are seen as undesirable.
I also LOVE how Micheal and the Android constantly contrast each other throughout the animatic. Micheal look almost exactly how I imagined him in the story, with the dark clothes and shaved head. The Android is in stark contrast of him with his white dress and coat and long, wavy hair, and his little fly-away hairs lend him a more human, down-to-earth vibe. The dress is almost comically frilly and light for the winter, it feels almost like a caricature of forced, performative feminity. The Android's face is always open, showing his emotions of joy at meeting his brother, sadness and confusion when he rejects him, and his nervousness and cautious hope when he confesses he's not a girl. His body language is usually turned towards Micheal, with open shoulders and at one point reaching out to him hesitantly. The only exception is at the end, when the Android appears awkward and huddled into himself, fearing rejection. But even here, his expression is open and he turns his torso towards Micheal showing that he trusts him. I might be overanalysing again, but the posture also emphasises his neck, which reminds me of an animal baring its throat as a show of vulnerability. In extreme contrast, Micheal's face is always either very angry or stoic, not showing his true emotions and instead only indifference or almost performative rage; his body language guarded, with raised shoulders and crossed arms, shutting the Android out and again showing how much he expects further pain. This is the case in every scene we see him in here, except for the first one, where his shoulders are turned towards the Android and his facial expression openly shows his pain and betrayal in the face of his parents' actions. He even drops the handle of his suicase in shock here. The obvious pain here gives context for why Micheal is so aggressive and guarded in the rest of the story and animatic, and I think it's also my favorite part of this animatic, I just love this image.
(Sidenote, I also think it's significant that the Android's statement at the end is a negative, that he's not female, and not a positive towards any other identity. This might mean that the Android doesn't quite know how he identifies yet, and also that he might be a transmasc nonbinary person and not a trans boy. This fan theory of mine might be reinforced by the fact that even though the story itself uses he/him pronouns for the Android at the end - which is why I have done the same - the now deleted representation catalogue on AJW's website, for which I'll include a screenshot below, lists the Android as a "transmasc supporting character" and not a trans boy or trans male like he does for binary trans guys. I headcanon that the Android is a he/they transmasc person who also later starts using it/its pronouns to take ownership of how he is often dehumanized. But that might also be because I just relate to the Android a lot and I use he/they).
All in all, I think this is an amazing fan animatic for an amazing short story, and I'm really passionate about it! Please show the animatic and its talented artist some much deserved love!!!
If you watched it, did you like it? What were your favorite parts? Do Micheal and the Android look and act like how you imagined them? Do you also headcanon the Android as transmasc nonbinary? Am I obsessively overthinking all this? Please tell me!
