#Good Stories Come To Life (Rossiel)

[muckduckgoose]

Jurassic Jumble Reboot Recap

((I delayed on this long enough. Here's a general concept of how the plotline of "Jurassic Jumble" would go in the DT17 universe with my Honker, featuring my takes on the characters Stegmutt and Dr. Fossil as well as the reboot versions of Darkwing and Gosalyn/Quiverwing, who I will be writing out the parts of myself.))

There's been a rash of computer components stolen across multiple parts of Saint Canard, with witnesses from every crime scene claiming to have been distracted by the sight of a giant figure stomping around just out of sight in the shadows, slipping away just before anyone can get on the scene and get a good enough look at it to see what it is. Those distractions had apparently been enough for an unseen party to slip in and grab the goods and then hightail it by the time anyone was looking again.

Honker working with WANDA manages to build up a solid hypothesis of what the unknown burglar may be attempting to build with the stolen parts and where they may strike next. Team Darkwing have a stakeout to catch the criminal(s) in the act. When something causes a ruckus outside, DW and LP go to confront the source while the kids stay behind to guard the module predicted to be the target.

While the adults end up confronting what they get just a good enough look at to identify as seemingly a bipedal stegosaurus before it runs off and loses them, someone unseen knocks out the kids with sleeping gas and has already made off with the module piece by the time they wake up. Darkwing, however, had planted a tracer on the module just in case. Honker, back at base, runs a GPS scan for the tracer and is shocked that it pings underground at the coordinates of the St. Canard Natural History Museum.

The team infiltrates the museum after hours, eventually finding the secret passage to an underground base and split up for clues. Gos and Honk end up finding a collection of artifacts, including one in the forefront held in a clear biohazard-marked container: a glowing blue piece of rock. Gosalyn immediately recognizes it as the missing piece of the Stone of What Was, one of numerous artifacts from FOWL's Library of Alexandria base that SHUSH failed to locate during the post-battle raid.

The two are caught by a large, talking bipetal stegosaurus. But as soon as he starts talking--both due to the familiar voice and the stegosaurus seemingly recognizing Honker and becoming awkward at seeing him there under these circumstances--Honker realizes that the anthropomorphic dinosaur is the museum custodian Mutt, whom he'd met a few months back during a visit with an elf friend from Duckburg. Upon being identified, Mutt claims that he goes by Stegmutt now, vaguely gesturing to his current form as the reason why.

A pterodactyl in a snug-fitting lab coat and relatively small square glasses appears behind Stegmutt, harshly chastising him for not locking away the intruders on the spot. Stegmutt, crumbling to the other dinosaur's authority, very reluctantly pushes the kids into a holding cell (virtually identical to the ones FOWL used in the Library of Alexandria) and locks them in with an apologetic look. Honker also recognizes the pterodactyl, as he was once the elderly chicken scientist named Dr. Barnabas Klykos, who corrects him by saying the Klykos is no more and identifying himself in dramatic fashion as Doctor Fossil. Both he and Stegmutt had apparently come in contact with the Stone Fragment of What Was while holding a piece of fossil; the latter accidentally and the former on purpose after seeing the effects.

Dr. Fossil proceeds to go into a big rant about how the scientific community scoffed at his dream of bringing humanity back to its prehistoric roots, yet he had everything he could've needed to make his vision a reality except a form of genetic bonding agent (The Stone Fragment of What Was, which he recently acquired on the black market from a former FOWL Egghead) and the proper relay antenna to broadcast the signal far and wide (just built from all the stolen parts). Just as he's boasting there's no one to stop him at this stage of his plan, cue the purple smoke bomb and an "I am the terror..." speech.

While the adults confront Dr. Fossil, Honker sympathetically reaches out Stegmutt, who he recognizes deep down doesn't really want any part in this. Stegmutt, however, feels he has no say in the matter, as Dr. Fossil seems to have convinced him he'll have nothing left outside of servitude to him, especially considering what he's now become. Honker, with Gosalyn quickly joining in, try to encourage him to find a better life for himself with people who respect him and his feelings, something that surprises and touches Stegmutt.

Dr. Fossil, however, quickly barks at him to come handle Darkwing and Launchpad, and Stegmutt quickly folds to his authority again. As he leaves to do that, Stegmutt looks back at the kids and assures them that, while Dr. Fossil maybe has been acting nuttier than usual lately, nobody's gonna get hurt too badly from this; people are just gonna become cool new prehistoric versions of themselves. But he's clearly trying to convince himself in the moment just as much.

As Stegmutt reluctantly fights back against the Masked Mallard and the pilot, Dr. Fossil rushes to the next room where his relay antenna is completed and carefully slots the Stone Fragment of What Was into its place before powering up the machine. Once the antenna powers up and connects to a satellite network above, random people all over are hit by the effects and start devolving into prehistoric versions of themselves.

The kids have a good view of what's happening from the vantage point of their holding cell, and Honker starts talking to Fossil as he runs his equipment over concerns that dinosaurs and such wouldn't exactly fit in with the current era. The mad scientist laughs it off by claiming that the current era is about at an end anyway. Humans are already priming their planet for an extinction-level event as it is with their various environmental crimes as deforestation and greenhouse gasses; the meteor scheduled to pass by will finish the job once the hacked satellite network draws it in.

Honker's horrified at what he spells out is Dr. Fossil's attempt to artificially generate a mass extinction-level event that'll kill off anyone that doesn't get affected by the devolution ray. Someone else is also horrified, as it turns out the fight between the two older ducks and the stegosaurus got close enough that Stegmutt heard everything. Stegmutt calls his mentor out on using him for such a cruel and genocidal scheme, but Dr. Fossil insults him back by saying the young janitor was clearly too stupid to see it for himself and that he has no life for himself away from him. Fossil also claims that it's too late to stop him anyway.

Feeling hurt and betrayed, Stegmutt challenges that notion by stepping aside to let DW and LP tackle him and then turns to smash the controls of the kids' holding cell with his tail, freeing them. Honker has just enough time to rush to the controls of the relay antenna to have the satellite network repel the meteor it had just latched onto and then reverse the effects of the outgoing devolution rays. Dr. Fossil is taken down, and SHUSH is called in to clean up.

While Darkwing and SHUSH works to accommodate for Stegmutt's living conditions, as he's effectively homeless due to Dr. Klykos having provided his apartment space (which probably wouldn't be able to accommodate a stegosaurus man anyway), the agency's scientists determine that while those affected by the ray could be returned to normal, physical contact with any part of the Stone of What Was resulted in what was (for the foreseeable future, as they were still studying the artifact) an essentially permanent transformation.

Team Darkwing comfort Stegmutt, who's feeling lost and unsure of his future now. Uplifted by their assurance that they'll help him find a place for himself, Stegmutt decides he wants to use his new dinosaur form for the greater good and help those in need. By the end of this adventure, there's a new hero in St. Canard. Stegmutt gets his superhero origin story, and Dr. Fossil gets jailtime.

[muckduckgoose]

askrossiel​:

“I hope we get to find out soon. Then maybe there will be fewer days where James is home late from the lab.”

“It’s not that I mind so terribly much, since I get to spend time with Mr. Ozma and learn more of the fun words from Roman, but I feel safer when James is around.”

Sounded like all the work that went into Penny made Mr. Ironwoof a very busy man, even if he wasn’t necessarily the main scientist behind her. Honker offered Rossiel a sympathetic smile.

“Sounds like he’s eager to see this project through. Still, I’m sure he’s just as eager to get back to you each day. And you’ll both have loads of time together once she’s all ready to be unveiled.”

Honker froze as he heard his own choice of words, mentally scrambling to put together some damage control before Ross could potentially get suspicious. “Er...was that weird of me to gender a science project?” he chuckled awkwardly. “I mean, like, people tend to female-gender things like boats and ships, so... H-Hey, what if Dr. Polendina’s secret project is some kinda cool next-gen ship?! I mean, uh, it’s possible, right?”

His first conversation with Ross when he first met her involved ship-building, he recalled, which Honker realized might give that train of thought some plausibility.

"A super special secret project..."

[muckduckgoose]

@askrossiel (source)

Honker hadn’t been planning on staying so late with his work, but time got the best of him. The fact that crime in Saint Canard had been slow lately, so he’d been spending less time at Darkwing Tower with the team, might’ve played at least a small role. But recent events in Duckburg seemed to leave nobody at the lab/apartment willing to let a minor leave so late at night. The fact that Honker nodded off at the table probably didn’t help either.

If he’d known he’d be staying the night, he probably would’ve packed some provisions like pajamas, toiletries, and Albert Einswine. It felt weird sleeping anywhere without his plush doll of the famous 20th century German physicist, and he at least trusted the people around here by now not to tease him for it. But Einswine was back home, so he’d have to do without.

At this point, he was kinda fading in and out. Honker was quite sleepy, but he still had a few concerns. Reaching out, he let one out in a drowsy mumble. “I should... I should...let my parents know...”

[muckduckgoose]

@askrossiel​ (source)

Honker carefully and deliberately crafted his question, wanting to be sure his thoughts were perfectly understood. “Let’s say...you have a friend you’ve known for some time. You’re real close, like best friend level close. And you have...feelings for this close friend, but you know they’re not into, well, I guess girls, in your case. B-But you value your friendship with this friend so much, so you’d rather not make it weird by telling...them about those feelings. You figure they’d just go away on their own if you say nothing, but having them and saying nothing just makes you feel weirder about it.

“What do you think, um, someone in this sort of situation should consider doing to handle this in the least weird-feeling way?”

[muckduckgoose]

((I did a doodle late last night relevant to some recent threads. A t-shirt meant for a large wolf man makes for a decent enough nightshirt for a small avian kid.))

@askrossiel @certifiedwerewolf @hardheadedbighearted @rublesandjaun @rudechickenboy

[muckduckgoose]

askrossiel​:

“Poor fellow,” she murmured, watching the retreating figure of Mutt. “The taste we got of his mentor’s temper is bad enough; I fear our friend is stuck with the full-course meal.”

Though she was just as eager to be gone from the auditorium, Rossiel was slower to get to her feet, needing the aid of her cane to do so.

“Plants, yes. Plants ought to be nice– after all, my folk revere Yavanna the Giver of Fruits and her sister Vána the Maiden of Blossoms. With any luck, there oughtn’t be anyone on the museum staff arguing for a return to the supremacy of ferns.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Honker nodded, walking alongside Rossiel as they took their leave for the main hall of the museum. “Why, Yavanna and Vána sound like a delightful pair; I’d love to hear more.”

And with that, both had left the paleontology auditorium, and any remaining spectators soon followed suit. With that bit of excitement done and out of the way, the room became quiet and peaceful once more with hardly a sign of the drama that occurred.

But trouble was brewing, it seemed. And when passions grew well beyond moral bounds in a place like Saint Canard, well...perhaps that’s a concern for another day.

[muckduckgoose]

@askrossiel (source)

Honker Muddlefoot had arrived at the beach area with Gosalyn a short while. He had a few beach necessities on him, including his personal towel and an insulated bottle of filtered water from home. He had already applied feather-friendly sunscreen where necessary and was currently wearing a simple t-shirt along with his usual swim trunks and personally designed prescription goggles.

“Not sure my stomach would agree,” he quipped dryly under his breath as he scoped out the area. He looked to Ross and explained, “My friend Gos said Dewey wanted to show her something cool he apparently found in an old Slovak temple.”

[muckduckgoose]

@askrossiel​ (source)

“Uhhh...” Honker stood there awkwardly beside the bed. He was still in the very large chemistry pun t-shirt from last night, his glasses hastily planted back on his face as one hand shakily adjusted them to a more comfortable position. “Sorry, you, um, kinda freaked me out.”

The noises she was making, both vocal and in her squirming, also happened to wake him up. But he didn’t mention that, as he didn’t want Ross to think he held that against her.

[muckduckgoose]

@askrossiel​

The St. Canard Natural History Museum was decently active for an autumn afternoon such as this one. While the age range of visitors was fairly wide, most that could be seen consisted of young adults (mainly either college students or graduates) and kids who would soon be returning to school, watched over by parents.

After taking a moment to adjust the paper visitor wristband given upon entry, Honker took a moment to look around the main hall of the museum before turning to smile at his present company.

“Glad you could come with. Gosalyn’s...had some extracurricular activities ahead of classes starting,” in other words, Drake had been giving the newly self-declared ‘Quiverwing Quack’ one-on-one lessons on safe superheroing to ensure she doesn’t get herself hurt, “Ruby’s been keeping her sister company during a prosthetics tune-up at the hospital, and Launchpad’s off with the entire McDuck Clan checking out some ancient relic in the Czich Republic*, so I was a little worried at first I’d be going by myself.”

[muckduckgoose]

askrossiel​:

“It’ll be something to look forward to. I may not understand much myself, but I do like seeing what such bright minds come up with.”

Almost to herself, she added, “I wonder if this device could be taught what Sindarin sounds like.” It was a nice daydream, at least; the thought of being able to talk with Mr. Qrow and Mr. Ozma in her own mother-tongue.

Honker nodded along, invested in the subject at hand. “In theory, a device like this can learn pretty much any language as long as someone understands both the code that runs the device and the language in question,” he noted. “And, like, I taught myself to read Aurebesh, so I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on learning languages our reality regards as ‘fictional’ as well.”

With a chuckle, he mused, “Imagine if a citizen of the Galactic Republic were to come through an interdimensional rift next; I’d already be able to write with ‘em.”

askrossiel​:

“Probably,” Rossiel agreed with a shrug.

By now, her tail was wagging at speeds that could probably be weaponized. “The other neat thing is the little screen in the back that shows the words at the same time as they’re said out loud, so if I’m in a noisy place, or the AAC says something in a weird way, the person I’m talking to can see what I meant. And I can send messages to James and Dr. Polendina! They’d probably let me add you to the address list, too.”

Honker smiled brightly at the offer. “I’d happily accept if I were allowed to be,” he said. “Text is also a great alternative to verbal communication when sign isn’t recognized. Or when you can’t utilize your hands to their full extent for whatever reason.”

He paused on that note, musing to himself, “I have been hoping for a chance to work with Dr. Polendina a little more lately. I mean, I have been kinda busy lately helping my friends back home with their things, and I’m sure the doctor’s been busy running a complex business like his... Maybe I’ll bring up your AAC next time I get to see him at one of his labs.”

[muckduckgoose]

askrossiel​:

“I suppose some people can adapt well to such changes, but maintenance isn’t what I apprenticed for. When performance-halls are where you come alive, there is no joy in dusting an instrument nobody will hear you play.”

“Well... Just ‘cause times and traditions change doesn’t mean everything from old goes away. I mean...sure, selling things door to door’s kinda gone the wayside for multiple reasons, but there are people who appreciate both recorded and live entertainment. Heck, I hear that old L’Orange Theater in Duckburg is getting renovated for some new venue that’ll host a mix of movies and stage performers.”

askrossiel​:

“What did he do when they stopped needing salesmen?”

There was a twinge of an old ache, something she had once argued about with Mercury. “I once went to a restaurant where all the musicians were made of clockwork. I mean… Mr. Bear and his friends are nice and all, but it makes me worry about not being needed.”

“Well, people are still needed. The jobs don’t necessarily go away,” he was quick to gently counter.

“Animatronics need people to maintain them so they can keep running. Websites need people to create and update the pages, as well as do things like offer customer support or manage sales. My dad used to sell Quackerware containers on foot to people’s houses, but now he works as assistant sales manager, and newer employees are handling sales remotely or through contracts with local stores.”

[muckduckgoose]

“I’d hope I’m at least a gluten-free cookie...”

"I can't imagine myself as a cookie. I think I'd be too delicate and crumbly, and I would have had to be stuck all back together with icing after the scooter incident."

[muckduckgoose]

“We get our food from the supermarket. I...don’t think most of us have hunted our food since...I dunno, maybe several generations after we domesticated?”

"They do not praise the Lord of the Hunt at the midwinter feasts here. I guess it makes sense that with all kinds of food available all the year 'round, they need not rely on Oromë's gifts for their survival, but it still feels odd..."

[muckduckgoose]

askrossiel​:

“So this Dr. Waddlemeyer got lost in another world as well? I wonder if any of it’s related…” Her ears and tail drooped for a moment in sympathy.

“Mr. Qrow is really a very nice fellow once you get a chance to talk with him longer. He’s a brilliant cook, too.”

“...Dr. Waddlemeyer had been...researching means of drawing matter from other points of the multiverse, but...the machine was unstable...” he recounted soberly.

There was a lot more complicated details in the matter, such as Waddlemeyer’s greedy lab partner taking advantage of the machine’s instability to get rid of him and claim the breakthrough as his own. But that was a whole different can of worms.

“His only remaining relative in this reality is my neighbor and best friend, Gosalyn. We still have no idea where he was even sent, but...if we can somehow find that proverbial needle in a continent of haystacks...”

askrossiel​:

“If that happens, you wouldn’t even be startled by someone coming through the window of a story, because you’ve met one of those already, too!” Her eyes crinkled with merriment. “Oh, you should meet Mr. Qrow when you have the chance. He spent three years in Arfda– imagine that; someone who both went to my story and came back!”

“Well, if he can manage that, there may be hope yet of bringing Dr. Waddlemeyer home,” he mused lightly before noting to himself, “Though the main issue’s still figuring out what reality he’s even in, I guess...”

There was a moment’s pause before the repeated mention of the name ‘Qrow’ jogged something in the back of Honker’s mind. “Oh wait, I think I already met a Mr. Qrow. I mean, kinda? We just said hello, and then he left? I think he just came to take Mr. Ironwoof home...”

[muckduckgoose]

askrossiel​:

“If that happens, you wouldn’t even be startled by someone coming through the window of a story, because you’ve met one of those already, too!” Her eyes crinkled with merriment. “Oh, you should meet Mr. Qrow when you have the chance. He spent three years in Arfda– imagine that; someone who both went to my story and came back!”

“Well, if he can manage that, there may be hope yet of bringing Dr. Waddlemeyer home,” he mused lightly before noting to himself, “Though the main issue’s still figuring out what reality he’s even in, I guess...”

There was a moment’s pause before the repeated mention of the name ‘Qrow’ jogged something in the back of Honker’s mind. “Oh wait, I think I already met a Mr. Qrow. I mean, kinda? We just said hello, and then he left? I think he just came to take Mr. Ironwoof home...”

askrossiel​:

“It’ll be something to look forward to. I may not understand much myself, but I do like seeing what such bright minds come up with.”

Almost to herself, she added, “I wonder if this device could be taught what Sindarin sounds like.” It was a nice daydream, at least; the thought of being able to talk with Mr. Qrow and Mr. Ozma in her own mother-tongue.

Honker nodded along, invested in the subject at hand. “In theory, a device like this can learn pretty much any language as long as someone understands both the code that runs the device and the language in question,” he noted. “And, like, I taught myself to read Aurebesh, so I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on learning languages our reality regards as ‘fictional’ as well.”

With a chuckle, he mused, “Imagine if a citizen of the Galactic Republic were to come through an interdimensional rift next; I’d already be able to write with ‘em.”

[muckduckgoose]

askrossiel​:

“Probably,” Rossiel agreed with a shrug.

By now, her tail was wagging at speeds that could probably be weaponized. “The other neat thing is the little screen in the back that shows the words at the same time as they’re said out loud, so if I’m in a noisy place, or the AAC says something in a weird way, the person I’m talking to can see what I meant. And I can send messages to James and Dr. Polendina! They’d probably let me add you to the address list, too.”

Honker smiled brightly at the offer. “I’d happily accept if I were allowed to be,” he said. “Text is also a great alternative to verbal communication when sign isn’t recognized. Or when you can’t utilize your hands to their full extent for whatever reason.”

He paused on that note, musing to himself, “I have been hoping for a chance to work with Dr. Polendina a little more lately. I mean, I have been kinda busy lately helping my friends back home with their things, and I’m sure the doctor’s been busy running a complex business like his... Maybe I’ll bring up your AAC next time I get to see him at one of his labs.”

"Check out my new AAC!"

The pup proudly holds up the tablet in its sturdy case with a handle. "Now if I meet someone who doesn't know ASL, like the man who gave me directions to the pier when I got lost, I don't have to worry. I can press these buttons, and it talks!"