#maybe it's Della's fault

[ahoyimlosingmymind]

okay yeah- Alden is not canonically awful- questionable? certainly. But not evil.

Having said that- someone has got to explain to me how his kids ended up with so many childhood grievances and one of them joined a terrorist organization...

all I'm saying is that they turned out a little funky for having such 'well adjusted parents.'..

like wtf was going on in that house?

[the-way-astray]

i must be the only (kind of) unironic aldella shipper in this entire fandom.

(ranting in the tags)

[korkorali]

I think the worst bit for me about all Those Sorts (you know the type) of fics is that they always take Della extremely out of character in order to make her the 'antagonist.'

And that sucks because it's just not necessary! It's the worst because you can have Della & Louie angst where Della's the 'antagonist,' and it's in-character.

You just have to have Louie be wrong in the end (kind of).

The reason why Della and Louie clash in Timephoon and Glomtales! isn't because Della 'disapproves of scheming in entirety' or something, it's because she's done the same goddamn thing as him.

(And side note- Timephoon is honestly an amazing piece of storytelling, because it allows us to see Della's thought process for taking the Spear of Selene by showing us Louie doing pretty much the same thing.)

She's been through it all before, and she knows how it ends.

And that fucking terrifies her! The idea that one of her kids is making the same mistakes as her, could go through the same thing as she did, and she's the only one who can see it, is terrifying.

The way to start out a story like this is simple; have an adventure go wrong. Not in a deadly way, not in a way that's caused by Louie (at least, not that anyone but him notices), not in a way that costs anyone their life- but in a way that causes them to lose the treasure. The adventure is a failure, and they have to come back empty handed, like New Gods on the Block.

Maybe some people get hurt, maybe it's vaguely Louie's fault (and even then- it'd be better if it wasn't even his fault, it's just his brain connecting patterns where there aren't any), but the most important part is that they don't get the treasure, and it's like- one of those ones that can only be found once every hundred years or something.

Louie feels responsible (I mean all of the kids do, but as it'd be a Louie story he'd be the one focused on) and upset that they want to all that trouble and don't have anything to show for it, so he tries to figure out some way to go on the adventure again.

Turns out, after a bit of research, there is a way to get to the treasure again! Louie brings it to Scrooge's attention excitedly- but Scrooge turns it down. Says it's too dangerous, that they're not doing it, end of story.

...Not end of story- everyone's still obviously miserable. So Louie decides that 'okay, if it's 'too dangerous,' then I'll just go in secret. It'll be fine, Scrooge is just overreacting.'

So he starts trying to put a plan into place to get the treasure in secret- but Della, somehow, seems to know what he's doing (hint: it's because she knows what she'd do if she was in Louie's shoes). And is consistently getting in his way.

And there you go- a perfect setup to have Della consistently and purposefully stepping on Louie's toes, getting in his way, trying to stop him from doing things, and it's even in-character! It'd probably start out with the two acting like everything's perfectly hunky-dory, even though both of them know that the other knows that they know that the other knows why they did this one thing.

As plans get deeper, it'd escalate to Della trying to actively call Louie out, but he always manages to just barely weasel his way out of it, and eventually commence his plan.

It obviously goes wrong. But Della's there to help. And finally she'd actually explain why the fuck she's been something of a thorn in his side for the past few weeks, why it seems like she knows what he's thinking: because she does.

Because she's been through the same thing.

Because she fucked up, and left her stranded on the moon for ten years, and she does not want that for her kid. (And of course everything could've been solved if she'd just sat down and talked to Louie about that at the onset, but it's Della- she only likes to bring up the moon when it's funny. She would've thought 'nah it's fine, I can handle this, I don't need to bare my soul, I shouldn't burden anyone with that' without realizing that oh yeah, no, that's the exact same thought process she doesn't want Louie to think)

And of course they'd argue, because it'd be a high-stress situation and neither of them would have the composure to pretend that everything's alright and they haven't been sniping at each other for the past week or so, and eventually it'd finally come up; eventually, they'd finally bring up that they thought the exact same thing when Louie did this, when Louie took the Timetub, when Della took the Spear.

'...And if anything goes wrong, at least I'm the only one who'll get hurt.' (Because you cannot tell me that that was not the last thought running through both of their heads when they took the timetub/Spear of Selene, you cannot convince me that they didn't think they were doing right by their families in that moment, that they hadn't done their due diligence and minimized risk down to one person.)

And Louie wouldn't understand, because he did the right thing. He minimized risk, he made sure nobody else would get hurt. But that's wrong- because if he got hurt, then Della (Donald, Scrooge, their family, her kids) would get hurt too. That they could fly into a vacuum all they wanted, but at the end of the day, they still didn't exist in one.

Eventually, they'd get out of there and abandon the mission again. Maybe they'd succeed, but probably not. But that's not important- what'd be important is that they were both safe and alive and okay.

There- a Della & Louie thing, extremely angsty, well Della as the 'antagonist,' and it's all in-character. Easy.

[writebackatya]

For anyone out there thinking about creating a DuckTales 2017 OC that is Della’s husband and the father of Huey, Dewey, and Louie; I should let you know that doing this The Spear of Selene incident is now partially your fault

Actually scratch that, it’s now ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT!

You selfish jerk!

Why didn’t you sit down with your wife and talk things over with her!? Why didn’t you talk about the overwhelming feelings she must’ve had when having three kids. Maybe that’s why she took the rocket because she thought it would be her last adventure as her own woman with the pressures of motherhood coming towards her!

Oh there was nothing you could do to prevent Della’s actions!? Well then why the hell did you let Donald Duck take her kids and raise them by himself!? That bum can’t even hold down a job let alone a high note! You really want garble mouth to raise your kids by himself!?! At least try to convincee him to tell the boys about their own family!

Oh and Uncle Scrooge! One of Della’s close family members that loved her near and dear! Way to let him become a recluse! He a lost a part of himself because of the Spear of Selene!

Also fuck you for not letting her kids be named Jet, Rebel, and Turbo! That was like one of her wishes and you failed at that too!

God I’m so mad at this nonexistent character I made up

I hate you Father of the Triplets! Why don’t people get mad at you instead of the three that caused the Spear of Selene!

[janetbrown711]

Melatonin

Louie can't sleep after an adventure gone wrong, his mother's words echoing in his head like the worst worst record, and so he seeks solace with his dear old Uncle Donald.

Ao3 Link

Louie was tired, which wasn’t surprising for 2:17 in the morning. It had also been a long, long day of adventuring and he had been grateful when he finally was able to throw himself on his bunk bed.

Unfortunately though, Louie couldn’t sleep.

His back and legs ached something fierce from all of the above-average amounts of running and walking and climbing he had to do, and there was this weight on his chest that caused his heart to pound, keeping his eyes and mind on alert.

Insomnia was nothing new for the youngest duck brother, of course, but that didn’t make it any less annoying (especially with Dewey’s tendency to snore). He’d normally just go on his phone and scroll through social media until his eyes decided to close, but it didn’t feel right tonight. No, his feed was too full of Webby and Dewey’s photos of their adventure. Photos of Scrooge, Huey, and Della were on every post, with Louie having to swipe through to find any with him in them.

That wasn’t their fault though, Louie really hadn’t been in the mood today for hiking mountains and fighting bears and bear-like monsters to find some mystic honey stirrer. The photos of him were blurry and embarrassing, unlike the usual where he’d at least pose with the treasure or he and Webby had some kind of fun side quest.

A chill ran through Louie that made him sit up and sigh, rubbing the bandages around one of his hands as he tried to think of what to do.

He could go to the kitchen and if Duckworth wasn’t too busy ghost-sleeping, he could make him some tea..? No, no, Louie hated tea more than Scrooge hated to waste it. Something else then… like watching YouTube? No, his feed was overrun with videos about Doofus Drake and Scrooge McDuck sightings and hustler videos that Louie really didn’t have an interest in (at least… not right now). He could try counting sheep, but– but there was something else on his mind playing on repeat instead.

“C’mon Louie, it’s just one more mile, don’t get lazy on me now.” His mother smiled at him, hands on her hips and a bouncy energy that just made him even more tired by the second.

“Yeah, Louie! C’mon, it’ll be totally cool to see the top of the mountain,” Huey encouraged too.

“If I don’t die before then,” Louie panted, leaning back against a tree.

Della tsked and rolled her eyes. “You sound just like your uncle, you know that?”

Louie perked up at that, but before he could say anything, Dewey punched him in the arm as he and Webby sped by.

“See ya later, slowpokes!” he called out mockingly as Webby made a face.

“Hey! We’re supposed to be on the lookout for bears, you two!” Della laughed and hurried to go join them.

“Hey–! Wait for us!” Huey shouted and started scurrying off too, and Louie had no choice but to follow.

…Louie didn’t know why his mind was focusing on it– it wasn’t a big deal, really. They all made it eventually, even if Louie missed the “big reveal” and family photo op. They had hundreds of those, Louie being gone from one or two or however many at this point wasn’t a big deal. He was the lazy one, after all. Consequences, simple as that.

“If you want to be part of this family, you got to–”

Louie shot up and out of bed, startled by his own memory as the pounding in his chest only increased.

“It’s just a stupid memory, Louie. Just shut up and go back to sleep,” he muttered to himself before checking if he’d awoken his brothers. Thankfully, the answer was no, so Louie was left to… well, as much as he wanted to, he was in no condition to go back to bed. He was still stuck in “fight or flight” mode, so he needed to walk around– maybe to find some melatonin.

As good as that sounded though, he knew the numerous bathrooms barely even had toilet paper, much less medications due to how stingy Scrooge was. If there was melatonin to be found, it probably expired in 1986 and probably had a nightmare shadow creature trapped inside for extra measure.

Then again, Uncle Donald always kept his melatonin and other vitamins stocked, so maybe Louie could just go to the houseboat to check? Hopefully he could do so without waking his uncle, but if he caught him, it wasn’t like he’d get in trouble.

Louie bit his cheek, finding his phone and unplugging it to check the time, annoyed but not surprised it had only been two minutes. With a sigh, Louie put his phone in his pajama pocket, and quietly crept out of his room into the halls of the manor.

Nights like these always made the mansion feel haunted– more than by Duckworth, anyways. His uncle was crazy old and so was his choice in curtains and decoration. While Duckworth and Beakley kept dust away, the moonlight had this uncanny way of pointing out every crack and crevice that was previously unknown. Plus, the quiet made the creaking wood and pipes a lot more noticeable, and with Louie, being in the state that he was, picked up the pace to avoid it as much as possible.

Thankfully, the courtyard wasn’t too hard to get to and soon, Louie was back sneaking his way on the houseboat like it was nothing.

While it took a second to get used to, the familiar sway and creaking of the houseboat was comforting for the young duck, and he couldn’t help but smile as he made his way to the bathroom’s medicine cabinet for raiding.

In there, he found a half empty bottle of aspirin, a thing of tums, an empty paper cup, some mouthwash, but no sign of any melatonin.

“Well… frick,” Louie muttered to himself, closing the mirror and nearly jumping out of his skin when he heard footsteps just outside.

“Hello?” called out the tired and scratchy voice of Louie’s uncle.

Busted.

“Sorry, Uncle Dee, I was just looking for some melatonin to nab.” Louie’s face was red as he flicked the light off and stepped out to the small hallway.

His uncle smiled pitifully at him. “Can’t sleep?”

Louie shook his head.

“I keep that in my room now since you three moved out.” Donald chuckled. “I can grab it for you, and I can make some tea too, if you’d like.”

Louie bit his cheek. It was getting late, but as much as Louie wanted to just take the melatonin and hope his feelings would just drown out, he couldn’t deny having a cup of sleepytime tea with his uncle would help.

“Yeah, sure, why not?” Louie gave a crooked little smile, which made his uncle chuckle again and ruffle his hair before going to the kitchen. Louie followed, sliding into the circular booth and watching as his uncle pulled out the dented old kettle and filled it with water.

“Have you gotten any sleep at all?” his uncle asked, watching it fill.

Louie shook his head. “No, not really… I’m more surprised you’re awake though, I really thought it would be an easy in-and-out.”

“You’d be surprised how raising triplets and being ex-navy can affect how light you sleep.” His uncle winked and turned the water off.

Louie snorted. “I think Mom could sleep through a bombing.”

“Yeah, that’s Della all right.” Donald’s voice wavered a bit, though he quickly turned to muttering in frustration as it took a second before his stove would light. It eventually did, and once that was all settled he sighed and leaned against the counter. “So what’s keeping you up this time, Lou?”

“Oh, you know… adventure stuff, I guess,” Louie danced around the details, picking at the bandage on his hand.

His uncle’s eyes landed on it, and based on his reaction, it seemed he hadn’t noticed his injury at dinner. “Are you okay? What happened? Did Huey or Webby do the bandaging? Or was it Dewey? Not that he does a bad job, he just always forgets the Neosporin–”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, Uncle Dee– really,” Louie forced a smile. “It’s just a minor scrape, I promise.”

“You know, I’ve always told Scrooge you boys need better gloves and gear just so situations like this don’t happen.” Donald shook his head and left the kitchen, muttering under his breath the whole time.

Welp. Better than a scolding to stay safer, Louie thought to himself as he closed his eyes for a second.

When he opened them again, his uncle was back with a first aid kit and a bottle of melatonin.

“Here, let me look at it,” Donald asked, taking a seat next to Louie.

“It’s fine, Uncle Donald,” Louie tried to assure him, but his uncle didn’t relent, taking his hand and quickly unwrapping the bandage.

His uncle frowned, inspecting it. “This doesn’t look like a regular scrape. What happened?”

“It was just a sharp rock, I swear.” Louie looked away to try and mask the lie.

Donald didn’t seem to believe it, but focused his efforts more on adding some neosporin to his cut before finding a suitable gauze pad, bringing Louie momentarily relief.

“Who wrapped this the first time? And how long was it between hurting yourself and getting bandaged?” Donald interrogated.

“Dewey when we got back to the plane, I guess– it’s really not a big deal, Uncle Donald, I’m fine,” Louie tried to push, but he could see Donald’s eye twitch.

“No one had a first aid kit? Not even Huey?” Donald asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“He ran out using it on Webby and Dewey and Launchpad.” Louie shrugged. “Seemed only fair to let them have it this time anyways, since I’m usually the one taking all the supplies.”

Donald frowned, now taking the roller bandage and wrapping his wrist twice before going diagonally to the outside of his pinky. “I don’t like you thinking like that; your safety and health matters just as much as anyone else’s– even if you’ve got worse luck and tire out quicker.”

“Sure,” Louie sighed, looking at the kettle and seeing the steam starting to escape, a squeal imminent.

“I’m serious, Louie. I don’t want you talking like that. You deserve as much love and care as anyone else.” His uncle looked at him seriously, but the ten-year-old avoided eye contact.

Donald frowned, finishing the bandaging just as the kettle began to squeal and put a brief pause to go deal with that.

“If you want a place in this family–”

Stop. Just stop, Louie hissed in his mind. He hated that stupid video and that stupid memory. It was so long ago, there really wasn’t a point for it to be on repeat like it was. Yeah, his mom joked that if he hadn’t been so clumsy on the last adventure then Huey wouldn’t have ran out of bandages, but like… that was different. Louie was fine. It was fine. It was cool.

“So are you going to actually tell me how you hurt yourself, or are you going to keep me guessing all night?” Donald sighed, pouring the hot water into two mugs.

“It was a sharp rock, I promise.” Louie bit his cheek.

“Right.” His uncle’s shoulders sagged, before he shook his head and set the kettle down. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Adventures are hard sometimes, I get it– plus, I know I can be a little protective–”

Louie laughed.

Donald rolled his eyes. “Okay, maybe more than a little protective, but you know… someone’s gotta.”

Louie’s smile faded and his eyes went back to his hands.

His uncle hummed in amusement as he got the tea bags and began brewing before returning with mugs in hand to the booth. “I’m sorry today was rough. I wish I could’ve been there.”

Louie waved his hand. “You would’ve gotten hurt a lot more than me.”

“Yeah, but at least Della knows to carry three extra kits whenever I’m around,” Donald laughed, and a lump formed in Louie’s throat.

“Right, yeah.” Louie tried to ignore it, tapping his fingers on the glass as he urged the tea to brew faster.

When it was done, he could feel his uncle's eyes on him as he took a sip of tea, searching and scanning like they had many times before. It was how he eventually learned to detect Louie's schemes, and it never failed to make Louie feel small.

To his surprise though, instead of saying anything, Donald wrapped an arm around Louie and pulled him to his side, kissing his head and hugging him tight. It made the lump tighten and tears threaten to form, the pressure building so tight Louie might just burst.

“I love you, Louie. You know that?” his uncle whispered.

Louie could only nod.

“I love you very, very much, Lou. I care about your health and safety, and I want you to be happy more than anything else in the whole wide world, do you understand?” Donald continued.

Louie nodded again, his lower lip beginning to tremble.

His uncle hugged him tighter. “Louie, I want you to tell me what’s hurting you. You don’t have to give details– but know that nothing is too much for me, okay? I want to help you… please…”

The ‘please’ shattered Louie’s resolve. He opened his mouth to speak maybe three times, before he eventually croaked it out:

“Why… doesn’t mom… like me..?”

Donald let out a quiet gasp, filling Louie with instant regret that broke him down into a sobbing mess in an instant.

“Oh, Louie.” His uncle pulled Louie onto his lap now, hugging him tight as he rocked back and forth while the ten-year-old just buried his face in his chest.

“S-sh-she– It-it’s like– She likes H-Huey, a-and Dewey, a-and even Webby– b-but– b-but–”

“I’m so sorry, honey.” Donald hugged him a little tighter, and Louie could tell he was crying too.

“I-I keep screwing u-up– a-and it’s like– i-it’s like she ca-can’t even tell a-and she just– she hates me, Unca’ Donald, she hates me,” Louie wept.

“Della doesn’t hate you, Louie, she just doesn’t understand, I promise,” Donald tried to assure, but Louie just shook his head.

“Sh-she keeps– she keeps calling me lazy a-and she makes fun of me wh-when I fail a-and even get hurt– it hurts so much, Unca’ Donald, it hurts so much,” Louie confessed, a wave of sorrow crashing down with the realization.

“I’m so sorry, Lou…” his uncle’s voice cracked. “I wish she didn’t. I really, really wish she didn’t– but old habits die hard, I’m so sorry.”

It took Louie a moment to process what his uncle said, and when he did, he sat up a bit. “Y-you mean she does that to you too?”

Donald nodded with a sad smile. “Everyone does, but Del and Scrooge especially. I used to joke that’s the only reason they kept me around.”

Louie’s heart managed to break a second time and he practically leapt to hug his uncle. “M’so sorry, I-I never meant to– I just– I’m so sorry, Uncle Donald.”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, Lou. I’ve learned to accept it.” Donald rubbed his back.

“But you shouldn’t have to! I-it sucks– I hate being just a joke to them, a-and you’re so much more than that too!” Louie broke the embrace again.

“Louie, you aren’t a joke to them, I promise. You have that wonderful mind of yours that’s always so good at planning and scheming and escaping and they value that tremendously.” Donald put his hands on Louie’s shoulders.

Louie looked at the ground. “Even mom..?”

Donald gave a long sigh. “Your mom is… new to this. She doesn’t understand how you work yet and assumes you won’t take it personally, like how I would act– but that doesn’t make it right. She loves you, but she just doesn’t know how to, and I’m sorry that hurts you…”

Louie looked away, his mom’s words echoing again in his mind.

“If you want to be a part of this family, you gotta stop.”

“She… she said if I wanted to be a part of this family, I had to stop scheming– had to stop the one thing I’m good at,” Louie whispered.

He could see his uncle’s shoulders tense. “When did she say that..?”

“When you were gone after the ‘timephoon incident’.” Louie sniffled, wiping away hot tears as he stared at his mug.

Donald gave another long, heavy sigh. “I’m so sorry, Louie. I wish she understood you, I really, really do…”

“Sh-she also– I hurt my hand because she didn’t see me slipping. She didn’t help me– sh-she assumed I’d be okay, but I’m not okay– it’s not okay, Uncle Donald, it’s not.” Louie shook his head and curled up to Donald’s side, and his uncle wrapped an arm around him.

“I’m so sorry, Lou. Della just gets so wrapped up in her own head, she has a hard time recognizing people aren’t always at her level.” Donald rested his head atop Louie’s and squeezed him.

“I-I felt so alone today– I hate feeling alone,” Louie confessed more.

“I know, Louie, I know. And if it helps, you’ll always have me no matter what, okay? There’s nothing you could do to make me hate or leave you. You’ll always be my little Louie, and even if we get separated, I’ll always find my way back– even if it’s the moon,” Donald pointed out with a soft smile.

“Thanks, Uncle Donald.” Louie nuzzled closer. “I wish mom understood you too.”

His uncle laughed weakly. “Maybe one day… but in the meantime, I’m lucky to have you.”

Louie couldn’t help but laugh a little too. “I’m lucky to have you too, Uncle Donald.”

The pair of them sat in silence for a while, with Louie curled extra tight to his side and Donald holding him nice and close. It was calming, especially with the slow eb and flow of the pool water. All that crying had exhausted Louie, and he figured his uncle likely felt the same. However, Louie couldn’t even imagine going back to his bunk now, not when he felt his uncle needed him as much as he needed Donald.

“I’ll try and talk to her. It’ll be slow and I don’t know how she’ll take it, but I’ll talk to her,” Donald suddenly spoke up. “Uncle Scrooge too, for that matter.”

Louie wiped his eyes and shook his head. “You don’t gotta do that, it probably won’t change anything.”

“I have to try, Lou.” Donald looked down at him. “You’re worth at least trying.”

Louie didn’t have a response for that, so he just nuzzled back close and there was quiet again.

Louie liked the quiet. It was much better than the eerie silence of the manor, and how it would always be broken abruptly by some creaking wood or wind whirling down the chimney. On the houseboat, the sounds were constant, like a lullaby. The splashing of the water, the squeaking old metal, the soft hum of the old AC unit– it always knew how to put Louie to sleep.

“Uncle Donald?” he suddenly spoke up.

“Yes?”

“Can I… stay here with you tonight?” Louie glanced back up at him.

Donald’s face melted into a soft smile. “Of course, Lou. You’re welcome here any time.”

“Good.” Louie smiled too, before yawning.

His uncle chuckled before yawning himself. “Looks like we should get going to bed, huh?”

“I could stay up longer,” Louie lied, making his uncle roll his eyes.

“Drink some tea before you take that melatonin, I don’t want it going to waste,” Donald lightly teased before getting up and drinking more of his own.

Louie nodded, beginning to chug before he remembered he really wasn’t that big of a fan of tea, and so set it down again. “Is… that enough?” Louie asked.

Donald laughed. “Yes, yes, it’s fine, I’m just joking, no need to force yourself.”

Louie smiled before struggling to open the bottle of melatonin. Noticing this, his uncle walked over and helped him retrieve the yellow pill, which Louie took with a little bit of tea. After that was done, Donald cleaned up their mugs and set them out to dry. Once that was settled, Louie took Donald’s hand and the two of them went to cuddle the rest of the night away.

[hueberryshortcake]

trigger warning incoherent rambling about scrooge mcduck control issues that i put under a cut bc it got long and unwieldy

this is mostly speculation but i do wonder if part of the way scrooge processes the spear of selene is thinking that he couldn't keep della safe because he wasn't there. if he'd been there with her instead of just over the phone, maybe he could have guided her or pointed out the storm or kept her focused or something.

obviously that's not really realistic, but it sort of changes his perspective from "this was my fault because i built her the spear" to "this was my fault a little because i let her go alone" (not that he necessarily could have known) and, simultaneously, "this ultimately isn't my fault because she went solo and i wasn't involved in the crash".

im saying this because the implication, particularly with season one, becomes, "therefore, if i keep everyone close to me, i can protect them, because i have never failed someone while ive been there for them" because his security lies in his self-confidence. if he keeps the kids close to him on mount neverrest, everyone will be fine because he's going to make it to the top through force of sheer willpower and keep everyone safe. if he guards everyone in the pyramid or whatever then he is in control of the situation and doesn't feel guilty or concerned about taking the kids into danger.

this sets us up for fun situations where he loses the kids! like in the living mummies where louie and webby get separated so he's pacing around itching to get going and find them because they're lost and he doesn't know what's happening to them hello SoS parallels. or situations like the last crash where he is like "we have a problem so obviously the solution is that I Personally Climb Out And Fix The Engine so that i am in control".

and like of course he's not a total helicopter parent or whatever and (mainly for simplicity of plot reasons) people are able to sneak away like in the spear of selene and go explore stuff on their own without him worrying about where they are but the overarching sentiment stands

in conclusion i just think it's fun if he mentally has all the littles on backpack leashes and his composure starts to crack when he they aren't within arm's reach of him or a trusted adult and also my brain stopped working like three hours ago i just love s1

[tapinix2]

Hey guys, I'm obsessed with Ducktales so I'm making an AU for it

We all know that Donald has anger issues and sees a therapist.

Well, what if a bit after the triplets are born and a while since Della has left there's an incident. He loses his tempor and one of the boys gets hurt, not badly, it's just a scratch, but he still feels horrible about it.

Donald is super anxious, so it's no surprise that he starts constantly worrying about accidentally hurting them again.

After talking to his therapist they decided that it would be best to send HDL to a foster family while maintaining guardianship until he's made more progress and can control his anger better.

They make arrangements, child services suggest trying to contact any relatives first.

While Donald insists that Scrooge is unfit to parent the boys, they call him anyway. Suprise suprise, he doesn't answer no matter how hard they try to talk to him. He's too busy pouring all his time into finding Della, ignoring anything else, he doesn't even find out about what's happening with his nephews.

Normally his close friend and housekeeper would answer these calls, but she has her hands so full with baby Webby (who's just shy of a year younger than HDL) that they go unnoticed.

Gladstone says that he would love to take them in but he's currently planning for a four year long expedition that includes traveling to casinos for gambling and drinking, not very kid friendly. He'd postpone, but the opportunity to visit some of the venues only opens once in a thousand years, and he is determined to win some big money in those legendary casinos. (hint hint, he gets trapped in one of them).

Feathery offers to take them, and child services denies due to the fact that he lives alone underwater. The conditions aren't safe for young children to grow up, but HDL will be allowed to visit once in a while if requested, as the facility itself is sound. He isn't willing to abandon his work on the edge of a breakthrough and move to a house above sea level.

So it's decided they will go to foster for a bit, Donald's only condition is that they don't get separated no matter what. He figures that even if something happens that they can't talk to him again, they'd always have each other. Everyone agrees to this and the paperwork is brought out.

Things are good for the first year, they go to this nice couple with an older kid, see their uncle on weekends, and start at public school. Donald's therapy is making progress, but he hasn't been able to hold down a job so the boys are to stay with the foster until he's financially stable.

Then Dewey gets into a fight. It wasn't his fault, really, but these older boys were picking on him so he punched them.

Louie tries to stay out of it, he's the smallest of the trio since he hatched last, and when one of the boys comes at him he uses his size to duck under them and run off. He goes to get a teacher.

Huey attempts to break it up at first, but after they push Dewey to the ground and try to hurt Louie, overprotective big brother loses his tempor.

He beats the bullies up, despite them being two years ahead. They aren't so injured they need medical attention but one of them hit their head and passed out, while the other two are bleeding and cowering against the wall when a teacher arrives.

HDL gets blamed for the incident, and they all get in trouble while the bullies get off. Despite Louie's protests, he's been marked down for cheating on a test and the school assumes he was part of it as well. Usually, they would just get detention, maybe a short suspension, however, one of the bullies just happens to be the son of a very influential school board member.

So the triplets end up expelled, after a lot of exaggeration over the incident and some crocodile tears from the bullies. They use Donald's anger issues against them, to prove that the boys are unstable. At this point they had only been in school a few months.

The school board talks to child services and recommends that the triplets are sent to homes or schools for troubled children. After half-ass assessing the boys, they ignore Donald's request and split them up.

Huey was able to play things down for himself, he's not a good liar but he's a goodie two shoes who managed to appeal to them. He stays with their original family for the time being and is moved to a different public school, while attending semi-regular therapy sessions for a bit.

Dewey is abrasive but hasn't been in trouble with the school before this. He tells them that the older boys started the fight, and while they don't entirely believe this story they go easy on him. They notice that he's very hyperactive, with love for adventure. Dewey is sent to Cape Suzette, where other foster/orphan children with a lot of energy have gone and seen promising results. They believe that being able to put his mind into more complicated things will calm his spirit. He bounces around the city a bit, and becomes friends with Kit who knew his mom from flight school (although they were never very close).

Louie gets it the worst, despite being the only one not involved in the fight. The bullies had claimed that he had been the one to start the whole thing, and the school board was very biased in their favour. Louie had previously managed to trick these three into giving him extra dessert at lunch, so this was their form of payback.

No matter how much he tried to explain that it wasn't true, the previous marks on his record for cheating made him out to be a bad kid. In actuality, he only tried to cheat because he was too lazy to do the work. He's a smart kid and he knew the answers, he could have passed just fine.

Thus, Louie ends up at a home for 'troubled boys'. He's one of the youngest, definitely the smallest, and way out of his element considering he was falsely accused.

The fight happened on Monday, the expulsion was finalized on Wednesday, and the boys were moved by Friday. On Saturday Donald is told that HDL got into a fight at school, and they believe his anger issues may have been a negative influence, so they want to pause the weekly visits for a little bit. Believing that they know best, and not having been told that the triplets were split up, Donald doesn't argue. He only asks if the boys were hurt at all, to which he gets a truthful "no, minus a few scratches".

AND THUS

THe boys have been separated, at an age where they would hardly rmbr once they grow up, and Donald has lost contact with them.

Do they manage to find each other and reunite once again? Do the triplets ever end up in a stable home? Does Scrooge get off his ass and become a parent figure to Webby? Will Donald attempt to contact his nephews again or become discouraged by everyone telling him he's unfit to be a parent?

We'll just have to wait and see.

I've been calling it the "finding family au" but I suppose you could also call it "split up au" as well.

This is the basic backstory, which I probably won't draw out, and we have a little more to go through until we get to the start of the actual story. I plan to make a mini comic for that little prelude, although it may take a bit to finish.

Send me asks about this and I will love u forever, I'm working on drawing designs for the triplets rn.

Yes, many more characters will be included. I have plans for team science, team heroes, team magic, May + June, and Goldie. If u have anyone else u wanna see let me know!

[unluckyuncle]

Family Threads 𓅭𓅭𓅭𓅭 Amity Drabble

Boy oh boy had it been a rough month for the duck. Of course, it had been another year of the triplet's birthday, more specifically one where he wasn't able to share in it. Donald had to pretend it was enough for him, but it only made his heart more to think about.

It was a suggestion of the family he did have here ( honorary, but in his book, that's all that mattered ) that led him all the way out to the Padadue temple. It really was a pretty landscape out here, just teeming with life and color.

He walked into the temple, not exactly sure what to expect. But he knew what he was here for. He was greeted by one of the Acolytes, who spoke to him a little bit more about what this was and the entire ceremony process. It sounded like a lot of magic-y things that Donald didn't fully understand, but he was assured that it was painless, and the end result would be well worth the time.

Donald let out a deep sigh but nodded. A huge part of him just wanted to see his family again, and this Sovenance Tapestry seemed to be the best way to do that.

He sat down and thought hard. Though really, he didn't have to do that much. He had so many memories of his family.

The boys were the first things that came to his mind. Of course, that wasn't too much of a surprise. He thought of them today. Dewey with his energy. Louie with his cleverness. Huey with his intelligence. He loved each and every one of them more than life itself. He remember when they hatched. Their first steps. Their first day at school. And of course, he remembered the struggles. The trips to the food bank. And the days when Donald wasn't sure he was good enough to be considered a parent at all. But he knew without a shadow of a doubt that they loved him just as much as he did, and that's what mattered the most to him.

With the boys comes Uncle Scrooge. There's a pain in those memories, Donald knows. He feels it deep within himself. The 10 years of bitterness, anger, regrets. But he remembers the times before. The adventures they had, the way Uncle Scrooge was so much like a father to him when his own didn't take the time to understand him. He'd spent so much of his life with the man, that he hardly knew what to do with himself when they cut ties. But now he was back. He loves Uncle Scrooge more than anything, even with his faults. They're family, and families stick together.

With Scrooge then comes Della... she was alive. She was somewhere home - or maybe not, he didn't know for sure. But she could be back with her kids, her wonderful boys. He wondered how much she had changed - if he'd even recognize her if he saw her ( would she recognize him? ) But he focused on their past. There was no one else who understood him like her. They stood up for him like her. She was there for all of his lowest moments, just like he was there for hers. Of course, they fought and teased... but they loved each other. That's all Donald can hope for.

There were so many memories that Donald searched through. He saw little Webby and Mrs. Beakly. He saw Launchpad and Gyro. So many friends; all of whom he'd call his family in one form or another. They'd saved the world together and loved each other more than anything else. Donald had been 10 years without a family, only to find himself surrounded by multitudes. Like all families in the world, they weren't perfect, but they all knew where they belonged.

And that's what he left the temple with. The tapestry turned out pretty big, but it was full of his memories. They were so vivid and captured the likeness just as he remembered it. The image depicted a giant family photo. Donald with the boys all doing something dear to them. Scrooge and Della stood behind, a plane in the distance. While everyone else filled the space around them, totally unique and representative of who they were.

It was a beautiful thing, and he couldn't be happier that he had one. He'd treasure it forever.

[fantasticenthusiasttale]

The inicial idea:

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But the first thing I thought of when I got this fic idea was "Wow, I will make it an angst!" And who don't like angsty fics don't worry, if this works the next one-shot will be a fluff, and maybe with DW and DA.

PS: Beakley isn't here bc she went to the mansion when she got Webby, and that fic happened before.

Warning: angst

Anyway, enjoy :)

《》《》《》

The dissolution of the Duck-McDuck family

"You... You crazy old man! You murder! " Donald shouted with Scrooge. Once he and Drake knew what is happening, he got absolutely furious with his uncle. How he dares to do something in that size as a secret, he couldn't see that could turn into a huge crazyness? How many ways this could go wrong and it really went?

"I'm not a murder! This is not my fault! This don't went in the way it should go!" Scrooge shouted in answer. The stress of the situation was making him crazy, he just have to find her, anywhere she is, to the family be alright again. When she returns, the things will work again, his nephews will finally understand and regret everything what they're saying, and obviously he will ground all of these children and then forgive it. They will be an happy family again. He will never give up of this plan.

"Not your fault? Ha! Who built the Spear of Selene? Who made a rocket what sent our sister to the space while she will be mother?" Donald pointed to the eggs under Drake's care in the baby carriage. "Why you doesn't even told us? We're her brothers! We could hide the secret too!"

"I said, but you throught that were a craziness! I just throught that would make she happy! She always liked craziness!" Scrooge justified himself, he just wanted to see his niece smiling.

"I know, but she was pregnant when you begun with it! And now, look what you have done! She's disappeared and the babies will born in a few days!" Donald shouted anxiously.

"I'm doing everything I can to find her! She will be here to watch her boys born, just be more patient!" Scrooge told his older and out of control nephew.

"More patient? MORE PATIENT?!" Drake turned mad and got out his place with the babies fastily to not have the chance to do something bad to them accidentaly. "Now it's a week without Della! A whole week without our sister here! More time where you don't find her means more chances to she be dead! If you don't solve this fastily, our nephews will be orphans just like us!"

Scrooge looked to the younger nephew. "They won't! I'm solving this! You will have your sister faster than you think!"

"I'm tired of this! I can't trust you! You're saying this since she got in the rocket! Don't lie to me!"

"Because it's true! The process it's just too slow for find something! It makes me mad too!"

"Uncle Scrooge, Della is dead?" Donald looked at his uncle, almost with tears in his eyes. The boys needs their mother, don't matter what they have to do to have it. It isn't for him or even for Drake, it's for the boys. They needs her.

Scrooge sympathized sadily with the lad's look, while Drake was trying to calm down. Everyone wants Della in home again, but they're losing the patience. "I don't know, Donald. We hope she isn't."

Donald's face turned red again "That's it! We cannot stay here anymore!"

Scrooge got surprised "What? What do you mean?"

Drake looked confused to his brother, and Donald looked at him "We cannot stay living in the mansion from the duck who killed our sister!" He looked at Scrooge "If you made an entire rocket to her while she was pregnant, and now she disappeared and you 'can't find her', that means you always wanted to get rid of her! How you dares?!"

Scrooge turns panicked "WHAT? Are you crazy? You are completely wrong! I never would do somenthing like that!"

"Stop lying! I should know you are mad! All of these adventuries you does, all of your thirst for dangerous! How I never noticed it?"

"Donald, stop! Go to your room! You're grounded!"

"Who will be the next, huh, Scrooge? Me, Drake, the boys or all of us together? If it's me be fast, I don't like to wait!"

"Donald! Get out of my house! I'm not letting you talk to me in that way, principally under my roof!"

"You are right! We're not staying more one minute in this mansion! Let's go packing, Drake! We'll live in the boat I bought with my savings!" Donald signaled to Drake.

"Ha! The old houseboat instead the mansion from the richest duck in the world?" Scrooge mocked.

"I prefer live in the streets than spend here one minute more! C'mon, Drake!"

"No! If you wants to live alone, you can! But Drake and the boys stay with me!"

"No way! The boys will go with me! I'm her twin! And Drake is big enough to decide by himself where he want to go!"

Drake looked to Donald and Scrooge, stopping his eyes on his uncle "Donald is right, Della wouldn't like her boys living in the mansion if she could know who you truly are!"

"So, if you two thinks it, you better get out of my house before I call the police!" Scrooge raised his cane.

"Let's go Donald, there's nothing here to us anymore." Drake said to his older brother.

"Oh, if mom and dad could know what you did to their little girl... Just wait 'till the boys be grown up and find out about this!" Donald threatened "Just think what they will do with you, you murder!"

Donald and Drake left the room to packing their things, and Scrooge went to the rocket control cabin to try to find his niece. Before he came back, the brothers said goodbye to Duckworth and left the McDuck Mansion with the houseboat, to return only ten years later.

[mandareeboo]

3, 16, and 25 for DuckTales for the choose violence ask meme! Please and thank you!

3.) screenshot or description of the worst take you’ve seen on tumblr

Anyone who claims Donald is just as at fault for the Spear of Selene. He literally didn't know about the damn thing. He tried to get Della to chill out a bit on adventures bc, well, babies. The next thing he knows his sister is missing in space. Maybe cutting Scrooge off was too much but he was just a dude being a dude.

16.) you can’t understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

I have never really understood the Huey-Violet ship? I mean ship what you want, no skin off my nose, but I never saw the chemistry of it. They'd be good buddies though.

25.) common fandom complaint that you’re sick of hearing

Honestly most of the complaints I've seen have been legitimate. People are iffy with the Webby twist. The Della-Louie conflict was handled poorly. Della should have been told that Scrooge and Donald were no contact for ten years. Etc etc.

[laladellakang]

Wait can u post it again I’m here 24/7 the second I leave you post sth I’m gonna cry 😭 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

y'know what? i'll post it here and delete this once the full fic is out 😌

"Fuck! Dumb bitch," I face-palmed when I idiotically replied to Jay.

"Why? What's wrong?" "You good?" two of my friends asked while the other one just raised his eyebrow.

We're currently chilling in the school's empty library. One of them is my classmate who is also on her period and the other two just wanted to bail.

"I said something in the group chat," I groaned, covering my eyes with my arms. Why am I so stupid?

"And..?"

"Jake used to go here, remember? He knows that I'm supposed to be in class right now," I turned to my side on the bean bag. This somehow makes my ovaries hurt more.

"Oh shit- well.. Maybe he'll think that you're just opening your phone in class," one of the guys said.

"Orr worst case scenario, just tell them the truth. You skipped math cause your vagina walls are shedding and it hurts like shit so you can't get yourself to deal with more torture," the other guy said.

"But I just got into a fight with Heeseung and Jungwon yesterday so I really don't wanna get scolded again," getting scolded is nothing new to me, but when it comes from any of my boyfriends (or parents)... It just hits more.

And my currently sensitive, thick, hard-as-hell-to-achieve ass won't be able to take it. Just like what happened yesterday with Heewon.

"It's not like they've never ditched before, no?" the same guy raised his eyebrow.

"Dude, we rarely go to school and hardly ever stay for the whole day. Last time any of them ditched was probably in their trainee days," I ran a hand through my bangs."I just hope that Jake doesn't- shit! I was just about to say that I hope he won't snitch!"

"He said 'shouldn't you be in class right now?' oh my God," I groaned again.

Jake fucking Sim. I swear to- I mean, it's not his fault, it's mine but I'm feeling real petty so, JAKE FUCKING SIM.

"Well, Delle," my girl-friend snorted at the unintentional rhyme she made. "Good fucking luck."

❅◦❆◦❅◦❆◦❅◦❆◦❅◦❆

I took a deep breath before tapping in the combination to enter the dorm and entering carefully. I didn't even announce my arrival like I always do.

"Della? Is that you?" Sunghoon called out.

Woo! My eyes are already glossing over! Hold them back, Lala. You're good at this. You've been doing this for years.

"Yes?" I tried to not sound nervous. Trust, Delle, trust. It's okay. They shouldn't be too mad.

"Come here," oh my God, now I'm even more anxious. The one who called wasn't Heeseung. The others have never told me to 'come over' with that tone.

"Yes?" I said in a small voice, barely entering the kitchen. There were only two boys there- Jayhoon.

"Did you skip class?" Jay asked calmly. I couldn't bring myself to verbally answer so all I could do was nod. "Is this the first time?" he asked next, to which I also shook my head to. "As of debut, I mean?"

Does purposefully joining a class late count..?

"I've only joined a class late. This is the first time," thank God my voice didn't shake.

"Often?" Jay went again. Shit- I know being cool is his thing and all but it's making him seem even more intimidating.

Once again, I couldn't bring myself to answer so I just nodded.

"Della, you know that we rarely go to school, right?" Sunghoon stated. "-and we almost never stay for the whole day, right? Not to mention that this is your last year," well here comes the stupid waterworks.

Please don't cry. I don't want them to think that I'm trying to manipulate them.

"Look- I know that you're struggling and trying your best but you can't ditch like that, babe. It's only for a couple of hours," Jay said. "Coming in class late? Well.. fine- at least you weren't called to the headmaster's office, right?"

"I don't give a shit about you coming in late but Della, you really shouldn't skip classes. You need to make up for your lack of attendance and you shouldn't... add more to that," Sunghoon's voice softened drastically when (I'm guessing) he saw my unpreventable glossy eyes.

"Yah! Park Sunghoon!" Jay immediately went into protective mode and got up to pull me to his chest.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! She doesn't normally cry if we argue," I felt a hand (that wasn't Jay's) brushing through my hair. "Della, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."

Guess what this hormonal bitch did upon hearing that? I cried harder, of course.

"Della! Oh my God- I'm so sorry I was really harsh and didn't even ask-" Sunghoon suddenly cut himself off. "Wait... You're on your period, right?"

"Oh my god! Is that why you bailed?! You were in pain, weren't you?!" Jay grabbed my face so I would look at him. His eyes were filled with worry.

"Della, I am so sorry!" is Sunghoon crouching down so he can hug my waist? "Ahh, Heeseung-hyung!"

Two days in and my period had already caused so much dumb drama. What else is going to happen down the line?

[korkorali]

The Many Dimensions of Della Duck sounds really interesting!

That one is interesting, in my opinion! It would be a multi-chapter story about like- how Della might exist in different media besides just DT17. What her story looks like, and what she's like, all explored in a 'DT17 Della is sent through a bunch of different dimensions and helps different iterations of herself.'

---

Most people in the world had a generally 'normal' kind of life. They woke up, did their job, did something else like talk to friends or something, and then went to sleep. They didn't have to worry about cultists, or portals, or getting stuck on the moon, or strange occult writings, or the botched summoning of an Ancient One in the heart of Duckburg, or glitching out of reality because you perceived That Which Cannot Be... all that most people had to worry about was whether or not they'd get a raise this quarter.

And unfortunately for her, Della Duck was not a normal person. Not by a long shot.

Which, in certain cases, did serve her well. For example, if a 'normal person' was hurtling through spacetime in a painful, glitching wormhole type situation, they'd probably be freaking the fuck out to the point where their mind would shatter. Della, however, didn't get that. Some (read: her) would say that she wasn't allowed to have something as simple as a broken mind at this point.

No, no, instead her mind had to just latch on to the color of those cultists' robes. Who the fuck thought that chartreuse was a good color for a cult getup? Seriously, she really hoped that whoever had decided on that had been one of their sacrifices.

...Maybe her brain was already broken. That would explain some things.

Of course, none of this would've happened if she'd just- stayed home for a change. Weathered out the stupid thoughts in her own brain and slept in 'till morning, like a normal person would. Normal people, after a loud and hurtful and very destabilizing fight, would simply cry themselves to sleep. But not Della! No, no, she just had to sneak out in the middle of the night to take a walk. 'Just to clear her head,' she'd claimed.

'Well good job, Past Della. You certainly did that.' She thought to herself, closing her eyes as the stream of colors that technically she wasn't supposed to be able to see burned into her eyes. Honestly, she should probably be kinder to herself, she knew that, but- at the same time she couldn't help but consider that maybe all this self-deprecation was her brain's way of protecting her.

Hurtling through the metaphysical equivalent of time and space wasn't exactly something people were built to handle. The fact that she wasn't even sure if she had a body or not at the moment spoke wonders to that. Maybe the self-hatred was just a way of keeping herself from thinking about how she was totally fucked, and it was all her fault, and this was just like the moon and she was going to die alone and nobody would know where she was and she deserved it-

Okay, maybe she needed to dial it back from that.

It was hard to do, though- all she was at the moment was thought. And even that was strained, the image of What Isn't still burned directly into her mind every time she tried to think of something else, and just- the way that they were built, too. Like damn, for something that didn't technically have any form, That Which Cannot Be was honestly kinda ripped, she had to admit.

'Della, you are hurtling through reality at breakneck speed and you have no idea where you're going- or if you're even going anywhere.' She reminded herself, 'C'mon, get your head in the game and think of a way out of this! There always is, you know this! Come on, focus, let's fix this shit! After all- Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!'

Unfortunately a positive attitude did very little to actually substantially impact one's being in the para-zone, the kaleidoscope colors only bleeding a slightly different shade in response.

However, before she could fall back into another internal monologue she felt something, which was actually kind of amazing in a place where material sensation had no meaning. It was a tug, a vibration, a reverberation that rippled through the thought 'Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!', in a way that was almost but not completely unlike the humming of a tuning fork or the string of a guitar vibrating.

Della didn't know what exactly that meant, but something was better than an eternity of trippy visuals, so she focused her will on that thought, and around her she began to feel other things, things that had the shape of chemical reaction and the weight of time where cause preceded effect. All it needed was a little push, a small touch of effort and focus to spark a cascading effect that pulled her in like a hard boiled egg being sucked through the mouth of a bottle that held a vacuum.

And then she landed face first on cold wet stone floor, and became aware of the fact that her physical form was now actually smarting quite a bit. Pain was good, it meant you were alive, but it was also painful.

"...Aaaghhh, ow." Della breathed out, rolling onto her side as she clutched her head. Apparently, something could stop Della Duck. Said thing was a rock.

---

(Tagging @imjustusingthistolikeartists so that they can add their two cents to the whole thing if they'd like!)

[mariacallous]

Mere weeks after Italy's right-wing coalition announced its victory in the general election, the first fault lines are appearing, meaning the three-way alliance could be over even before the government is formalised.

The resounding victory by far-right leader Giorgia Meloni in the 25 September vote is not sitting well with 86-year-old Silvio Berlusconi — the former three-time conservative prime minister who, four decades her senior, fancies himself the elder statesman of Italy's political right.

Meloni is expected to be asked next week by Italy's President Sergio Mattarella to try to create a governing coalition with campaign allies Berlusconi and right-wing leader Matteo Salvini and become premier. 

Behind-the-scenes divvying up of ministries in what would be Italy's first far-right-led government since the end of World War II started after her Fratelli d'Italia, or Brothers of Italy party took 26% of the ballots cast — more than those won by the forces of Salvini and Berlusconi combined.

The knives carving out those Cabinet posts are proving particularly sharp.

Salvini on Saturday issued a sort of call for a truce between Meloni and Berlusconi so that the three allies' bid to rule Italy isn't derailed.

"I am sure that even between Giorgia and Silvio that harmony, which will be fundamental to government, well and together, for the next five years, will return,'' Salvini said in a statement released by his anti-migrant League party about the escalating post-election tensions.

Adjectives on stationery spell discontent

A spat between Berlusconi and Meloni turned ugly when the former PM and a media mogul scrawled a list of derogatory adjectives about her on stationery emblazoned with the name of his villa near Milan. 

He positioned it in the Senate in plain view for photographers covering the election on Thursday of the upper parliamentary chamber's president.

"Giorgia Meloni," wrote Berlusconi, jotting down that her ways are "presumptuous, bossy, arrogant, offensive". 

A fifth adjective, "ridiculous,'' appeared to have been scribbled over, said Italian media, who magnified the image.

Some key political differences existed from the beginning — Berlusconi bills himself a staunch champion of the European Union, while Meloni has said national interests should prevail over any conflicting priorities in the bloc.

The octogenarian mainstay is also close friends with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meloni, on the other hand, openly pledged her full support to Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in early October.

Yet, their spat also seems patriarchal.

"In Berlusconi's etiquette, the woman is courted and maybe even venerated, but a true male cannot take orders from her, let alone accept that she says 'no,''' wrote Massimo Gramellini in the daily Corriere della Serra.

According to domestic accounts, Meloni had vetoed a ministry for a close political aide of Berlusconi, who is one of his several female political proteges.

With his self-described weakness for young women, Berlusconi has launched the political careers of female lawmakers from Forza Italia, the centre-right party he created three decades ago.

He also gave Meloni her first shot at partaking in the government, appointing her as Minister of Youth during his third tenure as prime minister between 2008 and 2011.

Reflecting Berlusconi's aggravation, nearly all of his senators refused to vote for Meloni's pick for Senate president, Ignazio La Russa, a long-time fascist nostalgist who helped Meloni establish Brothers of Italy in 2012 as she forged her far-right political ascent.

The Forza Italia boycott delivered a stiff rebuke to her. Meloni, known for her frankness, did not budge.

"It seems like a point was missing among those listed by Berlusconi — that I can't be blackmailed,'' Meloni told private Italian TV La7.

Meloni pledges to 'unite the nation'

Meloni already stood her ground during the election campaign as well. 

When opinion surveys indicated that she was by far the front-runner over Berlusconi and Salvini, those two unsuccessfully tried to wiggle out of a long-standing pact that the top-getter in campaign coalitions would become premier should their forces prove victorious.

Together, the leaders' three parties command a comfortable majority in the newly seated Parliament.

Still, Meloni needs the forces of Berlusconi and Salvini for any viable coalition.

Salvini chafed for days when it appeared Meloni would not let him become interior minister, a post he held in 2018-2019 and used to crack down on migrants arriving by the tens of thousands on smugglers' boats or rescue ships. 

On Friday, Meloni's forces backed the election to the presidency of the lower Chamber of Deputies of a Lega, or League party lawmaker, Lorenzo Fontana — an ultraconservative who, like Salvini, has openly admired Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Late Friday, the five-pointed star symbol of the World War II antifascist movement was scrawled along with La Russa's name on a Brothers of Italy office in the Rome neighbourhood of Garbatella.

It is the very office where Meloni began her career as a teenager in the youth wing of a neo-fascist predecessor of her own party, MSI.

Meloni on Saturday retweeted her party's description of the act as "a clear reference to the dramatic years that we don't want to live through again" — referring to the so-called Years of Lead marked by political terrorism by the far-right and the far-left alike. 

She wants to "unite the Nation, not divide it as someone is trying to do," Meloni vowed in her tweet.

[lenniharrisonsims]

Behind The Scenes...

Cheiftain's Villa, Sulani Independant Islands, 7:43pm

Part I

*hushed murmuring from guests*

Eugene: Don’t you think it’s… weird… to have Mama just laying there like that? And everyone gawping at her?

Emma: I do think it’s a little… macabre.

Eugene: She should be a rest, not put on display.

Emma: It’s Windenburgian tradition. And you know how Grandfather is about tradition.

Eugene: *mumbles* All of this is Grandfather’s fault.

Emma: Gene, don’t say that!

Eugene: *hushed* Well it’s true! The war, Mama’s pregnancy, her death, and now this creepy funeral!

Emma: Maybe, but you can’t say it.

Eugene: Uncle Jonas says whatever he wants to Grandfather and nothing happens to him.

Emma: I wish Uncle Jo was here, he always knows how to cheer me up.

Eugene: Me too…

Emma: And Grandmama.

Emma (cont.): How do you think Papa is doing?

*the siblings look across the room at Albert*

Eugene: Not very good, I would guess… He loved Mama…

Emma: And to think it was an arranged marriage…

Eugene: Let’s hope all our arranged marriages work out as well as theirs. I’ll go check on him, you wanna come?

Emma: I have to put Della down, it’s late for her.

Eugene: Alright. Goodnight.

Emma: Night, Gene.

*Across the room, Agathe has worked herself up*

Agathe: Where the hell are you Victor?

*She cuts through the crowd across the room to the door to the office*

Part I

[flownintothesun]

 ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ───    ❛  𝐢  𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭  𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧  𝐭𝐨  𝐛𝐞  𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭  𝐚𝐧𝐝  𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭  .  𝐢  𝐰𝐚𝐬  𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧  𝐭𝐨  𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝  𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫  𝐚𝐧𝐝  𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐞  𝐚𝐭  𝐦𝐲  𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬  .  ❜ 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐨

                          ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ─── 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. ( @batteredoptimist )

       𝐀 𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐀𝐍, 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐒, 𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐀 𝐒𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐃 and ready to strike — her voice is velvet torn at the seams, and to that more-intelligent man, that would serve as a rattle and warning: stay away. Except for this: Romana is his wife — and when the pain of the world is too much, he will be there. He will always be there. When she’s sad or happy or confused or pissed the fuck off — he will be at her side, a constant — and that will never change. Their marriage is considered short by the ideas of the community — they’re still young, and are far from having it all figured out. Hell, they haven’t really had a chance. It’s been one thing after another since the engagement — and if he believed in such things, he might say that someone had cursed them in attempts to doom the love between them.

      Somehow, despite the world’s best attempts — that love has only seemed to grow and flourish, despite the pain and heartache that keeps laying itself at their feet. Sometimes, when the days are done and the sun has gone to rest beyond the horizon line — they’ll curl up on the couch and he’ll kiss her hair and tell her that they’re living a real-life Italian soap opera. Sometimes it works to make her laugh, and sometimes she’s too tired and sometimes she’s too mad, and those things are okay too — he can’t blame her for any of them. He’s just glad she’s not alone anymore. She’d carried so much for so long — he’s happy to share the load.

       He knows her well enough to know that anger is sometimes fear and sometimes fury — sometimes it’s too much, and sometimes it’s not enough. He’s not afraid of her rattle — because deep down, Romana is a good person who has been forced into too many tight little boxes, and too many impossible circumstances. He’d issue a warning to the world as well, were he in her position. But he hopes that by now, through everything — she knows that he is safety and home for her — a place to land. This considered, he wraps an arm around her waist and turns off the stove.

       “I don’t think it works like that, luce della mia vita,” he says gently, wrapping her in his arms, aware of the wooden spoon in her hand, but unafraid of it. “I don’t think that you were born for bad things to happen to you, or to become anything that you don’t want to be. Maybe the world tries to decide for us — that’s true — but I’d fight the world too, to give you the choice.”

     Talking about Luci is always a bit of a tightrope act. He knows that Romana isn’t unaware that the lass has snapped — but nor is she immune to her own feelings for her. For his own part, Mariano tries his best to love everyone that Romana loves — even if he’s almost certain she wants him dead, too. “I know you love her — and I know you want to protect her. But you did not do this. You didn’t break down the house of cards. What she did is not your fault, baby.” He knows his wife. Knows that she’s strong and brave and will carry the weight of her loved ones’ pain, even at her own expense. They’re calling for Romana to replace Luci  — it might be the only thing that saves Catherine’s daughter in the end. To that end, Mariano knows that Romana is cornered  — “I’ll be your side no matter what you choose. If you choose to stay and become the boss, I will be at your side — to advise you, or simply to be your husband and support you. If you choose to walk away — I’ll get you out of here safely, amore. Mama and Papa too.“

      When they’d first gotten married, Mariano had taken Mama for a spin in the Ferrari — she’d laughed and laughed. He’d been happy then, despite everything that had happened prior. Taking Mama Adelina in the Ferrari, and having drinks with Papa, and holding Romana safe at night had made him feel as though he’d found his own purpose. There’s nothing that Mariano Verratti would not do for his family — his beautiful, clever wife and her parents. He wishes more than anything that she’d choose to walk away and leave it all behind. But he knows that she won’t, and he bends to kiss her shoulder softly. “Maybe though, either way, there’s been enough shattering and shaking, hm? You don’t have to be soft and quiet. But you don’t have to destroy yourself in the name of love, either, carissima.”

[scroogemcdork]

@ragefeathers​ SAID: ❝ why didn't you stop her ?! ❞ donald could feel his chest HEAVING. no, no, no ! why did della do this ? donald always joked that she was dumb, but this was… IDIOTIC. STUPID. donald's not sure if he's ever been this mad or this SCARED in his life. he's gripping his uncle's coat as if he were to let go, he would disappear as well. he looks back at the screen behind him before back at scrooge, ❝ we need to after her ! ❞

The world seems to fade into static, the miser staring blankly into where his great nephew supposedly was. WHY DIDN’T YOU STOP HER? He hears the other's voice, but it's just an echo amidst her scream. He's not paying much attention, displaced in the world as he registers the loss of one of the world's greatest treasures: his niece. And by the sounds of it, he’s about to lose another.

TRANSMISSION LOST.

❝ W-we can't. ❞ His voice is a frail, pathetic whimper as he watches the words mock him. His eyes bear shame, and in those foggy orbs lie fury; fury at himself, for letting any of this come to pass. Of course Della would find out about the Spear; how couldn't she? She was Della Duck, involved in everything she shouldn't be. And now she won't, not anymore. It's all his fault. He did this. And admitting that killed him inside. ❝ The signal -- it's dead. Ae cannae reach her. We wouldna' make it in time. I... ❞

Family was nothing but trouble. But maybe the trouble was him?