#next year: YAKKO WAKKO AND DOT

[wickedcriminal]

What do you MEAN it's not anywhere near Halloween its Spooky Time whenever I want it to be 🦴 I also don't feel like waiting until October to post this so 😂

They decide to make it a trio this year, just to keep the neighbors on their toes

List of sibs below cut:

Year 1: Wirt and Greg from Over the Garden Wall, with Astrid as Beatrice

Year 2: Dipper and Mabel from Gravity Falls, with Dagur and Heather as Soos and Wendy, and Camicazi and Little Fish as Stan and Ford

Year 3: Phineas and Ferb from (shocker) Phineas and Ferb, with Heather as Candace

Year 4: Mario and Luigi from the Super Mario Bros, with Astrid as Princess Peach and Camicazi as Wario

Year 5: Edward and Alphonse from Fullmetal Alchemist, with Astrid as Winry

Bottom: Alvin and the Chipmunks

[galactic-glamour-girl-posts]

Enjoy the show!

(The reboot should've lasted longer though.)

[starlingdrawz]

Animaniacs x DuckTales au

This is an au where Animaniacs AND DuckTales are in the same universe

Animaniacs was a show in the DT universe, but they were made by a smaller company, one that went into bankruptcy in the 2000s. Despite being from a smaller company, Animaniacs still had a pretty decent view count, they still had fans that adored them.

Donald and Della used to watch them when they were kids and it was one of their favorite shows.

They are toons, made of ink, not normal actors. (The Warners lol)

This au takes place almost immediately after canon. The family still wants to adventure and will jump to any small one because why not.

The triplets are 13 now and Webby is 12. (Idk I like making her a year younger)

Scrooge hears about a strange mystery at the old and abandoned studio. Rumors of there being spirits or mystical creatures haunting the place and terrorizing any soul that dares to trespass. and rumors of the company hiding money at the studio

So he ropes the kids and Donald along, HDW are obviously excited, the others are not.

When they get there, they find out that the studio is overgrown with weeds and various other plants. It looks like a jungle.

While they're walking around, Donald gets captured and only Louie notices since he was the one who was closest to him at the time. He lowkey freaks out because "Ayo wtf happened to him???"

Next thing he knows, something comes from the trees above him, and he gets captured as well. But unlike Donald, he screams.

Soon, the others are chased and cornered by three gangly shadows that keep making screeching noises.

Once they're cornered, the shadow figures jump out into the open and what do you know? It's the Warners!

They're giggling and laughing at them, proud that they got a good scare out of them.

They release Donald and Louie and introduce themselves.

Donald almost immediately recognizes them and freaks out because how???

YWD are also slightly aged up. They were allowed to age a little throughout the show but stopped after WW.

Yakko is 17, Wakko is 14, and Dot is 12.

Scrooge asks them about the hidden money, and the Warners reveal that they started that rumor so they could lore people in. Menaces, truly.

Since they're just kids, they take them back to the manor.

Why didn't they leave before? Uhhh idk atm let's just say they didn't know where else to go and that the lot was all they knew.

Random fun facts :

Dot was the one who captured Louie, kinda sets up their fun dynamic (gay besties)

Wakko and Dewey IMMEDIATELY hit it off and become besties

Yakko has this cute semi complex relationship with Donald

Yakko was older than Donald when the show came out, but now Donald is older than him, so yeah. Donald is an 84' baby, so he would've been Dots age when the show came out (9 years old in 1993)

The Warners get the Pinocchio treatment and eventually get turned into actual living beings

It is definitely an experience for them

More of this au to come!

Commissions

[cringetownusa]

The Warner Tax Rant.

Being “So far below the poverty line, they’re off the graph”, doesn’t seem to be a statement only true in the movie after all. This is almost 1k words. Sit tight.

OG RANT DATE: 3/22/2023 We know the Warners pay taxes. We know they pay income tax from the “We pay tons of income tax” line from the 90s intro. Tons is subjective, but we also know based on many instances of the Warners gaining some sort of monetary wealth(even to be immediately taken away) that money is something they care about(1). There’s been jokes(2) about how little they’re paid by the studio, one of which from a cut song about tiny things where the smallest thing of all was their paychecks. We know in the comics they also just. Don't have money to treat themselves to nice outings and so they have a separate thing they call “The Cute Fund”(3) where the Warners allow people to pay to pinch their cheeks, and they use that money for things like trips. Not only are the Warners like wicked underpaid and taken advantage of for being children, but since they were originally from the 30s, when they were released from the tower for the 90’s show they didn't know what the base wage was at the time. 

So even with all their fame in the 90s (on the level that would make it a cultural phenomenon, eg: clothes, games, theme park partnerships, school supplies) they were not fairly compensated for it.

But even with them being such a household name, if they had to talk over their own contracts, they were likely tricked into thinking they were getting a better wage just by holding it up to what they were paid for their very few paychecks for their 30s films, even if they’re smart kids, they’re just kids, and between desperation and relief of being released, their judgement may have been clouded on their own contracts. They were probably also just thankful to be getting the opportunity to get them at all because it meant that they would get time outside the tower for the first time in 60 years Anyway these thoughts brought me to thinking about Yakko having to calculate their paychecks and do taxes every year since they have an income.

But based on how little the three of them make together and how expensive California is, i assume tax season is pretty stressful for poor Yakko.

In the 90s when there wasn't a ton of tech going around it meant he'd have to do all their taxes by hand with a calculator and a bunch of notes and i am thinking of this poor boy pouring over then at like 12 in the morning after Wakko and dot have gone to bed under the guise of practicing his lines.

For assistance programs that exist for humans that the warners making so little money might qualify for, e.g. food stamps, would they even be approved?

Maybe toons get rejected for that since "they don't need to eat" regardless of toons like wakko who are designed differently to eat more and always be hungry and also hypoglycemic(4). (5)So in the 30s, minimum wage was .25 an hour, which translates to a little over $4 an hour now

In 1990, the minimum was was 4.75 ($9.19 as of 2024)

HOWEVER

We can assume toon labor laws would be different since they didn't even have the right to vote until 2020 bc of Dot, and the way animals are paid for their “acting” in 2020s.

So for the sake of this exercise in taxing we’ll assume that they were convinced being paid $1 an hour for each of them was a really REALLY good deal because it was 4x the wage in the 30s.(during the great depression)

This next part was calculated with help from my friend allowing me to use his California pay stub. Thank you Mickael. <3

Toons are probably paid less because they "have less necessities" and get rigorously overworked because their bodies “don't work like humans”. If we assume that they've been tricked in this way and calculate this off a 4 week paycheck, while also saying that they're pulling 40-60 hour work weeks due to overwork, with no overtime pay, that puts their GROSS pay for a MONTH at around ($480 for 40 hours) ($720 for 60 hours). 

Taking out California and Federal withholding, and healthcare on through the studio all together at around 12%, net take home would be ($422.40 at 40 hours) ($633.60 at 60) Now let’s assume the Warners get the tower as free room and board. That includes rent, electricity and running water ONLY, so we still have to calculate their wifi and phone bills (since we know for a fact that it’s relevant in the reboot. For the state of California, I used Mint unlimited at $60 a month since all three of them have phones. ($64.35 after tax) Internet needing to be somewhere around 100mbps for all their device’s wifi in the Burbank area, the least expensive option with wiggle room for Wakko(the Gamer) would be Starry Internet ($32.18 after tax). Yakko would be able to get a (LIFE) LA Metro tap card for low income, which would also give him a certain amount of free bus rides per month,after that each metro ride is $1.75 one way, and each bus ride is $1 one way. Let’s give all three Warners together a Budget of $50. This leaves them at ($275.87 for 40 hours of work) ($487.07 at 60) Much, if not all remainder would go to food or clothes depending on your headcanons for that. It’s no wonder they can’t afford expensive picture frames! ---

I'm sure there was more stuff I could have linked back to like the amounts and how I got them, and if people want more info they're welcome to dm me, but I've been impatiently wanting to share my thoughts lol.

Back in march of last year, I first spoke to my friend @help-the-lesbian in DM's about the warner's monetary situation. As I made more friends, I roped more of them into listening to me and now it's kind of an in-joke, but I just like thinking about Yakko getting stressed out about taxes and doing them because he cares about his siblings and he needs to take care of their family.

1[Animaniacs "Temporary Insanity" 1993] 2[Rob Paulson, “Animaniacs in Concert”, 2023] 3[Animaniacs Comic #2, 1995] 4[Wakko Warner Wiki] 5[Department of Industrial Relations, state of California] 6[California state tax is x1.0725]

[321spongebolt]

Next to the "Animaniacs" episode, "A Christmas Plotz", I'd also make him a villain in "Animaniacs: The Great Edgar Hunt" as a boss character, and he would have two boss battles so to speak. And like video games such as "Scooby-Doo!: Night of 100 Frights" and even "The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge" (which ironically turns 20 years old this month if you consider it was first released in Japan), Oogie Boogie Background Singer's theme song would play on loop (or at least in cutscenes where the verses can be presented in a certain order). Here's how I would present this version of Oogie's theme song down below.

[LYRICS]

Oogie Boogie Background Singer: Well, well, well! Yakko, Waldo, Wakko, and Dot! I've been expecting you fools! So how do you like my Oogie town!? (Evilly laughs)

Background Singer/King Egon (Spoken): ♪It's over! It's over! This time, you've gone too far!♪

♪It's over! I'm FURIOUS! Just who do you think you are!?♪

Yakko (Spoken): ♪Just because you stole the Edgars doesn't make you king!♪

Wizard Waldo: You'd better give up!

Dot: Surrender now!

Wakko (Sung): ♪We're fixing everything!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer: ♪That's what you think!♪

HA!

♪But you couldn't be more wrong! And this will be the last time, you hear the Boogie song.♪

Ha ha!

♪Whoa!♪

Oogie's henchmen and Vultures: ♪Whoa!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer: ♪Whoa!♪

Oogie's henchmen and Vultures: ♪Whoa!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer: ♪Whoa!♪

Oogie's henchmen and Vultures: ♪Whoa!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer and his army: ♪I'm/He's the Oogie Boogie Man!♪

(Instrumental solo)

Background Singer/King Egon (Spoken): ♪I see you're pretty proud of all your kidnapping schemes.♪

Background Singer/King Egon (Sung): ♪But let's just say, you'll kill me ONLY in my bad dreams.♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer (Spoken): ♪That's true, Singer! It was your dream! But now, it's coming true!♪

♪'Cause even my mere shadow knows your singing days are through!♪

Oogie's Henchmen and Vultures: ♪Whoa!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer (Sung): ♪Whoa!♪

Oogie's Henchmen and Vultures: ♪Whoa!♪

(Oogie Boogie Background Singer evilly laughs)

Oogie's Henchmen and Vultures: ♪Whoa!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer: Yeah.

Oogie Boogie Background Singer and his army: ♪I'm/He's the Oogie Boogie Man!♪

Background Singer/King Egon (Spoken): ♪Release me now, or you will face the dire consequences!♪

♪My fans want me to sing tonight, so please! Come to your senses!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer (Spoken): ♪You're joking! You're joking! I can't believe me ears!♪

♪You're joking me, you've gotta be! Best laugh I had in years!♪

Dot (Sung): ♪I hope you did amuse yourself. My head is getting hot!♪

Yakko and Wakko (Sung): ♪You better pay attention now, 'cause she's our sister, Dot!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer (Sung): ♪You think that you're a winning, but that's a lot of noise!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer (Spoken): ♪But just to be a sport, dear Dot, I'll share some vulture boys!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer (Sung): ♪Whoa!♪

Oogie's henchmen and Vultures: ♪Whoa!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer: ♪Whoa!♪

Oogie's henchmen and Vultures: ♪Whoa!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer: ♪Whoa!♪

Oogie's henchmen and Vultures: ♪Whoa!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer and his army: ♪I'm/He's the Oogie Boogie Man!♪

(Instrumental solo)

Background Singer/King Egon (Spoken): ♪The Edgars for these feature films must right now be set free!♪

♪Release them all at once or you will have to deal with me!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer (Sung): ♪You foiled my plans!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer (Spoken): ♪So what? Big deal!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer (Sung): ♪You even ran the maze!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer (Spoken): ♪You still can't stop me! I'm the king of all your films and plays!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer (Sung): ♪Whoa!♪

Yakko, Wakko, Dot, and Wizard Waldo: ♪Whoa!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer: ♪Whoa!♪

Yakko, Wakko, Dot, and Wizard Waldo: ♪Whoa!♪

Oogie Boogie Background Singer: ♪Whoa!♪

Yakko, Wakko, Dot, and Wizard Waldo: ♪Whoa!♪

Dot: ♪I'm the Warner sister Dot!♪♪

(Song repeats on loop until C.C. DeVille is defeated in his boss fight)

[theonethatyaks93]

Animaniacs Super 7 Figures!

Hi everyone! I know in my last post, I said that my next post was going to be my biggest one yet (my ranking of every single Pinky and The Brain segment from the reboot) but something arrived before I could start that!

My Super 7 Animaniacs Ultimates figures arrived! Yakko, Wakko, Dot, and Brain arrived last Wednesday while Pinky came last Thursday. I’ve been waiting for these for over 1 year and two months and I’m so excited they are now in my collection! Here is my official review of these amazing figures (and all the trouble I went through to get them out of the box).

Here they all are in their boxes. First things first, I love the way they designed these boxes. They’re colorful and each one is different. I plan on keeping them for storage. Brain’s box is absolutely gigantic and sticks out compared to the others. I don’t have photos of the backs but it’s only a picture of each character and a little background. Now, onto each figure.

Here’s Yakko! I love how tall he is when compared to his siblings. He also has some good weight to him. The figure is a tad bit hard to move, but that’s a given since he’s new. Moving around the joints will loosen them up a little. The ears also move, which is a surprise! Unfortunately, I found it very difficult to put on his alternate head, to the point where I couldn’t actually get it on. I’ll figure it out and even if I don’t, I’m not really going to use that head anyways. Yakko’ s tail was also hard to change. The hands are cute, though I haven’t tried changing them. I really like the way Yakko looks even if there are a few paint smudges (but that’s always going to happen). The board with the countries of the world is very detailed and contains every single country mentioned in the song. The bag of fun is nice and weighted and I think the little pointer is a nice touch. This took me about 20 minutes to get out of the packaging because it was so secure! My fingers were sweaty and my thumbs hurt. I did manage after a while. While it was hard, I’m not going to let that detract from my opinion! Overall, a great figure.

Next up is Wakko! He was very easy to take out of the plastic thankfully. I think he looks really cute and I love his sweater! It does make it kind of hard to articulate his arms, but I’ll work on that. I didn’t even try to put on his alternate head since I didn’t want to have another Yakko situation. His tail was mercifully easier to change than Yakko’s. I love all the little hands and how they can actually hold the accessories. Speaking of which, these are the best accessories from the three Warners. The mallet was heavy and a good size, I love the USA on the board, the fiddle was a little big but it still worked, and the dynamite stick (which comes with all three Warner siblings) is very colorful. I love Wakko’s alternate head; I just think it looks neat. The paint job was good also. Another win here.

She’s cute, she’s feisty, she’s witty: it’s Dot! She was also really hard to get out of the box, though not as hard as Yakko. She is so tiny; she’s actually smaller than Brain! I love her heads, particularly her heart eyes head. Dot’s tail was hard to swap out since her skirt got in the way, but I figured it out after messing with it for a minute. Her hands are so cute! I love the rose and the butterfly. She also has fists! Sadly, she comes with the least amount of accessories only having a stick of dynamite and a little duck float (which has a softer plastic rubbery texture!). Dot’s paint was pretty good with barely any smudges. I can’t wait to find a little stool and do some Dot’s Poetry Corner things. I hope I can get her to sit down! She was very adorable and fun!

Pinky’s turn! Narf! This was hands-down my favorite of the 5 figures (and not just because Pinky is my favorite character). He feels the most accurate and was the easiest to pose and articulate. Removing him from the box was also easy. His tail will become a little loose though when moved around a lot. It does stay in place when positioned. Changing Pinky’s heads was easy and didn’t take too much time. His alternate heads were my favorite! I love the “bopped on the head look” and Pinky’s happy face was really cute. He also has the most hands. I also love it how they made Pinky left handed and gave him some hands that not only hold the accessories, but look like he’s giving a thumbs up. The accessories are cute too. I love the grappling hook, notepad, and the science equipment that make me wish we got a cage play set. And though I don’t personally ship Pinky and Phar Fignewton, the little picture was a nice touch. This was just an amazing figure and I can ignore the paint defects since he’s fantastic looking. I will be taking a lot of pictures of this mouse; he’s so photogenic!

Lastly, we have The Brain! The heaviest figure, (and shockingly, the easiest one to remove from the packaging) Brain is a tad bit top-heavy and is difficult to stand, though you can get him to stay upright. Brain’s head is huge, about as big as the palm of my hand. His tail can be popped out with ease, which can be frustrating, though it’s quick to put back in. He is easy to pose and his hands are so freaking tiny! I love his alternate head; it’s so expressive. I wish he had another head to get more expressions from him. His accessories are incredible! I love the giant magnet and the blueprint was made of cardboard to my surprise. The paper clip and pointer are also fun. My favorite accessory, perhaps maybe of the entire line, is the globe keychain. It’s a real keychain that can be put on things like backpacks and it comes from my favorite episode! I was so happy when I found out that this was going to be an accessory in this set. He was fun to pose and was size-accurate when compared to Pinky. I think he looks very close to the show and I can’t wait to put him in some situations with Pinky. Brain was amazing overall and I’m excited for some more pictures.

Overall, I loved these a lot. There were a few paint issues and the posing and swapping of heads and hands could be difficult, but I still adore them, especially Pinky and Brain. I am loving all the accessories and all the possibilities for articulation. These are honestly a must-have for people who love the show. They’re not perfect by any means, but I still find them really cool. Overall 8.5/10 for the entire lot. I hope you enjoyed my review! Here are a few pictures I took of Pinky and Brain below:

The mice (attempting) to hold hands. The posing for this took a while and the balance was hard. I’ll work on it later so I can get better shots. There will be a lot more Brinky photos in the future!

Here’s Pinky in his first dress! This was on a random fairy doll I had and I thought it would look perfect on him. Luckily, it did! Now, I can use this dress as a size comparison when I want to find more outfits. I think he looks beautiful, though I wish I had a blonde wig he could wear. Image what Brain would think! I’m looking forward to putting Pinky in more fun clothes and expanding his wardrobe!

[annikuh]

I don’t think I ever posted my Dot cosplay from FlameCon last month, so I’m gonna hit ‘cha with both her & my Yakko cosplay from last year😎 I suppose next year I’ll have no choice but do Wakko👀

[ireallylovepuppies101]

Inky Mystery Audrey AU 3

Part three!!!! (beware of spoilers if you haven’t read the fic)

With it being late when they reach Warnerburg, and way past Audrey’s usual bedtime, despite her protests of her being able to walk and keep up with her brothers, Bendy would ignore her and scoop her up into his arms to carry her until they find someplace to stay for the night. Which unfortunately doesn’t happen and they end up crashing for the night outside against a wall. Bendy obviously is not thrilled that his younger siblings are forced to sleep outside, but thankfully Boris does his best looking at the bright side of their situation while Audrey says she doesn’t mind as long as they’re all together.

Too bad the next morning they realize Bendy’s bag got stolen with all of their money inside, and literally get kicked out of their sleeping spot by a security guard. (Audrey thankfully didn’t get kicked, Boris was holding her when they were sent flying). Fortunately though when they take a food break, they meet Sammy and Finley who helpfully point them towards the police station to report Bendy’s bag stolen. Though going there doesn’t exactly boost their spirits or their hope in finding the bag.

Meeting the Warners certainly distracts them over their rather bleak situation. While Boris gets confused by them and Bendy looks ready to lose his marbles, Audrey’s having the time of her life watching the Warners go nuts and do a bunch of funny crazy stuff. Especially when Dot starts flirting with Bendy. “Bendy, you finally got a girlfriend!”

“Zip it you little stinker.”

Yakko, Wakko, and Dot would be intrigued by the little girl laughing up a storm at their antics. Dot even asks Audrey if she’d like to join their zany group considering both of them could use a gal-pal. Bendy and Boris for a moment worrying over if the Warners were going to try to keep their sister before Audrey declined. “Thanks, but my brothers need me.”

Dot sighs but accepts her answer. “Fair enough, mine would be LOST without me. What would our dear hopeless brothers do without their wise little sisters?”

Later when they reunite with Sammy and Finley and find an alley to crash in for the night, all of them have friendly chats about their dreams and even laugh. Well, most of them were laughing. Boris looks annoyed as Bendy makes puns and Audrey encourages him by giggling.

But then Bendy has his attack in front of all of them.

Safe to say that whole ordeal certainly spooked Audrey. Once the attack passes and Bendy snaps out of his horror over seeing the black ink he coughed into his hand, he’d look over and notice Audrey, who’s looking like she’s trying her damned hardest not to cry as Sammy rests his hands on her shoulders to comfort her. Bendy opens his arms towards her and lets her rush into his embrace as he quietly tries to sooth her, telling her she was very brave, and assures her he’s okay now. Boris hugs both of them as he and Bendy explain to Finley and Sammy what just happened.

Thanks to Finley, Sammy, and the Waner’s help, Bendy’s able to get his bag back, and despite a few hiccups, like finding out Bendy and Boris are now Wanted and officially meeting Cuphead and Mugman, Bendy, Boris, and Audrey can continue on their way to Toontown. Though both Boris and Bendy’s stress level goes up quite a bit considering the extremely dangerous situation they just got out of, being wanted criminals, and now being hunted by two assassins with cups for heads. All while they had their 6 year old sister RIGHT THERE. Thankfully Audrey seemed to handle the situation well enough, not looking like she was badly traumatized from the near death experience, but that doesn’t stop the two brothers from worrying.

Best they can do for the time being is double check with Audrey to make sure she’s emotionally okay and remind her they’re there for her if she needs them. Audrey always tells them she knows and that she’s okay.

Thanks to the whole “wanted criminals” thing though, Bendy, Boris, and Audrey would have to bail off the train they were on and be forced to walk so Bendy and Boris don’t get arrested or Audrey gets taken away. Which leads them to finding Hat’s casino and stopping there for a meal. Boris takes Audrey with him for a bathroom break while Bendy orders their food, and the two of them coming back confused from how spooked Bendy looks after he met Hat.

After going to the Toontown college in search of Oddswell and meeting Holly who gives them directions to Oddswell’s old address, Audrey barely paying attention to any of that as she stares with big wide eyes at the stain glass and mural (she’d want to draw everything so BADLY but they don’t have time so she’d be pouting big time), they officially meet Red Hood after they broke into Oddswell’s house, and are taken to the “clinic”. Properly meeting Oddswell and helping decode Wilson’s note he gave to Bendy.

Or at least, Bendy and Boris help. Audrey’s reading level is better than the average kid, but not THAT good to try decoding anything, so she’d be rather bored until little Steven asks her if she wants to play. Never being asked that before by the kids in Sillyvision, Audrey would be a bit dumbfounded until Bendy tells her to go have fun while he and Boris work. Which she does. Audrey never really realizes how nice it is to have an actual friend close to her age. The two of them having a blast together.

Until all of that is ruined when Cuphead and Mugman show up, and Jerry calls the police. Audrey decides then and there she REALLY doesn’t like Cuphead, Mugman, OR Jerry when she and her brothers are forced to run away, and she has to say goodbye to Steven. Steven promises though they can play again whenever she gets back. She’d be looking forward to that.

For now though, she and her brothers would be making their way back to the casino.

And now time for the funfacts!

-When Finely asks about Audrey’s dreams for the future, Audrey loudly and proudly claims “I WANNA DRAW!!!” as she holds up her notebook. Making her brothers, Finley and Sammy laugh at how determined and dead serious she sounded.

- Audrey would be very stubborn when it comes to trying to keep up with her brothers, and to her credit she does a very good job at it, but she also has a bad habit of not speaking up when she’s getting tired so Bendy and Boris have to pay attention to the signs of her slowing down before one of them just picks her up and carries her. Bendy does it the most since he’s got his demon strength to help hold her for long periods of time if he has to, and because he has an easier time ignoring her squirming when she’s grouchy over being carried until she accepts her fate.

-She also has a bad habit of insisting she can wait to eat when she’s aware their food situation is a bit bad. Denying she’s hungry even if Bendy and Boris can hear her stomach. Bendy quickly puts a stop to that whenever she tries and firmly tells her that when he says it’s time to eat, she’s not going to wait until later or argue with him about it. He and Boris can worry about their food situation, not her. Thankfully she listens without too much of a fuss.

-Normally whenever Audrey spends the night in her brothers room, or how in the events of the fic they have to sleep outside occasionally or get a hotel room, Audrey sleeps between her two brothers where she’s safely in the middle so Bendy and Boris can protect her if something happens, or she’s sleeping in the same bed as Boris since his fur is nice and warm. Due to Bendy’s attacks starting to scare her though, Audrey finds herself wanting to sleep in Bendy’s bed more often. Bendy not minding, but it does make him concerned over how well she and Boris are handling this whole ink illness thing.

-Despite how Bendy and Boris kinda procrastinate with sending Sasha a letter to let her know they’re doing okay, Audrey would insist they at least send her the drawings she made with the crayons Sasha gave her since the whole adventure started. The two brothers agree to that since it makes Audrey happy and hopefully keeps Sasha from getting TO mad at them for not writing as much as they promised.

-During their trip, Audrey likes drawing all the different things they’ve seen and the people they’ve met. She makes really nice drawings of the people that are their friends, but the drawings of Cuphead, Mugman, and Jerry are anything but flattering. Boris frowning at Bendy who’s trying his damn hardest not to laugh over how Audrey wrote “Cusshead” with an arrow pointing at the drawing of Cuphead. Once Bendy gets some control over his giggles he’d tell Audrey to scribble that out since she’s only allowed to say bad words, not write them.

-Audrey would LOVE Granny Gopher! She’s a very sweet little old lady who doesn’t take BS from anyone. Granny in return thinks Audrey’s the sweetest little girl, gladly looking over her drawings and complimenting her, as well as making Audrey and Steven snacks as the two children play together. When Granny gave Audrey full permission to call her Granny instead of Ms. Gopher, Audrey 100% rolled with it. “Neat! We have a grandma now!”

[viridianvenus]

Oh my gosh! Just realized you were a beta for Family by the middle Warner sibling! I’m just so curious—what was that like? Highlights?? Lowlights?? It’s probably my favourite piece of fiction <333

Obviously the biggest highlight was getting to read the new chapters early. She had a pretty detailed outline going well into the Warner's adulthoods. I don't know the details, but she already knew who wound up with who, what careers they had, who had kids and how many and if they were boys or girls.

Another highlight was when she'd slip shout outs to me in the story. That friendly cat reporter Anica? I had a cat named Anica. One of the other students in Dot's riding class, Diego? My other cat was named Diego. Yakko's early girlfriend Athena working in a cookie store? I worked in a cookie store at the time.

Another highlight was just knowing that I was helping what I knew from the very start was going to be the biggest deal fanfic in the fandom. Obviously all of the genius came from her and my impact was minimal, but it was there. When I read the very first chapter she posted I knew I was reading the start of something amazing, but the spelling and grammar were all over the place, so I contacted her and offered to be her beta. We did not know each other at the time. Her immediate reaction was "God, yes!" I edited that first chapter, she reposted it and I was her beta for the next two, maybe three years.

A lowlight would be that, try as I might, I was never able to get her to stop info-dumping non-story related content. All we need to know is that the grandfather clock is significant to Goose, and why. We don't need a full page explanation on how grandfather clocks work. All we need to know is what's going on emotionally between Wakko and Foghorn, we don't need paragraphs explaining on how to fix a car engine. But her justification was that she spent the time doing the research and by God she was going to use it.

Another lowlight, and I'm not sure I'd really call it a lowlight, but it is ultimately the reason why I stepped down as beta (the final two, maybe three, chapters were not beta'd by me) was that it was a major time commitment. You know how massive those chapters were. My turnaround time was 4-5 days. That was not an expectation set by her, she was always saying she didn't know how I was doing it so fast, that just wound up being the speed that I worked. My process was that I would get the chapter and then I would read it through just as a fan enjoying the story. If something stuck out to me I would notate it, but I was reading with my fan brain, not my editor brain. Then I would reread the whole chapter again. much slower, with my editor brain. I was working two jobs at the time, so it eventually got to be too much, but by that time she had a second beta so I wasn't leaving her high and dry.

To this day, Family is still my favorite fanfic ever. Not just for Animaniacs, but in general and I still do occasional re-reads. She and I aren't in touch anymore, we're still Facebook friends but neither of us really use Facebook anymore. She's married and works full time, and we basically just slowly lost touch. We did briefly reconnect when the reboot first dropped. She wasn't impressed. She couldn't even make it through the season. I don't like the reboot either, but I watched all of it and gave her a rundown of what she had missed. She's glad she stopped watching when she did. We both agree that the reboot writers have no idea who the Warners are.

[themurphyzone]

BatB AU: Be a Pest

AN: Sorry it’s been so long! Enjoy this next chapter!

Ch 19: Be a Pest 

AO3 Link

Wakko had been gone for a while. There was no way to check on him since the mirror was no longer in the castle’s possession. Yakko had to trust that Wakko knew what he was doing, or at least successfully improvise a plan. Maybe he’d been lucky enough to find some help out there. 

But as a big brother-slash-leader of their troublemaking trio, Yakko wondered if it was truly right to allow Wakko to venture into the outside world alone, without any preparation or guide to help him. Maybe he should’ve insisted on grabbing Dot so all three of them could present a united, persuasive force in case Pinky was reluctant to come back. 

A little late for any what-ifs now, isn’t it? 

The only thing he could do was check on Dot. Pinky’s departure hit everyone hard, with Dot and the Beast taking it the worst out of everyone. Everyone else was still coming to terms with the terrible news or distracting themselves by cleaning up the remains of the ball. 

Nobody dared disturb the Beast while he mourned Pinky’s presence. Yakko found himself at the West Wing’s entrance, about to barge in against orders to tell the Beast about Wakko’s plan, but he couldn’t provide the Beast with false hope. They’d had too much of that recently. 

It was better to wait until Pinky showed up, if he wanted to come back at all. 

Until then, the only thing he could do was try to be there for everyone else. Write some new songs, create some new jokes, make some wisecracks at their situation that belied just how serious everything had become, anything to fill in the melancholic silence that had quickly descended upon the castle. 

Leaving the West Wing corridor behind, he tried to follow other servants around, but they were all too lost in thought to react to his antics. Laughing was the best reaction, but he was willing to settle for a ‘go away, Yakko’ or ‘please stop, we’re busy’ too. Negative reactions were still reactions. 

So far, nothing. 

He’d left Dot alone for longer than he meant to. Though he knew his younger siblings were capable, he still worried about them. Sometimes Wakko was naive, and sometimes Dot was headstrong. Someone had to rein them in from time to time. 

She was on the cupboard’s bottom shelf, not even bothering to claim the top like she always threatened to do. If it wasn’t for the occasional clink of her handle against the wall, he could’ve mistaken her for one of the completely inanimate teacups. 

He climbed up to the cupboard without any issue thanks to his years of practice.  

“So how’s my favorite sister?” Yakko asked as he sat on the edge of the shelf, letting his base dangle in the air. 

Dot sighed. “I’m your only sister, Yakko.” 

“Which makes you a favorite by default,” Yakko said. He let a small ember burn on his left candle. 

But Dot didn’t laugh. 

The tiny flame flickered out. This would be tougher than he thought. 

“Wanna bother Scratchy? It’ll be fun. Turn that frown upside down and all,” Yakko suggested. Dot’s body shook with a vehement no. Okay, so maybe that wouldn’t work. There were a million other things he could try. “Ehh….we’ll file that under maybe later. You wanna…hear my latest educational song about Martin Luther and the Reformation? I arranged it to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony for easy listening!” 

Dot sighed. “I’m not really in the mood…”

Okay, okay, so music was a bust…maybe a game to pass the time would work? 

“Well, we could try cards, checkers, borrow funny hats from Marita for a tea party-” 

“Yakko Warner, what part of I’m not in the mood do you not understand?” Dot snapped, her base clinking sharply against the shelf. “Just leave me alone if you have nothing important to say!” 

Though her tone was sharp, her voice hitched. With a sigh, Yakko shook his head. “Yeah…can’t leave you alone even if you tell me to. Comes with the job.” 

Dot glared at him, but Yakko knew perfectly well that she didn’t want to be left alone right now. 

“Fine,” she grumbled. “So where’s Wakko?” 

Here we go.

This was the question he’d been waiting for. 

While he wished he could’ve swayed Wakko into waiting for Dot instead of relying on Yakko to explain everything, he also knew that no time could be wasted so Wakko could sneak out without being noticed. 

“Wakko’s gonna persuade Pinky to come back,” Yakko said. “Came up with the plan by himself and hitched a ride in Pharfig’s saddlebags.” 

“Without saying anything at all?” Dot scowled. “Typical.”

Yakko ignored the harshness in her tone. “Well, I caught him trying to sneak out, and I admit to trying to stop him from leaving, but he was really adamant about this. He didn’t have time to wait.” 

Dot pouted, and Yakko knew she would’ve jumped at the chance to go with Wakko. Some selfish part of Yakko was glad Dot was here though. He didn’t think he could take both of his younger siblings sneaking off the castle grounds without his knowledge. 

Or going without him for that matter. 

“And you let him go?” Dot asked. 

Yakko nodded. He had the odd feeling that Wakko wanted to go by himself anyway. Like there was something he was trying to prove. 

Except…he doesn’t need to prove anything to us. Does he know that?  

Dot was silent, though only because she was trying to think up her next question. 

"...would you have let me go if I asked?" 

Yakko was prepared for anger, but to his surprise, there was none within her question. 

A long time ago, he'd promised that they would stay together no matter what. Though he wished he didn't have to break his promise to his parents, the circumstances had forced him. 

"...I don't know. It was hard enough with Wakko. Don't look at me like that, I know you're not as fragile as you look, and I should've realized that sooner, but…" 

Dot gave him a sharp nudge. 

"I get it, Yakko," Dot murmured, placing most of her body weight onto Yakko in a no-armed version of a hug. "Stop talking before you say something really mushy." 

Yakko gasped in disbelief. Stop talking when that was his entire shtick? "What, you gonna ask the sky to stop being blue now? Or for the stars to stop shining? Any other impossible requests you wanna make?"

"Well, now that you've kindly offered…" Dot said with a cheeky grin, and Yakko nudged her back.

Honestly, if he'd known that all it took was admitting his younger siblings were capable even with their inanimate forms, he would've done it much sooner. 

"Wake me up when Wakko and Pinky come back. I wanna be awake for the love confession," Dot yawned, nestling into Yakko's side. 

Yakko wrapped his brass arm around her as best he could. 

They would come back. It would be difficult to wait, but they would come back. He was sure of it.

o-o-o-o-o

Dot wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep, just that it was a very long and emotionally exhausting night, but with Yakko's light flickering gently around her, she felt more confident that Wakko and Pinky would return. 

They seriously needed to hurry up though. Apparently a sense of timing didn't come with being a clock.

As much as she wished she could've gone with Wakko, she realized that maybe Yakko needed her to stay for his own peace of mind. 

Yakko had sacrificed so much for her and Wakko, doing his best to play with them, educate them, and keep them safe and together in spite of everything life threw at them. 

Sometimes he got too overprotective, and sometimes he talked so much and forgot to listen, but he was working on it. 

And Dot wouldn't trade her brothers for the world, even if they did annoy her to death. 

Despite all of Yakko's efforts to stay awake, he'd fallen asleep. 

Dot blew out a tiny flame that still burned on his wick, nestling under his arm to see if she could somehow get back to sleep. It was hard when she was anticipating Wakko and Pinky's return. 

It wouldn't be long before she could nestle into soft fur again.

She closed her eyes, but before she could sink back into sleep, a commotion outside the cupboard caught her attention. 

"EVERYONE, WAKE UP! WE GOT TROUBLE!" Pesto's loud voice echoed through the kitchen. 

Dot tried to squeeze her eyes shut and will herself back to sleep, but Pesto's voice was impossible to ignore. 

The kitchen staff, who'd just finished putting away the remains of the ball's dinner, grumbled as they crawled out from the shelves, racks, and cupboards. 

"What's going on?" 

"Someone tell that featherbrain to shut up!" 

"Can't get any sleep in this place!" 

Pesto made an indignant noise. "Who are ya callin' a featherbrain, ya big lunk? I'd get that wide behind to the big lobby window if I was you!" 

The serving tray who'd insulted Pesto humphed. "I don't have a wide behind…" he muttered. 

Several of the servants around him whistled innocently and chose not to comment. 

Though Dot wondered if Bobby or Squit said anything that would drive Pesto into a crazed, profanity-laden tirade, the featherduster sounded genuinely panicked. 

Dot slipped out from underneath Yakko, curious about whatever was happening. Though some of the servants retreated to their sleeping areas for the night, others chose to heed Pesto and followed him out of the kitchen. 

"Huh? Whazzgoinon?" Yakko asked, sleepily rubbing his eyes. 

"Something's happening out there. C'mon!" Dot said, and Yakko's flames burst as he fully woke up and hopped out of the cupboard after Dot. 

They followed the servants to the window, where a large crowd was already gathered. They all had worried expressions on their faces, and Yakko and Dot glanced at each other, uncertain at what they would see. 

Pushing their way to the front, Yakko and Dot emerged beside Rita and Buttons. Runt and Mindy played together on the rug, oblivious to whatever worried the others. 

Outside the window, through the torrent of rainwater and flashes of lightning, bright specks of light shone through the darkness. 

Though Dot wished it was Wakko, Pinky, and Pharfignewton, that hope was quickly dashed as a series of thundering footsteps echoed on the stone bridge below. 

It was too loud to be a single horse. 

The lights steadily grew brighter and larger as they approached, and with a pit of dread in her non-existent stomach, Dot realized they were torches. 

A mob was coming. And they weren't here for a friendly chat over tea. 

"Gee, where are the pitchforks?" Yakko asked with a nervous chuckle. Nobody reacted to his attempt to make light of the situation. 

"We were roosting in an alcove above the entrance when we spotted 'em," Bobby said. "I'd say they're about fifty strong, each of them armed with at least one weapon." 

With the exception of Pinky and Wakko, nobody had ventured beyond the castle grounds in a long time. So nobody was sure what exactly they'd done to incite a mob. 

"So does anybody know what they're here for?" Adeline asked in concern. 

A deafening chant came from the mob, roaring over the thunder as they marched across the stone bridge. 

"Kill the Beast! Kill the Beast! Kill the Beast!" 

A hush fell over the room, and even Runt and Mindy stopped their game as the revelation sank in. 

"No…" Dot whispered. "No! Yakko, we can't let them kill the boss!" 

If the mob got to the Beast before Wakko and Pinky got back, well, Dot didn't want to imagine the devastation that would follow. 

"Everyone. Look at that green light. Is that…" Rita pointed to an otherworldly green light poking out of a saddlebag attached to an enormous black horse. 

The horse's rider shouted in fury to his followers, who bellowed and swung their torches and weaponry through the air. 

"The mirror!" Yakko gasped. "How did they get their grubby hands on the mirror?" 

"We don't have time to worry about that dingy mirror! They've got a battering ram with 'em!" Pesto snapped.

"Forget the mirror, is that Prince Snowball among them? He hasn't come around for years!" one of the chairs shouted. 

"They're all following his lead!" a bucket cried. 

Abrasive as he was, Pesto had a point. They needed to focus on the attack, not the mirror or their leader! 

But why is Snowball coming back now of all times? He'll ruin everything! 

This entire situation was getting worse by the minute. 

Nobody had given Snowball a second thought in years, since the curse was a far more pressing matter. 

Maybe they should've been more concerned in hindsight.

The mob finally crossed the bridge, a quarter of the men heaving the enormous battering ram over their shoulders as they finally reached the front door. 

"Barricade the door!" someone screamed, and everyone rushed downstairs to block the front door. 

Dot stuck close to Yakko as they pressed their backs to the door, and she felt every slam of the battering ram against her back. The other servants joined them, but despite their numbers, most of them were too small to be effective. 

The mob would get into the castle. The only thing the servants could do was delay them. 

"Runt and I'll gather the others! We need everyone's help!" Rita exclaimed, wasting no time as she jumped onto Runt's back. "Mush, Runt!" 

"Mushing! Definitely mushing!" Runt barked as he ran into a nearby parlor room. 

"I'm gonna warn the boss!" Dot shouted. "We'll need him too!" 

Once more servants arrived to take her place, Dot moved away from the door, but before she could get far, something tapped her back. 

She turned around, prepared to argue that she could do this, but her words died away when Yakko gave her an encouraging nod. 

"Go for it," he said, shoving her to the stairs. 

Dot smiled. Their little talk had really gotten through to him.

Yakko was counting on her. They all were. 

She rushed upstairs, weaving between a crowd of mops and chairs who were hurrying to aid everybody with the barricade. 

Finally, she reached the West Wing. The Beast's mournful roars had long gone silent, so nobody knew what he was up to, or if he'd heard the commotion. The door was ajar, so Dot slipped through the opening. 

The entire West Wing was dark, save for the enchanted rose's ethereal glow. The Beast hunched over protectively in front of the rose, though he could barely summon the strength to be intimidating. His ears were limp against his back, the light that Pinky had brought back completely sucked out of his pink eyes. 

"You have to come help us! A mob of angry villagers are gonna break down the door any minute now!" Dot shouted. 

But the Beast only turned his back on her. 

"Leave me in peace," he growled. 

She'd expected some level of stubbornness, but she hadn't expected him to be so…despondent. 

Every movement was heavy and sluggish, and though Dot didn't want to entertain such a morbid thought, it seemed like the Beast had lost the will to live. 

"Didn't you hear me? We're under attack!" Dot cried. "And Snowball is leading the charge! They're chanting about how much they want to kill you!" 

But the Beast barely reacted to the name, despite their shared history, only pressing his clawed hand against the bell jar. 

"Then tell everyone to stand down and let them pass. Don't let them know you're alive," the Beast rasped. 

"So you're just…giving up?" Dot protested. 

The Beast turned his back on her, refusing to say anything more. He didn’t even tell her to leave, nor did he make any attempt to shut her out of the West Wing. 

And Dot realized that he didn’t have the strength nor the will to do anything but await discovery and certain death. 

Pinky was the only one who could truly chase away the Beast’s despair.

And they were still awaiting his return. 

There was nothing anyone could do until Wakko returned with Pinky in tow. What was taking them so long? They couldn’t wait much longer!

Even from the upper levels, she heard the mob’s mantra as the castle walls shook with every blow of the battering ram. The door was strong, but it was only a matter of time before it broke completely. 

She hurried down to the main entrance, knowing that there was nothing more she could do for the Beast. 

She needed to be with the other servants. They were the last line of defense within the castle. 

o-o-o-o-o

“KILL THE BEAST!” 

Their catchphrase grated on Yakko’s nerves as he shoved his back against the door. The wood and stone frame splintered, dust raining down from above. The servants pressed close together, but their bodies wouldn’t be an effective barricade for long. 

Their defense was crumbling fast. 

Above the cacophony of the mob and the servants shouting encouragement to keep their unruly visitors out, Yakko heard Dot’s voice call everyone’s attention from the landing of the staircase.

“The boss ordered us to stand down and let them pass!” Dot shouted. Everyone fell silent, stunned by the unencouraging orders. But that wasn’t what Yakko focused on at all. Instead, he saw a determination brimming within Dot. 

That they would defend their castle, their lives, and the Beast at all costs, and they would all live to see the curse broken once the battle was over. “But we can’t let the mob succeed, you hear? So disregard all orders and kick the mob’s butts!” 

Everyone belted out battle cries in response to her speech. 

If candelabras could shed proud tears, Yakko would’ve done it. Instead, he elbowed a broom on his right. “That’s my awesome sister,” he said, unable to stop himself from shamelessly bragging.  

“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” was the broom’s snarky reply. 

Yakko clapped his candleholders together, and Dot smiled at his unwavering support. “Well, you heard her, everyone! Let’s get into battle formation!” he shouted. 

Truth was, they didn’t have to completely disregard orders. Everyone was willing to stand down and pretend they weren’t alive…but only so they’d catch the mob off-guard. The element of surprise would be essential.

The servants quickly split into two groups, one on each side of the red carpet that led from the doorway to the stairs. 

“We definitely gotta guard the castle!” Runt yipped, and Rita tugged on his tassels to shush him. 

“Wait for the signal, Runt!” she hissed.

Buttons scurried off to check on Mindy and came back in record time. Knowing Buttons, he’d found a really good hiding spot to keep her out of harm’s way. 

The Goodfeathers and their fellow featherdusters perched atop the gargoyles and rafters, waiting to spring upon the unsuspecting mob. 

Yakko and Dot quickly perched upon a small table which had settled near the front. Though some small, instinctive part of Yakko wanted to protect Dot, he knew that she wasn’t as fragile as she looked. She could handle herself just fine.  

Everyone froze in place, pretending to be the inanimate objects they resembled. The room was dark, and nobody made a peep. 

With one mighty crash, the heavy door splintered and fell to the ground, revealing the mob with their torches and weaponry. Prince Snowball was at the helm, his brows furrowed and mouth twisted into an ugly snarl. He peered into the lobby, then gestured for the mob to follow him inside. 

The men dropped their battering ram, creeping along the carpet as they carefully looked around. Snowball was the only one who masked any fear, while the others nervously pointed their weapons to anything that made noise, not realizing just how tightly packed they were. 

“He’s lurking somewhere in the shadows,” Snowball growled. “Be on your guard.” 

A short, heavyset man followed closely behind Snowball, smiling anxiously and wringing his hands in an effort to kiss up to Snowball’s higher status. It was pretty pathetic to watch. “Y-you saw how sharp those fangs were in the mirror. Not to mention those horns. Wh-what if he-” 

Snowball whipped around and hurled his torch at the man’s head, who yelped as he patted the embers out of his sideburns. “Are you suggesting that I can’t handle the monster on my own, Plotz?” he growled. 

Plotz gulped. “N-no, of course not, your Grace! He’s no match for your might at all!” 

Pleased with Plotz’s desperate assertion, Snowball signaled for everyone to fan out and search the castle. 

“Take all the valuables, antiques, and relics you can find!” he ordered. “But remember, the honor of killing the Beast belongs to me!”

Everybody tensed, awaiting the command to spring their trap. None of these invaders were going anywhere near the Beast! 

Plotz reached for him to provide some light, and Yakko did his best not to squirm at the idea of having the man’s grubby hands around him. He had to remain still, like the candelabra he appeared to be… 

And once Plotz looked away, distracted by the men’s rowdiness around him, Yakko knew that it was time to strike. 

“NOW!” Yakko screeched, his flames bursting with such intensity that Plotz howled in pain, dropping him at once. 

And the entire castle was engulfed in chaos. 

o-o-o-o-o 

Dot ducked and weaved between men's feet to trip them up as they swung their weapons. Many of them made the fatal mistake of looking down, and the momentary distraction cost them dearly. 

She didn't have a knight's strength nor Marita's bulk, but she was excellent at being an absolute pest. 

"Outta my way, jerk!" Dot hollered as she slipped between a bearded man's shoes, and he fell onto his stomach with a surprised shout. She stopped in front of his face and blew a raspberry at him, happy that she still had a tongue to blow raspberries with. "Well, I did warn you. Doncha know teacups have right of way?" 

With a frustrated huff, the man tried to grab her, but Dot easily evaded his grasp. 

"Boy, I've seen babies with better reflexes than you!" Dot hollered. "So crawl back to your little shack and tell everyone you lost to a teacup!" 

The man bellowed in outrage, his ego bruised at the idea of a dainty, fragile, floral-patterned talking teacup outwitting him at every turn. 

But before he could make his move, a caterwaul erupted from the frenzy of servants and villagers. Runt burst from the crowd, barking apologies as he bowled over friend and foe alike, while Rita rode atop his back. There was a sharp-toothed grin on her face as she clutched Runt's tassels with one paw, while the paw was held out to the side, a set of gleaming, sharp needles poking out from her white-laced sleeve, bound to her arm with a red ribbon. 

Every member of the mob was trying to avoid her at all costs, choosing to take their chances with the knights' swords or Yakko's fire. Their clothes were slashed, their bare skin sporting angry red scratches. 

Then Rita turned her attention to the man antagonizing Dot, and she thrust her makeshift claws into the air, yowling as she goaded Runt into knocking him over. The man screamed in pain as Rita slashed his thigh. 

"Not bad for a Christmas angel, don't you think?" Rita purred, fixing her halo to give off an air of pure innocence. 

"Yeah, and you have the voice of one too!" Runt barked. 

Rita rubbed the back of her paw against her cheek nonchalantly. "Save the flattery for later," she said, glancing at Dot for any sign of injury. "Holding up okay, Dot?" 

"Don't worry, I'm having plenty of fun!" Dot exclaimed. 

Rita flashed her claws with a grin. "So am I," she declared, narrowing her eyes at a bulky man with a meat cleaver who was terrorizing the laundry staff. "Hey Runt, doesn't that guy over there smell like a nice, juicy beef tenderloin? Ya think he might be the butcher?" 

Runt's tassels wagged. "Oh boy, beef tenderloin!" he exclaimed, bounding off in excitement. 

That poor butcher never knew what hit him. 

An operatic shout sounded from above, and Dot barely had time to look up before Marita slammed into the ground, crushing a hapless soul under her bulk. 

Ha! Serves them right!  

But Dot celebrated too early. Someone's meaty hands clamped around her, lifting her several feet off the ground. She wriggled her base and tried to pull away, but the man's grip was too strong. 

"Thought you could escape, huh? Real cute," he guffawed, raising her above his head. 

Fear coursed through Dot. He was gonna shatter her! Maybe she'd been too confident in her abilities at a time when everyone else was preoccupied. 

She braced for impact, praying that it wouldn't hurt too much as the man flung her to the stone below…

…and something soft cushioned her fall. 

Below her was a tan ottoman, whose focus was completely locked on the man who'd tried to shatter her. 

Buttons! 

And riding atop him was a candelabra with an easygoing smile on his waxy face, which couldn't quite conceal the simmering fear and anger. 

"Got here in the nick of time," Yakko said casually, his tone concealing just how furious he truly was. "Feeling up for a little revenge, Dot?" 

"I'd love some," Dot grinned. 

True, she could be fierce and independent, but truth was, sometimes she needed to rely on her brothers too. 

Every once in a while of course, not that she'd ever let them know that. Her brothers didn't need the ego boost. 

"You know what to do, Buttons!" Yakko declared. 

In a matter of seconds, Buttons had the cruel villager pinned to the ground. Trapped between Buttons' wooden legs, the man's eyes comically bulged in fear. 

Buttons growled, a surprisingly ominous sound for an ottoman. 

Yakko's flames flared to a height that Dot had never seen before, changing from a warm orange into an intense, scorching blue. 

He hopped off Buttons' back and onto the man's chest. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as Yakko held a flame close to the man's exposed neck. 

"The only one who messes with my siblings is me, understand?" Yakko growled. 

The man stared, cross-eyed at Yakko's flames. 

"Couldn't quite catch that," Yakko said. "Mind speaking up? It's so hard to hear over all this racket!" 

"U-understand," the man squeaked out, his voice an octave higher than it was before. 

The score now settled, Yakko's blue flames cooled to orange. He settled atop Buttons' back once again, slinging an arm around Dot. 

"Care to do the honors, Buttons?" Dot asked. 

The man breathed a sigh of relief as Buttons released him, though he scarcely had time to sit up when a hind leg slammed into his gut, causing him to keel over once again. 

Revenge had never been sweeter. 

"Shall we?" Yakko asked, his arm sweeping out to indicate the hall-turned-battlefield. 

"Charge!" Dot screeched, and the trio leapt into the fray once more. 

o-o-o-o-o

Wakko's heart raced as Pharfignewton burst through the edge of the forest, rushing past the broken iron gates that marked the beginning of the castle property. 

From across the stone bridge, they heard the shouts and caterwauls of a raging battle, though from this distance, it was impossible to tell who was winning. 

Behind him, Pinky wrung his tail anxiously. "I hope we're not too late…" he whispered. 

"It'll work out, Pinky," the old mouse said in reassurance, though he couldn't hide his nervous tremor either. "You'll see." 

Slappy and Skippy emerged from the forest canopy, leaping from the branches to the top of the stone walls. 

"Whoa, that's a huge castle!" Skippy exclaimed. "You really live here, Wakko?" 

"Sure do!" Wakko replied. Though he wished Skippy could've seen the castle before it fell into disrepair during the curse. He would've been even more amazed.

"Eh, you've seen one castle, you've seen 'em all," Slappy shrugged, not nearly as impressed as her nephew. 

Bugs popped out of the ground, unable to continue tunneling across the stone bridge. He munched on a carrot as he took in his surroundings, casually resting his elbows on the soil, his lower half still underground. 

“Well, this looks like a fun party,” Bugs commented. 

He was suddenly shoved out of the hole by an incredibly irate Daffy, whose beak was scrunched up in disgust. He retched and coughed out a wriggling earthworm, glaring at Bugs once he was finished. 

“Thank you, Bugs,” Daffy said sardonically. “For treating me to a wonderful dinner of mud and worm a la mode.” 

“No problem, duck,” Bugs said, brushing himself off as he stood up. He offered a carrot to Daffy without even looking. “Care for dessert?”

Daffy snatched the carrot out of Bugs’ hand and angrily chomped down while muttering insults against rabbits under his breath. 

The group charged across the stone bridge, the air filled with the screams and chaos of a raging battle. As they drew nearer, they passed several villagers who were shouting and fleeing from the castle. 

A bearded man sported two black eyes and several missing teeth. Another was limping along, dressed in nothing but a ballerina’s tutu with his mascara running trailing down his face from the rain. 

That one was definitely Marita’s work. 

“I told you not to fall for that harp’s feminine wiles, Tom!” a man scolded his bruised friend as he dragged him into the trees. 

Tom moaned, clutching his broken nose. “Bu’ she was so bretty!” 

Hello Nurse seemed to be doing fine in the battle too. 

Wakko’s heart soared as they finally crossed the stone bridge. Despite the battered and broken exterior, they were actually winning the battle! 

“Hey, you guys better be saving some for us!” Slappy shouted at Wakko.

“Yeah, don’t hog all the fun!” Skippy agreed. 

Daffy rolled his shoulders back and cracked his knuckles. “I’m getting a headstart on all of you!” he shouted, pulling out a meringue pie and anvil from behind his back. He charged straight into the castle, and there was a high-pitched scream followed by a loud crash from inside. 

Slappy and Skippy rushed in after Daffy, letting out war cries of their own. 

Bugs stayed behind, content to finish his carrot before joining the fight. 

"Let's go, Pharfignewton!" Wakko shouted, tapping his wooden legs against her saddle. 

She took a step forward, but her legs trembled. Yet she tried to hold her head high, even though her sides heaved with tremendous effort. 

Unsteady on her hooves, she shuffled over to a patch of grass and collapsed on her side, her tongue lolling out as she panted.

Wakko, Pinky, and Jack yelped as their ride ended unceremoniously. 

The rain plastered her mane to her back, but she didn't seem to care. Wakko and Pinky quickly climbed off her saddle, draping themselves around her muzzle. 

"...you okay, Fig?" Pinky whispered, tenderly rubbing soothing circles into her muzzle. 

Pharfignewton nickered quietly, her eyes half-lidded from exhaustion. 

She's in a lot of pain, Wakko realized. And she ran so far, so fast with those burns on her legs….

Pharfignewton’s nostrils flared, and she tossed her head with a snort. Wakko and Pinky’s hands slid off her muzzle. 

Go. 

The message was loud and clear. Though Wakko and Pinky were hesitant to leave her in such a vulnerable state, she wanted them to save the castle. The inhabitants were her friends too. 

“Shall we?” Bugs called, dropping the remaining leaves of his eaten carrot on the ground as he stretched his arms. 

Wakko unstrapped the mallet from his back, which fit perfectly in his hands. Heavy enough to cause damage, but light enough to swing around. It was just right for him, and he was happy that Slappy let him keep it. 

Wakko glanced up at Bugs, nodding with conviction. “I’m ready,” he declared. 

His siblings had waited long enough. 

“Here. You’ve earned this,” Bugs said, holding out a carrot to Pharfignewton. She gratefully accepted it, whinnying her thanks. 

But Pinky clung to Pharfignewton, too distraught to let go. 

Jack rested his hand on his son’s shoulder, tilting his head towards the castle. He knew what needed to be done.  

Wakko hefted his mallet over his shoulder, giving Pinky and Jack a determined nod. He was ready to protect his siblings and friends now. 

Then he and Bugs rushed into the castle, deftly avoiding an unconscious villager who’d been knocked out in the doorway. 

They were instantly met with a chaotic scene. 

Feathers from the pillows and featherdusters were scattered everywhere. The villagers slipped on puddles of soapy water that the buckets dumped on the floor, rendering them vulnerable to attack. Somebody screamed, the large metal pot on his head muffling the sound. Several cooking utensils jumped at the chance to aid him by repeatedly banging on the metal pot, and the man stumbled and swayed as his entire body vibrated with the sound. 

Wakko recognized a large man, Gerald, nearby. He was fending off the seamstresses’ assault, even with one hand bound to his back with some incredibly strong thread, he wasn’t going down easily. 

He’d mocked Pinky for his kind offer to feed him soup, in addition to tying Pharfignewton up in the stables after he led her away, ensuring she couldn’t aid her family while they were in trouble. 

Needless to say, Wakko hated him. 

His grip tightened around his mallet, ready for payback, but Bugs walked up to Gerald and tapped him on the shoulder before he could do anything. 

“Eh, pardon me doc, but would you like any assistance with that thread?” Bugs asked. “Looks like you’ve gotten yourself into a bit of a bind.” 

Bugs chuckled at his own joke as he led a bemused Gerald over to a stone gargoyle. Then Bugs tapped his finger against the gargoyle’s sharp fang, nodding in satisfaction. 

“Here, this one should cut it nicely,” Bugs declared. 

Gerald turned his back to the gargoyle and tried to use the fang to saw through the thread, and though it held quite well, it would eventually break. 

“Well, glad there’s still some decency left,” Gerald grunted as he attempted to break the thread. It was clearly going to take some time and lots of strength. “Can’t really expect much help when everyone’s fighting off demon-possessed furniture.”

Bugs nodded. “Tell me about it. Afraid I’ve never been one for Gothic decor myself. I’m more into the classical style.”

“I’m sure the Devil would be right at home,” Gerald grunted. 

Then Wakko noticed that one of Bugs’ long ears was pointing to the top of the gargoyle’s head. Bugs’ eyes flicked to Wakko, then back to Gerald. 

And Wakko understood. 

Strapping the mallet to his back, Wakko silently crept over to the gargoyle and climbed to the top of its head. Bugs kept Gerald talking and focused on cutting the thread so he wouldn’t notice. 

“Humph. You aren’t half-bad. Better company than Jacque anyway,” Gerald admitted, the thread finally snapping. “Tell you what. Come to the tavern and I’ll treat you to Dick’s whiskey at the victory feast. He’s the best brewer in the village.” 

Wakko’s hands tightened around the mallet as he waited for Bugs’ signal. Any moment now. 

Bugs shrugged. “Eh, can’t say I care for that bitter stuff. I prefer a nice, refreshing glass of carrot juice.” 

Gerald guffawed. “So that explains why you’re so scrawny then! How do you ever expect to be a real man without meat and whiskey?”

Bugs produced a cup filled with carrot juice and pressed it into Gerald’s hand. “Well, have you ever tried carrot juice before?” he asked, rubbing his chin as Gerald stared at the cup, his mouth agape as he wondered where Bugs pulled it from. “Hmmm, most first timers find the taste a bit earthy. Fortunately, that’s an easy fix. You want one or two lumps?” 

Two sugarcubes sat in Bugs’ open palm. 

“Fine. I’ll humor you. Two lumps,” Gerald grumbled, snatching the sugarcubes out of Bugs’ hand and dropping them into the carrot juice. 

“An excellent choice,” Bugs grinned, taking a step back. “You heard this upstanding gentleman, Wakko! Two lumps for him, if you please!” 

Gerald whirled around, his eyes widening in terror as Wakko raised his trusty mallet, delivering two lumps to Gerald’s temple as promised. 

Gerald collapsed, completely unconscious with two large, red lumps on his forehead. 

“Well, I can hardly expect to be a real man since I’m a rabbit,” Bugs chuckled, sidestepping Gerald’s body to shake Wakko’s brass hand. “Whoever named you Wakko must’ve known you’d be a real hard hitter with a mallet.”

Wakko’s heart soared at Bugs’ praise. 

“Hey, everybody!” a voice shouted from above. “Wakko’s back!” 

Squit circled around Wakko’s head in a joyful greeting, and Wakko happily shook Squit’s tailfeathers.  

With the threat of the villagers greatly reduced thanks to Daffy, Slappy, and Skippy’s enthusiastic attacks, the servants eagerly rushed over to the gargoyle to see Wakko. 

“It���s about time! What took ya so long?” Pesto shouted. 

Runt happily wagged his tassels. “Didja see any good sticks out there? I really, really love sticks!” 

Rita sighed, careful not to scratch herself on several razor-sharp needles she’d attached to her paw. “Not really why he was out there, Runt…” she sighed. 

“Well, talk to ya later,” Bugs said, lifting Wakko off the gargoyle and placing him on the ground. “I can’t let Daffy and the Squirrels take all the fun.” 

The servants let him pass, recognizing him as an ally.

“WAKKO!” 

Above all the noise were the two voices Wakko had looked forward to hearing the most. 

Yakko and Dot burst through the crowd, slamming into Wakko at full speed and knocking him into the gargoyle’s stone leg before he had the chance to drop his mallet. 

Dot nuzzled into Wakko’s side, and Wakko gripped her handle with one hand in their own version of a hug. She had a bright smile on her face, and Wakko was happy to see that somehow, she’d cheered up while he’d been away. 

Yakko’s brass arms were tightly wrapped around Wakko, the flame on top of his head bursting sporadically. 

“Yakko did some soul-searching while you were gone,” Dot said with a teasing grin. “He was a total mess.” 

“I’ll have you know that I was always the cool, calm, smooth-talking eldest Warner brother and semi-parental figure I’ve always been,” Yakko declared. “So what happened during your time away?” 

Wakko rubbed his chin. “Well, I found out that Prince Snowball wanted Pinky to marry him. And Pinky said no, so Snowball threatened to throw everyone he loved into the Maison des Lunes with the support of almost the entire village. They didn’t believe that the enchanted castle was real, so Pinky proved them wrong by showing them the Beast through the magic mirror. Then Snowball got really, really mad and riled everyone up into a mob to storm the castle and kill the Beast. Then he told the Devil to lock Pinky, his father, and Slappy in the asylum until he returned to claim Pinky’s hand in marriage. So the Devil tried to take them away, but then I met Skippy, Bugs, and Daffy, and they helped me destroy the asylum carriage. Then the Devil tried to kill us, but I smashed his knees with my mallet and Bugs dragged him underneath the earth. Then we rode here to save the castle from the mob and the curse! Pinky’s still outside though, we should really check on him once we’re finished dealing with the invaders.” 

Everyone was silent during his tale, and the only noise was Daffy’s furious quacking as he whacked a villager for setting his tail on fire. 

Then Dot let out an indignant noise. “You beat up the Devil and didn’t let me have a turn?” she complained. “That’s it. When I have my arms back, I wanna try out your mallet. You owe me.” 

Fair enough. 

Yakko half-laughed, half-sobbed with glee. “You’re different now, but you’re a Warner sibling through and through,” he grinned. “Wish Mom and Dad could see you. They’d be proud.” 

And so was Yakko, though he’d never admit to anything so mushy. 

“Well, what are we all standing around here for?” Wakko shouted, raising his mallet to the cheers of the servants. “Let’s save our castle!”

And the castle’s fighting spirit was rekindled once more. 

o-o-o-o-o      

Responsible guardians would’ve made sure their kid ate their veggies, brushed their teeth, and went to bed at a reasonable time. 

Responsible guardians definitely wouldn’t let their kid ride on machines with questionable safety mechanisms, chase down the Devil, or encourage them to store dynamite in their hammerspace. 

That’s why Slappy enjoyed being an aunt. 

To hell with everyone who tried to separate Skippy from her. Belatedly, the villagers realized that was the worst course of action they could’ve taken.

“Now Skippy, you’re probably gonna hear a lotta people say you should take the high road if someone wrongs you,” Slappy declared. She whistled shrilly, and an enormous anvil dropped from the second floor onto an unaware Stanley. “But lemme tell ya, revenge is the best way to make sure they’ll never do it again. Thanks for the demonstration, Henri.” 

Henri the anvil hopped off Stanley’s back, the ground shaking under his weight. “No problem,” he said before hopping off in search of some hapless villager’s foot. 

Skippy eagerly scribbled down notes on a small pad, quickly putting it away and bringing out a mallet that was ten times as large as he was. 

“Whoa!” Skippy shouted in surprise, wobbling back and forth as he tried to control the swaying mallet. 

Everyone on both sides hastily scrambled out of the way. Nobody wanted to be caught under the mallet. 

That is, everyone except for Daffy, who was too busy counting and organizing his pile of semi-conscious villagers to notice the ominous shadow dangling over him.

Daffy hummed a tune to himself as he threw the baker on top of the dairy farmer. “La-da-dee, la-da-doo, ten for me, none for that dumb bunny, la-da-dee, la…DAHHHHHHHH!” 

Too late, he noticed the mallet swinging down from above. With a mighty crash, it flattened him against the stone floor. 

Skippy let go of the handle with a nervous smile. “Oops…” 

“Eh, don’t sweat it, Skippy,” Slappy said, lifting the heavy mallet enough so a very irate Daffy could scuttle out from underneath. “Give it a couple years. You’ll grow into it.” 

“Your child is a menace to society…” Daffy muttered, snapping back to his normal height. “And you’re despicable for encouraging it.” 

Slappy rolled her eyes. Like she hadn’t heard it all before. 

Skippy bounced on his toes. “Thanks for the compliment, Dewey!” he exclaimed. 

“IT’S DAFFY, YOU SNOT-NOSED CRETIN! NOT DRAKE, NOT DONALD, NOT DEWEY, BUT DAFFY!” 

Daffy hooted, hollered, and rammed through the solid stone walls, startling villagers outside who were trying to crawl away from battle. 

“This time, let’s try to stay away from friendly fire,” Slappy suggested to Skippy, ignoring the carnage outside. 

“I make no promises, Aunt Slappy,” Skippy declared. 

Fair enough.

Just as they were about to begin their search for a suitable target, Plotz stomped up to them with a furious glare.

His once-neat suit was shredded, an ember smoldering on one shoulder. Half his hair (not that he had much to begin with) had been ripped out, and he was missing a shoe. 

"Alright, kiddo. Go be a menace to society," Slappy declared, giving Skippy an encouraging nudge towards Plotz. 

Skippy puffed out his chest with pride and met Plotz's glare without flinching. 

She'd step in if needed, but deep down, she knew he wouldn't require an intervention. If Skippy could fight back against the Devil and win, then a cowardly thief was no match for him at all. 

Skippy was taller, wittier, and braver than he'd ever been before. 

And the realization struck Slappy harder than a thousand ton sack of bricks ever could. 

He's growing up. 

Skippy and Plotz traded insults, but Slappy barely heard any of them. All she knew was the swelling pride that overtook her as Skippy remained calm and collected, while Plotz launched into a furious diatribe about Skippy, his behavior, his heritage, and everything else he hated about the young squirrel. 

Instead of replying, Skippy crossed his arms and turned his back to Plotz. 

A risky move, but the complete disrespect left Plotz seething.

Plotz stomped around Skippy to force eye contact, but Skippy lifted his chin proudly and turned his face away. It didn't matter which direction Plotz tried to move, Skippy was one step ahead of him. 

I didn’t think I could be any prouder, but- 

A hiccup interrupted her thoughts, and a half-llucid Jacque stood in her way, blocking her view of the entertainment.  

"I rembr'er when my son grew up," Jacque drunkenly rambled, his nose as red as a beet. He swayed on his feet, rum trickling down his face as he sloppily drank out of his bottle. "Ne'er spoke to me again once he turned the ripe ol' age of sixteen. I miss that bright fella-" 

Slappy snatched the bottle out of Jacque's hands and smashed it against his head. The local drunk was instantly knocked out, humming a very out of tune Alouette as he collapsed. 

"Never asked for your tragic backstory, Jacque," Slappy growled, eager to get back to watching the one-sided showdown between her nephew and Snowball's lackey. 

But she found that her vision was partially obscured by a glossy sheen. She quickly glanced left and right, and once the coast was clear, she wiped her eyes against her bushy tail. 

“Do mine eyes deceive me?” a voice chuckled behind her. “The great Slappy Squirrel, crying over her kid growing up?” 

Slappy jumped. She was usually good at discerning sneak attacks from behind since Skippy sometimes tried to hug attack her when he thought she wasn’t watching. But Bugs had crept up on her, and she’d let down her guard. 

She released her tail and folded her arms, her vision returning in full. Then she kicked Bugs in the shin to shut him up. 

If there was anything she agreed with Daffy on, it was that Bugs didn’t know when to shut up. 

“Tell anybody and I will personally chop off your feet and peddle ‘em as good luck charms,” Slappy threatened him. 

Bugs held up his hands to placate her, though she knew her threat fell on empty ears. “Duly noted,” he agreed. 

Then Skippy reached behind him, pulling out a cannon and letting it drop to the ground with a loud thud. Startled by the cannon’s sudden appearance, Plotz had no time to react as Skippy shoved him inside headfirst. But Plotz didn’t fit smoothly, and though Skippy tried shoving him at first, he resorted to tilting the cannon upwards and jumping repeatedly on him, though Plotz barely budged at all. 

“Aunt Slappy!” Skippy shouted. “Can I get some help over here?” 

“Duty calls,” Slappy told Bugs, who grinned back as she walked over to a struggling Skippy.  

Her kid was growing up, but he still needed her help every now and then. Besides, what could possibly be a better bonding activity than launching minions out of cannons? 

“Get off and tilt that cannon towards the window, Skippy,” Slappy instructed, taking out a long pole with a clubbed end from her hammerspace. “Never aim your cannon directly upwards unless you want to get blown to smithereens.” 

Skippy jumped down and with some effort, shoved the cannon into the proper angle for launch. Plotz let out a muffled oomph, his bottom and legs sticking out in an awkward position. 

Slappy rammed the pole into Plotz, and everything up to his legs disappeared into the cannon. His entire body was scrunched up inside, his screams echoing inside the metal. 

“Can I try?” Skippy asked eagerly. 

Slappy handed him the pole, and Skippy gave the pole an experimental push.

Slappy shook her head. “You’re poking a bear, not a poodle. Put all your strength into it!” 

It took three more shoves, but Skippy finally managed to stuff Plotz’s legs into the cannon. 

He’d get it down once his physical strength developed, she was sure.

She took the pole from Skippy, making sure Plotz was shoved properly to the back. Once he was in position, she and Skippy moved to the other end of the cannon. 

“Care to do the honors?” Slappy asked, striking a match and offering it to Skippy. He took it and lit the rope, shaking out the match’s leftover fire.

There was a hiss and the smell of smoke and gunpowder in the air as the fire sizzled and burnt the rope, finally reaching the end of the cannon. 

She grabbed Skippy, pressing down on his ears to protect his hearing from the deafening cannonfire since there was no time to search her hammerspace for earmuffs. She used her tail to cover her own ears, since squirrels distinctly lacked more than two hands. 

The cannon shook, then fired its contents into the air with a deafening boom. A soot-covered Plotz soared through the window and into the sky, the mighty castle far below him. He’d land somewhere in the forest, or if they were lucky, he’d land somewhere in the jungles of South America. 

Slappy didn’t care. 

They’d gotten their revenge, and she’d never been so satisfied in all her life. 

There was a stir as the villagers came out of their unconscious state, drowsy and confused. 

“C’mon, while they’re still groggy!” a floral-patterned teacup called to them. Wakko stood next to her, holding his mallet with pride. He waved at them and waddled off, calling for everybody to join the crowd of animated inanimate objects at the base of the stairwell. 

Daffy strolled in, beak up in the air and his chest swollen with pride. 

“I win,” he smirked before turning to the inanimate objects. “All hail your conquering hero! Thank you! You’re all too kind! Autographs are fifty livres each! Mwah, mwah, please, you’re too much!” 

Bugs shrugged, Slappy rolled her eyes, and Skippy laughed. 

Once they were all huddled together in one enormous mass, a candelabra hopped up to the groggy villagers. Then he leaned into the baker’s face with a smug grin. 

“Boo.” 

That single word drove the scattered remains of the mob into a panic as they fled from the castle for good. 

And once they were all gone, cheers and joyful shouts reigned through the castle. 

“We did it, Aunt Slappy!” Skippy squealed, throwing his arms around her waist in a hug. 

She ruffled the fur on Skippy’s head, silently promising herself that she’d never allow Skippy to be forcibly separated from her ever again. 

The nightmare was finally over. They’d won. 

o-o-o-o-o

The rain poured around Pinky, the wind whipping violently at his fur and cloak. He gripped the fur on Pharfignewton's muzzle, though in her weakened state, she was trying to get him to let go. 

It was his fault that Pharfignewton had been whipped, burned, and galloped a long distance with her untreated injuries. 

The burns on her flank and legs were a furious red, in stark contrast to her white coat. 

She needed medicine, somewhere warm to rest, and food. But he couldn't provide any of those things.

I failed her. 

Pharfignewton whinnied softly, trying to reassure Pinky. Though it didn't really work, he appreciated the gesture. 

"...you should go see your friends," Papa said, his cold fingers prying Pinky off Pharfignewton. Then he sneezed, rubbing his nose on his cloak. 

Papa too. He shouldn't be out in the rain…. 

Pinky wanted to see the servants again. According to Wakko, they were all waiting to welcome him with open arms. 

And most of all, he wanted to see the Beast again.

Maybe, once everything was alright again, they could read another bedtime story in front of the fire. The Beast would complain about Pinky using his cloak as a blanket, but wouldn't do anything to take the cloak back from him. And they'd fall asleep with Pinky nestled safely against the Beast's warm body, protected from the outside world. 

But…maybe he was hoping for too much. Maybe he was so excited to see the Beast that he hadn't considered if the Beast would be excited to see him. 

He'd left with hardly a goodbye. Now that he thought about it, when the Beast brought him into the West Wing just before they parted ways, there was something important he'd wanted to say. 

The Beast had been so nervous and shy. The thing he'd wanted to say was very important, but also hard to express. 

If the Beast was willing to see him, maybe he could say the thing he'd wanted to say before? 

Papa's hands turned Pinky around so that they were face to face with each other. Papa's eyes held no trace of anger or hurt, just understanding and love. 

"Pharfig will be safe with me," Papa said. "Go see your friends, Pinky." 

Pinky glanced at Pharfignewton, who only gave the tiniest, knowing smile. She was encouraging him too. 

"Papa…" Pinky began, but before he could say anything else, the sound of shattering glass roared above the storm. 

Startled, Pinky's gaze was drawn to the high towers of the castle. There were two figures on a stone protrusion, illuminated by flashes of lightning.

Snowball’s harsh laughter echoed through the air as he kicked a defenseless Beast towards the edge. The Beast laid helplessly on the stone, unwilling to move even though Snowball was about to bludgeon his head with a stone piece he’d broken off from the castle roof. 

Why wasn’t the Beast defending himself? Pinky had seen him fight a wolf! He should be able to fight back against Snowball! 

"Beast! Get up! You have to get up right now!" Pinky screamed. His heart leapt with terror, his stomach churning at how the Beast teetered over the edge, darkness in one direction and a murderous, enraged Snowball in the other.  

I can’t be too late! Please tell me I’m not too late… 

Yet at his words, the Beast stirred, lifting his head from the stone. His mouth moved, though Pinky couldn’t hear anything from this distance. 

The Beast had seen him. But instead of the joyful reunion Pinky had hoped for, it was a matter of life or death. 

“Stop it, Snowball! Please!” Pinky shouted as Snowball stood over the Beast and raised the club, preparing to strike-

-and the Beast’s hand stopped the club. 

Snowball faltered, shocked as the Beast loomed over him, his grip firmly on the club as he pushed Snowball back to the roof. They grappled for control, the Beast’s roars echoing through the air. 

And Pinky finally understood where he was needed. 

Without a moment’s hesitation, Pinky rushed into the castle.

[somescenecatholic]

Kids: Oh listen, ye all to a tale that's true When the War of the Roses tore England in two King Richard III one fateful day Fought Henry Tudor in a brutal fray For poor King Richard life grew worse He lost his kingdom for want of a horse Henry VII was then made king To Elizabeth of York he offered his ring She said 

Elizabeth: I do! Let's give it a fling!



Kids: This union again made England one The couple was blessed with a healthy son Young Henry grew up in Catherine's home When his father passed on he ascended the throne Henry VIII took a wife from Spain Catherine Aragon was her name She bore him a daughter a cute little one But to keep the throne he needed a son 

Slappy: Back then, that's how things were done

Hello Nurse: For girls, it really wasn't much fun



Kids: Their rocky marriage couldn't get worse But the pope refused to grant a divorce So Henry started a church of his own He got his divorce and stayed on the throne

Mrs Kaboom: Then Henry VIII wed Anne Boleyn His former wifey's handmaiden Anne gave birth to Elizabeth But with no male kin, well you do the math!



Kids: Poor Anne Boleyn, she lost her head So once again, King Henry wed Jane Seymour gave to him a prince



Baby Dot: But poor ol' Jane hasn't woken up since



Young Yakko, Young Wakko, and Baby Skippy: So for a while, our Henry grieves Then he marries Anne of Cleves Anne came from fine German stock



Nora: She had a face that could stop a clock!



Young Cora, Young Katie Kaboom, Baby Dot, and Baby Zubi: Their marriage was cancelled in less than a year His fifth wife, Catherine Howard, was dear But Henry found out that her love was not true



Slappy: He gave her the axe, what's a fella to do?



Kids: So after five, came wife number six Catherine Parr is who Henry picks He promised her he would do her no harm So six wives proved to be the charm!



Azola's ghost: We interrupt this song to briefly review the fate of King Henry VIII's six wives. So here's what happened, in Order, to wives one through six



Baby Zubi: Divorced, beheaded, died! Divorced, beheaded, survived!



Azola's ghost: Once again, that's...



Baby Zubi: Divorced, beheaded, died! Divorced, beheaded, survived! Thank you. Thank you very much



Azola's ghost: Now, back to our song!



Kids: Henry gained pound right after pound 'Til he needed machinery to move him around He weighed about a quarter ton 'Cause he couldn't resist a sticky bun In fifteen-hundred forty-seven Henry VII went off to heaven



Baby Zubi: Or maybe for his dirty tricks To H-E-double hockey sticks!



Kids: His young son Edward was only ten When he took the English throne but then Poor Edward died by age fifteen His reign was followed by a queen Jane Grey ruled for just nine days



Slappy: She lost her head, to coin a phrase!



Kids: Mary Tudor was next in line



Mary: The British throne is mine, mine, mine!



Kids: Mary had strength, she took no flack



Hello Nurse and Mandy: She brought the Catholic church right back!



Kids: At forty-two Mary met her death Then along came queen Elizabeth She was loved by her people and made England strong



Slappy: She had a few boyfriends, they didn't last long



Kids: The Elizabethan age was just and fair But Elizabeth never gave birth to an heir

And so we sing our last refrain The end finally came to the Tudor's reign Elizabeth died in 1603 The end of the Tudors' family tree



Young Yakko, Young Wakko, and Baby Skippy: The end of the Tudors



Young Cora, Young Katie Kaboom, Baby Dot, and Baby Zubi: There can be no disputers



Kids: The end of the Tudors' family tree... Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop!



Baby Zubi: Timber!

rip tudors

[nastya-sokolova-2002]

Kids: Oh listen, ye all to a tale that's true When the War of the Roses tore England in two King Richard III one fateful day Fought Henry Tudor in a brutal fray For poor King Richard life grew worse He lost his kingdom for want of a horse Henry VII was then made king To Elizabeth of York he offered his ring She said 

Elizabeth: I do! Let's give it a fling!



Kids: This union again made England one The couple was blessed with a healthy son Young Henry grew up in Catherine's home When his father passed on he ascended the throne Henry VIII took a wife from Spain Catherine Aragon was her name She bore him a daughter a cute little one But to keep the throne he needed a son 

Slappy: Back then, that's how things were done

Hello Nurse: For girls, it really wasn't much fun



Kids: Their rocky marriage couldn't get worse But the pope refused to grant a divorce So Henry started a church of his own He got his divorce and stayed on the throne

Mrs Kaboom: Then Henry VIII wed Anne Boleyn His former wifey's handmaiden Anne gave birth to Elizabeth But with no male kin, well you do the math!



Kids: Poor Anne Boleyn, she lost her head So once again, King Henry wed Jane Seymour gave to him a prince



Baby Dot: But poor ol' Jane hasn't woken up since



Young Yakko, Young Wakko, and Baby Skippy: So for a while, our Henry grieves Then he marries Anne of Cleves Anne came from fine German stock



Nora: She had a face that could stop a clock!



Young Cora, Young Katie Kaboom, Baby Dot, and Baby Zubi: Their marriage was cancelled in less than a year His fifth wife, Catherine Howard, was dear But Henry found out that her love was not true



Slappy: He gave her the axe, what's a fella to do?



Kids: So after five, came wife number six Catherine Parr is who Henry picks He promised her he would do her no harm So six wives proved to be the charm!



Azola's ghost: We interrupt this song to briefly review the fate of King Henry VIII's six wives. So here's what happened, in Order, to wives one through six



Baby Zubi: Divorced, beheaded, died! Divorced, beheaded, survived!



Azola's ghost: Once again, that's...



Baby Zubi: Divorced, beheaded, died! Divorced, beheaded, survived! Thank you. Thank you very much



Azola's ghost: Now, back to our song!



Kids: Henry gained pound right after pound 'Til he needed machinery to move him around He weighed about a quarter ton 'Cause he couldn't resist a sticky bun In fifteen-hundred forty-seven Henry VII went off to heaven



Baby Zubi: Or maybe for his dirty tricks To H-E-double hockey sticks!



Kids: His young son Edward was only ten When he took the English throne but then Poor Edward died by age fifteen His reign was followed by a queen Jane Grey ruled for just nine days



Slappy: She lost her head, to coin a phrase!



Kids: Mary Tudor was next in line



Mary: The British throne is mine, mine, mine!



Kids: Mary had strength, she took no flack



Hello Nurse and Mandy: She brought the Catholic church right back!



Kids: At forty-two Mary met her death Then along came queen Elizabeth She was loved by her people and made England strong



Slappy: She had a few boyfriends, they didn't last long



Kids: The Elizabethan age was just and fair But Elizabeth never gave birth to an heir

And so we sing our last refrain The end finally came to the Tudor's reign Elizabeth died in 1603 The end of the Tudors' family tree



Young Yakko, Young Wakko, and Baby Skippy: The end of the Tudors



Young Cora, Young Katie Kaboom, Baby Dot, and Baby Zubi: There can be no disputers



Kids: The end of the Tudors' family tree... Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop!



Baby Zubi: Timber!

079:The song is very amazing!

[pinkiemeowstic89]

Zubi: We've got some news to share, so lets have a talk



Wakko: In October next year, season 3 will be on the clock



Yakko, Wakko, Dot, and Zubi: But it's not our faaaaaaaaaaault, it's not our fault! It's 'cause the trailer's not ooooooooooooooon, it's cause the trailer's not on!

Tis a shame

[juicesocks]

[321spongebolt]

With the "Animaniacs" movie, "Wakko's Wish" turning 25 next year, I figured I would discuss an idea that I had for if Warner Bros. gave "Wakko's Wish" more promotion at the time. Like if it was given a soundtrack (as I previously discussed here) or a storybook with screenshots from the film used on each page. In this case, why not a tie-in videogame released on Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Sega Dreamcast (possibly), and PC. That's not to say I'm the one who has this idea. My friend, @iantheartandtapecollector had a similar idea, and even posted box art for how he would interpret "Wakko's Wish" as a tie-in movie video game. My view is a lot different, as I have two directions for how this would go. On one hand, I would've chosen Infogrames, given the experience they had with "Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time", which was also released in 1999, albeit exclusively for PS1 and PC. On the other hand, I would've chosen Ubisoft, who developed "Tonic Trouble" and "Rayman 2: The Great Escape" as their first 3D platformers. Down below are two options I had in terms of gameplay style. The only similarity between the two is that they would both be 3D platformers, but without a life limit, just health.

ESRB RATING

Obviously rated E for everyone, moving on.

DEVELOPER

(You decide)

PUBLISHER

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

GAMEPLAY OPTION 1

"Wakko's Wish" would be a 3D platformer with its gameplay style based on "Super Mario 64", "Banjo-Kazooie", and even "Donkey Kong 64", where you can freely explore open levels and perform missions to unlock some power star-like collectable needed to progress through the story.

GAMEPLAY OPTION 2

"Wakko's Wish" would be a 3D platformer with its gameplay style based on "Rayman 2: The Great Escape" and "Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time", where you are still free to roam around levels and explore hidden areas, but the levels still have a Point A to Point B setup.

CONCEPT FOR A BOSS BATTLE

Unlike in the movie where Dot faked her death, Dot's death will be real in the game. As Yakko and Wakko, you must fight King Salazar until his health is down. The final level has you play as Wakko alone, who is on a time limit. As Wakko, the goal is to avoid King Salazar's cannonballs until time runs out, with Wakko touching the wishing star. And instead of wishing for two ha'pennies like in movie, Wakko will wish for Dot to be brought back to life, which works, thus ending the game's story mode.

CONCEPT FOR THE MENU SCREEN

After the game's opening logos, you are taken to the Warner Bros. water tower from the show itself. Pressing "Start" causes the door to open, resulting in the camera flying into the interior of the water tower. The setup could even have the camera focus on areas of the tower itself. Like, there could be a desk where the "Wakko's Wish" book lies. When it opens, you can select something like "New Game", "Load Game", or "Multiplayer". There can also be an option to take you into this movie theater room based on projector interstitial from "Animaniacs". On the PS1, Dreamcast, and PC versions, you can view the clips from the movie that play before each level. Due to limitations of Nintendo 64 cartridges not being able to use movie clips, the Nintendo 64 version uses an art gallery where you can view the stills from the movie.

MULTIPLAYER

One idea I was thinking of is if this game would have a multiplayer mode similar to what "Donkey Kong 64" would do by having 2-4 player split-screen battles. You play as Yakko, Wakko, Dot, or the other characters and throw snowballs at each other until they lose all their health. This can be played in 4-player free-for-all matches, or 2 vs. 2 matches.

Up above are some designs I thought of for what the N64 version's cartridge would look like.

[painfully-unoriginal]

last set of fandom pride doodles that i’ll have time for! i hope you’ve all had a good pride month 💖💖