#tanner still doesn't have one because nothing looks right

[invinciblerodent]

anyway uh. a collage of sorts. because why not

why am i like this

why am i the type of person who'll sit down to finally answer a very sweet ask about My Guys, and instead of doing that, or anything that's of any interest to anyone else, spend an hour just picking through fonts to see what could be fitting for each of their handwritings.

i'm still wearing my streetclothes, and i've bespoke fonts chosen for 11 of my characters now

......... at least now i could write fake notes and stuff in their name if i wanted, that's something

[obsessivestar]

'What If It's All A RomCom?' - a Ted Nivison x Reader

{{-Y'all ready to find out?-}}

// General Warnings: 18+ fic (MINORS dni), Reader implied to be afab!, under 5'5. She/They pronouns used.

// Chapter Warnings: More angst, a lot of yelling n REAL exposition about the wedding

Word Count: 5.4k

☆▪︎▪︎▪︎Taglist!▪︎▪︎▪︎☆

@k-k0129 , @callsign-scully , @limecorpse & @schlattandcompany

☆Love You To Death!☆

Chapter 20: I Remember That.

I wake up that morning feeling...uneasy. I feel nauseous, like I've only woken up because my body is signaling to me that I'm gonna be sick. I can feel a loose arm draped around my side behind me, I must've woke up before our alarm. I didn't sleep well. I kept tossing and turning, I kept waking up. Ted would whisper sweet nothings to me, he'd hold me close, kiss my cheek and my ear. He doesn't know he's the reason I couldn't relax. I...didn't even want to be in here last night. Not after what I heard. Not after what I know.

He lied to me last night. Lied to my face. Right to my fucking face. It was so casual, too. It was easy for him. A little white lie for him, maybe...but to me?...Man. Fuck. How long has he been able to do that?

Without moving too much, I reach out for my phone to check the date. It's Friday. Joe said he needed to tell me by Monday, but honestly, I...I don't know if I can wait. I don't think I can even trust that Ted will tell me the full truth. I know it now. I know that look in his eyes when he's lying. It's burned into my memory. He lied to me when we were high, too. I can see that now. Got me high just to lie to me. How did I not see it the first time? I could feel it. I could fucking feel that something was different, I...

I feel Ted shift a bit behind me, pressing his body more against mine, burying his face into my back. His breathing is still steady and quiet. He's still asleep. I...I don't think I should confront him first, not when I can't figure out exactly what he lied about. Did he lie about his girlfriend leaving him? Did he lie about how or why he left? Did he say something to someone? Do something? What is he so ashamed of that he had to lie about it? And why wouldn't Joe just tell me the first time? What is this big secret? What kinda shit could one guy pull at a fucking wedding? What makes not one, but two people want to hide it from me?

As I hear Ted's alarm begin to go off, I silently decide that I'll be going to Joe first. I don't think I can trust Ted to give me the entire truth. He's been too keen on hiding it from me, even if he wants to be with me. At least this way, if he does try to tell me on Monday, I can call out any inconsistencies. No, I can call out any more lies.

I set my phone down to pretend that I was also waking up, stretching my limbs out as Ted reaches back to hit snooze on his phone with a grunt. We both have quite an early morning, so there isn't a lot of time to speak or cuddle, outside of a quick 'Good morning' from Ted.

I leave the room to head into my own, letting out a small sigh of relief. That's not a good feeling, feeling relieved to be away from Ted. It used to be the other way around. I used to feel nauseous if I wasn't with him, I used to feel colder, used to imagine myself in his arms, imagine his lips on mine. Now, I can't think about any of that without frowning. None of it feels genuine anymore. I shake my head and let out a deep breath. I can't be getting all up in my feelings right now. I still have a job to do. I have to try and finish this. Not for Ted or Joe, but for Tanner. He has no idea what's going on, I don't want to let him down. Production has been nothing but smooth. I'm not about to ruin that because of some...bullshit. I don't think I could forgive myself if I let him down.

I push all of my uneasy thoughts and feelings down as I get dressed, making sure to wear something easy to move in. The weekend will be spent officially rehearsing the ballroom dance sequence. We've done some basic practicing, got the wardrobe and such, but now the camera's will be involved to figure out which angles work the best with the right lighting. This is the one scene that Tanner's REALLY fixed on looking perfect. We've got the entire weekend to figure out what works before we get into costume and everything. I'll...have to be hand in hand with Ted for it all, but that's fine. I'm doing this for Tanner. I'm doing this for Tanner.

I step out after getting dressed, moving past Ted's room to head downstairs for breakfast. This is the first morning in a while where Ted and I haven't come downstairs together. I get a few looks from the team, but I don't entertain them. I don't really care what the fuckin' team thinks. Nosey fucks.

I meet up with Tanner and Joe in the kitchen, getting one of the bagels to toast as they greet me. Tanner asks where Ted is. I just shrug and make a passing comment about how he'd slept in. Tanner buys it, but I can see that Joe is giving me a look. He'll be connecting the dots quickly, I already know it. I heard you, Joe. I heard both of you.

The morning goes by in a blur. My brain feels like it's on autopilot for most of the day, honestly. We get into position with some members of the wardrobe team who would be acting as background extras and go through the choreography step by step. If Ted makes a comment, I force a laugh but I'm mostly stoic for practice. We're supposed to be focusing, so I can kinda use that as an excuse to be more silent. The choreography isn't that complicated anyways, it's just a lot of spinning and stepping on beat. Ted has more trouble grasping it than I do, so oftentimes I'm just guiding him while he figures it out. A couple days ago, I probably would've thought this was cute. Now, I just wanna get it over with.

Thankfully we get to have a lunch break later in the afternoon. Some members of the crew end up going out to nab something to eat. I expected Ted to try and ask me to go out to dinner with him, but Dan had stepped in first, asking him to go out with him and Tanner to some new sub place. Convenient. Ted asks if I want to join, but since Joe isn't going, I politely decline, claiming I didn't like sandwiches or something. Ted reluctantly buys it, giving me a warm smile and a kiss on my forehead before he sets off.

"Be back soon, princess.."

I hate it, but...that makes me smile. For a brief moment, that warm, funny feeling spreads along my chest and I smile as he heads out the front door, giving me one final wave before shutting it. I can still see his affectionate little smile, those cozy hazel eyes....

And then the feeling fades about as fast as it overcame me. I can't let my feelings cloud my judgement. Not this time. He lied to you. He lied to me. Now, I just gotta find out exactly what he was hiding.

I head over to the living room where Joe is scrolling on his phone, brushing some of his hair out of his face with his other hand. He seems to be in the same funk that I'm in. I stand in front of the couch, anxiously picking at my nails a bit. I'm unsure of how to even...start this. I'm about to face the biggest mystery of my relationship with Ted...without Ted. I don't feel good, that uneasiness returns, but I have to push past it. I need to know what happened.

"Joe?" I clear my throat before speaking, keeping my fidgeting hands in front of me. He looks up from his phone, giving me big, curious eyes.

"Mm? Wassup?" He pipes up, pursing his lips out slightly. I'm nervous, but I know I can trust Joe to tell me the truth. He may have lied to me first, but I just know he won't make that mistake again.

"Can I...talk to you upstairs?" I point one of my thumbs back to the stairs, trying not to appear too nervous. "It's important.."

I see Joe's expression shift. Now he looks worried, but in an almost fraternal way. He's not worried about what I want, he's worried about how I'm feeling. He's a good friend.

"Yeah! Yeah, absolutely." He gives me a reassuring smile, standing up off of the couch to walk with me upstairs. We quietly step into his room and I close his door, taking in another deep breath. I feel like I can't breathe right, and christ, I'm still nauseous...

"...I, uh.." I speak up ever so slightly just to make sure I'm not going to throw up before I can ask this, placing one of my hands over my stomach. Joe looks even more worried now, his eyebrows furrowing at me.

"Yeah?" Joe speaks up in a concerned tone, placing his own hand over his own stomach as well. "Did I do something?"

"No! No--" I take a step forward with my hands out in front of me, trying to reassure him. I don't want him to think he did anything wrong. Yeah, he lied first, but he's not the one I'm mad at. "It's not--I'm not upset with you, I promise.."

"Okay.." Joe let's out a small sigh of relief, resting both of his hands in his lap. "So...what's wrong? Are you feeling okay?"

When he asks me that, the anxiety in my stomach only grows. My hands suddenly feel cold, and they're shaking. I go from feeling nauseous to feeling like I hadn't eaten anything in days. I open my mouth to answer, but only a shaky stammer escapes me. It's like I'm being frozen from the inside, but I can't freeze up now. I need to face this. I need to fucking face this.

"I heard you last night."

Joe gets it immediately. His concerned expression fades into an almost...disappointed look. He's not disappointed with me, no....with himself. His eyes fall from mine, looking down at his lap for a moment before a quick sigh leaves him.

"Shit.." He curses quietly to himself, firmly sliding one of his hands up his arm to rub his bicep, turning his head away as he rubs over his shoulder to let out another heavier sigh. He's uncomfortable with confrontation. Honestly, so am I sometimes, but I want answers. "How much did you hear?"

"Pretty much all of it." I admit, making my voice a little lower to hide how shaky I've become. I'm ignoring any panicky signs my body is trying to send to my brain. It feels like my soul is about to jump out of me, but I ignore it. "That you wanted him to tell me what happened, that you gave him until Monday..."

"Fuck, (Y/N)...I'm sorry.." Joe frowns at me, leaning his head down to place it into his hands. I hear him let out a quiet groan as he runs his fingers through his hair, tugging at the back a little. "I...didn't want you to hear that.."

"You said I should.." I added with a small shrug, crossing my arms in front of my chest. "You said I should hear you two.."

"Okay, but I didn't mean it! I didn't--" Joe raises his head to look at me, letting out a nervous scoff. "I didn't want you to find out that way. I was just...mad at him. I was pissed."

"I know, Joe.." I speak softly to try and calm him down, moving over to sit next to him at the edge of his bed. "I didn't bring you up here to get mad at you.."

I let Joe take his time to collect himself a bit, watching as he ruffled his mullet up with a stressful huff before turning to look at me. "...Then why are we up here?.." He asked, placing his hands back in his lap.

"Because I...I want to know what happened..." I admit with a long pause, glancing at the ground a bit before meeting Joe's nervous gaze with my own. "And...I don't think I can trust Ted to tell me the truth..."

It hurts to admit it aloud. The second I say it, I feel my eyes get a little teary, but no. I'm not going to let myself cry. Not about this. I'm just scared. I'm panicking, because I truly have no idea what he wanted to hide from me. I let out a shaky sigh and turn my head up to the ceiling, blinking my eyes to dry them.

"(Y/N), I...I don't know if I should..." Joe speaks up, fidgeting with his hands in his lap. "It's not my story to tell. I wanted Ted to be the one to explain himself..."

"Okay, well it's not a story Ted wants to tell, Joseph..." I admit with a slight scoff, giving him a small shrug. "I don't think he's gonna tell me."

"I gave him until Monday to tell you." Joe replies, straightening his back a bit. "I know you're upset, but..."

"He's had many opportunities to tell me, Joseph."

"I know, I just--"

"and frankly, I don't trust him to tell me the full truth anymore..."

"I think he will, (Y/N). He--"

"He literally lied to my face last night, Joseph." I huff, smacking the back of my hand down in my lap. "I asked if he was okay, I basically gave him a chance to come clean, and he lied to me. I had to lay in his fuckin' bed next to his fuckin' body, KNOWING he's been lying to me.."

Joe falls silent and gives me a worried frown, glancing away briefly to shake his head with a heavy huff. He knows I'm not leaving until I find out the truth. Neither one of us are leaving.

"I'm just--I'm fucking paranoid, Joe." I continue, my shaky demeanor beginning to reveal itself in my voice. "I don't know what he did, I don't know why he's hiding what he did and it's freaking me out. Did he fuckin' punch someone out? Did he call you a slur or something?"

"Nothing like that.." Joe spoke up with another shake of his head. "He's not like that."

"Okay, but how the fuck am I supposed to know? I don't have anything to go off of, Joseph! I did--I don't--I've got fuckin'--I've got no idea! Nothing! No context, no idea, nothing! I just--I don't even know if I fucking care what it is anymore, I just want to know! I'm so--I'm sick of--"

"Okay! Okay--" Joe places both of his hands down on mine to calm my shaking, taking a deep breath to encourage me to relax. He takes a slow inhale through his nose while keeping his gaze on me, giving me a slow nod of his head as he exhales through his mouth. It feels a little patronizing, but I take a slow, deep breath anyways, following his lead until I stop feeling so shaky.

"I'll tell you..." Joe gives me a slow nod, speaking in a softer, lower tone. "But you have to promise me you're gonna wait until Monday before you say anything, alright?.."

"I--ugh.." I let out a soft scoff, running my fingers along my scalp stressfully. "Yeah, fine.."

"I'm serious." Joe insists, making his tone a little more firm. "I know you're frustrated with him, you'll probably be even more frustrated after I tell you, but I think you should give him a chance to come clean; give him this one last chance. At least then I won't look like a fuckin' dick for telling you after I've warned him.."

That last sentence gets a slight chuckle out of me and I shake my head, turning away to think about it. I can...probably do that. If it's not as bad as him hitting someone or saying a slur or something, I can wait until Monday. Maybe I'll feel a little better just...knowing what they wanted to hide. Maybe it's something stupid.

"...Alright." I turn to look at Joe again, giving him a little nod. "I promise, but if he doesn't tell me by Monday, I'm not holding back."

"That's fine, I could barely hold back myself." Joe admitted with a little shrug, turning his body a bit more to face me. "Now...I know he told you a little bit about the wedding, but what exactly did he tell you?"

I think back to what I already know. It's a little hard to remember details at first. I mean, he did get me high before telling me.

...No, I don't know if it's fair to keep saying that, actually. I didn't exactly fight him on it. I could've easily given a firm no and Ted would've backed off. We're both adults, I chose to take the blunt. It was...fun. That's on me.

"He...told me he came to the wedding with his girlfriend, and he made a comment about what their wedding might look like in the future.." I begin to explain, narrowing my eyes a little, like I had to focus on every detail. "...and that caused and argument and she left him..."

"That's why she left?.." Joe's eyes widen a little. He sounds...surprised. "Oh."

"What do you mean 'oh'?" I furrow my brows at Joe, giving him a confused look.

"I didn't know that." Joe admitted in a 'matter of fact' tone. "That's not what he told me."

"What do you mean you didn't know that?"

"That's not what he told me!"

"He didn't say they had broken up?"

"No!"

"What the fuck did you think when she left??"

"He said she had an emergency, then he said after, like, a week later that they had broken up!"

"Ah great, so he's just fuckin' lying to everyone.."

"Okay well it wasn't really my business, (Y/N). He was probably embarrassed."

"He really didn't tell you that?"

"No! He honestly didn't! I'm just learning this now, from you!"

That's...surprising. Why would he tell me that, but not Joe? Not anyone else? Is he just a habitual liar? Is that who I've been sleeping with the last 2 weeks? Christ. I really know how to pick them.

"Okay, so..." Joe pauses after a moment, an awkward chuckle escaping him. "What did he say happened after?"

"He said...he drank a lot of wine, watched the ceremony, saw me up on the stage as your maid of honor and left." I explain, giving a small shrug. "And that was it."

"He said he stayed for the ceremony?" Joe asked, interjecting rather quickly. "That's what he said?"

"After drinking a lot of wine, yes." I nod my head, keeping my eyes on Joe. I see an immediate shift in his expression. He looks disappointed again and maybe a little annoyed.

"That's not what happened." Joe says it plainly, shaking his head before adjusting himself a bit on the bed, finaly taking his hands off of mine to scratch his head. "Not what fuckin' happened at all.."

"Okay, so what did happen?" I ask again, clasping my hands together. Here it goes. No turning back now.

"Ted...is an entirely different man when he's too drunk.." Joe began to explain, gesturing his hands out to really emphasize that point. "It's actually fucking weird how he gets when he's drunk. It's gotten to a point where he avoids drinking heavily unless he's at a house party now, he's talked to me about it before.."

It's hard to imagine Ted with a drinking problem, but I'm starting to get an idea of why he'd want to hide this...

"So...He did drink a lot of wine, but...he didn't stay in for the ceremony. I kicked him out before then." Joe admits, clasping his own hands together.

"Why?" I ask again, narrowing my eyes at Joe. I'm getting sick of asking this. "Why did you need to kick him out?"

"He...God, honestly, now that you've told me about his ex..." Joe raises his gaze to the ceiling with a small smile, as if he's figured out the world's greatest secrets. "It makes sense. It fuckin' makes sense. Okay! Um...so he got REALLY drunk, and...he started to hit on every single woman that was at the wedding. Every single one of them."

Joe looks at me as he explains what went down, curling his lips inward a bit as we make eye contact. "And he was sayin' some...wild shit. He was making a lot of people uncomfortable. I almost didn't believe it was him when I was told by Tanner that he was acting that way."

"What wild shit? What was he saying?" A slight scoff leaves me, half of me honestly doesn't believe it. It just sounds ridiculous.

"I don't even know, I don't even know that part." Joe admits with a nervous chuckle. "He was just being...kinda inappropriate. I mean, he knew almost all of the girls there except you, but we were getting hella complaints. I didn't want to kick him out, I was just gonna ask him to tone it down, but then..."

Joe pauses as he looks at me, giving me this apologetic smile. Why is he looking at me like that? And...why is this starting to sound...familiar?

"...He tried to approach you." Joe gestures to me, raising his brows at me. "With two glasses of wine in his hand...while you were up on the stage, and he spills it everywhere, and I mean fucking everywhere, all on the front row. I don't even know how that much wine could get on that many chairs, but some got on my husband's mom. It was bad..."

Holy fuck.

Holy fuck, I REMEMBER that.

"That was HIM?" I stand up off the bed in complete and utter shock. Jesus fucking christ, I can't even remember what he looked like at that event, but I remember that moment clear as day. Some stupid drunk fuck got wine all over the front row, but that was HIM?

"Yeah! Yeah, that was Ted.." Joe gives me a nod, ruffling up his mullet slightly. "You remember the guy I had to walk out? That was him."

I REMEMBER THAT. That happened basically right in front of me! I remember watching them leave, but it's like...everything about Ted being there was a blur. That was Ted? THAT was TED? How?

"That...that doesn't make any fucking sense." I admit with a nervous chuckle, sitting back down next to Joe. "I remember that."

"Yeah." Joe nods again, giving me a knowing frown.

"No, I remember that, Joseph.."

"I know."

"I don't remember that being HIM."

"It was him. A younger, clean shaven him."

"Why the fuck don't I remember it being him?"

"Because I wouldn't let him anywhere near you." Joe admitted with a shake of his head. "Like I said, I didn't want to kick him out. He sobers up quickly, usually, and he was already going through a lot, not just the girlfriend shit, but...he was being weird about you, I don't know. Kept saying you were the one and shit.."

I feel my cheeks warm up a little at that, but it still sounds a little ridiculous. I scoff, letting out a slight laugh. "What do you mean? He was flirting with every girl there, wasn't he? What made me different?"

"No fuckin' clue, but he was a lot more aggressive about you. Kept saying 'No, she's the one. She's gonna be the one. Look at her, she's the one. Watch. Watch' and then he tried to force his way past me, so I had to kick him out. It was too much."

I remembered Joe and most his husband's family rushing the poor guy out, but I didn't know he had been trying to get to me. Is...that why he remembered me? Is that why he's been so...fixated on me? Am I the one that got away? The one girl he couldn't hit up? Was I just a lot prize he finally got his hands on?...

"And...that's pretty much it." Joe admitted with a single clap, resting his hands in his lap. "He got too drunk, hit on everyone, and then when he tried to get to you I had to kick him out. He reached out the next day and apologized and we all just kinda moved on.."

"Except you lied to me about it." I bring up, giving him an annoyed look. "So, doesn't seem like you moved on.."

"When did I lie?" Joe asked, furrowing his brows. "I genuinely don't remember lying. I told you to ask him."

"When Ted and I got back with Dunkin' Donuts on the first day, you said he never asked about me at the wedding." I explained, pointing at Joe. "You even said he left after the ceremony. He wasn't even there for the ceremony."

"....Alright, you're right. I'm sorry.." Joe nods, closing his eyes for a moment. "But c'mon, I was over it. So was Tanner. I didn't expect you two were ever gonna cross paths again."

"We were gonna be working together on the same fucking set, Joseph." I smack the back of my hand on my palm. "You knew that beforehand."

"Okay, but not as romantic co-stars! He was supposed to stay behind the camera, I didn't expect you two to ever interact! You didn't even recognize him!"

"It was 2 years ago! Of course I wouldn't recognize him, what was there to recognize? He's not even in your wedding photos!"

Joe knows I've made a good point and he looks annoyed by it. I didn't intend to get mad at him when we came up here, but he's starting to make excuses and it's pissing me off. He looks up at the ceiling and turns his head away with a huff.

"You were all worried about Ted makin' moves on me, but you wouldn't even tell me why." I continue, keeping my hands together. "It's like you banked on me not remembering him, and I can't figure out why."

"I thought he was going to tell you a lot sooner.." Joe admits, lightly smacking one of his hands down on his lap. "I didn't expect you two to sleep together before he told you."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" I ask, sounding more annoyed. "You knew! You could've let me know! Why count on him? He's been lying to me since the beginning, Joseph."

"Not since the beginning."

"What?"

"Not since the beginning."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because he didn't know he did all that until last week."

"You didn't fuckin' tell him he flirted with all of those women when he apologized?"

"I did! I'm not--(Y/N)--" Joe rubs his forehead with a frustrated groan, shaking his head. "You don't understand.."

That makes me a little mad. I stand up off of the bed again, crossing my arms. "What don't I understand?" I ask, sort of glaring down at Joe. "What am I not understanding?"

"(Y/N), he....he likes you." Joe admits in a softer tone, raising his head to look at me again. "He really likes you."

"Yeah, he likes me enough to sleep with me, but not enough to actually tell me the truth..." I mutter somewhat, rolling my eyes. "What's that got to do with this?"

"He told you he remembered you, right?" Joe asks, shrugging his arms out at me. "Right?"

"Yeah. I'm sure he remembered trying to rush me and every other girl there like we're some extinct animal."

"Okay, he doesn't fucking remember it like that." Joe clarifies, waving his hand slightly in a disapproving gesture. "He genuinely doesn't remember any of that."

"What the fuck do you MEAN?"

"He only remembers YOU!"

Joe stands up off the bed as he points to me, holding both of his hands out to me to really emphasize his point. Ted only remembers me...

"You said he apologized." I bring up, furrowing my brows at Joe.

"Yeah, he did, for getting drunk. I thought he knew what he did, but he fuckin' didn't, I guess. I just learned this last week. So did he." Joe admits smacking his hands together again. "The only things he can remember from the wedding is, apparently, getting broken up with and then seeing you. I fuckin' swear to you, he hasn't been lying to you from the beginning."

"Okay, so why are you suddenly defending him? Did you want it to turn out this way?" I nearly cut Joe off to ask, taking a step towards him. "You've sat on this vital piece of information since the beginning of production. You were all up in a fuss about him making moves on me, you've known for a full WEEK that he's been hiding this from me, but now it's all okay because he likes me?"

"I've been trying to convince him to tell you for that full week, (Y/N)! I haven't just been sitting on my ass watching you two!" Joe cuts in, his own hands getting a bit shaky. We haven't fought like this in a long time. "You KNOW I would NEVER want to hide shit from you, (Y/N)! I love you! You're like my fucking sibling, but he REALLY wanted to make this shit work with you and I wanted to give him the chance! I'm not apologizing for that!"

I didn't mean for this exchange to become so...heated. Joe's right. I can't pin this on him. Should he had told me the first time I asked? Maybe, but...I can understand why he didn't. He didn't want to but in, and he trusted Ted to be the one to tell me. He's known Ted longer than I have and he seems just as disappointed in him as I am, maybe even more. At the end of the day, Ted was the one who kept lying to me, kept hiding it from me. That's who I need to face. Not Joseph. Not my brother.

"...You're right..." I speak up with a shameful frown, my voice cracking ever so slightly. "I'm sorry..."

Joe gives me a sad smile, moving in to pull me into a warm, comforting hug. "I know. It's alright..." He speaks quietly, rubbing my back to soothe me. "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry.."

"No, don't apologize, please.." I shake my head in the hug, once again having to hold back tears. God, I hate this feeling. This whole thing...what a stupid fucking thing to keep from me. I'm not even anxious about it anymore. I'm angry. I'm angry that Ted lied to me. I'm angry that what's seemingly a white lie turned into this. Maybe it wasn't for the entire trip, but he's been lying to me for a week now. Ever since we slept together, he's been lying to me. That's not okay.

"Are you okay?.." Joe asks after a small moment of silence, pulling back from the hug to look at my face. I blink a few times to fight back any tears, wiping under my eyes just in case with a small sniffle.

"Yeah." I nod a little, blinking up at the ceiling to dry my tears. Thank God the makeup team didn't work on me today. Christ. "Yeah, I will be.."

Just then, I hear the sound of a large door opening and closing downstairs along with Dan, Tanner and Ted's voices laughing and playfully yelling at each other over some joke that was probably told in the truck. They're back. Guess it's time to get back to work.

"You gonna be okay?" Joe asks again, raising both of his brows at me with a concerned expression. I know what he's really asking. He's still making sure I'm gonna wait until Monday to bring this up. As angry as I am, yeah. I can wait. I can wait until Monday. Ted has 3 days to tell me the truth. I can play the part until then. I'm already an actress.

"Yeah." I nod, looking at Joe with an almost stoic expression. "Yeah. I'm fine."

I....might be lying.

__________________________________

Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 (smut) || Chapter 7 || Chapter 8 || Chapter 9 || Chapter 10 (smut) || Chapter 11 || Chapter 12 || Chapter 13 || Chapter 14 (smut) || Chapter 15 || Chapter 16 || Chapter 17 || Chapter 18 (smut) || Chapter 19 || Chapter 20 (here) || Chapter 21 || Chapter 22 || Chapter 23 || Chapter 24 (smut) || Chapter 25 (final) ||

[sunnyie-eve]

12 | Fuzzy Feeling

Series: Unexpected

Paring: (Matt Sturniolo x OFC Brock!) (Chris Sturniolo x OFC Brock!)

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings: none

| MASTERLIST |

~

By the time Dani woke up all the guys were in the living hanging out with Madi. Matt didn't want to wake her up so he just let her sleep still.

"About time you join us." Madi laughs as Dani walks over to them.

The two had recently been messaging each other to get to know each other. Nick had talked to Madi about Dani and she thought she seemed cool so she reached out to Dani. They actually hit it off really good. They talked like they were sisters especially late at night on the phone.

"What time is it?"

"4:30, and I picked you up at noon so." Matt laughs at her as she gets one of Chris Pepsis.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" He shouts at her.

"I'll buy you a case dude." She joins them on the couch.

Not much later Matt and Dani leave to go bowling and Chris was annoyed they didn't ask if anyone else wanted to join them.

"Am I right or wrong?" Chris asks Nick and Madi.

"Ehh, they made plans already." Nick says not caring as much.

"I suck at bowling so." Madi laughs while Chris leaves going to his room. "Why is he extra moody?" She asks Nick.

"I'm guess, jealous but he won't admit it."

"He likes Dani?" Madi gets excited to gossip.

"I'm sure both do deep down. Which doesn't make me too happy because I don't want anything bad happening." Nick explains to her.

"Who does she speed more time with?"

"Matt," Nick says quickly, "He's constantly making plans with her, texting, and calling." He adds, "He pretended like he was with her while on the phone because her friend's boyfriend is a creep."

"I need to study him around her to confirm if he does or not. I'm gonna be like a hawk when they get back."

Meanwhile with Matt and Dani for the past hour have been playfully arguing about how each other are at bowling. "What are you talking about? I would've gotten a strike if you didn't bump into me." Dani points at the score board show how she would've gotten a turkey.

"I hardly bumped into so it shouldn't have matter."

"Hardly my ass!" She playfully shoves him as he goes to pick up his ball.

As he gets ready to shoot the ball, Dani walks up behind him on the other side and leans up kissing his cheek causing him to get a gutter ball.

"You little cheater!" He spins around grabbing her picking her up as she giggles.

Honestly it didn't matter if they were being slightly loud because not that many people were there. Plus the music was playing pretty loudly as well.

As Matt spins them around, Dani's eyes catch sight of Tanner and two of his friends a few lanes over starting a game. And of course he noticed her with Matt.

"Kill me." Dani groans so Matt puts her down.

"What?"

"Fucking, Tanner is here." She moves her eyes that way and Matt looks over.

It was obvious which one was Tanner just by him staring them down. Second was his height since his friends were shorter than him.

"He is ugly." Matt looks back at Dani, "How is he going to be a giant but never grow into his ears or nose? Plus with that hairline along with being a red head. Nothing against red heads but that color with that style? It's 2024 why is his hair spiked?"

Dani can't help crack up, "I honestly don't know what Hallie sees in him. She's way too pretty for him."

As they get closer to finishing their game Tanner walked over to them, "Hey Dani, do you have any money so we can play a second game?"

"No, I'm not even paying for this game. Ask your girlfriend to send you money."

"She doesn't have any unless it's the left over money you give her for our rent and bills." He tells her.

"Excuse me? Extra? There shouldn't be any extra money. I give her the exact amount she tells me my half is." Dani starts to get angry.

"Did I say extra?" He laughs.

"She is stealing money from me?" Dani crosses her arms, "Yet she wants me to pay for your fucking half?" She shouts so Matt quickly ends the game so they can leave.

"The game is over." Matt walks over to the two.

"So you're not Dani's boyfriend? One of the triples from YouTube..." Tanner looks down at Matt.

"That would be me."

"Fuck this. Lets go." Dani grabs Matt's hand so they can leave. Outside Dani tells Matt to give her a second so she could call Hallie and put her on speaker phone so she could set her phone down to talk.

"Do you want me to get out of the car or?" Matt asks but she tells him no as Hallie answers.

"What up?"

"I want you to be honest with me. We've been friends for a good amount of years now." Dani starts off.

"Yeah, and?" Hallie asks confused.

"Are you stealing money from me? Tanner just slipped up that I give you extra money after bills and rent. You already want me to pay his half yet to take some of my money?"

"You seriously believe him?" Hallie laughs.

"I actually do so what the hell Hallie?"

"So what if there's a few dollars left over?" She asks.

"That's stealing from me! Why don't you put some of that crap as his part then? I'm not giving you money anymore. I'll pay it myself."

"Well, I don't want you to do that so it's you give me the money or you have to move out." Hallie tells her.

"Are you kidding me? You would kick me out of the house because I want to make sure I know where my money is going?" Dani laughs at her.

"You know what, I would because I am. You're out of the house not on for all this shit but because you always try to make it seem like Tanner has a thing for you." Hallie says making Dani laugh more.

"Because he does! He constantly flirts when you aren't around."

"I want you out of the house before I get back on Sunday." Hallie tells her so Dani just hangs up deleting her number.

Dani sits there with her eyes close wanting to cry because she was so frustrated and now had to figure out what to do next. "Colby is so going to tell me when I go back home, I told you living with her was a mistake. He's always hated her."

Matt could see all the emotions she was going through and hated it, "Come stay with us."

"Matt there's no room for me." She looks over at him.

"We could figure something out for you. And until we do you can just crash in our rooms with us." He tells her, "We don't want you leaving us because of one bitch."

"That's a lot, Matt. Just for someone you still just met weeks ago. Plus all three of you would need to talk it over." She tells him as she starts the car head over to her place.

"That's all true but I don't care. But I know you know we clicked right away and we're getting pretty close." He doesn't look over at her as she looks at him, "Plus I know my brothers and they wouldn't mind. And if they did I would be like well I have a new roommate so deal with it."

"I appreciate you care."

Matt looks over giving her a smile, "Of course, now how much shit do you have?" He asks causing her to laugh.

They spend about an hour or two getting all of her things putting them in her car and his car before heading to house, "And we can go back for your bed tomorrow with a truck or when it's time we can just bye I whole new bed. I say we should just get you a new one." Matt says as they enter the house.

"I might agree because that piece of shit was killing my back. It's so old and used." Dani agrees with him.

"Why does Dani need her bed?" Chris asks confused by their conversation.

Dani looks at Matt so he asks to talk to the two alone so they all just go up to Nicks room. When they guys were gone, Madi looks at Dani, "About time you guys showed up. How was the date?"

"It wasn't a date." Dani gives her a look as she takes a seat exhausted from everything.

"I know but if it was would it bug you?" Mari asks wanting to know where Dani stood.

"Probably not."

"So you like Matt?" Madi smiles.

"I'm not entirely certain. I just want a friend but how he's been today is doing something to my heart." Dani whines.

"He is a sweetheart." Madi agrees, "Maybe see what happens along the way as you two get closer."

Dani just stares at Madi then laughs, "Nick would lose his mind if I get feelings for Matt. Hell, Chris too."

"Oh I know. We had a talk." She laughs, "So, do you think you might like Chris as well or?"

Dani shrugs, "Out of the two I'm closer to Matt. But each have a thing about them that makes me feel fuzzy inside."

"Well, I wish you luck on your journey."

[queenofthursday6599-blog]

You know what I find like intensely bewildering about the FOP fandom.

Is the fact that somehow it's still a debate among people about whether the kids in the Channel Chasers flash forward, Tammy and Tommy, are Timmy's kids with Trixie or Tootie.

Like they're very obviously supposed to be Tootie's kids.

Even when I saw Channel Chasers' ending as a literal kid, I instantly clocked the fact that Tootie was the mom and not Trixie, because neither kid looks anything like Trixie, and both have stuff inherited from Tootie.

So I'm putting this debate to bed right now.

The girl looks essentially like a mix of Tootie and Timmy's design (with long-ish hair that's down), while the boy is just Timmy with black hair and Tootie's nose and skin tone.

[What Tootie's skin tone was at the time Channel Chasers came out.

The show runners change the saturation of the show like 3 or 4 times over the years, and outright change some character's skin tones at some points.

Wanda for example also originally had lighter pinker skin in the earlier seasons, but it was changed to the same tanner/more orange toned skin as Timmy and Cosmo's.

Tootie however retained the lighter pinker skin, it's just that as they upped the saturation, her skin turned more pink.]

The Twins:

Tootie:

Timmy:

"But Trixie has black hair and blue eyes too, and the girl is wearing a headband just like Trixie's, so Trixie could still be the mom"-

Trixie is asian. Trixie is asian. Trixie. Is. Asian.

We can see Tommy's eyes, and we can tell he didn't inherit Trixie's eye shape, even though that would be perfect for making him not look like Timmy with his hair dyed black.

Not to mention neither has Trixie's nose. Or her height. Neither are rocking a turtle neck sweater, or boots.

Neither have Trixie's straight across bangs, the girl doesn't have Trixie's winged little eyelash, she has the same tri-prong eyelashes as Tootie.

Not to mention the girl twin's styling. She wears a plaid skirt and glasses just like Tootie's.

Sure she's got a pink headband instead of high pigtails like Tootie, but you know what other female character wears a pink headband?

Both Timantha and Timeena (only showed up in the comics, and is also a fairy), Timmy literally as a girl, wear pink headbands:

"What about the fact that Tootie has braces and Tammy doesn't?"

Tammy doesn't have any kind of tooth division at all, not even one showing where her top and bottom teeth separate in a lot of her scenes.

Even if the kids aren't a total one to one match with Tootie, they still look far far more like Tootie's kids than they do Trixie's.

Like even if the mom of Tammy and Tommy are someday confirmed to officially not be Tootie (which I doubt they'll ever do), I still wouldn't believe it's Trixie over just someone who looks pretty similar to Tootie and has a lot of the same features as Tootie.

As I've gotten older I've just become convinced that the people who honestly believe that Tommy and Tammy's mom is Trixie have just always been hardcore Timmy/Trixie shippers, and just didn't want to believe Timmy ended up with Tootie.

Which is fair. I don't want Timmy marrying into Vicky's family, or to Tootie at all. Girl has no boundaries, and is part of the worst possible family situation to marry into.

Considering A New Wish shows that Vicky hasn't changed at all in 20 years.

Also I know the show runners say that they have some traits of Trixie also thrown in to the kids to make it ambiguous who their mom is, but like where?

They don't have her eye shape, her eye color (they don't have Tootie or Timmy's eye colors either), her eyes being wide set (compared to Timmy and a lot of other characters), her nose, her height, her bangs, her eye lashes, her fashion sense, her straight hair.

They have literally nothing from Trixie, on either of the kid's designs.

Other than the fact that the girl wears pink and white, and a headband. But that's also just the color pallet of Tootie & Timmy combined (or just Timantha's), and all of Timmy's girl versions also wear some kind of headband.

They 100% designed Tommy and Tammy to be Timmy & Tootie's kids, and then decided that the mother was "intended to be ambiguous" when Timmy/Trixie shippers decided to head canon Trixie as the mom because we never see the mom or have her name dropped.

Because shipping drama fuels fandom interaction, which fuels ratings, and they didn't want to alienate the Timmy/Trixie part of the fandom by confirming Timmy/Tootie was endgame.

Though they tossed the idea of it being ambiguous who Timmy ends up with out the window in the live action trilogy and just made Tootie the end game of that canon.

So yeah, I've always thought Tootie was Tammy and Tommy's mom, but here's all my proof and reasoning.

Which as someone who did ship Timmy/Trixie as a kid, you could imagine that seeing Timmy's future kids look like Tootie and my main ship for the show wasn't endgame was kind of upsetting.

I could ramble on about the reasons why Tommy and Tammy are obviously Tootie's kids and not Trixie's for a whole lot longer. And the fact that they show up on Trixie's family tree on the wiki but not Tootie's, even though it's canonically supposed to be unconfirmed either way, irks me to no end.

But I'm going to cap this post right here. Maybe I'll bust out my punnet squares, and show why I think Tommy and Tammy being Trixie's is genetically impossible, some other time but I've thought about this too much today. But that day isn't today.

[kiss-my-freckle]

I find it so annoying how in the vampire diaries fandom people constantly hate on Damon and love Stefan and Klaus despite doing the same things. Klaus is worse than both of them since he's done more awful things and has felt less remorse for his actions. I side eye when people claim Klaroline is healthier than Delena when Klaus made Tyler bite Caroline and right after he acted like he was saving her cause he fancied her. He also tried to sleep with Caroline while pretending to be Tyler. Damon gets shit on for the way he treated Caroline, which I get but he didn't abuse Caroline to the extent that hypocritical SE stans claim. After he compelled Caroline to let him feed on her there was no intimate scenes shown between them afterwards. They ended quickly after he compelled her to be okay with him feeding. Stefan was shown to feed on girls he compelled in a flashback where they were half dressed and making sounds that were explicit than other feeding moments in the show, but this hypocritical fandom doesn't think that suggests anything but they think the scene with Damon suggests something more horrid. Also what we found out about Stefan and his diary early season 3 isn't considered as implying something of that nature by Damon antis. Damon was the one who helped the girls get away from Stefan in the flashback and Stefan even told Elena that he was worse than Damon's present self.

I always look at intent and consideration. What are they trying to accomplish and is there a better way. I toss impulsivity out the window because I could tell you stories lol. I understand Damon. He has a lot of parallels that offer an even better understanding. His biggest problem sits in 4x23.

Damon can't let go and move on as Lexi tells Stefan to do with Elena because Damon believes Katherine is desiccating in the tomb. Letting go and moving on requires he find the tomb empty, and Stefan tries to deny him access. I'm talking about the same brother that was able to let go and move on because his love for Katherine turned to hate in his denial. Stefan was the only brother to "live" after they became vampires, one human life after another because he spent the past 145 years doing just that: denying. Damon merely existed because he suffered in his truth. It was real for him. If Stefan didn't want Damon to rescue Katherine, then he might as well have killed his brother in 1x13. Stefan forced Damon to become a vampire, and to live in a world without Katherine after Damon explicitly told him there is no world without her. And after forcing Damon to turn, he threw her death in his face... that's why Damon left him with Lexi. He killed Coach Tanner for the same reason. Her death thrown in his face - again.

Neither one knew about Katherine's plan to fake her death, so in Damon's mind... Stefan doomed him to an eternity of misery. He doomed Damon to an eternity by forcing him to become a vampire, and doomed him to the misery of that eternity knowing Katherine was to desiccate for 145 years. According to Stefan's knowledge, to the misery of that eternity knowing Katherine died in the church fire.

Damon's journal entry to Elena in her coffin... that's Katherine in the tomb. Damon's words after their dance in 6x22... that's him and Katherine. What would Damon be had Katherine actually given a damn.... happy. What does Stefan say when Damon goes to the prison world... Damon was "finally" happy.

Damon suffered without Katherine for 145 years, so Stefan had to suffer with him. Misery loves company. Who the hell wants to suffer alone? Elena being the border lurker in season 6 is every bit Damon, but she's quick to fix herself with Alaric's compulsion. Damon is a vampire, no one but an Original could compel his love for Katherine, and they knew nothing of the Originals then. Damon has been and still is stuck in neutral. Once he finds the tomb empty... he wants answers from Katherine for the same reason Alaric needs answers from Isobel. It's about closure. They can start over or end where they are, but Damon wants that closure because he's far past done with neutral.

Elena is the only reason Damon is able to move on... and she does it just by getting him into that tomb. She then made sure Damon got out before the seal was set to go up. 145 years waiting for Katherine shouldn't turn into another neutral. Elena is not a spiteful person, and she truly understands Damon. She not only feels his grief, she wants to alleviate it, so she hugs him. Very compassionate, that one.

Yes, Stefan admitted to Elena that he was worse than Damon. Stefan is in denial about that as well. There is no "was" for vampires because they're "still" vampires. "Was" requires the cure for vampirism. Stefan more than proves that. Alaric tries to explain this to Elena in the first season. He thinks Stefan is a good guy, but at the end of the day, he's "still" a vampire. Vampires are a toxic species, period. Elena doesn't believe Stefan to be worse than Damon. She loves him blindly and recklessly, only to have him rip into her neck. That's where she parallels her comment about Rebekah in 3x8. Blind to the vampire she truly believed would never hurt her. I consider it Stelena's fatal blow. Stefan's girlfriend died, and the necklace became Damon's. Just picture Elena's name on Stefan's Chicago wall and that all-girls high school around the corner.

Klaroline is nowhere near healthy. Klaus took over Alaric's body without consent and used him to kill Bonnie, Alaric's own History student. He planned to kill Tyler and Caroline herself - both only alive because Damon rescued them, killed Elena's Aunt Jenna, then literally killed Elena by draining her blood. She only survived because of the Damon-John combo. Had Klaus' ritual went as he originally planned, girls night wouldn't exist in season 4 because all three would be dead along with Caroline's friend, Tyler. That's Klaroline in the second season alone.

If Bonnie's to die, it's only because Damon wants Elena to live. If Matt's to die, it's only because Damon wants Elena to live. He wants her to get the life she wants. When Elena becomes a vampire, he responds in anger because he knows that's not the life she wanted for herself. He doesn't kill for more power. He drinks human blood and builds a tolerance to vervain. The only power he wants for himself is that required for survival. That's Delena.

Klaus is like Katherine in that regard. Not happy with the power they have, they want for more. He wants to be the most powerful creature on Earth, and after becoming the most powerful creature on Earth, still feels the need for a sired hybrid army completely fulfilling his every need. Because more power is more power. All of these young people dying or nearly dying because that's what Klaus wants. Damon just wants to love, be loved in return, and protect that very love.

Klaus and Caroline would never work as a couple. Caroline is too pure for Klaus just as Stefan is too pure for Katherine. Even the purest hearts are drawn to darkness, yes, but "drawn to" are the key words here. "Falling in love with" is a different story. Caroline would never fall for him. What Damon does in the show, Stefan does or has done. The Ripper wouldn't ask women permission. Without his humanity in the 20s, what permission is he to care for? He took... and I'm quite certain of that. Sadistic, what he does to the couple at Gloria's bar.

[mademartyr]

is she too trusting? well, yes, maybe. definitely. but he'd been desperate enough to seek out their help --- or, well, elsa's help, though it had only been the ordinary spare who'd answered his letter --- and if he truly believes that something is calling him north, then he needs her. anna's already going to have to convince her sister just to let him into the kingdom ; if he killed her now, he'd be more likely to combust before he'd find the answers he seeks.

a shrug, ❛ i mean, don't get me wrong, you're still awful, but you're clearly not stupid. a stupid person wouldn't be able to nearly manipulate his way to the crown of a kingdom he's never even been to before. ❜ she seems to pointedly ignore the fact that she made it a rather simple task for him. ❛ you know you can't kill me right now, even if you're probably thinking about it. and if you were to, these men would sooner sink the ship than deliver you to arendelle. ❜ she sounds confident in that, at least. just in case he had any ideas.

❛ besides, it gets cold at night. having a human fireplace on the other side of the room would help. ❜ she's found she's more prone to the cold ever since she . . froze. referring to it as anything close to death makes her skin crawl. sometimes, she wakes up in the middle of the night, paralyzed in the sheets, and she feels the ice spread through her entire body until she feels nothing at all. but it's easier to pretend it's for selfish reasons than it is to admit that she refuses to treat him so . . inhumanely. even if many would argue that he deserves it. turning to glance away from him, immediate relief floods through her as the ship sets out into the waves once more, clearly at the perfect time.

the princess settles into a comfortable silence as she watches the kingdom grow distant, though she's more preoccupied with holding the vial of herbs beneath her nose, her free hand clutching at the railing with a death grip. it's just another week on the water until she's home, until she can collapse in the comfort of her own bed, or curl up with a book in her hand by that little lake she found in the woods last spring, and refuse to think even boarding another one of these things until at least next summer.

❛ huh? ❜ is blurted out, his comment drawing her back from her own thoughts, though the words do end up processing in her mind --- if only a bit late. ❛ oh. have i really? ❜ lips twist as she looks down at her hands ( because she can't really look at her face ), as if trying to discern if she really has gotten a bit tanner. she usually just burns if she spends too much time out in the sun, but at least the pain has had some sort of result. ❛ hm, i guess i have. the summertime was beautiful this year. ❜ and she'd spent nearly every day outside, strolling about the kingdom, dragging elsa from shop to shop. such common things to anyone else, but the freedom to do so means the world to her.

❛ you look . . . ❜ though her words trail off as she simply blinks at him, realizing that just about anything she's about to say is more likely to sound like an insult. can't really comment on the new addition of scruffy facial hair without probably hearing some snarky comment about how he didn't have the means to keep those ridiculous sideburns maintained. ❛ bigger, ❜ is apparently the only word that manages to make it off of the tip of her tongue, though she instantly pales as soon as she says it. ❛ i mean, not bigger, i'm not saying you're like --- yanno, big, i just meant ----- ❜ her words tumble out in a rushed mess that doesn't do much to help her case, before she finally gives up and makes a vague, slightly frustrated gesture towards one of his arms. ❛ i meant stronger. ❜

❛   your cabin ? ❜ hans repeats the words , dubious &* clearly surprised at such an offer. he'd left her to freeze to death &* she was offering to let him be in the same room where she'd be most vulnerable to get smothered to death ? does she fully grasp that he could have easily saved her regardless of true loves kiss ? he won't bring it up ----- is he really going to petition that he be kept cuffed in the cargo space ? he simply gives a curt nod , hands clasped behind his back. ❛   if you insist. ❜

he is easily distracted by the hurried nature everyone seems to have taken on ------- her guards have explained the need to get a move on. soon enough they're drawing up the loading ramp &* untying from the dock. just in the knick of time , too. five of his brothers have rushed to the docks just as the boat gets out of reach of being pulled back in. hans can't help himself ---- he goes to lean on the railing , smug grin on his lips as he gives a little sign off salute to them. he supposes they could hop a ship -- but what a scene it would be ! people would ask questions about why it was imperative to chase down the princesses ship. even sitron gives a snort of a laugh beside hans.

he stays there a while , gaze flitting along the retreating skyline of his home. it never felt like home , but at its most basic definition it is. seeing it fade away for ( hopefully ) the last time does leave a gnawing feeling in his gut. maybe only because his mother is buried there. nothing else is redeemable or worth a wistful last glance. not worth blowing up , but also not worth mourning for more than a few beats.

a soft hum , then he's turned to lean back against the railing , posture far more relaxed now. he has changed in appearance since his last trip to arrendale ------- he's stronger from working with the horses , shaping out the muscles in his arms to better fit his shirts. his hair is longer &* shaggier. his facial hair is scruffier &* is a full , short beard now instead of simple side burns. it suits his cocky demeanor far better than the prince charming look would have.

a week with her. blues focus on the princess , flickering over her once before landing on her face. she illicited such odd feelings in him. he'd found her optimism &* lack of ability to focus or control her body annoying when he'd met her , but ... she always stirred that most inner part of him that valued having someone who understood the loneliest parts of his psyche. she would never grasp the trauma that separated their childhood experiences , but she did know the echoing of loneliness &* boredom. of feeling other. in her , he at least wasn't alone.

❛ you've gotten tanner.   ❜ comment comes as he quirks his head to the side a bit. ❛   more freckles. i take it you've spent more time outside. ❜ idle chatter , but he's not sitting around for a week in silence.

[roadtogracelandx45]

Life In The Fastlane |2| Fast Saga

masterlist

02

She held him up and he held her for ransom

"Let the girl go now." Sargent Tanner said his eyes on Brian who couldn't tear his eyes away from his little sister. Roger shook his head and dug his gun deeper into Sophie's back.

The younger O'Conner sibling whined and tried to jerk away from him.

"Stop moving now." Roger hissed.

“You know if the cops weren’t here, you would be dead right?” Sophie spat, unable to help herself. “Vince and Dom will kill you.” Sargent Tanner perked at that, she knew the Torettos had seen her in several of the severalance photos and started working out how he would be able to use this against Sophie and get her to work with them. She was young and still had time to turn her life around. “And they will never find your body.” 

Brian looked between the cops and his little sister, every ounce of him crying out to pull her out of harm’s way and back to where she would be safe but at the same time, he knew that she probably wouldn’t react very well to him being there especially after he was there when Roman was there and she had been taken into custody. 

"I am okay Jan." Sophie returned, holding her hands up and offering her a shaky smile. She was anything but fine, she just didn't want her to worry more than she already was.

“Well maybe I should leave a pretty little corpse for Dom and Vince to find. Or better yet your older brother.” Roger dug the gun into her side painfully again. “He won’t care.” The blonde said, her voice shaking slightly, “he chose his career over me. How do you even know about that?” “Because pretty, we have been listening to what you talk about in your down time.”

"But why would you care what we talk about during our downtime? I get that you want us to leave it at the door but why does it matter? We are trying to give each other some stability." Janice asked. "Because they are involved with the mafia." Sargent Tanner answered, "they think you would be selling trade secrets." "We don't know shit. And Sophie doesn't know anything! She just started like 6 months ago."

Brian's eyebrows raised in surprise, he wondered exactly what happened from the time he left Barstow until now. And how his 18-year-old sister ended up working at a shady ass strip club with connections with the mob.

Roger shook his head and thumbed the trigger lightly enjoying the way Sophie yelped and flinched away from him. He yanked her back and reached his free hand up to smooth her hair back away from her face. For her part, she didn't cry out or let the terrified tears that welled up in her eyes out.

"See, we knew this was going to be too good to be true. And especially when she came waltzing in here." Janice shot a panicked look to her friend then to the officers then back. "We knew that she was going to be the end of all this.' Roger said, what he was saying wasn't necessarily true, his partners thought nothing of Sophie and thought she was a good hard worker. It was him who had the conspiracy theory going on.

Sophie was going to be the end of them all.

And he wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Release the girl now," Tanner ordered again, he had enough of listening to this man's rambling, they had come to shut it down and it had turned into a full-blown hostage situation.

"Over my dead cold body." Roger returned as he squeezed the trigger, sending a bullet into Sophie's side. She cried out and collapsed onto the ground causing Janice to rush to her side. "Soph?" The blonde didn't answer, instead she pressed her hand into the wound that was starting to bleed, shocked that she had actually gotten shot.

There were several loud bangs followed by a dull thud of Roger's body hitting the ground. "Sophie! Answer me! Are you okay?" Janice asked, her stomach clenching violently at the sight of blood and Roger's dead body. She usually had such a weak stomach when it came to this kind of stuff but she wanted to help take care of her friend. The only one that really seemed to make an effort to do anything with her or anyone. All the girls wanted was a family and she was just looking for it in all the wrong places.

"I am okay. Am okay." Sophie muttered as Brian dropped down next to them and pushed Sophie's bloody hand off of her wound and covered it with his black-gloved hand. He looked down at his sister’s face and saw that she was unconscious. He pulled off his face covering and sighed. “You are her brother!” Janice exclaimed. ‘I am.”  “Why didn’t you speak up? You could have stopped this from happening!” “You don’t know the full story ma’am and it would have put her more at risk.” Janice glowered at him as the paramedics came into the room with stretcher. “Is there anyone we can call for her?” “Mia Toretto, she is her emergency contact. If she doesn’t answer, then one of the others will answer. Especially since they are waiting for Sophie to show up at the garage.” Janice said, hugging her midsection. “Thank you. We will take you down to the station so we can ask you some questions.” 

[penwieldingdreamer]

Caring Makes You Weak - Part 2

Summary: Harvey Specter, best closer in New York City and Senior Partner at Pearson Hardman, the man most females in the city want, yet he himself doesn’t want commitment, because caring makes one weak. Enter Elle Howard, a woman he met a long time ago. Will she be the one to break down his walls and make him care?

Thanks again for beta'ing @fortheloveoffanfic

Warnings: Light cursing, an evil stepmother(?)

Words: 1544

Hardman was gone, the merger with Zane pushed away again but now Jessica wanted to merge with Edward Darby and Harvey wanted - needed to stop it one way or another.

And now the one person he'd had worked very hard to forget about waltzed back into his life because his associate had taken her case. He was never the committing type and he should have never agreed to help Mike with that pro Bono. It wasn't even his case to begin with, so what had changed?

Staring out his windows he thought back to the first time he had met her. How could one woman rattle his brain like that? First Dana Scott, then Zoe Lawford and now…now there was Elle Howard.

Harvey had met her while out celebrating a big win with Jessica and Louis. When he walked up to the bar, she stood there, the fabric of her dress tight around her curves as she waited for her drink.

"Can I get you a drink?" he asked, leaning one arm onto the bar while he looked the redhead up and down.

She turned a smile on her lips and a drink in her hand. "I believe I'm still good, thank you."

"Well, why don't we move on to the next one?" Harvey smirked at her, holding out his hand for introductions. "I'm Harvey Specter."

Rolling her eyes, she emptied her drink and grabbed the clutch laying on the bar top. "And I'm not interested." The redhead nodded her head and moved to walk around him.

The warmth in his belly was replaced by a coldness as if someone had doused him with ice water. It had been some time since a woman had brushed him off with not being interested but he clearly was and he needed to get to know her. "Please, just let me buy you a drink." he said, his hand lightly holding onto her arm.

Sighing, the redhead turned, her blue-green eyes narrowing in on the lawyer. "You don't like a woman saying no, do you?"

"I always win them over, so I'd say you should take my offer." Harvey told her, nodding at Louis and Jessica, who just left the bar.

Moving closer to him, the woman smiled, her eyes shining with mirth. "Well in that case, I expect you to work your magic to win this case Mister Lawyer."

"How did you know I'm a lawyer?" Harvey asked astonished, not that he could have hidden his job in a bar full of businessmen.

The redhead smirked, leaning over to whisper in his ear. "It's not so hard to figure out, to be honest. So I'm looking forward to when you've won that case, too."

"Harvey!"

Blinking, the dark haired lawyer turned to face his associate. "What you got, Mike?"

"I've been calling you five minutes straight." the dark blond said, a smile on his face as Donna laughed at her cubicle. "What's got you so occupied?"

Shaking his head, Harvey held out his hand to look over the files. "Did you find some dirt on Tanner we can use?"

"Ah, not yet." Mike scratched the back of his neck, watching his boss carefully. "I wanted to ask Louis to help me with the financials, something doesn't seem right."

"Then get to it, I got something else to take care of." he got up from his chair, buttoning his jacket before he left his office. "I'll be back later, keep my schedule clear."

Donna and Mike looked after their boss before they faced each other. "What just happened?"

"I have no idea Junior, but he's been in a mood ever since you got back from Elle Howard last Friday." the secretary said, taking a sip from the latte Mike had brought her at lunch.

Once outside on the street level, Harvey waited for Ray to drive up. He needed to get a clear answer to the questions circling around his head. The black Lexus stopped in front of him and his driver got out, opening the door for him. "Where to, Harvey?"

"To the past." he sighed, giving his driver the address. The Indian man nodded his head, started the music and drove off.

"You want to talk about it, boss?" Ray had known his employer for nearly three years now and in all that time nothing had rattled him like the case he took on with Mike Ross. Harvey shook his head, watching the city fly by as the car made its way out of Manhattan and over to Williamsburg.

"Elle!"

Elle had to get the cries of her kids out of her head, so she decided to go grocery shopping and enjoy the walk over to the store not far from her apartment. Just when she got back, the redhead saw a black car parked on the street in front of her door. Sighing, she tightened her grip on the bags and ignored the sound of a car door opening.

She would recognize that voice anywhere. "What can I help you with, Harvey? Is there something good happening with the case?"

"Mike is still looking into it, but actually I'm here because I need to ask you something." the lawyer said moving closer to her. "Why did you really leave those years ago?"

Elle knew what he was getting into and she still had her secrets, things she couldn't have told him then and would definitely not tell him now. "You know it didn't work out for us."

"You still believe that?" he argued, pushing one hand into the pockets of his suit pants, clenching it with all his might. "I know that isn't the reason why, so stop that bullshit and tell me what made you rethink everything."

Shaking her head, the redhead walked around him, moving swiftly to the entrance of the apartment building she shared with Mike, but Harvey was faster. His hand held onto her arm, tight enough to stop her, but loose enough to not hurt her. Elle blinked her light eyes at the lawyer as she tried to form words without spilling what she had longed to tell him all those years ago. "We both wanted different things and you know it."

"Is that why you suddenly up and left New York? I asked Lucille and she told me you went to Boston. You didn't even think that you could have talked to me?"

Pulling away from him, she opened her mouth to answer him, but there was no sound coming out. Elle needed to get her head straightened out before she could really talk to Harvey and just when she knew what she would tell him, her phone rang again. The redhead pulled it out of her jeans' back pocket showing Charlie's name on the display. "I'm sorry, I have to take this."

"Mum" he sniffled and Elle immediately felt tears come to her own eyes. "Please come and get us. I hate it here."

She could hear his cries and the lawyer in front of her was totally forgotten. "Charlie, baby, what's going on?"

"I want to come back to you. I hate Sarah and she doesn't even want us there. She's mean to Izzy and me. Please, mommy, come and take us home."

Clasping a hand to her lips, Elle fought the urge to break down when she listened to her sweet boy cry because of her ex husband's new wife. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but I can't come and take you home. You know that we still have to wait a bit."

"No! I wanna go home now. Izzy doesn't like it here, too." the young mother could hear her youngest crying next to her son and she knew she had to put an end to it.

Closing her eyes, Elle took a deep breath. "Charlie listen to me, I'm going to come over and we'll talk, okay."

"Okay, I guess." She knew her son wasn't satisfied with her answer, but there was no way she was giving Travis more power over her, than he already had.

Harvey had listened to the conversation and was trying to come up with possible scenarios to fight against Tanner, just so he didn't have to listen to the kids crying for their mother. "I'm coming with you, Tanner isn't going to be happy with you showing up at his house."

"I can do that on my own, I know Travis." Elle tried to argue with the lawyer but from the look he shot her, she knew she'd have to fight him tooth and nails. "I don't need your help to make sure my kids are fine."

Shaking his head, he took a step back from her. "It's either me or I'm sending Mike to Tanner's house and you know it's not going to be pretty." Harvey held up his phone, ready to dial his associate so he could make sure nothing was going wrong and would destroy the case.

"Okay." the redhead muttered, lowering her head in defeat, she trusted Mike, but not around her ex-husband, he could be petty and it would end up in bloodshed if something went wrong. Rolling her blue eyes, she nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Fine. But at least let me get the shopping inside."

[intcrmezzo]

As much as it may have been that Tanner had changed through heartbreak, becoming much more blunt and with little patience for anything inauthentic, she'd argue that Daniela was a different person now as well. Perhaps she was only seeing her ex through a different lens now, Tanner doesn't remember this attitude. The breakup and dissolution of their relationship had maybe lifted the veil on who they reach really were. She couldn't blame Daniela for wanting to seek some privacy in the midst of this heated conversation, though as soon as they were outside in the alley Tanner freed her arm with a yank from her ex's grasp. "I'm not pissed off," she said as she paced back and forth in the alley from wall to wall with her hands resting on her hips. The motion stopped when Dani had begun to speak, and instead Tanner stood before her with disbelief hung in her brow.

Did that mean Daniela still loved her, or — what was she saying? "If someone else was able to swoop in," she said calmly, "then you didn't love me." After a beat, Tanner let out a sigh, it was taking a minute to digest what she'd just heard. "That's what you can't seem to understand. It wasn't the honesty, or what I thought was the truth, that shredded me so much, Dani. It took courage to look me in the eyes and tell me there was someone else. It took courage to tell me you didn't love me anymore. I actually respect you for saying it right to my face. The problem, the real pain, comes from where you were dishonest. That you cheated me. You were seeing someone else while I thought we were happy. You deceived me into comfort and security while you built an emotional attachment with someone else — when we could've fixed us. You put all that time and energy into someone else. That's the pain, Dani. That's the heartbreak. I know it's weak and pathetic, you're not supposed to admit that you were played for a fool, but you fucking broke me." And she seemed to wave that around with pride.

Of course Dani hadn't come back for her. Tanner would never be vain enough to assume such a thing. Still, it was a pointed comment, since it was completely unnecessary. It was just another chance to drill into her how little she'd been worth to Dani. Not an ounce of fight for her. "Do you feel better? You got that off your chest and you said you were sorry — do you feel better now?" There was something resigned in Tanner. "You should've told me. I don't know how I wasn't fighting for you," turned away, looking off down the alley, Dani could leave for all she'd know, "I was planning a life with you. My parents knew you were the one." They had been ready for marriage and kids, and she'd told her parents that much. Living together and building onto what they'd already had for years? That was their pace. "You didn't want me or that life, and that's fine, you had every right to walk away from it, you should've just told me. Instead you gave me the trauma of betrayal. Now, I'm broken and mistrusting of everyone else. You get to move on and move around like nothing matters and it's all so carefree, right? It didn't break you because your heart wasn't in it. You were loved." When she turned to her ex, somewhat surprised she was still there, Tanner tacked on while fighting back the emotion knotted in her throat and threatening to spill down her cheeks, "you go on about your merry little life, Dani. We don't need compromises."

While Daniela could visibly see just what she'd done to Tanner, she still knew the woman well enough to know that she wasn't going to hit her. It didn't matter that this wasn't the Tanner she'd left behind a year ago — this was still the same person who wouldn't raise a hand to another woman, even if this time around, she would have been more than justified in it. Watching her ex attempt to stand her ground with her bluff, she couldn't help but shake her head. This wasn't how she planned on coming home and making amends with Tanner. Her guilt, and probably her ego, had sent this train derailing faster than she'd even realized, but she knew she had no choice but to get this back on some track that wasn't going to crash. "There's nothing to test out because I know you won't do it." She wasn't even being an asshole now, so her tone had softened and she was finally making eye contact with her ex without glaring at her as well. But containing her usual layer of snark was clearly going to keep being tested as Tanner spoke up again, and while Dani's instincts told her to keep throwing low blows, she swiftly pushed that thought down. "That actually was a compromise, which you could see if you stopped taking everything I say as me trying to hurt you." Dani could be a bitch sometimes, yet she wasn't entirely aiming for that now, even if her ex wouldn't agree.

If someone had told her that coming back to Woodside meant that she'd be airing her dirty laundry out in public, she would have never believed such. One thing her and Tanner had always had in common was their ability to control themselves and their baggage when they were in public, since they both had reputations and careers they valued too much to have their personal matters become town gossip. But considering how this little face to face reunion had unceremoniously blindsided them both, Dani knew that Tanner just couldn't help herself now, even with far too many people around to focus on the very communal spat. "If I didn't know how to talk to people, or you, wouldn't that have made dating me for years a little impossible?" Maybe her tone was a bit sarcastic that time, but it was true and someone had to say it. But this was getting far too ugly in the middle of Antonio's, and in the event that Tanner changed her stance on hitting women and rightfully decked her, Dani wasn't going to let a bunch of innocent people bear witness to that.

When her previous words seemed to suddenly come rushing back to her ex, she sighed before standing up from her seat. And against her better judgment, and at the risk of ultimately pushing too many of Tanner's buttons, she gently took hold of her ex's arm and tugged her out of the establishment. Knowing the middle of the parking lot was no better of a position for their squabble, Dani chose to lead Tanner into the alley away from prying eyes. "I'm not trying to piss you off, just so we're clear." She clarified as she released her hold on the other woman's arm, though she stayed somewhat close to her and made a point to gaze into her eyes this time. "I lied when I told you I didn't love you anymore. I just — we weren't fighting for us anymore, and when someone else swooped in and the idea of being with them seemed easier, I had to lie to myself, and to you, to let us go." She confessed. "It was stupid, and although I didn't move back home to try to get you back, I do regret it. All of it. You didn't deserve any of it, and I truly am sorry." At this point, she didn't know how to be any more sincere or utterly honest, so she could hope that Tanner wasn't going to just write this off as bullshit too.

[fly-pow-bye]

DuckTales 2017 - “Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Written by: Colleen Evanson

Storyboard by: Vince Aparo, Emmy Cicirega, Ben Holm

Directed by: Tanner Johnson

Sorry for the wait.

This episode directly continues from the last episode, and I decided not to spoil the ending in that review. One thing that can already be implied by that title card I have is that Della does indeed make it back to Duckberg and reunite with her family. Before she can, she spends quite a bit of time trying to get to that reintroduction.

Specifically, she needed to find the best way to reintroduce herself. Well, that, and having to readjust to Earth's gravity and realizing she can't just jump over the gate. I like how the clouds move in the background with every cut, showing that she is taking quite a while on just this one step.

Right behind that door, Scrooge McDuck has found the Cartographer's Quill: a magic quill that makes maps to. One special thing about this scene is that, if this is the first episode you ever seen, this one scene does show each of the nephew and honorary niece's personalities very well. Scrooge exclaims this will be the most important adventure of their lives.

Della Duck: Sup party people! I'm back in the hizouse! ...oh, that was terrible, can I get a do-over?

Needless to say, those quill plans will have to wait for an indefinite amount of time.

One thing I'm glad to note is that they do bring up one of the most obvious questions that has come up since we've learned whatever happened to Della Duck: how did Scrooge not see her on the moon? They didn't answer it, but Scrooge does say he did indeed search the moon. They don't go any further than this, because there's far more important matters at hand, but the wonder is still there. Future episode, perhaps?

Speaking of wonder, Huey, Dewey, and Louie finally get to see their Mom outside of one photo. Or, as she wanted to name them, Jet, Turbo, and Rebel, respectively. I guess it's neat, and Dewey really thinks so, but was Della just that lucky to name her kids after their personalities before they were even born? Must be a mother's intuition.

Dewey the first to say something, and he says “who’s the cyborg?” Either the long hair threw him off for a second, or, after what felt like years, they just don’t think it could honestly be their long lost mother. Dewey just immediately goes for a hug, showing right off the bat that he's going to be the mama's boy.

How do you survive in a barren wasteland? Barren I could understand. Is that what he thinks the moon is? She never modified her leg, because as the Junior Woodchuck says...by the time she mentions that, Huey's already going to make this a group hug. Louie seemingly needs more time to think about it, thinking this could be another trap from Magica. In a few seconds, he completes the group hug anyway.

As for Webby, she's just crying over how heartfelt this scene is. I usually say these scenes are just trying to force a reaction, but...me too, Webby, me too.

This is going to be a constant through the episode, and while this is spelled out for us at one point, we can tell what everyone feels just through their expressions and actions. As said before, Dewey is a pure mama's boy, which makes sense since he's been the one looking for her since episode 1 of this reboot. In contrast, Louie always has this disinterested expression on his face. Huh, and she wanted to call him Rebel. She really is a great mother. Huey is somewhere in the middle.

Since the family is finally reunited, with one exception I will talk about later, this episode starts a new arc. Della is essentially a brand new character to the DuckTales canon. This show needs to get this new character to fit in, and this episode is essentially the in-universe version of that.

Della is happy to be with her family, and vice-versa for the most part, but she wonders where her brother is. Webby tells her that Donald is currently on vacation, much to Della's disapproval, but she's sure it was much needed.

Oh yeah, that's the other thing. Remember when I said the Donald and Della plots in the last episode felt connected in all but the situations they were in? Turns out, I could have added a "yet" to that. See, he saw the rocket fall to Earth, knew immediately that it was Della, and rushed to reunite with his long lost sister. However, his trademark bad luck set in, as Della already left the rocket, and Donald accidentally pressed that "irreversible emergency launch" switch.

He's lost in space now, and the worst part is that nobody else knows. At least with Della, Scrooge knew what happened to her, even if he never knew where exactly she went until now. To everyone else, Donald's just having a vacation, probably napping on one of the cruise ship's many, many hammocks. The episode makes a few cuts to Donald's current situation, revealing a few more details, but we'll save that for another review.

Back to the Earth, we see that most of the episode is her trying her hardest to be "the best mom ever" to make up for all the lost time. She makes her kids cakes for various special occasions. She even makes a special cake made out of Fizzy Rocks. Dewey ends up being the only, because he wants to shift to Turbo!

Della tries to tell the kids a bedtime story, but the kids are a bit too old for fairy tales, so she has to tell another story from her past. This time, we hear a story from her childhood, and it turns out that the apples don’t fall far from the tree, as she also adventured to distant places.

Specifically, this is the story of the Gilded Man of El Dorado; similar the golem of Jewish legend, except from the Aztec civilization. Originally a protector of the people, the Gilded Man blew a fuse and caused the golden streets to be covered blood red from all the gnawed bodies. She really pushes this story as hard as TV-Y7 can go.

Della stopped him and his "gory gears", but even she’s not sure if the robot will awaken and seek vengeance on their family. Oh yeah, and it’s probably sitting in the garage. Needless to say, this does not help the boys sleep.

The next morning, after getting a haircut, Della wakes up her kids with an airhorn, and brought them airhorns of their own. She then tries to teach Huey how to do an amazing skateboard trick with a shield from a nearby suit of armor. Not helping matters is that aforementioned airhorn made Huey temporarily deaf throughout most of the episode.

This goes about as well as one might expect, though Louie does initially get a rare moment of happiness in this episode. Sure, this is reckless child endangerment, but he could get a sick viral video out of it. Unfortunately, he ends up getting hurt as well, and this causes a ruckus that a nearby Mrs. Beakley can only sigh at.

Mrs. Beakley: (after lifting a fallen chandelier with one hand) I’m used to cleaning up after children, dear.

Ouch. This isn't the only household dweller that she'll have a negative relationship with, though in this next case, it's vice versa.

See, Della used to be Scrooge McDuck's pilot, and she's none to happy to find out that Launchpad happens to be her replacement. Yeah, how dare Scrooge McDuck get another pilot when his pilot goes missing for 10 years! This doesn't get brought up again in this episode, in fact, Launchpad doesn't even appear after this, but, again, this will probably be a subject of a future episode.

She sneaks up on a family meeting, where Scrooge is essentially talking about the very point of this episode. The boys tell Scrooge that while she might be endangering them, she's only trying her best and she's their mom. At least, Dewey and Huey seem to think so. Louie, who has been the least happy so far, admits that he doesn't know how to say it, but says that, as he hasn’t had a mom for so long, he doesn’t know how to have one. Scrooge has a theory on that.

Scrooge: That's because she's not a mom! (waits about 10 seconds) ...not yet anyway, she’s been gone for so long.

In those ten seconds, Della already ran off into the garage, sobbing and talking to herself about how she’s blowing it. She wishes she can have a monster to fight, and...

...oh, hi, Gilded Man! Turns out, he really did end up in Scrooge's garage, currently in an indefinite slumber. I'd say more, but my thought process ended up being "She's going to activate it, she's going to activate it, she's going to activate it..."

Sure enough, this golden android only needed a kick in the...hands to get activated. Okay, maybe that saying wouldn't go anywhere.

Della Duck: Aw, phooey.

Eh, she said it better the first time. Maybe I'm just a little miffed that she's essentially replacing her brother, and she's outright stealing his catchphrase. Della tries to deal with it herself, because "nothing can stop Della Duck!" The title kind of fit in a different way than I expected. Scrooge shows up, wondering what is going on, and is forced to face off against the giant golden monster.

After making an attempt to beat up this robot with his cane, not exactly working like it would in the NES game, Della bumps into something. This causes a Rube Goldberg effect that ends with a propeller landing on a car, causing its alarm to go off. Suddenly, the robot mysteriously puts his hands over his ears. Almost like he really hates noise, but they don’t really catch on.

They're probably distracted by family drama, of course. While this monster mysteriously stopped, Della confronts Scrooge that she heard what he said about her not being a mom. Scrooge then turns off the car alarm so he can explain the rest of what he said. Unfortunately, this conversation would have to take a break before it can make any progress of talking sense into Della before she goes on some reckless treasure hunting, because that robot is going towards them again!

It feels like the episode is setting up what Della wanted in the episode: she would save the McDuck Manor by herself, proving that she's the most adventurous Mom ever. Both Webby and Scrooge, usually invincible in this series, are essentially damsels in distress. As for Mrs. Beakley, the former Agent 22 and lifter of an entire chandelier, she gets knocked out by the monster, too.

Della tries to stop the monster as well, in the same way that she stopped the monster before, but finds that growing up sucks in at least one other way. There are three more people that haven't got involved, and, seemingly on a hunch, Dewey decides to use his airhorn. It's here that Della finally learns that the creature is weak to noise, and it's possible the kids might be able to save the day.

It turns out to be a mixture of both the mother and her children that save the day in the end, which is fitting. The boys combine their airhorns with duct tape, even showing them rushing in and getting the duct tape from Donald Duck's houseboat. I don't think anyone would have questioned if they just had it on them, but the attention to detail is much appreciated. This airhorn contraption is then shoved right into the Gilded Man's neck, and Della uses her metallic leg to jam those buttons right in.

Della even gets to show off how great of a mother she is, and it's not by defeating a giant monster or finding a huge treasure like she said she would. She detaches her robotic leg, jumping out of the android, and saves one of the boys from getting crushed by the rapidly deteriorating robot.

I kind of saw this coming: it's Louie she saves. This finally gets Louie to say "thanks, Mom". My heart's just too full. I've said in the last review that this is the end of an arc and also the beginning of a new one. She's never really annoying, overpowered, or out-of-place with the established characters. She just wants to be a good mother, and that's all that matters.

This family bonding is missing something, and I'll just say that Donald's in for a lot of trouble. Unfortunately, it's going to be a while before we find out whatever happened to Donald Duck, and while I didn't spoil a twist in the last episode that shows up here as well, it's not the focus of the episode. Another future episode!

How does it stack up?

This is another big episode. I'd argue it's better than The Golden Spear in that it doesn't seem to repeat itself as much. There's a few scenes in this that I skimmed through, but trust me, they are funny to watch. I couldn't hate this one, it's too precious.

Had enough of Della? First, why? Second, too bad, because the next episode has her, too.

← The Golden Spear! 🦆 Raiders of the Doomsday Vault! →

[smutnug]

What Stays and What Fades Away

My first chapter with the amazing @wardsarefunctioning as beta! A thousand thousand thank yous.

Contains awkward flirting and Drunk!Hawke.

Chapter 27: Juliet

It had been a week since Tanner's abrupt departure, and Juliet still felt ill when she thought about the way things had ended. She chafed to be away in Crestwood, where Hawke was doubtless already waiting for them. 

But the Inquisition had become a large organisation, and large organisations seldom moved quickly. While Hawke could travel alone and in relative anonymity, Juliet's expeditions must be scouted, provisioned and planned to the smallest detail. So instead she was stuck here in Skyhold, surrounded by a thousand small reminders of her indiscretion. 

She sat at a table in the hall poring over a pile of documents that never seemed to get smaller: requisitions, reports, requests for the Inquisition's help from all over Southern Thedas. Scout Harding was already on the way to Crestwood, but she had left Juliet a map and pages covered in her small, neat handwriting: the location of the village and fort, a brief history of the place and its flooding during the blight, even a few credible rift sightings. A potential logging site? That would help in rebuilding - 

"Inquisitor?" The messenger gave a quick salute and handed her a roll of paper. "Plans for the mage tower, milady."

The mage tower. She waited until the man was gone before letting out a groan, burying her head in her hands. 

"Pining for your soldier, Freckles?" 

Juliet spun in her chair to glare at Varric. 

"Firstly," she said, "I'm not bloody pining . Secondly, can we pretend just for a minute that I have some kind of private life?" 

The dwarf threw up his hands. "Sorry, Inquisitor," he said, hopping up into the seat next to her. "You're one of the most important figures in Thedas right now. Definitely the most important in Skyhold. Your inner circle has at least three spies, and a mind-reading spirit boy." He patted her on the back. "Keeping secrets is hard."

She stared at him a moment longer, her lips pursed. "Thirdly -" 

"I'll change your names."

"Do not -" 

"And titles."

"Put this -" 

"And location."

"In a book," she finished. "Or I'll throw you to Cassandra."

"Oh, come on Freckles! It's got everything: deception, mistaken identity, star-crossed lovers…"

"I think you're reading a little more into it than actually happened."

"Of course I am. I'm a writer."

Conceding defeat, Juliet looked back to the documents spread out in front of her; the lines on the vellum seemed to blur and dance, Harding's meticulous text reduced to gibberish. She blinked hard, twice, but her eyes refused to cooperate. 

"Why not take a break?" Varric asked and added, too casually, "Take a walk in the garden."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why the garden, Varric?" 

"Why so suspicious, Freckles?" He grinned, hazel eyes glinting with mischief. "It's a beautiful day. The fresh air will do you good. See how your herbs are growing!" 

"I need to plan this…" she protested weakly. 

"Do you trust yourself to make good plans right now?" 

"Fine." She bundled up the documents, shoving them unceremoniously into a nugskin folder. "I'll go to the garden." In response to Varric's waggling eyebrows, she snapped, "but only because I've got no bloody place better to be."

With a smirk he propped his feet up on the table. "Enjoy the scenery, Inquisitor."

"Thin ice, Tethras," she shot back over her shoulder. 

It was close to midday, and she had to admit that the sunlight on her face and the smell of freshly-turned soil did much to clear her head. The air was fragrant with blooming herbs, all of which somehow seemed to thrive here despite the varying climates from which they had been plucked. She wished she could put down roots so easily.

Male laughter caught her attention; the voice was familiar, if not the sound. Beneath the gazebo a small table and two chairs were set up. Dorian faced the Commander over a chess board, hexagonal in the Northern style. The two men were too engrossed in the game to notice her approach and she took a moment to appreciate Cullen's relaxed posture, his easy demeanour as he rolled his eyes in response to Dorian's gentle ribbing. 

"Why do I even…" He finally saw her and broke off mid-sentence, half rising out of his chair. "Inquisitor."

Dorian flashed a charming smile in her direction before turning his attention back to Cullen. "Leaving, are you?" The mage's voice, much like his skin, was smooth as honey. "Does this mean I win?" 

It was jarring to see the Commander so comfortable in the presence of Dorian, of all people. Despite his wit and charm, or perhaps because of it, he didn't always rub people the right way. Plus he was a Tevinter, and an unapologetic mage. Was there some other reason than magic, then, for Cullen's reticence with her? 

Wary of spoiling the mood, she motioned Cullen to sit and tried to match Dorian's light tone. "Are you two playing nice?" 

"I'm always nice," Dorian lied without skipping a beat. He put his tower down with a decisive thunk and crossed his arms; impressively muscled for a mage, Juliet could never help but notice. If he'd been differently inclined, she was sure she could have put those muscles to good use. "You need to come to terms with my inevitable victory," he declared to Cullen. "You'll feel much better."

"Really?" Cullen pounced, shifting his tower from a black square to a white. "Because I just won," he said with a low chuckle, "and I feel fine."

Dorian raised one perfect eyebrow and smiled, impeccably gracious in defeat. "Don't get smug." He rose from his chair with the fluidity of a cat. "There will be no living with you."

Juliet shifted to let him pass and as she did so, his silken voice reached her in a pitch too low for Cullen to catch. 

"He's all yours, Inquisitor," he purred. "You lucky thing."

She felt her ears burn crimson, unfortunately catching Cullen's eye at the same time. Embarrassment painted a foolish smile across her face and the Commander looked at her with some confusion. 

"I should return to my duties as well…" he said, adding hesitantly, "unless you would care for a game?" 

Me? she nearly said. Did everyone else in Thedas die and nobody told me? Then she remembered the hand that had lingered on hers a moment too long after he helped her onto her horse, and a heat swept through her that had nothing at all to do with embarrassment. 

She maintained her composure enough to give him a tight smile. "Prepare the board, Commander."

Oblivious to the fire that raged inside the woman opposite him, Cullen was conversational as he laid out the carved pieces. "As a child, I played this with my sister. She would get this stuck-up grin whenever she won, which was all the time." He glanced up at her, a rarely seen flash of mischief in his eyes. "My brother and I practiced together for weeks…the look on her facethe day I finally won…" 

Juliet caught a glimpse of the boy he had been in his smirk, before a little frown marred his features. 

"Between serving the templars and the inquisition, I haven't seen them in years," he said regretfully. "I wonder if she still plays."

It was easy to forget that Templars, too, could become separated from their families. She doubted Michael had ever recounted such fond memories of her. But she felt a pang when she thought of Lavinia, and of Alec, whose child must have been born by now. 

"You have siblings?" 

He seemed surprised by her enthusiasm. "Two sisters, and a brother."

"We're the same!" Juliet paused. "I mean, my family. Two boys, and two girls." She shifted, nudging Cullen's foot beneath the table. It went unacknowledged by both of them as they adjusted their postures, but she was aware now of his proximity; she could swear she felt the heat of his knee close to her own. 

"Really?" Leaning forward on his elbows, he graced her with a warm smile. "Michael I know, but…"

Juliet couldn't suppress an eye roll at the mention of her Templar brother. "Alec is the eldest. He's…well, he's unlike Michael. And Lavinia is between Michael and I in age. Terribly frivolous and always has her foot in her mouth, but she means well." Unexpected tears sprang to her eyes as she thought of them; on waking in Haven to the news that she'd been publicly disowned, she hadn't dared to contact them. "Tell me about yours," she said with forced cheerfulness. 

"Mia," he replied with a smile, "is the one I told you of. Branson is my brother, and the youngest is Rosalie."

She wished suddenly, fiercely, that she might some day meet them. "Where are they now?"

"They moved to South Reach after the Blight…" A flash of pain reached Cullen's amber eyes. "I do not write to them as often as I should." Staring at the board, his gaze seemed to come back into focus. "Ah, it's my turn."

"Alright," she said with a grin, "let's see what you've got."

He paused, looking at her for the longest time before shaking his head. Leaning in to make his move, he said softly, "You always seem as if you're laughing at a joke nobody else understands."

"I thought everybody understood," she said lightly. "I'm the joke."

"No." His stare, however glancing, pierced her to the core. "You are far from a joke. You're the reason we are all here."

"And who am I?" she countered. "Someone else would have led. Hawke, if Cassandra could have found her."

"Hawke." His wry smile made a mockery of the idea. 

"Nobody should take themselves too seriously." Pondering a moment, she moved a pawn into the path of his mage. "The more power you have, the lessseriously you should take yourself."

Cullen's gaze raked her. Surely, she thought, he must sense the shifting restlessness his mere proximity woke in her. Finally he shook his head. "Are you sure that doesn't do a disservice to those who choose to follow you?" 

"The opposite." She countered his move. "Power without humility lead to tyranny."

For a moment he looked startled. Then he laughed, shaking his head. "Of all people, I should know that." 

"So you and Dorian…" she began tentatively. 

"Dorian and I…?" Cullen's eyebrows shot up. "I assure you, there's nothing of that sort -" 

"Oh no, I just meant…you seemed to be getting along so well! It's not a friendship I would have expected."

"I ran into him in the library. Varric asked me to find a book for him." At her quizzical look, he chuckled. "I think he's trying to avoid Cassandra."

"I can't say I've ever seen Cassandra in the library."

"No point in taking chances, were his words. Anyway, Dorian…" Considering his next move, he twirled a stone piece in his fingers. Such long, clever fingers…he caught her eyes suddenly and she shut her mouth with a painfully audible snap . "He just seems lost, you know. He's a long way from home."

"Don't let him think you pity him," Juliet advised. "He won't thank you for it."

"It's not pity," he said, surprised. "Sympathy, yes, but I do enjoy his company." He caught her look of puzzlement. "Is that so unusual?" 

"Only," she floundered, searching about for the right words, "because of, you know, what he is."

"What he is?" Cullen's voice held faint disapproval. "I'm not sure I take your meaning."

Oh, Maker, now she'd offended him. "Only that I thought it might make you feel uncomfortable. Threatened, even."

"Threatened?" Cullen sat back in his chair, arms folded as he studied her face. "Why should I feel threatened?" 

Could we build a lesser amulet? she thought desperately.One that would take me back to before this line of conversation began. "You wouldn't be the only one. I know several people are concerned with his presence…" Biting her lip, she trailed off as Cullen drummed his fingers on the chair arm with evident annoyance. 

"I know that some people harbour foolish prejudices," he began, "but I certainly didn't think you would be amongst them, Inquisitor."

"Me?" she answered indignantly. "Why in Thedas would I be prejudiced against Dorian? I'm the same as he is!" 

Cullen gaped. "You are?" 

She couldn't understand his reaction; this was by no means new information for the Commander. "Well, yes. I mean I'm not from Tevinter, but essentially…"

They realised their mistake at the same time. Juliet groaned, covering her face; Cullen rubbed the back of his neck as he grinned sheepishly. "You meant…"

"Yes. And you thought…"

"I did." His grin slipped. "But you're wrong to think Dorian's magic should make me uncomfortable. I mean, you're a mage and I'm not uncomfortable with you."

"You're not?" 

She must have sounded a touch too incredulous, because Cullen looked at her sharply. Then he smiled, staring down at his hands. "I don't know if you've noticed, Inquisitor, but I can be somewhat…awkward…at times."

"No," she answered, laughing. "Really? It had completely escaped my notice."

"If I seem that way around you, please know that it's not because of the fact that you're a mage. It's because, well…"

Juliet's mouth went dry. "Yes?" 

"It's just the way I am," he finished quickly. 

Hope gave way to sharp disappointment. Surprised by the intensity of her reaction, she hid her feelings in contemplating the next move. "Your turn," she said finally. His pawn joined the small crowd of pieces on the tabletop. 

He studied the board, frowning. "You're no stranger to this game."

"My mentor in the Circle, Lydia," she swallowed hard at the memory, "didn't believe in idle hands. Or minds. When the study of magic didn't take up our time she had us learn history, geography, strategy, mathematics…" An opening became apparent and she swiftly dispatched one of his mages. "Chess."

At the mention of her Circle, Cullen's expression became shuttered. "It seems that was time well spent," he said stiffly. "I wish…" He shook his head, apparently clearing some stray thought. "Your move, Inquisitor."

Always Inquisitor. What was it about him - or about her - that drove her to keep needling him? He was too proper, too authoritative. It made her keep trying to crack open that facade of stiff professionalism, even if she felt like a bird hopelessly battering its wings against a window pane. It made her blurt out, even as her rational mind told her it was a terrible idea, "So…tell me about you and Hawke."

Cullen's smile vanished. "How do you…? Never mind," he said, somewhat curtly. "I would rather not." With exaggerated carefulness he finished his move, putting his knight down with the barest tap of stone on stone. Without meeting her eyes, he elaborated, "It was a mistake."

"Oh." A mistake. Her chest suddenly tight, she attempted what she hoped was a smile. "You have regrets?" 

Cullen's answering smile was more of a grimace. "I regret the entire thing. Now, really…I'd prefer if we moved on."

"I'm sorry," she said with forced cheerfulness. "It seems my sister's not the only one capable of putting her foot in it." She saw the opportunity to take his queen, and considered letting it pass; then, with an apologetic smile and a half-shrug, she toppled the piece with her mage. 

"There," Cullen said. "That's Mia's look."

Juliet laughed. "I wasn't aiming for stuck-up, but I suppose I've earned the right to gloat a little."

"It's not over yet," he countered. Thoughtful, he glanced at her through sandy eyelashes. "This may be the longest we've gone without discussing the Inquisition - or related matters. To be honest, I appreciate the distraction."

"I aim to please." Impulsively, she added, "We should spend more time together."

Another misstep in a conversation littered with them. Wasn't Cullen supposed to be the awkward one? But there was no awkwardness in his heavy-lidded gaze. "I would… like that," he said, and his low voice sent a pleasant shiver through her body. She could only smile back inanely, until he shook himself and turned his attention back to the board. 

"We should…finish our game," he stammered. "Right. My turn?" 

They sat in companionable silence. Stone tapped against stone, and the low hum of insects and murmured conversations played around them. Finally Cullen played the only move that was open to him, and it was checkmate. He smiled wryly. 

"I believe this one is yours. Well played." He leaned back, rolling his shoulders in a way that distracted Juliet entirely from her victory. "We shall have to try again some time." Standing, he offered her a small bow. "Inquisitor."

"Juliet," she said. "Please."

"Juliet." It was only her imagination, adding that low, husky timbre to his voice, the flash in his molten gold eyes. It was just her name; there was no reason for it to feel like a caress. 

And yet long after he had taken his leave she sat, fingers playing around her lips as if the memory of a kiss lingered there. 

"Still here?" Dorian startled her from her reverie. He ensconced himself in the chair opposite, fingers steepled and a knowing gleam in his eye. "Do I sense a romance blooming? I would so love to attend a provincial wedding."

"Did you and Varric orchestrate this?" she demanded. 

"Varric?" he said, affronted. "Perish the thought, dear cousin. Our Commander wandered into my library and I took pity on him. He seemed so…" The mage twirled his hand theatricality. "Lost."

"How terribly kind of you to keep him entertained."

"Obviously, darling Juliet, I resent the implication to my very core." Dorian plucked an imaginary piece of lint from his trouser leg, examining it between thumb and forefinger. "But I did rather enjoy the game…and the view."

"You don't find our little garden too provincial?"

"Now, now," he chastised her. "We both know I wasn't talking about the garden. My question remains: are you two delightful creatures going to give all of us, your proud and loving family, the news we wait so impatiently to hear? Or must Varric's prize pool grow ever larger?" 

"Bloody Varric," she muttered. 

"Well?" Dorian crossed an elegant ankle over his leg. 

"I'm going to have to disappoint you."

"Oh." Dorian did, indeed, sound disappointed. "Tell cousin Dorian absolutely everything."

Juliet sighed. I regret the entire thing. Somewhere in the Hinterlands, Tanner would be thinking the same about her. "There's really nothing to tell." She turned her hand palm up; the Anchor pulsed faintly green. "I just don't want to be anyone else's mistake."

[fly-pow-bye]

DuckTales 2017 - “Beware The B.U.D.D.Y. System!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Written by: Francisco Angones

Directed by: John Aoshima

Storyboarded by: Benjamin Balistreri, Evon Freeman, Mark Garcia, Tanner Johnson, John Ramirez

I am not the only one who is back.

The episode starts with Quackerjack, Megavolt, and the Liquidator robbing a bank. Right here, I heard the cheers when these villains came in, because it could mean one thing. As soon as a bunch of bulbs get broken, as Megavolt mourns his "bulby brethren", we get to hear a very familiar voice.

???: I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the lone rollerskate at the base of villainy's staircase!

Despite the commercials hyping up Gizmoduck, they still had a way to surprise us right from the very beginning. Sure, he was already announced to be in this series, but no commercial has told us we're going to see...

...Darkwing Duck. This all leads to a fight scene in this show. It seems like it's been a while since I reviewed something where it wasn't a slideshow. This scene definitely shows some promise.

This whole tease, er, intro turns out to be just a TV show Dewey is watching. Dewey ends up being the target audience's surrogate here, while Launchpad gets to be the surrogate of the long-time Disney Afternoon fan.

Dewey: This hero guy doesn't fly or shoot lasers or anything!

There's definitely promise even in this one scene; Launchpad talks about how Jim Starling, the actor playing D.W., does his own stunts and doesn't need CGI. I can already imagine the potential plotline that could come with just that one line. While this is the last we see of Darkwing Duck, "Let's Get Dangerous" becomes a theme throughout the episode.

The real episode starts with Launchpad talking about how he finally got his driver's license, and he's going to drive to the McDuck Money Bin to get it. Well, if he actually got a license, does that mean he's going to be a good driver? There's a huge hint on that question: he starts the car with the garage door closed, which he immediately bashes through.

Launchpad is not the greatest driver in the world, needless to say, and this is shown as the first bit after the theme song starts with a slow-motion jump. One bit I find interesting is that, despite everything else, he manages to park perfectly, the opposite of his tendency to do a crash landing when it comes to planes.

Launchpad is proud of his driver's license, and he hopes that he'll come to the Bin to see a huge surprise party for him because of it. He even checks the supplies closet.

Scrooge is too busy looking over a model of an audio-powered monorail made by Gyro Gearloose. It's here that we get introduced to Gyro's intern, Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera. He's an idea man, and would happily shout out all of his ideas, causing the train to go haywire and crash into a window. Lots of foreshadowing just in that one bit.

One thing that isn't a bit is Gyro is trying to find a way to make a reobot that would not turn evil. Dewey suggests a self-driving robot car, inspired by Mark Beaks. They decide to investigate, not paying attention to Launchpad really wanting Scrooge to know about his new license. Scrooge does call for Launchpad, only to give him the unopened letter.

We get to see the return of Mark Beaks, the Mark Zuckerburg/Elon Musk parody character, as he talks about his new driving robot companion. Dewey's still a fan of him to know about this, even considering he knows first-hand about how he literally hypes up nothing. Huey should know, but he's not going to appear in this episode. Neither will Louie.

B - Beaks

U - Unmanned

D - Driver

D - Drone

Y - Yaaay!

Yes, the last one is yaaay. That is how Mark Beaks rolls. Scrooge takes a liking the idea of a robot driver that could potentially replace people he has to pay. Launchpad gets worried that not only will he not get his surprise party, he's not going to have a job due to this robot. This episode came at the right time.

Gyro is also not too happy, as he demands to know how this robot won't turn evil like his. Beaks responds that it's because of "Beaks-Tech", which is totally different from his Bulb-Tech. To prove that machines aren't the new man, he challenges B.U.D.D.Y. to a race.

Before the race, they decide to sneak into the Money Bin's lab when the lights are off. They bump into the Headless Man-Horse, a nice callback to the very first episode of the reboot. This episode ties into a lot of previous episodes, actually. Gyro shows up to tell them to get lost, but Launchpad tries to talk him into giving him tips on how to beat a robot at a race. Gyro isn't interested, because he has more important things to work on.

It's in this scene where we get our first peek at the much-ballyhooed "Project Blatherskite". Fenton almost immediately says his famous catchphrase to activate this new invention, only for Gyro to immediately stop the big reveal to say that it isn't ready. They're going to make us wait for this.

Fenton completely knows all about the secret project and the codeword that activates it. In the original, Blatherskite was a codeword chosen because it was a word Gyro thought nobody used. Here, it's the codeword because...it was the codeword in the original. Nostalgia!

Fenton invites them to his very own laboratory, which happens to be a lavatory. They didn't use that pun, so I will. The reason it's here is because Gyro told him this is where his ideas should go. Another hint on what's to come is that the first thing Fenton wants to do is to supe-up the car with new gadgets. Launchpad responds with a far-too-obvious hint.

Launchpad: I don't know about all of these gizmos...

Subtle. Launchpad only wants some tips, and Fenton is going to bring them as soon as the race starts. Mark Beaks constructed an entire city made out of cardboard just for this one race, complete with cardboard people.

Fenton decides to put sticky notes all over his windshield with a play-by-play on how to win this race. We see a contrast already: while Launchpad is all about getting dangerous and going hap-hazard, just like his greatest TV mentor, Fenton's plan is all about being planned and controlled. Getting dangerous in the safest way possible, according to Launchpad.

Dewey gives him the pep talk by saying he's the best personal driver he's ever had. Apparently more than Uncle Donald, though he's not considered personal. The race begins, and Launchpad starts incredibly slowly as Mark Beaks just looks at him with a confused look.

It's a very entertaining race scene, as Launchpad constantly crashes anyway as events keep making him lose the sticky notes. Needless to say, he loses the race in a spectacular fashion, only barely losing because Mark Beaks never said he had to drive the same car to the finish line.

Gyro was here, too, as he reveals that he found out about the dirtiest secret about this "Beaks-Tech". He takes off the monitor head to reveal the inner-workings are nothing more...

...than Bulb-Tech. Gyro accuses him of stealing, only for him to say that he got the idea and code from a post on a public message board. Fenton decided to post the code on the duck version of Stack Overload to fix that whole “every machine turning evil” thing. Studying Computer Science, I can say that is accurate. Fenton gets fired, Launchpad assumes he's fired because he lost the race, and they both mope.

Meanwhile, Dewey, Scrooge, Gyro, and Beaks are in the passenger seats with B.U.D.D.Y. at the wheel, and Gyro wants to know how Beaks managed to make a robot that won't turn evil. With his genius, Mark Beaks revealed that the best way to prevent "rampancy" is to just put the bulb in a friendlier shell. Not the computing term, but just put a happy monitor face over the bulb. They're just "dumb robots", already hating on his own creation. Fitting.

As soon as this reveal comes in, Beaks-Bot, er, Bulb-Bot becomes red and starts to drive the car like a maniac. He is able to control the seatbelts to capture all of them, and he's going to drive them over a nearby cliff. Dewey manages to get himself unstuck by the power of being too small to not have a booster seat, and honks the horn to get the attention of Fenton and Launchpad.

Hearing the people in peril, Launchpad decides to get into his car. Fenton asks him if he's going to lure the robot into the river, but he says he's probably going to just crash into it. We're almost at the end of the episode, I am sure the kids are wondering when Gizmoduck will show up, and he's almost here.

First, he has to call up the lab. They realized that just having the suit activate here would lead to questions on how far it can hear the word "Blatherskite" from all the way in this indeterminately-located cardboard land, so we have to have someone hold the phone right next to where the suit is. Also, it's a way to get his full name out there, and there's a joke about horse morse. How the horse can hear without a real head...cartoons.

Once he utters the famous words, "Blathering Blatherskite", the suit immediately jumps out, apparently recognizing his voice and knowing exactly where he is. Again, cartoons. Also, awesome.

Crackshell finally says those almighty lines. I did not expect a full-on magical girl segment to come with this, and I am so happy it happened. I hope that they reuse this scene in future episodes.

Gizmoduck makes a great first appearance; anyone unfamiliar with him will get everything they need to know: he's a superhero with gizmos, and he's rather klutzy. He's got a Pectoral Parachute, which comes out as he tries to find any way to stop the out-of-control car, and a Gluteal Grapple, a grappling hook that comes out of his backside. Well, it isn't machine guns, but it'll do.

I could just talk endlessly about what happens in the final scene. It's very entertaining, and it was worth the wait. It all ends with Launchpad fufilling his promise to "just crash into it", thankfully with only the bulb-bot in the car when he does, and Gizmoduck showing off the Go Go Gadget Copter. Okay, they just call it the helmet copter, but I am going with that.

They only have just over a minute left, so they have to tie everything up nicely. They go back to the Money Bin, where Scrooge reveals that Dewey told him about the driver's license and congratulates Launchpad. He also says he wasn’t going to fire Launchpad anyway, though I would imagine being nearly driven off a cliff by his potential replacement had a hand in this.

There is another tease at the end that was strongly hinted at earlier, and it involves Mark Beaks. Mark Beaks sure gets a lot of teases in this reboot. We still have that yacht trip he talked about in his last episode to look forward to. Maybe that's where it all comes together?

How does it stack up?

Not one, but two characters that were long awaited since the announcement of this reboot. A very entertaining romp, with lots of teases.

Sorry, I do not have a double feature this week to make up for the one week vacation I gave myself. Next week, ponies. Kind of.

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