#i have never written webby before this should be fun

[starpirateee]

* sweats in has never written a lord-centric fic *

... Uh, sure, @samscorch ! I might have an idea for one of them, let me just run with it

The very fabric of the Black and White seemed to have split into two. Webby thought that the explorer would bring another perspective into the eyes of herself and her brothers. But she could hear them whispering in the dark. Plans to make the explorer’s life miserable, to see how far he would bend before he would break.

She had tried to intervene. Her presence was the oldest, and therefore, she commanded some level of respect. The last thing she wanted was for this man to be aware of her brothers and what they could do to him.

Years ago, years before she got her first prophet, the five of them had elected to take the path of malevolence, started that shameless cult of followers, and really made themselves known to that otherwise innocent small town.

That was the first time she’d felt the separation. From that moment forward, the Black and White was no longer a shared domain, but something that quite literally tore the white from the black. Her domain- for that was all she had managed to cling to- was a place of peace, the most understandable form of the afterlife for good and honest souls of the world. The Black was a void of despair, where her brothers reigned free and without intervention, claiming lost souls and subjecting them to their every whim and desire.

The separation tore at the very essence of her being and left a sting that didn’t quite dissipate.

To think, the six of them used to be in such peaceful harmony…

When she tried hard enough, she managed to pull through into the black and momentarily cut her brothers’ tie with the explorer before things could get too bad. He was already a mess, bleeding and bruised, and he looked more afraid than he did before he’d entered into their domain. She knew that he’d been trying to escape, and she knew that her brothers hadn’t made it easy for him. They’d shut him off from the outside world, severed everything he had in the way of communicating with his people, and left him here until his mind started to crack.

He seemed to notice the change in the surroundings immediately, honing in on her presence, and his guard went all the way up. She knew that it’d be a risky deal to manifest and try to keep her brothers at bay at the same time, but it was a worthy risk. If she could, she needed to draw him away from them until he could recuperate enough to begin to map out his escape. Now that she had control, he needed to prove that her intentions were not in line with the other rulers of the void.

“You don’t need to be afraid around me, Wilbur.” Her form was simple enough that she could still pull the strings, but normal seeming enough that she didn’t make his prevalent fear worse. This man could use a break from the insanity, she could practically see the way they’d been playing with his mind, even from the outside.

He faltered, though seemingly used to the way things around here just happened to know his name. “Who the hell are you?”

“My name’s Webby.”

“You ain’t one of them…”

“What brought that thought on?”

“I dunno. Somethin’ feels different about you. More… Relievin’, I s’pose.”

She smiled. At least he was still capable of determining that she wasn’t about to play the same games the others were playing, and that she had absolutely no intention to hurt him. But that didn’t stop who she was, even if he was right about everything else. “I’m not with them, nor do my ideas align, but… They are my brothers, I’m afraid.” Before he could think to change his perspective on her, she added, “as I said, you needn’t be afraid around me.”

“They all want somethin’ outta me.” He raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced. She thought that was a fair enough stance; he’d been subject to a lot of pain already, it was only fair that he thought she was going to be exactly the same. It wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t bring himself to trust. “What about you, huh?”

“I want nothing from you, just to watch you succeed in your escape without having to worry about their influence at all. You deserve respite.”

And it was so, for a while, at least. She remained an observer while trying with everything she had to keep the lords at bay. Fighting back against five of them wasn’t easy, but Wilbur started progressing with his endgame, and her motivation to keep up her end of the bargain game from the moments of triumph he let himself have.

But the progress and Wilbur’s relief couldn’t last forever. The brothers decided to band together, and all pushed back at the same time. When she was pulled from her self-appointed post, the darkness returned, and they started tearing him apart with twice as much vigour. She couldn’t even try and get close to him again.

They made sure she was there when he died. The fight stopped for just long enough to let her through in his last moments. She felt his final breath catch, and watched the spark leave his eyes. Her protests about leaving him in peace and letting him move on all went unheard. It didn’t matter what she said anymore, they were holding command by their own agenda, and there was nothing she could do about it.

They brought him back, forcing his body into an even worse fate than before. This was a step too far, even for them. Wilbur was barely a person anymore, merely a human shaped marionette left over for her brothers to control. His soul was so far detached that she was able to intervene again before the five of them could notice.

“I know what they’ll make you do, and I don’t think I’m the only one with that knowledge…”

“I stopped wantin’ to think about that…” Wilbur muttered stiffly.

“You don’t have to stay, not as you are.”

“What’re you sayin’?”

If she couldn’t help his efforts in life, then the least she could do was show him a little peace in death. That was what she’d become best at, what she knew. Maybe she had lost the fight against all of her brothers at once, but this explorer was still a good man, despite what the last months had led him to believe.

“Come with me. I can give you the peace you lost all that time ago.”

[janes-a-charted-stan]

Hatchetfield things I need more information on 

because starkid told us to think about the implications once and hatchetfield theorists took that a little too seriously

also i wrote this in a hurry so sorry if it’s a bit ramble-ish

ccrp

melissa

peanuts

peip

miss holloway

webby

trail to oregon references. will they never end? what does it mean?

why do kilgore and tinky have the same actor?

the black book

sniggles

the gift/tree people/hatchetmen

how is the portal opening/hannah’s birth/timeline split related as they all happened in 2005 and are probably connected somehow is hannah from the black and white and did her entering hatchetfield when the portal opened cause the timeline split? it would explain why her connection to the B&W is so strong

there wasn’t a single bee in nmt2. not in honey queen, not in yellow jacket, not at all. this bothers me more than it should, the puzzle convinced me that there would be bees.

“what are you making?” “the world” “looks like a web” okay so this definitely ties in with Witch in the Web and Webby and the witchwood but. Hannah sees the entire world as a web. hmm...

why does everyone hate clivesdale so much? The way Liz Cunningham is harassed after Linda tells people she’s from clivesdale is too hateful and intense to just be an insignificant town rivalry. At first the whole “fuck Clivesdale” thing seemed like a fun tgwdlm reference but there’s something about how passionate and unashamed it is, and how it happens literally every time clivesdale is mentioned (bill interupting the droid23 wedding to yell fuck clivesdale and zoey saying it to make the crowd like her in honey queen) shows there is a serious deep hatred for clivesdale in hatchetfield. A shop clerk tells Liz Cunningham “once a chemist, always a chemist” after they find out she’s from clivesdale. Clivesdale must’ve Done Something Bad to hatchetfield to create that level of hatred. (since the shop clerk called people from clivesdale chemists maybe it was some sort of experiment) Liz moved to Hatchetfield 10 years before Honey Queen (which is set in 2020) and “once a chemist, always a chemist” is a direct response to that fact which implies that whatever Clivesdale did, Liz was still there when it happened, so it was before 2010. did it happen 15 years ago? in 2005? is it lore related? this may sound a bit far fetched but remember that these are the same writers who brought you the sultan’s inverted penis, the bandit king’s death and “over 600 house elves die in toilet related incidents every year;” they are masters of turning throwaway jokes into dramatic plot reveals

if miss holloway changes identities every 15 years, her last two identity switches would’ve been 2005 (👀👀) and 1990 (this could be when she first made the deal? just after the 80′s which explains why she misses them so much as that was the last time she led a curse-free life)

does willabella muckwab have any relation to the church of the starry children?

how much meta lore can hatchetfield take before the 4th wall is as dead as ted in every timeline? 

why do so many LiB have an explicit Thing about using people’s Wants to gain power? first pokey in tgwdlm, then wiggly and now nibbly (if anyone wants to hear my argument/poorly written theory for how every LiB relies on using Wants to fuck people up and may even be obliged to help people by “giving them what they want” lmk)

[sophfandoms53]

How do you feel about DT2017's inappropriate ending?

Idk if I’d use the word inappropriate?

Overall, I do like the finale and it’s honestly just the Webby twist that has left an eh type of feeling for me. The finale is filled with good ideas, some are executed very well, some aren’t, and that’s okay.

I feel like some things have been blown out of proportion in the last couple weeks and I wanna respond to this big thing and clear up my stance on it.

Does the twist truly affect the found family trope?

If you’re someone who feels it does and that it undermines Webby being found family and you don’t like how it switches her found family from the McDucks to Beakley, that’s completely fine, if you feel that way I understand and you have every right to think that.

I, however, don’t.

I’m not of that opinion at all, in fact I’ve constantly said in my criticisms about the finale that Webby was always family and this twist doesn’t change that fact. Webby found her family with the McDucks before this reveal happened, so for me, her being revealed to be blood doesn’t take that away, it just doubles down on Webby being a part of the McDuck family.

Do I feel it was something completely unnecessary and that Beakley and Webby should’ve stayed blood like they always have been? Absolutely.

But this doesn’t take away the fact that Beakley sacrificed everything and spent every day of her life loving and raising Webby for ten years.

Beakley will ALWAYS be her grandmother, she IS Webby’s grandmother.

Blood or not, Beakley is Webby’s true parent, we know this.

As much as I love the family hug and that Webby grabbed Beakley before she walked away, which was Webby’s way of telling her “Granny, I’m still your granddaughter and I still love you.” and it’s incredibly sweet, I do wish Webby and Beakley spoke in that scene, even if was just Beakley saying “I love you, Webbigail.” And Webby telling her, “I know, granny.” Or just Webby crying and hugging her Granny tighter.

I feel that would’ve been more impactful for their relationship.

My main issue with that scene though is Webby calling Scrooge her dad. He has not earned that title, at all, from anyone. Scrooge’s DNA may be a part of Webby, but that does not mean he deserves to be called her father. He’s never been shown to be a dad type of character to her, he’s been her fun loving uncle who takes her on SHUSH 22 missions and crazy adventures, that’s who Scrooge has been to Webby.

Scrooge has always been her uncle, her being his blood should not make him her father, that’s a title he hasn’t earned.

He has earned the title of being her uncle, however, and that’s where it should’ve stayed.

Webby calling Scrooge dad feels like a slap in the face to Beakley, the woman who actually raised and loved her like any mother/father/parent/grandparent/uncle/aunt/guardian should.

Scrooge did not make any of the sacrifices or changes in his life that a parent does to raise their child, because he isn’t a father, he’s an uncle.

But you know who did make those sacrifices and massive changes in their life to raise their child? BEAKLEY.

The dad lines should’ve been written out with her still calling him Uncle and we should’ve had Webby tell Beakley she’s still her grandmother.

The role of Webby’s parent should not have been given to Scrooge.

That role was always and will always belong to Beakley, blood or not, that woman is this girl’s real parent.

[waveypedia]

We Are the Lovesick Girls

Webby breathes in and out. Inhale, exhale. She closes her eyes as she reels all the air in, and opens them as she puffs it out, giggling as she watches her breath turn to fog in the cold December air.

“Look, Lena,” she says, her words peppered with stray giggles. “I’m a dragon!”

Lena sits with her feet propped up on the McDuck Manor porch, her gloved hands cradled around a cup of steaming hot chocolate. “And a very fearsome dragon you are, Pink.” Her words are dry and deadpan, but Webby’s antics make her feel as warm inside as the hot chocolate in her hands. Her smile gives her away.

Webby beams. “I’m going to ravage the town and steal you and all your gold for my hoard!”

Lena pumps a quiet fist. “I’ll be there.”

Webby laughs again. The sound is like a beautiful bell, tinkling and ringing throughout the cold winter air, and Lena doesn’t think she’s heard anything quite so pretty. Then again, she doesn’t think she’s seen anything quite as pretty as Webby.

Blushing, Lena’s attention snaps down to her cup of hot chocolate. She doesn’t dare look back up, until something cold smacks into her shoulder. “Huh? Wha?”

Webby stands in front of her, giggling, tossing a freshly-packed snowball from one hand to the other.

Lena’s surprise quickly gives way to a devious smirk. She sets down her hot chocolate carefully, but as soon as it’s out of her hands she’s up in a flash, scooping up snow and tossing it at Webby. “Oh, it’s on.”

Webby only laughs harder, her laughter infectious, and before you could say “Pink” both girls are flinging snow back and forth at each other. They sprint across the lawn, leaving footprints in the snow. Their laughter floats up through the open windows of the mansion and into the cold December air. Their cheeks are flushed pink, and if you asked, they’d say it’s from the exertion.

Lena slows to a stop ten minutes in, breathing hard, with soft, stray giggles coming between each breath. She puts her hands on her knees, her eyes on the ground, and Webby takes the moment to tuck a stray strand of hair in her hat and blush.

“Getting tired already?” Webby taunts good-naturedly, grinning. 

Lena’s head snaps back up. “You wish!”

Lena’s hands light up with a hard blue glow, reflected by Webby’s friendship bracelet. (Inside the house, Violet’s bracelet lights up as well. She blinks at it for a minute before shaking her head, chuckling, and returns to her game of checkers with Huey.) The snow rises behind Lena like the tide, towering over both girls. 

Webby stares back at the sheer wall of snow, undaunted. “Hey, maybe now the odds are finally fair.”

Lena chuckles. “Nah, they’re in my favor.” She makes the first move, with balls of snow flying out of the wall. Quick as a flash, Webby dodges and retaliates, and the race is back on. So is the laughter.

After a while, when both girls are thoroughly tired out and covered with snow, they finally slow down. Webby rubs her gloved hands together and tucks her hat tighter over her head. She shivers. 

Lena glances down at her hands, her face resting in a thoughtful frown. “Wanna go inside, Pink?”

“Your hot chocolate must be cold by now,” Webby replies, nodding. “And I want some!”

“Ah-ah, you have to have actual hot chocolate this time. Your cup was entirely filled with whipped cream and sprinkles,” Lena snarks, rolling her eyes. “The point of it is hot chocolate, not pure sugar.”

Webby’s eyes light up. “Sugar…”

Lena snorts. “C’mon, let’s get you some sugar and not tell your granny. Or at least don’t tell her I’m the one who authorized this.”

“Pinky promise,” Webby replies, holding out her pinky. Lena obliges, taking far more enjoyment than she should have in that little touch.

It’s not like she never gets to touch Webby, Lena muses as they make their way inside. (Her cup of hot chocolate is in fact cold, and she only mourns this fact a little in favor of entwining her hand with Webby’s.) In fact, Webby is probably the most touchy-feely person Lena has ever met. Both of her families are very physically affectionate, except for maybe Beakley and Scrooge (and Duckworth), so that’s saying something. Webby’s abundance of physical touch in every situation shocked Lena at first, but as a touch-starved teenager with no real family before Webby, she quickly latched onto every touch she could get.

At first, Lena thought it was just because she didn’t have any other options. But as she grew closer with the McDuck clan, and then the Sabrewings, both of whom provide her with more touch than she could ever dream of (as long as she’s comfortable with it - and there are times when she isn’t), she found Webby’s touch was special. It gave her something no one else’s touch ever could.

Lena squeezes Webby’s hand without thinking. Heat floods into her cheeks when she processes the action, but before she can do anything else, Webby squeezes back.

Lena glances down at Webby, who’s smiling back at her. Lena grins.

They reach the kitchen, where Donald and Della are bustling around, fighting over the best way to make chocolate chip cookies. Webby chirps at them, successfully catching both of their attention and making them smile, while Lena slips past them with two mugs. Donald ruffles her hair while she passes, and Della gives her a fist bump.

“You kids have fun, all right?” Donald says when Lena returns with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Della and Webby both have their mouths full of cookie dough, making Donald give his sister a half-hearted glare, but Webby nods empathetically. 

Lena rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. She passes Webby a mug and Della slips her a spoon full of cookie dough, making Donald squawk in annoyance. She and Webby slip out of the kitchen almost unnoticed.

As they leave, Webby’s hand finds itself in Lena’s again.

They end up in the den. They have no real destination in mind, just somewhere cozy and warm, and the den perfectly fits that bill.

“I thought Louie was in here today,” Webby comments.

Lena barges through the door and flops ungracefully on the couch, almost spilling her hot chocolate. “His loss.”

(In reality, Louie was called upstairs by Dewey and Boyd, so he could judge a gummy bear eating contest before Mrs. Beakley shuts them down. He’s being paid, so he doesn’t mind leaving his Ottoman Empire marathon. Much.)

Webby hesitates in the doorway for a moment, before shrugging and joining Lena on the couch. Louie left a blanket big enough for two on the other side, and she wraps it around the two of them.

Lena scoots to be closer to Webby, tugging the blanket over her shoulders. “Let’s watch something.”

Webby picks up the remote and flicks through Newtflix. “We finished She-Ra, didn’t we?” she asks, stifling a yawn. The sugar hasn’t worked its way through her system yet, and the warmth of Lena’s presence is like a blanket of its own.

Lena smiles down at her fondly. “We did… But I don’t mind watching it again.” She knows She-Ra is one of Webby’s all-time favorite shows.

Sure enough, Webby’s grin is big enough to split her face. “You know I’ll never say no to She-Ra,” she says, turning the show on.

Lena wraps her free arm around Webby’s shoulders under the blanket. “And I’ll never say no to you,” she murmurs, low and soft, almost to herself. Webby catches it, though, and her cheeks turn bright red. Lena laughs softly, turning away to hide her own blush.

Webby snuggles up against Lena’s side. “Me neither,” she declares, taking a sip of her hot chocolate and directing her attention to the TV.

Lena sighs contentedly and lets the afternoon wash away in the form of sweets, bright colors, and Webby’s embrace.

~

I participated in a secret santa for the duckfalls server, and this is my gift! I haven’t written for ducktales in a couple months, so this was a really nice change of pace.  title is from lovesick girls by blackpink! the song itself doesn’t fit weblena as well as this specific line does, and i’ve been holding onto it for a weblena fic ever since i heard the song.

happy holidays!

[tomb-bloom-noctem]

Were there any episodes in season 3 where you felt they could've been written better? I'm only asking because I had some ideas I wanted to share with people about fixing them since, to me, the season started becoming a mess around The Phantom and the Sorceress. And the episodes don't need to be outright bad, there could just be parts in it you didn't like.

Oof. I've been a bit loud and obnoxious about certain episodes for sure 😅 I'll try to briefly sum up a few.

Also I'm just gonna say, some of these are just I don't like what they did rather than any huge fundamental problems like the finale.

Also disclaimer. This is not an attack on anyone who likes these episodes! Nobody has to agree with me! If you like these episodes cool! Glad you got something out of it! This is just Tombs being a nit pick loud mouth.

Rumble for Ragnarok

I can't complain too much about this one as it was still entertaining. Norse is part of my heritage and I'm a fan of the mythology which was on full display this episode. My only real issue this episode is that the message gets a little lost at least on me. And then two is I think out of all the episodes this one is the one that could absolutely be thrown out without losing anything really important. Trade this episode for something different. Something more important.

The Forbidden Fountain of the Forever Glades

Scrooge's behavior and leaving Webby in the jungle was painful to watch. (Much as I don't like the finale twist, the twist actually makes this episode worse.) [Also so much for Goldie's "fresh start" when in Split Sword of Swanstitine later showed she once again attempted to double cross Scrooge. Yeah. Fresh start. Totallyyyy.] Goldie is a fun character and I can't hate her too much. The episode has its merits and definitely still think this episode should be around but Scrooge's behavior here really kills me. Thankfully at the end he does better but ugh. It's low on the overall ranking for me based on how he behaves and treats Webby.

New Gods on the Block

I actually really love this episode but Storkules was pissing me off too much 😂 Nit pick for sure. I love this himbo but got dangit he was making me so mad. I get it was kinda important for the overall plot but come on we got so little Donsy content that it was frustrating that he was so intrusive.

The First Adventure

Nit picking again. I think it's kinda random how in the span of a few hours a hard ass like Scrooge went from "my obnoxious niece and nephew" to "my heirs and beloved family." I guess it's possible but not a fan of that kind of writing. For me it would make more sense that they had several adventures or at least more time with them before they became "his heirs" in his eyes. Extreme nit picking on my part though, the episode isn't bad at all really. Also no Hortense and Quackmore. Yes they were named. (Or she was) No we never got to see them. Rude! This was actually a really good episode though overall again I just have some minor nit picks.

The Fight for Castle McDuck

Okay this one is also kind of a nit pick but it's more like based on the episode's timing. I think it is absolutely ridiculous that Webby "Knower of all things Clan McDuck" has no idea that a family of Scots fights a lot. I can somewhat forgive it though as she's young and isn't as familiar with this side of the family in the flesh. But it's so weird how this late into the show we're seeing this?? I think I would have liked this episode more if it had popped up earlier into season 3 rather than so late? It just was a kinda weird episode and not the most enjoyable but the timing I think made it worse. Also the no mention of Hortense again. Referring to Matilda as the youngest when that's supposed to be Hortense? It's really not the worst episode. It just feels a bit off to me and again to me mostly the timing of it. Could have been better, could have been worse.

How Santa Stole Christmas

THROW THIS EPISODE INTO THE FUCKING GARBAGE. HATE HATE HATE IT. THIS ONE ACTUALLY MAKES ME RAGE.

This episode is actually worse for me than the finale. Literally I consider this episode the worst in the series. I just hate it!!!

I hate that this episode was about Scrooge and Santa. I really don't give a fuck why Scrooge hates Santa and this story in no way compelled me. (Also why was Scrooge and Santa's dialog weirdly shippy??? Thanks to this episode got another huge NOtp, "scranta" is gross, sorry, hate it. Absolutely cannot board that ship at all, I have the tag blocked.) I see absolutely no reason why this was the story we got when there was literally an option to follow up The Last Christmas now that Della was finally home????? MISSED OPPORTUNITY!!! I hate the weird crazy ass capitalist message going on throughout the episode, I get Scrooge is a capitalist himself but he didn't change from this episode? He walked away from Jennifer's obvious poverty life and went "ah as long as she's happy" instead of I don't know, maybe a message about helping the less fortunate??

Look maybe I'm just bitter from my own life. I've lived in extreme poverty my whole life. My parents home has literally looked so much liked the ruined place Jennifer lived in during the episode. And I live in Alaska so I KNOW COLD. I know how it feels to go cold for days on end, no food, no water, nothing. Extreme poverty. Scrooge could have done something. He wasn't like Donald who doesn't have much either. He's a freaking billionaire. He could have helped. And instead the message he walked away with is "if you're happy life is fine" or something. Whatever the message that was supposed to be from this episode is completely lost on me because all I see is a miserable rich old miser who hates letting kids have fun and won't help someone in need. Absolute garbage episode. I really wish they had instead just followed up on The Last Christmas. Or had some kind of family centric episode at least! I seriously fucking hate this episode so much. I would legit erase this episode if I could it is the WORST.

The Lost Cargo of Kit Cloudkicker

Nit pick again. Didn't love what they did with Kit. Okay I get the idea he grew up to idolize Baloo so he turned out more like him. It...wasn't great. Didn't like that much at all. Felt like they just tried to shove Kit into a DT87/DWD Launchpad mold. I didn't love that Baloo and Kit's relationship was mentioned weirdly casually? Like Kit called himself Baloo's sidekick??? Except in Talespin Kit calls him Papa Bear??? Also great, got another tag to block from this episode, the delkit ship. Not a fan, thanks.

Kinda weird for me with this episode I didn't really catch the meaning of it. To me it felt like the message was "defy expectations...by meeting them." It didn't really click and I kinda hated it for that plus the weird characterization of Kit. Actually I was on Twitter and someone was complaining about this episode and I responded in agreement and then FRANK REPLIED TO US 😅😅😅. Frank explained that the point was more of "if you're good at something, don't give it up" rather than "you can do anything you set your mind to" type message that appears a lot in kids media. (Also Frank please don't look at me when I'm criticizing the show 😂😂😂😂😭 I promise overall I do love it I'm just a loud mouth when I don't like something some times 😅)

After Frank explained that it did click a little better and I can see the message a bit more clearly. But I'm still not really in love with this episode like I wanted to be. I freaking love Talespin so that was a bummer. But as I've said a dozen times. I'm mostly nit picking my personal opinion.

The Life and Crimes of Scrooge McDuck

Another one I wanted to like more than I actually did. And mostly this boils down to Louie having to apologize to Doofus when Doofus is the one who's like some wild sociopath or something. I get it Louie hasn't been completely innocent towards Doofus. He did try to use him and con him but Doofus flat out has tried to hold him captive and torture and even kill him. Doofus' sins outweigh Louie's. Louie having to apologize to prevent the tension and all just...feels like victim blaming? This one is harder for me to describe why I don't like it and I think others have explained it better than me. I think it could have been better if Louie AND Doofus both apologized and agreed to start over and let what happened between them before be water under the bridge. At least this way they're equals? Maybe it wouldn't have been the best fix but I feel it would have been better than Canon. This one I don't want to call a nit pick. This one feels like there is something fundamentally wrong with it but I struggle to explain. Mostly other than that though I think the episode was fine. A little weird that the karma court scale needed to be told the villains hearts rather than able to just know them (mostly looking at the Ma Beagle one here) but that part is more nit pick.

And finally...The Last Adventure

I have things I love about it. The individual character moments. The references and call backs. The music. This finale was clearly made with love and care.

But that damn Webby clone daughter thing twist changes things. I know some people say it doesn't but to me it does! I feel it messed with the family dynamic and the characters in a needless way. I feel it didn't add anything to but rather did take away from. I don't wanna say too much on it as there's already been so much talk on it so in keeping it brief- not a fan, didn't like, why the hell, no.

The thing with Bradford kinda threw me off too. His logic and insistence on not being a villain made him so interesting. He was truly a villain to rival Scrooge. Then in my opinion he was pushed into a weird middle ground. He didn't feel like he completely abandoned what he previously stood on but also didn't go full villain either? I get a villain like Bradford isn't easy. The writers have to truly bring their all for someone like him. But Bradford suddenly getting armor and the Split Sword and becoming a battling giant was kinda ????? inducing. Threw me for a bit of a loop. I probably need to watch this episode a few more times before I finally settle on where I sit with the Bradford thing but at least at this time I just feel kinda mixed on it. Maybe I missed something there.

Other nit picks from the finale. Donald's writing was a little weird, he sounded like he was going on vacation but then Della said he was moving out and Donald talked like "well you have the boys and Uncle Scrooge..." it just really sounds like he's leaving the family?????????? Especially at a time like this? Rude! I mean yes somebody please get this man a vacation but the writing here left me kinda confused and there is no reason Donald would ever just leave and act like "oh well their mom is back so my work here is done." Nope. DADnald for life.

Lena and Webby never getting shown to have made up after their fight. I imagine the giving June and May the friendship bracelets kinda implies it but come on. Even just a hug would have been good. Also...why are they giving up their friendship bracelets??? Confused, not a fan.

And also...in addition to the Clone twist, I really don't love that April, May, and June were all clones instead of Daisy's nieces. I really wanted to get to see them in the show and now I just feel like thanks I hate it! I admire the guts to make a twist like this and all but I really hate it.

Overall please let me say I LOVE Ducktales. The show as a whole to me is a huge important thing I love. This isn't an attack on anyone who likes these episodes. I am just once again being loud and obnoxious with my own opinions and nit picks and things I just would have liked to see or not see.

no idea if any of this rambling answers your question Anon but here you go. Hope it works.

[jillybean2011]

On the Ducktales Finale....

Ok, spoilers ahead my friends, continue under if ye dare...

I’d say about, 2/3rds of it was perfect. The ONE part I dislike is Webby’s family revelation. It could have been done better.

Webby is and will be the perfect example of ‘Found family is the best family’ and would have been a perfect example of having neglectful parents that didn’t care. We’ve seen every example of parents on this show. Doormats Drakes, Desperately trying Della, Overprotective Donald, Same sex couple Saberwings, Adopting Mallard, Single Dad Goofy, and even Grandparent turned parent Beakly. Webby would have been the perfect child to have parents who just dropped her off and never bothered to care about anything for her. Before anyone says ‘BuT wuT abOUt LEEEENaaaa?’ Lena  falls under the ‘Adopted into a better family but her toxic family still wants more from her that she can’t give‘. We need examples of parents who abandon their kids and refuse to have anything to do with them, that’s never really been seen in cartoons for kids. Camp Camp shows Max’s parents as this, buuut that’s not really a cartoon for kids. The only other example was Soos’s Dad on Gravity Falls. We need more examples of uncaring parents.

Webby could have been that ‘Hey, just cause your parents birthed you, doesn’t mean they love you‘. I feel if we had a fourth season centered on Webby, we could of had that. I also feel the April May and June was a cop out and that ‘Webby being Scrooge’s true heir’ was also a bit sloppy. All four kids should be his true heir. All four should have activate the papyrus. A whole scene where Bradford is forcing the boys forward to get it, only to find it still didn’t work only for Webby to drop to help fight does the papyrus light up. Leading Bradford to be “What!? But the girl isn’t family! She’s a Vanderduck!” Only for the boys to join in and go “No, she’s a Vanderquack, and she IS family! OUR family!” THEN have Bradford to yoink up the papyrus and smirk. “Well...good to know.” Then all hell breaks out. Then maybe having Bradford yelling “Curse you Mcduck, Ducks, and Vanderquack!“ To which Webby and Pepper both perk up and say “Yes?“ Then have the family relation revile. Pepper being the only non terrible (though disowned) Vanderquack and is overjoyed her jerkbutt of a older brother made a cute sweet niece cause now she can be the FUN aunt! And shows, ‘Hey, we may come from a cold family line, but we can be a family with just you, me and my brother’s terrifying, former spy Mother in law...Oh! And Blotty!’ THEN have Webby’s birthday where her mother calls to say they won’t be able to make it, and Webby looks at the Ducks and all and tells her ‘Yah know Mom? I don’t care. I’ve got a better family. Bye.’ Then hang up on her before joining her family. I want to say I wish I worked on the show, but I cringed just writing that. So despite that, if they DO bring it back (pleasepleasepleaseplease @suspendersofdisbelief, hire me, I’m a huge comic dork too, I could be useful) The last episode could EASILY be written off as Webby Fanfic, (come on, having a super cool clone laced shocking revile family relation? Fanfic 101)

Anyways, my 2 cents on the matter. Take it as you will.

[spytap]

That Time I Maybe Accidentally Slid Between Universes On The Lower East Side: A Modern Pizza Brigadoon

Okay, we’re trying this again. With the words. Let’s give it a shot.

I was telling this story over the weekend, and it struck me that it’s something I’ve never really written down. But I think it’s worth documenting - you know, for science.

I guess I have to preface this by saying that I’m not the type of person to accept the unexplainable. In the Mulder/Scully matrix of assumptions, I lean much more Scully, assuming that most things have a reasonable explanation once more data is uncovered or known. I say that just so that I can say that one time while on a business trip to New York, I’m pretty sure I drunkenly dropped back and forth between parallel universes Sliders-style while trying to grab a slice.

Right, so let’s set the stage of our merry little fever dream of a play, shall we?

It’s 1:30am and I am drunk.

Wait, let’s be clear: I’m not just “I’m in New York and let’s have some fun” drunk, I’m “we’re at a digital media event and it’s the late oughts” drunk. I think it was the Webbies, but who knows. It could have been social media week or any number of other things. But if you were in the DM scene at the time, you remember (or not…) that any event which brought together the weird crossover between tech, social media, and nascent web video had, at its intersection, going hard in the motherfucking paint, if you get my drift.

The late oughts were where SXSW got its reputation as an epic and riotous shitshow where long term memories went to die. Companies lived and died by the parties they threw way out in the wasteland that was “anywhere off of sixth street.” It set the scene for an arms race of irresponsibility that wouldn’t peter out until about 2012. And New York, being much larger than Austin and with a scrappy underdog of a tech industry, had a reputation to uphold.

So that’s how I find myself at my third after party, in a bar called (I think?) Ford’s, on the lower east side, surrounded by the technorati, glitterati, and all other manner of descriptive terms for young, pretty, newly and soon-to-be rich people, before we discovered that they were called “influencers.”

This bar is a proper dive. Not quite “you could destroy everything in here and you’d be out like fifteen bucks” but still well into “you’re gonna need more than a new paint job once the artisan cheese shops roll into this neighborhood.” Put in 2009 money, we were still getting five dollar beers in Manhattan, so do with that what you will.

Back to the story: right around 1:30AM, I’m thinking three things: 1) I would very much like to slam an inordinate amount of pizza into my mouth, 2) I probably need to use the restroom before I do so, and 3) The four or five people I’m with are probably feeling the same way. So I check in with my crew, tell them I’m gonna hit the head and then we’re gonna hit some pizza. First things first though: I gotta get some crucial info from the bartender.

I saunter up to the bar and ask where I can get a slice. The sole bartender, a man who is both younger and exponentially cooler than me, tells me “New York’s best pizza is two blocks up and one left.”

“New York’s best?” I clarify, because wouldn’t that be a coincidence?

“Yep, New York’s best pizza. Two blocks up, one left.”

Well, I know that everyone thinks they know the best pizza in town, but this dude looks like he’s a perpetual trend setter, so it feels like it has a higher-than-average likelihood of relative goodness. Besides, I’ve assaulted my sense well past the realm of good taste, so as long as it’s not cooked on a literal garbage can, it should serve it’s purpose. I pop the directions into the old memory banks, and wander off through the broken door that indicates relief (and, in retrospect, possibly tetanus.)

True to its dive bar requirements, this restroom is super classy you guys. Just above the pee trough (like an actual six foot long trough that horses would drink out of) (in other circumstances) there’s a mirror where someone has carved “Smoke Beer” - a particular exercise that I contemplate for far too long. Is this a flavor profile of some cheeky new porter? Are they suggesting you replace your bong water with Budweiser? Or is this an actual “get a beaker and some burners and let’s get high in the science lab” situation?

Regardless, my attention turns back to the core mission: Operation Pizza Face Hole Intersection. So I push away the culinary suggestion, zip up, and return to the main room to find…no one.

I don’t mean my friends were gone. I mean that when I left to pee, there was somewhere between 150 and 200 people in this bar, and now there were two. And I was one of them. The other one is a bartender, but very crucially, not the bartender I was just speaking to one or two or five hundred billion minutes ago. This is a new bartender. He’s older. And has a beard. This is very distinctly a different person, but I’m still hung up on the reality that there is no one else in this bar except for him and me.

I look at this new bartender. He looks at me. I look around to see if maybe my friends are hiding behind something, but this place doesn’t even have tables, let alone hiding spaces. I look back. He’s still looking at me. So I do the only logical thing to do in this scenario: I run away.

Outside, I pull out my blackberry (shut up) and call my friends. Voicemail. Every one. No one picks up. I text them “where the fuck are you assholes” but drunkenly, on a keyboard the size of a postage stamp, so they don’t write back, even to clarify whether I just had a stroke.

Something has definitely gone horribly wrong. I am very drunk in a strange part of a strange city. Everyone I know and several dozen complete strangers have been Thanos-snapped into the ether of the universe. I am alone and have no real understanding of how to get home from here. But, you know, I also still really want pizza. So I do the only thing that truly makes sense in this scenario: I start walking towards pizza.

One block up, things start getting weird(er). Now weird in nighttime Manhattan isn’t quite as weird as it used to be, and I’ve spent a fair amount of time in Venice Beach, so my weird meter is a little skewed compared to most people. But it’s as-near-as-matters-2am now and the streets of the lower east side are deserted, except for…

Look, there’s no way to say this without sounding like I’m writing a David Lynch spec, so I’m just gonna say it and you’re gonna have to trust me here.

Directly in front of me there is a group of a dozen or so seven to ten year old girls playing double dutch in the middle of the street. A totally normal sight at 2pm - less so at 2am. There are no adults here. Or anywhere. Except me. And right as I notice them, they notice me. They don’t stop their monotone chanting, they just continue to do so while swiveling their heads to follow me like a leopard follows a [whatever leopards eat - I’m not looking it up on Wikipedia right now.]

So once again: empty streets in the LES, except for me and a gaggle of girls wielding a pair of twin jump ropes. And chanting. I briefly wonder if they’re okay and why they’re out here all along performing what’s starting to sound more and more like some pagan ritual before I keep fucking walking because there’s no scenario in which any good comes from me stopping and hanging around. But I start thinking that I need a witness here.

The blessing of living in California and spending a lot of time in New York is actually time. More specifically, that you can call your girlfriend at what’s almost your 2AM and she’ll still be up and wondering what the absolute fuck you’re talking about when you open with “I hope I didn’t wake you but everyone disappeared and I’m kind of scared because there’s this creepy group of girls playing double dutch but I think it’s going to be alright because I’m walking to get pizza.”

We’d been together for a while at that point, so thankfully I’d build up a reservoir of good graces to pull from in moments like these.

Witness achieved, I told her precisely (ish) where I was, so the police could find my body, and continued my Epic Pizza Quest. Two blocks up, and one block left, where I found…

New York’s Best Pizza. That’s the goddamned name. Motherfucking hipster bartenders.

It’s open, for some reason, and empty for good reason, but after some back and forth that includes “well I don’t have any and I’d have to make a full pizza” and “I understand but I don’t want a full fucking pizza, I just want a slice” I get a couple slices and, for lack of anything better to do, decide to head back to Ford’s.

Now you might be asking yourself, dear reader, why I would march back through a fae revelry towards a crack in the universe, and that’s a very good question. The answer is that I was very drunk at the time.

So back I went.

The children were still there, still playing double dutch. (In my memory of this, they’re doing everything slowly and in a minor key, but it’s likely they were normal speed and tone, and I was just perceiving things slowly for chemical reasons.) My phone comes out again and I subtly (HA) narrate my way through this gauntlet to my girlfriend (and for the police report) and back towards the bar/Tardis.

Which brings us to our climax. See, there’s something even more disconcerting than leaving a restroom to find an erstwhile packed bar with naught but tumbleweeds, and that’s coming back to the deserted bar and finding it full again. Like packed full. Like normal full. Like Digital Media Event after party full. You know, like you remembered it pre-restroom (which is as weird a sentence to type as it is, I imagine, to read.)

I immediately run into my friends, who not only know nothing at all about the empty bar, but proclaim that they’ve been looking for me for “like an hour.” They’ve called and texted me, they say, which is ludicrous because I’ve been using my phone and I would have…

I looked at my phone. I had seven missed calls. A dozen texts. None of which were on my phone when I used it just moments ago, but all of which were timestamped over the past hour-ish.

I call my girlfriend again. Please pick up.

“Did you just talk to me and did I just tell you about everyone disappearing and the bar being totally empty and the weird creepy double dutch girls and getting into an argument with the pizza guy at New York’s Best Pizza?” I shouted into the phone, to the absolute horror of my friends (who were probably wondering what legal obligations they had to return me to my hotel and/or the insane asylum before I hurt myself.)

“Yes…” she responded, probably wondering what obligations she had to guide me to my hotel and/or the insane asylum before I hurt myself.

“Good!” I shouted, and promptly hung up, having proven my sanity, but really testing the depths of that aforementioned reservoir of goodwill. She would later tell me that somehow the second phone call was weirder than the first.

Moving past my friends, I stormed back into the bar. The bartender (the first one, the hipster one, the human one) clocked me coming in, but before he could open his mouth to ask what was probably going to be a very friendly question about whether I found the pizza place, or did I want to close out the tab I’d left open, instead got to be on the receiving end of me shouting “You sent me to a really fucking weird pizza place!” before marching out the door; thus cementing my reputation as a gifter of bizarre and inexplicable social interactions, and the probable punchline to someone else’s very different story.

For the rest of the week, my friends would swear up, down, sideways, sober, and drunk that no, the bar did not empty out; no, this was not a prank; no, they didn’t see me leave; and yes, they were in the very full and active bar the entire time I was gone.

It’s ten years later, and I don’t have an explanation for this event. I wouldn’t say it haunts me, but it’s definitely one of the weirder things that’s ever happened to me. And weirder still, in writing down this modern pizza-driven Brigadoon, I looked up Ford’s and New York’s Best Pizza just to see if I remembered their names right - and I can’t find any trace of either of them.

I’m still with the same girlfriend, and she still remembers the phone calls (vividly), but no one else was actually there, so no one else can verify the very weird set of events and circumstances that happened late that night, and into the early morning, across a series of overlapping universes.

Somewhere, out there in the ether of the multiverse, I imagine one version of me is still wondering where everyone went and yearning for a slice of New York’s Best Pizza.

[moonstone27ls]

Ducktales finale spoilers

You’ve been warneddddddddd

Warning

Warning you againnnn

Sooo Ducktales will be ending soon my thoughts? Not as sad as when compared to Rise of the TMNT, Venture Bros, Brooklyn 99 (though it had a good run considering), Drunk History, Dark Crystal Age of Resistance. Though there are rumors Darkwing Duck is gonna be rebooted.... uhh maybe excited? I'd say maybe becauseeeee again its on a streaming service... and no for anyone's future question don't have Disney+ and have no intention of getting it why? Cause I'm broke/on a budget and I can't buy every stupid streaming service for the sake of a few shows.

But I'm getting off topic the show in general... sorta sad but sorta not. I'll be honest some eps of Ducktales in the last season didn't fit well with me. Some felt uhh very cliche/or readable, some felt kid dumb (but its a kids show so you're gonna get a few of those more than once), some felt like they were uhh if I had to compare like when you'd watch Adventure Time and you'd be "WTF was that one for". I wouldn't say dark you're just "that one felt random". Sometimes thats not bad but heh depends on the taste.

There are a few things disappointed we didn't get to see one Donald & Della's ACTUAL parents interacting with their children, GRANDCHILDREN. Don't get me wrong their interactions with Scrooge was nice but we barely got one ep with family that WASN'T him. You'd think given what dangerous work they were involved with we'd see a flashback or actual talk of their parents talking to them. Especially with Della being a single mother oO. Kinda feel it slightly unrealistic that they'd just sit and do nothing (and no there's no sign they're dead so they should be around) when their daughter disappeared into space. I mean maybe it'd been nice to see a few eps of past Donald getting advice from his mother Hortense how to raise the triplets. Heck would have like to see Hortense & Matilda's relationship.

Second the triplets father would had been nice oO. Yes he does have a father. All these fan ships but no one actually wondering "hey who's the boys father?".

  Third would had been nice to see more of Violet's family life. I mean whats the point of giving her "dads" if they never have a role beyond background character. Heck would had been nice to see a day of Violet and Lena's life with their fathers. Yes probably to the viewers it probably would had been boring but whatever 8B.

Four uhh I dunno explore space more? Maybe actually see some of Moon's home. I'll be honest that episode of "Moonlander on Earth" ep always bugged me. While I could believe some of the moon aliens wanted to stay on earth. I'm not convinced an entire planet thought Earth was so amazing they'd just stay there forever. People are fickle things, I can believe some wanted to stay like a vacation. But I feel at some point some, like Penny wanted to just go home. And I always found it... disturbing that no one attempted to really listen (no I don't count Webby cause that was written more of an experience lesson than "oh I miss home"). I mean the McDucks have all the money in the world, thats how Scrooge spent almost all his fortune finding Della. I'm just not convinced Scrooge and them thought "Hey we got extra rockets if they wanna go home we'll let them". No it was "oh they'll never get home, lets not bothering asking or giving them those extra resources. I think the show MISSED a good opportunity to let Penny go home (as well as others). And since Fenton or Gyro are often considered so smart they couldn't make a special teleport device JUST for them or ways to keep communicating with the moon. Thus meaning they could have explored space. And while some might argue "yes we needed Penny for the finale" (minor spoiler). She didn't DO anything she and Goldie were mostly used for cameo purposes. Sooo wasted use there.

Hmm anything else....  would have LIKED to seen more eps with Gandra/Fenton but hey if that Darkwing Duck spinoff is a thing maybeeee Gizmoduck will make special appearances and Gandra/Fenton can double date with Morgana & Drake(yes I wanted her to make an appearance I liked her goth look). Uhhh I don't think we ever got a Selene & Della interaction. (So far no eps were really... well friendship stuff. I mean I got a small fraction (if that) with Gods on the Block ep but it was near the literal END)

Also wish we could had more from the old show cameos Kit/Molly, Rescue Rangers, Goofy... pft plus I'll be honest before the show ended would had loved an actual cameo of Goofy, Mickey & Donald just alll together. Pfttt omg I would had loved a Max & Roxanne cameo date/wedding (yes I shipped them).  Haha more interactions would had been fun. And while I enjoyed the Talespin sorta crossover... could had more (and yes sorta ship Kit/Della. heh sorta more of a crackship haha). And lets be honest that Molly cameo was wasted potential. I mean would had been cool to see Baloo & Becky. Though I understand to a degree why we didn't. At least with Baloo.  But ahh well what can you do.

  And same with Daisy and Donald buttttt gonna take some of the finale as something. I'm just gonna say it left enough for my imagination to think "they're having a happily ever after soon". Uhh another minor spoiler with Ludwig revealed not to be dead (which I'm glad)... just disappointed he wasn't in the credits or given more interactions with Scrooge. Yeah I know they weren't BEST friends or anything but I dunno I do associate them as friends.

Anything else... uhhh would had been nice to see more of Boyd and Doofus family moments too. I mean I dunno consideringgggg that life probably was better for Doofus' parents now that they had an ACTUAL loving child. Be nice to have seen more scenes. I mean heck that last ep with Doofus... uhh jumping? I assume it meant Doofus had closure and accepted his fate? So I dunno would had been good to see him and Boyd bond more. Heck I'd like to have seen his parents' telling Gyro in finale (yes minor spoiler) take care of "our" son.

Nowww onto the finale gonna put spoilers soo warning here.... as for the finale it was... good. I'm not gonna say "Oh it was the best everrrrrrrr". Nah it was pretty good given their budget or whatever. Yeah some felt rushed and all those cameos while I appreciate the thought felt wasted potential. I mean I get why budget/timing etc. Just saying you know could had some Goldie/Scrooge moments, more Lena & Violet, Webby friendship stuff. I mean heck when they were all "released" (and judging by that cube system) there was a lot we don't really see where they go or how the Ducktales group got everyone where they originally belonged.

What did I think of Webby's so called surprise... uhh mixed. Bigger picture wise kinda explained that need to be so clingy. To a degree I sorta agree with the split fans I like it and I don't like it. But I get it the writers NEEDED something for shock value cause lets face it they ran everything else. I say a part of me didn't like it cause I was kinda hoping this version would show us Webby's real parents. And I'm not fully convinced that photo was just a fake or some random relatives Beakley took to shut her up. 

I think she sounded genuine when she said "I missed a lot". I admit when the whole "oh she's made from FOWL" was becoming obvious. I thought Beakley was subtly hinting that her daughter made Webby. I dunno could see that happening seeing that this whole ep was hinting at adults who did NOT think of their actions effects (yeap Scrooge, Della's choice to go on that rocket, Bradford's granny traumatizing the dummy), I thought "Ohh sooo she felt neglect and rebelled or fell for the enemy". But anyways yeah I still think Beakley probably DID have a daughter. Where is she? I dunno, thats kinda the whole point. Either she died or like Donald did with Scrooge, broke away from her family. I really believe whatever the reason, her daughter's gone from her life and Beakley deeply regrets she wasn't a more attentive mother. She probably to a degree saw Webby as her second chance to do better by her.

Hmmm lets see anything else.... as dark as it was with what Bradford did... not really shocked. And while he was obviously a villain I think his background did prove a point. But I could be thinking of Dean Venture and Dr Venture's childhood. Not every kid is built or for that matter wants an adventure life. Bradford was a product of his well intentional but neglectful family. Had the triplets or Donald not wanted this life that could had been them. Thankfully it wasn't 8B.

I admit the part with the villians at the end was quiet surprising. Not because they turned him into a bird pft. But because technically they saved Scrooge but heh I get it, chalk it up to either "they don't like to be used" or "Bradford was so terrible he was beneath even their level". Just somewhat made me wish Magica could have found Poe or something (I liked his design and voice actor). 

 And super glad we didn't really lose a lot of villains. I dunno I wanted Phantom Blot & Pepper to escape, fight another day stuff. And I kinda think to a degree thats why we saw that dumbed-down clone of Bradford. He's gone but that clone could get "smarted" up to stir more trouble 8B. Maybe I dunno.

Heh but all in all I enjoyed this finale. Its was wayyyy better than Star and Tangled's finale, no flippin' drama :P. I mean I suppose you could call Donald & Daisy leaving drama? but no not really cause literally none of this bothered me. The credits kinda gave me that nostalgia of how this show got so much attention. So while it was rushed maybe and it had its flaws. All in all it kept up with the heart. Soo I enjoyed the credits a lot good way to say goodbye

(just putting that gif there cause I liked it 8B)

Anything else....KEITH FREAKING DAVID, another reason to give this finale a point best flipping part I’m just sad I have no gif to use XD

[cartoonsliveon]

Captured

Ever since I saw the Impossi-bin episode, and how Donald was written as a “suspected traitor” on the white board, I couldn’t help but think about if F.O.W.L. ever captured any of the Duck fam. And if he captured Donald and Della, how that might just go... *shrugs*

“Ahhh! Della- Ow!!!”

“Hold still,” She snapped, grumbling softly under her breath, “You big baby.”

There was no real heat behind Donald’s glare as he watched his twin sister, only exhaustion... and a little bit of fear. Della continued to tie her scarf tightly around his arm, watching as the light blue fabric already began to darken.

“There,” Her hands hovered in the air awkwardly, she wasn’t sure what to do with them. Let them dangle at her sides or fold them in her lap? She isn’t entirely sure anymore. Donald isn’t looking at her anymore, finding the floor and his feet so much more interesting. The tips of her fingers are tinged red from his blood, and even though this isn’t the first time she’s had to patch her brother up, the sight of it makes her incredibly uneasy. A ball of anxiety makes its presence known to her again. 

And Della hates it. Because how in the world did they end up in this situation anyways? It’s a rhetorical question of course, she remembers the adventure clearly. The Stone of What Was, so tiny and unassuming. Louie and Dewey had looked down upon it, so entirely unimpressed with the simplicity of it. Uncle Scrooge tucking it into a satchel, which swayed with his hips and bounced with each jump. The chaos that surrounded the adventure and grew once they reached it. Della’s heart hammers as she reflects. F.O.W.L., in almost full force. The fighting, the lasers, Donald throwing himself at the giant rooster with the metal beak with so much force and rage.

Somewhere in the fighting, the cave’s structure began to deteriorate. Somewhere in it all, Donald and Della had gotten separated from Scrooge and the kids in the midst of keeping their family safe. And instead of finding Scrooge, and the kids, and returning home, they were here. In a cell.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

“What?” She looks up to see her brother giving her a very pointed, knowing look.

“You’re about to punch the wall. I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

“No I wasn’t.”

“Yes you were,” Donald rolled his eyes, “You had that angry look on your face. The one you always make before you’re about to explode.”

“I did not.”

“Did too.”

“Did not.”

“Did-”

“Bickering like children, are we?”

If looks could kill, Bradford would have been nothing but ash and maybe a few smoking tail feathers. He met their gaze though, as if their combined anger was not a force to be feared or reckoned with. It was as though he were meeting the angry, unforgiving looks of two children than two adults. He can’t help but give them more than a brief once over though, because he’d seen these two grow up after all. Once upon a time, they’d been children just like the triplets and Webby. Up to nothing but trouble and mischief. He eyes the scarf wrapped around Donald’s arm, the bruises darkening along Della’s beak. The disarrayed feathers. 

“You aren’t going to get away with this, Scrooge is going to come for us,” Della demands, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You really believe that?”

It’s such a risky, wildcard thing to say. Bradford knows Donald and Della well. Not as well as Scrooge, but well enough to know that this could strike a chord with them, if done right. To his great surprise, not that he dares show it of course, identical looks of confusion spread across their faces. He sees Donald tense and shoot a side eye look at Della. 

Neither of them interrupt or argue, they’re surprisingly silent. He pushes on before the moment is lost.

“You vanished for ten years. You were on the Moon for ten years. The easiest place to look. The closest thing you could have crashed onto. He gave up on you when searches became a financial loss.”

“That’s a lie and you know it. You forced Uncle Scrooge to-”

“And he listened to me,” Bradford snapped back, “If he cared about you and truly, truly believed you were still out there, he wouldn’t have listened to me. If he loved you, he wouldn’t have let anything or anyone stop him.”

His gaze immediately turned to Donald, “No one even knew you were missing. Your month long cruise, spent as a prisoner on the Moon and then trapped on an island. You come back and he gives you nothing but grief and insults. No one even had the decency to try and tell you your sister was back the minute she showed up at the door. If Scrooge cared about you, he would have thought about you and your feelings. He would consider your input. Value your opinions.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t I?” Bradford asks, “Did you know your brother raised the boys for ten years bouncing from job to job, sacrificing everything so they could have food on the table and clothes on their backs?  Would feel love and protected? He sheltered them. If Scrooge cared about either of you, wouldn’t he have done everything he could to make sure Donald had help? Support?”

“Or what about the way he manipulates you, Della, into doing what he wants without you realizing it? Instigating your competitiveness as siblings? ‘Isn’t there another strong duck you know who’s never lost a fight?’ ‘You mean Donald?’, he played you.”

Donald’s hands folded tightly into two shaking fists, the duck struggling to maintain eye contact with Bradford. Della felt nothing but cold fury start to fill her. She never doubted Uncle Scrooge, not his ability to constantly undermine and defeat his foes, not in his ability to think his way out of situations, not in his strength, and most definitely his love for them. But even now, even though she knows that their uncle loves them, she can’t help but feel something in her twist and squirm at Bradford’s words (possibly that very doubt she has never felt before? She refuses to give it a label). 

But she knows Donald doesn’t think the same way she does. His relationship with Scrooge has never been.... as smooth as hers. It’s full of bumps, pot holes, and steep turns. She doesn’t doubt Scrooge’s love for them. Donald doesn’t always feel that same confidence, not about himself. She stares at Bradford, wishing that there wasn’t a plexiglass wall between them. If Bradford is making this.... feeling.... bubble up in her, she can only imagine how much of a struggle it is for Donald to not let his insecurities get the better of him. To remain as impassive as possible. And for that she wants to strangle this good for nothing buzzard. 

Especially when she sees the way Bradford stares at Donald now. Not the two of them. Not at just her. But Donald.

“If he doesn’t wipe that smug look off your ugly beak,” Della growls, “I will. Uncle Scrooge loves us. He’s coming for us.”

“Is this really the way you want it all to end? Blindly following a man who has caused you so much grief?” Bradford tsks, ignoring Della.

“What do you want from us Bradford,” Donald’s voice is a heavy sigh, tired and resigned. He uncurls one fist, mainly to grab Della’s wrist. She doesn’t realize, until he strokes his thumb over her knuckles how tightly her own fists are clenched, “Why are you even here?”

“I want the same thing that you want,” Donald doesn’t like how that sounds at all. He doubts the buzzard truly wants what they do, “For all this chaos and madness to end. Your uncle is meddling with things he shouldn’t, and everyone else has to pay the consequences. He has to be stopped. Duckburg has dealt with enough chaos and madness. The world has dealt with enough. Hasn’t it been enough already? Haven’t you both suffered enough?”

Both twins give a snort as they chuckle, both of them raising identical eyebrows as they stare at Bradford. It makes a chill crawl up his spine. The way they do that, being able to act simultaneously in the littlest ways. So different and yet so identical. So similar. It’s chilling to anyone who isn’t used to it. Who doesn’t see it every day like Scrooge and his family. 

“If you honestly think that we’re just going to betray our family like that-” Donald can’t help but shake his head slightly at the idea as Della continues for him, “Then you’re dumber than Glomgold. And that’s saying something!”

“Nothing you say is going to change anything,” Della continued, “so you and your stupid lackeys can shove it up your-”

“Not even for the kids?”

Bradford couldn’t help but smirk a little wider when he saw Donald and Della stare at him in silence. The fear shining in their eyes. Perhaps he should have mentioned the children sooner. Perhaps he should have just led with that. But what fun would that have been? What sort of villain would he be if he didn’t make them squirm a little bit and drag up things neither of them wished to dwell on.

“They’re all so young,” Bradford shook his head, “Is this what you want for them? For them to run straight into danger and pay for Scrooge’s mistakes? Haven’t they already suffered enough?”

“Nothing bad has to happen to them,” Bradford reminded, “They don’t have to get hurt. They can grow up, safe, and normal. That was what you wanted, right Donald? For them to be safe? That’s why you cut all connection from Scrooge in the first place. I can make sure they don’t get caught in the crossfire. I can make sure none of my operatives harm a single feather on their head.”

“You’re bluffing,” Della snapped, “You-you’re lying!”

“What would I possibly gain from lying to the two of you?”

Neither Donald or Della had a response to that. And Donald hated it. He hated not having anything to say. He desperately wanted to fly into an angry rage and curse Bradford out in front of him. But he was filled with fear and this little voice, the same voice that told him to take the triplets and leave Scrooge ten years ago, fretting over the kids. What if Scrooge didn’t come for them? What if he did and wandered into the obvious trap waiting for him? What if the kids...?

“I’ll give you both some time to think about everything,” Bradford folded his hands behind his back, “I’m going to test that little theory of yours. If you’re so sure Scrooge will come, let’s see if he’ll be willing to make a trade.”

Bradford expected the two ducks to argue. To say that Scrooge wouldn’t give F.O.W.L. the Stone of What Was. That he’ll see through the trap. But they didn’t. Instead, Donald and Della turned to look at each other. And Bradford watched as they stared at one another, a silent conversation being communicated by the more subtle facial expressions. He turned, leaving them in silence until the door shut behind him.

Donald and Della stared at one another, simultaneously sighing as they let the situation fully seep in and try to mentally prepare themselves for the burden it is about to drop on them.

“Ah phooey,” They mutter together.

[localscissors]

Triplet De Spell Oneshot (Part One)

Part Two 

@cinnabunni5123 ‘s writing motivated me enough to clean up my old writing and get it posted. I’ll get the rest of this out tomorrow, but if you want more of this AU writing then I seriously suggest visiting @cinnabunni5123 ‘s Ao3 page (where she’s writing a brilliant multi-chapter fic of my AU) or @pilyarquitect , who has written several amazing one-shots. Both are more reliable than I’ll ever be (plus they’ve got some awesome fics in general. Other than that, this is just one of my earlier ideas in which the triplets kinda bond with everybody in an episodic-type way. Really suggest checking out their writing though, I love everything about it.

The best thing about stealing the identity of a missing child? Is that you get to steal their life too. And the real Dewey Duck,( wherever he might be), had the best, most loving family ever. Dewey de Spell loved his fake life.

And Della was the coolest adult Dewey had ever met. She gave him hugs and kisses and had as much enthusiasm for trouble as he did. The real Dewey was so lucky to be born into this family. Who knew such cool moms existed?

So when Della invited him and his brothers to go on an adventure with her, Dewey immediately agreed. Every second he spent with Della were the best seconds of his life. He wanted more of them. He wanted all of them. He wanted to hoard as many as he could before Magica blew everything away.

So, given the choice between searching for the dime with Huey, or going on an epic adventure with his fake mom, he chose fake mom.

“But Dewey, we need you to search for the dime!” Huey shouted.

“Can’t. Gotta go with Della on an epic airplane adventure. Sorry you guys weren’t invited! I’m already late gotta go byyeee!” Dewey ran out the bedroom door before Huey could say any more, leaving his two brothers alone. He could still hear Huey screaming his name, but he was already out the hall and down the stairs. They had loads of time to find the dime. He could help any other day, but going on adventures with Della? That was limited.

Besides, getting the McDuck family’s trust was part of the plan anyway, and his siblings were doing a horrible job of that. Dewey was happy to pick up their slack in that regard.

When he made it outside to the Sunchaser, he saw Della dutifully polishing her plane with a rag, and Scrooge impatiently checking his watch. A sudden bubble of excitement rose in his chest, driving him to run forward and wave to both of them. Della waved happily back, but her smile immediately fell when she only saw him. His steps faltered. Did he do something wrong?

“Are Huey and Louie coming?” She asked.

From what he knew about mothers, they were supposed to love all their children equally. From what he saw on TV, they got worried when one of them went missing. Knowing all of this, and knowing he was being very unfair to his brothers, Dewey felt an overwhelming ball of possessiveness roll up his throat. Why did she ask? Does she prefer them to him? Did she not want him there? If she found out he said they weren’t invited, would she shut him out?

All of these feelings were pushed down with a simple shrug and lie. “They didn’t want to come.”

“They didn’t want to..?” Something troubled passed over her features, and all at once, the feelings rolled back up at full force. She’ll shut him out, send him away. Say the adventure wasn’t worth it if it was just Dewey on the plane. Huey was so much smarter anyway, and Louie was more likeable. They weren’t loud or annoying or destructive or—

“More seats for us then, am I right?” Della laughed and threw an easy arm over his shoulder. “Double the leg room. We’ll have fun, just the two of us.”

‘Just the two of us’ became Dewey’s most favorite string of words, ever.

They boarded together, Scrooge following closely behind. Dewey could feel him staring, but ignored it. Della was smiling at him and he wasn’t going to let Scrooge ruin this moment for him.

“So which ones are the torpedo launchers?” The young duckling asked, ogling at the array of buttons and levers.

“Yer thinkin of submarines, boy,” Scrooge grumbled.

Della laughed and sat in the pilot’s seat, gesturing for Dewey to sit down beside her. “Yeah, no torpedos. Here, I’ll show what these buttons do.”

Scrooge left for the back of the plane. Dewey could feel the old man’s irritation just below his forced calm facade, and that’s why he forced himself to stay completely still until he heard Scrooge take his seat. Angry adults were unpredictable at their best, and he didn’t want to do anything to set him off. Once Dewey was sure that Mr. McDuck was at a safe distance, he relaxed and let Della show him how to steer.

Dewey peered out the window as they lifted off, amazed at how quickly they rose. Aunt Magica sometimes told them about her flying broom, old and broken and sitting unused in the corner of the closet. He wondered if she felt this happy when she flew.

____________________________________________________________________

Huey, meanwhile, was fuming. “I can’t believe he would just walk out like that! Doesn’t he care at all—!”

Louie shrugged. “Eh, who needs him anyway. Let Dewey waste time with our fake mom if he wants. We know where the real treasure is.”

Huey sighed, nodding. “Yeah, you’re right. We know our priorities.” After a moment, he tilted his head. “...do you really think Della didn’t invite us? Actually, never mind. Doesn’t matter.”

The thought of not being invited did sting, but honestly, it sounded like the exact type of lie Dewey would spin.

“Where are we searching today?” Louie asked.

Huey pulled out two pieces of paper from his coat pocket and unfolded them. One was a map of the mansion grounds, and the other was a neatly organized checklist. Huey visibly brightened at the sight of his own handiwork, proud of the neat lines and careful planning.

“According to our checklist—”

“Which you wrote,” said Louie.

“—Our next stop in the Money Bin. That’s where Scrooge keeps all his treasures.

Louie grinned and rubbed his hands together greedily. “I wonder how much he’s got stocked in there? I’ve heard, he only piles up his gold to swim in it!”

“That’s so gross.”

“Maybe to you, but to me?” Louie put a fist over his heart. “this is the kind of wealth I aspire to.”

Huey snorted and shook his head. “Well, he’s got all his money in there. So logically, he’d put the dime in there too.”

Louie silently disagreed. If he had an important all-powerful dime, he’d store it someplace special! Not with all the common treasure. But Louie rarely spoke his opinions out loud. Coming up with plans (especially plans for Magica) was a risk, and Huey willingly took that risk every time. It was so much easier to follow than lead.

Also, he really, really wanted to see the Bin. No way he was ruining this chance by expressing his doubts now, of all times.

“Let’s get going then,” Louie said, pushing his brother out the door. “We’ve got treasure to see and dimes to steal. Let’s go, go, go!”

“Okay, okay. Wait, one minute. Just… there’s a problem. We don’t know how to get in, and it’s probably locked.”

“So? That’s why we’ve got magic, Huey. I’m a magical lock-smith.”

Huey shook his head. “That’s not enough. Haven’t you seen how many protection wards there are in this mansion alone ? I can’t even imagine how many guard spells he’s got at the money bin. I was hoping Dewey could maybe break through them, but he ran off—”

“What are you guys whispering about?”

“AGH!” Louie jumped backward, clutching his heart in fright at the third unexpected voice that appeared above them. Looking up, they saw Webby hanging out of a ventilation shaft in the ceiling, grinning sheepishly.

“Wha—WEBBY! Were you spying on us!?” Louie cried.

“Not on purpose. I was just coming over to see what you guys were doing.” She hopped down and landed easily next to them.

Louie’s heart was still racing, and knowing that Webby could’ve been listening to them at any time scared him. He was unable to keep the irritation from his voice when he snapped,“That’s creepy. Just knock on the door like a normal person.”

Webby winced, sheepishly pulling on her sweater. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to see what you were doing.”

Huey was also startled, and made a personal note to be more aware of the vents next time they planned. He was annoyed, but didn’t want to hurt her feelings. “It’s fine, just please don’t do that again.”

Webby nodded seriously, and then tilted her head. “What were you guys talking about anyway? I couldn’t hear anything from up there.”

“Nothing,” Louie answered.

“Secrets,” Huey blurted.

Webby squealed and rocked on her heals excitedly. “Secrets are my favorite! I’m so good at keeping them. Let me tell you one of mine! I’ve hidden several spears all over the mansion, so that I’m always ready for attack.”

Louie smacked a hand on his forehead. Huey was the worst at lying. Why couldn’t he keep his beak shut?”

Webby continued. “I told you one of my secrets. Now what’s yours?”

While Huey panicked at the question, fumbling for words, Louie, saw an opportunity. He put a hand on Huey’s shoulder and squeezed, silently assuring him that he could handle this.

“We’ve got a lot of secrets,” Louie grinned. “But you wanna know our biggest one?”

Louie could feel Huey tense behind him while Webby nodded eagerly. Louie paused for dramatic effect, eating a good few seconds before revealing, “We’re McDuck nerds. We love all things Scrooge McDuck.”

Webby gasped. “You too!? I thought I was the only one!”

“Well, you’re not. We’ve been researching the McDuck family four entire lives.” Which was technically true. Magica has repeatedly cursed every aunt, uncle, and cousin of the McDuck family for as they could remember.

“That’s amazing! What do you wanna talk about first? The time he saved an entire city from King Akhum’s curse? Or how about that time he outsmarted a village of evil seers, who foretold false prophecies of death? Or maybe we should go all the way back to his birth; Glasgow, 1867. The night was cold, and the air was—”

“We already know all that,” Louie interrupted, waving away her words. Then he faked a sad expression. “That’s the problem. We already learned everything there is to know, but we still haven’t seen the real thing. His artifacts, his treasures, his adventures...”

“Oh. That’s because he keeps it all in his Money Bin,” Webby said.

Louie brightened. “Really? You’ve seen it?”

Webby laughed. “Of course I have. Uncle Scrooge takes me there all the time.”

“Do you think you can get us in?” Huey asked hopefully.

Webby immediately stepped back, rubbing her arm anxiously. “Um, I don’t know. I’m actually not allowed in there by myself…”

“You won’t be by yourself, you’ll have us,” Louie encouraged. “C’mon, we’re all experts. You can be our guide. Uncle Scrooge and Della are out, so they can’t escort us anyway”

Webby shook her head, still unsure. “I can ask my Granny… she can take us.”

“Please?” Louie begged. “This has been our dream our entire lives.”

Webby looked away, and he realized he needed a different angle. He crossed his arms, and changed his tone from pleading to accusing.

“This is the type of stuff friends do for each other. I thought you were our friend.”

Webby jerked back, as if burned by his words. He felt bad, but it had the exact effect he wanted.

“N-no no! I am! I am your friend! I Just don’t want to—”

Louie rolled right over her protests. “This is the type of stuff friends do for each other. It’s not even a big deal, you’ve been there a hundred times.”

Webby looked so torn and hurt that Louie almost apologized right then and there, but he hardened himself. He was good at exactly one thing and he wasn’t gonna backtrack just because of a little guilt. He looked toward Huey, silently hoping he could top this off with a little bit of his natural good cop routine.

Thankfully, he stepped in.

“You’re our best friend, Webby,” Huey said sincerely. “It would mean the world to us if you could show us around.”

Louie held his breath as Webby thought on their words, still torn between house rules and peer pressure.

This is… this is what friends do for each other, right?” Webby asked.

“Oh yes, definitely,” Louie assured. Huey also nodded. This is what friends did on TV, after all. They always snuck around behind the adults’ backs.

Webby sighed decisively,her expression determined. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

[mavrustheunskooled]

I keep trying to write my full feelings on black friday, but everything comes out wrong, so here’s one example that kind of sums up how black friday came off to me 

in my opinion, we do not know enough about Hatchetfield/PEIP/this universe to get the most out of black friday. this does not mean that the Langs have to pause the musical and explain every tiny piece of every inch of their world to us to help us understand. obviously that’s not how storytelling works. but, we should know Enough to get us through the story and to keep us invested. divulging necessary information at crucial moments is one thing that can make sci-fi/fantasy Great. learning about the world is So Fun. but if we know so little that what should be big moments become meaningless to us, then the world is suffering. 

the main example that i’m thinking of is the moment where McNamara goes into the black and white to save the president. Wiggly’s minions are all over the president, so McNamara throws a “knife of truth” to get them to all go away

what is a knife of truth? not that we need to know exactly. maybe it’s a cool sci-fi thing. maybe it’s a PEIP invention. I don’t need to know its exact origins. but what I Should know to give this moment weight is what the knife of truth means to what we know about McNamara and PEIP 

I don’t think we’ve ever seen McNamara wield a knife. his gun is his most iconic weapon (ex: ”I’m authorizing you to use my firearm” becoming a recurring thing). are knives a PEIP thing? are they just another weapon that McNamara is carrying? if it’s supposed to be a PEIP special weapon, then why wasn’t it foreshadowed? or introduced at all? we didn’t know that McNamara was carrying a knife until he used it to immediately get away from a hoard of minions. this is something powerful enough to mention

and why was it about truth? what do we know about McNamara or PEIP that tell us that truth is one of their cornerstones? if truth is meant to imply that McNamara/PEIP know the truth about the universe, then the connection feels a bit loose. we have never known McNamara as an objectively truthful person. we’ve believed him up to this point because he hasn’t given us any reason to distrust him; however, this does not mean that McNamara represents truth to viewers. plenty of characters are truthful. if his knife of truth means that he is exposing reality, then why would it work against the creatures that he is exposing? is he saying that Wiggly’s minions aren’t real? if so, then what have we been shown to give us that information? is it more metaphorical, that PEIP is truth because they’re the “good guys” and Wiggly and co are “lies” because they’re the “bad guys”? but Wiggly and co aren’t selling America on a boldfaced lie. they’re using capitalism/greed, which isn’t the same thing as a lie. so if this was the intent, then the connection is still weak. 

what I’m trying to say is: the knife of truth is an apparently very powerful weapon that was not foreshadowed at all. it felt as if its purpose was to get McNamara and the president out of a difficult situation and then quickly disappear. 

the argument may be that McNamara is a knife-wielding man, and this will all become relevant in nerdy prudes must die or something. but that’s still not a Great view, because something can be foreshadowing to a future story without taking away from the present story. in this case, if they wanted McNamara to wield a knife of truth later, they may have had him vaguely mention that he had it on his person, not use it in a major point in the plot. because, now that he’s used it in a major way before, they have a shortcut for when they use it again. they can say “McNamara used his knife of truth to get away from the Wiggly minions, and look he used it again! it’s a narrative callback!” without ever having to explain What exactly this knife is. for a musical that’s over two hours long, the knife of truth felt like it was a way to quickly get out of a difficult scene and move it forward 

viewers not knowing enough about the Hatchetfield universe is an ongoing problem in black friday, but this is the most egregious moment. Lex being able to pull a gun out of thin air also feels like it’s toeing the line into becoming more of a way to get out of being written into a corner than a big moment, although that one at least feels more earned because we know about McNamara and his gun (although what do we know about Lex’s supernatural abilities). mentions of Webby also get frustrating as they are increasingly left without any explanation. again, not everything has to be explained in one musical. in TGWDLM, McNamara said PEIP and I went “cool. I have no idea what that is right now, and I am fully onboard with whatever this character has to say.” but if the writers ask us to stretch our minds too thin, then the story becomes difficult to watch. 

this is not to say that I didn’t enjoy aspects of black friday. I loved the cast and the choreography and the set and a lot of the characters and some of the songs. it just felt a bit difficult to follow, and a bit underwhelming, which was disappointing. I really, really, really wanted to like it, and I thought that I would like it once the pro shot was uploaded, but I unfortunately still found myself confused and uninterested in a plot that conceptually is really engaging 

[nblenasabrewing]

Hi. Recently, I decided to start writing my own fan fiction, and since your one of my favorite fan fiction authors, would you mind answering a few questions.How do you keep your attention on your work? How much time do you spend editing? How do you know when a story is finished? How do you write authentic relationships? How do you create the best emotions you can from your viewers? How do you really wrap it all together?

Hoo boy, okay! Let’s see if I can answer these in a good way...

How do you keep your attention on your work?

That is the hardest thing for every writer. Ask anyone when the last time they touched one of their WIPs was and it could be anywhere from last week to six months ago. There isn’t a one-size-fits all answer, unfortunately. You have to find what’s best for you. When I really want to focus on my writing, I try to emulate what I always did in school -- turned on music or some kind of background noise, closed out everything else, and just... tried to focus. I also have multiple stories with different ideas, genres, universes, etc., so if I go to open one thing and I find I’m not interested in it, I try for something else.

Some people aren’t wired that way, though. Some people need to turn off everything and basically shut themselves in a silent room to focus. And that’s okay! It really depends on what kind of environment you work best in.

Being invested in the story is also good. Don’t force yourself to write something you don’t have any interest in. If nothing’s coming, step back and take a break. Also, motivation! Hype yourself for writing. I’ll usually talk to someone about it and my ideas and get excited before I go in to write. That’s helped stir up long-dead ideas as well.

If you listen to music while you work, have a writing playlist! Something soft that you enjoy, won’t distract you with sudden outbursts of singing, but also you won’t be stopping every other song to skip. That kind of thing really takes you out of the flow.

And mostly, don’t be mad at yourself if you don’t write “enough.” I’ve had days where I wrote 50 words and days where I wrote 3,000. Be kind to yourself. Every word is good.

How much time do you spend editing?

This is a tricky one, because I constantly go back and read what I’ve written before I finish (which isn’t something I recommend). So I kind of passively edit while I’m re-reading, which is one time through. Then when I finish I’ll leave it for a day or two, then go back and change up the doc somehow (background color or font type or font color) to make it different, and the change tricks your brain into paying more attention. Anyway, that’s a second pass-through. Then I’ll one more focused reading, and skim it as I’m uploading it to AO3. So I guess that’s 3-4 times, probably a couple hours all together. And I still miss typos, because I’m not exactly a professional editor, and also it’s hard to work with your own stuff. Some people get Betas (volunteer proofreaders) to help, but I’m very much of the opinion that it’s fanfiction, and it’s meant to be fun. Nothing is fun if you’re too worried about “what if someone judges me for missing commas?”

How do you know when a story is finished?

9 times out of 10, I start a story with a certain scene in mind that I want to write toward -- for example, when I started writing Pieces, it was with the goal of getting Lena’s memory back and her facing Magica. So I wrote with that in mind, and I knew once I hit it, I was going to lose momentum on it.

The times when I write with just an idea and no scenes in mind are... interesting. Those are usually the ideas I lose steam on pretty fast, and I’ll try to revisit later to see if I can find more inspiration.

tl;dr, have a loose guideline or certain points you want to hit, etc. Even if you just start with “I want to write to this one scene”, it’ll keep you going.

How do you write authentic relationships?

This is... a little harder. I don’t do anything special, I just write and try to imitate canon. Webby is a fluffy death machine, Lena is a wanna-cool-disaster-gay teenager, the triplets are basically the Three Scrooges, etc. Not... to brag or anything, but I’ve been told I have a pretty good ability to capture characters’ voices. It’s something that comes from a lot of practice and writing a lot of different characters over the years. Writing their relationships just goes from there. 

Understanding the relationships also helps -- HDL and Webby have a very sibling dynamic, for example, so you’ll want to try and write them as siblings (one of the reasons shipping HDL/Webby just doesn’t work IMO, but anyway), or most of Lena’s relationships are lowkey antagonistic in some kind of way by nature of her personality -- she’s very sarcastic and likes to challenge things. One of my fave dynamics to write is her and Beakley because Lena is sarcastic, and Beakley is dead-ass Britishly dry, so writing the two of them seems like they should clash, but they actually fit together really well as long as you don’t make Lena too mean or Beakley too stiff. Understanding the characters and how they connect with each other really helps with writing their relationships with another.

Then, of course, there are the interactions that haven’t happened and most people wouldn’t think of like Lena and Della, and you can just do whatever the hell you want because there’s zero canon base to work off of. And again, it’s a matter of looking at the characters and understanding how they’ll react. Della is impulsive and a disaster, but she’s also extremely motherly and would probably take one look at Lena and go “this one’s mine now.” Lena, of course, has no interest in having someone “parent” her, but Della is a wildcard in that Lena has no history with her, and Della has no preconceived notions. 

Does any of this make any sense?

How do you create the best emotions you can from your viewers? 

Any emotions I invoke are completely accidental XD Word choice is always helpful, though - words and descriptions can really make a difference. I guess the best way to show that is with an example:

1) “I don’t understand you!” Webby yelled, frustrated. “Why can’t you just talk to me?!”

It’s okay, but not particularly IC -- Webby isn’t really the yelling type, and there isn’t much description. Compared to:

2) “I don’t understand you,” Webby said quietly. Her eyes were on the floor, fingers fiddling with her skirt. She almost sounded disappointed -- far worse than anything else Lena could have imagined. “Did I do something wrong? Why won’t you talk to me?”

More IC -- Webby is boisterous and happy, but she also has some deep insecurities, and Lena’s inability to talk about her feelings probably hits her hard because it seems like Lena doesn’t trust her. She wouldn’t be mad at Lena for that, though -- she’d blame herself.

Also, more scene. Show don’t tell and all that. You see Webby’s insecurities through the way she fidgets, and the way she’s looking at the floor. And you get Lena’s silent reaction -- she’s upset Webby, and she’s lowkey mad at herself for it because she never wants to upset Webby.

How do you really wrap it all together?

I definitely get ten million different ideas when I’m writing something -- like seeing ten million different futures and outcomes. One of my original ideas with Pieces, for example, was to hold off on Webby and Lena meeting and have Magica attack several times before they met. But it wasn’t a sustainable idea, and at the end of the day, it wasn’t what I wanted for the story. I was more going for the idea that Lena would always care for Webby no matter who or what she was -- semi-soulmate-ish except it’s more “Lena’s feelings are always there no matter how messed up her mind is.” So having them meet under more natural circumstances was better.

Basically, know the tone you’re going for with your story, and follow that idea path (instead of veering off and going into the waters of “well what if I did this or this or this or this”). And you can totally change ideas halfway through! Lord knows I have. Just find a way to tie your concepts together

I really hope this helps, and good luck with the writing!

[sophfandoms53]

So would you say Dewey and Louie were the most consistently well written characters on Ducktales from start to finish with his arc overall? Considering how others either were not focused enough (Huey, Donald, Della, and LP), had not so good writing in the finale (Scrooge/Webby), and a bit of both (Beakley), those two seems to be the consistent ones.

Anon, honestly, I would love to agree with you about both Dewey and Louie in this regard, unfortunately, there’s a slight issue.

Louie’s character in the sense of his arc was handled very well throughout seasons 1 and 2, and throughout the majority of season 3. However, there are two episodes where Louie’s writing hits a bump in season 3, those two episodes being The Trickening and Fight For Castle McDuck.

Ironically, the two episodes from this season (outside of the finale) that caused the most discussion and uproar in the fandom.

While Trickening doesn’t mishandle Louie’s character as poorly as Fight for Castle McDuck did, it doesn’t change the fact this episode is the source of this writing issue involving Louie’s character, at least where his treatment of Huey is concerned.

Now in these two episodes we see Louie having issue w/ Huey’s planning/schedule tendencies, something Louie is very well aware that his brother does and that it’s a source of comfort for Huey, so it’s a little odd seeing Louie have this sort of animosity towards this rather normal behavior Huey displays.

In Trickening, Louie’s seen mocking Huey’s attachment to the JWG (again something that is a comfort for Huey, and Louie KNOWS that) and then getting extremely upset at Huey for lying about his awareness of the existence of the haunted house and immediately jumping down Huey’s throat about being selfish and for lying (the former is false and absolutely the last thing Huey is, and the latter, while true, Huey had his reasons for why he lied) and while an upset response to Huey lying is a normal reaction, it coming from Louie is a bit odd.

Louie’s anger towards Huey is over a minor harmless lie and could’ve just been solved with a simple “Huey, why did you lie?” and insert Huey’s explanation, but we have an episode length to fill so we gotta have some tension through a misunderstanding and then at the end we can have people finally communicate. As much as I’m being sarcastic, I do really like that scene of Huey and Louie talking and apologizing for their respective actions, and both coming together over their love for each other and for Halloween, the biggest holiday they had together w/ Dewey before going to the mansion, but it is slightly frustrating watching this inorganic Louie vs Huey conflict that is actually handled better in another episode, I’ll get to that later though.

Let’s talk Fight for Castle McDuck, holy crud is this episode a mess. Not even just with Huey and Louie’s plot, but Dewey and Webby’s as well as Scrooge and Matilda’s plots are so unbearable to watch. I rewatched this episode recently and I cannot tell you guys the amount of times I wanted to break my television over practically every single characters behavior in this episode, save for Dewey and Huey who were completely fine in the episode, but everyone else? OH. MY. GOD.

Critiquing the problems on this episode can be a whole discussion in itself, and I might do that, but right now, let’s focus on Louie in this episode.

Louie has the same issue with Huey that he had in Trickening, so essentially it’s a “we’ve done this plot before but let’s do it again except slightly differently” type of plot, nothing wrong with those, except Louie is uncharacteristically mean to Huey throughout the episode, like, borderline how Huey and Dewey treated him in Other Bin mean, and we all know how I feel about Other Bin.

Just at the start of the episode Louie yells at Huey by saying, “No! BAD NERD.” And that’s just a line that doesn’t sit well with me, like Louie, Huey isn’t a dog, there was no need for such a line. And then later when Huey is explaining his plan to find the bagpipes, Louie is dozing off and explains how he’s taking a Huooze, something he does when Huey explains nerd stuff, except Louie’s never done that before or after this episode so that’s always fun. Louie is just not giving off good vibes the entire episode, and I understand the lesson Louie was meant to have is sometimes doing things the easy way isn’t always the best way, and that lesson is fine, but they didn’t need to execute it the way that they did.

Not to mention how this plot, which is completely disconnected to Dewey and Webby’s & Scrooge and Matilda’s plots, suddenly gets dragged into those two plots because this is season 3 where comedy is our passion so let’s have every single character be overly dramatic and insult everyone around them despite us being family and then after everyone’s been absolutely awful to each other, let’s not apologize no, let’s just act like this was a normal lesson in family’s fight but we can work through it and be stronger because of it! AND OH MY GOD NO NONE OF WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS EPISODE WAS A NORMAL FAMILY FIGHT. PLEASE DONT TELL YOUR AUDIENCE OF CHILDREN THIS IS NORMAL.

AND THIS ISNT EVEN SCRATCHING THE SURFACE OF HOW AWFUL WEBBY’S BEHAVIOR IN THE EPISODE WAS AND-

Okay okay, rant for another time, back to Louie.

I bring up Trickening and Fight for Castle McDuck as examples as bumps in Louie’s writing because outside of these episodes, Louie is written rather well and very supportive of both Huey and Dewey’s comfort tendencies, Huey w/ his JWG and Dewey w/ his thirst for attention/validation.

Focusing on season 3 episodes specifically, in Challenge of the Senior-Junior Woodchucks Louie is the only one who actually helps Huey feel better about not having the guidebook with him, he even calls Huey “king-nerd” in a very kind way, then in Lost Harp of Mervana Louie learns from Webby’s optimism that sometimes looking for the best in people isn’t so bad just as Webby learns that sometimes people don’t always have your best interest from Louie, that’s a balance in their dynamic and is done very well, and finally in Rumble for Ragnorak Louie’s behavior is reliant solely on knowing Dewey his whole life and exactly how his brother is going to react when being put in front of a crowd, and because of how well Louie knows Dewey, when his older brother is doubting himself, Louie has learned the best way to get Dewey back to himself by telling him “Let’s Dewey it.”

Louie’s grown a lot and he understands his family incredibly well, so seeing that aspect of him disappear in two episodes, while minor, still sucks in the sense of character consistency.

There is an episode from season 3 that does this conflict between Huey and Louie really well and it’s Let’s Get Dangerous, the reason being: Louie doesn’t mock Huey in this episode for his JW tendencies or questions, instead, Louie just straight up tells Huey that not everything has be a problem or a mystery, which ironically leads to Huey discovering the problem with Bulba’s machine and that it was part of a lost mystery that Finch was searching for. That’s exactly how Louie should react when he feels Huey’s want for answers can get in the way of him getting a quick fortune. Not mocking his brother for comfort tendencies he is well aware his brother has.

Overall, Louie has been well written throughout the series but we can’t ignore how the writing for him in both Trickening and Fight for Castle McDuck mess up his rather solid consistency.

Now Dewey’s character arc and development can also be an entire post like this as well as I genuinely feel, favorite character bias aside, Dewey is the best written character in the entire series, and I mean that from a writers and critic’s perspective.

But like I said, that can be a whole other discussion.

[peachhoneii]

Scroldie. ALL OF THEM.

1. Who makes the first move and how?

Goldie…because Scrooge is an idiot and easily embarrassed.

2. Who is the most insecure and what makes them feel better?

Goldie…hard to say what makes her feel better, but when she drops the emotional walls, a foot rub and late night snuggles with a glass of wine.

3. Who is the most romantic?

Scrooge.

4. Who can’t keep their hands to themselves?

Goldie and Scrooge. Both shameless flirts and hornballs for each other.

5. Who says ‘I love you’ first?

Scrooge.

6. Who would they ask if they ever had a threesome?

Duckworth.

7. What do they get up to on a night out?

Whatever it is, it’ll probably end them up in jail. Beakley is tired.

8. What do they like in bed?

Weighted blankets.

Strap ons that stimulate the user too.

Riding crops.

Hand cuffs.

And each other.

9. What is the most embarrassing thing they have done in front of each other?

Goldie had the flu and lost control of her bowels. Scrooge took care of her. 

Scrooge cried helplessly one night over losing Hortense and Quackmore.

10. What two songs, two books and two luxury items do they take to a desert island?

Gangsta Paradise. After the Ball.

Robin Cursoe (Goldie.) Some trashy romance novel written by Gideon McDuck (Scrooge). 

Scented body wash. A bed.

11. What do they hide from one another?

Scrooge doesn’t hide anything. Goldie hides her past. Goldie has a sister? Scrooge may or may not know she’s alive.

12. What first changes when it starts getting serious?

Their fights are less volatile and more diplomatic. They still bicker, but they’re likelier to talk it out rather than go for the kill when things are serious.

13. When do they realise they should get together?

Funny thing, they never do. Marriage and kids is the traditional path they know that’s expected of them, but they’re very fuck societal norms, we do what we want. 

But a committed relationship? That’s like 120 years later.

14. When one has a cold, what does the other do?

Scrooge has a cold? Would Goldie be around for that? For the sake of the question, she’d tie him to bed and force feed him his medicine. She also prepared soup. She isn’t a nurse and isn’t nearly as gentle as one, but she tries, even when she accidentally spills hot soup on him.

15. When they watch a film what do they choose and why? Who gets the final vote?

Goldie actually loves Golden Age rom-coms, and Scrooge obliges because he loves the dreamy look she gets when she does. It’s like a kid in the candy store.

16. When the zombie apocalypse comes, how do they cope together?

All depends where they are and where they are mentally. I think it could bring them together, and there’d be less backstabbing. Or at least less obvious backstabbing. This is an act of survival, not just greed. They need to be on the same page.

17. When they find a time machine, where do they go?

Scrooge wouldn’t use it for obvious reasons. He doesn’t want to mess up the time stream and would be tempted to change certain events. Goldie…may try to hit the Titanic just to steal the jewels, money, and other riches before the boat sinks. Maybe, she’s save a few wains too.

18. When they fight, how do they make up?

Y’know…both are terrible at apologizing, so I don’t see them apologizing. I can see them guiltily admitting fault in another way and finding some form of compromise. They suck at talking about their feelings.

19. Where do they go on their first date?

I don’t think they ever had an official “first” date, so Huey and Webby conspire to make one for them. It goes as well as expected.

20. Where do they go on holiday?

Somewhere rich, fancy, and filled with adventure, that will also increase their richness.

21. Where do they get nervous about going with one another?

A wedding chapel. Or a delivery room. 

22. Where does their first kiss happen?

In White Agony Creek, as you know.

23. Where is their favourite place to be together?

Believe it or not, for sentimental reasons it’s White Agony Creek.

24. Where do they first have sex?

In a cabin in the woods…jk, White Agony Creek. 

25. Why do they fight?

Poor communication and bull headed stubbornness.

26. Why do they need to have a serious chat?

Scrooge and Goldie need to lay out what they want from each other and their relationship, also vulnerability on both sides needs to be accessible. Don’t hold back on your feelings.

27. Why do their friends get annoyed with them?

Shameless PDA can get graphic. Ask Linda.

28. Why do they get jealous?

They never do, but if they do…Goldie’s sister Gilda shamelessly flirts with Scrooge just to piss her off. It works.

29. Why do they fall a little bit more in love?

For Goldie and Scrooge, they discover there’s tenderness and goodness in their hearts neither wants the world to see. Yeah, the gold and challenge is fun, but their compassion for each other and other people (now matter how scarce) attracts them.

30. Why does it work (or not work) between them?

Goldie is terrified of commitment and family and vulnerability. Their relationship works as it is because Scrooge and Goldie want it to, but Scrooge is ready to take it to the next level.

[lorewytch]

Logical

Authors Note: So, here’s another duo I felt deserved a bit more attention. This came to me this morning and was begging to be written. I couldn’t NOT write this. In a way Huey and Violet are very similar. But also in other ways they aren’t. I could see easily these two trying to one up each other because of their knowledge. Violet’s cooler head might also irritate Huey who is a bit more emotionally driven. These two needed another talk. Again this ended up being a similar situation to Lena and Della’s situation but they needed stakes against them to get themselves and possibly their friends out of a tight jam. For any other duos that need to be written I’ll try to spice it up with other situations vs them getting trapped somewhere lol. Cause I do have other pairs....(cackles) Anyways enjoy this little scene. I might actually rewrite this for a future fanfic I have a idea for.

“Guys? Guys!” Huey yelled, slamming his fists against the iron prison that held himself and Violet. He glanced back worriedly at the girl who was unconscious at his feet and grit his beak. He slammed his fists rapidly until they became red and the pain became too much. Wincing and rubbing his hands he slid down feeling the walls closing in.

Slowly, Violet began to stir and she opened her eyes, taking in their predicament. Her eyes filled with the slightest hint of worry, but it was concealed quickly. “Well…..this is troubling.” She commented.

“Oh what are we going to do?” Huey groaned, trying not to tear his feathers out in a panic.

Violet glanced around the room with a critical eye. Every wall was made of solid metal. It was like a big metal box trapping them inside. She wasn’t even aware if they were trapped in a mountain or on the outside. She couldn’t even remember how they got there. She pressed her palm against the iron calmly and pushed it with all her strength.

“Were going to run of air soon! What if the ceiling falls on us? The guidebook says that there is a thirty percent chance…….and what are you doing?” Huey’s tone changed from frantic to confused as he glanced at Violet’s odd behavior.

“While you have been busy losing yourself in anxiety, I have been testing the metals density and weight to find a weak spot within this carefully constructed trap. It is, after all very old so one can only assume that parts of it are unstable with age.” Violet explained, exasperated.

“Right… I knew that.” Huey commented and scratched the back of his head. Violet turned and raised a eyebrow.

“I honestly cannot see how you are the smart brother.” Violet sighed and shook her head sadly. “If you can’t even think calmly in situations like this Hubert how are you going to become a successful adventurer?” Crossing her arms, Violets dark eyes narrowed a bit.

“How can you be so calm in a situation like this?” Huey retorted, his irritation towards her mounting. “You have never been adventuring much either but you seem to be unusually calm in any situation.” He said suspicious. “You aren’t another spy from Magica are you?!”

Violet rolled her eyes. “First Lena, then you. I suppose I will have to go through you all before you accept me within your tight group.” She sighed and Huey saw the first flash of emotion flash through her face. It was annoyance, anger, irritation as her narrowed eyes rose to meet his. “I thought you would be smarter than your brothers at least to be able to tell the difference. If I really had wanted to hurt you all I would have had the perfect chance to hurt Webbigail when we first met. I would have never helped bring Lena back from the Shadow Realm. After all, it was more than you three did to help at the time.” She bit out and Huey averted his eyes.

He gripped his hands into fists, he couldn’t fight her logic. But still his ego was bruised a bit from her surpassing him in everything during this adventure. He was supposed to be the brains, the one to get them out of situations with knowledge and ingenuity. If he wasn’t…then what good was he?

“I have to be.” Her sudden voice shocked him out of his train of thought. His eyes rose and he saw her back, forehead pressed against the metal wall of their prison.

“What?”

“I have to be calm.” She glanced back at him. “Especially during the Shadow War, I felt completely helpless. All my life I had been hidden away in this box of just my world. Blind, foolish of everything else around me. Then the rug was yanked out from under me and I was terrified.” She closed her eyes painfully. “I had no one, nothing to depend on or cling to in those terrifying moments.” She slowly turned back around. “Have you ever felt so helpless in a situation?” she suddenly asked with a sad smile.

“Thinking back on it now, panicking was highly illogical. I should have found a place to hide instead of running blindly.” She sighed and leaned back against the cold metal.

All of sudden the anger Huey felt fizzled out and he approached her cautiously. Setting a hand on her shoulder he gave her a slight smile. “Hey, you can’t blame yourself. In that sort of situation I probably would have done something similar if not worse.” He laughed a bit. “If I didn’t have my family with me I’d have been a wreak.”

She sent him a sly smile. “That is another reason.” She stood straight up. “Webbigail and the others need us, someone has to stay calm so that the others don’t have to.” She snorted a bit at this and started to pound on the metal again.

Huey looked at her, really looked at her this time. He could see her in such a different light now. He felt his heart swell and a genuine calm smile formed on his beak. He slowly stood next to her and started to hear for the weakness in the metal himself.

Surprised, Violet glanced down at Huey and smiled.

Together the duo circled the room until they both heard it.

Eyes widening at the same time, Both pulled away. “That’s the wall!” Violet glanced around and found a large rock. She threw it hard at the metal and both watched in awe as a dent formed from the force behind the toss.

Smirking, Huey glanced around and found some shackles and rope nearby as well as more random rocks that had fallen with them into the prison.

“I got it!” Picking up the rope, he tied a rock on one end. “Wait Vi!” he approached with the rope and rock. “This ought to help make things easier.”

Violet looked impressed. “Well done Hubert. That’s using your head!”

Grinning sheepishly, Huey chuckled. “If its one thing the Junior Woodchuck guide taught me…among other things, its to use anything in your environment to your advantage.”

Violet looked thoughtfully at Huey and nodded. “That is..very true. I never thought to look at things that way.”

Huey blinked. “Really?”

Violet smirked. “I think we’ll keep you Huey Duck.”

Huey beamed. “You didn’t call me Hubert that time!”

Violet blinked. “I guess I didn’t.”

Swinging the rock with the rope, it slammed hard into the wall, it groaned and the entire panel shifted back. Eyes brightening, the duo continued to pelt the wall with rocks until it finally succumbed to the pressure and fell down with a loud groan and clank.

The duo cheered and hugged each other with a laugh.

They spun around once and raced outside into the sunlight.

Violet calmed down quickly and crossed her arms, giving Huey a smirk. Huey approached her with confident and clear eyes.

“Thanks Violet.” Huey hugged her. “Without your logical thinking..”

“And your ingenuity.” Violet added.

“We wouldn’t have gotten out of that.” Huey finished and pulled away. “Webby is really lucky to have you as a friend looking out for her.”

Violet sighed and rolled her eyes. “So, does that mean we aren’t friends?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Wai.t..that’s not what I…..” Violet began to walk off and horrified, Huey ran after her. “Violet that’s not what I meant!”

Still with arms crossed, Violet walked a distance away from the panicking Huey and stifled a snicker, pressing a hand to her beak to hide it. Sometimes it was just fun to mess with him a bit. It was so easy. She grinned a bit and hummed until Huey caught up. Surprised, she watched as he took her hands into his and stared into her eyes seriously.

“Vi, I want you to hear this. I promise on my Junior Woodchuck Guidebook that we are friends till the end.”

Violet could swear her heart jumped at this comment and she sent him a genuine smile back.

“Huey, that was sickeningly sappy.” She stated bluntly, then smirked watching his falling face. “But..” she added. “I kind of liked it a lot.” She hugged him and resisted any tears forming.

Finally, it felt like she found a place she belonged.

She never wanted to let it go.

[adamarinayu]

I wrote this during my first 15 minutes and my lunch break yesterday... kind of a continuation of “Falling in love from the outsider’s perspective,” also written on my phone.

"We really shouldn't be here," Donald's voice echoed around the cavern, and Scrooge glanced back almost carelessly.

The younger duck stood with Uno, eyeing the support pillars of the mine. It didn't appear very structurally sound, but it had lasted for three centuries- Scrooge doubted their mere presence would send the cave crumbling down around them.

"It's fine," he said dismissively, turning his attention to the precious stones in the wall. As such, he missed the withering look Uno gave him.

The children, on the other hand, did not.

"I agree with Donald," Uno said. "This mine was abandoned for a reason, McDuck."

"It was abandoned due tae superstition," Scrooge said, looking around for any carvings or notes left behind. "No need tae worry."

As if intent on proving him wrong, the earth beneath them began to tremble. Little stones and dust rained down from the ceiling, and instinctively Donald moved over to the children to protect them. Uno followed him closely.

"Oh? Are you sure?"

"Unprecedented earthquake," Scrooge excused, steadying himself against the wall as the tremors came to a stop. His eyes scanned across the stone before alighting upon a certain miscoloured section. Without hesitation, he reached for it and, with only some effort, pushed the plated stone into the wall.

As he did, the floors and wall began shaking again. A door opened up and Scrooge, with a grin, started through.

The children's screams stopped him.

In the doorway, Scrooge whirled around in time to watch significantly larger stones fall from the ceiling and Donald dropping down, pullng the children into a protective embrace. Uno threw himself at Donald, managing to cover his friend before a stone roughly the size of a toddler hit him. It landed on Uno's shoulder, causing the duck to grimace, but he stubbornly stayed where he was until the trembling stilled again.

"I think Uncle Donald has a point," Louie's muffled voice came from the center of the group, as the other three children had seemed to instinctively surrounded him in some sort of protective barrier.

Donald checked over the children, satisfied that they were unharmed, and then turned to Uno. The other duck rubbed his shoulder. He looked uncomfortable but not necessarily in pain.

Uno looked over at Scrooge with a glower that could have melted steel. "I think I'll turn back here," he said. "This... 'treasure' isn't worth injury or death."

"Agreed," Donald said, huffing and ushering the children back the way they came. "Enough is enough, Scrooge."

Scrooge watched as Donald reached out, briefly touching Uno's injured shoulder, as if checking on him. Uno barely reacted, simply stepping closer to Donald to whisper something to him.

It made no sense. Uno was almost completely unharmed by the hit- a hit that should have at least dislocated his shoulder... it made no sense.

But that wasn't important right then. What was important was the way Donald kept unconsciously reaching out to his friend, briefly closing the distance between the two for just a moment before pulling away again.

Scrooge watched. He followed.

The storm was torrential, and Gladstone stared morosely out the window. Lightning lit up the sky in reds and blues, the wind rocked the houseboat in the swimming pool (it was secured, mind you, so not too terribly), and the rain made the yard into a swamp.

He was supposed to be on his way to Paris right now, but he was trapped at the mansion for the storm. This was not how he wanted to spend his day.

Movement in the houseboat's window caught his attention. Since the boat had a generator the lights had not been knocked out by the storm, so Gladstone could clearly see Donald in the window. He was turned to the side, speaking to someone. Who it was was obvious- Uno. Gladstone knew without even having to see the other duck.

He felt a flash of jealousy- Donald was never so alive with his family. What was so special about the android that Donald actually looked... well... happy? Why couldn't Donald be happy with them? Why was Uno the only one to receive those bright, genuine smiles?

Uno appeared in the window next, laughing at whatever Donald had said. He reached over, lightly punching Donald's arm. Donald, in return, rubbed his arm and mock-pouted, no doubt whining about the hit. Gladstone wasn't close enough to really tell, but he couldn't help but think Uno was rolling his eyes.

Gladstone wondered what they were doing. They weren't cooking- that window was above a sink, after all, and Donald wasn't wearing any of his ridiculous aprons.

As if the universe wished to answer his question (which, honestly, was very possible), Donald stepped back, out of sight of the window, and held a hand out to Uno. Uno shook his head but took Donald's hand, and with a start Gladstone realized that they were dancing.

Uno allowed himself to be pulled out of sight of the window, but then Donald was there again and so was Uno, standing very close even as they just had fun spinning around in Donald's kitchen.

Gladstone couldn't remember the last time he saw Donald dance. If he had to wager a guess, he'd say...

Well. Almost twelve years now.

The dance lacked any form of elegance, from the small glimpses Gladstone had, but they were both smiling and laughing, and Gladstone could almost swear every time he saw them they were even closer.

Gladstone turned away from the window, from the storm and from his cousin's home. He felt... weird.

What was so special about Uno, anyway?

"Shh, I can't hear!" Louie hissed to his brothers, ear pressed against the door.

"Be careful or they will hear us," Webby warned, grabbing Dewey's bill to keep him from saying anything.

"... will we go?"

"I dunno. Anywhere."

"That's terrible planning, Donald. We can't just pack bags and take off on the next flight to 'anywhere,' you know."

Huey's eyes widened- go? Pack bags? Flight? Was Uncle Donald... leaving? With Uno?

"Well, what about Italy?"

"Oh ha ha, Donald, that totally wasn't completely predictable."

"You're not exactly making any suggestions here."

"You're the one who decided you wanted a vacation."

Vacation? Okay, that was betting than leaving.

"Well, Scrooge is taking the kids to Africa for a week, so why not? There anywhere you've ever wanted to see in person?"

"Haven't we seen everything by now?"

"Not really. I mean- that was fifteen years ago, and we only went for work and under much different circumstances."

"Wait," Dewey started quietly, looking at his brothers and Webby. "Doesn't that sound a lot like a..."

"Honeymoon?" Louie suggested flatly.

"They're not married," Huey immediately pointed out. "Maybe it's just two friends going on a trip?"

"...romantic?" Uno's tone was teasing, but the word immediately caught the childrens' attention.

"You know me well," their uncle almost laughed. "Trust me, it'll be fun- just the two of us, without the risk of getting pulled onto some adventure! We'll have an adventure of our own, and you can finally learn to relax without chess or Anxieties to keep your attention."

"I thought we agreed to never mention Anxieties again."

The children shared a confused look, but they stayed quiet, listening to the conversation.

"I agreed to no such thing. What do you think about going to Spain? Or maybe Bahía..."

"Honestly, whatever you want to do's fine with me, Hero."

Whatever they decided in the end, the childen didn't know. It was at this point that Mrs. Beakley showed up and carried them away, lecturing them for eavesdropping on their uncle.

Louie maintained his "honeymoon" stance while Huey continued to insist it was just a friendly vacation. Dewey and Webby just weren't sure at this point.

(Would just like to clear up that that last one really was just them spending time as friends and Uno’s “romantic” comment is out of context for the children lol)