#scrooge DID say that exact line right?

[docholligay]

What was your favorite thing you did in the UK/Germany?

That's such a hard thing for me to say on these sorts of trips, because there are so many things that go into "favorite." Apologies that this won’t be very poetically written, I’m sitll musing on my thoughts about it. 

The event I loved the most: Dickens Christmas Feast

We all know I love Charles Dickens, and even more so, we all know I love A Christmas Carol. I have seen so many versions of it, I will continue to watch versions of it, it is the best thing about Christmas, I think. So, on the one hand, very low bar to entry foe me.

On the other hand, I cannot recommend it enough to people. I would see anything this theater company did. They did such a wonderful job of building tone as you walked to where the theater was, you get this sense that you’ve about to hear something no one has ever heard before, even though this is probably one of the best known stories in the Western world. They even had a map of London from the late 1800s. I genuinely told people to just go past us in line (We had Royal Circle tickets--everything else had been sold out--so it didn’t matter if we were first or last) because they had a magnifying glass to look at the city map. It was so interesting to me to see the ways its different, but also the way its the same. What parts of the city cropped up, where were the nice areas, all of that. 

I loved dressing up. I love dressing up anyhow, but it was so much fun to do it for a Victorian themed event, and people reacted so positively to the handful of us who dressed up. There was one gal who stood by us in line, turned to her mom, and said, “I told you people would dress up! We could have dressed up! I love your costumes.” and then when we thanked her and said we loved to take an opportunity, she said, “Did you bring all that from America?” and upon confirmation, she turned to her mom again and said, “They brought it from America!” I loved her, I hope next time she dresses up. 

The food was shockingly good. I don’t put a lot of faith in dinner theater, foodwise, but the duck was well cooked, I love the potted cheese, and the cocktails were flat out incredible. I had smoking bishop, which I liked so much I think I’m going to try and make it at home this winter. Also, in the Royal Circle the service was incredible. Our gal Lily was so very attentive and wonderful, and she let us know that she couldn’t come out during the three acts, but in the meal breaks, she would. I let her know I was going to want to put a cocktail order in about ten minutes before each act began, and she was SO on it, like CLOCKWORK, asking me what I’d like for the next act and having hit the table RIGHT before the lights dimmed again. She was amazing. 

And the play. Again, I love A Christmas Carol and I acknowledge that fully, but I never imagined that one of my favorite reworkings of it would be a one man show that is represented as Charles Dickens acting it all out of you in his deeply involved, hyperactive, scattered way. I ADORED IT. I cannot express to you how well the guy did, and how much, in moments, it really felt to me like the feeling of being a writer--especially in the earlier parts of the play--with him saying a line “wrong” and then going, “No, I don’t like that” taking up the exact same position, and redoing it. It was very much the feeling of me pacing around the office in the old days writing something. At the end of the second act, when they had this huge clap of thunder roll, lights flashing, the actor as Scrooge in this moment crying out in fear over the approach of the third ghost, and then the whole room goes pitch black and silent. It’s SO tense. The lights come up, he smiles and goes, “Pretty good, right?” ANd it just captured, for me, that feeling of knowing you’ver written something that’s going to get to your reader, and it is this MOMENT in the writing, but you’re sitting there grinning like an idiot over your desk, chuckling. 

The only other players in the work, actually, were the musicians, who were live, and walked around playing the violin and little drums and other instruments, it was such an excellent way to really loop in the music aspect and give this so much more of a live feel. 

The whole thing is done as a theater in the round style, and there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. I was in the royal circle, but mostly what we had was more attentive service and much more comfortable seating (They were these sumptuous plush banquettes. So nice. Everyone else was on a regular chair) because the seating was so good for the play itself. And because of how it was done, it had to have sparse staging, but what they did have was wonderful. In the center stage, especially, they had a doorframe that popped up, and when they lowered it, they couldn’t do it without a light slam, so they worked it into the play SO WELL, at one point one of the musicians was holding it for the perfect dramatic moment to hear that slam, and it was such a clever way to work in something that could have been annoying into being absolutely perfect. 

It was so cleverly done, I would go see it again despite the cost of it, absolutely, if I were in London at the time. 

Thing I think everyone should go see in London: Westminster Abbey. 

A lot of the things I recommend are ‘use cases’ because there’s very little int his world that is uniformly bad or uniformly good, there are just good and bad use cases. I think the London Eye would be a fucking horrfying waste of time and money, but if I were bringing beeb, she might love it, as she loves to be up high. When i went with my wife one of my favorite days was when i took the train out to the shitty OW office and walked back to Mile End at the route I think Lena would take, and basically just bopped around the East End.  Many people would find that boring or too much walking. I thought the British Museum was an annoying waste of my life. Many of you are audibly gasping at that statement. Use cases. 

ANYHOW, Westminster Abbey is one of the only things I can think of in London that everyone she go see. I am not a big historic church person, so please trust me when I say its a very beautiful church, but it’s much more than that. I’m not sure if I just wrote this in my diary or said it here, but it feels like the collective hopes of a nation, and what it makes itself to be. What do we hold dear? What do we call ours? This is even more striking with seeing the scientists, and poets’ corner, the RAF chapel. It’s about what the UK thinks of itself as, what it hopes it is, as much as it is anything else, and I think you get a fantastic sense of that HOPE going through there. There’s a reason Oliver Crowmwell was there, and then wasn’t. Its striking for me in a way churches rarely are. I love that aspect of it, my wife loved the straight history aspects of it, the craftsmanship of the building itself and the graves are absolutely worth study, if you’re a royals person, that’s where the coronation is, if you just want to hit the tourist highlights, it is a major one. I cannot recommend it highly enough. 

Thing I didn’t expect to love: The Christmas Garden Path at Blenheim Palace. 

I cannot express to you what a tonally bizarre journey the Blenheim path was. It was as if they asked several different people to come together and make this, but refused to allow them to speak to each other, so you jump from moment to moment and it has absolutely no unity whatsoever. You begin in a very boring “Nice lights set to Pentatonix” Christmas display that in no way prespares you for what is about to happen. At one point, in what I called, “The Annual Tory Salute to the Blitz” it is literally the glowering face of Winston Churchill, illuminated, against a backdrop of flames. If you do not believe me ask @morkaischosen who was there with me. Then we went into the “Christmas Rave” where there was, I am not joking, pulsing lights as you walk in a circle around them to techno music. Is this related to Christmas? Who knows? WHo cares! There are dancing fountains! There’s a love tunnel! One of the areas I just called “A Eurovision entry from Eastern Europe” and I was completely right. It was bonkers. It was jarring. I loved it. 10/10. Also, whoever planned it out had amazing wisdom with the drink stops, I am so serious. I never had to chug nor wait, they were spaced PERFECTLY for finishing one drink and wanting another. 

But one of my actual favorite times, that I will look on with extreme fondness, is something that I think most people would have found boring to hear about: Sitting on the living room floor with @verbforverb while @tallangrycockatiel sat there and knitted, sampling whiskeys. It was not anything you’d find in a travel guide but in many ways was what I came there to do and will be one of my favorite memories (also verb trying to fucking murder me during a monring run)

[uncaaj]

Fanfic: The Soggy Summer Skirmish! (DuckTales 17)

Check out the DuckTales Summer Zine HERE! READ NOW ON AO3!

I looked to my left. My best friend was attacking with wild abandon, casting a desperate glance at me after flinging one deep. “Dewey! I can’t hold ‘em back forever!” she called out, barely dodging a shot that was surely her undoing.

I looked to my right. My other best friend lay prone on the ground, out cold, his best friend pressing on his chest in an equally desperate rhythm. “Launchpad, noooooooooo!” he wailed, throwing his hands to the sky and cursing whatever god happened to be passing by us at that point in time.

Wait, freezeframe.

Hi, Dewey here. You may have heard of me, the adventurous one? The wonder in blue? Those are just a few names I’m known by. Anyway, you’re probably thinking: Dewey, how does a handsome and impressionable kid like you find yourself in such an insane conundrum??

Well, I promise I’ll answer that. But first, I have to take you back to how this all got started.

Oooh, transitional sentence…

“I’m booooorrreed,” I said, falling slowly off the couch not unlike a Slinky slinking down stairs.

You may ask yourself again, Dewey, you cool cat, how can you and your siblings, the grandnephews of the great Scrooge McDuck, ever be bored in the mansion on a hot summer’s day?

And to that, I say…Huey asked too. “How can you, the grandnephew of the great Scrooge McDuck ever be bored on a beautiful day like today?”

“It happens, okay? It feels like we’ve been watching the same show for hours,” I groaned.

“Hey, Ottoman Empire is a classic,” said Louie. “It’s the kind of show you can watch for hours and always find something new.”

Webby narrowed her eyes at the screen. “Really? ‘Cause I must’ve seen the same exact murder subplot about 60 times. And every time, it’s the jealous carpenter.”

“I knew it was the jealous carpenter by episode 4 even when the show was new!” said Huey, “Oldest trope in the book.” He then actually opened his Junior Woodchuck Guidebook and showed us that it in fact was the oldest trope in his book.

Louie rolled his eyes. “Everyone’s a critic.”

“Alright, that’s it,” I said, jumping to my feet. “Huey’s right.”

“I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you say that.”

“I can admit it.” I marched to the window and opened the curtain, letting the summer sun stream in. “It’s a beautiful day and we’re just sitting around wasting it. Let’s do something fun!”

“Ooh, how about a water balloon fight?” said Webby.

I gasped. “Omigosh, I was thinking the exact same thing! Two teams head-to-head?”

“Heart-pounding action!”

“Master the field…”

“Or meet your maker in the form of breakable rubber wet peril!” 

Webby bounced up and down and we locked eyes. “We’re so in sync!” we said in unison.

“You’re so dorky,” we heard Louie say.

Suddenly Launchpad appeared in the archway, holding a bucket of popcorn. “Hey, kid best friend!”

“Hey, grown-up best friend!” I said. “Change of plans.”

“Oh, are we marathoning Side Table Kingdom instead? Ooh, or maybe Darkwing Duck??”

“Nope, we’re doing something better. A battle of wills, skills, and water balloons.” Having a thought, I ran over to L.P. and climbed up on his shoulders. “And Launchpad’s on my team!”

“What?!” Louie screeched. “That’s not fair! You’ll cream us!”

“You’ll have Webby though,” I pointed out, “She beat all three of us in Dart Wars.”

“That’s not enough, Dewey,” said Huey. “If you’re going to involve a grown-up, then we need to make it fair. We each get one, or we take them altogether.”

My eyes lit up. “Hubert, you’re a genius! Kids vs. grown-ups! It’ll be the match of the century! And I can livestream it!”

I jumped down, did an awesome three-point landing, and dashed off. “I gotta make some calls!” I shouted back as I left. This day had just gone from slow as a turtle to the best day ever.

Oooh, another transitional sentence…

A while later and we were outside in the mansion’s backyard, standing in two separate single file lines. On our team, me, Louie, Huey, and Webby. On the grown-ups team, Launchpad, uncle Donald (who we had to wake from a nap), Drake Mallard (who was in town to help a friend buy a motorbike), and Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera (the friend in question).

Huey paced in between us, clipboard in hand. “The rules are simple: we’ve got an objective point in the front yard. One team has a water bomb carefully designed by Gyro-“ He turned to Fenton. “Thanks by the way, Fenton.”

“No problem,” he said, “Dr. Gearloose had it in the ‘might turn evil, dismantle’ pile anyway.”

“Wait, what?” said Louie.

“ Anyway, your objective is to make it to the point and set off the water bomb. The other team must keep you from doing so before time runs out or must defuse the bomb successfully before it goes off. If you get hit, you’re ‘dead.’ Not really, but pretend you are. Dewey’s words. Any questions?”

Drake raised his hand. “Yes, Drake?” said Huey, pointing his pencil at him.

“Er, not that I’m not happy to be here, I’m just not entirely sure why you asked for us specifically.”

“ Because,” I said, “this is a great chance to really test our adventuring skills! We’ve got two superheroes here, a sidekick of a superhero, and uncle Donald, who I’m pretty sure was a superhero at one point and never told us.”

Huey gave me a look. “I told you, those were unsubstantiated rumors.”

“ I’m telling you, uncle Donald did fight an alien invasion and I will prove it!”

I saw uncle Donald look away and start whistling. Fenton raised his eyebrow for a moment then suddenly his beak dropped open in shock. Aha! He saw through that suspicious act too!

“Alright, troops!” said Webby, bringing us all back. “May the best team win and may you never know the feeling of a dry shirt ever again.”

Uncle Donald cracked his knuckles. “You kids are goin’ down.”

Huey made a face that said, “I fear for my life.” If only I knew what we were in for, I might’ve felt sympathy. But alas, I’m just a naive, good-looking child, how could I have known?

Ooooh, transition again- okay, I’m gonna stop that now. 

READY…

Kids against grown-ups, and the bomb was in our court.

SET…

I clicked on my headset. “Men? And Webby? Let’s kick some tail.”

GO! It was on!

Me and Webby planned it out. We’d be our attackers. I had the bomb on my back, Webby had my six. Huey was our scout, and sneaky Louie? The spy. What else?

For now, we took the silent dash from home base to the capture point, right by uncle Donald’s houseboat. I took position by a wall we set up and peeked out. Nada. “Huey?” I said into my earpiece. “Whatcha got?”

“ An empty yard, just like you. I’d still proceed with caution. I’d wager Drake’s their forward.”

“Copy. Louie?”

“I’m in enemy territory. I’ve got an eye on Launchpad. He’s heading up on the right side.”

“I see him,” said Huey, “Guys? Cross-over to the wall on your left and wait for my signal.”

So we did, all low-to-the-ground-like, the scent of freshly mown grass filling my nostrils. All the time, I wondered who was gonna fire first. I soon got my answer.

“Louie here, I lost Launchpad. I was getting a balloon ready and-“

“Hey, Louie,” we heard Launchpad say through Louie’s transmission. “I guess I have to throw this at you now. Better run before I do.”

“Launchpad!” yelled Drake, “Don’t warn him! Just throw it!”

I heard a splash and feared the worst. “Okay, Webs, let’s book it.”

“No!” Huey exclaimed, “that’s exactly what I said not to do!”

But I was already heading for the point. “Plans change! Keep up, Hubert!”

“Hoo-ra!” Webby cheered.

Bank left, bank right, dodge roll, dodge roll. I was swift as a coursing river. Taking another post, Huey spoke up again. “Ah! I’ve been made!”

“Sorry, Huey!” said Fenton. I peeked out and saw them by a tree. Huey dodged desperately like I taught him. I nodded to Webby and she took off and hurled a balloon with the force of a great typhoon. Fenton turned toward it and went white. It exploded on his face with the strength of a raging fire.

🎶Mysterious as the dark side of the MOOOOOOOOOOON!🎶

…er, sorry. Got distracted. Point is, we drew first splash!

“Sigh…thanks, Webby,” said Huey, clutching his heart.

“No problem,” she smiled.

At that moment, there came a hiss, and purple smoke slithered in around our feet. “Whuh-oh,” I said.

“I am the terror that flaps in the night,” came a deep, menacing voice.

“Scatter! I got him.” Huey and Webby took my order and squeezed a water balloon in my hand.

“I am the candy wrapper in the public pool of crime.”

“…Ew.” I looked around the cloud of smoke for the duck I knew was inside…somewhere.

“I am…DARKWING DUCK!” Drake swooped down from a tree and I dove to the side. A balloon burst a foot away from me and I hurled mine back at him. He ducked (ha!) and it burst all over the tree trunk. “Good shot, kid,” he said.

I smirked. “It’d look better all over your pretty face.”

Drake grabbed another balloon and took a wide, heroic stance. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

It was our standoff moment, just like in the Western movies. We stared each other down, mano a mano. No sound but the passing breeze and our breath.

Then Drake said, “Draw!”

We both dove to the side and hurled our balloons. I hit the dirt and scrambled up. Not even looking to see if I hit him, I hauled tail to the capture point. Skidding to a halt, I slung the bomb off my back and pressed the “Arm” button. The timer flashed “1:00.” I pumped my fist. “Kids rule!”

I let the moment hang for a moment before asking myself, “Wonder where uncle Donald is?”

Peeking out from my shield again, I saw Launchpad running for his life, two or three water balloons hot on his tail. He spotted me and waved. “Hi again, kid best friend!”

Blammo. Louie came up behind him and nailed him in the center of his back, then dipped out of sight again. Perfect.

Launchpad grasped at his throat. “Oh no! I have been splatted! So cold…” He spun around and flopped on the ground.

“LAUNCHPAD!” Drake screamed, eyes wide and standing in the middle of the yard, totally exposed. As he ran to the pilot, he shouted, “D.A., now!”

Webby and Huey popped out from a bush. “Who’s D.A.?” she said.

“BANZAI!” There was uncle Donald, hurtling down from on top of the roof, covered from head to flipper in water balloons. “I knew it!” I said, “The rumors were true!”

And he just started hurlin’. Water balloons flew every which way. I didn’t even see his arms. It was a blurry windmill of fury and power. Uncle Donald really was serious.

And that brings us to where we were in the beginning. Fancy, huh?

Webby was fighting back, while poor Huey took one right to the head, falling out of the bush. “Ah! My Junior Woodchuck Guidebook! Er, I mean, blegh!”

There he went, collapsing onto the lawn. Poor Launchpad was really acting dead and theatre kid Drake was hamming it up.

And uncle Donald? Well, he was being uncle Donald.

I lost my focus for a split second and saw a balloon coming straight toward me. Time slowed down. This was it, my ultimate sacrifice. I set the bomb and did my team proud. I could die honorably now. I put my hand to my heart and felt myself get absolutely drenched.

“Dewey!” Webby called out.

“Gotcha!” cheered uncle Donald. Giving Webby the look of death, he grabbed one last balloon and put it right on target. Webby yelled as she was the last one of us to go down.

Uncle Donald high-fived Drake. “Yeah! Team K.O.!”

“You were…crazy,” said Drake.

Uncle Donald cleared his throat. “Still gotta defuse the bomb.”

“Oh yeah!” They both dashed over to the capture point. I didn’t know how much time was left but it couldn’t have been more than-

“10 seconds?!” shouted Drake.

“Quick! Cut the wires!” uncle Donald squawked.

“What wires?”

“They always have wires, movie-boy!”

“This isn’t a movie, Donald!”

BOOM!

That…sounded like actual explosion, not water explosion.

We all got up and screamed. There was a small fire in the middle of the yard and Drake and uncle Donald lay 5 feet away, covered in soot. We all used the rest of our balloons to put out the fire and then went to help them up.

“Drake, are you okay?” asked Launchpad.

Drake coughed a puff of smoke. “Singed but triumphant.”

“It was an ACTUAL BOMB?!” Fenton screeched. “He told me it wouldn’t do that!”

We all looked at him like this was his fault. He looked back at us, petrified. “Uh…I-I need to make a call.” He headed back to the house.

“Wait up!” said a red-faced uncle Donald, following after. “I’ll kill that mad doctor!”

For a good long moment, we didn’t really know what to do. We looked at Drake and L.P. and they stared back. Then we turned our gaze to the splintered wall on the ground and the big black char not too far from it.

“We took this way too seriously,” said Huey.

“Ditto,” said Drake.

“It was fun, though,” I said.

“Sure was!” said Webby.

After that black spot was resodded, and Gyro was scolded by Scrooge and Fenton and screamed at by uncle Donald, we all agreed to do it again sometime. It didn’t turn out like we thought, but hey, it was sure better than watching TV.

[jfbuckley]

It’s a funny world.

First half 2-0 to A Villa. United apparently even worse than recent appalling performances. Looking like heading to a 6-0 drubbing.

Second half - result 3-2 to United, even had goal disallowed at start. Apparently played like a totally different team. Even Rashford put a bit of effort in. Garnacho scored two (plus the disallowed one) and Hojlund scored the winner, his first premier league goal.

I’m at a complete loss to either explain or understand it. First half = worst of a shocking season. Second half = as good as anything from the Ferguson era, the exact opposite of everything else (except Chelsea) that has gone down this season.

I wonder what my football correspondent will say….

———————-

hi - in the days long ago when i was younger than today festive football sometimes irritated me as the front of the match programme bore the smiling faces of the team wishing me a merry xmas - i used to angrily think 'then why are you spoiling it by playing so badly' - fast forward to the present day i offer in evidence united's loss at west ham which was plain boring which is the biggest crime you can level at a united team

to be fair united were a match for villa in the 1st half - they had a few attacks which were repelled - villas high defensive line offered scope for the ball over the top which either wasn't forthcoming  (much to rashfords  visible annoyance) or when it did hojlund, garnacho and rashford were offside

villa had 2 notable set pieces - from out on the right touchline opposite the united area mcginn shaped to take the kick - some of his colleagues were in obvious offside positions with 1 almost standing on onanas toes - if this was designed to confuse united it worked wonderfully as when the ball was played in the offside players ran away to all points of the compass - nobody touched the ball and the inert onana watched it enter goal

shortly after a corner found the totally unmarked lenglet in oceans of space just beyond the far post - he headed across the 6 yard box where dendoncker skilfully turned in number 2

so united trooped in 2 down at half time to a chorus of boos and much debate in the stands of how disappointing this season is turning out to be albeit in much more colourful language

early in the 2nd half united broke through the defensive line - rashford (playing on the left) fed garnacho (playing on the right) who dribbled around keeper martinez and from an acute angle thrillingly shot into goal - sadly however VAR played mr scrooge and for what seemed the umpteenth time this season the goal was ruled out

however what VAR couldn't stop was the shift in momentum of this encounter - the crowd, given a modicum of hope, were now on united's side and the stretford end tried to suck the ball in - on 59 minutes united provided an action replay of the disallowed goal - this time garnacho was on side and it was 2 - 1 - onana ensured it stayed that way with a save from bailey

on 71 minutes garnacho pressed forward and played in fernandes on the right wing - his 1st time cross was half cleared to garnacho who gathered, danced past a tackle, then fired in a shot which was deflected away from martinez and united were level

villa came again and the heroic evans blocked a certain goal for mcginn but the force was with united - on 80 minutes a united corner, heads went up, the ball fell onto mcginn and then to hojlund whose instant left shot went in off the post - the comeback was complete, rasmus had his premier league goal and unconfined joy abounded

9 minutes were added at the end but united held out with relative ease for a famous victory

i cannot really explain the fluctuations in performance by united this season - more often than not they have been poor - occasionally they've done well - they showed both sides in this 1 game - they clearly have some talented individuals - they remind me of racehorses in an odd way - some prefer the going hard, some prefer it soft, that sort of thing - footballers have to perform in all circumstance - ten hag's job is to mould a team that will be effective in all sorts of conditions - not easy but he'll have to find a way otherwise he'll join the lengthening list of failed successors to fergusons throne

next up is forest way - score prediction ? performance prediction ? haven't got a scooby do

bye

[ashdash2417]

Donald in Woo-oo: “Huey, Dewey, Louie. Meet Scrooge McDuck.”

Scrooge in Nothing Can Stop Della Duck: “Huey, Dewey, Louie. Meet Della Duck.”

[celestialrry]

gold rush

3.3k

summary: Enemies to lovers, inspired by the lovely Taylor Swift’s Gold Rush!

warnings: mention of alcohol consumption, reader and Harry being bitches, angst, and a good ending bc I can't seem to leave anything on a bad note

If someone asked you to list off everything you hated about Harry Styles, you were positive that you would be talking for a solid 10 minutes.  He was the epitome of everything you despised. To be more specific, you despised people who acted “deep”, people who acted humble, people who pretended to be different from the general population, people who acted like they didn’t know millions would drop to their knees with a simple wave or smile, and people who acted perfect. And as far as you knew, that was everything that Harry Styles was. 

A famous rockstar and millionaire who comes back to his hometown, which happens to be yours as well, and acts like he wasn’t any different. He pretends to blush when someone would compliment him and ask for a picture, like he hasn't been asked for pictures millions of times before. He waves his black amex card around and buys one fucking coffee with it. You hated him, because everyone loved him.

And of course with your luck, a few years ago when your mom had met his mom at a neighborhood get together, they became best friends, and had made Christmas Eve dinner a tradition between your family and his. That’s where you met him, and that's when your hatred began. You knew who he was and had been a big fan of One Direction (Harry was even your favorite), but after you had had a conversation with him? Let’s say your excitement was diminished. 

So here you were, driving through the snow in your rental car to your mom’s house a week before Christmas. Your playlist had changed songs and before you knew it you heard the familiar guitar strums. You couldn't bring yourself to change it, in all honesty you loved Harry’s first album, and most recent album Fine Line. Even though it came out 5 days ago you had it on repeat. As much as you hated Harry Styles, you would always love his music.

After you had arrived at the house you grew up in, said hi to your family and got settled, all you wanted was some coffee. You said your goodbyes and promised to be home soon, and drove through town to the coffeeshop, bundling into your sweater, jacket, and scarf before stepping out into the snow and making your way inside. 

The bell rung as you swung open the door and almost immediately you spotted a familiar face, partially covered by a beanie and a scarf. Wonderful, you thought to yourself. You made your way to the counter and ordered a hot coffee and a scone before sitting down at one of the tables on the opposite side of the cafe. Anything to avoid him. 

You heard your name phrased like a question and looked up, your eyes following from the Chelsea boots on the tile, to the trousers, then jacket covered sweater, scarf, then his face. Your chest clenched in frustration. “Harry.” You nodded back, making it obvious you wanted nothing to do with him.

He definitely did not get the hint because almost immediately the seat in front of you was taken over by his presence. “I didn’t think the Grinch would be n’town so early.”

Your cheeks burned and you quickly shot back. “And I thought Scrooge was dead by now but I guess I was wrong,” You rolled your eyes. “Also, are you sure I’m the one out of both of us who’s the Grinch, look at your sweater.” You added, eyes trailing down to his light green hairy sweater. 

“If we’re basin’ it off looks then yes m’sure you would be the Grinch.” Harry retorted, scoffing. 

“Wow Harold! You are just absolutely hilarious, are you sure you went into the right industry?” You raised your brows and gave a fake smile, knowing he could see right through it. Before he could answer, a waitress had brought over your coffee and scone, setting it down on the table. 

She looked up at you reciting your order and giving you a smile before she did a double take at the man sitting in front of you. Oh god. “I’m so sorry, but are you Harry Styles?” the girl asked, eyes practically turning into hearts before you. 

“Yes, I am, and y’name is?” He asked cheekily, extending a hand for her to shake. She looked like she was about to die as she gently grabbed his hand and shook it, reciting her name like she had attempted to memorize it the night before.

“Well, it’s very nice t’meet you, would y’like a picture?” He asked and you swore you couldn’t roll your eyes back further into your head. 

“Oh! Um,” her eyes darted over to you as you sat back in your seat, sipping your coffee. “I wouldn’t want to interrupt anything...” She trailed off as if she was asking for your permission.

You wanted to say she already had anyways, but there was no reason for you to be upset at this girl. You would act like her too if you didn't know who Harry actually was. “Don’t worry, you aren’t.” You smiled at her, genuinely. Maybe she would drag Harry away long enough so you could eat your food and drink your coffee and scram.

She let out a breath it seemed she’d been holding and pulls out her phone. You purse your lips and sigh before offering to take a photo for them. She thanks you about a billion times while Harry stands up from his seat and wraps his arm gently around her shoulders. You stand up as well to get a few decent photos of the two of them smiling and hand the phone back to her. She tells Harry she’s been a fan for years and loves him as well as his music and message and he thanks her for supporting him. That’s the one think you like about Harry, how he truly is grateful for his fans. Everything else sucked. After they get done speaking she noticed your coffee and scone are done. 

“God, I’m so sorry, would you guys like any refills or more pastries? It’s on the house.” She smiles, patting down her apron. 

You look over at Harry who had sat down again and look back at the sweet girl in front of you. “No thank you.” She nods while Harry repeats your words and head back behind the counter. 

“That was nice of you, back there. Thought the Grinch was too mean t’take photos for people.” He chuckled at you. 

“If this is your way of thanking me, you aren't doing a very good job Harold.” You said sharply, pulling your coat off the back of the chair. 

“It wasn’t m’way of thanking’ you. Y’need to be brought off y’high horse once in a while.” He shrugged like he wasn't just blatantly rude to you. Sure you both had a witty banter but it always seemed Harry took it too far, and well, that's one of the reasons you hate him. 

“Maybe apply that to yourself once in a while.” You huffed, shrugging your jacket on and pulling your scarf back on as well. 

He ignored your words and raised a brow. “Leavin’ already?”  

“Yeah actually, I came here to relax but that's not working out so well.” You gestured between the two of you. You were going to leave it like that but as you stood up you could see the girl behind the counter waving for you to come over. Brows furrowed in confusion you headed over to her. 

“I just wanted to say thank you so much for taking photos for us, and Harry looks really happy with you so, thank you for making him happy.” She said quietly so only you could hear. Your eyes widened and you opened your mouth, about to tell her there was no way in hell you’d ever date Harry but the way she looked at you with adoration caused you to smile and simply say, “Thank you.” Before bidding her a good day. 

You dug through your bag as you went to go to the door to leave, looking for your car keys when a body appeared in front of you. You stopped immediately, looking to see that fucking grin and a hand holding your keys. “Lookin’ for these?” He teased, waving them in front. You reached out to grab them and he only pulled them away and you quickly realized how this would go.

“Harry, give me my keys.”

“Magic word?” He asked turning his ear towards you. Instead you blew air in it and grabbed your keys when he was distracted, brushing past him to open the door into the freezing air. The sparks you felt as you passed him was definitely because you were cold, right?

**

Soon it was Christmas Eve and you don't think you’ve ever been dreading an evening more, other than the past few years on this exact day. It was snowing when you and your mom arrived at the Styles household. You knocked on the door loud so you both could be let in as soon as possible. 

“Sweetie, I don't think knocking that hard is really welcoming.” 

You pursed your lips and turned around to your mom, knowing this was just how she was and you bit back a snarky comment simply replying, “I’m just really cold.” 

After those words left your mouth the door opened behind you and you turned around, face to face with the curly headed man-child. He nodded at you, saying your name before calling out to your mom. She smiled and gave him a quick hug before he ushered her in the house, forgetting about you outside. Already a wonderful start to the evening, you thought, sighing as you walked inside onto the wooden floors.

You heard laughs and exclamations in the dining room, and you made your way there, knowing this house a little too well. Anne called out your name as she saw you step in, rushing forward to give you a kiss on the cheek and a hug. “It’s so nice t’see you, love. You get more gorgeous every year.” You but your lip and smiled at her, “And you get younger each year.” You softly said as she laughed and led you over to Gemma. 

“Hi Gems,” You grinned, giving her a hug. She returned it, just as happy to see you. Out of the Styles siblings, she was your favorite, obviously, but the two of you had actually become friends, not just family-friends. “Hey, love. Long time no see.” You laughed as you both pulled away. “Too long.”

Your mom had brought over some pie so she sat it down on the dining table where the rest of the food was. “Well loves, let all sit down!” Anne said, taking her seat at the head of the table. You opted to sit in the chair in front of you, while your mom sat to the right of Anne, so she was diagonally across from you.  Gemma then took the seat across from you, next to your mom. Oh no. The only seat Harry could sit in would be the one next to you. 

He looked around the table and bit his lip as if that would help the situation but he ended up sighing just loud enough for you to hear it as he plopped into the seat next to you. His hair moved with him, falling perfectly into place on his head. Of course his hair would be perfect like he apparently is. 

Everyone quickly jumped into conversations about everyone’s life, and what they’ve been doing, focusing on Gemma for the most part as you all dug in to the food. The conversation then led to Harry’s career and life at the moment. 

You zoned in after deciding not to pay attention after he started talking to hear him say, “I don’t think m’different, I just have a different job y’know?” 

You scoffed out of reflex and all eyes at the table turned to you. “Yeah, a different job that makes you known to millions of people around the world, that in itself changes a person.” You pointed out, taking a sip of your water afterwards. 

Your mom hissed your name scoldingly. “That was unnecessary.” she finished, her eyes glaring at you. 

Your eyes grew wide as you realized you forgot you were in front of your family, and the rest of Harry’s family. 

“It’s okay, Miss.” Harry spoke up with your mom’s name, looking at her for a moment with a smile before turning to face you. “We can have different opinions but y’don't really know me all that well d’you?” His captivating eyes locked onto yours and you suddenly felt small in front of him. Before you could respond Anne exclaimed, “Time for dessert, yeah?” 

As everyone went to put their plates in the sink, you trailed behind feeling unusually guilty, not how you normally felt after similar conversations with Harry.  Everyone else had picked up conversation again as they made their way back to the table, but you kept your mouth shut the whole time, only mumbling a thank you to Anne who served you your pie. Luckily no one seemed to notice you had decided to no longer talk, it would only make things worse, you believed. Except Harry.

He was talking the whole night, trying to ignore that comment you made, because well, he knew that you were only judging him on the surface level. It was strange to him though, that the assumptions hurt more coming from you than the hundreds of people who made the same ones at him everyday. He wished he could say he expected more from you, but the two of you had been at odds since the first day you met. He had absolutely no idea why you had been so nice, then 15 minutes later you weren't laughing at his jokes and rolling your eyes. he had become so fed up with it, it was safe to say he hated you. He enjoyed teasing you and pushing your buttons, but the true frustration he felt for you never went away after all these years of sarcastic comments and stolen glares.

So why was his chest clenching as he looked over at you to see you silently eating your pie and looking down at the table cover? Harry was sure that he had never seen you so resigned before, usually you had all the things in the world to say. 

He worked up the courage to softly knock his fabric covered knee against yours. You looked up at the contact, head turning slightly to look at him, but he was faced to his mom, immersed in whatever conversation they were having. An accident it seemed, that he touched you. It was the most contact the two of you have had since you met him, and only then did you shake his hand. 

Soon enough everyone finished their pie and you quickly stood up and offered to take them to the sink while they headed to the living room to have a glass of wine and play some games. As you walked past Gemma she gently grabbed your arm and you stopped, looking at her. “Are you okay?” She asked, her face etched with concern. 

“I’m fine Gems, maybe ate too much.” You laughed it off and she took your answer hesitantly before heading to the living room. You reached the kitchen and set the plates and forks in the sink, pulling up your sweater sleeves and tucking back your hair as you started the faucet. You heard the beginning of some Christmas music and knew there was no chance anyone would come back to check on you with Andy William’s voice serenading them with lyrics of “the most wonderful time of the year”. Bullshit, you thought.

You began to wash the plates with a sponge that was on the edge of the sink, and immersed yourself in the soapy water, placing plates to dry on the rack, and returning to wash the next. 

“Y’don't need t’be doing those.” 

You practically jumped out of your skin when you hear this voice. You lowered the water flow and turned to look at him approaching you on your left. “I know.” Was all you said, as you continued to wash the second to last dish. 

His eyes widened at your response. He was ready to hear, “It’s called being polite, Harold. Maybe you should try it sometime.” Or a snarky comment like that. But no. You just brushed him off. 

He was about to open his mouth and tease you a bit more, just to hear the you that he knew but you beat him to it. “I’m sorry, Harry. About what I said earlier, and... everything before that too.” You mumbled, focusing your attention on scrubbing the last dish that was definitely clean already. 

“Oh! Um, thank you.” Was all he could muster out, his heart beating a thousand times a second, as his cheeks turned red. This was odd. 

You waited a bit, in the silence, for him to say more but he didn’t, You sighed, putting the last dish on the rack and wiping your hands dry on the towel before turning to him fully. 

“Really? I just apologized for like, everything, and you can't do the same?” You asked, looking up at him exasperated. “I’m not the only one here who has been an absolute asshole, it goes both ways.”

He furrowed his brows and looked at you, the wheels visibly turning in his head. “M’sorry too. I mean it. It’s fitting how y’apologized first though, because y’know, you started it.”

He really needed to stop talking.

You glared at him incredulously. “I started it? When I met you, you didn’t even bother to look at me, not even halfway through our introduction you left to talk to someone else. It was like that the entire day, sue me for reacting like any normal person would.” You said, you gaze now focused on his chest. You deflated a bit, after admitting that to him. It was terrible, meeting someone you had adored for years, only for them to leave and not even finish listening to your name.

His mouth formed an “o” shape as his frustration dissipated. Harry couldn't even argue with you on that, because he remembered that night. One of his mates had called for him and he sped off, leaving you in the middle of one of your neighbor’s backyards during a little get together. 

“I-I’m sorry. I remember that, y’didn’t deserve that at all, I was a proper arse.” He managed to get out, his lips turning into a line at the tension. 

“Yeah,” you laughed a bit. “Every year I’d just hate you more and more, because every time I saw you it seems you hated me more than the last.”

“The same f’me too, y’know.”

“What?” You looked up at him. 

“I hated y’cause I thought y’hated me.” He pointed out, his lips turning up into a grin. 

You laughed, your head falling into your hands. “I think we should’ve had this conversation years ago,” You said, looking up at the man who didn't seem so bad anymore. “Do you wanna start over?” You asked. 

“No, let’s treat it as a bump in the road, y’know? Kiss and makeup.” He grinned, looking up to the ceiling. 

You followed his gaze to see a little brach of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. “That’s an odd place for mistletoe.”

“Doesn't matter, y’have t’follow the rules.” He said cheekily. 

He stepped forward as did you, and you brought your hands up to his shoulders. You leaned up and kissed his cheek instead, plush lips against his stubble. You pulled away and smiled at the visible blush on his cheeks. 

“You tease.” He laughed, wrapping his arms around you in a warm hug, and in that moment, you finally understood why everyone would die to feel his touch.

 low-key hated this ending but its fineee. thank you for all the love <3

[ramblingguy54]

Webby’s Serious Vulnerability & Need For Happiness.

The McDucks meant everything to me. Not just because of their great name, but because they were a great family. One I thought I could be apart of, but now it’s gone...Guess the name, McDuck, didn’t mean much after all...

Webby’s desire for making others happy has been her greatest strength as a character. A beckon of hope others can be drawn to, much like it was for Lena’s case being best explored. Webby even helped Penny find her place in their big crazy world of Duckberg, but what happens when she tries to help a personal matter that, as Dewey said, could only make things worse? Even though this episode wasn’t the angst trip I was speculating it to become for our second visit to Castle McDuck, it shines an interesting introspective upon Webby’s emotional vulnerability once again. Something we saw before in Lost Harp Of Mervana once Webby realized Beakly had lied to her about trusting people in general. It’s not just one part of her character, but the entirety of who she is as a person when it comes to her unwavering philosophy of hope. Webby’s newfound confidence toward facing unknown stuff after getting outta the mansion helped because of others supporting her, too. Webby feels like she owes so much of herself for what this family gave to her life emotionally because she didn’t have much of anything in a long awhile, other than Beakly, obviously. It’s no surprise Webby Vanderquack has been a pretty lonely kid as evidenced by her particular episode quote from Woo-oo, “Ehhh, my granny is a bit overprotective. She trains me to be ready for anything, but then says I’ve got everything right here...”, showing how much solitude she endured socially. Webby got this idea into her head she owes her life to Clan McDuck’s lineage, basically. Which is why she tried everything in her power to manipulate the family into making up.

Webby’s helpful friendly morality has been played up for laughs before, like in New Gods On The Block, but here Webby is very controlling attempting to force moral solutions upon a complicated situation, revolving around inheritance of who’ll become the next statue pedestal. For good measure, Webby pulls upon Dewey’s strings for being noticed as the “best child” and formulates another idea ending in more escalation upon an already feuding family. Doesn’t help Huey & Louie stumble into this room at the worst possible time for added consequences. They were both already getting on each others nerves, so it sent them into adding fuel upon this bigger fire becoming a gigantic one as an end result. All of this was moral karma for Webby’s need to make others happy, even if it meant using her own methods to force a solution. Webby is certainly Scrooge’s biggest fan alright, considering his severe need for control rubbed off on her. The kid wants people to be content she’ll go so far as to push that idea, so Webby can feel happy about herself, too. Webby’s optimism was greatly praised in They Put On Moonlander On Earth and the writers wanted to criticize why putting so much stock into an idea of, “Everyone needs to get along, so I can feel happy!”,  can also be a double edged sword in its own right. Sometimes you do need to step away from an already bad situation making things simmer down. Dewey did have a point to an extent about family fighting being a tricky situation. However, it’s not until Webby cuts all the bullshit simply to speak from her heart. No more lies or tricks, but a simple sentimental statement about why she feels the need to repay a debt to the Duck Family. Only then, could their squabbling actually stop.

I set out to preserve their history, but I destroyed it all. The past, the present, and the future...

Webby gets stricken with serious guilt seeing how much damage her meddling around has caused. Besides feeling awful about how she tried taking advantage of the situation, it made her question if they were all their name was cracked up to be. All the studying she did by herself about Scrooge’s ties and legacy are being called into suspicion. If their historical achievements are great, than it can be argued in turn this causes more harm than good for a future together. When you’re at each others necks about who will succeed whatever they’re getting handed it stirs up more issues down the road. The McDuck pride is their greatest strength, yet weakness, from what this episode study displays. Remember Dewey’s research into Della’s disappearance and questioning whether or not she was a genuinely good person? Consider Webby’s introspection as a callback to it, reflecting upon her own value, where if she has put so much faith into who they are seeing them like this, than what does that make her? I’m definitely keeping this as an important mental note for future reference in the next last batch of episodes. She keeps seeing the ugly side of how people can act, including her own family, making this poor kid question everything Webby has held true to for a lot of her life. Dewey had that exact dilemma in Season 1′s episode, The Spear Of Selene, being so terrified of the possibility Della was a self centered traitor to his family. He was scared of being related to somebody who didn’t care for her family at all, making him wonder if that too makes him bad for solely being biologically tied to Della?

Webbigail, no doubt, feels a similar weight of seeing an uglier truth she’s afraid to accept. That not everyone means well in their intentions all the time. She got a taste of that back in Impossibin with Beakly’s extremist behavior about preparing for FOWL’s inevitable threat upon their lives. Now, yes, Beakly did mean well, but she showed a type of ferocity Webby is used to seeing her direct at their enemies, instead of the girl’s general direction. It terrified her for that period of briefness watching Beakly not pull her punches, at least until the end anyway. Factoring in all those variables showcases Webby’s greatest obstacle, her unconditional faith. Although, save for what happened in Mervana, Webby’s not one to doubt people often, since she was quick to forgive Beakly’s oversight a couple of episodes ago. The scary thing though is Webby did doubt everything these McDucks stood for in this moment and that’s very concerning for what they’re foreshadowing in her future conflicts, particularly with Beakly.

That girl believes the best in people, especially Merpeople. If she finds out they’re lying, she’ll be devastated.

When you’ve got her crumbling up a deeply cherished photo Webby held dearly to heart, that’s a big red flag going up there in my mind. If Webby’s already going that far in how hard she’s taking harsh reminders of stuff, then Beakly’s secrets are gonna destroy her emotionally. Food for thought to consider. Mirroring this picture with Beakly’s line from the Lost Harp episode really puts it into perspective about how truly sensitive Webby is to facing an unkind world.

[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.”

[popculturebuffet]

Ducktales (Comic) Reviews!: Happy Happy Valley!/Fight! (Issue #4)

My first look at the IDW Ducktales Comics! And for a comission by @weirdkev27​! Seriously he’s basically my boss at this point. If you’d like to comission your own comic or animation review just pm me or shoot me an ask to get my discord. Single stories for a comic are 3 bucks, single comic issues and single episodes of a show are 5 bucks with deals on multiple issues or episodes of a show. With my shameless plugging out of the way the stories themselves are:

Happy Happy Valley! (The Comissioned Story): The Main Cast sans Beakly end up stranded at a resort where everyone’s forced to be happy all the time. A classic trope with a twist ending you can’t predict.. mainly because it’s.. 

Fight!: The boys have a garage sale with stuff from the broom closet to raise money for Huey’s woodchuck trip. Naturally this quickly snowballs into a samurai fight to the death. 

Wonders, a full recap with spoilers, and extreme stupidity await bellow the cut. 

After a quick commission break for this week’s episode I’m back in the saddle and back into comics no less! It’s been exactly a year since I’ve done a single issue comic review. Oh sure I looked back on house of x, and will again next year, and I do want to cover Empyre at some point and some other comics, but I haven’t done a full recap of a single comic book in some time. But the first story of this issue  really, REALLY confused and infuriated Kev, and rightfully so, so I got the commission call, and of my own volition I’m doing the second story entirely for free. I just wanted to do both for completion’s sake and because when I did read this comic I remembered the stories not being very long so it gives me more to write anyway. And if your curious yes I would gladly review classic Don Rosa, Carl Barks or really any duck writer’s work on a story by story basis, it just works easier to do the Ducktales issues all in one since their both more recent and I don’t have to go back and do it later if, once i finish seasons 1 and 2 at some point in the distant future, I decide to do this series too as well as the Sound and Fury mini that was clearly used to offload stories they had left over. 

As for my experience with these comics I DID read them when they started out. .but quickly petered off and never even got around to this story, I remember reading page one but never read the rest of it. Part of it is I tend to flitter in and out of comics and part of it was the stories just weren’t that gripping, with the characters often feeling like flatter versions of the far more multi-layered one’s in the show proper and the stories being a bit too short to properly flesh things out like the show, especially since for some weird reason each issue has two stories instead of having one big story on occasion. They weren’t bad and there is a story or two I want to go back to like Lena and Webby being spies together, Fethry and Fenton have a story together apparently, we get an early look at Della, and there’s one where Bradford hints at them plotting against scrooge long before the show revealed it. There’s some interesting stuff I might look at eventually, I just have a LOT of show to get through too, and i’m not going to pidgenhole the entire series as bad or lackluster based on a few early issues.. or one story in this issue. But yeah i’ve held it off long enough.. let’s talk about 

Happy Happy Valley!

First off the titles for these are .. pretty lack luster. Their basically just what the stories are about.. Happy Happy Valley and a Fight, that’s.. about it. I didn’t realize just HOW awesome the show is at titles, making each sound like a thrilling and unique adventure which they usually are, until I got to here. It feels like IDW, and by extentsion disney, didn’t care what the stories were called and just wanted a comic out to tie into the show. Which bothers me when they put this on IDW, clearly having a release platform for disney works.. but didn’t bother to use it for their Darkwing Duck comic continuing from the original, the reprint of the BOOM! Studios comic, or the short lived Star VS Comic Deep Trouble, which I will be covering at some point as it was pretty good. Same with the Boom! Studio’s darkwing, I just want to watch more episodes before revisiting it. Point is the title isn’t great. The story is even less than that. 

We open properly with our heroes.. all woken up from their beds in the middle of the night for an adventure. It’s not a bad start, though Louie weirdly starts in constantly about how Scrooge’s rich and can do this and that and Subtley dosen’t exist in this story does it?  Anyways, later, far away from Louie’s bed.. that’s the caption they go with and I love it, the Sunchaser suddenly stops working and Launchpad’s crashing skills come in handy, 

This isn’t a bad scene as Donald brings up good points and likely has his own “times he’s been nearly sacrificed tally” like Louie.. and Della likely also said “Della’s coming out on top!” when her total went into triple digits. Also  “When your rich you can even buy luck launchpad”

It just.. dosen’t fit Scrooge at all.. granted this issue hasn’t BEGUN to not fit Scrooge at all but let’s save that for the end. Anyways rather than hostile locals they find Gladys Seeya, good pun, an overly smiley woman whose eager to please and just wants everyone to be happy and has them carried because tired people aren’t happy. Yeah it’s suspcious as heck and a well worn trope, really nice place with a dark secret, to the point the series proper would parody it in the Mervana episode, and subvert it by having them turn out to just be very nice hippies who i’m still convinced had a three way with Donald... I mean he could use it, they were really nice, and Donald is probably very generous. That’s something you didn’t want to think about but now you have to and it’s there. If you GENUINELY think that’s bad, then you should hear about Goofy’s sex life. 

See way more horrifying. Now everyone’s miserable! Horay! Moving on, point is Donald had a mer-three way and this is a well worn trope, but it is used in an interesting way.. that’s entirely ruined by the stupid ending, but we’ll get to that.  Point is everyone is soon happy, given a buffet, all the food they can eat, and whatever they want. They just want you to be happy.. no secret plot here.. wink. Louie continues his annoying “Every rich person gets X” schtick which feels forced as hell and gets worse with every line and more obvious. It’s one of the weaknesses with this story. It’s basically the writers constantly elbowing you and saying GET IT.. YOU GET IT.. BEING HANDED EVERYTHING YOU WANT IS ANNOYING GET IT. YOU GET IT.  The problem is.. the Island’s moral dosen’t fit that. Kev  helped here as we discussed the issue once I finished it, as I hadn’t thought of it yet, but the valley isn’t about giving you everything you want.. it’s about just FORCING you to enjoy things. Sure you can be happy off some things like the food but when Donald politley declines to dance because he can’t, which tracks with his life in general, they basically all glare at him to do so. Later they basically force acvitites on them with the ducks only agreeing because clealry they worry about what might happen if they DON’T. Telling someone to smile or enjoy something dosen’t make them enjoy it it just makes them miserable. Problems are 1, the issue very clearly WANTS to have the other moral and 2) the series would do this kind of story MUCH better with “Mystery at McDuck Manor!”. That’s not on the writers fault, as this comic started right before the show premiered and this issue came out before said episode, but it really doesn’t help the show came along with the same exact moral of not forcing your idea of fun on someone else and did it WAY better. It’s the same message, the ducks being forced to endure something only one person thinks is fun, but delivered right and wrapped into a very clever and fun mystery. Honestly I might cover that one this week or sometime soon because it both fits the Halloween season and this issue if nothing else reminded me how good THAT episode is. 

But I’m stuck doing this issue. Naturally, and in one of the issues few clever moments, the Ducks try booking it out of there as soon as they can but find their raft gone, and a ring of sharks suddenly there that weren’t before, and Donald understandably doesn’t want to risk the kids lives with that. Thankfully Webby soon comes up with a plan using the activities, and uses a napkin to get it around. This bit.. is actually clever as they use the various bits to get a plan and even Huey has a really clever bit where he just leaves his hat and shirt behind to go looking for the generator, likely on Webby’s request, knowing his brothers can just play him once in a while to draw suspicion. Also apparently Huey wears a tank top under his shirt, which looks weird on him, as he’s not the sporty type, but does fit his “always prepared” mindset well so I like it.  Using Basket weaving and balloon decorating, they create a way out, and Webby ties up their host while everyone escapes. They nearly don’t fit out but luckily Donald contributes. And again i’ll give the story this: Donald does more in this one story than he got to do in the vast majority of season one.  So our heroes escape with other patrons begging them to take them with them and the stories apparently wrapped up. The generator Huey found was to show the sharks were just holograms which given the science in this world makes sense, as does it jamming the sunchaser. What doesn’t make sense, and what got me my three bucks for this review in the first place is this. I”m putting the full picture there both so you can let it sink in and to let you know, since most of you probably haven’t read this comic, that i’m not making this shit up, nor is it one of my jokes. This .. this is the actual twist for the comic. 

...................................................................................................

 This is probably the thrird dumbest line in comic book history. Before you ask the other two are

And why yes those are both from the series. And why no I will not be covering All Star Batman and Robin unless someone forces me too.  My point is WHAT THE FLYING HELL IS THIS.  I mean this makes NO sense on any level. For STARTERS one of Scrooge’s most well known traits, that’s part of his character in every version is that he doesn’t like to spend money. He will to MAKE MONEY and sometimes grumble about it but if he doesn’t. Even if season 1 had it dialed way back, he still reused his old teabags, charged extra on his in house vending machines and tried to get out of buying burritos for recently freed slaves. Being cheap is an iconic part of his character. Granted the series took out things from the comics and original like underpaying employees, barely paying Donald even though in the comics he supports three children, as well as barely paying those children, and refusing to donate to orphans, but still it’s not THAT so far removed that THIS is remotely in character! He had to either buy this old resort or have it renovated to keep up the ruse, pay for the creepy lady running it, pay for the other guests as actors because otherwise his hired minion KIDNAPPED people who were begging for escape, pay for the activities/escape supplies, and pay gyro to build the GIANT GENERATOR THAT BOTH PROJECTS SHARKS AND MAKES TECHNLOGY NOT WORK. While I do think Scrooge would gladly want to teach Louie a lesson, this is a lesson that at best costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not at least a million to pull off.  And that’s not even getting into how he forced everyone else to go with it, denied them a good night’s sleep and clearly told NONE of them. Beakly not being there actually makes more sense as she would’ve noped out of this horrible horrible idea and bonked him on the head for this. It makes no sense and it’s GROSSLY out of character. And while I’m used ot that from comics, writers often don’t give a shit about the characters their writing, I expect better from DISNEY when it comes to lisencing shit. They’ve done better. I’ve mentioned better and even SINCE this they’ve done better: Christos Gage’s Incredible’s Comics are excellent and I want to read more of them. And the previous run by mark waid is also suitably incredible, if now sadly no longer canon.  And even in this very ISSUE there’s a much better, if not amazing, story we’ll get to in a moment. I get disney’s greenlit weak tie in material before but this is ridiculously bad and shoddy. Shame on them, shame on the writer, and shame on this INCREDIBLY stupid story. We get an everybody laughs ending, who cares. we’re out. 

Final Thoughts for Happy Happy Valley: 

I don’t have much less to say about this story. This about sums it up. 

Fight! 

We open with a samurai.. though it quickly turns out to be Dewey with a mop on his head hitting Louie with a broom while saying Two Damage! Two Damage! and already in one scene this is so much better and feels so much more natural. Naturally this story has a different writer. The artist is different for both too, and the art is good on both though I do prefer the art for “Fight!” more as it’s a bit more expressive. Though it also benefits from having less characters to juggle so that probably helps.  The boys are having a Garage Sale, or Yard Sale as some call it. As a huge fan of Garage Sales, I’ve gotten tons of stuff from them over the years and good shit too like my G1 Snarl, or even just recently a three in one of the first three loud house Graphic Novels for a freaking quarter. You REALLY can’t beat that. It’s why I love these things. So this story already had my money. As for why, Huey needs money for the Junior Woodchuck Camping trip. How else is he going to hold hands iwth Violet and Boyd under a tree. Wait neither of them existed yet.  Damn. Well i’m retconning that in anyway. If they can retcon the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver not to be mutants, which If eel is getting undone VERY soon, or if not Hickman will use that well, I can retcon this to taking place in season 3. Plus i’ts all very wholesome and innocent... their only eleven. 

But yeah Scrooge in a nice moment if an off-screen one gave them the contents of the broom closet.. which is really just a bunch of old used up brooms, some buckets and other cleaning supplies. Probably stuff Beakly rarely uses or has long replaced and if not.. well he’ll have to pay for them himself won’t he. Unlike the above clusterfuck this.. feels entirely in character. Scrooge likely apricates that Huey is working hard to EARN the money for his trip and that his brothers are helping, especially Louie since he gets nothing out of this unless they go over what Huey needs. But also being Scrooge he still only gives them some old Junk.  But Louie, being louie easily scams a guy into paying 15 bucks for a broom. Still this is slow progress and if Huey wants to be with his poly relationship he’s gotta step it up. Luckily, and naturally given this is Scrooge’s closet, they find an old Samurai helmet, which Huey feels could be worth millions. granted...

But eh it’s going to a good cause, tiny children holding hands by campfires, and when has common decency EVER stopped Louie? Dewey though, wants to start a collection of war stuff.. starting with this. It’s part of why I LIKE the story better: not only does it have much better dialouge but it’s actually rooted in the characters instead of “One trait of Louie’s cranked up to 50 and drilled into our heads”. Huey is trying to earn money for the woodchucks, Dewey only wants something for petty reasons and Louie wants money. It feels like the actual characters and not just cutouts and makes me wnat to read more stories in the hopes of finding more like this.  Anyways naturally nothing Scrooge has in any of his storage areas of the mansion tha’ts ancient isn’t cursed, magical or really neat to look at, and the helmet comes to life as they fight over it, and the helmet clints to Dewey, who talks in a deep red voice calling himself Ronnith of the Twin Samurai. The name.. isn’t great but the concept is. Thankfully Huey knows what it is thanks to the guidebook. and just like the Donald bit last episode this one story gets the guidebook better than season 1 did a lot.  Turns out the twin samurai were two brothers who hated each other and always competed for their mothers affection.. their mother was also forced to sell her beautiful sculptures for next to nothing after their father left. Instead of going after him though they both blamed each other as teens when invaders struck and burned everything including their mom I guess down, and fought the rest of their days, and while Ronnith never settled things due to growing too old, his spirit, and his intense hate, went into his helmet which now curses any brothers who fight over it to fight with the looser turning into a statue. 

Naturally no one wants this but Dewey can’t get the helmet off and Ronnith possess him to destroy the guidebook.. though Huey explains it’s his “third backup copy” which.. yeah again like the tank top thing tracks. Ronnith then manifests armor on Louie and we get the image above.. which is really neat. With Ronnith forcing the two to fight each other, Huey searches for a way to stop it. And while he can’t find it he does figure it out and the solution is REALLY clever: Just as Ronnith’s about to kill Louie, with Dewey apologizing.. Huey blocks. And Ronnith is naturally confused and upon finding out there’s a THIRD brother, the curse dissipates and thus everything’s back to normal. And wrapping things up nicely a guy shows up to buy the helmet and while Dewey tries to just give it away Louie says it’s free with purchase of a bucket for 50 bucks so Huey has his money to go on his romantic camping trip.. though he does ask if hte guy has a brother.. best be safe.  Final thoughts on Fight!: It’s like night and day. While the previous story is stilted, has one of the worst endings in duck history and overall is just kind of bland outside of one or two moments this .. is really good. It doesn’t add much to the world or anything, but it’s a fun side story with a clever monster of the week and resolution, some great lines and some good art. This is what should’ve lead the issue, as the main story is again just dreadful. Overall i’d recommend checking this story out.. though maybe get in in trade instead as the A-Story here is really bad, but you can find both on comixology and this issues on comixlogy unlimited if you want to check it out along with a ton of other great comics. 

That does it for this review, if you liked this I do regular coverage of ducktales every week, I JUST COVERED THIS WEEK’S EPISODE YESTERDAY.  So check that out and until next time vote if you can and check your house for Gary Busey!

[mochuelovelli]

ASOUE AU? ASOUE AU. Pt 1 (Characters)

Okay so I just posted a little doodle I did for an A Series of Unfortunate Events AU that I had been thinking about ever since I realized that Esmé was obviously Magica's VA (which was 3 days ago so oop). I don't have all the characters figured out right now (mostly bc quite frankly there aren't really enough adults that act so... neglectful towards the kids in ducktales). I'll list the ones I am pretty concrete on VS the ones I'm unsure or ones that I "reimagined" due to not everyone fitting perfectly in this world.

Characters that are Definite:

Glomgold as Count Olaf: Think about it, horrible actor/cosplayer (yes thats what he is). Both obsessed about riches, revenge and are generally incompetent. Really, Olaf is much more wicked in the ASOUE series imo (bc even tho Glomgold wants to kill Scrooge and steal his money. This anger only extends his wards if he wishes to use them against Scrooge and is less keen on the murdering of kids. Notice I said LESS). Not 100% if I want him to be as...well explicit as Olaf can be at times. Especially his characterization in the Bad Beginning if you know what I mean (pst it's child marriage)

Magicia DeSpell as Esmé Squalor: Like I said, this is a no brainer. She has the stage performance of Magicia with a bit of Mark Beaks Mom (forget her name) mixed in. Probably would downplay her love for fashion and replace it with an obsession with the occult. I would also not have her be obsessed with Glomgold, its more in character for Glomgold to be obsessed with her anyhow. It is also possible bc I tend to believe she is a more compelling villian in canon that she might take the place of Glomgold on the Island in "The End". But I also plan for Scrooges Number One Dime to replace the Sugar bowl so, maybe not.

Doofus Drake as Calmanita Splats: Duh, spoiled brat who is very creepy and probably has parents that want them dead? Instead of wanting to sing all the time he mainly wants to wreak things/people. He still definitely dresses up tho into a hodgepodge of things. It always changes and Glomgold is always annoyed by this but he likes him more than Magicia. She definitely wants him dead just like Olaf in the series (she really hates kids).

Duckworth as Larry your waiter: Yeah not much competition for this role. It was either him or Launchpad. Duckworth is too perfect for this role and he honestly will play a better spy than canon Larry. If I ever write it out a lot of the "fight scenes" and anime-esque "explaining how I fooled you" dialogue will definitely be reworked but still present. I will however not keep out the main theme of neglect or ignorance with the adults, they will still fail in that regard as always but will just not literally stand there and tell Olaf "We finally caught you, now let me explain why we are so smart oh no you set something on fire again". I mean...maybe for a Mr. Poe but not the VFD. Or...SHUSH I should say but more on that later (or in another post who knows?)

Scrooge McDuck as Lemony Snicket (sorta): Okay so OBVIOUSLY we can't have our "Lemony" have the hots for the McDuck siblings mom (yes another thing I must explain oh boy). Scrooge will still be gilted in love by, of course Goldie though I am still not 100% if she should play part of the the role of Kit Snicket (again NOT related to Scrooge) or should she be someone else entirely. Scrooge is basically the reason everything is happening in this AU just like the canon Lemony but writes sad letters to Donald and Della as well as Goldie. As you might of well guessed, Scrooge's Fortune is also the riches the McDuck's have.

Fethry Duck as Dr. Monty: Of course a snake lover will become a marine lover in this AU! Also of COURSE Mitzy will play the roles of the incredibly deadly viper AND the great unknown! Fethry and Dr. Monty not being mentioned by their family but also too enthralled with their studies to care all that much (but seriously thats fucked up ducktales). Totally made for this role. As far as setting goes this will be where the siblings will be underwater first but since the series already has plently of aquatic locals I will probably swap out the Lake Lacamose story with Peru or the Galapagos. Speaking of...

Ms. Quackfaster as Aunt Josephine: For narrative purposes it would make sense that Ms. Quackfaster would lose her edge as a brave and bold woman. For what exact reason I am still trying to figure out. Not sure if I still want to keep the "Ike" storyline, maybe she just got really spooked by FOWL. Maybe some creature from the Galapagos ate her leg or something.

Ma Beagle as Dr. Orwell: This particular role was sort of hard for me to cast due to the fact that Dr. Orwell is older and romantically involved with Olaf (at least its sorta there). I really didn't want to give this role to Owlson bc other than she isn't a bad person, she is also way too young. Ma Beagle already has a similar motivation im canon to want to reclaim Duckburg as Beagleburg so the Terrible Mills plot to frame the B for causing a fire in order to have control over the mill is very in line with Ma. I originally wanted the Beagle Boys be working in the Mill but since I am changing the setting to Egypt, I decided to use the people stuck in the pyrimid (idk what they are actually called) and will either use Amulet, Launchpad or Dijin as Cookie

Characters that are Mixed with others:

Huey Duck as the Narrative Role of Violet B.: I mostly imagined(?) the kid characters in a approximation of set characters from the books/series. For this reason, Huey plays the ROLE of Violet Baudelaire so that he can take the "inventor" occupation. I went back and forth on finding who would have Violet's quirk of using an object to help her think. My mind originally went to Webby since she has a bow and I wanted Huey's obsession with the Incomplete History of Secret Organizations to take the place of his JWG. However I reworked it so that Huey's JWG would act as Violet's ribbon with him having to flip through his beat up (and slightly burnt) journal to find a quick solution or just to calm his nerves. Something that applies to all the triplets and twins is that their last names are changed to "McDuck" mostly bc it sounds better that they are later called the "McDuck Murders" instead of the "Duck Murders" as well as Scrooges edited role in the kids lives. He has a mix of Klaus' social awkwardness and habit of talking at length about his special interests to whoever will listen. Huey is also the one who gets hypnotized in the Miserable Mill ep.

Louie Duck as the Narrative Role of Sunny B.: Pretty sure I swapped Louie and Webby for this role in my first post but whatever. I wanted to confusingly change Klaus' role into a "Charmer" or "smooth talker" (obviously still a work in progress) since I felt that Huey in DuckTales canon was always well researched as well a good mechanic and having two characters who pretty much fit the same role was... redundant. I also wanted to really make Webby's Sunny much more inline with her notorious/abnormal fighting abilities. However, I realized that instead of changing Klaus' role I should just change Sunny's characterization since I would have to rework it anyways since she was a baby. I also got the idea from recently rewatching the series and saw Sunny basically trick her way out of being trapped with the Hook handed man (i.e. Fernald). I will instead make Louie's role as what he functionally is in DuckTales (the guy who can talk his way out of anything). He would probably also say his occupation is "Defense Attorney" or something along those lines. He is also the one who gets captured the most but not by much. However while he still has Sunny's sarcasm, he also has Klaus' inherit skeptism and distrust of adults.

Webby Vanderquack as the Narrative Role of Klaus B.: Like I said in Louie's segment, Webby is changed to Klaus or more accurately the "Researcher" of the group. She is often the one who stays up late, researching ways to get out of Glomgold's schemes. Unlike Klaus though, she has more of the optimism of Violet but might not put as much belief into all authority as Huey might. She still has role models that she looks up to but isn't against bending the rules. She also unfortunately takes Violet's role of becoming "Olaf's bride" in the Bad Beginning. In the story she has always lived with the McDucks but didn't take their name and still had Mrs. B (until she was around 10, she was 12ish when the fire happened). However, she is still in the McDuck Will and therefore Glomgold hatches a plan to use her to get the fortune. She also tricks him by signing her name "Vanderduck" or "McDuck" instead of Vanderquack to make the marriage null in void. She is also a mix of Sunny since she is generally the most physically capable out of the children.

Dewey Duck as the Narrative Role as Quigley Quagmire: Okay honestly after a rewatch, I don't exactly know what makes Duncan and Quigley that different from each other. I'm pretty sure Duncan is the Klaus of his siblings but whatever. Dewey mostly just 1/2 of the reveal that two people survived the fire during the Carnival segment (which is changed to an underground wrestling theme for reasons to be explained). I am fairly certain that during the last part of the Village of Fowl Devotees I want Dewey be the one left behind with Webby and Lena that way we can have more time spent with him and Weblena/ Magicia v Lena drama. Dewey's occupation would be "Comedian/Host/Actor" . He also is the one the adults ignore during the first half and will be the subject of Triplet/only child jokes that the Quagmires face.

Gosalyn Mallard as the Narrative Role of Duncan Quagmire: Okay so like, no she isn't related or adopted by the Quagmires

Lena Saberwing as the Narrative Role of Isadora Quagmire: c'mon both these kids like poetry. Literally I can think of no other DuckTales kid that likes that (other than Webby but that was more of her liking Lena's stuff). She will still have her background as Magica's niece and might take some of the role of Fernald where he gets redeemed by betraying Olaf/saving Sunny. I am unsure by what extent though as she isn't going to be a henchperson of Glomgold or Magica. It might be that she is uses morally questionable ways to get what she wants/needs. Maybe she is "good" but has to commit a terrible act similar to how the Baudelaires have to burn down the carnival.

Characters that I am uncertain about or straight up don't have someone in that role:

Violet Saberwing as the Narrative Role of Fiona Widdershins: Like Fiona, Violet was also originally distrusted by a part of the cast (in this AU, it probably be Webby and/or Louie as Huey catches feelings lol). She is also obsessed with the occult not fungus and has to save probably Louie from losing his soul or something (wip). Violet more than any of the main cast of kids will probably act more like her canon self since she is naturally straight forward and booksmart. She probably gets forced to stay with Glomgold until her and Lena can escape again. Also since I didn't want it to be another underwater local and wanted it to relate to DuckTales17 a bit more closely I thought it be better if they were in the sky. Maybe Violet got the Sun chaser or maybe even the Spear of Selene. Maybe instead of going to look for their dads (since they are dead oof) they come back at The End to tell the McDuck Siblings et all that they might of found something...or someone important.

Boyd as the Narrative Role of Friday: This is definitely more of a stretch as really he is only Friday because in role only because I want him at the Island at The End so that he can save the siblings from whatever organic incident happens since he is still an android. I previously thought he could also fit the role of Fernald since he could go through a redemption arc easier due to him sorta going through one in the show. Its not out of the realm of possibility that Glomgold could have reprogrammed him to obey him (he might still do something similar I haven't figured it out 100%).

Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera as the narrative role of Hector: He probably won't faint as much as Hector but he will have to be pushed by the kids to be confident in himself during the Vile Village (which will probably change to a Capital city since I plan to rework FOWL into this). Maybe its similar to a military academy which makes having a set of rules make sense. Its also possible that Fenton escapes with some of the kids in the Sunchaser by the end of this.

Steelbeak as the Narrative Role of Fernald Widdershins: I mainly chose him because Steelbeak and Hookhanded man both most clearly are shown to be sympathic antagonists. They are still functionally villians, much more so than any of the children like Boyd or Lena who, yeah, have done bad things but in one case wasn't given the freewill to decide for himself or was but when she decided to stand up for herself she was literally tortured and had her freedom taken away (more so than in the beginning since. Steelbeak would, like Fernald, be making a choice as an adult man to be apart of a mad man's troop and was harden enough to commit murder if it meant he could impress his boss. But because he is not related to (by blood or otherwise) any protagonist I struggle to know where to put him. I might still have him defect during the end of what would have been the Grim Grotto ep and comes back with the Saberwings at The End. Maybe he brings Gosalyn back after finding her at some point, maybe he dies somewhere towards The End. Not sure.

Gladstone/Ghost of Christmas Past/News Reporter Lady as the Narrative Role of Mr. Poe/Mr. Poes Wife: wow this one is really confusing. My reasoning behind these picks is because The News lady would be a great pick for Mr. Poe's wife or at least a substitute as she has similar motivations in DT17. The biggest set back for her tho is that she has no reason to be on the Baudelaire case (or McDuck case anyways). Ghost of Christmas past is a bit of a stretch since why the fuck would he be in charge of making sure the kids had guardians? I mainly want him just bc of his motivation (or lack thereof) to do his job and being incompetent at it. Gladstone while making some sense that he also would be uncaring about where the kids go is also a stretch given he is a relative and he while he might not care 100% about their whereabouts he wouldn't lose them like Mr. Poe would simply bc he is so damn Lucky. Its possible to work that against him, maybe in a scenerios like where he drops off the kids but gets whisked away because some rando gifts him a boat. Still unsure.

Mrs. Beakley as either the Narrative Role of Jaclyn S (Mr. Poes Secretary/VFD spy)., Olivia C. (Librarian): I want Mrs. B to have a role which fits her being experienced and competent but also met a tragic demise. I might mix the experience of JS with the fate of OC. Poor Webby.

Justice Strauss as ???: I'll be honest, I am stumped with this one. This is a very important role to fill and I can't quite find an adult character that fits the bill of Justice Strauss. Mrs. B is too smart, Launchpad studying law while ridiculous, is something inline with the show but he doesn't have a DT17 motivation similar enough to Strauss where he's desires can be exploited nor has he really want kids in the same sense as Strauss. Drake Mallard is close since he is an actor but having him work with law is a bit of a stretch, I also think that making him somewhat bumbling is an insult to his character but Strauss is tragic since she WANTS to very much be the Baudelaires guardian but fails so much. Maybe in a safer world she could have been, maybe if they were luckier. She loves them so much, but they run away where she can't find them to at least try to be there for them and is left heart broken by the end. Whoever becomes JS is in for a world of hurt and I'm sorry. Goofy could also be a replacement, maybe Max died for more angst 😬.

Goldie or Daisy as the narrative role of Kit Snicket: This kinda gets really fanfic-y as neither of these characters really fit nicely into this role. Goldie definitely has the skill of Kit and her disregard for the rules but the pregnancy thing is... something. Not entirely sure if I actually want her to be pregnant but I also want a Beatrice II type character (of course she would be named Della II) but again very fanfic-y. Daisy I am more comfortable being the one who gets pregnant, she might take Olivias role as the new VFD recruit instead of Kits more seasoned one. All I know is that if either or both outcomes exist they will die also a Dewey Deanumont(?) Character wouldn't be the father it would of course be Donald or Scrooge depending who gets pregnant.

Jacques Snicket as ???: Another mystery for me. Functionally? Maybe Manny could play this role or even Launchpad (he really is just my go to for any character idk about huh?) Whoever it is will die but wont have a romance with the Olivia character(s). Maybe its Goofy lmao.

This is quite long enough, let me know if y'all got any more ideas. I'll edit this when I can since I am tired of writing. Please comment or reblog for suggestions and the like thx u. And please...Look Away while you still can.

[hunter-the-sad-skeleton]

On General Lunaris+redemption in my Ducktales AU(Put it on DA, putting here too)

So! In the Ducktales Reboot, where General Lunaris originates from, he was a horrible person who(from what I've seen) hasn't gotten a redemption arc! Obviously not everyone needs a redemption arc, but I quickly grew attached, so I got to work! In my AU, yes, Lunaris DID screw up BIG. I'm NOT excusing ANY of his actions. For the AU I'm working on, Lunaris acted mostly out of fear of the unknown or fear of becoming obsolete. 

Granted, he shouldn't have acted the way that he did, as he hurt his people more than he did help them, but I can see both sides of the metaphorical coin. I've come up with a few big events in the Moonlanders' culture's history to fill in the blanks, but no true dates yearwise. 

 First big event: Tranquility gets constructed by Captain Voltair(General Lunaris' father) 

Second big event: A monarchy/law system gets put in place for Tranquility. 

Third big event: Mcduck enterprises sends first ambassador to go visit the city of tranquility. 

 Fourth big event: On a trip with the ambassador, Captain Voltair meets Enchantress Baleta(Buh-lee-tuh) and falls head over heels for her. 

Fifth big event: After a few years of dating after the ambassador left, Captain Voltair proposes to Baleta. 

Sixth big event: Voltair and Baleta get married. 

 Seventh big event: Lunaris is born. 

 Eighth big event: Another Mcduck enterprises ambassador gets sent to Tranquility due to hearing about the excess gold reserves and attempts to get close to Voltair and Baleta so that they can steal some of it. 

 Nineth big event: Guards catch the ambassador stealing gold and threaten their life unless they leave immediately. 

Tenth big event: The ambassador holds his hands up in surrender and the guards escort them back to their ship. 

Eleventh big event: The ambassador steals some gold as they're being escorted to their ship and boards it before the guards can catch them and steal it back. 

Twelfth big event: The city of Tranquility recovers from the loss of materials slowly but surely, discovering a cave of sorts when they go spelunking for more gold. 

Thirteenth big event: The first Moon Mite attack. The loss of people from Tranquility that day was tragic. 

Fourteenth big event: Captain Voltair trains a group of Moonlanders in the ways of combat, forming a strong garrison of soldiers.

Fifteenth big event: Voltair goes out to take on the Moon Mite, but doesn't return, having bit off more than he could chew by taking on the Moon Mite. 

Sixteenth big event: Baleta passes of old age and Tranquility shuts its doors for a few cycles in mourning. 

Seventeenth big event: A Moonlander by the name of Neo rises up through the ranks of the Elite Guard, known for his incredible speed and agility, eventually getting promoted to the rank of one of General Lunaris' personal bodyguards. 

Eighteenth big event: Neo gets sent out with a squad of eight Moonlanders(Some his own family) in another attempt at taking out the Moon Mite, only for it to end in Massacre, the team of eight returning as a team of four, one of whom got his arms and legs pulled off due to his limbs being stuck inside his gold limb enhancers. 

Nineteenth big event: Another Moon Mite attack occurs, resulting in yet another large loss. 

Twentieth big event:  Neo returns to his station as General Lunaris' bodyguard after spending a few months in solitude to recover. 

The rest is known in the show! The mindset I put myself in when I write Lunaris is "Okay, I'm doing this for my people's wellfare. I'm in the right, I'm doing what's best for my people, anyone who says otherwise is against me and is very strongly wrong." 

Eventually, after a while of dwelling with the Sharkas, reality hits and he makes his way down from the atmosphere, stating that he "Comes in peace, I mean no harm anymore." It takes a while but Lunaris eventually earns everyone's forgiveness. 

Except ONE. 

Neo refuses to forgive Lunaris, feeling like Lunaris is too "fake" in his apologies. What's stopping Lunaris from turning on them again?! What's stopping him from stabbing everyone in the back again?!? What's stopping him from stepping out of line?! Neo is so full of ANGER and RESENTMENT that he can't see how HORRIBLE Lunaris feels about his actions. 

Lunaris tries his best to explain himself, but Neo has NONE of it. Neo actively AVOIDS Lunaris, going so far as to leave anywhere that he may be. He WANTS to forgive Lunaris, but he can't. He feels if he forgives him, he's betraying those that were lost in the patrol for the Moon Mite's extermination that he failed because he froze up. 

I see Lunaris as a self-righteous person who wants what's best for his people. Yes, he was, pardon the crude language, a dick in his actions to help his people, but when you're in that position, I can see where he's coming from. Eventually, something happens to put everyone in danger and Neo, wanting to prove himself, throws himself in harm's way. Lunaris calls out to try to get him to fall back. Does Neo listen? 

Nope! In fact, he does the exact OPPOSITE and almost gets himself KILLED. Neo panicks, freezing up, then everything goes black. 

And Neo wakes up in a hospital bed with Lunaris sitting in a chair beside it, fast asleep. Neo thinks that Penumbra brought him to the hospital, but she's nowhere in sight. He thinks it was Della, but she's nowhere in sight. Donald, nowhere in sight. Scrooge, nowhere in sight. Gladstone, nowhere in sight. Realization hits Neo that Lunaris...has changed. He's better than he was several moons ago, yet he was still denying the fact that he's changed, the fact that he's not bad anymore, the fact that he's good now, the fact that he's not evil now, the fact that he CARED ABOUT HIM ENOUGH TO CHARGE INTO CERTAIN DEATH TO SAVE SOMEONE WHO DIDN'T MATTER IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS. 

Neo is agast. He knew that Lunaris was friendly before the Moonvasion scheme, HE KNEW THAT, and yet...The facts....felt more like fiction. It felt surreal. Neo gets snapped out of his thoughts by Lunaris quickly looking over him, making sure he was okay. Lunaris freezes as Neo asks a simple one word question: "Why?" 

Lunaris sits down in the chair, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a moment. "Because even if you are small, and freeze up in the face of danger, you are one of my closest friends." Neo tears up slightly, getting Lunaris to quickly get up and look for any injuries. 

"I don't understand...!" Neo sobs, practically breaking down after months of anger and resentment. "Why do you care so much...?!" Lunaris realizes that it's not PHYSICAL damage that's causing Neo to sob his eyes out; it was emotional damage. 

"Neo, I care about you so much because you won't." Neo falls silent at hearing this. "I know that you may not forgive me, I don't expect you to forgive me, I CAN'T expect you to do that. But know that I'm truly sorry for all I've done to you and everyone else." 

Neo looks Lunaris in the eyes, thinking his words over. "I was angry at you, I HATED you." Lunaris cringes, knowing he's fully deserving of what comes next. "But I'm not anymore. I don't anymore. I don't hate you anymore. I'm sorry I held such a grudge towards you." 

Lunaris thinks something over in his head. "I heard that your parents aren't quite...Desireable, so.....How would you feel about...me taking that place...?" Neo is shocked, but nods. He could be a cool Dad. Then again, anyone could be a better dad than his biological one. 

 Tl;Dr: Lunaris works EXTREMELY HARD for everyone to forgive him since he feels terrible about his actions. Sorry this was so long, I got the chance to infodump and this was WAAAAAAAAAAY longer than it needed to be!

[nadziejastar]

The Meaning of the 358/2 Days Opening

Axel: Man, I miss the old times. Still got it memorized? The day we met, when you got your new name, you and I sat right here, just like this and watched the sunset.

This line of dialogue was from KH2FM+ and it was included in the opening of 358/2 Days. And ya know, it’s a little strange if you think about it. Why would Axel have chosen THAT specific day to reminisce about with Roxas? Sure, it was nostalgic for Axel because it’s the day they met. But…Roxas didn’t remember his first week at all. He didn’t speak or act consciously. Axel spoke as if that day was an important memory for both of them, but…it really wasn’t. It was only important to Axel. What is so special about the day they met?

This day was also included in the 358/2 Days opening.

Roxas received a purpose along with his new name.

This day was covered in a little more detail in the novel when Axel had a flashback on Day 8, while Roxas was opening the chest. And we saw a little bit of it during the credits of Re:CoM, too. Xemnas came to Twilight Town, found Axel, and asked him to get Roxas ready and take him back to the castle.

Axel had seen the trio out and about countless times, always talking and laughing. Roxas looked about the same age as them, actually. Each one held an ice cream bar—sea-salt flavor, pale blue, and distinctly salty-sweet. Axel was rather fond of it himself. Or rather, he remembered that he liked it.

Roxas noticed Hayner’s group while they were walking. They were all eating sea-salt ice cream.

“…Why don’t we get some ice cream first?” Axel started toward the shop in the town square. “Come on, Roxas! I’ll even give you an exclusive tour to a good hangout spot.”

But Roxas was still as a statue. “Ugh, seriously…?” Axel went back and clapped him on the shoulder.

After Roxas noticed Hayner’s group, Axel decided to take him out for ice cream. He remembered that he used to like it as a kid. Roxas was still acting like a zombie, though.

Axel ate sea-salt ice cream for what appeared to be the first time in a long while. Probably since he was a kid.

The scene with Saïx in KH3 was made to look extremely similar to that scene. It’s probably an indication that this day was significant to Axel due to his memories of eating ice cream with Isa.

He was reluctant to eat it and then recoiled at how salty it was. Roxas always thought Axel just loved sea-salt ice cream.

But apparently that wasn’t really the case, at least not anymore. I think the idea was that Axel ate sea-salt ice cream so often, not for the taste, but to relive his childhood.

“What’s that?” Lea ran up to check it out.

“Hullo, there, laddie. How about a cone?”

“I’m…guessing they aren’t free?” Lea asked, jamming a hand into his pocket.

Scrooge hopped up and yelled, “Of course not! Are ye daft?!”

“Okay, I’ll take one…no, two!”

“Thank ye kindly!”

Lea handed over some munny and took the two ice creams from Scrooge, one of which he gave to Isa.

When Axel first met Roxas, he probably recognized him as Ventus. The day Lea met Ventus was the very first time Lea and Isa ate sea-salt ice cream together, which might have made it a particularly memorable day. Axel might have been thinking about this day when he met Roxas.

“It’s cold…,” Isa muttered as he took a bite.

“What’re you talking about? It’s ice cream; of course it’s cold. Got it memorized?”

“Salty, too.”

“But sweet!” Lea added, and Isa smiled a bit. That was rare for him. Well, eating ice cream together, talking about silly stuff, laughing together—it was just what friends did.

Wonder what he’s doing now—Ven, was it?

“We’ll get another shot at it.”

“Yeah,” Isa replied, gazing at the castle they had failed to infiltrate. Lea grinned and looked up at it, too.

Lea was thinking that friendship was about eating ice cream, talking about stupid stuff, and laughing. That might be why he said those things to Roxas on Day 14. Meeting Ventus as a kid is probably why all sorts of childhood memories came flooding back to Axel after he went to Castle Oblivion. He began to change, and his relationship with Saïx started to fall apart. Roxas was the catalyst, because he looked like Ventus, someone Lea met as a kid. If Lea hadn’t met Ventus as a kid, that might not have happened. It was important that Roxas was not just any kid, but a kid who brought back memories for Axel.

“You’ve been memorizing the number of days?”

“I didn’t have any memories up until joining the Organization, and I was zoned out for the first few days, so I wanted to properly remember everything after that.”

Axel stared at him as if trying to figure something out and then grinned. “For about the first week, even your words were clumsy. Well, you still zone out all the time even now!”

“You’re terrible!”  Roxas said, and then the two of them laughed. Then, they looked out at the sunset.

After the opening song, the first scene from the game is Day 255.

The novel and manga make the connections between Day 8 and Day 255 more clear. Roxas specifically knew how many days it had been because he didn’t remember his first week. He wanted to remember everything after that to make up for it.

Axel’s face was dyed by the setting sun. His red hair looked even redder.

“Do you know why the sunset is red?” Axel looked at Roxas. “There are many colors that make up light, and out of all of them, red is the one that travels the furthest.”

Roxas laughed. “Why do you look so smug about it?” He shoved him, and Axel gave another little laugh.

There’s something weird about Axel today. I don’t really know what it is, though. But, that was fun too, and Roxas began to laugh out loud. It would be nice if Xion got here soon, though.

“Anyway, she’s late…,” murmured Roxas, unconsciously.

“I don’t think… Xion will come today,” said Axel.

After Roxas mentioned how he was a zombie for the first week, Axel stared at him like he was trying to figure something out. And in the cutscene, you can see Axel looked away like he was remembering something before he told Roxas about the red sunset.

“I could’ve done that blindfolded,” Roxas said with a shy grin.

That reaction was completely different from anything else until now.

A smile spread across Axel’s face, too, and it brought with it a strange sensation he couldn’t remember feeling before.

“Don’t get too full of yourself there. But you did good. Okay, since you worked really hard today, you get a reward,” said Axel, and he started walking.

On Day 8, Axel felt a strange sensation when Roxas surprised him by randomly boasting, but he couldn’t remember feeling that way before.

I think he finally remembered why that sensation felt so strange on Day 255.

The setting sun was sinking. Axel gazed vacantly out at it.

If you stare at the sunset, the image sticks on the back of your eyelids, and it feels like you can see the sunset, even with your eyes shut.

A phantom sunset.

The reason the sunset is red… who was it that told me that?

On Day 96, he was wondering who told him why sunsets were red while they were eating their ice cream. Then Roxas mentioned how he wanted things to last forever.

“Heh… You’ll just have to give some more thought to who it is that’s…most important to you. Our most precious memories lie so deep within our hearts that they’re out of reach. But I’m sure that you can find yours, Sora.”

“Why me?” Sora shifted from his fighting stance into a more thoughtful posture

While saying things to stir Sora up, Axel thought.

Nobodies are controlled by memories. And because they control us, we stop being able to remember. Maybe that has happened to me.

I think Axel had genuinely forgotten who told him about red sunsets. It was one of the sleeping memories buried so deep in his heart, it was out of reach. The cutscene in the opening may have been so significant because in that exact moment, Axel remembered that Isa was the one who told him. And he remembered the day it happened.

Axel: Man, I miss the old times. Still got it memorized? The day we met, when you got your new name, you and I sat right here, just like this and watched the sunset.

In the novel, Roxas nodded when Axel mentioned the day they met. But he only started remembering things on Day 7, when Xion first arrived. That’s the day the game starts. We play the game from Roxas’s perspective and there was no scene of them meeting for the first time. Roxas already was acquainted with Axel, though he was still hazy.

Xion: Wow. The sun's beautiful. I know we've seen a lot of sunsets, but today's puts them all to shame. If only things could stay like this forever...

In the manga, Roxas acted as if that day were something he could never forget, even though he wouldn’t have had any memory of it. Maybe he was just remembering what Axel told him. But Axel immediately started crying, leaving Roxas looking confused.

Day 352: What I Must Do

Author: Xion

I love Roxas and Axel. I'm sure Saïx would scoff at that. Call it a trick of my artificial memories. But the time I spent on that clock tower was real. I wish the three of us could stay together, just like this, forever. But I have to end this. I'll never forget today's sunset. Even if Roxas and Axel do, I won't forget.

I think all of this was a hint that the day Axel met Roxas was far more important to Axel than it was to Roxas, for very different reasons than Roxas would have thought they were. 

“I just…want these days to last forever,” Roxas murmured, slow and pensive. “Hanging out after the job’s done, eating ice cream, watching the sunset…”

Axel peered at his profile as he did just that. The sunset’s glow touched Roxas’s face and Xion’s with warm red.

“Well, nothing lasts forever,” Axel mumbled, looking off to the side again.

Axel was remembering the day Isa told him about the red sunset. He was so happy that day because Isa regained his sense of self after being experimented on. 

They sat side by side, eating their ice cream. The sunset was the same beautiful crimson as always.

“Axel, can I ask you something?” said Roxas, when he was about halfway through his bar.

“What’s up? Something happen?”

“It’s…just something I heard about on the mission today. Um…” Roxas screwed up his face in concentration. “Do you know what love is?”

Lea wanted that day to last forever. Axel hadn’t thought of any of these things in a very long time. It all began when he met Roxas, who reminded him of Ventus. That is why that day was so special to Axel.

“If I had a heart, you think I could love somebody?”

“Once Kingdom Hearts is complete, I bet you’ll be able to figure it out.” The magic words again, Axel thought. It’ll all make sense when Kingdom Hearts is complete. But was that true?

No one had ever seen it happen before. So who knew? Still, all they could do was believe in it. Pitiful Heartless, mindlessly collecting hearts…

“Kingdom Hearts, huh…?” Roxas said under his breath, gazing out at the sunset.

Axel watched his wistful profile and sighed silently.

The sunset looked especially beautiful that day because he was looking at it with someone he loved. In the manga, the chapter where Axel meets Roxas after disappearing is called “Reunion and Farewell”. Axel was also probably thinking about the last day Lea and Isa spent together, watching the sunset, before they promised to disappear together and meeting again in the next life. That’s why Axel was crying. When Saïx met Lea on the clock tower in KH3 and mentioned his upside-down tears, I’m pretty sure that specific day is what he was referring to.

[whereverthemusetakesme]

(x)

Iiiii did this last year and it was fun! And I saw @humming-nerd​  had just done it this year, so I figured it was time for a repeat performance. Not all of my muses celebrate Christmas for reasons of their own... but they all got put through the generator anyway. Under the cut because... long xD

Also ran my new muses through it, too, so... consider this an unofficial introduction to them, I guess! I’ll introduce them for real as soon as I get a few more posts done here ^^

“Pft- are you sure he didn’t look at the wrong list?”

She wasn’t going to question it any further than that; and indeed, Angel’s response was only half-serious, and half joking to cover up the fact that... she really was touched. Someone thought she was a good dog, that she’d improved...

Thank Patch’s influence for that, she guessed.

“SERIOUSLY?!”

Not only was that an incredibly low blow... what had she even done? How was keeping the minions and her sisters AND Gru from getting into too much trouble deserving of a place on the naughty list?

She didn’t want to be that pouty kid who made a scene; but nonetheless, there was still at least a little of that in her attitude as she turned away, folding her arms over her chest as she locked down the fact that she was genuinely hurt by this assessment.

Dumb mall Santa, anyway...

She could only hope he was, at least, kinder to Edith and Agnes than he was to her.

“I guess actually doing what Daddy says and settling into the role of future queen does have its perks, huh?”

After last year... it felt good to hear that, honestly. The youngster had been training hard, throwing her all into her princess lessons even when she didn’t much like it, and learning how to do some good around the Pride Lands; and little moments like this just made the effort all worthwhile.

“I mean, we all know that, right? Don’t we all know that?”

Forget playing this off like it was no big deal; this year, Mabel rather thought, was time to bask in it. Still, the way she was practically glowing betrayed just how much this meant to her, nonetheless.

“PFFFT-AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

If this person didn’t know what they were talking about, Cera wasn’t going to correct them. She was just going to roll on the floor laughing at the way she’d benefited from their error in judgement.

“Oh, wow. I guess Felix and Calhoun were really onto something with that whole ‘being nice to each other’ thing, huh?”

Was she going to admit that this was, legitimately, the first time she’d been assessed as being on the nice list? Not a chance... but nonetheless, that was the way it was rolling out.

Who would have thought being nice could actually pay off?

“Hm... not hard to improve on that though, right?”

Sure, last year she’d slipped and landed herself squarely on the naughty list; but that, as far as Zoey was concerned, had been a one-off mistake. Still, it was gratifying to hear that she’d more-than made up for it by now.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah...”

Would a massive roll of her eyes help her case? Probably not; but Vanellope was getting used to this by this point. Christmases came and went, and Santa never quite approved of her... but as she still got a tonne of presents from Ralph and Shank and Felix and Calhoun and whoever else, Vanellope found it hard to actually care enough to change her ways very far.

Besides. She wasn’t actually being bad; if Santa disapproved of harmless teasing and a bit of pranking and mayhem? That was his problem, not hers.

“Now wait just a minute--”

Oh, she wasn’t about to take that lying down. Just because she was generally a soft-spoken lady didn’t mean that Vixey didn’t know how to stand up for herself; and getting spoken of in this way was about where she drew the line.

“I mean, you’ve got some nerve, coming in here like that. Who do you think you are?”

That, and the subject of being hunted down was rather a touchy one for her, for obvious reasons.

“Tch, yeah. I’ll believe that when I see it.”

Had she learned far better than to take this at face value? YEP. As far as Angry cared, this Santa guy couldn’t be trusted any further than any other adult, who ultimately didn’t give a damn about her and Red - and he could just ask Eugene how hard he’d have to work if he wanted to change that impression.

“Fa’ what it’s worth, dose kittens were inta’fearing wit’ official Crusadah business. Someone hadta run dem out of de clubhouse, an’ it fell ta me.”

She wasn’t arguing the point; but at least the whole story could get out there, right? Plus, if it saved any of the younger Manehattan Crusaders from landing on the naughty list themselves for the same reason?

Yeah, she’d take that.

“Oh, that’s no problem. We totally got this, right Stitch?”

Sure she could be a... handful at times, even Lilo knew that. But there was really no doubt in the minds of anyone who knew her that Lilo was essentially a good kid at heart. Keeping her place on the nice list ought to be a snap, surely.

Also, if the grey area was to do with that time she’d set a hair-eating experiment loose in Mertle Edmonds’ bedroom? She totally had a good excuse for that and would be willing to explain it to any Santa who would listen.

The three sisters' reactions were instantaneous, almost synchronised... and completely different.

"Oh, come on! I don’t even know what a stapler is!”

Was it that red thing she’d snatched from Jim Dear’s desk the other week and had been using as a chew toy? How was she supposed to know it had been important?

“Santa doesn’t have the right to judge me, anyway.”

That was not what she either wanted or expected to hear. If she’d got a good result, then sure, Annette would have accepted it. But this?

Perhaps, perhaps her lack of tolerance of the antics some of the other members of her family had weighed against her; but while Annette might do a little bit of quiet self-analysis in private, she wasn’t about to admit anything to anyone else.

“You could at least tell me why.”

What on earth could she have possibly done to earn herself a worse ranking than Scamp? A little bit of a huff was given by the red-collared sister, but no further protest was offered.

“Huh. Really?”

She had hardly made up for everything she’d done in the past... but it seemed, at least, that Santa was actually willing to let that remain in the past this time. And while Terra was certainly surprised, after the way he’d so blatantly called her out last year...

She was also incredibly relieved, too.

Finally, maybe, she could leave Terra dead in the past, where she belonged.

“Still riding that one down, I guess...”

What else was there to say? Santa had promised her that exact same thing last year, too; seemed like he was as good as his word.

And still wasn’t allowed anywhere near Scrooge’s property, so it didn’t actually count for anything at all, for her. But hey, the thought was what mattered, right?

‘Santa’? ‘List’? ‘Watch out’?

It sounded like she’d stumbled across some kind of conspiracy. The little hat-wearing girl’s head tilted, an expression of deepest curiosity worn across her wide-eyed features.

The way the word ‘nice’ was in inverted commas suggested it didn’t mean what it said it meant. Was it actually a hit list?

Was this ‘Santa’ an assassin? Was that why she needed to watch out?

Was she his next target?

The small child gripped her trusty umbrella all the tighter, looking about her. So far, no-one seemed to be sneaking up on her to carry out this deed, and her posture relaxed slightly. Though she didn’t let go of her weapon.

You couldn’t be too careful, right?

[fly-pow-bye]

DuckTales 2017 - “The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee!”

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

Written by: Christian Magalhaes

Storyboard by: Jean-Sebastien Duclos, Sam King, Jason Reicher

Directed by: Jason Zurek

Dangerous!

We begin this adventure in a dark and stormy night, caused by a villain who calls himself Dr. Atmozfear. GizmoDuck shows up and attempts a one-liner about how he's going to rain on his parade. It's made quite clear this was not his best line, even Dr. Atmozfear points out that he must not really be trying, but Gizmo has an excuse: not only has he spent better one-liners against two other weather-based villains, he is so overworked as a superhero that he couldn't re-up his puns.

Showing that off even more, he gets a phone call right in the middle of this encounter, showing that he's so busy, even explanations about how he's so busy gets interrupted. The villain even says almost exactly that; his other part of his villainy is explaining the joke. He eventually punches him out, and uses the exact same one-liner he used slightly more confidently, much to Dr. Atmozfear's derision. Pointing out your jokes aren't funny isn't usually a good idea, but it does work for the rest of the plot.

After taking care of that umpteenth villain, we see Huey and Webby waiting for Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera to show up. Webby still doesn't know who GizmoDuck's secret identity is, but Huey does, and he desperately tries to keep the secret as Fenton walks out of an alley coincidentally after GizmoDuck crashes into that alleyway and disturbs a cat. Webby connects the dots immediately, and asks Fenton if his GizmoDuck suit has a toilet in it.

Thankfully, he never answers that question, but he does have to add Webby to the growing list of people who know his secret identity. He decides to walk into an electronics store to find a birefringent beam splitter, only to be blasted.

No, not by a ray gun, but by a bunch of TVs. This electronics store decided to have every news channel play at the same time. Yes, I know, it's to show that every news station in Duckberg is talking about that amazing superhero. Well, one of these news reports ends up being very apparent to me, and it's easy to see why.

Tom Kenny: So once again, the day is saved, thanks to Gizmoduck!

I was so glad I wasn't drinking coffee here, because I would have spit it out, got it all over my keyboard, and had yet another excuse to delay a review. It's been so long since I've heard anything like that in a current show, and I didn't expect to hear it here, of all places. Fenton asks around for those birefringent beam splitters, and someone helps him out.

This lady knows what that is, and throws it to him. Fenton just can't believe someone else would know what a birefringent beam splitter is, with the implication that he can't believe that it would be her in particular. She doesn't exactly call him out on it, but she does say that working with hard physics can be hard for a rookie.

Fenton defends himself, saying that he's actually scientist for McDuck Enterprises. Not impressed, she talks about how he's into "sellout science", and that she doesn't kiss up to zillionaires and play by any rules. Eventually, he claims that he's working on a dangerous project for himself, playing himself as if he had a dangerous personality, and, with both curiosity and extreme doubt, she wants to see his lab. Fenton just goes along with it, acting like he's the great inventor for Scrooge McDuck.

While this conversation is happening, a different kind of dot-connecting happens with Huey and Webby. Webby is confused about all of this, but the great student of the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook knows this has to be the romantic courting of adults. This one doesn’t have any separate B-plot, but it’s as close as we get here.

It doesn’t help their interpretation that this lady just took his phone and put her phone number in it, with her name, revealing her as this reboot's version of Gandra Dee. From what I can remember, and from what I could see from reading wikis, this is a very different character than the one from the original outside of the "love interest to Fenton Crackshell" part. So yeah, she bought it.

After the "animated character who only wears one outfit deciding between two identical suits" joke, Huey and Webby respond that he should dress to impress his new date. Fenton denies it, saying this is just a melding of the minds. Sure, it would eventually blossom into a relationship that will last as long as they live, but it's not a date!

M'Ma Cabrera shows up, and ends up giving him dating tips and a nice suit to wear for the date that used to be his father's. Also, if she breaks his heart, she promises to come and dismantle her life. She won't fulfill that promise...yet.

Turns out, it's not just Huey and Webby that's assuming this is a date and not the "melding of the minds" Fenton claims it is, as even Launchpad congratulates him on it. For the first time since Season 1, we see Launchpad being able to park his car after recklessly driving. After wrecking his car for the last few episodes we saw him driving it, it's good to see that gag come back.

Gandra Dee: Nice upgrade, Suit. Yeah, you’re definitely the bad boy of science.

Oh, please don’t remind me of that one episode of the other show. He still tries to play this off as a non-date, and doesn't help anything that the latest hit song that's playing on the radio is "It's A Date (Don't Let Him Fool You)". At least he's comforted, knowing that his "interns” are preparing "his" lab.

...and they prepared an Italian restaurant instead, much to Fenton's disapproval, as this was supposed to be "his" lab that he is totally not just an intern for. As for what happened to the actual inventor for McDuck Enterprises:

Gyro: (locked behind a door, banging) You will rue the day!

Webby shows up as the waiter, telling them about the special of the day: spaghetti! She then begs them to choose that, as that's all they made. Of course, they just want to recreate that scene from Lady and the Tramp. Gandra Dee doesn't have any interest in that spaghetti, and she has to walk away to answer a phone call.

They reveal pretty much right at this moment that Gandra is actually working for...oh, boy, Mark Beaks. I get his gimmick, but he was never a villain I felt joy in seeing. Not helping anything is that he's played as this stalker, constantly giving her phone calls.

She already said she works for herself, but could this just be a cover-up for her being a spy? Not helping anything is that, right before the commercial break, Gyro gets out of that door, and, out of pure instinct, she knocks out Gyro with an electric shock from her hands. How she does that will be explained later.

Beak is also drinking this blue stuff, which he will drink in almost every scene until they reveal what exactly it is. Chances are, considering he's drinking it out of glass vials, it's not Gatorade.

As an aside to all of that Italian restaurant stuff, Fenton gets to show off some of his inventions. There's no implication that at least some of these are actually Gyro's, so at least he seems honest about this. This includes a spray that makes anything taste like glazed donuts, and a solvent that melts anything but the hardest diamonds. Surprisingly, the latter doesn't really do that much in this episode. As for the former, she does ask this question:

Gandra: What if the person doesn't like glazed donuts?

Fenton: What kind of monster doesn’t like glazed donuts?

I can smell the callback from here! She shows off a few inventions of her own, telling him to look in her eyes and hold her hand on two separate occasions. Anyone can guess where that ends up with the "Huey and Webby's perfect date" plot. These actually turn out to be eye cameras and nanobot-powered way for her to use her body's electricity to shock people. Yeah, really showing you're not evil there.

Speaking of which, she then talks about how she's not like those pencil-pushers that talk...and then asks if there's a certain other word for talking. We then cut to Mark Beaks listening closely to this conversation. His patience runs out that getting only one of the words he needs, he decides to do a Plan B: infiltrate the lab himself.

The McDuck Manor’s security may not be as high as it was during the 87 Cent Incident, but he still has robot seagulls that shoot any intruder in sight with lasers.

Mark Beaks is this amazing laser dodger now, dancing around them to the tune of that "It's A Date" song from earlier. One thing that does fit him is that he takes out his phone and hacks into the seagulls.

In the middle of all of that, he dabs, because of course he does. Yes, this screenshot really needed to be by itself, and it also speaks for itself. Oh, that Beaks. Oh, and this line shows up, too, as soon as he gets into a vent.

Mark Beaks: (music stopping) What, no signal? Boo!

The importance of having a local music library instead of relying on streaming, a lesson brought to you by Disney.

Cutting back to the lab again, Fenton decides to show off his ultimate invention: a paddleball! We get the real Chekov's Gun for the episode here: the ball from the paddleball is made out of Fentonium, a frictionless material that actually gets faster every time it gets hit. It creates energy, it's named after him, and most importantly, it's dangerous. That's the word of the day for this episode.

They get back to that restaurant. Unfortunately, the spaghetti they rigged to force that kiss has come untied. Huey shows up to start singing as a distraction, while Webby tries to re-tie that spaghetti. Before she could, she notices a phone buzzing, with a message and a ton of voicemails from Mark Beaks, in the date's pocket. Any plans for potential romance are stopped here, needless to say.

After listening to those voicemails, no plot holes here, Webby reveals to Huey about the big plan: Gandra was sent to get her to record Fenton’s voice saying something that can be altered into “Blathering Blatherskite.” Huey gets Fenton, and while he can't believe he finally found someone who sees him as more than just Gizmoduck's not-so-secret identitty, he is none too happy to hear the bad news.

He's not even that mad about how she's a spy, though that certainly doesn't help, but that she ended up being yet another person that only sees him as the guy that turns into GizmoDuck. He eventually just outright says "blathering blatherskite", possibly by accident, possibly intentionally, I'm not sure which, and asks if this is what she wanted.

It turns out to be something someone else wanted. Mark Beaks shows up, and because Fenton just said the words, he doesn't even have to edit any recordings together when he just has that! That codeword activates the machinery in his body, including the nanites he's been drinking and stolen Gizmo tech, and even just one of them could give him strength beyond strength. He drank a bunch of those.

Yeah, that Mark Beaks, he sure knows the internet, whether it be desperately trying to be a memelord, or pandering to D...okay, fine, that joke is way too easy here. Also, insert a joke about a certain Metal Gear Rising villain here.

After Mega-Beaks shows off his massive pecs, GizmoDuck is left with no choice but to fight him. GizmoDuck mostly fights using the usual slapstick, using giant hammers, pies, and even an airhorn that doesn't make that infamous sound effect. Mega-Beaks, on the other hand, uses as much brute strength as TV-Y7-not-FV can allow. I guess since he's in a robot suit, they can get away with it.

One would expect after all of that stalker behavior from, Gandra would go up to that wannabe Adonis and give him the shock treatment, and when Webby uses her old fashioned camera’s flash to distract him long enough to give Gizmo the upper hand...

Gandra: I'm sorry, Suit.

That's not what really happens.

Half of this episode is just wondering if Gandra Dee is going to do a full-on mole reveal. She made her motives clear already: she'll do anything for science, but she doesn't work for anybody. She tries to pass this off, but Fenton, growing a spine, finally calls her out for being a crook. She leaves, her intentions never really becoming clear.

Mega-Beaks goes all King Kong with the kids, hanging off of his own building. He even says himself that this is all because he wants the attention.

This is where I'll just say watch the episode for the rest, as I already summarized enough. I will say it's not entirely predictable, but anyone could guess that Mega-Beaks will eventually lose his muscle.

Another thing anyone could guess is that Gandra eventually turns on Beaks...but her reasoning isn't entirely out of a desire to be good. Gandra Dee herself is an interesting character, and it could pay off in future episodes.

How does it stack up?

I liked this one. Not as much of a high Happy as the last episode, but a Happy nonetheless.

The next one is pretty big.

← Friendship Hates Magic! 🦆 The Duck Knight Rises! →

[superwolfiestar]

Across Another Dimension Ch.38

Their carriage then came to a complete stop as the group found themselves in what appeared to be a music room, but that's not what had their attention. No, their full attention was in the center of the room was a large, round table and on it was a fortune teller's crystal ball . . . which had a severed head in side of it! The head itself appeared to be a female goat that have feline with long flowing hair and was glowing an unnatural green color, meaning that she was, for a fact, a ghost. So this was the fabled Madame Leota, odd, the group didn't consider to see just her head. Then again, what was to be expected in this "House of Horrors"? The surprise didn't stop there for the head inside the crystal ball blinked its eyes and began to speak.

"Serpents and spiders; tail of a rat; call in the spirits, wherever they're at!"

At Leota's command, the group began to hear a series of moans and groans.

"Rap on a table, it's time to respond; send us a message from somewhere beyond!"

At that moment a rap on the table was heard as well.

"Goblins and ghoulish from last Halloween, awaken the spirits with your tambourine!"

As said tambourine began to clatter, the children, and Laucnhpad, found themselves shivering with fright, but for some reason, other found it oddly comforting at the sound of Halloween.

"Creepies and crawlies; toads in a pond; let there be music from regions beyond!"

Though the group had their own preferences on what kind of music they liked, they did not like the sound of the instruments playing themselves.

"Wizards and witches, wherever you dwell, give us a hint by ringing a bell!"

On that last command, a small bell began to chime away as the voice of the Ghost Host spoke back up.

"Come now, we must leave this cozy circle for . . ."

"What?" Panchito asked, not liking the way the Ghost Host stopped.

"Ssshhhh, listen . . ."

The group did just that and, almost instantly, began to hear the chimes of a pipe-organ; where'd that come from?

"The happy haunts have received your sympathetic vibrations and are beginning to materialize."

"They-they are?" Donald asked in a quivering voice.

"They're assembling for a swinging wake and they'll be expecting me."

"Wait, does that mean . . ?" Jose started to ask when he realized what was about to happen.

"I'll see you all a little later."

"Hold on, wait, don't-and he's gone." Princess Della said, but stopped when the Ghost Host's voice stopped.

"Some host he was." Boy Princess said bitterly. "How rude! And by the way, what do you think meant by "swinging wake?"

Before anything else could be said, the carriage began to move once again and took them across a balcony that overlooked a magnificent ballroom, which was apparently occupied. Ghosts; the ballroom was filled to the brim with real, spectral apparitions! Seated around a long was a few ghosts celebrating a birthday party, only when the birthday woman blew out the candles, the other attendants vanished with the flames.

Above the birthday party, were two more ghosts that were seated on the chandelier and chugging down wine, which fazed right through them. More ghosts began to appear from a coffin in an old hearse from down the hall. Not only that, but there were ghosts waltzing on the dance floor and a ghost who was playing the pipe-organ the group heard before, which sprouted out little ghost heads.

There were also two more portraits of Civil War soldiers, one Confederate and one Union, that came to life and shot at each other as if they were still at war. Needless to say in the least, it was actually more interesting than it was scary for the group: it was becoming more pleasant than horrifying.

"Going out on a limb and saying that is." Duckworth deduced nostalgically.

It was then that the carriage began to glide up another flight of stairs and found themselves to be in the attic, which was irregularly shaped and looked as though it were still under renovations. Odd, was the ghost host trying to expand this room for old items, because it wasn't a bad idea since it was cluttered with various items. They all appeared to be a collection of gifts, personal items, and old furnitures. The carriage stop all the sudden. Then, the ghost host came back.

“You are welcome to explore the attic my dear guests.” The ghost said, it was at that exact moment that a small step-ladder unfolded before them, obviously it was a sign for them to get off and explore this attic. Everyone get off the carriage and began exploring the dusty old attic.

The Super Caballeros and Boy Princess Donald unlock the off dusty trunk, it reveal a old women dresses and look too tall for any of their size.

The children look at old the old hats that were made back in the day, they wear on their head and look at the mirror.

Scrooge McDuck, Mrs. Beakley, and Duckworth looking at the old black piano and press some key note.

Launchpad, Storkules, Gyros, Fenton, Lil Bulb, and Manny stare and admiring at the old portrait that have Victorian peoples and landscapes.

Panchito and Donald were just walking around, and they camp upon a white sheet, the frame shape is about tall of their sizes, Donald notice at the bottom left corner, peaking out what appears to be a parrot foot. Donald and Panchito look at each other, when Panchito pull down a white sheet. It reveal a shocking moment, it was their parrot lover, Jose who was trap in the painting. It look like he was banging and trying to get out base on his pose.

All of sudden, everyone in the attic hear a strange sound, it was appear that it sound like someone heartbeat.

Thump thump, thump thump, thump thump. thump thump, thump thump...

"Anyone else hear that?" Panchito asked, quivering once more.

The carriage stop all the sudden and it coming closer and closer to the gang to where they are.

Thump thump, thump thump, THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP!

"Uh, you guys . . ?" Boy Princess asked, wide-eyed from what he was looking at.

Before anyone could say anything else as they turned, they too became wide-eyed in complete fright as well. Right there, they all saw a ghostly bride. She is a deer, and she was wearing her wedding dress, fully lined, with slight stretch in the shoulders and a fluted hem, but it was ruin. Her skin was lavender and her hair is the color of Iris. On her left hand was a bouquet of dead decaying roses in one hand and a poorly lit candle in the other. Her eyes was cover underneath her eye by the shadow except for its glowing, distant, yellow eyes. Most importantly, its heart glowed red with each beat. It was also very loud and was the source of the strange heartbeat.

It was a ghost bride.

[kelpiesedge]

Calling all YA fans! We have a special early Christmas present for you! Award-winning author Claire McFall has written a brand new chapter in the Ferryman saga! Read on to find out what exactly happened at Dylan’s Christmas Dance. 

Look out for the series finale, Outcasts, in March 2019!

***************************************************************************************************

It was snowing. Not the beautiful, pristine blanket of white that glistened in Christmas movies; this was more wet, slushy, gross snow, churned up and muddied by cars on the road and then spat onto the pavement. Which was why Dylan was wearing a glittering, purple party dress… and wellingtons.

She had her shoes in a plastic bag, though, her fingers clinging to the handles and slowly going numb thanks to the cold night air. Her other hand was toasty warm, tucked into Tristan’s. Dylan peeked at him out of the corner of her eye. She’d tried to talk him into hiring a kilt for the dance, but he’d balked at the idea of donning “a skirt” and instead was dressed in his black school trousers and a dark blue shirt that made his eyes seem to glow in an unearthly way. He’d hacked at his long hair the week before, instructing a barber to cut it tight to the sides of his head, leaving a deliberate disarray of spikes on top. Dylan had been horrified as she’d sat in the waiting area of the hairdressers – she loved running her fingers through his hair – but Tristan said he was sick of it getting in the way. It had been a shock at first, but now that Dylan had grown accustomed to his new shorn look, she had to admit it suited him. It emphasised the angles of his face, gave him a leaner, fiercer look.

She grinned, shaking her head at him when he eyed her quizzically. She wanted to pinch herself. She, Dylan McKenzie, was heading to a Christmas dance, hand in hand with the best-looking boy at school; the best-looking boy in Glasgow (or anywhere, really). Loving that fact was shallow, and she’d never admit it out loud – she pressed her lips together tightly and just smiled when Tristan followed up his look with a questioning squeeze of her hand – but she did love it. A year ago she’d never have dreamt she could experience this kind of happiness.

The only thing marring her evening was she couldn’t tell anyone the boy beside her was all hers. To everyone else at Kaithshall Academy, she and Tristan were cousins.

As they got close to the school, she gently disengaged their fingers. And felt the loss immediately – not just because it was cold. Tristan tried to regain her hand, but she dodged his searching fingers.

“People will see,” she murmured.

“So?” Tristan replied, though she knew he wasn’t serious. They’d had this discussion several times before.

There was a queue to get into the school, tickets once again being carefully checked – and rechecked – by the industrious McManus. He glowered indiscriminately, Scrooge standing in the way of all the Christmas fun.

“What’s in the bag?” he demanded when it was Dylan and Tristan’s turn to present their tickets. “Are you trying to sneak alcohol into a school event, young lady?”

“It’s my shoes,” Dylan answered, holding the bag open for him to inspect.

He peered in, like the contents might jump out and attack him, pursing his lips disapprovingly at the pair of spike-heeled sandals that Dylan had bought in a moment of madness and was now dreading having to dance in.

“Hmmm. And you?” He scowled at Tristan, who was wearing a thin jacket over his shirt. Tristan just stared back at him, refusing to be cowed – or searched – and to Dylan’s delight McManus backed down first, raising a disgruntled arm towards the entrance. Dylan suppressed her smile as they hurried inside. She had the feeling the bad-tempered history teacher considered every pupil he was forced to admit a personal affront.

A giant Christmas tree dominated the school’s reception area. It stood at a slightly drunken angle, and the baubles and tinsel had been thrown on in a haphazard, uneven fashion, but the lights twinkled merrily. Along with the jaunty Christmas music filtering in from the assembly hall, it gave Dylan a sparkly, festive feeling.

Or maybe that was the glass of very spiked eggnog that her dad had slipped into both their hands while her mum tried to organise pictures in front of the fireplace.

“Come on,” Dylan said, grabbing Tristan’s arm and tugging him along towards the cloakroom. They both ditched their jackets and Dylan yanked off her wellingtons with relief. Hanging on to Tristan for balance, she slipped her shoes on and stood up in them experimentally. They’d been fine in the confines of her bedroom and she thought she’d be okay – so long as she stayed in this exact spot and didn’t try to make any sudden movements.

“These may have been a mistake,” she admitted to Tristan.

“It’s all right,” he grinned back at her. “I’ll stay close by, so that if you fall, it’ll be straight into my arms.”

Dylan snorted. “That’s an awful line,” she grimaced.

“Sorry.” Tristan’s eyes twinkled, completely unrepentant. “I blame your dad’s eggnog. What the hell was in that?”

“Brandy,” Dylan told him. “Eggs and cream… but mostly brandy. Come on, let’s go check out the hall.”

The music got louder as they entered, belted-out Slade lyrics competing with the din of several-hundred teenagers crammed into the space.

“I thought you said this would be country dancing?” Tristan shouted.

Though most of the young people in the hall were crowded around the chairs that lined the room, a fair few – mostly girls – were in the middle, moving, well, more accurately, gyrating to the music. The headteacher, standing by the refreshments table like a bouncer, was looking distinctly pale, probably at the thought of wading into the middle of the scantily clad group and trying to enforce school-appropriate dance moves. Good luck with that, Dylan thought.

“It is,” Dylan shouted back, taking wicked delight in crushing the relief on Tristan’s face. “See?” she pointed, “The ceilidh band’s setting up. It’ll start in a minute.”

“Great,” Tristan monotoned, and Dylan laughed.

“Say it like you mean it!” she told him, amused.

They’d had several country dancing lessons in PE over the last few weeks. For Dylan, who’d been forced to practise the set pieces since primary school, it was nothing new, or special. She was just delighted to have someone to dance with – the people who couldn’t find a partner had to pair up with a teacher. Tristan, on the other hand, hated it.

It was strange. Normally, he moved confidently, gracefully; he was at ease with his body. At the Halloween dance, he’d burled Dylan around like he’d spent every day doing it. But apparently, doing a pas de basque was completely beyond him, and the progressive dances – where you had to keep changing partners – utterly baffled him. Dylan found it endearing – and hilarious. For once, she was the leader and not the klutz.

“Promise me I’ll only have to dance with you,” Tristan pleaded.

“I promise,” Dylan replied, “I don’t think it would be right to inflict you on anyone else anyway!”

She certainly didn’t want him dancing with Cheryl, or Steph, or any of their moronic friends. The whole bunch of them were, of course, in the thick of the writhing, dancing bodies.

The song ended and, instead of the thumping bass of another pop song, the screech of fiddles and an accordion pierced the sudden quiet.

“All right!” Mrs Peters, the Head of PE, clambered up onto the stage, microphone in hand. “Pairs on the dance floor for a Gay Gordon!”

“You know this one!” Dylan exclaimed.

“Yippee!” Tristan deadpanned.

Feeling light and happy enough that she was all but bouncing on her overly high heels, Dylan hauled Tristan onto the dance floor. Positioning herself in front of him, she grabbed his hands, placing one down by her side and the other over her shoulder.

“Just watch everybody else and do what they do,” she instructed. “You’ll be fine.”

Tristan nodded, expression grim. He looked like a prisoner about to face the walk to the executioner’s chair.

“I love you,” she told him, unable to contain her smile in the face of his misery.

“Humph,” he said.

If they weren’t surrounded by half the school – and if they weren’t supposedly cousins – she’d have kissed him.

The music changed into the rhythm for the dance and they started forwards.

“Forward two, three, four.” She twisted, tugging Tristan’s hands to make him do the same. “Back two, three, four. Forward two, three, four.” Twist. “Back two, three, four. Now,” she dropped one of his hands, “just walk.” Putting all of her weight on the ball of her foot, she spun beneath Tristan’s arm. “Okay, waltz! Round and round and round we go, ready to start again!”

By the third time through, Tristan had it, and Dylan was able to stop her muttered instructions and just enjoy the flow of dancing with him. His warm hands, the strength of his body when he held her, his martyred expression…

“See?” she commented when the music stopped. “You can do it!”

“Great. Please tell me we can spend the rest of the night sitting on one of those lovely comfy chairs over there. Or better yet, find some quiet, dark corner where we can—”

“Right folks, next up is a Strip the Willow. Everybody into sets of eight, please.”

Strip the Willow – Dylan’s absolute favourite. Spinning, twirling and burling – and if your feet didn’t leave the floor you weren’t doing it right. She bit her lip and eyed Tristan hopefully. He looked at her, then at the chairs, then at the dance floor. Heaving a sigh, he turned and wordlessly led her towards the chaos of pupils trying to get into position.

Dylan got Tristan through a Strip the Willow, a Canadian Barn Dance and even a Dashing White Sergeant, though he was clearly unimpressed that he had to share her with Robbie Muldoon from their science class for that one.

The next dance, a quickstep, was a progressive and Dylan gave in to the horrified (and terrified) look on Tristan’s face and let him drag her out of the hall. They bypassed the queue for the toilets and Tristan tugged her a little way up the technical corridor. This was out of bounds, the lights off, but he shouldered through the double doors until they were encased in near-night darkness.

“Tristan! What are we doing here?”

“Guess,” Tristan replied, nudging Dylan over until her back was to the wall and he was towering over her. “I want to collect my reward.”

Dylan smiled, her hands finding Tristan’s in the dark. That was how she’d enticed him here in the first place, promising a kiss for every dance he survived.

“If we get caught—”

“We won’t,” he promised. “Now, by my count that was four dances, and I think I deserve double for that last one.”

“Hmmm. Maybe…” Dylan lifted herself up until her nose was level with his chin – Tristan was too tall for her to get any higher.

“Will this convince you?” He pulled something out of his pocket and dangled it above Dylan’s head.

“What on earth is it?” Dylan peered in the dark.

“Mistletoe,” Tristan said, looking pleased with himself.

“Where did you get mistletoe?” Dylan snatched it out of the air, felt the hard, unyielding shape of it. “This is plastic! It totally doesn’t count!”

“Use your imagination,” Tristan insisted. He plucked it out of her hand and held it once more over her head, his expression aggrieved.  

“You’re adorable,” Dylan told him, grinning. She kissed his jaw, all she could reach until he dropped his head and pressed his mouth to hers. He kissed her until she ran out of breath and was forced to pull away.

“Merry Christmas,” she whispered. “Your first Christmas,” a bubble of laughter, “and your first Christmas dance.”

“Merry Christmas,” he whispered back. “My first Christmas… and hopefully my last Christmas dance!”

“We’ll see,” Dylan hedged. “I’ll sneak you more eggnog when we get home.”

“I’ll need it,” he grumbled.

The soft strains of music changed and Dylan turned her head.  

“Tristan!” she said. “It’s the Flying Scotsman. Come on, we have to do this one! Please!”

He groaned, burying his face in her neck, but he let her lead him back down to the hall and out onto the floor where they joined the throng preparing for the dance.

Her heart lifted at the whirling to come. Standing opposite Tristan, waiting to start, Dylan felt her throat tighten and her eyes glisten. He looked stoic, resigned… and pretty miserable. And he was doing it for her, because he loved her. It was a gift beyond measure. 

***************************************************************************************************

Hungry for more? Both Trespassers and Ferryman are available to buy now! Get your copy for Christmas here! 

(And look out for the series finale, Outcasts, in March 2019!

[lady-divine-writes]

Klaine Advent - “The Holiday Blahs” (Rated PG)

Kurt just can't seem to get into the holiday spirit. He doesn't know why, he just isn't feeling very Christmas-y.

But Blaine knows someone who might be able to help. (1263 words)

Notes: Written for the Klaine Advent 2017 prompt "fraction". Daddies!Klaine. Angst and emotional hurt/comfort, but mostly fluffy holiday schmoop.

Read on AO3.

“Hey, baby.” Blaine takes off his coat and hangs it beside Kurt’s on the hooks by their front door. “How was your afternoon? Get any work done?”

“Tons,” Kurt answers dryly from his seat on the sofa, where his laptop, files, and other miscellaneous work items lie scattered beside him, creating a haphazard retaining wall that separates him from the rest of the room.

Blaine walks in and marvels at how festive their family room looks – a vast difference from the stylish and modern day-to-day ambiance it had had that morning.

“You decorated!” Blaine exclaims, walking towards the focal point of the room – their seven-and-a-half foot, fully lit, artificial California cedar. “And you put up the tree!”

“Yes, I did,” Kurt mutters, fully engrossed in the photo of a young woman modeling the latest in Tom Ford suits, part of his Spring collection. Blaine watches his husband move from photo to photo, completely unaffected by the shiny red-and-green garland strung from wall to wall, or the colorful lights twinkling in time to the joyful music playing softly in the background.

“And … it didn’t help?”

“No.” Kurt sighs, setting the photos aside.

“Not an inch.”

“Not an inch.”

“Not even a fraction of an inch?”

Kurt takes off his glasses, rubs his tired eyes. “Not at all.”

“That’s a shame.” Blaine carefully relocates a pile of Kurt’s things and sits beside his husband. “I mean, it’s December 5th. The department stores have their window displays up, the Santa Claus court at the mall is in full swing, we’ve already been skating at Rockefeller Center - you’d think you’d feel a little bit Christmas-y by now.”

“I know.” Kurt scoots closer and puts his head on Blaine’s shoulder. “I don’t understand it. Christmas is my favorite time of the year. It’s the one thing that’s always been able to cheer me up, even after my mom passed away. The whole year could be crap, but the minute Christmas rolled around, it made everything feel right again. Hopeful. But now … I feel so blue.”

“Maybe you’re overloaded at work?” Blaine guesses, seeing as Kurt has taken on several new responsibilities this year after earning his big promotion to Executive Fashion Editor at Vogue. “Could that be squashing some of your Christmas cheer?”

“I work in fashion, Blaine.” Kurt moves a hand away from his computer and onto his husband’s knee. “Next to the toy industry, it’s one of the most festive industries to work in this time of year.”

“Have you been missing your dad lately?”

“Well, yeah,” Kurt says, followed by a soft ‘Duh’ that makes Blaine chuckle. “But we Skype all the time. Plus, he and Carole are flying in in a few weeks. They’ll be staying with us up through Christmas, so I don’t really think that’s it. I think I just have a case of the holiday blahs, you know?”

“Yeah.” Blaine leans sideways and kisses Kurt on the crown of his head. “I know.”

“And I’m beginning to notice that the older I get, the worse it gets.” Kurt starts scratching the denim of Blaine’s jeans, the sound of his nails raking against the fabric covering the wobble in his voice. “Maybe the magic of Christmas is wearing off for me. Maybe … maybe it’s only for children, and I should just accept it.”

“I don’t believe that,” Blaine says, gently taking the hand carving ruts into his jeans, swiping his thumb over the smooth metal of his husband’s wedding band. “I think it’s the magic of Christmas that makes us feel like kids again, which is kind of important when you have kids of your own. You don’t want to be a Scrooge when you have a seven-year-old around, excited for Santa to show.”

“You’re right,” Kurt says. “I know.” He was thinking the exact same thing before Blaine came home. “And I’m trying. I swear. But this year …” Kurt rolls his head back and forth “… I’m just not feeling it. And I don’t know how to change that.”

“Do you, maybe, want me to break out my old Santa costume?”

“You mean, that pair of red pants you wore for that obscene calendar you guys put together back in high school?”

“That’s the one.”

“Does it still fit?”

“There’s only one way to find out.”

“Usually I’d say let’s give it a shot, but I don’t know if that’ll cheer me up … or make me feel like a giant perv.”

“It was a suggestion.” Blaine’s ears perk up at the sound of a vehicle stopping in front of their house. He glances at the clock on the mantel, checking the time, and smiles. “Though … I think someone just arrived who can help.”

“Yeah?” Kurt slips his glasses back on his nose, preparing to return to his work. “Only if they’re delivering a gallon bottle of tequila.”

“Oh, they’re delivering something a little bit better than that.”

Blaine leaps off the sofa and rushes to the front door before whoever on the other side can ring the bell. He throws it open along with his arms in greeting to the person on the other side.

“Buttercup!”

“Daddy!”

Kurt’s head pops up at the sound of his daughter’s voice. He looks over at the clock. 2:30 already? he thinks. God! The day flew by, and he barely got anything done! Of course, he’d stopped for a few hours in the middle to get the place decorated. It had taken him longer than he’d anticipated. He had to pause periodically to catch his breath when an ornament or two caused a surge of melancholy to bubble to the surface, but it was just as important to finish as the work he’s currently behind on.

He remembers the Christmas his father forgot, when he was about Tracy’s age – the one right after his mom passed away. He remembers how abandoned he’d felt, how alone. His father remembered in time to save Christmas, and everything turned out alright in the end, but Kurt doesn’t want his daughter to go through that.

He might be depressed, but that didn’t mean their little girl should suffer.

“Papa, Papa, Papa!”

“Hey, Tracy!” Kurt says, ready to intercept his daughter, but with a yelp, she flies right past him into the center of the room, straight to the tree.

“Oh! Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! Daddy! You put up the tree!”

“Your Papa put up the tree!” Blaine says, redirecting credit where credit is due.

Tracy puts her hands up to her face and gasps, and Kurt’s heart squeezes, wondering if Tracy had noticed his recent moodiness with regard to the holidays. Of course, she did! he scolds himself. Kids her age notice everything!

“Papa! It’s the most beautiful tree in the whole universe!”

“Tracy!” Kurt laughs. “It’s the same tree we had last year! And the year before that! It’s not even decorated yet!”

“I don’t care! It’s our tree and that’s all that matters!” She spins on the balls of her feet and flings herself into Kurt’s arms. “Thank you, Papa! Thank you! This is going to be the best Christmas ever!” Tracy hugs her father tighter, and Kurt hugs her back, holding her so close, Blaine suspects it’ll take till next Christmas to untangle the two.

“Does that help?” he asks, rubbing circles onto Tracy’s back, wanting to be a part of this moment without taking his daughter’s attention away from Kurt.

Kurt rests his chin on Tracy’s small shoulder and sighs. “It doesn’t hurt.”