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midnightmarev · 4 years

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Hide and Seek

AO3 link.

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Platonic everyone. But if you squint, you might see some Loceit and Remile.

Summary: Ever wonder how Virgil always wins in hide and seek? Well, wonder no more, for I have the answer right here!

Author’s note: This is inspired by an incorrect Sanders Sides quote I made on Twitter. That quote was inspired by me writing down cosplay ideas, Virgil and Patton playing hide and seek with each other and Virgil "cheating", finding Patton super quick ;)

This is basically just fluff and Virgil being a sneaky bean.

Hide and Seek

A knock sounded on his door. Virgil groaned. Why couldn’t he just sleep? It was only, what? 11 am?

“Hey, kiddo?” Patton. “Roman and I have arranged a day out in the Imagination. Are you even up?” he added after a moment of hesitation, sounding disapproving.

‘No, I’m not, but it’s not like I can say that to you’ Virgil thought to himself. “Yeah, I’m up. Just, uh, dosing of a bit. I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Yay!” Patton left. Ugh, what did they have planned this time? Horseback riding was bad enough; his rear still hurt a bit, by the way, Princey!

Virgil got out of bed and got dressed before he went to his bathroom to put on his make-up. What? He still liked to keep up his aesthetics even though they weren’t filming. Sure, they were going outside in the Imagination, and it would probably be ruined, but he still liked it, okay?!

It’d been about ten minutes since Patton had knocked on his door when he finally ventured downstairs to the commons. Patton was bouncing on his feet, keeping himself from jumping Virgil with a hug. Logan sat on the couch reading. Looked like he didn’t want to be there, either, but when faced with Patton, one can’t say no. He’ll only give you his puppy-dog-eyes, and you’ll be in a puddle on the floor.

Roman was sporting his outdoor clothes. He always did when they went into the Imagination. Didn’t want to ruin his prince outfit. He looked rather disgusted with something Remus had said before swatting his playfully on the arm. Same old.

What surprised Virgil was that Deceit was there. He usually didn’t want to partake in outdoor activities because of his reptilian traits. Roman and Patton must have made sure it was the perfect temperature. Dee was currently leaning up against Logan, eyes closed, basking in Logan’s body heat.

As Virgil came to a stop in front of Patton, he heard another door open and close. Virgil opened his arms to give Patton permission to hug him. And hug him he did!

“Alright, babes! Save some of him for me, would ya?” Virgil’s eyes widened. Patton invited Sleep as well? Or Remy, as the fanders had dubbed him. A name he now proudly wore.

Patton slowly released Virgil from the embrace. “Heya Remy! So happy you decided to come! Is Emile coming as well?” Wait, Patton invited Emile, too? Who else did he ask to join? Anton, the Critic? Antagonist? October?

“Yep! My boo will be down any moment now. Had to wrap up practising some lines for Thomas’ upcoming Cartoon Therapy episode. Now, as for you, Virgil,” Remy said, turning to look at Virgil. “You better stop pulling those long nights, mister! I am missing out on so many parties because you keep Thomas up all night with me trying to put him to sleep!” Remy exclaimed before pulling Virgil into a hug, this one lighter than Patton’s.

“You stayed up all night again, Virgil? That’s why you sounded so sleepy when I knocked on your door,” Patton chided. Virgil winched.

“Yeah, sorry, Pat. Bad habit,” Virgil said, very apologetically. Time to change the subject, because now all eyes were on him and he did not like that! “So, eh, what are we doing in the Imagination?”

Patton’s eyes lit up. “Hide and seek!” he exclaimed excitedly. Roman’s eyes lit up as well, as did Remus’, mostly because now he had an excuse for getting in the dumpsters. The rest of the sides gave off groans of various lengths and volume, the most pronounced being Logan.

“Ugh, again?” Virgil asked in disbelief. That was just as bad as horseback riding! It was physically requiring! You have to actively do something.

“Awe, come now Emo Nightmare. It’ll be fun! Or are you just scared because you know you’ll lose?” Roman smirked at Virgil. Oh, it was on!

“In your dreams, Princey. I know I’ll win. I always do. Remember?” Virgil snarked back. Virgil had the perfect strategy, one they always fell for no matter how many times they played hide and seek.

“Ooh, sounds like we need to settle some drama in a game of ‘Hide and Seek’,” Remy interjected, always one for drama.

“What’s that about drama and hide and seek?” Emile now entered the commons as well, his usual outfit in place. A young figment at his side was something they weren’t expecting, though. “Oh, this is Qikkie, by the way. I’m training her to become a therapist so she can help the other figments when I’m too busy,” Emile explained at the curious, and confused glances sent their way by the sides. Well, all except Remy, but he had his own young figment under tutorage, so of course he wasn’t surprised by Qikkie.

“Salutations, Qikkie, and welcome to the common rooms of the mindscape. Will you be joining us in the Imagination today?” Logan questioned, speaking up for the first time. Deceit still sat at his side, eyes now open at the mention of a new member to the famILY.

She looked up at Emile, who nodded at her. “I think I’ll skip this time, mister Logan. Reina is getting addicted to coffee,” Qikkie said, giving a pointed look at Remy. “And I’d rather she doesn’t go too far, like a certain someone in this room, right now.” Everyone looked at Remy, giving him variously pointed and disapproving looks.

“What?” Remy drawled, innocently taking a sip from the Starbucks coffee cup in his hand.

“Anygay,” Roman broke the silence. “Now that we’re all here, should we get going on an adventure?”

“Sure, Princey, if you call it an adventure to lose in hide and seek,” Virgil quipped, not missing a beat. That earned him a few offended princey noises. Virgil snickered.

“Play nice, kiddos. Roman, if you would?” Patton asked at which Roman responded with snapping his fingers and they all appeared in the Imagination.

They appeared in a rather large garden out in the country. There was a henhouse built into the messy garage leading out to at rather spacious chicken coop. The chicken coop had half-walls made of large roof tiles dug half into the ground to keep foxes from digging under and getting in. The chickens were outside in the coop. Usually, they would be out in the garden, but there were young chicks amongst them, so they stayed inside the coop to make sure they made it to adulthood — no doubt due to Patton’s presence.

There were fields to each side of the house accompanying the garden, and a small forest in the far end of the garden. Bushes and trees stood spread all over the garden as well as a swingset. One tree, in particular, stood out as it was the biggest of them all and held a treehouse in its treetop. Over-the-top, just like Princey.

All in all, the garden looked like a mess, chaos, but with a system in it, just like Virgil liked it best.

“Alright, Panic! At The Everywhere,” Roman broke Virgil from his thoughts. “If you think you can beat us, why don’t you start counting?” Ignoring the playful nickname, Virgil smirked.

“Gladly, sir Sing-A-Lot. Prepare to lose,” Virgil quipped back, lifting his hands to his eyes, starting to count to one hundred. This was going to be easy.

Virgil heard a lot of rustling while counting from the other sides and two figments finding hiding spots. Oh, this was going to be fun.

“…98…99…100!” Virgil made sure the last three numbers were audible to the entire garden. “Ready or not, here I come!” he sing-songed.

Virgil smirked to himself before shouting one particular fraise. “I HATE MYSELF!”

A distant “WHAT?!” was heard from behind the chicken coop, as well as some rustling. Before long Virgil could see Patton’s head. “I WILL PHYSICALLY FIGHT YOU!”

When Patton saw Virgil staring at his with a smirk on his face, Patton’s face contorted into one of understanding of what had just happened. “Oh, darn,” Patton said with a gesture of his arm before getting up and walking towards Virgil.

“Don’t worry, Pat. It was a good hiding spot,” Virgil smiled at Patton while giving him a pat on the back (pun intended). He then turned in the direction of Logan’s most likely hiding spot and shouted “INFINITESIMAL!”

A faint voice was heard from the henhouse, Logan’s pride, but soon grew in volume. “That was oNE TIME!!!” He always reacted when you mentioned that word, no exceptions.

With a smirk still on his face, Virgil walked to the henhouse and stuck his head inside the door to view Logan in the corner next to the door. “Hey, Lo.”

Logan slightly jumped before narrowing his eyes at Virgil. “Mother fu-” And that was Virgil’s cue to back out. As he walked back out from the garage to Patton, a series of unintelligible swears and grumbles could be heard from the henhouse. Virgil couldn’t help but snicker at that. Logan was no doubt pacing from wall to wall, fuming. Best to let him cool off.

“He’ll be out in a minute,” Virgil said when Patton gave him a questioning look. “Now. I have a pretty good idea where Princey is buuut; I wanna watch his reaction.” Virgil was wearing an evil smile. Oh, this would be so much fun. “DISNEY MOVIE NIGHT IS CANCELLED!”

A pained (and affronted and indignant) cry was heard from the treehouse. Definitely Roman.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! OH, CRUEL WORLD! PLEASE LET IT NOT BE TRUE!!” Roman cried out before his head popped out of a window.

Virgil stood at the base of the tree’s trunk, smirking up to Roman. “Found you, Princey,” he said, and before Roman could react, Virgil had left again.

Patton just sat at the tables and benches set in the middle of the garden field, laughing at their antics. He soon waved Roman to join him so they could chat. Logan still hadn’t come out from the henhouse, so Patton really wanted some company that wasn’t the adorable mix-breed black dog, Happy. She matched his personality so well, but Patton would also like some human company while Virgil worked on finding the rest.

Virgil smiled to himself. This next one should be a piece of cake. Or rather, a piece of deodorant. He lifted his hand towards his mouth to form a trunk and shouted “FREE DEODORANT!! NEW FLAVOUR!!”

Not even a split-second after he had uttered those words, a demonic screeching followed by a loud “WEEEEEEE!!!” was heard from behind the outer walls of the house from the dumpster area. A streak of green was all you could see, and not even a second later, Remus stood in front of Virgil. If he had a tail, he would be wagging it furiously.

He pouted when he realised he had just lost the game and it was just a ruse. No deodorant. Well, he would just have to manage with the two deodorants he had in his shoulder pads.

Logan still hadn’t come out of the henhouse and Roman was taking his sweet, sweet time exiting the treehouse, grumbling to himself. Patton was playing fetch with Happy, and Remus had taken out on of his deodorants from his shoulder pads and went to join them.

Who to choose next? Remy or Deceit? Both were quite easy, after all. He looked over towards Remus who was munching on some deodorant he got from who knows where. Virgil then smirked. “Remy it is, then,” Virgil said, filling his lungs with air. “FREE STARBUCKS IS CANCELLED!!”

Fwump. Something, most likely some wood, fell to the floor in the garage. “Oh, you better be lyin’ hon!” A loud slurp was heard a moment later. Virgil peeked his head inside the garage once again, smirking at Remy. “Oh, you are so dead, Virgie. I’ll get Logan out of the henhouse,” he added when he heard Logan’s grumbling from the henhouse.

Virgil had no doubt that Emile was close. Those two never hid far from each other. But Emile was a bit harder to flush out. He needed to think. What would get Emile super-hyped (cartoons) or make him react in outrage? Hmm… OH! Steven Universe Future was about to air!

Once again, Virgil called out, albeit quieter. “Steven Universe Future just got cancelled!!”

Bump. “What?!” Emile came into his vision with distress on his face. “They can’t! It’s supposed to be even better than the movie!”

Remy had finally gotten Logan to chill and came up Emile. “He’s using dirty tricks, babes,” he winked.

“Huh? Oh, right. I knew that!” Emile went outside with Remy, Logan and Virgil. “Oh, you’ve found everyone already!”

“Nope, not yet. Still missing Dee. And I have the perfect way to get him out of whatever hole he crawled into,” Virgil smirked, lifting his hand. A whoosh was heard, and in Virgil’s was now a bowler hat. Deceit’s spare one.

“Oh, you’re so dead, babes. DeeDee will be piiissed,” Remy snorted.

Virgil just shrugged and called out as loud as he could. “I HAVE DECEIT’S SPARE BOWLER HAT!! AND I CAN DO WITH IT AS I PLEASE!!”

The ground trembled a bit next where Virgil stood. He looked down and noticed a snake hole. Of course.

In 5 seconds, a snake emerged, and Deceit shapeshifted to his normal form to stand next to Virgil. “You WHAT?! I told you not to touch my shit!” Deceit said, grabbing at the bowler hat. It disappeared as soon as he touched it. An illusion. Deceit blinked once. Blinked twice. Then looked around him to see the others. “Oh. I totally didn’t fall for that.”

Virgil coughed to gain the others’ attention. “Found you all. Now let’s go back to bed.” And with that, Virgil turned around and walked away, back to his room, to continue sleeping.

Roman had now joined the others at the tables-and-benches set and had an unreadable expression on his face.

“… why do we keep falling for that?” he asked to no one in particular.

---

Inside the mindscape, Qikkie and Reina were laughing their asses off. They had conjured a mirror that was linked to the Imagination so they could follow the events of this day’s game of hide and seek.

“Oh, my! They are so stupid! I can’t even-” Reina laughed. “I can’t breathe!”

“Those boys are a bunch of idiots, alright!” Qikkie agreed.

Their laughter had calmed down a bit when they saw that Virgil was on his way back. He could’ve easily just sunk out, but - even though he would never admit it - he liked the theatrics of a dramatic exit.

Qikkie still had her focus on the rest of the sides in the Imagination when she heard a slurping sound followed by an “Ah”. She then slowly turned around. And pounced.

“Give me that!” she demanded when Reina evaded her.

“Never!” Reina laughed, running off, coffee cup in hand. “You’ll never get me alive!” she said over her shoulder.

Virgil entered the mindscape, watching the two newest figments chase after one-another, smiling to himself as he closed his door to once again return to the sweet, sweet thing called sleep.

All the while, Qikkie chased Reina all around the mindscape.

Endnotes: Alright. The garden and animals I described, was my garden and animals. I finally found an excuse for writing Patton meeting my dog, Happy. We don't have a treehouse though. But we do have chickens and a garage and a henhouse built into the garage. And the situation with the chickens is what we're facing right now. We lost all our chicks and almost all our hens last year to either the fox or some disease/weak immune system, so we're doing everything to make sure they grow up and such.

Qikkie and Reina are my original characters as well as my Morality and Creativity. In that order.

Please leave a comment/reblog. I would love to hear what you thought about this.

Come check out my Twitter and chat with me, if you want to, that is.

Thank you for reading. Take it easy guys, gals, and non-binary pals!

Ba-bye!

#dahlia writes #sanders sides #one-shot #ts virgil #ts patton #ts logan #ts roman #ts deceit #ts remus #ts remy #ts emile picani #original characters #bunch of fluff #sympathetic deceit #sympathetic remus #games in the imagination #inspired by incorrect quote #virgil uses dirty tricks #but can you call it cheating?

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definegodliness · 7 years

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The becoming of Hotdogian

Tagged by @purplemonkeysexgod69 for the ten question thingy, I found myself taken on a journey to within the deepest depths of my soul. Discovering parts within the self that have, even to me, been unknown up until now. A tag game where all my principles and values were put to the test in an epic adventure of introspection, rivaling the greatest Shakespearean drama.

You’ve decided to become a serial killer. In what manner do you kill your first victim? Ah, the winter of 2010. Memories. I was twenty-three and this sense of purposelessness had gradually more fiercely been eating away at me. A quarter-life crisis, I called it . A problem, I figure, which is faced by many modern-aged products in their early twenties. In bygone days you'd be halfway life already; a father perhaps, or sent to the killing fields. There was purpose at least. A purpose I had been severely lacking. And there was this ‘something’ eating away at me, ever since I was sixteen. Something that raised the hairs on my back; that caused many nights of restless sleep. So there, at twenty-three, after six years of fighting it (seven, nearly). I finally gave in and let it devour me. I embraced it. It's kind of an inside joke I share with me (you know how I tend to talk to myself -- who said that?); in many ways I was my own first victim. I cannot disclose any further information. I'm sure you understand :)

You’ve decided to become a pornstar. What is your stage name? Dick de Cock, which is a perfectly normal Dutch name. Cock's also a Dutch first name, and Diks is a last name. So I could go with Cock Diks too. And though Fokker is a common Dutch last name as well (you know, from the Airplane), using that last name in combination with the aforementioned first names would be confusing to the audience trying to get a specific genre to suit their needs. So I’ll go with Dick de Cock. Or Lickity Slit, that one sounds fun too.

You just won half a billion dollars in the lottery. Who is the first person you cut out of your life? There's no one left to cut.

A man in black hands you a brown briefcase. In this briefcase is a red button. The man in black disappears in a puff of pink smoke that smells like lavander and orange blossoms. You hear maniacal laughter in the distance. Do you press the red button? You had me at red button. Of course I'll push it! I hope it's shiny. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?

You’ve decided to press the button triggering The Rapture. You are not floating into heaven and the Armageddon asteroid is fast approaching. You can only fit one other person in the alien spacecraft you purloined. The spacecraft is programmed to travel to a habitable unknown planet with unknown inhabitants. Do you hop into the spacecraft to avoid certain death and an eternity in hell? Tough choice. On the one hand there's the fire, the death, the eternal torture, but of course I'd also get the chance to meet a wide variety of interesting people. Freddy Mercury will be there; Johnny Cash, David Bowie, Nietzsche, Mozart, George Carlin, Gene Wilder, Bruce Lee... well I'm just going to stop right here, because who'd get to heaven anyway. Honestly. Allen Rickman maybe, that guy was a saint... well, depending on whose rapture it is, else it's straight off to hell with him as well. Anyway, on the other hand I've always wanted to have a go at space travel. Should be fun. I'll meet with you guys later, okay?

Who would you take with you if you chose to get into the spacecraft? No one really. I mean, Ren and Stimpy taught me about Space Madness and I really don't want to confront anyone with seeing me eating a bar of soap butt naked, gently floating through the no gravity room; talking to the soap as if it was my long lost lover. Oh! That’s it. I'll let the romantic in me speak: I'll bring my long lost lover. If she wants to come, I don’t know how confident she is in reaching heaven nowadays. Again, whose rapture is it anyway?

You’ve decided to board the spacecraft and you are with the person you chose to accompany you. You have lifted off and are escaping the earth’s gravitational field. You discover a button on the spacecraft that would crash it into the asteroid, obliterate it, and save the earth and all its inhabitants. You have thirty seconds to make the decision. Do you press the button? Well I would have if I didn't had to bring anyone! After looking up all those atheists, homosexuals, adulterers, blasphemers, fornicators, etc. I was starting to look forward to hell. But gosh darn now I really can't. Besides, this button isn't nearly as shiny as the one in the brown suitcase was.

You’ve decided to selfishly save yourself and your passenger and travel to the unknown planet. Upon arriving, you discover that it is full of highly intelligent and peaceful vegetarian arachnids and the only edible food source is tofu. They’ve decided to treat you and worship you like gods. Do you stay or hop back into the spacecraft and take your chances trying to find another habitable planet? One look at those eight-legged critters would be enough to hit the ignition button. I wouldn't even have time to figure out the tofu limitation is another reason to leave. Being treated like a god doesn't really resonate with me either. I figure it's like a perpetual state of how you feel when people sing 'Happy Birthday' to you on your birthday.

You’ve decided to search for another planet and fortunately find one three planets away in the same binary solar system. You have not eaten in three days since waking up from an induced hibernation when you traveled to the last planet and the tofu supplies in the spacecraft have been depleted. This new planet is full of highly intelligent, peaceful, and edible vegetarians that look like hot dogs in buns. Only these inhabitants are fit for human consumption; everything else on the planet is poisonous. You will not survive another day. How many Hotdogians do you murder in one sitting to satisfy your hunger? I'd be pretty hungry, so the first two would go pretty fast. The third as a normal meal. And the fourth a little slower. Halfway the fifth my stomach will probably say it's full, but I'll eat it anyway. The funny thing about Hotdogians is that they give off a squeaky toy’s ‘peep’ when you bite in them, which is highly entertaining. Almost as entertaining as pressing a shiny button. So the rest of the time I'd act like a fox in a henhouse.

After murdering their husbands, wives, sons, and daughters. The Hotdogians declare all out war and attempt to stab you with their tiny toothpicks. You feel guilty but your instinct for survival is stronger and you and your passenger end up wiping out their entire civilization in less than 6 months. The spacecraft has no more fuel and you are stranded. The side effect of eating all those Hotdogians is that it turned both you and your passenger into Hotdogians. You are both hungry and are each the last edible and tasty morsel on the planet. You end up in an epic toothpick battle with your passenger. You come out victorious, tears in your eyes, blood on your hands. Having shrunk in size, you notice something near the spacecraft. A ketchup packet! Do you use it to devour your last meal? I would nobly perform harakiri by toothpick. Which is going to suck because toothpicks don’t have that sharp blade’s edge.

#ask game #this was fun #hell yiss #purplemonkeysexgod69

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josephstoontown · 7 years

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Fox Hunt, Ch. II

Chapter II of "Fox Hunt," a Joseph's ToonTown story. (Originally one-half of a one-part story of the same name.)

Logistics once again decided that I should split this story in twain. I'm okay, with this.

Word count: 5,657 – Character count: 32,878 Originally written: December 18th - 19th, 2016 Slightly revised: January 18th, 2017 Revised further: August 30th, 2017

The search for Joseph continues… and ends in the strangest sort of location.

Woody Woodpecker, Winnie Woodpecker, The Woody Woodpecker Show, and related characters and properties created by and © Walter Lantz Productions Moe Syzslak, Moe's Tavern, The Simpsons, and related characters and properties created by Matt Greoning and © Fox Broadcasting Company

[ ↶ Prev. Story | ← Prev. Chapter | Next Chapter → | Next Story ↷ ]

Woody’s first thoughts were to head to the Disney District and ask around. He figured that Winnie had a good point about the fox being unique enough to be memorable. He briefly even considered going straight to Shinko’s apartment… but, when he remembered Joseph moaning about there being no reply to his Christmas letter, he decided against it. He then decided that there was no sense in even going to the Disney District at all… since he couldn’t think of a single reason for Joseph to go there if he and Shinko weren’t in contact.

“Now if I were a wanderin’ fox,” Woody started to say to himself, “where would I go?” A lightbulb appeared over Woody’s head and he brightly smiled. “The Henhouse! Of course!” The light suddenly went dark, his face turning thoughtful. “Wait, no… He kept sayin’ he wasn’t a ‘toon so that’d be too obvious… But…” The light once again turned on. “That does give me another idea!” Woody pulled a somewhat reckless U-turn, driving his car to the southeast. “I bet I know where he went… I know it’s where I’d go if I just got kicked out!”

While Woody headed south, Winnie decided to head farther east from Woody’s apartment, though still northernly. Just as she’d said she would, she arrived at a bus station situated outside the tunnel connecting ToonTown and Los Angeles, built some 20 years prior. If he’s been through here… Winnie mused as she pulled in, I’m sure someone would have seen him… The woodpecker stood in the small terminal building a moment later.

For as far as she could see, there were rows-upon-rows of blue-colored chairs, all lined-up side-by-side. Some of the chairs had ‘toons and even a few humans sitting in them, all presumably waiting for their bus. A further examination revealed a long counter at the far side of the well-lit building. As she saw the few people lined up and awaiting service, there, she couldn’t help but be reminded of your average airport terminal. Well… she thought a moment later, I should probably ask the staff about him.

Winnie calmly walked up to the left-most service counter. Though the clerk was busy with a customer, she decided to ask about her friend. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” she started, “but, I was just wondering… Did you happen to see a tall fox come through here?” “Tall fox?” the clerk repeated, typing on his computer. “Probably. Can you be a bit more descriptive?” “Um, okay… He’s just under six feet tall and his fur is kind of an… amber, olivey color?” “Not ringin’ any bells…” “He has a trio of bangs that hang off his head like of like spikes or quills?” “Like one of those anime characters?” the clerk asked as he started to print the customer’s ticket. “Something like that… And, um, he kind of looks like Tails, from Sonic the Hedgehog or Sonic Boom, if you’re familiar with that? But, add a few years and remove the goggles? He was probably wearing jeans and a T-shirt of some kind, too… Oh! And, a backpack!”

“Hmm…” The clerk handed the customer his ticket before turning to Winnie. “I actually did see someone like that, the other day. I think he was heading to Nebraska… But, he was shorter – about your height – so, it probably wasn’t him.” The clerk paused… “Say, how recently did this ‘amber-olive’ fox guy come through here?” “That’s the thing…” Winnie shyly rubbed her fingers together, lowering her head. “I don’t know… Within the last 10 days, is my best guess…” “Oh! Well… that’s a long time, in this business,” he laughed. “But, ah, maybe one of the other clerks saw your friend?” As the clerk started to turn toward the other windows, Winnie stopped him. “It’s okay! I’ll ask them, myself… Um, thank you for your time!” “Sure, sure… Sorry I couldn’t be any help.” The male clerk gave a wave to the friendly little bird as she walked beside the counter. It didn’t take long for Winnie to reach the next occupied window. And thus, the chain of inquiry resumed…

By the end of Winnie’s questioning, she was absolutely no closer to finding Joseph than she had been 15 minutes earlier. Apparently, none of the on-duty staff… clerks, bus drivers, the snack bar operator… none of them had seen anyone even remotely close to what she’d described – at least no “Tails doppelganger.” She did get a lot of information as to where the actual Tails had been going… but, of course, that was of no use to her… Darn it, Joseph… she thought to herself as she walked back to her car. Did you leave by bus? Did you even leave at all? Maybe you rented a car? With that thought in her head, she set her own car’s navigational computer to take her to the nearest car-rental place. At the very least… it would tell her where Joseph wasn’t… –––––

The search for Joseph had reached the 2-hour point and Winnie was starting to get frustrated. She had searched every car-rental location and any place that could have possibly provided a way out of ToonTown for a wanderer… as well as nearby hotels, motels, and a couple of flop-houses… but, to no avail. Not one single person had recalled seeing any sort of “tall, amber-colored Tails clone.” “This is ridiculous!” she said into a wireless earpiece connected to her cell phone. “We don’t even know if Joseph’s still in ToonTown, much less where!” “Gee, that sounds familiar!” laughed a voice on the other end. “Oh… you’re no help, Woody!” “Heeey, nooow…!” he replied, sounding mildly offended. “I’ve been lookin’, too, ya know! I looked around every diner, drive-in, and dive I could find from Disney to Warner and ain’t no one seen him! But, if you wanna know where Tails ‘s been, this last week…” “No, thanks…” Winnie muttered, shaking her head. “I already know that.” “That fox gets ‘round, doesn’t he?” “Focus, Woody! We need to– gah!! Hold on a second, would you?” The next thing Woody heard in his own wireless headset was the sound of one very angry bird who was shouting, presumably, at nearby traffic.

“Trouble on the mean streets of ToonTown, babe?” he asked with a grin. “Some… arrogant fop cut me off!” Winnie replied with a huff. “Just because you own a luxury sedan doesn’t mean you own the road!” The male woodpecker winced at Winnie’s loud voice but grinned all the more. “Now who needs t’ focus?” He could hear her give a frustrated growl… but, even knowing that it wasn’t aimed at him, he had to laugh.

“Anyway…” Winnie said after taking a few cleansing breaths, “I’m going to keep looking for another hour, then I’m going home. I can’t keep searching forever and if he wants to play hide-and-seek, well… then, he can play with himself!” “Uh…” “I know, I know…” she sighed, realizing her unintentional innuendo. “Woody…” She paused for a moment. “If you find him… or any information that might be helpful…” “You’ll be the first to know, babe!” he assured her. “Thank you…” Winnie gave another sigh. “Talk to you later, Woody. And, thanks for helping…” “No problem! Catch you later!” And, with that, they terminated the call.

“Gee, Winnie sure seems down in the dumps…” Woody thought aloud as he continued driving. “Maybe I should get her some pretty flowers on th’ way back… I think she likes flowers, anyways. All girls like flowers… Don’t they?” Woody briefly stared at his reflection in the rear-view mirror of his car. It gave a casual shrug before going back to driving. “Some help you are!” he said with a grin before turning his full focus back to the road.

Another twenty minutes flew by as Woody continued his search. He really had tried a number of eateries, both formal and non, but to no avail. Not sure where else to look, he eventually decided to go to the one place he thought Joseph would avoid…

“The Red Light District…”

True to its name, that area of ToonTown was a bit less family-friendly than the other districts. The streets and sidewalks were dirty with refuse, though the buildings seemed fairly clean. They also looked a lot more lit-up than most other areas of ToonTown, some places advertising their services… often shamelessly. However, attractions of the Red Light District weren’t limited to just the risqué… but, also, the addictive. ToonTown was one of the rare places in California where gambling on non-Indian land was legal. In addition, it seemed like there were a lot more bars… both upscale and dive… in that area, in particular. Oddly enough, Woody started to realize, as he drove through the seedy underbelly of the place he lived… “This… might actually be the one place Joe would go, now that I think about it!”

As booming as businesses were in the Red Light District, there were also more than a few ‘toons and even some humans hanging around in darkened alleyways, vacant lots, and other private-public places, just trying to survive. And, unfortunately… Woody thought he’d recognized more than a few of them, himself. “We should really do something to help those old ‘toons…” he thought aloud. “But, there just ain’t enough work in Cali to help everyone… Plus, not everyone can go from check-to-check like I used to. Money just ain’t what it used t’ be, after all…” Woody gave a sympathetic frown. “Maybe one day, when I’m rich ’n famous, again… Hah, that’ll happen!” He gave a smirk at his reflection. “Knowin’ my luck, I’m more likely t’ get mugged than get another job in Hollywood!” The woodpecker suddenly tensed. “That… prob’ly wasn’t th’ smartest thing t’ say, considerin’ where I am…” He shook his head… then, he continued driving and looking.

Woody’s luck seemed like a mix of good-and-bad as he cruised around the district, checking to see if Joseph was among the homeless or even the people out-and-about. On the upside, he didn’t get mugged or even stopped by a homeless person. But, on the downside… “That fox ain’t nowhere t’ be seen!” Once he’d driven around the large part of the area, he decided to check what time it was and give Winnie a call. He’d had enough searching… Unfortunately, though… “What– my cell phone’s dead…?” Despite being plugged into the car’s charger, his phone was indeed completely blank and no amount of button-pressing would wake it back up. “Well, that’s just great…” he grumbled. “Now, I don’t know what time it is and I can’t call Winnie! Guess I’ll have t’ find a pay-phone…” He paused for a moment… “Preferably one inside some place… I could prob’ly knock some heads if I need to… but, better-safe-than-sorry…” With that thought in his head, he drove around his immediate surroundings until he found a place that was likely to have an indoor phone. Strangely enough… “What? I didn’t know we had one’a those in ToonTown!” Woody’s search had led him to an unexpected location.

He pulled up to the curb next to the somewhat generic-looking square building he’d recognized. The outside of the location was dull-brown, not unlike dirt. It had some purple, wooden slats decorating its top as well as surrounding the frame of the two green-and-orange, stained glass windows and free-swinging door. A large, plain-looking sign above the door, which had been the thing to get Woody's attention in the first place, told him exactly what it was. “Moe’s Tavern!” Woody said as he stepped out of his car. “Well, I’ll be darned!” Amazed to see such a place right there in ToonTown… even in the Red Light District… the woodpecker walked right in. His surprise didn’t end there, however… for standing behind the service counter was none other than…

“Moe Szyslak?!” he called without thinking. “Yeah, who wants ta–” The bartender paused, his sloped brow furrowing. “Woody Woodpecker?!” “Hey, Moe! Whaddaya know?” Woody was quick to hop up on a bar stool, a big smile on his face as he greeted the tavern’s owner and founder. Moe seemed pretty thrilled to see the bird, as well.

“Woody Woodpecker!” he repeated with a smile of his own. “I ain’t see ya fer so long…! What’cha been up t’? Here, lemme pour ya a cold one!” “I prob’ly shouldn’t…” the woodpecker warned. “I gotta drive back home. Plus I’ve got work, in the morning!” “Aww, c’mon!” Moe said as he poured a tall, frosty mug for the bird. “One beer ain’t gonna hurt’cha!” “Weeeeell…” “For old time’s sake?” he pleaded, pouring himself a mug as well. Woody paused to think… “Oh… I can’t say ‘no’ t’ those beady li’l eyes! Hit me, Moe!” “There’s my favorite woodpecker!”

Even though Woody was several years older, the two still had their fair share of stories to regale the other with. And, along with those stories… Woody was convinced to have more beer. Much more beer, in fact…

“Awright well,” Woody said sometime later with a slur to his voice, “I sh’uld pro’ly call Winnie ‘n tell ‘er ah’m comin’ home empty-handed ‘n fully-loaded…” “Hey hey, before ya go…” Moe gave his best puppy-dog face. “Would’ja do th’ laugh one time, fer ol’ Moe?” “Th’ laugh…?” Woody hicced, wobbling on his seat. “Ya know! Yer Woody Woodpecker laugh! Hoh-heh-huh-haaah-huh!” The woodpecker gave a sloppy grin at Moe’s pale imitation. “Tha’s not how it goes… Is more like… huh-hah-heh-haaah-huh!” “Naw-naw-naw, that ain’ it… It’s… hoh-hee-hoo-haaaah-huh!” “No, Moe…!” the woodpecker said with a chuckle, “I know Woody ‘n he’s got a laugh like… ‘hwee-hee-huh-haaah-hoo!’” “C’mon now,” the bartender said with a grin. “I ain’t lettin’ ya leave ‘til ya does it right!” “Oh. Okay… Um…” He gave an uneven blink. “How’zit go again…?”

Moe and the woodpecker exchanged odd-sounding laughs back-and-forth, each getting closer to Woody’s trademark but still missing the mark, thanks to Moe’s bad mimicry and Woody’s intoxication. It might have been maddening to listen to, for any other patrons of the bar. But, save for one lone figure in the corner, no one else had come in. “Hey… Hey…!” Unfortunately, said figure had clearly had their fill of noise pollution…

“Oh, look,” Moe said as he crossed his arms, “we woke Sleepin’ Beaut-y. Enjoy ya nap, ya drunk skunk?” “I’m a fox, you f–” Woody gave a jolt as the figure spat a vulgar word at his friend. Slowly, the wheels began to turn in his head… “Fox…?” he thought out loud as he slowly turned around in his seat. “Saaay… I been lookin’ fer a fox… Maybe you can help me? I’m lookin’ fer a fox about…” The woodpecker sized up the figure that had walked toward the bar. Eventually, he got to his feet and held a hand up to the fox’s forehead. “Yeeeeea tall? Kinda weird, pukey-gold fur… kinda like this,” he said as he brought the fox’s olive-gold arm into view. “Blackish-brown gloves ‘n ears ‘n feet… kinda like this… White mask… goldish eyes…” Woody narrowed his eyes, looking at the fox’s own irritated orbs. “Yeah! Kinda like that! Answers t’ th’ name of ‘Joe-seph…?’ Ya know ‘im?” The fox narrowed his bloodshot eyes all the more and gave a growl. He yanked his arm free of the woodpecker’s gloved hand, causing him to rapidly spin around on the stool. After a few rotations, he came to a stop and held his head, wobbling… “Oooh… I see ya got some twin brothers…”

“Woody, you idiot!” the fox snarled. “It’s me! Joseph! The guy whose life you ruined?! Ring a bell?!!” “Joe-seph…?” Woody repeated. “Joe-seph… Joe-zef! Oh, hey! I been lookin’ all over th’ place, fer ya! Where ya been, ‘Bro-seph?’” Joseph growled again, glaring at the seemingly oblivious bird. “Dude man bro man dude…” Woody continued, “wait until I tell Winnie this ‘s where ya been hidin’!” “You will do no such thing,” the fox said in a warning tone. “Oh, no, you dun under–” Woody gave a hiccup. “– understand… See, Winnie was all like, ‘We gotta go find Joe-seph,’ ‘n I was all like, ‘Why we gotta go find Joe-seph,’ ‘n she was all like, ‘‘cause I wanna go find Joe-seph,’ so I was like, ‘So let’s go fuh-hind Joe-seph,’ ‘n she was like–” “Wait…” the fox interrupted, giving a blink. “Winnie wanted to find me?” “Oh yeeaaah, Bro-seph…” Woody said with a nod. “She wanted t’ ask’ew some stuff!” Joseph looked to one side, his ears folding back. “Well, maybe I don’t wanna talk to her…” he coldly stated. “You’re gonna turn down a chance t’ talk wid the Winnie Woodpecker?” Moe interjected. “Ah, you young 3D ‘toons don’t know nothin’ ‘bout nothin’! Why, there’s plen’y’a toons what would give their left ear t’ meet Winnie Woodpecker!” “Yeah, Bro-seph…!” Woody drunkenly added. “Consider yerself lucky she wants t’ see ya! I tol’ her there ain’t no reason fer it… but, you know how gals are… Ain’ that right, Moe?” “Most dames ain’t nothin’ but trouble,” the bartender mused, “but, that Winnie’s a classy lady! ‘sides, any friend’a Woody’s ‘s a friend’a mine!”

“Yeah! So,” the woodpecker said, jabbing a gloved finger against Joseph’s chest, “you gotta do it. ‘cause any friend’a Moe’s is a friend’a Woody’s. And, brother? You wanna be a friend’a Woody’s ‘cause that woodpecker’s one powerful enemy! Why, just a few days ago, this bum fox thought he could mess with Woody’s girlfriend! But, he showed ‘im! Threw ‘im right outta his place and– heeey…” Woody paused, examining the angering Joseph. “You kinda look like that bum fox…” “I am that bum fox, you drunken jackass!” “Wait a sec…” Moe looked over to the fox from behind Woody. “You’re that low-life what thought they’d break Winnie’s heart?!” “Yes!” The fox paused to blink. “Wait– no? What…?” And, just like that, he found himself looking down the barrel of a cartoony… but, very dangerous-looking shotgun.

“We don’t serve yer kind here, fleabag. I suggest you mosey on along now.” The fox slowly lifted his hands as he heard Moe priming the shotgun to fire. “Elsewise, I guess I’m gettin’ a new fox-skin rug fer my bat’room. Get it?” For a moment, Joseph felt afraid… He was one little motion away from ceasing to exist! But, as he stared down that shiny, metal barrel and smelled the scent of gunpowder… a new thought entered his head. “Fine…” Joseph lowered his hands and his head, looking down at the floor. “You’ve got me fair-and-square. I’m the bad-guy. I’m at-fault. I said some horrible things to Winnie which, apparently, broke her heart. But, you know what?” The fox jerked his head back up, his teeth gritted and his ears folded back. “I don’t give a shit, anymore!” Moe jerked back as the fox shouted. He looked genuinely surprised! Still, the fox continued, starting on a rave…

“For the last 11 months of my life, I’ve been the butt of so many senseless and pointless sight gags, pranks, jokes, and japes! And, most of them were from him!” Woody jerked back as Joseph pointed at him. “During those 11 months, I’ve been a stranger in a strange land… lost and alone. But then, as if by-chance… I ran into the girl of my dreams. Literally! I couldn’t remember who she was or where I would have ever seen her… but, somehow, I knew she was someone I knew and, slowly… as I hung-out with her… I started to remember who she was. “Her name was Shinko. She was a half-animated ‘toon from right here in California. And to her, I was like a breath of fresh air to her otherwise unhappy life. Things were going great! For about… three hours.” Joseph looked back down, closing his eyes. “I made a mistake that changed everything… changed her opinion of me… I ruined everything that could have been… All because I couldn’t keep it in my pants…”

“Yeah, that’s real nice ‘n all,” Moe muttered, keeping his shotgun aimed at the fox, “but, I really don’t–” “Fast-forward to later that week…” The bartender gave a labored sigh… He wanted… really wanted… to just pull the trigger… but, for some reason, he just couldn’t. And so, he put the shotgun back behind the bar and leaned against the rear counter, arms crossed and eyes half-open. He knew he was in for a long story…

Joseph had started from the very beginning of his entry into ToonTown and gone into great detail about his rotten luck… but, during the course of the story, something else seemed to pop up. A lot, in fact. And, that was one name… and, it wasn’t “Shinko.” “It was such a weird feeling… knowing that Winnie thought of me as a friend…” the fox said, coming to the end of his thoughts as he rubbed his arm. “But, I guess, for whatever reason… she did. And, that’s why it hurt so much when things ended the way they did…” “Yea’, I feel ya pain,” Moe said in an unconvincing way. “I really do. Now I’m gonna have t’ ask yas t’ leave ‘cause I don’t like ya face, no mo’. Get out.” The fox gave a sad look to the bartender, a frown on his face and tears in his eyes. However, Moe came right back with a cold look of his own which told the fox he just didn’t care. “A shotgun to the face would be less far painful than what I’ve been feeling for the last ten days…” “Yea’ well, shells ain’t cheap, fleabag,” Moe spat. “Now, mosey on outta my bar b’fore I change my mind.” “Wait…” Both the fox and the bartender looked at Woody. He’d been quietly sitting there, taking in every word Joseph had to say, up until that point. However, as they looked at him, he had his hand on the fox’s arm and wore a curious look on his face.

“Is… is what you said true?” he quietly asked. “Do you really feel that way… about my Winnie?” Joseph gave a blush… but, slowly, he confirmed the thought with a nod. “I didn’t want to upset you… or, hurt you…” he said, “but…” “Well, now… that’s an eye-opener…” Woody looked down, putting his hands on the bar. “Guess that explains why she was so eager t’ find you, too…” “She was…?” The fox tilted his head, watching the bird nod. “I didn’t think it was worth botherin’ with…” He looked up with a smile. “Kinda glad I was wrong, though. You are, after all… the best friend I’ve had, in a while.” For some reason, that just made Joseph blush even more…

“Eh-ehhhn…”

The two jerked, startled by Moe’s sudden sigh. “If you two loveboids ‘r done huggin’ it out…” “You know something, Moe…” “Yea’?” he said with a glare at Joseph. “What?” Suddenly, the fox slammed what looked to be fifty dollars on the counter. He had a glare of his own, by that point. “Thank you for your service, over the last couple of days,” he said in an angry tone. “I sincerely hope business picks up, for you.” “Ah… T’anks?” The bartender gave a confused, somewhat worried look as he took the fox’s money.

“Where’s your car, Woody?” Joseph said in a calmer tone. “I’ll drive you home.” “Oh, ya don’t need t’ do that, pal…” he laughed. “I can drive m’self home!” “You can’t fool me, Woody. You’re still pretty drunk.” “Yeeaaah… I prob’ly am…” he bashfully admitted. “Alright. Let’s go.” “Hang on just one second there, woodpecker!” The two looked back to Moe. He still had his cash register open and appeared to be looking directly at Woody. “Friend ‘r not, ya still owe me fer dem twelve beers ya drank!” The sudden sound of a hand slapping against a counter alerted the bartender and his client. Once again, Joseph had offered up money. “Keep the change,” he said with an scowl and an attitude. “C’mon, Woody…” The two immediately headed outside, leaving Moe baffled… but, eighty bucks richer.

The drive back home was a curious one. Woody seemed content to just sleep the whole way while Joseph, despite being cramped and curled into a ball by the small vehicle, drove at a moderate pace back to the Universal District. Soon enough, they’d arrived back at the Rubber Arms apartment complex… and, it seemed that someone had been waiting for them. “Woody!” The woodpecker snapped out of his nap and groggily looked out through the passenger window… just to see the smiling face of his girlfriend staring back. “Oh… Hey, babe,” he quietly said. “Look who I found at Moe’s Tavern…” “Moe’s what? We have one of those?” Winnie asked before turning her attention to the driver’s side door. As she watched a figure spill out and on to the pavement, her heart skipped a beat. “J… Joseph?” she quietly called. “Nngh…” The olive-gold fox slowly got to his feet, brushing himself off before stretching with several audible pops. “I really hate this car…” “Joseph!”

He turned around just in time to see Winnie climb up on the tiny car’s roof. Her hands were clasped together and she wore a bright smile, her eyes sparkling in the lights of the apartment complex. He couldn’t help but wonder why she was so happy to see him…

Slap!

That thought, however, quickly escaped him as a gloved hand left its mark on his left cheek. When he started to rub it, he could see Winnie’s expression had become an angry scowl, her hands on her hips and her foot tapping on the roof of the car.

“I…” he started to say. Suddenly, he changed his mind, asking, instead, “What was that for?” “What do you think, you stupid jerk?!” she shouted, throwing her hands up. “How dare you make Woody worry about you, like that! What were you thinking?!” “W… Woody?” he repeated, his ears flicking. “The way he tells it, you were the one who was worried about me. Or at least… curious? I guess?” The female woodpecker gave a huff, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away. “I couldn’t care less about where you’ve been!” “You know…” Joseph smiled. “You’re a terrible liar.”

Smack!

“Don’t assume you know me, Joseph Lithius!” she scolded after making his right cheek match his left. “That’s how this whole mess started, to begin with!” “Yeah…” he said as he rubbed both cheeks. “About that…” Winnie narrowed her eyes as she watched the fox fidget on-the-spot. He looked down, his ears folding back, a thoughtful look on his face. It seemed like he had something to say… “I’m… sorry,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I said you weren’t funny.” The bird’s eyes narrowed further. It didn’t seem like she was buying his apology… “I’m serious, Winnie…” he said, cautiously turning his eyes her way. “I’m really sorry I said you weren’t funny… It was… I just…” The fox gave a sigh. “I wasn’t in the mood to be messed-with… I was in the mood for…” He quickly looked down to the dozing woodpecker in the car before finishing with, “s-something else.” “‘Something else,’ huh?” She tapped her foot again, giving a suspicious look. “Y… yeah…” he hesitantly admitted. “I just… I was getting frustrated when you wouldn’t quit pulling pranks on me and…” “Joseph.” The fox looked up at Winnie. She still seemed upset with him, her half-open eyes piercing into his own and her brow curled downward. However… she didn’t seem quite as mad as she had been, a minute prior…

“What you said to me,” she started to say in a stern tone, “was unacceptable. It was horrible. It cut me to the bone and made me question all the work I’ve done over the years. Even after you were gone, I couldn’t get those words out of my mind… ‘You’re not funny.’” Her eyes opened wide and her voice filled with emotion, then. “Do you know what it’s like for a ‘toon like me to hear someone they care so much about telling them, point-blank, that they don’t think they’re funny?!”

The fox winced, ducking down and frowning… He felt worse than ever… “I was made to make people laugh, Joseph…” Winnie mused, looking up at a nearby street lamp. “And, if I can’t do the exact thing I was made to do…” She gave the fox a sad, scared look. “Then, what’s the point of living…?” The guilt was rising in Joseph’s soul… and, that look she was giving was killing him… “Sure, I can keep working my 9-to-5 job at the hospital,” she said as she looked away, “or, any other job, for that matter… But, those would be… are… just that. Jobs…” She looked back to Joseph with a frown. “My creators put me on this planet… in this world… to make people laugh. Even if I’m not being paid for it, that’s what I was made to do! I can’t fight that… can’t change that… But, I also don’t want to. A ‘toon going against their very nature… the reason they were created…” The woodpecker shivered. “That could lead down a very dark and very dangerous path…”

Once again, Winnie looked directly into Joseph’s eyes. He could see… practically feel the weight of her words as she continued.

“I have been to a lot of places in my life… Some of them, good. Some of them… not-so-good. When you told me I wasn’t funny, Joseph, I…” She looked away, inhaling in a very broken way. “I should stay mad…” she whispered after a moment. “I should hate you for taking me back to that dark place… that place I hadn’t been for… for a long time…” She looked back toward Joseph. He noted a mix of anger… and, sorrow… to her gaze. “I can’t trust you, right now, Joseph… I can’t trust that you won’t say something horrible like that, again… I just can’t…” The bird paused, closing her eyes… “I hope you understand…”

The fox stared at the woodpecker, his ears folded and his body tense. There was a terrible, sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach… and, he was sure it wasn’t from whatever alcohol was still in his system. He had hurt Winnie… really hurt Winnie… and, she wasn’t afraid to let him know.

“I guess what that one guy said is true… ‘You can drop anything on a ‘toon’s head and they’ll be fine,’” he paraphrased with a sad smile, “‘but, break their heart…’” “‘And, they go to pieces…’” she finished, slowly opening her eyes. “Boy, that quote feels so relevant to my time in ToonTown…” The fox gave a hollow laugh, rubbing his left arm as he stared up at Winnie.

“I can’t forgive you right now, Joseph…” she began again. “But, that doesn’t mean it’s forever… I want to forgive you… but, I may never forget just what you said…” “I don’t blame you, Winnie…” he assured her. “And… while it’s not ideal… at… at least you’re talking to me. Ya know?” The two went silent. Winnie seemed to know exactly what Joseph meant…

“Maybe you should just forget about her,” Winnie offered. “There’s plenty of fish in the sea and this one’s been driving you crazy for a while. Just… cast again and hope for the best?” “What?” The fox gave a blink. “Cast again and… what? And, forget about who?” “You know…” Joseph paused to think… “Oh. O-oh! Oh!” he suddenly said, his eyes widening as he realized what Winnie was talking about. “Oh, no, no, Winnie! I– I didn’t mean to imply…” Joseph gave a frustrated growl, putting his hands over his face. “I’m sorry…” he whimpered. “I’m so sorry…” “No… no…” Winnie rebutted. “I’m sorry. I jumped to conclusions.” This did little to comfort the fox, however.

“But…” Winnie looked up. Joseph had removed his hands from his face and spoken again. “You’re not wrong,” he continued with a slight smile. “On both counts.” The woodpecker tilted her head, confused at what he meant. “Shinko’s a sweetheart… but, there are plenty of other people… ‘toons or otherwise… ones actually looking for love. And, maybe it’s time I started looking for them…” He crossed his arms, lightly grinning at he looked toward the sky. “You know, I do have some options, come to think of it,” the fox mused. “Oh?” Winnie seemed genuinely curious. “Sure.” Joseph looked back her way, gesturing with one hand as he spoke. “That Velma lady seemed pretty interested in me, last year. I mean, I haven’t really kept in contact with her, since our last meet-up… I work days and she’s a night-owl… but–” “Hang on…” He gave a blink as Winnie suspiciously looked at him. “You know Velma? As in… Velma Dinkley?” “Yyyes?” He blinked again. “The girl with the glasses and an orange turtleneck?” “That’s her.” She hummed, crossing her arms. “You know Velma… but, you don’t know anything about Scooby-Doo?” “I don’t– wait.” He narrowed his eyes. “Is… was Velma a character on the Scooby-Doo show or something?” “You know… we should really get you guys a subscription to Netflix, or something. Maybe, if you actually watched some of these cartoons I keep bringing up…” “Well… when you’re literally in a cartoon, every day…” The two shared a bit of laughter then a quiet smile… Even though Winnie had told him it would take a while, Joseph had faith that she may find it in her heart to forgive him… even if he would never forgive himself. Even so, it was just comforting to know that, despite his colossal mistake… Winnie still saw him as an acquaintance… if not, a friend. He just hopped Woody would, as well, when he sobered and woke, later that evening…

#Fox Hunt #commercial characters #The Woody Woodpecker Show #Woody Woodpecker #Winnie Woodpecker #The Simpsons #Moe Szyslak #original characters #Essence of Ragnarok #Joseph Lithius #drama

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