Hi, all. Wanted to try writing something different than the usual stuff I've seen in this fandom. Yes, I'm still trying to continue 'Crimson Tears'. I still don't see how people even like it…but I'll try to continue the story. Anyway, as some of you remember (or don't know, I can't recall if I've ever written this in a story or not), I'm not a big fan of the popular characters in the series. Before you all get out your banstamps or hatesticks, lemme clarify that I always found myself wanting to know more about the lesser-seen characters. That means Gogo Dodo, Calamity Coyote, Little Beeper, Fifi, Bookworm, Mary Melody, Concord Condor, Barky Marky, and a few others held my interest rather than the 'stars' of the show.

…Yeah, yeah, enough of my rambling…

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the TTA characters. I don't own anyone in this story.

…If you can't tell, this story is in the point of view of a 'bit' character. Kinda dark, but I tend to be good at writing this stuff…

…Or so I was told.

I don't remember how I got so easily persuaded into getting enlisted into this school. Even now, I kinda regret accepting the scholarship and paid tuition. Acme Looniversity promises all young and youthful 'toons a wonderful and luxurious future, training them to be the funniest, wittiest, and most agile character that they can be. With the two founders being famous themselves (well, actually, that's kind of a lie; people tend to remember Bugs Bunny and forget about Daffy), it almost seems like a perfect little paradise.

Almost.

The teachers tend to play favorites, coaching their 'prized students' on a more daily basis while the ones deemed 'less-worthy' are left to fend for themselves in the shadows of the Stars. I've watched as the 'Stars' of the school climbed the social ladder with no effort and had every leading role served to them on a platinum platter. They didn't have to work too hard for their success; they were spoiled and got it regardless, despite the fact that the rest of us have to earn our praise.

I've seen the look in Mary's eyes when she found out that Elmyra was above her on the social ladder. It left me dumbfounded, really; Elmyra is such an airhead with a creepy obsession to cuddle anything with fur, feathers, or scales. Mary is a minority, but she's a straight 'A' student – though she works hard to maintain her high grades, considering she's taking some advanced courses to make herself feel better – and I know that she deserves much more than a few cameos.

Do you have any idea how much it stings to see a heartbroken human girl? Have you ever seen her spirit crushed because she was so certain that she had a bright future – so certain that she mattered and contributed to the school – only to discover that all of it was false hope? I remember that day when she left a note in my locker, asking me to rally up the other 'bit characters' on a Saturday (if I didn't mind) and to meet her after school. Sure, we hadn't been too close at first, but when you don't get much screen time, you take notice of who else is a 'bit character' and try to befriend them.

I had gone to her house, not sure what to expect. She had invited me in, asking me what I thought about her. I remember telling her outright that she deserved more than what she was getting. She deserved more than a few cameos, she deserved to be more than a 'bit character', she deserved a brighter future. She hadn't expected my outburst, and, instead, asked me if she could hold me. It didn't bother me, and she'd ended up crying on my shoulder.

Later that week, I'd managed to rally up some of the other 'bit characters' and we had agreed to meet at Mary's house. When we'd arrived and sat down in the circle of chairs that Mary had set up for us, we glanced at each other with the same look in our eyes.

'Where did we go wrong?'

For the entire Saturday, we took turns discussing what our life goal had been, thinking that we were going to be rewarded in the future, and the heartbreak of having those dreams dashed in front of us. It had been like a group therapy session, almost. Bit Characters Anonymous? The name kinda makes me giggle a bit.

Mary told us about her story first. The dream she'd had when she was little to become a famous human female comedian, her desire to be entertaining to the viewers, and to show that women could be just as funny as men (if not moreso). The spark of hope that began to ignite into the flame of destiny when she'd been accepted into the famous school founded by Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck themselves. And the crushing defeat when the truth made itself known; she wasn't considered comedic material in the eyes of the teachers or principal.

I remember hearing Fowlmouth's story after that. He wanted to be a funny comedian too, training under his obvious mentor, Foghorn Leghorn. He admitted that he had a bit of a language problem (he couldn't help swearing a bit at times), but the teachers seemed to be okay with it at first, encouraging him to swear a bit more for episodes (but bleeping it out for obvious reasons). However, it wasn't funny or interesting to the audience, so the poor rooster was tossed aside like trash. It scared me to see the tough guy looking so vulnerable, lost, and depressed.

Soon, Little Beeper and Calamity Coyote told their tales. Calamity wanted to be an inventor and help society someday, while Little Beeper wanted to disprove the stereotypes of Roadrunners being stupidly happy birds who only know how to run. However, neither of them had the ability to speak and had to resort to using 'Sign Language' throughout their lives. Calamity told us that it was upsetting to communicate this way because he would always be unable to voice his enthusiasm for science and inventions, and it tended to get in his way when he needed to 'talk' while building something. For Little Beeper, he didn't like being able to make odd, ear-splitting sounds or the predictable 'meep, meep' that Roadrunners usually cried out before dashing away from a predator. It also seemed to hurt his wings when he needed to hold up a big sign to convey his feelings.

But what seemed to stick the most was that they didn't like being forced to walk in their mentors' shadows. They wanted to be themselves, they wanted to pave their own roads of destiny and live their own lives. But, no, they were forced to play the parts of the past that their mentors had done, though with a bit more creativity. I felt bad for Calamity; he had to endure a lot of pain on a daily basis (or during roadrunner chase episodes, or a chase episode in general), and I felt bad for Little Beeper for being forced into the stereotypical role he had been trying so hard to avoid.

Furball couldn't even tell us of his story; he couldn't speak or use Sign Language. But, he didn't have to; his expression said everything. We all knew that he was a stray cat, though whether heartless humans (or his own family) abandoned him, or if he was a runaway wasn't clear. All we knew was that he didn't have a permanent home; he tried to impress humans to keep him, but his attempts were all in vain. It seemed that humans only wanted cute, fluffy kittens over the more mature and obedient cat that Furball happened to be.

The blue cat was, without a doubt, in a state of constant hunger and pretty malnourished. His spirit was so crushed at this point that he had apparently given up on finding a loving home. He was beyond the point of defeat; he had been knocked down so many times that he no longer saw a point in getting up again. In school, he tried to hide and bottle his feelings of hurt and rejection (and he did it pretty well), only to suffer quiet breakdowns when he was alone after school.

I told my story last. I explained how I didn't grow with a family; I had to fend for myself. My dream was to someday bring back my kind from the endangerment it had been in, and then to somehow bring it back from extinction when I discovered I was the only one left. My dream to raise awareness in how all wildlife is precious, how nothing should ever be sealed away by the curse of extinction, my desire to no longer be alone…

I told them how Acme Looniversity had promised to raise awareness about the endangered species of the world, about the near extinction of my own species, and to protect me from hunters who ignored any 'DO NOT HUNT' label if I would accept their scholarship and free tuition. I explained how the teachers weren't sure how they wanted me to act, and soon decided on the label, 'insane'. They wanted me to bend reality, break the 'fourth wall', and spit in the face of physics. After all, nobody knew how Dodos really acted, right?

I told them how I felt, how drained I would be after school, how much I detested being forced to live in the world called, "WackyLand'. I told them how devastated I'd become when the Looniversity only partially kept their promise; they didn't raise awareness about endangered or nearly extinct species (or even about my own dying species), and someone had found a loophole in the whole 'DO NOT HUNT' label. I'd been captured to be a tortured sideshow captive in a circus, which was a frightening experience…though I had been freed just in time to prevent myself from 'fading away'.

I didn't know why, but everyone else looked sympathetic after I finished my tale. The silence in the room was thick. I didn't like it. I spoke up one more.

"We're not that different."

That short sentence held true. We'd all suffered, we'd all had our dreams crushed. Our futures wouldn't be as bright as we would've hoped for. The teachers in the school wouldn't acknowledge us or admit that we have any 'talent' worth coaching.

After our session, everyone felt better. A giant weight had been lifted from each of us. We were all in the same boat, and we could all depend on each other now. We were friends.

Everyone left, one by one, thanking Mary for inviting us all together. But she motioned for me to stay behind, and I did. When everyone else was gone, she looked at me with concern.

"Gogo, do you ever think that humans will try to redeem their hunting sin and bring back your species?"

I gave her a sad smile.

"I think that, one day, the ones capable of creating such technology won't have enough of a DNA sample to resurrect us. Time travel is out of the question; the very act would tear a hole in the fragile fabric of time and space. It would no doubt cause a horrible fate for everyone."

She bit her lip, no doubt upset.

"Gogo…"

"My fate is set in stone, Mary. I can't change it, and neither can you, nor can anyone else. I don't blame you specifically, so don't worry about that. It's too late to change anything now."

"…But…"

I felt her expression tugging at my heart, but I couldn't leave this unsaid.

"When I die, your memories of me will still be there. You can pass whatever you remember onward to other generations if you'd like. I'm pretty sure the others will do the same."

I took her hands in mine, looking at her eyes.

"Just live your own life after the Looniversity. You'll become a big shining star someday, Mary…I know you will. Everyone else will no doubt find their own calling and have a future just as bright. Until then, we're all in this together. You, Fowlmouth, Calamity, Little Beeper, Furball, and me."

She seemed to be a little happier at this, and nodded. We hugged goodbye and I left through a portal that would take me into the home I disliked. Yes, we would still be a bit bitter about the school staff and the 'Stars', but we would have each other. We would still be friends and hang out together after school and on weekends. We would even avoid the popular students so much that it would confuse them. However, once we graduate from Acme Looniversity, our lives will no doubt branch off into different directions. Everyone else has a possible future with a family or loved one; alas, my life would be grim and lonely, as my death would mark the extinction of Dodos forever.

I wonder if Mary will ever find her place among the stars. I want Foulmouth to find his role in the comedian community. I pray that Calamity won't end up suffering from a chronic injury due to all of the physical trauma he's been forced to endure for ratings. I hope that Little Beeper breaks free of the Roadrunner Stereotype and proves his intellect. I know that Furball would find a loving family.

I can only pray, dream, and wish for the bright futures of my friends.

…But they can't do the same for me.