Production on the final episode went well. We even had a giant party afterwards. We danced the Gangnam Style, ate some nachos, all that good party stuff we did in 2012. Yes, it was fun. One of the coffee girls even asked me to dance with them. I accepted without hesitation. Although I had a few questions with Savino. I pulled him outside and started to talk to him.
"Chris, do you think I would get a show of my own?" I asked.
"There's a possibility," my agent said. "We just need to work things over."
"Like what?"
"Well, what studio it should be filmed at, what is the concept, what is the humor gonna be like? That stuff. Got any ideas?"
"Well, I could be a superhero, kind of like Superman or something. Saving the world with my own themed powers. Speaking of which, what about an Ace Savvy movie, starring me as the title character."
"The hell is an Ace Savvy?" Savino asked.
"He's a superhero who can fight crime using card related powers. He's like Batman but deck of cards themed."
"Very interesting premise," said Savino. "But are you sure it will work?"
"Does Stella poop in my shoes? Yes, it will!" I answered with a grin.
"I might have to talk to the studio about it," Savino said. "But in the meantime, you'll have to stay put, young man."
I laughed. "Sure, I will! Sure, I will!" Man, my agent was weird. I went into my car, and drove off with Stella in the passenger seat. Stella meowed.
"Of course the series would work," I said. "Sure, it sounds ridiculous, but so is Freakazoid, yet that series worked. I heard they're going to do something about the Teen Titans but what do I know about them?"
Stella meowed again.
"Yeah, you're right. They might go well, and so will my series. I just know it!"
The next morning, I went to the Primera Taza Coffee House, keeping my promise to Luna. I rang the bell and a young Toon woman came out. She had large blonde hair, pink eyeshadow, a white tank top, navy blue shorts, and black shoes, and wore white pearl earrings.
Now this one I know pretty well. This is Lorraine Taber DiBenedetto, better known as Lori. She and I met at this coffee shop while I was going to one of the studios back in late 2011. She is a great conversationalist.
"Oh, it's you again, twerp!" she said angrily when she saw me. "Let me guess. Gonna buy the poisoned apple flavored type of coffee so that way you'll end up like Snow White?"
I shivered, then Lori laughed. "You should see the look on your face!" She laughed again. "Works every time! How are you doing, Lincoln? Still working on some shows?"
"You bet, Lori," I laughed. "About that, I gave a great idea to my agent, who just so happens to work on some shows as well. Imagine this, a superhero who can fight crime using card powers. He's like Batman but not as dark or edgy."
"Good luck with that," Lori said, filling up a cup of coffee, then putting down the cup in front of me. Organic coffee, with some whipped cream. My favorite.
"How did you know I wanted this?" I asked, smiling.
"You always order that when you come here," said Lori. "It's pretty predictable. Now about the idea, have fun with the copyright laws. They'll see this Batman card hero as a blatant copy. Does the hero even have dead parents like Batman?"
"No, they're just living somewhere else," I said, then I saw Luna waving to me. "Oh, I met an acquaintance yesterday. This here is…"
"Oh, hey, Luna!" Lori said.
"Hey, Lori! How are ya, dude?" Luna shouted.
"You two know each other?" I asked, confused.
"Yes, Lincoln. Known each other since our school days," Luna said.
"Back in 2003, she and I would talk about the day's events, go golfing, playing the trumpets, those kinds of things," Lori explained.
"Some would say we're like sisters," Luna grinned. "Except we're not. We're just really good friends."
"Is that so?" I pondered. "I know what it's like to have friends back in my childhood days. One time, me and my best friend rivaled another pair of best friends. We even sang a song together, which goes something like this." I stood on a table, the lights turned down and a spotlight shone on me and I started to sing.
He's the apple in my pie
The ketchup on my fry
When it comes to best friends, yes, I rely on this guy!
He's the honey in my chai!
The tuna in my surprise
Every day solidifies my ties to this guy.
The macaroni with real cheddar and no one can make it better than yours.
Lincoln, I've been thinking that we might be running out of food metaphors
Only my best friend's the best
Dude, I wouldn't put that to a test...
'cause we're better than the rest
Best friends with this guy.
Luna and Lori clapped at my performance, so did the customers as I bowed down like an actor after his play had finished.
"Dude, you have a killer voice!" Luna cheered.
"Very good, Lincoln," Lori called. "Don't appreciate you dancing on the table, but I'll let it slide."
"Thanks, you two," I said. "I do have a good taste in music."
"That's why I love this guy already," Luna said. "You should have seen him yesterday, blushing up a storm, going more bonkers than Bonkers, he was pretty cute."
"Oh, our young Lincoln has a crush already?" asked Lori in a teasing way. "That's wonderful!"
I laughed, then I got another call, answered it, then hung up. "Sorry, lovely ladies. Looks like they need me at the Disney studios to help storyboard some new Mickey Mouse cartoon."
The two childhood friends giggled at my compliment, but were disappointed I had to go.
"Well, stay out of trouble and try not to get all hooked up if you know what I mean," said Lori.
"Very funny, Lori," I said, then left. Lori then looked at Luna.
"Crushing on your handsome young man, huh?" she said.
Luna blushed hard. "Maybe. Maybe not."
"C'mon, Luna. You said he was cute and saw that he was blushing when he saw you. I can see in the future that you two will be dancing on the dance floor at the reception of your wedding."
Luna scoffed. "Yeah, right. Like that'll ever happen. You think Lincoln would go walking down the street where I live, get down on one knee and propose to me after we know each other for only one day? Very unrealistic, Lori. Besides, fortune telling is Lucy's thing."
"You may never know," Lori said. "We Toons can vary when it comes to relationships."
"Hey, Lorraine! Quit your yapping and get back to work!" Lori's boss yelled.
"Sorry, Catherine!" Lori yelled and went back to work.
….
I just loved it when I got to work with a big star like Mickey Mouse. He can be quite cheery and a bit playful. I mean, the guy was like, close to his 90s yet he aged like fine wine.
It is one of the advantages of being a Toon. You don't age unless you decide to, and you can't even die which can be both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that you can live a very long lifespan and you don't necessarily need a bucket list. The curse is well, you see your human friends pass away and you wish you can join them, but you can't die, unless you have access to some crazy Toon judge's dip or something.
Anyway, after a long morning of shooting, I had my lunch break at The Tam O'Shanter. This restaurant is the place Walt Disney himself would come to get some ideas for his movies. I was lucky enough to sit at the table Disney would sit at. After I took my order, which is a Prime Rib sandwich, I felt a strong urge to go to the bathroom. As I was going there, I bumped into another Toon woman. I got a good look at her.
The Toon had a hairstyle that reminded me of Lori's, but longer and lighter blonde with side-swept bangs, and three pairs of eyelashes. She wore a light blue dress and snow boots, and is almost as tall as Lori.
I fell onto the floor like her and got up. "Oh, my god. I am so sorry. How clumsy of me. Are you okay?" I held out my hand and helped the Toon up.
"I'm fine," the Toon said. "Where am I again?"
"The Tam O'Shanter?" I said.
"Oh, yeah," the Toon said. "Thank you, mister! I'm Leni, by the way." She held out her hand for a handshake, so I gave her one. Boy, she had a bit of a grip. "By the way, you have a very nice orange shirt and a green jacket. It's totes cute on you, but maybe we might want to do something about those dirty shoes."
I did not know what to say. She was friendly, sure, but she does have an intense sense of fashion. My shoes are just fine, just need a bit of clean-up. Leni kept on talking until she was interrupted by another Toon girl. This one, though toddler sized, seems much smarter than Leni. She has short, shaggy, dark maroon hair and wears large glasses, a blue turtleneck sweater, dark red pants, and brown shoes with no socks.
"Come, Leni," the Toon said with a lisp. "Let us get back to our table before mother gets all furious with us." She held Leni's hand. "Apologies, sir," she said to me. "She can be quite ditzy and very enthusiastic. I, on the other hand, am the opposite, and sometimes, I can be embarrassed to be her sister. Good day."
She walked away with Leni's hand in her own, back to a table which is not too far from mine. I shrugged and went to the bathroom to do my business. After I got back to my own table, I saw Leni waving at me again, while the little Toon held her other arm down. I just chuckled at the fact that one girl was simply "ditzy" while the other one seemed to act like she could work for NASA.
As I ate my sandwich, Leni continued trying to get my attention. "Did I tell you my name?" she shouted. "It's Leni!"
"You told me that!" I said back. "And I'm Lincoln! Lincoln Loud!"
"That is totes a cute name for a cute boy with white hair like you!" Leni said.
"Leni! Sit down and be quiet," her mom said. She turned around. She was a middle aged Toon woman who wore a light red hoodie, brown shorts, blue sneakers, white large earrings and her blonde hair was tied back into a large ponytail held by a blue scrunchie. "Sorry, young man. She can be enthusiastic when meeting new people."
"It's alright," I said. "I get this kind of stuff sometimes. It's not even that surprising anymore."
"Well, allow me to introduce myself," the woman said. "I'm Rita Talley Lexi Mumy-Janicek. Writer, dentist, and single mother to these two children."
"I see that you have two kids," I said. "Parenting can be a pain in the butt!"
"You're telling me," Rita said. "But I do love my children very much. So where are your parents?"
"In Royal Oaks," I said. "Despite how I look like a kid, I'm actually twenty-one."
"And the white hair is also a fascinating feature," the toddler said, walking over to Rita. "Toons never cease to amaze me."
"Lisa!" Rita said.
"No, no, no!" I said. "No need to get after her. I get this kind of stuff sometimes too. Some say I was Judy Jetson's son. I'm actually not, but my dad loves The Jetsons. George just speaks to him."
"I loved The Jetsons growing up," Rita said. "When I was a little girl growing up in Merrillville, Indiana, I would watch the show with my mother."
"I find a fascination towards the work behind the shows and I would like to be involved in one," said Lisa.
"So what do you guys like doing?" I asked.
"Oh, just taking care of my daughters after both of my husbands left me," Rita said as I was eating my sandwich.
"Dang," I said, then turned to little Lisa. "I'm sorry about that. And I guess, Lisa, you like science?"
"Affirmative," said Lisa. "I would hang out with the smartest cartoons here in Los Angeles. Brilliant city, yet so polluted."
"I know," I said. "And I guess Leni really likes fashion?"
"You got it!" Leni said. "I do have a passion for fashion."
"And crashing," Lisa finished.
"Yeah," Rita had to agree. "Leni is not really the sharpest tool in the shed."
"Figures," I said, then I finished my sandwich, gave it to the waiter, and paid the bill. "As for what I do, I'm a coffee boy and a cameraman for animated shows. I kind of wish I finally get the chance to be an actor for my own show. I actually pitched an idea for it." Then I checked my watch. "Looks like my break is over, so I better get out of here. Bye, you guys, and good luck if you guys get involved in a show or something."
"They'll make their dear old mom proud," Rita said as I left.
"Bye, Mr. Loud!" Leni called.
"I find Mr. Loud a really interesting character," commented Lisa.