"Pooper scooper, eh?"

Don Lee and Lincoln found a quiet time alone together in between filming. While things on the set went without a hitch, Lincoln had felt sick to his stomach. Bill Buck and Lee had noticed and thought that they should talk with him one on one each at one point.

"I assume you already know the whole story behind everything," said Lincoln, who definitely didn't sound good. The story was that Lincoln grew so desperate for him and Clyde to be named Kings of the Con just to get his hard work noticed, that he came up with a scheme to create a crime and solve it. They ended up kidnapping the cat who was to play the role of the Kitty, nemesis of Ace Savvy and One-Eyed Jack only for the cat to outsmart them. In the end, Lincoln's sisters stepped in to help return things to normal, but when the boys fessed up, the judges simply frowned down upon them, as did the rest of the con attendees and the Loud sisters, so by default, the girls won for getting the most attention and Lincoln and Clyde were subjected to degrading roles. Lincoln had undoubtedly regretted bringing his sisters along, though it was in the hopes to, again, get his hard work noticed, as he came up with the Full House Gang characters, but nobody really seemed to care about that. Fortunately, Bill Buck and Don Lee did. And they were prepared to let Lincoln know that. Don Lee was a passionate director, but also in a way a kind and wise soul, having been around the block, as the saying goes.

"Yes, the judges were very upset," said Lee. "But when Bill Buck signed on to do the screenplay and he told me that this same Lincoln Loud created the Full House Gang, I thought I would take a different approach."

"Do you think he's mad at me?"

"Of course not, son! ...Well, he was a bit shocked, but he told me he was proud of you for coming clean and said the judges should at least compensated in some way instead of spiting you. As for your movie role, as soon as I met you, I knew that you were no 'pooper scooper'. In your eyes, I see a true believer, one who never gives up, has a heart of gold, and has good intentions for the people around him." This made Lincoln smile a bit, but his face still looked a bit paler than usual. The only upside to even coming to the studio was getting out of going to school, which had been a living hell for the poor boy last week.

"Mr. Lee..." said Lincoln, swallowing a large lump in his throat. "I... I made a mistake... coming up with the Full House Gang..."

"Why's that?" the director asked genuinely.

"I based them on my sisters... because I liked the idea of all of us... as a team... fighting crime together... The truth is... they're not really into Ace Savvy at all... They've made fun of me because I love the comics... They've ridiculed me for my own Ace Savvy costume." Lincoln tried his best to pull it together, but when he felt his eyes moisten, he knew he couldn't hold back any longer. His voice cracked a little more with each sentence he spoke. "Sure, they helped me win that comic book contest so that I could get their characters in... but I came to realize... they didn't do it out of the goodness of their heart... They just wanted their faces slapped on something for fame and glory... All they do for me is help me realize that I just can't measure up to them... no matter how hard I try. I know I've done so much for them... and this is how they repay me..." A wrinkled hand gently gripped the shoulder of his orange shirt to the boy's surprise.

"I see," said Lee. "So what you're saying is, you don't believe your sisters are truly invested in their roles and that they might be exploiting them for their own gains, that they're pulling off a means to an end, as it were." Lincoln sniffled.

"Yes," he croaked. "I'm sorry if I'm being selfish, but I just want to be recognized for... something! Anything! I come up with a bunch of plans on a daily basis, but more often than not, they just fall through! Sometimes I feel like... my sisters are out to ruin my life the first chance they get!" Lee's hand gripped a little tighter in an effort to comfort Lincoln.

"I think a lot of people in this world can relate to you right now, myself included," said the old director. "I felt the same way when I was your age, but I have to admit that I didn't have nearly as much as you're describing weighing me down. In the end, I gave myself more time and... well... soon enough, I chased my dreams until I caught up with them."

"I've worked hard for what I have!" Lincoln blubbered, finally unable to suppress his tears. "I just want to be somebody! And I feel like I'm not! I'm just... a footstool, a slave, a guinea pig, a... a... a good luck charm!" It all seemed unreal to Don Lee that so much could have happened to this one boy, even in a house with ten other sisters, but at the same time, given how genuinely hurt Lincoln felt, it was certainly not far from plausible. On top of that, he did notice that despite the Loud sisters being into their roles, they seemed more in it for themselves and not quite committed. Lola in particular seemed to be out to hog the limelight by showing just how full of herself she was on the set while Lucy, whose eyes were hidden behind her black bangs, seemed to be a little reluctant, which showed in her putting a little less effort into her acting.

"Lincoln..." said Lee. "What would you like to do?" Lincoln wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"I wanna take back everything I did with the Full House Gang," he said at last. "If I had characters based on my friends or other people who actually loved the series, I probably would have gotten better results."

"Are you thinking of redesigning them?"

"No. I just want them... gone."

"Gone?"

"Gone."

"As in...?"

"Wiped. Stamped out. No more involvements with the Ace Savvy series altogether. I want them to stay in my realm of fan fiction, that's all."

"Hmm..." The director scratched his chin. "Tell you what. Bring this up with Bill Buck and talk things over with him. That way, the three of us can come to a decision or perhaps reach a compromise."

"What about the film?" asked Lincoln. "My sisters' roles? Or... my role? I would hate for this to be a waste of time."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," the director chuckled. "Make no mistake, your sisters will at least be paid and such. But as I said, go and talk to ol' Bill Buck. I'm sure you can reach a compromise. As for your role, I understand why you and your friend backed away... but I'll take care of that." He gave a wink. Lincoln took a deep breath and sighed, a small smile coming to his face. "I will. Thanks, Mr. Lee."

"You're welcome, son." They shook hands. "It's been real talking to you. Ace-celsior!"