A/N: Hey Everyone! I'm back with another add on to this series. As usual, real life has gotten in the way again. Between going back to school and doing two jobs now, I have had less and less time to write. But I try to make do. I had been working on these two chapters on and off for a while. In the meantime, I'm currently giving a few of the older chapters of this story some long overdue revisions. They should be done by the end of the week.
Also, a brief warning that's unrelated to this story. Be careful if you happen to use the Writers Anonymous Forum. Several users there, I included, have been hit by tons of bogus reviews from spammers claiming to be in a revolution against Critics United. If the "Please Get a Life Foundation" existed, these guys would need it bad!
But enough about that, on with the story!
Chapter 10: Method to the Madness
"Gunga Dot"
It was in the summer of 1995 when Dot learned one thing about method acting. Once you're in character you can't let it go, or an unconvincing performance will definitely show. While she had to put her acting skills to the works, her friends were required to act like jerks.
While staring in her own short wasn't a first, this particular one happened to be her worst. The only thing that wasn't the worst was shooting the ending because it was shot first. It was shot in the evening and went off without a fling, Dot was unaware of what the next day would bring.
Dot skipped throughout the studio building, mentally replaying the lines she had rehearsed since last night. She hoped everyone else had done the same so the short could be finished by the afternoon. The short was expected to be no longer than 6 minutes, about average fare for a typical short. She was told that it was expected to be done within 2 and a half hours. Everyone was guaranteed at least one line in the script. So it wasn't expected to be that much of a hassle to do.
The entire cast would be off for a full week, a rarity during the Animaniacs peak period. So they wanted to make the most of it by taking a group vacation in San Diego.
However, the studio was still behind on a few episodes. So the cast was called in to do one more episode before they would make their venture to the city.
On her way out, Dot passed by a small group of crew members wedging an enormous blue sponge into an indoor pool room. It was where Pinky and the Brain would film their scenes for the day. The mice in question stood outside the doorway standing over their copy of the script.
"Gee I'm surprised Brain, You never considered using this for one of your real plans," Pinky said as he folded up one of the script pages into a paper airplane.
"Pinky, please." Brain scoffed before he pulled the page underneath his partner's feet. "Even for me, this idea is ridiculous. Having a sponge this large would put too much strength on the crane's mechanism…"
Dot gave herself a tiny shrug and headed outside to the where the main set was located. When she opened the door, a wave of hot air flared into her face.
In front of her, most of the cast members sat around the pool baking in the hot sun, baring the full brunt of Burbank's ongoing heatwave of that year. It had reached a feverish peak of 102 degrees. The pool was completely empty except for a few trickles of water. In the background, the rear end of the water tower loomed above the set. It had been temporarily filled with water for the time being. One of the rare time the Warners home was actually used for its intended purpose.
"Where you been, Gunga Dot?!" Yakko yelled at her from the shade of an umbrella.
"I've got to chill" Wakko added. He was busy cooking an egg on Scratchy's head. Angry, the psychiatrist wiped it off.
"Vakko, I'm not a grill!" Scratchy barked at him.
"It's getting hotter than a sauna" Nurse wailed.
"Is there any flipping radio station that doesn't play Nirvana?" Slappy complained as she fiddled with a portable radio. She then tossed it in the empty pool.
"Let's start filming already! It's far too hot!" one of the Hip Hippos, Maria complained.
"'We need more water, Gunga Dot!" Scratchenniff added.
This oncoming commotion of outrage caught Dot off guard. She had no idea what everyone was so mad about, or why they were speaking in rhyme for some reason.
"Hey what's wrong with you guys?!" she asked irritably. She was about to give them an earful when the assistant director, who requested to remain anonymous, came to her side. The Warner's regular director Mike, was still recovering from the anvil they dropped on him by accident last week. So this guy was temporarily filling in for him.
"Relax, Dot. They've just spent all morning being in character." He told her.
"You've lost me," she said with a deadpan stare.
"It called method acting, Dot. You become the person you're trying to act as on and off camera. All the greats do it"
Dot crossed her arms."Acting or no acting, you expect me to take this sitting down?"
"Yes, you're the star. This short won't work without you"
Dot held up her script copy. It wasn't often she got episodes that centered around herself. As vain as it sounded, she really wanted to make this count. The 'cute one' couldn't afford to tarnish her own image.
"Well, can't argue with that" she shrugged. The director nodded his head.
"Good because these guys haven't had any water so…" he said before handing her a pitcher full of ice water and punch. "You got to serve them"
"Hey, wait!" Dot yelled when the man ran off towards the crew.
"Alright! Quiet on the set!" the director yelled into a megaphone. He wiped a bead of sweat from his head. As everyone else busily got themselves ready for shooting, someone else caught Dot's eye. Off to the side was the most well-dressed tiger she'd ever seen. Fitted in a slim dark blue suit, he sat atop a stool reading his copy of the script. A boom microphone was adjusted above his face. She recognized him instantly.
"Shere Khan?" Dot spoke to him.
Despite the enormous feline's stoic like expression, his eyebrow rose in a brief hint of surprise. As if she was the first person to recognize him outside of Jungle Book and TaleSpin reruns.
"Yes?" a low husky voice came out of him.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm the narrator" Shere Khan replied dryly. The tiger gave a bored sigh. "One of the spoils of being out of work. You have to take what's available"
"Aww, I'm sure Disney has a direct to video feature in your future." Dot patted his head. The large feline cringed at the unlikely possibility.
"I'd rather be on fire,"
"Dot get over here! Come on!" Various cast members yelled over each other. She glared at the director who sat in the shade behind the camera.
"Remember Dot, they're not really mad at you." he told her."Action!"
[Scene 1 Take 1]
The short opened with panning shot across the set's fake sandy desert backdrop. Off-screen, Shere Khan put on a pair of reading glasses and sat up straight. He spoke into the microphone right as the camera began to roll.
"From Karachi to Botswana, they all tell the story of a bwana where the ground is burning hot. Where the wind cracks the stones, where the sun will bleach your bones."
"Come on already! We know it's hot!" Yakko rudely interrupted. Shere Khan held up his paw, not taking his eyes off the script.
"Quiet please"
[ Scene 1 Take 2]
"Where the wind cracks the stones, where the sun will bleach your bones. And the legend there known as Gunga Dot."
The camera stopped on Dot, whose confident smile was undercut by her face dripping with streams of sweat. Her signature flower drooped over her eyes.
"Makeup!" she shrieked. After coating her face with 3 extra layers of sunscreen the shot went off as intended.
[ Scene 1 Take 3]
"….And the legend there known as Gunga Dot."
While Shere Khan was delivering his lines, Dot was already at work, serving glasses of water to the cast. Many of them snatched the glasses out her hand without a simple thank you. This didn't bother her too much, she and her brothers were used to dealing with rude people all the time.
"It was back in 22, we were west of Katmandu, On the Afghan border heading towards Bombay. We were traveling out of Kari, on an elephant safari. When I heard the cry…"
Were out of Perrierrrrrr!" Maria sang her first line in a high pitched note that could give Mariah Carey a run for her money. The loud frequency of it all made Dot's pitcher shatter into pieces, drenching her with water.
"Gah! Makeup!" Dot yelled.
"Maria, no singing!" the director yelled.
"Good habits die hard no?" Flavio spoke before giving Maria a quick kiss.
[Scene 1 Take 4]
"On the Afghan border heading towards Bombay. We were traveling out of Kari, on an elephant safari. When I heard the cry...'
"Were out of Perrier! Oh, Flavio is it true?!" Maria cried out, dangling an empty bottle. Her husband rummaged through an empty cooler. He shook two more empty bottles in his hands.
"Were out of crystal geyser too! And all that sparkling water Evian we brought." Flavio moaned.
"This ride it isn't nice"
"We are also out of ice"
"Come and help please oh Gunga Dot Both hippos said in unison. Dot then came over and filled their bottles with water.
"It's not Fiji but it will do" Flavio muttered. Dot's eye twitched. She turned around to say something when 3 new voices grabbed her attention.
[Scene 1Take 5]
"Yo, Dot! Dot! Dot!" The three pigeons, or Goodfeathers as they called themselves, shouted as they sat inside an empty metal bird bath.
"We're dying here its hot" Pesto snapped.
"Bring some water" Bobby whined.
"And some big electric fans," Squit said while fanning himself.
Dot quickly poured some water into the hot birdbath. All three of them screamed when the water bubbled and steamed on contact. They yelled at her and flapped their wings, splashing Dot with warm water and feathers.
"Hey, you trying to boil us like pasta over here?!" Pesto screeched at her.
"Oops" Dot apologized, even though she didn't take their tone too well.
[Scene 1 Take 6]
"She rushed out to serve them, taking on many their demands at one time." Shere Khan continued.
"Boy, the service here stinks!" Mr. Plotz grumbled at a table. Wakko and Yakko sat at another table nearby.
"Hurry up there with our drinks!" her brothers said afterward.
"Hey relax you jerks!" Dot spoke while filling a few more glasses. "I've.."
She tripped up on a cord mid-sentence and fell flat on her face, spilling water everywhere. This sparked a choir of irritated groans from the cast.
Cut!"
[Scene 1 Take 7]
"Hey relax you jerks I only got two hands!" Dot repeated her line. Behind her, Slappy Squirrel pounded at her own table.
"Its hundred in the shade and I'm out of lemonade!" said Slappy. Dot turned around to see Ralph holding a bowl in front of her face.
"Id like more ice cream so just bring me all you got." The guard ordered her. Dot glared at him. Slappy and the others she could deal with, but now Ralph too?
"You know I think it's getting hotter!" said Nurse. She fanned herself at another table just a few feet away. Dr. Scratchensniff sat with her.
"Why don't you bring us more water?" Scratchy asked with impatience.
"And do it on the double Gunga Dot!" Everyone else joined in to blast poor Dot's ears.
Dot said nothing as she scowled for the camera. If these guys were really acting, they were doing a good job. Too good.
"Cut! Great job everyone! Let's take a 30-minute break" the director advised.
Dot let out a sigh of relief. This was good; a break is what she needed. Maybe everyone would finally calm down now.
When she stepped away from the set, she saw Shere Khan walking out of the studio building where Pinky and the Brain were still doing their scene. And judging by their faint screams from inside, theirs was coming along perfectly. The tiger had an irritated scowl on his face as he read his copy of the script.
"Two mice about to lunge with a huge gigantic sponge…." Shere Khan growled under his breath. "Who wrote this drivel? I did not study in acting school to say things like this"
"Could be worse. You might have gotten stuck in one on those cereal commercials." Dot commented. Shere Khan smirked at her response.
"Funny you mention that. Someone once mistook me for Tony the Tiger once…" he flexed one of his paws, sharp claws curled from each one. " Let's just that was last time that person was mistaken…."
Before Dot could fully take in his grim confession, someone else cried for her attention.
"Where are you, Gunga Dot?!" Mr. Plotz yelled from afar.
"We are also out of coke!" Maria pounded at a nearby vending machine. Her husband Flavio turned his pockets inside out. Both of them were sweating profusely.
"And we are also broke. Oh, Maria, I think I'm getting a heat stroke!" the blue hippo practically fainted before he could finish his sentence.
"Want me to deal with your friends?" Shere Khan asked. He cooly filed one of his claws on his paw. Dot opened her mouth to consider that option when she was cut off by the director.
"No. Just play along, they're still in character," he told her before handing her another pitcher of ice water and punch.
Dot's eyes grew with outrage. "What?!"
"Gunga Dot! Gunga Dot!" both her brothers called for her.
"I'm coming." Dot sighed. Shere Khan said nothing but shook his head with dismay. Dot came over and poured more cups of water to the cast, resisting the urge to splash them right in their faces. Each cast member scowled and grumbled as they received their water.
"Don't you have any ice!? This waters hot." Yakko complained after taking a sip.
"Yakko, Can you drop the act for just one minute? Right now this all I've got!" Dot snapped at him. Her younger brother glared at her.
"We don't know what you're talking about Gunga Dot," Wakko said.
Dot bristled her eyebrows, this occasional rhyming stuff was getting old fast. It was bad enough everyone else was ragging on her; she did not need this from her brothers too. At the bare minimum, she expected them to break character at some point.
"Come on! Don't be such a-"
Honk!* Yakko had whipped out an air horn and blew it on the last word she said.
"Ow! What was that?! "Dot exclaimed. She dug a finger into her ears.
"I had a feeling we'll be a bit more potty-mouthed than usual, so me and Wakko are on soap patrol," Yakko explained. The Goodfeathers suddenly landed on top of Dot's shoulders.
"What the *honk* is soap patrol?" Pesto asked. "Hey!"
Wakko sprang from behind Yakko with a yellow water gun loaded with sudsy soap water. He shot a tiny quick blast down Pesto's beak. The irate pigeon showered Dot with more feathers.
"Faggolia tu *honk! honk!* It got down my throat!" Pesto cursed, bubbles coming from his mouth.
" The Godpigeon always said you needed to clean up your act!" Bobby joked.
"Yeah, he does say that." Squit agreed. This got Pesto's attention.
"What do you mean by that? Are you're saying I'm dirty?! You're saying I'm some parasitic avian vermin ready to decorate your precious lawn gnomes?! Is that it?!" Pesto's yelling was rumbling Dot's already sore eardrums.
"No, I'm not saying that!" Squit said with his wings raised. Pesto's feathers puffed up.
"That's it!" Squit raised his wings to fly right before Pesto tackled him. Both of them disappeared in a mid-air fight cloud. "I'm gonna *honk honk* you *hoooooonk* in a cinnamon bun!"
As usual, Bobby did nothing but keel over bursting with laughter.
"This is starting to sound like Scarface on daytime television" Slappy commented. Dot swore under breath when she shook Bobby off her, wiping any extra feathers and pigeon residue off her shoulders.
"I'm out of here" Dot grumbled. Now, this was reaching 'special friend' levels of annoying. The assistant director stopped in front of her right when she was about to walk off set.
"Hey Dot. Don't forget about the script! You'll get em back at the end." He told her. A small smile came on her face; she knew he was refereeing to one of her final lines in the script.
If you want to get wet, Then that's what you'll get.! Then the script called for her to smile and pull the lever on the water tower to create a light rain shower. Simple, but effective.
She was hoping that part of the short would come very, very soon.
Within less than five minutes left, the director announced that they would resume filming. But Unfortunately, to Dot's dismay, none of the cast had cooled off. In fact, they seemed to get worse. As the day went on, the air got hotter, and so did everyone else. She overheard Skippy quietly telling Mindy a joke she heard Slappy say once.
Honk!*
"Hey, watch that language, Skippy!" Slappy scolded her nephew.
"But that wasn't me!" Skippy protested. The squirrel pointed at Dr. Scratchensniff. Slappy narrowed her eyes at him.
"It vasn't me! I vould never..!" Scratchy insisted. Suddenly Wakko zipped right past him with a bowl of ice cream and accidentally stepped on his foot. Scratchy howled in pain while grabbing at his foot "Ow! -*honk*!"
Suddenly, Wakko took aim and shot streaks of suds into Scratchy's and the squirrels' mouths.
"Spew!" Skippy exclaimed as he spat bubbles from his mouth.
"I'm gonna need more soap!" Wakko uttered breathlessly, right before he ran back inside to find more.
"Mr. Man said *honk*!" Mindy giggled. Buttons, Mindy's dog, hung his head at the foul display.
"This is last time I'm letting Mindy parents talk me into babysitting that *honk* kid" Slappy groaned.
"This is a dream, this is only a dream…" Dot said, holding her head.
"I founds the ice cream!" Ralph yelled. She turned around in time to see him struggling to wrestle a tub of ice cream out of Mr. Plotz hands. "Gimme that! It's mine!" he yelled.
"Go find some your own size!" Plotz grumbled, the CEO sounding extra crankier than usual. Dot rushed over and yanked the tub out of their hands.
"Let me fix that for you guys," she said sweetly. Then she opened the tub and showered both of them with melted pink ice cream. Ralph licked some off his shoulders.
"Aw, Is hate raspberry!" Ralph groaned.
"You owe me a new Bermuda shirt!" Plotz spat critically at Dot.
"I'd say the raspberry was an improvement" she muttered. Behind her, the director shook his head.
"Dot…!" he warned.
"What's wrong, I was just helping!" she whined.
"Places everyone! We're almost halfway done!" the director commanded. "Shere Khan, you ready?" The tiger rolled his eyes and began to read his lines.
"Halfway?!" Dot moaned.