Inga was always filled with dread when Ga'ran summoned him to her throne room. But could anyone really blame him? Even on her good days, the queen was infamous for her persnickety approach on all matters- from major concerns such as politics and ethical quandaries to minor issues such as fashion sense and hobbies- and no one knew this better than Inga.

During the course of his 22 years of being married to Ga'ran, Inga had done a grand total of zero things right in Ga'ran's eyes: He couldn't fill out execution forms and arrest Defiant Dragons fast enough, he couldn't dress properly, and he was an utter disappointment in the bedroom. But for that last one, the 41 year-old minister would fight to the death that he'd do better if he was actually allowed to participate.

That being said, when Ga'ran summoned Inga to her throne room this time, the Minister of Justice knew right away that it was regarding bad news and that he'd come out worse than when he went in. And why wouldn't he? That's what happened when he first entered that accursed audience chamber and forced into marriage despite his objections and sobbing, and that's how it would always be.

Knowing that Ga'ran would force him into that throne room one way or another, Inga let out a long sigh and took a deep breath before entering the audience chamber, where he saw his heartless harpy of a wife perched on her giant golden throne.

"Inga, how nice of you to come of your own volition. And here I thought that I'd have to drag you here kicking and screaming, just like on our wedding night." Ga'ran sniggered, covering her mouth with her hand out of refinement.

"Don't remind me…" Inga groaned. "I don't have all day, Ga'ran. So unlike sex, make this quick and painless."

"Inga, is that any way for you to talk to your beautiful, loving wife?"

"What beautiful, loving wife? All I see is a fat manatee with a hoodie where its junk should be." The Minister sneered, clenching his cigar stamp between his teeth.

"Oh, like you have it so bad. When I married you, I thought that I was getting a man, but instead, I got a pitiful creature with the spine and genitalia of an amoeba." Ga'ran retorted, wrinkling her nose in disgust at her husband.

"I'm not in the mood for foreplay, Ga'ran. Just tell me why you called me here and I'll be on my way."

"Fine, Inga. I want you to create, write, and direct a children's television series for me. You see, because of your secret police's incompetence in crushing the Defiant Dragons, Dhurke has been slowly, but surely, rallying more and more of Khura'in's population to his vile cause with each passing day. That's why we must start a campaign to remind our people of the Defiant Dragon's evils and my benevolence."

"But why target kids? Trying to lure them into your gingerbread house?" Inga sneered.

"Very funny, Inga…" Ga'ran groaned with a roll of her eyes. "If we don't effectively reach the children, they'll be prime soldiers for Dhurke's ranks when they grow older. And what appeals more to children than television?"

"Yeah, but why have me write it? Can't you hire someone?" The Minister pouted." What about the guy you're having write your biography? If he's capable of making you look good, then he's capable of doing damn near anything!"

"Why buy the milk when you can torture the cow for free? Not to mention, with your child-sized mind and disco stick, if anyone can understand the youths of today, it's you." Ga'ran sneered.

"In that case, with your cold, boney hands and ability to make me wanna run to the Twilight Realm, you'd be the perfect Grim Reaper. But do you see me forcing the scythe in your hands?"

"Such insolence! If you were actually capable of doing your job as Minister of Justice and wiped out the Defiant Dragons right when they formed, I wouldn't have to issue this sort of propaganda in the first place! Therefore, this is your responsibility!" Ga'ran yelled.

"But-" Inga tried to retort before being interrupted by his wife.

"Do not test me, Inga! Show me a preview tape of the show's pilot within the next week or you will be stamping your own execution paper! Understand?" Ga'ran snared, glowering down at her husband who responded with a quick nod before rushing out of the throne room.

Later in his private quarters, Inga sat in front of his laptop as he wracked his mind for ideas, glaring at the blank word document before him.

"Ok, Inga, you can do this… Just got to come up with an interesting idea for a show based on Khura'in's rich culture. It can't be that hard, right…?" Inga pondered the possibilities for a brief moment before slapping his forehead in frustration and letting out an exasperated sigh. "Damn it! Who am I kidding!? Khura'in's history's about as interesting as watching paint dry! All it consists of Ga'ran's bitchy ancestor founding the country, her and her bitchy descendants ruling the country with absolutely no conflicts or wars for thousands of years, giving birth to more insufferable bitches that do more of the same until one of them forced me to marry her and plunged my life into a realm of eternal suffering and torment! Hell, the most exciting part of our country's history is the thing I'm trying to snuff out with this show! With the royal family's history being nothing but praying, no wonder people are sympathizing with that cheeky bastard Dhurke! Hell, if it wasn't for the fact that defiant asshole was the reason that I'm stuck with my black widow of a wife, I'd be jumping ship, too! If only there was at least one of the Holy Mother's descendants- with the exception of my dear, sweet Rayfa- that wasn't such a cold bore and actually did something interesting."

Inga's eyes widened as an idea hit him, a grin forming on his face as he began typing out an outline.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of it sooner? Lady Kee'ra! She kicked people's asses for a living, and unlike her other relatives, she actually kept it at just that! I'll make a show where Lady Kee'ra fights Dhurke! It's perfect- interesting to watch, fun to make, and a copy-and-paste formula that can be done over and over for as long as I want!"

However, just as the Minster was getting into the grove of things, he hit another roadblock, prompting him to stop typing as he scratched the back of his head.

"Now I just need to come up with the actual premise of the show- y'know, characters, theme song, all that jazz… Well, when in doubt, steal from the internet. That's what I do when I have to write a birthday card for Ga'ran without death threats and that's what I'll do for this."

Inga went on the internet where he typed in 'popular cartoons' into the search bar, giving him a results screen with a link to The Steel Samurai: Warrior of Neo Olde Tokyo wiki at the top of the page.

"'What's this…? Steel Samurai? I guess it's worth a look…"

The Minister clicked on the link where he was greeted to a thorough wiki article on the Steel Samurai, complete with the show's signature background as the wallpaper and several pictures, one of which included a stern-faced man in a pink suit standing next to the actor playing the character, a tall man named Will Powers if the caption underneath the photo was accurate. Inga then proceeded to read the entire page and watch every embedded video in an effort to learn more about this Steel Samurai character.

"Man, this CrimsonProsecutor92 guy who wrote this article needs to get a life! Well, no skin off my back since his article of this Samurai show's really gonna help me with mine. Alright, time to get to work…"

Inga copied the quality image of the Steel Samurai that CrimsonProsecutor92 so kindly put at the top of the page and pasted it on his outline, where he modified it by recoloring the silver portions of the costume to gold.

"There, got the main character done. Granted, I'll make the costume more feminine and more like Lady Kee'ra's, but I can easily include that as a side note to the designers. Now for the name. I got to make it where it's two names in one that both start with the same letter. Apparently, that's what it takes to be cool in the West. Now what to name her? Name… Name… Feathered Fury…? Nah, not imposing enough… Winged Warrior…? Too cliché… Talon Trampler…? Too reminiscent of Ga'ran… Plumed Punisher…? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Inga nodded vigorously as he typed his new 'original' hero's name. "Alright, now for the theme song." The Minster returned to the wiki page and copied and pasted the sheet music for The Steel Samurai theme onto his outline sheet, where he changed the 'Steel Samurai' in the title to 'Plumed Punisher'. "Done. I'll just have it played with Khura'inese instruments to make it my own. After all, a good artists creates while a great one steals. Now for the actual script…"

For the next few days, after battling many cases of writer's block, Inga finally finished writing the script for the show's pilot and was now able to focus on smaller, but still important, aspects of the show, such as funding…

Inga entered Ga'ran's audience chamber where she regally sat on her throne as Lah'kee gave her a shoulder rub.

"Inga, what a nice surprise. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Well, I got the script for your show done, but I kinda need a film lot, actors, musicians, etc. to actually make the episode. So can you allocate me some money, say 50,000 dahmas?"

"Okay Inga, I'll give you the money. However, you're going to have to work for it, and you know full well what that entails..." Ga'ran purred with a sultry grin. "Guards, please leave us alone as we discuss matters with our husband." The queen requested, prompting all of her guards to leave the throne room.

Inga winced, knowing exactly where this was going. "Eh, on second thought, I'm not that desperate for the money, see?"

"Don't be so coy, Inga. Come here…" Ga'ran said with a slow curl of her index finger.

"Nah, I'm good over here." The Minister said, his posture as stiff as a board.

Ga'ran's grin morphed into a scowl as she began to lose her patience with her husband. "Inga, get over here. NOW!"

Inga shook his head. "I don't wanna!"

"Inga, either you come over here and earn your money like a man, or fail to produce my show and get to see the Holy Mother in person!"

For about a minute, Inga stayed perfectly still as he seriously contemplated choosing the latter option, which only served to further rile his wife.

"Chose the former, Inga!" Ga'ran roared.

Inga sighed as he slowly walked up to Ga'ran's throne, his shoulders slumped over and his gaze directed towards the ground, where he bent down, revealing his bottom to the now-smirking queen.

"Just make painless, Ok?" Inga whimpered as Ga'ran leaned over him, putting her weight on his bad back and causing him to faintly grunt in pain.

"Shut up, Inga." Ga'ran curtly said as she dug her long nails into the Minister's back. "I'm paying you to be pretty, not talk."

Casting…

In Inga's new, hard-earned filming lot, the Minister, who was wearing a black beret and sitting in a director's chair, was auditioning a man that had an uncanny resemblance to Dhurke.

"Thanks for coming in, Teespian. Once again, sorry about my officers mistaking you for Dhurke last month and hauling you to the station. Really got my ass handed to me by the wife that night. But hey, it wasn't that bad- made you the perfect candidate to play Dhurke in the kingdom's new hit t.v. show: The Plumed Punisher: Warrior of Neo Twilight Realm. Now just give your best Dhurke impression and the job's practically yours, see?"

"Thank you once more for this opportunity, Minister Inga." The tall, muscular man said in a surprisingly soft, posh voice. "But before I do, may I ask you a quick question?"

"Yeah, knock yourself out."

"What is Dhurke's motivation? Why is he so hell-bent on destroying our fair nation?"

"'Cause he's an asshole."

"Yes, but why is he an asshole? Were his parents killed when he was a child? Did Her Eminence humiliate him, driving him into blind fury? Or does he suffer from a mental disorder, giving him the delusion that he is the hero in this tale?"

"He ended up on my execution list after asking one too many stupid questions. And unless you wanna face a similar fate, I'd suggest you get on with the audition." Inga growled.

Teespian nervously gulped. "R-Right away, Minister Inga."

And focus groups…

In one of Inga's interrogation rooms, four year-old Ahlbi Ur'gaid's head, arms and legs were restrained to a chair and his eyes were taped open to prevent him from blinking.

"Where am I?!" Ahlbi shrieked in terror as he tried to make sense of his surroundings, only to see a large screen in front of him.

"You're in my one of my interrogation rooms for the sole purpose of serving your country by helping us create a new hit show." Inga said over an intercom. "Now, I'm gonna ask you a question that I want you to answer with complete honesty. Remember, the future of Khura'in rides on your answer. Which costume looks better:" An image of the Plumed Punisher costume with a cloak appeared on the screen. "The one with a cloak…" The screen switched to an image of the same costume but without the cloak. "or the one with no cloak?"

"I wanna go home!" Ahlbi wailed as he struggled in vain to free himself.

"Not until you answer the question: Cloak or no cloak? Answer!" Inga roared, causing the toddler to start crying.

"I don't know! I want my mommy!"

"Well, kid, your mommy ain't here now- just me, Minister Inga Karkhuul Khura'in! So unless you want her to have a little accident, I'd suggest you cooperate."

"I don't wanna! I don't wanna! I don't wanna!"

"Know who you're messing with, kid!? I break the spirits of Defiant Dragons' on a daily basis! I eat little punks for you like breakfast! I can show you things so horrible that your eyes will melt in their sockets and your brains will ooze out your ears, see!? So I'm gonna ask you one last time, which costume do you like better: the one with the cloak, or the one without?" Inga asked as the two choices were shown again.

"The one with a cloak!"

"You sure? 'Cause if the show fails and I found out you were lying, I'll have everything you cherish in life destroyed before your very eyes, see!? I'll personally march down to your house and break each and every one of your loved ones over my knee like cold carrots!"

"Yes! Yes! Just let me go home!"

"See? That wasn't so bad." Inga said in a cheery voice as a member of his secret police entered the room and freed Ahlbi, who was still whimpering, and removed the tape from around his tear-filled eyes. "Now this nice officer's gonna escort you to the building's entrance where you'll receive a lollipop and a cavity search to make sure that you didn't steal anything."

A few days before his deadline, the Inga was in his private chambers, using his laptop to finish the last of the edits for the episode as Rayfa entered the room.

"You wanted to see me, Father?" The nine year-old girl sweetly asked.

"Yeah, Rayfa. See, you're a child-"

"I am NOT a child, Father! I'm a big girl!" Rayfa fumed, her face turning red as she shot her father a death glare.

"I swear to the Holy Mother, I didn't mean it as an insult, Rayfa. In fact, only someone of your age could help me with this really, really important job that I'm currently doing."

"Well, you've asked the right person, Father!" Rayfa proudly chirped with her hands on her hips. "How can I help?"

"I need you to watch a video on my computer and tell me what you think of it. Can you do it?"

"I'll try my best, Father!"

Inga put Rayfa on his lap before playing the finished first episode of the Plumed Punisher. As the episode progressed, the Minister noticed his daughter's eyes widening as she steadily became more and more engrossed in the episode. After the video finished playing, Inga turned Rayfa so that she was facing him.

"So how was it?" The Minister asked, nervously scratching the back of his head as he awaited his daughter's answer.

"That was… amazing!" Rayfa squealed with a look of amazement in her eyes!

"Really? You liked it?"

"Of course! The writing was emotional, the dialogue superb, and the action… I haven't felt such excitement since that time last year when I saw you chase after the warbaa'd that stole your lunch! This is a masterpiece!"

"Good to know all my hard work paid off!" Inga said with a grin, causing Rayfa's jaw to drop as she stared at her father with a look of utter amazement.

"YOU created this beautiful work of art? Did you have any help?"

"Nope. It's a 100% original work by yours truly." Inga boasted as he chomped down on his cigar.

"In that case, you deserve a billion blessings from the Holy Mother for this truly wonderful video you've created!"

"Glad to know I have such a loyal fan in you, Rayfa. If your mother agrees with your opinion, then the idea will get approved for an entire television series. So keep your fingers crossed and pray to the Holy Mother that all goes well."

"Father, I don't need to pray to the Holy Mother because even an extremely critical person such as Mother could not possibly hate such a beautiful masterpiece. Plus, you're the greatest man I know. If anyone can succeed, it's you!" Rayfa chirped as she squeezed her father in a tight hug.

"Yes I can, Rayfa. Yes I can…" Inga said, stroking his daughter's hair as he returned her hug.

On the day Inga was to present the episode, Inga entered his private quarters with Ga'ran where he sat down and turned on his computer.

"So Inga, did you actually do something right for once and make the episode that I asked for?" Ga'ran asked, hovering over her husband's shoulder as he waited for his computer to boot up.

"How about instead of telling you, I show you?" Inga smirked.

"No thank you, Inga. You see, I want to be impressed, and whenever you show me something, I'm anything but if our time in the bedroom is of any indication." Ga'ran wryly commented.

"Just shut up and watch the trailer, ya crone." Inga growled as he clicked to start the video before moving his chair off to the side so that his wife could see the screen more clearly.

The video started with a containing only the country of Khura'in appearing on the screen, followed by Inga saying, "Gloh'baal Studios proudly presents…"

The logo disappeared and was replaced by a picture of Inga's smug faced, followed by him saying, "An original show created, written, and directed by Minister Inga Karkhuul Khura'in…"

The Plumed Punisher jumped on screen, performing a series of flips and jumps to the tune of her theme song. After the minute-long theme song ended, the heroine assumed her signature pose as the show's title was flashed on the screen in big, purple Khura'inese text.

The video then cut to the country awash in flames, thick smoke smothering the sun and casting the land into darkness. The narrator, who was Inga, then proceeded to provide exposition.

"This is the country of Khura'in, a noble nation filled with peaceful people who desire nothing more than to live a simple life devoted to the Holy Mother. But despite all the blessings that Her Holiness gives- bountiful crops, plentiful clean drinking water, beautiful scenery- there is one group that stands in direct opposition to Her…"

The video transitioned to a scene depicting several of the show's goofy, ninja-esque Defiant Dragons chasing down innocent civilians. "They are the Defiant Dragons, a group of soulless renegades that seeks only the destruction of our fair country, leaving only destruction and misery in its wake, led by none other than Amara's murderer himself…"

The video cut to the show's villainous version of Dhurke marching towards the palace, laughing maniacally as he fired bombs at nearby buildings from a large cannon where his left hand should have been, causing them to crumble in large explosions that spewed forth rubble and flames. "Dhurke Sahdmadhi, a heartless attorney who hates our lovely queen almost as much as he hates prayer, love, and Minister Inga."

The scene transitioned to the palace's entrance, where the actress playing Ga'ran, who was big-boned to say the least, proudly stood in preparation for her confrontation with Dhurke.

"Inga!" Ga'ran snapped, glaring daggers at her husband. "What is the meaning of this cow playing me?"

"What? I'm trying to be realistic here."

"I do not look like that!"

"Hey, I write what I see, and if I see your planet-sized ass, then that's what I'm gonna write!"

In the video, Dhurke finally reached Ga'ran.

"Well, well. Look who came out of to play. What, too drafty hiding up in your ivory tower?" Dhurke sneered.

"I am Queen Ga'ran Sigatar Khura'in, the benevolent ruler of this land who loves all things big and small. But despite that, We will not stand by and let you ravage this fair land!" The actress proclaimed as she pulled out a large scepter with a green orb mounted on top.

"Oh please, Inga." Ga'ran said with a roll of her eyes. "If I loved small things, then I wouldn't be disappointed with everything below your belt."

"That's pretty obvious, if what's below your belt is of any indication."

The actors portraying Dhurke and Ga'ran proceeded to fight, with the former transforming his cannon hand into a sword which he used to attack the latter with blinding speed. But unfortunately for him, the television queen was able to wield her staff with tremendous skill, blocking each and every one of the rebel's attacks with ease. The battle lasted like this for a few minutes, with Dhurke on the offense and the chunky Ga'ran on the defense, culminating with the two clashing their weapons together in a stalemate.

"I'm impressed, Ga'ran. You're more skilled than I thought."

"Of course we are, you vile scourge! The Holy Mother would never allow the Queen of Khura'in to fall to one as twisted as you!"

"Ha! But your forgetting one thing: A dragon never yields…" Dhurke sneered, pushing the queen away as his sword morphed into a spinning sawblade. The rebelled then slashed at the queen with his new weapon, cutting through her staff like a knife through hot butter when she tried to guard, followed by him pushing her to the ground with his free hand. "Nor plays fair." Dhurke's sawblade morphed into a shotgun which he aimed at the queen's head. "When you get to the Twilight Realm, send Amara my regards. But don't worry if you forget, because they'll be another messenger soon enough…" The rebel eyed the child actor playing Rayfa, who scurried behind the wall separating the palace from the rest of the nation.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" A female voice yelled from afar.

"Who dares speak out against the all-powerful Dhurke!?" The rebel bellowed as his eyes darted around the area

"Me!" The plumed punisher jumped on the scene, assuming her signature pose. "The Plumed Punisher: Warrior of Neo Twilight Realm!"

"You…!" Dhurke growled.

"That's right, you filthy viper! You thought that the lab explosion killed me, but thanks to the kind people of this nation, the protection of the Holy Mother, and the DNA of Lady Kee'ra that flows through my veins, I'm back and stronger than ever! So prepare yourself, Dhurke, as I fulfil my mission and take you down once and for all!" The heroine yelled as she rushed at the rebel with her dagger.

"I couldn't agree more. Dragons, show her how we do business!" Dhurke ordered, prompting two of his minions to appear out of puffs of black smoke and charge at the Plumed Punisher, only to be quickly defeated with a few swift, precise kicks from the heroine as she continued to rush towards the rebel leader.

Dhurke, seeing that his grunts were of no match for the heroine, took matters into his own hands, firing several rounds from his gun at her, all of which she quickly dodged, before morphing his hand back into a sword and dueling with her at close-range. For the next few minutes, the Plumed Punisher and Dhurke engaged in a high-action fight, with the former unrelentingly unleashing brutal strike after brutal strike on his adversary, only for her to counter by jumping around the area like a grasshopper, disorienting the rebel leader before unleashing a flurry of precise dagger strikes on him.

"Dragon's Maw!" Dhurke roared, grabbing the Plumed Punisher's shin before throwing her into the wall of a nearby building with enough force to cause the building to collapse. But much to his disdain, his adversary emerged from the rubble unscathed, brandishing her weapon as a sign that she was still more than capable of continuing the fight.

"Let's finish this!" The two characters yelled in unison, the scene utilizing a split screen showing both of their glaring faces, before charging at each other, their weapons held to their sides.

The two warriors struck each other with powerful attacks, a bright flash appearing on the screen at the moment of impact along with the sound of metal blades hitting their mark. Shortly after, the Plumed Punisher and Dhurke turned around to face each other, both panting as they prepared for another charge. However, before they could attack again, a sharp pain rushed through the heroine's body as she fell to one knee, prompting Dhurke to smirk at his adversary as he slowly walked over to her. But before he could reach her, the rebel leader winced, the energy drained from his body as he fell face down on the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, the Plumed Punisher quickly got back up on her feet and charged towards Dhurke at full speed to put a permanent end to his reign of terror. But before she could deliver the final blow, the heroine was stopped by the show's frog-like hunchback portrayal of Datz appearing from a burst of black smoke and sending her to the ground with a sucker punch to the face.

"Hee hee! Messs no allowsss nasssty, nasssty lady to hurtsssies Masssta Dhurke! Dragonsss, helpsssies the masssta! Make her crysssies the tearsss of pain!" Datz wailed, causing an army of at least 100 Defiant Dragons to flood the area and attack the heroine as the frog rebel helped his leader back up on his feet.

"You may have beat me this time, Puny Pansies, but remember: A dragon never yields... Congratulations! You may receive a certified check for up to $400,000,000 U.S. cash! One lump sum, tax free! Your odds to win are one-in-six!" Dhurke chanted, his eye and hand glowing red as drew upon the satanic power of telemarketing, sending out a wave of evil energy to strengthen his army, their disposition becoming animalistic as they became more muscular and were surrounded with a red aura.

"So long, suckers!" Dhurke yelled as he and Datz vanished from the scene in a puff of black smoke.

After their master flee the area, the new and improved Defiant Dragons continued their attack on the Plumed Punisher, but despite her best efforts, the heroine was quickly overwhelmed and brought to her knees by the minions' sheer strength and numbers. Seeing that there was no way for her to win, the Plumed Punisher had just about given up hope, when suddenly, the show's flattering depiction of Inga, complete with a cigar stamp the size of a stick of peperoni, and his secret police entered the area and fought off the goons, forcing them to flee from the area.

"Oh, Minister Inga…!" The actress playing Ga'ran said as he embraced the hunky Inga. "You and your secret police have saved the day!"

"Tis nothing, my dear queen and wife. All in a day's work for the secret police in our fight to keep this nation safe. But I cannot hoard all of the credit when it was our noble heroine, the Plumed Punisher, who defeated that dastardly Dhurke on the field of battle. Good on you, fair warrior maiden!" The actor playing Inga proclaimed as he helped the heroine to her feet.

"Thank you, Minister Inga." The Plumed Punisher said with a bow. "But what of Dhurke and his Defiant Dragons? Shouldn't we chase after them?"

"How can we chase after them when we don't know where they are hiding? But if any righteous citizens of our fair nation were in possession of that kind of knowledge and informed the secret police, then we could take the fight to that ruffian and bring peace back to our land. Remember children, don't jump on the evil bandwagon by becoming a Defiant Dragon!"

The screen faded to black as the credits rolled, crediting Inga with everything except the work done by the actors.

"So, whatcha think? Pretty good, eh?" Inga smirked as he chomped down on his cigar stamp.

"That was the worst thing that I have ever had the misfortune to watch in my entire life!"

"But Rayfa said it was good when I showed her."

"She's nine, Inga! Her brain is only slightly more developed than yours! Seriously, morphing hand? Frog Datz? Satanic telemarketing powers!? What in the Holy Mother's name were you on to think of such random, idiotic malarkey?!"

"It's spices things up- y'know, for the kids! Dhurke's morphing hand allows for different fighting opportunities, Datz deformed body and personality are comedic relief, and don't you say that telemarketers aren't evil- 'cause they are!"

"And don't get me started on how you portrayed yourself…!" Ga'ran snarled.

"What are ya talking about? I think I was pretty accurate."

"Oh please, Inga. Like you have the brain capacity to use multi-syllable words and not sound like a stereotypical gangster. And in what world is that deflated muffin top that you call a torso muscular?"

"Hey, I'm merely emphasizing my good qualities, see? It shows the people of how I'm strong and reliable"

"You're right, Inga, because the kingdom truly needs to be reminded of how you use that stamp of yours to overcompensate for something that I and everyone else finds… lacking." Ga'ran sneered.

"Hey! I don't need this stamp to prove nothing, see!?" Inga shouted, rubbing his cigar stamp with his index finger and thumb before quickly putting it in his pocket after realizing what he was doing.

"Regardless of what Freudian issues you have going on, I will not allow for that episode to be aired without some changes, the main one being my character. I am not some fat, kindly ruler who respects you, Inga. I am a svelte, strong, independent woman who is to be feared by all- especially you!"

"Fine. I'll rewrite and recast your scenes with a different actress. Hell, I'll even slip her a tapeworm and dress her up as the Grim Reaper if it pleases you."

"Don't be ridiculous, Inga. You know that black clashes with my eyes. As for your depiction, as long as he's completely subservient to mine, you don't have to change his appearance. After all, I still need people to think that I married well. Just make his stamp the same size as yours. I don't want people other than me starting rumors."

"Alright, I'll do it." Inga groaned.

"Good boy." Ga'ran condescendingly said as she pat her husband on the head. "Run the revised version passed me a week from now."

Later that night, Inga was sitting at his computer, hard at work revising the pilot episode's script to meet Ga'ran's requirements.

"'… After having been touched by Ga'ran, all of the Defiant Dragon goons ran off a cliff like a bunch of lemmings, screaming of how they couldn't get clean.' … Yeah, yeah… That's good. I can make it where they're repelled by Ga'ran's 'spiritual power'."

As Inga typed away on his keyboard, Rayfa entered his private chambers.

"Hello, Father."

"Hey Rayfa. What brings you here? Your mother's being too tough on you with your training again?"

"No Father, I just wanted to see how your presentation with mother went today. Did she love your wonderful show?" Rayfa excitedly asked, a glimmer of hope filling her eyes.

"Sorry Rayfa, but your mother wasn't a big fan- said I didn't portray her well."

"Why would she think that? I loved how you wrote Mother's character! You made her seem really nice."

"Yeah, well, you know how your mother's got an image to maintain."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, Father, I'll always be the Plumed Punisher's biggest fan!" Rayfa chirped.

"Aw. You sure do know how to brighten your dear ol' dad's day." Inga said as he ruffled his daughter's hair. "Say, how'd you like to help me rewrite the script?"

"It would be my pleasure."

Inga lifted Rayfa up onto his lap, allowing her to look at the script.

"Father, maybe you could include a part where I give the Plumed Punisher extra power through my hopes and dreams."

"Heh. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree… Y'know, Rayfa, I have a feeling that this show's gonna be the start of something great."