I have decided to give us all a nice breather from Journey To Excelsior for a bit. Please enjoy this Simon-centric tale that is based on a series of doodles I made back in middle school. (With the CGI movie munks, before Alvinnn was a thing lol)

I have re-worked the idea to make it fit the 2015 Alvinnn! cartoon and now re-worked it again to fit the 2.0 verse. This process involved changing a few of Alvin's lines, but far less than I expected to change.

This is gonna be a fun one, you guys! I am EXCITED for you to read it!

S TO THE 5th POWER

Simon's POV

Greetings, dear readers! I would like to tell you a story about something pretty astonishing. I'm talking about the time I decided to create my very own webshow. Now, this wasn't a publicity stunt or anything. I didn't even plan on going viral. The webshow was just born from a fleeting idea I had one day in class. As usual, I couldn't have predicted how things would turn out. Shall we begin?

I turned on my webcam and prepared to bring the first episode of my show to life. I was nervous. Would anyone even LIKE my show? It was a pretty out there idea.

"Testing….testing…..is this thing on?" Alvin, my irritating older brother, tapped the camera lense, leaving fingerprints.

I let out a groan. "Stop doing that." I ordered. "You'll smudge the glass."

He turned his head sideways so far that it's a wonder his neck didn't hurt. "Is it recording us yet?"

"No." I replied.

Alvin proceeded to tap the camera AGAIN. "Are you sure? Cuz I see a little blinking green thing."

"That means it's on, but not recording." I explained, wishing that Alvin would go away and let me record in peace. "Can you please leave me alone?" I requested.

Alvin started to whine. He's changed a lot, but that will unfortunately never change. "But I wanna help make your webshow!"

"Alvin, it's MY webshow. I don't want you taking over." I snapped, my patience thinning faster every second.

He gripped the tripod that the camera was set up on. "What if I promise I won't take over. I can be your co-host!" He offered, blue eyes glistening.

"No." I was very firm with him.

Not that it did any good. He kept talking. "But…"

"The answer's still no." I gave him a gentle push toward the door.

Finally, my brother in the red and cyan outfit shrugged. "Okay. I guess I'll have to do this the hard way." He rubbed his chin before departing.

I gulped. I didn't know what he meant by "the hard way." However, knowing my brother, whatever it was, would surely derail my plans. A predicament was brewing.

A few minutes later, Alvin returned with the Chipettes and Theodore. Oh joy. (Sarcasm) Who could have seen this coming?

Brittany was the first to enter. "You're making a webshow!?" She asked.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Her sister Jeanette walked in behind her. She was quieter than her sister, but still fairly loud.

Theodore raced into the room and grabbed the camera. "Oh boy! Can we help you!?"

I was understandably flustered. "What? No! N-O! Alvin!" I shouted.

Alvin pushed up his red framed glasses and stood next to Jeanette. "Come on, you can't get rid of all of us." He quipped with a mischievous smile.

"I don't need any help." I muttered angrily. "This webshow is mine. I'm going to create it, I'm going to host it, and I'm going to help teach kids about science." Yes, you see, that was my idea. A webshow that taught kids science, similar to the style of Bill Nye The Science Guy, but with my own, err, Simon-y twist.

"That's what you are doing?" Brittany's tail swished as she walked over to join Theo next to my camera. "A completely boring webshow!?"

"It's not boring." I insisted. What did she know anyway? Science was definitely not her thing. Nor would I want it to be, considering how annoying Alvin's been since his transformation into a science nerd.

Before I could reacted, Brittany's hands were on my shoulders. I wanted to flinch away, but I stayed put. "Simon, Simon, what the Internet needs is pizzazz!" She rambled. "Not dumb science shows that make their viewers drool. Don't you know anything about creating a quality webshow?"

She wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise. "Well….I…"

"No! Of course you don't. You just let me handle this. After all, I have a successful fashion blog AND a vlog series. I know how to make you so popular…" She held up the camera to practice recording my face.

I ducked out of the range of the viewfinder. "I don't want to be very popular. I get enough of that at school. I only want to enrich young minds." I responded.

Alvin tapped his fingers against his head. "I'd like a rich young mind too, but I'm stuck with this crappy old one." He joked.

I groaned again. "Alvin, that's completely off topic."

Jeanette nudged Brittany aside and Eleanor snatched the camera from her sister, handing it back to me.

"So, what's your show called?" The pigtailed girl in the mint and lavender jacket asked.

I chuckled nervously. "You mean, what will my show be called?" I rubbed my neck. "I haven't made an episode yet. I'm tossing around a few names at the moment, but I'm partial to "Simon's Seville's Sensational Science."

Alvin pretended to be sleeping, but then jerked himself awake. I was very tired of his antics. Though, it was nice having people interested in my idea.

"Sorry, I didn't get that. That title is so long, I fell asleep." He said, yawning.

It was a long name, but I liked the long and alliterative name. "I'll call it S to the fourth power, for short." I decided aloud.

Jeanette put a finger on her cheek and then smiled at me. I loved seeing her smile so much. "S to the fourth power. I like it. It's a science show, but the title is mathematical." YES! She understood exactly what I was going for!

Alvin jumped onto his bed and sat down with one leg crossed over the other. "Honestly, you should just call it "The Simon Show." It's simple and straight to the point." He quipped.

Eleanor glared at him. "That title is boring….and a cliche." She sassed.

My older brother rolled his eyes. "Oh, here we go with the "cliches" again. So what if it's a cliche!? You aren't gonna get any viewers anyway." Alvin didn't seem very "2.0" at the moment.

"I….I'll get viewers! You'll see!" I protested. I had doubts, but not enough doubts to not try.

"Not many." Alvin frowned. "Without our help, your webshow will be even more forgotten and ignored than Eleanor."

"HEY!" The aforementioned Chipette shouted at the sound of her name.

Alvin just kept on babbling. "Trust me, Si. It is HARD to make people like science if they aren't already drawn to it. And, don't take this the wrong way, but, you are no Dr. Wilson." That's the name of the Physics teacher who awakened Alvin's science mojo and turned our lives into a chaotic and inconsistent mess. Though, I have to admit, any teacher that can get through to Alvin, must be pretty good at their job.

"And you might get trolled too." Eleanor commented.

Theodore looked at me with his sad brown eyes. "People on the Internet aren't very nice." He joined Eleanor in warning me.

They were right. I knew they were right. I conceded. "Okay, okay. Um…..How about instead of just talking about scientific facts….I….have some people act them out in little skits?" I asked.

Brittany began to open her mouth. "That's the dumbest idea ev…"

"I like it." Alvin and Jeanette both chorused together. She had joined him and now both were standing on the bed holding hands.

Theodore wagged his tail. "Skits are like mini plays, right?" He asked. "I love being in plays!"

"So do I." I sensed Brittany was beginning to realize this could sharpen her acting skills. "Can we be in your science skits?" The Chipette in pink batted her eyelashes at me.

"Well, if you are all willing…..that does make my job a little easier." I told them. It felt very nice having them so eager to help, though I still feared the outcome if they did.

The Chipette in pink pranced around happily, before realizing she had no idea what she signed up for. "What are we gonna do exactly? Dress us up as scientists?"

Immediately, Alvin 2.0's hand was in the air. "I call Albert Einstein!" He waved it around like a maniac.

"I call Madame Curie!" Jeanette added.

My youngest brother in green scrunched his nose as he tried to think of someone to name, so that he could be included. Never change, Theo. Never change. "I call….uh….that guy….who invented….potato chips. I think he was a scientist."

"I'll agree to be a scientist IF I can also be a super model!" Brittany flipped her outrageously long strawberry blonde ponytail.

This was already getting out of hand. "No, no, no. You'll play the parts I tell you to play." I said softly, but firmly.

Eleanor chuckled at the chaos unfolding. "Oh brother."

Several warm ups later, we prepared to shoot our first episode of my webshow. I turned on my webcam, and pressed record. My breathing was shallow from my anxiety. I feared my family and friends would somehow goof this all up.

Nevertheless, I persisted. I began my introduction. "Greetings, people of YouTube. I'm Simon Seville and I'd like to welcome you to the first installment of Simon Seville's Sensational Science Skits! S to the fifth power for short. Today's show is all about….Biology. To be more specific, we will be learning about the parts of a cell."

I flipped the camera around and then panned it over. It revealed the others all dressed in various costumes. Eleanor, Theodore, and Brittany had designed them at breakneck speed. They were sloppy, but they did their job. Each one of my friends and family had assumed a role as a part in a cell. Some were more thrilled with the casting choices than others.

Brittany looked down at her Cytoplasm costume. "This is humiliating." She cringed.

"Well, you all wanted to help." I told her.

The Chipette wailed a response. "This costume makes me look so fat!"

Jeanette encouraged her sister to stay with us, despite the somewhat blobby costume. "Come on, everyone. Let's say our lines so that Simon can post his webshow."

I focused the camera on Jeanette.

The usually meek girl spoke loudly and clearly. She must have really been enjoying herself.

"Hi, I'm the nucleus of the cell." She squeaked. "My job is to store the cell's genetic material and coordinate all the activities the cell performs. Basically, I'm the boss."

"A part that should have been given to Brittany." Alvin commented rudely.

"Nope. That costume looks even worse than the one I'm wearing now." Brittany grumbled.

I held a finger to my lips as I continued to film them. I would edit out the squabbles in post. "Shhhhh!" I hissed, turning the camera to Brittany.

"Oh please don't make me do this!" She complained.

"Brittany, you agreed to this." Eleanor reminded her sister with a no-nonsense tone.

Brittany did play along, though she sounded annoyed. "I'm the cytoplasm. I'm made up of about 80% water and most of the chemical processes in the cell take place inside me. I also aid in cell division."

I focused the camera on Eleanor.

"I'm the cell membrane." The littlest Chipette said, sliding her sunglasses, that were part of the costume, down her nose. "Nothing gets in or out of the cell without me knowing about it. I'm like the cell's security guard." She waved a police baton. I don't know where she got it for certain, but I can bet she got it from Officer Dangus, our city's most dimwitted cop.

I turned the camera so it could focus on Alvin. I crossed my fingers he would actually say his line without ad libbing something stupid in addition.

Unfortunately, Alvin could barely even SAY his line. "I'm the michondrota….err mitorondrica….err…" He went cross eyed as he tried to puzzle over the proper pronunciation.

I tried to help him. "Slow down and sound it out."

"I'm the mi-to-chon-dri-a and I have no idea what that means." He quipped. "By the way, this costume looks like a turd. Are we sure this is actually part of a cell and not the remains of someone's lunch?" He chuckled.

Everyone laughed at him, except me. The ad libbing! WHY THE AD LIBBING!?

I grew very very frustrated. "You were supposed to memorize your lines!" I shouted.

"Hey, it took me an hour just to learn how to pronounce mi-to-chon-dri-a correctly." Alvin replied. "I'm a physics kid! Not a biology kid! You know this!"

I sighed. "Alright. Alright. You're lucky that I came prepared for this." I projected the words above his head using my handy dandy hologram projector. "Just read it from here." I instructed.

Alvin smiled. "Ohoho! Thanks, bro!"

I zoomed in on him again. This time, he said the exact line that I wanted him to. "I'm the mighty mitochondria. I provide the cell with the energy it needs to carry out its functions. I'm the powerhouse of the cell!" Well, it was ALMOST exact. I'll take it.

I panned the camera over to show Theodore in his ribosome costume.

The little boy looked confused. "I don't think mighty was in the script."

"I won't nitpick. I'm just glad he said the line." I responded. "Now, it's your turn."

Theodore looked startled that he missed his cue. "Oh….right." He cleared his throat and spoke. "I'm one of the ribosomes. I'm responsible for making the protein the cell needs. Protein helps the cell repair damage and direct chemical processes."

Now it was my turn to step in front of the camera and record myself. I placed it on the tripod. "Introductions aside, let's see the parts of the cell in action."

Well, we weren't off to a terrible start! This may actually work.

Jeanette started ordering everyone around while holding a box that said DNA. Although, it's Jeanette, so ordering people around just meant nicely asking them to do things. Alvin jogged in place, just as I hoped he would. Theodore carried packages labeled RNA and Protein back and forth. Eleanor paced around everyone in a circle holding the police baton. Lastly, Brittany stood around watching everyone.

While they were doing that, I continued to narrate the video. I got more and more comfortable in front of the camera as I continued to speak. I think my cast of crazy cell parts also got more comfortable playing their roles. We were having a grand old time.

When we finished recording, we broke for lunch. Everyone changed out of their costumes. I can tell they were all relieved to be free of the outfits.

After lunch, I started to edit the video. Before I knew it, everyone else crowded around me, all watching over my shoulder to see how things turned out. I felt overwhelmed by the attention, but I also kind of liked it.

"It's a little rough around the edges." I admitted. "But, not bad overall for a premiere episode. Thank you all so much for helping out."

Jeanette beamed. Her midnight eyes glowing. "Anytime, Simon. Although, playing the nucleus certainly was a challenge. I'm not used to being the boss." She said.

"I loved my role." Eleanor boasted. "It was the best role ever. "She put on a pair of sunglasses. It was the same pair that had been part of her costume. "Cell cop."

Alvin did what he does best. Complain. "It's not fair. Brittany got to stand around and look pretty while I had to exercise!" I'm pretty sure he ENJOYS exercise. This was clearly an attempt to annoy Brittany.

The oldest Chipette folded her arms. "I did not look pretty in that costume." She commented, sounding grouchy.

"I had to exercise too." Theodore added. "You don't see me whinin' about it."

"Geez, Teddy boy." Alvin looked shocked. "You're startin' to sound like Ells."

I looked at my brother with a rather smug smile. "The mitochondria was the perfect role for you, Alvin."

His ears twitched. "What makes you say that?" He asked, before jumping to conclusions. "Oh, right….it looks like a giant turd and apparently I'm a giant turd. Message received."

I facepalmed. "That's not the message." I explained. I hated having to spell it out for him. For someone so smart, Alvin can't seem to comprehend simple concepts without interjecting some conspiracy! "Powerhouse of the cell, powerhouse of this family, you don't see a similarity?" I asked.

Alvin waved a hand at me. "I get it now, I have too much energy for my own good."

"You could barely say mitochondria." Brittany teased, with an infectious giggle.

"If you'd just slow down and take your time speaking…" I began to tell him, before he cut me off.

His arms waved around more than one of those inflatables one would find outside a car dealership. "I can't slow down! Okay!? I don't know how…" And then, he was distracted again. "Hey, look! Someone commented on your video!"

He pointed at the comment section.

My heart beat faster. I read the comment aloud. "That was the craziest thing I've ever watched in my whole life."

"Do they mean that in a good way or a bad way?" Theodore asked, munching on a pn oatmeal raisin cookie.

"I…I'm not sure." I stammered.

Eleanor put her handsy little mitts on my laptop. "Refresh the page. Maybe there will be more." She clicked the button for me.

"Nope…..still one." I murmured. I guess this had been too much to hope for.

"Let's go do something else and come back to it later." Jeanette suggested.

Later, as my brothers and I were getting ready for bed, I took my phone out of my pocket and checked the video again. I was hoping for something, anything, that would encourage me to create another video.

I was met with nothing but disappointment.

Theodore heard me sigh and came over to look at my phone screen. "Still only one comment?" He asked.

I scowled. "There's two…..but the second one is from Alvin." I read the comment. It was OBVIOUS. "The guy in the mitokondreea costume is the coolest part of this thing."

My older brother got very defensive. "How do you know that's me?"

I blinked and then glared at him. "The username is CaptainAwesomeness101 and mitochondria is spelled incorrectly."

Theodore also gave Alvin a very annoyed and suspicious look.

"Okay, fine….it was me." The red capped boy threw his hands in the air.

"Please refrain from commenting on videos I post, okay, Alvin?" I asked as politely as I could manage when my nerves were frayed.

My older brother groaned. "Fiiiine."

One more glance at my phone, revealed a third comment! "Wait! There's one more." I declared excitedly. "I love this!" From…..My excitement faded as I read the username. "IceCreamDreams2015."

"What?" Theodore shrugged. "You only told Alvin he couldn't post."

In an attempt to stop fretting about the video, I decided to get an early night. "Goodnight, Theodore. Goodnight, Alvin." I said, as I crawled under my warm and comfortable blankets.

Alvin looked confused. "Aren't you going to put on your pjs?"

"I'm too tired." I yawned, hoping it would make them both leave me alone. I took off my glasses and put them on the nightstand.

The next morning, Alvin woke up and came downstairs to see me staring at my phone, reading some unfortunate comments.

"Still nothing?" He asked, peeking over my shoulder.

My hands started to tremble as I held the phone. "Worse than nothing."

Theodore jumped up and sat next to me on the couch. "Can I see?"

"I'm sure it's not that bad." Alvin rested a hand on my shoulder. He's never going to stop invading my personal space, is he?

"It's bad." I read one of the newest comments. "I give this a D for Dumbest Idea Ever."

"Is that the only one?" Alvin asked hopefully.

"Alas, it is not." I mumbled. I read off the next comment. "More like Simon Seville's Sucky Science Skits."

Now, Theodore read off a third comment. "A ridiculously long and boring title for a ridiculously long and boring show."

"And there's 40 more mean comments after those." I sighed. "I don't think I have it in me to re-read them all aloud. This is….devastating." It had taken me a few seconds to find a word strong enough to capture how upset I was.

Alvin frowned and then took my phone and put it in his pocket. I didn't stop him. "Well, that's the Internet for ya." He squeaked. "People are jerks."

I remained silent. The weight of the comments hit me hard.

"Are you okay, Simon?" Theodore tugged at my blue shirt with the black atom design on it.

"I think I need to be alone right now." I said, in a rather melancholy way.

Sliding off the couch, I walked toward the door.

I could hear Alvin droning on and on behind me, talking to Theodore. "We gotta find a way to cheer Simon up. I think it's time we work on a new invention together. I bet that will really help him get his groove back!"

"Alvin!" Theodore groaned.

I chuckled a little bit to myself, despite the sadness. Typical Alvin.

Around afternoon time, I thought I might be ready for company again. Alvin, Theodore, Jeanette, Eleanor were watching TV. I decided to join them. I slumped into a chair upon entering the living room.

Jeanette reached over and grabbed the remote, muting the TV. "So are you feeling better, Simon?" She asked in that beautiful whispery voice.

"Jeanette, turn the sound back on!" Alvin complained.

Jeanette looked sternly at her boyfriend. "Simon's health is more important than TV." She replied.

Alvin 2.0 crossed his arms. "Okay, okay, the show can wait."

"Simon, please talk to us." Begged Theodore.

"I'm fine." I mumbled, although I really wasn't. "I'll get through this."

Eleanor gave me a sympathetic smile. "Simon, it's a few mean comments. They totally suck, but it's not the end of the world. You know that your show was amazing."

My breath caught in my throat. "Yes, well, I deleted the video." I muttered.

Jeanette's lips quivered. I could tell she was feeling incredibly sorry for me. "I think you should have waited. Bad comments usually precede the good ones."

"All I wanted to do was teach science in a clever way." I moaned. "I failed."

"I don't think he's listening to you, Jeanette." I heard Alvin's voice, just barely through the fog of depression setting in.

Jeanette frowned. "I know. He's kind of in a daze."

"Someone should re-upload the video." That was Alvin again, I think.

Theodore's sweet voice chimed in. "I don't know if Simon would want that. In fact, pretty sure he wouldn't."

"Simon doesn't care. Right, Simon?" Alvin asked, waving his hand in front of my face. I could see it, but at the moment I didn't have the energy to move.

"I can't even make a quality YouTube show." I moaned. "Maybe I really am boring." I knew I wasn't. Depression and anxiety had combined to stick that thought in my head.

"Simon?" Alvin nudged me.

I turned my head. "Do whatever you want." I told him, before I closed my eyes and fell asleep. I couldn't cope with the sadness, and I hadn't really slept well the previous night. Would I regret telling Alvin that? Perhaps, but I didn't care. I was too out of it.

When I woke up from my nap, I did feel marginally better. I walked into the kitchen and saw Alvin and Brittany sitting there eating candy. Brittany munched on chocolate heart shaped candy while Alvin devoured gummy worms.

"Hey, Simon!" The Chipette in the pale pink dress with a darker pink bow greeted me.

Alvin shook his head. "Brittany, Brittany, he won't listen to you. He just wanders the house like a mindless zombie." Oh goodness. Had I been sleepwalking again? I really need to get that under control.

I decided to shock Alvin by being coherent. "Hello, Brittany." I waved to her.

"So how are you?" The Chipette asked, offering me one of the chocolates.

"I'm better." I nibbled the treat. "I needed time to work through the disappointment. I think I'm ready to re-upload the video."

Alvin looked like someone had just told him aliens landed and wanted to take him into space. "You? What?...Seriously!?"

"Yeah." I answered.

Alvin chuckled nervously, which filled me with dread. "Heh heh, well, I already re-uploaded it for you."

"You did?" I suddenly remembered telling him to do whatever he wanted. OH NO!

My older brother puffed out his chest, drawing more attention to the letter A on his shirt. "Bet you wanna thank me for doing such a good deed."

I gulped. "You made sure to upload the edited version, right?"

Alvin's eyes widened. That wasn't a good sign at all. "Uh….there were two videos that were named the same so I thought they were the same."

Brittany pulled out her phone in a flash. "Hold on, I'll find it." She searched YouTube for the video.

Alvin chuckled, sounding even more nervous and anxious. "Hey, I had a 50/50 chance of getting it right."

"Oh boy…...I'm thinking this is the un-edited version." The girl in pink turned up the volume of the video.

"This costume makes me look so fat!" Her own voice squeaked from the phone speaker.

Jeanette's voice followed hers. "Come on, everyone. Let's say our lines…"

I groaned. This was a nightmare. "You've really done it this time, Alvin!" I scolded him.

"Hey, it's your fault!" He shifted the blame, as he still has a habit of doing on occasion. "You're the one who gave the show such a loooong name. You know why I couldn't figure out which one was which!? Because all the stupid title said was Simon Seville's Sensa- dot dot dot! That's it!"

"The edited one said "edited" at the end." I explained.

Alvin started to cry. I couldn't tell if he was overdramatizing the situation or not. "I was trying to help!"

Theodore, Jeanette and Eleanor ran into the kitchen. They probably wondered what all the commotion was about.

My youngest brother in green was the first to speak. "What's going on?"

Jeanette took one look at my worried face and gave me a hug. I didn't mind it. Usually, I am not a hugger, but she gives such light ones that they actually calm me down.

"Simon, you're talking to us again!" She exclaimed.

I got them up to speed on the situation. "Alvin uploaded the full un-edited video online WITHOUT my permission!"

Eleanor gave Alvin a gentle smack on the back. "Alvin!"

"It was an accident!" The red clad boy replied.

Brittany's eyes narrowed and then she gulped. "I don't wanna make this worse but, this video has comments. LOTS of comments." She reported.

Jeanette nibbled her fingernails. "Do we dare read them?"

I clenched my jaw. "Well…..I don't want to, but…...I just can't help myself!" I exclaimed. "Read them. I have to know what they said!"

"But what if they make you feel bad again?" Ah, sweet Jeanette. She's always looking out for me.

I squeezed her arm reassuringly. "I think I'll be okay."

Then, Brittany surprised all of us. "Wow…..these aren't that bad…..Some of them are pretty good."

"Really?" The other five of us chorused.

She nodded. "See for yourself."

We all gathered around as Brittany scrolled through the comments section.

"Simon rocks!"? I read in disbelief.

Jeanette read the comment under it. "Well done. This is like watching bloopers for a PBS kids show."

Brittany's bright pink lips quirked into a grin. "The girl in the cytoplasm costume is a riot!" She read. "Why thank you, whoever you are."

My heart practically soared as I read the next comment. "I didn't know education could be so entertaining."

Theodore even got to read one. "This show is hilarious!"

As did Eleanor. "When does episode two come out?"

"You all know what this means. We gotta make episode two!" I jumped up onto the top of the table, giddy and fueled with adrenaline.

Alvin tapped his foot as he stared up at me. "It also means, you owe someone an apology." He smirked.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't owe you anything. You shouldn't have uploaded that without my permission." He KNEW I was falling asleep.

"But….but…" Alvin stammered.

I smiled and jumped off the table, giving Alvin a gentle shoulder tap. "But, I'm so glad you did."

Alvin smiled back and fist bumped me. We both mimed explosions with our hands following the fist bump.

A few days later, we were ready to film episode 2! I handed out T-shirts with letters on them. Brittany got a U, Eleanor got a C, Jeanette got a G, Theodore got a T, and of course Alvin got an A. There's no other letter for him.

Brittany slipped on the pink shirt with a U. "Do we have to wear these?"

Alvin's shirt was basically identical to his usual signature T shirt. However, I added a cyan outline around the A. I figured he'd appreciate that.

"Why are you complaining? They look better than our last costumes." The mischievous munk quipped.

"What are the letters for?" Brittany asked.

I winked at her. "You'll see."

Alvin pointed to the pairs of handcuffs sitting next to my camera. I could tell he was wondering just what sort of episode I was cooking up.

"Look!" The red capped kid whispered.

Theodore became nervous. "Does he want to arrest us?"

"I don't know, but I'm getting out of here." Alvin whispered back.

He started to walk toward the door, but I stopped him. "Where are you going?"

"Um….out." Alvin chuckled nervously. "Thanks for the new shirt by the way."

"But, Alvin, I need you!" I begged, knowing that would force him to stay. Especially if I played up the drama.

He slumped his shoulders. He knew he was stuck. "Okay…..okay."

Time to explain to everyone what was going on. "Alright, people. Things are going to work a little differently today. I will start the episode and then I'll show you what to do."

"Okay?" The five of them exchanged worried and confused glances.

Once again, I turned on the camera. I began my customary introduction. "Greetings, I'm Simon Seville and I'd like to welcome you to the second installment of Simon Seville's Sensational Science Skits!"

"S to the fifth power for short!" Jeanette interjected excitedly.

Awww. She was so into this! Adorable. "Today, we will be learning about the bases of DNA and RNA."

Alvin tilted his head. "What's RNA again?"

"I explained it in the first episode." I said, rubbing my forehead.

"I know, but I forgot." My brother squeaked.

I decided to just keep going. He'd catch up. "Moving on. The four bases of DNA are Adenine,…"

Alvin looked down at the A on his shirt. "I think that's me."

"Thymine,..." I continued.

"That's me!" Theo pointed to the T on his lime green shirt.

"Guanine,... "

Jeanette raised her hand. She was in a red-violet shirt with a purple G. "Right here."

I smiled. "And, finally, cytosine."

"Really? I have to be last." Eleanor complained, crossing her arms over her dark teal shirt with a mint C.

"Moving on, again….The bases of DNA will always pair themselves together." I explained, for both my actors and the audience. Though Jeanette likely already knew. "Guanine pairs with Cytosine and Adenine pairs with Thymine."

My hyper-intelligent brother looked concerned. "And I have a sinking suspicion I know what those handcuffs are for." He added.

Alvin started to run for the door, but Eleanor and Jeanette grabbed him and held him back.

"Let me go!" He shouted. "Let me go!"

With a swift move, I handcuffed Alvin to Theodore. Jeanette and Eleanor handcuff themselves together no problem.

I spoke directly to the camera. "As you can see, they stick together…..like friends forever."

"You owe me so many gummies for this!" Alvin tried to wiggle out of the cuffs. If he thought this was bad, he had no idea what he was in for next.

Later in the show, Alvin was still struggling to break out of the handcuffs. Meanwhile, Jeanette and Eleanor smiled and waved at the camera.

"Now, let's talk about RNA." I was really enhancing my presentation skills. "The bases for RNA are a little different."

Alvin grumbled loudly. "I hope that means Adenine is alone!"

"It'll be alright, Alvin." Theo reached up to pat his cap.

It was honestly a struggle to get through my next line without laughing. "Guanine and Cytosine still pair up together, but Adenine pairs with the base Uracil."

Alvin's pupils shrank to pin pricks. "Uh oh…."

Brittany walked into the camera's view while I used a key to unlock the handcuffs on Theodore.

"Oh no…..no no no no no!" Alvin shrieked. Oh the internet would eat this up.

I grabbed Alvin's hand and held him as he tried to run away again.

"Alvin, you're making a scene. The sooner we get this done, the more free time we'll have to do other things." Jeanette told him gently.

"No! No! I won't do it! You can't make me!" He continued to fight, but it was no use.

"Wait, are you really handcuffing me to HIM!?" Brittany gasped, finally realizing what was happening.

I wasted no time bonding the two "bases" together.

"Ladies and gentleman, the happy couple of Adenine and Uracil." I snickered, pointing to them. Oh, messing with those two was so much fun.

Alvin was BEYOND angry. "Simon?" He squeaked.

"What?" I asked, faking surprise. I knew exactly what.

"RUN!" He started to chase me around the room dragging an equally angry Brittany along with him.

"We're going to get you for this, Simon!" She yelled.

Jeanette and Eleanor both facepalmed. All in all, a brilliant and hilarious episode 2. Mission accomplished.

After the show, everyone was back in their usual outfits, except Alvin. He was still wearing the new T-shirt with the A on it that I gave him.

"Okay, okay, so that didn't go as smoothly as episode 1." I tried to make light of the situation, but both warm colored chipmunks were still fuming.

Alvin glared at me. "You handcuffed us together!" He snapped.

"Do you know how awkward that makes things for us!?" Brittany growled.

Alvin furrowed his brow. "He knows." The redheaded boy told her. "That's why he did it."

"I'm sorry." I admitted. "But I couldn't think of a better way to show how bases act. The opportunity was just too tempting."

"Your Alvin is showing again, Simon." Theodore stated, as an attempt to make me act with more caution.

Eleanor looked at the calendar. "Do we have to be part of episode three?" She asked. Did she have other plans?

"This show is exhausting." Brittany slumped in her chair.

"You aren't enjoying yourselves?" I asked, looking around the dining room at all their faces.

"No." Brittany grumbled.

Alvin nodded. "And we're making that pretty clear, Simon."

The youngest Chipette played with an apple sitting on the table, "It's not that I don't love this. It's that…well…soccer keeps me really busy. I don't know if I can swing the time commitment if we shoot episodes every week."

"Ya know I'm pretty booked up myself." Alvin added.

"Same here." Brittany agreed, before looking irritated she agreed with Alvin. "But not booked up reading books like Geek Charming over there."

I sighed. It had been going so well, but they were right. "Does this mean we have to stop now?"

Jeanette tapped her chin. "Well, maybe…..we can find you some different actors." She suggested. I wasn't sure I could capture the same hilarious scenes with anyone different.

Then, Alvin, always the idea guy, came up with the answer. "Orrrr….we agree to do the show once every month."

"Well, that would give me a lot of time to write new scripts." I said. "I...I think that will work!"

"Yay!" Cheered Theodore.

"I can handle once a month." Eleanor replied.

"Me too!" Brittany and Jeanette said in unison.

"Phenomenal." I felt so appreciated. They were making enough time in their busy schedules to help me with this new webshow. "Now, I'll go post episode two. I can't wait to see what comments we get!" I exclaimed.

All's well that ends well! Everything worked out wonderfully. This family might drive me nuts, but they're the best friends I could ask for.

One month later, I was browsing through comments on our 3rd video. We'd just recorded it the day before. The editing process was a cinch now that I didn't have to edit away any of the funny in-between dialogue. This episode was all about forces and Alvin and I took turns narrating it, though he pretended to find the physics facts boring. We all knew better. He had to pretend though, this video was on the internet for anyone to see. Worldwide. He still hasn't revealed his 2.0-ness to his fans fully yet.

Anyway, I read through the positive comments and then another video was recommended on my feed. The title was "Fun Food Facts." I was curious, so I clicked on the video. There was Theodore, sitting in our room, talking all about food and good nutrition. I was glad I'd inspired him.

"And another fun fact." My little brother said in his childlike way. "A tomato isn't actually a vegetable. It's a fruit. Can you believe it?"

I watched Theodore's video and then ANOTHER video caught my attention. Theodore had recommended it on his channel. The title? "Alvin's Declassified Dysfunctional Family Survival Guide." Go figure.

"And yet you had the nerve to call my title too long." I said to myself with a chuckle.

In the video, Alvin, without his glasses this time, was doing what he does best. Rambling. "Being part of a family is full of ups and downs. Your family is gonna get you to try things that you've never imagined before. It might be scary, but it can also be exhilarating. You may have seen me starring in my brother Simon's new web show. Wearing the glasses was totally his idea. I only need them for reading! I mean, could you imagine if I had to wear them full time?" He fibbed. Then, the background music in the video got more serious sounding. "The eye doctor says one day I will. To tell you the truth, I'm afraid of what you guys, my dear fans and loyal supporters, will think. So, if you're totally on board with me looking like this…" He slipped the glasses on. "Let me know in the comment section. Reassure me that you'll stand by me, even if I change a little."

Good for him. My brother was finally taking some much needed steps toward revealing his true self to the world. I wish him nothing but the best.

Following Alvin's video, I fell down a YouTube rabbit hole and it led me to a brand new vlog from Brittany. It was called "My Special Guest." My keen eyes noticed Jeanette's picture along with Brittany's in the thumbnail for the video.

"It's great to be here, Brittany." The girl in purple began, nervously fidgeting with her amethyst gemstone butterfly necklace.

Brittany crossed her legs and sat in a fluffy pink beanbag chair. "So, as if I didn't know, how was your weekend?"

Jeanette twirled one of the strands of hair that hung down the sides of her face. "It was really hectic. I did some gardening, I went to the mall to check out the pet store, I helped Eleanor find a good vegan banana bread recipe. Plus, I had the yearbook to work on, and the annual craft fair is coming up. I've had a lot on my plate."

I opened yet another video after that one. I felt like I had to complete the set. The video was titled "Ell's Kitchen" Ah, an amusing spoof of the Gordon Ramsy show. The video showed Eleanor preparing a banana bread, beating the ingredients as a fire raged in the background behind her. It was clearly a green screen, which was very amusing to me.

"Alright, you guys, welcome to ELL! Mwahahaha! Today, I am gonna show you how to make a wickedly delicious vegan banana bread! First, you're gonna need your ingredients. Since this is vegan, we won't be using eggs, milk, or butter. The list of ingredients is on screen right now, so pause this video and make sure you have everything. Kay?"

I paused the video and shook my head at their ridiculously fitting webshows.

"Why am I not surprised?" I asked with a chuckle.

I now had solid proof I had inspired each and every one of them. That was very cool. I subscribed to each of their channels, since I'd only been subscribed to Jeanette's channel previously. Then, I grabbed a bag of salty and sweet barbecue flavored potato chips and went back to re-watching my Sensational Science Skits. These never got old. I couldn't wait until next month when we'd shoot episode 4.

Heeey! Wasn't that nice Simon story! He really shines bright. What were your favorite parts? Did you think the pacing was okay?

Which references and parody titles were your favorite? And are you excited for the Dave narrated camping story next? I am excited to try and narrate as Dave. He'll be a challenge!

I probably won't get to the camping story for a bit. Gonna focus back on wrapping up another section of Journey To Excelsior. I cannot wait to have that fic FINISHED so I can get more mini tales out. I have SO MANY IDEAS!

As always, thanks for reading! See you soon!