Latest Posts by dandyfelines - Page 2

Alflear Week (2)

enjoy this unedited first draft lol. More sad Alear than Alflear, admittedly. For @malflearweek

The blizzard was cold. Nothing alive should be here. He just had to do his work for Sombron… for Father. It should have been simple, solitary. But now there was someone with his face. He looked just like what he saw in the mirror, except his hair had a blue half. Instead of two crimson eyes, he had a blue one.

He could summon Emblems, too. Was he a Fell Dragon too? But those Emblems could talk. Their faces shone with life. Their hairstyles were vibrant with colors. His own Emblems looked unfeeling and lifeless. Fell Dragons didn’t need such things.

The person across from him had companions in the Emblems and a group of humans. They all rallied behind the strange dragon. He didn’t shout at them or threaten them. His voice was soft, welcoming, and responded to his followers’. It was strange. That was supposed to be a weakness. Leaders weren’t supposed to have companions. But they smiled at each other. For some reason, they all listened to him.

There was another strange thing. The human with the flower garland held his hand. He squeezed it back. The way they looked at each other, he thought this was love. Not the love he felt for his sister, or the one he wanted from Father. This was the strange love he saw in picture books.

He had to fight them. It made his stomach churn. He took so many lives already, and now he had to fell someone who looked like him. Maybe that was why everyone loved the one with his face. He didn’t look like someone who had to kill mercilessly. No, this was the thinking of a defect. It was time to fight.

The human with the flower crown– Alfred, he’d heard– met his sword with a lance. He was strong, but… his attacks were tepid. This, too, was strange. He had seen Alfred dispatch the corrupted with ease. He only needed a single, mighty swing. Now, when engaged in combat with a distinct advantage, this human couldn't disarm him.He locked eyes with his opponent. The fierce anger that burned when he fought the corrupted dissipated. Instead, he looked sad. Perhaps not sad, but pity, he realized. For him, a defect? For him, someone who couldn't fully silence the swirl of doubt in his heart? Could a dragon like him be pitied?

It was the one with his face who struck him down, his hands trembling around his sword. Even at the brink of defeat, he was pitied. They were stronger than him. They should use it to finish him off. He shouldn't be here anymore. But they just faded into the snowstorm, their dark figures knit together as one.

He wasn’t strong. He could not love. What did he have? The last of his energy drained out as he lay in the snow, he dreamed about what it was like to be loved.…From the distance, a dragon with luminous blue hair approached.

Alflear Week (1)

bed-ridden/sleep/firsts

(Still a WIP, so I plan to finish it later.) for @malflearweek

--

The first time it happened, his head could just about peek over the bed the Divine Dragon slept upon. Alfred didn’t need to stand on his tiptoes to see the wisps of blue and red hair framing the Divine Dragon’s cheeks, but he still couldn’t see his entire face. His mother had lifted him up a few times to see the Divine Dragon fully, and Alfred vaguely recalled his shirt had two large dark blue lines. But from this angle, he could only see a criss-crossing golden pattern and a lot of white.

He loved coming here. Most of his days were spent in bed or visiting the doctor. His mother had said he needed to do physical therapy in order to get stronger. He liked the idea of getting stronger, but he also wanted a friend. He wanted someone else to talk to about his day or about the flowers he saw from the castle windows.  Everyone told him the Divine Dragon was listening carefully and lovingly to those who visited him. So even if Alfred didn’t get a direct reply back, it was fine. 

“Hi, Divine One! It’s Alfred. Wait, um….” He clasped his hands in prayer. “Divine One, thank you for allowing me into your sacred place of rest. Okay, that should be good, right? I wanna tell you about my day!

“Today I saw some hummingbirds in the garden! They were so small and fast, they just zoomed past me. They really liked the flowers, too. And then, Mother taught me how to make a flower crown. She called it something like… ger land? I forgot!

“I wish you could see the flower crown I’m wearing today. Maybe I’ll make one for you, too. I don’t think it’s disturr, um, disturbing your sleep if I put it on very quietly. Maybe I’ll get really good at it, and then I can make lots for my little sister! She is still a baby, so I’ll have to make little ones. I would make lots of flower crowns for my friends. But I don't know when I'll see them again.

“I just want to have more friends around… I mean, you are my friend, too, but you can’t play tag with me or practice duels, or walk with me in the garden…

“...Unless you woke up right now! You don’t wanna be stuck in bed either, right? Then we could be best friends! Hm. Maybe you just need help… ngh…”

Alfred stood on his tiptoes and stretched out an arm for anywhere he could reach. His fingers brushed against some fabric from the Divine Dragon’s sleeves. He repeatedly grasped at that area until a clump of white and gold was firm in his hold. Then, he tugged.

“Please?” he whispered, timid. His mother had told him many times to never disturb the Divine Dragon’s slumber. Reminded of her words, Alfred reluctantly allowed the fabric to slip from his fingers. Shame burned his cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Divine One. I think we have to be friends just like this, with you sleeping. But can you wake up someday soon, please? Then, I’ll show you the pretty flowers in Firene and watch butterflies. Or maybe we could even see a deer! And I’ll make you a flower crown!”

---

Alfred was sure the second time was an accident. He had outgrown his childhood fantasies of playing tag with the Divine Dragon, after all, and the weight of his responsibilities began to settle on his conscience. He visited the Somniel less often, now that his health had improved and other activities filled his daily life. Every time he came, though, lifted his spirits.

“Divine One, Céline can’t come today. It’s been a while since it was just me, hasn’t it? There’s a lot to catch up on, and I can’t wait for you to hear all about it.

“Well, Céline completely outclasses me in magic. She really has a talent for it. Yesterday, she burned a training dummy to ashes, and it was just her first week using fire magic. I tried to learn some magic myself, but I guess I’ll just have to stick to physical weaponry. I’m getting really good at the lance, now. I want to be as good as Father was at it, so I still have to work harder.

“Oh, and we learned about who our retainers will be! We were thinking Céline’s would be Etie. They were practically joined at the hip as children, so imagine my surprise when she was assigned to me. Instead, her new retainers are a woman and man, Chloe and Louie. I knew Louie from his knighthood training at the castle, but I’ve never met Chloe before. She and Céline seemed to know each other. I thought Céline told me everything, but even she keeps some secrets. 

“My retainers are my trusted friends, Etie and Boucheron. Getting to train with two of the strongest people I know… Divine One, I couldn’t be happier! Oh, you’re really strong too. You vanquished the Fell Dragon before! It’s a shame we can’t practice sparring matches together, but… but anything could happen. Right?

“No doubt you’re listening to me, because you have given me the strength to be a prince to my people, and I am grateful. A lot of it was my own work, too, but you really are a true friend, looking out after me. So you know my deepest wish. I get it, you need more time to heal from your wounds, more time than I needed… but…

“I might not even get to ascend the throne. When I start thinking about that, I feel so sickened that I might leave mother and Céline alone… how can I be a worthy prince? I hate thinking that some things just weren’t meant to be. You probably can’t make it go away, but if there was any way to make sure I could at least take care of Firene, Divine One… please. I don’t want to lose the joys I have, spending time with Etie and Boucheron, ruling with Céline and Mother, and being able to talk to you.

“I am scared, Divine One. What will happen to me? I wish I knew what you were thinking right now. Can you share a sign, anything?” Alfred scanned the Divine Dragon’s face for any response, a twitch of the nose, a deeper breath than usual, maybe even a smile. 

“It’s alright, I really enjoy talking to you all the same. I’ll keep my health up, so that we can talk for as many years as I have left. I promise to treasure each and every moment we have together. …I’ve seen Céline do this thing called a pinky promise before. I wonder if we could…”

Those words were a mere suggestion, not even taken form, when he noticed the hands folded across the Divine Dragon’s chest twitched. Alfred’s eyes widened. A low, short grunt emerged from the body lying in front of him.

Alfred heard his heartbeat accelerate. Could it be? All those years of his childhood dreaming of seeing the Divine Dragon’s eyes with his own, realized? After a moment passed without incident, he exhaled. He would just have to train more, eat well, work hard and perhaps, one day, he could share his joy with the one who was there for him for all his years.

Sorry for the long delay, but we’re back.

Quack Pack Week is return!

After a long break, we are back and this year we will pay more attention than before. Admittedly, the template we wrote on is not something, but it will mean a lot to many who will join this year's Quack Pack Week. Yes, some topics are the same as last time, for some reasons since some could not devote themselves to this, and now they can, that is, you can. We are not sure if we should organize it once or twice this year, because this year is a big anniversary because of the 100th anniversary of Disney, the 90th year since the first appearance of Donald Duck and the 40th anniversary of the creation of Disney Television Animation, ie Disney Afternoon. For now, Quack Pack Week will run from February 12th to February 18th.

Overall, the following themes for this year’s Quack Pack Week will be a choice of one of two themes, or you can take both, if you prefer. The following themes for this year’s Quack Pack Week are:

February 12 - Quack Pack Original VS Quack Pack Reboot

February 13 - School / Job

February 14 - Valentine's Day / Holiday

February 15 - Forest / Jungle

February 16 - Food / Drink

February 17 - Superheroes / Supervillains

February 18 - Crossover(s) / Family

Rules:

Not allowed: incest, gore, NSFW, fetish, vore, Ducktales episode Quack Pack (because that episode has nothing to do with the original show other than that title itself). Except for the first topic, it is then allowed, but the original should be included. However, this is dedicated to the original series.

You can write fanfiction, post some pictures, screenshots or videos from Quack Pack or simply draw drawings from the given topics. The decision is up to you. Similar to last time.

And yes, if someone can't make it, feel free to post a day later or a week later, we're certainly patient, but please do it by the end of February. And thank you all for this understanding.

Tag Quack Pack Week with "#quack pack week" in tags or tag us with @quackpackweek just to know and be up to date. That is, post your works through our tags. And don't post it before Quack Pack Week starts. Thank you!

Everything is welcome!

Don´t forget to follow and Reblog to spread the news!

And you are free to ask what interests you and what confuses you here on this blog.

Of course, as far as this post is concerned, you can also post on other social networks, but in contact with us and with our permission.

Quack Pack Week preparations can begin!

This is amazing , thank you!! I love Donald and nephews fluff, and how he made a great birthday for the boys even if it didn't go to plan.

Happy Holidays @dandyfelines I am your Secret Santa! I hope you enjoy this fic :) Sorry it took so long, its been a busy month.

@duckblrsecretsanta2023

I've Got You Now, Snow Golems!

Merry Christmas @writebackatya from your Secret Santa for the @duckblrsecretsanta2023 :)

Save the date!

M!Alflear week will commence on January 27th, 2024.

In addition to hosting the shipping week on Tumblr, there will also be an AO3 collection for fanfics. The collection can be found here: AO3 Alflear Week Collection. The collection will be open for submissions on the first day of M!Alflear week.

Guidelines

As this is an M!Alflear shipping week, please submit only M!Alear x Alfred. There is a F!Alflear shipping week running in January here for F!Alear works! @alflearweek

Tag your posts with #m!alflear week and @ mention this blog. There may be issues with Tumblr's tagging system, so to make sure I will see your posts, please mention the blog.

As this ship week is open to all ages, this blog will only reblog SFW work.

If you have an AO3 account, feel free to submit your fanfics to the Alflear Week AO3 Collection.

The prompts are a guide and open-ended. You can create using just one prompt, or you can combine all three. Late submissions are also OK.

Prompts

Day 1 | bed-ridden/sleep/firsts

Day 2 | flowers/training/dragons

Day 3 | embroidery/rings/inseparable

Day 4 | Lythos/Firene/Somniel

Day 5 | "For you, anything"/small joys/family

Day 6 | leadership/hope/lifespan

Day 7 | gifts

This day is different from the others. Rather than follow a prompt, you will create something inspired by or for another person. This can range from gift art/fanfiction for a mutual to making fanart for a fanfic to simply making something you think another person would like. You can also take art requests for this day. It’s up to you! Choose a friend, a stranger, or someone you admire and create a special Alflear piece for them.

I'm very excited to host M!Alflear shipping week! The ask box is open to questions. You can also drop an ask to share Alflear headcanons or share some fic recs.

Reblogging this post is a great help for visibility. I'd appreciate it a lot if you shared this with other FE Engage and Alflear fans!

Integrating Fantasy Into Reality: Tao Tajima's Enchanting Touch On Anime

Take a look at how filmmaker Tao Tajima pushes the boundaries of anime by meaningfully bridging the gap between animation and real life!

View On WordPress

For @a-pale-azure-moon and her amazing Utena AU of FE Three Houses, Someday We'll Shine Together.

Aesthetically, Utena goes surprisingly well with FE3H, with the academy setting, European-style architecture, and military-inspired uniforms. Basically, this meant I didn't have to change their designs at all for this setting lol.

It's great you've been motivated to write the book again! What helped you get back into it? Your prior comment on how the craft of writing is undervalued in this digital age left an impression. I feel we are on the cusp of an era promising some wild, alarming possibilities. It's easy to feel anxious or lose hope. I worry my approach to making a living will be rendered obsolete in the next decade, and be forced to adapt to a new world using old skills. I always did prefer paper books to digital.

Generally speaking, my tried-and-true method of working through any mental block is to develop a bigger and better perspective. Yes, we are on the cusp. When a dramatic change descends upon people, it's normal for the first reaction to be an overreaction, especially if you are among the directly impacted such as writers/authors.

Looking back at similar historical moments, the early predictions were rarely accurate because they were anxious overreactions. No matter how big the potential for change, the process of change eventually runs up against a wall of stasis, in the form of people's deeply ingrained memories, beliefs, values, and habits. (You've brought up a great example as one of many people who still prefer paper books despite the convenience, cost-savings, and widespread availability of ebooks.) Thus, in the end, though change is inevitable, it is never as fast and dramatic as people fear.

Additionally, modern culture has a short attention span, and the novelty has already started wearing off as people get more familiar with the flaws and limitations of AI. AI is not something you can rely on and trust for final answers on important matters. Mostly, it is there to remove the burden of tedious mental work, which frees up time and energy for more meaningful tasks. One reason human beings still dominate the world is their ability to "domesticate" and neutralize threats, and the process has already begun with AI.

Yes, generative AI threatens to flood society with meaningless content at best and harmful misinformation at worst. The answer to the false and the meaningless isn't to give up on truth and meaning, is it? If you believe it is a matter of grave existential importance, then the answer is to do more to ensure that truth and meaning prevail.

the only thing more embarrassing than cringy poetry is being so afraid of feeling embarrassed that you don't even try to make anything at all

WELCOME TO THE DUCKBLR 2023 SECRET SANTA 🎄⛄️❄️

co-hosted by @delladucker + @quantwigmania !

here’s the super important form to fill out if you’re interested in participating — we will use this to determine pair-ups and when we’ll send those pair-ups out! the form will close in two weeks (october 15)

> you will be notified of who you get through tumblr messages!

ALL types of duck media are allowed, don’t feel restricted to just ducktales 2017! please refrain from ocs though, just to make things simpler

asks will be opened so if you have any questions, let us know! otherwise, this post will be updated as we go C: hope to see y’all participating!

.

Donro for the thing

flexing my donro muscles right now

1. Angst: “What purpose do I have if I’m not pleasing others?” Donald asked, as Gyro, who had also dedicated his life to making others happy, failed to come up with an answer.

2. AU: “Payment is cheap as usual,” Gyro snickered as Donald gave him the money for the scrap-heap; it was only a few days later that Gyro had sold his “friend” a fully functional freeze-ray.

3. Crack!fic: “Gyro, I killed Bumbum and I need you to invent something to help hide the body!”

4. Crossover: The last thing Gyro could remember he was diligently working on an invention as Donald vented to him about his bad luck, but now the two of them were wandering in an unfamiliar forest and making their way towards a light up ahead, no, a building, no, a hotel, which they entered with confused certainty, being greated by a “Would you like a room?”

5. First Kiss: Gyro did a double take, unsure of what just happened, but saw Donald, still incredibly cheerful; well, if Donald was happy, Gyro was too.

6. Fluff: Donald was proud of himself for getting Gyro, already passed out on the hammock, to take a long deserved break; all Donald needed to do was curl around him and fall asleep himself.

7. Humor: “Let’s just say your help was a bit… counterpro-duck-tive,” Gyro said, trying to appease Donald, who would have been much happier simply being “fired.”

8. Hurt/Comfort: Donald rubbed the back of his friend, slumped over in total despair, and said one thing: “We’ll find him, I promise.”

9. Horror: Donald let out a blood-curdling scream as he felt what could only be described as his skin being pulled in every direction, which was not made any better by Gyro grabbing ahold of his midsection and frantically screaming that there was a way to fix this, but nothing could stop it now!

10. UST: “Well, you’re the one who never-” Gyro cut himself off, ending the spat, as he noticed Donald was now pinning him up against the wall.

Donro University AU (wip)

A late submission for Day 6: AU of @donro-week

It's only half-finished and not beta-read but, well, it's a University AU with a little bit of a spin on Donald and Gyro's personalities.

Gyro Gearloose prided himself on his ability to solve nearly any problem. He was the self-proclaimed inventor of almost anything. Throughout school, he made little gadgets for his classmates; some of his favourites were a device that perfectly steadied a compass, a machine that restored soggy lunchbox food to a fresh state, and a hyper-accurate paper ball flinger to get back at an irritating bully. In academia, he excelled, and people came to him for help working out a puzzling formula. 

In his pursuit of heightening the limits of his inventions, he found an enriching opportunity in engineering research at Duckburg University. Prominent minds such as Professor Ludwig von Drake would be amongst his co-workers if he researched there, so in a short matter of time he created a research proposal that they couldn't refuse.

Under one condition. He had to teach a class.

He had never taught before, but he was good at helping people. Surely, teaching was simply an extended version of that. He would craft the parts and tinker with the variables necessary to create a functional, informative curriculum.

He covered every detail the textbook required of him, and more. He stayed up watching the lectures of Professor Ludwig von Drake and took notes on how to improve upon his lessons.

Yet, in spite of overwhelming evidence, a good scientist knew to qualify his statements carefully: Gyro Gearloose, the inventor of almost anything. 

He read the emails from his students and, he wouldn’t admit it, a review on an anonymous professor rating website. They could be summarised into two types of feedback:

“Lectures confusing” “Professor Gearloose is a brilliant inventor, but cannot teach to save his life.”

Gyro Gearloose’s tall, lanky figure slunk into his chair. His body sagged down like a sack of potatoes.  

--------------------------

"... So if you just report the results of your test in this format,  you can use the data to formulate your own hypothesis."

The young moorhen sitting across from him stroked her red beak. "Oh, I see now. I guess I misunderstood the instructions. But… how do I know which theories to apply?"

"You have to think about it on your own! If you run the tests again, it will make sense."

"Hm, alright. I have to go, Professor. Thanks for your time."

"Of course, if you need help again, just use my office hours." Gyro sighed. Milly was a hard-worker who did well in most courses, but she was the worst performing student in his class. Her understanding of math wasn't bad, so Gyro did not know how to help her. All of his students had potential to be clever thinkers, but they were befuddled in his classroom.

--------------------------

Gyro’s mind worked at high speed. They possessed his hands. Out tumbled the numbers and theorems through furious scratching of chalk. The board was all his to fill. 

Knock-knock. 

The chalk came to a halt. A synapse was snapped. Gyro bemoaned the lost train of thought, but he hollered, “Come in!”

“Sorry, is now a good time?” That voice belonged to the receptionist of student services.

“What do you need?” Gyro set down the chalk.

A familiar duck’s face peered through the crack of the door. He had white fluffy feathers, and stray ones curled on his forehead and tail. He wore his usual outfit, a sweater vest and a puffy red bowtie. Donald stepped into his room, slow and deliberate. 

"Well, I have another request from one of your students. They said this new lecture covered content not in the textbook, so they want you to share some additional reading on that topic."

"Yeah, I received about twenty emails this morning telling me the same." Gyro sighed. 

"Right. And I wanted to ask for your permission to form an official study support session for your class. If that's ok, I'll go ahead and organise it."

Gyro clutched onto the edge of the desk and frowned. Then, he took a deep breath. "No. That's not quite what I had in mind. No, I ought to be in charge of this problem." He tapped a finger on his chin. "I know they find it confusing, but it's my job as their professor to guide them. Maybe I just need to invent a device that simplifies my speech, or I could make a script generator that factors in what students need in a lesson… "

Donald stepped backwards. He took out a notebook from his pocket and flipped through a few pages. "Well… if you're sure you can help them before midterm, I suppose..."

Gyro nodded. "I'm sure I can solve this. You'll see."

--------------------------

Two weeks later, time allocated to his office hours dwarfed his research progress. A barrage of emails from confused students flooded his inbox. The negative reviews on that website only increased. 

"I just don't understand. I tried to use a script with simplified language instead of improvising on the spot, but they are still confused." Gyro bit into his sandwich.

Sitting across from him, Ludwig von Drake scratched his head. "Hm, sounds like a tricky class. Have you tried to give quizzes? See what they do and don't know."

"Of course I have, and I reviewed the problem areas they had trouble with. But then when it comes to new content, the problem arises again! I just can't figure out what is causing it. It takes too much time away from my research to create a new review session every week."

"Well, perhaps you could get some advice from my nephew. You know, he could probably find you since good resources."

Gyro blinked. "Nephew? How can he help?"

"Why, he's a whiz at finding information on just about any topic. You've seen it for yourself, surely."

"Just to be clear, your nephew is–"

“Oh, hiya Gyro! And Uncle Ludwig!” Donald pranced over to their table, using a single hand to carry a tray above his head.

Gyro grimaced as some soup splashed on his wrist when Donald slammed the tray down.

"Ah, there he is!" Ludwig beamed at Donald, who was now scraping a nearby chair across the floor to make a table for three.

"Hope it's fine if I join you!" Donald picked up a spoon.

"You've already made yourself welcome," Gyro commented.

Ludwig turned to his nephew and directed his attention to Gyro with a flat palm. "Say, Donald. Gyro here has a problem with making clear lectures. Do you know of anything he can use to improve?"

He tapped his beak with the spoon. "Well, there's a website I like to refer to for teaching methods. And I must have an old textbook in my office on basic pedagogy." Donald looked at Gyro. "What are you teaching right now?"

“Newtonian mechanics!” Gyro grumbled. “The textbook teaches it even though it is an outdated system!”

Donald hummed. “Well… most subjects are like that. The introductory level is simplified for a reason, you know.”

Gyro shook his head. “But I’m sure these students will be able to learn much better if they start with the concepts that account for our modern understanding the best.”

“Surely that's not how you started learning engineering?”

"I didn't need the school system to teach me that."

"I see… well, in any case I can find a resource to help you teach. If you apply these concepts to your class, I'm sure their testing scores will improve."

"Oh, that's not necessary."

Donald held up a hand to silence him. "I insist! My main work is student support, but I've been known to help staff too."

Gyro tapped his fingers against the table. "You don't understand. I'm trying to set these students up to have an investigative approach to inventing. Build important research skills, figure out how systems interact through observation. I don't need help teaching the material or upping test scores. It's about getting them to think more critically."

Donald shrunk into the seat. "I can still send you some resources."

Ludwig looked between the two of them. "Goodness, I’ll leave you two to sort this out.”

--------------------------

Gyro looked at the results of the tests. They were lower than he expected, and the most commonly missed questions were from material he had covered in his lectures twice. Then he came across Milly’s test. Apprehensively, he graded it, checking through the questions. There was a marked increase in depth and comprehension to her short form responses. She had compared the similarities and overlap between two different principles and speculated on the potential ways these could be applied in practice. Pleased, Gyro wrote her grade down. It still wasn't at the level he'd expect, but for this student, it was a great improvement. 

Though, as one who made a living of research and experiments, a question tugged at his curiosity. Why did she perform well on this test? He hadn’t changed anything in his teaching for the previous lectures. The test itself was formatted and questions selected exactly as the mock exam was, so it couldn't be that, either. 

Gyro decided to ask her. He could use that knowledge to help the other students succeed.

--------------------------

 “Professor, thanks again for explaining this to me.” Milly slid the textbook in her backpack.

“Of course. Seems like you’re getting a better grasp of things!”

“I figured out a study method that works for me,” she said.

This was what he wanted to know. “Could you tell me what you changed in your studying approach?”

Milly zipped her bag as she spoke, “It wasn’t really me, but I went to the student support services and they showed me different studying tips and methods.”

That had his attention. “...I see. Well, it seems to be working for you, so you’re on the right path. I’ll see you next week.” 

“See you, Professor.” She exited his office.

Gyro turned around to his computer and stared at the emails from Donald he had left unopened.

--------------------------

What was Donald doing right that he couldn’t grasp? The thought drove him mad. It also drove him to be sitting as an observer for “Research Literacy,” watching Donald Duck give a presentation.

“Good afternoon! Now, raise your hand if you’ve written an essay with sources mostly taken from Wikipedia’s citations…”

The workshop had him floored. He was drawn in by Donald’s simple, yet engaging language. Gyro knew how to research, he had made a living of it, after all, but Donald managed to keep his interest throughout the entire workshop with a unique analogy or a silly joke.

Plus, it was just as interactive as he’d like to make his classes. Donald had asked the students to form groups and put the concepts to practice by giving them a random topic that they had to find five sources for. They were presented hypothetical, believable problems of when the literature for a topic was lacking or when a potential source was inaccessible, and he had guided the students to their own original solutions. Gyro was merely an observer, but he wished he could have partaken in the class activities and discussions. He was confined to the back, but he imagined the responses he would give in the group discussions, and the personal experiences he could share.

What wealth of knowledge did that duck have? He knew now that this was an opportunity he had once made the mistake of rejecting. When the students chattering faded dispersed from the class and joined the hallway, he made his move. Donald was still unplugging his laptop from the socket.

Gyro bolted towards Donald with a wild urgency. “You!"

"Me!" Donald exclaimed, pointing at himself.

 Why didn’t you tell me before?!” he gasped between pants.

Donald tilted his head ever so slightly. “Tell you what?”

Gyro frowned. Did he have to spell it out to him? “You are good at teaching! Tell me your ways!”

At that, Donald’s bubbly demeanor dropped into something more serious. “Look, Gyro… I’m not a teacher. And the kind of content you teach in your lectures is leagues beyond what I can help you with.”

“B-but– I..”

With a guarded attitude, Donald picked up his planner and leafed through a few pages. “I’m sure there’s a workshop I can find for you to help you with your problem,” he spoke with an unusual air of distant professionalism.

"No, can't you see? It has to be you," Gyro said desperately. “I… am sorry for ignoring your advice earlier.”

Donald was moved by that. "You're sure you want me?"

Gyro nodded fiercely.

"Well, okay. Fine. Let's meet during lunch?"

--------------------------

Amidst the cafeteria’s droning conversations composed of students and staff alike, Gyro and his coach sat in a high-seated table for two by the windows across the salad bar. 

Donald was reading his lecture notes in silence. With nothing else to do, Gyro noticed how the dust particles floating in the air took up the appearance of sparkles in the sunlight. They drifted around Donald, whose feathers shone a golden trim around his silhouette. It was because of the waterproof oil, he knew, but the sight was serene.

Then, their gazes connected. Gyro inhaled sharply, and he thought he saw Donald’s eyes widen. In a blink, the lecture papers were returned to his possession. 

“The first thing that stood out to me is the timing of these activities. I’m not sure they will be finished as quickly as you think.”

“But I need them. If I lengthened one, there wouldn’t be enough time for the others,” Gyro argued.

Donald crossed his arms. “Right, ok. Do you need to cover all this material?”

“Of course I do. I am not cutting anything out.”

He sighed. “Then, we still need to make modifications. Let’s go back to the basics. What do you want your students to accomplish by the end of the lecture? It’s really important to set a learning objective.”

“On that thought, I should have the students write down these learning objectives at the end of my presentation.” Gyro noted his idea down, then he addressed him. “I see your point. Instead of disparate activities on each individual concept, perhaps I can have them analyse an experiment through guided discussions. This allows them to see it in application and discover them independently.”

“It’s not a bad idea, actually. That’s an inductive learning approach.” Donald looked him up and down. “Now that I think about it, it really suits your style.”

--------------------------

The second time they met, they shared lunch in Gyro's office.

Gyro paced back and forth, hand on his forehead. “I've tried everything I thought of! Prepared notes, giving examples, slowing my pace… but they still think my lectures are confusing.”

Donald, who had been eating and watching him pace, set down his sandwich. “I watched your lecture recordings last night. Here's what I think. First, you are trying to define an inertial frame using concepts they don’t understand yet. They don’t need to know about how it relates to absolute space-time and the Theory of Relativity at this stage. This is an introductory level class.”

“Right… so you're saying I should simplify even more. But how?” He pulled out the chair and sat down.

“Let me try. This is on Newtonian mechanics?” Donald cleared his throat. “Newtonian mechanics applies Newton’s Laws of Motion to a system of objects. Raise your hand if you know of Newton’s Laws of Motion.” 

Gyro reluctantly raised his hand after a long stare from Donald.

“Good! Now, does anybody remember the three laws?” He paused, then spoke in a more casual voice, “Then you go through them, one by one. Including the formulae.” 

He mimed a screen projector by outlining a rectangle in the air and pointed at imaginary examples within it. Continuing the demonstration, his voice picked up in volume and authority once again. “Let’s look at the formulae. As long as no force is acting on it, what do you notice about the velocity?”

“And here, you use the formulae to show that velocity is absolute, just as the law of inertia states. The students should be able to work it out themselves without you telling them directly. Then, ta-da! This is called an inertial frame of reference.”

“After that, you define ‘frame of reference,’” Donald spoke in his normal voice. “You can use an example, such as… if you’re standing on a high-speed train, then from your frame of reference, you aren’t moving. But to someone on the ground, you are moving quite fast,” he said. “Something like that. My high school physics knowledge is failing me right now.”

Gyro stared at him in awe. “That was… simple. It's exactly what I need.”

Donald combed a hand through his head feathers, tickled pink by the praise. "It's about accommodating for your audience," he said, "Not everyone thinks the same way. Some people have a harder time understanding complex, abstract concepts, so they need a more concrete base to work from."

Gyro nodded, and scribbled his words into a notepad.

Donald pointed a finger at him. "You are the expert. It's your job to know how to simplify it for these beginners."

"I thought I was simplifying. But I never thought to do it this way." He looked at Donald. “I never had an interest in teaching, I suppose. Did you take it as a degree?”

"Well, I've never completed university myself."

That grabbed Gyro's attention. "You didn't? Then how do you know about teaching?"

Donald shifted in his seat. "Ah, well. It was one of the many odd jobs I took back then. Tutor, substitute teacher, that thing." 

"And you just picked all of this up from experience?"

Donald shrugged. "Mostly. I studied a little bit, but that kind of stuff is not my strong suit."

Gyro looked at him with surprise. "Then, perhaps, we have more in common than I thought."

The opening theme for Parvey: The Interdimensional Singer! (An indie cartoon coming in the far future...!)

Donro Week Gift Day

I come bearing gift art. :O Day 7, Gift for @donro-week

Each graphic is inspired by a different creator!

For @sikyurame - A family night up on a hill to stargaze, set in the Paralyzed AU. With a special someone. ; ]

For @gyorslab - You had me at "apple farm donro!" Originally proposed a donro week much earlier on in the DT fandom, so I hope you don't mind me making a tribute to you! Would not have had the idea to run this donro week if not for you :)

For @owlsong74 - Inspired by "A Pancake-Sweet Morning". Sweet fic with a very slow, domestic donro dynamic that I adore.

For @endtr0ducin - Gyro Beats Up an Ableist, Part 2: Electric Boogaloo. Sorry Pete, someone had to play the villain for this. tw blood just in case.

If you would like to be untagged/unmentioned in this post please let me know.

QOTD: Which donro creator/fic do you recommend?

Aside from the people mentioned here, @wacky-nameless-inventor-24 and @shychick-52 write Donro fanfiction I enjoy!

Level 7 On the Danger Scale (AO3 account req.) is another fun story with DT17 Donro. As is A Nudge in the Right Direction.

There were many people who came and went making donro art and fic, and I appreciate every one of you. Also, thank you to everyone who participated in the Donro Week; you made this week full of gaiety and, well, gay birds. Two positive things!

Family

movie night

QOTD: Of course the Duck and Gearloose families will support this relationship. HDL probably are hyped that Donald has a tech bf who can show them how to build cool stuff. And while they seemed to be somewhat indifferent towards Daisy (who was very hot-and-cold to Donald), they like that Gyro makes their uncle genuinely very happy. Scrooge would be all for it, so he can score a "family discount" from Gyro's workshop. As if he doesn't pay the poor guy enough. Newton enjoys this arrangement since he's buddies with HDL at school. They get to carpool! And hang out a lot! Plus, he is probably a huge Paperinik fan and Donald is "Paperinik's best friend"... so...

Day 5: Family for @donro-week

here's a landscape tutorial!

i focused on natural environments for this one, if you find it helpful I'll be back with how I learned to draw buildings.

let me know if it helps! and have fun drawing ✨

Invention Gone Wrong

Somewhat Erroneously but Gently Corrected

"Dear, I think you forgot to wire that circuit." "Oh! You seem to be correct. Well, Helper, can you give me a hand?"

because old married donro has me in a chokehold

For Day 4: Invention Gone (Wrong-ish?) of @donro-week

QOTD: What is your favourite thing about Gyro?

The most striking thing about Gyro is his genuine desire to help people. He is able to go through any crazy ordeal, or any morally ambiguous situation, in order to invent what his clients want. Not to mention the incredibly low prices/willingness to work for free. This guy just sincerely believes in the untainted betterment of society. Comics Gyro, anyways. DT17 Gyro seems most content getting to play around with his robots. More power to him, I suppose lol.

Boats

Fanfiction for Day 3: Boats of @donro-week!

Shape of Change

As he pushed his cart down the street, Gyro Gearloose spotted a curiosity in the front yard of 1313 Webfoot Walk. 

Donald Duck sat on the grass folding a paper boat. 

In fact, he surmised, given the sprinkle of scattered paper boats strewn around him, he had been folding them for some time.

Gyro was of an investigative disposition, so he abandoned his cart of tinkerings and gadgets to uncover the mental mechanisms behind the paper-folding mania.

This sheet of paper had Donald bound in an unblinking transfixation. His tongue stuck out in concentration as he folded it. In this state, the usual nuisances of squirrels chattering above him or the hiss of nextdoor neighbour Jones' lawnmower seemed to roll off his bubble of hyperfocus. He could commit his mind to any little oddity, and that quality always endeared him to Gyro.

He made a cacophony of his entry, knocking the mailbox and exclaiming, "Morning, Donald!"

Donald perked up at Gyro's arrival, as he always did, and waved at him. "Hiya, Gyro!"

“What have we here?” He eyed Donald's fingers pressing a crease into the sheet of paper, folding two symmetrical halves.

With a smug grin that betrayed his bemusement, Donald said, "Why, these things? They are called paper boats."

For the sake of theatrics, Gyro sighed. He joined him in the grass, smiling despite himself. "Very funny. But what for? Helping the kids' with a school project, perhaps?"

Donald's face of cheer unmasked into something morose. "No, I just wanted to get out of the house. A lot has been going on, and it's overwhelming." He flopped backwards into the grass. The paper boat tumbled out of his grasp, joining the rest in becoming bright white lawn ornaments.

Gyro waved a fresh sheet pinched between his fingers and let it rustle. "Shall I take over on boat-making while you rest?"

A single thumbs up popped out from the grass. 

So he started folding, flipping, creasing the sheet of paper with the press of two fingers, hearing it schliff. He transported himself to a time of short desks, tall teachers, and recesses spent in the library, all to access the long-buried knowledge of how to fold a paper boat. No memory was perfect, of course, but eventually, he had a crooked paper boat cupped in his two hands. Some corners stuck out in places and others were dulled by fold retakes. Asymmetry defined each face.

He turned to show his creation of irregular polygons to Donald, who had already sat up with crossed arms and a smug look on his face. Presumably, he had made Gyro’s earnest attempt to create a paper boat into a tragic spectacle.

"Hey, you," Gyro grunted. Possessed by a mischievous urge to get back at the little duck, spurred on by whimsy, he balanced the misshapen boat atop his bill.

It immediately toppled downwards.

Donald snickered, and then there they were. Two adults playing in the grass making paper boats. Donald quacked in laughter, and it wasn’t that amusing, really, but he replayed the moment the boat fell off his beak and maybe it was a little bit funny, so Gyro started laughing too. And was there anything better than sharing a little chortle together on a sunny morning?

When the laughter bubbled down, Donald said, "It's alright."

"Hm?"

Donald picked up a blank sheet. "Folding paper shapes is hard. Surprisingly hard. It requires a lot of attention and precision, and at first it felt like I couldn't ever do it well."  His hands worked deftly as he continued, "The boat looks so different from a flat piece of paper, and I'm not very good at visualising how each fold affects the shape. But, you know? I took it little by little. Even though I don't see how, I have to trust that each fold matters." Presented in two hands, he held a freshly made paper boat with crisp edges and clean faces.

“I see we’re not really talking about paper boats, are we.”

Donald tilted his head with a smile and looked at him teasingly. “Nah, I was talking about paper boats.” He set the new one down on the grass. 

Gyro chuckled. “If you say so.” They were, after all, surrounded by paper boats.

"But… I do feel better. The mess indoors has got nothing on me." Donald flexed an arm for emphasis and winked.

Right then, a curiosity struck at his heart.

Gyro leaned forwards and nuzzled the tip of his beak into Donald’s cheek feathers. 

They were soft. Donald leaned into the preening and it filled him with warmth, the kind he felt when they shared a hug, he supposed. The moment passed as quickly as it arose, and mid-morning air filled the gap between them. 

Donald moved to stand up, but his legs trembled. For a second, he inhaled, waiting for something to be released, but he only expelled a breath. Then, he smiled brightly at Gyro and extended his hand out to him.

Naturally, he took it. 

“I’ll help you clean up the yard.”  That was all that needed to be said.

Gyro assessed the task ahead. There were many paper boats littered around the grass. Still, he couldn’t imagine the yard without them after everything that had transpired. It must’ve meant something to Donald, because he kept sneaking glances back at Gyro. He didn’t know the shape of this change, or what it meant. But for now, he simply picked up each boat, one at a time.

QOTD: What's your favourite thing about Donald Duck?

If I had to pick one thing, it's his perseverance. In pretty much every iteration of Donald Duck, he doesn't give up when it's his big moment. He'll come close to it, of course, but at the end of the day he pulls through. He doesn't succeed all the time, but that's what makes him remarkably relatable and admirable. This quality is tied with the fact that he is a family-oriented person. I think Donald is at his most charming and likable when his loyalty and love for family is at the forefront.

Nights and Mornings

The next week....

The dawning horror of realising you are both night people.

QOTD below.

QOTD: What do Gyro and Donald not like in each other?

They adore each other in many regards, but when it comes to Donald's impatience and temper, plus self-loathing-fueled envy, Gyro finds himself more concerned for Donald. It's not always comfortable to watch the lengths Donald might go for a crumb of public validation. On Donald's part, he is unhappy that Gyro stretches himself out thin often, and for so little pay from Uncle Scrooge. Despite chiding him to not overwork, Gyro wants to be useful and disregards his advice. Donald always sticks up for his partner, but it creates some strain when Gyro once again retreats into the workshop for days trying to meet the quota.

For Day 2: Conflict of @donro-week

Lazy Days

Gamers :0c

QOTD: How did Donald and Gyro first meet? Then became partners?

I don't think there's a canon first meeting for these two. They likely met by being in the same neighbourhood. Gyro went out selling his gizmos on the street, and Donald, new on the block, was captivated by clever inventions he had in his cart. Gyro offered to follow Donald and make sure the gadget worked as intended, and as per usual things don't go as intended. So they get roped into a silly adventure together-- and a new friendship!

You could also go the childhood friends route....

And PKGyro real. I think they get together after working together in the PK-Gyro team. They start to really trust in each other through that, and it's even sweeter that Gyro and Donald share in a secret together. Donald probably asks him out first.

For Day 1: Lazy Days of @donro-week

very excited for this event!

This blog finally has a banner and tumblr icon! What do you think Donald and Gyro are talking about under the stars?

Be sure to put :iconDonro-Week: in your bio to use this stamp!

Banner and icon were made thanks to the efforts of @sikyurame and @dandyfelines

@donro-week is live!

donro week? :O

hello three people who regularly browse the donro tag, this is an interest check for a ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ Donro Week ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙. rb or reply to this post if you're interested!

if you'd like to help mod/organise the week w me also feel free to send a dm :) one or two extra hands would be helpful.

ducks are not found family. ducks are forced family. by far the funnier trope

donro week? :O

hello three people who regularly browse the donro tag, this is an interest check for a ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ Donro Week ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙. rb or reply to this post if you're interested!

if you'd like to help mod/organise the week w me also feel free to send a dm :) one or two extra hands would be helpful.

EDIT: it's up!!!! check it out at donro-week.tumblr.com

whats that defunct land quote again? every part of the film making process is awful, but not making film is even worse? idk something like that. anywah im being completely normal about art rn ::))

happy 413

so i'm actually doing it.

i'm putting my own spin on it but this was the spark that set off the flame.

me and @darkwingsnark were talking about “What if there was an Adult Cartoon™ (on level with every animated sitcom on FOX rather than Adult Swim) about Donald Duck learning to become a parent?”

and I’m honestly loving it way too much.. mostly because we all know classic disney characters swearing and doing adulty things such as swearing, drinking beer, having a sex life, losing loved ones and having the occasional existential crisis is high class comedy. (I mean it’s not a new concept, but it would be fun to actually have it be a longer story instead of just a joke or an art-project)