Ideas

Chapter 1: Twisted Up Inside

Darkwing Duck's origin, starting just after highschool and his big fight with Megavolt. He travels the world trying to learn the skills he needs to achieve his dream of being a crime fighter, facing both cruel teachers and unexpected allies. He has ups and downs, emotional moments and horrid mistakes, tears and laughter. His flaws and virtues and motivations are explored in-depth, revealing his dreams and fears and struggles.

He has a falling out with his family, his last tether to Drake The Dweeb, so renounces civilian life entirely.

He makes a few arrests, has a few success, things are looking good... Until they aren't. Until the city barely acknowledges him 90% of the time, and mocks his hat the other 10%. Until the criminals he goes after start hitting harder, leaving him crawling back to the tower each night.

Night after night of repetitive, painful work, with no or horrible recognition. He can't take it anymore. If this city doesn't want him, he doesn't want it either! He's had enough of the criminals always winning in the end, enough of the ungrateful populace, enough of being a hero!

So he leaves. He's without a home, without support, lost in a cruel world. He hits string of bad luck after string of bad luck, his hopes occasionally building only to be torn down. He's a cracked shell of the duck he once was.

But then the news shows a Supervillain destroying St Canard. It shows the people running, screaming, hurting. It shows fire and rubble and pain. It shows the only place that Drake Mallard ever meant anything, the only place he ever had a purpose, the only place he ever really called home.

He remembers the hero he used to be, remembers the sting of rejection, and decides it doesn't matter. The city is burning, so he has to go home...

And add some gasoline to the flames.

Chapter 2: Mutant Underground

A government agency starts sweeping across the nation, rounding up mutants to use as weapons and experiments. Liquidator is captured, thanks to a device that can cause pain to the canis aqua, and 'trained'. He is forced to do stupid tricks, and his guards pretend they can't hear him unless they spoke to him first.

The rest of the F5 hear about this. Negaduck decides to leave him, sparking the remaining F4 to rebel for the first time in a while. They abandon Negaduck's plans, breaking into the secret facility to rescue their watery pal.

Despite his best efforts, Liquidator broke a bit under the guards' treatment, initially refusing to go with his friends (Minor hypnotism is used in the 'training'). They manage to snap him out of it, but he still refuses to leave without saving a group of mutants that helped him, claiming that "It's bad for business to be in debt".

They end up freeing every mutant in the facility, leading them to safety. As they escape, Quackerjack feels something familiar that he describes as "Not painful, but feels like pain", but he's distracted before he can remember where he's felt it in the past. (It's Paddywhack, the facility is unsuccessfully trying to 'train' him, and he's magically lashing out).

The F4 find themselves the leaders of a St Canard underground of Mutants and Mutant allies. Families, criminals, regular citizens, and even a hero or two flock to them for help.

Meanwhile, a teenaged Gosalyn has started to develop minor powers thanks to that plant-mutant incident of her youth. She can turn into green sludge for short periods of time, detect plants, and disrupt Bushroot's powers. She's as well resistant to many poisons, has to eat a lot, and can photosynthesize.

When the facility comes after Gosalyn, Drake finds himself entrusting her to the F4's care. Unknowing that he's Darkwing and willing to do a favor for an old friend, Elmo promises to take care of her.

When they say goodbye, Honker gives Gosalyn a special bow he built that can shrink to fit in her pocket and shoots bolts of electricity.

This story takes off from there.

Notes: None of the F4 have ever tried to nor actually killed anyone. The Rhonda and Hard Water incidents were caused by just-mutated brain scrambling. Negaduck is forcing them to serve to a greater degree than in canon.

Chapter 3: Medieval Four

In the Kingdom of St Canard, under King and Queen Muddlefoot's reign, there were many minor lords.

Megavalion Voltinis, otherwise known as Megs, is the sorcerer of Lord Negatalon Mallard's estate.

When Lord Nega starts dealing with the infamous Lord Patrick Wick, Megs finds himself intrigued by the other lord's servant, a jester named Jack.

But Lord Wick is not a nice man, and Jack's suffering has been long -- will Megs risk both Lords' wrath? Or will he leave the poor duck to his eternal fate?

Spoilers: it's the first one.

Where Quackerjack's a slave, Megavolt's a sort-of sorcerer, Darkwing's Robin Hood, Bushroot's a mad yet friendly wizard, and Liquidator's been cursed so long he's forgotten it's supposed to be a curse. He's also forgotten which time period he's from and sometimes knows the future.

Quackerjack -- Jack

Megavolt -- Megavalion Voltinis

Bushroot -- Reginald Bushcaller

Liquidator -- Likini Floodson (he thinks)

Darkwing -- Darkhood

Launchpad -- Horsestall

Gosalyn Mallard -- Quiver Hood

Paddywhack -- Patrick Wick

Negaduck -- Negatalon Mallard

Herb Muddlefoot -- Herbson Muddlefoot

Binkie Muddlefoot -- Bink Muddlefoot

Tank Muddlefoot -- Rhino Muddlefoot

Honker Muddlefoot -- Honkerus Muddlefoot

Stormpuff -- a small white bird with artificial wings that serves as Megs' Familiar.

Mr Banana Brain/Sir Banana Wit -- An enchanted doll of a banana-armored knight.

Spike -- Bushcaller's monster familiar.

Bushy lives in an abandoned castle on top of a hill. Likky lives in a lake on the castle grounds, and the two are close friends.

Chapter 4: Fearful And Forgetting (Save Me)

Warden, The Wolf Of Fear, is an evil being able to induce absolute terror in his victims, either completely irrationally or by making them relive their scariest memories. Given enough time with someone, he can even give them permanent phobias.

He uses his abilities to become leader of the new St Canard Supervillain Prison, mentally tormenting all the villains into working for him, pretending that he has successfully reformed them.

Out of all the villains, only Negaduck escaped, though it was without his memories. He had only a note in his own handwriting (telling him to go to Darkwing for help) and a deep terror unlike he'd ever felt before.

Negaduck, for the first time in years, dons civilian clothes. He goes to Darkwing's house and begs for help, his fear overriding his pride. Darkwing doesn't believe him, until a news report on the new reformation program comes on and he sees Warden (freaking Negaduck out enough to hide behind the couch). Unbelieving that the Fearsome Four could be redeemed in a month, as the report claimed, and genuinely freaked out by Negaduck's reaction, he agrees to investigate.

Chapter 5: Fearful And Forgetting (From Psycho To Peaceful)

Drake Mallard opens the door to a strange visitor; a man who looks exactly like himself (pink swapped for light orange, green swapped for blue, wearing dark shades), shaking and panting. Disturbed that his arch-nemesis - Negaduck - has reassumed his secret identity, knows where he lives, and is in such a bad state, Darkwing pulls him inside (sending Launchpad and Gosalyn to the tower first).

Negaduck babbles on about something, looking more terrified than Darkwing's ever seen him. Negaduck tells him that he was sent to the NEW Supervillain prison, but can't remember what happened after he first passed through its doors. The next thing he remembered was waking up - cold and soaking wet - on the St Canard beach, more terrified then he had ever been in his life and holding a note that read 'Get Darkwing Duck's help, quickly!' in his own handwriting.

Darkwing doesn't believe him, but Negaduck argues that he wouldn't be begging his worst enemy for help, dressed in his old dweeb persona, if he wasn't completely terrified. Darkwing still doesn't believe him. Negaduck gets angry (really more desperate), and accidentally knocks over the TV remote.

The TV flicks on, showing a news reporter talking about the new Supervillain Prison. Crime rates have dropped drastically since it opened a month-and-a-half ago, and there have been zero breakouts (this peaks DW's interest, since it's a lie). The reporter says that they'll be interviewing the new warden, and the screen shows a large, black-furred male wolf.

Negaduck screams and hides behind the couch the moment the wolf comes into view. Darkwing asks what's wrong, but Negaduck says he doesn't know why, but that wolf fills him with more terror than anything he can remember (all in a stuttering voice, of course).

Darkwing watches as Warden (no other name is given) credits the drop in crime to their reformation-based strategy, and introduces some of the 'former' villains that have made the most progress.

Darkwing watches the Fearsome Four stand on stage, repenting for all the evil that they've done. He starts to become uneasy, but when Megavolt just stands there while a lightbulb is smashed (then claims that it was ridiculous to ever believe them alive) }or, you know, something like that{, he just shuts off the TV.

Pulling Negaduck up from behind the couch, he tells that he believes him, something weird is definitely going on. Maybe the Fearsome Four could redeem someday. With a lot of work. Especially Bushroot. But from psycho to peaceful in less than two months? Those four? No way.

Chapter 6: Finding Myself (I'm Not Him)

When a magic ritual goess wrong, all the supervillains in St Canard are whisked off to another realm. In their place are people with the same looks, powers, and memories.

But not the same personalities.

Follow Sparky, Jack, and the other clones as they deal with guilt, figure themselves out, and find a place to exist in this big world of theirs.

--

A lot of the clones go by new names, since they are technically different people.

Megavolt/Sparky

Quackerjack/Jack

Liquidator/Flud

Bushroot/Reg

Negaduck/Mal

Chapter 7: Saving You (Is Saving Myself)

Idea:

Liquidator pisses off a magical spirit, mostly due to his greed, and gets sent to another world until he improves himself. He lands in a desert and gets captured by a sorcerer, who imprisons him in a glass cage. He is presented to a king as a water demon, and meets the King's servant: Bud Flud.

The unmutated Bud Flud alternates between confident and cringing, manipulative in his own way but fully subservient to the King.

Once alone with Bud as his guard, Liquidator tries to convince him to unlock the cage. Bud asks why he would do that, what's in it for him? After a bit of back and forth where Bud holds all the cards:

-----

"Alright, fine. What do you want?" Liquidator grumbled, tired of this.

"Same thing as you." Bud shrugged. "My freedom. Take me as far from here as you can, after I free you."

"You have no way of knowing I'll do it." Liquidator reminded him of his own words.

"And you have no way of knowing this isn't a trick." Bud swung the key around on his finger, still so calm and casual. "In fact, neither of us do."

"We both must be pretty desperate, then." Liquidator smirked, earning a nod and a hum of agreement from the other.

-----

Unfortunately, the King barges in, angry to find his servant dealing with his prisoner. Bud fearfully tries to deny it, begging forgiveness, but is interrupted by a vicious slap from the King. He ends up whimpering on the ground, tail tucked between his legs, taking the King's abuse without even trying to fight back.

Meanwhile, Liquidator -- futilely throwing himself against the glass -- quite literally begins to boil, giving himself an idea. He hates messing with his own temperature, as it's hard and feels weird, but he pushes himself to get as hot as he possibly can.

The glass starts the get hot as boiling water hits against it again and again, causing everyone to look on in various degrees of wonder and terror. Focusing with all of his might, Liquidator near-instantly cools down to just-shy-of-ice levels, shattering the glass.

The sorcerer isn't there, and the guards ae useless against a living tidal wave, so Liquidator easily escapes with Bud in tow. Likky goes very, very far from the palace, collapsing behind a dune.

Bud timidly asks how he did that, saying he truly must be a water demon, and why did he take him with him? He didn't free him, didn't complete his end of the deal. Liquidator just groans and takes a look at the other's wounds.

It's only a few scratches, but Likky decides to clean them, getting a flinch and whimpered plea not to hurt him, but no resistance. He bids Bud farewell, starting to go his own way, but:

-----

"You're just going to let me go?" Bud whispered, causing Liquidator to stop and look back. "You really aren't going to hurt me, or keep me prisoner, or anything?"

"Why would I?" Liquidator asked, missing his salesman speech, but doubting it would do anything but confuse people here.

"I... You get nothing out of this." Bud said quietly. "You freed yourself. Normally when someone steals a slave, they keep them. If that's not your plan, and you're not going to hurt me for bargaining your freedom, why did you bring me with you?"

"Because the way he was treating you was wrong." Liquidator surprised himself by saying. He was a villain, he wasn't supposed to feel pity! He blamed the fact that this guy was technically him, bringing it back around to selfish greed.

"Wrong?" Bud blinked, genuine confusion blocking his fear. "The King is my Master, he was perfectly within his rights to-"

"Was your master." Liquidator corrected, eyes narrowing. "And no one is ever in their rights to do that to you. You should've fought back."

"I guess I'm not really used to fighting back." Bud muttered, then. "Was... I'm really free now, aren't I?"

"I don't believe in taking slaves, and there's no one else around, so the statistics are trending towards yes!" There, that wasn't too salesman-y, was it?

"'Don't believe in taking slaves'? You're a weird one, water demon or not." Bud chuckled, shaking his head. "I wonder what I'll do now... Where are you heading?"

"I'm not exactly from around here, so I guess I'm going to find the nearest city and figure out what to do from there." Liquidator decided, shrugging.

"You need a guide?"

-----

And thus, Likky and Buddy started traveling together. Eventually, Liquidator gets over his greed and gets to return home, leaving Bud and other new friends much better off then before they met him.

Bud is good at picking both pockets and locks. He wears a white robe with a hood, faded yellow outlining the rims.

Chapter 8: Complex

Jack Quacker has a big meeting lined up to sell his new toy design to a rich manufacturer -- unfortunately, the meeting has to be rescheduled. So, Jack returns home early, only to find his roommates playing -- gasp! -- videogames.

Elmo Sputters, Reginald Bush, and Buddy Fludson all have some serious explaining to do. Can Jack make his warning about rotting brain cells stick? Or will his roommates finally convince him that videogames aren't that bad?

***

Jack Quacker (Quackerjack): An up and coming toymaker whose unconventional designs and eccentric personality keep getting him rejected. But he doesn't stay down long!

-

Elmo 'Sparky' Sputters (Megavolt): Electrician by day, inventor by night. He loves coffee, electricity, and particle physics -- not in that order. He as well as a talent for hacking. Forgetful, chatty, and temperamental, he's almost as eccentric as Jack.

-

Dr Reginald Bush (Bushroot): A brilliant but shy botanist who could do way better if he didn't insist on doing his stranger experiments. Works as a gardener and landscaper, with a part-time gig as a biology tutor.

-

Buddy Fludson (Liquidator): Door-to-door salesman today, millionaire tomorrow! That is, if any of his schemes ever work. Greedy and intelligent, he's always up to make a little more dough, legality and/or ethics be damned; fortunately, he has his friends to stop him from going too far. Health nut and gym-goer, bonds with Reggie over cooking healthy meals.

-

Mr. Nanners (Mr Banana Brain): Jack's pet banana-eating snake.

-

Spike (Spike): Reggie's pitbull that may be one of his experiments.

-

Nigel Lord (Negaduck): The Four's angry, power-hungry landlord that forces them into many misadventures.

-

Pat Wilson (Paddywhack): An old bully of Jack's who maaaay be stalking him. He's also a rival toymaker.

-

Lynn Lord (NegaGosalyn): Nigel's sweet-as-pie daughter.

Chapter 9: Likky's Ma

Headcannon: The Liquidator is a half-brother to the Beagle Boys, sharing a mom with them (either that or he's a full-blown Beagle Boy). He used to have the same accent as the majority of his brothers, and can easily slip back into it, but worked hard to get rid of it.

He left when he was younger to create his own business, getting into an argument with Ma Beagle before he left. Both waiting for the other to write first, they each came to the assumption the other wanted nothing to do with them. Thus, when the world thought Bud Flud (previously Bud Beagle) died, he didn't bother informing his family to the contrary.

When the F5 are commiting crimes in Duckburg, they find out that a powerful organization is planning to attack Duckburg's biggest crime family. Liquidator freaks out and races towards his Ma's house, followed by a confused Bushroot, Quackerjack, and Megavolt.

Liquidator and his mom make up (with the remaining F4 members blown away by his change in accent/behavior), with her proud of the criminal he's become and him remorseful for letting her think he was dead.

Chapter 10: How The Fearsome Five Decides To Quit Villainy And Go To Hawai'i!

What if, from Quackerjack's perspective, he was trapped with Paddywhack for a year? What if, to the rest of the world, it was a week? What if, Darkwing never coming, Quackerjack had to make a deal to escape?

***

"Listen, P, the idea's simple." Quackerjack quietly enjoyed the words, of being able to say what he wanted without the pain. "I've got a degree in psychology." He couldn't remember what sort of degree, he just remembered that it was far Below his actual skill. "I'm an expert at reading people."

"Sooo...?" The demon drawled, his tone already bored. That was bad, boredom was pain - Quackerjack's pain.

"Sooo..." Quackerjack mimicked, bouncing up and down to maintain a level of eye contact with the tall demon. And because he had really missed bouncing. "I know which criminals in St Canard have mommy issues. Which ones have the worst phobias. Which ones would be easiest to utterly break. And I can lure them all to you, for the small price of, um, letting me out once in a while?"

To Quackerjack's surprise, a deal was struck. The first couple times, they just played hide-and-seek, Paddywhack proving without doubt that he could find his 'doll' anywhere. No matter how far he ran.

***

When Quackerjack was in Paddywhack's realm (Box World? Waxrealm? Psychedelic Nightmare?) he had to wear a business suit. He also had to act in a certain way, or there would be pain. He walked, talked, worked in a way designed to bore him out of his skull. Constantly surrounded by temptations back into his normal behavior, or reminders of his worst memories. Needless to say, he can now do taxes like a boss, has much more self-control, obsessively tidies up, and randomly acts like 'Business Suit Jack'.

Is it any wonder that he somewhat-desperately tricks people into his new Boss's clutches? Is it any wonder that, for the first time in his life, he feels insanely guilty about it? Sending others to a place that's replaced hell in his mind and speech?

When he gets a particularly juicy catch for Paddywhack, he's rewarded with a week on his own in the real world, to do as he pleases - with the promise that, if he runs, Mr Banana Brain will gain an intimate knowledge of the inside of a shredder.

Quackerjack has no idea what to do with his week of freedom, ultimately deciding to go to a particular roof and open a partucular power box. Inside is a device that puts of an electrical signal invisible to everything in the world, except one electric mutant's sensitive whiskers. It's their meeting spot.

After tackling him in utter joy, Megavolt demands to know where he's been the past - woah, has it alreadyvbeen three months in the real world?

For Quackerjack, it's been way too long, and it takes a while for his brain to reboot. He ends up spending a quiet evening on that roof with his partner-in-crime. His best friend. Megavolt knows something's wrong, even moreso when Quackerjack says he can't talk about it, but enjoys the quiet company. Quackie needs this, after all, whatever's wrong.

Finally, Quackerjack comes up with a close-enough version of events involving a crime boss that's recently come back to town. He begs Megavolt to leave the city, to take Drippy and Melonhead with him, and get as far away as he could. Megavolt won't leave him, it's a lost cause, but Quackerjack vows to protect him as best he can.

Deciding to spend his week in his old life, Quackerjack tags along to a Fearsome Five meeting, explaing his long absence with 'I was working on a new toy, and lost track of time!'. They accept the ridiculous excuse, leading Quackerjack to contemplate his sanity. Strangely enough, over a year of working in Whiffle Boy's marketing department, being a 'doll' to a sadistic demon, and being in agony whenever he acted even a little like himself - it's all come together to make him more sane.

The meeting goes surprisingly well, but then Bushroot objects to one little part, a part that would result in the unnecessary death of some of his plants. Negaduck's explosive reaction leads Quackerjack to defend Melon Head, ending up on the wrong side of the chainsaw. And this... How could he ever think this was fine? Paddywhack is much more terrifying than Negaduck. How could he ever be intimidated by something as ridiculous as a chainsaw and that face, his mind switching the mask from black to purple.

So, Quackerjack decides to give his Boss a nice present wrapped in a bow, a yellow-black-and-red bow. Because if anyone deserves to go to the Box, it's Negaduck.

He tells Negsy that he has a weapon for him, but hevhas to wait a week for it. At week's end, when tells Paddywhack about his present, he discovers something interesting - Paddywhack is actually Nega-Paddywhack, and he used to work for Negaduck! Negs tricked him, locked his Jack-in-the-box shut with magic chains, and banished him to the Posiverse. In other words, he really likes his present. What a good doll Quackerjack is! (Quackerjack requests a pause in the plot description while he pukes!)

Unfortunately, the rest of the Fearsomes followed their furious fowl of a leader to the felonious fiend's.... Eh, they're at Quackerjack's warehouse/Pasdywhack's lair. And they attack. Next thing Quackerjack knows, they'll all in the Box.

Negaduck is nowhere in sight.

Liquidator is trapped in a variety of ways, including by being turned back into solid Bud Flood.

Bushroot relives the events of his Mutation (Ep: Beauty And The Beet), unable to change the outcome no matter what he does.

Megavolt... he has fun with Sparky. No powers, deaged, highschool, bullies, missed tests, the enslavement and abuse of Electronics taken up to eleven, water (he can still short out with no powers), gym class - so many miseries, so lit- actually, they have eternity for this!

Quackerjack's back to work. Whiffle Boy can't market itself, after all.

Quackerjack spends his lunch breaks visiting the new building that have popped up, each someone's own personal hell. He can actually draw a map of this part of the Box now, so that's a plus. And they've almost got a little city - an office building, a greenhouse, a highschool, a hospital, a zoo, a university campus, even a theater that only plays horror movies. Evenings are spent hearing about Sparky's horrible homework assignments, eating dinner next to Bushroot, always reduced to a cabbage with a beak at that point.

Eventually a blue stuffed dog appears on QJ's desk, and he starts bringing it with him. Just in case.

A year, two, three years for the rest of the Four... Over five years for QJ before he comes, his purple mask visible underneath the wonderful clothes. But QJ can't talk, he's working, so he gruffly tells the clown to wait for lunch. What he wants to do is to bounce up, throw himself at Darkwing's feet, and beg for help. But Business Suit Jack would never do that, and he won't let Quackerjack do it either. He's begun to imagine him as another him in a suit, with a whip, obsessed with making QJ just like him.

At lunch, he calmly explains the history of Boxville, as well as how the world works. He finds out that it's been three weeks up there in the real world - meaning the ratio is always week-equals-year. He reacts calmly, because he has to react calmly, always.

Darkwing Duck is a saint, an angel sent from heaven, and no-one can convince him otherwise. He doesn't know how Darkwing stopped Paddywhack, he doesn't know why Negaduck won't make eye contact with anyone, he doesn't know where Paddywhack's been sealed -- and, frankly, he doesn't care!

He celebrates with the Four - finally, Megavolt's overage again, and finally he can just kiss him! He can't remember if they ever kissed before, but it's a thing now. After three years reliving his origin, Bushroot's decided that he isn't a good person, but wants to be - they support his decision to quit villainy, all feeling something similar.

Liquidator is mostly horrified at the idea of getting caught - trapped in a sponge, jar, cell, chains, trapped, cage - point is, he's going to the ocean for a while, but he promises to visit! He's not entirely able to sales-talk anymore, and no longer cares about money, but he won't talk about it.

After seeing what true enslavement of electronics, Megavolt's decided modern society... Isn't all that bad. Also, he can't take more failures, he needs a vacation.

And thus, the four decide to go to Hawai'i. No reputations, plenty of water, new plants Bushroot's never seen up close. Darkwing decides they've been punished enough, and lets them go, on a few conditions.

1) They come back. He needs to be able to keep an eye on them.

2) NO supervillainy.

3) They write. Just let him no how their doing.

4) They are all seing therapists when they get back.

5) Negaduck comes with them.

This last got strong protests from the Four, and a weak complaint from Negaduck. But he's absolutely harmless, will barely look at a weapon, and needs familiar faces right then. Neither Mallard will talk about Negaduck's fate in the Box, nor why he made Darkwing promise to take him to see Lynn after the vacation, but the implications are enough to awaken a small bit of pity in the Four. The Box... No-one really deserves it.

And that is how the Fearsome Five decided to quit villainy and vacation in Hawai'i!