Discord
09-09-2026, 06:07 PM
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[CW: Transphobia, Slurs]
Strike Out! Chapter 2
*BOOM*
The sounds of the city assaulted me immediately, alongside a loud honk and screeching breaks.
"GET OUTTA THE ROAD!" A red face man yelled at me from the car that nearly crashed into me.
I quickly scrambled onto the sidewalk on instinct and fell flat on my ass, heart pounding. After taking some deep breaths to calm down I took stock of my surroundings.
Nothing later than early 20th century construction, streetcar rails in the road, and palm trees lining the road. The cars were all old, but I never knew much about cars, so the best I could say is that they weren't the first cars, and were probably something before the 70s.
And god the smell. Cigarette smoke and car exhaust far worse than anything I had ever dealt with. Sent me into a coughing fit. I wish I had any of my N95 face masks with me, but I was broke and homeless at the moment. I crushed the worry of inter-universal germ contamination and stood up.
Wandering for a bit, I came to a newsstand. I blinked, I had never seen something like it before, newspapers and magazines all lined up for sale like some kind of outdoor comic con booth. I quickly went to check the date, but the headline caught my attention first.
'TOON KILLS MAN
MARVIN ACME KILLED AT HANDS OF JEALOUS RABBIT'
I was in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It certainly was a step up from silent hill, but still shocking to my core. Living cartoons. I could meet Mickey Mouse, Betty Boop, Bugs Bunny.
Then my train of thought halted. This was the daily news. The plot was still ongoing. I wracked my head for everything I could remember. The judge owned that cloverleaf company and was going to build a freeway through Toontown, using some weird chemical to kill everyone in his way. He was behind everything, but I didn't remember the details.
I did remember that there was at least one more murder before the plot resolved. I could save a life, I just needed to get to... what was his name? Valiant? I had to get to him and point him in the right direction.
After asking around a bit, I got directions to his office. I knocked and tried the door, but no one was in. I felt the buzz of a connection to a new world in the back of my head, but now wasn't the time to zip off somewhere new. Sighing, I leaned on the wall to wait. God, I wish my phone worked right then.
A few minutes later the elevator dinged and out came a woman pushing a stroller. I didn't think much of it at first until a gravely man's voice came from the carriage.
"Who's this clown?" A cartoon baby said, pointing his dinky at me dismissively, before popping it back in his mouth.
I stood there slack jawed. I was being sassed by a living cartoon infant. Then the woman spoke up,
"Sherman, be nice." She chastised.
"I don't pay you to get uppity toots, I pay you for your looks" The baby shot back. Then he looked back at me, "What's with the getup, bub?"
I looked down, I was wearing a fairly standard white t-shirt under an emerald green zip up hoodie, lightly distressed jeans, and sneakers. Jesus I was out of place here.
"I... like wearing it?" I said, hesitantly.
Sherman shrugged. "Suit it yourself, pal. You got business with Eddie?"
"Yeah, I got-" I stopped myself, I couldn't just blab to anyone, and I didn't know if I could trust the baby, he certainly didn't strike me as a kind and empathetic soul. "-I got business with him."
There was a pregnant... There was a silence between us as we stared each other down. The woman, Sherman's assistant, Just rolled her eyes and pulled out a mirror to check her makeup.
"Gimme a Cuban, Nancy." Sherman said, making a grabby hand towards the woman.
As soon as she pulled out a fucking cigar, I stepped forward and put a hand up to stop her.
"No." I said.
"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Sherman yelled, pounding his fists against the Carriage.
"Sorry, I'm sensitive to bad air" I said, "Smoke will get me in a coughing fit."
"I have been telling him to quit." Nancy said, folding her arms.
"Awww what do you know you dumb broad?"
"Well I Know," I interrupted "That they're addictive, build up tar in the lungs, and cause cancer. Every breath of smoke is a little less you can breathe normally, until you're constantly out of breath or dead."
"Fuck you too, dumb bitch... Bastard? What, you some Kinda transvestite?"
"Yes, and damn proud of it." I shot back.
This chucklefuck was starting to really piss me off. But before I could do anything about it, A man in a Fedora and a trench coat walked up the stairs. That must be our gumshoe.
I saw his tired eyes flick over the scene before he pushed towards his door.
"Valiant?" Sherman and I asked at the same time. We whipped our heads at each other, staring daggers. Him literally, Eyes turning to daggers that pointed at me. Which caught me off guard and made me step back. Bastard laughed at me.
"What the hell is it? I don't got time for Toon antics" Eddie Valiant asked, waving in our general direction.
"Ladies and/or gentlemen first." Sherman said, dramatically bowing to me.
"I have info on the Roger Rabbit Case you'll want to hear," I said. "I-"
"You're here about Roger too?" Sherman asked, surprised.
"Yeah, but I don't trust you, so I'll only give it Valiant alone"
"The 'case' is over, and that murder is none of my business." Valiant said, pushing past us to unlock his office.
"Wait!" Sherman shouted, desperate. "Roger is innocent, he'd never do something like that! Acme was offed because of his will! Take a look at this."
Sherman pulled out the newspaper I had seen on the stand. And handed it to Valiant. As he started reading, Sherman continued, "They say he left no will but that's total dookie, every Toon knows Acme left a will. He'd give Toontown to us Toons."
"It's true," I said. "That's part of why I'm here. I don't know this guy, by the way, I'm here on my own."
"Any evidence of this will, besides hearsay?" Valiant said, eyeing me.
"Two different people show up at your door, to give you the same lead, and you don't think it's worth investigating?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Even if it was, it's not my problem" Valiant grumbled.
"If you ask me," Sherman said, "You got Roger into this mess, so anything happens to him, it's on your head. If that ain't enough for you, I'm willing to pay"
"I. DON'T. WORK. FOR TOONS," Valiant bellowed, looming over Sherman and nearly kicking his carriage.
This wasn't working, and I didn't know enough about the moment to moment of the movie to know how much I might have screwed things up. Thinking quickly, I spoke up, "Then work for me"
The gumshoe turned his fury towards me.
"You were willing to work for Roger's boss." I reasoned, "So why not me?"
"The way you're dressed, you're practically a Toon yourself." Valiant Scoffed.
"Is everyone going to insult my outfit today?"
"I think it looks nice" Nancy said.
"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Valiant and Sherman shouted back at the same time.
"Oh my god." I mumbled, holding my head in my hands.
"You used to be our hero, Eddie," Sherman said, glare softening, "You and your brother both. Any Toon could count on you, even when the coppers wouldn't give us the time of the day."
"yeah, well I'm not a hero, and I don't want to be." Valiant said, slipping into his office and slamming the door.
"Guess that's that then. Nancy, to my next appointment." Sherman said, before slapping Nancy's ass. God, what a bastard.
I leaned myself on the wall and let myself slide down into a sitting position. What a clusterfuck. Where had I even gone wrong? Was Valliant's judgment really that clouded by the death of his brother? I know at some point in the movie roger handcuffed them together, is that what it took to get the guy working on his case?
I considered staying out of it. Things would still work out in the end, right? but I couldn't be sure, and at least one other person was going to die. So I got up, dusted myself off, and knocked on Valliant's door.
[CW: Transphobia, Slurs]
Strike Out! Chapter 2
*BOOM*
The sounds of the city assaulted me immediately, alongside a loud honk and screeching breaks.
"GET OUTTA THE ROAD!" A red face man yelled at me from the car that nearly crashed into me.
I quickly scrambled onto the sidewalk on instinct and fell flat on my ass, heart pounding. After taking some deep breaths to calm down I took stock of my surroundings.
Nothing later than early 20th century construction, streetcar rails in the road, and palm trees lining the road. The cars were all old, but I never knew much about cars, so the best I could say is that they weren't the first cars, and were probably something before the 70s.
And god the smell. Cigarette smoke and car exhaust far worse than anything I had ever dealt with. Sent me into a coughing fit. I wish I had any of my N95 face masks with me, but I was broke and homeless at the moment. I crushed the worry of inter-universal germ contamination and stood up.
Wandering for a bit, I came to a newsstand. I blinked, I had never seen something like it before, newspapers and magazines all lined up for sale like some kind of outdoor comic con booth. I quickly went to check the date, but the headline caught my attention first.
'TOON KILLS MAN
MARVIN ACME KILLED AT HANDS OF JEALOUS RABBIT'
I was in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It certainly was a step up from silent hill, but still shocking to my core. Living cartoons. I could meet Mickey Mouse, Betty Boop, Bugs Bunny.
Then my train of thought halted. This was the daily news. The plot was still ongoing. I wracked my head for everything I could remember. The judge owned that cloverleaf company and was going to build a freeway through Toontown, using some weird chemical to kill everyone in his way. He was behind everything, but I didn't remember the details.
I did remember that there was at least one more murder before the plot resolved. I could save a life, I just needed to get to... what was his name? Valiant? I had to get to him and point him in the right direction.
After asking around a bit, I got directions to his office. I knocked and tried the door, but no one was in. I felt the buzz of a connection to a new world in the back of my head, but now wasn't the time to zip off somewhere new. Sighing, I leaned on the wall to wait. God, I wish my phone worked right then.
A few minutes later the elevator dinged and out came a woman pushing a stroller. I didn't think much of it at first until a gravely man's voice came from the carriage.
"Who's this clown?" A cartoon baby said, pointing his dinky at me dismissively, before popping it back in his mouth.
I stood there slack jawed. I was being sassed by a living cartoon infant. Then the woman spoke up,
"Sherman, be nice." She chastised.
"I don't pay you to get uppity toots, I pay you for your looks" The baby shot back. Then he looked back at me, "What's with the getup, bub?"
I looked down, I was wearing a fairly standard white t-shirt under an emerald green zip up hoodie, lightly distressed jeans, and sneakers. Jesus I was out of place here.
"I... like wearing it?" I said, hesitantly.
Sherman shrugged. "Suit it yourself, pal. You got business with Eddie?"
"Yeah, I got-" I stopped myself, I couldn't just blab to anyone, and I didn't know if I could trust the baby, he certainly didn't strike me as a kind and empathetic soul. "-I got business with him."
There was a pregnant... There was a silence between us as we stared each other down. The woman, Sherman's assistant, Just rolled her eyes and pulled out a mirror to check her makeup.
"Gimme a Cuban, Nancy." Sherman said, making a grabby hand towards the woman.
As soon as she pulled out a fucking cigar, I stepped forward and put a hand up to stop her.
"No." I said.
"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Sherman yelled, pounding his fists against the Carriage.
"Sorry, I'm sensitive to bad air" I said, "Smoke will get me in a coughing fit."
"I have been telling him to quit." Nancy said, folding her arms.
"Awww what do you know you dumb broad?"
"Well I Know," I interrupted "That they're addictive, build up tar in the lungs, and cause cancer. Every breath of smoke is a little less you can breathe normally, until you're constantly out of breath or dead."
"Fuck you too, dumb bitch... Bastard? What, you some Kinda transvestite?"
"Yes, and damn proud of it." I shot back.
This chucklefuck was starting to really piss me off. But before I could do anything about it, A man in a Fedora and a trench coat walked up the stairs. That must be our gumshoe.
I saw his tired eyes flick over the scene before he pushed towards his door.
"Valiant?" Sherman and I asked at the same time. We whipped our heads at each other, staring daggers. Him literally, Eyes turning to daggers that pointed at me. Which caught me off guard and made me step back. Bastard laughed at me.
"What the hell is it? I don't got time for Toon antics" Eddie Valiant asked, waving in our general direction.
"Ladies and/or gentlemen first." Sherman said, dramatically bowing to me.
"I have info on the Roger Rabbit Case you'll want to hear," I said. "I-"
"You're here about Roger too?" Sherman asked, surprised.
"Yeah, but I don't trust you, so I'll only give it Valiant alone"
"The 'case' is over, and that murder is none of my business." Valiant said, pushing past us to unlock his office.
"Wait!" Sherman shouted, desperate. "Roger is innocent, he'd never do something like that! Acme was offed because of his will! Take a look at this."
Sherman pulled out the newspaper I had seen on the stand. And handed it to Valiant. As he started reading, Sherman continued, "They say he left no will but that's total dookie, every Toon knows Acme left a will. He'd give Toontown to us Toons."
"It's true," I said. "That's part of why I'm here. I don't know this guy, by the way, I'm here on my own."
"Any evidence of this will, besides hearsay?" Valiant said, eyeing me.
"Two different people show up at your door, to give you the same lead, and you don't think it's worth investigating?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Even if it was, it's not my problem" Valiant grumbled.
"If you ask me," Sherman said, "You got Roger into this mess, so anything happens to him, it's on your head. If that ain't enough for you, I'm willing to pay"
"I. DON'T. WORK. FOR TOONS," Valiant bellowed, looming over Sherman and nearly kicking his carriage.
This wasn't working, and I didn't know enough about the moment to moment of the movie to know how much I might have screwed things up. Thinking quickly, I spoke up, "Then work for me"
The gumshoe turned his fury towards me.
"You were willing to work for Roger's boss." I reasoned, "So why not me?"
"The way you're dressed, you're practically a Toon yourself." Valiant Scoffed.
"Is everyone going to insult my outfit today?"
"I think it looks nice" Nancy said.
"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Valiant and Sherman shouted back at the same time.
"Oh my god." I mumbled, holding my head in my hands.
"You used to be our hero, Eddie," Sherman said, glare softening, "You and your brother both. Any Toon could count on you, even when the coppers wouldn't give us the time of the day."
"yeah, well I'm not a hero, and I don't want to be." Valiant said, slipping into his office and slamming the door.
"Guess that's that then. Nancy, to my next appointment." Sherman said, before slapping Nancy's ass. God, what a bastard.
I leaned myself on the wall and let myself slide down into a sitting position. What a clusterfuck. Where had I even gone wrong? Was Valliant's judgment really that clouded by the death of his brother? I know at some point in the movie roger handcuffed them together, is that what it took to get the guy working on his case?
I considered staying out of it. Things would still work out in the end, right? but I couldn't be sure, and at least one other person was going to die. So I got up, dusted myself off, and knocked on Valliant's door.
