Electra: *sigh* So anyway, how long have you been a fan of the Darkwing Duck show?

Tracy: I admit I was a late bloomer. I caught a little bit of "Darkly Dawns the Duck" the first time it aired, but for some reason I just wasn't impressed. I was too interested in "Gummi Bears" and "Tale Spin" at the time, as well. My poor little fourteen-year-old mind wasn't ready for anyone new just yet, I suppose. *laughs* Hey, I was a teenager, give me a break. Toward the end of the second season, I watched "Steeminator" and thought, "Hey, this is pretty interesting after all." So, I set aside time more and more often to catch the reruns, and before long, I was hooked, especially on Bushroot. Just as my obsession was blossoming, though, the Disney Afternoon, in my area, at least, jerked DW and replaced it with "Goof Troop" (gag me).

Electra: *sniff* Those cruel Disney corporate henchmen.

Tracy: I mourned my loss, but at least I had managed to grab one of the last three Darkwing plushies from The Disney Store, *holds it up and grins* as well as managing to collect all four videos before they left the shelves forever. These, along with my Lily stories, kept the dream alive until The Block Party came along on the Disney Channel. Anyone remember that? Eh, well. It didn't last long, but I got some eps taped from that. Time passed and I let DW be for a while. Then, Toon Disney debuted, and seeing the show again reminded me of how much I loved it. Not long after that, I stumbled upon The Negaduck Shrine while looking through, of all things, The Redwall Encyclopedia. It was fate. *grin* And, well, you know what they say about the rest and history and all.

Zippy: *grinning* And now, the most important question of all...

Electra: *shakes her head* Why do you insist on asking that stupid question? You've been asking people ever since we started interviewing.

Zippy: *giggles* It's tradition! *to Tracy* Do I look cuter as a lightbulb-thing or as a duck?

Tracy: Keep the lightbulb look. Very Gyro Gearloose.

Drake: Very what?

Tracy: Remember that little lightbulb guy who hangs around with Gyro in "Duck Tales"? That's who Zippy reminds me of. Only she's a lot cuter. Must be the presence of facial features. Gotta love that little button nose.

Zippy: *smiles sweetly and giggles*

Electra: *rolls her eyes at Zippy, then turns to Tracy* How long have you been drawing?

Tracy: Since I was about four, according to my dad. He's got boxes of drawings I did when I was little. He swears they'll be worth millions someday. *shakes head and grins*

Zippy: *curiously* How d'you get your pictures to look like that? Do you color them on the computer or before you scan them? And...and...how d'ya get 'em to look so darned spiffy?!

Tracy: *blinks* Well, gee, thanks! *clears her throat* First of all, I practice a lot and study other people's work. This includes watching a lot of cartoons to see how features and limbs and such look in various expressions or positions. And when I watch, I do so very carefully, often pausing the tape to scrutinize the placement of eyebrows or fingers. You have to pay attention to detail, no matter how small. A twist in the corner of a mouth can make the difference between a good drawing and a great drawing.

Zippy: *nods emphatically*

Tracy: It depends on how much time you're willing to devote to that one piece of paper. For coloring, I use Adobe Photoshop 5.0. Before I had this, I made use of markers and colored pencils. I did a few things with watercolor as well, but markers seemed to like me best. I just love the smooth-looking color you can get from them. However, once I got a hold of Photoshop and learned how to use the layers and things, I was hooked. That's just about all I use these days. You can get the most amazing results from Photoshop, but you have to be willing to take the time to play around with it, follow tutorials, and learn what works and what doesn't. Depending on its complexity, a picture can take anywhere from several hours to several days to complete, so you've got to be patient and really know what you want to do with it. Shadows and highlights may take more time and they can be a pain, but in the end, it's well worth the effort. And never be afraid to try something new. If you don't know what a feature is for, click on it and see what it does. You can always "undo" if you don't like it. I've discovered the coolest techniques that way. So I guess my answer to how I get my pictures to look so..."darned spiffy" *laughs*...is patience. A lot of patience.

Aurora: *smiles* Do you have anything planned for the future?

Zippy: *pipes up* Can you give us any hints?

Tracy: Sure thing. Well, obviously there's going to be more on Negaduck's and Annelle's stories. Darrin's writing Charlotte's...*pokes him*...right?

Darrin: Ow! All right, all right!

Tracy: I've got Nellie's pretty much planned out, thanks to all the RP logs I've saved. Drake's is a little cloudy at the moment, though. I'm more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants type of girl when it comes to writing on my own, so I rarely make any definitive outlines. I tend to just let myself relax and let the inspiration come as it will. This may not seem the best way for some people, but it works for me. I can tell you that Maggie and Forrest are going to have much larger roles in the coming chapters. As for Lily and Reggie, I think they've been through enough for a while and they deserve a little rest, especially after "A Most Vehement Flame."

Lily: I'm getting a danged big vacation after that one. Uy!

Tracy: That's not to say you won't see as much of them. I'd just like to focus more on Annelle and Cryptic, Drake and Charlotte, the kids, maybe even bring Derek and his girlfriend up and see what happens with them. Lily and Reggie, I imagine, will probably have more of a guiding role in later fics, seeing as they have more experience in family trials. You see some of this already in "Angel," where Lily gives Annelle advice. Reggie's going to be doing the same with Cryptic, and later on with Drake, too. Imagine that. "Hey, ex-boss, we need to talk." *laughs*

Aurora: *chuckles*

Tracy: There are also going to be some interesting twists with Annelle and Cryptic's son, Random, and let's not forget that Charlotte's expecting, too. *smiles*

Drake: *grins* Oh, yeah...*suddenly faints*

Lily: Um...don't mind him. Reggie was the same way when I was expecting.

Tracy: Yyyyyyyyyyyyeah. Oh! And if you've seen my parody of "Sleeping Beauty," there's another one in the works, which Cryptic and I are writing together.

Lily: You're not gonna believe this one.

Tracy: "Labyrinth." ‘Nuff said. *chuckles*

Electra: Oooh! I love that movie! Can't wait to see it.

Zippy: *spins on one foot* And now for the part of the interview that has proven to be preeetty interesting at times! You get to ask each of us a question! *stops spinning and falls down, dizzy* And we'll even answer 'em, don'tcha know. *giggles*

*Darrin, Drake, and Lily back away slowly.*

Lily: I'm not responsible for what may happen next.

Darrin: Neither am I.

Drake: Ditto.

Electra: *glances at them nervously* Um...

Tracy: Oh, you guys. *smirks* Hmmm...well, okay. Zippy, which looks better to you, Tim Curry with the goatee, or Tim Curry clean-shaven?

Lily: Oh, no...somebody stop her.

Darrin: It's too late. She's already started.

Tracy: What? Sheesh.

Zippy: *blankly* Tim Curry?

Electra: *pokes Zippy and whispers* "Clue." The butler did it...

Zippy: Oh yeah! *deep in thought* Goatee, clean-shaven. Goatee, clean-shaven...*brightly* Goatee! *giggles* It's funner to say.

Electra: *correcting* More fun.

Zippy: That too. *giggle*

Tracy: Okay, Electra--

Electra: I'm afraid.

Tracy: Do you think Tim Curry should have gotten an Oscar nomination for singing "Easy Street" in "Annie"? I mean, he not only did he sing like a nightingale, but he also actually managed to look sexier than Carol Burnette and Bernadette Peters, and he did so in men's clothing, and with that ugly 1930's hairstyle. Quite a feat, if you ask me.

Electra: *blinks* Uh...*slowly* Yes?

Aurora: *chuckles* Good answer.

*Lily reaches for some vines.*

Tracy: Dr. Boreales, if Tim Curry's Captain Hook and Tim Curry's Long John Silver got in a fight, who would win?

Aurora: *thoughful* Hmm...Probably Long John Silver. *pause* Or perhaps they could realize that violence never solves anything and form an all-pirate singing troupe in Las Vegoose. *smile* It's a nice thought, at least.

Lily: *pounces on Tracy with the vines* Flee while you can!

Tracy: Hey! Leggo!

Lily: You've been pasting things in your scrapbook today, haven't you?

Tracy: Yeah. Why?

Lily: I can tell when the rubber cement fumes go to your head.

Tracy: Cute. Now let me go.

Lily: All right, but you'd better finish these other fics you've started.

Tracy: Deal. Now let go!

Lily: *releases Tracy and turns to the interviewers, smiling prettily* If that's a wrap, before you go, here's a little token of thanks. *hands each of them a small potted flower* Now, do you want anymore help with The Desk?

Electra: *looks at her flower curiously* Thanks...Uh, no. It's, uh...all downhill from here. *smiles* For once.

Zippy: *hugs everyone's ankles* Thanks for the interview! And thanks for the flowers, Lily! *turns to grin at Electra and Aurora*

Electra: Uh oh, I know what that grin means...

Zippy: *giggles* And what have we learned today guys?

Electra: *sigh* I've learned that there's no Procrastinator's Creed because no one ever gets around to writing one.

Aurora: I've learned that you can't judge a book by its cover or a duck by its color.

Zippy: *cheerfully* And I've learned that there's no business like show business! I'm Zippy.

Electra: I'm Electra.

Aurora: I'm Aurora.

Zippy: And we are:

All three in unison: The High Voltage Studios Interview Team!

Zippy: Okay! Let's go! *pause* Electra?

Electra: *to Lily* So, these 'Cupid Lily' arrows...How do they work?

Aurora: *sternly* Electra...

Electra: *sheepishly* Okay, okay, sorry. *starts pulling The Desk again*

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