Incurable Bookkl3pt0

Rubble: *just as solemnly* They were truly beautiful toys too...

Rocky: *whispers to Zuma and Skye* What a pair of drama queens, am I right?

*Zuma, Rocky and Skye snicker amongst themselves*

Ryder: *nervously* I'll never hear the end of this if they find out, will I?

Marshall: *laughs* Nope!

(This was just a basically crack scene that popped into my head from the squeaky toy drama. I thought it was funny. 😅)

The fact that ROCKY is calling them drama queen 😂😂😂 I’m laughing so hard rn

Also, like, even if Rocky DIDNT suspect Ryder and catch him by surprise in a dark room like the dramatic dog that he is, it is a cold hard fact that Rocky would STILL figure out what happened to the toys simply because he’d find them by DUMPSTER DIVING. Like, imagine:

Rocky: Chase! I found the squeaky toys!

Chase: what? Where??

Rocky: in the dumpster!

Chase: …what were you doing in the -

Rocky: IRRELEVANT

Anyways, now I can’t help but wonder what will happen if Chase DOES figure out this case…

Ryder: *sighs as he flips on the light switch in the control room, his pjs already on and wearing his fucking Chase slippers, looking tired as all get out*

Chase, ominously sitting extremely still next to the giant computer screen: hello Ryder

Ryder: *screams bloody murder*

Ryder: WILL YOU TWO STOP THAT??

Rocky making fun of Chase being overdramatic is seriously a pot/kettle moment, and I love it.

Poor Ryder. No, should the truth ever come out, he really WON'T hear the end of it. At least Marshall's on his side. Rocky (and maybe Rubble) may know the truth, but he definitely will not hesitate to join in the teasing that would absolutely commence.

Listen. That's why Ryder stashed them under his bed instead of throwing them out. Risky as that is, he knows that the ONLY way the toys wouldn't be discovered is if he tossed them in a dumpster far from Rocky's usual stomping grounds. And even then, Rocky would be looking specifically for his toy. It'd only be a matter of time before he'd find them. Ryder may not have been aware of Rocky's almost supernatural tracking abilities for his stuff, but he's very much aware of his dumpster diving tendencies.

Hahaha! Seems like "IRRELEVANT!" is catching on to be a Rocky mannerism. It just... suits him so well, though. Like Zuma's "Dude" and "Totally" it just makes sense for him.

LMFAO, not Chase sitting on the dark too! When I tell you I spent a solid 5 minutes DYING from cackling so hard, I'm not even kidding. Poor Ryder. My only question is, how did Chase find out the truth, and did the rest of the pups hear that screaming and come to investigate, only to witness what came next? The peoples must know.

Man, this is like the 1 year anniversary all over again. Chase, despite being told that Marshall was fine, still just couldn't let it go.

(I now have this funny scene in my head where CALI somehow found out the truth and accidentally-on-purpose snitches to Chase in some inadvertent way. IDK how that would even work or why Cali would do that, but that's what I'm thinking about. Maybe Cali just hates Ryder more that she hates Chase?)

@flashoneonetwo, this was amazing! Thank you for this hilarious follow-up. And @skyezuma, these what-ifs were also peak humor. It definitely made my day, thank you!

My only other thought about this is… you guys are seriously making me consider writing a silly oneshot about this, in the same realm of Memory of Flowers. Because this is hilarious, and I can’t stop thinking about how funny it would be to write both Rocky AND Chase ominously saying “hello Ryder” the moment the light is turned on. It’s like the “objection” sequence all over again

Oof, I feel bad for giving you prompt ideas when you already have so much planned to write. You could make it a part of your first Christmases story instead? Like, it's the first Christmas where Charshall, Skuma, AND Rytie are official? And that's why Chase was so certain it was Cali initially because she was definitely NOT HAPPY with any of... that? That's if you want to, of course.

I also have no clue how Chase would potentially find out. Nothing is speaking to me. Although...

...these were my notes in one of my previous reblogs, so maybe there's potential here. Like, Chase suspected Rocky because Marshall was suspicious that he was up to something (he was continually camping out in Ryder's room; my reblog here:

makes this make more sense) and in trying to talk him out of Rocky being guilty, he accidentally makes Rubble out to be suspicious, and then Rubble accidentally reveals that Rocky was camping out in Ryder's room, and from there, Chase can put the (still really vague, Chase, wtf? How?) clues together. Maybe? IDK, this is all I've got.

All I know is that Marshall kept Ryder's secret. I feel like he'd be great at keeping secrets. He just would suck at keeping the fact that he HAD a secret a secret. You know he knows something, but he'll never tell you what he knows, is all I'm saying. It's not a smug I-know-something-you-don't-know kinda thing (like what Rocky is notorious for), he's just really honest with his feelings, but also a really good confidante. Chase can grill him all he wants. He ain't getting ANYTHING out of Marshall. (What's funny about this headcanon is that I've had it for a while, and then you up and basically made it canon to your AU, when Chase was trying to get details about the meeting from Marshall. It's funny how that works. Great minds, amirite?)

When your notes make a perfect cat

Because it was trained on pirated work—including freely accessible online writing (like fanfic, academic texts)—ChatGPT picked up patterns and quirks native to human writing.

Including (sigh) the em dash.

There are other victims here (RIP tapestry and delve 🫠), but the appropriation of the em dash—a punctuation mark beloved by writers everywhere—feels especially personal.

A kind of low-grade panic is ensuing. Writers who once memed their own em dash overuse—the greatest punctuation mark ever to grace the control-freak’s lexicon, frankly—are suddenly backing away to avoid accusations.

No. More. We have centuries of dash-abusing writers behind us. We will not sit quietly while AI repurposes our beloved stilted aside—or the just-one-more clarification the sentence demands—or the dramatic pause your comma could never—etc.

You don’t write like AI—AI writes like you.

Defend the em dash.

(Feel free to download/share/stick it where it matters!)

But, am I the only one who’s a bit confused as to why I see half of the fanbase suddenly agree that the Princess of Barkingburg and Katie would absolutely hate each other? Not only that, but over Ryder 99% of the time?

I don’t know, they just really wouldn’t seem like the type of people to hate each other, especially over some guy. Even if they both developed feelings for Ryder, I don’t think they’d be on each other’s throats 24/7. Sure, maybe some jealousy may play out but, to me that feels like the extent.

Another trope I hate (with an even greater passion) is in mlm ships where there's a girl who wants to get with one of the guys in the pairing (and usually this girl and guy are canon in the actual media), but somehow she's a conniving bitch who is in the way of the mlm ship. I've seen this happen in other fandoms, but I've seen a bit of it happening in the PAW Patrol fandom; sadly, in the Charshall ship. Everest and sometimes even Skye are villainized for "daring to stand in the way" of Charshall. I love Charshall; it can even be said I'm a bit obsessed with it. But it's really sad when other characters I love get demonized for the sake of the ship.

It's why I am particularly OBSESSED with @skyezuma's writing because not only does she write Charshall amazingly, but she does it all while still acknowledging the fact that Skase is kinda perceived as canon, and writes the feelings of jealousy and guilt that comes from that jealousy on Marshall's part. Because yeah, there would realistically be feelings of jealousy there, but Skye and Marshall are also really good friends, so of course there would be guilt for said feelings.

There's nothing wrong with jealousy. It's a natural emotion. But there is everything wrong with demonizing a character (usually a female character) just for the sake of a (usually mlm) ship. It's not cool, and it practically REEKS of misogyny.

I'm not that well-versed in Rytie or whatever the Ryder x POB ship is called, but as a Rytie enthusiast and a Princess of Barkingburg and Katie fan, I hate the idea of 2 of my favorite characters hating each other in fics because of a guy. I don't know if either of them has even met in canon, so for all I know, they COULD hate each other. But if their only reason for hating each other is because they're competing for Ryder... that's just... I don't even know. Disheartening I guess.

The funny thing is that I actively thought about this when I started writing my fic. I knew Skye would probably fall into the “female character getting in the way of the mlm ship” in other charshall related material.

So that’s how I started, right? Marshall acting cold towards Skye and she doesn’t know WHY. And Skye, my beloved, isn’t having it, because she knows Marshall isn’t like this. He’s not bitter, or angry, or COLD. No, she KNOWS something is wrong because Marshall is so important to her. And I also made sure to emphasize later that yes, while Marshall felt resentment towards her, he felt awful about it. Because Skye is also important to HIM. And it’s not her fault, and he knows it isn’t. It’s his fault for feeling this way, but he can’t help it.

But guess what? Even though they both suspect Chase has feelings for Skye (WRONG, misunderstanding number one lol), this just makes them even closer. Because Marshall isn’t feeling resentment for Skye simply because Chase may or may not have feelings for her. His main concern is that Chase will probably get hurt, and he hates that. But it’s STILL NOT SKYE’S FAULT.

**WARNING!! SPOILERS BELOW FOR FUTURE STORIES FOR THOSE READING MY AU**

Yes. I agree that because Skase is kinda perceived as canon, any ship with Chase (and Skye, but weirdly that's not common: anyone being jealous of Chase) involved is going to have feelings of jealousy towards Skye. The difference here is that she wasn't outright demonized by the narrative and is very supportive and understanding of the very real feelings that Marshall has, while also being firm and not letting the sudden coldness get in the way of their friendship. Because Marshall and Skye have a very beautiful friendship. He trusts her completely, even when he doesn't trust himself, so it's nice to see that within a story where Skase isn't a thing.

Off topic, but you even handle other things, like insecurities and mishandling of anger so well. I've mentioned it before that your writing evokes feelings that are sometimes really hard to deal with, and that's how powerful your writing is. It's masterful.

As for the spoilers, I trust you. And I can't wait to see what you have in store. I won't say any more, in case anyone reading this doesn't want spoilers, but do know that I fully admire your work and the plans you have seem amazing.

Love corners (I staunchly REFUSE to call the triangles) and unrequited love are tropes that are difficult to handle, but it seems you're handling them with mastery. I offer you all the kudos ever.

Rubble: *just as solemnly* They were truly beautiful toys too...

Rocky: *whispers to Zuma and Skye* What a pair of drama queens, am I right?

*Zuma, Rocky and Skye snicker amongst themselves*

Ryder: *nervously* I'll never hear the end of this if they find out, will I?

Marshall: *laughs* Nope!

(This was just a basically crack scene that popped into my head from the squeaky toy drama. I thought it was funny. 😅)

The fact that ROCKY is calling them drama queen 😂😂😂 I’m laughing so hard rn

Also, like, even if Rocky DIDNT suspect Ryder and catch him by surprise in a dark room like the dramatic dog that he is, it is a cold hard fact that Rocky would STILL figure out what happened to the toys simply because he’d find them by DUMPSTER DIVING. Like, imagine:

Rocky: Chase! I found the squeaky toys!

Chase: what? Where??

Rocky: in the dumpster!

Chase: …what were you doing in the -

Rocky: IRRELEVANT

Anyways, now I can’t help but wonder what will happen if Chase DOES figure out this case…

Ryder: *sighs as he flips on the light switch in the control room, his pjs already on and wearing his fucking Chase slippers, looking tired as all get out*

Chase, ominously sitting extremely still next to the giant computer screen: hello Ryder

Ryder: *screams bloody murder*

Ryder: WILL YOU TWO STOP THAT??

Rocky making fun of Chase being overdramatic is seriously a pot/kettle moment, and I love it.

Poor Ryder. No, should the truth ever come out, he really WON'T hear the end of it. At least Marshall's on his side. Rocky (and maybe Rubble) may know the truth, but he definitely will not hesitate to join in the teasing that would absolutely commence.

Listen. That's why Ryder stashed them under his bed instead of throwing them out. Risky as that is, he knows that the ONLY way the toys wouldn't be discovered is if he tossed them in a dumpster far from Rocky's usual stomping grounds. And even then, Rocky would be looking specifically for his toy. It'd only be a matter of time before he'd find them. Ryder may not have been aware of Rocky's almost supernatural tracking abilities for his stuff, but he's very much aware of his dumpster diving tendencies.

Hahaha! Seems like "IRRELEVANT!" is catching on to be a Rocky mannerism. It just... suits him so well, though. Like Zuma's "Dude" and "Totally" it just makes sense for him.

LMFAO, not Chase sitting on the dark too! When I tell you I spent a solid 5 minutes DYING from cackling so hard, I'm not even kidding. Poor Ryder. My only question is, how did Chase find out the truth, and did the rest of the pups hear that screaming and come to investigate, only to witness what came next? The peoples must know.

Man, this is like the 1 year anniversary all over again. Chase, despite being told that Marshall was fine, still just couldn't let it go.

(I now have this funny scene in my head where CALI somehow found out the truth and accidentally-on-purpose snitches to Chase in some inadvertent way. IDK how that would even work or why Cali would do that, but that's what I'm thinking about. Maybe Cali just hates Ryder more that she hates Chase?)

@flashoneonetwo, this was amazing! Thank you for this hilarious follow-up. And @skyezuma, these what-ifs were also peak humor. It definitely made my day, thank you!

This person is also this person

And is currently the only person from the United States legally permitted to research the critically endangered pygmy raccoons (Procyon pygmaeus) in Cozumel, Mexico.

number one rule is get stainless steel shit. stainless steel water bottle stainless steel straw, you dont want that rubber plastic etc shit it grows mold like a mf. turns out that was the main culprit of what happened to me, my reusable water bottle was plastic and it didn't matter how much i let it soak or cleaned it out.

get this either if you can or can't afford the stainless steel stuff and just be really on cleaning it; staw cleaner looks like this:

and get one its mammas the bottle cleaner for your cup:

You put that tablet in the bottle, add hot water, let it fizz and soak for a bit and hey presto, any stains or discolouration or weird little crevices are suddenly removed of their hidden nasty bits.

My niece kept saying her water bottle tasted weird, and she washed it and washed it, and then me and my mum were like GIVE IT HERE and we put a denture tablet in it and added the straw to it and it started fizzing up the straw and all this black gunk started coming out the weird curvy bits of the fitted straw like a Coke-mentos experiment.

It’ll taste slightly minty unless you rinse rinse rinse rinse rinse rinse but that’s not a terrible thing, and let’s face it, denture tablets are for cleaning dentures so, you know, designed to clean things that go in mouths.

Aaaaand I’m writing Christmas stuff based on the last ask I answered 😅 will I get it all done before Christmas? Probably not. But I will give a valiant effort

[Chase trying to convince Ryder to let him launch a mission to discover why their squeaky toys went missing.]

Ryder: *the culprit* I just don't see why we have to launch a whole mission for a bunch of lost toys, Chase. You pups lose toys all the time. You've never cared this much.

Chase: *persistent* This time is different. I can feel it!

Ryder: *panicking slightly* Oh? And why's that?

Chase: Because! There is something fishy about ALL of our squeaky toys going missing around the same time, I just KNOW IT!!!

Ryder: *sweating profusely* ...what makes you say that...?

Chase: It just makes NO sense that we would ALL misplace our squeaky toys.

Chase: Rocky and Zuma make sense. Those pups have no organizational skills. Rubble, too, has been known to lose a toy from time to time. Skye is responsible, but she probably lent hers to Zuma, and it got lost.

Chase: But Marshall losing his doesn't make any sense! He may be clumsy but he's very organized about his toys. He has a whole rotation system so he ensures he gets equal play time amongst his toys, and has never once misplaced a single toy ever. He's just too organized. *starts to have this dreamy far-off gaze*

Ryder: *slowly trying to sneak out of this conversation*

Chase: *suddenly snapping out of his mini trance* huh- wha- uh, anyway.

Ryder: *under his breath* dammit.

Chase: *oblivious* Language! Like I was saying. It just doesn't add up that his toy would go missing. And of course MY toy disappearing makes no sense either, I would NEVER lose a toy.

Ryder: *squinting, thinking back to all the times Chase lost a toy because he forgot where he buried/left them* ...uh huh.

Chase: *still oblivious* So I know there's something suspicious going on! I just can't prove it.

Ryder: ...maybe it's just an unlucky coincidence?

Chase: *sniffs* Oh please! This is too big to be a mere coincidence!

Ryder: Is it though?

Chase: Of course! Marshall has never lost a toy before, ever. For him to suddenly lose one now is suspicious. That's why we MUST find them!

Ryder: ...we do?

Chase: Absolutely! Marshall is SAD!!! ...oh, and me and the other pups, too. Obviously.

Ryder: *visibly panicking now* Yeah, well. Ummmmm. Maybe they'll turn up?

Chase: *STILL oblivious* Hmmm, no. They would've by now. It's been weeks.

Marshall: *walking in, unnoticed*

Ryder: *doing his best to keep a straight face, failing* Well... maybe someone DID take them...

Chase: *pleased* See? Now you're getting it! Now the question remains... who???

Ryder: *mentally accepting his fate* Yep. I totally see. Eyes are wide open. Someone definitely stole them.

Marshall: *eyes narrowing*

Ryder: *muttering* Someone who couldn't stand the squeaking anymore.

Marshall: *head tilting*

Chase: *gasping, sitting up* That's IT! RYDER!! I KNOW WHO DID IT!!!

Ryder: *cringing* Oh yeah?

Chase: Of course! It all makes sense now!!!

Ryder: *sighing* Look, I-

Chase: It was Cali!

Ryder: ...huh?

Chase: Why didn't I see it before? Cali would definitely stoop to such levels if she hated something, and she did seem unhappy this Christmas. This must be why!

Ryder: *mentally apologizing PROFUSELY to Cali* YEP!!! I mean, yes! Cali is definitely a suspect of interest. Yes. Her. And not anyone else.

Chase: *already running off* Chase is on the case!

Ryder: *sighing in relief* Oh thank goodness.

Marshall: *sitting next to Ryder, still unnoticed, highly amused*

Marshall: It wasn't Cali, was it?

Ryder: *jumping in surprise, turning to Marshall* Wha- oh! Marshall! Hi! ...what makes you say that?

Marshall: *raises an eyebrow*

Ryder: *sighs* No... its just... the constant squeaks were giving me a headache. I'm sorry.

Marshall: *nuzzling against Ryder* That's okay. I'm sorry our toys were bothering you.

Ryder: ...you're not mad?

Marshall: Of course not. I'm a little sad about my toy, but if it was bothering you, I can live without it.

Ryder: Thanks Marshall.

Ryder: ...are you going to tell Chase?

Marshall: I can be convinced to keep my silence, in exchange for new squeaky-less toys for us.

Ryder: Deal!

Marshall: *laughing* Okay. Well, I have to go stop Chase from harassing poor Cali, and she decides to roll around in his pup house and hack hairballs all over it in retaliation. Again.

Ryder: *inhaling sharply between his teeth* Yeah, that's probably wise. Bye Marshall!

Marshall: *running off* Bye Ryder! WhoaAHH!!! *tripping and crashing somewhere* I'm good!

Ryder: *wincing* ...ooh! Be careful!

Marshall: I will!

Ryder: *sighing* Okay, time to order new SQUEAKY-LESS toys.

Marshall has to go reassure Chase that he’s okay ❤️💙

Marshall having to reassure Chase that he's fine is both for fluff reasons and damage control reasons. Cali is a vengeful kitty, and Chase has already been in her bad books for a WHILE now, and the last time he subjected her to an interrogation was met with swift vengeance. Marshall would rather not have a repeat of that.

I can totally see that, and now I'm mad I didn't include Rocky. He would've made such funny commentary, dammit. In my defense, though, Marshall wasn't supposed to be there either. He just kinda snuck in there towards the end, so I had to go back and add him coming in unnoticed.

Rocky is a chaos goblin. He can totally find anything in that mess of his. Too bad Chase is a hater who doesn't believe that Rocky has that particular superpower (the cartoon logic of his finding abilities and his truck storage skills) and just thinks he gets lucky every time. Also, consider this: Zuma has a tendency to lose his toys for him, too. Almost everyone has had a toy lost by Zuma before. Marshall's only avoided it because whenever he let's Zuma play with his toys, he's playing right alongside Zuma. It's hard to lose a toy if you're also playing with it.

“The last time he subjected her to an interrogation was met with a swift vengeance” THE WAY CHASE GOES TO INTERROGATE HER AGAIN WITHOUT HESITATION IS SO FUNNY TO ME 😂 he’s like “this stupid cat is NOT getting away with this again”

Speaking of which, there really is no "potential" here. It IS worsening. Pretty much everything Chase does annoys Cali, and her constant scheming and pranking of Chase has just made this rivalry mutual.

And Chase. Oh, Chase. He never learns, does he? Cali isn't like the other cat villains. Of course his methods of "stopping her" won't work. That "stupid cat" is far more clever than he gives her credit for. The worst part of all of this (for Chase and the other 2, but mostly Chase) is that Cali is clever enough to hide her mischief, so it really just looks like Chase is harassing (via constant suspicion and interrogations) poor Cali out of nowhere. Meanwhile, Marshall is DESPERATELY trying to get them to get along, or at the very least keep them away from each other, with varied success. Cali will play nice for Marshall. And Katie, Skye, and sometimes Rubble.

But, am I the only one who’s a bit confused as to why I see half of the fanbase suddenly agree that the Princess of Barkingburg and Katie would absolutely hate each other? Not only that, but over Ryder 99% of the time?

I don’t know, they just really wouldn’t seem like the type of people to hate each other, especially over some guy. Even if they both developed feelings for Ryder, I don’t think they’d be on each other’s throats 24/7. Sure, maybe some jealousy may play out but, to me that feels like the extent.

Another trope I hate (with an even greater passion) is in mlm ships where there's a girl who wants to get with one of the guys in the pairing (and usually this girl and guy are canon in the actual media), but somehow she's a conniving bitch who is in the way of the mlm ship. I've seen this happen in other fandoms, but I've seen a bit of it happening in the PAW Patrol fandom; sadly, in the Charshall ship. Everest and sometimes even Skye are villainized for "daring to stand in the way" of Charshall. I love Charshall; it can even be said I'm a bit obsessed with it. But it's really sad when other characters I love get demonized for the sake of the ship.

It's why I am particularly OBSESSED with @skyezuma's writing because not only does she write Charshall amazingly, but she does it all while still acknowledging the fact that Skase is kinda perceived as canon, and writes the feelings of jealousy and guilt that comes from that jealousy on Marshall's part. Because yeah, there would realistically be feelings of jealousy there, but Skye and Marshall are also really good friends, so of course there would be guilt for said feelings.

There's nothing wrong with jealousy. It's a natural emotion. But there is everything wrong with demonizing a character (usually a female character) just for the sake of a (usually mlm) ship. It's not cool, and it practically REEKS of misogyny.

I'm not that well-versed in Rytie or whatever the Ryder x POB ship is called, but as a Rytie enthusiast and a Princess of Barkingburg and Katie fan, I hate the idea of 2 of my favorite characters hating each other in fics because of a guy. I don't know if either of them has even met in canon, so for all I know, they COULD hate each other. But if their only reason for hating each other is because they're competing for Ryder... that's just... I don't even know. Disheartening I guess.

Aaaaand I’m writing Christmas stuff based on the last ask I answered 😅 will I get it all done before Christmas? Probably not. But I will give a valiant effort

[Chase trying to convince Ryder to let him launch a mission to discover why their squeaky toys went missing.]

Ryder: *the culprit* I just don't see why we have to launch a whole mission for a bunch of lost toys, Chase. You pups lose toys all the time. You've never cared this much.

Chase: *persistent* This time is different. I can feel it!

Ryder: *panicking slightly* Oh? And why's that?

Chase: Because! There is something fishy about ALL of our squeaky toys going missing around the same time, I just KNOW IT!!!

Ryder: *sweating profusely* ...what makes you say that...?

Chase: It just makes NO sense that we would ALL misplace our squeaky toys.

Chase: Rocky and Zuma make sense. Those pups have no organizational skills. Rubble, too, has been known to lose a toy from time to time. Skye is responsible, but she probably lent hers to Zuma, and it got lost.

Chase: But Marshall losing his doesn't make any sense! He may be clumsy but he's very organized about his toys. He has a whole rotation system so he ensures he gets equal play time amongst his toys, and has never once misplaced a single toy ever. He's just too organized. *starts to have this dreamy far-off gaze*

Ryder: *slowly trying to sneak out of this conversation*

Chase: *suddenly snapping out of his mini trance* huh- wha- uh, anyway.

Ryder: *under his breath* dammit.

Chase: *oblivious* Language! Like I was saying. It just doesn't add up that his toy would go missing. And of course MY toy disappearing makes no sense either, I would NEVER lose a toy.

Ryder: *squinting, thinking back to all the times Chase lost a toy because he forgot where he buried/left them* ...uh huh.

Chase: *still oblivious* So I know there's something suspicious going on! I just can't prove it.

Ryder: ...maybe it's just an unlucky coincidence?

Chase: *sniffs* Oh please! This is too big to be a mere coincidence!

Ryder: Is it though?

Chase: Of course! Marshall has never lost a toy before, ever. For him to suddenly lose one now is suspicious. That's why we MUST find them!

Ryder: ...we do?

Chase: Absolutely! Marshall is SAD!!! ...oh, and me and the other pups, too. Obviously.

Ryder: *visibly panicking now* Yeah, well. Ummmmm. Maybe they'll turn up?

Chase: *STILL oblivious* Hmmm, no. They would've by now. It's been weeks.

Marshall: *walking in, unnoticed*

Ryder: *doing his best to keep a straight face, failing* Well... maybe someone DID take them...

Chase: *pleased* See? Now you're getting it! Now the question remains... who???

Ryder: *mentally accepting his fate* Yep. I totally see. Eyes are wide open. Someone definitely stole them.

Marshall: *eyes narrowing*

Ryder: *muttering* Someone who couldn't stand the squeaking anymore.

Marshall: *head tilting*

Chase: *gasping, sitting up* That's IT! RYDER!! I KNOW WHO DID IT!!!

Ryder: *cringing* Oh yeah?

Chase: Of course! It all makes sense now!!!

Ryder: *sighing* Look, I-

Chase: It was Cali!

Ryder: ...huh?

Chase: Why didn't I see it before? Cali would definitely stoop to such levels if she hated something, and she did seem unhappy this Christmas. This must be why!

Ryder: *mentally apologizing PROFUSELY to Cali* YEP!!! I mean, yes! Cali is definitely a suspect of interest. Yes. Her. And not anyone else.

Chase: *already running off* Chase is on the case!

Ryder: *sighing in relief* Oh thank goodness.

Marshall: *sitting next to Ryder, still unnoticed, highly amused*

Marshall: It wasn't Cali, was it?

Ryder: *jumping in surprise, turning to Marshall* Wha- oh! Marshall! Hi! ...what makes you say that?

Marshall: *raises an eyebrow*

Ryder: *sighs* No... its just... the constant squeaks were giving me a headache. I'm sorry.

Marshall: *nuzzling against Ryder* That's okay. I'm sorry our toys were bothering you.

Ryder: ...you're not mad?

Marshall: Of course not. I'm a little sad about my toy, but if it was bothering you, I can live without it.

Ryder: Thanks Marshall.

Ryder: ...are you going to tell Chase?

Marshall: I can be convinced to keep my silence, in exchange for new squeaky-less toys for us.

Ryder: Deal!

Marshall: *laughing* Okay. Well, I have to go stop Chase from harassing poor Cali, and she decides to roll around in his pup house and hack hairballs all over it in retaliation. Again.

Ryder: *inhaling sharply between his teeth* Yeah, that's probably wise. Bye Marshall!

Marshall: *running off* Bye Ryder! WhoaAHH!!! *tripping and crashing somewhere* I'm good!

Ryder: *wincing* ...ooh! Be careful!

Marshall: I will!

Ryder: *sighing* Okay, time to order new SQUEAKY-LESS toys.

~In Ryder's room~

[Ryder is walking in with a box. He flicks the light switch on.]

Rocky: *sitting on a pile of their lost toys in front of Ryder's bed*

Rocky: *dramatic voice* Well, well, well. Hello Ryder. I've been expecting you.

Ryder: Wha- Rocky?!?! What are you doi- How did you get in here?!?!

Rocky: *dismissive* Irrelevant! The better question is: Why were the new toys you got us for Christmas under your bed? Hmmmmm?

Ryder: Wha- Pffft! No they weren't!

Rocky: *looks down, finds his toy, squeaks it, looks back at Ryder unimpressed*

Ryder: *cringes* I was framed?

Rocky: *raises an eyebrow and tilts his head*

Ryder: *sighs* Okay fine! Yes. I took them. I'm sorry, but you pups were constantly squeaking them and it was giving me a migraine.

Rocky: *a fellow migraine sufferer* Oh. Well why didn't you just say so?

Ryder: I just didn't want to make you pups feel bad about having fun with your toys. And I've given you guys squeaky toys before, so I thought it'd be weird if I all of a sudden told you guys these toys were bothering me.

Rocky: Why WERE they bothering you anyway?

Ryder: You guys were squeaking them nonstop. I couldn't take it anymore.

Rocky: *wincing* Ooh yeah. Our bad. Sorry. But still. Your solution was just taking them? Did you really think we wouldn't notice?

Ryder: *defensively* Well, you pups lose toys all the time! How was I supposed to know you'd notice this time?

Rocky: *huffing amusingly* Well if you didn't want us noticing, you probably shouldn't have taken mine and Marshall's toys. We don't lose toys.

Ryder: *muttering* Oh I'm aware of that now.

Ryder: Wait! I thought you've lost toys before?

Rocky: I have. Zuma has a bad habit of losing my stuff. But I always find it in the end. It's what I do outside of missions, thrifting, tinkering and playtime: track my stuff down.

Ryder: ...that explains so much.

Rocky: Yeah, so imagine my surprise when I tracked my lost toy to your room. Under your bed.

Ryder: How DID you track it down, anyway? I washed the toys like, 7 times to make sure Chase couldn't find them. And he hasn't yet.

Rocky: *smug* I don't rely on my nose, like Chase. And anyway, that's a secret. All you need to know is that I have my ways.

Ryder: ...that's not ominous at all.

Rocky: *smiling innocently*

Ryder: ...okay then.

Rocky: So what's in the box?

Ryder: *thankful for the topic change* Oh! They're your replacement toys. Squeaky-less ones, plus an additional one to make up for the squeak-lessness.

Rocky: *standing up, tail wagging* Really?!?! Cool! Wait, why now? It's been weeks.

Ryder: ...this may or may not be a bribe to keep Marshall from telling Chase...

Rocky: *snorts* Yeah, that tracks. Alrighty then. I, too, won't say anything.

Ryder: Can you also not break into my room, then?

Rocky: *laughing, walking away* Don't take my stuff, and you got yourself a deal!

Rocky has the patience (and stubbornness) of his namesake, and Ryder's a bit of a busy body, so he doesn't go in his room a whole lot, outside of sleeping (which he's not the best at getting, and half the time he'll just sleep in the garage or his beanbag; it's not great for his back). There's no telling how long Rocky's been in there, as he could've easily emerged for necessities and missions and gone back in there to wait in the dark like the drama-loving gremlin he is. For all we know, that's what he's been doing for this WHOLE TIME (since his was one of the last toys taken), and Ryder only now just noticed (because he FINALLY entered his room). We'll never know, is all I'm saying. But just know, it was a WHILE.