Original Twitter Upload Date: February 27, 2022. The script below was originally posted to DA on February 28, 2022, and has been revised to add story context and fix keyboard errors present in the original version.
[After a trip to the local Goodwill for a suit more to Nicole’s style than just a matching version of Gilda’s, Gilda, Wendy, and Nicole walk into the Sears at the Grunvale Mall]
Nicole: “Sears? I didn’t know Sears was still a thing.”
Gilda: “Of course it’s still a thing! What, you gonna tell me you think Blockbuster’s not still a thing? Or Circuit City? Or Borders or Sports Authority or KB Toys? You think they disappeared because *duh ehntuhnets*? Not in this timeline, no ma’am! They survived, every one of ’em! And we’re better off for it!”
Nicole: “Um, you don’t need to be so formal with me, Gilda. In fact, I’d prefer if you didn’t. Just call me ‘Nicole’. Not ‘ma’am’, please.”
Wendy: “She was saying it to be funny, Nicole.”
Nicole: “Oh. Never mind then. Silly me!” [she and Wendy both laugh, and lightly punch each other in the arms]
Gilda: “You two are really cute together, you know that? I wish my brother and I got along as well as you two did.”
Nicole: “But of course! I’m Wendy’s big sister. And as her big sister, it’s my job to protect her! And of course be her friend.”
Wendy: “And I’m there to pick her up when her lack of social skills knock her down.”
Nicole: “Awww, Wendy!” [ruffles Wendy’s hair]
Gilda: [smiles] “Now, where is the photo studio in here –” [sees it a few dozen feet away] “Oh! There it is.”
Wendy: “100 Washingtons for one hour. That’s a bargain! You got the money, right, Gil?”
Gilda: [pulls out a Franklin] “Right here!” [and a Tubman] “Plus a tip for the photographer. Because it’s polite. And let’s be honest, corporate would replace them with a robot if they could.”
Wendy: “I like your thinking, Gilda! It’s important to do good and share with others, it’s debts like that which –” [realizes Nicole isn’t standing with her] “Where’s Nicole?”
[Wendy hears Nicole laughing, and turns her head to the direction of her laugh; the elder Wyler sister is placing her feet on an upward-moving escalator]
Nicole: “Haha! This is fun. I’m totally running down.”
Wendy: [runs up] “Um, no, Nicole. You’re in heels, you could hurt yourself, or –“
Nicole: “That’s what makes it more fun! Down I go!” [starts running down escalator] “Woooooooooo!”
Wendy: [facepalms] “Oy…”
Gilda: [walks up] “Wendy! What’s the holdup? And why is it oy?” [Wendy points and Nicole, who is barely down the escalator steps] “Che cosa. Sto. Guardando?!”
Nicole: [still running] 🎵 Runnin’ down a dream, goin’ wherever it — 🎵 [steps too far over one of the stairs and trips] “Wh — WHOOOOA!”
[Nicole falls down the stairs, and into a patron carrying a coffee and a tote bag. Gilda winces and Wendy looks concerned as the impact occurs, coffee spilling and shirts flying. Slowly, the escalator carries Nicole and the patron up to Gilda and Wendy’s floor. Both Nicole and the patron look embarrassed, but when the patron sees a coffee stain on their shirt, they fly into a rage]
[patron]: “Goddammit! Coffee! All over my shirt!” [looks over at Nicole] “What the 🦭 is your problem?!” [throws empty coffee cup at Nicole, which bounces off her head] “You 🦭ing idiot! Stupid little punk! You oughta be sent to juvenile hall!” [runs off]
Nicole: [eyes welling up] “I was only trying to have fun…” [sits down at nearby bench and starts sobbing]
Gilda: “What did you think was gonna –“
Wendy: [covers Gilda’s mouth] “Gilda! My sister’s sensitive to others yelling at her. Let me take this.”
Gilda: [muttering to herself in a sing-song tone] “She kinda had it coming.”
Wendy: [sits next to Nicole and puts an arm around her] “Sorry you had to put up with that. That guy doesn’t understand you like I do.”
Nicole: “But juvie?! He said my autism is something for me to be thrown in jail for! Do you know how that feels?! To be told that you should be thrown out like trash for just trying to exist?! Locked in a cage despite the fact you’re not hurting anybody?! No you don’t! But that’s how I’m seen! A stupid troublemaker with a mental defect!” [sobbing louder]
Gilda: [muttering to herself] “He did not say anything about autism. And also, ‘mental defect’? That’s just offensive.”
Wendy: “You’re not mentally defective, Nicole, you were just doing something you shouldn’t have been doing at the time you were doing it. I tried to warn you something like that could happen.”
Nicole: “But did I deserve to be yelled at for it?”
Gilda: [muttering to herself] “Yes!”
Wendy: “No, you didn’t. But next time, actually listen to me when I tell you not to do something like that, okay?”
Nicole: “…okay.”
Wendy: “Now let’s go have our photo taken, what do you say to that?” [tickles Nicole’s chin, making her smile]
Nicole: “I’d… I’d like that.” [beat; tickles Wendy’s whiskers]
Wendy: “Hey!” [laughs; Nicole soon joins in as well] “We’re gonna need to fix up your eyes, though, your makeup’s running.”
[Gilda’s scowl at the scene (and Nicole’s behavior) turns into a smile]
[in the photo studio, Wendy and Nicole are already sitting down, the latter’s makeup being fixed by Gilda]
Gilda: 🎵 Don’t mind me, I’m having my picture taken, having it taken! 🎵
[photographer]: “Bob Geldof! You know Bob Geldof, little miss?”
Gilda: [puts makeup kit into purse] “Of course I do! Geldof’s awesome. Best Glirish rocker not named Bono or Angus Hynde.”
[photographer]: “Are you sure you’re a middle schooler? That’s my parents’ generation’s music.”
Gilda: “I’m homeschooled, but yes, I’m middle school-aged. I’m 11. Born 30 years after I should’ve been. And that’s not your parents’ generation’s music, that’s every generation’s music. The best music transcends generations, and U2, Boomtown Rats, Myxoma, that is the best music.”
[photographer]: “Well, that is certainly one way of putting it.”
Gilda: [hands Tubman over to the photographer] “Here’s your tip, by the way. Haven’t seen the work you do, but I already know you deserve it.”
[photographer]: “Oh. Well, thank you.”
Gilda: “Now, this first photo’s just gonna be of my friend and her sister. I was thinking for the first one, do a landscape photo, they both stand up, and Nicole could hug Wendy –” [Wendy hugs Nicole instead] “Or the other way around, that works too! Dio mio, this is so cute, Wendy’s ears are actually perked up! Oh, and Nicole’s eyes are sparkling! Might be because she was crying a few minutes ago, but oh, this is so adorable!”
[photographer]: “So, uh, you want me to take this photo?”
Gilda: “Yes! Do it now! Before Wendy’s ears fall back again! Take it take it take it take it!” [the photographer takes the picture] “Oh, we’re definitely printing this one out. This deserves a 32 by 24!”
This is just a little piece I made for #NationalRetroDay this year. And before you say it’s late, no it’s not. I uploaded it to Twitter yesterday, February 27th. It’s only a day late here, because the opening script took so long to write. I was going to draw a comic of Sally and Shaun set during their childhoods, but the scope of it turned out too big to finish by the end of National Retro Day. So I decided to instead draw another artwork of the Wyler sisters bonding, and make the Ketcham twins piece one of the March artworks.
There isn’t much to say about this artwork’s production, other than that I filtered the colors and added noise to make the artwork appear like it was a photo taken on film, like it would be during Sears’ heyday in the 1980s. Other than that, it’s just another cute scene of Wendy and Nicole bonding. It’s always special to see Wendy smiling, she doesn’t smile as often as the rest of the Tetrad do. But her sisters (the speccy ones, anyway) do bring out the best and happiest in her. Roz and Maddie are the kind of individuals who would only take interest in neurodivergents for their advanced knowledge, and would take advantage of their social weaknesses to learn what they know. Wendy is the kind of individual who would actually make the effort to befriend neurodivergents and aid them in their social life, and any knowledge she learns from them is just a bonus, like crumbs on a muffin or frosting on a cupcake. And it’s because Wendy is such a strong ally to neurodivergents, the Aaron to their Moses, the Anne Sullivan to their Helen Keller, that she has such a strong bond with Dolly and Nicole.
Anyways, that’ll be all for this one. Until next time, take care, stay safe, get vaccinated, reject crypto, and have a good one.
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Grunvale/OTOG is owned by me. You’re free to draw fanart of it, as long as you link me to it.
“Runnin’ Down a Dream” was written by Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Mike Campbell for the album Full Moon Fever, owned by Universal Music Group.
“Having My Picture Taken” was written by Bob Geldof and Pete Briquette for the album The Fine Art of Surfacing, owned by… (looks at Wikipedia article) …damn, that’s a lot of labels. But I’m gonna guess Universal Music Group, since most of these labels are closely related to it.
This artwork was made at a resolution of 2880×2160 (aspect ratio 1.33:1).
The Gallery of Stormy Adler 