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Playing video: ''How many pranks can I pull on one person in 48 hours? ft. Mayor Masters''
The video opens with the characteristic bass noise and "swishing" sound that introduces Danny Fenton’s ViewTube videos. Then, his head and shoulders fill the frame.
"Hey, everyone! My name's Danny and I do stupid stuff on ViewTube for the heck of it. This upload... well. It's special. I'm taking advantage of a very opportune location that I'm at right now."
Danny grins but doesn't move to share wherever he is with his viewers. The scene over his shoulder is that of a setting sun and a long driveway. It's impossible to discern where he is.
"See, Mayor Vlad Masters and I, we go way back. There's a bunch of history that I'm not gonna share, but I will say he and my parents went to college together." After a contemplative pause, he adds, "And there's also that time he blew up a limo I was in and almost killed me. So. You know. Bonding!
"Anyways, Mr. Masters invited my parents over to one of his mansions for a so-called 'research collaboration.' He said he has something he wants their professional opinion for, and I got dragged along because my parents insisted it'd be a learning experience."
He falls silent, but the unimpressed expression on his face shows just how enthusiastic he is about the invitation.
"I'm not sure what they expected me to learn when they left me alone in this gigantic house I've never been in so they could go off and do... something. I think they're shopping for supplies? I dunno, and honestly, I don't really care. The point is, they're away from the house, and I was bored. My friends would say that's a dangerous combination, and, well... heh, they would probably be right."
Danny turns around, revealing one of Vlad Masters' impressive mansions. It's not the Mayor's Mansion reserved for Amity Park mayors, nor does it seem to be the home that has been televised in a few news features about Mr. Masters. It can only be one of his Wisconsin homes. Regardless of the physical location of the house, however, the viewer can't help but zero in on the state of the front lawn.
Forks. There are hundreds, possibly over a thousand transparent plastic forks of varying colors poking prong-up out of immaculately cut grass lightly sprinkled with snow.
A black title card appears on the screen with a dramatic chorus of tubas playing the same low note. The card reads, "Prank #1: Forks." The normal video returns. Danny is quiet for a moment longer as he continues panning over his handiwork, before cackling loudly.
"This is gonna be SO good."
He turns the camera back towards himself, his grin promising mischief. "Alright. I'm gonna go hide and see if I can set this thing up to see their faces as they're walking in. He's really weird about having cars in this driveway, because why would you ever park vehicles on such a beautiful driveway? He literally got pissy about it when we drove up this morning, and it's just weird because I've been to two of his other houses and he only does that with this one." He snorts, then continues. "Whatever. He parks somewhere else on his property and then walks up the driveway. It's just a waiting game right now."
Another title card appears on the screen, reading, "Two Hours Later" in a bad French accent. Danny's face appears again. He's indoors now, with golden afternoon light from an off-screen window streaming onto his face. He seems to be in a bedroom, and he whispers to the camera in a conspiratorial hush.
"I just heard the gates open, so they'll be walking up any second now."
The camera trains on the window, looking out at the yard and down a driveway that curves out of sight behind a row of tall, rectangularly-cut hedges. Once again, the viewer is faced with hundreds of forks poked into the grass. From this perspective, however, viewers can fully appreciate their span. It looks like a good couple hours' worth of work.
Three figures appear from around the bend. Jack Fenton's hulking frame has several plastic shopping bags hanging off of it. Also in his arms is a large box that he has to peek around to see the path in front of him. Maddie Fenton walks alongside him, looking slightly worried for her husband and glancing back at him every few seconds. She says something indiscernible. Jack shakes his head and hefts the box slightly higher.
Near her is Vlad Masters, silently walking a few steps ahead of the couple. His hands are clasped lightly behind his back, and his expression is flat. It's immediately obvious when he spots the forks because he stops walking and stares with comically widened eyes.
Danny cackles again. The camera wobbles from his laughter, but he catches it before it can fall.
Maddie bumps into an immobile Masters from behind and reflexively stabilizes herself by putting a hand on his shoulder. Jack, oblivious, walks past the two of them with his eyes glued to the ground.
"Ew, Mom, don't touch him," Danny hisses briefly, before dissolving into laughter again as the reddening mayor shrugs off Maddie's hand and turns in a slow circle to take in the entirety of his newly-renovated lawn.
"Pah, look at his face!" Danny giggles.
Maddie's noticed by now, and she raises a hand to her mouth in shock. She looks like she isn't sure if she should laugh or be upset. In the end a smile wins out.
Jack, finally realizing his companions aren't with him, looks up from the ground. He turns towards the grass beside him, pauses for a moment, then drops everything in his arms. Maddie and Masters flinch away from the noise. Even from a good distance away and two stories down, Jack's yell of "Ghosts!" is very distinctly audible. He produces a metal baseball bat with a sticker on it from some mysterious place on his person. Danny starts laughing even harder, and the camera shaking briefly worsens again.
Masters glares venomously at an oblivious Jack, who is still searching for a nonexistent ghostly threat. He then turns directly towards the window Danny is peeking out of.
"Ohcrap," Danny says quickly, hiding behind the windowsill in vain. He'd already been spotted. He turns the camera towards himself. His face is flushed from laughter as he buries a hand in his hair and giggles. "Oh, man, I'm so gonna get it... but it was worth it."
The clip ends with a black screen that says, "They made me clean it up, but I'm also not grounded, so... I'm gonna say that was a win."
"Prank #2: Snacks" reads the title card, before the scene starts.
"Alright, y'all. So my, uh, affectionate nickname for dear Mr. Masters is Froot Loop. You know, that cereal that refuses to spell 'fruit' correctly for some reason? Anyway. I have here a super chill dude by the name of Dairy King. Say hi, Dairy King!"
The air beside him flickers, and a presence manifests next to him. Dairy King is a short, portly ghost with a gray mustache and a red, fur-lined robe. A crown sits on top of a large block of cheese on his head, and he holds a scepter that has an ice cream cone balancing impossibly at the end of it. He seems quite friendly, and waves hello to the camera.
"Hey-o! Thank you for talking to me, kiddo,"
"Of course, why would you... thank me?"
Dairy King shrugs. "It gets pretty lonely in here, don't ya know? I tag along when Vlad switches houses, just for the change in scenery, but in general I avoid him if I can help it. I mean, I don't want to be bothered, but cheese can't hold a conversation. I would know."
"Aw, dude," Danny says, frowning. "You should have said something."
Dairy King shrugs. "'s not very important."
"We'll talk about this later," Danny promises, before turning back to the camera. "So. Yeah, this is Dairy King. Now, I was going to go around the house and hide a bunch of Froot Loops for the wonderful Mr. Masters to discover, but then Dairy King offered since he knows this place a lot better than I do. So, he's going to do it instead. He's also going to help me get footage of Vlad finding them. Not sure how that's gonna happen yet, but I'm still excited! And—"
There's a knock at the door. Dairy King disappears. Danny's gaze jerks up and off-screen, and he stuffs the camera under a nearby blanket. There's a sound of a door opening as the person walks inside before Danny can open his mouth to invite them in.
"Little Badger?"
"Yes, Mr. Masters?"
"...why did you call me...? Nevermind. May I ask why I found a Froot Loop in my suit pocket this morning?"
"No, you may not."
Silence. Then, there's a cut, like Danny had removed some of the footage and audio. A door closes, and Danny retrieves the camera from under the blanket. There's a smirk on his face.
"He's gonna be fishing those Froot Loops out of random places for weeks. Thanks, Dairy King!"
"No problemo!"
Another title card reads, "Prank #3: Drinks." The clip that follows is being filmed from behind a corner. A slip of paper is held up to the camera, and it has the word "sugar" with a circle and an X over it. Next to it is the word "salt" with a check above it. The paper is held there for a few seconds, and then Danny removes it with a quiet, muffled laugh.
Danny cautiously tips the camera around the corner he's hiding behind. Mayor Masters comes into view. The man sits at an enormous dining table alone, a sleek black laptop open next to him. He removes the lid from what appears to be a jar of sugar. He pauses for a moment, then sighs as he fishes a purple Froot Loop out of the white granules.
Danny snickers as the mayor discards the Froot Loop and mixes a total of five tablespoons of salt-not-sugar into his coffee. His laughter slowly dies off as Mr. Masters chugs the entire mug. He pours another cup, repeats the ritual with the salt-not-sugar, and downs that one as well.
"Oh my god," Danny whispers in horror.
Masters sets the mug down. His eyes haven't strayed from his laptop since removing the Froot Loop. Aloud, he says,
"Nice try, Little Badger."
Danny quickly beats it back to his room.
"Prank #6: Airhorn."
Thrown by the jump in numbers, most viewers click back in the video just to double-check that Danny had indeed jumped from #3 to #6, before shrugging and continuing to watch.
The camera peers into a small glass window. The room on the other side of the window appears to be a library, and seated at a desk off to the side is Vlad Masters. He's bent over some sort of small, silver device in front of him. A sudden pink spark has him rearing back in surprise, and he pouts and sucks an injured finger as he turns to his other side and pores over a book with blue pages open next to him.
Danny turns the camera towards himself. He has an airhorn held up next to his mischievous grin. Stuck to its side is a strip of duct tape, one that extends over the top of the button. Danny waggles his eyebrows, and the camera is directed back towards the closed door. He fumbles for a moment with both the airhorn and the camera - and then the airhorn goes off.
In one fluid motion, Danny is opening the library door and chucking the newly duct-taped-on airhorn into the room. The door is only open long enough to see a now-standing Masters' expression morph from confusion and alarm to pure rage before Danny slams the door shut.
From inside the room, the mayor yells something vaguely resembling Danny's name, but Danny is already booking it down the hallway.
This title card reads, "Interlude." Then, Danny is visible. He wears a comfortable-looking t-shirt and sweatpants, and moonlight streams in through a nearby window. His voice is a whisper.
"Y'all, it's like two a.m., but I woke up to go to the bathroom and I just thought... I don't think I've ever not seen Vlad Masters in some sort of suit. This isn't really a prank, not gonna lie, but I have to know... and like, filming him without his permission while he's sleeping is creepy and crossing a line even for me, and I'm not gonna share any of that, but if the aftermath of me going in there is funny then I might keep it. So. We'll see, I guess."
Danny opens the door.
The screen goes black.
When image returns, Danny is sitting in his temporary bedroom once again. His previously white t-shirt has singe marks on it, and he looks like he's just been through some sort of fiery ordeal. He stares at the camera, but after a moment he loses the ability to stay serious and bursts into laughter.
"The answer is yes. He's always wearing a suit," Danny says when he finally calms down. After a pause, he adds, "Also, breaking into his room is a bad idea. Just for future reference."
"The Final Prank (#8): Brownies."
Mayor Masters is sitting at his dining table again. A small notebook with notes scribbled into it is open next to him, and he seems to be pondering a blueprint.
"Hey, Vlad," Danny says seriously, approaching him.
Masters shuts the book and flips over the blueprint. His eyes fixate on the camera.
"What is that strapped to your head? A camera?" he asks warily, tone dripping with suspicion.
"Don't worry about it, I'm trying something out," Danny says dismissively. Masters frowns, but Danny continues. "Listen, I'm really sorry about the pranks the past couple days."
"You are?" Masters says dryly, more of an unimpressed deadpan than a question.
"Not really, but I figured I should apologize," Danny responds. He holds out a pan covered in aluminum foil, his hands shielded with oven mitts. "Here's a peace offering. A goodbye present, if you will, since we're leaving today."
"Very good, son!" says Jack's voice from off-screen. "After all those pranks, it's good to show that you have no real bad intentions."
"Funny, I don't remember seeing him in the kitchen this morning," Maddie's voice murmurs, quieter and also off-screen.
Masters is obviously unconvinced and squints at the pan skeptically. "What is it?"
"Brownies," Danny answers.
"Are you lying?"
"No, why would I do that?"
The withering look the man gives in response is answer enough.
"They're brownies, Vlad. It's fine if you don't want them or anything, but I worked hard on 'em and I just thought..."
"Aww, V-Man, don't let the boy down!" Jack's voice chimes in again. He throws an arm around Vlad's shoulder, though the majority of his bulk is still off-screen before Danny looks up at him. "It was just some friendly pranks, eh? All in good fun. He says he's sorry, be a good sport!"
If anything, Vlad's disdain increases, but he says nothing. With a sigh, he peels back some of the tin foil. The foil blocks the camera's view of the actual contents of the pan. Vlad stares.
"Daniel."
"Yes?" Danny's voice says, his tone threatening laughter.
"What is this?"
"Brownies," Danny repeats.
Vlad reaches in and pulls out a brown sheet of cardboard, cut into the shape of a brown, capital letter E.
"HA!" Jack laughs. "It's a brown letter E! That's golden!"
"No, it's brown," Danny responds, and both father and son break down into laughter. The camera wobbles chaotically as Danny guffaws, but it briefly catches Maddie standing off to the side and shaking her head with a barely-suppressed smile.
The video cuts to Danny sitting on his bed back in his own bedroom, a familiar set to most of his viewers. He claps once and beams at the camera.
"So! That happened. Though one of the attempts failed spectacularly and I'm never going to look at salt the same way ever again, the answer to 'how many pranks can I pull on Vlad Masters?' in 48 hours is seven. That's all with very little preparation other than my own wonderful brain and the fact that I just happened to find some forks and an airhorn while wandering around in his house. And cardboard. There's a lot of rooms here with really random stuff. I forgot to record three of them in the moment, but just know that they were pretty good. Trust me."
The synth-y, futuristic-sounding ending theme that marks the end of Danny’s ViewTube videos quietly starts up in the background and builds slowly in volume.
"That's it for this video and I'll see y'all next week. Fenton, out."
Showing (3) out of (38) comments on 'How many pranks can I pull on one person in 48 hours? ft. Mayor Masters':
jas000n: THE AIRHORN ASJFKFL;JKAL;FDJKS;LAF HE GOT SHOCKED BY HIS LIL TOY AND THEN AIRHORNED, LMAOOOO but also did he like?? Hit you with a flamethrower or smth?? ?
WaterIsSoWet: Important question- how many houses does the mayor actually have? MOre important question - did anyone else pick up the super bad vibes from Masters? possibly MOST important question - WHAT WERE THE OTHER THREE PRANKS??!??!
NateOfTheKnight: I'd like to appreciate the GENIUS of "brownies" and "brown E's." It's so stupid, it's hilarious.