Tori and Terri are two girls who are mega fans of the "Vampirita" novel series, and are entering a contest where first prize is getting included as characters in the newest book. However, someone is sabotaging their projects so it's up to Fillmore and Ingrid to determine if the culprit is a fan from a rival series or someone with a more unexpected motive.
Unfortunately, because Fillmore has been causing a lot more property damage than usual, Vallejo threatens that Principal Folsom will have him kicked off the squad if he breaks anything else.
Tropes Included:
- Added Alliterative Appeal: All of the suspects; Tori, Terri, T.Q., and Trace have "T" names. We also get this quip from Ingrid:Ingrid: Trace and T.Q. working in tandem trying to trash Tori’s and Terri’s attempts at taking the trophy together.
- Both Sides Have a Point: As the Vampirita author points out, yes, it is just a book, however, Tori points out the woman should've at least made an effort to complete her latest book instead of churning it out on a plane.
- Boyish Short Hair: Trace has a brunette pixie cut under her wigs.
- Enemy Mime: A brief subplot has Fillmore and Ingrid trying to bring in a student with a penchant for miming.
- Extremely Overdue Library Book: Fillmore and Ingrid find a book about dealing with grief, and learn that it was checked out of the school library four months earlier. T.Q. checked it out and subsequently erased his record from the library's computer, having given it to Terri. Once the case is solved, he takes it back and notes that he needs to return it.
- Foreign Culture Fetish: T.Q. has a fondness for Japanese culture.
- Fridge Logic: In-universe examples. The Vampirita fans think Citizen Fang fans are idiots, because a werewolf senator would be too high profile and get exposed by the media not to mention Congress is in session during the full moon. The Citizen Fang fans think the Vampirita fans are stupid because sunlight kills vampires even with the ozone. How is she supposed to survive in space?
- Hero Insurance: A plot point in this episode. With Fillmore's penchant for property damage, Vallejo threatens to suspend him if he breaks one more thing. He's therefore walking on eggshells for the entire episode to avoid breaking stuff.
- I Gave My Word: T.Q. always keeps his word no matter what. That said, he's able to work around his promises when he points Fillmore in the direction of the real culprit without saying it.
- I Never Said It Was Poison: When Fillmore approaches TQ and he denies the sabotage, Fillmore tries to use this trope. TQ however notes that everyone is already talking about said sabotage and he would obviously be a likely suspect since he's the president of a rival fan club. Sure, he already knows who the real culprit is, but he promised not to outright tell anyone.
- Jerkass: The author of the Vampirita books clearly does not care about her books or her fans, and seems to be writing them solely for the paycheck and because of her contract. She even calls Terri "A nutso fan" when Terri confesses to how hard she worked to sabotage the contest entries so she and Tori wouldn't be included in the newest book. Tori tells the woman off for her apathy and disrespect.
- Jumped the Shark: In-universe, the newest Vampirita novel does this to the franchise when the title character suddenly betrays her allies and starts dating her "Sworn genetic enemy" for absolutely no reason that was hinted or alluded to in the previous 22 volumes.
- Loony Fan: Played around with a lot regarding the "Vampirita" and "Citizen Fang" fandoms. Both sides accuse the other of being stupid because of the in-universe Fridge Logic of the respective series, and the "Citizen Fang" fans are initially suspected of sabotaging the "Vampirita" fans. It turns out it was Terri sabotaging the projects the whole time, specifically because she was disillusioned by how awful the newest "Vampirita" book was and didn't want her or Tori associated with the series. Even though T.Q caught her in the act, he sympathized with her disillusionment and ultimately kept his promise not to actually tell anyone. At no point however does Terri try to attack the author for how horrible the new book is, and the only reason she went to such extremes if because she couldn't outright warn Tori she got an advanced copy or her cousin in the publishing company might get in trouble. Tori doesn't say anything to the author until after she calls Terri "a nutso fan" and even then her complaints are solely that the woman should've at least tried to create a decent story.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Fillmore tells Trace that she sounds a lot like Tori and Terri while complaining about the Vampirita books. Tracy is coldly offended by the comparison.
- T.Q. explains that when he caught Terri in the act, he could tell how upset she was from reading her advanced copy, because he felt the same way from three other fandoms he used to be in, now on his fourth. This is why he agreed not to actually tell about it and even lended her his library book to cope with her problem.
- Take Our Word for It: While we never actually read or see what goes in the latest Vampirita novel, everyone who has read it exclaims it's really, really bad.
- True Companions: Tori says the Vampirita novels helped her make a lot of new friends and those books are the reason she and Terri became best friends. Tori immediately forgives Terri when Terri reveals why she ruined all their projects, showing she cares more about her friend than the books they bonded over.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Terri had to resort to sabotage because she couldn't tell Tori about how crappy the new Vampirita book is, since her cousin swore her to secrecy about the advanced copy.
