#imagine the boy and its all the same but instead of the creepy doll its a cabbage patch

[raccoonspooky]

rewatched the boy last night and like if brahms “died” in 1991 and he was born in 83 why tf are all the toys in his room scary ass 1940s lookin shits??? like no wonder he grew up weird he had mummy’s creepy handmedowns give my baby a cabbage patch doll or something hahaha

[talesofsonicasura]

Broken Toys

Chapter 1: Bleed, I must be dreaming

Tragedy can give rise to many things. Rumors, change, legends than just suffering and heartbreak. One such creation had very bizarre habits in the eyes of a particular noodle shop owner. Warning: minor blood, slightly description of death and injuries, extraction of harmful object(goes with the minor blood), mild swearing, and one super creepy child. Prologue

'The Great Megapolis Raceway Disaster. On April 7, 20XX, an semi-annual street race had their route improperly marked and blockaded. As a result, the racers end up turning down a street full of people instead of an empty road.

The result was all 12 cars crashing into various buildings and bystanders as they tried to come to a halt. 30 injured with 7 being the drivers and 25 dead as 10 victims had succumbed to their fatal injuries. Strangely, 10 year old Qi Xiaotion, a child who was hit directly by the lead racer's car, body has subsequently vanished.

Police haven't found the missing child or any possibility he could be alive except for the remains of a Monkey King Plush and what is assumed to be the child's right arm and lower torso. Search is ongoing and any future updates are unknown.'

This national incident was widespread throughout the community of Megapolis for two reasons. One was that some of the victims had been either high up or related to powerful corporations throughout the city. A few of the casualties were rumored to be descendants of both well known demons and even some celestials such as the Yellow Wind Demon but also rumored Jade Emperor for some of his soldiers were said to be seen in the city.

Some speculated this was a planned terrorist threat but no evidence had been found. The second reason is the creation of an urban legend known as the Broken Toy Phantom. On that very day, the body of a 10 year old child had gone missing. After that, sightings of a strange entity began to crop up.

Witnesses said it looked like a child but had cotton coming from open stitches and sharp blades out of their skin. Whenever the Broken Toy Phantom was spotted, the chance of a large monster in the form of a destroyed children's toy would be there. It is said that if you meant no harm should you encounter this phantom, it would leave you alone.

To try and harm the phantom was met with the claws of the broken toys that protected the child. Only warning one had if they were in the presence of the Broken Toy Phantom is the vague image of a monkey plush that held glowing red eyes.

Pigsy's Noodles

It was a warm early morning for the city of Megapolis. The last dredges of Spring were slowly dwindling as Summer was almost here. A time of year for the popular restaurant Pigsy's Noodles to begin changing their menu in preparation for the hottest season.

This modest establishment known for its delicious noodles, homely and comfortable atmosphere was also a precious treasure to the owner. A pig demon nearing his 40s named Pigsy, this short and stout man was not only the store's owner but also the cook.

Every dish he made was handcrafted with strong dedication and passionate based skill that could be felt through every bite. So imagine the 5'2 tall pink skinned and dark blue eyed demon's face when he went to open up his shop for today. Lying at the front by the side of the door was a child.

A young boy probably around 10 years old who sat around 3'7 in height. Long wild dark brown that haven't seem to be washed in days, soft tan skin with a large stitch under his right eye alongside some on his arms from the man could see, an orange shirt with violet sleeves and red collar that were stitched on, black pants with the bottom half blue jean material that were also stitched on, violet sandals made from leather, polyester and felt fabric sewn together, and the creepiest doll he ever seen cuddled in the boy's arms.

It looked like one of those very rare limited edition Monkey King collectible plushies that his friend had been ranting on about. The only difference was the gold thread eyes were replaced with bulging white plastic eyes and the flat face instead had a large openable muzzle bearing large white felt teeth.

Despite laying on solid concrete, the young boy was comfortably fast asleep almost if used to doing such a thing. A bit confused and worried, Pigsy placed his keys in the breast pocket of his white polo shirt then walked up to the child. For a second, he thought the toy's bulging eyes went from looking at the ground and by proxy his black dress shoes and black work pants to stare the pig demon straight in the face.

Whatever the case, it didn't matter as the child began to wake up. Chocolate brown eyes looking straight at Pigsy, a look of nervous embarrassment came across the boy's face. "Heh heh… Looks like I overslept a bit." In seconds the child had jumped to his feet faster than any normal person could.

The nameless boy clutched the ominous Monkey King plush closer and put on a nervous smile. "Sorry about that sir. I'll get out of your hands now so you can open up shop without an issue." And before Pigsy could say anything, the child skipped away into an alley just as quickly.

The restaurant owner could only frown before heading into the shop. Homeless people weren't anything new, especially in a big city like this, but it stung more when a child is forced to survive on the harsh streets. All Pigsy could do at the moment was wish the young man good luck.

Next time the middle aged pig demon saw the mysterious kid was once again by his restaurant. It was nearly closing time when the bell of the shop's door rang. The establishment isn't anything grand, a few booths, stools set up at the front near the register, some potted plants and pastel white walls decorated with a couple photos.

Pigsy had poked his head from the back of the door to see that very kid walk in warily. Once again, he felt the eyes of the kid's plush looking straight at him. The restaurant owner had a feeling the doll was magical as the kid spotted him in seconds.

"Hello there. Welcome to Pigsy's Noodles. Please sit down and I can get you a menu." Pigsy put on a soft smile since he really didn't want to scare off the poor kid. The unknown boy nodded before sitting himself at one of the bar's stools.

When the restaurant owner had come back with a menu in hand, the kid's Monkey King plush was sitting on the table almost perfectly. By perfectly it meant that the doll didn't slouch and sat straight with the same dexterity of a living being.

Pigsy shrugged the oddness off and gave the kid his menu. "How are you doing today?" The restaurant owner's question had the boy look a bit from his menu. Shrugging at the inquiry, the child answered. "I'm doing fine. May I have a bowl of chicken lo mein please?"

Pigsy didn't take the menu just yet but had gone to the back to fix the boy's food. As he made the order, the demon could hear his customer talk from outside the kitchen. Or sing to be more accurate. "An old toy sat on the desk watching the day go by. Missing cotton, tons of stitches, a cherished plaything looked to the sky. The toy said: I may be damaged but I am beloved. Even broken toys like me can be loved."

The restaurant owner paused for a moment. He never heard a nursery rhyme like that before. It was strange but in an endearing sort of way. Pigsy had come back with the kid's bowl of lo mein to see the child was shuffling a deck of cards in his hand.

The man didn't recognize the brand or had a good chance to look when the boy had placed them in a deck case and deposited it into a sewed-in pocket. "One fresh bowl of chicken lo mein, enjoy kid." Rubbing his hands happily, the child grabbed a pair of chopsticks and dug into his food.

Pigsy cleaned up the remaining dishes while his young customer ate his food in silence. Once the demon had come back, the child and plush were suddenly gone. Not even the doorbell had moved an inch almost if the boy just vanished. In his place was some money alongside a note.

"Thank you for the meal, it was delicious. Have a good night and sorry for sleeping in front of your shop the other day. From MK and my little buddy Guarn." After reading the note, the restaurant owner had softly smiled before taking both the paper and cash left behind.

It was the only beginning of a MK's nightly visits. Near closing time, Pigsy was greeted by the child and his peculiar plush. At first, the boy wasn't much of a conversationalist. Something worrying since most kids the pig demon saw weren't this quiet even around strangers.

MK was also never without his plush Guarn. Pigsy had a suspicion that the plush was magical as he always felt that those plastic eyes were very aware of their surroundings. Whenever the restaurant owner felt like the doll was watching him out of the boy's view, MK seemed to know his presence. Almost like a separate pair of eyes.

He didn't know the child's situation other than homelessness and maybe magical plush but he had a feeling there was more to it. MK will open up when he is ready and Pigsy was a patient person. The demon did add some extra portions to the young man's bowl though.

A growing child needed proper nutrition or their growth would be stunted. He may be rough but the restaurant owner was far from heartless. In less than two weeks, MK began to open up more. That was the same time one of his regulars had also come back.

This 'customer' was one of his human friends known as Tang. A raven haired man who considered himself a scholar of sorts, and didn't really pay for the noodles he kept eating. Normally Pigsy would chase any dine and dashers out of his establishment but Tang was someone he could trust.

The scholar had gotten him out of some nasty jams in the past and someone he could talk to whenever the demon's stress reached its peak. Now you can imagine Pigsy's surprise when he saw Tang chatting animatedly with MK. The child who rarely talked was now chatting the spectacle raven's ear off.

Once again, the feeling of the Monkey King plush or Guarn came apparent as the child faced the restaurant owner with a sheepish grin. "Hey Pigsy, I didn't know you had a kid." That one sentence from Tang had both the demon and kid sputtering in seconds.

Between the two of them, MK had found his words. "No Mr Tang. Mr Pigsy is just a very nice man who gives me extra food when he thinks I haven't noticed. Plus, I'm pretty sure he hasn't filed any adoption papers yet." MK said, that sheepish grin becoming mischievous as he made Guarn blow a kiss.

The scholar laughed at the restaurant owner's further flustering face almost if the whole thing was planned. Something that was plausible considering this was Tang of all people. "Very funny you little minxes. What were you guys even talking about since MK doesn't really talk much around me?"

Pigsy's question was met with the little boy shaking his head. "I didn't want to bother you since you were probably tired and closing up shop. Mr Tang and I were talking about different legends like the Monkey King for one." The pig demon blinked his eyes in surprise.

So the reason MK was so quiet is because the kid didn't want to bother him? How considerate. "I appreciate your concern but you don't have to be silent all the time. Whatever topic or thing that pops in your head, you can talk about it. Might not always answer but that doesn't mean I'm not listening." Pigsy explained, the child nodding thankfully at his words.

That was one mystery about the kid out of the way. Only for Tang to bring up another. "Do you know that little MK here is an incredible craftsman? Show him that design you were working on." Smiling, the kid pulled something out of his pockets.

It was an incomplete small red tapestry depicting a peach tree that sat above a collection of clouds. The restaurant owner could only gawk at the masterful detail and skill that could easily be seen throughout the work. Every detail was as accurate as a photograph and not a single thread out of place.

"Holy moly kid! You made this?! I'm pretty sure you just put every seamstress from the Celestial Realm to shame." MK beamed happily at the restaurant owner's compliment. The kid was definitely a hard worker and that showed through his craft.

Even though culinary and weaving were different crafts, Pigsy could see the hard work, skill and dedication of a fellow artisan. "Thank you! I also make clothing and toys in my spare time. A good way to earn money so I can enjoy more of your tasty food."

From seeing the tapestry alone, both adults had a feeling that MK's clothing and dolls were made with equal skill. It did raise a question though. "Is your outfit like a fashion statement then?" Tang gestured to the boy's patchwork clothing.

Pigsy hit the scholar on the elbow for the offhanded inquiry but the child didn't seem bothered. "It actually is. You see I make all my stuff from mostly scraps rather than fresh materials. 'One man's trash is another man's treasure' type of ideology. Also recycles a lot of stuff people throw away that can still be used." MK flashed them a big toothy smile alongside his explanation.

Both men hummed at the answer. Like any big city, Megapolis had an issue with littering so the place was practically a gold mine for crafty people such as the kid. "Let me take your guys' order, and MK… you don't have to come by so late all the time. Come whenever you can and if anyone gives you a problem then I'll handle it."

Pigsy could only smile at the ecstatic look in the kid's eyes before the child ran over to both men. After that particular night, MK began visiting sometimes around mid day. On occasion, the boy would bring some of the crafts that he made.

Beautiful red ribbons decorated with gold dragons, a jade green cheongsam that held a silver depiction of a nine tailed fox, some plushies consisting of a gray rat with a heart in its paws, an ornate doll that wore a beautiful crimson Chinese dress and a white rabbit with a mallet used to make moon cakes.

Every piece was extremely well made alongside a story that MK would share with Pigsy or Tang. The rat plush beared the story of a fallen rat who was given a chance to relive their last day, the ribbons were of two dragons that strive to be with each other for eternity, and cheongsam was for a prince who escaped the life of royalty to live with a earnest farmhand that won his heart.

It only made both adults wonder how a talented kind child like MK ended up living on the streets by their lonesome. On a warm summer night, Pigsy was cleaning the front of the shop. The little boy wanted to help out around the restaurant so the demon let him wash the dirty dishes. Tang was also in the shop regalling a particular urban legend around Megapolis: the Broken Toy Phantom.

"-the Broken Toy Phantom must be a type of poltergeist. A very rare occurrence that poltergeists would roam with their haunted possession but the information all leads up. I even speculate that the phantom could have been brought to life after the Great Megapolis Raceway Disaster." Pigsy kept quiet while cleaning the tables but listened to the scholar's theory tangent.

The restaurant door suddenly opened with a loud slam, the restaurant owner turned around to be met with a gun aimed at his head. Pigsy didn't have to look to know that Tang had his hands up in the air since the scholar was now silent. Of course the pig demon needed a robbery once in his life.

From the looks of it, there were only three armed robbers with two being men and one woman. A white deer mask, black ski mask, and a turban paired alongside a thick bandana hid their identities. Right now Pigsy was praying to Guanyin that they don't find MK.

The kid wouldn't be able to survive a bullet should these bastards get trigger happy. "Alright, you two fuckers better listen to our demands right now. Give us everything you own and Porky here can open the register." Spoke the deer masked robber, poking the barrel of the gun to the restaurant owner's back.

Reluctantly Pigsy walked over to the register and took out the key. He was about to open up when… BANG! Horrified blue eyes watched as Tang fell to his knees, blood pouring from a bullet hole in his leg. The pig demon saw Tang's phone on the ground before the turban wearing robber stomped it to pieces.

"Call for help again then the next shot will go through your head, Four Eyes." Spoke the black ski mask who cocked his gun to reinforce the threat. Pigsy wanted to run over to Tang, treat his wound or help him up. However, he couldn't unless both of them were looking to get shot.

And the two hostages felt their hearts drop upon one single sound. "Excuse me." Standing on top of the bar table was little MK. Strangely, Guarn wasn't in the kid's hands as both were crossed against his chest. A large frown and judging chocolate eyes of the unnaturally calm child were aimed at the three robbers.

"What are you doing to Mr Tang and Mr Pigsy?" MK's once kind lively voice was now dead and cold like a grave. Neither the scholar or restaurant owner couldn't help feeling unnerved at the sudden change in the kid. It felt so wrong. Something that none of the robbers had noticed.

"It's a robbery little dipshit!" A haunting laugh came out of the kid, MK's eyes were alight in a twisted glee paired alongside a malevolent smile presenting unnaturally sharp teeth. "I know what a robbery is, you sad excuse of human scum. What I'm asking is why none of you haven't left yet?"

All three of the criminals were caught off guard by the little boy's taunt. None of them felt the child's ominous aura unlike Pigsy and Tang. What stood before them wasn't the same little boy that they've gotten to know over the past two months.

This was Death in the form of a 10 year old kid. "You barely have any mercy from me after this whore shot my friend in the leg. Lucky you that I was in a good mood, leave now or suffer the consequences. Know that you only have one chance between all three of ya cowardly worms!"

Offended by MK's threat, one of the robbers, the turban-wearing woman, aimed her weapon at the child. "Say goodnight brat! You have no power over us! That petty threat will be your last!" Finger on the trigger as she was ready to shoot the boy.

MK, still unfazed, shook his head almost if he was disappointed at the woman's choice. Then his smile grew so wide that it nearly tore the sides of his mouth, an insane look burned in now orangish brown orbs. "I warned ya. Davy Jones." With no warning, two long violet tentacles shot out from the darkness behind MK.

Both appendages wrapped around the woman and the man who shot Tang as the third deer mask robber watched in growing horror at what stood before them. Standing behind the 10 year old with two of the robbers wrapped in thick violet tentacles was a giant 15 ft violet plush squid.

It's squid capped head had four of those cap ridges with red stripes but also three mini tomahawk blades on the center top, black squid eyes that positioned on the sides of the mouth which held sharp teeth and a pair of glowing magenta eyes within the darkness, six small light cyan underside violet tentacle bearing some tomahawk blades, and two triple sized tentacles that had a black armband bearing a white skull n bones on the larger right.

"YARRRG! Those who dare trifle with Captain MK shall face the blades of Davy Jones!" A gruff, lightly deep, and growlish male voice ripped the monstrous toy's open mouth. Both caught robbers let out a strangled cry from the tentacles tightening their grip.

Immediately the remaining robber quickly went to shoot the monster plush or MK only for his weapon to be snatched from his hand's grip. Deer mask slowly looked down at the floor to see his gun in the paws of a particular bug eyed Monkey King plush.

Tang, Pigsy and the robbers saw a pair of glowing red eyes stare at them from within the small toy's mouth. Guarn then bit into the barrel of the weapon, felt teeth easily tearing through the metal and plastic like a hot knife against butter.

The immense shock nearly made the scholar and restaurant owner almost miss MK delivering a jump kick to the deer masked robber. Enough strength behind the blow to not only shatter the robber's mask but knock em fully unconscious. Davy Jones tightened his grip further until the two snared robbers fell limp like their comrade.

Pigsy immediately ran over to Tang once knowing they were now safe. The little boy followed suit, his ominous aura gone while the large plush kraken harshly dropped the two robbers. "Mr Tang, please bite on this while I get the bullet out." MK handed the raven a red plush oven cloth.

Pigsy had to put the rag in the scholar's mouth as he was too busy staring in shock at MK's fingers. The index and ring fingers of the boy's hands were torn apart by black claws growing from inside. Tang let out a harsh muffled scream when those sharp obsidian claws dug into the wound.

After a few seconds, MK pulled out the bloody bullet. He dropped it to the ground so he could pull out a sewing kit and needle. "I'm guessing you're the Broken Toy Phantom." Pigsy spoke for Tang while the boy began to sew the wound close. The little brunette merely nodded as he thread the needle through the scholar's leg.

"Yep! Although I'm not really a poltergeist, just a newly minted toy demon. Didn't think I had to bring out any of my Frightfur family so soon. Honestly, I hope that I had more time to figure out how to introduce you guys." MK tore the thread off the needle once it was sewn tightly.

Neither adult said a word since the kid did have a point. A giant plush kraken bearing razor sharp teeth and tentacles that ended with large tomahawks wasn't exactly friendly looking. Or the implications that MK had more than one of these peculiar beings.

Both men's thoughts on the subject were derailed in surprise when the sewed up bullet wound shrunk until unmarred skin was left. "Healing Suture Thread, perfect for minor to serious injuries. It works on humans too rather than just Frightfurs, Fluffals or Edge Imps." The little boy turned to see Davy Jones finish tying up the three attempted robbers.

Guarn waddled over to the brunette, climbing up the kid's clothes then situated itself on MK's shoulder. Tang took the rag out of his mouth and suddenly hugged the toy demon much to the latter's surprise. "We're just glad you're okay. You gave us both a heart attack back there with that stunt."

Davy Jones let out a hearty laugh from the flustered look on his smaller companion's face. Pigsy couldn't help the chuckle that came out of his throat to the little boy's further surprise. Soon enough, MK found himself laughing with them as he hugged the scholar back.

If this was a dream, then he didn't want to wake up. Moments like this should last as long as they can.

And that's it! MK has officially met Pigsy and Tang. I can say that the MK you are seeing at the moment...is more than he seems to be. Something that will be looked over in the next chapter.

Tang and Pigsy are going to take more fatherly roles involving our newly minted toy demon. A factor being MK's age and situation when they first met.

MK will be 21 when I get into the LMK series and there will be changes to particular episodes or plot pilots. Any major changes will have the episode title be replaced with a song.

Now people have been wondering MK's actual age in canon out of general curiosity and a certain pairing called Peachnoodles for certain artists and writers have been frowned upon. The driving law in China requires the person to be 19 in order to legally drive, so MK has to be 19 or a bit older in canon.

I hope this clears stuff up for ya curious folk.

The song used for this chapter is 'Bleed, I must be Dreaming' by Evanescence. Actually thought of using Evanescence's Imaginary but this felt more suited.

Will be going over the remaining Fluffals before we reach the next chapter for Broken Toys! Stove Novas next chapter is in the review stage so be on the lookout for that next! I'll see you guys back at Megapolis.

Song used👇

Main Page

[camelely]

13rw S4 Fix

 So i did one of these for last season and I think now that I’ve had some time to think about S4 I’ll do the same. While last season I thought the issue was one character being overused. But here it seems like there were multiple smaller things that could have improved the whole season Again I’m keeping the same basic plotline and characters :) 

1) Winston 

Have Winston stay at Hillcrest. Him moving to Liberty did nothing for the main plot and he was basically a red herring through most of it. Let him try are befriend the characters from the outside. He can learn about Jess from Bryce’s trial and the news coverage and then try to befriend her at Monet’s. This is where he meets and later starts to date Alex. Since he doesn’t go to liberty school Alex sees him as a sort of escape and lets him in. Clay and Ani dont tell everyone about him because they dont know he is trying to get close to them. It makes them seem less like assholes and more like people. They don’t mention his connection to Monty because they dont realize how close he is getting to answers. Clay can still suspect he did the graffiti, after all it was a break in and a non student could have done that. Plus Estella is another red herring in the school. She serves that purpose so let Winston be the outsider looking in. His arc would still be about knowing a different Monty and not knowing who is was at Liberty but now he is literally the outsider who didn’t really get Monty, rather than it just being a figurative thing at the prom. You can still have the prom scene it would just be entirely imagined rather than the half imagined thing they went with. I think they overused the people talking to ghosts thing so here it would be a  fantasy of Monty and the relationship they had rather then a representation of what could have been. However I don’t think this would have retracted from the point. Also play him up, he is a sympathetic antagonist and it sucks how much he is sidelined for Diego. I didn’t hate Diego but Winston and him basically went through the same arc. They were pro Monty and ending up dating a member of the group, couldnt believe that member was involved and then learned something about Bryce and Monty agreed to move on and just did. All while saying they will alway care for that member of the group. It was an unnecessary rehash. Having WInston be the outsider looking in and Diego the insider looking out also lets their characters compliment each other. They should still work together, just have Winston contact him looking for Monty’s friends. It’s simple. 

2) Tyler and Tony 

Oh Tyler. The character who seems to be in the middle of everything despite never doing anything himself. I didn’t mind his arc of helping the cops find the guys who sold the illegal guns. But Tony’s suspicions, eventually leading to Clay and Tony finding out the truth and just moving on never really go anywhere. I think  it would be cool if Tyler tells Tony, despite the cops telling him not to tell anyone, because he trusts Tony. But Tony, who has had bad run ins with the cops, thinks it is a bad idea. He doesn’t want Tyler taking the deal. Tyler says its the only way the guns wont be traced back to them but Tony thinks teh cops are planning to double cross them to mind out more about Bryce and Monty. At the same time he starts getting close to that cop that takes him boxing and helps him get into college (i dont remember his name for the life of me lol). Tyler sees this as being hypocritical and pulls away. Tony still suspects Tyler is behind the lock down because he is pulling away and Tony is getting paranoid. The rest of their story can still be the same but this way they can show Tony’s paranoia and his loyalty. 

As for Tyler and Estella, It was fine. The scene of them in the bathroom was really powerful, being in the bathroom with a de la cruz and becoming comfortable because isnt her brother was really nice. This could even be another reason Tony and Tyler fight. Tony can be paranoid that Tyler is trusting her too quickly and think she will turn on him. 

3) Jess

Her arc with the principal, being scared and agreeing with the security measures before she sees them in action was really interesting. Focus more on it and less on her manipulating Diego. I did like parts of that arc for her so I don’t want it completely gone but I do think focusing on her working with the principal would have been cool. I would call more attention to her first meeting and her agreeing with the measures and slowly show her change her mind and start to turn against them. Maybe even have an early scene of her and ANi talking about it and have Jess admit she feels safer. Move the creepy cop trying to pat her down to the second or third day. So she can have a moment where they make her feel safe before the negative experience. I loved the protest and a bit better build up would have made it amazing

Her arc with Ani. They fought over Bryce... It should have been a conversation. Not a moment where Ani judges Diego and then they argue. I still think this arc should have been Chloe and Jess and should have been in last season. But they had the opportunity to include Chloe this season and just didnt. I’ll talk about this a bit more in the Zach section but I think Chloe should have been at Prom and the moment between the Ani Jess and Chloe should have been then. It would be right after Jess and Ani made up and would have been cool. 

I don’t think she should have had scenes where she saw and talked to Bryce. Yes it created some powerful moments but they could be reworked. Have WInston use his wealth to commission a positive thing in the paper about Bryce and Monty and have her talk to his idealized photo of Bryce. I will mention it in the Clay section but her hallucinations detracted from his journey with mental health. 

4) Clay

Okay two thing here the first is his arc with mental health, hallucinations, and blackouts. They used it for drama and I wish they hadnt. It should have been about him healing. I didnt mind the way they handled the realization for clay that it was him doing everything (Did they explain the symbol he kept drawing because I missed it if they did? or i just forgot because it was that forgettable lol) but I think the whole thing could have been handled a lot better and a more educated fan then I can provide a better explanation for what exactly was off about it. I will say the the therapy sessions were repetitive and I know thats realistic but for a tv show its boring. The scene were Clay goes to his home was weird and low key scary. I understand the purpose but  I wish he had called him and asked to meet at his office instead. A more likable and relatable journey for Clay with his mental health would be really good for a show that was accused of glorying suicide (personally i dont think it did. My inbox is open if you wanna talk though :))

The second thing is the phantom phone caller. I hate this trope so it might just be me but this is so stale. There are exactly two ways it could go. The person could know everything and be a real problem or the person could be fishing for information and not be a real problem. The whole thing was predicable since Winston had red herring written all over him, Estella was barely developed, and on this show it is always the football guys. Instead let the pranks be smaller and less crazy. Like these boys had to coordinate a lot to mess with Clay. There should be more than one prank and end with a Monty doll and Clay holding a knife to set up the camp episode. But they should be pranks, not the phantom caller psychological torture bs. The blood shower can also happen just on a different day. Clay can be confused about what is real and what isnt making him even more worried about his blackouts and again assuming the mental health arc is handled well, the pranks can be a real part of it. Dumping him in the pit on the camping trip also seemed kinda attempted murdery so maybe do something like tie him to a tree of the path or in a small dirt ditch not a rocky pit where if he hit his head or fell weird the team would all be murderers. 

5) Alex

His arc with Charlie was one of my favorite stories this season. I was also not bothered by him getting close to and exploring his sexuality with Winston and Zach. I’m in the minority but I’m glad Zalex wasn’t made canon and Zach was used to be an effective (kinda) ally and good friend. Plus this way Zalex can live on in the fandom untouched or ruined by the writers interpretation. 

They should have given us Alex in therapy. He tried to kill himself had a traumatic injury, an arc with steroid abuse, and an arc about killing someone. All of which were forgotten this season. All the other characters seemed to be dealing with Bryce and Monty, why not focus on Alex? Even if it isnt in therapy just let him exist in his feelings.

6) Zach

I have one major issue with Zach’s arc, the lack of Chloe. She was the reason he almost killed a man. Let them date, let him start to spiral while dating her. She doesnt know what he did. Have them grow apart on screen but her still connecting to him and not wanting to give up on him. They should go to prom together. I know the hooker was supposed to represent Zach turning into Bryce with the hookers and the drunken sex/potential rape  and cocaine. But Chloe fills the same comparison. He brings cocaine she is not okay with it, He tries to convince her to have sex in the back she is not having it. Maybe he tries to convince maybe it becomes a bit worse than that but she breaks up with him at prom and leaves early. She sees Bryce in him, she doesnt have to say it but you can see it on her face and she walks away when her mind and heart tells her to this time no making excuses. Boom Chloe actually has an arc. As for Zach this is a big wake up call for him he sees what we had become. I know it is later in the actual show but I think it should be in the prom episode so he can have a better conclusion in the finale, like the other characters. The whole season was a downward spiral and I wish we got to see more of him pulling himself out of it. If the whole finale is him getting better even though he wont be all the way done he will be in a better place up the end.

7) Justin

Okay the hard one. I think the writers really wanted to kill him. I mean a fan favorite, who did bad things, and the death would be in the series finale. this is a tv writer’s drug of choice. So I’m gonna do a fix where I still kill him first then to the ideal version. Ok so first Justin dies. No HIV/AIDS. It was out of nowhere, unneeded, and seemed a bit insensitive. If you want it to be related to his drug use, make it so he got a bad batch when he relapsed. Or maybe organ failure. If it doens’t need to be drug related it can be an accident or someone he knew on the streets getting revenge, like that drug dealer we spent time with last season. Or if Justin helps Tyler put the gun salesmen behind bars then have it be retaliation for that. He can still go to the hospital and have goodbyes but it wont be an aids diagnosis and death in the same episode. I know they had signs in earlier episodes but the timeline is still really fucked up...

An ideal ending would have him live. He can still pass out at Prom. The diagnosis can be a combination of stress and withdrawal symptoms.He can be the red herring for the person in the coffin. If Justin lives he can represent hope. He can show the audience that you can get better and things can work out. Even if you are sick and think you will die you can do better be better and live in a better world. Plus I love him and really wanted him to be happy. The message would be you can get out of a bad situation and wold have ended a sad series on a positive note. Even if you are a bad person. Even if you have bad circumstance. Even if it feels like the world is against you, it can get better if you put in the effort. Which felt like the message the show was going for in eariler seasons by showing the people on the tapes doing better but abandoned this last season.

So who would I put in the coffin. Ani’s mom. Now I know she wasn’t a well liked character and her mom wouldn’t have the same audience or character reaction Justin’s death did. But this version isn’t about making the audience sad. Ani would finally have a plot that was really about her, her mom died, Bryce’s mom basically wants to provide for her. And she isn’t sure what to do. Justins funeral felt like it was overshadowed by graduation anyway. Now Ani’s moms absence and the funeral being overshadowed both make sense. She is going to college and doing what she can to honor her mom. And the death of a parent causes Clay to immediately appreciate his own family more. The theme in the first season with Clay was appreciating and acting on his feelings for Hannah before she was gone. Ani’s mom dying is a reality check for him and he know the most important things are his family and friends. Justin’s arc was about finding a family and he did. The core of the show is about family, friends, and the importance of  a strong support system. And starting it with a mother grieving her daughter and ending it with a daughter grieving her mother would be a cool full circle moment.

This post is really long so if you read all the way down Thank you! :) 

[ryttu3k]

Finishing up SoNY, ‘bad’ end and final thoughts!

But first, the early game over.

Wow, she just gets shot. Not even slurped? That’s rude as hell XD;;

And on to the ‘bad’ end!

Beginning is much the same, ofc.

“You’re too in love with weaving a good story and establishing a seductive narrative to let facts get in the way.” Foreshadowing for the ‘good’ end, maybe?

God that Embrace scene gives me literal goosebumps.

Alright! Last time I did Danse Macabre and Retributive Justice, let’s try The Risks of Swiping Right!

lmao god I’d eat this guy too. Back to the ghost club! That legitimately is a really neat scene. ...Ooh yes so that’s where the girl was from.

Panhard just lowkey dying at the mental image of Katherine Weise in a fast food restaurant is so good.

The sweet scene between Julia and Dakota hits a bit different after the ‘good’ end XD;;

Went to the park, reminisced, and helped out the guy. That was sweet ;_; High-humanity Julia, this time!

‘Fairy God Mother?’ is great but ‘Vin Diesel?’ is objectively the funnier response.

“Shining even more brightly than usual, Aisling.” Samira got a cru-ush~

Poor Julie. It’s probably been tough without Sophie around :(

Huh. Interestingly, refusing to lie to Mia results in Julia actually feeling genuine loyalty to the Cammies (for now, at least).

Believing Agathon is still alive = more optimistic = different dialogue! See, this is how you make choices have consequences, game!

Oooh boy time to meet Adelaide XD;;

“She uncrosses her legs in a strangely seductive motion. In her mind’s eye, it probably looked like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, but in reality, it had all the grace of a tracksuit Slav squatting.” *snickering*

Fight me, Adelaide >:(

‘sup Nastya. Went with the slightly less disruptive routine here XD Huh, she’s an aspiring DJ! Julia is deeply confused as to how being a DJ and being head of security works together.

lmao Julia referring to Hope as a girlboss. That phrase has lost all meaning to me...

The conversation between Julia and Father Leonard is still really interesting. Man, you know who I want Julia to talk to? Anatole. Interesting insights into balancing being queer Catholic vampires there for sure.

lmao oh my god I want to fight this street reporter.

‘I can almost feel my brain losing its wrinkles.’ *snort*

Yeaghhhh the Abyss bit is still so creepy...

Oops. Being honest regarding Tamika and Torque’s relationships gets a fail :(

Oh, or not XD That works! Also, uh, apparently the giant albino ghoul alligator is real, according to New York by Night. He’s Calebros’ pet.

“Because I think I have a pretty good nose for people’s auras. And when I take a good look at you... ...somehow, I have a feeling you’re a surprisingly decent person. Whatever way of unlife you choose, I hope you don’t change it. And that you remember my advice.” :)

“I know.” Oof.

“Hi.” “WAAAH!” lmao sorry Princess XD;; Just trying to imagine Qadir’s face as he tells Julia to find a 1990 glass statue of Scrooge McDuck... dying...

Oh she’s so a Toreador XD Low art options are a fantasy book, an anime DVD, or a video game... those can all be arty, though! And went with the anime DVD called ‘Ririsu no Daibouken’... that translates to ‘Adventures of Lilith’. How on the nose XD “The cover says ‘Lilith’s Carnal Carnival’.” Oh. Yeah, that’d do it XD

“This 90s original video anime presents us with a tale of five big-bosomed samurai warriors travelling through America in search of General Hastavista, The Incubus King. Don’t let all the titillation misguide you: the main draws here are peerless direction, a nearly avant-garde editing rhythm and dialogue that coyly comments on traditional gender roles in anime. Once you see the animation in the final battle, you’ll understand why it never fails to set a sakuga fan’s heart ablaze!”

She’s my new favourite.

“So can I know your name now?”

“Hmmm... Let me think...

No. <3″

I need to stress that the heart appears in the dialogue box. Like. The actual less-than-three heart.

Didn’t investigate the rat this time, so Qadir did and I die. “Glad you’re alright, little guy.” Qadir...

Still not over the drunk blood doll rats.

Kaiser’s still a goddamn creep and this time Julia is not going too far. She still has her humanity, dammit. Final set of traits:

Loyal to the end

Glass half-full

Not into a bad cop schtick

Honesty is the best policy

No more human, still humane

Onwards to the ‘bad’ end! Oops, and Dakota still did the Single White Female thing XD;;

Man I’m still really curious who the ‘good friend’ is!!

Okay! Time for end game!!

So that’s the good friend, huh? “Let me phrase it differently, then. You’re not Ecaterina the Wise, the Agitator of Prague, a Brujah elder causing turbulences all over the world... are you?”

Mention of Christof! Mention of Christof doing shady shit :| Poor Hana.

“An immigrant from Eastern Europe comes to New York City, takes the position she always expected to find herself in, is molded into someone who is no longer herself.”

Julia and Dakota representing Carthage is kind of neat.

I want to say the mention of St Jude is a reference, but I’m not sure what to XD;; Is that from Redemption? Christof could have been the one to tell Hana that.

“Like a two-person human centipede loop or something. An Ouroburos? Or an, uhh, Mobius strip?” No, that’s the other traditionally Sabbat clan XD

That‘s. That’s a hell of a reconciliation XD “Yeah, let’s give it a try. By the way I’m on the run for my unlife, want to go to California and try to find utopia?”

Julia, wear a fucking mask XD

“Hey.”

“Yeah?“

“Do you love me?”

“... Of course I do. For now, at least.”

I still don’t know if I love her. Or even if I can love anyone, for that matter. I’m a fucking monster, after all. I don’t even know if we’ll exist next month. The prospects are not looking good. But although I can’t see myself in the rearview mirror right now...

...I will remember this image of us leaving the city, somewhat melancholic, and somewhat hopeful, forever. And maybe the meaning of this image will be clarified with time. Or maybe I will just force a more positive description on it, and that is what I’ll believe.

No matter what happens... even if oceans of blood lie before us, I will make this a cherished memory.

Whatever possible salvation still remains for me... ...it probably lies in the eyes of another.

Oh dang I have chills.

So the ‘bad’ ending is about the subverted compromise. Julia resigns herself to letting the compromise about the truth of Callihan’s death go ahead. ‘Catherine’ is a walking compromise to hide the Ecaterina’s real deeds. But while Hana is still stuck in her role for now, Julia refuses to accept the compromise she’s made, both the one relating to the investigation and the compromise she made of her own views and morals. It might blow up in her face, yeah. But damn, she’s going to try.

So, final thoughts! For the sake of completion, this is what I said about Coteries:

And of course this is the part where the game all falls apart :-\

Just… god. This is probably the biggest problem with CoNY, and the reason I didn’t bother getting it until it was like… 60% off. The bulk of the game is great - the writing is intriguing, the design is stunning. But the choices themselves are so limited it’s barely worth even getting it at 60% off!

You have three choices of characters, with their own opening chapters and own individual scenes with their touchstones. You have four choices of coterie members, and three sidequests. You can probably get in at least three full story arcs and a sidequest or two, but you’re only ever limited to two of your coterie members showing up at the not-yet-endgame.

So let’s say you decide to play all three protags, which, indeed, is encouraged (there’s an achievement for it). You are going to repeat coterie arcs and side quests, because there simply aren’t enough for three unique playthroughs.

And then you get to the end and literally everything is scripted. You get attacked by the SI. You get rescued by your two coterie members (and then never see them again, despite the game being called Coteries of New York). You meet Torque, you escape the SI, Sophie reveals her plan to Torque, you go to Ellis Island, Adelaide kills Sophie (and despite the fact that you’re given multiple options there, none of them work), Arturo does his spiel, end of game. You don’t even get to choose between ending up blood bound or going “no fuck you” and at least dying with a bit of dignity!

I just. I really want to like it, and there genuinely is a lot there to like! But uuuugh the ending. Like damn at least give the poor protag the option to choose what happens to them!

Anyway. Not sure what’s next. To get all the achievements, you have to finish with all three protags, so that’s three full runs and a lot of repetitiveness (compare to, say, Bloodlines or Night Road. I have eighty-five hours on Night Road and there’s still stuff I haven’t seen!), so I can’t even just… rush it through up to the meeting with the touchstones on the third play. Nope. Gotta finish it :-\

Final rating: 6/10

8/10 characters, 9/10 atmosphere, 8/10 story aside from ending, 3/10 story ending, 2/10 replayability. Final consensus: get it on major sale if you can, otherwise, you might as well just watch an LP. I might do that instead of doing a third run, although I at least want to do a second.

I ended up revising that 6/10 to 5.5/10 after finishing all runs and getting the achievements just out of how goddamn repetitive it was. So, how does Shadows measure up?

Absolutely continued with all the things I enjoyed about CoNY (characters, atmosphere, and writing), and of the bits I hated (cookie cutter protagonists, lack of real choice, repetitiveness, the godawful ending), every single part has been completely improved.

Instead of three fledglings so similar they even have the same internal thoughts, we have Julia, who’s got such a distinct voice that she becomes the most memorable game protag I’ve seen in years, and I’m including non-VtM games in this. This is absolutely her game, and it’s just... absolutely fascinating to read and watch.

Related - actual real choices. There are five key choices that determine the ending, and every single one has actual consequence in-game. You get different dialogue. Different introspection. Different philosophies. And this carries across - if Julia believes Agathon is alive, she’s more optimistic about her relationship with Dakota, too. And of course, both endings are completely distinct and incredibly written - the ‘good’ ending where Julia gives in to her most Lasombra instincts, plays the game, wins it, gets power and respect at the expense of her humanity and avoiding all those wraiths... or the ‘bad’ ending when she listens to her morals, reconciles with Dakota, and leaves for California, uncertain, but hopeful.

Not a lot of repetitiveness. Yes, by design, you’ll probably do two playthroughs. The main plot is much the same, but there are enough options there to get multiple dialogue options and stuff. And for the little sidequests, you can actually get all in with just the two playthroughs, only repeating like... two, I think. Still, I wasn’t feeling actively bored like I was midway through my second run of CoNY!

Loved seeing more in-depth backstory and development for the coterie members. Agathon’s section was particularly fascinating, literally getting into his head.

And just. Atmosphere and music is so, so good.

Final rating: 9/10. Thank you, Draw Distance, you hit it out of the park.

[blookmallow]

rating spirit halloween clowns again

speaking of spirit halloween,

i previously rated a bunch of spirit halloween clown costumes and now that its halloween times again im back at it again with animatronic clowns this time. they have a very nice pennywise as well but im only rating original clowns here  

clowning around

a pretty good boy, i like his face and his spooky eyes, i always love a good monochrome clown but hes got this goofy country bumpkin accent im not really vibing with. he is VERY tall so i imagine he’s probably scarier in person though i have not had an opportunity to meet him. the screaming children are a unique touch but they kinda just look like floppy baby dolls if you look at them too closely. not a fan of anything that would cause whatever spooky attraction you’re making to have constant child screaming sounds playing, either, but, hes still a pretty good clown. hes also the only clown in this old timey monochrome style im seeing here so he gets props for that. 7/10

rotten ringmaster

i dont think clowns are usually ringmasters but points for creativity but then points lost again bc his face just looks so. generically creepy. he just looks boring to me. like hes trying to be pennywise but didn’t quite make it. this child victim looks slightly better than before but also has very very fake little cloth legs and mr ringmaster looks really weirdly proportioned from any other angle and not in a spooky way just in a Weird Bendy Way. 5/10, i dont really know why im so uninterested in this guy 

cuddles the clown

look at this fucked up weirdo what am i even LOOKING at here. he looks like a clown made of nightmares and snakes. his fingers are just more clowns. i desperately want to see this thing in person i cannot get OVER this guy i cannot imagine this thing existing in physical space even with the video 10/10

mr salty

he acts like he’s flashing you only to reveal a very... particularly placed shorter clown. the little one’s name is willy. i do not like it at all 1/10 this gets one point for the fact that i like “surprise it’s TWO clowns” if this wasn’t designed Like That 

i also can’t tell if they’re like, sharing the same pair of shoes or if they’re bizarre conjoined twin clowns or what the fuck is going on 

fright in the box

I SAW THIS BOX EARLIER I DIDN’T KNOW THERE WAS A CLOWN IN IT i cant wait to go back and meet him. im not a big fan of jumpscare animatronics, though they are effective. i like that this guy doesnt seem to have any kind of body. he just looks like a spooky napkin. big beetlejuice vibes here i like him 7/10

tug-of-war

TWO OF THEM!!! 

these guys are playfully fighting over a screaming child like brothers fighting over a teddy bear. the fact that they don’t move very fast or very violently makes it seem less threatening and more like they just want to play but are very bad at it which is endearing to me for some reason. i want to hang out with them. mostly im just trying to figure out what the fuck is happening with the right guy’s face though 

what is going ON here. this might be among one of the weirdest clowns i have ever seen but hes so different and visually interesting i legitimately really like him. getting some strong jigsaw vibes from the other guy, i like him as well. i like his cute overalls. big fan of these guys. 10/10

waving wally

what a nice young man he doesnt jump out to scare you or threaten you hes just wavin. hi wally. he seems friendly i would hang out with him too. i like this one bc he has mostly pretty normal features/body proportions so he looks more believably like a regular guy instead of a Monster Clown Creature which i personally like a lot more. i like his empty void eyes a lot. not sure about the light up nose though. kind of a rudolph look going on there. i like his little hat. i dunno theres something very pleasant about wally hes simple and visually pleasing and he is my friend 10/10

crouchy 

crouchy is such an unpleasant name and i feel like they coulda done better than just naming him after the position hes in but whatever. this guy’s a pretty generic monster clown, there’s not a lot of creativity going on here but if you want a nice monster clown for whatever occasion you need a monster clown for, he’s pretty good. he is VERY tall. the effect is pretty imposing in person, i met him last year. he doesn’t talk he just laughs. here to have a good time. 7/10

uncle charlie 

look at this guy!!! i like him. i like his very spooky face combined with the big silly flower/etc. theres a nice jarring contrast there. kinda has almost the exact same head as crouchy though. he doesn’t jumpscare you either from what i can tell he just hangs out and looks ominous. hes my friend i like him 8/10

towering creepy clown

the description says his name is grimsli. i thought his neck ruffle was a bib at first. pretty generic but i like his noodly legs. 6/10 i feel like he may have been on display here last year too he looks familiar 

peek-a-boo clown

he’s a clown, he’s spooky, he plays peekaboo. pretty straight forward. his movement is pretty smooth actually though. his outfit is hideous even by clown standards, but to the point i think it actually works for him somehow. his face looks more like a weird zombie than a clown to me but he DOES have rainbow swirly eyes so BIG props for that. 7/10

clown ferris wheel

LOOK AT THEM THEY’RE SO CUTE i love the ones with the empty soulless eyes. the fact that this doesn’t have any dialogue recorded or anything and the clowns just silently stare and spin around and around with a slightly off kilter circus tune looping makes it equally unsettling and hilarious. i legitimately want this thing. if i was rich and owned a house i would have this thing in my living room all year long and everyone who knows me would absolutely hate it. 10/10

also it doesnt look like they’re selling hugz the clown on their site right now which saddens me i hope he hasnt been discontinued :( i met him last year hes good and i like him as well

[lesyah]

guardian stream of consciousness watchthrough ep 6-14

Episode 6

The way guo Changcheng and da qing just made it seem like that girl is dead 😭

Ope gcc reminds csz of his little brother?? 👀👀👀

He’s like suddenly I like u

Oooooh flower person!!!!!!!!!!

She’s back. But sus. Hmmmmm....

Zyl is the person equivalent of batting your eyelashes at someone for what you want

Wei wei is very suspicious 🤔

Mirror stuff hmmmmmmm

Talking to a mirror...creepy

I really can’t tell which one is real and I can’t tell if he’s being duped

I love when shen wei shows up as the black robe envoy

The way zyl showed up just to be like “break up with your fiancé”

The way da qing cuddled up to zyl 😭😭😭 so much like a cat

They broke into shen wei’s house wtffff

The way shen wei knew immediately and was like eh whatever

That tapestry zyl sent shen wei lmaoooo wtf

He bugged him ahhhhhhh that’s so rude!!!!!

Probably illegal too

Omg these guys trying to rob the BLACK ROBE ENVOY

he was just like

Episode 7

Omfg zyl just showed up to save him

Even shen wei was like 👀👀

Omg the way shen wei trapped him into admitting he was in the apartment and then just made him sweat about it before moving on

LOL king

Ope the robbers died

Oh just one of them

Why are they video chatting instead of talking face to face

He was showing them different types of bears wtf hahahahaha

Lin jing is so dramatic Hahahaha

They just broke into that guys house what on earth

Super selfish of this dude to write that stuff and knowing people were dying cause of it. Yikes.

Oop he died.

Shen Wei and zyl are having a moment!!! Really truly Shen Wei acts so suspiciously all the time Hahahah he’s so lucky that zyl likes him enough to be like eh whatever 🤷🏻‍♀️

Episode 8

Omg the initiation of guo changcheng!!!!!!! Yes!!!!!!!!!!

The weapon they made for him lol

It really is suited to him HAHA

Why is zhu Hong so upset about this????????????????

Relax

Da qing was also like “relax”

OMG SHEN WEI DONATED THE BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAHAHAHAHA

ZYL’S FACE

He was like

Same Da qing same

Oop creepy symbol and umprompted flashback 👀👀👀

“Thanks for helping me move” he says as he carries the boxes completely by himself

Chu shuzhi was just like ur welcome

The flower gal is so cool

Kick his butt shen wei

Ahhh shen wei taking care of zyl

🥺

His apartment is so gross

He tucked him innnnnnnn

He’s cleaning his apartment HAHA

He straight up intercepted the letter from the underworld. Very fortunate.

Oh no the ghostly girl fainted

HE JUST SAT THERE WATCHING HIM THE WHOLE NIGHT???????

Zyl asked the same thing and shen wei was just like “and?”

Episode 9

Omg..................he got her a sex doll.....

Chu shuzhi is so rude to gcc

Hahahaha

Omg shen wei broke down in the exact road they were passing on. Terrible luck.

Zyl is like WTF

I can’t tell if zyl is driving him cause he’s suspicious or because he just wants to hang out with shen wei

Both probably

Ahhhhh wang Zheng you make me so sad with your tears 🥺🥺🥺

Ew what are those gross monsters 😭😭

The way shen wei didnt even try and stop zyl from laying on him.........embarrassing

The way he adjusted the pillow for him multiple times.....embarrassing pt. 2

He gave shen wei his coat???????????????? Ok

Bro a supreme north face? Literally the biggest flex

This village is sketchy

Yikes about that story wang Zheng told

The village tried to scare them????? Why????? Hahahahaha

Oh great trench coat guy

Oooh flashback for zyl uh oh

She was executed?!!!!! Wtf?!!

Episode 10

She drugged them ??? Wow

They’re so suspicious of shen wei

Very dramatic flash backs

Zhu Hong is trying to hypnotize shen wei 😭😭😭

Shen Wei sending a warning for it to be immediately ignored 🤣🤣🤣🤣

He shows up and is like why did u ignore me

Zyl is like 😒

Shen. Wei. Is. A. BADDIE!!!!!

Ohhhh so there’s HISTORY with wang Zheng and the pillar boy

HISTORY history

Episode 11

Gcc crying for wang Zheng and her bf

Omg when zyl asked if he wanted to work in the archives and the guy just grunted Hahahaha I laughed forever

The way shen wei just fainted after drinking one cup of alcohol to stop zyl from drinking more........omg. Lan wangji energy.

The way he just played the uno reverse card on zhu Hong hahahahaha

He hypnotized her to never hypnotize anyone again 😭🤣

Omg his coat smells like the gross monster stuff and zyl is very much onto him. Tsk tsk.

WHY DID THEY DO THAT TO THE FISH!!!!!!!

THATS SO MEAN

Omg gcc with diarrhea

He’s out of toilet paper

And CSZ OFFERED HIM SHEETS FROM GCC’S JOURNAL HAHAHAHAHA

AS HE READS IT.

POOPING IN THE STALL NEXT TO HIM

PEAK COMEDY

Oop zyl has connected the dots

Um that little girl is 15? Excuse me? You’re kidding me right?

This is a joke isn’t it

She’s like 10

Why did zhu Hong’s uncle drug her 😭😭😭

Episode 12

Ugh shen wei just tell zyl youre the black robe envoy 😭😭😭😭

He will find out eventually

This is stressing me out

Zyl constantly rolling his eyes gets me

Um the WAY that shen wei caught zyl are you kidding me rn

Da qing waking zyl up like that..........no words

DA QING REALLY SAID “really? You’re gonna flirt with each other? Right in front of my salad?”

O. M. F. G. GCC DRESSED AS ZHU HONG

Why was zyl so close to shen wei

And why was his excuse so bad.

Just say you were looking at him lol

TELL HIM WHAT? SHEN WEI!!!!!

WHAT IS THAT NECKLACE

Zyl’s doodle of shen wei as a prof and then as the black robe envoy 😭😭😭

Zhu Hong escaped just to be captured again

Oh yikes that guy was saving her from abuse

HEY DID YOU KNOW THAT THE LITTLE GIRL IS WEARINF A SHIRT THAT SAYS “boobies make me smile?” BECAUSE I FIND THAT TO BE VERY EXTREMELY UPSETTING WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not Da qing as a cat 😭😭😭

Oh boy it’s actually the little girl 😬

ITS THE WEDDING OF THE PEOPLE FROM THAT OTHER EPISODE AHHHHH!!!

That’s so happy!!!

Who is that suspicious man with the camera

Da qing going feral wtf??????????

Why did that happen!!!!!!!!!

Episode 13

Shen Wei showing up and saving the day..............I like it

Oh no that girl’s dad died

He was kinda scummy tho tbh

JUST. TELL. ZYL. THAT. YOURE. THE. BLACK. ROBE. ENVOY. IT. STRESSES. ME. OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zyl is also stressed

This reporter dude is SUS!!

Zyl when shen wei said he had to go back to the university lmao he was like

Oh good csz finally got gcc lmao

Lol zyl finding the guy shen wei hid

I love the flower girl!!!!!!

Shen Wei just TELL HIM!!!!! There’s no point in not telling him 😫😫😫😫😫😫😫

“I thought we were friends” ope

I hate it here

Yikes he got mind controlled

Ok no way zhu Hong just died like that lol

So what is happening my dudes

Oh my that zyl and shen wei thing 👀

Hahaha fake bullet

THE WAY HE STOOD UP

The POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The look on shen wei’s face when he realized that zyl was aware the whole time lol

“Or else, how could I let you obediently say your true identity”

OMGMFLCOWOCOWJKCOWNCOW

Episode 14

The way zyl was about to just out shen wei like that haha

“Who told you I can’t erase your memories”

OMFG

zyl: 😳

“We have always been friends”

“Have been? When did it start?”

Omfg!!!!!!

Shen Wei is just like “10,000 BC” hahahahaha could you imagine zyl’s reaction

Oop zyl does not like talking about papa zhao

Ugh the reporter makes an appearance

Why did zyl immediately invite shen wei when he was invited to dinner

Lol

Ooo gcc improving his fighting skills NICE!!!

The way he skipped away LMAO

Even csz was smiling

Wow u big softie

WHY IS GCC’S UNCLE SO RUDE!!!!!!!!!!

I will have words with him

Da qing talking to the cats 😭😭😭

The reporter is like “........wtf”

[pajama-nerd]

Reading my way through Fazbears Frights, thinking about how none of these protagonists have ever interacted with any kind of horror media.

Reader Beware: Spoilers Ahead

Into the Pit didn’t read like time travel to me. It read more like a particular kind of haunting where the negative energy of all of the bad shit that happened at that location was locked into the one remaining 'feature' of the location: the ball pit. And Pit-Bonnie isn't the ghost of Afton, but rather the entity that was created from the memories of all that bad energy.

And the interesting thing to me about Pit-Bonnie is that - aside from the inherent creepiness of the situation and the fact that he had literally one facial expression (he can’t even blink for cryin’ out loud) - he didn't attempt to harm Oswald until Oswald went back to rescue his dad. Once Pit-Bonnie was away from the negative energy that had spawned him, he did Dad Things™. He did them in the creepiest way possible, granted, but we don't actually know how he feels because of his inability to express.

Maybe he wanted to stay. Maybe he just wanted a break from that place. Maybe that place has a hold on him, and being away from it allowed him a measure of free will.

And the fandom that I’ve seen about the Dashboard has locked onto Pit-Dad-Bonnie because the general attitude of the fandom - as far as I've witnessed - has been 'Oh. A scary thing! Well, now it's friend-shaped.' (or, in this case, Dad shaped) so of course my immediate question is, 'how would the story have changed if Oswald had made a more serious attempt to communicate with Pit-Bonnie?'

The immediate, cynical response is 'well it would have slaughtered him' but that's infinitely less interesting than the possible alternatives.

Perhaps he takes in the fact that Pit-Bonnie can't talk, and proposes an alternate method of communication. I'm talkin construction paper and crayons. And he gets Pit-Bonnie to tell his story a la Nephrite from Steven Universe. About how one day he just was. And how sometime after that, that version of Fazbear's formed around him. And how there were happy, smiling kids laughing in the pizzeria and he was happy, but how every time he tried to be friends with the kids something would happen.

The world would flicker and they would just be in that back room, like that. How he was desperate for some kind of a connection and could never have one because those kids – those memories – were doomed to die by the memory of his hands. How he noticed Oswald because Oswald didn’t fit – he was real – and how he’d wanted Oswald to help him figure out how to change what had happened (or to make it stop), but Oswald had run away. About how he’d tried to fish Oswald out of the ballpit and gotten his dad instead. About deciding to take his dad’s place so that he could get away from that place and how being here with Oswald was nice. Driving him to school was nice. Making him dinner was nice. Cleaning the house with him was nice.

(Imagine Oswald getting less and less afraid as he interprets the story, checking in with PB occasionally to make sure he's getting it right. Getting slightly annoyed tho, because he's not getting rid of this rabbit, is he? But he still needs to rescue his dad, so now what?)

Oswald eventually tells PB that he can stay, which surprises but elates the rabbit. Then Oswald tells him they have to get his dad back.

There's a negotiation. Obviously, they have to get his dad back. Has Pit-Bonnie been going to his dad's job? What about taxes? Things his dad knows how to do? What about Oswald's mom? Is Pit-Bonnie just going to pretend to be his dad around her forever? What if she wants to do...like...parent stuff? With her husband? If you catch my drift (PB does not, in fact).

Eventually PB agrees, and even drives Oswald back to the same block as the pizza place. He doesn't get close to it - definitely doesn't park in the lot - but Oswald just tells him to wait in the car and goes and wakes his dad up from the ball pit. His dad is confused. Disoriented. Way out of it. Let's Oswald lead him back to the car and sits in the back, too out of it to comment on the yellow bunny mascot in the front seat. They return to the house without incident, and his dad passes out on the couch.

Oswald eventually figures out that PB is the one making his dad so loopy - that the connection PB formed so that he could know how to drive the car, how to work the vacuum cleaner, how to make Oswald's meals, is also keeping Oswald's dad borderline comatose. It takes some convincing to get PB to give that up. PB is afraid to give that up - afraid that if he doesn't have an anchor, he'll go back to being an aimless product of rage and murder.

Oswald's solution is to spread the bond out. He'll take part of it. If PB splits his focus, it'll be less of a strain on his dad, and PB will have more than one anchor. This has the added property of giving his dad the ability to see the seven-foot-tall grinning plush rabbit (he doesn't react well. Neither does mom. Oswald has never had to talk so much in his life)

So now Pit-Bonnie is a part of Oswald’s life, and it’s hella weird at first, but everyone gets over it, because eventually you just get numb to weirdness. Except Oswald becomes obsessed with Freddy Fazbears, in an Unsolved Mysteries kind of way. Starts researching the place wherever and however he can.

Pit-Bonnie helps, in his way, after they figure out a way to communicate efficiently (modified Sign Language, because being bonded to Oswald means that Pit-Bonnie knows how to do all the things that Oswald knows how to do. So Oswald learns sign language. Which means that Pit-Bonnie knows how to sign now. He still only has the one facial expression, which makes asking questions a little complicated, but they work it out).

I imagine that Pit-Bonnie is very tuned in to the weirdness/darkness vibe that Freddy’s and its remnants (ha) give off. He starts reading local and then state, and then national newspapers, and whenever he gets the Fazbear vibe, he sets the article aside for Oswald to look at. Also he doesn’t sleep, so in the first week of Oswald’s obsession, he generates a lot of leads for Oswald by going through back issues of...everything.

This is a rambly thing, but my point is that most horror has a solution and most of the time this solution is subverted by having it happen to people who have no experience with horror movies, books, comics, or other mediums, which is…I dunno. Kinda cheap.

‘What if they ever saw Frankenstein and sympathized with the monster enough to have empathy for this thing?’

‘They’re not horror fans. And the ones that are have never seen or read the stories where empathy solves the problem.’

To Be Beautiful (a terrible, one dimensional story with a terrible message about self-image told the way that high school stories in the 80's-90's were told, which wasn't even accurate to how highs schools were in the 80's-90's) could have been solved by literally anyone being more than passively curious about the drastic changes that Sarah was undergoing. (Puberty doesn't work that fast. Her whole freaking face changed). Or by her mom going into her room at some point and asking about the 5 foot robot doll.

Count the Ways has many solutions, although, really? She shoulda chosen starvation. More time to escape or be rescued is always, always, always going to be better than a 'maybe I won't be bifurcated’ any way you slice it (I’m not sorry), but I'm fond of the idea of Oswald coming across an article about ‘theft of proprietary animatronics from a Fazbear Entertainment property’ and it leading him to Milly’s grandfather’s house in time to save her. Along with his seven-foot-tall grinning plush friend who can alter people's perception.

Fetch could have been solved by treating Fetch like a dog. Seriously. He is dog shaped. He is therefore a dog, first and foremost. Dog first, killer animatronic second. Which Greg didn't fundamentally understand (he strikes me as a cat person anyway). But Fetch spent that entire story trying to do what he thought his master wanted, and never got so much as a 'good boy' out of it. He didn't even try to defend himself when Greg went to town on him with a baseball bat because he just wanted to be a good dog for his boy. And even after that, when Greg expressed a desire to see Kimberly, Fetch still wanted to do something to get his master to call him a good boy. Honestly, if - after being warned about Fetch - Kimberly had planted her feet and said 'Sit!' I would bet actual Faz-dollars that Fetch's haunches would have dropped to the pavement out of surprise alone, because it would have been the first time in the story someone treated him like a dog.

Alec was doomed to be a teddy-bear from the moment his parents picked up a ‘how to raise my kids’ book, but he’s still alive. There’s no reason he couldn’t be rescued (by Oswald, who’s on the trail of all the weirdness related to Freddy Fazbear. I’d read that story. I’d write that story. I will probably write that story)

The Plushtrap story...had no flaws. That was the only solution, and good on those boys for making all the right choices except for the initial choices that put them in that situation to begin with. A+. Those teeth, Jesus.

1:35 am could have been solved with an apology. Come on. For a character that was supposedly in the Foster Care system being bounced from home to home, you’d think she could empathize with an entity that didn’t appreciate being thrown away. A sincere apology, a promise to never do it again, and Ella would probably have forgiven her.

I don’t remember where I was going with this. I started writing it before I clocked on for work, but that was eleven hours ago. Who can remember where a train of thought that far back?

[letswritefanfiction]

Lost in Halloweenia! Ch1

Crosspost from ffnet and AO3.

Summary: It's Halloween! Ash and the gang are living it up trick or treating when they stumble upon a strange house with some strange artifacts. What mysteries do they hold and…wait, who are those three lurking behind them?

Word Count: 2,997/27,343

Setting: Set in between Hocus Pokémon and Here's Lookin' At You, Elekid.

A/N: Hello! This is a story I wrote back in 2016 and, since it’s spooky month yet again, I thought it was time to bring it back, since it’s one of my faves! This story is meant to by in the style of the Pokémon anime, plus Scooby Doo vibes. It’s all just very fun.

No ships!

Next chapter here

Chapter 1: Trick or Treat

Having just received his last Gym Badge from the Blackthorn Gym, Ash and his friends are hard at work as ever in preparing for the Silver Conference…

“Oh boy, a king size candy bar!”

Or are they?

Ash brought the plastic-wrapped log of chocolate up to his nose and inhaled loudly, salivating even though he couldn’t smell anything beyond the crisp October air burning his nostrils. After savoring the moment for all of two seconds, he ripped open the chocolate bar and bit off a mouthful, strands of caramel lacing his teeth and the candy together, looking like strands from the play spider webs decorating the houses of the neighborhood. When he licked it all away, he offered a bite to Pikachu, who was perched as a Golbat on his shoulder, wings and all.

“Ash, you’re supposed to be saving your candy, not eating it all tonight,” Misty stated, dropping her own piece into her orange jack-o-lantern bag hanging from the crook of her arm as she held Togepi to her chest. Togepi was thrilled by all of the sights and was content to do nothing but trill away at all of the lights and spooky decorations.

“Who says?” Ash grunted through the sticky sweetness.

“I bet your mother would,” Brock said. “And please tell me that you’re not still wearing your fake teeth.”

After swallowing, Ash felt around his teeth with his tongue to discover that he was, indeed, still wearing the false teeth that were the finishing touch on his vampire outfit. Except now, instead of glowing a light green in the dark, it was certain they were stained brown with milk chocolate and caramel goodness. Pikachu barred his teeth to reveal much the same on his own fake incisors.

“Oops.”

Misty sighed, shaking her head. “I knew he wouldn’t be able to handle accessories.”

“Hey, at least I was smart enough to wear a costume that I wouldn’t freeze to death in!”

Misty looked down at her costume, mostly just to hide her flushing face behind her bangs. She was wearing the Goldeen outfit that she had worn ages ago in that crazy magician act. “So what? I already owned it, so I figured I might as well wear it! Besides, Brock isn’t any better.”

Brock had decided to dress like Bruno of the Kanto—and Johto, since that’s where they were—Elite Four leaving him entirely shirtless. He was hoping that it would gain him points with the ladies. Unfortunately, most of the ladies they had seen so far were half his age. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to be pulled into the argument, so he suggested, “Hey, why don’t we just check out the next house?”

Misty harrumphed. “Yeah, Brock. Let’s go.”

Ash lingered behind for only a second. “Thinks she can boss me around like that,” he grumbled. “Why shouldn’t we be able to eat our candy on Halloween?”

Pikachu chattered his agreement before pointing in the direction Misty and Brock were headed.

“Oh, you’re right! We gotta beat them to the next house!”

Moments after Ash ran to catch up to Misty and Brock, there was a rustling in the boxwood hedges lining the sidewalk.

Jessie popped her head out from a bush, making certain that she was holding two branches on either side of her face. She spied the twerp running off after the other two twerps with Pikachu right there on his shoulder, as usual. “Hmm, right on schedule.”

“On schedule fo’ what?” Meowth burst out of the next bush, some leaves taped to his whiskers. “We don’t have a plan!”

“Maybe we would if it weren’t Halloween!” James interjected, poking his head out of a third bush, pausing to spit out a few leaves. “But there are people everywhere! How are we supposed to pull off any kind of a heist?”

“Well…” Meowth began slyly, turning slowly to James as a smile spread across his face, “we could pull off a candy heist if we did a little less trickin’ and a little more treatin’!”

“Ooh, now that’s a good plan, Meowth!”

Jessie whipped her hair around and managed to smack both James and Meowth across the face, leaving them both dazed. “You numskulls! We’re not out to get candy like all of these snot-nosed little kids! We’re out to catch Pikachu!”

“But Jess,” James whined, “think of how long it’s been since we’ve had that much food! Much less good tasting food.”

There was the sound of water dripping into the bushes as James and Meowth began to drool. Jessie clenched her fist until it shook, ready to let them have it again before she heard her stomach rumble. Both boys turned to her with raised eyebrows and Jessie blushed, holding her stomach in a gloved hand.

From out of the bushes, she produced three pillowcases and announced, “Well, I guess it can’t hurt to think about food every once in a while! We can always nab Pikachu once those twerps have had their fill and all we have to do is roll Pikachu off the twerp’s shoulder and right into the boss’s office.”

With matching grins, each grabbed a bag and then made off for the closest house, so close to mountains of candy they could taste it.

“Wow, this house would be spooky even if it weren’t Halloween.”

Ash and Misty nodded along to Brock’s words as they all stood at the end of the street before a huge house that seemed to creak as a strong wind blew the autumn leaves and loose candy wrappers across the lawn.

It was like something out of a storybook. It was dark purple with a thatched black roof, which was made up of all odd angles, coming to a zenith at a pointed tower standing in the middle with a single window. Jutting in front of the window were bars of sharp iron, twisted as if by a giant’s strong grasp.

“Well, the porch light is on,” Ash pointed out. “That must mean that they’re accepting trick-or-treaters.”

Ash began to make for the front deck before Brock and Misty pulled him back. Even Pikachu pulled on his hair a little.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?”

“M-Maybe we should just skip it and head to the next house,” Misty suggested, eyeing the spooky structure warily.

“Why would we do that? Let’s just knock on the door.”

Ash stepped confidently forward, ignoring a whine from the back of Pikachu’s throat as the deck groaned at their combined weight. There was no doorbell, so Ash raised his fist to knock on the door when, without so much as a tap, it opened all on its own.

“Huh, look at that.”

Brock and Misty had reluctantly followed Ash, but now the both of them were slowly creeping backwards. Brock cleared his throat before saying, “Okay, now we should go, Ash.”

“No, wait, look at that!” Ash was pointing just inside the doorway, where there was a small table holding a huge bowl of candy and a silver candelabra. Just above the bowl was a sign that said, take one. “Look, they want us to go in!”

Ash pushed the door open all the way, revealing that the whole room was lit by nothing but the three-pronged candelabra, flickering as the wind from outside tickled the stale air inside the house.

Opening the door revealed a parlor, completely decked out with Halloween decorations. There was a bit of old furniture here and there, but covering every open space were pumpkins, skeletons of humans as well as various Pokémon, witch’s hats, brooms, and gnarled branches with bat-like Pokémon hanging from them. But they weren’t tacky items snatched from the bargain bin of a local drugstore; everything was so well-made that they looked almost real, down to the porous bones of the skeletons and peeling bark of the branches.

After Ash stepped inside, Brock and Misty followed to take their pick from the massive collection of candy. Misty gave a little shriek when she saw an enormous Ariados doll in the corner, somehow suspended from the ceiling. It was shrouded by the dark, but the enamel mandibles almost seemed to glow with poisonous saliva in the candlelight.

She put a hand up to her face, turning away from it. It wasn’t real, it only looked real. So it should only bother her if she looked on it. Nevertheless, the hairs on her arms were standing up on end and, for once that night, it wasn’t from the October chill.

They all turned their attention back to the most pleasant sight of the candy dish. Even though it was pretty late in the night, the bowl looked virtually untouched. Apparently most trick-or-treaters thought even candy wasn’t worth trying the old, creepy house.

But boy, were they missing out! There had to be every type of candy in that bowl. Chocolate, caramels, hard candies, lollipops, butterscotch, even truffles and small baked goods—more than Ash had even thought to imagine.

“You know, I bet we can take more than one,” Ash said, reaching into the tantalizing bowl. “I don’t think anybody would be upset by that.”

“Ash, it says to just take one.”

Misty’s words sounded firm, but one look over at her, with her face inches from the candy bowl, showed that she didn’t much believe what she was saying. She wanted the treats nearly as much as Ash did.

Both Togepi and Pikachu, who had wiggled their way onto the table, were also looking over the lip of the candy bowl, trying to make the best choice.

“One each,” Brock stated. Both Ash and Misty sighed, resigning themselves to follow the rules before Brock spoke up again, this time with a big grin. “Though that doesn’t mean we can’t each choose one for each of our Pokémon too!”

Ash and Misty cheered as they finally dug into the bowl, counting off candy for each of their Pokémon as Brock wedged himself into the mix as well.

“Do you think all thirty of my Tauros count?”

“Only if all of my Gym Pokémon count!”

“Those aren’t yours; they’re your sisters’!”

“No, they belong to the Gym! And I’m better with them anyway!”

“Are not.”

“Am too!”

“Are not!”

“Am too!”

“Are—”

“Enough out of both of you!”

Brock unwrapped two pieces of caramel and stuck one into Ash’s, then Misty’s mouth to quiet them. He nodded at his handiwork as both of them struggled to chew.

“That’s probably enough candy for the both of you.”

Then Misty made a gurgling shriek through the caramel as she began looking about wildly.

“What?”

“Pobeebee ih aw!”

Brock cocked his head. “What?”

Pikachu reached and patted Brock. “Pipipi!”

Ash caught on at that point, joining in with Misty’s mumbling. Brock, however, still had no reaction, so Pikachu was forced to concentrate, spiking the fur on his head and rounding his body until he looked like an egg.

“Oh, Togepi!”

Misty finally managed to chew the caramel down to a workable level and shouted, “We have to find Togepi! Anyone see where it went?”

Everyone collectively shook their heads. Then, they heard a light trill echo throughout the whole house. They cast about, uncertain of the direction the sound came from. Pikachu’s ears twitched for a second, and then he took off, scampering out of the room.

“Hey, Pikachu!”

Ash ran after Pikachu, with Brock and Misty not too far behind him. There was no electric lighting to speak of in the house, but every hallway and room was lined with sconce-like lanterns, fire blazing in each of them; there was just enough light to see a few feet in any direction, but no more.

After rounding just a few corners, they stopped in their tracks, finding themselves completely lost, with no trace of Togepi or Pikachu. There wasn’t so much as the light thump of a footstep. Nothing but dull creaks from the house, coming from every direction so that it seemed like the house was trying to move or maybe even say something.

“I think we should head back to the front of the house,” Brock suggested. “Just wait for Pikachu and Togepi there.”

“No, we have to find Togepi!” Misty was insistent, her jaw clenched and her gaze firm, but the wavers in her voice belied her strong façade.

“Pikachu will find Togepi, Misty. And we’ll be easier to find if we just stay put.”

Misty looked to Ash, who nodded at her. “Misty’s right, Brock. I wanna find Pikachu.”

Brock could only shrug. “Suit yourself. But let’s retrace our steps at least to find a better path, okay?”

“Fine.”

“Alright.”

It only took a few steps for them to realize they had no idea where the front of the house was. They turned around a few times, poking their head past corners, into hallways, looking for any sign of familiarity.

Somehow, the whole house was designed the way the parlor had been. In every corner were pieces of antique-looking Halloween paraphernalia, most dusty with time, like they hadn’t just been set out in the past few weeks for the holiday. It seemed as though it was always Halloween in this house.

Ash stepped over the black statue of a Purrloin wearing a witch’s hat, trying the last exit from the room for any hint as to where they had come from.

“No luck. That hallway just has some huge ghosts that I don’t remember seeing.”

“So, we’re lost?”

Misty looked at Ash with a perfect blend of irritation and fear while he sweat-dropped and backed away slowly, nearly tripping over the Purrloin.

“Not lost,” Brock stated, trying to diffuse the situation—or rather, avoid any situation that got Misty too mad. “We just don’t know where we are or how to get back to where we were.”

A vein began to throb on Misty’s forehead as she turned to Brock. “Well, what is that if not lo—”

“Pika! Pika!”

The sound echoed all throughout the house until the two calls became many, sounding like there were dozens of Pikachu hiding in the very woodwork of the house. It sounded like it could have come from anywhere. Ash, Brock, and Misty cast about in all directions, to little avail.

“Priii!”

That sound too began to echo, morphing until it was a twisted distortion of Togepi’s cute call.

“I think it’s coming from upstairs!” Ash finally declared. “Which hallway had the stairs?”

“This one!” Misty shouted, pushing in front of them and making for a set of wooden stairs, spiraling up with an iron rail, lined with cross-shaped spikes.

“Careful!” Brock put a fingertip to one of the spikes and yanked it away quickly. “These are sharp!”

“Pikachu! Where are you?”

“Togepi! Please come out here!”

Ash and Misty tumbled onto the landing at the top of the stairs and listened as more calls came from their Pokémon, bouncing off every which way, but stronger than they had been down below.

“This way!”

“You better not be getting us lost again, Ash Ketchum!”

“No, they’re definitely this way!”

“Guys, wait up!”

The trio eventually stumbled into a large, cluttered room, furnished like an attic, with no candles to light the way. There were, however, windows washing the room with the moon’s pallid glow.

“Pikachu?”

“Pikapi!”

Ash nearly ran into a tall suit of armor as he rounded a stack of items, opening the large room up even further. There, bathed in a deep red glow, were Pikachu and Togepi, eyeing a strange object.

“What is that?” Misty asked with a gasp.

The red glow seemed to be emanating from the object, which was resting in a basket on top of a treasure chest, just out of Pikachu and Togepi’s reaches. Not for lack of trying, though, as Togepi kept stretching its arms out, trying to touch it.

“It looks like an egg,” Brock observed. “Like a dragon egg, or something.”

“Oh, that’s so cool!”

Ash rushed forward to look at it and soon enough, the whole gang was taken in by its almost supernatural glow.

Pikachu took it upon himself to take Togepi in his arms, raising it over his head so it could get a closer look at the object. Togepi trilled in delight, leaning in to reach it.

“Don’t touch it, Togepi,” Misty chastised. “It’s not yours.”

Togepi frowned for a second, whimpering a little. Then it jumped out of Pikachu’s grasp, arms outstretched as if to give the egg a hug. Togepi landed in the basket, which was lined with straw and wheat in a neat nest, and tried to hug the egg, but its stubby arms kept it at a distance.

“Oh, Togepi.”

Misty reached for Togepi, but before she could grab it back into her loving arms, the egg began to glow brightly, blinding everyone for a moment as their eyes adjusted. After a few burning blinks, everyone turned back to see Togepi being sucked into the egg.

Everyone gasped in shock. Pikachu was the first to regain his wits, and he leapt up, grabbing for Togepi, only to begin being sucked into the egg too.

“Oh no, you don’t!”

Ash grabbed for Pikachu, Misty grabbed for Ash, and Brock grabbed for Misty, each disappearing faster and faster as the glow became stronger, before fragmenting from a blood red into individual beams of orange and black like a Halloween sunburst.

Then, they were gone, and the room was once again dark and silent, save for the whistling of the wind outside, and the gentle groans of the old, dark house.

On Halloween night, Ash and friends had expected lots of treats but this is one trick they hadn’t expected! Where have they gone and how will they get out of this one? Stay tuned for next time!

[lettuce-king]

I was looking on my phone and found some notes and a theory for Jimmy Casket. I just want to warn that this is a few years old and does not consider any of the more recent P.I.E. videos.

《Anything that looks like this is new and added now as I Re-Read it》

So without further ado, I present a 2 year old theory and notes:

Dipper mod 1- March 9th 2016

Haunted by cardboard friend- Johnny Ghost gets some of Gregory/Jimmy' s flash backs like remembering the cardboard friend name and this confuses Ghost as he tries to connect the links in his brain.

CBF Theory: CBF is a manipulative entity that attacks and feeds off of the weak (This is proved by CBF attacking Ghost without his partner Toast and when he attacked Gregory because he had no one to interact with and caused them both to go crazy)

[Crossed Out] Babby doll hide and seek (gregory) Sep, 26 2013

[Crossed Out] Murder ep 1- Jan, 12 2012

[Crossed Out] Box friend original- Sep, 15 2013

《I think I was going to do a theory that dealt with the dates but Idk.》

Jimmy Casket Theory/Notes:

1. Tommy/Timothy Casket is Jimmy' s father and not Ghost's.

2. Jimmy Casket likes to win whether it's murder, hide and seek, find it so I can eat it, TTT, or just killing someone.

3. I believe that paranormal entities detect Jimmy Casket/Gregory instead of Johnny Ghost.

4. He is ticked off by not winning, blood, being away from Toast for along time, when Ghost is confused/scared of something, annoyed by people, doesn't get what he wants.

--‐----------------------------------------

In Gmod murder siblings 11 "Olaf" at 14:05 Jimmy Casket states that his name is Gregory

In KING BONNIE (Gmod castle mod) at 7:49 Ghost said that he grew up on a farm

[Crossed Out] January 8th 2014 "Johnny Ghost" Gmod 4 player prop hunt 27 Ghost and Toast first appearance

《Time for the Big Theory》

Jimmy Casket the world's most renowned murderer. To solve the theory of who is Jimmy Casket? And what is his backstory? We need to go over a few things first. The 1st thing we need to go over before we start talking about Jimmy Casket is how life and death works in the Gmod/VenturianTale world. Clearly life and death in the Gmod world is not normal like it is here in reality. We live and we die, that's how it is and that's how it will always be. But we can still explain why people come back from the dead. I believe the reason people can come back from the dead is Maxwell Acachalla. Now how does Maxwell have any thing to do with Jimmy Casket? You may ask well, I'm getting there. Let me explain why I think Maxwell has to do with people coming back from the dead first. In a bank robbery with Papa Acachalla and the gang, Maxwell was killed by the Bank Teller after they figured out they were trying to steal money. When Maxwell died he met with an evil and VERY powerful entity. Who this entity is? I don't know. It could be someone we haven't met yet, or will ever meet. It could be Satan himself. Or it could be someone we've seen before, but never suspected them to be evil.

Back to what I was saying, when Maxwell encountered the entity he was offered great power as a ghost and since Maxwell was power driven he accepted the gift. When the Acachalla household encountered Maxwell again there was a curse that made them become immortal, Maxwell didn't mind because he wanted to enternally tourture the Acachallas and especially Papa and his gang as revenge for his death. When Maxwell was starting to get out of hand the Acachallas called P.I.E. aka Johnny Ghost and Johnny Toast to get rid of him. When Ghost and Toast encountered Maxwell they were "killed" by him and that caused Ghost and Toast to come back from the dead.

Now, some people in the universe are also not 100% normal, for example Maloney is an alien and some people have special powers which I think is the reason Spooker and Mr. Sviggles can come back from the dead. Now that we have gone over the reason why I think some people come back from the dead, we can discuss the fact that some people aren't immortal and once they die they die. Some examples of this is John, M9KShotgun, and the ginger kid from "FNAF School Roleplay - Gmod Five Nights at Freddy's Animatronics mod (Garry's Mod)", other small one time characters, and Higgly Diggly Hoogen, yes before you start saying "But even if he gets killed he still keeps coming back" and you're kinda right, BUT he doesn't come back from the dead, one of his many other clones are sent. And the government will never run out as long as they keep cloning him. And you're still probably wondering what this all has to do with Jimmy Casket well I'm about to tell you how.

Remember that video "Gmod Cardboard Friend Mod" where Gregory was hanging out with Cardboard Friend and it slowly turned into a horror movie type scenario? Yeah? Well this is a big part of lore we need in order to solve the mystery of Jimmy Casket. Let's talk about what we know about Gregory and CBF then we'll go into what I think happened. We know that Gregory is a young easily manipulated boy that has gone through a lot. He lost his parents at an early age, he's been alone in a really creepy, old house and his only source or communication is CBF which is a ghost. Now let's get into the theories, I believe CBF is an evil, manipulative entity that is up to no good, and only wants to traumatize and kill people (and possibly take their souls). CBF's target was Gregory, CBF planned to slowly steal his soul by making him go mad, and it worked. In the video when CBF was chasing Gregory around the house it symbolized him killing Gregory, and when Gregory was sending CBF into the sky was him accepting the fact that he was dead, and finally Gregory walking out of the yard was him moving on into the afterlife. Now this is when things start to tie together, because when Gregory died he was faced with the same evil entity that gifted Maxwell great power. The entity offered Gregory something unbelievable.

BUT, before I say what the entity gifted Gregory I want to explain why he decided to gift Gregory and not some other random person. Think, this video was probably a flashback of Gregory's life which was in like the 1980s when technology was not at its peak and paranormal invenvestigating sounded pretty crazy, so there weren't many paranormal investigators. Therefore there was no hard cold proof that paranormal entities can kill people EXPECT for the "Bell Witch Haunting" which states that a poltergeist physically killed (in this case poisoned) John Bell in the 19th Centary. So death by paranormal entity was pretty rare. This caused the evil entity to bestow a gift upon Gregory, a boy that died by a paranormal entity at a young age.

Back to what the entity offered Gregory, the entity gave Gregory the chance to rule over personalities. So we're all correct when we say that Gregory is Jimmy Casket, but this goes a lot deeper than imagined...

Gregory is that insane, evil, devious side of you and your OC's when you/they lose at something, is scared, threatened, or confused. And Jimmy Casket is just one of his characters with their own backstory and a little bit of Gregory in it. Gregory is Samantha gravestone, Max Hunter, Melodie Casket, Amy Reaper, Ethan Dager, Karl Coffin, 《These are all people's "insane" OC's I looked up when originally making this》 Gavin Toast, he is even Antisepticeye and Darkiplier.

I also quickly want to mention that this personality can spread into our world too so to explain to you what I mean I'll tell you about the time I was scrolling through the comments of a story I found on WattPad and the users were talking about how they would sometimes feel the urge to stab, trip, or harm/kill people, like Jimmy Casket does, and that made it clear that the feelings they feel becomes a personality. Another thing to notice is how Jordan changes from the fun, energetic, and goofy person he is to an insane, psycopath...even his eyes change. That's right the addicting, fun, evil personality we all love to use today are one of Gregory's OCs .

And now, here we are nearing the end of the theory but there are still some things up in the air that we need to be solve before we go, Questions like Why is Ghost unaware of Jimmy Casket? And why does he act so strange around CBF? Well...I'm gonna solve these questions right now, Let's first start with why Ghost is unaware of Jimmy's existence. This simply deals with how powerful one's soul is. Johnny Ghost has been through a lot of stuff...too much stuff, this has caused his soul to weaken and decay. Since he has a weak soul Gregory's OC, Jimmy Casket had extra room to grow and fill so he added more of his own backstory in there too, in order to have a balance. This caused Ghost's childhood to get mixed up with the other backstories and whenever Jimmy/Gregory takes control it's over whelming and causes Ghost to black out. How I know this deals with how powerful one's soul is and not something else is shown in "Dipper Mod 1" when dipper's evil persona left his body and tried to stab him with an eraser. Dipper seemed to not care or worry about it and in "Dipper Mod 2" Dipper's evil clone was hanging around the store and Dipper was not worried or scared at all, he may have been a bit annoyed but that's all. That showed that Dipper has a strong soul and is very aware of his evil side the side Gregory controls.

And now to finally explain why Ghost acts the way he does around CBF. Johnny Ghost is a Paranormal Investigator which means he investigates paranormal entities wether it be a level 2 apparition or a demon he tries to get rid of it, and CBF is no exception. The powerful and smart entities notice Gregory and not Ghost so when Ghost runs into CBF Gregory starts to freak out because he is aware that CBF is his killer and CBF knows that Gregory is there and wants to traumatize him even further. Gregory acts as Jimmy Casket and not himself because he wants to try to stand up for himself in a more powerful and safer form. And if any other OC were to come face to face with CBF they would have the same reaction because they are all the same person, Gregory. So this solves the mystery of Jimmy Casket, He's just another one of Gregory's made up personalities that Gregory hides behind. And Gregory is just an unfortunate soul that was chosen to die by the hands of a ghost, which caused him to become the evil, mischievous side of everyone.

-----------‐----------------------------------

That's it! That's a theory that I wrote about 2 years ago and never did anything with.

I used to love Venturiantale and finding this and looking back to a few of their videos was a blast to the past. It was definitely one of the better fandoms I was in when was younger and I still don't regret it one bit.

[ayearofpike]

Spooksville #1: The Secret Path

Pocket Books, 1995 129 pages, 18 chapters + epilogue ISBN 0-671-53725-3 LOC: CPB Box no. 277 vol. 14 OCLC: 33152776 Released October 1, 1995 (per B&N)

All the kids in town know the creepy truth about Springville, to the point where nobody calls it anything but Spooksville. Adam Freeman, who has just moved to town, doesn’t believe it — at first. But then he finds himself and his two new friends in another dimension, on another side of the town, and he has no choice but to believe.

As grumpy as I was with the end of Pike’s Archway output, I need to take a step back from that in considering Spooksville. This is, after all, a jump back in time, to when Pike was maybe at his strongest and most relevant (in terms of sales, anyway). It also strikes on the heels of Goosebumps, the highly successful kids’ horror series by R.L. Stine, which was often imitated and emulated (and even parodied) through the decade. Naturally, most of these series didn’t last, as the whole industry got turned upside down by an English kid who slept in a closet. However, if you wanted to argue that Goosebumps marked the death of juvenile literature as we once knew it, I wouldn’t stop you — even though it’s apparently still around.

The major difference between Goosebumps and Spooksville is continuity. All of the original Goosebumps books (I mean, as far as I know; I read like one and a half and quit in exasperation, unable to get behind Jovial Bob’s new direction) have different characters, different settings, and different problems or spooky moments driving the narrative. Spooksville, on the other hand, is the central location for all the events that occur throughout this series, and there are a set of characters who are involved in all the trials and travails we see (again, as far as I know from Wikipedia).

Let me state up front: I acknowledge that these books are not and were not for me. There’s a strong case to be made that this style of juvenile horror book marks the real definition line between Generation X and Millennials, regardless of how old you actually are. Even so: by the time Pike started publishing this series, I was already in college. I did not read them, I had no use for them, I was frankly annoyed that Pike was pouring his energy into this series and then giving us older kids dreck like The Hollow Skull. I felt abandoned by this author that I so respected. And I already alluded to my distaste for Goosebumps, which my brother loved, but even he was too old for Spooksville.

So maybe it’s better that I’ve given myself this distance from the series before I read and discuss it. It might also help that I have kids of my own who are just about the age of the target audience — this could help me better appreciate what Spooksville is trying to do. 

(And this is probably all the metadiscourse I’ll give to Spooksville, too, not having a connection to the series outside of it having been written by my childhood favorite author. Save you some reading!)

Let’s dive right in to The Secret Path. Right off the bat: there’s not really a lot of story in this story. It serves more as an origin story, as letting us know that hey, here’s this creepy place where a bunch of weird shit is about to happen, and these are the kids you’re gonna get to know while it happens. The type is set HUGE when you compare it to Pike’s typical YA books ... even though the pages are bigger, there’s maybe only half as much text on each one. So at half the length of his longest YA by page count, The Secret Path probably only has a quarter of the exposition.

We open up with Adam, a twelve-year-old who’s just moved with his family to Springville, a secluded town somewhere on the unspecified Left Coast. Based on geography, this could be just about anywhere north of Santa Barbara: the town is surrounded by hills, with taller mountains to the east, and comes right up against the ocean. He’s buying sodas for himself and his dad when he meets Sally Wilcox, a talkative and imaginative local who is immediately drawn to Adam. Like, one of the first things she asks is whether he left a girlfriend behind. She also warns him about the town’s reputation and its idiosyncrasies, and the fact that only kids can see these and adults will never believe them, and it’s all so unbelievable that he ... well, doesn’t. But he’s glad to have made an acquaintance, and agrees to hang out and get the tour of the town.

This, for once, does seem like an actually little town, if it can be traversed by middle-school pedestrians. As they’re exploring, Adam spies a runaway grocery cart heading for a fancy car and stops it before it can crash. This serves as his introduction to Ann Templeton, the beautiful and knowledgeable descendant of the town founder, who lives in, apparently, a castle next to the town park. Sally calls this place “the witch’s castle” — and so Ann probably is one, just like her great-great-great-great-grandmother. They’re at odds here: Sally is warning Adam not to get sucked in, but Ann seems so nice that it’s hard for him to step away. She does have a little oddness to her demeanor, though ... like she knows things she shouldn’t, like she’s dangerous. After all, Ann is the only adult who calls the town Spooksville.

But she drives off, and then the kids meet Watch. Literally, this is all the name we get for this dude, because he’s wearing four watches. He says it’s to keep track of his scattered family and what time it is where they are, so we immediately both feel sorry for Watch and want to know more of his story. We aren’t going to get it yet, though: Watch is determined to figure out how to access the Secret Path, a way to get to hidden or alternate dimensions right here in town. Bum knows the way, he says — literally, a bum who lives on the beach and has supposedly been cursed by the witch. Watch is on the way to take him food right now, in fact, and learn the secret.

Bum’s guidance for finding the secret path is simple and yet opaque: they must follow the witch’s path through the town, and remember that they bury witches upside-down. The witch, they presume, is Ann Templeton’s great-etc.-grandmother, who was born here and after whom nothing was the same. So they travel along the trail of her important experiences and life events, eventually ending up at the cemetery with no idea of how to go in there upside-down. So Adam and Sally sit down to think while Watch is looking at the tombstone, but also neither of them is particularly keen to travel through a cemetery to an alternate dimension. But when they look up, apparently a long time later judging by the darkness, Watch is gone, and his glasses are on the ground.

Sally is convinced he’s gone to the other side, and so she and Adam set about puzzling out the last part of the riddle. What if upside-down just means backwards, they decide? So they start at the cemetery gate and walk backward to the tombstone. But instead of bumping into it, they fall into nothing and land in another cemetery, this time under a red and lightening sky. And the bodies are climbing out of their graves. They run for it, deciding to try their houses, because of course that’s what a scared kid would do is try to go home even if they’re obviously not actually home. But Sally’s house is flattened by a giant tree, and Adam’s house is full of nothing but spiderwebs and corpses. While they’re looking, the front door is kicked in all of a sudden, and they have no choice but to  try to escape out the bedroom window.

Sally makes it, but Adam is seized by a knight in black armor who knocks him out and takes him to the castle dungeon, where Watch is also being held. The room is also full of clocks, which for some reason run backward. The witch herself enters not long after Adam wakes up — surprise, surprise, she looks just like Ann Templeton, but with red hair instead of black. She’s carting a couple other kids, who are all inexplicably missing parts of their faces. Apparently the witch seamlessly removes them and puts them into her collection of dolls. And if they don’t tell her where Sally is hiding, they’re up next. Obviously they don’t know, so she drags them to the surgery room or whatever, where there’s also a massive hourglass, filled with sparkling dust that flows from the bottom to the top. Surprisingly, fear doesn’t make these kids know an answer they never had, so the witch goes to prepare the boiling bath that will cleanse these filthy children before she takes their eyes. 

Of course, as soon as she leaves the room, Sally shows up to save the day. She can’t break the cuffs on the boys’ wrists, but she can break the hourglass, which they figure is the witch’s most prized possession. And then everything goes apeshit. In the craziness, the post that holds the boys’ cuffs breaks, and they’re able to escape, back down to the dungeons to let the other kids out. Only the doors are all open and the other kids are already gone, apparently down a long passage that leads the group back to the cemetery. While they’re trying to figure out how to get back to their own dimension, the witch shows up and grabs Adam by the neck, ready to get her eyeballs one way or another. Fortunately, Adam is holding a handful of sand out of the broken hourglass, and he throws it into the witch’s eyes. She shrieks and falls, and the dead bodies in the cemetery reach up out of the ground and pull her under with them.

But still: how do they get the hell out of this creepy backward monster dimension? It’s so obvious if you think about it: walk at the tombstone FORWARD. They get back some six hours BEFORE they left ... you know, time running backward on the other side. And so Watch goes to talk to Bum some more about what happened, and Adam and Sally go home, with the promise of more adventures to come.

And that’s the end of The Secret Path! So now we’re on the not-so-secret path to where this series is going. Titles in this genre are somewhat more on the nose than we’ve seen from Pike before, and so just looking at the list can give us an idea of what to expect. Still, I’m going to try to stay open and acceptant of what these stories might tell us, while at the same time not expecting anything too meaningful. And who knows, maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

[floralreddie]

falling in love with Richie Tozier: Part 5 (when they’re adults)

this is a kind of rev up for what’s to come (fighting IT, getting to Mike’s and talking) and is also my own interpretation of chapter 2, though leaving quite a bit out. it would take about a billion more of these imagines to write what I hope/think is to come in that, so I’m squishing it down lmao

you feel like vomiting after Mike hangs up

you don’t

instead, you cry

you push yourself into your kitchen, which is white and black and red and full of little trinkets hanging from the ceiling and walls, and you pour yourself a gin and lime and down it in one

because

what the fuck

how could you forget? you knew, you always knew, that Derry wasn’t a normal town, without normal adults, but you don’t know how you can forget something as important as the place where you grew up

and the people in it

(The Losers)

and It

because suddenly you’re in the woods again and you’re thirteen, and you’re seeing that shape of the scaly, slithering thing that looks like a snake but kind of looks like a human and then...then it’s a fucking clown with yellow eyes and a drooling grin

and Mike...Mike had said it was back

(and you had choked and gasped and said sorry so many times, because you said you would call him and you never fucking did and you forgot him and he’s been there for years and he was (is) your best friend)

you book a plane ticket straight after the phone call, terror seeping in to you that you had always hated as a child; one that you had worked so hard to outgrow

because you save lives

you’re a fucking boss of a surgeon

but you’re suddenly so scared

but you book that plane ticket to Maine, hand shaking as it hovers over your laptop and the other holding that glass of gin to your lips

you think of times when you had been on the verge of remembering those boys and that girl, and you wonder what their blurred faces look like now

how could you love people so intently that you didn’t even remember?

you book time of work (not an easy thing considering your profession, but you made a fucking pact when you were thirteen and suddenly your palm is tingling and, Jesus, how could you have forgotten?)

you pack a bag and dress yourself in black jeans, a loose black shirt and a leather jacket and as you leave your apartment, you made special sure that you let that firefly necklace sit atop your shirt

and your heart hammers

because you’re...you’re seeing someone you forgot about, and all you remember is a laugh and a song and a nervous breath as he told you he loved you

the plane ride is long and tedious, but you shove on a a few episodes of Game of Thrones and ride through it, and suddenly you’re renting a car and hopping in it and shoving the music on as loud as it can go (and you wait until you find a station that’s playing something old and rocky, because you need to listen to something that reminds you of your youth)

and suddenly you’re remembering a sewer

and a boy with a stutter who lost his brother

and a creepy fucking house where a small and brave boy broke is arm 

and you gasp and choke and drive just a little faster

you don’t know that he’s just a few miles ahead of you, just on the boarder of Derry driving some obnoxiously brightly coloured car and listening to the same station as you

you follow Mike’s instructions and head for the Chinese restaurant you remember your parents used to enjoy, and your heart feels heavy as you look about at the old building and the paint work of the shops that has changed so little and yet so much

and fuck

Bev used to live in that flat at the top of that building? (and you’re laughing because, fuck, you remembered her name after all these years)

and you used to ride your bike there with the boys with the blurred faces

and that’s where Eddie threw up on that street corner the first time he tasted vodka and that’s where Stan finally laughed at one of your jokes

and you’re remembering their names

and you shut off the music and park down the street, heart hammering and palms sweaty and tugging at your long hair and patting your cheeks because, shit, you’ve always hated being scared

‘oh, fuck,’ you mutter, because it’s fifteen minutes past and you’ve been staring out of the windscreen for far too long and why the fuck are you such an idiot?

you tug at your necklace and think...think of who will be in there

because there were eight of you, right?

...yeah

you slam the car door and lock it, and curse the fact that you’re probably going to be the last one walking in and why the hell are you such a nervous wreck, you’d gotten over such things when you...you befriended them

you surge into the restaurant, brown bag hanging over your shoulder with one single badge hanging off the strap (its a The Cure one, because you don’t know why the hell you’ve always loved that damn band)

(and that song...Love Song, was it?)

the restaurant is dimly lit and full of people, because it’s a Friday, and you can’t quite believe you’re in fucking Derry, a town you had only ever remembered as being boring and friendless and you don’t know how, because you’re remembering days at the Quarry and star gazing with your boyfriend (because, fuck, you’d had one, hadn’t you?) and (had they all forgotten, too?)

and you weave through tables, searching the faces and panicking that maybe you won’t recognise them (because it’s been so, so long and the last time you saw any of them you were eighteen)

but then you turn

and you stop

because through an archway, past a waitress who’s leaving the room, is a table filled with six adults

(but shouldn’t there be seven?)

and they’re laughing

and they’ve already ordered their drinks (the fuckers)

and you eyes meet brown, brown eyes, and they’re crinkled mid-laugh, and suddenly they widen and soften

his hair is curlier and longer and pushed back from his face, and he’s wearing a loose fitting white shirt and loose black tie and there’s lines around his face and stubble on his jaw and his nose is longer he’s still so scruffy but so well put-together and 

(‘Y/N!)

and they all turn

and the man who called your name is dark skinned and tall, with greying hair and bags underneath his eyes and he’s standing

and you’re laughing as you rush over to him, almost tripping over the heeled ankle boots you’re wearing

and he’s wrapped his armed around you and he is warm and big and you’re breathing against his cheek and huffing out a, ‘Mike!’

and next is a woman with curly red hair to her shoulders, who smells of cigarettes and perfume and has dressed in dangly earrings and a loose black dress and you gape at her before yanking her toward you and smooshing a kiss against her cheek and she laughs

‘Jesus, (Y/N), you miss me?’

you snort. ‘I’m pissed, Bev. you left me alone with these assholes for five whole years’.

and then a shorter, but still taller than you, dark haired man with large brown eyes and a half-smile is standing from his chair and rounding the table to you. he’s pale and freckles and both handsome and adorable at the same time. ‘you weren’t complaining when you begged to sit with us that first day back’ (after that summer of hell)

‘Kaspbrak,’ you snort, letting him pull you into a hug. ‘I did not beg, Ed’s’

he stiffens and sighs. ‘Oh, don’t you start!’

you snort

a man behind Bev who is tall and handsome but maybe a little too skinny sidles around the pretty but tired looking Beverly Marsh and you gape, whilst the others laugh. ‘Ben?’

‘I know,’ he shrugs and laughs and his hug is strong and solid, and then Bill is hugging you and his stutter has gone but his blue eyes are still the same (but his hair cut is a little better) and, fuck, you haven’t seen him in so long

and then it’s his turn

and you understand so profoundly who he is as he raises from his seat (and he’s grown even more since he was eighteen, he must be 6′3 now) and his moves with that awkward, lazy grace that was so like Richie Tozier that you almost choke on your breath as he brings a hand forward, touches the necklace resting against your chest, scoffs, and then pulls you to his chest just like he used to, with his arms wrapped so securely around you you’re sure you might suffocate (and he still smells the fucking same)

his voice is low and drawling when he talks against your hair. ‘saving the best ‘till last, doll?’

(and you remember that time you heard him on the radio, because you understand that it was him, now)

‘shut it, Tozier,’ you breathe, and he’s home and light and the reason you haven't bothered looking at or touching anyone else, because whilst he filled the void with girlfriends and boyfriends, you couldn’t possibly do the same

because

he’s Richie

and the others are quiet for a moment, before you’re snatching yourself away from him and laughing and he does the same, but his eyes linger on you as you take the free seat beside Mike near the head of the table and opposite Richie and Eddie

the waitress comes over and you order a gin and you ask them all what they’ve been doing (and Richie makes some comment about how you should have come on time, then you wouldn’t have missed that part)

you flip him the bird

and he pretends to catch it

and they’ve all done so well

all of them (us, you think, us)

you tell them you’re a Doctor and that you live in L.A

and Richie stares at you the whole time you talk, but you pretend that you haven’t noticed

before he breathes out slowly, ‘The fuck, (Y/N). I live in Beverly Hills’

and you gape as he shakes his head and laughs, running a hand through his mop of hair (and, fuck, you always loved his hair)

and Mike rolls his eyes

and Bev looks at Ben as he asks if anyone got married

you eye Bev as she struggled around describing her boyfriend (because you worked with women like her in the Hospital and in your training, and you know an abused partner when you see one)

and you watch how Ben watches her

and you and Richie (you both watch each other closely when it’s your separate turns) breath out selfish sighs of relief when you reveal you’re both single

‘did it wrong too many times,’ he insists to Bill, and you wonder what his life has been like without you

‘being a Doctor takes up a shit load of time,’ you shrug out

and you all

slowly

talk about that summer

and you put the pieces together

because you remember that Bowers kid died

and you remember you all saved this shithole of a town

and Bev remembers how adults would see Greta and the Bowers gang fucking with her, and never did anything

and you remember the first time you ever saw them, as they helped Ben with his injuries and you remember, as Bill talks (but his stutter is slowly seeping into his voice) the day at the arcade when all of you were fighting after Eddie broke his arm (’yeah, and Tozier fucking snapped it back into place. don’t think I’ve forgotten that, Richie’), in which you befriended a bespectacled and trashmouth Richie Tozier 

and everyone is listening so intently to Bill as he picks apart the things you have all forgotten (Mike insists he remembers more, because he never left and that’s how things go to shit with forgetting) and Bill nods and swiftly asks questions (because after all these years, he’s still the Leader) you look across the table, past Eddie who had mentioned earlier a marriage that you all knew he didn’t want, and you catch Richie’s eye

because he’s staring at you

and you’re staring at him

and you both smile at the same time, and it’s such a fucking bittersweet smile that you almost start crying there

and when you all leave the restaurant later, a little tispy and a little confused as to where the fuck Stan is, you find yourself walking by Richie’s side as Mike gives directions to his house (but you all know where he means, because suddenly you all remember Derry so vividly) and you nudge Richie and he looks down at you, a dark curl falling into his face and his brown eyes slowly filling that void within you, and you frown and say,

‘I told you I’d kill you if you ever got contacts’

and he smiles and rolls his eyes and says, ‘Sorry, doll. I guess I forgot’

you frown and brush your hand against his, and his pinky catches yours, and you see Mike and Eddie wander off a little to the left to give you both some privacy, and Ben and Bev and Bill seem to be migrating toward each other, and the absence of the boy with the curly hair and neat shirts and biting words is so eerily real. ‘Yeah,’ you breathe, frowning and swallowing. ‘I guess we did, huh? no matter how much we promised we wouldn’t, Rich’

and the way he looks at you then....you know whilst it has never been over for you, it hasn’t for him either

[selenityshiroi]

FAIRY TAIL DRAGON CRY SPOILERS, FULL STORYLINE

I’ve come back from watching the UK airing of Fairy Tail Dragon Cry and am about to post some serious spoilers.

How spoilery?

I took a notebook with me and detailed scenes so I could describe the entire movie in as much detail as possible!

If you are on mobile this is your last chance to get out of the tag or close tumblr if you don’t want to be spoiled.

Otherwise, follow me beyond the cut.

(Also, I am a positive Fairy Tail fan and I ship the big four. Expect my personal opinions to be reflected in this post.)

The movie opens on chibi Natsu running through a crystal cave.

(He is so fucking cute, FYI)

He finds Igneel sleeping who wakes and lets out a big fire roar that illuminates the entire cave and Natsu laughs in awe!

Then it is dark and Igneel is gone (and my heart breaks) and chibi Natsu is sad in the middle of a forest until Makarov approaches him and reaches out a hand (and my heart breaks again).

Then we see that grown up Natsu is chained up in a stone room/box/cell that is being carried by a giant bird. The cell is shaken about and starts to deteriorate and Natsu tries eating a torch to get some energy to escape the chains. He, and the torch, are thrown into the air from a hole in the cell and he manages to eat the flame, melt the chains and kick the bird to the ground. He says the ‘I’m a Fairy Tail Wizard’ speech from the trailer and then kicks the bird’s ass.

Then it goes back to a few days ago.

It is snowing and Zash and Sonya approach a load of guards (the White Tiger Force) stood at the border of Fiore. There is a badass looking lady in charge who’s name is either not given or I didn’t catch it. She reveals that Zash is a traitor who used to work for Fiore and betrayed his nakama.

He uses his eyes to put mindcontrol on the lady and she attacks her own troops. Sonya looks away as all of the guards start to kill each other.  Zash states that he hates those who stand by the bonds of nakama.

(Well, he’s going to LOVE Natsu…)

He reveals he is looking for the staff.

The scene cuts to Happy who is running away from a cute dog. He finds Natsu who glares at the dog and it runs off looking really intimidated. Lucy smacks him on the back of the head with a rolled up magazine for frightening the dog! She then wonders why Happy is scared of dogs when he is okay with Plue, but Happy says that Plue doesn’t look like a dog. Natsu says Plue looks more like a bug to him (LOL, RAVE shoutout!) which Lucy pouts at.

Then Natsu gets right up into Lucy’s face, making her blush really hard because he is REALLY close to her and asks her ‘What do I look like to you?’ Lucy is very flustered but responds ‘Like Natsu, obviously!’

Wendy then finds them and starts to approach but, on seeing their faces so close together, blushes and runs off thinking she is interrupting something, which makes Lucy even more flustered!

We cut to Gray fixing a coach wheel with ice and Erza complimenting his moulding skill. They are all on their way to Crocus.

We cut to the Guild where Juvia is sitting with Gajeel and has flopped over a table because she is bored without Gray. Gajeel is looking through a cat picture book! (a man after my own heart!) Juvia is pouting about Gray being away and imagines Gray flirting with Lucy then Gray flirting with Erza and even Gray flirting with Wendy!

Then Levy approaches them and asks Gajeel if he wants to go on a job. Juvia then states she is going with them so she can make Gray jealous and then imagines herself hugging Gajeel’s arm and flirting with him then cuddling Lily and flirting with him and even grabbing Levy’s arm and flirting with her! But then she says she can’t do it!

Back to Team Natsu, they are meeting with the King and Hisui who are talking about the Dragon Tomb they found under the GMG Stadium. There was a staff in the tomb that belonged to a person who used it to absorb dragon power. The staff is called Dragon Cry. However, the staff has been recently stolen by Zash, who used to be a Minister of State for Fiore and was caught up in dark magic. He fled and was offered asylum by the Stellar Kingdom. The King and Hisui send Team Natsu after the staff.

The Stellar Kingdom is an island located South East of Ishgar and is known for Stellarium which is a mineral harder than diamond that glows by absorbing starlight, which Stellar is also known for having beautiful starscapes. Natsu complains that they have to take a boat!

We next see them in the Stellar Capital, Altair. Lucy is dancing in a bar that Zash is known to frequent. He likes the ladies and her job is to distract him when he shows up. Erza is working the bar as a waitress and Gray is acting as a barman or bouncer. Lucy is embarrassed to be dressed and dancing provocatively but does it for the mission. (Side Note: the dance sequence is beautifully animated and she looks amazing)

When Zash turns up, Lucy whispers ‘gemini’ and a copy of herself appears on the bar in front of Zash and successfully draws his attention so Erza can steal a storeroom key from him and get it to Gray so he can copy it with ice magic. Erza then returns the real key whilst Gray sends Happy and Carla off to Natsu and Wendy with the replica.

As they are flying to Natsu and Wendy, they are noticed by Gajeel, Levy, Lily and Juvia who are in Altair for their job. (FYI, the job is never detailed...it was obviously just an excuse to get them in the movie!)

Happy and Carla find Natsu (who has buried himself in the ground) and Wendy (who is hiding behind a cloth) and Natsu is totally bummed that his ‘nin nin’ didn’t work! But Happy and Carla fly them up a tower to the storeroom where the staff is supposed to be kept. Natsu knocks out the guards and they go in. He senses the power of the staff and goes through to another room to find it. But when he touches the glowing staff shocks fly off and tears fall from his eyes.

But then alarms go off and a magic trap around the staff is activated. Natsu and Wendy fly off but soldiers fire cannons and guns at them and more soldiers come after them with crossbows etc.

Back at the bar, Zash has cornered the real Lucy against a wall and is seriously and creepily hitting on her. Gray nicely asks him to leave the dancer alone, as a bouncer would. But before anything can escalate, a soldier runs in and tells Zash that the staff has been stolen and, realising that Natsu and Wendy haven’t gotten cleanly away with the heist, the team run from the bar, with Zash attacking them.

Whilst Wendy and Natsu are flying from the soldiers, one of them hits Wendy in the arm with an arrow and Natsu gets really angry and throws the staff at her, telling her to run with it whilst he deals with the soldiers. She does so but another attack causes her to drop the staff. Carla and Happy try to grab it but when it is clear they aren’t going to reach it first, Wendy blows a gust of wind to push it into Erza’s path. Erza grabs it and, after taking out some soldiers, throws it to Gray. He freezes the roof tops they are running across to escape some soldiers and then drops down but into the path of more soldiers. Then they attack him he throws the staff to Lucy who summons Scorpio to create a sand blast to cover her escape.

Zash turns up in front of her and explains that he has a power they can’t defeat. He controls the citizens around them and they crowd around Lucy to attack her. Natsu shows up and goes to defend her but she won’t let him fight the people being controlled. Instead, he picks her up (causing her to blush heavily) and blasts them out of there.

We then cut to the Stellar Kingdom palace where King Animus is blaming Zash for his failure in retrieving the staff. Zash says that it would have been easier if he’d had Sonya’s power, but the King gets angry and says that Sonya is his and must be protected and Zash can’t put her in harm’s way. But because he is desperate to get the staff he agrees to let Zash take Sonya with him as long as he and the ‘Three Stars’ protect her. (FYI the Three Stars are like the Garou Knights in that they are dangerous but because they are following orders)

We cut to the team hiding out in a forest. Gray blames Natsu for him and Wendy getting caught stealing the staff and they bicker. Happy has the staff and points out that he can’t sense any magic, which surprises Wendy as she starts to explain (but cuts herself off) that Natsu sensed magic in the staff when he found it.

We cut to Gajeel playing the guitar in the same bar Lucy was dancing in earlier, but the patrons are far less happy about it! Juvia somehow realises that Gray was there earlier (her Gray Sensor was going off, lol) and we cut to Gray getting a sudden chill because he is being talked about (everyone rips into him for feeling cold when he is an ice mage!). Lucy comments on how the Stellar Kingdom is famous for its starry skies and Happy calls her a liar, because it’s cloudy! But as she is wishing she could see them, a noise is heard nearby. Natsu steps in front of Lucy as three attackers come out of the woods.

There is a lady with Stellanium legs, a man controlling two dolls and a boy riding a levitating ball (They are the Three Stars). Zash appears and takes the staff from Happy and then, when Natsu goes to attack him, uses his mind control on Natsu.

Natsu turns on Lucy and, because she isn’t sure what is happening, she doesn’t move away (because, obviously, she doesn’t believe that Natsu would hurt her). Gray gets between them and blocks the punch controlled!Natsu was aiming at Lucy. The trio of attackers accompanying Zash overcomes the team but before he can execute them, Sonya says she doesn’t want them killed and, because she has the King’s favour, no one wants to go against her wishes. Instead Zash declares they will be taken prisoner but, licking his lips, he says he will take Lucy. (FYI dude is seriously creepy)

Then we are back to the time where Natsu defeated the bird (the bird was taking him to his prison cell). He flashes back and remembers how he got to this stage and gets angry that he was forced to attack Lucy. He runs off to find the others and manages to meet up with everyone who has, offscreen, also escaped their captors but none of them can find Lucy. Gray blames Natsu again and says Natsu has to find her, to which Natsu agrees and declares ‘I’m coming, Lucy!’.

We cut to Animus asking Sonya where the staff is and, as he is asking for it, both of them get a headache at the same time.

We then cut to Lucy who wakes up in a cell dressed in a simple short white dress. She sees other women in cells, all looking frightened and stating they are in a living hell. Zash appears and the other women are terrified of him. He approaches Lucy and uses mind control to make her follow him against her will to the next room. He then commands her to raise her arms so he can shackle her to the wall. She moves against her will but it is clear she is conscious of everything he is making her do but can’t fight against it. He says he is going to drain her blood from her to use in his dark magic and he will do so over and over again. (To be honest, the entire scene has serious rape vibes to it and it is heavily implied from the way he runs the knife over her skin and the way he leers at her that he probably has been raping the women, too, and intends to do the same to her...the whole thing is REALLY creepy and this dude is possibly the evillest and least sympathetic guy that has ever appeared in Fairy Tail)

As he is about to cut into her, Sonya appears through the door and Natsu blasts through the wall, incredibly fucking pissed off. He releases Lucy from the chains and when Zash asks how he found them, Natsu says that Lucy smells (lol!). Zash uses the staff (that he has been holding onto since he took it from the gang) but Wendy casts a defense spell that protects them from the blast released. When the dust settles Zash and the staff are gone but Sonya is still there and offers to guide everyone out. Her power is that she can sense people, shown on screen as her seeing them through the walls, so she can help them avoid the soldiers as they escape. Gray asks her why she is helping them and she says that she can’t stand to see any more suffering.

She explains that the King used to be kindhearted but that he has become obsessed with the staff ever since Zash told him about it. There is a crisis happening involving the Stellanium absorbing too much starlight and that it will overflow and release a deadly amount of energy. The only solution is to use the Dragon Cry to destroy the Stellanium and hope it safely releases the energy before it gets too much. Therefore, she wants the staff to use it to save the kingdom.

Natsu tells her that he touched the staff and he only felt anger, so he doesn’t think the staff will help. He also offers to destroy the Stellanium for her (because that is what Natsu does best lol!). But Sonya runs off.

It cuts to Animus mad at Zash for endangering Sonya. Zash imagines killing everyone.

It cuts back to the team camping around a fire overnight. Natsu talks about destroying the Stellarium at a ceremony tomorrow where they will go to get the staff back. Whilst they are discussing the mission for tomorrow, Happy eats a weird fruit. They talk about resting and alternating guards and then Natsu offers to go first...at sleeping, that is!

During the night, whilst on watch, Lucy is looking really sad thinking about Sonya and how she wanted to help her people. Natsu pokes his head down from the trees and asks what is wrong. She says that she is upset that the kingdom could be destroyed by them taking the staff back but he tells her to follow him. She gets exasperated at him but climbs up the tree after him. He takes her hand and and pulls her up and they look out on a really beautiful starry sky. He tells her that he wanted to show her because she said she wanted to see them and she looked sad.

The following day, Gajeel, Levy and Juvia are walking through the town when soldiers spot them and recognise them as Fairy Tail mages, associating them with Team Natsu. The others arrive and everyone gets involved in fights. Also, Happy is now red!

Erza fights the lady with Stellanium legs. Gray meets up with Juvia who hugs him whilst he is shocked that she is there, but they get attacked by the guy with dolls. They strip and fall together into a fighting stance with ease. The boy who rode on the ball comes after Wendy and Carla and they send Lucy, Natsu and Happy off whilst they fight him. Carla transforms into her human form in a full blown Sailor Moon style sequence whilst Wendy goes into dragon force.

Lucy tells Natsu that she is going to go rescue the girls in the dungeon she was previously held in. Natsu is worried about her going alone, but she says she is never alone because she has her spirits.

It cuts to Sonya who is still concerned about what Natsu said about the staff being filled with anger and unable to help. She picks it up and cries, just like Natsu did when he touched it. Animus says he wants the staff but she tells him it only brings sorrow.

Lucy rescues the girls from the dungeon (one of them is the badass lady who led the guards of Fiore) and Zash turns up. He confronts Lucy who summons Capricorn and then summons his stardress, which also has a cute transformation sequence! They use their sunglasses to block Zash’s mind control eyes. Virgo escorts the girls out whilst Capricorn attacks Zash, but Zash runs off.

Erza is fighting and transforms into the Heaven’s Wheel Armour, but the girl uses vibrations from her legs to stop all the swords from flying towards her.

Gray and Juvia are not doing well against the doll guy, either. He doesn’t seem to care about collateral damage and Juvia gets hurt protecting a little girl from a stray doll attack. Gray gets VERY angry that Juvia is hurt.

Wendy and Carla are not moving fast enough to escape their enemy who is flying after them as human!Carla carries Wendy. Carla declares they have to work as one and she drops Wendy whilst she stops and as the boy flies between them, Carla kicks him from above and Wendy from below which knocks him to the ground.

Meanwhile, Gray goes devil slayer and sucessfully attacks the dolls, much to the surprise of the guy controlling them, because he realises they are cursed and his devil slaying magic will hurt them. He still gets hurt by them, though, and gets trapped against a wall. Juvia spots this and imagines the dolls as women going after Gray and she lets out an attack shaped like a heart to defend Gray! Gray is impressed that she took them out, without hitting him in the process, and goes after the controller. When he defeats him he asks if Juvia is okay and she starts to respond but her words trail off when she realises Gray is naked!

Erza tries evading her attacker by going into the water. She is in a new armour but the woman attacking her fires a chain that wraps around her and she pulls Erza out of the water. She walks across the water towards her but as she does so Erza activates some sigils, in the shape of the seven stars that Jellal uses to summon his Grand Chariot spell that she’d placed in the water. She calls the spell and activates Grand Chariot, which defeats the lady.

(Some people have romantic dinners for dates, Erza and Jellal apparently embed his magic into armour for her to use for her own purposes)

Back to Sonya, she wants to hand the staff over to Animus, but Natsu appears and as he does so, Animus disappears. Natsu demands the staff from Sonya but as he does so, Animus reappears behind her and she freaks out realising that Animus is appearing in a MIRROR and that he is an image of herself. She realises they are the same person. She is overtaken by the Animus personality and attacks Natsu, whilst Happy grabs the staff. It is revealed that Animus is the dragon inside of Sonya. The dragon reveals that the staff has nothing to do with Stellanium, he wants to use it to be freed from Sonya’s body. Natsu mentions Igneel and the dragon gets mad because Igneel picked a compatible dragon slayer human to live inside and could leave whenever he wanted, but Animus picked a nearby dying girl and can’t leave of his own free will. Sonya manages to regain control and asks Natsu to take the staff and leave, but Zash appears and takes the staff first, declaring that he wants to use it to take revenge on Fiore.

The staff will release more power than dozens of ethernano blasts. He runs off, leaving the beast he rode in on behind and Happy, trying to protect everyone, stands up to the beast. He ends up breathing fire at it and defeating him, thanks to the power of the red fruit! Lucy turns up in her Virgo stardress and, as she does, the dragon inside Sonya finally manages to release itself. The dragon takes off after Zash and the staff and Natsu asks Lucy to take care of Happy and Sonya whilst he goes after it.

The dragon attacks Zash for the staff and Zash tries to use his evil eye on the dragon. Natsu is climbing up the outside of the tower Zash escaped up but, as he does, the mind controlled dragon attacks him. Zash uses the staff to awaken a bunch of Quartum Soldiers (manufactured soldiers described as fourth generation Dragon Slayers, created from slayer lacrima). They appear all over the city and attack the others.

The dragon’s attack missed Natsu, but blasted a hole in the side of the tower that Natsu jumps into so he can carry on chasing up to Zash. Zash then uses the Dragon Cry to activate sigils all over Stellar and Fiore where they will channel the anger in the staff into destruction. The dragon is chasing Natsu up the tower but Happy flies up, grabs him and they fly to the top. However, the power of the staff overwhelms Zash and destroys him.

Natsu goes after the staff and the dragon does, too, knocking it over the edge. Natsu uses a fire blast to get to it first and the dragon realises Natsu is a dragon slayer and attacks him. Natsu punches him and they fall to the ground. When the dust clears we see Natsu impaled on the dragon’s claws.

(WTF, stop letting people impale my precious baby!)

The dragon swallows the staff and Natsu is left unconscious on the floor in front of Lucy.

Sonya confronts the dragon and says that it has lost the shine of the Kingdom (the dragon has crystal features that look like Stellanium).

Meanwhile, Happy and Lucy are crying over Natsu trying to get him to wake up. A tear falls from Lucy and drops onto his face, rolling into his mouth. A series of images of the guild flashes through his mind with the final, most prominent one being Lucy skipping ahead of him on the streets of Magnolia and then turning back to him with a big, beautiful and soft smile on her face and looking really, really pretty. Natsu wakes up with that image to them still hovering over him and the dragon behind them.

The dragon swipes Sonya away and the dragon turns to confront Natsu ‘who wants to kill his kind’. Natsu responds that he doesn’t fight to kill dragons, he fights to protect his friends.’

Natsu attacks the dragon and engulfs him in flames whilst the dragon fires a laser beam at Natsu. Destruction is all around Natsu and as it clears, dragon features flicker in and out of his left hand side before staying. His dragonised form is VERY fast and he flies after the dragon. The dragon comments that he is no longer human but is the destroyer of evil E.N...Natsu cuts him off and says he is going to protect his friends and he doesn’t need his flesh or blood to do so (that he doesn’t care what he is). His dragonised form defeats the dragon and the staff is destroyed, which causes all the manufactured soldiers to collapse and the sigils to disappear.

Natsu gets up from the rubble and Lucy runs over to him. Natsu is looking at his hand and looking freaked out and frightened of himself. He turns to Lucy and asks her, much less playfully than he did earlier, ‘what do I look like to you?’. She responds with a beautiful soft and gentle smile, and repeats ‘Like Natsu, obviously!’. He falls into her chest and she hugs him.

Sonya approaches the dragon and thanks him for raising her. The dragon says it’s the first time he’s seen her smile and she replies that it’s the first time she has seen a dragon cry. The dragon fades away into a ribbon, that blows away whilst Lucy, holding Natsu’s head in her lap as he lies on the floor, watches.

Sonya approaches them and apologies for the actions of the dragon, saying it was like family to her. That they looked after each other and protected each other. Natsu sits up grabs Lucy and Happy into a tight hug and says that it sounds like a guild cause a guild is like family!

The movie ends there but there is a post credit scene I didn’t take notes of but remember pretty well. The human form of Acnologia sees the ribbon that blew away and remembers seeing it in the Dragon Tomb, when he killed a bunch of dragons for trying to eat a little girl. He apologises for not being able to save her and then wanders off to go kill more dragons. The crystal dragon drags himself over to the girl and says he can save them both if she tell him her name and she says ‘Sonya’. Back in the present the ribbon dissolves in Acnologia’s hand and we cut away to see Zeref, Brandish and Inveel watching Acnologia and declaring him their enemy.

[ladytrollfishes]

Lyrian: Remember what you lost

 You are Lyrian and you are five.

The church madame beckons to you, half asleep, her song fuzzy but gentle and well meaning. The other subbjugulators dream quietly on the floor, melodies of glee, pain, love, horror, even the monotonous hums of dreamless sleep. The air down in the church basement hangs heavy with sweet humidity and sweat, grease smears punctuating the walls, the floor, the furniture. 

 It’s not quite to your taste but it’s the closest you’ve ever felt to belonging. 

“Darl’ my ears caught word of a wriggler wandering through town wearin’ your sign,” she says. “You ought to take a look and see what’s down with this little clown and see what you can spin with that lonely little nug of yours.“ 

 You nod, and she falls back to sleep. 

Someone wearing your sign? You can’t imagine why but you don’t think it’s a good thing. It’s not hard to find him. People know you in this town, even if it was for being mostly quiet and kind of mean so all you have to do is follow the sounds of confusion, of passerby wondering who the heck he is. 

He turns to face you as you catch up with him, wary and on guard. Indigo, you note, as you stop, of your very same shade, his face free of paint, your sign on his chest and his horns a mirror’s view away from yours. Somewhere in your bones you know him. 

You know about ancestors, but he’s not older than you. Your first thought had been that someone was impersonating you but he clearly was his own person. Suddenly a dreadful hope seizes you, that this boy could be your friend. 

Half a second later, you hear a spark of joy, wonder, a rush of happiness. The boy steps forward and makes a gallant bow with a smile on his face. 

"Harmon,” he says, offering a hand. 

“Lyrian,” you say, taking it. 

You hear yourself echoed in his joyous song. You both do. 

———- 

Harmon makes more of an effort than you do. He flirts with the girl with a practiced ease. You can hear as well as he does how she’s responding. She’s leaning in, expecting more, so he tilts her chin up and kisses her on the nose.

You don’t know why he bothers, to be honest. It’s boring when you have the playbook that everyone wants, when you twist people to feel whatever you want in a game that’s all about feeling. 

He’s got a trail of people he’s talked to over the course of the early morning all eating out of his hand, like so many paper dolls dancing along his string. There are a few outliers, of course. Another corner-dweller, a sullen cerulean lady eyes him jealously while a hapless lowblood keeps stealing glances at her from the punch bowl. 

Everyone stays away from you.

You make people nervous and you prefer it that way. The only reason you came anyway was because Harmon wanted you to be here, and no one wanted to tell him his creepy signmate couldn’t come when he wanted her there. 

You sigh, putting your untouched drink to the side and leave. 

It’s not long before you hear worry follow you. He should really know better than that. 

“Go back to the party,” you say. “I’m fine." 

"I know,” he says. “But you weren’t having any fun. Well, except for the bit where you made that kid pee his pants." 

 You smile thinly. That was fun.

"I just wanted to say you don’t have to come to these things with me any more,” he says, putting an arm around your shoulder. You consider it. He hears you deliberating and he settles in when he hears you’ve made a decision, humming his own anticipation. 

“No,” you say. “I like spending the time with you, watching you work. In moderation though. It’s very noisy in there and I don’t know how you stand it.” He chuckles giving your shoulders a squeeze. 

“Alright,” he says. “I’ll head back now. See you soon." 

 ———- 

"I’ll see you next time, darling,” Malaph says with a drawl and a wink. 

You roll your eyes and scowl at him as he slides out of the building, back to whatever slimy pit he crawled out of. Harmon’s waiting for you in the lobby and you don’t need your powers to understand what he’s feeling. His mouth is dropped open, his eyes wide. 

“You like him,” Harmon says, astonished.

It’s been a long time since Harmon’s surprised you like this. You give him a look, echoing his song. He shakes his head, moving into something akin to excitement. 

“Well not like,” he says, rushed, “but you’re pitch for him.”

“I am not-” you start, but he raises a finger. You’re sure you blare displeasure but he drums on through, powering on with crashes of excitement. 

“I spend more time with people than you,” Harmon says. “I’ve had several people crush black on me-" 

"So have I-” you stutter, “I know-" 

"But you can’t hear yourself!” He exclaims. “You’ve never felt like this about anyone before!" 

You can’t help but scoff unbelievingly. He snaps again, looking at you with a melody of excited certainty and not a little bit of smugness, at which you roll your eyes.

"You’ll figure it out,” he says, unable to help himself, grinning, and then offers you an arm. 

You will most certainly not.

You take his arm anyway and together you leave the building. 

—- 

Harmon’s jealous. It’s a fast paced cello bass line, that’s been growing ever the louder in recent days, especially when you’ve spent more time around Malaph. 

Even when he’s not there, there’s always some smugness you hear in the background like he’s winning some ridiculous contest only he cares about, that you can always hear.

He snaps to attention, his song a nervous hum. 

“This was your idea,” you say. “I don’t know what you expected from this.”

He glances away, guilt humming. If he’s going to try to lie to you- the guilt changes to resignation and you raise an eyebrow, waiting for him to speak.

“I didn’t think you’d get this attached,” he says sullenly. “I don’t like him.”

“Neither do I,” you say exasperatedly. “We’re dating pitchwise. Liking him isn’t on the table. I don’t mind when you go on your little flings.”

You hear him sputter and protest before he opens his mouth to do it.

“But they’re not important,” he says. “Not the way he is to you.” 

Not the way we are to each other. 

Harmon’s still looking at you, desperate for affirmation. He’s really going to make you say it, isn’t he when he really should know how you feel about him better than anyone. 

You sigh and reach up to tuck a strand of his hair back in its place. 

“Obviously you’re both important to me,” you say. “But if I had to choose, I’d pick you.”

You stand there for a moment, your hand in his hair. You love him, also obviously. He should know that. 

“You’re being a fool,” you say instead. There’s no heat in your voice and probably not in your song either. “Please get over it.”

Harmon sighs and wraps his arms around you. He sounds like begrudging acceptance, which you’ll take. 

“Sorry,” he says. “I am playing myself for quite the fool. I’ll be careful not to do so anymore.”

Careful not to get any paint on his coat, you hug him back.

——–

You sit still, very still, in the lobby. Your hands are in your lap and you don’t look at anything in particular. One breath, and then another. That’s all you need right now. 

Your mentor goes through the paperwork with the legislacerators, murmuring by the desk table, a flurry of urgency and monotone boredom. 

“Lyrian?” Harmon approaches carefully, evening out his breathing, toning anxiety down into calm. 

You don’t snarl at him like you want to. You know he’s doing it because if he echoes you, you’ll end up in a feedback loop, and if he’s doing that, you must sound very terrible indeed. 

“What are you doing here?” you ask him quietly. 

 "I was passing by and I heard you from outside,“ he replies, sitting next to you. "What happened?" 

You don’t answer him. To say those words would be too heavy, the stitches holding together the hole in your chest too fragile to bear its weight. 

Harmon’s song chimes with soft understanding. You assume he knows what loss sounds like. He knows there’s only one person besides him you feel anything for. 

He settles next to you. His song pangs gently, an echoed hurt.

“What will you do?” he asks you quietly. 

“I will make everyone involved pay dearly,” you reply, just as quiet. If you let any control slip from you now, you will lose it entirely. Unacceptable, especially in public. 

He nods and his song swells with a soft determination in support of you. He will always have your back, you know. 

“Next time you notice me getting attached to someone, Harmon,” you say, “don’t tell me.” 

He stills and goes quiet, his melody reduced to a heart beat’s thump of worry. It’s somber when it restarts. 

“Alright,” he says. “It’s just you and me.” 

——

It’s just you. 

You’ve been spending time in uncharacteristic places. Bars, parties, sports games- loud, roiling places with the cacophony that is the whole emotional spectrum at once. It’s unbearably loud, threatening to overwhelm you but it’s more bearable than the silence. 

You never realized that you had spent so much time with Harmon that you had developed a constant ear for him. It was as subtle as a heart beat and its loss has left you bewildered. 

You buy earphones and a music player and never remove them until you return to work. It’s unprofessional, and you need your hearing to do your job properly. 

You step into your office for the first time since you’ve been declared fit to work. It’s large and sterile, a display of power in a city cramped for space. It used to mean something to you. 

It is silent here. 

Your throat closes up as something breaks inside you again, you thought you were done with this, with the break downs and the tears and the screaming and the pain, that unbearable, untouchable pain. 

When you’re breathing normally again, you’ve broken your office as well. You’ve thrown your bookshelves to the floor, your coffee table snapped clean in half, the pots holding fake office plants embedded into the dry wall. Your throat hurts, and you’ve ruined your paint again. 

You can’t continue like this. You thought you could handle coming back to work, but no, you need a change. 

When Malaph died, you had suspects in custody. You had a job to do. You had your revenge. You would have it again. 

But as the facts of the case revealed themselves, you’ve come to realize the pissblood who killed him was beyond your reach now. You take a deep breath as you find your path in front of you, and you feel yourself turn cold. Perfect. 

You clean up, redoing your paint, and go back down the stairs. 

“I quit,” you say, dropping your keys on the front desk to the shock of your secretary. You hear her stutter, but you don’t turn back to look at her as you head out, less than an hour since you arrived. 

You have a job to do.

[bitterbuttercups]

Review: Beach Beasties Draculaura and Lagoona Blue, and Gloom Beach Frankie Stein

Yesterday, on the way to dinner, we passed a Five and Under and I found these three girls on sale and couldn’t resist! I had so much fun with my last review I knew I had to talk about these, too.

Kala Mer’ri and Posea Reef, who I reviewed previously had much nicer and more exciting packaging than these three, but, the simplicity of the window box feels intentional here.

I’m not as much of a fan of the pink body colour she has, it feels very generic somehow, but i do love how bright and fun her hair and her bathing suit is.

First thing I noticed with Frankie was that instead of her stitches being molded plastic, they’re bright and painted! That’s cool!

And Lagoona, oh my goodness. I’m in love with her bathing suit! Teal and red is my absolute favourite colour scheme. 

The backdrop for Draculaura and Lagoona is a mostly monochrome blue  with an off center coffin shape frame. I found it really easy to get out of the package, too! the bottom isn’t sealed as you can see, so I just ran a finger under the plastic and it popped right off. Most of the plastic ties holding them down were fine and not terrifically intrusive, but I was very dismayed to again see plastic ties in her head attached to the carboard. What am I supposed to do with that? Cutting them risks cutting her hair and even then leaves nasty little pointy plastic pieces embedded in her head. I don’t like it and I wish they would find a better way to secure their heads.

Frankie’s Gloom Beach box is similar, in that it’s also monochrome and has the coffin shaped frame, but it’s yellow instead of blue, and has a sandcastle at the front and an appropriate skullete in the background. I think I like Frankie’s more.

But we can only talk about one at time, so I’m going to start with Lagoona. I like the art on her box. She’s got a little hang ten thing going on. I wonder if Lagoona likes to surf? It does seem like a sea monster girl’s hobby. 

I think the back of her box is nice. It’s very simplistic compared to some other boxes I’ve seen, but since the front was also pretty simple, I think it works.

I kind of expected this to have information on Lagoona herself instead of just the line, but I guess that’s fine. I think it’s a little weird though, that since Lagoona and Draculaura have the same excerpt on the back of their boxes, it should have larger text so that it could fill up the entire box. It looks a little unfinished- or at least, it looks like the box was made seperately than the text, so I expected their boxes to say different things, but they don’t.

You know, I do have a lot of problems with the body images fashion dolls promote. I am unhappy with how boy dolls are thicker than girl dolls and how skinny girl dolls are, but I do respect that Monster High pushes inclusion and uniqueness in such a genuine sense. I’ve seen Monster High dolls with artificial limbs and even a doll in a wheelchair, and I read the back of my Posea Reef box and it looks like she has ADHD. I have ADHD! I thought that was really nice and it made me smile. 

There’s also a picture of Draculaura from this set, who I also got, and Venus McFlytrap, who I really wish I had! I grew up in Cape Fear, the only place in the world the Venus Flytrap is native to. I like her colours and her fuzzy undercut. I do think her name could have been a little more creative though. Venus is a perfectly good name, but McFlytrap isn’t exactly a pun or anything.

And there’s Lagoona herself, out of the box!

She has grey-blue skin with fins on her arms and legs, and straw-gold hair with cerulean streaks.

She’s got a soft, clear plastic headband and a pair of hard clear plastic sunglasses. It looks like she has a small button nose and large lips, but we’ll get a better look at her when we get her accessories off.

And oh but my favourite part of Lagoona is her arms and hands! Her arms below the elbow and her hands are cast in clear blue plastic and then painted to match her skin tone, except for the webbing between her fingers and the fins on her arms. I know in my last review I said I don’t like webbed hands but the reason I don’t is that it makes hands look blobby and vague, but this is such a neat gimmick! All her fingers are still visible and individual and I am a HUGE sucker for clear plastic.

She also has clear plastic detachable fins on her legs. 

They peg in and out so that you can get pants over her legs, which makes sense. I can imagine I’m going to lose them within an hour, though, which has me wary. They also have different pegs so you can’t put them in the wrong leg.

She’s also got bright orange clear plastic shoes. They’re made of soft vinyl so the thinner parts are flexible, but the thicker parts are not. These are wedge sandals. I wish she could wear some truly beachy flip flops, but fashion feet stand on their tip toes and she can’t really wear flats. Or stand on her own. Try as I might I could not get any of these three to stand on their own during this review, and I don’t own a doll stand and they didn’t come with any. So I leaned them against my backdrop for the most of this.

Her bating suit is a cute pattern. Lots of little swirls, and some little tentacles and fishes which go with her sea monster theme. 

The ruffle on Lagoona’s shoulder is very cute with a double tier of pink polka dotted teal ruffled fabric with a line of clear red plastic sewn on. My only problem with this design is that I feel like it would look better if the lower side was a little higher, so that the plastic was above her bust. Having the fabric cover her bust there seems a little accidental looking, and initially I thought it was when I was redressing her. It’s not that bad, I just think it would look better that way.

It velcros shut at the back and layers pretty flat. It also has puffy little plastic circles around her thighs. I like those too! They have a lot of character.

Her head accessories are all tied on with plastic bands. A lot of them, actually. Lagoona’s head is hard and filled with glue. it doesn’t turn well and cannot look up or down.

There’s even more on the back. Her glasses don’t really loop around anything, they just sort of stay on her head by pressing against the sides. they’re okay- they’ll definitely stay on for a photograph, but not for much playtime. Her hairband has a peg at the back. It stays pretty solidly pegged in which is nice.

She also comes with a green clear plastic shell shaped purse. It’s made of soft plastic so it opens easily. I think it’s very cute, and usually I would wish for some paint apps, but I am a sucker for clear plastic, especially soft clear plastic and I love it as its. It’s got lots of nice details- the row of pearls at the bottom and for the handle, the little stars (starfish?) where the pearls attacks, and the little ribbings along the shells bumps.

I found her hand a little annoying to get through the bag loop- It was of course very easy to get on by taking her hand off and sliding her wrist through, but the opening is big enough to fit her hand through without taking it off, meaning it can slide off after you’ve put her arm through. I wish it would either be a little bigger of an opening so she could pick it up easier or a little smaller so she could hold it better, instead of just being pretty okay at both. It’s not a major complaint, but it is something I noticed.

I took off her accessories and let her hair down. I was a little annoyed by the gel in her hair. It made it stiff and unpleasant to brush- it was only on the underside, but I didn’t like it. I should probably wash it, but I don’t really feel like doing that right now. Washing hair is a big to do for me.

Other than that, her hair is pretty soft. It’s also layered, so parts of it are shorter than others.

From the front, I think her eyes are a little unfocused. I like her pink-lavendar-blue eyeshadow and I love the little blue highlight under her eye. She also has shimmery eyeshadow below her eyebrows, and those I’m less favourable towards. I don’t know where the purple comes from? The shape is nice but she has yellow and blue hair. So, uh? what? alright.

Her freackles are maybe a little dark. They lightened them for her packaging art and I can kind of see why. Maybe if she had some spots on her nose it would look better. It doesn’t look terrible though. I like her eyeshadow though, the bottom of it looks a little like fishy fin webbing, which is neat. I thought monster high eyes usually had a line-dot style of reflection, but this is two small dots. I like the lines better.

She has very large pink lips and I actually like these. Sometimes the pointy corners of the lipstick doesn’t match the edges of a girl’s lips and it looks weird up close. Lagoona’s looks nice though. Her nose is super small though. small and flat. 

yeesh. and from a profile, her nose looks creepy and alien. Her forehead feels too long and her face is so flat. I don’t like it. #GiveLagoonaANose2K17

It doesn’t look much better at a three quarter profile. Her lips still look nice but her nose just. It all falls apart in the center of her face.

Also, check it out! She has cute little fishy fin ears!

And here she is without her bathing suit. I like her leg fins, but I’m not sure the plastic actually matches the colour of her arm plastic.

I also noticed Lagoona has some information stamped between her upper shoulders. 

Hey! This is my first doll with feet and my third aquatic girl, funnily enough. She has those fashion feet and can’t stand on her own. I wish she could wear flats. :( I understand it’s easier for shoes and for molding and heels are more versatile and all kinds of stuff, but, I just like flats. And I don’t like heels. I get it, I do, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

And wow, she sure has some detail! her ankle is visible even from the front and all her toes have been molded and shaped. It’s pretty neat, actually- I remember my childhood barbies all had Lumps for feet.

She’s got molded panties, too, with a little checkered diamond pattern. They do this for modesty purposes, which makes sense. 

they do mold their butts, though. Also, Lagoona has a little extra plastic on hers.

Speaking of defects, she also has a little plastic rub on her forearm. You can really see the colour difference between her arm paint and the upper arm plastic here- it’s not very noticeable in real life, but it is in photos.

I really like the detail monster high dolls have in their bodies- she has smooth little collarbones and a belly button and I really think it goes the extra mile. Plain dolls with flat upper chests and tummies look very weird to me in an uncanny valley type way.

Here’s everything she came with! Her bathing suit, her headband, sunglasses, purse, shoes, and towel- which had one white stitch of fabric holding it together I needed to cut.

I wish her towel was wider. She can’t like, wear it like a bath towl, which is unfortunate I think. It’s a nice set piece to lay her on or put i her bag, but, come on, one more inch.

At this point I put her hair up in a ponytail except for the front parts. I think it looks really cute, even with the weird little wave in the middle.

It almost looks like it’s flowing over her shoulders, but, it’s just a very conveniently placed kink. She can hang out like that for awhile until I wanna take more pictures of her.

Next up is Draculaura! I love the pun in her name but I think it’s odd she’s like, the only one with no last name!

It says the same thing as Lagoona’s, except that she’s the daughter of Dracula.

This one has another picture of Venus (wistful sigh) and Lagoona, who I just finished talking about!

Pink is my favourite colour! I love bright bright pink. My hair is that colour, my car is that colour. If they let you buy it in pink I buy it in pink. However I don’t think bright pink and light pink go well together. So I love her hair and her outfit, but, her skin feels off, like it doesn’t really match.

Draculaura also cannot stand. She’s kissing the wall a lil bit.

It looks like she has a sharp face, and I like it. I also love her hair- I love the curly pigtails and while a lot of people hate bangs on dolls? I’m into it.

I think her hair is split nicely- the plugs are crossed so you can’t see her plastic head.

Look how cute her bathing suit is! White and black distressed stripes with hot pink bat outlines and pink ruffles along the thighs and the neck, down past the bust to a hot pink palstic waist bow. I love everything about this swimsuit, 10/10 character appropriate and with a great colour scheme and design.

The back of her swimsuit velcros shut.

She’s wearing hot pink heels with a little ribbon around her ankle and a bow on the toe. There’s a slit on the back I forgot to take a photo of, making it easier to get off her foot, but, her shoe is a little finnicky to get off.

She’s got a very sassy face! I like the shape.

Very pink

very pink.

Draculaura also has molded panties, but I think these are actually dots, not diamonds? My Draculaura has these two blue black dots on her right hip. They won’t come off.

Maybe they are diamonds? I’m not sure. They look a little different from Lagoona’s, but maybe I’m seeing things.

Let’s take a look at your pretty face!

She also has a button nose like Lagoona, but hers is more pronounced and her forehead is shorter. She has thin eyes and very pronounced eyelids and very sharp dark eyelashes. Her eyes are purple and these have the white streaks. She also has medium brown eyebrows, a red heart on her cheek, and bright red lipstick with white fangs. 

You know, I like the shape of everything here but not the colour. Why does she have such large brown eye shadow? Why brown? Brown might go with her light pink skin but certainly not with the otherwise bright pink colour scheme of her hair and her clothes. It’s a little weird and doesn’t match I think. Also, again, with the eyebrows! Why are they brown? I like her lips and her lip colour- usually pink and red don’t go togehter, but it’s okay here.

She has a much nicer profile than Lagoona does. I think this looks fine, but her brown eye makeup could at least be pointy, couldn’t it? I guess not.

She has a nice three quarter profile. 

Here’s everything she came with. Her swimsuit, her shoes (would you wear those to the beach?), her sunglasses, her sunscreen, her totebag, and her towel. I really like her towel- it matches her bathing suit by essentially being the exact opposite of it. Her tote has the same problem Lagoona’s does, though.

I especially like her little sunscreen bottle hehe. The black design is printed directly n so its not a sticker, which is cool. It says “SPF: 500,”Which is super appropriate, because she’s a vampire, hanging out at the beach. Haha.

And there’s Frankie! I think she’s the main character of the line. She’s front and center on the website and she’s in all the movies. I like her personality. Frankie is outgoing and likeable and is always trying to help people and make new friends. I think she’s a very good role model for young girls.

She also came with this cute postcard!

Aw, it’s to Ghoulia. I think this is a really sweet little postcard.

And there she is out of her box!

I took off her sunglasses to turn her around because I found them very cumbersome- they’re shaped like lightning bolts which makes her hair ruffle up around them as they get caught in the corners.

I like her eye focus a lot, she doesn’t look cross eyed like some other dolls do.

I think her bathing suit is really cute and matches her electricity theme well. It’s also a little offbeat with the blue and yellow stripes and the tartan- but it all still looks very cohesive! Her wrap is very annoying to deal with because it keeps sliding up her waist, but it looks really really nice.

It velcros very low on her back and you can see the problem this outfit has. Her shoulder straps came with a plastic band tying them together and I can see why- they will NOT stop slipping down her shoulders. I wish they’d just made it a higher cut back.

Well would ya just LOOK at that sweet face! She’s really been designed to look friendly. A wider button nose and a big round chin and very gentle eyes. I like her lipstick especially- it really really matches everything well. I think her heterochromia is super fun! And I like the bluegreen eyeshadow she’s wearing. She also has the white flecks of light in her eyes and some purplish dots? It doesn’t show up well in her green eye. She’s also got brown eyelashes. Again, I’m confused by this. She has has a little line of frankenstein stitches on her right cheek. They don’t look like the ones on her body, but I can see why- those would probably look very intrusive on her face.

And hey, oh my goodness! She has little earrings that match her neck bolts.

Frankie has a good profile with pouty lips, a nice sized forehead, and a round nose. I think her eye rounds oddly from this angle, but I love her jaw! It makes it look like she has a little babyfat in her cheeks.

The stitches on her neck and body use a reflective silver paint and then a black outline. They are not molded to her body but I actually like them a lot like this and probably prefer them. She also has steel coloured neck bolts!

Her sunglasses are really annoying to mess with but they look really nice. A nice bright blue with electric bolts on the sides. I love clear plastic haha

I also really love her sandles. The paint is a little messy but it’s also fun. She has black wedgish sandals with yellow straps and bright blue buckles.

You can see them a lot better from this angle.

and oh my god! I thought EAH had my favourite hands.... holy cow! Look at them. They’re gentle and delicate.

very soft palms.

and just look at this. it’s beautiful and artistic. It reminds me of a Renaissance painting.

She can actually sit up on her own quite nicely! She doesn’t need any support for that.

But she can’t really bend her knees much.

I was half expecting her to have a secret line of stitches somewhere!

I like her pale green body. It’s not quite mint, but it’s not gross.

Her hips look very weird when you pull them apart though!

Here’s everything she came with! (I realized too later her bathing suit was inside out, sorry) Her bathing suit, her sandals, her wrap, her brush, her sunglasses, her hairband (which I found SUPER difficult to unsnap and open), and her bag. I like her bag, but it doesn’t seem very beachy to me, even though its very detailed and looks good with her.

but you know what the best part of dolls are? Playing with their clothes!

First up, here’s Lagoona in Frankie’s outfit!

And then Lagoona in Draculaura’s!

Draculaura in Frankie’s outfit!

And Draculaura in Lagoona’s outfit!

Frankie in Lagoona’s outfit!

And lastly, Frankie in Draculaura’s outfit!

Aaaand just a few group shots. :)

Final thoughts:

These three dolls cannot stand on their own and all three have very hard heads, though Lagoona’s is the worst. They are not as articulated as some other dolls, but they move well enough for nice photos and fun play, and they have really nice outfits unique to their characters! I think they are fun to play with, but I also think that because they have a beach theme their outfits are simpler than some other dolls and that they have fun colours and shapes and faces and I really enjoy them. I hope I find more at the next Five and Under I stop at!

[ringcicatrix]

Circles and Circles

Words: 1747

cws: haunted/cursed dolls

Part 2

Ryou hadn’t remembered returning to the museum at night, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know why he was there. No- if anything, his lack of memory explained more than enough, and he could only let out a sigh.

Well, he managed to think with a hint of sarcasm, at least the spirit knew to dress properly.

The closing ceremony was nice- or at least, it should’ve been. Everything looked as if it was going to be a quiet and peaceful send-off to a pleasant evening... until the doors slammed shut, and a new voice declared they were all stuck here.

Now, for most people, being trapped inside a museum with a bunch of killer artworks would’ve sounded like a bad thing. However, Ryou Bakura was not most people. He’d always been quite fascinated by the scary and occult, and a good number of cards in his deck were based on haunted paintings and living dolls. Not to mention he was haunted by a malicious spirit… one who seemed to be quite enjoying this turn of events.

“Ha! I thought this was a little boring, I’m glad they’ve decided to finally make things interesting!”

‘Why does ‘interesting’ have to equate with ‘violent’ for you?’

“Oh please, host, you know that’s not true. I have other hobbies.”

‘Such as…?’

“Well, I do enjoy a good game.”

‘The games you play aren’t good. You cheat.’

“It only counts as cheating if I get caught.”

Ryou snorted, rolling his eyes and ignoring the glances a few others shot his way. He wasn’t the only one that had kept calm, but he figured his response must’ve come across as a bit condescending, considering the fact that nobody else could hear the spirit.

“Well? Don’t tell me you intend to be a sitting duck for this killer art.”

‘Of course not.’ Sighing, Ryou reached for a knife he knew the spirit kept hidden on him, and paused. ‘The art here was indestructible before. I… doubt this will do much.’

“Hmm… for once you make a good point, host.” The spirit laughed, and Ryou could almost feel his overconfident smirk work its way onto his face. Weird. “What about tools? This place is full of them. If this is a game, then there has to be rules to it.”

‘What makes you so certain it isn’t just hide and seek? Or killer tag?’

“Because that wouldn’t be a very fun game, now would it? You always have to leave a hope of survival.”

‘…and you’d know better than most.’

Ryou ignored the shiver down his spine as his mind dwelled on the games of Monster World, of friends in comas, of his own temporary death. The spirit claimed he’d changed, but Ryou hadn’t forgiven him for any of that- he wasn’t even certain if the spirit actually regretted it. It seemed more in-character for him to merely regret that he’d lost.

But either way, the spirit was actually communicating with him now, and he’d still take that over inexplicable blackouts and friends in comas. They’d all miraculously recovered, so everything was fine now. At least in a surface-level meaning of the word, anyways.

He wasn’t entirely certain which one of them had been in control of the body, a sensation that was truly unnerving, but they’d somehow ended up near the doll parlor. They hadn’t gone inside, regardless of how much Ryou dearly wanted to- he couldn’t help it. Sure, the dolls would’ve all been murderous, but they were haunted dolls. It was like a horror movie come true, so it was incredibly exciting to the young man.

“And you think I’m strange.” The thief’s laugh echoed in Ryou’s mind, once more prompting an eye-roll. It wasn’t until the mirth sharpened that Ryou was drawn out of his mild irritation, eyes scanning the area around him. “Host. In the darkness there.”

He didn’t question how the thief could see anything in the deep shadows of the hallway- after all, it fit the darkness to know what lay in the shadows. His own eyes strained to see, and after a half a second it felt obvious what he was looking at. Piercing yellow eyes cut through the darkness, staring at him with a dangerously cool expression. In her arms was a marionette of a child, head broken apart, letting out a bone-chilling laugh.

“Oh, hello there.”

“Host, are you an idiot? She might be just a doll right now, but she’s one of the strongest monsters in our deck—”

‘First of all, it’s my deck, spirit. And secondly, she doesn’t seem hostile.’

“So you think. You should know that her greatest strength comes about after being sent to the graveyard, host.”

“Of course I do.” Ryou sighed, responding out loud, before smiling at the doll of his beloved monster. He didn’t feel like he had quite a signature card, like Yugi could claim about Dark Magician or Kaiba with his Blue-Eyes White Dragons, but Dark Necrofear felt about the same for him. She was one of the backbones of his occult deck, and beyond even that, he just… cared about the card. Much like Change of Heart, it was a favourite of his. “Hello there. If you’re intent on attacking me, I don’t plan on sitting still, but it would be nice if you didn’t.”

The doll didn’t move, though the marionette in her arms continued to laugh. It was delightfully creepy, and he couldn’t help but wonder how Jounouchi would’ve responded. He really didn’t enjoy horror- his response might’ve been funny to watch. Though… it was probably mean to think so.

“Hah. I think I’m rubbing off on you, host.”

“I certainly hope not…” Ryou sighed, before the smile returned to his face as he looked at the doll. “Well… may I take your lack of attacking as a sign of peace?”

He certainly hoped as much. His hopes appeared to be dashed as the doll suddenly jerked forwards, the boy bracing himself for an impact- one that never came. Instead, there was a sound behind him of ripping fabric, and he turned in time to see some sort of stuffed animal lying on the ground, ripped apart at the seams.

“Did you… save me?”

Dark Necrofear didn’t move, but the marionette in her arms seemed to be laughing in affirmation this time.

“Huh. Well, I’ll be damned.”

‘You already were.’

“Nobody likes a smartass, host.”

“Well, thank you.” Ryou decided to ignore the spirit for now, not wanting to point out the fact that the spirit was constantly being an ass. After all, he still had control of his body, and he’d like to keep it that way for now. “Would you mind if I picked you up? You were moving quickly there, but it might be easier for the both of us if I let you sit on my shoulder, or something along those lines.”

The marionette nodded agreeably, and Ryou smiled once more. Gently, he placed the doll onto his shoulder- she stood tall, only turning her head for a moment to acknowledge the boy who’d put such care and effort into creating her small form.

“Now,” he spoke aloud to both Dark Necrofear and the spirit, “it seems like undoing the stitching on that stuffed doll was enough to deal with it. So I would imagine that theory about using tools might hold some weight to it.”

“So perhaps you should take a bit more consideration into my ideas then, host.”

“I’ll think about it. Anyways, The knife we have- which I don’t appreciate you hiding on me- should be enough to deal with any stuffed dolls, alongside Dark Necrofear. But I highly doubt it’ll do anything against most of the other stuff here. We’ll need to find more tools.”

As if on cue, he felt the ring stir from where it was resting under his shirt. Carefully he pulled it out, watching as the little spines on the end shook and jittered, before finally the central one pointed down the hall in the opposite direction from where they’d been headed.

“Just this once, we can collaborate. A hammer should be more than enough to deal with the statues, and the ring’s already found one, so follow it. No fucking clue what’ll deal with those painted freaks, though.”

“Odd to see you so agreeable.”

“We’ve no guarantee that your little creations will see me as amicably as they do you.”

“Fair enough.”

“What. Not going to ask her to be kind to me as well?”

“Hmm… I’ll think about it.”

“Host, if we get into a fight and you die, that will be on you then. Got it?”

“You really are just the worst sometimes.” Ryou sighed, grateful that Dark Necrofear didn’t seem to mind the way he was talking to himself. He was keeping to the shadows as best he could, following the ring as it guided them towards whatever hammer the spirit of the ring had deemed useful. “Fine. Dark Necrofear- if I happen to change and start acting differently, please don’t attack? Though, if he tries to harm another person, you can stop him.”

“What, don’t you trust me?”

‘You really do not want me to answer that question.’

The spirit’s cackling laughter rung in Ryou’s ears, and he did his best not to wince at the sound. He could be so annoyingly loud sometimes, it really just wasn’t fair. However, much to his surprise, he didn’t immediately black out after asking Dark Necrofear to be nice. He imagined it had to be due to the fact that the spirit never really cared for busywork- the things that bored him and amused him could be a mystery to Ryou, even though they shared a body.

“I wonder… do you think paint thinner could work? It may erase the ‘paintings’ well enough, considering I doubt we’d be able to simply slash the canvas apart.”

“Hmm… that could do it. But first things first, the hammer. We’re getting close to it.”

“Right.”

Silent footsteps made their way down the halls of the museum, the ghost-like boy sticking to the shadows as best he could. He didn’t want to draw the attention of patrons or paintings, just wanting to sneak along and stay safe. It was shocking how easily his snow-white hair could melt into the shadows once he forced himself to calm down, pulling his earlier loose ponytail into a tight bun.

For now, just get to the hammer. They’d figure out what to do next after that.

[inloveandwords]

March is definitely going to be an interesting reading month for a couple of reasons.

First of all, I have SO many new books that I’ve been wanting to read for a really long time, and many of them are on this list.

But, most notably, I am participating in my second-ever readathon!

The Buzzword Readathon is hosted by Books and Lala and Chelsea Dolling Reads over on BookTube.

This is a super fun readathon where you are given a buzzword (or six in this case!) and you have to read as many books as you can that contain that buzzword. This month’s buzzwords are:

Who

What

Where

When

Why

How

You can find out more about it here.

In this reading list, however, I will not be going over my Buzzword Readathon books, I’ll be saving that for a separate post.

Instead, I’m just listing the books that I plan to read this month ASIDE from the books I choose for the readathon.

If you want more details about why I chose these books, check out the video here:

Otherwise you can find my reading list (along with the synopsis and links to Goodreads) below.

March Reading List

These are all books that I own and want to read this month! Titles link to Goodreads.

This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills

Sloane isn’t expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so all-consuming. Yet that’s exactly what happens.

Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera’s twin brother and the most serious person Sloane’s ever met. When a beloved painting by the twins’ late mother goes missing, Sloane takes on the responsibility of tracking it down, a journey that takes her across state lines—and ever deeper into the twins’ lives.

Filled with intense and important friendships, a wonderful warts-and-all family, shiveringly good romantic developments, and sharp, witty dialogue, this story is about finding the people you never knew you needed.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

Can you love someone you can never touch?

Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.

The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.

Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.

What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?

Circe by Madeline Miller

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

Etiquette and Espionage (Finishing School #1) by Gail Carriger

It’s one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It’s quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners–and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine’s, young ladies learn to finish…everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage–in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year’s education.

Stalking Jack the Ripper (Stalking Jack the Ripper #1) by Kerri Maniscalco

Presented by James Patterson’s new children’s imprint, this deliciously creepy horror novel has a storyline inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion…

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

The story’s shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling, #1 New York Times bestselling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

Author Maureen Johnson weaves a tale of murder and mystery in the first book of a new series.

Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. “A place” he said, “where learning is a game.”

Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym, Truly Devious. It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history.

True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester. But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder.

Vicious by VE Schwab

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

Sadie by Courtney Summers

A missing girl on a journey of revenge. A Serial―like podcast following the clues she’s left behind. And an ending you won’t be able to stop talking about.

Sadie hasn’t had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she’s been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie’s entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.

When West McCray―a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America―overhears Sadie’s story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie’s journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it’s too late.

Courtney Summers has written the breakout book of her career. Sadie is propulsive and harrowing and will keep you riveted until the last page.

Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher

When reclusive novelist Senna Richards wakes up on her thirty-third birthday, everything has changed. Caged behind an electrical fence, locked in a house in the middle of the snow, Senna is left to decode the clues to find out why she was taken. If she wants her freedom, she has to take a close look at her past. But, her past has a heartbeat… and her kidnapper is nowhere to be found. With her survival hanging by a thread, Senna soon realizes this is a game. A dangerous one. Only the truth can set her free.

    What are you reading this month?

Reading List: March 2019 + {New Video} March is definitely going to be an interesting reading month for a couple of reasons. First of all, I have SO many new books that I've been wanting to read for a really long time, and many of them are on this list.