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nuttytani · 10 months ago

Text

Farewell, My Dear Boomer Lord

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Pairing: Tartaglia | Childe x Zhongli and Xiao x Aether

Premise: Genshin Impact is back with a new addition to their movie franchise, with a talented and an exciting cast. What are you waiting for? Come find out who they are!

A/N: This is a social media au fic, except in text form... Just crossposting it from my ao3 (which you can read it here if you'd like!!)

next chapter

Ch. 1 Breaking news! Farewell Archaic Lord to be released!!!

Genshin ✓ . @ genshinimpact

Who’s ready for the upcoming Liyue Arc? Get ready for the premiere of the movie, Farewell Archaic Lord on the 20th of January! Stay tuned to meet new characters.

[ Attached : A movie poster with the Traveler wearing a white and yellow hanfu. Behind him are 2 looming figures in the back. One with bright ginger hair and the other a brunet. ]

| emily . @ meetemaaaa

Oh my god

| Jared . @ uuu2345

OMG

| Lemons . @ lifegivesyoulemons

Omg omg omg-

| HELLCAT . @ timmiespigeons

IT’S OUTTTTTTTTTTTTTT HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!

| Trailblazer . @ stelleeeeeee

DHIUHDIUEWHDIUHDEW GUYS GUYS GUYS, THE LIYUE ARC IS COMING OUT SOON OMG

| xingqi . @ notanpc

Those dudes at THE BACK MARRY MEEEEEEEEEEE YAYAYAYAYAAY

| Charlotte . @ therealcharlotte

FUUUUUUCK STEP ON ME DADDY- ESPECIALLY THE DUDE WITH THOSE GOLDEN EYES OMG HE LOOKS HOT DILF

Show replies

—

Paimon ✓ . @ paimonispaimon

Welcome, newcomers to the Genshin Impact fandom! Wondering what in tarnation this new Liyue Arc is? When and where can you watch this movie? Are there any previous parts? Well, look no further as I, Paimon, shall tell you everything that you need to know.

Genshin Impact is a fantasy movie series that follows the journey of its main protagonist, beginning with the first part titled "The Outlander Who Caught the Wind" (Mondstadt Arc for short) and now includes a follow up story called “Farewell Archaic Lord” (Liyue arc for short).

Traveler, who is the main protagonist, is thrown into a foreign universe and sets out to find his lost twin sister. As the story progresses, the traveler finds himself wrapped up in the troubles of each nation that he sets foot on (Quite the sorry fellow, don’t you think? He just wants to find his sister…). Each movie is and will be based on the nations that the traveler has been to and the nefarious plotting of villains. The storyline centres on the nations visited by the Traveler and the people that he meets along the way. I won't reveal any spoilers, so that's all I'll say for now.

Unfortunately, as of this post, the Liyue arc has not yet been released — but in the meantime, why not have a look at the first movie? It is currently available on official streaming sites such as Hoyoflix, Adventurer+, Simulation World Prime Video and many more! And aren’t you the luckiest people, the Mondstadt arc is actually being played in the cinemas for next two weeks! Go grab your tickets now~

| Trailblazer . @ Stelleeeeeee

Ummmm you’ve literally mentioned nothing about the Liyue arc tho- “imma tell you all the things that you need to know” pffft

| Caribert . @ dontlookinthemirror

replying to @ Stelleeeeeee

OP doesn’t want to spoil the story for the newcomers, read properly before commenting smh. Plus, the movie isn’t even out yet??? What the hell is OP going to talk about??? Go touch some grass

| Pompom ✓ . @ conductorpompom

Replying to @ dontlookinthemirror

The previous commenter is only joking, calm down

Show replies

—

Genshin ✓ . @ genshinimpact

First teaser out for “Farewell Archaic Lord!”

[ Attached : Link for the teaser, thumbnail depicts a ginger man with long hair, wearing a beautiful black and red hanfu. He is holding blades made of translucent, water-like daggers. ]

—

Katherine ✓ . @ yourfavrobot

TEASER FOR THE LIYUE ARC IS OUT, LET’S BREAK IT DOWN, FELLOW COMRADES! (for those who can’t watch the video, don't worry, I got your back.)

First off, we see the traveler setting foot in Liyue and he wanders around. The locals are all flocking to the central area, some kind of a big incense is placed down and we see a few prominent figures surrounding it and bringing offerings. No names yet for the figures, but we have learned that one of them is referred to as the Tianquan (a lady with silver hair, wearing luxurious golden and phoenix patterned hanfu).

Scene cuts to ocean waves roaring down the wharf of Liyue like crazy (tsunami level crazy) while a man with weirdly glinting golden eyes, clad in dark brown and gold robes, sits on a dainty little seat and drinks his tea, amidst all the chaos. Mister - idk but why are you drinking tea in the middle of a natural disaster??? Questions, so many questions...

Scene cuts again, to a young man with ginger hair, wearing black and red hanfu (super pretty guy btw just who is the actor???). He swiftly moves around to give us a cheeky smile, teeth and all, and summons.. WATER BLADES! HE SUMMONS WATER BLADES! How is that even possible?! (movie logic ofc).

All in all, I’m left with even more questions. The golden-eyed man seems suspicious - and so does the man with the ginger hair. Both dangerously pretty btw.

| capybara. @ capybararara

This is definitely a teaser alright. Who are these actors? I need to know. Just look at them. I mean Mondstadt also had super pretty people like that cavalry captain with the eyepatch but BUT OOOOOOOH I SEE SO MANY MOMMIES HERE I LOVE I LOVE.

| Otto . @ imnotluocha

Liyue basically feels like some xianxia au lol, not that I’m complaining. Look at all those impractical fanservice hanfu. That dude with ginger hair looks impeccable, also, why does he give off dangerous vibes?? Please don’t be a villain

| Qingque . @ slackingoff

replying to @ imnotluocha

Yes villain. I’m all for sexy villains here.

| Kusogaki . @ i_am_god

Why is no one talking about the strange brunet? He could also be a villain, I mean look at those eyes. It doesn’t feel normal. Plus HE WAS DRINKING TEA IN A MIDDLE OF TSUNAMI. I don’t know if he is dumb or fears no one, not even nature.

| Trailblazer . @ Stelleeeeeee

YESSSSS TRAVELER IS WEARING HANFU TOO OMG OMG. I MEAN IT’S ALSO ON THE POSTER BUT HURRAHHHH HOT TRAVELER LESGOOOOOO AND OMG WHO IS THAT PRETTY LADY WITH BABY BLUE HAIR, OMG THAT SKIN TIGHT BLACK SUIT? Hoyo going wildddddd and all out ay? I’m all for it.

Show replies

—

Paimon ✓ . @ paimonispaimon

Hello once again, my fellow friends! The major casting of the Liyue arc has been revealed, so let’s get down to business!

It is already confirmed that Aether will continue to play the role of the protagonist in the upcoming movie, Farewell Archaic Lord. For those unaware of Aether, he was a minor character in “Across the Skies and Stars” and gained popularity for his appearance in the first movie of Genshin Impact. He is active on social media and shares photos of himself, behind-the-scenes clips, and food. You can check out his profile here.

—

[Attached : A clip featuring Aether flashing a peace sign and looking back]

In an attempt to cheer up Xiao, who appears to be in a bad mood, the blond urges him to smile for the camera. According to Aether, they are both feeling hungry since they haven't eaten anything yet.

“How about we get some almond tofu?”

Xiao visibly brightens up.

—

We also have some great news! Xiao will also be part of the Liyue arc, marking his return from a 3 year acting break. For those who may not be familiar with him (how and why?), Xiao was the lead actor in Immortality and previously collaborated with actor/singer Venti on a few singles.

There are three talented actresses who will be joining the Liyue arc cast. Ganyu, Keqing, and Ninnguang. They are well known for their appearances in popular wuxia and xianxia dramas, such as Crimson Rain, My Fan Against Your Lips, and The Benevolent Shizun. You may have seen one of these well-known movies. Unfortunately, Ganyu and Ninnguang do not have public social media accounts, but Keqing is quite active. If you're interested, you can find her account here, where she mostly uploads vlogs.

—

[ Attached : in the video, the ladies can be seen sitting together while holding delicate clay tea cups. They are all dressed in stunning pastel-coloured robes with intricate embroidery.

Ganyu

Mmh the tea is good! It goes well with the mooncakes.

Kenqing

Tea hits the best after work, oh lord, that was such a long set.

Ninnguang

Well, get your energy back because, after this, I've heard that we’re shooting till night.

The other two gasp in horror and quickly chug down their tea and stuff down mooncakes

—

Now, the long-awaited Mr. two hot guys behind the Traveler. On the left, we have Ajax and on the right, Zhongli.

[ Attached : A selfie of Ajax and Zhongli, they are both wearing their signature hanfu from the movie poster and have their arms around each other, smiling at the camera ]

Both actors will be playing an important role in the movie. Of what? We do not know. You'll have to watch it to find out!

Zhongli is a well-respected, world-renowned actor. He has won numerous awards for being the best lead and side actor — more than I could count with all my fingers combined! He recently starred in the box office hit called “The Legend of Nirvana”

[ Attached : A clip, in which you can hear Ganyu and Xiao cheering for Zhongli as he walks up on the stage to accept the Oscar award ]

Ajax, on the other hand, is a member of the trio idol group, 68-11, and has no previous acting skills. However, his colleagues pushed him to at least audition for the Liyue Arc movie and he luckily landed a role. According to insider news, he brought the character to life and was what they envisioned of the character that he would be playing.

If you're interested in finding out more about 68-11's music, you can check out the group here. Some of their popular releases are "Never-ending Performance" and "Ominous Fandango". They’ll also be holding a concert in the coming month, so grab your tickets fast before they sell out!!

[ Attached : A picture of Ajax signing an autograph for a fan while his colleague Kabu is mischievously seen making bunny ears behind the ginger's head ]

We hope that this gave you some basic info about the new casting! Can't wait to see these talented actors on the screen.

| Trailblazer . @ Stelleeeeeee

Thank you for the incredibly detailed post! Now watch me follow every single one of them, like and reblog every single post. Gosh they’re all so pretty. Miss Ganyu tho, oh- she can step on me and I’d be so happy for it.

Btw I’m watching Miss Keqing’s vlog as I type, SHE’S SO CUTE CUTE CUTE OMG gives me cat girl vibes istg

| March . @ nanokamadoka

Replying to @ Stelleeeeeee

Simp. Get a life

| Albert . @ diehardfan

OMG BABY AJAX WILL BE IN THIS MOVIE!????? 68-11 fans, ASSEMBLE ALL!

#68-11 #ajax #kabu #rosaline

| Tian . @ irontonguetian

I’ve been following Mr. Zhongli since his debut movie. It is so lovely to see him grow and be loved far and wide. Fighting! Mr. Zhongli! We love you!!!

| little luo . @ xiaoluo

Xiao is back from his hiatus! That’s such good news, awe. Missed seeing him so much!

| Aether ✓ . @ aetherviator

I’m excited for the movie too! I hope you all enjoy it, as much as we all enjoyed acting for it :)

| maricotta . @ idekat-thispoint

Replying to @ aetherviator

OMG AETHER!??? WAAAA TT WHO SUMMONED HIM HERE, GUYS STOP, AND ACT DECENT IN THE COMMENTS PLEASE

Show replies

—

Spiral Abyss ✓ . @ abyssalmoon

Premiere day of “Farewell Archaic Lord”. #GenshinImpact #Liyue Arc

Lady Ninnguang “No words to explain how I feel today, we worked hard and at last, it’s here!”

[ Attached : A clip of Lady Ninnguang speaking about her feelings on this memorable day. She looks absolutely stunning in her golden and white qipao ]

—

Welt Yang ✓ . @ mryang

Had the opportunity to speak with Aether and Xiao on the premiere day of Farewell Archaic Lord. Wonderful actors filled with passion, I had a lovely time speaking with you both

—

[ Attached : clip plays in which Aether and Xiao converse happily with Mr. Yang. Both the actors have donned a classic black tuxedo, looking impeccable as always ]

Aether

I hope they keep that scene

Xiao

Which scene?

Aether

You know, that one (does the eyebrow waggle)

Welt

I’m afraid, I do not follow ???

Xiao

Oh don’t worry too much about it (Sighs and looks away. His ears have turned slightly red.)

—

Katherine ✓ . @ yourfavrobot

So, many clips have been going around because of the premiere day of Liyue Arc. I, Katheryne, was able to speak with at least the majority of the cast members who were invited!! Have a look here, it’s now uploaded on my SeelieTube here

| Albert . @ diehardfan

Katherine is doing the real work here. Thank you for the food!

| Dan Heng . @ notdanfeng

Uhhh so, who else noticed the chemistry between Zhongli and Ajax ??? I mean, not to be a weirdo and no I have not been staring at their interactions for too long, it’s just a bit obvious that they’re… Ogling at each other???? Well, they both do look absolutely hot in their hanfus

| little luo . @ xiaoluo

You’re not the only one. But notice that the same goes for Xiao and Aether. These boys are barely able to keep their eyes and hands to themselves, smh. GET A ROOM, GET A ROOM!!!!

| Lumine ✓ . @ lumineviatrix

Replying to @ notdanfeng @ xiaoluo

Yall got potatoes for eyes? Did you NOT see lady Ninnguang giving bedroom eyes at that eyepatch lady (that’s Beidou btw, for those who don’t know her)??? HELLO DUDES, PLEASE GET A ROOM, THIS IS WORSE THAN PDA

| Caelus . @ IM_TRAILBLAZER_NOT_HER

Replying to @ lumineviatrix

First Aether, now Lumine too??? Helloooo where are you when there’s actual fun @ stelleeeeeee???

| Ajax ✓ . @ ajax11th

You know it’s serious when Lumine comments-

| Albert . @ diehardfan

OMG IT’S AJAX!!! ASSEMBLE, 68-11!!

| Kabu ✓ . @ kabuki6th

Replying to @ ajax11th

I think you just summoned our entire fanbase right here, dude

| Rosaline ✓ . @ rosaline8th

Replying to @ kabuki6th

Not that it’s a bad thing, but time to mute notifications. Not that mine weren’t on mute already. But you and Ajax should consider

Show replies

Trending

#GenshinImpact

13.7k posts

#get a room

16.5k posts

#FarewellArchaicLord

#Lumine

Rosaline ✓ . @ rosaline8th

Why hello, little ones! I’ve noticed a sudden influx of followers recently, Idk where all of you are coming from but thank you for your kind words and support! And if you’re feeling extra generous, go shower Ajax with love because FAREWELL ARCHAIC LORD IS OUT IN THEATRES TODAY!!!

| Keqing ✓ . @ keqing_night

PREACH

| Aether ✓ . @ aetherviator

PREACH

| Xiao ✓ . @ almondxiao

… preach

| Zhongli ✓ . @ zhongliballista

Preach ??? What’s preach ???

| Lumine ✓ . @ lumineviatrix

Replying to @ zhongliballista

YES, PREACH, GRANDPA!

| Xiao ✓ . @ almondxiao

Replying to @ zhongliballista

You use the word “preach” when you feel the need to acknowledge or are in agreement of something that is well said

| Zhongli ✓ . @ zhongliballista

Replying to @ almondxiao

Oh…I see… PREACH!

| Ajax ✓ . @ ajax11th

Replying to @ zhongliballista

xD PREACH !!

Show replies

Paimon ✓ . @ paimonispaimon

CONGRATULATIONS CONGRATULATIONS CONGRATULATIONS!!! Important things must be said three times!!

FAREWELL ARCHAIC LORD IS NOW AVAILABLE IN THEATRES, GRAB THOSE SEATS NOW, BEFORE THEY’RE ALL RESERVED (if they aren’t already)

| Katherine ✓ . @ yourfavrobot

One word. PREACH

| Caelus . @ IM_TRAILBLAZER_NOT_HER

I’m taking my entire fam alright!!!

| Caelus . @ IM_TRAILBLAZER_NOT_HER

FUCK THE SEATS ARE ALL GONE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

| Trailblazer . @ Stelleeeeeee

Replying to @ IM_TRAILBLAZER_NOT_HER

That’s what you get for being slow, lol, loser

| Dan Heng . @ notdanfeng

Replying to @ IM_TRAILBLAZER_NOT_HER

Calm down, @ Stelleeeeeee already booked them in advance for us

| little luo . @ xiaoluo

YESSSS IT’S OUT, GRANNY AND I ARE GOING TOGETHER WAHAHAHAHA

| Tian . @ irontonguetian

We all have been waiting for today, happy Liyue Arc watching everyone! Now… How to convince Master Liu Su to join me… Hmmmmm

Show replies

Trending

#FarewellArchaicLord

40.6k posts

#GenshinImpact

38.2k posts

#PREACH

#whatspreach?

Trailblazer . @ Stelleeeeeee

That ending… was quite unexpected. Salt… And… Betrayal, how cruel

But other than that, what’s up with all the gay coded liyue characters??? That was a real surprise honestly, a pleasant one, of course. Bet it’ll be filled with certain clips once everyone catches on.

| Keqing ✓ . @ keqing_night

:)))) gay coded? What do you mean ???

[ Attached : Image of the main Liyue arc cast, grinning like crazy ]

—

It had been a couple of days since the movie was released in the theatres, and a few of the available cast were having a sleepover as a celebration for their hard work. Unfortunately, Ganyu, Ninnguang and Ajax were busy with some other projects and had to skip out on the get together.

To pass the time, they were all catching up on reviews and comments left by the fans. One comment, in particular, caught their attention. "Uhhh Just me or did you guys notice Morax staring at Tartaglia's big cake... was that included in the script orrrrrr???" Everyone burst out laughing, with some even snorting and cackling.

Keqing, however, looked exasperated as she addressed the person in question. "Mr. Zhongli, you should have been more subtle, at least."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. What big cake? There was no cake anywhere in the movie," Zhongli replied with a huff.

Aether chimed in, "At this point, I wonder if you really are a boomer or if you're just acting innocent."

To which, the blond received an immediate smack on the head for his comment. The room fell silent before erupting in another round of cackling.

#genshin impact #tani writes!!#childe #zhongli #xiao #aether #zhongli x childe #xiao x aether #childe x zhongli #aether x xiao #xiaother #zhongchi #tartali #zhongchili #childe tartagalia #tartaglia #zhongli genshin impact #genshin social media au #liyue characters

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mcclainwilla · 1 year ago

Text

Writing Fight Scenes Part 6 - Body Type

Depending on your character's body type, they are going to have very different fighting styles, and very different strengths/weaknesses. Body type can also have an impact on which type of martial arts a character excels in (see part one for a non-comprehensive list)

Really, there are two main considerations: weight and height. I'll write about the opposite ends of each spectrum and their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the things I've noticed whilst fighting each

(Please note, I'm breaking this down into very large boxes - most characters will exist in the in-between. As such, please take this with a grain of salt)

Weight

'Slim' characters:

Pros:

Slim characters have less weight to move around, so they tend to be faster

As such, these characters do better in drawn-out confrontations

Cons:

Because they don't weigh as much, they likely won't have as much power behind their hits. Remember, power comes more from weight than it does from strength! (see post number two for a more in-depth explanation)

Slimmer characters also don't have as much muscle and/or fat to 'pad' their body, so it is easier for them to be hurt

I never had much of a problem sparring with short slim people - I myself am 5' 4" and sometimes, it's just easier to fight fire with fire. Tall slim people were a different story - I found it difficult to get within my personal striking range. More on that in a minute

'Stocky' characters:

Pros:

Stocky characters have more powerful strikes

More muscle/fat -> more padding. Some heavier characters can actually injure their opponent simply by blocking their strikes!

Intimidation factor; anyone who knows what's good for them wouldn't pick a fight with someone who looks like they could beat their ass

Cons:

Carrying around more weight gets tiring - movement will be slower and endurance will be lower

Adding to above, these characters are easier to 'pick apart' - someone who is smart will throw lots of well-placed strikes to squishy spots in order to wear them down

I fucking hated sparring with beefy people omg. It didn't matter if they were tall or short, one good hit from them and I was checking my ribs for cracks (I never broke any but I had the wind knocked from my lungs Multiple Times). I also refused to throw certain strikes (i.e. roundhouse kicks) at some of my larger opponents because all they had to do was lift their knee, and I'd break my leg on theirs. The only good thing about sparring them was that I could generally dodge their strikes. When I couldn't...

Height

'Short' characters:

Pros:

Shorter characters have a lower center of gravity, which makes them more balanced/harder to knock over. This is way better than it sounds (more on this in the next post?)

Cons:

Short characters will have a much harder time landing hits because they have to actively step into their opponent's range (the danger zone) in order to have even a chance. This is way worse than it sounds (most of my worst sparring memories happened at the hands of tall mfs)

I don't think I sparred with anyone shorter than me by more that a couple of inches, excluding children. Yes, I sparred with children. There is one guy tho, he was short and stocky and he had the most devastating front kicks. Vomit-inducing. I broke his nose (sorry dude)

'Tall' characters:

Pros:

Longer reach! One decisive kick to the ribs from a tall character can stop lots of fights before they start. If you want to write a character who is a bitchass bully, make them tall. No I'm not mad (lie)

Cons:

More body to control will make it harder for a character to stay balanced

Tall characters are often, to some extent, slow; their strikes have a wide range, but they're very vulnerable as they pull their arm or leg back. A dashing, intelligent, good-looking short character can use this opportunity wisely

It was SO frustrating to spar tall people because they all knew how to bully me out of their range. I could either keep my distance and risk not being fast enough to dodge (bad) or trying to close the distance and running straight into one of their hits (worse)

This has become a tall people hate post. You know who you are. I'm in your backyard

I hope this was helpful! If you are above 5' 10" start running. Begging for someone to ask me to tell the story of the time I broke a grown man's nose

#writing #writing advice #writing help #wip #wip stuff #fight scene #martial arts #willa mcclain

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onigiri-dorkk · 2 years ago

Note

Assuming if Mikasa does indeed die by Eren's hand in the anime, I wonder how that will happen. Maybe he regenerates after she kills him? If Levi also dies, I wonder if they'll still keep the "Mikasa, stay with me" by having Levi hold Mikasa in her dying moments before Eren kills him too. I've also seen Tensa seaparately theorize that Mikasa may die from an arm injury like her Muv-Luv counterpart Sumika did. What do you think?

YES okay you brought up the “Eren is alive and well” branch of a theory too — a lot of people think that Eren lives even after being beheaded, due to 1) Reiner’s ability to transfer his conscience throughout his body to save his life when getting his vital point cut (mirrors Eren’s beheading) and/or 2) Jaw Titan ability to operate a full Titan with powers while being in a crystal underground… Just seems like Isayama builds and creates such OP Titan abilities for no reason…? And if anime-Eren actually intends to live, wouldn’t he exhaust all means he learned before accepting defeat? (The way he utilized Annie’s fighting style once he learned it too!)

All that to answer your question — I could totally see a route in which everything of manga is animated normally (including Stay With Me, etc!) to the death of Eren as it happens in the manga, making everybody think oh shit, maybe this is just going to be an exact manga adaptation……..

only for him to be shown to actually survive. BOOM, a cliffhanger where the Part 1 episode ends.

Then Part 2 happens and it’s where all hell and chaos lets loose.

You brought up the Sumika arm death with the butterfly wings!! I’ve seen this comparison too and I never stopped to think about how exactly that would play out. It would make sense, maybe, and honestly probably makes for a more emotionally impactful moment, for a slow death of Mikasa. Who knows if it’s exactly arm injury tho, since ripped butterfly wing could just symbolize any type of deadly injury. But knowing how specific the image is, absolutely it could be exactly that. Pure tragedy especially if her death happens in Eren’s arms, as some other theories suggest which is my next segue…

The AOT song theories are insane as a whole but let me bring up 1 specific song, written and sung in Mikasa’s POV: Clean Earth.

Clean Earth is quite literally a death song — if you’re into Les Mis it’s also very much like “A Little Fall of Rain” where Eponine ignores her slow death after being shot, only wanting to soak in being in Marius’ arms to the point where she doesn’t even finish the song. Pls read the full lyrics of these songs but here is how it ends:

This is getting long LOL sorry, but yes — long story short, I believe if Mikasa’s death happens it will be caused by Eren injuring her to the point of bleeding to death, and she will die in his arms while speaking. Because after all, just being by his side was enough for him (ugh). It will be the most tragic ending; Eren doesn’t want to have to do it, but he knows it’s the only way for him to achieve real freedom from these deathly timelines she is somehow able to start, and it never ends bc she can’t fully let go of Eren.

Isayama also always said he always envisioned a tragic ending for AOT, too. How much more tragic can it get than THAT 😢

Throwing Levi into the mix… 100% I could see Levi giving his life to try to save Mikasa and the others. If Eren lives to complete rumbling I don’t see the alliance living 😭 And when it seems hopeless, Captain Levi who defended and protected them for so long would do exactly that til the very end. Fack.

IM SORRY @chrissythisissforyou

THIS IS A NOVEL, HERE U GO

(I’m also half falling asleep so hopefully this all is coherent enough)

((Real talk, I’m excited to have all of these written down because if all of this does freaking happen!!!! I have references!! LOL))

#spoilers #AoT spoilers #attack on Titan spoilers #attack on Titan #shingeki no kyojin #onigirianalyzes

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mybrainproblems · 2 years ago

Note

Hey! I have a quick convention question. There’s going to be a con near me soon(driving distance, won’t need a hotel) and I can’t afford much more than general admission. Do you think it would be worth it to just go for the panels and maybe sns? I’d hate to miss the opportunity to see the cast in person but if I cant have the “full” experience of getting autos and photo ops is it better to just stay home? Thanks!

hello! i hope you don't mind me answering publicly with a very long answer to your very quick question, but i wanted to give my honest review of going to a spn con as someone who loves spn and spnwin, but did very few ops. as a disclaimer: i am not criticizing folks who get a lot of auto/photo ops (a lot of my friends get them and enjoy them! i love seeing ppl's photo ops and hearing auto op stories!) but it's just not something i'm super interested in for myself.

short answer: my favorite part of the con was getting to meet ppl who i don't get to see much/hadn't met before and the general feeling of being part of a community. (if that sounds like you, definitely go!) doing a photo op with a group of friends and the spnwin actors made for a cute memento and we had fun with it, but i don't think you need (m)any extras to feel like you had a "full" experience unless you really want to spend a few minutes with the actors. but again; i'm not someone who cares much about directly interacting with the actors.

even more in-depth response plus some recommendations for if you go:

the panels were really fun and i highly recommend the ones with kim & bri, ruthie and dj. my understanding is that they're almost always all on friday for 3 day cons. the "ladies of spn" panel is also a good one and was on saturday. karaoke on friday night is free and super fun as an audience member - i highly recommend it! i recommend SNS as well, but also i got to be there for the rare occasion that jensen sang lol. unfortunately i was a bit out of it bc of anxiety meds so i don't think i got the "full" experience on that one, though i still enjoyed myself!

i will say that if you aren't interested in either walker or spnwin and don't have (m)any ops, you're gonna have a lot of down time so definitely take that into consideration. the only panels i was interested in on sunday were mark s and j2 (the gotham screening was a nice bonus bc otherwise it would've been a really sparse sunday for me). bc the first half of the j2 panel was almost entirely finale Qs, it had really weird downer vibes (the crowd/Qs really impact the panel vibes). once they started getting more general questions about spn and their other work it picked up a lot. jared and jensen both talking about their kids was really sweet and was probably my favorite part of their panel.

** unfortunately, both sp8 and rob had to back out due to conflicts/illness which was a bummer and i think i'd have enjoyed the con a bit more if they'd been there. but also jake abel filling in with a solo panel was fun and why i decided last minute to do jake and chill that evening.

all in all, i think the best part of cons is seeing friends who you may not usually (or ever!) get to see normally. and as fractious as the spn fandom is, we all love the same show and it's cool to see how many other ppl love the show. i really don't think auto/photo ops are necessary for a "full" con experience. m&gs might be worth the money if you wanted to get some actual time with the actors but those can be $$$ and stressful to get due to the auction process. photos are a cute memento but they are very rushed due to timing with panels/autos/m&gs. i didn't do an auto op but my understanding is that while it varies person-to-person, usually you only have a minute or two with with j2m; things are more relaxed with the rest of the cast. if i were an artist/had spn fanart i was proud of making, i'd probably do an auto op tho! (i mean, i do have spn fanart i'm proud of. but bc of the media i used, it would feel more like getting it defaced vs acknowledged lol)

side note: i do some event organizing with tight schedules as a part of my job and seriously, hats off to the scheduling folks and organizers at these events; the actors really do love engaging with fans which means almost everyone runs over and somehow the staff manage to keep the wheels not only on, but turning.

for reference, these are the "extras" that i did:

friday night karaoke (free with fri/full weekend admission - highly rec & did i mention it's free?)

SNS (definitely rec!)

jake and chill (fun, but not a "must-do")

group photo op with spnwin cast and friends

group photo op with baby and friends (v affordable and relaxed!)

i mean this in the kindest way; if you really feel like you're going to be missing out not getting any direct interaction with the actors, then i'd say skip it and save up for next time if you can. the worst feeling is paying the top of what you can afford for something that isn't quite what you wanted.

one crit thing i will say tho and i feel kinda bad about it: i thought i was prepared for how personal fans were going to get with the actors during panel q&a and... i was not. afaik CE no longer screens Qs and i don't want them to, but i wish some fans would keep in mind that their catharsis might be someone else's trigger. it's not like it happened a lot or destroyed my experience (i'm planning to go to another con in 2024), but i've never needed to take that much xanax over the course of 72hrs before.

#i know you asked such a short question but it's all very fresh in my mind and i had a lot of folks surprised how few 'extras' i was doing #when it was my first ever spn con... and i still very much enjoyed myself!!#now. if there had been writers. i'd have been picking up any and every opportunity to talk to them #y'all think folks pay obscene prices for jensen and misha m&gs? hold my fucking beer.#callout posts would be written for the amount of money i'd pay to meet robbie glynn or dabb

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lumen-tellus · 11 months ago

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i got to be really fucking real for a hot second, but me making the orv-umineko-drk connections really made me figure out something i lowkey kinda always knew but really thinking about it now, at the very least, its much more obvious lol

i realised that those three things - rather, the messages inherent in orv, umineko, and the drk questline - are all the same.

at some point or the other, they all talk about love. specifically, love for oneself, sometimes through and with another, but at least it starts first by loving yourself.

and ive always known with drk quests and umineko, that message about love was very hard-hitting and made a strong impression on my scrambled eggs for brains when i first encountered the respective media - i loved that one of their core messages was about love and to try loving yourself, even when things are hard, even when you yourself think you can't be loved.

and now, i think the connection between orv and umineko is especially stronger, the two being far more similar even imo - because these two stories feature a person who wants to be loved but feels they cannot be loved because they perceive a fundamental flaw with themselves. and. because of that. would rather die. may even be happy to do so, depending on the circumstances.

my realization is very simple. it's easy to be impacted by their stories, to empathize with a person who wants to die bc they feel they shouldn't be alive, who thinks they have no worth while alive nor believes they can survive through the endless jungle called life, especially not alone or what they perceive as all by themselves. who knows how many times ive thought the same since i was a child, either very intensely or passingly when the mood strikes me.

and ofc, the kicker of all these stories about love - besides the hope that i myself can reverse that thinking and see worth in myself - is that, all these stories feature at least someone else (or yourself as a someone, but there's Someone) who loves you. who doesnt view you in terms of worth or even survivability but simply because they do. not a romantic love though that's possible—it's simply pure love for another person, another existence.

the abstract idea that you're not alone and you can be loved, be given the love to continue through the perils of the world. the promise of a happy ending for someone who can't even dream of their own happiness.

ive noticed for a long time now, even in my own daydreams with my silly little ocs and whatnot, i can't think of a conclusion. not just a good, happy conclusion, but often even bad conclusions are hard for me to visualize bc a conclusion is supposed to end. but i can't even imagine that - imaginary plots are ultimately a continuous spiral of worse and worse to my blorbos, and even when i try to keep it short, to terminate it, i can't find a spot. bc if they stay dead, that's not satisfactory, but letting them live leads to an eternal suffering of one thing after now.

i try to imagine perfectly happy endings and while a part of me enjoys them, the rest of me would feel disgruntled - the idea of things ending with a perfectly tied bow didn't make logical sense to me, even after trials and tribulations and whatnot that id imagine in my daydreams. it should be that way, shouldn't it? the characters going through a great many things and then settling into a well-deserved rest. i do imagine a great many things and i do think they deserve a peaceful end.

and yet, in spite of how perfectly fine that is on paper, im not satisfied with it. even tho it should end kindly. it would be nice if it ends kindly.

a person who wants to die, while desiring that complete and utmost and hopefully peaceful end, doesn't necessarily think it will solve anything. it just ends things. there are regrets and hopes that lead us to want an out, but those regrets won't be resolved and those hopes will not be granted through that great and final escape. all the luggage gets left behind, even. and you won't even be there to try sorting it out anymore.

what a mess i would leave behind, i would think at times, though that doesn't stop the concept from being tempting regardless.

if i try to imagine a happy ending in some fanciful daydream, it's hard to imagine that the regrets and hopes of everyone involved will be adequately dealt with. even if i want to, because wanting doesn't translate into a can do it.

which is why the happy endings of other stories talking about love, that insist on it, saying in spite of all that, are so impactful imo. here is a happy ending that, at the very least, shows the possibility for being to resolve regrets and grant hopes.

it's a promise that can be easily broken by whatever reality twists itself to be. but it's a promise nonetheless.

#harmonics.txt #angel reads orv #tw: suicidal ideology #hi this gets very personal bc my head is like that lol

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genshin-hours · 3 years ago

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Hi there~ May I please request a romantic Genshin Impact matchup (preferably adult + male)? :)

I'm a straight, ISFP, scorpio girl and 20 y/o!

Personality: my shyness and awkwardness tend to get the best of me so I'm usually left by myself (tho I do like my alone time anyway) :'D Despite that, I'm polite, genuine, empathetic and very understanding (to the point where some might think I'm naive?) I'm pretty quiet until I'm with someone I'm comfortable with, then I love making jokes and being silly with them! It takes me a long time to open up and really trust someone, but once I do, I trust them with all my heart (like, I tend to believe 99% of what they say, lol) I can be rather stubborn, short-tempered and sensitive too though. I try to hide my sensitivities and dislike being emotionally vulnerable around others, even with those I'm close to.

Likes/Hobbies: I love watching the sunset and ocean! Something about it just makes me feel so at peace. I absolutely love to sing and I aspire to become a voice teacher in the future! I'm a huge sap for soft jazz and lovesongs (so I imagine slowdancing to them or singing them to my s/o when we're alone, heh)

Dislikes: condescending people (I honestly can be a bit slow at times, taking a bit to fully understand something even if it's a simple thing, so I appreaciate those who are patient and don't judge me for it)

----

And I think that's about it! Sorry for the length ahh >_<

You seem like such a thoughtful person by the way! I've noticed how you put so much thought and effort in your posts, I find it so admirable <3 And it's nice reading your personal thoughts too in the a/n! I have no doubt that your blog will continue to blossom 🌸😊

That being said, do take as much time as you need and no pressure! Take care of yourself and may you stay safe and healthy!❤🙏

i match you with....

zhongli!

a/n: thank you so much :0 you're so sweet! i try to put a lot of thought into all of my posts, especially matchups ^^ also i didn't know if people read my personal thoughts, so it's nice to know they do ;w; also i really appreciate your kind words~ take care of yourself as well and thank you for requesting <3

so, i think the best match for you is zhongli!

you two probably met by chance over tea, and zhongli proceeded to tell you the origins of the tea, the teapot, and then probably the place you were having tea

you two kept meeting up after that, and eventually he would reveal the secret that he is actually morax

he's lowkey surprised when you aren't really phased and keep coming back to spend time with him, but it lets him know that you're the one

zhongli finds your shyness endearing. he prefers to do most of his talking and any affectionate things in small groups or in private

also zhongli really appreciates how empathetic and genuine you are. you make his heart melt with how sweet you are! it takes a lot to fluster the geo archon, but you can do that with just your smile ok?

zhongli likes that you progressively get more talkative with him and share your own stories. also if you ever make jokes with him, he might not 100% understand. be patient with him, he's trying his best.

also, zhongli is the same way with taking a long time to trust people, especially when it comes to romance. he has not had many lovers, and he finds it difficult to truly open up to someone completely.

so you two can probably understand eachother pretty well

zhongli himself can be pretty stubborn, but he is very patient nowadays, and he is always willing to talk any disagreements out.

also he gets what you mean about bottling emotions up and trying not to be vulnerable. zhongli really wants you to feel comfy with him, so he probably works with himself to tell you things that are difficult for him to say.

he wants to open his heart up first, so that when you are ready, you can speak freely.

okay, enough of the heavy lol

zhongli loves sunsets as well. and of course he knows all the best spots to watch them! he will plan out little picnics and dates for you two at the most beautiful spots.

also, zhongli absolutely loves hearing you sing!! your voice is so melodic and beautiful to him!!

zhongli likes it when you introduce him to music, whether you play it or sing it. he will also share with you lots of old love songs.

zhongli definitely knows how to slow dance too (just saying). so you two dance a lot. he likes holding you close and threading your fingers together with his. it makes his heart flutter :)

zhongli loves telling you stories about, well, everything. when you've lived 6000 years you've seen it all. he likes telling you about the gods and all the people he has met, the things he has seen, the places he has gone.

also zhongli is super patient. so if there is ever anything you don't understand or you're trying to connect stories and events, he will never be condescending.

in fact, he thinks it's really amazing that you want to learn so much about the past and him. the fact that you care and are trying to make sense of it all even though you have lived for such a brief amount of time compared to him is admireable.

zhongli really loves you for this reason. you're very empathetic and kind to him. you make him feel loved and cared for.

this man just wants to watch sunsets with you and listen to you sing while you cuddle forever.

oh he also wants to take you on lots of travels and adventures. tbh he thought his traveling days were over, but you make him want to build you a boat and sail teyvat together.

all in all, you turned the geo archon soft :0

#genshin #genshin headcanons #genshin imagines #genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin matchups #genshin matchup #matchup #matchups #zhongli

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vixenofthemist · 3 years ago

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SoulSilverShipping x Genshin Impact bc I missed drawing them and Genshin is my new fixation lol

Some brain dumping under the cut about like their weapons and constellations!!

[click for better quality]

I really debated over whether legendaries should dictate visions or starter/main pkmn should, and I’ve decided it’s up to the rule of cool lol. It’s a character by character basis xD

Originally Lyra had an Anemo vision and Silver had Pyro given by Lugia and Ho-oh, but I felt like with these two especially having their visions based off their starter Pokemon made the most sense? Since this game era focuses on having that strong relationship with your poke’s and Silver’s whole character arc is him coming to love his pkmn it seemed more right so I switched it last minute to be Pyro!Lyra and Hydro!Silver.

(Like I said above tho this au goes off the rule of cool so I’m thinking Dawn might have Cryo even tho no legendaries or starters would give her that but that’s beside the point rn ajdk)

ANYWAY some basic mechanics stuff for these two that is really basic bc I don’t think too much about game mechanics bc I mainly go off fav characters in Genshin rather then abilities aglhhs

Lyra

First of all: Lyra was made to be Genshin-ified. Like she’s already pretty close to Amber clothes wise so it was just really fun to play around and give her that Genshin feel!! She could absolutely be given more small details like Genshin loves to do but,,, small details are my weakness amdjsj

Weapon: Sword or Catalyst, tho I’m leaning sword bc she gives me Bennett energy play style wise!!

Constellation: Cyndaquill

Play style: I’m thinking, again, Lyra is versatile like Bennett where she can be built for either support or DPS, but her skills lean more DPS the more constellations you unlock to kind of emulate her becoming champion. Jokingly rn her Q is to hit a pokeball esq pyro sphere with her sword like a baseball bat to cause AoE pyro damage, but that may or may not stay LMAO

fun fact: her gloves are based off her Pokegear :>

Silver

Im not gonna lie. Silver was a pain.

and tbh I will probably change his design every time I draw it bc I am just. Not happy with it but also I have no idea what else to do ASJS his outfit is just so plain?? Like, wtf am I supposed to do with baggy pants and a jacket all the same color?? Lmao long story short I had the exact opposite experiencing designing silver then I did with Lyra lmao. Very in character xD

Weapon: Claymore, bc I feel like Silver wants to be a DPS Diluc so bad bc that’s like, the most powerful in his mind so ofc he’s gonna use a claymore to deal the most damage.

Constellation: Totodile

Play style: one things for sure: Silver is not Diluc, and at C0 he isn’t a good DPS at all and would actually be a good support or buff unit but he refuses to be bc that’s "weak" and he doesn’t travel with anyone so those abilities would be useless anyway lol. But as his constellation unlocks he DOES get better at DPS and his Q deals a lot of damage (bc it’s totodile line it’s gonna pack a punch) BUT it’s reliant on him buffing others with his E. I have no idea if that would actually work in game but story wise I like it a lot akdj

Fun fact: Earring :3

#Genshin Impact #pokemon #genshin au #trainer lyra #rival silver #soulsilvershipping #I’ve missed them 🥺#vixendrawspkmn #no promises other things in this au will be this rendered I was mostly just fussing around with it lmao

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pokeexehasstoppedworking · 3 years ago

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Love Doesn’t Do Encores Ch15 Battle Gym Leader Allister

( I'm open for any further things my readers want added to this or future stories.)

To say your exit out of Stow-on-Side was quick and abrupt to say the least was an understatement. Gloria literally dragged you out of town and the two of you two ran through the heat like the time the onix chased you two in the Wild Area until exhausted and too hot from the heat to handle and collasped under a shady ledge of one of the cliffsides that were still surrounding the path you took out of Stow-on-Side. Panting, sitting on the ground as your Drizzilie face planted the shaded ground next to you just as tired.

.....You weakly raised an arm from your sweating tired self pointing up. "W-W-We...a-are *wheeze* NEVER r-running- *gasp* in the h-heat again! Hhhaaaaa-'' Your arm flopped back to your side as your laid there heaving your lungs out and Gloria weakly nodded agreeing to that proposal.

After a few tired moments of just laying there in the shade catching your breaths and regular temperatures back thanks to the shade provided Gloria eventually spoke. "W-Well...W-What now?"

You shrugged. "I dunno man. The past two days have been absolutely CRAZY!" During the silence as you were catching your breaths, the silence let it sink in for you two exactly what had transpired the last day and a half for the two of you. "It all happened so fast I can barely believe it happened."

Gloria nodded again patting her pockets. "If I didn't have these wee ones on me person I would nah believe it either but 'ere we are. UGH! What was that boy thinkin'!?"

You shrugged forcing yourself back up into a standing position despite your tired body's protest. "I-I dunno but I think it might be best for us to just leave Stow-on-Side all together before we get caught in anymore trouble's crossfires."

She nodded immediately and used the ledge she laid again to help pull herself up. Before pausing for a moment..and pointing at your hand. "What's that ya got there?"

You hummed before lifting your hand up and coming face to face with the lightly dirty mask that Sonia's yamper had found. And you lit up in realization. "OH! It's the mask Sonia found." You held it out to her as she made a reach for it. "I must've forgotten I had it when we suddenly split town. But I think she said it might've belonged to whoever runs the ghost type gym around here."

"Allister," Gloria corrected you turning the small mask over in her hands...before smiling. "Well if it is we outta return it ta him! I was plannin' on seeing 'em anyways! Now might be a good time as any if we need a reason ta leave."

You nodded. Good enough reason to you too. "I...think Sonia said his gym was a day out of here by some grave yard."

"Oh yeah it is! In fact when I checked the map for his location, I noticed there's also an Inn and a taxi station right next to it as well! We'll have somewhere to rest up then!" You nodded, nudging your pokemon who made an annoyed noise but reluctantly got up from his spot on the ground. "I just hope he's not too scared to accept battling with me. Especially since I already go the same badge he give out from Bea."

You paused..looking up from your yawning water type to raise a brow at her examining the mask more. "..What are you talking about?"

She still looked at the mask almost sadly for a moment before looking at you. "Oh right. Of course you wouldn't really know about him. Even tho it's easily known." She sighed looking back down to the mask. "Allister accordin' ta Lee is one of the newest Gym Leaders in Galar, in fact this is gonna be his first Gym Challenge too."

You blinked wide eyed at her. "Oh really?"

She nodded slowly. "In fact he's only been an official gym leader for 'round two years, but he is a bit eccentric from what I've heard. He claims ta be able ta see ghosts after an accident when he was four that claimed the lives o' his folks." She looked at you and you stared back STUNNED at the words that came and still stumbled from her mouth. "Then he was taken in by the old Gym Leader of the stadium he runs now before he passed away too. From there Allister took over and I think the Chairman or Lee's the one who's taken on the responsibility for him about keeping the stadium up n' running since he's so young." She held the mask with a slightly bigger frown. "In fact accordin' to his league card he's supposed ta have at least a hundred of these things cuz he's so shy."

You still stared.....WHAT!? HOW COULD ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND PUT THAT KIND OF RESPONSIBILITY ON A CHILD THAT YOUNG!?...Well you couldn't remember exactly HOW young he was since you remembered the only time you had ever really seen most of the Gym Leaders was during the Entrance Ceremony months ago and only for a short time. And in the game Allister's backstory, as much as it pained you too say, didn't have much impact because in fact JUST A GAME then. But now with it being your reality this was down right almost cruel! THAT CHILD NEEDS HELP!!

"Who in their right mind would just put all that responsibility on a kid like that?," you asked scowling.

Gloria shrugged. "From what I've heard through the grapevine Allister insisted on takin' over and wouldn't budge til they agreed. He must've really wanted ta stay at the stadium if he did that."

You didn't at first and just sighed shaking your head. "Well...In any case if we're heading to see him we better start walking while there's still daylight to see by. I don't feel like camping surrounded by cliffs where more boulders could fall on us."

That got her motivated enough to slip the mask into her back pack as the two of you shoved back off in the summer heat, and began walking down the trail still surrounded by the Stow-on-Side's cliffs. By the time it was night time you two were still surrounded by cliffs, so the best thing either of you could do was pitch the tent as fair from the center of the pathway you could as to not block the entrance way in case some traveler passed by. The next morning waking bright and early at Gloria's insistance to start traveling again. As in her words it would take at least a day to get there but since you two had a head start if you started walking early in the morning now, you should be able to reach the inn before night fall. You grumbled but the promise of a proper bed and home cooked food that wasn't just trail mix or the like was enough motivation for you to get up and after packing everything away, started off once again. The sun was as hot as ever as the two of you walked with Drizzilie whining but keeping up at your feet, you were glad he took what you said seriously and began walking but you also regretted not having any water for him or Gloria who looked absolutely miserable in the heat. The sooner you got to that inn the better! As the three of you walked and walked, the sun slowly got to the middle of the sky and then started slowly going down towards the time of sunset. Also within the hours you walked, the cliffs around you started to become scarcer and scarcer until they started to break off from the path around you until you both would just walk by the occiasional one spread out away from the last one and more trees and vegitation started to replace them around you. Thank goodness. The trees offered some shade from the scorching heat luckily, but it still was a pain to walk through. Ahead of you along the dirt path it started to open up to open fields like most of the scenery of Galar you've traveled past and you groaned dreading the lack of shade once you got past the treeline.

"LOOK!," Gloria suddenly pointed making you blink at where she was pointing. And you had to squint your eyes past the sun's glare to see what she was pointing to in the distance. And to your shock, a lil fair aways from you in the open area was a giant silvery stadium, and across from it was a few buildings. THERE IT WAS!! THE INN!! "There it is!" She started forward again waving to you. "C'mon. Let's get outta this bloody sun already! I'm more cooked than a burnt curry."

You could agree with that. Picking up your pace, the two of you quickly made down the pathway, sun be darned to the inn and the closer and closer you two got, the more you noticed this stadium was JUST as BIG as the others even tho it was smack dab in the middle of no where outside of a town. But that's not what got the two of you staring. It was the grave yard on the other side of the giant stadium that caught your attention. It was MASSIVE!! At least two hundred looking headstones surrounded by a very tall and sturdy looking black metal fence with the gates leading into there wide open. You two must've have noticed it at first because it was blocked from view by the stadium. Gloria was first to noticed as she just so happened to glance over her shoulder as you two went down the path that broke off from the main dirt road and towards the inn that in all honestly wasn't an inn. It was in fact just a regular two story house you'd find in Postwick,but very very BIG with what looked like lots of rooms. The only way you could've figured it was an actual inn was the sign in front of the home stating it was in fact a hotel. Just not a very big one. Beside the home was just a plain looking barn with LOTS and LOTS of hay scattered about the front of in like the kind of bard you'd keep cows and pigs in. You nearly made it to the porch when your Drizzilie squeaked and tugged on your leg, when you looked to him he pointed at Gloria, and you looked too confused, until you saw the massive graveyard she was silently staring at for a moment and you settled your gaze on it too for a moment.

".....Gloria. Are you ok?," you eventually asked her once you got over your initial shock of seeing such a thing by a pokemon stadium of all things.

She....eventually nodded and looked back to you. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine. I just thought I saw someone." She shivered before shaking it off and bounding up to you and you made a point of turning around to walk up onto the shady house's porch. "It was just my imagination tho. I guess I'm just a wee spooked about it all."

You nodded in understanding. The two of you walked up to the door and hesitated just a moment before you slowly opened the door which opened with a creak. What it opened too was a cozy looking regular living room and a few doorways leading to different areas, one of which was a kitchen from the looks of it and the other was a stairway leading up towards the second floor of the home. The two of you stared for a moment, relieved it looked normal, before looking at each other. This was an inn?? After a moment the two of you looked back inside and around, not too sure if you should step in from the shaded porch, even if the ac from the cool house was inviting.

"Uh....HELLO!?," you called into the home eventually raising a brow and looking around, "Is anyone here?! We heard this was an inn with rooms!"

"Maybe the place is run by ghosts too," Gloria suggested half teasing half mumbled.

"OH CUSTOMERS!!" Both of you looked up as a young woman's voice shouted from the kitchen area and some noises that sounded like pots and pans and shuffling footsteps. "Please, come in and close the door! I'll be right out in a giffy!" You two looked at each other again before Gloria shrugged and walked in and you followed, closing the door behind you with a creak. As you two walked into the living room area the source of the noise finally made herself present. A woman who looked about a few years older than you with black hair in a short ponytail and black sweats and t-shirt came speed walking from the kitchen. A bright white apron draped over her otherwise dark wardrode. Some flour spread all over her face and front like snow. "Hello there! Good evening!" She greeted with a wave and bright smile. Huh. You didn't remember this in game. Must've been because this was an actual world too. "Sorry I couldn't answer the door. I was a little busy baking some soul cakes." She briefly gestured to the kitchen. "But welcome to the Stow-on-Side Inn and Corviknight flight service! How can I help you two today?"

You two briefly looked at one another again before you cleared your throat. "Well, I don't suppose we could get a room just for the night. ...And where's everyone else?" You rose a brow around you. "This place is pretty big just for one person to manage."

"Oh I'm not alone," the woman explained, "My family works as the caretakers for the Stow-on-Side Cemetery or employed at the stadium across the street. Except for my uncle. He's out right now but him and his corviknight are in charge of the taxi from here if that's what you need." You shook your head no. "It's just me and my grandmother here for the moment, but I'd be happy to ring you up and show you to the guests rooms." You both agreed to that and watched as the woman just walked on over to the closet, opened it, and pulled out an old timey looking cash register. It took a moment for the two of you to practically go through your entire bags to scramble just enough for how much the room would cost for the night and after putting away said register with the money, the woman gestured for you two to follow her up the stairs and onto the second floor. As you two followed, you were honestly surprised at the place being homey and not so scary despite working for the ghost type gym leader and caretaking the cemetery next to it. You followed her to a nice looking but big room with double beds on the opposite side of the house. "The bathroom is through there." She pointed at a closed door within the room. "Feel free to use our laundry room if you need too. It's just down the hall through the green door. Dinner will be served in about two hours. I hope you don't mind soup."

"Uh..No, no. That's fine," you assured her, "Thanks."

She nodded. "You can just leave your dishes outside your door and I'll collect them before sun down. I hope you two enjoy your stay here."

"Thanks again....By the way," you gave her another look, "Where's the gym leader now? I didn't see him when we came in."

"Oh Allister? Probably off somewhere in the gym. He prefers to be left alone unless some one's delivering him food or checking up on him as the Champion ordered. But I'm sure he's fine if you're looking to go battle him right now."

"Uh. No. I was just curious."

She nodded before leaving. "Well if there's anything else you need don't hesitate to come down stairs and ask us."

She seemed pretty nice, and you were surprised but relieved to hear that Leon had recruited someone at least to keep an eye on the boy. You wasted no time in using the provided shower and laundry room for your clothes, relief flooding away from getting to finally cool down from the scorching heat you've endured for quite a few days. Your Drizzilie sure seemed to like when you filled the bathtub just a little bit and let the poor pokemon jump in only to curl up for a nap within the water. He must've been more tired out than you. Gloria made herself busy as she went through her things before pulling out that camera and a lense thing that went over it. When you asked she explained it wasn't just a night vision lense, but one that would also allow her to take pictures clear as day without the bright flash. Sounded handy. Then the next thing you knew she was pulling out that mask you had let her take and headed towards the sink and when you looked over noticed she was scrubbing the thing front and back with soap in the washroom sink furiously. As if it never had been cleaned before in it's life.

"Hey. What are you cleaning that thing off for?"

"Well I can't just give it back ta him all dirty now can I? It'd look like we didn't take care o' it at all 'n come off as rude don't cha think?"

Hmm. She had a point. It'd be rude of you to just give the poor boy his mask back in poor condition, it was better to clean it up before giving it back to him. By the time Gloria was done it was mostly ok looking. It still looked to have a few scratches and markings here and there from being obviously left out in the elements for who knows how long before being found, but it should still function ok. You didn't know how much time had exactly passed since you crashed on one of the twin beds provided for you but when you did eventually look up from your laid position was when there was a knock at the door and Gloria had found herself busy sticking more of the pictures she had apparently taken with her camera into the pages of one of her dex challenge books but looked up as you got up and answered the door. And on the other side was the same woman although without flour on herself or the apron this time, holding a tray which judging by the smell that hit you as soon as you opened the door was tomato or some kind of veggie soup.

She smiled. "Hello! Hope I'm not disturbing you folks too much." She held up the food. "But since you didn't come down for dinner I figured I would bring it to you as promised. Again, I hope you don't mind soup."

After a moment, you blinked and smiled. "That'll be fine thank you!" You carefully took it from her. It would be a nice change from curry, wild berries, and camping food at least.

She nodded before you closed the door. "Just leave them outside your door and I'll collect them from you later."

You nodded back to her before closing the door and turning with the tray in your hands. Gloria perking up at the promised food you had collected and gestured for you to come on over and look at the pictures she had taken so far. My my. There was a lot already and the book of different pokemon was practically full. Most of them were really well done and showed off the pokemon really well. Victor must've really put a lot of time and effort into the hobby he was so passionate about. However the newer ones were more plain looking and there was a bit of a snap-and-go kind of vibe to them that was obviously Gloria's and some were a bit blurry but not to the point you couldn't tell what pokemon they were. That's not saying Gloria's was worse just more different. One picture she pointed out to you was one of you asleep on the table back at the Stow-on-Side's pokemon center with your Drizzilie asleep next to you for her photo under the Drizzilie section....You had given her a look half way through your soup with a raised brow, but she only giggled in response teasing how he must've been your long lost twin to be stuck to your side most of the time. You decided to let it go for now since you were more focused on eating your food to fill the empty space in your stomach. Speaking of said water type pokemon, Drizzilie had given a bored but curious look over the still slightly filled tub once he heard the mention of food. Afraid he might've yelled and gotten you in trouble with who ever the owners of this place was, you had rummaged around in your backpack and had found a mini bag of what looked like granola bars and tossed it to him to keep his stomach in check. You also found the small bag of candy you had been 'tipped' back in Hulbury for your 'job' still sealed tight with the little ribbon. Deciding you didn't want for it you offered it to Gloria who, after giving a thoughtful expression, gladly took it and set it aside for the moment. For the next while you had finished the food offered, leaving it outside the door as requested, and you picked up helping her find the right pictures to put into place within the book until you were done. There was quite a number of them that you didn't remember her taking on her way to Hammerlocke or Stow-on-Side concluding she must've just not had the time to glue them all in yet. By the time you were finished and Gloria put the book and other things back into her bag the sun had set and darkness was settling in for a long night ahead.

You stretched and yawned with a sigh turning to the bed provided for you with a smile. Happy you didn't have to worry about pitching a tent for the night again. "Ok! Time for bed-"

"UH! Don't ya mean adventure, Y/n?" You paused...turning Gloria with a bewildered expression plastered on your face as it what she meant by that. She meant adventure as in like a good dream right? She held up her camera and shook it a bit. "The best time ta capture ghost pokemon would be at night! And what better place than around a ghost type stadium n' grave yard!? I don't even have the flash on so it won't scare 'em off!"

"Oh HECK to the no with that idea!" You frowned immediately shutting her idea down and pointed to the floor. "Gloria we've been walking all day in the hot sun and I'd like to get a little sleep tonight. Plus we CAN'T just go tresspassing in a graveyard of all places! That's like high key illegal and very disrespectful might I add."

She gave you a look as if you had just insulted her mother. "WHAT!? Who said anythin' about goin' into that spooky place? I was talkin' 'bout just takin' pictures of 'em as they floated around. I wouldn't really just walk into a grave yard in the middle of the night are ya looney?"

Oh.....That actually made a lot more sense. Since ghost type pokemon wouldn't be too common during the day if any came out at all, and Gloria would probably need to get a few pictures of them if she wanted to finish up that challenge book. Being next to a ghost type stadium and the grave yard did seem like a good place as any to catch a couple of them floating about. But you two couldn't just be skulking about at night light this!! They'd think you were...were....I don't know! Grave robbers or something!

You shook your head. "Glory. Don't you think this is ...I don't know. Strange looking? What if someone catches us and think we're up to no good? These people practically own this land after all."

She gave you that same pleading face she gave to you when she wanted to meet Raihan back in Hammerlocke. "Please! I know I said I wouldn't ask for any more favors but this could be a good chance to get some pictures I probably couldn't get anywhere else! And we wouldn't be actually goin' inside the cemetary for pictures anyways so there wouldn't be any reason for us to get in trouble even if we were found! Plus think of the scientific reasons!" You rose a brow. "Seein' ghost type pokemon first hand in their natural habitat! Documenting' 'em for the world ta see! It'd be a good first hand experience in case one ever crosses our paths!"

You groaned, reaching a hand up to rub at your face. "You're really settled on this thing aren't you??....*sigh* Fine!" You pointed to her. "But you can't expect us to spend all night out there! We'll spend an hour outside but then we need to come back and get some sleep for tomorrow."

"....An hour n' a half!"

You sighed again. "Fine. An hour and a half but don't push it anymore than that!"

She beamed brightly nodding and jumping to her feet with her pack still slung over her shoulders. "You got it! We'll be in 'n out so fast they'll think we're ghosts too!"

You dry chuckled before shaking your head and turning. The things you got yourself into on this journey. "Drizzilie!" Said water pokemon peeked it's head over from the tub as it was called and you pointed to your own bag. "We'll be right back. Watch my bag for me until we come back. Ok?" The pokemon made some kind of sound before sinking back down from view which you took as an ok and turned back to follow Gloria once she walked over to the door. "Hey." She paused. "We'll need to be quiet about this. Remember. In and out. We're not going to be doing anything crazy like in Stow-on-Side. Ok?"

She nodded and with a groan, you reluctantly followed her flipping the lights of your room off as you did. The dishes weren't in the doorway when Gloria stepped out so the lady must've collected them as she promised. The whole house was...quiet. And dark. You had snuck downstairs to the kitchen a couple times to grab a midnight snack without your parents knowing when you were back home a couple times, but this felt different. Everything was quiet and dark besides the odd night noises you'd usually hear and the moonlight leaking in through the windows being your only source of light around. You stood there for a moment taking it in, it almost felt like you two were sneaking away like thieves or something, even if neither of you had bad intentions it still felt strange sneaking out like this. You jumped as the door made a soft creaking noise as Gloria slowly closed it behind the two of you. The brunette turned to you before putting a hand to her mouth in the universal 'be quiet' motion that you guessed even in this universe was known. You nodded and together the two of you slowly walked towards the stairs. It was strange at night sounds seemed to be much louder especially when the two of you were TRYING to be quiet. Even though your footsteps were pretty light and soft considering to your slightly worried selves they might as well have been compared to an elephant's! You tried to not bump or trip over anything in the limited light the moon provided and did your best to try and let your eyes get used to the dark as fast as possible to help out. Eventually Gloria found the stairs and took the first few steps down with you right behind her of course praying you neither of you would accidentally trip down these. Someone must've heard your prayers because you both made it and headed towards the front door. Gloria made the first move as you looked around and were surprised no one from the family woke up. They must've all still been asleep. Gloria slowly reached over and grabbed onto the doorknob, slowly turning it counter clockwise until there was a small click noise alerting it had been all the way turned, and pulled back the door with a small squeak noise. You two cringed at it and in a panicked stopped half way from the noise looking back towards the stairs of the dark and still home......But no sounds of anyone waking up came. With a sigh Gloria finished opening the creaking door enough for you both to slip through and out you two went into the night before she as slowly as before closed it back with a creak and small click. You both stayed still for a moment a little on edge...before sighing on the dark porch. Whelp you made it outside at least. Turning around, you looked out onto the dark world around you and it didn't look so much different than usual. The stadium giant and silent blocking out some of the moonlight and casting the road in front of it and parts of the cemetery in a pitch black shadow. The moon full rising high above your heads as stars twinkled around it like diamonds and dark grey clouds lazily passed along the sky. Would've made a perfect scene for a halloween cartoon. As you glanced towards the cemetary, devoid of any life or light besides the moon, you couldn't help but let a shiver run down your spine. But you didn't see any pokemon. Not even ghost pokemon.

"Hey Gloria," you nearly said in a whisper turning. But jumped realizing she wasn't next to you anymore. It only took one look over your shoulder to locate her tho. She turned back to you and made another shush motion before waving you over from her kneeled spot on the ground facing down the road from the stadium. How did she move so fast? Blinking, you did end up walking over to her as she resumed holding the camera to her eye, leaning over to be eye level. "What's up?"

"Shh." She looked to you, held her finger to her now smiling mouth for a third time, before pointing in front of her. "Loud noises will scare 'em away." She whispered.

Raising a brow you looked forward....And your eyes widened. Down the road from the stadium (the side that didn't have the cemetery on it) was littered in taller grass and a few trees. And they were AB-SO-LUTELY FILLED with ghosts pokemon! And some lights which you quickly realized were chandelier and candle looking pokemon flying or shuffling around. THERE MUST'VE BEEN AT LEAST ONE OR TWO HUNDRED OF THEM!! Peeking through grass. Randomly flying around. Interacting with one another. Climbing over the barn building. A few you remembered the names of like that small group of driftloons. A few shuppets here and there. That there climbing on the barn's roof was a sableeye. You THINK those candle like pokemon walking down the pathway were litwick. There was this really pretty white pokemon who looked to be dancing in the moonlight and you were pretty sure it was a Frostlass. IT WAS INCREDIBL- You gave a yelped and fell to your knees next to Gloria ducking as a loudly wailing Mismagius flew over head....And the teen giggled at you as you threw a frown at her.

"Oh haha. Very funny Ms. Get-Us-Chased-By-An-Onix."

"Hey! I said it was an accident. Besides unlike with that big rock for brains I know we'll be safe doin' this." She went back to holding up the camera towards the variety of pokemon around you. And while it was dark, and you were both a decent ways a way from the cemetery so you couldn't really have seen unless you could see in the dark....Neither of you saw the small figure peeking out from between the tombstones at you. Having heard the yelp you made thanks to the mischevious pokemon that whizzed by.

"Oh yeah? How are you so sure?"

"Ghost type pokemon are just different from rock types," she continued with a smile, "Rock pokemon would usually just mindlessly chase after ya far away if you even bother 'em in the slightest. And while ghost type pokemon can be pretty territorial if they have a territory of their own, usually they're just like this." She pressed the button again aiming at a ghost pokemon with a skull over it's face you couldn't remember the name off. Despite being so close to it and Gloria pointing the camera directly at it, it never even looked at her as it left. "They like to just mind they're own business most of the time as it is. As long as ye don't bother 'em or make 'em feel like you're gonna do something bad nine times outta ten they'll just leave ya alone. A lot of people think they're creepy or just plain ol' dangerous cuz of the bad rep some spread....But we're just sittin' here. Mindin' our own business while they do theirs. What reason would they have to just suddenly come at us?"

You stared at her completely in surprise. ".....Did you learn this from Hop too?"

"Yep!," she said snapping a picture at one of those chandelier like pokemon as it flew directly over the two of you. "He'd make a pretty smart scientist or pokemon researcher if he ever decided to become one."

You nodded. Not aware of just how smart Hop if he could know such astounding information. "...Well. How would you describe it then if a lot of people are too scared of them?"

....she paused...before looking and not even missing a beat said, "Beautiful. Wouldn't you?" The figure watching you's eyes widened.

You blinked a moment before looking forward as another driftloon lazily floated past close enough that if you wanted too you could touch one of it's yellow hand-thingies...before smiling. "You know I would. Because I can't really argue with how you described it either."

She hummed before turning and spotting a small mimikyu walking past towards the shadowed area of the path you two couldn't see into and pointed her camera towards it's disappearing figur- She froze. Eyes widening as through the night proof lense she caught a humanoid white face staring back before it swiftly ducked behind a tombstone- "GAH!!" You yelped as Gloria fell backwards onto her bum with a loud yelp. Startling some of the ghost pokemon into scattering away while others turned at the noise that disturbed the night. She pointed. "There's a bloody ghost in there!"

"SHHH!!" You quickly looked back towards the house relieved it didn't look like anyone was disturbed..before turning to her scared look with a scowl. "Gloria! You'll wake everyone up!"

her hand grabbed your arm as she scowled herself and pointed still. "I. Saw. A. Bloody. GHOST!! G. H. O. S. T. GHOST!!"

"Of course you're gonna see a ghost! We're surrounded by them-"

"No! Not a ghost type pokemon! I mean a real-..." She suddenly let go of your arm. "Hang on." With a fumble she managed to pull her camera's strap from around her head and forced the camera over to you. You nearly dropped to as she grabbed your shoulder and pointed towards a specific part of the cemetery across the road you couldn't see into because of the stadium blocking the moonlight. "Look. There! Right 'round that area there!" You looked to the camera, where she pointed, and then her unsure. But judging by the frown she wore, she wasn't going to take no for an answer. With a sigh you complied and held the camera up to your eye. Now you weren't sure whatever lense she used, but she was right that this thing made everything look like it really was in day time. Only with a yellow-ish hue to it. You could see the grave yard(making you shiver again-) clearly with this again, and could make out a bunch more ghost type pokemon doing their own thing among the graves there. Nothing really out of place as you could tell- until a humanoid black blur ran past a few of them. Startled you gave a small gasped and dropped the camera from your face. Gloria wearing an 'I told you so' look before snatching the camera back. "Now do you believe me?"

You opened your mouth before closing it like a goldfish a couple times looking between her and the pitch black darkness a few times. Not sure what to say...before settling on. "W-Well....Maybe it's one of the caretakers. They could be doing night rounds or...or something?" Or maybe it was a ghost type pokemon you couldn't remember.

She hummed. "Sure. Could be. But when did a graves keeper wear some kind of ghost ma-" Gloria froze...her hands lowering the camera back around her neck before dropping to her lap. her eyed wide and staring off into the darkness for a moment. ".....Wait a bloody second." You watched confused as she slid her bag off her shoulders(not sure why she brought it along in the first place) and opened it. Her hand hand shooting inside one specific area before pulling out the same white mask she had been cleaning earlier that day. It's white color shining in the moonlight as she held it up. Her brown eyes looked at it then at the dark cemetery then back to it again before she slowly stood up. Still looking at the mask as she slung her backpack back over her shoulders before looking back at the cemetary....and began to walk across the dirt road towards it.

"HEY! Gloria!" You were quick to jump to your feet and run after her, reaching a hand out to grab her backpack again as she let out a 'Hey!' in protest to you stopping her. "Whoa whoa whoa! And where do you think you're going!? I thought we agreed no grave yard adventures!"

"But he's in there!,'' she insisted pointing forward.

"Him? Him who?"

"Allister." she held up the small mask tugging free from your grip. "We said we'd give it back ta him."

......You rose a brow. "You think that Allister is in the grave yard?.....I'm pretty sure he's not an actual ghost."

"I didn't mean like that! He's runnin' around in there."

"Gloria. He's younger than you and most kids even adults would be asleep by now. What makes you think a little kid is going to be running around in a dark cemetery filled with pokemon who'd rather not be bothered at ten at night by himself??"

...She sighed. "Look. I know it sounds crazy but-.."She looked back to it. "I can't explain it..But there's somethin' I really need ta check out there. SO...Please? It's not like we'd be causing trouble by just lookin'."

You understandably were WAY too ready to just say no, call it a night there, and then drag Gloria back to bed to see Allister IN THE MORNING especially not in a grave yard but-...You looked back up too. ....There was a strange feeling about this. Not a bad feeling like you'd get with Mr. Rose or an uncomfortable feeling like when Raihan tried flirting with you or a familiar feeling like when you remembered something. Just...a neutral one as you stared back towards the darkness. And you found yourself slowly walking towards it yourself. Gloria blinked but didn't questioning anything as she followed you into the darkness. It didn't take long for either of you to find the open gates wide open for the two of you and in you went with Gloria right after you. Right into the dark grave yard. And you instantly felt a scary feeling overcome you. OH BOY!! This was like NOTHING in a game!! As you two looked around, Gloria turned down one way for a moment before beginning to walk that way, you blinking before slowly following behind not wanting to be left alone in this place. And like you had seen through the lense there was plenty of ghost types running around here. Many you didn't pay attention too as the two of you walked and looked around. Besides being in a literally cemetery in the middle of the night, everything seemed pretty normal. Before you bumped into Gloria who had stopped suddenly right in front of you.

"Hey!" Her sudden shout made you jump and blink. She walked forward a few steps and you watched...and noticed there was something cowering behind a particular tombstone that didn't look like a pokemon. "I can see ya hidin' away there." Whatever the thing was shifted even more behind the tombstone as Gloria stepped forward- Until a sudden barracaded wall of purple and sound quickly materialized from out of the earth before you two and sent her yelping and stumbling back as a trio of ghastly, haunter, and a gengar made up it. They didn't too happy. Acting quickly, you held your arms out just in time to catch her back before pushing her back upright into a standing position from the scare. She stumbled, righted herself up, and threw you a smile over her shoulder. "Quick thinkin' Y/n!"

"Those three don't seem to be too happy to see us," you commented gesturing to the obvious trio blocking your way as they made more sounds of contentment and frowns your way. Huh. Strange. Usually when you saw these three in any pokemon media they were always smiling so why were these trio angry? Were you invading their domain?

The thing moved from one tombstone to behind another and you two got a glimpse of a person. A rather small person which made Gloria raise a hand and call out again. "WAIT! You're Allister right?!" She pointed behind her. "You're the gym leader here aren't ya?"

There was a moment of silence as the trio of ghosts still stood there .....before the TINIEST and softest voice you had ever come from a kid speak out. "......'M A-Allister." You two could barely make out what was said by the voice...before slowly ....a small hand grabbed onto the side of the tomb stone the figure was hiding behind and a white masked face with dark hair peeked an eye from behind it. You both stared at him and he stared right back at the two of you. First at Gloria, then you, then back to Gloria before he shrunk a bit back behind the grave stone. "...Gym c-c-challenger??" He whispered out.

You weren't sure if it was a question or statement but Gloria nodded. "Yeah. That's right." Before lowering herself to sit cross legged on the ground as you blinked in surprise at her actions. "I am one but I didn't come 'ere to challenge ye or anythin'," she assured in a soft voice Wait...She DIDNT?! Then why was see so inssistant on coming here? "So you don't have ta worry yourself over that."

There was a long pause and the figure didn't even budge from his spot, in fact he inched back even more behind the stone if you were seeing things in the dark corrected. "T-T-Then w-w-why ...W-What do y-y-you-" Gloria calmly held up the lightly scratched up mask to him, and it seemed to be he realized what it was because his visible eye that was reflected within the moonlight blinked at it. "....T-T-That's m-m-my mask."

She slowly nodded again. "I figured it was." Without getting up she slowly extended her arm holding the mask out to him. "We found it all the way in Stow-on-Side. I just...well I wanted to return it to ya. Since you're always wearin' 'em in all I figured you'd might want it back is all."

......The hand on the stone pointed behind her at you. "W-W-W-Who's t-that?"

"Oh this?" She looked back to you before gesturing to come sit on the ground next to her and after a second of hesitation you complied and sat yourself on the ground next to her. "This is my pal Y/n. She was the one who found your mask by the mural in Stow-on-Side." There was another silence as he still stood there before Gloria slowly held it out to the purple pokemon trio in front of her instead. "Here. You can give it to him if it's make it more comfortable to him."

The pokemon all blinked before looking at one another before the gengar reached out and took the mask from her. Examining it as it turned around and walked over to where the boy was still hiding behind the stone. Allister's head disappeared for a moment back behind the stone and you both watched as a hand poked right out real quick to grab the mask from the pokemon who held it out to him.

"I'm really sorry about all the scratches n' dents in it," Gloria apologised, "But I cleaned it up good. I hope that's alright."

Again another pause and while he didn't look out again his voice came back. "T-That c-camera a-around your neck."The masked face peeked out again." ...W-Were you going to t-t-take m-my picture w-w-w-with it?"

"Absolutely not unless you wanted too." The boy furiously shook his head no and Gloria held up her hands before reaching up and taking the camera off your shoulder and held it over to you. You understood and without a word, silently took it from her and placed it inside her bag as she looked back to him. "Ta tell ya the truth I came out 'ere to collect some pictures of ghost type pokemon for somethin' I've been working on."

The boy nodded but in a way that almost seemed guilty. "I-I know I-I heard you speaking....I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. We don't mind at all. And we were being a bit loud, especially when I got spooked by a mismagius," you finally spoke giving him a smile and the same tone Gloria used. Holding a hand to your chest. You're little tease bringing a small but single chuckle from the boy to your delight. "My name's Y/n and this is Gloria. It's very nice to meet you Allister."

"......Gloria?," he asked tilting his head to Gloria who nodded, ".....Like Leon said?"

"If it was Lee who told ya 'bout me then it was def me." She tilted her head at him. "Did he tell ya bout me?"

......"He s-s-said you were a v-very nice and k-kind p-person."

She chuckled. "I try to be. Which is why I wanted to return your mask to ya. Although I have no idea how it ended up all the way in Stow-on-Side."

There was another pause....before the boy disappeared behind the stone again only to shuffle out to meet his full body to face you, as if in case he'd have to duck back behind it again, and you widened your eyes in surprise. When you had originally seen him back in the Entrance Ceremony on the giant screen you estimated him to be only one or two years younger than Gloria herself, but judging by his height and tone he couldn't possibly be older than eight or nine years. As he clutched the lightly scratched mask to his chest he stared at the two of you for a moment. "I-I....l-lost it by accident..w-when I was visiting a yam-mask in the ruins."

"Well then it sounds like you have a bunch of friends from everywhere," you smiled and Gloria nodded. He seemed to brighten at the fact you didn't state what someone would probably usually say and that having a yamask for a friend and traveling to see him was strange. .....You hesitated but couldn't help but ask. "Hey. Sweetie, what are you doing out here so late at night? And by yourself?"

"Oh. I-I'm n-not alone," he said a slightly brighter tone to his voice before he looked at the now smiling trio behind him. "I'm here with my friends."

.....You nodded. "I can see that, and it's obvious to me that they must help take very good care of you." The three pokemon made proud noises and smiles at the praise. "But I guess what I mean is did you let anyone from the stadium know you would be playing outside this late? They might be worried if you didn't let them know."

"Oh no it's ok. They already know I like to come out here a lot so it's not a b-big deal." He said this like it was normal....You slowly nodded but didn't make any move to make him feel bad. Allister then cocked his head curiously at the both of you. ".....D-Did you really m-mean it? I mean. W-When you said you f-found ghost types...b-b-beautiful?"

"Of course we did!," Gloria stated proudly and loudly. Well a little too loud because it made Allister flinch from the loud voice. "Oh. Sorry 'bout that." She immediately apologized before nodding and talking in that soft tone again. "Yeah. We did. But genuinely if I'm honest I really like all pokemon despite what kind they are. Ghost, physic, grass....They're all really unique in their own way. Just like Gym Leaders even if they're similar."

He seemed confused as he stared at her. "What do you mean?"

She hummed in thought. "Well...For example Kabu and Bea exercise a lot to keep fit n' ta help with their motivation, and so does Nessa now that I think about it. All three exercise for their careers in one way or another, but for different reasons. Like how Bea uses that to compete in the Galarian Martial Arts tournaments while Kabu couldn't careless 'bout fightin' in those things." A brighter smile lit up her features. "Oh! Or how Raihan and Gordie like postin' lots for their fan base. But each o' 'em post different things and even if it's the same thing there's differences in each one. It's fun getting to meet all the different gym leaders as people and seeing what makes them so passionate about their lives and how they do things!"

".....A-A-And me?" His grip on the mask increased slightly as he hugged it to himself. "W-What would you w-w-want to meet me for?"

"Well, besides to return that mask like I was tellin' ye about," she explained with a smile, "I think I wanted to meet you to see that special connection ya got that no one else has."

"Huh?," he blinked at her confused.

She gestured to him. "I've been around for a bit n' I've seen some really good connections between some people and their pokemon. But not even Leon can communicate the same level those lovlies behind ya can with you." Allister looked to the trio around him before looking back to her. "I'm not sayin' people and pokemon can't be friend, cuz that wouldn't be right at all since pokemon can be your friends no matter what. But there's somethin' extra special about the way you talk and interact with 'em compared to the other trainers and their pokemon that just seems more......closely bonded in a way I don't know but I can kinda understand in a way. ....That what makes it so beautiful about ya." Allister....didn't move....or talk.....Just stared silently. To the point even his ghost pokemon pals turned to look at him in question. And more long silence the two of you exchanged a worry look before Gloria looked at him. "H-hey mate. I'm sorry if I said something to upset ya."

"Hm?" He blinked..before waving his hands. "Oh n-no nono. I-I'm sorry. I-It's just....n-no body's ever s-said that to me b-before e-except for L-Leon a-and P-Piers."

"Well he's not wrong." He turned to look at you as you genuinely smiled at the boy. "Allister, I honestly don't know you or much about you ..but by kindly you've been and how ready your friends are to help you speaks that you're a really kind hearted person. And I think you're a great gym leader too. It wouldn't even matter if Leon told you you were special because I think you always were. We just all happen to be special in our unique ways."

He seemed to be taken aback at what you just said because he looked away and kicked at the ground with his foot. "You don't.....think any of this is scary?"

"Hm. Maybe some people would but that's alright too. We're all scared on something. I'm scared of heights."

"....Oooh. So that's why you never wanted to ride a flying taxi."

You nodded. "But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing at all Allister. I think you're a good kid. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Besides. We've talked to ghosts too!"

A silence fell over the lot of you again as you blinked and everyone turned to Gloria who smiled. "........What?"

"Yeah. You remember her! Paula! She's the one who wanted us to deliver a letter-"....She blinked. "Oh wait!" You all watched as she slung her bag off her shoulders and once again went to dig through it. Allister tilted his head curiously at her rummaging until jumping back when Gloria pulled out the same letter she had received from Paula back in Hammerlocke. "Here it is!"

"Gloria. We can't just say that little girl was a ghost. She could've just been a regular person."

She rose her brow at you. "A lil girl who could run as fast as a rapidash and disappear as silent as a ghost type pokemon?"

".....Ok. You have a fair point but we can't just jump to conclusions like that-"

"M-May.." You both turned back to Allister as he slowly reached a free hand out the other one still clutching the returned mask to him. "M-May I see it?"

"Of course ya can."

She gently handed over the letter and you two watched him take it as his ghost pokemon crowded around him to also look at it. He stared silently the entire time he looked at it, turning the thing front and back with his hands. ".........T-This has a strange aura about it." He finally looked at Gloria. "Y-You said she wanted you to d-deliver it?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Said it was for someone called Frank in Bellonlea. Also said I looked like someone she could trust."

He hummed for a moment before slowly handing it back to her and she took it back from him. "W-Well.....I think the b-best thing to do if she e-entrusted you with it is to make sure it gets delivered as soon as possible."

Gloria nodded putting the letter back into her bag. "Then it sounds like ta me the next stop we should make is the Bellonlea gym. I can go return the letter n' then battle the gym leader there....*yyyyaaaawwwnnn*"

"Yeah. Speaking of tomorrow, I think we've all had enough adventure for one night and should head back." You slowly stood up as to not spook Allister and Gloria slowly nodded and followed your example with another yawn. "We've all been out here for a while."

......Allister nodded. "U-Um...Yeah. I t-t-think I'll go back inside now too."

"Do you want us to walk you home?" He looked up to you surprised for a moment before shaking his head. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to get lost on your way back by yourself."

"Oh don't worry Miss. I'm not alone. I-I have my friends to help me.....b-but if you want y-y-you can come with me to the stadium doors. I-I don't mind."

You smiled and offered your hand out to him making him jump a bit in surprise....before silently looking between you and your hand....before slowly extending his free hand...and putting it in yours. You smiled as you turned around at a slow pace the young boy could walk without needing to change whatever pace he would've already had and walked with him towards the exit of cemetery. Thanking whoever answered your prayers that you were going to be able to get some sleep tonight after all. Even if Allister did this often in game or in this world often, you would feel better knowing that the young boy was safe inside his home and not out running around in the dark unsupervised and got home safely. So you slowly walked with him out of the cemetery and along the dirt path all the way to the big stadium doors where he eventually let go of your hand and you let him with Gloria and the spooky trio following.

"I-I can go on from here,'' he told you.

"Are you sure?" He nodded. "Alright. You be careful now. Ok?"

"I-I will." You smiled and waved a moment before turning and starting to walk away. Gloria turning too the moment you got to her.

"G-Gloria.." She stopped and turned to Allister who was still hugging the mask to himself. "U-Um....If...I-I k-know you said y-y-you didn't want to have a battle w-w-with me...b-b-but i-if you want too..y-you can stop by b-before you l-leave t-t-tomorrow a-a-and have a quick match."

She blinked at him for a moment before smiling and nodding. "I wouldn't miss it!" And then turned to catch up with you.

As you passed by the ghosts pokemon you gave them a smile. "You three continue looking after him ok? You've all done such a great job so far."

They all smiled and made happy noises so you took that as a yes. The both of you heard the door to the stadium open and close as you were walking signalling Allisters entrance and you sighed in relief knowing he'd be safe inside at least. You both returned the same way you got out. By sneaking inside through the creaking doors cringing all the way and being as quiet as you can to not wake anyone up. By the grace of some unseen force you managed to somehow not wake anyone up and successfully make your ways back into your room safe and soundly. And finding your Drzzilie had curled himself in your bag and had fallen asleep. Heh. Guess old habits died hard. You were sure exhausted though and practically fell dead asleep as soon as you hit the pillow. Sighing and closing your heavy eyelids as the peaceful darkness took over. Infact..... you didn't wake up. Not until much later the next day. Also not surprisingly in the slightest you ended up dead asleep again, not waking up until it was almost eleven in the after noon and when you eventually pulled your heavy feeling body out of bed you discovered Gloria folding some white clothing to stuff back into her bag with a plate of untouched waffles sitting next to her on the bed, and your Drizzilie boredly staring unmoving at the food.

At the sounds of you groaning and sitting up she flashed you a smile and waved. "Mornin' Sleepin' Beauty! I hope you're hungry cuz I already went through the trouble of not lettin' this tyrant 'ere take your breakfast." You pokemon sent an annoyed look her way.

With a long yawn and quick rub of your eyes you waved back. "Mmmmmmm. Morning. *yaaaaawwwwnnn*".....Your tired eyes blinked more at the uniform she was stuffing back into her pack and you pointed. "Hey. How come you have your challenger uniform out?"

"Well it's required ta wear it when you challenge a gym leader. I swear both his and Bea's gym challenge was me spinnin' more than Kabu's arcanine's flame wheel attack."

.........You blinked, taking a moment for your tired brain to process what she had just said. "Wait. You challenged Allister?" She nodded. "When did that happen?"

"Early this mornin'. He said if I wanted ta challenge him I should do it before we left for Bellonlea this mornin'. I was thinkin' of heading there next anyways since it would be the closest Gym I haven't battled yet." She finished stuffing the uniform into the pack before slinging it over her shoulders before you noticed the camera slung back over her neck. "And I got the badge...Even if I didn't win exactly."

"....What do you mean by that?"

"There was four rounds with 'em. I won two and lost two. So it ended with a tie between us both. I didn't want to accept the badge if I didn't really win, but he said since we were even I should take it anyways since I technically won it in a way. I think he was really happen to just have a battle with someone who didn't pressure him into it and without a big crows ta watch, tho he said as an official battle it'd still is gonna be broadcasted online for everyone to see," she explained picking up the food and turning to you," He's a really strong trainer for a lil kid. I think he's gonna be a great gym leader. And I saved ya some food that the land lady brought."

"Thanks! ...But where is he now?"

"Asleep. He was pretty tuckered out from last night n' the battle." She handed the plate over to you. "But that's to be expected."

You nodded. "Yeah. So that means you got the Ghost gym badge right?" She nodded again. "...Oh. By the way, how far away is Bellonlea anyways?"

"Eh. It'd take a REAL long time if we walk, n' there's no train 'round here for a good distance too. Which is why I already told the taxi guy out front we would use the corviknight taxi as soon as you were all ready."

You paused. Food on your fork lowered as you looked at her wide eyed. A silence coming over you two as you stared long enough to not notice your Drizzilie take one of the waffles from your plate.

".....WHAT!?"

#pokemon shield #pokemon sword #pokemon piers #pokemon piers x reader #pokemon swsh #pokemon sword and shield #Reader #piers x reader #reader x piers #Pokemon reader x piers

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innranrae · 3 years ago

Text

🐚 A Birthday Amidst the Archipelago

A/N: oneshot for my fav russian boys bday, i included the golden apple archipelago bc it was the most fun event/area I've experienced in genshin so far and I'll miss it a lot but at least it's inazuma and electro aether time, anyways hope you enjoy this and if you have suggestions/tips on writing or anything please lmk! I'm new to it all and I'm trying my best ;w; my friend proofread this tho and shes big brain so id say this one is pretty swaggy

￫ pairing(s): Zhongli/Childe, Aether/Venti (kinda platonic tbh), Venti and Dvalin vibing

￫ word count: ~ 3k

￫ cw: alcohol

￫ ao3

🏖️

Zhongli sensed a large being coming from the skies of Duyun Ruins. He did not want to believe it, but his doubts were soon confirmed.

Dvalin descended from the clouds with a heavy thud, sending the living creatures around either running or flying. Mounted on the Dragon of the East were Venti and Aether; The bard wore a pair of sunglasses and a light attire that shocked Zhongli to the core, he had thought the anemo archon could not get any more ludicrous, but it appears he was mistaken.

A slight frown grew on his face watching the scene and the geo archon couldn’t help but raise his palm to his face, sighing. On the flip side, Childe was astonished; his eyes sparkled observing Dvalin, considering what the outcome would be if they were to fight.

—

2 days earlier

“Traveler,

It has been some time since we last saw each other. I do hope your ventures are going smoothly.

I am writing to you to request assistance with an event that will take place two days from now. As you may know, Childe’s birthday is on the 20th of this month and I have been finding it hard to come up with a suitable gift. I wish to surprise him but nothing that fits my criteria comes to mind, in addition to the fact I am still adjusting to mortal life and their festivals.

If you do not mind and, of course, if you are free that day, I hope you can help me with this matter.

Zhongli”

After sending his letter to Aether, Zhongli straightened his shoulders on the stool at one of Heyu Tea House’s tables, raising a cup of steaming tea to his mouth, and waited for his guest to arrive.

“Receiving an invitation from Mr. Zhongli first sure feels nice,” a voice shouted coming from the stairs.

Zhongli glanced at the harbinger who took a seat by his side, “Childe, do you have any plans for your birthday?”

Childe widened his eyes slightly, “Birthday?” He raised his hand thoughtfully to his face. “Oh, my birthday! Hm… Is Mr. Zhongli planning on giving me some type of gift?” The harbinger smiled playfully.

“Please answer my question.”

“Nope! None at all.”

In actuality, Childe should be busy taking care of the Fatui’s business around Liyue; unfortunately for his underlings, he was going to do whatever he wanted either way. Additionally, he had a feeling Mr. Zhongli’s question was not trivial, and speculated the archon probably wanted to make plans.

“I see."

Unexpectedly, instead of proceeding on that topic, Zhongli said nothing more as he took another sip of his tea.

Despite the surprising lack of further development, he forgot about it as soon as Zhongli started to talk about a Ruin Hunter he encountered the prior day in the fields.

He knew by now what topics intrigued Childe's simple warrior mind, and that alone had Childe rambling about fighting tactics and his own experiences to Zhongli, occasionally trying to convince the archon to fight him, which he politely refused.

—

Meanwhile, at the Golden Apple Archipelago...

"I could really use a hand over here, Venti!" Aether's cry for help could barely be heard over the shrieking group of hilichurls advancing one after the other.

"But I-"

After unleashing a wind vortex from his palm, Aether glared at the bard, who was leisurely plucking the strings of his lyre on top of a rock. "Playing a battle song isn't helping!" He cut Venti off, resulting in the end of Venti's untimely concert with lots of whining.

After jumping off the rock, the bard shot an arrow that sent the group of monsters flying altogether.

The pair had a short-lived moment of relief, but soon the eerie sound of a horn was heard, indicating that more enemies were on their way. Aether groaned while Venti giggled nervously, and so, they had to return to their combat stances.

Not long after engaging, the traveler heard a short sound that made him stop his blade.

“Oh, I’ve got mail,” Aether walked a few steps from the fighting, reading the message while leaving the bard to get the monsters’ attention.

Venti's eyes widened at the sudden rush of monsters coming directly at him, though luckily, he sent them flying once again.

“Woah~ Don’t do that so suddenly, traveler, so mean!”

After reading Zhongli’s message, Aether was deep in thought, looking around as if searching for something, until his eyes met the green-colored ones of the anemo archon that reciprocated the eye contact, with a touch of wonder.

Zhongli opened the new mail he received, analyzing the few words Aether had sent.

“Meet us by Duyun Ruins at 9 in the morning, bring Childe with you.”

“Meet us? If I am not mistaken, Paimon has been staying with Xiangling, and didn’t show any signs of wanting to leave any time soon. Perhaps she can easily travel back and forth,” Zhongli thought to himself.

—

Present Day, Duyun Ruins

Jumping from the dragon’s back, Venti beamed, “Morax! Long time no see~!” Arms wide open as he threw himself towards his old friend. But before he got too close, Zhongli shielded himself, and instead of a hug, Venti’s face was compressed against the solid surface of the geo shield.

Venti staggered a step back from the impact, raising his hand to his cheek, now starting to swell, “Ow!” He pouted.

Zhongli tried to keep his cool, throwing a look at the two boys who recently arrived,waiting for an explanation.

Aether catches on the meaningful gaze and reassures, “Don’t worry, I think we avoided being noticed by anyone.”

“Yeah, Dvalin here is… Well, he tries to be discreet when flying around. After all, I was the one who taught him that~" Venti put a hand on the dragon's body while the other gave Zhongli a thumbs up.

"Saying you were the one who taught him does not reassure me one bit…" Zhongli’s veins were protruding from distress by now. "Aside from that, aren't you supposed to be more careful not to expose your identity in front of the common folk?"

The three other men stared at Zhongli in confusion, exchanging looks between themselves, "Common folk?" Venti asked. Childe was the first to realize he was probably talking about him and began laughing at the Zhongli's seemingly forgetfulness.

"Morax, you sure only remember what you want, huh. Even I know from the traveler's stories that this boy here is the eleventh harbinger of the Fatui. If that harbinger lady took my gnosis, I'm sure this kid knows my identity by now," Venti reassured while Aether slowly nodded, feeling second-hand embarrassment.

Zhongli was at a loss for words, raising his fist to his mouth, awkwardly coughing. On the other hand, the harbinger found the situation quite funny and patted Morax's back a few times while giggling.

Zhongli met Aether's eyes, "Nevertheless, what I desire to know is why that bard and his dragon are here?"

"Well, you’ll see when we get there," Aether reassured, getting back on the dragon's back along with Venti.

Childe cheerfully jumped on, extending his hand down to the geo archon who bashfully accepted, pointedly ignoring the meaningful grins the two other boys directed at him. And with little effort, Dvalin took off to the Golden Apple Archipelago.

The Snezhnayan boy's eyes gleamed with excitement from his first-ever experience that high up, sitting between behind Aether and in front of Zhongli.

Though, his laxity almost made the reddish mask on his hair fly away, luckily being rescued by the man behind him.

"Thank you!" The powerful gushes of wind made his words difficult to understand, yet enough for Zhongli to understand them.

If any normal person would travel through the clouds in the back of a dragon for the first time in their life, surely they would practice caution or be a little wary of their surroundings.

However, because Childe was Childe, an expert in adapting fast to just about anything, the journey on the skies was far from frightening.

A few minutes had passed and the boys were already close to their destination, and with his usual carefree expression, Venti looked back at the men behind him, yelling as Dvalin descended, "Hold on tight!"

With another loud thud, Dvalin settled at the northwestern part of Twinning Isle. Aether grew anxious in anticipation, waiting for Childe to see the preparations that he and Venti had come up with in such a short timeframe.

They had the inspiration from Alice's surprise for Klee, though not as crafty as she was. With the help of Tubby back in the Serenitea Pot, he managed to decorate the place nicely with newly crafted objects.

Umbrellas and chairs painted a light shade of sky blue sat next to fishing rods, Sea Ganodermas and conches decorated the sand in a path leading to a gazebo, which had seashells and starfishes hang from the wooden ceiling, surrounded by curtains.

And inside of it, one chest stored miscellaneous things, while the one next to it contained something that Venti declared extremely necessary: summer clothing he managed to acquire. In addition to the clothes he prepared, the anemo archon was also tasked with providing the food and drinks.

Visibly so as there were at least three bottles of either dandelion or osmanthus wine for every single dish on the table. Which, of course, was all paid for with the traveler's Mora.

All in all, the table was charmingly organized. A cake with a whale drawn on top of it sat in the middle of it all, while balloons were tied to the wooden table.

Upon reaching the sand, Childe was fascinated. The ocean breeze brushing against his face, the warm sunlight of the Archipelago and the salty waves gently crashing onto the tide united all the scenery together.

He’d never seen such a tropical place in his life, so unfamiliar in comparison to his frozen homeland's weather and features.

Lost in admiration for the scenery, he had already forgotten that it was his birthday, only remembering when Zhongli called out his name, directing him to look ahead where the decorated area was put, in preparation for the celebration to commence.

Venti leaned back against Dvalin's tail, already playing a melody, as the other three walked along the decorated path.

Aether fastened his steps, going ahead and getting a small box. Then, turning back to the birthday boy, he extended the gift.

"Happy birthday, Childe."

The harbinger let out a small "thank you" before opening it.

His blue eyes twinkled as he grabbed the content inside the box for closer examination. It was a bright piece of wood with a smaller version of him, Teucer and Aether drawn on it, as well as a ruin guard, or “Mr. Cyclops” as his little brother would say, stood behind them.

Without thinking, Childe embraced Aether tightly with a wide smile across his face, and at the display of the ginger’s excitement, the traveler couldn't help but feel accomplished.

After the gift was exchanged, Venti pointed out the clothes he had prepared, which made Zhongli flinch at the thought of wearing sunglasses as eccentric as his. Luckily, they were just lighter clothes, not accessories.

Childe, already excited from the exotic scenery, went on ahead to change his clothes behind a tall rock.

Zhongli and Aether walked towards the same location, at a much slower pace than the Snezhnayan boy, who was already out of sight.

“Thank you for your efforts, traveler. You managed to surprise me as well,” Zhongli finally got the chance to say.

“It was no problem at all. I’m having fun and the ‘tone-deaf bard’ was a great help, too.”

Childe emerged from behind the rock suddenly, wearing shorts and a shirt that was presumably supposed to be buttoned up. As a matter of fact, all the attires were of a similar design, the few differences being their color schemes, a few patterns, and the boy’s usual accessories.

Before any reaction, they heard monstrous noises getting closer to the shelter. A group of hilichurls nearby seemed to have been alarmed by the dragon’s arrival.

Something inside Childe’s mind clicked and he immediately turned the way of the shrieks, getting ready to fight, “Leave them to me!”

“Oh I was counting on that,” Aether affirmed as Venti nodded. Knowing very well of the harbinger’s passion for fighting, they speculated about the attack and gladly attached it to the list of events for that day.

Aether’s words were thrown at no one though, since Childe had left as soon as those four words left his lips earlier, leaving no time to receive any reaction from the others.

Bad luck for those poor hilichurls, honestly.

Childe's hydro blades moved swiftly, leaving droplets in the sand as they slashed one after the other, ending each almost instantly, leaving little space for a counterattack. He only stopped moving when there were no more of the monsters around, either because they were actually all dead or ran away from fear.

Coming back to the shelter’s path, Childe saw that they were now fishing, which made him joyfully run to join them, and noticing that he was back, Zhongli offered Childe a fishing rod and a seat next to himself.

“Oh man, this takes me back to the old days with my dad,” The ginger said while settling down on the beach chair, “Though the temperatures are the complete opposite, haha. I wonder if my family would survive the extreme change in the weather, though.”

Zhongli and Aether listened attentively while holding their rods, all the while, the anemo archon, visibly tipsy, communicated with Dvalin nearby.

“How come you managed to adapt this easily to the sudden climate change, Childe?” Zhongli asked.

“A warrior must always adapt to any situation. If I let the heat get the best of me, I'm weakened, consequently leaving myself open to enemy attacks."

"Damn, he never changes. If it isn't about his family, the answer is always related to being a fighter… Well, it is almost comforting in a way." Aether thought, mentallyrolling his eyes while taking a sip of the drink Venti had given him.

"I see," Zhongli seriously responded, "It is indeed true. Keeping one's body and mind stable is a must when facing laborious challenges."

Childe was filled with joy upon hearing the acknowledgement. It was always pleasant to hear someone who understood his point of view.

The traveler shifted his attention upon feeling a small force pulling down the

rod.

A fish had finally taken the bait, and the eyes of the two men also moved towards him when they heard the small "oh" Aether let out.

They all rejoiced at the successful catch and its size, and the traveler went straight ahead to prepare a meal for them.

—

As the day went by, they had almost checked everything on the task list; They fished for a while, Aether showed the mechanisms and puzzles that Klee's mom prepared, even landing his Harpastum so Childe could try them, he also taught them how to ride and summon the Waverider, they exchanged various anecdotes, as well as how the traveler came across the Archipelago in the first place, describing the whole Dodo King saga, and finally, filled themselves with food and drinks.

The sun rapidly fell under the horizon, merging the last colored rays of marigold into the indigo night sky. Venti had managed to convince the traveler to drink with him throughout the day and, needless to say, they were quite drunk by now, though both of them had a high tolerance and were somehow still acting civilized.

While Dvalin slept, the four men sat on the sand, listening to Venti sing around the crackling campfire.

When the bard began to sing a piece about Snezhnaya, Childe seemed to have recalled something.

He shuffled through his belongings, grabbing a bottle with a clear liquid, “This was a gift I received earlier, it’s a Snezhnayan specialty alcohol, Fire-Water!”

Aether gulped nervously at the familiar name. He had heard the stories around Mondstadt, how Master Diluc spent three days in bed after drinking a single glass of it, leading to the unsuccessful partnership with the Snezhnayan merchants.

Childe poured the liquid into separate cups and went around distributing them to the boys. Sitting back in his original spot, he continued, “As per tradition, we have to down the cup in one go!”

Venti was all in for the proposal, and despite their concern at first, Zhongli and Aether respected the birthday boy’s wish.

After raising their cups in a toast, they all drank the beverage at once.

Childe cheered, rambling about how he missed the taste of the drink. Zhongli seemed to be unaffected, calm as always, smiling and listening to the Snezhnayan boy.

However, Aether didn’t seem so well, he had expected the feeling, but because of the previous drinks he shared with the bard, it seemed to have had a stronger effect on him.

Aether wasn't the most affected by the drink, though.

That one shot was the ultimatum for Venti. His vision was blurry and he couldn’t stop laughing, which alarmed the others, but before they could take action and ask what was wrong, the archon fell into the sand, a grin on his face as he passed out.

After the realization of what just happened, Aether was the first to talk, “Um, I’ll take him to the shelter. I’m feeling a bit… dizzy too. I’ll get some sleep, haha,” He was making a great effort to sound coherent.

“Hope you enjoyed your day, Childe.”

A sincere smile was directed towards the boy sitting next to Zhongli. That expression warmed Childe’s heart. Aether had put great effort into this whole day and he could tell.

Childe was about to open his mouth to say something after the traveler turned his back to them while carrying Venti, but was stopped by the blonde, “Oh, there’s something I forgot to say. If you go west from here you will find another island with a shipwreck on top of the, um… Rock structure thing. It’s a good place to watch the stars. Anyways, hehe, good night.”

That piqued the two tall men’s interest, and after watching Aether and Venti enter the shelter, Childe looked at Zhongli, who was already standing up, as if he shared the same idea as the other.

A short cruise to the Nameless Isle later, Zhongli and Childe were already walking side by side through the tide, leaving steady footprints on the sand’s surface.

When the two stopped to both admire the place and look for a way to get to the top of the rocky mountain, Zhongli noticed a mural on the rock, which showed a shipwreck and what seemed to be a few people trying to save each other.

The archon was pondering about the meaning of it when he heard Childe’s voice from behind him.

“Mr. Zhongli, there’s a wind current over here!”

Zhongli went to the other’s location, noticing the current that led to the top of the mountain.

Without much effort, both of them got to the original destination: The shipwreck Aether mentioned.

It was indeed a tragic but beautiful place; a place where one could watch the azure starry sky, pale moon glowing brightly.

The two found a spot to sit near the ship that once sailed the seas, and watched the galaxies above them.

Childe offered another shot of the Fire-Water, which the both of them shared. Zhongli closed his eyes, deep in thought.

He had been trying to find the chance to give Childe his birthday gift, but he couldn’t find the opportunity to do so. Finally, now seemed like the perfect time.

He reopened his eyes and stared at Childe, who was watching the sky attentively, blue eyes shining unitedly with the stars.

“Childe.”

Upon hearing his name, he turned to look at the archon.

“Give me your hand,” Zhongli said, reaching his own towards the harbinger.

Childe automatically did so, and after searching for an object on the pocket of his shorts, Zhongli put the present on the other’s palm.

It was a single earring made of Noctilucous Jade and Cor Lapis, in a similar fashion as the one earring Childe normally wore.

“This reminded me of you when I saw it. If you do not wish to wear it, I understand, but I do hope you could keep it with you.”

Zhongli said that but the harbinger was already taking off his original earring, making the archon a bit embarrassed at the impulsiveness of the boy, yet very pleased.

Childe had been rambling about the, now, old earring and how he had gotten it in the first place, but after a while of no response from Zhongli, he gazed at him, being met by the image of the geo archon fast asleep.

Zhongli had a high alcohol tolerance, but with the nightfall, his drowsiness had grown to an almost unbearable level, and now, he was finally subdued by it.

Ajax couldn’t help but feel a warmth in his chest, his expression softened and he decided it was time for him to rest too.

He had never had a better birthday in his life.

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spikebhm · 4 years ago

Note

4, 5, 8, 9, 14, 18, 24, 32, 33? Thanks. Love your blog btw.

Oooh that’s a whole array of questions!! Thank you so much and thank you for the compliment, I aim to please!

Let’s get going then:

4. What made you start a gaining tumblr?

I started my blog somewhere around February or January of the year 2020, before the whole Pandemic started. It was mostly there to lurk around and follow blogs that I liked their content of. I had an account before but I neglected it for the most part until I closed it down. Now let’s jump towards the summer of 2020, the lockdown full in progress.

It was a mix of being in a lockdown and my search for social activity on the internet that wasn’t necessarily my bubble of friends or interests but also my deep dive into the whole fetish scene outside of a couple other sites that I was frequently on.

The more engagement I did, the more it became a thing that I was excited to share and soon it became a blog that a lot of you people started to like, dm me every day and just looked for a good conversation and that stuck to me the most, all the people who had a very positive effect on me so I decided to stay after what I started!

5. Tumblr crushes?

I reeeally don’t like to play favorites here, I do have a lot of crushes tho and if I were to start to list them, it might happend that I forgot about someone and that wouldn’t be really far, now would it? But people know who I have a crush on because I do comment on their blogs and notes so I will keep it that way. <3

8. What did you think about your “urges” before you discovered that gaining was a thing (we’ve all been there)

Hmm, to me feedism is a very cerebral experience. I’m a diagnosed autist and one of the many things that I discovered about myself is that my overworked brain doesn’t really allow me to have these urges or have reactions to things that might help create an addiction from it, I think both things are kinda aligned with each other because you create a sort of space for you to feel dependant of it if that makes sense. I can turn on my urges on and off like a switch. I can go full on horny and can turn it off in the act and leave my partner hanging. It’s a weird thing to explain but because my brain is so efficient at visualizing I don’t need a trigger to get horny if that makes sense! Brains are crazy!

9. What do you like most about this community?

I love how this space that I created for myself became a space of acceptance and curiosity, comfort and support. People have repeatedly expressed to me that they love that they are met here with patience, respect and openess for their interests as well as well informed opionion pieces on the feedism culture as well.

When they come here, they feel safe and accepted and so do I - and it is my duty and privilege to share that with everyone one of you!

14. How long have you been actively gaining?

I’ve been gaining for the last 8 years! It was a steady climb but it kinda picked up around the time I got into lockdown and by the generous support of some of my followers!

18. What is your goal in gaining (physically)?

As large as I still feel relatively comfortable (and maybe a bit more when I get into a dedicated relationship, that’s what my heart really wants <3) I can’t say what number that might be but we are talking a very hefty ssbhm size if that is any pointer. ;)

24. Eating while fucking (or being fucked)?

Oh. OH. OH ABSOLUTELY, SIR. Nothing get’s me going better then getting teased to be ridden and have food in my mouth. NOTHING. Best FOREPLAY ever!

One of my hottest fantasies is to be funneled while I get to doggy someone 🙈😏🥵

32. Your most intense fantasy gaining wise? Would you like to go for it IRL?

That would be probably the short story that I wrote, it’s called “Hyperfocus” and I really, REALLY want to try it out. I have very sharp and strong senses and I need them to dial down a bit. Stuffing is one way to shortcircuit my brain!

33. What is something you think you did right when it comes to your gaining lifestyle?

My experience as a chef and interest to research helped me create a gaining plan that is not so hard on my body. I do snack a lot, that’s true but all my food that I eat on the regular, even the gaining one, is healthy. I cook for myself. I probably have maybe take out 3 times a month, even less sometimes because I’d rather prep it on my own. It’s cheaper, more efficient and by far the healthies method to gain. You are already impacting your body and health, as well as your mood and mind so you need to take proper pre-cautions into gaining in my opinion. Now some people enjoy it the other way and that is totally legit. But my very rational mind can’t feel different about it. So this is the one lifestyle choice that I feel is well thought out and I am still thankful for not having feet that hurt or burning thighs and calves as well as an aching back! (Although my shoulders ache but that’s been there for more then 8 years lol)

Thank you SO much for the questions!!! Had a lot of fun with the and I hope you enjoy my answers!

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the-lavender-creator · 3 years ago

Note

warning: euphoria spoilers, tw alcohol, drugs, sex, vague mention of suicide, abortion and sorry if i forgot any of the other common trigger tags

during there grad or dance or whatever they went to the bathroom together and they were in the stall and jules told rue i want you to want to kiss me so bad that you don't even ask and that lines lives rent free in my head 😭😭😭 rue didn't kiss her tho bc she's a shy little bottom smh 🙄 so they went back out to the dance floor or i think they went outside to sit and talk and long story short rue suggested they just run away to new york and jules said yes so they went back to rue's house for her to grab her stuff and then they went to the chain station where rue chickened out and jules kissed her on her hand and told her goodbye and that's pretty much where the season ended well after rue walked back home crying in the rain and then there was the notorious all for us dance part. i really relate to rue bc she has anxiety she was diagnosed with anxiety, ocd and i believe bipolar disorder all of them like between early childhood and her teens and like she also does really chaotic spur of the moment stuff like suggesting they run away but then she chickens out and i relate to tht a lot in terms of anxiety bc well same and also i feel like most characters with anxiety are portrayed as shy and and like anxiety is there whole personality whereas rue's portrayal seemed more realistic at least in terms of my own xp. like once she had a panic attack the first day back at school when she had to talk about her summer in front of the class, she also had a panic attack at a party but we also see her like being that wild and chaotic teenager and i think it's very important that they portrayed that those things are not mutually exclusive

rue says drugs are kind of cool - ik there's a lot of criticism that the show glorifies drugs but i think it just shows an accurate representation of the life of a drug addict like she admits that she knows it's bad to say. her addiction stemmed from her taking care of her very ill father and she had to give him pills and one day she took one or two i think and yeah and that's understandable bc she was really close to her father his death hurt her a lot and like the stress of taking care of him and just the whole situation ofc wld've emotionally impacted her negatively and one day she tries a pill and suddenly everything feels better so she wld obvi continue and ofc it got out of hand. there's also a really popular quote abt the 2 seconds of nothingness of smth like tht i cant remember it off hand

fav jules x nate - jules and nate had a very toxic and complicated relationship and i do not support it in any way but uhhhhthtpartwaskindahotsorry. anyways nate is typical school bully and jules is the new girl but plot twist nate who pretends to be the definition of straight is a jock has a gf etc likes or had a thing for ig mtf and jules and him formed a close relationship on some dating app and then she met him and yeah disappointment the clip is from the meeting she didn't actually stay she pushed him away and went back to rue's and rue hugged her to sleep and it was very sweet

another iconic rue quote - this was at the party i mentioned earlier where rue got a panic attack and jules' behaviour she was acting distant lately kind of contributed but jules had a lot going on with nate blackmailing her and her mom wanting to see her and then i think the night of the party she found out her mom was back in hospital so she was going thru a lot and not communicating with rue and rue felt like things were slipping and she had become sort of co dependent on jules and she was the reason she was staying clean sort of and all tht so rue took the change in behaviour hard ofc and yeah the quote was relatable

another quote from the party after her panic attack - her best friend from childhood lexi hugged her and reassured her she wasnt a burden and it ws very sweet again i love the duality of the crazy unhinged rue and the vulnerable rue it's chef's kiss

enby icon - rue usually dresses very casually and for the aforementioned dance thing she wore a suit she looked so good and jules did her makeup and she commented tht she was scared she messed with rue's gender presentation of smth like tht which is like all i need to confirm that rue is non binary UwU

chris mckay x cassie howard - kind of toxic relationship also kind of real he was older than her and the post is what he said when nate asked if they were dating there were a lot of weird stuff tht happened between them in the end she got pregnant and had an abortion and they broke up and she swore off dating for a while lol also cassie is lexi's big sister but my half a brain cell self watched the whole of season one thinking lexi was actually older and it was only when watching a fan edit on youtube i realized akjdf;ajdf;ka

rue being relatable again talking abt anxiety and why alcohol and drugs help - from personal xp and my friends' xp with anxiety like ppl can criticize the show for drug glorification but she's not lying and i believe anyone with anxiety who has a similar xp can testify to that however it's a slippery slope bc then ppl with anxiety and other mental illnesses may be inclined to also try drugs and alcohol but at the same time i think the show also portrays why you shldnt do tht so yh

rue special edition commentary - i nvr related to rue more than the things she said in this episode it was just her sitting down talking to ali her mentor and like she was spitting some real hard facts about being mentally ill and how it changes your perception of life and sometimes even when you're not in the worst spot anymore you still dont really care to live no matter how many people love you etc n felt

i live watched jules' special episode

some thoughts on rue being an unreliable narrator which she really is someone commented smth on this post tht changed my opinion of what i wrote abt not trusting her but i cant remember wht it was rn

rue manic rep - she was trying to figure out what was up with jules being distant and omg in this scene she also poured coffee into the coffee maker to make more coffee i believe smth like that but it was iconic lol but she did figure out nate was blackmailing jules and lexi was helping her

uhhhh i dont relate much to jules but these are the ways i do :(

jules' trans xp - so in her special episode speaking with her therapist she talked about performing feminity in a way to like please the male gaze and she realized she doesn't want to do tht anymore and tht like that isnt what being a girl is abt yk and the best thing abt this is usually she dresses very feminine and she wore a short skirt n crop tops on the first day of school in season 1 but for season 2's trailer she's wearing just sweats and a tee

hahahahha you might enjoy this post :)

ok this is long welp sorry

I wish you could put a read more line in an ask

#virgil rambles #tw long post #long post tw #long post #euphoria #euphoria spoilers #tw emoji #tw alchohol mention #tw suicide #just tw everything

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hagefree · 4 years ago

Text

Let Me or Let Go // Jae

Genre: angst

This one is from Jae's POV

Tick tock.

All I could hear was the clock ticking.

I remember her words clearly, "let's just end this."

All I could feel was my own heartbeat beating so fast as if a hundred of zombies wanted to eat me alive.

She got out from my bed and picked up her clothes.

All I could see was my tears were about to stream down. I stayed silent.

From that moment, I never knew a girl would've had an impact to me.

"I— we can't do this anymore, Jae," she uttered.

I sighed, "why?"

"Because—" she was wearing her hoodie back,"—it leads nowhere! Don't you see it?"

She's right tho. We're in the middle of nowhere. No one states that we are an item yet we just keep coming back for each other.

Or it's simply called no string attached.

This kind of attachment was like time bomb. It kept ticking until one of us couldn't bear it anymore and would explode. And today was the day.

The day finally she said we better end whatever we were doing.

Frankly, I haven't figured out my feelings yet.

But if the feelings towards her were still blurry, why did it pinched my heart when she asked to quit?

I thought I'd prepred but apparently it hurts.

I opened my mouth, "are you, by any chance, seeing someone else?"

"No, no, no—" she leaned on my desk, "—let me get this straight, Jae. We kept doing this nonsense for almost a year. That's it. Nothing more. You seem not interested bringing us to the next level. I'm jaded."

I could see despair in her eyes. For half an hour, none of us spoke; too busy to ponder what the fuck was happening between us, and what would we do next.

One thing for sure I won't let her slipping away yet I am not ready for any kind of commitment.

Hence, she has the score to leave me whenever she wants.

The frustation punched me in the guts. I'd like to level up whatever we're doing but not today. Not when I'm still dealing with my past relationship which brought me to insecurity.

Little did she know, I have bitter memory with my previous love story.

Now I'm standing face to face with her, "look, I'm gonna be brutally honest with you. You want to believe me or not, it's up to you."

I gazed her teary eyes.

"Your presence is helping me. A lot. Once, I was dating someone back in high school."

To be honest I want to keep this all by myself. But I can't help it, I think she needs to know. If this makes everything between us getting better, I'll do it.

I inhaled as much as I could.

"Jae..." she advanced closer and reached my hand.

"I was so in love with her. She made me like the luckiest guy, to have her as lover. Long short story, I overlooked her chat with her classmates. You know what? It turned out, she made me as a bet. At that time, I felt my world crashing down. She doesn't love me. At all."

Tears began to tear down, I couldn't hold it anymore.

"Stupid me, back then I still fought for her. I refused to believe what was happening. I still chased her, texted her, begged to come back. But of course she blanty ignored my whole existance."

"And from that moment, I build my walls up high, have some trust issue, and tend to keep what's in my head all by myself. Then you came, you....get the best of me...."

She reached my cheeks to wipe some tears, I continued, "I want you. So bad. I don't want to share."

I held her cold hands, "so please, can you stay? I—we can make this work. Heck, I can't even guarantee anything but, please?"

I let my guard down just to make her stay.

We were still holding hands as she uttered, "I want to believe you but if you can't guarantee anything, how am I supposed to believe?"

"Here, you can feel how I'm feeling towards you," I brought her hand to my pounding chest. She blushed.

"Now you know how I feel, I'm not lying..." I hugged her and caressed her head.

"I won't let you go then," she said.

She removed my arms, looked up at me. Then slowly, she closed the gap between us and captured my lips.

Somehow, our kiss was incredibly different this time. No rush as if we had all the time in this universe. I sense chastity through it.

I let her exploring my mouth— tongues clashed, she bit my lower lip. I just hummed in response until my back hit the bed.

She detached her lips then moving down to the crook of my neck, inhaling my scent. Geez, this girl is driving me crazy.

"You always smell nice," she blurted.

I smirked, "I know" and proceeded to kiss her on lips that I've never had enough.

My body hovered her and it didn't stop us from kissing. I slipped my right hand beneath her hoodie and drew circle there.

I nuzzled my lips to her temple, "let me..." to her nose, "be—" to her left cheek, "with you," to her chin, "we can take this slow—" to her neck, "but sure."

"J-jae...." she whimpered beacuse of my recent attack. It's a pleasure knowing the effect on her.

I blew her ear and nibbled it.

Guess all she could do was just whimpering underneath me, "Jae, we—" I bit her earlobe once again.

"—we should sleep," oh finally she could finish her words.

I chuckled and fell onto my back next to her.

"Alright babe, I admit having that dispute was pretty worn me out..."

"Yeah, me too," she rested her head on my chest.

I pulled her closer as we both drifted into sleep.

#day6 #jae #park jaehyung #day6 au #day6 one shot #jae au #jae one shot #day6 angst #jae angst #day6 scenario #jae scenario

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plush-anon · 4 years ago

Text

Happy Halloween Scooby Doo! Review

Muahahhhahahhahahaha! Thanks to the Walmart tradition of stocking movies for sale weeks before the intended release date, I have myself a copy of what claims to be Scooby Doo’s FIRST Halloween adventure!

…in spite of movies like Witch’s Ghost and Goblin King, holiday specials like WNSD’s A Scooby Doo Halloween (which had a haunted Scarecrow too…), BCSD’s EL Bandito (for Dia de los Muertos - obvs not the same, but most companies act like it) and Halloween, The NSDM’s Halloween Hassle at Dracula’s Castle, and the DTV short film Scooby Doo and the Spooky Scarecrow (which, ironically enough, did NOT take the opportunity to feature Dr. Jonathan Crane).

So let us take a look now at Happy Halloween Scooby Doo! and see whether this film will be a graveyard smash of a treat, or a black licorice bomb of disappointment.

Full review (and SPOILERS TO GO WITH IT) are below the cut in my new review format; if all goes smoothly, I’ll go with this for future Scooby films.

WARNING: This review is very long.

One minor note before we begin: the Special Features actually include BCSD’s Halloween, WNSD’s A Scooby Doo Halloween, and PNSD’s Ghost Who’s Coming to Dinner

...so they were AWARE this was not the first Halloween adventure of the Scooby gang, and yet still use that tag line. Hm.

Still, kudos for including them - this’ll help boost the reasons to keep this movie, if it turns out to be a real Milk Dud of a movie *ba-dum tish* :D

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The movie starts off rather abruptly, actually - no slow pan over the setting, just WB Animation credit and BOOM, we’ve cut to a Halloween parade and Elvira is talking.

I’m of a mixed opinion including Elvira on top of having Bill Nye and a Batman Rogue - while she most certainly fits the Scooby aesthetic, it doesn’t feel as grand an impact after her weird little cameo in Return to Zombie Island (ugh) and I’m not sure how well the movie will balance her in wait a minute

wait just a

WAIT A MINUTE

Did - did that parade float skeleton just sing Crystal Cove as the town’s name?

oh no.

Oh No.

....also their song is terrible and they should feel terrible.

-------

Fred: We got him! Banh Mi Shop, second floor!

me: the heck is a Banh Mi Shop? *mild googling noises*

So I guess Jonathan Crane really had a craving for a Vietnamese sandwich before he enacted his Halloween scheme.

...you think he’s a lemongrass chicken type of guy or a BBQ pork guy? It’s always hard to guess at these things, esp when coffee and pumpkin spice aren’t on the table (as per fanon, of course)

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Velma: We have a flawless track record!

So I guess WB is just gonna ignore the past few DTV retcons established in 13 Ghosts and Return to Zombie Island?

I mean that rather defeats the purpose of them existing at all, but fcuk YEAH I can get behind throwing that retcon garbage out of canon!

And STAY OUT!!

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Shaggy, talking about ghosts being real: I’m like the boy who cried wolf - I keep warning you but like, you won’t believe me until I finally get eaten!

Yet again, Warner Bros makes a wolf reference to Shaggy. Yet again, I am torn asunder between wanting werewolf!Shaggy in a new Scooby property, and fearing for the appearance of werewolf!Shaggy in a new Scooby property.

-------

Velma: Point is, being afraid is a waste of time!

Scarecrow, LITERALLY EXPLODING THROUGH A BRICK WALL three buildings away:

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He’s floating through the air and t-posing to assert his dominance 🤣🤣🤣

Gods bless animation 😁

------

Daphne @ Shag and Scoob locking themselves in the van: Are you serial?

Me: wait, SERIAL? *re-reads captions* yup, that says “serial”.

Is this an editing mistake? I don’t think that works here…unless that’s supposed to be a joke on how they always do this. But then why would that be an irritating surprise, they literally do this EVERY episode 🙄

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Oh hey, Red Herring’s Party Screams truck has Red Herring running out of it

Could this be a hint to how the story goes? The villain appearing on a literal Red Herring?

Naaaaaah, WB’s not THAT smart

-------

So if we take @captainbaddecisions crack theory on Jonathan Crane being Shaggy’s uncle seriously, does this mean that Jonathan is using magic to fly, float fear toxin orbs around himself, and making things explode, a la the family trait of Crack Theory A?

Logically he’s probs using wires or magnets or some shit, but it’s a fun thought to entertain 😁

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Welp, we finally get the opening credits! … with Jonathan Crane smashing through the Mystery Machine’s windshield, set to a slow poppy song straight from the 60s, and spewing the title of the film out in glittery pink mist.

All the while Scooby and Shaggy throw candy at each other, deliberately obtuse to the cloud of fear toxin enveloping their friends and the townsfolk, the steady destruction of the Mystery Machine they’re laying in as multiple cars crash into it and send it spiraling, and the general mayhem and destruction that Scarecrow is causing

Never change, guys, never change

--------

I just choked on my lemonade

There’s an article plastered to the roof of the Mystery Machine titled “Talking Dog Confounds, Ignites Ethics Debate Over Dog Labor”

ahahahahaha

-------

Annnnnnnnd there goes the Mystery Machine, tumbling in the air and over the roads with Shaggy and Scooby still inside without seat belts. Will they perish in this horrible road accident? Will Death finally come to claim them at last?

Of course not. This is Shaggy and Scooby we’re talking about - I’m almost positive they can survive anything up to and including a nuclear bomb. This is child’s play to them.

-------

So they “capture” Scarecrow… by pinning his cape to a tree with crossbow bolts.

And they do not try to at least tie up his arms or his hands in ANY capacity.

JUST the cape.

...you know, Velma, for a team with a “flawless” track record, you guys are making a hecking TON of mistakes in facing against one of Batman’s ROGUES GALLERY, ESPECIALLY with no Batman in sight, good freakin’ grief. 😩

------

Yaaaaaaaaas, this Scarecrow design is LUSH

He’s got the lank, the height, the BTAS costume colors, the elongated face with beaky nose and pointed chin and angular cheekbones, the eyebags like Gucci, the furrowed brow… honestly the only thing missing is the more reddish color hair, and even that isn’t mandatory. I love 😍

Not to mention the HOT DAYUM voice he has - low and velvet rough and so godsdamned particular in a way that could either tie in to obscuring a southern accent as in fanon or just as a stringent academic, oh my yes. He’s voiced by someone called Dwight Schultz, who’s most well known for playing Captain ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock in the OG A-Team show, and someone called Reginald Barclay in Star Trek TNG and Voyager, if any of y’all know that character in particular.

And of course, the first line he says is a delightfully wry “Oh, but I AM getting away with it,” with the sort of smirk that absolutely lends credence to why he’s a threat to Batman, and not some simpering wimp that can be defeated with some crossbow bolts in a tree.

I think I’m going to enjoy this movie at least somewhat, so long as we get to see him 🥰🥰🥰

(tho on a side note: Daphne why on EARTH are you trying to film Crane saying the meddling kids line? Do you have a video compilation of past villains who’ve done that, and you hope to add his to it? Was your phone damaged when you went up against the Riddler a few DTVs ago and you want a second shot at recording a Gotham Rogue saying it? Bc I don’t think a Gotham Rogue would be too pleased with seeing himself as a Mystery Meme on the Youtubes, you get what I’m saying?)

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Okay, so the floating orb things are explained away as fear toxin bomb drones somehow… despite looking nothing like the other drones and being much smaller with no visible propulsion, while also flying unassisted through and around objects to explode against places once flung…

(tho interesting note, none of them are aimed directly at the crowds, just behind them - odd, that)

But how did he heckin’ FLY at the beginning?

Yeah, they show him wearing wrist-mounted grappling hooks at the end of the intro song sequence, but they are NOWHERE IN SIGHT at the beginning - and I do mean in sight, since he emerges against a backdrop of flames. There was nothing there (see the T-pose above for further evidence), and nothing there when he FLEW THROUGH THE MYSTERY MACHINE’S WINDSHIELD AND FLEW BACK OUT AGAIN. And these things are pale silver, which stands out like crazy against the darker backgrounds, so no hand-wavy ‘they were always being used’ bullcrap we’ve seen in other movies.

Hmmm *scribbles in notepad* note to self, add notation concerning Crack Theory A on magic!Shaggy to “Uncle Crane” theory files - evidence denotes that Crane is able to fly (or at least hover in mid-air unassisted) for terrorization purposes. May boost strength of CTA by family association, lending credence to magic inheritance along the bloodline...

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“Avocado Toast Generation”? Crane, I honestly don’t know if you really mean that, or if you understand just how much that phrase gets under any Millennial/Gen Z kid’s skin. Having seen multiple variations of your character, it really could swing either way (tho kudos on the dead switch idea - very nice 👍🏻)

Although this does lead to an interesting stand-off: Fred, upon seeing the town threatened with 3 days worth of fear toxin, immediately moves to let Crane go, while Velma stops him and refuses to consider compromising if it means Crane escapes. They both look legitimately frustrated at the other for taking the stance they do.

Fascinating~

------

Hmmm

Crane honey, I don’t know if your drones are made of flash paper and hope, or if Scooby and Shaggy are using the reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaally old candy (the stuff made about ~3 years ago most neighborhoods give out to the teenagers that knock around midnight on Halloween) to shoot them down, but either way you may wish to speak with the manufacturer about this

Then again, this IS Shaggy and Scooby - they probably could’ve spat marshmallows at the drones and brought them down with equal success and explosions

(and good on them for shooting those down! Atta boy 👍🏻)

-------

Aw dang it

1. They still have Crane captured and now in handcuffs (despite having… you know… NOT been bound by anything except cross bolts in his curtain cape thing)

2. Dwight Schultz has decided to pitch his voice higher and more nasally than what he has. Hopefully this is more of an incredulous sort of pitch than something that sticks for the rest of the movie, ugh.

Also, I think they’re framing the movie to be more Velma-centric this time around - she’s the one explaining to Crane how they tracked him down, apparently through a piece of fan mail he sent Elvira (is that the only reason she’s there? Also why was Velma examining random pieces of fan mail for toxins, Elvira probs gets hundreds a week irl) and it looks like they’re framing something up on how fear isn’t something you can pretend isn’t there. neat!

------

whajit

53rd?

53rd?!?!

ONLY 53rd?!?!?!?!

Boooo, Scarecrow’s WAY more popular than that! I call foul

---

Okay why is Daphne’s schtick so far to spit laaaaaaame slang after every sentence Velma says

I would rather this not be her schtick

Actually could she go back to filming mystery stuff, bc at least I can pretend it’ll build into the OG Zombie Island Daphne

----

Phew, his voice has returned to its low, raspy goodness

also, Crane needs to learn about personal space, good grief

(interesting clue brought up tho - Crane only steals tech that CAN’T leak his toxin, ergo it can’t be tracked until he releases it. Sensible use, given that Batman probs tracks it if it does.)

----

Velma: I’m not afraid of you, Crane. Fear is an illogical reaction to an imagined threat.

Crane:

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Crane: Fearless, then. Intelligent. Proud and stubborn. You remind me very much of the one person in this world I care about.

uhhhhhh

Yourself? Harley? Edward Nygma? Ichabod the raven? Idk, I’m honestly curious as to where this thread will go 🤔🤔🤔

-----

Fred, leaning against the Mystery Machine: Guys, it’s gonna be okay. She told me!

O_o

Fred? Honey? Are you sure you weren’t supposed to join Crane in the transport vehicle back to Arkham?

----

OH SWEET JESUS SHAGGY GREW YAOI HANDS

WHAT THE HECK

THAT’S WAY MORE UNNERVING THEN YOU GUYS NOT BEING AFRAID ANYMORE

(although the fact that they’re both unsettled by NOT constantly shaking or having their heart racing is honestly kind of heartbreaking. Y’all need therapy, good grief)

----

Shaggy and Scooby just chewed up candy (wrapper and all) to make themselves a Halloween costume of… what looks like barfed-up candy (ew)

Before then proceeding to dance so well that everyone around them also starts dancing in a 60s-70s era rainbow light show and giving them candy

I worry for these two sometimes - that kind of power seems to be getting to their head 😬😬😬

---

Oh hey, acid green toxic waste is spilling from an 18-wheeler onto the Fear Toxin drones and emitting a purple pink haze that envelops a pumpkin patch! That won’t do anything suspicious at all I bet!

(wait is Poison Ivy going to come into this at some point)

(also major kudos to the music here - very 80s horror synth, I like)

----

So the Pumpkins have grown faces, limbs, consciousness, the ability to fly and a lust for human flesh

And they appear to be led by the Pumpkin King of the Pumpkin Patch mentioned in the Charlie Brown Halloween special

He’s not as friendly as I pictured him being, sadly 😕

---

Why is this random ass cop coming up to FD&V to say that they’re in over their heads… AFTER the mystery’s been solved?

Like dude, you’re only making yourself suspicious at this point, go home

----

Huh, interesting - the gang are being interviewed for a tv news network while they’re considered the town heroes

Why am I getting bad vibes from this…

Eh, it’s probably nothing

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Velma: {Shaggy and Scooby} are, um… REALLY into the Halloween spirit.

Shaggy: THIS ISN’T COSPLAY, VELMA!

I’m dying 😂

------

Holy Shit

Velma just snapped and went off on Shaggy and Scooby for acting scared and doing nothing to help wrap up the mystery

(even though these guys are the ONLY reason that the gang didn’t have to choose between setting Scarecrow free and poisoning the entire town for 3 days straight, but hey, what do I know - I’m just writing an in-depth reaction post to this movie and taking note of details like this, clearly I know nothing *eye roll*)

Last time I saw Velma critique the guys’ usual mystery solving shenanigans, it was much more low-key and without knowing they were nearby

But I’m sure that’s just a coincidence

------

What the

Bills?

Bills?!?!

Fred just mentioned that fixing the Mystery Machine was going to leave a hefty bill and that they may need to get dishwashing jobs to earn money

Which is more of a job you might expect a high schooler to get on the go and yet

They actually have to pay bills

How old are they here??!

------

wait a tic

THIS is how they introduce Bill Nye?

He just calls up Velma with no explanation other than Velma saying “Oh hey, it’s Bill Nye!”

I just - what?!?!

How do you know him so well that he can just pull up your number and call you, and then geT YOU A NEW FREAKING CAR LIKE

WHAT?!?!?!?

Was there a Scooby episode with him in the past two years where the fcuk did this come from

------

Also the car is dressed like Bill Nye

And he can talk to the gang directly as the car

So that he can solve mysteries with them whenever he wants

This… this was not what I was expecting to come about from the Bill Nye cameo

(alas, poor predictions of being Crane’s roommate, you will not come to pass this day) 😔

-------

Ooooo, purple haze throbbing on the horizon! That’s always a good sign of things to come! 😀

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And now Daphne’s… asking Elvira to mentor her fashion wise. And Elvira’s taking her on as her unpaid intern/personal assistant.

Yooo, movie, can you pick a direction and stick with it for Daphne? You’ve gone from her spewing outdated slang to wanting a costume for trick-or-treating, and now this.

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Welp, now I can say I saw a giant pumpkin dog vore an old woman

I didn’t WANT to see that mind, but I guess I can say it now 😐

------

OH SHIT NO

IT TURNED HER INTO A FLYING PUMPKIN SHAPED LIKE HER FACE

ABSOLUTELY UNSETTLING, 0/10 WOULD NOT RECOMMEND

-------

At least we get a nice scene of Daphne kicking the pumpkins’ collective butt

Something normal

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Elvira: WOW! You’re a regular Mary Sue!

*falls over cackling*

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And now there’s a giant purple fissure opening up in the concrete to swallow the town of Crystal Cove whole

(good, i whisper softly into the darkness of my living room. Let it fall)

--------

Man, I feel so bad for this single father right now

He’s gotten wrapped up in all of this nonsense with his daughter, and he is just Distraught at being chased by Jackal Lanterns, having the town collapsing under his feet, and having to gorge jump in his sedan to get away from the worst of it

It’s okay, Mike Dad - we would feel the same way in your shoes

-------

Hologram Bill Nye is wearing Cat ears and cat whiskers/nose, and is cleaning his hands like a cat cleans its paws

Why was this the movie we found out Bill Nye was a furry

Why Warner Bros

Why would you inflict this upon us in a Scooby Doo-Scarecrow mystery

-------

Hey, can Jonathan Crane return now? The movie needs its dignity back.

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A clue on the whys here - the town was built on top of a MASSIVE lithium deposit, with the talks to mine it being scrapped due to environmental concerns. That’s actually a decent lead in for why some

-------

Welp

The Jackal Lanterns just went full Mad Max with the Halloween Parade floats and cars

No, I don’t have any idea why either, just roll with it

-------

Nice, they confirmed that Fred’s full name is still Frederick Herman Jones XD

Also a great little action sequence with Daphne - while there’s not much movement, they frame the scene dynamically, with some good quick wordplay. Very nice.

--------

Velma has a mind palace

Aight

--------

Velma: Shaggy, I could kiss you!

Oh, to hear this as a child, when I still hardcore shipped Shelma *sigh*

------

Oh thank gods we’re going back to Scarecrow again

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Shaggy ate some Scooby Snacks, leapt out of a moving vehicle, and onto the backs of two flying pumpkins that he promptly reined in to fly to Crane’s prison transport

...yet again, I am amazed at the sentences I am led to type for Scooby Doo DTVs

------

Ah, how very Hannibal Lector of you, Jon

Man, he actually looks very meek in normal clothes - red long-sleeved shirt and grey slacks

-----

Hmmm

So Crane ISN’T behind the Jackal Lanterns - in fact he’s outright befuddled by them. This means his whole spiel to Velma earlier about both of them being caught in the same trap was… metaphorical? The breakdown doesn’t actually go into WHY he thinks they’re in the same trap - Crane’s whole schtick is tied to accepting fear, not denying it, so why would they be the same?

Either way, someone is using both him and Mystery Inc to do something to Crystal Cove (please be Red Herring, please be Red Herring, please be Red Herring)

Actually, that reference at the beginning really WAS a red herring - they framed it as being Jon the whole time when it wasn’t. Kudos!

Additional kudos to having Jon be seen more out of mask than in - he is a looker, and I aim to look as much as I can ;)

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Annnnd Daphne’s now trying to convince Elvira to switch clothes with her

I don’t get it - how on earth did we get from Daphne trying to find a good costume for trick-or-treating to asking Elvira to switch oh there it is nevermind.

-----

There is literally a scene where a giant buzzsaw is slicing towards Crane

and he just

stares at it

going “huh, that’s different”

And I LOVE IT

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And here we have another fascinating scene: Velma going to free Crane from his cell, as Daphne tells her to just leave him to die by pumpkin

I’m wondering if they meant to draw a parallel between the two here - Velma starts by reciting a nursery rhyme, then overcoming her fears in order to release madness to take control. It’s not done very cleanly - mainly bc we barely have any time with Crane in this movie - but I wonder if they meant to insinuate that Crane was like Velma once, where he refused to acknowledge he was afraid, which caused him to lose focus on his initial goals

Idk, ignore my ramblings

---

Crane, smirking: I’ll need my personal effects - extenuating circumstances.

Me, fanning myself: I’ll need you to remove yours first

(i am not even kidding, Crane is an absolute DILF in this movie and it flusters me. Stupid sexy animation)

---

YAAAAAAAAAAASSSSS

SCARECROW TO THE MOTHERFCUKING RESCUE BABY, SCYTHE AND FCUKING ALL!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

----

FCUK YEAH THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

HE HAS A DANCE LIKE QUALITY WITH SOME OF HIS FIGHTING MOVES

VIOLENT DANCING BRINGS THE GIANT JACKAL LANTERN DOWN BABY

THEN HE BACKFLIPS AND GYMNASTIC SWINGS INTO THE VAN

ROCK IT SCARECROW FCUKING ROCK IT

(minor note here, but the subtitles show Dr. Crane instead of Scarecrow - unsure if that’s more that the movie calls him Dr Crane or if it indicates he’s acting more heroic than villainous)

---

GODDAMNIT

THE GIANT PUMPKIN SNUCK VINES INTO THE VAN AND STOLE HIM BACK

WHEN CRANE WAS... wearing a seatbelt before, but isn’t now.

...

BOOOOO

---

Yet again, we find a Scooby movie that attempts character development, but with Velma

Unlike Shaggy’s Showdown however, I’m mixed on how successful it is.

For starters, Velma hasn’t been this cocksure in other DTVs we’ve seen, so it’s a bit odd to see it now. While not 100% out of place - after all, the gang DID capture one of Batman’s Rogues Gallery on their own - it still feels a touch forced. Compare that to Shaggy’s Showdown, where Shaggy has ALWAYS been a coward (one that, in more recent years, writers have had willing to abandon his friends for safety), so the character development there feels more natural.

The progression of events with Velma actually work somewhat okay - but again, here’s where past DTVs come to bite them in the ass. The past handful have had the gang be wrong, have had them fail, or catch the wrong guy. This makes Velma’s attitude here at odds with the other films, something that sticks more due to a character that’s appeared in the past few films as a minor inconvenience - a Sheriff who keeps telling the gang not to interfere, they’re doing things wrong, etc. If this had been a character who was completely wrong in the past AND SHOWN TO BE WRONG FOR HIS OPINIONS, while the gang never guessed wrong, this would work much better. Unfortunately, it doesn’t, and here we are.

I think it would have flowed better if Velma’s cockiness came solely from catching Crane on their own. Have a random cop character or reporter or whatever (just not the recurring cop), insinuate that the gang is in too deep with Scarecrow, that he should be handled by the adults or professionals or whatever. Velma could bristle, overcompensate, and THEN fall from her pedestal like we see, reach out to the gang and commiserate over feeling scared, and grow. Again, it’s not too far to reach for, but they handle it poorly; as a result, the outcome feels a little more shoehorned in.

It’s an honest shame, bc we haven’t had a Velma centered story since Frankencreepy, and we all remember what a hideous fcuking mess THAT was *shudders*. Still, it somewhat gets its point across, I guess.

---

Fred why did you rip your shirt off

Actually better question why do you not have nipples

---

Awwwwwww

Velma just apologized to Shag and Scoob for snapping at them earlier, and admits how she doesn’t appreciate how much they make Mystery Inc what it is

Also she eats a Scooby Snack with them and admits they taste pretty good

----

Huh

Velma’s mind palace is the Mystery Machine driving through space

Also Shaggy and Scooby are able to telepathically follow her in and communicate with her

Literally, they actually followed her into her head telepathically, and show her their memories of things she hasn’t gotten to see tonight (while also possibly enhancing her ability to remember things, given how much DETAIL she captures perfectly of things that she would maybe have glimpsed in a millisecond AT MOST)

...another tally for Crack Theory A of magic! Shaggy and Scooby *scribbles*

-------

Fred, be very very thankful that there are no people operating those pumpkins in person cause uhhhh

Those traps would be spraying red instead of orange

------

Another weird music choice - the gang goes up to fight the Jackal Lanterns, but the music is the same 60s bubble we heard earlier

Not terribly atmospheric, really

(wouldn’t a Smashing Pumpkins cover of Scooby Doo be more appropriate, or did you guys spend all your money on hiring Elvira and Bill Nye?)

------

Dang

Velma just admitted her fears and jumped into the mouth of the Mega Pumpkin, before getting Fred to use the app from earlier to shut it down, revealing it to be a giant drone surrounded by smaller pumpkin drones

This feels… counterintuitive, but I’ll try to explain at the end

---

Okay

I’ll admit it

The Whodunnit is actually pretty decent in concept

There was a sprinkling of tidbits that could be assembled for the final conclusion and still make a decent amount of sense, all to find the sheriff doing it

Only he isn’t a sheriff

He’s a former Tech CEO who was also busted by the gang years ago in a case the Sheriff kept bringing up throughout the movie - due to his prison sentence, he lost more than half his wealth and the opportunity to expand it further with the Crystal Cove Lithium deposits

He was also someone who sold tech to Crane for his fear toxin distribution, where he got the idea to frame him for it

(tho on a side note, Crane is an absolute dork and a terrible liar - just look at the email he sent XD and that profile pic, my gods)

He deliberately picked at the gang for the past few DTVs (specifically 2: Return to Zombie Island and Curse of the 13th Ghost) to fracture their confidence, undermine them, etc - all so that in one fell swoop, he could retake his fortune, frighten everyone in town away from the mines so they couldn’t interfere, frighten away the gang (while also ruining their reputation as mystery solvers), and take Crane off the docket so he couldn’t identify the CEO when he pretended to be the sheriff

This… is actually a pretty damn good plan, for a Scooby villain. He was patient, manipulative, and clever, learning how best to tie up loose ends and win back what he lost. A clever revenge story that came so close to coming to fruition, and could have honestly been sold convincingly…

...if it hadn’t been done so much better in Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.

Yeeeaaaah, this movie basically lifts the rough framework up from that one - past mystery villain comes back to attack the gang and ruin their reputation (tho this one decides to also make his fortune back and tie up loose ends with former criminal contacts, a la Crane). Gang is embarrassed in front of the news folk, another villain is framed for it (like Old Man Wickles of the Black Knight fame), and the gang must reconcile to foil the villain for good.

Although it also??? Merges elements of Frankencreepy in it?? The movie is focused on Velma, who is struggling to admit when she’s wrong (which ties into her fear, somehow… I’ll think on that point a little) and things purportedly go haywire when she won’t bend. This… isn’t illustrated as well here, since there’s very little direct cause-and-effect from Velma’s actions that would prove this point - that insisting her way is the right, best, and therefore only way to go ends up making things worse.

As much as I despised Frankencreepy (and I DESPISED IT), it did do that part well - showing that refusing to budge on something can lead to you hurting your friends (literally, in that one), and that admitting you were wrong and need help isn’t the end of the world.

(that movie also had former villains returning to gain vengeance upon the gang using psychological warfare, hm - may need to go over that one again, unfortunately).

It’s a shame, too - the basic elements for this plot are all here, they just need to be polished and reworked a bit to make a really fascinating movie.

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Anyways, back to the asshat CEO who just… faked being a sheriff. Because white people can get away with that so long as they have the outfit and the car *throws up hands* (the sad part is this is probably something that actually happens)

As he drives away we see a familiar silhouette looming in the cornfields, watching him approach

Velma had Bill Nye on speaker, so he could record the entire confession for the federal officers nearby (who were taking Scarecrow back to Arkham), and track the phone signal to his exact location

And right as his holographic call cuts out, we see the shadow of a Scarecrow looming over him, causing him to scream.

When the feds arrive at his final location, both his body and the money have vanished. The car still sits, engine running, before the crows leering over him from the field vanish into the sky.

-------

Now that he’s dead, the gang walks and finds themselves at a Halloween party, with friendly faces and good food. The mystery is solved, though the culprit may never be found again.

Then Daphne admits to NOT trying to steal Elvira’s costume for Halloween, but instead trying to steal Elvira’s identity and replace her.

Something that she’s apparently nearly gotten away with on past mysteries working with Phillis Diller

*sighs* movie, why couldn’t you just stick to the costume schtick? This is just… so much worse.

-----

From there, Elvira walks off to wrap things up, reveal the monster face on the back of her head sans wig (which was also a monkey), and start the credits, where we see the gang working to bring the Mystery Machine back to its former glory a la Frankenstein pastiche.

This movie… this movie is a hot mess, but at least it’s an OKAY hot mess.

It really does feel like someone started writing a decent Velma-focused movie concerning the Scarecrow and a past Mystery Inc villain interfering, but was bogged down by notes from higher-ups: Wait! Write in Elvira! Also write in Bill Nye! Hey, let’s have a Mad Max car chase with the Jackal Lanterns! And have Daphne obsessed with literally becoming Elvira! Also make reference to things that we’ll insist be explained this way instead of a way that makes sense! Great!

(seriously tho, we never find out who Crane cares about most that reminds him of Velma, what the heck?)

It’s like two or three different scripts were smooshed together without being cleaned up - stuff is said that doesn’t get resolved, the celebrity guests don’t get to breathe much and feel squished together, and the build-up for the villain feels… less impactful, even knowing that he’s been in the past two films.

It might have worked if he’d been in… let’s say like 5 or 6 DTVs in a row, speaking roles for dissing the gang growing in each (ex start with “Good job kids! But maybe next time, leave it to the professionals, okay?” and growing more bitter from there), but only 2 feels kind of meh. Still, I do appreciate the clues we got to collect together, and they all work in the final breakdown of the scheme - some DTVs can feel like they pull stuff completely out of nowhere, so kudos there.

I appreciate what they wanted to do with Velma - give her a character development arc similar to Shaggy’s in Shaggy’s Showdown. Unfortunately, it wasn’t set up quite so neatly: they blended her ‘refusal to admit fear’ with her overconfidence that she was always right, and it led to a weird conclusion. To face her fears, she leapt into the Giant Pumpkin, which… proved that she was right all along about it being fake, and that solves things somehow. It doesn’t address how she can get something wrong sometimes, it doesn’t really address what she’s afraid of (which is honestly quite good: she’s afraid of failing in a way that allows bad guys to escape justice and in a way that hurts her friends), it’s just a bit of a mess. Points for aiming the focus the right way (and in a way that DOESN’T sexualize the underage teenage girl, unlike some DTVs cough cough Frankencreepy cough cough), but it’s very very messy how it goes about it.

The movie actually balanced pretty well for the whole gang - no excessive focus on one leaving the rest in the dust (too much at least - Fred was a touch underdeveloped, but nowhere near as annoying as past iterations have been. Shaggy and Scooby were kind of meh in some places but great in others, while Daphne was just odd. I think they were trying to recapture the BCSD Daphne characterization, but they failed. Still, she did spend some good time kicking ass with the pumpkins, so that was fun.

Now for the Rogue, Jonathan Crane. If you like Crane, this movie gives you: maniacal Scarecrow, calm and creepy Crane, a brief glimpse at fanboy!Crane (he admits in his own awkward way that he’s a fan of Elvira, and later tells her he loves her work - it’s fun), and (best of all for me) a heroic Crane - one who helps the protagonists and ends up kicking ass pretty damn well, brief as it was. And while DILF Crane is always a treat, he feels underutilized in this. In comparison, Scooby Doo/Batman Brave and the Bold really utilized a lot of different aspects of Riddler, to the point he actually does feel pretty menacing by the third act. It’s a shame we don’t quite get that with Crane, but I do love seeing him 1. More out of mask, and 2. Acting as a good guy (in his own way), so he’s enjoyable on the whole.

I kind of wish that the whole movie was spent more with Crane, but again, the script is a bit of a mess on this part - the fact that he’s not completely screwed over is a goddamn miracle.

Elvira was… okay. She didn’t have much of a purpose beyond getting the plot started and giving Daphne some hooks to play off of. Bill Nye (abrupt as his introduction was) did provide some necessary elements to the mystery, as well as the tech; he wasn’t too bad by the end. (still a touch bitter we didn’t get ex roommate Nye, but hey, what can you do)

Humor was… mixed. Some good, some meh, but very few long enough to feel painful. Some bits felt extraneous at times, but they did help to build to the conclusion, so points for effort.

At the end of the day though, I’m probably keeping this more for Jonathan Crane than anyone else. It does have a lot of fanfic potential tho 🤔🤔🤔

That’s all from me tonight, folks! Hope you enjoyed my own little breakdown of the movie.

#happy halloween scooby doo #plush reviews: final thoughts #jonathan crane #scarecrow #spoilers

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