#shooting gallery mayhem

[oc45]

This was a dra.ft I didn't post! I truly don't remember. I think I posted this attached to something else. Maybe my medication didn't kick in.

[tokimaeki]

Making a post about Sasha and Milla's respective traumas and how they handle them, bc I'm obsessed with the way they foil one another. Read below for my takes:

SO. In Sasha's Shooting Gallery, Sasha's mindscape is a big, mechanical cube. It's sleek. It's clean. It's perfectly controlled, just like Sasha himself.

Then Raz starts messing with the lever, and things start going wrong very quickly. It only takes one mistake for Sasha's childhood traumas to come bursting out of the cube in a way that is far less organized than his mindscape would like to have you think. What's more, these childhood traumas aren't exactly well-organized. Each side is haphazardly cluttered, as if the memories were just shoved inside the cube with no thought given how well they'd fit.

It's sort of like how, when cleaning my room as a kid, I'd just shove all my stuff into the closet and shut the door before it could all tumble out. Sure, the room looks great now-- but once I mess up and accidentally open that door, it's going to take a lot of work to get things back to normal.

And the same thing happens in Sasha's mind. Once one repressed trauma bursts out, it doesn't take long for another to follow suit. And another. And another. Raz can't stop them from coming out, and by the time he's managed to deal with one side of the cube, another one has already popped open. And of course, this all culminates in a giant Censor coming out to promptly beat the tar out of Sasha. It takes a lot of time, effort, and pain to get Sasha's mind back in order.

Meanwhile, Milla's mind is, for the entirety of her stage, perfectly stable-- despite her tragic backstory of her orphanage burning down in a fire, the psychic screams of the children in her care echoing in her mind. Why is that? Well, it's because Milla's traumatic memories and other painful emotions are safely sequestered off the beaten path, in that little locked room of fire and brimstone.

At first, I thought this was another case of a character dealing with their trauma in an unhealthy way. I mean, she's literally locking away her negative thoughts! That can't possibly be healthy, right?

But then it hit me. While Milla has put her thoughts in a part of her mind that's difficult to access, they're not really 'locked away.' in fact, you can access them pretty easily, as long as you know what you're doing and what steps you have to take. And once you do get there, the nightmares can't hurt you. They're scary to confront, sure. It's heartbreaking and distressing to hear the children's screams for help. But nothing in that room physically harms you.

And that's the beauty of Milla's mind. Similarly to Sasha, she successfully copes with her trauma by compartmentalizing it, putting it in a spot where it can't hurt herself or others. But unlike Sasha, Milla's pain is accessible. It's easily reachable, but near impossible to stumble into accidentally. And most importantly, it isn't going to come bursting out and causing mayhem if you make a mistake somewhere.

I love the way these two's minds foil one another. It's such a good example of unhealthy repression VS healthy compartmentalization.

[shiftytheshift]

Had this in my gallery for awhile but I'm finally posting it here. Here is Seph showing off his powers, he can do many things that make him a All rounder/Jack of all trades master of none in the battlefield with amazing mobility

As You all can see Seph can do many things, he can manipulate reality,conjure weapons and objects out of thin air, shapeshift, shoot electricity,indefinitely stretch his limbs out, draw things into life (he leans towards video game or cartoon logic when doing this stuff). When Seph first started out in hell, he only knew how to to use electrokinesis (An ability related to his death of being strucked by lighting twice). But as time went on his powers developed and gained the ability to materialize any objects he wants out of thin air, or even shapeshift his limbs or his body into anything.(this power is related for his love for cartoons, animations and video games, cause like in animations characters can conjure anything they want or even shapeshift into them, while he Seph does have cartoony abilities he prefers not to fight in a cartoony manner, he thinks it would too silly and no one will take him seriously)

though it isn't scene, Seph posses super strength,ridiculously lifting anything that would be impossible to lift like a truck,a whole tree, a giant boulder, etc.

lastly his copy ability, something he uses when necessary, this is a bad reminder for Seph of how someone copied his project in college and stole all the credit Seph rightfully earned. He can copy any power from anyone such as hellborns, goetias, sinners, deadly sins, angels, etc. Here is him copying Charlie' demonic arm from the finale of season 1

As you see Seph has amazing potential to be an overlord with these many feats but that's not really in his interests, Plus he isn't a figher at heart who thrills for mayhem and battle like how Piccolo described Gohan to Goku in the cell saga.

Inspirations for his fighting style are:

Gear 5 luffy

Twelve from street fighter 3

Mr game & watch in smash bros

Peacock from skullgirls

Azwel from soul calibur 6

Algol from soul calibur 4 & 5

FoxnQ, Richard & Mr.Pix from RHG

Harold and the purple crayon

Cole macgrath from infamous

Kirby

Seth from street fighter (mainly in Street fighter 5)

[satoshi-mochida]

SPINE ‘Gameplay’ trailer – story-focused action game for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC

Gematsu Source

SPINE, which was first announced as a team-based action game back in 2021, has resurfaced with a new gameplay trailer and direction—it is now a single-player story-focused action game. It will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

SPINE is a single-player story rich action game focused on intense close-quarters gun fights with aesthetics of Gun-fu movies. Boost your reflexes using a Spine augmentation and shoot the bad guys up close, en masse while performing all kinds of choreographic moves with your firearms! Ever wondered what it’s like to be the hero of an action movie? To find yourself in the epicenter of the action, kicking the gun out of your opponent’s hand, or parrying a bullet with your trusty katana? Look no further! SPINE is a cinematic game about close-quarters gunfights. Become the hero of your favorite action movie, grab your guns, enhance your reflexes with a Spine augmentation, and get ready to fight! The game unveils the story of a cyberpunk city in the near future. Have you heard the news that Tensor AI transformed this city into a literal heaven on Earth? Or would you prefer to listen to the whispers of the opposition? Join the fights on the city streets and participate in the global conflict of powerful factions while seeking personal revenge against the system. The environments and situations where you’ll meet your enemies are inspired by our endless love for action movies.

Key Features

Innovative Combat – Enjoy a thrilling fusion of cinematic gunplay and beat ’em up. Dive into the chaos of SPINE’s combat, where every move is a dance between gunfire and raw, close-quarter bullet mayhem. It’s not just a game; it’s an artistic canvas for your own style of destruction.

Movie-Like Experience – Feel the tension of each in-game moment as if you’re the protagonist in your own action movie. Thanks to the unique camerawork and combat choreography set up by actual action movie specialists, SPINE captures the essence of cinematic tension and makes it all yours.

Unrivaled Atmosphere – Dive into an action-packed narrative set against the backdrop of a captivating cyberpunk world. Explore the contrast between the gleaming, utopian facades and the gritty, decaying alleyways, as each location becomes a stage for adrenaline-fueled gunfights.

Gripping Narrative – Embark on a gritty journey into the near-future with Redline, a rebellious street artist, and her combat AI companion, Spine—a combat implant with a mind of its own. Together, they stand against an oppressive AI regime, and every fight they have sends ripples through the streets they navigate, changing the lives of the people they meet.

Cutting-Edge Tech and Graphics – Immerse yourself in the fluidity of combat animations in a detailed cyberpunk environment, brought to life by the cutting-edge graphics of Unreal Engine 5. It’s not just about enjoying the visuals; it’s about stepping into a world where each pixel plays a role in the seamless choreography between humanity and machine, creating an immersive dance of action and technology.

Watch the gameplay trailer below. View a set of screenshots at the gallery. Visit the official website here.

Gameplay Trailer

[georgevp]

Ant Gallery - February 2024

Ant Gallery print for February is title “Mitchi” and is a model mayhem model. The shoot is from a vintage model test from April 13th 2011 photographed with Canon EOS 20D, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 and Canon Speedlite 220Ex flash. Flash uses a Gary Fong Puffer not being used as intended which created an interesting cookie cutter lighting effect. The shooting location was the consignment and…

[gloriabomfim]

Certainly! Let's break this down into two parts:

Part 1: Bumpy in the Glow-in-the-Dark Nighttime Outdoor Places Here are 30 montage ideas featuring Bumpy in various nighttime outdoor scenarios while experiencing slapstick injuries and bad luck:

Bumpy tries to cross a moonlit street but slips on a banana peel.

Bumpy encounters a glowing firefly and gets startled, falling into a puddle.

Bumpy attempts to climb a tree to reach a glowing object but falls down.

Bumpy stumbles through a glow-in-the-dark amusement park, crashing into rides.

Bumpy gets chased by a mischievous glow-in-the-dark cat, leading to mishaps.

Bumpy tries to catch fireflies but ends up tangled in a glowing net.

Bumpy goes on a nighttime picnic, but a swarm of glowing insects disrupts it.

Bumpy mistakenly steps into a glowing paint can, leaving footprints everywhere.

Bumpy attempts to ride a glow-in-the-dark bicycle but crashes into a tree.

Bumpy gets caught in a glowing kite's string and is sent soaring into the air.

Bumpy tries to fish in a bioluminescent pond but gets pulled underwater.

Bumpy enters a glow-in-the-dark maze and repeatedly hits dead ends.

Bumpy encounters a glow-in-the-dark wildlife photographer, causing chaos.

Bumpy stumbles upon a glow-in-the-dark treasure map and faces booby traps.

Bumpy gets mistaken for a glow-in-the-dark cricket and chased by frogs.

Bumpy tries to capture a shooting star but ends up crashing into it.

Bumpy attempts to put up a glow-in-the-dark tent but gets tangled in it.

Bumpy joins a glow-in-the-dark dance party but disrupts the rhythm.

Bumpy explores a glow-in-the-dark cave and triggers cave-ins.

Bumpy visits a glow-in-the-dark zoo and accidentally lets the animals loose.

Bumpy tries to skateboard on a glow-in-the-dark ramp but falls repeatedly.

Bumpy attempts to make glow-in-the-dark s'mores but sets the campfire on fire.

Bumpy gets caught in a glow-in-the-dark spider's web while stargazing.

Bumpy enters a glow-in-the-dark sports competition and fails hilariously.

Bumpy explores a glow-in-the-dark forest, bumping into luminescent trees.

Bumpy tries to catch a firefly with a jar but ends up trapping himself.

Bumpy visits a glow-in-the-dark fair and encounters wacky attractions.

Bumpy attempts to navigate a glow-in-the-dark river but gets carried away.

Bumpy gets involved in a glow-in-the-dark treasure hunt with chaotic results.

Bumpy tries to launch a glow-in-the-dark hot air balloon but ends up floating away.

Part 2: Bumpy in the Glow-in-the-Dark Nighttime Indoor Places Here are 30 montage ideas featuring Bumpy in various nighttime indoor scenarios while experiencing slapstick injuries and bad luck:

Bumpy explores a darkened haunted house filled with glowing ghosts.

Bumpy tries to turn on a glow-in-the-dark lamp but knocks it over.

Bumpy attempts to bake cookies in a dark kitchen, creating a mess.

Bumpy navigates a glow-in-the-dark library, causing bookshelves to collapse.

Bumpy attends a glow-in-the-dark disco party and disrupts the dance floor.

Bumpy visits a glow-in-the-dark art gallery, accidentally damaging artwork.

Bumpy attempts to play glow-in-the-dark mini-golf but loses all the balls.

Bumpy explores a glow-in-the-dark laboratory, causing scientific chaos.

Bumpy tries to take a glow-in-the-dark elevator but gets stuck inside.

Bumpy enters a glow-in-the-dark maze in an arcade and keeps bumping into walls.

Bumpy accidentally activates a glow-in-the-dark robot, causing mayhem.

Bumpy tries to use a glow-in-the-dark vending machine but gets snacks stuck.

Bumpy explores a glow-in-the-dark science exhibit, triggering alarms.

Bumpy attends a glow-in-the-dark costume party, struggling with his outfit.

Bumpy attempts to cook dinner in a dark restaurant, causing kitchen chaos.

Bumpy gets locked in a glow-in-the-dark escape room, failing to solve puzzles.

Bumpy explores a glow-in-the-dark art studio, creating unintentional art.

Bumpy tries to ride a glow-in-the-dark escalator but tumbles down.

Bumpy enters a glow-in-the-dark theater, disrupting a live performance.

Bumpy attempts to bowl in a glow-in-the-dark alley, knocking down wrong pins.

Bumpy explores a glow-in-the-dark spaceship, triggering alien technology.

Bumpy tries to play glow-in-the-dark billiards, sending balls everywhere.

Bumpy visits a glow-in-the-dark aquarium, causing fish tanks to break.

Bumpy attempts to use a glow-in-the-dark ATM but gets card stuck.

Bumpy explores a glow-in-the-dark factory, causing production chaos.

Bumpy tries to operate a glow-in-the-dark photocopier, creating mess.

Bumpy attends a glow-in-the-dark magic show, interfering with tricks.

Bumpy attempts to fix a glow-in-the-dark electrical panel, causing sparks.

Bumpy explores a glow-in-the-dark museum, triggering security alarms.

Bumpy tries to use a glow-in-the-dark hotel elevator but presses wrong buttons.

Feel free to let me know if you'd like more details on any of these montages or if you have any specific questions or requests related to Bumpy and these scenarios!

[thefrezzcamstudio]

Best Wedding Photographer in Nashik

Best Wedding Photographer in Nashik

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Photographic images that are more unplanned and unposed are referred to as candid. The newest photography trend in weddings is candid photography since it helps couples to preserve all of the beautiful moments they have with their families and other significant individuals like bosses, BFFs, and extended relatives in a way that feels authentic. Since the subject is typically unaware that they are being photographed, natural emotions are captured.

Cinematic Photography service in Nashik

In a city that honors life and all of its shades, cinematic photography has a place. It has evolved into a tool for stopping time, capturing moments in captivating and timeless frames. With a dash of artistic genius, Nashik's cinematic photography service gives customers the chance to recall exceptional occasions.

Everything is captured with a tinge of cinematic enchantment in cinematic photography, whether it be the bride's sparkling eyes on her wedding day, children laughing at a family gathering, or the joyful mayhem of a party. Cinematic photography in Nashik is more than just taking pictures; it's about telling visual stories that evoke strong emotions and repeatedly take you back to those special times.

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We are a Nashik-based Indian wedding photography business. Pre-wedding shots, candid photography, cinematic wedding teasers, and destination weddings are our main areas of expertise in wedding photography. If you want us to be a part of your incredible journey, see our work collection to discover how we have covered the various aspects and rituals of Indian weddings.

Maternity Photography service in Nashik

The happy anticipation that parents have for their children is captured in pregnancy photo sessions. Additionally, as the expecting parents begin this amazing adventure of motherhood, we aim to capture the bond they share.

I am aware that a lot of names come up when I search for maternity photoshoots close to me. You should carefully browse the galleries of your photographer to get a sense of their style.Decide on a maternity photographer whose photos speak to you. You would continue to live with these images for a long time. Therefore, making a sensible choice is essential.

You can get enough backdrops and props from a maternity photographer in Nashik Location. But through a natural light, candid maternity photo shoot, However, The Freeze Cam Studio Photography will capture the love between you and your partner through a natural light, candid pregnancy photo shoot. We'll tell your specific tale using these images.

Best Baby Photoshoot Service in Nashik

We sincerely care about these moments in your life because we recognize how brief they are. Being a new mother is great and difficult at the same time, so you will enjoy the fun we have with your newborn baby photos for the rest of your life. Your infant will eventually gain parenting experience thanks to our top-notch baby photoshoot service in Nashik. To amp up the excitement, you can decide to have your baby's belly photographed during a maternity photo session.

It portrays your interaction with the baby and the emotions it is going through. Before the main photographic session, you can meet with the photographer to go through your ideas, pick the location, and decide on the shoot's style. Lastly, you can share your thoughts about the photoshoot.

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Photography requires talent to capture special moments. However, not everyone has the skill to take a picture that will live in memory. A photographer's competence is determined by their ability to know when to shoot a photo that, when looked at later, conveys emotions. Photographers in Nashik are recognized for providing satisfactory service to their clients.

They provide a variety of services for various events like weddings, birthday parties, and other get-togethers.

[wingardiumiku]

name : Sabrina Inez Garcia

meaning : 'from the River Severn' 'holy' 'brave in battle'

hometown : Scarsdale, NY

family : Miguel Garcia (father), Hecate (divine mother) Katherine Garcia (stepmother), Archie Garcia (half-brother)

origin : Sabrina was born to the goddess Hecate and Miguel Garcia on 25th December. A Christmas miracle was what his family called her but it wasn't long before the pressure of raising a child alone got to him. Often Sabrina would see him come home from work completely wasted and it caused an uproar when her aunts and uncles found out she was being starved four out of seven days a week.

Sabrina encountered her first monster while returning home from elementary school, a full-grown manticore. Intrigued by the strange hybrid creature, the six-year-old stepped closer to touch it and it attacked. She was saved by her satyr protector and brought to camp half blood.

The camp was a foreign place and all she wanted was to go back home. But when Chiron successfully contacted him, Miguel was more than willing to let her stay there. Her aunt Sophia, a clearsighted mortal, insisted on Sabrina receiving a proper education and got custody of her instead.

From then on, it was back and forth between Long Island and Scarsdale every year. Despite her initial doubts about the camp, she came to love it and accepted it as her second home.

Sabrina rarely meets her dad anymore and even when she received an invitation for his wedding, she didn't care enough to show up. She heard he got rid of his addiction and turned his life around. The only time she saw him in over ten years was the day Archie was born.

Sabrina has nothing against him nor Katherine and keeps in touch with them. But her relationship with Miguel, that's one thing she's fine with leaving in the dust.

position : Vice Counselor of Heacte Cabin, Head Alchemist

weapon of choice : Metavlitôs {a bracelet enchanted to transform into whatever gun she desires by rubbing the serpent engraved on the charm}

trivia :

Sabrina is one hell of a troublemaker and gets along quite well with the Hermes Cabin. Chiron had to ban her from teaming up with the Stolls during camp activities lest they unleashed mayhem again. They swore they had nothing to do with the pest infestation in the strawberry fields!

Sabrina often helps out in the infirmary and supplies them with healing potions and whatever medicinal substance she can concoct.

Despite her petite figure (bless her, she is barely 5'5), she's known around camp for having a no-nonsense attitude when she's focused. Legend has it that she managed to scare a few Ares kids to the verge of crying when they kept interrupting her shooting class.

Sabrina can't, for the life of her, fight. Well, she can, but not hand-to-hand combat. This is one of the reasons why she chose a gun to be her primary weapon. When Hecate saw this, she gifted Sabrina the Metavlitôs.

Sabrina has a talent for painting and her dream is to have her own art gallery one day.

She adores shiny things and aesthetic knickknacks and has a hoard of them in her little storage trunk in her Cabin (a Harry Potter flair added for the sake of representation and all that shazam)

Nobody knows where she runs off to during Capture the Flag, she's just never seen. Don't tell them but she just curls up comfortably on the branches of a massive tree until the conch horn wakes her.

Sabrina's arms and legs are often convered in ancient runes because she's afraid they might fall off from the amount of running she does—both around camp and on quests. They are products of dry-erase markers.

She has two familiars—a blue and yellow Macaw named Pablo and an American Cocker Spaniel called Aspen.

Every camper adores them and Sabrina spoils them rotten with the finest toys, food and even jewelry for fun. And yeah, they can talk.

Sabrina has access to a joint bank account through which her father sends money every month. She spends almost all of it on clothes and on gifts for her friends.

Sabrina is an avid fantasy and sci-fi novel reader. She is a vernian.

She is not a morning person. Though, it's her own fault that her sleep schedule is so wacky, she stays up reading, building puzzles or trying (and miserably failing) to solve a Rubik's cube.

Sabrina's magic overflows more often than she would prefer. It's mostly when she loses her cool after a long day of touring new campers, spending hours on end overlooking sizzling cauldrons and supervising three activity divisions.

Thankfully, her siblings are there to help, as their magic resonates with each other's and they can absorb her outburst to minimize the damage.

(1) art by me

(2) picrew

[plush-anon]

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

-----------

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!!

------

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:

------

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

Gods bless animation 😁

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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 🙄

-------

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 😁

------

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...

------

“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:

-----

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

----

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! 😀

------

 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. 

-------

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

------

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

*falls over cackling*

------

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. 

------

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

------

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 ;)

-------

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

------

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. 

------

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. 

[elsac2]

Prompt by @darknessstartstorise

Hey, I saw your post about sending prompts. I am not sure if this is something you would be interested in. I am a fan of paranormal romances, and was wondering if you would ever consider doing an AU kinda based off the In your Eyes film. I wasn't crazy about the film itself but the idea of seeing through others eyes..that person being your soulmate and what not. I don't know if that is a very good one but figured I would put it out there for Richonne.

" and the hallucinations?"

Michonne raises her head at the question. 

She scratches her eyelids out of acquired habits. 

She blinks to centre her vision.

" It didn't last past a week," Michonne replies with a tone, which hides her lies.

" That's good."  

He kisses her, and Michonne remains stoic. Lying does not sit well with her, but she does not want to risk psychiatric internment over simple hallucinations due to a severe coma.

Michonne already made a mistake to say too much about her visual hallucinations. 

She would not truly call what she has hallucinations.  The thing is close to something, which she cannot explain. 

It feels like becoming blind to see through someone else's eyes. 

 She sounds crazy, and it only gets worse when she tries to explain.

"Don't worry," She cajoled her boyfriend. " the doctor says I'm recovering well enough. I will be ready to go back to work, Mike."

" and it's what worries me. " Mike replies, " You should take time to rest before jumping back into your job. The world won't end because an art gallery owner takes five days away."

Michonne smiles, and it is hardly different from a grimace.

"Yeah," she begrudgingly agrees. 

….

" and the hallucinations," 

Michonne sighs, and she should have been careful. She picks her shirt, and she begins to button it. Michonne almost feels vulnerable with all those wires on her.

" all gone," she regulates her breathing to maintain her heartbeat at an appropriate rhythm. 

" I hope it's not a lie," Michonne's doctor says as she feels a pile of documents, which Michonne needs. " I can't let you back on the field if you still are experiencing trouble with your sight." She raises her head and looks at Michonne.

" I feel brand new." She smiles.

" I'm going to clear you out for a desk job first," her doctor says." Two weeks later, you will be able to return to the field." She signs the files and returns it to Michonne.

Michonne is not happy, but it could be worse. She scratches her eyes. The discomfort is almost unbearable.

….

" Michonne,"  

She does not immediately reply. Even the loud yelling does not pull her out of it. It is nothing different from her usual hallucination.

A small scene of everyday life, she watches it happen enclosed in a body, which does not feel like hers. 

She lifts a little girl with blond curl waves, and she hears laughter. For a moment, she sits on the breakfast table with the girl and a teenager

"Dad,"  he calls her.

" Carl, finish your breakfast." She replies with a rather masculine voice. " your mother is coming to pick you up, and you know how she gets." 

"Michonne, " 

She breaks out of her hallucinations. Michonne looks around her, and she notices her heavy hand.

" What is going on with you?" Her colleague asks. " You froze while shooting." She adds. " maybe you weren't ready to come back. How many more sessions with the psychiatrist?" 

" I'm fine, Sasha" Michonne promptly responds. " I got shot before, and it is part of the job." She continues. " No trauma here. " She lies.

…

Carl 

Michonne writes the name on her note pad. She adds more of what she can remember. The hallucinations began after being shot while on a mission in Nicaragua. 

She draws from her memories the little girl. Everything feels strange about her visions.  

It feels like looking through a window.  

Michonne draws a deep breath. On the last day, the hallucinations have not bothered her. In a week, she won't need to be on the desk. She would go back on the field.

Michonne closes her notepad. It would slowly go away.

….

It does not go away.  She lets her cup of coffee fall. Michonne is no longer in her kitchen. She is staring through the windows. 

There are broken glasses everywhere. She stares at a gun. 

" You thought we would not find you, Grimes. " 

A man says while he presses the gun on her. It is not truly how Michonne can describe it. He points it on Grimes.  She is only behind the window watching it happen.

" It doesn't have to be that way,"  Michonne recognises the voice. 

It is always the same voice. Carl's dad or Grimes, and she begins to believe they are the same man.  Michonne does not get to see more, and the window shatters into darkness.

…..

" Michonne," Mike calls her.

She finishes packing dinner. He cooked, and she agreed to clean. Michonne has not had a hallucination in days. She scratches her eyelids.

Michonne is going to return to the field in a few days. She has her lie made up. Michonne would tell Mike that she has to go recover a piece of art in Malaysia. She has a mission in the country. It sounds like a simple one. Michonne only has to recover intelligence. 

"What?" Michonne yells from the kitchen.

" There is something on the news," Mike replies. 

Michonne assumes it is something about painting or an art gallery. She comes to the living room to feign interest.

" What is going on?" She asks when she sits.

" There is a local cop who has disappeared," Mike replies.

Michonne cocks an eyebrow. She does not see why he would call her over it. 

" Hmmm," Michonne says with slight confusion.

" Detective Grimes," He says the name.

Michonne freezes, and her eyes quickly turn to the TV.

It has been about a week since local hero Rick Grimes. One of Atlanta PD finest detectives also one known for his grand coup against drug cartels plaguing the city has disappeared.

On 7 March, his house was attacked, and the security alarm went off. The police arrived a few minutes later and found a scene of horror. 

Michonne registers the date. She loses part of what the news anchor relates. She thinks of her last hallucinations.

Blood has been found in Grimes' home with nobody in sight. There are many signs of struggle, and many clues lead to believe in a vendetta against the officer. 

Michonne scratches her eyes, and she leaves the room without a word. She retrieves her notepad, and she reads a detailed description of her hallucinations. Signs of struggles. It does not sit well with Michonne. 

It is nothing, but trauma. 

….

 For a minute, it is pitch black until the window is clean. She struggles to see blinded by the light.  Michonne stares at the face coming to focus.

" They are all looking for you, Grimes." 

There is no answer. She looks around her with slowness. She focuses on every little detail. She does not focus on what they say.  Michonne sees a foot coming toward her, and the image moves out of focus.

" You're going to rot here, and when we're done, they will find your body."  

Whoever the man talking to Grimes is, he spits toward him before living.

Michonne waits, and she continues to stare at the room.

"Michonne," she hears him mumbling, " That is your name, right." Grimes talks to her. " I know you're here." He insists, " I get in your head sometimes." He continues." Talk to me." He pleads.

Michonne panics. It all ends before she can respond. 

She leaves her desk. She rushes to the bathroom to wash her face. Michonne is frightened. It is insane. She is going insane. Nicaragua is coming to haunt her. Her entire career in the CIA is claiming her sanity. 

Michonne takes a deep breath, and she returns to her desk. 

She opens her motor of research, and she does what a good agent would do. She begins to dig.

….

Rick Grimes is a white man in his late thirty. By all standards, he is attractive. He is a father of two, and he recently divorced from his wife.  She finds nothing out of the ordinary. Until his date of divorce coincided with the day when she pulled out of her coma.

Michonne takes note of it.  She continues to dig. He is an excellent police officer, and he made himself some good enemy. From negan to Philip Blake, Rick Grimes is responsible for the biggest seizure in the Atlanta narco world. It is all impressive and yet nothing explains why she would build a story around him.

It started while she was lying on that wet floor in a dirty room of a hotel in Nicaragua. She had finished her mission. Michonne was waiting for extractions.  Someone burned her, and next she knew the bullets were breaking through the walls. 

An hour later, she began to have hallucinations. Nothing important more like little things she dreamed off. She spent six months in the coma. 

She spends six months in her head having a conversation. 

Those conversations became hallucinations when she opened her eyes. 

Michonne stares at the screen. She continues to read articles about Rick Grimes. He has a teenage son named Carl. 

 She searches Carl Grimes. 

Staring at the many pictures, she recognises the one from her drawing. Michonne switches off her computer.  

She is going insane.

….

Michonne fails to forget. She wakes up, and she has again fallen asleep on the sofa. Things have been different since she woke up from her coma. She doesn't like to share a bed with Mike anymore. She pretends to fall asleep on the couch. 

Michonne pulls her computer. Her mind will not allow her to forget. She has found all she could find about Rick Grimes. It does not answer her question. She needs more.

Sharing sight post coma 

Michonne finishes typing on Google. Many pages appear. She meticulously reads through articles. It is mayhem of information. There is a lot of useless information. Until a small article about death and soulmate. It is more ridiculous than the rest.

However, she reads it. It speaks to her. The little testimonies at the bottom of the article sound almost convincing.  

Michonne finds a scientific article about soulmates or half of an orange. She reads how it works. The intricate connection between souls and it is so rare that most people don't have one. 

Michonne ultimately returns to the article. It is ridiculous. She wants to believe it is written by some lunatic. Between the thousand comments, there is one by Maggie Rhee. The experience sounds like Michonne's one. She closes her computer.

…..

Hold on… don't sleep.

Michonne wakes up with sweat coating every inch of her body. She feels like puking, and she rushes to the bathroom. Michonne empties her stomach. For months, she did not remember the day in Nicaragua.

What is your name

Michonne recognises Rick Grimes' voice. The same one who pushed her to keep going and stay awake. 

Michonne stares at the mirror. She is going insane. She sits in the bathtub, and she searches for the ridiculous article. She remembers seeing Maggie Rhee' s number. 

Michonne calls, and she waits for someone to pick up.

….

Michonne has a soulmate if she can trust Maggie Rhee. Why would she trust a young woman who lived what she is living? She didn't understand the specific. 

Something happens when anyone is at the brink of death. The fracture of the soul and it only depends on how strongly your soul is linked to your soulmate. Her connection with Rick Grimes must be one stronger than iron.  

Whatever, Michonne understands is that she owes her life to Rick Grimes talking her back to consciousness. Now, it feels right. She always thought it was Mike keeping her alive with small talk.  

Now, she remembers where she picked her new habits. It all comes for hours, days, and months of conversation with Rick Grimes.  

Michonne draws a deep breath. Maggie told her to try and project. She tries and it does not work at first. She knew it was lunacy. Soulmates and life miracles are bullshit. 

…..

Michonne stares at the ceiling. She fails to forget. She plays some country music. Michonne used to hate it. She began to like it after resurfacing from her coma. It is the same way that she now loves deep southern accents. 

"Hello," Michonne hesitates. " If you hear me, reply. " she does not have faith it would work.

" I'm going insane." She concludes.

" As long as you do it after,"  

Michonne sees her ceiling fade.

" Richard Grimes?" She calls with hesitation.

" Yeah," he replies, " but Rick will do, Chonne."

It does not feel strange that he calls her that.

" I'm not insane," Michonne tells him. She looks at the room before him. " You're not in my head."

" I don't think you got it right," he replies with nonchalance.

" I'm in your head, and you're in mine." Michonne sounds crazy.

" That's my girl," He says with liberating joy. 

Michonne does not react to what he says, and it feels normal. She is his girl. Michonne has been for the last six months.

" You're dying," Michonne comes to term with reality. 

" No," Rick casually replies, " Not if you can help it." He says with confidence. " only stay with me."

….

Michonne does stay with Rick. He helps her, and she returns the favour. 

" What is your big plan?" He asks while he scans his surroundings.

" kill everyone in my way," Michonne replies while she straps her weapon.

" That is not a plan," Rick replies. " That is a suicide mission."

Michonne groans. They have been going back and worth. She knows Rick won't be alive for long if they continue to talk about it.

" Call the police," Rick deadpans.

" and tell them what?" Michonne retorts. " My soulmate is Rick Grimes, and he is in my head telling me that Merle Dixon kidnapped him in retaliation. They would think I'm insane." Michonne points out.

" You're insane." Rick rebounds. " A dozen men are here. What are you going to do alone? It is a heavy rotation of armed men." He points out.

Michonne grabs her duffle bag. She leaves her home. She carefully places a letter on the table for Mike.

" What is that?" Rick asks. " your fucking suicide note." He says with seriousness.

" My goodbye to Mike," Michonne replies, " I think he has been waiting for that break-up."  

Michonne enters the car. She drives to the place where she suspected they held Rick.

" Michonne," Rick attempts to resonate with her. " We're both going to die. Chonne, don't."

" Oh my god, " Michonne argues, " shut up Rick Grimes and waits for me to come and rescue you," 

…..

It is chaos, and a few men are on the ground. Rick manages to help himself up. A man watches him, and Rick opts for the clear solution. He jumps on the man before he can drag his gun out. He sinks his teeth in the man's neck until he bleeds to death.

Rick twists and gyrates until he can drag his hand in front of him. One of his shoulders slipped out of his socket through the effort. He grabs the man gun, and he begins to head toward the source of gunshots. 

He pushes the door, and he finds chaos. Most men are dead, and Michonne has melted into a headlock. A man runs toward her, and Rick immediately shots at him. She looks toward him, and he freezes into actions.

" behind you," Michonne yells.

Rick immediately fires behind him. Michonne continues to squeeze Merle windpipe until he loses consciousness.

" How much left?" Rick asks while he begins to head toward Michonne.

" None," She replies with a smile, " they were eleven men," Michonne tells him.

Rick fixes the safety of his gun, and he aims it toward merle. 

" Hello," He tells Michonne.

" Hello, Rick." She replies.

They exchange a look, and it quickly ends as the police siren song fills the air. 

" How do I explain this?" Rick laments. 

" The less crazy version."

…..

Rick indeed does not explain beyond a sketchy version where he killed eleven men. How else would he explain that his soulmate sees through his eyes and speaks in his head?

" You could have approached me," Michonne tells him.

" You wouldn't have bought the story," Rick replies, and he sips his beer.

" I…" Michonne hesitates. " I would have felt this pull." She decides to settle on the truth.

"I thought I was insane until I found you," Rick explains to Michonne. " I didn't want you to go through it." He confesses. 

" I still thought I was going crazy. I would get those flashes of your life and day after day." Michonne counters. 

" Sorry about that, I did think a lot about you. I couldn't always get you out of my head." Rick says. 

" So that it is the deal," Michonne asks. " We're soulmates, and…" she searches for what's next.

" I'm single, and so are you." Rick points out, " so far this first date is going well. We're facing a complicated topic. We're good at chemistry. We can try a second date. " He suggests.

" We can try a second date, " Michonne agrees. 

Their date is like many first dates, and Rick has the advantage of already having six months worth of conversation. Their date ends at the door of her apartment. Michonne does not know if it is the entire soulmate thing, but she finds him charming. She certainly likes his walk, and she can not say that about many men.

" Good night, Michonne," Rick says, and he reaches for her hand. 

Michonne holds him back, and she pulls him toward her. She rises on her toes and kisses him. 

[awpcomics]

Small press Shack stock update 1

I'm opening up an online store soon and here's a look at the current stock of titles available. if interested in any of the books let me know. shipping costs vary.

Small Press Shack  comic stock listing (by Company)

36k  studios

Tru vibes

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

2000 A.D.

Scarlet Traces

vol. 1 $25

vol. 2 $25

Aam/Markosia

N-Guard # 1 $5

Ablaze

Unsacred

# 7 $5

Unsacred TPB 1 $25

Unsacred vol. 2

# 1 $5

Abstract Studio

Motor Girl # 1 $10

Rachel Rising

# 13 $4

# 14 $4

#15  $4

#16  $4

#17  $4

#18  $4

# 19 $4

# 20 $4

# 21 $4

#22  $4

# 23 $4

#24  $4

# 25 $4

#26  $4

# 27 $4

#28 $4

# 29 $4

#30  $4

# 31 $4

#32  $4

# 33 $4

#34  $4

# 35  $4

#36 $4

# 37 $4

#38 $4

# 39 $4

#40  $4

# 41 $4

#42  $4

Academy Comics

Robotech 2  The sentinels

book 4

# 13 $5

Action Lab

Adventure Finders vol. 2 #1 $5

Princeless

TPB 1 (small ) $80

part 2

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

#3 $5

part 3

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

#4  $5

TPB $15

part 4

# 1 $5

#2 $5

#3 $5

#4 $5

TPB $15

part 5

#0  $5

#1  $5

#2  $5

#3  $5

TPB $15

part 6

TPB $15

part 7

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

# 4 $5

# 5 $5

TPB $15

part 8

#1 $5

#2 $5

#3 $5

#4 $5

TPB $15

part 9

TPB $15

Raven : The Pirate Princess

# 1 $5

#2 $5

#3 $5

#4 $5

#5 $5

#6 $5

#7 $5

#8 $5

#9 $5

#11 $5

Action Lab- Danger Zone

Vampblade vol. 3 # 11 $5

ALC Publishing

Works vol. 1 $10

Alpha-Wave Productions

Ben Dunn Shorts

vol. 1 $20

Vol. 2 $40

Derp Dragons

vol. 1 $20

vol. 2 $20

Jenna & Ninja High School  TPB $15

Mighty Tiny: Lost Tails TPB $15

Ninja High School: Ultimate Perfect Memory $15

Ninja High School : Salusian Chess TPB $15

Quagmire U.S.A. TPB $20

Silver Cross TPB $15

Small Bodied Ninja High School TPB $30

Swimmer

vol. 1 $15

vol. 2 $15

vol. 3 $15

Tales From Quagmire U.S.A. TPB $20

Tiger-X TPB $20

Zetraman TPB $25

A.M. Works

Athena

# 1 $4

# 3 $4

#5  $5

#8  $5

Antarctic Press

Gold Digger

Gold Digger # 1 (35th anniversary special )  $15

collected gold digger vol. 3 $5

collected gold digger vol.4 $5

collected gold digger vol.6 $5

collected gold digger vol.8 $5

vol. 3 (color series)

# 3 $10

#4 $10

#13 $4

#14 $4

#15 $4

#17 $4

#43 $4

#56 $4

#60 $4

#62 $5

Gold Diger Gold brick # 6 (#'s 76-100) $50

#98 $2

#100 $5

#101 $2(fcbd ed)

#103 $5

#200 $5

#202 $5

#211 $5

#213 $5

#214 $5

#215 $5

#216 $5

#222 $2

#236 $5

#245 $5

#256 $5

#261 $2

#262 $5

#268 $5

#269 $5

#271 $5

#272 $5

#273 $5

#274 $5

#275 $5

#276 $5

#277 $5

GD – 18

# 1 $5

Gold Digger Perfect Memory

# 2  $10

Gold Digger Annual

#5 $4

#10 $4

#15 $5

#16 $5

#20 $5

Peebo Tales

# 2 $4

# 3 $4

#4 $4

Tangent

# 2 $4

Halloween

# 2 $4

#9 $4

Holidays Special

#2

Universe

# 19 $4

X-Mas Special

# 2 $4

#3 $4

#6 $4

#7 $4

#11 $5

#12 $5

Ninja High School

# 3 1/2  $4

#35 $8

#36 $25

#37 $50 (first warrior nun)

#39 $5

#40 $5

#41 $4

#42 $4

#44 $4

#46 $4

#47 $4

#48 $4

#50 $10

#66 $4

#68 $4

#71 $4

#75 $4

#76 $4

#77 $4

#78 $4

#79 $4

#80 $4

#83 $4

#89 $4

#90 $10

#91 $4

#94 $4

#95 $4

#96 $4

#97 $4

#98 $4

#99 $4

#102 $4

#104 $4

#130 $4

#149 $4

#177 (clr) $5

#177 (B&W) $3

#178 $5

Furry NHS

# 1 $50

# 2 $25

Ninjas vs Aliens

# 2 $5

NHS in Color

# 3 $5

#6 $5

NHS Indie Wars vol. 1 $40

NHS V.2

# 1 $5

# 4 $2

#10 $2  

#12 $2

Benzine

# 3 $8

Jenna & NHS

# 2 $10

Hitomi & Her Girl Commandoes

#1 $5

part 2

#5 $5

#6 $5

NHS Annual

# 1 $10

#4 $5

#7 $5

#8  $5

#9 $9

#10 $5

#11 $5

#15 $5

Girls of NHS

# 1 $10

#2 $5

#3 $5

#7 $5

NHS/ GD Maidens of Twilight

TPB  $10  

NOT Ninja High School

# 1  $100

# 2  $100

# 3  $100

Perfect Memory

# 3 $10

# 4 $15

NHS Swimsuit

# 1 $20

#3 $10

#4 $5

#7 (2001) $80 (first art by Dan Mendoza- Zombie  Tramp)

Quagmire USA (Dave Matsuoka)

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

SB NHS

#2 $5

# 3 $5

NHS Spotlight

# 1 $5

Zetraman

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

part 2

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

Absolute Zero # 1 $20

Airboy: Deadeye

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

# 4 $5

Albedo #1 $25

Alley oop # 1 $4

B.A.D.A.S.S. # 1 $15

Blackhops: hare Trigger # 1 $10

Box office Poison # 6 $4

Cat Shit One

# 1 $20

Creature # 2 $4

Cybertronian guide # 3 $15

Enter the zombie # 1 $5

Exciting Comics

# 1 $10

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

# 3B $15

# 4 $5

# 5 $5

# 6 $5

# 7 $5

100 page special $15

Gigantor

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

# 4 $5

#5 $5

#8 $5

#12 $5

Gobs # 1 $4

Jungle Comics

# 2 $5

# 2B $15

# 3 $5

H-Bomb # 1 $50

Hit The Beach # 2 $60

Horror Comics

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

How to Draw Manga #8 $10

Kamen America # 1  $15

Knightmare

# 2 $5

# 6 $4

Konnichiwa Kaiju Kun # 1 $5

Legacy

#2 $4

#4 $4

#5 $4

Legend of Sleepy Hollow # 1 $5

Littlest Zombie # 2 $5

Luftwaffe 1946

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

vol. 2

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

# 4 $5

# 5 $5

# 6 $5

# 7 $5

# 8 $5

#9 $5

#10 $5

#11 $5

#12 $5

#13 $5

#14 $5

#15 $5

#16 $5

Macabre # 1 $4

Mangazine

vol. 1

# 2 $5

vol. 2

# 7 $5

#11 $50 (First Gold Digger)

#12 $30

#13 $20

#40 $3

Manga Titles (Antarctic)

Change Commander Goku # 2 $5

Gojin # 3 $2

Hurricane Girls # 1 $4

Iczer 1

# 3 $5

# 4 $5

# 5 $5

Stainless Steel Armadillo # 6 $2

Vampire Miyu

Ashcan $5

Mighty Tiny

# 1 $10

# 2 $10

# 3 $10

# 4 $10

# 5 $10

Mischief & Mayhem winter fun # 1 $4

Mythtresses # 1 $5

Neotopia

# 5 $4

Part 3

# 1 $4

part 4

# 3 $4

# 4 $4

Nine lives of Herbert Noble # 1 $2

Patriotika # 1 $5

Pirates vs Ninjas

# 1 $10

# 2  $5

Annual # 1 $5

Planet Comics

# 1B $15

# 2 $5

Plush # 1 $5

Political Comics

Incredulous Trump # 1 $50

Sarah Palin Rogue Warrior # 1 $10

She-Trump # 1 $20

Prince of Heroes

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

part 2

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

Punchline

# 1 (FCBD) $5

# 6 $5

Rags # 7 $5

Robin Hood # 1 $5

Robotech

#4 $5

#5 $5

Vermilion # 3 $5

covert Ops # 2 $5

Shanna The Firehair

# 1 $8

# 1B $15

Shanda The Panda

# 1 $50

# 2 $40

# 3  $30

# 4 $20

# 8 $15

# 10 $10

# 11 $10

# 15 $10

Sidewinder # 1 $5

Steampunk titles

Edge of Empire

# 1  $5

# 2  $5

Girls of Steampunk

2014 $5

Immortal Wings

# 1 $4

# 2 $4

# 3 $4

# 4 $4

Little Match Girl  $5

Sherlock Holmes  steam Detective # 1 $5

Sherlock Holmes  steam Detective :five napoleons # 1 $5

Steam Hunters # 1  $5

Time Lincoln # 1 $5

Time Lincoln TPB  $20

super tiny Dragon arms # 1 $5

Teether

# 1 $10

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

# 4 $5

Tigers of Terra

vol. 1 (Mindvisions)

#9 $50

vol. 2

# 1 $20

#2 $20

#4 $10

#5 $10

#8 $5

TPB vol. 3 $50

TPB vol. 4 $50

vol. 3

# 1 $4

# 3 $4

Technical Manual

# 1 $10

# 2 $10

Twilight-X

Interlude

# 6 $10

Ascension

# 3 $10

Quarterly

# 1 $5

X-Tra

# 1 $4

Storm

# 4 $4

# 5 $4

# 6 $4

War

# 1 $4

Ultrabot go go  go ! # 1 $5

Valhalla # 1 $10

Velvet Touch # 1 $50

Warrior Nun Areala

vol. 1

# 3 (no CD) $10

vol. 2 (Rituals)

# 1 $10

#2 $10

# 3 $10

# 4 $10

#5 $5

vol. 3 (Scorpio Rose)

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

# 4 $5

vol. 4

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

#4 $5

# 5 $5

#6 $5

vol.5

# 1 $5

Vol.6

# 4 $5

#5 $5

#14 $5

#15 $5

#16 $5

#17 $5

#19 $5

vol. 7

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

# 4 $5

# 6 $5

# 7 $5

# 8 $5

# 11 $5

# 13 $5

# 14 $5

# 21 $5

# 22 $5

Annual # 1 $5

Black & White

# 1 $10

# 2 $10

# 3 $10

# 4 $5

# 5 $5

# 6 $5

# 7 $5

# 8 $5

# 11 $5

# 14 $5

# 15 $5

# 17 $5

# 20 $5

Brigantia

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

Frenzy

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

Lillith

# 0 $10

# 2 $4

No Justice  # 1 $5

Rheintochter # 1 $5

Serina

# 1 $5

# 3 $5

Shotgun Mary

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

vol. 2

# 1  $5

blood Lore

# 3 $4

#4 $4

Shooting gallery

Silver Cross

# 1 $10

# 2 $8

# 3 $5

Vs Razor

# 1  $10

Zombie Killustrated # 1 $5

Apple Comics

Space Ark # 5 $4

Arcana

Clockwork Girl # 3 $2

Aspen Comics

Potal Bound # 0 $2

Archie Publishing

TMNT : April O'Neil # 3 $8

Avatar Press

Warrior Nun  Dora

# 3 $10

  Bandai

Witchblade the manga  $30

Benitez Productions

Lady Mechanika : Sangre

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

# 4 $5

Blatant

Marry me

vol.1 $50

Boom Studios

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

# 6 $5

# 7 $5

Buffy: Every Generation  # 1 $10

Heartbeat # 1 $5

Kong on Planet of the apes # 1 $5

Mega man Fully Charged # 1 $8

Ronin Island # 1 $10

Ruin World # 1  $5

Unkindness of Ravens # 1 $5

Welcome to Wanderland # 1 $5

Wicked Things # 1 $5

Wynd # 1 $8

Bongo Comics

Mylo Xyloto

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

# 4 $5

# 5 $5

# 6 $5

Caruso Comics

Crossroads # 1 $4

CPM Manga

Lodoss War : grey witch #4 $2

Lodoss War: Lady of Pharis # 4 $2

Princess Prince

# 1 $10

# 2 $5

Project A-Ko # 2 $5

Cubhouse  

Wormworld Saga vol. 1 $15

Dark Horse Comics

Bill & Ted are Doomed

# 1 $5

# 2 $5

# 3 $5

Dominion : no More Noise # 6 $4

Elf Quest final quest # 2 $6

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[runswith]

Travel notes: Italy (Florence). Entry 4 - March 1, 2003

Florence is starting to get a grip on me. I felt it this morning as I made my way through a barrio of narrow flagstone streets on the south side of the river, heading to the Palacio Pitti, one-time stronghold of the Medici's. It's a haunting city -- unique, distinctive, overrun with tourists and the ghosts left behind from many centuries of life.

Last night I went to another concert, in a church right around the corner from the concert of two nights previous.  Classical music yet again, with a violinist, an organist, a flautist. Nice performances, nice music, but no fireworks. Then the organist started  playing Bach's Toccata and Fugue. He lit into the bugger, taking it fast enough to suggest that maybe he wanted to get a far too familiar piece out of the way. Until at some point the music beginning to assert itself.  The organist's playing slowed, his bearing changed along with his way of moving, of touching the keyboard. Right in front of us, his performance transformed, increasingly heartfelt music streaming through him and out through the massive array of pipes up in the choir loft at the rear of the church. As if a merely competent musician had somehow begun connecting with something transcendent.

These are just words that I'm stringing together here, they don't get across what began happening. The power of that music rolled through the church and all of a sudden we were listening to something fresh, getting a glimpse of the piece that Bach actually wrote instead of the usual rote bit of Toccata-and-Fugue-hacksmanship. The power of that creation began shaking the place and I found myself sitting forward, witnessing something unexpectedly electrifying.

Blah blah blah.

Afterward, out walking through some of Florence's older neighborhoods -- passing young couples walking close together, passing clusters of chattering people outside gelaterías, looking up now and then to see looming domes and steeples, the crowning elements of beautiful structures thrown together when the renaissance was in full swing -- I found myself grateful to be alive in the middle of it all.

So. Field trips.

Yesterday: took myself to see the Uffizi Gallery. An enormous, majestic building just off the Piazza della Signoria, near the Arno River. Packed with a staggering overabundance of renaissance art. I mean, damn, the building itself is beautiful. The hallways (lined with sculpture, the walls densely hung with portraits, the hallway ceilings themselves painstakingly, intricately painted) are beautiful. The galleries, which just go on and on, are packed with an embarrassingly extensive collection of renaissance art. It's unbelievable.

On the other hand, I've seen more than my share of religious paintings done by dead white males, so I burn out pretty easily on that at this point in my existence.  If you know what I mean. Therefore a collection of this magnitude is a double-edged thing. The solution? Keep moving. Don´t linger.

Many, many, many religious scenes. Scenes from mythology. Portraits, scenes from history. And every now and then a bit of cheesecake, usually under the guise of mythical happenings, but once in a long while just out-and-out, no-pretense-made Renaissance soft-core.

And the artists. You got your DaVincis, you got your Botticellis, you got your Titians, your Caravaggios, your Canalettos, along with countless pieces by lesser-known paint-tossers. Plus a bunch from outside Italy, including three Rembrandts (one superb self-portrait of the young-20's artist), two Goyas and one lonely El Greco, surrounded by canvases of Italian religious mayhem, possibly wondering How in hell did I wind up here?

Anyway. Yesterday: as darkness fell during the evening rush hour, at an intersection of a busy main drag and a narrow side street, a bus sat patiently at the mouth of a side street waiting for the green. The light changed, the bus began to make a slow, wide turn out onto the larger avenue.  Motorcycles and scooters that had been waiting behind began squirting out around the bus, shooting along the narrow bit of space between it and the curbs, flying out ahead of it. Looking like a mess of unruly, cranked-up pilot fish in motion around an enormous, slow-moving shark.

In that same area, I passed a restaurant down a sidestreet, decided to take a chance on it, went in for my evening meal. The first course came, a bowl of gnocchi in a pinkish sauce. Turned out to be the single most stupendous bowl of gnocchi I'd ever eaten, so quietly wonderful that I nearly threw myself at the waiter's feet in gratitude. Made me wonder if he often found himself dealing with diners wanting to prostrate themselves before him in post-pasta seizures of thankfulness.

[yourfoodforthought101]

Why Do They Riot:

Thousands of African-Americans, in major cities across the country are rioting and committing mayhem. Presumably, over the death of George Floyd.  But Mr. Floyd was not a national figure; just an average man.  

The killing of Mr. Floyd and subsequent rioting, looting, destruction and burning property, must have a deeper, meaning…that meaning is...Black people just hate White people !   There can be no other, possible answer.  

The City of Chicago…is a shooting gallery…rival drug-gangs…kill each other, regularly.  Stray bullets often kill innocents like…young, Black children …so where is the outrage !!   It’s only when a white policeman ( the symbol of authority ) kills a Black person…which causes Black citizens  to  riot.  Or, is it simply just the opportunity…for, looting.

 Blaming others, for your circumstances may assuage, personal responsibility but will not change your situation.  It only causes resentment and anger.   All  too often this anger erupts: especially when a Black motorist is stopped by a white policeman.  The Black motorists may become belligerent or possibly, even combative; such encounters rarely end well.

In 1965, a traffic stop of two blacks youths, by a white policeman in Watts, escalated into 6 days, of maniacal rampage, at a cost of 40 million dollars in property damage.  Was anyone held responsible.  It would later be said; the Watts community's longstanding grievances and growing discontentment with high unemployment rates, substandard housing, and inadequate schools, were the cause. 

That date is highly significant:  one year earlier, then president Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law…The Economic Opportunity Act…aka...“The War On Poverty”

Over the past 50 years, the federal government would spent a total of $22 Trillion Dollar: in an attempt to alleviate Black poverty in America.  That is an amount equal to the total, National Debt.

Never in world history… has so much been spent…on so few people…with so little success.  As a result, Some Black’s became famous…others became rich.   So, please stop blaming White America’s; we’ve tried, of hearing this;  blame your, “Black Leader’s”…they’ve the ones who spent all of the $22 Trillion.

The politics of race are cynical.  The cynicism, comes from so-called, civil rights leaders; those who exploit your anger in exchange for personal gain.  For years, Black’s continue to vote, Democrat.  And in return, Democrat’s gave you “Jim Crow”…and little else.

Many African-American’s might be surprised to know, Jim Crow... Was the Democrat, who sponsored the laws enacted to keep blacks from voting the Southern elections.  Eventually those laws were rescinded, by the Republican Party.  Granted, Republicans were trying to break the Democratic stranglehold of the political process in Southern states.   But Democrat politicians refuse to change this outcome.

[satoshi-mochida]

City Connection has announced side-scrolling shooter Abarenbo Tengu & Zombie Nation for Switch and PC (Steam). It will launch on October 28.

Abarenbo Tengu & Zombie Nation includes both the 1990-released Famicom game Abarenbo Tengu, and its heavily altered, 1991-released English localization Zombie Nation.

Here is an overview of the collection, via its official website:

■ Introduction

This revival is a dual set of Abarenbo Tengu, a game that was released in 1990 on the Famicom System and Zombie Nation, which was released in the following year. Save the world and fight to maintain the peace in this exciting side-scrolling shooter, now with new modes and functions.

Abarenbo Tengu

In the year 199X, just before the 21st century, an unidentified evil star is approaching the United States. As it approached the mainland, it transformed itself into an evil life form that was about to cover all of the country. The life form (Darc Seed) emitted a specter that turned everyone into a wraith. The few people who still had their soul were captured. The people’s prayers crossed the sea and reached the Tengu of Yamato, the guardian god of peace. Using his own spiritual power, he created a ‘mask of the Great Tengu’ and flew it to the U.S. mainland to regain freedom and peace. What awaits is a completely uncontrollable army and monsters that have been created by the energy of Darc Seed. Will the ‘Great Tengu’ be able to save the United States from this mayhem in time?

Zombie Nation

1999. What appeared to be a harmless meteorite crashing in the Nevada desert had turned out to be Darc Seed, an evil alien creature with horrible powers. By shooting strange magnetic rays, Darc Seed had turned the helpless nation into zombies and had brought the Statue of Liberty to life to do his dirty work. These rays had also given him control over many deadly weapons, but none were more powerful than the legendary samurai sword, Shura. When the great head of the samurai, Namakubi, heard that the sword had fallen into evil hands, he set off immediately for the United States. For only he possessed the strength and knowledge needed to recapture the magical sword and free the U.S. from the evil clutches of Darc Seed.

■ How to Play

Two Games to Choose From

Select either Abarenbo Tengu or Zombie Nation from the title screen.

New Modes

There are two modes to choose from in both Abarembo Tengu and Zombie Nation. You can choose between PETENGU Mode and EXCITENGU Mode in Abarembo Tengu, and ZOMBIE Mode and SAMURAI Mode in Zombie Nation.

(Default will be set with PETENGU and ZOMBIE Mode.)

PETENGU Mode / ZOMBIE Mode – In this mode, you can play with useful functions such as Rewind, Quick Save, and Quick Load. Clearing all rounds unlocks the Special mode.

EXCITENGU Mode / SAMURAI Mode – This is a mode that allows you to play in the same way as the original. Although you can only use Accessories for useful features, you can challenge for achievements. You can test the results of your practice in PETENGU Mode and ZOMBIE Mode, clear all rounds, and unlock achievements. (This mode cannot the used in the Special mode.)

■ Introduction of New Functions

Four Useful Functions

New Feature #1: Rewind – You can save and load at any part of the game. Abarembo Tengu and Zombie Nation each have three save slots.

New Feature #2: Quick Save and Load – You can save and load at any part of the game. Abarembo Tengu and Zombie Nation each have three save slots.

New Feature #3: Rapid Fire – You can set ON/OFF of the Rapid-Fire function in Abarembo Tengu in the options screen. (Zombie Nation included this function in the original game.)

New Feature #4: Accessories – You can show the mode, difficulty (EASY / HARD), scores and also high scores on the screen. In the EXCITENGU and SAMURAI modes, you can check your achievements as well.

■ Additional Content

Three Surprises

Extras – You can view this from the title screen. You can view original designs such as packaging and posters. (You can view the manual for each game through the menu.)

Achievements – You can view achievements from the title screen. You can see achievements you can challenge in the EXCITENGU and SAMURAI modes. By using the Accessory function, you can check what you have obtained during gameplay.

Special – Special unlocks when you clear all rounds in the PETENGU or ZOMBIE modes and you will be able to select it from the menu for each game. You’ll be able to play ‘that mode’ where you can play with the hidden command.

■ Physical Edition

The physical version of this title for Nintendo Switch is now available in limited quantities as the EXCITENGU BOX! It includes a soundtrack CD with new songs and arrangements by Abarembo Tengu director and sound composer Norio Nakagata, a setting document book with treasured artwork and interviews with the developers and an alternate jacket sheet that can be changed for the ‘Munen’ edition. The artwork was drawn by the original designer, Satoshi Okano/OKN!　You can listen to it and go wild, read it and go wild, or display it and go wild. It’s a gorgeous special edition. (There is no standard, game software only version available as a physical version outside of the EXCITENGU BOX bundle.)

Watch the announcement trailer below. View a set of screenshots at the gallery.

[brokehorrorfan]

Blu-ray Review: The Blob

Horror fans have been known to dismiss remakes outright - an understandable, if misguided, reaction to the trend that dominated cinemas in the mid-2000s - but we cannot forget that three of the strongest genre offerings of the 1980s are remakes. The Thing, The Fly, and The Blob all offered fresh takes on 1950s sci-fi/horror mashups, elevated by strong characters and innovative special effects. While The Blob isn't held in quite as high regard as The Thing or The Fly, it's worthy of praise not only as a remake that improves on the original but also as a thoroughly entertaining movie that can stand on its own.

The 1988 remake of the 1958 cult classic is directed by Chuck Russell (The Mask, The Scorpion King) from a script he co-wrote with Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile), fresh off their successful collaboration on A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. They handle the material masterfully, delivering a roller coaster ride of a film that includes a particularly inspired homage to the original picture's iconic movie theater sequence.

When a meteorite crash-lands in the rural town of Arborville, it unleashes an amorphous mass of pink slime that continuously grows as it consumes the townspeople. After witnessing the carnage of the predatory life-form firsthand, three high school students - preppy cheerleader Meg (Shawnee Smith, Saw), her football player date, Paul (Donovan Leitch, Cutting Class), and the local bad boy with a heart of gold, Brian Flagg (Kevin Dillon, Entourage) - unwittingly become responsible for saving the town.

The Blob is a blend of science fiction and horror, like its predecessor, but this incarnation ramps up the action and add some welcome levity. Well aware of the cheesy, B-movie reputation of the original film, Russell and Darabont embrace the outlandish premise, but they smartly never poke fun at the threat. Instead, the well-paced humor stems from the characters and their situations. ("Ribbed!" remains a laugh-out-loud line.) Russell's clever direction extends to the editing, like a hard cut from the blob's first attack to a closeup on jello being slurped up.

Shrewdly eschewing the obvious Steve McQueen-type leading man of the original film, this version of The Blob features an ensemble cast populated by character actors, including Jeffrey DeMunn (The Walking Dead), Candy Clark (American Graffiti), Art La Fleur (Cobra), Beau Billingslea (Halloween H20), Paul McCrane (RoboCop), Robert Axelrod (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), Bill Moseley (The Devil's Rejects), Billy Beck (House), Douglas Emerson (Beverly Hills, 90210), Jamison Newlander (The Lost Boys), Jack Nance (Eraserhead), and Second City comedian Del Close.

But the true star of the movie is its namesake. The ambitious, practical special effects - a mix of miniature and full-scale effects - remain convincing three decades later, even under the scrutiny of high definition. They were painstakingly created by Tony Gardner (Seed of Chucky, The Addams Family), with the creature designed by Lyle Conway (Little Shop of Horrors, The Dark Crystal), and visual effects supervised by Hoyt Yeatman (The Abyss, The Fly), expertly captured by cinematographer Mark Irwin (Scream, The Fly).

The special effects become even more impressive after watching the hours of supplemental features on Scream Factory's The Blob Collector's Edition Blu-ray. Various artists who worked on the creature detail the trouble it took to bring it to life, including second unit shoots that occured as late as three months prior to the film's release. The picture's existing high-definition transfer is crisp and clear, and the release features reversible artwork with a new design by Joel Robinson (who nails Dillon's signature mullet) on one side and the original poster on the other.

Three audio commentaries are included. Filmmaker Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2, Mayhem) moderates a new track with Russell, Irwin, and Gardner. Lynch emphatically cites The Blob as the movie that made him want to be a filmmaker, which he proves with his encyclopedic knowledge as he leads an enthusiastic, friendly conversation. Another new commentary finds Smith watching the film for the first time since the '80s alongside moderator Justin Beahm (who produced the disc's extras). Comparatively laid back following the excitable Lynch, it's fun to hear the actress' memories come flooding back. The third commentary, ported over from Twilight Time's long-sold-out 2014 Blu-ray, features Russell sharing a plethora of anecdotes with moderator Ryan Turek (then a journalist, now a producer at Blumhouse).

There's also a whopping eleven new interviews, beginning with a two-parter with Russell totalling over 45 minutes. The first segment traces his early career, from a theater kid in Chicago to his big break directing A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, while the second half focuses on The Blob. Actors Leitch, DeMunn (whose video features minor focus and color issues), Clark, and Moseley (whose first exposure to the horror genre was the original The Blob) each relish the opportunity to discuss their early creative work before fondly reminiscing about The Blob.

There's also interviews with Irwin, who compares and contrasts The Blob with his work on The Fly; Gardner, who elaborates on the effects team's challenges; special effects supervisor Christopher Gilman; mechanical designer Mark Setrakian; blob mechanic Peter Abrahamson; and production designer Craig Stearns, who also talks about working on Halloween. Finally, the disc includes 28 minutes of previously unreleased behind-the-scenes footage of Tony Gardner and his special effects team working on The Blob, plus theatrical trailers, a TV spot, and a still gallery.

The Blob is available on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray now via Scream Factory.

[georgevp]

Ant Gallery — December 2023

Decembers photo is of Bonice a Model Mayhem model from August 4h 2013. I was inspired to print it because I have been posting old shoots to my ameba blog, a Japanese blog site I joined a number of years ago. I’m also inspired to wanting to do more model tests like I used to shoot years ago to sorta compete with the other photographers on ameba. Many of these photographers either go to…