bokutosmochi

[transboysokka]

Executive Dysfunction Zuko trying to run a country…

Feel free to elaborate

[lacnunga]

Asmr videos continue to be specifically me-tailored torture

[chaoticacecryptid]

[genericpuff]

What makes a comic good in your eyes? And what makes it bad?

Oof, that's a BIG question that I can't exactly give one single answer to. There are a ton of factors. For me the biggest thing is writing, while the art might be a turnoff if it isn't polished in the beginning, it's still not a dealbreaker for me, I've read tons of comics that started off still figuring out their art (and that's the beauty of webcomics, really). It's when the writing isn't interesting or good that I tend to drop off. Maybe the plot doesn't make sense or takes too long to establish what it's trying to do, maybe the jokes feel forced or poorly written.

I think writing tends to sort of take an unintentional backseat in webcomics, and it just comes with the territory. Tons of online artists naturally come up with their own characters that they want to write stories for, so they gravitate towards webcomics. Whereas writers - even online ones - don't tend to see webcomics as the default, they'll usually end up in the fanfiction circles or on Wattpad or even just ditching the online format entirely and going straight into trad publishing. It's why there are so many writers looking for artists in the webcomic community, you won't find artists looking for writers quite so much because they usually wind up using webcomics as an entry point into writing. Writers can't use webcomics as an entry point into drawing quite as well, there's a LOT more upfront work into learning how to draw vs. learning how to write (but writing is ultimately harder to master, knowing how to write scenes on the page doesn't necessarily mean you're writing those scenes well).

So I find more often than not the writing ends up being a dealbreaker for me. Art gets me interested enough to take a peek, but the writing is what keeps me invested, so if the writing isn't sound, I'm probably not gonna stick with it. If a comic does feel like it isn't written (or even drawn) up to what I would define as "good", I try to identify what exactly what's wrong with it, not just so I can better understand why it isn't working, but so I can implement that understanding into my own work. It's not just learning what works in a comic, it's also learning what doesn't work.

Still, I try to distinguish between whether a comic is "good or bad" vs. whether or not it's even meant for me. I've definitely read comics in the past that didn't click with me but I could totally see why people liked it, it just didn't appeal to what I was looking for or my humor or whatever. Some comics are objectively great and they just don't connect with me, like Scoob & Shag, Homestuck, etc. where I can respect why people like them, I just like, couldn't get into them no matter how many times I tried LMAO And then some comics are objectively not great and I enjoy them anyways, like Deep Fried Pudge, which is literally just a daily single panel dad-humor-full-of-puns comic, it had no right being in my subscription list when I was still on Tapas but something about it was so charming to me. I feel bad even calling it "bad" because it's not trying to be anything, it's just this humble little passtime project that someone started and never stopped. And I mean it has not stopped updating since 2012, every time I check in on it I'm astounded to see it's STILL going at 4,036 episodes. I have no idea what power the person who makes this possesses but they will surely outlive us all, I can only rationalize its existence as the closest I've ever been to perceiving God.

[cocoabubbelle]

Watching “Scooby Doo, Where Are You?” (1969-1970 CBS) + Thoughts

Episode 24: Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Werewolf

Background/Scenery Art lovely as usual.

Dear colorists for the series, did you seriously believe werewolves have technicolor fur or were executives more interested in crooks in bright colors?

Camping episode! Also, color/design-coded tents so we know the boys sleep in the purple one with flowers and the girls use the light blue one with teal tie-dye designs (jk)

Daphne calls Shaggy and Scooby the Laurel and Hardy of their group. I wanna know who is the Laurel and who is the Hardy.

Scooby gets a pup tent of his own. Maybe. It’s a work in progress at least.

“There’s nothing I like better than food, unless it’s more food!”

Camera takes the time to focus on each character’s respective reaction of alarm upon hearing the titular werewolf’s howl.

Werewolf apparently has an invisibility cloak with holes for his eyes bc we see them not peaking out of darkness but right on top of a background of forest trees.

Ok who was in charge of the size ratio of the tents bc when we first saw them they seemed to be the height of an average man while Scooby’s was half his size but now suddenly it’s big enough to fit both him and Shaggy while the other tents are the size of huts???

It’s a good thing an artist made an effort to make Daphne place a hand on Fred’s shoulder again so I can recognize this as a Fraphne moment. (I say this both lovingly and teasingly.)

Look Shaggy you ditched Scoob earlier for food while his face was stuck in a tent; are you really going to be annoyed by him swiping your snacks?

Velma is able to tell that the footprints Scooby find that while they have the appearance of a large wolf, the repeated shapes indicate that it is a bipedal being as opposed to a quadrupedal one.

Animation Goof: Velma almost had the mother of double chins for a moment before the color of her turtleneck’s top reverted back to orange.

Graveyard! Fred think’s it’s sus that there is a fresh grave dug in such an old place. I know it is probably related to treasure hunting, but wouldn’t it be interesting if this episode’s masked menace was a murderer this time??

Fred , Velm, and Daph have no problem looking into a coffin while Shag and Scoob are more squeamish.

Silas Long doesn’t sound like a werewolf name to me, but who am I to judge?

Fred grabs Shaggy and Scoob by the shirt/tail before they run away. Shaggy carries a pair of scissors for situations like this so he can resume running. Fred just grabs them again.

“Oh-swell-it-ain’t-bad-enough-we’re-following-a-werewolf-now-it-looks-like-it’s-the-GHOST-of-a-werewolf!!” These are technically two separate sentences but the speed and delivery of these lines by the VA was so funny 😆

Also, I’d argue that it’s a zombie werewolf, since it’s leaving tracks.

SQUEE!! Frelma standing super close on one side of an old mill’s entrance, and Shaphne also standing super close on the other side with enough space dividing one ship from the other!! 🥰🥰🥰 also Scooby’s there.

Aaaand in the next scene, suddenly they’re mixed up again despite not moving (guess somebody wanted to fix the ‘mistake’ and move Daph right back to Fred’s side where Velma was and visa versa so now Velms is with Shaggy)

“We’ll split up. I’ll take the girls this wa—!” “Yeah, yeah*, I know. And Scooby and me will go the other way.” *admittedly I added a second yeah, but come on XD I couldn’t be the only one hearing Shaggy’s inner sass at Fred’s usual divisions of their group.

Scared-by-a-frightening-monster-only-to-discover-it’s-a-warped-shadow/reflection-of-a-tiny-and-harmless-creature gag

Guys. Please just turn around. He’s right there. Not even 6 feet behind you. Making loud steps. How can Scooby smell tracks but not a living, breathing stranger right next to them? I call shenanigans, writers!

…What is a stronger word for shenanigans that isn’t crossed with a curse word to describe the ridiculousness of the scenes that just followed? 😑

A tribal mask (little easter egg paying tribute to the prior episode?)

HAHAHAHA!!!! Ok I’m still annoyed by the previous scenes, but Shaggy pulling the mask and accidentally making the werewolf he and Scoob had no idea was so close to them fall through a trap door got me 🤣

Upon the trio coming across a map in a secret room, Daphne is about to correctly deduce that whoever they are looking for is a costumed criminal since ghost don’t need maps to find things when the Werewolf attacks.

Heh they all crash into each other upon reuniting.

Ah, here comes the chase scene music with singers we didn’t get last episode. Strange to admit I missed it.

Animation Goof: Shaggy’s running model is either going backwards or was flipped the wrong way.

Hey, I vaguely remember this song! At least the “Na na, na na na na” part.

There are many things ridiculous about this chase scene, but the main ones are: 1) the werewolf is only focused on chasing Shaggy and Scooby. Talk about biased; 2) Aerodynamic Trashcan Lids though honestly that is more fun than ridiculous 3) Scoob and Shag happening to fall into a convenient pile of wool.

“What do you suppose happened to Shag and Scoob after they fell on that old water wheel?” Bruh if you were watching the whole time and not doing anything as a potentially dangerous man was chasing your friend and dog—!

Not Fred-Velm-Daph and Shag-Scoob taking turns accidentally scaring and being scared by each other 😆

I kinda like Daphne’s model having her arms folded across her chest, even more so than when they are planted on her hips. The latter (and standard) pose makes her seem sassier than she actually is, while the former pose gives off her reserved nature a little more — at least in this series so far.

“I’d sure like to know how Mr. Creepy-Crawly fits in with all this.” “Yeah!” “Let’s go find him.” “Oh, why don’t I just keep quiet?” “Yeah.” Sorry boys, you’re the designated comic relief. You can’t help it.

Animation Goof: Is it me or does Fred seem significantly shorter than Shaggy in this frame??

“Come on, girls. Let’s go see where that railcar came from.” “Don’t tell me. Scoob and me go to see where it’s going, right?” C’mon Fred; try to be more creative. Shake the status quo up a bit!

*sees the shadow that is in the exact shape as the Werewolf Ghost that they’ve encountered* “Who’s that?” “And what’s he up to?”

Unless the window has been refurbished with new glass and frames, I don’t see why Fred doesn’t at least try to smash his elbow through it if it’s part of a supposedly old mill so he and the girls are no longer trapped.

Not me wondering why Shaggy and Scooby are racing the railcar during their investigation when actually they’re running away from the Werewolf ghost.

Pop Top Barge

Shaggy and Scooby begin swinging on a hook trying to escape Werewolf, and I’m trying to remember if that’s the same hook that snagged Daphne’s dress and disrupted Fred’s trap in an episode I vaguely remember watching as a child. Is this the same episode???

Either Shaggy used Ultra-Instinct to switch clothes lickety-split fast or this is an Animation Goof.

Shaggy tries to distract Werewolf by cutting his hair and Scooby filing his nails and shining his feet, when they COULD HAVE used the barber’s aprons to TIE HIM TO THE CHAIR. Also I bet the shaved look doesn’t last, though I would be pleasantly surprised if it does.

Shaved look staying so far.

“Sure would know what this thing is.” “I’d rather know how we’re gonna get out of here.” This is why I like Frelma 😁

“Dr. Livingstone and friends, I presume?”

Poor Shaggy being bullied by Frelma when they find his observations related to the railcars and pop top barge hard to believe.

“You know how Freddy and Velma are when they got a mystery to unsolve.” Even Shaggy sees Frelma. Yet most known adaptations/reboots are convinced Fraphne are meant to be. Maybe those creators ignored Shaphne content that followed later because Scrappy had joined his uncle’s adventures???

Animation Goof: it looked like the costumed creep found a replacement mask with a head of hair, but the following frames show him with the shaved head 😆

Sheep? SHEEP!

“I think I’m beginning to get the picture, right Freddy?” “Right.” So much Frelma content this episode that was probably unintentional but so welcome!

Let’s see how well this plan of Fred’s works.

Animation Goof: Daph and Velma’s models look more fuzzy/out of focus compared to Fred’s despite being right next to him.

This IS the episode where Daphne gets snagged by a hook!!!!! DARN YOU FRED THIS IS YOUR FAULT! 😂

“I’d trade almost anything for a good, fast motor right now.” “Except me?” “Right. Anything except you, pal.” Friendship Goals, anyone?

Random Purple Fish.

“I’ve got an idea!” Hon, your last one didn’t work out so well.

I’d call shenanigans over how Fred, Velma, and Daph were able to make/find a big enough net with a handle, find an area stable enough to stand on, find a strong and conveniently shaped support, and get there on time to save their friends, but Velma looks adorable hanging on the end of the handle so I’ll let it slide.

Frelma standing together again, then a bonus shot of Fred’s arm around Velma.

Werewolf ditches his commitment to the act and cries wolf for help before he plummets to his death.

Handsome Sheriff alert. Also, the “werewolf” is a sheep rustler.

Minor Shaphne standing together.

“Shucks, [the werewolf sheep rustler] didn’t scare Scoob and me for a minute.” Nope. Not at all.

Day 24 of no “And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids.”

Also, I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish watching all the episodes while balancing schedules and work since I’m not the breadwinner in my family and we might not keep HBO Max. Whatever may happen, thank you to those who are having fun reading my thoughts and enduring my shenanigans as I watch Scooby Doo!

[ginshariboy]

#3 and #7 for those video game asks 👀

3. 1-3 games you’ve played in the past 12 months that you really enjoyed Pokemon Scarlet

i genuinely loved this game which was a difficult thing for games to accomplish after i was consumed by elden ring and didn't want to wriggle free of its grasp on me lol. i think it has its flaws of course, i'm not going to be delulu about that but i dont know unpopular opinion but i like open world games!!! i dont know if this scale and direction will be the best to stick with in the future for pokemon but i really loved having a generous amount of freedom in where i went and the order in which i did shit. it was wild to wander off to casseroya lake and just frantically try to juke around all of the dragon pokemon a shit ton of levels above mine while screaming until i managed to get to the other side. i also just really loved the story and characters (except for SOMEBODY), got me really emotional also arven best boy

Silent Hill 3

bought the game for the first time when i was like fourteen, just finished it basically fourteen years later lol. loved the idea of horror games as a kid but i was so bad at playing them, they were mostly just prime sleepover games at the time 😂 but it was great to revisit the game after getting a lot more context for themes and the overarching story of silent hill. while i'm not as susceptible to getting scared by these games anymore, i feel like knowing more about them on top of just having a lot more uhhh life experience than i did when i first got the games helped to elevate the horror from oo spooky scary to oh god oh fuck that's the dread isn't it oh no it's hitting awful close to real life now oh shit. also it was just cool to see how bizarre and clunky silent hill could be compared to like…Nostalgia Glasses Silent Hill. it sounds like something that's all sorts of bad but i honestly liked how weird and disjointed progression could be in the games.

Baldur's Gate 3

i mean......come on i think this is everyone's choice if asked lol BUT.....plot twist, i really didn't want to touch the game initially. i loved the original games, they're literally my top favorite games, but for me, i'd given the series its kiss goodnight and i couldn't really figure out what a third game would add to the main storyline. it was pretty wrapped up and i don't know this new studio and everyone was pushing me about it and trying to make me trust the new studio but it didnt change the fact that i didnt know them, i didn't know what they were going to do with my favorite game and i was like eugh i dont wanna roll the dice and i just wanted to be left alone about it, and the bear shit happened and i was like ohhhh the legacy is gonna die because this is all people are going to focus on oh jeez scoob no one talk to me about this game ever again, baldur's gate is at rest in its tomb and i will hear no more!!!! then i played it. and i'm still working through it. but once again i was Consumed to a degree that i hadn't been consumed since elden ring. i keep making new characters because its just fun to try the game out from a completely different character from the beginning, i don't know how they fit it all in there. i know its a huge game but holy shit there's so much to it i dont even think the actual size of the game sounds feasible for all of the shit going on. i didnt think i'd give a single shit about any of the new companions but i love them dearly and i'm so happy to see my old pals minsc and jaheira but it's so hard to form a proper party because i just want everyone on my team because i love them all!!! i think if i had to choose, i do still love the original games about gorion's ward, it's a hard story to beat and i mean i've loved the game for like 20 years for a reason, but i do think 3 is a great addition to the series and manages to pay respectful homage to its predecessors for old players while still bringing the world and mechanics up to speed for modern day. anyway my first character fucked the guy who turns into a bear so whatever in that department i guess.

7. A series you’ve lost interest in Fallout

i don't say this in a bad way but i think i've lost a bit of interest in it in the sense that it's just not really at the forefront of my mind these days? i still really love the games but i mean my favorite one is 3 and i don't think i've gotten the same exact feeling from the games afterward. i know new vegas is a fan favorite and 4 was good but i was consumed by 3 lol. so it's less like eugh ew eauaugh hate it and more just i tucked it into bed and kissed it goodnight and it will awaken when it awakens.

[alphashley14]

One of Us

A Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated/Mystery Skulls Crossover

<Prev Next>

Chapter 19

No One Ever Really Dies

After fleeing the lounge, Ricky and the kids hurried into Fred and Daphne’s room and shut and locked the door behind them.

Once inside, they stood around the door and listened. 

“I don’t hear anything. What about you Scoob?” Fred asked.

“Not a thing,” Scooby confirmed. 

“Even the best of friends argue,” Daphne said. 

“She’s right,” Ricky said. “They love each other too much to resort to violence. No matter what they’re fighting about.” 

The six of them backed away and sat around the room to talk.

“So like um…” Shaggy plopped down into a chair, “can we talk about… that?” 

“Shaggy’s right. We need to be on the same page about this,” Velma agreed. 

“I just can’t believe that sweet little dog turned out to be…” Daphne left the end of her sentence open-ended, but everyone knew what she meant.

“I trust him,” Ricky said, to all of their surprises. 

“Like really?” Shaggy exclaimed. 

“But why?” Scooby asked. 

“Whatever he was in the past, he isn’t the same guy who’s comforted me today more times than I care to mention,” Ricky said. “I don’t need to remind you all that I have regrets too. But I’ve realized that I was wrong and I’m doing something about it. He didn’t get to finish telling us his story, but it should be obvious to us all that he did the same thing. And unlike me he’s had centuries to do so.” 

“He’s right,” Velma said, thinking back to how Mystery had told her about magic. “If he was the same fox who did all of those things back then, I don’t think any of us would even be standing here right now. If he wanted to hurt us, he’s had infinite opportunities to do so by now. Not to mention that he wanted our trust enough to tell me what his achilles heel is.” 

“Yeah but like, that’s assuming he’s telling the truth,” Shaggy said. 

“I think he has good intentions,” said Scooby, remembering how Mystery had exacted justice on his behalf when the scary priest in the painting had come at him earlier.

“I think so too, just from what we’ve seen and what we’ve been told so far,” Daphne said. “But, I think it’s important that we all remember that we don’t have all of the facts yet. Mystery didn't finish his story.”

“Is it wrong of me to say that I’m kind of glad he didn’t?” Fred asked, anxiously messing with his ascot. “It’s- a lot.” 

“I feel exactly the same way,” Ricky agreed. “Also, adding onto this discussion, I would like to point out that even if we didn’t trust the Mystery Skulls, I believe that continuing to cooperate with them is presently the more strategically sound thing to do. If it weren’t for the Mystery Skulls, my old group would have us vastly outgunned and outnumbered right now. Not that I’m calling you kids incapable. Because it’s honestly impressive how difficult it’s been to get one up on you. But if they cornered us somehow…” 

“He’s right,” Velma said thoughtfully. “The Mystery Skulls actually have a pretty good chance of overpowering them, even without our help.” 

“But if they’re so strong,” Scooby said with a tilt of his head, “then why don’t they just barge in and rescue Arthur?” 

“Actually, yeah. I was sort of wondering the same thing,” Daphne said thoughtfully.

“The situation’s too delicate for that,” Ricky replied. “Right now to Professor Pericles, Arthur- or rather I, am a tool. But if we barged in and tried to rescue Arthur- or me, then we’d need to get the remote from Pericles. And he’s so smart that chances are he’d realize what we were there for before we could do that. He might even realize that the swap’s taken place. And if that happens, I can’t begin to describe how monumentally bad that would be. Because then Arthur’s not just a tool anymore - he becomes a hostage. And I think we all know what the first of his demands would be.” 

“The planispheric disc!” Mystery Inc. exclaimed at once. 

“Like he’s right. He’s totally right!” Shaggy cried. 

“And even if we gave him the disc, there’s no garuntee he’d give Arthur or Mr. E or whoever’s in that body back,” Fred added. “Because as long as he has a hostage, he’s got a way of making sure we don’t interfere with his plans.”

“Which means that as much as we don’t like it,” Ricky walked over to the window and leaned against the glass, looking out over the twisted forest. “The covert operation that Arthur has going on right now is the best chance we have of getting him back safely. I just hope he stays safe in the process.” 

Ricky talked with the kids for another twenty minutes before they bid each other goodnight and at last retired to their rooms for the evening.

As soon as he was back in the seclusion of his room, the entire day finally hit him all at once. Ricky felt like he hadn’t slept in fifteen chapters. He was suddenly so tired. Had it really been only a day? It felt more like seven months.

But as much as he wanted to collapse face-first onto that huge bed and pass out for the rest of this chapter (assuming nothing weird happened in his dreams this time and his insomnia hadn’t followed him to this body), Ricky knew he’d feel monumentally better after a shower.

Ricky looked over to the bathroom with a sigh and repeated what Fred and Mystery had told him earlier. “We’re both guys… it’s only as weird as I make it. Don’t make it weird…” 

The problem was that it was already weird. Ricky had grown more accustomed to what existing in Shaggy’s body felt like, but the shower really forced him to feel the difference. Then there was Shaggy’s hair. Washing Ricky’s hair was a process. Shaggy’s hair on the other hand was as easy as wash, rinse, fluff it with a towel at the end, and- oh wow. Hair’s basically dry already. All done. 

So. If he was looking for plus sides to this whole situation, he supposed he could add that to the list: showers were easy.

After he was dried off, Ricky got dressed to go to sleep, brushed his teeth, turned out the lights, then finally climbed into bed. 

As absolutely magical as the bed was, Ricky laid awake for a long time, letting his thoughts drift wherever they wanted to go. He thought a lot about today. But time and time again, his thoughts wandered back to Cassidy. Until finally, he gave up and stopped trying not to think of her.

She would have loved all of this, he thought to himself. Vivi’s a fighter, just like her. They would have gotten along well. She might’ve been cautious of Mystery, but he would have adored her. She wouldn’t’ve been afraid of Lewis either. And the Dead Beats would have made her laugh. A mental image came to mind. Of her. Laughing as the little pink spirits nuzzled and crowded around her for pets like they had to him and the kids earlier. The thought brought a smile to his lips. 

As nice a thought as it was, it was never going to happen. And it was all his fault. 

Are you here now? Could you have come back as a ghost? Like Lewis? 

No. Ricky didn’t want that for her. If she came back as a ghost, then what if she came back as a weak spirit, like the painting ghosts? Stuck in one place? Trapped where she’d died? Clinging to her humanity and always struggling to not be consumed by stronger beings? Like the wild world of yokai Mystery had described. God, no. Not Cassidy. After all she’d been through, she deserved peace. 

But… where exactly? 

The Mystery Skulls talked about life after death as if there was more than one. If that were true, then perhaps he and Cassidy would truly never meet again. But maybe it was better that way. Wherever she was… all he wanted was what was best for her. But what did he know? Basically nothing. He would have to ask one of the Mystery Skulls about it when he got the chance. 

“Wherever you are,” he prayed to her quietly, “I hope you’re at peace, somewhere worthy of you. And I’m- Oh Angel… Cassidy I’m so sorry…” 

Maybe Ricky was just that exhausted. And perhaps not being in the body of an insomniac had something to do with it too. The last words that slipped past his lips before Ricky cried himself to sleep came out barely a whisper. 

“I love you…”

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼༓☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

“It’s done,” Lewis said, popping back into the room through the table in front of them. Marcie shrieked and nearly sent Arthur’s coffee flying across the room, but Arthur reached out and caught it before it could spill. 

“Dude. You did that on purpose,” Arthur said dryly. 

“Maybe,” Lewis shrugged. “It was funny tho.” 

“It wasn’t funny to me!” Marcie protested. 

“Sorry,” Lewis said, not sounding remorseful. He flew up to Arthur’s head level and flipped upside down. “But to be fair, I don’t get people I can mess with very often. What’s the point of being a ghost if you can’t at least have a little fun with it right?” 

“Yeah,” Marcie half-laughed, “I guess so.” 

“Is there anything else I can do to help while I’m here? Anything at all?” Lewis asked. 

“You’ve done plenty,” Arthur said. “Seriously Lewis. We may not have been able to pull this off without your help. Just out of curiosity, how many different tracking devices and bugs did you find on the Enigma Machine?” Arthur asked. 

“Four,” Lewis replied. 

“And what did you do with them?” 

“Hid them in the ceiling above the vehicle. Just like you said. When you make your escape, the tracking systems will show that the van is still in the garage. They won’t be able to track it.” 

“And you weren’t seen?” 

“Come on man, you know me. I’ve had plenty of practice avoiding breathers and fucking with security cameras by now,” Lewis said, flipping over so he was upright once more.

  “How foolish of me to doubt you,” Arthur said jokingly. 

“Yeah Arthur. Why’d you do that?” 

They laughed, but soon broke off into silence as an unpleasant truth hung in their air between them.

“I don’t want to leave you,” Lewis said sadly at last.

“And I don’t want you to go,” Arthur admitted, pulling his friend into a hug. “But we both know why you have to.” 

“Your plan will work. It has to,” Lewis said. 

“And when it does, I’ll see you on the road the night after next.” 

“But until then, know that you’ll never be off my mind. Just- remember, Arthur. If you need me for any reason, you can send a message through the Dead Beats.”

“I know. Thanks, Lewis.” Arthur said. 

They pressed their foreheads together for a long moment, a final goodbye, before Lewis turned to Marcie. “Take care of him,” he beseeched her. “Arthur’s the smartest idiot I know. He could build a whole new world with that brain of his, but he’ll get so focused on it that he’ll forget to do important being-alive things. Like eating. Or sleeping. Or occasionally taking a shower.” 

“Hey! I- do not!”

“Oh yeah? How many meals have you eaten today?” 

Arthur opened and closed his mouth, then pursed his lips in thought. “...Does one singular donut count as ‘brunch’?” 

“No it does not. Eat something, Kingsmen!” Lewis barked. 

“All right. All right. You have my word. I’ll scrounge something together.” 

“And you’ll sleep?” 

“... Yyyyes…” Arthur groaned. 

“But you’re going to eat something first.” Lewis said. 

“Fine! Look, Lew! This is me, going to eat something!” Arthur said loudly as he marched into the kitchen. 

Lewis’ scowl softened into a smile as he watched Arthur disappear into the other room. Then he turned back to Marcie once more. “Hey. Uhm. I know you’re doing a lot as it is, but I meant what I said. Take care of him… please.”

“Don’t worry. I will,” Marcie nodded. 

“Seriously. Thank you. The only reason I’m not an anxiety-ridden mess is because I know he’s not totally alone in here.”

“You are an anxiety-ridden mess,” Marcie corrected. 

Lewis barked a laugh. “I guess that’s true. So… it seems like you’re taking this really well. You’re definitely less hesitant to believe all this than Velma was. Any reason why?” 

“I mean Arthur had the Dead Beats as proof of the paranormal from the get-go, so I guess I’ve had a while to come to terms with the whole ‘ghosts are real’ thing before I met you. Other than that, I did have my doubts as to whether he’s really not Mr. E for most of today. Until…” 

“What?” 

“I made one reference. Just one. And the next thing I knew, Arthur had to physically restrain himself from going on a rave about Smash Bros trivia. We got refocused back to the task at hand pretty quick, but that’s definitely when I knew for sure. Mr. E would never.” 

Lewis snorted. “Yeah! That sounds like Arthur!” When Arthur came back into the room, eating the final bites of a ham and cheese sandwich, he didn’t say a word about Lewis being gone. Marcie supposed that for them, just leaving was easier. Or else they’d never be able to let each other go. 

Marcie was tempted to ask Arthur if he was okay, but he spoke up as she was opening her mouth to do so. “You should eat something too. I would’ve made you a sandwich too, but I didn’t know what you liked or if you were vegetarian or anything like that.”

“I’m not vegetarian but yeah. I’ll eat something. Speaking of… it’s getting pretty late you know. Are you… going to sleep soon?” 

“Eventually.” 

“How about a shower?” 

Arthur snorted. “Not a chance in Hell.” 

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼༓☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

Ricky dreamed that night. Of her, of course. 

The last time Ricky ever saw her was in the forest when all five members of the original Mystery Incorporated met together for the first time in 20 years. After Pericles made his offer and flew away, Brad and Judy had left in a huff, at that time still pretending that they were acting in the best interest of their son. Leaving Ricky and Cassidy alone beneath the moonlit trees. 

“The nerve of that bird,” she’d scoffed, angrily kicking a tree root. “Who the hell does he think he is?” 

Ricky just scowled, trying to hide how tempted he was to take him up on his offer. He didn’t trust Pericles. Their relationship would never be what it was. But… he missed him. As hard as he denied it, he missed his old friend. Having lost his every friend and ally, Ricky was alone. He hated being alone. 

Unless… 

“He’s right you know,” Ricky had said. 

And Cassidy had whirled around to scold him, “You can’t possibly be considering-!” 

“Of course not!” (He’d lied both to her and himself that night, of course.) “I just mean that us, working together… we’d have a better chance at getting the pieces than we would by ourselves. My offer still stands, Cassidy. You’re smart. Resourceful. Strong. I want you back on my team.” 

Looking back, she’d looked almost hopeful at first. But as soon as ‘getting the pieces’ left his mouth she had turned sad, her disappointment in him evident. “And my answer is the same,” she sighed. “I told you already, Ricky. I won’t hurt those kids.” 

“Right,” Ricky had said bitterly, “Because they’re good kids. What was it you said? Better than we were?” 

“We were good once too,” she muttered.

“You were a child.” Wait- what was that? A newer memory, the voice of a newer friend, echoing in his ears.

“You were a good kid.” What was he doing? He could be good again. This didn’t have to end the same way it had been the first time. He could save her. She didn’t have to die! 

“And he took advantage of that.” But even as these thoughts occurred to Ricky, everything he wanted to say was trapped at the back of his throat. 

“Goodbye Ricky,” and then she was leaving. 

NO! IF YOU LET HER GO YOU’LL NEVER SEE HER AGAIN!  

Ricky tried to move but his feet were rooted to the spot. He tried to talk, to shout her name, but no sound would come out. He reached out, trying to catch her, but she was just out of reach. 

NO. NO NO NO NO! 

But he watched her walk away, just as he had back then. And as she vanished into the darkness of the trees the memory of another familiar voice, a more cruel voice, echoed in his ears.

“Would you like to know how she died?” 

“NO!”

Ricky shot up, wide awake in a cold sweat. He had to look around for several moments as he recalled where he was and why. He was safe. In Lewis’ mansion. The forest was but one in a long series of regrets. And Cassidy- 

She’s gone.

Ricky took several deep breaths and fell back onto the pillows. 

Fuuuuuck. 

Figures he couldn’t go one night without something weird or otherwise unpleasant happening in his dreams. Granted - he hadn’t ended up in another dimension this time, so this was arguably an improvement. Arguably. As in Ricky could also argue that he preferred the Sitting Room. Seriously, the realities of the waking world were unpleasant as it is. Why did his brain have to torture him when he was asleep, too?

Just then, his stomach made a noise akin to the sound of a dying whale. 

“Fuck you Shaggy,” Ricky grumbled in the dark. But he felt bad as soon as the words left his mouth. It wasn’t Shaggy’s fault that his body for some reason required breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper. It was genetics- some kind of disorder- something. In any case, something wasn’t right. 

Come to think of it, how is he not constantly shitting with how much he eats? And how is he not as fat as me while shitting all the time? Where does the food go? Is this kid’s stomach a portal to another dimension??? 

Ah, the thoughts one has while tired as fuck at- Ricky glanced over at the alarm clock to see what godforsaken hour of the night it had the audacity to be - 2:51 in the morning. 

Also, speaking of shitting, he kinda needed to go to the bathroom anyway. 

Grumbling in I-don’t-want-to-get-up, Ricky reluctantly left the bed’s warm comfort. Fuck, he’d been all cozy from his body heat warming the covers and the inside of the mansion was cold - especially at night. But what else should he expect from a haunted house? Ricky turned the bedside lamp on, retrieved his jacket from where it was lying at the foot of his bed, and quickly put it on. 

He used the facilities, then went to the door. He glanced over at the clock again. It was now 3:00 am - the witching hour. Was it a good idea to wander the halls of a haunted house during the witching hour? Probably not. But based on the off-key didgeridoo noises his stomach was making, this stupid body wasn’t going to leave him alone until he fed it. So he really didn’t have much choice if he wanted so much as a chance of getting a wink of more sleep. 

Ricky stepped out into the hall. Fuck - it was dark. Fortunately there were nightlights at pretty regular intervals in the halls for the living, so he wasn’t wandering completely blind. He was fine leaving the East Wing and the few turns after that. Living and working at Destroido meant that he was used to remembering his way through large buildings. He heard footsteps once or twice with no one attached to them, weird glowing orbs darted in and out of sight, and at one point he thought he heard voices muttering. But he didn’t meet any ghosts. That is until- 

Uh-oh. Which way was it again?

Left or right? Should he just walk to the end of each hall and see if anything looked familiar? Dammit, where were the Dead Beats when you needed- 

Scrrrrraaape

Such a quiet sound was deafening in the silent hallway. Ricky froze. 

Scraaape- Scrrrrrraaape

Ricky gulped and turned his head in the direction of the noise. 

Ding-dong Daddy-o… 

One of the suits of armor had moved. From its usual frozen position to leaning forward with its head turned in Ricky’s direction, glowing pink eyes beneath its mask fixed right on him. 

Ricky gulped. Lewis said they protect the mansion. “U-uh… I-I’m a guest…” he stuttered, fiddling with his fingers, feeling very silly and very scared. “I uh, I got hungry. Could you uh- tell me which way the kitchen is? 

Scccrrrape Scrrrraaape

The suit of armor moved again, pointing towards the left. 

“Oh-” Ricky had kind of not expected it to answer him, much less help. “T-thanks.” 

Scrrrraaape Scrape Scraaape 

The suit of armor briefly bowed to him, then motioned for him to be on his way. 

Heart pounding, Ricky’s whole body felt stiff with fear as he took the route to the left. He could hear the armor’s head turning as it watched him go. As he came to the next hallway (he remembered where he was now), he heard a bunch more scraping behind him as the possessed armor returned to its usual frozen position. 

Well that was terrifying yet helpful. 

Just as terrifying yet equally helpful, every suit of armor Ricky passed from then on pointed in the direction Ricky needed to go. Until finally, very creeped out and not wanting to make any more noise from the metal moving, Ricky told one of the suits of armor as politely as he could that he remembered which way to go from here, but that he appreciated all of their help. The armor bowed to him, resumed its original position, and none of them moved after that. 

Soon after that, came into the foyer, where he was happy to see a familiar troop of pink friends playing tag near the ceiling, zooming around the chandelier. As he stepped out of the doorway, one of the Dead Beats spotted him and pointed him out to his friends, who all made happy trilling noises as they zoomed down to give him nuzzles and demand pets. Trying to stay quiet, Ricky laughed, scritching their heads. “Hey you guys. Boy, am I happy to see you. I’m on my way to the kitchen for a midnight snack. Would you like to keep me company?” 

The Dead Beats were delighted to do just that. 

Then at last, Ricky made it into the kitchen. 

Ricky opened the fridge and squinted from the glare of the bright artificial light, his eyes having adjusted to the dark house. He was looking for a drink when- 

“Ricky?” 

Ricky jumped and banged his head on the top of the fridge with a curse. 

“Oof, you okay dude?” 

“Lewis?” Ricky turned around, rubbing the soon-to-be bump on his head. The ghost was standing by the doorway with a couple more Dead Beats. “You’re back. And- What’re you doing up?” 

“I’m a ghost,” Lewis shrugged. “I don’t exactly need sleep. What’re you doing up?” 

“Uh- couldn’t sleep. And I got hungry.” 

Lewis snorted. “You just missed Scooby. He was in here for a midnight snack not half an hour ago.” 

“Ah. That explains why the fridge doesn’t look as packed as it did earlier,” Ricky said. Right then, one of the Dead Beats floated over to him helpfully with a bag of pretzels. Ricky thanked him and then turned back to Lewis. “So. How was Arthur?” He asked, popping one into his mouth.

Lewis sighed with relief. “He’s okay. Thank God. Marcie’s on board, I helped with some things, and thus far everything’s going according to his plan.” 

“That’s good,” Ricky sighed, eating another handful. “So what exactly is his plan?” He asked after he swallowed. 

“Actually, I needed to talk to you about that…” Lewis rubbed the back of his neck and procured a flashdrive from a pocket in his waistcoat. 

Ricky abruptly stopped chewing. Why did he have a feeling that he knew what the contents of that were? He swallowed. “What’s that?” He asked. 

“Proof of what happened to you,” Lewis winced. 

“... Oh,” Ricky looked away. “Did uh… did you watch it?” 

“No,” Lewis said. “That would be a messed up thing to do. And I’m not going to let anyone else see it without your permission either. So… are you okay with me seeing this? Or anyone else for that matter?” 

“Um… let me get back to you on that. It’s- late. I know somebody should see it but- could I think about it?” 

“No problem man. Take as much time as you need,” Lewis said, tucking it back in his pocket. 

“Oh! Ricky. What are you doing up?” Mystery, in the form of a dog, trotted into the room and hopped up into one of the chairs.

“Ah- uh, bad dreams,” Ricky said, forgetting to lie about it. “-And a midnight snack,” he caught himself, shaking the bag of pretzels. He quickly changed the subject. “So uh, how are you and Vivi? All good?” 

“What happened with Vivi?” Lewis growled.

“Tensions ran high, and we had a moment. About three years ago. But we got through it, and we’re fine now,” Mystery said, hinting very strongly to Lewis that they would talk about it when not in mixed company.

Lewis fortunately caught the hint, because he reverted the subject back to Ricky. “Gotcha. So, Ricky. Bad dreams? Do you… want to talk about it?”

“I’ve just been- thinking a lot about Cassidy,” he admitted, setting down the now-empty bag of pretzels and opening a jug of yogurt. “I know you never knew her but, I really wish you had. She was… she really was perfect.” 

Ricky was too deep in self-pity to notice the panicked look Mystery and Lewis shot each other. 

“I said a lot of really shitty things to her,” Ricky sighed. “Things I didn’t mean. And I just wish I could take it all back, or at least tell her how sorry I am. For all of it.”

He was completely oblivious to Mystery and Lewis silently shouting at each other on either side of him. 

‘Should we tell him???’ Lewis mouthed. 

‘No!’ Mystery mouthed back. 

“And she would have loved this.” Ricky laughed, “Knowing her she’d be like ‘hell no’ at first. But once she got over that initial hurdle I really think she would’ve liked to learn all of this, and to meet you. And you would’ve liked her.” 

‘He deserves to know!’ Lewis mouthed, gesticulating wildly. 

‘Don’t say SHIT!’ Mystery swiped a paw across his throat.

‘He’s heartbroken!’ 

‘It’s too much!’ 

“She would have been a big help too,” Ricky said. “She was so smart. One of the smartest people I ever knew… and the kindest.” 

‘I’m gonna tell him!’ 

‘Don’t you dare!’

‘We should tell him!’ 

“In the morning!” Mystery loud-whispered. 

Ricky looked up, and Mystery and Lewis quickly snapped into “totally-not-up to-something” poses before he could notice. “Did you say something?” He asked. 

“Oh- yes. Cassidy-” The dog cleared his throat. “Cassidy is a truly wonderful person. And uh- in the morning, I have a lot more to tell you and teach you that I bet she would really want to see.” Were it not past 3:00 in the morning, Ricky might have caught Mystery’s use of the word ‘is’ as opposed to ‘was’.

‘Smooth,’ Lewis mouthed at Mystery over Ricky’s head. 

Mystery shot him a glare. None of that was a lie. 

Just then, on its own, the radio on the counter turned on smack in the middle of a Mystery Skulls song.

“If I could do this all a-gain,  If I could start o-ver, and give you everything-”

The three of them turned around to the source of the noise to see the Dead Beats floating totally guilty around the radio. 

“-Yeah, I wouldn’t change a thing. As long as I have you baby- As long as I have you baby!” 

Ricky just looked at them confused and listened while panicked, Mystery and Lewis comically shook their heads, ‘NO!’ 

And the Dead Beats stubbornly nodded, ‘YES!’ 

“See?” Ricky sighed, completely misinterpreting what the Dead Beats were trying to tell him. “They get it.” 

As the strum of the keyboard and the thrum of the beat gave way to lyrics once more, Lewis flew across the room-

“-’Cause no one ever really diiies-” 

Ricky didn’t hear the rest because Lewis cut the radio off. 

“Why’d you turn it off?” Ricky asked, confused. 

“I- uh- it was way too loud. You- sillies,” Lewis turned to the Dead Beats with a too-wide grin. “I know how much you love music, but do you want to wake the whole house? We’re going to have to have a talk later,” The ghost growled at them. 

The Dead Beats just crossed their arms and turned away sharply. Foiled!

While Lewis glared at the Dead Beats, Mystery turned back to Ricky. “Speaking of,” the kitsune-disguised-as-a-dog said, “I really think you ought to get back to sleep.” 

Ricky scoffed. “I’m not so sure that’s going to happen. Sleep doesn’t exactly come to me easily. Not to mention I’m not exactly looking forward to another nightmare.” 

Mystery tilted his head, thoughtful. 

The dog made a flourish with one of his paws, and a small vial appeared on the table in a flash of his foxfire. 

Ricky jumped, not expecting it. The vial was half-moon-shaped, with a star-shaped cork, filled with a beautiful luminous midnight blue fluid. 

“Really? You’re gonna give him that?” Lewis exclaimed. The Dead Beats were still pouting behind him.

“What is it?” Ricky asked.

“Magic,” Mystery replied. “We're acquainted with a number of potion makers and regularly enlist their services. This,” Mystery said, motioning for Ricky to pick up the bottle, “is a half-dose of dreamless sleep potion. It instantly puts its drinker into deep sleep, then awakens the drinker fast enough that the mind never enters the stage of sleep in which dreams occur. This is a half dose, meant to be taken when one wakes in the middle of the night. So it should guarantee you another five hours or so of restful slumber.”

“Just don’t get reliant on that stuff,” Lewis warned. “Trust us, we know from experience: It becomes an unhealthy coping mechanism if you use it too often.”

 “So I will not allow you to use this tomorrow night under any circumstances,” Mystery added with a nod.

Ricky blinked at him for a few moments, so grateful and stunned that words failed him. “I- Thank you Mystery,” He stammered. 

“Oh pish posh. It’s such a simple matter it hardly requires any thanks. But I accept it all the same.” (Bullshit. Ricky could totally tell he was enjoying the gratitude.) 

“Also, don’t drink that until you’re already in bed,” Lewis cautioned. “It’ll put you out so fast that the flavor will still be on your tongue when you konk out. Arthur took it too soon one time and passed the fuck out right in the middle of the apothecary.”

“Sheesh. Strong stuff,” Ricky said, admiring the way the potion glittered. 

“Hardly. Just a little magic,” Mystery chuckled. “Now off to bed with you. The faster you fall asleep the sooner you’ll wake up. There’s much to discuss in the morning.” 

After Ricky finished his yogurt and two packs of popcorn, he bid Mystery and Lewis goodbye and the Dead Beats led him back to his room (Lewis discreetly made it very clear on their way out that they were still in hot water). As Ricky followed the pouting ghosts back to the East Wing, he turned the potion in his hands and wondered if Mystery had ever used it, or if he ever had trouble sleeping. He was centuries old, and had been through so much. Did he get nightmares too? 

The Dead Beats led him on a different route back to the East Wing than he’d taken earlier that took them past the library. Which was why Ricky stopped, confused, in front of the doors. 

The lights were on. 

Curious, he walked into the library and the Dead Beats followed, chirping something that he imagined meant: “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be following us?” But Ricky ignored them. 

The library was seemingly abandoned and dark, save a few lamps and the dull glow of moonlight shining through the windows. It wasn’t immediately apparent who was working this late until Ricky spotted an orange sleeve sticking out of a pile of papers at one of the desks. 

“Velma?” 

“TWELVE!” Velma shouted as her head shot up from the desk. Ricky and the Dead Beats jumped with surprise. She snorted and adjusted her glasses, reorienting herself back to reality from whatever she’d been dreaming about, then her bleary eyes fixed on him. 

“Shaggy-? Wait. No. Sorry. Mr. E- Ricky! Sorry. What are you doing here?” 

“Couldn’t sleep. What’re you doing here?” He asked, crossing his arms. 

“Who could sleep in a house full of books?” She shrugged. Then she yawned, rubbing her eyes beneath her glasses. 

“I’d get back to bed if I were you,” Ricky advised. “Mystery’s also awake and if he finds you in here he’ll probably scold you for neglecting your health and send you back to bed anyway.” 

“Are you going to scold me?” Velma asked. 

“Nah. I’m up at 3am too, so I really can’t talk,” He shrugged. “Come on. Let’s go together.” 

Velma straightened her work station so it wouldn’t look like a tornado had blown through it come morning, and the two of them followed the Dead Beats back to the East Wing.

Their walk was mostly silent until they passed a familiar portrait of a scowling priest, who gave them an extremely distasteful look but didn’t dare say anything out of fear of facing Mystery’s wrath again.

That was when it occurred to Ricky that they were walking along the same stretch of hallway where he’d had that talk with Fred earlier. Also he and Velma were alone. Which made it the perfect opportunity to ask her a rather delicate question. 

Ricky cleared his throat nervously. “Um, Velma?” 

“Yes?” 

“I uh, have a question to ask you… It’s not exactly a fun one, but uh...” 

Velma straightened her spine and squared her shoulders. “Okay,” she said thoughtfully.

“I need to know how Cassidy died.”

Velma’s face softened at the question, but he saw confirmation in her eyes of what he’d already suspected. 

“You were there, weren’t you?” 

Velma looked away, and she didn’t answer for several long moments. She took off her glasses to wipe the wetness from her eyes with her sleeve before she got a grip, put her glasses back on, and confirmed what he already knew: “Yeah. We were there.” 

Ricky’s throat closed. For her, and for the other poor kids who’d had to witness something so awful. He didn’t meet her eyes when he asked her quietly, “Did she suffer?” 

Velma hesitated in her answer. None of them had seen it happen, but they were all haunted by imaginings of Cassidy’s final moments. Had she been shot by the Kriegstaffebots before the self-destruct sequence completed? Was she blown up? Had the explosion killed her instantly? Or had she been covered in burns and injuries, forced to suffer before she faded away? Or had she lasted a bit longer and drowned? Supposedly drowning was a peaceful way to go, but she must have been so scared- 

“No,” Velma said firmly, no matter how much she doubted it. “It happened so fast. I’m sure she didn’t suffer.” 

Ricky’s entire body sagged with relief. “Thank you, Velma."

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼༓☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

Professor Pericles was a homicidal maniac. 

Both fortunately and unfortunately for the entirety of the human race, he was smart about being a homicidal maniac. 

He didn’t just kill people whenever he felt like it. He did so with purpose, waiting until the opportune moment to remove certain pawns or obstacles from his path. Which was good for Marcie and Arthur, because it meant that they likely had a bit of time to stop Professor Pericles from killing someone in the future. 

They had been working for a little under an hour after Lewis left when a stubborn little red light turned green. 

Marcie nearly spat out her coffee. “I’m in!”

“Seriously?” Arthur’s head shot up excitedly from where he was hunched over his own computer, sending a couple of pages of scribbled notes falling from the side of the table. One of the Dead Beats picked them up and put them back helpfully. 

“Yep. Alright, Arthur. Now what?” And with that they swapped computers, and Arthur’s face lit up in the artificial light as his eyes greedily took in the seemingly alien letters and numbers filling the screen. 

Seemingly alien of course, unless you were an expert of Arthur and Marcie’s calibur. For while to untrained eyes it may look like word salad, to the two of them it was like looking into the Matrix, and at a mere glance Arthur knew that Marcie really had pulled through. 

He was looking at the Kriegstaffebot program codes.

It was time to deliver the first strike. The question was: when was Pericles going to feel it?

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼༓☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

They went into Velma’s room to talk. 

It went about as well as it could have, as painful as it was for both of them.

After Velma finished recounting Cassidy’s final hours, Ricky thanked her and returned to his own room, where he laid back in his bed, the sleeping potion still corked in his hand, and stared at the ceiling processing what he’d been told. 

He blew up K-Ghoul. He. Fucking. Blew up. K-Ghoul. He destroyed her home and her livelihood, and he tried to kill her until he succeeded. 

Ricky was grateful for the potion Mystery had given him, because he was so angry right now that he was certain he’d never get back to sleep otherwise. 

K-Ghoul had been his gift to her when Angel Dynamite had returned to Crystal Cove. He used the excuse that she’d need a good cover to come back with her alias intact. But that wasn’t completely true. He could have just as well gotten her a job as a custodian somewhere if he wanted her to keep an eye on the town and the new Mystery Incorporated unnoticed. But she would have been miserable doing that kind of work. Angel Dynamite was a DJ, and Cassidy had always loved music. It was true that she came back to Crystal Cove for a reason. But he wanted her to be… happy. He also supposed, looking back, that he’d wanted to thank her for all the joy she'd brought him once. And to make amends in his own way, even if the words to apologize hadn’t come (yet another of his many regrets). 

Their breakup was his fault. As the years went by after Pericles’ betrayal, Ricky had grown bitter and angry. And the one who got the brunt of it was the very same person who stuck by his side longer than anyone else. He never struck her. As awful a human being as the curse had twisted him into, he didn’t think he’d be able to live with himself if he ever hit Cassidy. But all the same, he’d been so… mean. And of course, no matter how much she loved him, Cassidy’s self-esteem and strength of spirit was too high to deal with his bullshit, so… They broke up. 

And after all that time, Ricky had still regretted the way he’d treated her. But even though they weren’t together anymore, he… he wanted her to be happy. K-Ghoul had been his way of looking after her, as he should have done all those years ago. 

And Pericles fucking blew it up. Without even consulting me. How dare he? 

“He had no right…” Ricky seethed quietly, feeling more like his bitter old self than he had in a while. But this time his anger was directed at just one bird. Professor Pericles. Not the kids. Not the world. Not Cassidy- 

Cassidy… 

Maybe it made him a horrible person, but he couldn’t help but be a little mad at her. “Why didn’t you come to me?” He whispered into the dark, a tear falling down his cheek. 

I would have protected you. I never would have let him hurt you if I knew. 

But Ricky couldn’t be mad at her. Because he knew exactly why she hadn’t come to him. 

She had no way of knowing that I would have chosen her. I was working with Pericles. For all she knew, I was the one trying to have her killed. 

Imagining that broke Ricky’s heart all over again. That Cassidy died thinking-

Ricky sniffed and closed his eyes. 

Cassidy… died.

As angry as he was, Ricky was also overwhelmingly sad. 

They were in the Midnight Zone. She was surrounded by Kriegstaffebots. The lab exploded. 

No. No, she would never give up! There was no corpse so maybe- 

But their seal friend found her helmet. Even if she survived the blast, the weight of all that water would have killed her for sure. And even if not, there’s absolutely no way she would have been able to swim to the surface before she drowned.

There was no way out. Not even for her.

She’s gone.

In the back of Ricky’s mind, ever since he’d first learned of her death, there had been doubt. A small flicker of hope. Cassidy? Dead? It couldn’t be real. But Velma was no liar, and above that she was a realist. Hearing the facts of how it had happened from her made it… real.

She’s gone.

That was that. That was it. Ricky Owens was never going to see Cassidy Williams again and he didn’t even have a body to bury. The empty shell that had once been her was buried under rubble at the bottom of the ocean, the high walls of the trench the closest thing to a tombstone she would ever have. 

She’s gone. 

Pericles did it. He got rid of her. He pulled the trigger- 

But I put the gun in his talons.

The weight of his own grief threatening to crush him, Ricky redirected his energy into his rage. I never should have saved him all those years ago. 

He uncorked the potion and was immediately hit with an extremely strong smell. There was a lot of lavender but also other herbs and- whatever the hell that was. Ricky had no idea what he was about to ingest, but he trusted Mystery and needed to be well-rested. 

She will be avenged. Her death will not be in vain! I’m going to need every bit of strength I can muster if I’m going to help- 

But Ricky didn’t have a single other thought. For he’d tipped the bottle back and downed it in one gulp. And the instant after a light, minty, earthy flavor hit his tongue, Ricky’s entire body was going slack, the bottle was slipping from his fingers, and he was being enveloped in the welcome peace that slumber brought - completely dead to the world.

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼༓☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

Dawn came with deceptive tranquility. 

The sun was peeking over the horizon and a morning mist had settled over the forest, making the mansion and the twisted, jagged trees around it seem as if they were on an island at the center of an endless gray sea. 

The arrival of a long-awaited guest was marked by the rumble of a familiar engine, and the mist curling around a familiar silhouette like an angel’s wings.

Well. If any of you missed Ricky, you ought to be overjoyed with how Ricky-centered this chapter was. And you should expect the same from the next few chapters as well. If I were to map out the evolution of my plans for this chapter, they'd look like a roundabout with the number of directions this could have gone. At one point it was going to be heavily referencing the exorcist (have fun speculating what the fuck that means) (also that''s the stage I was at when I wrote the last chapter's author's notes, so sorry - I lied. It's gonna be a while before things get "nuts"), but then I realized that part would fit better later in the story. So a large chunk of this chapter was cut out, pasted somewhere else to be saved for later, and rewritten. So you guys have that to look forward to. But I'm happy with where this chapter ended up. I loved the humor and fourth wall breaks, angst is always fun to write, I liked further exploring some off-screen Rickidy interactions that may have happened in the show, and I think it ties up Ricky's grief arc in a neat little bow - right before it's smashed to pieces in the next chapter when You-Know-Who returns! (How did that accidentally become a Harry Potter reference? Oops. Lol. Though the dreamless sleep potion was inspired by the potion of the same name and function in the Harry Potter series. I just got back from Universal Studios, ok?! Harry Potter is on the brain.) Also. We got to meet the suits of armor, Lewis is back with the main group, and Arthur and Marcie have hacked into the Kriegstaffebots. What will they do with that? :D Finally, I just wanted to say that the next chapter of this fic has been living in my head rent-free for almost a year. It's one of the scenes I imagined that made me want to write this fic to begin with. So from the bottom of my heart, I can't even begin to say how excited I am to share it with you. That's all for now Warlocks, Witches, and Badass Bitches.

Chapters 1-18 of One of Us are presently posted on Archive of Our Own.

[delugedecade]

Scooby-Doo (as in the 2002 Movie)

forcefully review as watched by Deluge

spoilers, obviously, but then again, I’m the one watching it for the first time.

We're finally here. The first live action movie.

They start with a rap style Scooby Doo into? Well it is early 2000s

They CGI'd Shaggy's running, lol

Of course, kid friendly movie, magic physics defying skirt on Velma

This factory is pretty skatepark shaped.

You can really hear that Lillard just doesn't have the voice just right yet.

Who the fuck? What the fuck?

Oh she owns the factory.

Fred having fans like this is weird.

All this for not going out with him. cringe

HE SAID THE THING

Damn, starting and already breaking up the band.

Oh yeah, the weed joke.

I just had to search up hydrocolonic....

Velma works at NASA.

Getting the gang back together, one awkward meeting at a time

The origin of black belt Daphne

At least Daphne had some enthusiasm in asking Velma and Fred to join.

That's a really wide middle aisle.

THERE'S A TIKI BAR ON THE PLANE?

Oh boy, Shaggy being interested in something that isn't Scoob or Food? Can't be good

People really are dumb enough to not notice the dog.

Scooby Snacks are vegetarian? Didn't they say it was meaty in Phantosaur?

I stand corrected, Phantosaur called it Meat-Berry Medley. So it is a meat substitute.

Another Weed Joke.

ROWAN ATKINSON!

Scooby really just said no to stranger danger

Some real leaps of logic from you there Daphne

Spooky monster, but also pretty bad cgi

I kinda just realized the voodoo thing might just be voodoo chicken

Mindless Zombie 'Fred Walks in', I feel there's a joke there.

Fred really does sound pretty condescending.

He pulled the himbo card. I think. With the dorky chicks line.

Wow that 'hypno' video was cringe

HE SAID THE THING! ARE YOU CHALLENGING ME!

Okay, it devolved into fart jokes...

Three suspects already, but I do feel like they're red herrings.

Again, Voodoo might just be voodoo chicken.

Daemon Ritus definitely sounds like the main lead.

Though trying to solve a mystery only to be found out sounds like a dumb idea, but i suppose pinning it on someone else is a plan

A flashback? really?

Holy shit Scrappy. HOLY SHIT IT'S GOTTA BE SCRAPPY BEHIND THIS! CHECKOV'S GUN

She's definitely drunk.

ohno there's two of them

Oh no there's three of them

HE SAID THE TITLE!

Slightly comedic CGI

I feel that the coast guard are just there thinking its a joke.

Beyotch, yo they slipped an almost swear

this is pretty wild so far.

Mary Jane is a monster by the looks of it

Nothings beats a man and his dog best friend

Hmmm

Okay yeah this CGI does look pretty bad.

Monster explode in the day

Also, they gave Velma cleavage.

OH BOY BODY SWAP

Good it didn't last too long

Never mind, Voodoo guy isn't making voodoo chicken.

Okay, Emile is bad because he knows Mary Jane's monster form

Okay, this is surprisingly touching

The power of Dance-Fu

God Fred, shut up.

Again, Best Buds between a man and his dog

The subtle hints of the original Scooby Doo Theme

A Robot?

Yep, Scrappy Doo is the villain.

Yeah Daphne Black Belt!

Yeah! Pop Rock Scooby Doo theme!

Yeah take that Scrappy

They really made a moment for each gang to have a special.

Velma finally having her moment Let's go!

Oooooh, He almost swore

I forgot this was by James Gunn

Painful going down. and about to be painful going out.

This was filmed in Queensland? Nice

Yeah, not bad. Really did feel like all the pieces of the mystery fit well while still keeping the intrigue.

9/10

@submissiveking99 @tokufan400 @freeusemuses @asexxxualauthor

[leaderdaimon]

"hey! heeeeeyyyy!!! didnt'cha hear? i'm the LEADER!"

red/leader (he/him or it/its) demon adult (20's)

been a DR fan since somethingawful and have spent more money on it that my college fund. /hj

this blog also has total drama/disventure camp bc its just kidz bop DR c'mon dude.

i'm a monaka towa defender first and a human second. ironically i k*n komaru.

despite everything i'm featured on the DR iceberg twice.

proship/lgbtphobic/racist/terfs/antisemities, o*ma fans/kins/girls/introjects and transmasc chihiro fans get the fuck out

"what the heck is DIGIMON?! sounds lame!!"

more things under the cut!

unlike most danganronpa fans, i had an 8th grade level literature analysis class and understand what media should be promoted/seen as good in fiction.

please do NOT interact with me if you like o*ma in any capacity or think he's a "smol gay bean". if you don't tag him please block me. i am horribly triggered by him and most things involving him.

fans of haiji towa (if you're still out there) meet the bottom of my car.

i am very critical of the series as a whole along with certain headcanons. chihiro is a girl, komaeda is gay and tenko is a lesbian. my critical tag is #ronpa critical or #udg critical

joking about things like incest, racism, homophobia, transphobia or character trauma gets you an instant block. be normal PLEASE. (o*ma is an occasional exception)

all of my headcanons that are considered "weird" or "don't make sense" take place in a version of the game that lives in my head. (ex: transfem mondo oowada and transmasc angie yonaga)

this being said: i don't like being called proship or anti because both sides have hurt people. however, my beliefs lean more towards anti i fucking guess.

please don't interact with me if you like or support the fanfic schrodinger's murder by @/cardboardslugs. it makes me VERY uncomfortable with the leaps it takes to prove a canon trans girl is a man.

outside of boundaries:

i'm a little freak who selfships with korekiyo (romo), junko enoshima (ex wife) and servant!nagito (mauling him/kismesis)

all of the warriors of hope are my blorbos. i love them. they are found family with their weird dad (izuru) and genderfuck guardian (servant)

@catboymoments is my favorite little guy along with @thefloralpeach !! ily both mwah

dr3 hope and despair arc both never happened don't try to convince me otherwise. it's bad writing scoob.

kodaka owes me copays on my therapy

[geekgemsspooksandtoons]

I thought of these earlier and while I don't want to spoil more of my Shagg & Scoob thing I'm developing...I'll reveal these. This first one I told @kaijuguy19 a while back.

One of my ideas and it was supposedly a finale for it. It was basically a "No Way Home" scenario where the Shagg & Scoob versions of the gang would meet the OG Scooby gang. And when I mean OG, I'm legit talking about the gang themselves from the original cartoon. But their canon would've consisted at first almost every direct to video Scooby-Doo movie.

But Scooby-Doo canon is weird, so only some of the movies would've been in the OG canon. But films like the 1998-2001 Scooby-Doo films are canon, and retconning Return To Zombie Island.

It would've been this touching and emotional story of the two gangs interacting, particularly the Shaggy's as the main villains would've been the ones from the 1998-2001 Scooby-Doo films, particularly Zombie Island because they had been resurrected. And the OG Scooby-Doo gang would've been in their mid 20's, having experienced more mysteries and even actual supernatural stuff considering those movies I mentioned.

-

But earlier...like an hour earlier I think because I sadly wasted time.

I thought of this crazy idea...like...what if...for one of the seasons or so...what if...

We combined the stories of the 1998-2001 films...like...

The insanity of that, I would scream like a girl despite the idea of it sounds so bad. It sounds like one of my Sonic movie sequel ideas long ago. Or how Mortal Kombat Legends Battle of the Realms handled it's story.

Like zombies, witches, aliens, and phantom viruses all in one story? This sounds like the most fan developed thing ever. And I know I'm like, "Woah GeekGem, be patient and just write the first season first before doing all of this!"

-

Besides, a lot of this isn't original. Yet it depends on what I want to do. Because I'm still working on stuff and I really want to marathon those first four films because those are some of the or the best Scooby-Doo films. Along with others as well that I've named before.

[quantum-crux]

@apocalypta-secundus  asked:

“Now, there’s a few things we have to burn.” (Lyn @ Wade)

||------------answered-------------||

Wait. Who's voice was that? Didn't sound like one of his.

He took a second to take attendance inside his own head, all typical voices present and accounted for.

Nope, definitely not familiar. A suspicious air filled the area, he slowly glanced around, narrowing in on the location of the source to this devious sounding voice.

"Show yourself!" He yelled out to no avail.

Maybe a different appoach?

"Ollie, Ollie, Oxen-free~"

"Wait--- is that too out-dated, Wade ya need to update your material! How old would someone have to be to get that reference?" He rambled on out loud as he wandered around nearly aimlessly at this point. Until he bumped into the short statured female.

"Oh shit! My bad! Did you hear it too? Be careful, this place his probably haunted." He warned in full earnest.

"Thinking we may wanna call in Scoobs and the gang on this one."

[alltheprettyplaces]

a holiday weekend when I don’t have any motivation at work AND my manager wants me to train someone today????? sounds like a bad idea scoob

[infiltracion]

I'LL ASK YOU A MUSIC QUESTION SINCE YOU LIKE THEM SO MUCH. GIMME SOME SONGS THAT FIT YOUR FAVORITE SHIPS FOR SOMBRA.

...ESTABLECIENDO CONEXIÓN, @spec08 .

YAYYYY this is a fun question especially for the both of us since, as mentioned often here, there is a whole blog canon that scoob and i have behind the scenes. it's the reason why my blog is not open to shipping with sombra cuz we just like these pairs so fuckin much LOL so here's the pairs. (keep in mind that this has to do with specifically scoob's portrayals of these characters. anybody reading this who happens to write these characters? does not apply to u we will have a different dynamic entirely <3 anyway with that out of the way, throwing it all under the cut bc its long since i felt the need to explain everything)

starting with our real toxic girls.... sombra & ashe. this relationship is summarized as "i girlbossed a little too close to the sun." tl;dr for any readers that aren't scoob: sombra fucks off to deadlock for a while after ditching talon, ashe gets dangerously attatched real quick to their "casual" relationship, sombra underestimated the situation bad. ashe is dangerous and now has it in her head that they should DEFINITELY get married cuz shes got everything she wants here and sombra like..... lol i dont believe in marriage? :3 (spoiler: that's not a good excuse.) now she's gotta worry about a white woman jumpscare when shes out and about after ditching deadlock. whoops!

SOMBRA @ ASHE.

JOKES ON YOU — charlotte lawrence. this entire song has just a shit ton of symbolism and the build up to just being like fuck it im done this is going too far? it was fun in the beginning but theyre in too deep now and shes gotta GO?? MESSY!

HIGHLIGHT.

drag me to death like a lit cigarette took my last breath like the smoke from my lips i've lied for you and i liked it too but my knees are bruised from kneeling to you i've had enough, but you're too hard to quit we've had our fun, now your sugar makes me sick i've lied for you and i liked it too but my makeup's ruined

ASHE @ SOMBRA.

YOUR LOVE (DÉJÀ VU) — glass animals. once again, entire song has such good symbolism n it mentions so many details that just Sound like sombra like blue hair and the references to all the tech n cameras n the whole like fleeting love situation.... also references to sombras toxic ass side of the relationship they both suck.

HIGHLIGHT.

maybe in time when we're both better at life daylight can open my eyes and you'll still be by my side but meanwhile i've got my contact high you've got your powdered lies we've got these summertime nights night by night i let you eat me alive i want you to eat me alive i want you to eat me alive

bonus: this one's a significantly funnier song but it describes their dynamic perfectly. ashe is the guy, sombra's the woman.

now the other one that's our lil endgame for these two... sombra & satya. also messy but ultimately ends pretty great after sombra is forced to get over herself. tl;dr for any readers that aren't scoob: her and satya meet on a long term talon mission (unbeknownst to satya) and get on absurdly well. tension n all but satya's focused on her work and sombras headin out anyway so nothing really comes of it. she disappears then reappears a couple years later, out of talon and highkey trying to avoid the raging deadlock leader who's mad at her for leaving her at the altar (ashe's words, not her's.) india's a pretty good curveball. the details are fuzzy here but they ultimately get back together here which is great until satya keeps jabbing her and being like FIX YOUR ISSUES OR YOURE LEAVING and shes like ://// FINE! DAMN.

SOMBRA @ SATYA.

NO ES QUE NO TE QUIERA — hello seahorse! i mentioned this one in that music meme i did because it fits sombra in general in relationships but i think it especially fits with the two of them since she's extremely avoidant... runs at any INKLING of intimacy or permanence and it fits especially well after she leaves satya that first time around and is still thinking of her.

HIGHLIGHT.

no es que no te quiera es que te necesito lejos pues es cuando estas lejos, que (yo) más te quiero

(rough translation)

it's not that i don't love you it's that i need you far away because when you're far that's when i love you most

SATYA @ SOMBRA.

VETE DE UNA VEZ — daniela spalla. funnily enough this is another spanish song but it reminds me from satya's pov before they come together for realsies. kinda accompanies the last where it's frustrating that sombra can just come and go and still be accepted back in even tho that shit HURTS.

HIGHLIGHT.

he pasado tantos días, tantas noches haciedo el duelo, el duelo por tí lo dijiste claramente no querías una vida junto a mí pero cada tanto vuelves, me llamas y sabes que jamás voy a decir que no cada tanto, vuelves, basta te pido por favor vete de una vez y ya no vuelvas

(rough translation)

i've spent so many days, so many nights grieving because of you you clearly told me that you didn't want a life with me but every so often, you come back and call me and you know i'll never say no every so often, you call me, enough. i beg of you, please. go away now, and don't come back

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Given Warner Bros. Pictures Animation's recent presentations at Lightbox Expo, it seems their slate is...

THE CAT IN THE HAT (3/6/2026)

BAD FAIRIES (7/23/2027)

MARGIE CLAUS (11/05/2027)

MEET THE FLINTSTONES (TBD, possibly 2026/27)

DYNAMIC DUO (TBD, possibly 2028)

UNTITLED LOONEY TUNES FILM (TBD, possibly 2028)

THE LUNAR CHRONICLES (TBD)

OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO (TBD)

THING ONE AND THING TWO (TBD)

MEERKAT MANOR (TBD)

And some of those TBD films might be closer than not?

They all have directors, for starters. Some films had finished footage, others had reels and such. Sometimes just logos. Nothing from MEERKAT MANOR was shown other than the title.

Those who attended the presentation have reportedly seen footage from MEET THE FLINTSTONES, THE LUNAR CHRONICLES, and OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO! (Which now has two people attached, Jill Culton as director and Jon M. Chu.) The reports on FLINTSTONES indicates that it's particularly farther along, as it and its crew were announced quite some time ago. I can imagine Warner slotting it somewhere in later 2026, as their only 2026 release right now is the spring slotted CAT IN THE HAT. (Whoever blinks in that chicken game will be interesting, as CAT currently sits next to Pixar's HOPPERS.)

While it's nice to see Warner building a seemingly robust slate of different animated films, some based on their long-standing IPs and some relatively new stuff (like BAD FAIRIES), I'm still not over David Zaslav opting to lock COYOTE VS. ACME and SCOOB! HOLIDAY HAUNT away. Usually in a merger, when a leader hasn't much regard for stuff put into production before they came to the place, it's decided to quietly get that project out and move onto the next thing.

Like they were ripping a band-aid or something. When MGM acquired United Artists in 1981, the new brass seemingly saw little use for the in-production THE SECRET OF NIMH and just kinda dumped it. THE BLACK CAULDRON and THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE got similar treatment from the then-new Eisner brigade at Disney. Turner Animation's CATS DON'T DANCE got left out in the cold after Turner got folded into Warner Bros.

A very "we didn't make it, it doesn't fit our agenda going forward" mindset...

But the Zas cranked that up to 11, and just straight up said "Nope, you can't even SEE these movies."

This 2028 "Super Secret" Looney Tunes movie is basically Zaslav-Warner's way of saying "This is OUR Looney Tunes initiative going forward, and ACME, DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP, and BYE BYE BUNNY! didn't fit that." You coulda still at least released them, though.

I'll still support a new Looney Tunes movie, as I would hate for this film to also get scrapped towards the end of its completion and made into an unreleasable "tax write-off". I extend that to any Warner movie, given how the Zas just straight up did that to not only two Warner animated movies, but also BATGIRL, and a TV show like FINAL SPACE... And it seemed like the new SALEM'S LOT almost got black-holed, too, but miraculously made it out alive. It just feels weird, because it didn't have to go down that way at all.

So yeah... Looks like they have a ton of stuff in the works now, and a clear road ahead. Hopefully. Some of this stuff sounds like it could be a lot of fun, especially DYNAMIC DUO and BAD FAIRIES.

[crazygriffinlord]

Everyone in SCOOB! is a furry

When you first saw the title, I bet you rugheads and giglets were like "WHAAAAAAAAA????!!!" But now, I'm gonna break it all down for you! Los geht's!

SCOOB and Robin Hood(1973) are....drumroll please....connected! They both have the late 60s-70s cartoon vibe abound them, with campy acting, funny scriptwriting and slapstick galore. And they have several characters that are similar to one another. So I believe that every character in Robin Hood is the fursona of every character in SCOOB! And btw, some of the characters in SCOOB also have an affinity for semi-anthropormorphic animals. Sound familiar, anyone?

Let's start with the star of the show himself, Scooby Doo himself! So, you're probably like "Hey, he's already an animal! He can't be a furry!". And that is where you are wrong, my good sirs and mistresses! Because dogs CAN dress up as other anthro animals and be furries. And his fursona is none other than the star of Robin Hood himself, Robin Hood! Because foxes are just more powerful dogs, It makes him feel like himself, but cooler.

Scoob's best friend, Shaggy has always shown some furry traits since the franchise's first inception. He prefers the compony of animals to people and generally shows some animal like behaviors. He also prefers to be the hero's loyal sidekick, rather than get too much into the spotlight. So I believe his fursona is Little John! He shares Shaggy's love for food, his laid back nature, and his iconic quips, mostly delivered when disaster strikes.

Daphne is most known as the most feminine of Mystery Inc. but that's not all! She's also the kindest and most tolerant, open to helping anyone find their true selves. Now does that sound similar? A sweet girly girl who always acts as a support to the main characters. Sound like Maid Marian to me! Daphne chose Maid Marian as her fursona after finding out Scooby Doo's was a fox to support his decision and remind him that she is always there for him.

Fred is often seen as a peaceful leader and respected figure among his people, so it's only fitting that his fursona is Friar Tuck, a wise badger who loves his men equally and sees them not as hinderances, but as valuable assets to their shared cause and the world they all are a part of.

Velma isn't a furry. I'm sorry. She doesn't think it's healthy, but she accepts her friends anyway. She mostly interested in her studies and sticking to the facts of life, including, people can't become anthropormorphic animals, and anthropormorphic animals don't actually exist, either.

And finally, the bad guy: Dick Dastardy. All signs point to Prince John this guy's alter-ego. They're both played by handsome, middle-aged, blue-eyed British Jews, they're both so noodle like in shape you can twist them on your fork and slurp them up, their delivery is campy af, they cry like babies whenever their plans fail, and they're both just sexily evil. Can someone please make this canon, like right now!

Thanks for listening to my mad ravings! If you don't agree with, please feel free to argue respectfully in the replies. Now excuse me, I've got to start planning my wedding to Dick Dastardly aka Prince John! Byyyyyye!

[cocoabubbelle]

Watching “Scooby Doo, Where Are You?” (1969-1970 CBS) + Thoughts

Episode 25: Don’t Fool with a Phantom

Not me trying to pronounce the flashing “KLMN” on the building as one word before realizing it’s probably an Acronym for something.

Fraphne dance for what seems like a talent show.

Is Johnny Sands based off of a celebrity?

Even without them handling it for their dance routine, Shaggy and Scooby’s taffy (it’s called toffee in the show but it’s too stretchy) looks yucky.

Monster of the week almost looks as bad as the toffee.

Velma looks comically angry at the monster’s stunts.

Johnny Sands is gone, which mean’s he’s either the culprit or the victim—oh wait, there he is.

“Come on, Johnny. The publicity stunt’s over.” She says to a man tied up in a chair. If Johnny winds up not being the masked monster, Velma’s going to look pretty insensitive.

The Wax Phantom.……Okay, yeah, no. The name doesn’t sound very intimidating (though admittedly hot wax on skin HURTS)

Ah, wax figures. That’s understandably more creepy.

Mr. Stevens the station manager, who was there earlier with everyone, including when the Wax Phantom first appeared, is suddenly gone for some reason. If he turns out to be the culprit, I hope there is an explanation as to why he was still present when the monster made its debut (such as having an accomplice or using a projector.)

Johnny isn’t helping alleviate my suspicions when he doesn’t want to call the police for risk of the studio being shut down.

“Well, it looks like we have another mystery on our hands.” Velma borrowing Fred’s catchphrase. (Frelma)

Fraphne and Shelma + Scooby split ups, because that’s always original.

Animation Goof: Daphne forgot to apply her lipstick/gloss.

Cute angry owl is cute.

Animation Goof: Shaggy is too tall for the screen’s frame.

Mr. Grisby looks suspiciously like a color swap of one of the gang’s earlier masked culprits from the first season.

“Hmmmm, looks like Mom’s stew!” He says as he’s about to take a sip without permission before skull-shaped smiley face bubbles (yes you read that right) make him lose his appetite. Also, I have questions regarding Ms. Rogers’s cooking.

Mr. Grisby flat out admits that he performed black magic to conjure up Wax Phantom. Shelma + Scooby obviously don’t report him to the police for questioning.

Remember viewers: a) Fraphne is totally a thing because Daphne is hugging Fred’s arm; b) Daphne is totally a damsel in distress who totally did not almost bash Shaggy’s head in self-defense thinking he was a masked ghost coming after her one time.

Daphne jumps into Fred’s arms after being startled from knocking over a wax figure in the wax museum. It’s an obvious attempt at another Fraphne moment and in my opinion it ignores what moments of fearlessness Daphne had in the earlier episodes but I’m highlighting it because I like a good bridal/princess carry, mmmkay~? 🤪

We don’t see Shag and Scoob looking for a window for them and Velma to enter through after the Wax Phantom locked the entrance door because that would be too interesting.

Turning on the lights brightens the scene by 3%.

Crash-into-reunion gag. More heartwarming or painful? Depends on how you really feel about your friends, whether you or they were the ones doing the crashing, and how how hard the impact is.

“Sure glad to run into you, Velma.” “Where’s Shag and Scoob?” Am I shameless and ridiculous for highlighting these as Frelma and Shaphne? Yes. Am I doing it anyway? Yes.

You can tell which background artists actually enjoyed or overthought (thank? thunk?) their job when some of the walls of the museum are plainly colored while others look like they have a texture similar to a cavern.

When Shaggy and Scooby open the sarcophagus they somehow landed in due to shenanigans: “Shaggy! What are you doing in there?” “Like, who knows? We just dropped in to see my mummy.”

I failed to mention this earlier bc I wasn’t sure it was worth posting but those random colored screens that come with funny noises to indicate necessary/unnecessary cuts from one scene to the next are back.

Shag and Scooby get distracted by food on a display in a WAX museum and fail to connect the dots.

“Now if the Wax Phantom doesn’t drop in on us—” *cue humongous trapdoor that swallows her, Fred, and Velma whole.* Danger-Prone-Daphne never fails to disappoint.

Shag and Scoob hijinks don’t get them out of trouble this time.

Hey, it’s me from the future. For some weird reason Tumblr is giving me trouble over making this post for this particular episode, so I will be doing the rest of the points super summarized that can only be enjoyed if you read them in your best caveman voice. Even then, this site will entire/partial points that will render the rest of this post as incomplete and clunky. Apologies for the mess. Have no idea how to make Tumblr stop deleting and resurfacing my bullet points. Maybe in the future I will re-edit the post and translate what I originally had.

Apologies again.

Velms find money. Fred remember it from station. Me forgot.

Velma stop foot. Open trap door. “Velma you amazing!” “Because me angry?”

Waxy push Shag and Scoob. Want to commit murder.

Shaggy no impressed by bad guy doing predictable bad guy stuff.

Scoob and Shag no roll off conveyor belt bc that too smart.

Daphne save her man and his dog. Accidentally yes but thought still count.

Waxy chase Shag and Scoob. Fred Daphne Velma chase Waxy.

Cinderella dress. Me like.

Oh no lovey dovey chase music. Me no like.

Ok actually me like but why lovey dovey?

Shaggy’s false lashes purty.

Song: Pretty Mary Sunlight. “I tell them girls were made for kissing.” And punching. We punch too.

Loony toons physics.

It work? Yes and no WUT??

Uh oh Fred has plan.

Shag and Scoob trick Fred before Fred lure them with Scooby Snacks.

Joke on them they do plan after all when accidentally meet Waxy.

Skateboards!

Fred does oopsy and kill Shag and Scoob with wax + Waxy???

No they alive and no burned bc children’s show.

Mr. Stevens = Waxy.

No explanation for why Waxy there earlier with Mr. Stevens in beginning bc writers don’t wanna ‘splain.

Animation Goof: purple neck Daph

Day 25 of no "And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!"

Shag and Scooby dummy word privileges deprecation privilages bc no no if someone else call them dummies.

Day 25 of no "And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!"

Day 25 of no “And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids!”

No ending gif bc tumblr no like me

Hey, this review for this episode has been giving me trouble for a while now because tumblr keeps messing with my drafts whether in progress or attempting to save them because my bullet points keep getting deleted or “deleted” only to randomly pop up later when trying to write other points.

Velma accidentally opens a secret stash of money that Fred deduces was stolen from the tv station. I had to rewind the episode to be reminded that was a thing in addition to Mr. Stevens getting caught.

“Velma! You did it again!” “What, lose my temper?” That too, but Velm’s little stomp of frifrustration of their situation triggered a secret door lever so the three of them can escape.

I see Shag + Scoob tied up and the Wax Phantom wheeling them close to a boiling bowl (??? I forget if their is a more technical term for the big bucket used to hold and mix things in factories and google isn’t helping.), and conclude this guy is capable of murder.

“Not the old ride-on-the-conveyor-belt-into-the-wax

Will the hovering ghost hand ever be explained? Also, Velma being the strongest by carrying Scooby carrying Shaggy as they escape.

The Wax Phantom…

Oh wait they found him pretty quickly. Fastest mystery solved??

Even without Shaggy and Scooby handling it in their dance routine, that toffee looks yucky.

Oh hey, the goopy monster of the week looks a sma tinge less gross than the toffee. Also, Johnny Sands/the host is gone, which means either he’s been nabbed by someone with a vendetta or he’s the culprit.