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Time for my annual "What I got for Christmas" flex:
-Kingdom Hearts board game
-Hunter x Hunter backpack (different from the one I got last year)
-Hunter x Hunter oven set
-Hunter x Hunter blind box figure (Gon)
-SpongeBob blind box pin (I got Squidward)
-Headphones
-Hot Topic gift card
-Pokemon cookbook
-Aebleskiver/takoyaki pan
-Shirts for Gorillaz, Muse, and Avatar: The Way of the Water
-Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots 20th Anniversary Edition CD
-The 1975 - Being Funny in a Foreign Language CD
-Florence + the Machine - Dance Fever CD
-Sam Fender - Seventeen Going Under CD
-The Wolf House DVD
-Some Evangelion mat thing
-Cash (unpictured)-
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8. Ikaika (Strength)
Enakai’s stern words left Koamalu to think about how to speak with him without hinting at who in which has been giving him all the information about the unagi that he had forgotten about. However, since Koamalu still couldn’t make out the name and appearance of the individual who had been speaking to him through his dreams, he figured that he could still at least come off to Enakai as scatterbrained in certain matters so he might not be able to pick up all the pieces in an instant. Koamalu also focused his mind on the solemn advice that the unknown voice from the dreamscape had given him that the truth that Enakai gives him would be hard for him to handle. At this very point, all that SpongeBob could do is watch and listen.
Eventually, Koamalu mustered up the courage to speak to Enakai, “I’ve been having these feelings lately...like you’ve been hiding some things about me – about my past, about where I came from, and about my connection to you.”
“Who told you these things?” Enakai demanded. “And what were you told?”
“I don’t know who, but what I do know is that you’re not very trustworthy,” Koamalu continued, whilst the previous declaration made Enakai’s blood boil. “I’ve been told that you and the Lava King are two beings from different times with different ideals, but with the same motive of raising me. I’ve also been told that you’re not really my guardian, and that you have your reasons for trapping me in your own world until you sent me out of it because of something to do with the future and my curiosity. What I’m trying to say is I don’t understand what’s going on, and that I wouldn’t know until I faced you, Enakai. So now that I know that you’re involved with this whole farce with the worlds colliding and falling apart, I have the right to know what you wanted with me.”
“So, I suppose this entity that you’ve met is a Totem God who communicates through dreams. Am I right?” Enakai inquired. “I suppose letting you out was going to lead to some disadvantages on my end.”
“I can’t tell you,” Koamalu responded in a solemn tone.
“Well, then you don’t have to tell me anything, because the omens can’t tell a lie nor can it hide anything. However, I don’t have any excuse to hide my real intentions. You’ve gotten this far in this journey of yours without being dead, so I’ll tell you everything.”
Koamalu waited with his eyes directly staring at the supernatural beast, standing still in front of him until he began telling his story, orbiting around the sea dragon and his own dome in a menacing demeanor as he did.
“120 years ago in our respective times and places, the Lava King and I saw a vision of the future, stating that a multi-dimensional phenomenon would occur in, of course, 120 years in all existing universes. This phenomenon is described to spread an infinite amount of power, that had been fostered for the past 3,000 years, all across the multiverse that could lead up to the end of all life if it’s kept unstable. Another phenomenon would have to occur for this to take place, with a meteor striking in one dimension after those 3,000 years since the last incidence. Now that I’ve witnessed half of that foretelling coming true, it’s only a matter of time before the other half of this riddle comes together as well. To keep track of all this time, I sought to keep a specimen for that reason. I needed a creature that could physically age every 10 years, and that’s when I came down to relying on you, Koamalu…”
However, Enakai noticed that Koamalu had fallen asleep during the midst of his anecdote, prompting for the unagi to phase part of his body into the sea dragon’s to enter his mind and snap him back into a state of wakefulness.“What’s this, you weren’t even listening? Keep your eyes and ears open because this next thing concerns you!” As he was told, Koamalu focused his attention towards the unagi. “There were two sea dragons from the same universe that were expected to hatch at the same time, from the same nest. I had no other choice than to take one for myself, but that’s when I encountered the Lava King, who had the same idea yet different motive. While I wanted to see how the future would unfold, the Lava King wanted the foreseen power all for himself. Although his domain was from the past, a scholar stumbled into his world, and that was when he learned about the science behind dimensional travel. He took the egg that I intended to take. Of course, he didn’t think that through as I took the egg that he intended to take and erased his memory of his cross-dimensional knowledge to spite him. There was one big obstacle that I had to face when it came to claiming you, so I also had no other choice than to kill the parents – yours for that matter. The father possessed little supernatural abilities, but the mother had powers that I learned were that of a Totem God.”
“So what you’re telling me is that you had me separated before I was born, while you had also killed my real family, all just to raise me over some vision of the future you saw?” Koamalu questioned, as he now appeared feeling vexed and betrayed by the unagi. Raising his voice now, he then said to Enakai, “Just…just what is your goal anyway!?”
“As you can tell, I had to conceal the truth for it was going to be difficult for you to handle as you got older, which was why I established the façade that I was your guardian all this time,” Enakai continued. “While I’m in no position of defending my own actions as just, what you should know is that my intentions have more to do than with just ‘some vision.’ Another reason why I’ve sought your family is because I needed a creature that possessed vast strength, and even though one major part of my plan was ruined by the Lava King, it turns out that I was the lucky one. When I encountered the Lava King again after several years, I was told that he lost the pawn he took from me several years ago, and I was smart enough to keep you for as long as I did, as you were born with supernatural powers.”
“Oh yeah, well guardian or not, you’re a monster, no matter what you say about yourself!” SpongeBob chimed in before the unagi intimidated him into silence in an instant when he slithered right towards him.
“You must be the one who’s been guiding Koamalu up to this point in using his power. I can tell by the fear in your eyes that you’re not capable of using it yourself against me.” Enakai remarked.
“SpongeBob has nothing to do with you,” Koamalu shot back. “You can’t pick a fight with him like that.”
“I’m afraid I can. I am a being whose powers bend time and space,” Enakai continued, “but enough of this futile arguing. I haven’t gotten into explaining the main reason why I’ve caused these dimensions to combine and slowly crumble into nothingness. Yes, I admit to setting it up, and I’ve done it to force you to show me how much power you can use in such a catastrophic event like the one that was foretold, and to teach you the repercussions of curiosity. Of course, when I realized that you were born with powers of the Totem Gods and could communicate with them, I had to cut off your connection to them somehow, so I created a pocket dimension identical to your original one that embargoed their cross-dimensional interference.”
“So you did betray and pawn me all this time, and for what, to teach me some lesson about how curiosity could destroy the world and to test my strength?” Koamalu said in a solemn, distraught tone. “Does that mean you also set up for all these merged worlds to be destroyed and for me to be killed by the Lava King?”
“I still needed you alive. I caused the cross-dimensional rift so that I could prevent the Lava King from harming you or taking advantage of your powers,” Enakai clarified. “I may have shown curiosity myself with all that I’ve said about the vision I’ve had of the multiverse facing mass extinction of all life, but with precision, that turns into knowledge and wisdom that can be relied on to stop total destruction. I’ve seen your curiosity as a threat, as reopening your connection to the Totem Gods would allow you to know too much about the multiverse’s mysteries yet while knowing little about maintaining its natural order, let alone would it all let slip the heavy baggage that I’ve carried for all these years…although, since now that I’ve already admitted the cruel intentions that I’ve committed just to have you in my possession, it’s too late for me to justify them and keep you convinced that I don’t mean to harm you…because that ends now. So tell me Koamalu, now that you know all this, what are you going to do with me? I ask you this because I’ve now made up my mind that I will have to kill you to fulfill my goal.”
Koamalu was trying to maintain self-control of his Totem God powers as Enakai’s talk left him feeling paralyzed, his body shaking as he exhibited a flurry of emotions while he continued to stare at the unagi – betrayal, anger, bewilderment, terror, sadness, and vengeance.
“Did that vision of yours say that one of us is destined to kill each other at this very moment?” Koamalu asked. “I’m not above killing anybody, but if I have to at least fend you off, then that’s just what I’ll have to do.”
“Show me how much you’ve grown with your powers, then. You may not realize this, but your time is running out soon enough…”
As Enakai spoke of this, Koamalu knelt down as the shooting pain from the blue scales on his back returned and caused him great pain.
“If your friend is courageous enough to face me, then I’ll oblige to have him join you in your imminent defeat.”
As SpongeBob was about to step in beside the sea dragon, Koamalu motioned for him to hold himself back.
“No…this is my fight, so I think it’ll just be the two of us,” Koamalu declared.
“Koamalu, it’s my responsibility to keep you safe and-” SpongeBob whispered.
“Don’t worry about me,” Koamalu said and turned back to face Enakai. “If you really have the heart to kill me for your own gain, then I accept to fight you,” Koamalu said, “and you’ll never take control of my life again once you concede defeat.”
“Very well…” Enakai responded. “I should warn you though that I have powers that would exceed your level. Pushing the limit of your powers has been taking a toll on your life force, but I would still like to see try and outmatch me. Kill me, spare me, the choice is yours.”
Koamalu got himself in a fighting position, anticipating for the worst from Enakai, like his opponent had forewarned. Though he was all alone, Koamalu showed a confident demeanor against a creature that stood taller and bolder than he could. Koamalu started by conjuring fire balls as simple bait to see what he was up against. Enakai repelled the attacks by using his neck to fend them off. Afterwards, the unagi started making his first move against Koamalu without moving his body, by presenting his telekinetic abilities. The rubble inside the cave floated and flung in Koamalu’s direction. Koamalu reacted by conjuring gusts of wind to slash the pieces of gravel and stone and deflect them towards Enakai, who had no issue avoiding the counterattack. Koamalu kept on using his Totem God powers to emit long-range attacks, including with his next move in shooting water arrows, all of which Enakai also no took no issue in evading. After the unagi zig-zagged around the area, he then used his telekinetic powers energized within his tail to send Koamalu crashing through the walls.
Once as Koamalu got back up to resume the fight, he then used his powers to make the ground beneath Enakai to fissure and potentially crumble with him caught in it, but this chance was voided once as the sea dragon got a real look at the extent of the unagi’s supernatural powers. Without warning, the movement of time all around Koamalu stopped while time functioned like normal for Enakai. The sea dragon’s frozen stare broke off after he took another damaging blow. In an instant, Koamalu then summoned clouds to cushion the impact from the hit. Koamalu would then summon jetstreams by his feet and dashed towards Enakai to use the rest of his energy to conjure up a sunbeam that managed to land a hit on his sole opponent. Koamalu dodged away from another slam of the tail after the jetstreams faded. While Koamalu prepped up another attack, he felt as time would stop once again. In the flash of regaining his senses, the sea dragon saw as he was suspended in the air before Enakai’s telekinesis sent him flying downward.
Being barred from the one-on-one clash between two supernatural beings, all that SpongeBob could do was watch his companion Koamalu fight and silently root for him. Koamalu was overwhelmed once more by Enakai’s time-stopping power, but he’s more alert towards defending himself in the event of taking in severe damage from the unagi by either conjuring a shield or a pile of clouds. Taking notice of Enakai’s power source allowed for the sea dragon to mull over a strategy. Koamalu then conjured up wind all around himself to be brought to a good enough distance towards Enakai to flatten on top of his slender body before then emitting a fire and ice fusion discharge to effectively produce a blast of steam and land a hit on the unagi before he could stop time. The steam obscured Koamalu enough to give him more reaction time to defend from Enakai’s impending slam attack, while also preventing him from being able to focus his next party of the strategy on aiming for the tail due to the unagi’s guard recovery. The sea dragon then decided to employ the same strategy, but Enakai’s reaction time became quicker enough to prevent him from landing the attack as he would conjure a portal to let his head go through and create another within trajectory of slamming into Koamalu, and knocking him from off atop of his body in the process.
Koamalu continued to stand vigorous against Enakai while the latter still held the higher ground. Enakai used his telekinetic abilities on the rubble surrounding him once again to aim at Koamalu, who countered them by emitting water balls that the unagi would then uses his powers to deflect them against the sea dragon, prompting for Koamalu to repel by emitting fire balls. In Koamalu’s next attempt to hit Enakai’s power source and his supposed weak spot, he employed a diversion tactic. He started by directly firing a blast of steam at Enakai, before then conjuring smoke bombs with every few steps he made across the arena walls. At this point, Enakai used his portal conjuring powers to transfer his body through multiple directions aimed straight at Koamalu. The sea dragon knew he wasn’t as agile as Enakai was to slide and crash right through every which way he went, but he continued to rely on his current strategy and became alert enough to emit his defensive magic. As the portal dashing pattern continued, Koamalu waited for the moment where he could snag at Enakai’s tail fast before the unagi could strike at him once more. At that right moment, Koamalu got a hold on the tail by conjuring an octopus arm and pulled on it until Enakai used his portal powers to pass and then cut straight through the spell, recover control of his tail and then telekinetically suspend Koamalu in the air before stopping time. The sea dragon hanged motionless and forced to stare at Enakai as he had something intimidating to say to him.
“Try all you can to best me, but the chances of that are slim. I can play dirtier than you’d think.”
Before Koamalu could plan out his next move to make on the unagi, he saw as Enakai summon multiple apparitions of himself in different colors. Once the sea dragon was unstiffened from Enakai’s time powers, he saw as he took multiple hits from the way Enakai and his copies swiftly dashed through him. Koamalu gave himself more time than before to regain his composure while Enakai’s pace in scraping at the sea dragon had picked up. This became more apparent with Enakai reusing his portal path summoning and transmission powers, which at that point, Koamalu could only endure with the defense magic he had in his mind. While Enakai’s main method of attacking was with long-range physical damaging, the next course of action for Koamalu was to conjure a tall tidal wave to engulf the arena and suppress Enakai’s concentration with enough time to catch his tail before the time-stopping power would activate. With the rest of the power he could use with the previous spell activation, Koamalu drilled his way through the water wall and back atop the back of the beast. In his next attempt to nullify Enakai’s powers, Koamalu emitted an iron shackle aiming for the same weak spot. Enakai, being quick enough to react, emitted a portal for his to go through and stun Koamalu before crashing through the sea dragon head-on.
After Koamalu stood back up and summoned his defenses, Enakai became quick to break them off with his physical strength. The unagi’s agility was beginning to be too much for Koamalu to bear as he returned to enduring Enakai’s combination of time immobilization and the multiple dashing blows. While the sea dragon continued to be overwhelmed by Enakai’s power, Koamalu looked over one more chance in conquering the beast and thought about the unagi’s current focus on him rather than his surroundings. Before Koamalu could carry out his next course of action, Enakai resorting to reusing his telekinetic powers, which were shown to be faster and more brutal on him when he felt as his body, was being flung around whilst being unable to conjure up clouds or shields to endure the damage he was taking. For the rest of the way, Koamalu’s attempts in trying to stop Enakai would be ceded by each and every next assault from the unagi until the pain in Koamalu’s pain returned and broke his composure. The sea dragon then found himself getting caught and wrapped by Enakai’s body, followed by a constricting sensation from the unagi’s telekinetic powers controlling his nerves, leaving Koamalu’s partner, SpongeBob, to cry out to the unagi to stop and spare the dragon’s life.
“You can’t underestimate the Dimension Master,” Enakai tormented. “You know how I’ve killed your mother, Koamalu? This is the same way that I’m going to get rid of you! Even, of course, if it pains me to do this to a creature that I’ve spent 120 years under my own protection.”
Koamalu was prepared to accept his fate as he struggled against Enakai’s restraint on him until the appendages on his back pulsed and made the patterns on the rest of his body glow and discharge a mysterious force that made the unagi let go. This gave the sea dragon the grand opportunity use his powers to slash across the walls of the cove from left, right, top, and then to the bottom, making them crumble in the process before Enakai’s time manipulation could prevent him from doing so. Once as time froze once again, Enakai looked around to see the predicament that Koamalu had produced right in front of him before it occurs. This time, Koamalu is able to speak and move around, catching plenty of frantic breaths as he waited for the unagi to talk.
“So, this is how you overwhelm me?” Enakai questioned, “By pulling a quitter move on me and shattering the dimension from the inside out.”
“My body reacted to being near death somehow, and in the heat of the moment, I had to come up with something,” Koamalu groaned. “You’ve tired me out, but I’m going to keep surviving until you’re down.”
“You’ll just have to wait and in a moment if you can manage that,” Enakai replied.
Before Enakai could stabilize the time effects, Koamalu uttered to him, “Wait! If I were to fix the dimensions, how would I be able to do that?”
After a moment of silence, Enakai responded to the sea dragon, “All I can tell you is…you’re on your own, kid.”Time returned to normal. An avalanche of rubble was coming down all around the cavern, persuading Koamalu, SpongeBob, and Patrick, the latter who had also been watching from the sidelines, to run for safety. Before Koamalu could catch up to SpongeBob, he felt and saw as Enakai’s tail caught his left leg. In a rush, Koamalu used his Totem God powers to cut it off, but not before hearing a memento from the respective unagi…
“My future may be lost, but the Lava King is waiting for you on the other side,” Enakai spoke. “Fail to conquer him and I guarantee that you will have no future…”
Afterwards, Enakai was completely obscured by the rubble. The dimension began to distort and fade by the time Koamalu caught up with SpongeBob until he and the group were zapped back outside in Tiki Land. This would be the last time that Koamalu would see Enakai upon returning from the now-demolished pocket dimension. In an instant, and from the exhaustion of the battle, Koamalu fell asleep and returned to the dreamscape. The mysterious entity was in front of him and the blur that embodied them was now starting to become clearer to the sea dragon.
“I’ve noticed that Enakai is gone,” the voice spoke. “This may be the last time that we’ll ever talk, so I should reveal myself now, though it would shock you to know who I am…”
“Who are you and why have you been giving me guidance?” Koamalu asked.
“Take a closer look…” The voice responded and soon enough, Koamalu saw a clear image of the person in front of him, awaiting the complete answer that she had for him, “I’m your mother, Koamalu.”
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discuss one of the
worstbest video game franchises ever made
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So, after nearly ten years, this is what my listening experience has been building all up to ever since I started 'getting into music.' As even I'm aware, it still feels unorthodox of me to enter this lane, but I'm glad to have become a music fan as soon as I did, even with me being hearing impaired (contrary to what one may think though, I do listen to just about the same exact sounds that an otherwise normal hearing person can) and having to read off lyrics to almost everything that I consume for me to pick up my thoughts on any particular song from a lyrical standpoint, and I'm especially glad to have gotten to the point where I've expanded my taste beyond what's popular and looked into the kind of music that other fans and music publications alike were recommending that are unheard of elsewhere, and I've still been looking to broaden my scope to this day, so I would definitely see this list changing a lot in the next five years or so.
A lot of the acts that are going to be shown on my list I have come to know based on a variety of factors ranging from what my family enjoys listening to, what my e-friends on this very website enjoy listening to, my own personal encounters, what I've discovered from browsing certain music-focused websites like Pulse Music Board and The Singles Jukebox, what music critics like Todd in the Shadows, Spectrum Pulse, and Anthony Fantano have enjoyed, and among other things that I haven't mentioned.
Up to this very point, these are the music acts that have defined my personal taste the most, and you're all going to be given a look at that, starting now...
STEEL'S TOP 100 ARTISTS (#175-151)
Spoiler175. The Beach Boys
I’m starting this long list of cuts from my top 100 with an act that I’ve come to respect more than I really enjoy, no matter if I do try to get into them more. The Beach Boys are a group of talented musicians (except Mike Love. Nobody likes you, Mike) that were built to compete with their contemporaries by releasing a batch of consistently good radio hits, and as well as a critically acclaimed album in Pet Sounds, which of course, sums up the bulk of my listening experience with the band. I’m pretty sure someone here knows more about getting into the Beach Boys more than I do, but I can at least still give them some credit when it’s due.
Best songs: God Only Knows, Good Vibrations, Surf’s Up
Best album: Pet SoundsSpoiler174. Billy Idol
Taking this guy at face value, Billy Idol’s persona and sound can be best described as if he were David Bowie’s spunky, snot-nosed younger brother. To be blunt with you folks, Billy Idol snuck his way on here for one major reason. You’d think this guy didn’t sustain much of a 80s icon status after his 1993 album, Cyberpunk, suppressed his career, but it turns out his vestige has survived into my local classic hits radio stations. Billy Idol is what I consider to be the ultimate definition of a singles artist, but in a complimentary way of saying that. “Rebel Yell,” “Eyes Without a Face,” “Dancing with Myself,” “White Wedding,” “Hot in the City,” his cover of “Mony Mony,” among others, I’ve encountering my local stations playing all these and I’ve come to appreciate them and declared to myself that Idol was no flop as a hitmaker.
Best songs: White Wedding, Rebel Yell, Flesh for Fantasy
Best album: Rebel YellSpoiler173. Shania Twain
Let's go, girls. For those who haven’t heard this from me, I have lived most of my childhood listening to country music on the radio, before I started developing my own taste in music. Shania Twain is here mainly for nostalgic reasons, as I’ve felt more attached to her music than any other country music act in the past. She had a big pop sensibility, so it should come to no surprise (with Come on Over being that surprised retrospective 2x diamond-certified album) that most of my nostalgia from listening to country came from her. She provided a little bit of something for everyone, and she did it pretty well.
Best songs: Man! I Feel Like a Woman, (Wanna Get to Know You) That Good!, Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?
Best album: Up!Spoiler172. SOPHIE
When I said that I would make one exception to the ‘no one-album artists’ rule I implemented, this is the exception that I was referring to. SOPHIE is more than just a pioneering music artist in the hyperpop scene, they’re THE quintessional hyperpop music artist. With only one studio album to their name before their death (Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides), the world was robbed of a great, creative, and ahead-of-their-time talent too soon and they’re missed just about every day, and SOPHIE’s extraordinary craft doesn’t end on their sole album, as the songs on Product showcases those producer chops to an extent.
Best songs: It’s Okay to Cry, Faceshopping, BIPP
Spoiler171. Oingo Boingo
When I found about this one particular movie composer that I really like once leading a band with cult status (I’m not going to let it slip who that person is, but I’m sure you all already know who I’m talking about), I knew I had to try and get into Oingo Boingo, and yeah, this is how far I could go when it came to forming my list. While the easy comparisons to Devo are expected (with Mark Mothersbaugh also moving on to become a composer himself), what sets Oingo Boingo apart is their fusion of ska with their new wave sound, and it makes for an interesting look at how the celebrated frontman inherited his style.
Best songs: Nasty Habits, Who Do You Want to Be, Dead Man’s Party
Best album: Good for Your SoulSpoiler170. Ghost
I can’t guarantee that there will be a lot of metal on this list, let alone newer metal stuff. Nonetheless, I like Ghost and I think they bring a unique style and an interesting flair to the table. Just about each song I’ve listened to from Ghost has the right amount of heaviness and energy for me to easily sink my teeth into.
Best songs: Rats, Dance Macabre, From the Pinnacle to the Pit
Best album: MelioraSpoiler169. Sparks
Sparks is a peculiar band with a discography spanning six decades as of this writing, and they’ve almost never skipped a beat with their craft. For starters they are British glam rock-inspired band…from California and they shifted their sound over the years in ways that feel organic. Whether it’s glam rock like Kimono My House, new wave & synthpop like the superb No. 1 in Heaven, dance music like Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins, and multi-genre experimentation like Lil’ Beethoven, their projects have given folks something to appreciate.
Best songs: The Number One Song in Heaven, Amateur Hour, Mickey Mouse
Best album: No. 1 in HeavenSpoiler168. Missy Elliott
For my first hip hop reveal, it’s the one and only Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott. Together with frequent production collaborator, Timbaland, Missy has shown herself to be an enduring and distinct personality in hip hop, with the flair and flows to boot. Of course, it’s still been years since her last major project, the singles she has been releasing thereafter do prove that she hasn’t lost her touch, so hopefully if or when she comes out with a new major release, it’s worth all the wait.
Best songs: The Rain, Hot Boyz, Work It
Best album: Supa Dupa FlySpoiler167. Fugees
Next up is Fugees, a trio with a short lifespan that otherwise had a long-lasting influence on hip hop after their breakup. Lauryn Hill is not only one of the best female rappers, but one of the best rappers period, while she, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michel play off each other so nicely. The bulk of their songwriting and production talents are showcased within the music they’ve made together as Fugees, even though, once again, they didn’t get along for long.
Best songs: Ready or Not, Family Business, Zealots, with special mention towards their rendition of Killing Me Softly.
Best album: The ScoreSpoiler166. R.A.P. Ferreira
R.A.P. Ferreira, or the artist formerly known as Milo, has been one of my favorite newer rappers on the scene, whilst also being one of my most niche names on this list. His approach to jazz-infused hip hop has been a marvel to listen to and he has the bars to carry each of his songs. Also, I have being a Hunter x Hunter fan in common with him, so that’s really cool.
Best songs: LEAVING HELL, DUST UP, true nen
Best album: Purple Moonlight PagesSpoiler165. Javiera Mena
Since I haven’t talked of this before, I should acknowledge a little website called The Singles Jukebox before I talk about the artist in question, for it is responsible for my discovery. From when I discovered this site sometime during 2017 up until it was retired mere months ago this year, I’ve occasionally browsed The Singles Jukebox for their opinions on singles from a variety of music artists I either already knew, or didn’t know beforehand, and this was before I’ve expanded my interests towards albums. The site had some well-conceived reviews, some that were funny to read, and as well as some that were pretty intricate, so I did take most of what the reviewers said with a grain of salt (For example, they hated A LOT of alternative radio hits, including one particular Highly Suspect song that held the record for the lowest score given to a song. Listen to the song if it interests you, but speaking as someone who also really hates it, you’ve been warned.).
The highest score given to a song in 2012 was “Luz de piedra le luna” by a certain Latin synthpop singer from Chile going by the name of Javiera Mena, and that was where my discovery of her began. First impression of the song in question, and I could remember feeling blown away by how good it sounded. In fact, TSJ gave a lot of her songs high scores, which compelled me to look into her more. Although I haven’t mustered up the time to listen to some of her albums in full until after TSJ retired (so consider Mena’s placement here as my eulogy to them of sorts), but when I did, I could tell you right away that you may have to worry about language barriers to get into her music. Her discography is accompanied by beautiful-sounding vocals and a great ear for melody and production, with her 2010 album especially embodying pure pop bliss. With all that said, she’s yet another underrated music artist worth giving a listen.
Best songs: Luz de piedra de luna, Cuando hablamos, Otra era
Best album: MenaSpoiler164. Evanescence
A part of me should feel embarrassed to confess that Evanescence was one of my gateways to metal, but on the other hand, I think most other folks representing my generation could say the same. In a scene filled with redundant and trashy nu-metal, Evanescence stood out by being a hit band with a symphonic style attached to them, and with the band being fronted by a woman. For a while, I never thought I’d feel so attached to them in retrospect, but the band had one enduring facet of the band that got me hooked on them – Amy Lee’s singing voice. I think she is one of several of the best vocalists in rock music as her angelic voice amplifies a lot of the band’s music and give the songs some depth. Even if most of their songs were grandiose, the grandiosity is what made them such a stellar band to me anyway.
Best songs: My Immortal (Band Version), Lithium, Cloud Nine
Best album: The Open DoorSpoiler163. Phoebe Bridgers
One of my favorite newer music acts on the rise is Phoebe Bridgers. After being so distraught with the popular hits at the time that were being categorized as ‘emo,’ Bridgers brought something fresh and nuanced with her craft in the style and gave me a change of heart towards emo in general. Other than that, her music is defined by her introspective and thought-provoking songwriting. Her first two albums are very consistent and followed a certain theme, with her sophomore release having quite a lot of tracks that could be considered as highlights, so I expect more great things to come from Bridgers later on.
Best songs: I Know the End, Motion Sickness, Graceland Too
Best album: PunisherSpoiler162. clipping.
Call it sacrilegious that Death Grips are nowhere on my list, yet I’ve made room for Daveed Diggs’ music project, clipping. This group, of course, has become my gateway to the more experimental side of hip hop, and while clipping. Isn’t completely unique in making industrial hip hop, they still have a sound that I could consider as distinct and astounding. Hutson and Snipes’s production work on the music is abrasive and raw in a lot of the right ways, while Diggs’ songwriting is clever and enthralling, while delivering some extraordinary flows. clipping. certainly isn’t for everyone, but regardless, they are worth checking out.
Best songs: Pain Everyday, Body & Blood, Knees on the Ground
Best album: Visions of Bodies Being BurnedSpoiler161. Beck
Even though Beck’s alt rock craft and genre-bending isn’t so groundbreaking today, it still felt fresh and innovative at the time he put himself on the map to justify his place as a critic darling. However, he didn’t just make weird yet effective songs, as he’s also made some heartfelt, sad, and introspective stuff too, like with his Sea Change album (which I still consider to this day as his true peak). Though every once in a while, he’ll still come around with something interesting to prove that his career isn’t quite on autopilot.
Best songs: Novacane, Lost Cause, Devils Haircut
Best album: Sea ChangeSpoiler160. Snow Patrol
I was quite like the typical American music listener when I thought this Scotland-based Irish band was nothing more than a one-hit wonder, but when I’ve seen music publications recommending “Run,” and came to realize that they were a bigger band everywhere else in the world including their native country, my feelings on this band had changed in an instant. Eventually, I came around to listening to a few of their albums and felt impressed with their approach to post-britpop, despite that they could be best described as diet Coldplay. Regardless of the easy comparisons, I found Gary Lightbody to be a more competent singer, and while most of their songs followed a certain formula where they start slow before progressing to a huge buildup, those bombastic moments have always felt rewarding. So even though they weren't the most original band in the sound they've represent, they've still managed to stick with me well enough to deserve a spot on here.
Best songs: Open Your Eyes, Please Just Take These Photos from My Hands, Black and Blue
Best album: A Hundred Million SunsSpoiler159. No Doubt
While I was contemplating whether or not I should include No Doubt on my list, I came to the full realization of what gives the band their charm, and it all came down to the abilities of the band’s frontwoman herself, Gwen Stefani. Her range in music genre diversity is rather impressive and it showcases the creativity she has put into the band’s music. One moment No Doubt’s style can be described as ska punk, then reggae, then new wave, then punk rock, then hip hop, and so forth, and most of the time, they don’t fail to deliver.
Best songs: Spiderwebs, Don’t Speak, Suspension Without Suspense
Best album: Return of SaturnSpoiler158. Poppy
Before Poppy would start her music career, I’ve come to recognize her as an eccentric internet personality. Once Moriah began her slow and steady dramatic shift in style from tongue-in-cheek bubblegum pop to heavy metal to shoegaze with her most recent album, Flux, whilst showing a side of her that was separate from her assumed persona in the process, that was when I really came to appreciate Poppy’s eccentricities, and so she’s become one of my favorite newer names in music ever since.
Best songs: I Disagree, Never Find My Place, BLOODMONEY
Best album: I DisagreeSpoiler157. Our Lady Peace
There are going to be a few acts on this list that I could admit that I got into because Wumbo turned me on to them, and Our Lady Peace just happens to be one of them. I don’t know what I could say about them that Wumbo hasn’t said already, especially since I haven’t gotten deep enough into their albums, but I’ll at least say that Our Lady Peace is a very competent 90s alt rock band that touches upon certain subjects with a great sense of depth. They’re not too interesting sound-wise, but the band’s quality has stayed consistently good for the most part from what I could gather, thus giving them a spot on this list.
Best songs: 4 AM, Life, Thief
Best album: Spiritual MachinesSpoiler156. Bat for Lashes
http://www.loudandquiet.com/files/2017/06/Bat-for-lashes-phil-sharp-3.jpg
Bat for Lashes, a.k.a. Natasha Khan, has become an unexpected discovery and introduction to the more artistic side of pop music on my part. My interests were leaning mostly towards alternative at the time I’ve discovered Bat for Lashes, so it didn’t take me a while to get into her music and see the appeal. Most of her songs don’t click with me right away, but whenever I go back to them, they still feel distinctive and overwhelming as they did on the first listen.
Best songs: The Haunted Man, Daniel, Jasmine
Best album: Two SunsSpoiler155. Elton John
As it should already be telling by this placement, I can tend to agree with most others that Elton John is pretty…overrated, despite how much I can understand why he’s cited as a historically significant figure in music. He has plenty of hits to his name that range from hard-hitting and competent piano ballads to energetic rock n roll to some simply catchy pop tunes. There were still a ton of music acts that I’m fonder of, but Elton John’s capabilities don’t go unnoticed.
Best songs: Crocodile Rock, Bennie and the Jets, The Bitch is Back
Best album: Madman Across the WaterSpoiler154. Metric
Metric is another one of those Canada-based bands that Wumbo turned me on to. However, I have discovered them since I started becoming a chart watcher for the alternative airplay chart. I didn’t care so much about them at first, but they have begun to grow on me when I re-listened to some of their singles, and it wasn’t until the album rollout for Art of Doubt that I became interested in them. Once I saw Wumbo saying his praise for their music though, that was when I have gotten around to listening to their albums in full. It’s been a slow climb, but they’ve now found their way into my list of favorites and their music has stayed consistently great, as their most recent release, Formentera, shows.
Best songs: Doomscroller (yes, I know, call it recency bias, but it is their own very equivalent to Bohemian Rhapsody), Satellite Mind, Dressed to Suppress
Best album: FantasiesSpoiler153. The Mars Volta
One of the only other Spanish-language acts on my list (although the band’s lyrics are mostly in English, but still), is a band that fuses progressive rock sounds with Latin sounds, courtesy of Cedric Bixter-Zavala’s (who also fronted At the Drive-In) heritage and background. The Mars Volta is one of those bands that you would need the patience for to be able to appreciate their modern spin on progressive rock, their narrative-driven lyricism, their unique musical structures, and their general performing style. In the end, the listening experience is defined by a good selection of mind-blowing tracks. With all fairness, however, since they are one of the few last-minute inclusions I’ve made to the list, having only gotten through their first three albums, this is how high I could put them (but this may be the for the best, considering the amount of songs that I have to recommend for the later prog rock acts that you’re all going to see make an appearance).
Best songs: Inertiatic ESP, Cassandra Truth, Day of the Baphomets
Best album: De-Loused in the ComatoriumSpoiler152. Spoon
Had I chose to continue my Discord album marathons, there were a select number of names I’ve had up for consideration – Lady Gaga, Panic! at the Disco, Tyler, the Creator, Coldplay, the Raimi Spider-Man soundtracks, and then there was Spoon. With all the hype surrounding Spoon having the most consistently great discography out of most other music artists with ten albums AND counting, I was compelled to check out this band, and of course, their albums live up to that hype (even their garage rock-esque debut is up to snuff). Almost each album has the band expanding their sound to different palettes and exploring certain, specific themes, while still showing some room for innovation in the process.
Best songs: Inside Out, You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb, Nobody Gets Me But You
Best album: Transference (Yeah, I’m going against the grain of what most folks say is the band’s best album, but Mic the Snare’s analysis on the album has made me grow so fond of it)Spoiler151. Chuck Berry
I’m capping off this set of reveals with who I consider to be the true king of rock and roll. Sure, even he didn’t have the cleanest reputation and he’s not someone that I go back and listen to so often, but he still has some of the greatest bops in early rock and roll music, and he has had the long-lasting legacy to boast (and unlike Elvis, he actually writes his own stuff). After all these years, his music still holds up and it very well demonstrates that Berry is on top.
Best songs: Johnny B. Goode, Roll Over Beethoven, Rock and Roll Music
Best album: Chuck Berry Is on Top-
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does this count as alternative:
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Funniest Member: kev, ExKizuna, Fred, Slug
Kindest Member: SOF, Cha, mythix, Katniss
Spongiest Member: Winter, 4EverGreen, NegiSpongie, WhoBob
Best Gamer: dman, DarknessDG, BobCarotte, ExKizuna
Most Cinematic Member: WhoBob, Katniss, jjs, Clappy
As Seen on TV: jjs, WhoBob, salmon, Cha
Geekiest Band Geek: Prez, kev, Kylie, sbl
Most Artistic Member: Aquatic, Cha, Dreaded Patrick, Patty Rose
Best Creation: Wumpa Defender, Crash Bandicoot!, Power Rangers: Multiverse Force, Total Cartoon series
Best Ended Creation: SBCinema, Mabel's Fables, One-Time Star Wars Characters: Where Are They Now?, Super Mario Bros. Z Kong
Best Miniseries: Skod on the Run, Jjs' Riffing Theater: Family Guy Funny Moments, Patrick Star in the Multiverse of Madness, Most Wanted
Best Episode: SBCinema (SBCinema), Magnum (Condom) Opus (Skod on the Run), Mission Accomplished (Most Wanted), Chapter 20 (Mabel's Fables)
Best Comedy: One-Time Star Wars Characters: Where Are They Now?, 4Kids Edits Ace Attorney, Patrick Star in the Multiverse of Madness
Best Storyline: Most Wanted, SBCinema, Total Cartoon series, MegaloMania
Best Protagonist: Scooter (Scooter's Paradise: Remastered), Manny (MegaloMania), Clay (Most Wanted), Keanu Reeves (Skod on the Run)
Best Antagonist: Skodwarde (Skod on the Run), Hopper (Most Wanted), Plankton (Fumhouse)
Honorary Creator:
Cha and CNF
Honorary Creation:
Total Cartoon and The Misadventures of Casper and Wendy
Honorary Staff Member:
CDCB and terminoob
Honorary Member:
Ex and kev
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All right, folks, here's this secret "little" project that I've been hyping up for a while. I'm going to be sending off my own tenure as a music reviewer with my own list for my favorite music artists of all time (or at least it will be as of that writing). Since the past year, I've gotten around to listening to a gauntlet of albums as means of setting up my list. I've now come close to completion for it, so I can at least start things off with this announcement. Of course, I'm not the first to do something like this when Wumbo has already sent off his Billboard year-end review thread with his own list, but he's said on that same thread that he is open to other members doing their own...:
QuoteWhat I would encourage you to do is, and I'm being genuine here, make your own list! My opinion is not the be-all and end-all of musical taste on SBC, and I'm sure plenty of you are way cooler than me anyway. Have at it! I didn't invent the "Top 100 Artists" trope.
...Which is exactly why I'm doing my own list. So, here in this thread, you guys are all going to be given a closer look at what defines my music taste. I cannot give too much away already, but I can guarantee that despite me claiming that it will show diverse it is, there is going to be some perceived bias regardless of how I frame it.
And of course, before I start my reveals, and before discussion starts, here's a few things to consider:
1) The most important thing to consider is to keep things civil. It's not that I don't trust any of you to keep discussion respectful, but I still stress that are going to be some picks that will spark some disagreements, and I also say this to ensure to keep comments about accusations of me being genre/oldie/recency/etc.-biased to a minimum. At the end of any given day, this is my list, and it consists of MY opinions and my opinions only.
There's also a good number of names that you won't be seeing mentioned here, and while I will take questions regarding "what do you think about this artist/that artist?," after I finish the countdown, I prefer not to take answers regarding where one act is on my list and/or why they're not on my list. The collection of music I listen to will, of course, grow in the next several years with several other artists and genres that I haven't explored in-depth yet all already being in my docket. This list is a representation of my music taste at this very point in time.
2) While the format of this list is going to be structured in a similar fashion to that of Wumbo's, there are a few things that I will do different with my list.
-Despite that this is a top 100 list, I am going to push the envelope and make this a top 175 list, with the first 75 music acts to be named serving as a long list of honorable mentions. Of course, this is because I have a good number of painful cuts, and I still at least want to recommend and discuss them in some length.
-I will list my absolute favorite song and favorite album from the particular artist, but I will gradually increase the amount of songs recommendations after each set of 25 reveals until I reveal my top 10. To elaborate further on this...:
175-151 (The wildcards): 3 songs per act.
150-126 (The strong contenders): 4 songs
125-101 (The painful cuts): 5 songs
(The list proper) 100-76: 6 songs
75-51: 7 songs
50-26: 8 songs
25-11: 9 songs
10-1: 10 songs
I will try to keep my commentary for most of these music artists as minimal as I can allow, with a good chunk of exceptions, and of course, I will only provide a hyperlink for my top song for each artist, for already obvious reasons.3) There are some ground rules made for forming this list. First of all, the cutoff for a certain music act to have released an album while having more than one under their belt is 2019, so any artist who began releasing albums in 2020 onwards will not make the cut. Artists with only one studio album to their name will also not make the cut, and while I do hold some current one album artists with high regard, don't expect to see names like SZA or Sky Ferreira to appear because of this rule. Although, I will bend that rule for one artist, but I will not disclose who that will be.
4) The music acts that make up my list and their placements are based on my personal judgments that are measured by a set of certain factors. Just because publications like Rolling Stone, Spin, Pitchfork, etc., and other fellow musicians like Kurt Cobain, Elton John, Elvis Costello, and etc. have said a particular artist to be one of their all-time favorites, that doesn't mean it's my all-time favorite. I, like just about everyone else, don't measure based on success, critical acclaim, how many best-of-all-time lists they appear on, or whatever else.
5) Feel free to make any predictions for my lists if you want to start a bit of a conversation on here, but keep them light-hearted and serious.
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Previously, I’ve talked about my most controversial album track rankings from the past year, so now it’s time for me to wrap it up with the ten tracks that have become some of my biggest favorites of that same year. I’m going along with the same rules as before, and I don’t have to restate the formalities, and so I don’t have to write up a big preamble for this. I’m just going to get started…
Steel’s Top 10 Essential Tracks of 2021
SpoilerIt’s Britney, bitch.
10. “Gimme More” / Britney Spears
Album: Blackout
My ranking: #5 out of 12It is a major understatement to say that 2007 was an eventful year for Britney Spears, making headlines for her divorce with Kevin Federline (best hip hop artist of all time, jk), checking into rehab before subsequently shaving her head, and then you have the release of her newest album at the time, as well as the MTV Video Music Awards performance of this very song that she got dragged down for. It was all such a blur. Now, flash forward to 2021, from when I ranked Britney’s discography, she had her second-most eventful year, albeit in a more positive, life-changing fashion with the #FreeBritney movement, which saw just about everyone all across the board protesting for the end of the pop star’s conservatorship after 13-14 long years. More than ever was the general public more forgiving towards Britney, were regretful for how they treated her back then, and were willing to look back at those struggles from her point of view.
Now, being the type of person who gives zero fudge bars about celebrity drama & gossip, I never really “hated” Britney per-se or died on a hill defending her, but I do have a lot of sympathy towards her looking back at her darkest moments. “Gimme More” was the song that gave us an official preview of Britney propelling towards a much more mature style and personality, and likewise, it was hard to swallow back then. It makes sense that looking back at Britney’s career in 2007 and reminiscing about how we all would’ve handled it differently would bring us all right back to re-evaluating our thoughts on this song. Even though I had ranked it at #5 out of 12 tracks on the Blackout album, you can tell by the way that I’m putting this on my list that it’s been affected by #FreeBritney. In fact, “Gimme More” is a song that took me quite some time to see the appeal for. What was once of the most polarizing singles Britney has ever released is now considered to be one of the most important pop singles of the past 15 years, and I can live with making that confession.
For a variety of reasons, “Gimme More” can be considered as one of Britney’s most ambitious songs. While I can easily buy into the maturity and sex appeal that Britney is going for, the main highlight of this song for me is the production work. It complements this stylistic shift very well and it helps make “Gimme More” stand out as a banger and as an incentive for the shape that pop music was taking form of by 2008/2009. With that all said, I do believe this song has held up much better after 15 years.
Spoiler9. “Screaming Through December” / Hall & Oates
Album: War Babies
My ranking: #1 out of 10Perhaps the most surprising discography run-though that I was made to do was for Hall & Oates. For a good chunk of July and August last year, I’ve spend it listening to all 18 core studio albums by Hall & Oates. Do I consider that as an accomplishment? Maybe, maybe not, but I have to give myself credit for discovering just how great that this band’s music can be beyond their hits. It’s rather fitting that the album that I’ve liked most from this group is their least commercial-sounding album and although this isn’t my absolute favorite Hall & Oates song, I consider “Screaming Through December” a very essential track for some of the same reasons as to why I like War Babies as an album.
“Screaming Through December” starts off with a soulful performance from singer Daryl Hall, paying to mind the ‘Screaming’ part of the song title, and as well as for the guitar sounds incorporated by the album’s main producer, who is none other than Todd Rundgren, On top of that, the Rundgren-type sound bleeds into the rest of the song with the spontaneous instrumental breakdown in the middle and the heavier guitar tones afterwards to coincide with Hall’s emotional intensity, all to give it that larger than life feeling from listening to it. And mind you, this was before Hall & Oates put themselves on the mainstream consciousness with “Sara Smile.” Despite it being already topped by “Everytime I Look at You” in my eyes, “Screaming Through December” still marks its place as one of the band’s essential tracks, as it proved to me how they can manage to surprise me every once in a while.
Spoiler8. “It’s All Too Much” / The Beatles
Album: Yellow Submarine
My ranking: #1 out of 13Before I started marathoning the core twelve albums from The Beatles, I have never gotten deep enough into their discography to comprehend their place as the collectively-spoken ‘best band all of time,’ as I’ve only listened to Sgt. Pepper and Rubber Soul in full. Surprisingly enough, one of my absolute favorite discoveries is from what I’ve considered to be their weakest album, whilst having never seen the Yellow Submarine film beforehand, and of course, this is the one newly discovered song that I’ve gotten back to more times than any other Beatles song I had listened to for the first time then.
To explain my feelings of the song more in-depth, I should start with George Harrison, who in which I should say right away is my favorite Beatles singer. There’s a certain nuance, maturity, and melodic virtuosity to George’s voice that makes me tell it apart from Paul or John. It’s something that I can’t explain thoroughly, but he’s always been able to carry a song whenever he’s at the helm is what I’m trying to say, and of course, he would be the one who provides the vocals for this particular song.
What is really something to write home about, however, is the production work. Sgt. Pepper had hit its stride with songs like “Lucy in the Sky of Diamonds” and “A Day in the Life” to fully establish the Beatles’ sound in their psychedelic era, but “It’s All Too Much” to me feels like the psychedelic Beatles ride to end them all. I’ve seen some folks claim that the distorted guitar sounds make it an early indicator for the style that would be established as shoegaze in the coming years, and while that is saying a little too much, I do get where they’re coming from. However you may view it though, I think it can be agreed that it’s an important song in the Beatles’ discography, which is why I consider it essential to my music listening experience in 2021.
Spoiler7. “Don’t Let Go” / Weezer
Album: Weezer (The Green Album)
My ranking: #1 out of 10Weezer’s studio album discography can be best described as a very hectic rollercoaster ride, with so many highs…and so many lows. Likewise, with a sizeable chunk of albums getting panned by critics and fans alike, it’s rather easy to pick on Weezer for their faults post-Pinkerton, but I also can’t hold anyone accountable for what happens to whoever says that Weezer never made anything good after Pinkerton.
“Don’t Let Go,” the song I’m referring to in particular, comes from the band’s second self-titled album, or The Green Album, which can be described as the awkward transition from the failure of Pinkerton (at the time, I mean) and Matt Sharp’s departure to before the release of Make Believe (and Maladroit), which many claim is the band’s fall off point. The Green Album doesn’t get a lot of love as much as the preceding two albums gets, which is a shame since I feel it’s the last streak of classic Weezer, and for that reason, “Don’t Let Go,” a deep cut from the album, has stood out to be as one of my favorite post-Pinkerton songs.
The Green Album is the only album with Mikey Welsh as a member (and considering that he died pretty young a decade ago, R.I.P. to him), and likewise, I feel he was an underrated bass player for the band. The song itself is as infectious power pop Weezer as infectious power pop Weezer can get. The shimmering guitar tones add a potent touch to the song’s catchy melody and to Rivers’s simplistic yet smooth vocals. As short as The Green Album may be, it showed a strong comeback for the band, with this album opener proving as such, and anyone who tells me to my face that nothing that Weezer released after their second album mattered because of how hard they fell off, I will simply refer them to this song (and as well as their EWBARITE and White Album records).
Spoiler6. “Pluto” / Bjork
Album: Homogenic
My ranking: #1 out of 10Listening to Bjork’s full discography in 2021 was, for a lack of a better way of describing it, an experience. Just about every one of her albums sounded different and touched on different ideas and themes. While even I can agree on Vespertine being Bjork’s career-defining album, Homogenic stood out to be more as my absolute favorite project from her, as it was the album that convinced me “I get the hype” this early into the marathon. “Pluto” is the very song from the album that defines my experience listening to it, from the experimental choppiness of the electronic instrumentation to the buildup of the song where Bjork goes wild with her vocal presence. Up to that moment, Pluto goes from being this weird techno-electronic product to this mind-blowing masterpiece that has oddly stuck with me as my absolute favorite Bjork song since after skimming through her albums. Hence it easily made its way into my own list of essential tracks.
SpoilerThis next song in particular wound up being one of the songs I’ve come back to more often than any other song that I’ve covered for these album marathons. If I told you that this is the song that I’m referring to, you think I would be lying, but…
5. “Breakout” / Miley Cyrus
Album: Breakout
My ranking: #2 out of 12So…let’s talk about Miley Cyrus. I’ve done a marathon of her studio albums, and there is a significant reason for that. Almost every album cycle of hers was radically different from one another. Even if she’s not the most talented music artist to reinvent her style each time, you have to give her some ounce of appreciation in being this pop music chameleon. However, one particular Miley Cyrus song that I’ve listened to in 2021 that stuck out to me more than the rest was from her teen pop phase (of course, if this was concerning 2020, “Midnight Sky” would be the track I would consider essential).
Breakout was an album that I ended up liking more than I had bargained for, and that all comes back to my feelings towards the title track itself, which barely missed my top 10 songs list and was just right below one other particular song in my album track rankings (“The Driveway”). Here’s the thing though, I shouldn’t be able to like this song, given that I’m 27 and therefore, I should be way too old to really enjoy this. But hey, even at this age, I still find myself saying that I like “7 Things” and “Fly on the Wall” when both songs also have this sort of approach where it’s meant to resonate with teens.
Taking into account of how I’d perceived these songs if I were still a teenager, however, I can at least say that these songs hit me on a certain nostalgic level, which is why I feel such an attachment towards them. “Breakout” is this basic teenage rebellion song about not wanting to go to school and wanting to live life like it’s a party every day. Regardless, there’s this relentless youthful energy and charm attached to it that makes me cave in to try and relive those halcyon days of when I became a teenager in the year 2008, watching “modern SpongeBob” and Phineas and Ferb, being one of the top contributing members for the Flapjack tv.com page, dealing with the Great Recession like any other kid back then did, and yeah…I can’t say I’m too nostalgic towards those days, but it’s the little things about “Breakout” that makes it stick with me as one of my favorite Miley songs.
Spoiler4. “Heavy in Your Arms” / Florence + the Machine
Album: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
My ranking: #1 out of 15Look, no matter how any of you may feel about the Twilight saga, may it be the books, or the movie, or the fandom culture surrounding it, it should be noted that Stephenie Meyer had exquisite taste in music acts to book for recording original music for the soundtracks. Muse, Paramore, Metric, The Killers, Lykke Li, and some others have put out some impressive songs for the movies. Then you have this song from Florence + the Machine, and let me tell you, I was not prepared for how hard it was going to go when I first heard it.
As the title of the song itself suggest, Florence Welch goes pretty heavy with her vocals, as does the instrumental buildup. “Heavy in Your Arms” stands out as the Eclipse soundtrack’s main highlight with Florence’s raw emotional intensity, alongside the poetic finesse of the songwriting and the powerful-sounding instrumentation. It’s a gorgeous-sounding song all the way through and it was another prime example in which it showed that a lot of the bands and singers that got attached to writing songs for the film franchise took themselves seriously, despite most folks not being able to take these films as seriously.
SpoilerNo, wait, I lied. This is the one song that I’ve gone back to more times than any other song I’ve covered for the marathons, and you’d still think I’d be lying if I told you it was this song in particular, but again…
3. “Scream” / Zac Efron
Album: High School Musical 3: Senior Year
My ranking: #1 out of 12Even though I started ranking the songs from the High School Musical series during the start of this year, mere months before I ended my music marathons altogether, my experience in listening to “Scream” from the third film dates back to 2021. I just decided to listen to this out of curiosity one day, expecting it to be this over-the-top hair metal song, and I was surprised to see that I got what I was expecting.
For a High School Musical song, “Scream” goes hard, with Zac Efron’s impassioned vocal work, the heavy guitar tones along with the buildup to the solo at the climax, and then there’s the lyrical content, which revolves around the character, Troy, finding himself in a difficult position, choosing between his passion for basketball and the love of his life after he graduates. Putting aside the lyrical context of the song, “Scream” is really easy to relate to and is bound to make anyone want to scream along with Troy, which is why I’ve grown so attached to it, let alone consider it an essential song from my 2021 music listening experience. Given that Senior Year was a bigger-budgeted HSM film, I shouldn’t go without saying that the visuals for the music number go hard too. You can tell by watching the video that the folks who worked on it went all the way.
Yes, it’s grandiose, it’s garish, but that’s the gist of HSM’s charm, and that’s what makes the song work so well and sell its drama aside from how unprecedented it sounds compared to the other songs.
SpoilerAs I addressed before, the music artist that culminated into me doing album marathons was none other than Taylor Swift. This next song is one that I would admit to under-ranking, and it’s astonishing how one of those moments would lead you to re-evaluating it as a song that you would consider as essential…
2. “no body no crime” / Taylor Swift featuring HAIM
Album: Evermore
My ranking: #11 out of 15I ranked this track 11th place out of fifteen when I first ranked the tracks from Evermore, but now I’d say that it would at least be in my top three. So why did I rank this song as low and what made me change my mind by the next year? What compelled me to rank this low at first was due to me wanting to hear more from HAIM on the track when Taylor is the star here, and perhaps it was also because I wasn’t as invested in the song’s story as much as I should’ve. Of course, not all songs click for the first time, so when I did find myself going back to try and see the appeal, that’s when it clicked.
“no body no crime” is a country-folk murder ballad about Este, who is named after one of the Haim sisters of the aptly-named group, who suspects infidelity from her husband, but has nothing to prove, and this progresses into her mysterious death, with no presentable evidence suggesting that the disappeared victim was murdered by the cheating husband, though the main narrator, as portrayed by Taylor, believes it’s so. Then the suspect himself gets murdered as an act of revenge, but with no trace of him left behind. From a storytelling perspective, the song is impressive with its framing and progression. The way the chorus line transitions to “I think he did it but I just can’t prove it” to “They think she did it but I just can’t prove it/She thinks I did it but she just can’t prove it” is what really makes that story sell.
From the mystery surrounding the song’s narrative, to the solemnity of its tone, to the boldness of the climax, “no body no crime” is an engaging song that continues to show Taylor Swift’s strengths as a songwriting. I may have been wrong about it the first time, but now I can say that I’m glad that I’m now right for considering this song as a genuine highlight from Evermore.
Spoiler1. “How to Disappear Completely” / Radiohead
Album: Kid A
My ranking: #1 out of 10This next song is, of course, going to be hard to discuss, and that is mainly due to subject matter that makes it perceived to be one of Radiohead’s most depressing songs in the band’s discography. For starters, when I say that certain songs don’t click for the first time, the same can be said about albums. When I first heard Kid A, I never really got the appeal, though I still tried to appreciate it the way that most folks did. The second time around was when I started to understand the praise, but there was still that lingering thought that made me feel that this album was still overrated regardless of how groundbreaking it was. For the Radiohead album marathon I did in mid-2021, I’ve listened to Kid A in full for the third time, and it was around that time that I felt like I had a better understanding of its place as one of the most critically-acclaimed albums, and taking a look at “How to Disappear Completely” more in-depth was a contributing factor towards that.
First of all, the production work on the song is really stunning, with the ambient electronic sounds accompanied by the soft guitar tones. Thom Yorke backs it all up with his usually somber yet haunting vocal style that helps carry the song to such great heights with the whole aesthetic approach. The lyrics are somewhat straightforward and simplistic, yet they set the mood of this song in a perfect way. Then there’s the progression, which is what really elevates the song to something more than just this haunting ballad about Thom Yorke being a passing face in a crowd.
There’s a more that could be said about the song that has been said already by the Radiohead fanbase, so I’ll close my thoughts with this – To call “How to Disappear Completely” one of Radiohead’s best songs is an understatement, and a cliché to boot, but it has found its way into my heart as my absolute favorite Radiohead song regardless, and therefore it is my most essential 2021-defining song.
I’m sorry that I delayed the last portion of this review for a while, but now that I’ve properly closed it, there’s only one more thing for me to follow it up with. What will that be? Let’s just say that you’ll find out sooner than later.
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You Can Eat Here.
From an estimated 500 locations at its prime to just 5 in existence as of this writing, what a way to go down. Also the very originator of the most interesting yet disastrous marketing campaign that I've come to know.
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Looks like I have a reason to stay as Mr. Delicious for a while longer. Tick-a-dee dee.
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Considering that this is another late announcements thread for my written works, the news that I have to share for the last quarter of the year is going to be more unorthodox. Once again, I have no major updates to share, but I do have some important things to say regarding where I'll be with the general progression of releasing new content. I do have a couple works I intend to finish at least before the end of the year, so while I'm not taking a hiatus per-say, there will be a few certain factors that will effect my writing productivity from this month forward:
-Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Other than that, I had also intended to start a Nuzlocke for a separate game that I haven't gotten around to yet. I may not be able to start that until December.)
-Me actually trying to get started working on my art portfolio for an animation school/job training program that I'm trying to get admitted to for next year, which I can't disclosure any further beyond that.So, with all that in mind, I will at the very least list a few things that I plan on getting written up before the end of 2022:
-The long-delayed Lost in Translation finale.
-The VERY long-delayed official first episode of Trinity Leaf Pegasus
-The last three episodes of TikI Land along with its and Rebirth of a Storm's epilogue
-At least one episode of Total Drama Treasure Tour
-Something else, which I can't disclose.This already wraps up the last of my quarterly spin-off announcements, even though it didn't go out with a bang as much as I'd preferred. This doesn't mean that this will be the last of my spin-off announcements, as I will have one planned for next year. That time, however, I will post my next major announcements when the time is right, with my current guarantee being somewhere between January and March 2023.
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My most desired countries to visit are UK, Japan, and Canada. I also have Australia, Brazil, Italy, and France as some considerations.
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I try to be paint my own taste as musically diverse, but I only checkmarked the first three (Pop, Rock, and Hip Hop), while my main taste tends to lean towards alternative, although I would consider it a separate style though I'm aware it gets boxed in with the rock umbrella.
I do also show some liking towards jazz, electronic, classical, and reggae, but I haven't delved into either of them deep enough to consider them as favorites. I've listened to country during a good chunk of my childhood, I like Chris Stapleton, I like Maren Morris, I like Johnny Cash, I like The
DixieChicks, I like a few others I haven't named, but it's not a genre that I listen to a lot of the time, and of course, despite being a rock guy, I don't listen to metal.'Other' depends on what else could be referred to. I've listened to a fair amount of punk (most of it being on the pop punk side though, lol), funk, disco, and folk to check a box on those. If you don't consider synthpop or new wave a subcategory of pop and rock, then I would also check a box on those. Most blues music I have listened to I have liked, though I've gotten little into it. Could say the same for ska. Latin pop is a mixed bag for me, but I know there's better stuff out there that I haven't discovered yet. R&B is another mixed bag for me, but I can refer to some of the classics from that genre. I like the Japanese music scene though I've also experienced little of it and I so intend to broaden it in the future. K-Pop, I couldn't care less. I'm not religious so I don't listen to Christian music. I don't listen to adult contemporary, because, of course, no one really likes that one.
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33. The World Ends with Dante
So, here's something that I'm sure you folks weren't expecting from me - a story based on the relatively niche 101 Dalmatian Street cartoon. Now, if you haven't seen me mentioning it on Discord by now, I have been giving not-so subtle hints that I've been really into this show lately, a and it's gotten to the point where I felt the need to write stories for this series (so expect more stories based on 101DS later on from me, just so I'd let you guys know), with this one in particular revolving around the hypothetical idea of showing some character development for one of the several characters of the dalmatian cast, Dante. I submitted this for the Octerrorfest writing contest not too long ago with the intent of posting the complete story, but because I couldn't finish it before the deadline, I am posting the finished version here instead. Even if I'm aware that this won't make anyone interested in one of my very niche favorites (Of course, Disney did axe this after one season), I do at least hope that this weird 10,000+ story that I've churned out is enjoyed by someone.
Two months have passed since the dognapping incident had occurred. With no hint of danger from the likes of Cruella in these passing months, the Dalmatians have now been able to ease their own fears of the De Vil woman more each day. This also meant that the pups have stopped experiencing recurring scary dreams pertaining to the night that traumatized them. While everything seemed to be returning to normalcy for the Dalmatian family, it was now late October and they already knew what that meant. Halloween is further away.
It was the time of year for the world’s population to dress up in costumes varying from terrifying creatures to familiar copyrighted characters to whatever they come up with for just one night. It was also the time of season for scares, pumpkins, and of course, chocolate – lots of chocolate, which was the very center of avoidance during said holiday that the Dalmatians have been making a vital note of. However, the perks of being in a Camden neighbourhood that’s populous with pets is the humans growing accustomed to letting them partake in the otherwise usually human activity of trick-or-treating by handing out treats and toys in place of candy.
The Dalmatian family pups have always been enthralled by the concept of trick-or-treating, so Dylan and Dolly have come prepared in the event of letting over ninety dalmatian pups roam the blocks of Camden Town for treats. They have already agreed to chaperone while Delilah and Doug had to work during the night, which they’ve done since the past few years. In a day that’s meant to be a fun and scary time, the Dalmatians have been hoping that it will be a safe and trauma-free leisure, but there was just one obstacle in the way of ensuring that it will be all fine and peachy – Dante.
“Tonight’s tale is lifted from the Camden Town mystery files…CASE NUMBER SIXTY-SIX!” Dante announced, holding a flashlight in his paws as it illuminated light on his face. “This story is called “The Black Dog of Camden.” Long ago, in the very streets of Camden, there lurked a creature with black fur, sharp teeth, razor claws, and GLOWING RED EYES! It sinks its teeth into any other dog that crosses its path. Those unfortunate enough to encounter it were either missing or dragged to the depths of the underworld, leaving behind only the collars on their necks while the ghostly canine preserved the bones of its victims. According to rumors, the black dog tends to haunt the cemeteries of London, waiting for its next target. Some say that its motive is to enact revenge on the humans that claimed its life for its fur. Others say that the black dog is a soul collector for Cerberus itself, making that a likely deduction that any chance encounter of the ghost dog is a possible omen for the END OF THE WORLD! …And that ends the tale of The Black Dog of Camden.” Dante’s somber tone shifted to a normal one when he then said, “So, how did I do?”
“Dante, you may have not noticed, like you do every time we give you a turn in telling the pups a bedtime story, but you were supposed to help them sleep,” Dylan pointed out.
All across the bedroom, Dante saw as the other dalmatian pups exchanged disoriented and concerned looks while others were shaking or whining from fear. He also saw as Dylan and Dolly have given him dirty looks to prove their point.
Almost every night, Dylan and/or Dolly would help get all the pups to sleep by telling them bedtime stories. Other times, they would give themselves a bit of a load off by letting someone else have a turn at this routine, to mixed results. Some of the dalmatians that were reliable for filling in for this job included Dawkins, whose method involved boring them to sleep by reading excerpts from astrophysics reference books or from machine operations manuals, then there was Deepak, whose selections mainly involved stories about cats. DJ was also reliable, though his method involved playing soothing music from his keyboard rather than reading a story. Other considerable options were Da Vinci, although her selections were art books, which were meant to be looked at than read to, and Delgado, who would read too fast, and in a similar fashion to the one human from those old Micro Machines commercials, making it a distraction from getting the pups to sleep.
Then there was Dante. What does he do? Because he doesn’t grasp the contrast between bedtime stories and ghost stories, every story he tells is of the latter kind, and often times they end up scaring the pups from sleeping. He was slightly younger than Dylan and Dolly, but he was at the age where he could start being a responsible sibling. Although Dylan and Dolly know full well that Dante is not reliable for this kind of chore, they still let them share stories so he doesn’t feel left out. Since it was the night before Halloween, however, the two top dogs conceded that it wasn’t the brightest idea to let Dante help the pups fall asleep for the night.
“Yeah, it especially doesn’t help that your story rings a few bells to…you know what,” Dolly remarked towards Dante.
“I’m just doing my part in making sure that we’re all prepared for…the unpredictable!” Dante said. “These stories can serve as a cautionary tale for what might happen for us next!”
The one dog in the Dalmatian family that has been behaving just about the same months after the incident was Dante. While he has already been known for his tendencies to predict the imminent end of the world, the traumatizing experience had only fueled Dante’s paranoia further, for he had almost seen his world ending right before his eyes before the glimmer of hope that saved the Dalmatians.
“Oh please, a ghost dog that collects the souls and bones of its victims, and only leaving behind their collars?” Dylan remarked. “I’ve heard lots of absurd urban legends from you Dante, but this one might just be the most absurd!”
“But what if the black dog is real?” Delgado asked.
“It’s not real! it’s just Dante being Dante!” Dolly said in a reassuring tone, trying to comfort the scared pups.
“I can confirm from a conductive logical reasoning that such a scenario would be scientifically impossible to occur,” Dawkins added.
“Dante, there are scarier things that we’ve dealt with,” Dolly continued. “What happened two months ago was distressing for all of us, we’d like to spend tomorrow without worrying about any of that. You know what tomorrow is, right?”
Of course, Halloween happened to be the favorite holiday of Dante. From his perspective, the concept of Halloween has always been one of life’s greatest enigmas to him. There was another thing that made it special to him, but today, he couldn’t wrap his head around why.
“Why wouldn’t I know what tomorrow is?” Dante responded. “It’s the one day in every year where every strange creature known to dog gathers for one night. Ghosts, werewolves, vampires, zombies, scarecrows, heffalumps, woozles, escaped clones with their faces melting!”
“Relax, Dante,” said Dylan. “We’ve gone over this several times before. They’re all just humans in costume.”
“And yet they appear for one night and they’re all gone the very next day,” Dante continued. “How does that happen? No one knows, and that makes the mystery all the more alluring.”
Dylan rolled his eyes and then replied, “Well, the pups enjoy trick-or-treating, so we are getting dressed up too again this year.”
“Yeah, and I know how much you all don’t want to miss out on those treats!” Dolly said towards the pups. “Don’t let that scary story bother you, so just get some good sleep for tomorrow.”
“I should also remind you all not to go nuts with the treats,” Dylan adds. “Mum and dad had arranged for us to have our teeth checked and cleaned by our in-house animal dentist next week.”
Most of the pups responded with a chorus of “Awww”s. Dawkins, on the other paw, reacted nervously upon mention of the dentist.
“And Dante, if you’re planning on tagging along with us, can we trust you to be on your best behavior by not doing a repeat of last year where you kept freaking out the humans? Can you do that for us?” Dylan asked.
“I was planning on spending the night sheltering myself here from the apocalypse while having myself a horror movie marathon,” Dante replied. “So I’ll need to borrow the TV for tomorrow.”
“All right, but it looks like we’ll have to make sure it doesn’t catch the prying eyes of the younger pups.” Dylan replied. “At least make sure not to put on Little Shop of Horrors. You know how tensed up Dawkins gets when it comes to the dentist.”
“Stop mentioning dentists!” Dawkins exclaimed as he held his lowered ears with both paws out of fear.
“It’ll be fine,” said Dolly. “I mean, don’t you use drills all the time when you and Dylan work on any new inventions?”
“Yes, but not the kind that go in people’s mouths! It’s one of the very few machines that I don’t like!” Dawkins responded. “Why do you think I’ve been trying to keep my teeth clean every day? So much drilling, so much drilling, so much drilling…!”
While Dawkins began shaking, Deepak approached him to try and calm his nerves by massaging his fur before escorting him to the bathroom to let the toothbrusher lessen his worries.
“Fear not, dear brother, let Guru Miaow guide you to the realm of good dental hygiene,” said Deepak.
“I think we’ve had enough worrying about the end of the world for one night,” Dylan finished. “You should be feeling better after getting some good sleep too, Dante.”
Dante conceded and made his sleeping arrangement while Dylan and Dolly calmed down the rest of the pups.
The next day, the family of dalmatians was making their preparations for the night. Once it was close to getting dark, the Dalmatians have gotten dressed in their respective costumes. Dolly is shown dressed as Vee from Owl House, Dizzy & Dee Dee dressed up as a nurse dog and a firedog respectively (calling to mind the respective jobs held by their parents), the Dimitris dressed up together in a three-headed hydra costume, Deepak dressed up as a black cat, Da Vinci dressed up as a Smeargle from the Pokemon franchise, DJ dressed up as Squarepusher (which was one of the very few costumes Dylan and Dawkins had to design for), Delgado dressed up as Optimus Prime, and baby Dorothy was dressed as the similarly-named Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz. While Triple D had spent their previous Halloweens in group costumes, they decided to make themselves individual costumes this year, with Dallas dressing up as Pink Diamond from Steven Universe, Destiny dressing up as Sailor Moon, and Déjà Vu dressing up as Scooby-Doo.
While some of the other dalmatians were getting ready, everyone except Dante was dressed up for the occasion. Dylan then showed himself in front of the others dressed as Poodlewolf.
In the usual grandiose voice he puts on for the character during his Poodlewolf board game sessions, Dylan said as he picked up Dorothy, placed her on his back, and nuzzled her, prompting for her to let out a giggle, “Let us come forth, pups! Poodlewolf is here to take you all trick-or-treating!”
Dolly wasn’t all that amused. “Bro, this is the third year in a row that you dressed up as Poodlewolf,” she remarked.
“Come on, Dolly, Deepak has dressed as a cat every year and I don’t see you complaining about that,” Dylan replied.
“Yes, but at least he goes as a different breed,” Dolly replied.
“She is right. This year I’ve chosen to go as a Bombay, which is recognized for being the most symbolic animal of Halloween,” said Deepak as his tail wagged in delight. “This is the one aspect of the holiday that I look forward to every year, where I can show my inner and an outer cat too!”
“Triple D made most of our costumes, so you got to at least give them credit for that,” Dylan continued towards Dolly.
“They were worth a lot of time and work, so it makes us happy to see you all rocking them,” said Dallas.
“All these costumes we’ve made are animal-friendly, which is what makes them even more special,” Destiny added.
“Reah- I mean, yep, we did a great job!” Déjà Vu said. “I can’t wait any longer to get myself a bunch of Scooby Snacks!”
“Yeah, just don’t oversell it, Déjà Vu,” Dallas remarked.
“That should be everyone, right?” Dolly asked as Dylan did his mandatory head count.
“That’s everyone except Dawkins and Diesel,” Dylan informed. “They both said that they’re making their costumes, so we’ll just to have to wait for them for a bit and- OH MY DOG, what is that!?”
What Dylan gazed upon that gave him a panic was what appeared to be a dog-sized replica of Megazord from the Power Rangers franchise.
“What do you think it is?” Dawkins’s slightly muffled voice spoke from the inside of the body of armor. “This is what I’m going as for the occasion.”
Dylan let out a deep sigh of relief and then said, “Oh, it’s just you, Dawkins.”
“Whoa, it looks like we forgot to tell him not to go too extra this year,” Dolly joked.
“Oh no! No, no, no! You are not going as that while trick-or-treating with us,” said Dylan. “You could step on some humans or even one of us if you’re not careful!”
“Oh kibbles!” Dawkins bemoaned, as the Megazord replication gave a dejected look before the dalmatian descended below the suit of armor to show himself, having turned off its functions. “I’ve gotten into the spirit of this holiday so that I could show the capabilities of dogs in the field of science and engineering. I was only going to participate in the Camden costume contest since trick-or-treating doesn’t suit me, and I don’t want to waste three weeks’ worth of work that I’ve put into making this replica of Megazord.”
“Come on bro, let him go out and have his own fun,” Dolly said towards Dylan before turning her eyes back to Dawkins. “You’ve made an awesome costume, and you deserve to have the residents of Camden see your genius.”
“Well, now that you put it that way, you can at least go to that contest in that,” Dylan acquiesced, “but you still need to be careful, and since we don’t really trust Dante to be home all by himself, you wouldn’t mind keeping him company while the rest of us are out trick-or-treating, right?”
“Of course I wouldn’t mind,” Dawkins replied.
“So that leaves Diesel,” said Dolly. “Where the heck is he anyway?”
Conveniently so, the dalmatians took notice of Diesel stumbling his way down the stairs while dressed in a black bed sheet with one too many holes cut into it.
“I am the black dog of Camden!” Diesel proclaimed as he then made ghost noises.
“Oh Diesel, don’t tell me Dante’s story last night got to your head,” said Dylan.
“Okay, I won’t.” Diesel replied.
“I’m worried about you not being able to see in that thing. We can’t have you bumping into anybody or getting lost from our group by accident.” Dylan replied. “Well, now that we’re all gathered here, I should point out first thing that I need you all to be on your best behavior, don’t interact with any of the human kids, and keep your voices low, even when you feel the need to say “Trick-or-treat!.” The humans can’t understand what we say anyway, but at least let out a gentle bark to say thanks when you get your treats.” The majority of the dalmatian pups responded with a chorus of “We promise.”
“Can I do some ghost hunting?” Diesel asked. “Let me at ‘em if you see any.”
“Just don’t get ahead of yourself and freak out any of the human kids that are also dressed as ghosts,” Dylan informed. “Let’s get this over with, now.”
As Dylan reached his paw towards the scanner to unlock the door, Dante interrupted him by saying in a panicked tone, “Stop, don’t open the door! You don’t know what could be waiting for us from the other side!”
“Like what?” Dolly questioned. “What are the odds that we’re going to see the black dog of Camden?”
“Or worse…the human that tried to kill us for our coats coming back for revenge!” Dante fretted.
“What I’m more concerned about is humans showing up at our door for candy and realizing that we don’t have a human in the house, which is why we put up very specific signs to lure them away,” said Dylan as the outside of the front door showed signs that read “STAY OUT!!!,” “NO CANDY HERE!!!,” “THAT’S RIGHT, KEEP WALKING,” “NOTHING TO SEE HERE,” and the typical “BEWARE OF DOGS.”
“But you guys heard what she said about how we haven’t seen the last of her,” said Dante. “What if she does come back tonight? If all these creatures known to human and dog can congregate on a night like this, there’s no doubt in my mind that this could be a sign of her return!”
“Look, Dante,” Dylan responded, “we know you’ve been right a few times before with your predictions, and we’ve been more than willing to listen to you because of that, but right now, this is not the time to deal with them. There’s no such thing as ghost dogs, and most importantly, there’s no way that we’re ever going to encounter that evil lady again!”
When Dylan opened up the door, they were met by something resembling a familiar entity. Seeing the hairstyle that they recognized belonging to Cruella, the Dalmatians (except for Diesel, who couldn’t see due to the sheet covering him), by instinct, screamed out of fear.
“Feeling terrified!” Dawkins exclaimed.
However, the horrified expressions from the dalmatians would then immediately become stern looks after they realize that it was just their corgi neighbor Clarissa playing a cruel joke on them with a wig.
“Trick-or-treat, ruff raff!” Clarissa said before letting out several laughs for the scare she had given.
Unfortunately for the Dalmatians, even after having developed somewhat of a change of heart after the dognapping incident and providing some help for letting Dylan and Dolly come to their family’s rescue on the cargo ship that night, Clarissa still remained her stuck-up and intolerant self.
“Never mind, it’s just Clarissa,” said Dylan in a vexed tone.
“Ugh, Clarissa,” Dolly growled. “You know, I get this is a holiday for playing tricks and I may be the one for pulling pranks, but that wasn’t very funny!”
“Yeah, what happened to us that one night is no laughing matter, we agreed on that!” Dylan retorted.
“I know, but I couldn’t just pass up the opportunity to see how much of a good scare that I could give you all and it satisfies one’s self to see the looks on your faces!” Clarissa responded. “It gives one much more of a laugh to see what kind of tacky costumes a bunch of dalmatians put together this year.” She then said, referring to Dolly’s Vee costume, “What are you supposed to be anyway?”
“I couldn’t think about what I should dress up as this year, so I let Triple D decide for me and they made me a costume of a character from that one show they’re into. They say I ‘sound just like her,’ even though I don’t really see it, but I still appreciate the thought they put into it, so I’ll have you know that Triple D have great sense in fashion, and our costumes are not as tacky your phony getup,” Dolly sneered.
“You should leave, Clarissa,” said Dylan. “We just want to enjoy ourselves for the night, and we certainly don’t want to keep dealing with your jokes.”
“Then one shall leave you ruff raff alone, but one shall continue to treasure this moment. I must say though that one does appreciate that we had the same idea of keeping a bunch of little brats away from one’s house. One can’t allow for the quality time Hugo has arranged for me to be ruined by some meddlesome dogs,” Clarissa finished as she then strutted back to her house.
“False alarm, Dante, you can stop hiding now,” Dylan called out, taking notice of his absence from the group.
Dante revealed himself from the dumbwaiter and reappeared with the other dalmatians. He then asks, “Is it safe to go out now?”
“I don’t sense any danger,” said Dolly. “Now let’s go out and get some treats, there’s no more time to waste!”
“Any of those treats could have razor blades inside of them or they could be laced with chocolate, so be sure to check each one!” Dante forewarned.
“Sure, we’ll believe in one of the oldest superstitions in the book,” Dolly remarked in a sarcastic tone.
“Um, Dolly, aren’t you too old to be trick-or-treating yourself?” Dylan asked, referring to the bag she had on her.
“We’re dogs, Dylan, how can we be too old for free treats?” Dolly replied.
Once as all the costumed dalmatians were out the door, Dawkins got himself back inside his own costume and, after some struggle getting his costume through the front door, escorted Dante as they took themselves to where the Camden Town costume contest was being held while the rest of the dalmatian pack scrambled the neighbourhoods for their trick-or-treating outing.
Two hours later, the Dalmatians, except for Dante and Dawkins, had returned home each with their basketfuls of treats, chew toys, and other goodies (while Deepak’s bag was filled with cat-related supplies), as they have managed to spend their night with very few complications.
“That turned out great! We got so much stuff,” said Dolly.
“I got tons of treats,” Dimitri 1 remarked.
“So have I,” said Dimitri 2.
“I got a rock!” Diesel said with delight.
“Thank goodness that went pretty smoothly,” said Dylan as he removed his costume alongside the others in a pile (Since Dorothy is still a baby, she was a bit too fussy to take hers off at the moment while Deepak opted to stay dressed as his ’outer cat’ a while longer). “Check your bags before you start snacking on your treats...”
“Who would put razor blades in our dog treats?” Dimitri 3 questioned.
“I meant if you find any pieces of chocolate candy,” Dylan clarified. “Put it in the ‘Bad candy’ bowl I set down here, and I’ll throw them out. And most importantly, do not eat any of it!”
“Well, I think it’s a good time for me to call it a night,” Dolly said with a yawn.
“Not yet, we still have to prepare our surprise for Dante,” Dylan informed.
“Ugh, why couldn’t we have done it earlier today?” Dolly complained.
“We want to make it very special this year for him, and since he hasn’t come back yet, we have time to get ourselves started with the plan I’ve arranged.”
At that convenient moment, the front door opened up to show that Dawkins and Dante have both just returned from their outing. Dawkins got himself out of his costume and set it beside the pile. He looked as tired as Dolly was.
“Welcome back Dante, welcome back Dawkins,” said Dylan.
“So, how did that whole costume contest thing go, did you win?” Dolly asked Dawkins.
“Second place,” Dawkins responded in a dry tone. “It didn’t go the way I thought it would. My creation still got recognition, and I’m at least satisfied with that.”
“We had to leave a little early because Dawkins got pretty upset after the judging concluded and it was freaking out the humans,” Dante clarified. “They were impressed with his costume, but it lost to a human kid dressed as a baking soda and vinegar volcano.”
“Megazord did not lose to a baking soda volcano!” Dawkins huffed with denial in his tone. “Of course, we could’ve gone back home earlier, but then Dante got sidetracked by a fortuneteller on the way.”
“I already told you, she’s a paw reader,” Dante corrected.
“Well, I hope you’re not too upset to help us out with this surprise we’ve been planning,” Dylan said to Dawkins.
“I am feeling fine now, but I’m calling it a night afterwards,” Dawkins responded.
“Wait a minute, what surprise?” Dante asked. “Is it the end of the world that the paw reader warned me about?”
“We can’t tell you, otherwise it won’t be a surprise at all,” said Dylan. “Besides, weren’t you going to focus on your little horror movie marathon?”
“Oh, yes, of course! You just go ahead and do what you’re going to do, but give me a holler if you see any sign of the world ending.”
While the dalmatian goth occupied himself with the TV in the living room, the other dogs got to work. After nearly an hour, Dante couldn’t help but eavesdrop.
“The nerve of Clarissa, scaring the pups like that on a day like this,” Dylan muttered.
“I know it was tasteless but that’s all over now,” Dolly replied.
“I’m still mad about it, though,” Dylan replied.
“I don’t know, Dylan, what will make this seem better in comparison? This does feel like a prank, so I’m not sure if Dante will appreciate this surprise rather than it will upset him…”
Though he couldn’t make out where the two top dogs were grouping, Dante heard the sound one of the doors opening and closing. The voices were muffled now to Dante, but he still tried to listen in.
“There’s no jokes attached to this, so I wouldn’t call it a prank, consider it more of a…theatrical display if you will. You do have a point, if we all feel like it’s gotten too intense for him, then we’ll use the quit word I’ve chosen – gobbledygook.”
“Yeah, next time, I’m choosing the signal word.”
“We’ll just see how Dante feels about what we’re setting up. We need to distract him for a while before we show him the real surprise we have for him.”
While Dante still wasn’t sure what they were conversing about, he returned to the living room and restrained his urges to warn the pups about the potential dangers that he was foretold from his paw reading, as his way to respect keeping the surprise a surprise. Ten minutes later, however, the unpredictable happened. The lights in the 101 Dalmatian Street home had all went out, and subsequently, the power. The window from behind Dante shone a white flash of light before being followed by the sound of thunder. It made the dalmatian goth jump, scrambling to find the flashlight that he had beside him in case of such an emergency. Flailing around the illuminated light, Dante saw nothing out of the ordinary. He hadn’t heard a voice coming from the other dalmatians, which concerned him.
“What’s going on?” Dante murmured. “Are you guys all okay? Where are you?”
Stepping out of the living room, Dante saw as fog was beginning to form all around the place, which he had also found to be unprecedented. When he approached near the steps of the home, Dante pointed his flashlight at an object standing by the front door that he otherwise would never think he’d encounter. It was the black dog of Camden. Sharp teeth sticking out from its muzzle, sharp claws, and glowing red eyes, just exactly like Dante described it in his telling of the tale.
Just the thought of seeing the mythological creature in the flesh at this time of year, at this time of day, in this very part of London that it’s said to haunt, and localized entirely inside the home of 101 Dalmatian Street had made Dante’s heart race with fear and yet also with excitement. Somehow, he and the paw reader he had met mere hours ago had predicted the unpredictable. Dante couldn’t contain himself and his tail began to wag from this realization.
“Huh, I was right…I was right!” Dante said with a sudden burst of joy. “It’s supposed to be an urban legend, and yet here it is, and it’s haunting this house. The world is ending and it’s all taking place right where I am!” However, he was brought back to his senses when he saw the black dog turn around to face him. By instinct, Dante retreated upstairs to avoid it.
“Wait, no, this is bad!” Dante fretted. “I have to tell the others! I told them to call on me if this were to happen, but I’m not hearing anything from them. Where did they go? Did they know about the ghost dog already and hid?”
Dante could detect the scent of his multiple brothers and sisters from more than one place in the house. However, when he tried to open any of the doors, they couldn’t seem to open. He also tried the tunnels (which was usually Delgado’s main method of transport around the house), which seemed to be barricaded. Even the flaps for the dumbwaiter couldn’t open.
From what Dante could recall, Delilah and Doug both haven’t arrived back home yet tonight, and that left him with one more opportunity to warn about the mythological being that was lurking within his home. Even if it meant that the World Wide Woof might not believe him, he was still going to use it to prevent the Dalmatian family from facing impending doom. The dalmatian goth darted over to the front door with the paw scanner. To his misfortune, nothing was happening even after pressing on it multiple times, while the front door remained locked. That was when Dante came to the full realization that was apparently stuck inside the house with the ghost dog. This brought him into full-on panic.
“Dylan! Dolly! Anyone! If you can hear me right now, please answer!” Dante exclaimed.
Dante’s answer was heard. “Help!” The collective cries of the other dalmatians echoed.
“Help! Just help! Only help! Nothing but help!” Dante also heard, recognizing the voice coming from Diesel.
“Guys, you’re still here!?” Dante asked.
“Yes, please save us!” The dalmatians answered back.
“Where are you, though?” Dante asked again.
“I’m not sure. It’s too dark to see, from where we are,” he heard Dylan’s voice respond. “The last thing we all remembered is the same thing. We were ambushed by what appeared to be a black dog.”
“So...so it is real!” Dante replied. “Has it harmed any of you?”
“I don’t think so…but listen, don’t worry about us right now,” he heard Dolly’s voice respond. “Show it whose boss and what happens when it messes with your family! If you face it, then I’m sure you’ll be able to come help us.”
“Okay...then I’ll just have to face off against that black dog myself.”
The motivation from the voices of the dalmatians reassuring them that they aren’t hurt was enough motivation to make Dante swallow his fear. He was stuck in the house with the black dog of Camden, but that also meant that it was stuck with him, so he went back to scavenging around the house for the eponymous ghost dog. He went over to the living room to see if anything about it changed since after the sudden blackout. Shining his flashlight across the area, he spotted what he had dreaded to see right in front of him. It was the black dog again. It was quick to notice his presence, glaring at him and then creeping up to him.
To Dante’s astonishment, he heard it speak, “Dante…we- err, I’ve been waiting for you!” The sound of its voice seemed to be distorted, but the dalmatian goth was too overwhelmed by fear to figure if it rings familiar to him. “I have come to bring you to the underworld and collect your bones!”
As the black dog continued to inch forward, Dante cowered back with his tail between his legs and made a dart to the kitchen to escape and hide in one of the cabinets.
“I’ll find you Dante, just like how I found your other fellow dogs,” Dante heard the black dog say.
When Dante didn’t hear any more from the ghost dog after a minute, he determined that the coast was clear and so he got out of his hiding spot. He searched around the kitchen to find any trace of his siblings, only to find most of the cabinets to contain nothing more than a heap of appliances. When he opened one of them, he saw what appeared to resemble a black cat.
“…Blair?” Dante asked.
The alleged cat screeched and scurried out of the area, startling Dante for a moment. Focusing back on trying to find his siblings, the dalmatian goth swayed the light across the kitchen and saw some objects he hadn’t seen before. On the walls were what seemed to be a large black banner draped across the flat archway and purple paper garlands spread throughout each corner, and then he glanced at what he assumed was a shadow of the black dog. When the light shone on it, it was gone in a second. Trying to find the same shadowed figure, Dante swung his flashlight around the walls once more, but it was no longer in sight.
Continuing his search for his siblings and as well as the ghost dog, Dante was then alarmed by the sound of something rushing through the house and the sound of wheels screeching. Looking around for the source of the noise, he spotted a dark figure resembling the supernatural being, dashing in the first and second floors in an instant. When Dante tried to shine a light on the fast-moving object, it was out of his sight in a split second before he could make out its appearance. Moments later, the noises have ceased.
Dante, who is now visibly shaking in fear with his tail between his legs said indirectly to the ghost dog, “Come on and show yourself, I’m not afraid! Yeah, I’m definitely not afraid, not at all!”
With no answer being given afterwards, Dante continued to look around the house with his flashlight. What he found next was what he dreaded to find, chilling him right down to the bone. Scattered around the floor close to him, he found collars belonging to Dylan and Dolly. Further along, he saw Triple D’s collars, then the Dimitris’s, then Deepak’s, then Diesel’s…it didn’t seem to end. Next he saw Dawkins’s collar, then Dee Dee & Dizzy’s, then Da Vinci’s bandana, and then the collars belonging to more of his siblings. It was just like in his tale that he told the previous night about how the black dog left behind the collars of its victims. He then thought about the others that sported more than just their collars. It was then that he came across Delgado’s collar on the ground along with his wheelchair, and as well as DJ’s collar, with his headphones discarded along with it, and DJ never went anywhere without them, and that was when he knew that this situation was dire.
Dante went from feeling terrified to downright devastated. He sat where he stood, waiting for the nightmare to end, waiting for the black dog to make its next move, waiting for that glimmer of hope to put a stop to the end of the world as he knew it. Now, he was all alone, with nothing else to do, and with no one to help him.
“I’ve been waiting for the world to end, but not like this…” Dante lamented, now in the verge of tears. “I wanted my family to be prepared for moments like this and yet I’ve failed to help them. Why? Why am I still here to deal with the ghost from the story I told!? Somebody answer me, please!”
As if by a miracle, Dante then heard the sound of a crying pup coming from the kitchen. He retreated there and went underneath the table to discover the source, and it was what he had recognized that voice to be. It was Dorothy. Somehow she’s still here unscathed. Her collar was still intact and she was still wearing the costume she was put in. Dorothy’s crying ceased as Dante approached her gently, relieved to see that she had survived the doomsday at the paws of the ghost dog.
“Dorothy, you’re safe,” Dante whispered. “Hey, I’m not going to hurt you. I won’t let that ghost hurt any of my siblings, and I especially won’t let it hurt you.”
Dante was trying to comfort the infant pup, but she was still distraught just like he was. At that point, Dante found himself in a difficult situation. As a dog that has never showed a hopeful disposition in hopeless circumstances, what should he do? What can he do?
Then he reminisced his meeting with the paw reader mere hours before the chaos…
…
After the disastrous results of the Camden Town costume contest, he and Dawkins were walking their way back home until Dante lifted one of his ears, catching the sound of someone playing a guitar and singing a certain song with it, compelling him to follow its source.
The carefree days
Are distant now
I wear my memories like a shroud
I try to speak but words collapse
Echoing
Trick or Treat
Trick or Treat
The bitter and the sweet
“Hey Dawkins, do you hear that?” Dante asked.
“I hear it also, but it’s probably nothing for us to check out,” Dawkins responded. When he saw Dante chasing the sound, Dawkins followed after. “Hold on, where you going!?”
Dante made his way towards a shack with a sign that read “Clairvoyant Clair’s Fortune Shop” and followed his path towards the back of the shop, where the opening was obscured by a curtain of beads. He went through and saw the source of the music right in front of him, who had the appearance of a Bombay cat.
I wander through your sadness
Gazing at you with scorpion eyes
Halloween
Halloween
The cat stopped playing and singing once as she noticed the dalmatian goth that had showed up out of the blue.
“Oh, ‘ello, are you a customer?” The black cat asked Dante.
“Is your shop closing?” Dante asked back.
“This is actually my pet’s fortunetelling shop,” the black cat corrected. “I do work around here too in which I read the paws of animals that visit. I was going to call it a night, but I’ll make an exception for you. We haven’t gotten a lot of customers today anyways since most folks are preoccupied with the Halloween season, so I’ve been doing some jams to curb the boredom.”
“Well, I liked the music that you were playing, which was why I came to see you.”
“Yeah, it’s a Siouxsie and the Banshees song. I can tell by the way you look that they must be the type of music you’re into.”
“I’ve heard of them, so I guess you could say that.”
“They broke up ages ago, so they’re way past my time. So are The Beatles and yet just about everyone in London knows and loves them anyway. Now let’s not get too off-topic, I’m not a fan of introductions, but I’m Blair. What’s your name, dog?” Dante could tell by the way Blair talked and how she looked that she seemed to be roughly a little over Dylan and Dolly’s age.
“Well, I’m Dante. Dante Dalmatian.”
“A black dalmatian with white and purple spots, huh? You’re quite the rare kind. So tell me Dante, are you here to have your paw read?”
“Will it hurt?”
“All I’m going to do is touch your paw and tell your fortune. Most of the future predictions I’ve given out overtime have turned out to be true, but whether or not the fortune I give you is completely accurate is all up to you.”
“You seem to have a cool job.”
“Well, I think running this business with my pet is kind of a drag. Most of the time, we get these customers who come back to complain about their fortunes even if they turn out true, like how they’re foretold that they’ll find true love, and it’s not the person of their type, or when they’re foretold that they’ll find their next course of action in their lives when it hits them, and they come back to tell us that they got hit in the back of the head by a football. You know, stuff like that.”
Dante was always one to make doomsday predictions in the spur of the moment and he hadn’t considered having his own future foretold by someone else. Thinking over it, he figured it wouldn’t hurt to try.
“Well, you see, I’ve always had this fixation with making predictions about any potential dangers like the world ending, and just a couple months ago, I’ve almost witnessed it. I have two parents and ninety-eight brothers and sisters, and there was this evil lady, who attempted to kill us all, and she didn’t just want any fur, she wanted ours! Next thing I knew before I was about to accept my fate, my oldest siblings Dylan and Dolly came to our rescue, then this human kid, Hunter, put that puppy killer into her own skinning machine before mum and dad stopped it. Then the police came and brought her to justice, but then she said that we haven’t seen the last of her, and that was still the last I’ve seen or heard from her. After that, I couldn’t stop thinking what if she does come back.”
“That sounds like quite a tall tale. Then again, the story was all over the news.”
“What I’m trying to say is that the experience made me feel more concerned about the end of the world. It’s been bothering my siblings lately, but I want them to be safe and sound and I want to make sure that they’ll be prepared for any unpredictable event, such as that very incident that I couldn’t predict.”
“I see…so answer me this, are you prepared for the unpredictable?”
“That’s why I thought if you could read my paw. I don’t think I’m ready to face it either.”
“So, you want to know if the world is coming to an end sooner than later.”
“Yes, please do tell me.”
Accepting the request, Blair started to stroke Dante’s right paw to read his fortune.
“Well, Dante…you may not like what I have to say at first, but I can sense that your world will be ending.”
“I knew it, the end is nigh!”
“I’m not finished. Do you want to know what I sensed?” Dante responded to Blair with a simple nod, still feeling paranoid about the fortune he had just been given. “From what I could sense, you’ll encounter a phantom of a black dog with sharp teeth, razor claws, and glowing red eyes in the comfort of your home. With only one light to guide you, you’ll find yourself all alone with the creature with no way of being able to warn anybody of the danger. Later, the ghost will leave behind the collars of each of your ninety-eight siblings before it takes them to the underworld where they may never be seen again, while they’re reduced to their bones that may forever be part of its collection.”
“Hey wait a minute. That sounds like the ghost story I’ve told them last night, except my family and I are inserted into it!”
“Yeah, it rings a few bells to “The Black Dog of Camden.” I’ve noticed some other animals passing that story around, so it doesn’t surprise me it’s gotten your attention.”
“Is that it?”
“No. Just when you think it’s all hopeless, you’ll find that one pup has survived, and then two, and finally, you’ll find that by some miracle, all of your siblings are alive, waiting to give you a special celebration of sorts. Could it be the end, or could it be something else? That all comes down to one particular force.”
“What is that force?”
Blair then gave her answer by pointing one of her paws directly at Dante.
“Wait, do you mean…me?”
“Dante, one thing you should understand about the future is that it’s not very easy to predict. If you sense that the world is collapsing, the key to preventing it is for you, yourself, to take on those disasters and to not blindly accept or run away from them. Good omens or bad omens, your future rests in your own paws, and that’s all I can say about your fortune. I would usually have you pay me in kibble, but since I’m off the clock and you’re such an interesting dog to talk you, you don’t have to pay me anything.”
“I just have one question. What would you do if the world is ending?”
“I’m not sure. Honestly, I’d rather die before that happens. Apparently, the world was said to end in 2012, and here we all are years later, still biding our time.” Dante felt rather astonished to see that Blair was more pessimistic than he was.
“If the world doesn’t end tonight, then I’ll just have to come back and thank you, and um, I know this feels weird to ask you, but how would you feel about me playing music with you the next time we meet? I do have my own electric guitar and my brother DJ tells me that I’m really good at singing, although he knows a lot more about music than I do.”
“Have me meet that brother of yours while you’re at it. If we’re all not dead before tomorrow, then go ahead and do that.”
“I should be going now. Dawkins must be really mad at me for making him wait this long. Thanks anyways for everything that you’ve told me.”
…
Back in the present times, Dante still found himself in his current state of affairs. He still wasn’t sure if all of his siblings were okay, but seeing Dorothy alive and unharmed gave him the propulsion to do what he hadn’t done before and hold on to hope for the sake of his siblings.
“Dorothy, it may be just the two of us right now, but…we’re going to find the others,” Dante uttered. “They’ve got to be okay because…because…our family is stronger than some urban legend!”
If Dante was foretold that he would be the one who stops the end of the world, then he decided that he was going to do what he had never considered before and be the dog that fulfills that destiny. He picked up Dorothy and had her rest easy on his head before getting out from hiding.
“Everyone, if you can hear me, give me a howl!” Dante exclaimed.
Dante’s hopes were lifted up as he was given the reassurance that needed, hearing back a group of howls that corresponded with his multiple siblings.
“Please hurry, Dante,” Dante hear Deepak’s voice utter, “I can feel the gateway to the underworld pulling us in and I don’t have enough chakra to keep holding on!”
“Do you hear that, Dorothy?” Dante asked. “We still have time to save them!” Seeing Dante with his renewed confidence was enough to lift Dorothy’s own spirits. “We’re going to save the world, yes we are!” He then said in a cooing tone. “We’re going to find the big bad ghost, and we’ll die together trying if we have to!” Though Dorothy didn’t comprehend anything her brother was saying, she still let out a giggle as a way of showing support.
Dante and Dorothy made their way back near the front door of 101 Dalmatian Street. Dante sensed a presence coming from the stairs and caught the sound of something stumbling down the stairs. After the bout of noise, Dante shined his flashlight on what he assumed was the black dog he was after.
“There it is!” Dante stated. “Whoever you are let my family go!”
Dante tackled the being and rolled himself against the wall, only touching the piece of cloth it bore. After shaking himself, he then noticed that the object that he attacked was Diesel’s sheet costume. He retrieved the flashlight and pointed it to see Diesel, still alive and well, despite that his collar was detached.
“Hey Dante, are you hunting ghosts too?” Diesel asked.
“Diesel, I’m sorry, I thought you were the ghost!” Dante responded as he came over to him along with Dorothy with a feeling of reassurance. “You’re all right, but…I saw your collar on the ground!”
“Oh yeah, I was told to take it off,” Diesel replied.
“Huh?” Dante said with befuddlement. “Look, I need your useful sense of smell. Do you know where the others could be?”
“Of course I do, but I was told not to tell you.”
“What are you talking about, Diesel? Did the ghost brainwash you or something?”
“Brainwashed? But I don’t dig washing. Oh look, is that the black dog of Camden?” Diesel said nonchalantly.
Upon mention of the phantom dog, Dante turned his back to see that it has reappeared right beside the front door, prompting for him to scream in terror. To the dalmatian goth’s surprise, the front door now appeared to be open, but the view was obscured by a blinding white light that he believed was the portal to the underworld. Before Dante could face it, he felt a mysterious force pulling his body into the white light, motioning for Diesel and Dorothy to stand back.
“We meet again Dante, for the last time!” The black dog spoke.
“What did you do to my siblings?” Dante demanded. “Let them free!”
“Your siblings are all fine,” the black dog replied. “I’ve now made them all sausages- err, hostages of the underworld. It looks like I’ve missed a few for my collection, and you’re next!”
Dante still felt as the mysterious force was dragging him into the portal. With a burst of bravado, he kept his paws secure on the flooring and gazed directly into the black dog.
“No, I won’t let you bring the end of the world,” Dante asserted, “not when I’m still around, and not when my family’s life is on the line!”
In the heat of the moment, Dante sunk his teeth into the skin of the black dog. He continued to tug on it without recognizing the “fur” as tarp while the black dog seemed to be trying to maintain its covering until it uttered a certain word that the dalmatian goth didn’t expect to hear.
“Gobbledygook, gobbledygook!” Dante heard a different voice coming from inside the black dog.
It was then that Dante heard more voices of his siblings repeating the same ‘quit word’ that Dylan had mentioned. Although Dante became confused why what was going on, he pulled off the tarp with his teeth once as the lights in each room flickered back on one by one, and there he saw, in the place of what he thought was the mythical being, Triple D stacked on top of each other, while Déjà Vu held a plastic toy microphone in one paw. Right afterwards, the house’s unnerving atmosphere had abruptly changed. Dante also heard the doors for each of the rooms creaking open, revealing the dalmatians that have appeared to be hiding all this time, albeit with their collars detached. In addition, the mist that enshrouded the first floor had subsided, and the light resembling the entrance to the underworld had also dissolved while the turbulent force that was pulling him into its path had also gone away.
“Triple D…?” Dante questioned.
“This Triple D you speak of is not here, for I have-“ Déjà Vu spoke from the voice-changing microphone that she used to act out as the ghost dog.
“Um, Déjà Vu, our cover is blown,” Destiny interrupted.
“Ruh-roh, I mean, surprise!” Déjà Vu uttered.
“Huh, what’s going on?” Dante asked before he turned out to see the rest of his siblings all gathered in the main room.
For the longest time, Dante had hard time figuring out why the holiday was so important to him, and know he remembered why. It was someone’s birthday today – HIS birthday. Because he clouded up his mind on the black dog myth, the paw reading, and his fixation on the world ending, he somehow forgot, but all of his siblings remembered, as he was greeted by a black banner with white-painted letters that read…
“Happy birthday, Dante!” The group of dalmatians chorused.
“My birthday…it was today?” Dante asked.
“How could we forget?” Dylan responded. “We thought that you’d remember sooner or later.”
“After saving the world from ending, you sure deserve this special day, so let’s celebrate!” Dolly said before Dylan nudged her shoulder and gave a side glance. “Oh yeah, and I know we have a lot of explaining to do, so here’s what really happened…”
Dylan and Dolly started by telling Dante that they had Triple D masquerade as the mythical black dog by using Da Vinci’s canvas tarp as the body to conceal their identities, Deepak's stalactite gemstones to resemble teeth, and used a couple of Halloween accessories they’ve snatched for the rest of its features, with the red LED shades for the glowing eyes and prop claws for the razor-sharp claws. They then explained that the scary sound effects came from DJ’s keyboard, that the locked rooms were actually the younger pups playing with the doors, that Dawkins, being the mechanic in the family, was the one who turned off the lights and power, as well as the one who temporarily disabled the paw scanner. Dylan and Dolly continued to say that they’ve used Delgado’s agility to scatter the collars they took off while Da Vinci decorated the kitchen in secret, and they both have had them covered in soot to conceal their identities, and while Diesel showing up wasn’t originally part of the setup, they had him make a sudden appearance to lift Dante’s spirits. They also acknowledged that the fog came from their fog machine that they’ve had in the basement, they borrowed Constantin’s giant fan for the effect of making Dante feel like he was being dragged into the “portal to the underworld, while the lighting at the front door itself was another result of Dawkins tampering the house’s power source. They also explained that they had Delgado come to where Dawkins was so that he could remove his wheelchair and set it beside his collar while they were putting it back on him.
“So that explains it,” said Dante. “What about the cat that was in one of the cabinets?”
“That was Deepak,” Dylan and Dolly both said in a blunt tone.
“My mistake, I actually thought you were someone else, Deepak,” Dante said towards him.
“So you’ve met a cat that reads paws,” Deepak remarked. “You should introduce me.”
“What about Dorothy?” Dante asked. “She seemed to be really scared.”
Upon being asked that questioned, Dylan and Dolly both expressed guilty looks before they picked up the infant pup from Dante’s head and nuzzled her.
“Oh yeah, if there’s anyone we definitely owe an apology to, it’s Dorothy,” said Dolly.
“She wasn’t part of the setup at all,” Dylan explained. “We needed to her to stay put in our hiding place, but the sounds that DJ was playing from his keyboard scared her off. She must’ve found you after she saw our fake ghost dog.”
“Sorry Dorothy, we won’t end up scaring you like that again,” Dolly murmured.
“We should also apologize to you, Dante, for making you go through such an emotional rollercoaster by faking the apocalypse,” Dylan continued. “What we’ve meant to do is try and get your mind off what happened months ago and put your predictions at ease by showing you that we and the other pups will come prepared for these unpredictable moments, that you should too, and to motivate you to help us in any time of need. Other than that, the previous birthdays we’ve arranged for you always turn out to be, well…uneventful, and we wanted to put more thought into it this time around, so that’s when we thought that a suitable birthday present for you would be the end of the world, even if it’s staged.”
“So, how do you feel about all this, Dante?” Dolly asked. “Are you mad at us?”
Dante understood Dylan and Dolly’s intentions though he was still struggling to process how he should feel about the experience he just had. He should be mad about how the catastrophic event he got worked up over turning out to be a hoax, but Dylan and Dolly immediately apologized to him about. He should feel relieved to know that not only are all his siblings are all right, they also showed them that they’re not scared either. Should he be entertained? Halloween is meant to be a fun yet scary occasion, but the staging of the black dog of Camden made him feel like he was set up for a joke and yet he didn’t see any of the pups laughing at him and such, as they smiled at him because it was his special day. So should he feel proud, about how he came to their rescue, even if, again, the end of the world wasn’t real? Blair did foretell him that all his siblings were going to surprise him with some sort of celebration and that it was his destiny to be the hero that they wanted for him to be. Thinking over how much thought the dalmatians put into his birthday surprise and the assurance of how much they all care for him, Dante decided to return his feelings with a rare casual smile.
“It’s okay, I appreciate you guys for doing all this for me,” Dante said as he presented the dalmatians with a group hug. However, his tail began to wag when he sensed Doug and Delilah coming back home from work.
When Dante opened up the front door for the two parents, he saw them carrying several containers of birthday kibble cake (they are a big family after all) from Delilah, and a bundle of birthday balloons from Doug, which were black with white polka dots, matching the color of his coat.
“Mum, dad, welcome back!” Dante exclaimed.
“Why, you sure seem to be overjoyed today,” Delilah remarked.
“Why wouldn’t he be? It’s his birthday today,” said Doug and he then spoke to him a doting tone, “Look at how much our spotty-dotty has grown.”
“We could’ve done this earlier today though,” Delilah added. “But Dylan and Dolly told us that they were going to handle the surprise they’ve had for you this time.”
“Yeah, and they’ve done a good job with it,” Dante remarked.
“We’re just glad we’re here to see you enjoy your birthday, we couldn’t miss it for the world,” said Doug. “Normally, I would be coming home later since this is the time of the season other than ‘Boom Night,’ where fire safety dangers tend to happen, but we have seen fewer of those incidents today.”
“That’s good,” Dante replied.
For the next half hour, the Dalmatians have celebrated Dante’s birthday. By tradition, he was given the first piece of the kibble cakes his parents got for him while Dorothy, by his suggestion, got the second, smaller piece. While most of the pups were already taken to the bedroom either from exhaustion or from having one too many dog treats, Dante had fun for the rest of the night. Before he could call it a night, he was later approached by Dylan and Dolly again.
“Hey, I understand if you’re still a little bummed out by our ghost dog hoax, there’s one thing we’d like for you to do to compensate for that,” said Dylan.
“Huh, what’s that?” Dante asked.
“Just follow our lead,” Dolly said with a smirk.
After the dirty trick that Clarissa pulled earlier, Dylan and Dolly thought that they would pay her a visit with a little trick of their own. They rang the doorbell, compelling for the corgi to bark for her human owner, Hugo, to go and answer it. What they were met by was the presence of the black dog of Camden, but this time with Dante taking on the disguise.
“Clarissa…I have come to haunt you for your bones!” Dante acted. “Show them to me or this night will be your last!”
Clarissa gave out a scream while Hugo (who only heard barking coming from Dante) fainted. Afterwards, Dylan and Dolly appeared from behind to give a laugh, alongside Dante and Dorothy after the former slipped out the tarp to reveal themselves underneath.
Realizing that she had been tricked by the dalmatians, Clarissa’s terrified expression turned sour and growled, “Ruff raff,” before closing the door behind them.
Just when the elder dalmatians were about to hit the hay for the night, they caught a sight that they never thought they’d see, in which Dante was about to lull Dorothy to sleep – a far-cry from the Dante that they’ve known from the previous night.
“And Dorothy, by clicking together the heels of her ruby paw slippers, returned back to her own home in Camden by repeating ‘There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home…’” Dante spoke in a soft tone as Dorothy fell asleep, reinterpreting the ending of The Wizard of Oz.
In an instant, Dante himself had crashed to sleep right next to Dorothy, after a long night’s worth of ghosts, tricks, predictions, and kibble cake.
Dolly and Dylan couldn’t help but smile knowing that they can rest easy now. The very next day, however…
“No, no, no, this can’t be happening!” Dante exclaimed as he looked through the window of the first floor of his home. “The end is drawing near!”
“Huh, what is it this time, Dante?” Dylan asked.
“See for yourselves as the chaos unfolds!” Dante cautioned.
Dylan and Dolly opened the front door to see what he was talking about. As they expected, it was the time of year again for the human residents of Camden to take down their Halloween decorations while they scrambled to start putting up their Christmas decorations. They could hear from the cars passing by that the stations were already playing Christmas music too.
“Oh, so that’s what you meant…” Dolly deadpanned.
Even if the end of the world wasn’t in sight, it was still a bigger anomaly to the dalmatians why the humans would start showing their Christmas spirit this early on when December was still one month away.
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I should say first thing that this isn't the complete story, since I'm not able to finish this before the deadline of this contest. While I intend to post the finished product later today, I don't want to have to pull an all-nighter, so here's what I have to show for it as a submission.
The World Ends With Dante (Preview Version)
Two months have passed since the dognapping incident had occurred. With no hint of danger from the likes of Cruella in these passing months, the Dalmatians have now been able to ease their own fears of the De Vil woman more each day. This also meant that the pups have stopped experiencing recurring scary dreams pertaining to the night that traumatized them. While everything seemed to be returning to normalcy for the Dalmatian family, it was now late October and they already knew what that meant. Halloween is further away.
It was the time of year for the world’s population to dress up in costumes varying from terrifying creatures to familiar copyrighted characters to whatever they come up with for just one night. It was also the time of season for scares, pumpkins, and of course, chocolate – lots of chocolate, which was the very center of avoidance during said holiday that the Dalmatians have been making a vital note of. However, the perks of being in a Camden neighbourhood that’s populous with pets is the humans growing accustomed to letting them partake in the otherwise usually human activity of trick-or-treating by handing out treats and toys in place of candy.
The Dalmatian family pups have always been enthralled by the concept of trick-or-treating, so Dylan and Dolly have come prepared in the event of letting over ninety dalmatian pups roam the blocks of Camden Town for treats. They have already agreed to chaperone while Delilah and Doug had to work during the night, which they’ve done since the past few years. In a day that’s meant to be a fun and scary time, the Dalmatians have been hoping that it will be a safe and trauma-free leisure, but there was just one obstacle in the way of ensuring that it will be all fine and peachy – Dante.
“Tonight’s tale is lifted from the Camden Town mystery files…CASE NUMBER SIXTY-SIX!” Dante announced, holding a flashlight in his paws as it illuminated light on his face. “This story is called “The Black Dog of Camden.” Long ago, in the very streets of Camden, there lurked a creature with black fur, sharp teeth, razor claws, and GLOWING RED EYES! It sinks its teeth into any other dog that crosses its path. Those unfortunate enough to encounter it were either missing or dragged to the depths of the underworld, leaving behind only the collars on their necks while the ghostly canine preserved the bones of its victims. According to rumors, the black dog tends to haunt the cemeteries of London, waiting for its next target. Some say that its motive is to enact revenge on the humans that claimed its life for its fur. Others say that the black dog is a soul collector for Cerberus itself, making that a likely deduction that any chance encounter of the ghost dog is a possible omen for the END OF THE WORLD! …And that ends the tale of The Black Dog of Camden.” Dante’s somber tone shifted to a normal one when he then said, “So, how did I do?”
“Dante, you may have not noticed, like you do every time we give you a turn in telling the pups a bedtime story, but you were supposed to help them sleep,” Dylan pointed out.
All across the bedroom, Dante saw as the other dalmatian pups exchanged disoriented and concerned looks while others were shaking or whining from fear. He also saw as Dylan and Dolly have given him dirty looks to prove their point.
Almost every night, Dylan and/or Dolly would help get all the pups to sleep by telling them bedtime stories. Other times, they would give themselves a bit of a load off by letting someone else have a turn at this routine, to mixed results. Some of the dalmatians that were reliable for filling in for this job included Dawkins, whose method involved boring them to sleep by reading excerpts from astrophysics reference books or from machine operations manuals, then there was Deepak, whose selections mainly involved stories about cats. DJ was also reliable, though his method involved playing soothing music from his keyboard rather than reading a story. Other considerable options were Da Vinci, although her selections were art books, which were meant to be looked at than read to, and Delgado, who would read too fast, and in a similar fashion to the one human from those old Micro Machines commercials, making it a distraction from getting the pups to sleep.
Then there was Dante. What does he do? Because he doesn’t grasp the contrast between bedtime stories and ghost stories, every story he tells is of the latter kind, and often times they end up scaring the pups from sleeping. He was slightly younger than Dylan and Dolly, but he was at the age where he could start being a responsible sibling. Although Dylan and Dolly know full well that Dante is not reliable for this kind of chore, they still let them share stories so he doesn’t feel left out. Since it was the night before Halloween, however, the two top dogs conceded that it wasn’t the brightest idea to let Dante help the pups fall asleep for the night.
“Yeah, it especially doesn’t help that your story rings a few bells to…you know what,” Dolly remarked towards Dante.
“I’m just doing my part in making sure that we’re all prepared for…the unpredictable!” Dante said. “These stories can serve as a cautionary tale for what might happen for us next!”
The one dog in the Dalmatian family that has been behaving just about the same months after the incident was Dante. While he has already been known for his tendencies to predict the imminent end of the world, the traumatizing experience had only fueled Dante’s paranoia further, for he had almost seen his world ending right before his eyes before the glimmer of hope that saved the Dalmatians.
“Oh please, a ghost dog that collects the souls and bones of its victims, and only leaving behind their collars?” Dylan remarked. “I’ve heard lots of absurd urban legends from you Dante, but this one might just be the most absurd!”
“But what if the black dog is real?” Delgado asked.
“It’s not real! it’s just Dante being Dante!” Dolly said in a reassuring tone, trying to comfort the scared pups.
“I can confirm from a conductive logical reasoning that such a scenario would be scientifically impossible to occur,” Dawkins added.
“Dante, there are scarier things that we’ve dealt with,” Dolly continued. “What happened two months ago was distressing for all of us, we’d like to spend tomorrow without worrying about any of that. You know what tomorrow is, right?”
Of course, Halloween happened to be the favorite holiday of Dante. From his perspective, the concept of Halloween has always been one of life’s greatest enigmas to him. There was another thing that made it special to him, but today, he couldn’t wrap his head around why.
“Why wouldn’t I know what tomorrow is?” Dante responded. “It’s the one day in every year where every strange creature known to dog gathers for one night. Ghosts, werewolves, vampires, zombies, scarecrows, heffalumps, woozles, escaped clones with their faces melting!”
“Relax, Dante,” said Dylan. “We’ve gone over this several times before. They’re all just humans in costume.”
“And yet they appear for one night and they’re all gone the very next day,” Dante continued. “How does that happen? No one knows, and that makes the mystery all the more alluring.”
Dylan rolled his eyes and then replied, “Well, the pups enjoy trick-or-treating, so we are getting dressed up too again this year.”
“Yeah, and I know how much you all don’t want to miss out on those treats!” Dolly said towards the pups. “Don’t let that scary story bother you, so just get some good sleep for tomorrow.”
“I should also remind you all not to go nuts with the treats,” Dylan adds. “Mum and dad had arranged for us to have our teeth checked and cleaned by our in-house animal dentist next week.”
Most of the pups responded with a chorus of “Awww”s. Dawkins, on the other paw, reacted nervously upon mention of the dentist.
“And Dante, if you’re planning on tagging along with us, can we trust you to be on your best behavior by not doing a repeat of last year where you kept freaking out the humans? Can you do that for us?” Dylan asked.
“I was planning on spending the night sheltering myself here from the apocalypse while having myself a horror movie marathon,” Dante replied. “So I’ll need to borrow the TV for tomorrow.”
“All right, but it looks like we’ll have to make sure it doesn’t catch the prying eyes of the younger pups.” Dylan replied. “At least make sure not to put on Little Shop of Horrors. You know how tensed up Dawkins gets when it comes to the dentist.”
“Stop mentioning dentists!” Dawkins exclaimed as he held his lowered ears with both paws out of fear.
“It’ll be fine,” said Dolly. “I mean, don’t you use drills all the time when you and Dylan work on any new inventions?”
“Yes, but not the kind that go in people’s mouths! It’s one of the very few machines that I don’t like!” Dawkins responded. “Why do you think I’ve been trying to keep my teeth clean every day? So much drilling, so much drilling, so much drilling…!”
While Dawkins began shaking, Deepak approached him to try and calm his nerves by massaging his fur before escorting him to the bathroom to let the toothbrusher lessen his worries.
“Fear not, dear brother, let Guru Miaow guide you to the realm of good dental hygiene,” said Deepak.
“I think we’ve had enough worrying about the end of the world for one night,” Dylan finished. “You should be feeling better after getting some good sleep too, Dante.”
Dante conceded and made his sleeping arrangement while Dylan and Dolly calmed down the rest of the pups.
The next day, the family of dalmatians was making their preparations for the night. Once it was close to getting dark, the Dalmatians have gotten dressed in their respective costumes. Dolly is shown dressed as Vee from Owl House, Dizzy & Dee Dee dressed up as a nurse dog and a firedog respectively (calling to mind the respective jobs held by their parents), the Dimitris dressed up together in a three-headed hydra costume, Deepak dressed up as a black cat, Da Vinci dressed up as a Smeargle from the Pokemon franchise, DJ dressed up as Squarepusher (which was one of the very few costumes Dylan and Dawkins had to design for), Delgado dressed up as Optimus Prime, and baby Dorothy was dressed as the similarly-named Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz. While Triple D had spent their previous Halloweens in group costumes, they decided to make themselves individual costumes this year, with Dallas dressing up as Pink Diamond from Steven Universe, Destiny dressing up as Sailor Moon, and Déjà Vu dressing up as Scooby-Doo.
While some of the other dalmatians were getting ready, everyone except Dante was dressed up for the occasion. Dylan then showed himself in front of the others dressed as Poodlewolf.
In the usual grandiose voice he puts on for the character during his Poodlewolf board game sessions, Dylan said as he picked up Dorothy, placed her on his back, and nuzzled her, prompting for her to let out a giggle, “Let us come forth, pups! Poodlewolf is here to take you all trick-or-treating!”
Dolly wasn’t all that amused. “Bro, this is the third year in a row that you dressed up as Poodlewolf,” she remarked.
“Come on, Dolly, Deepak has dressed as a cat every year and I don’t see you complaining about that,” Dylan replied.
“Yes, but at least he goes as a different breed,” Dolly replied.
“She is right. This year I’ve chosen to go as a Bombay, which is recognized for being the most symbolic animal of Halloween,” said Deepak as his tail wagged in delight. “This is the one aspect of the holiday that I look forward to every year, where I can show my inner and an outer cat too!”
“Triple D made most of our costumes, so you got to at least give them credit for that,” Dylan continued towards Dolly.
“They were worth a lot of time and work, so it makes us happy to see you all rocking them,” said Dallas.
“All these costumes we’ve made are animal-friendly, which is what makes them even more special,” Destiny added.
“Reah- I mean, yep, we did a great job!” Déjà Vu said. “I can’t wait any longer to get myself a bunch of Scooby Snacks!”
“Yeah, just don’t oversell it, Déjà Vu,” Dallas remarked.
“That should be everyone, right?” Dolly asked as Dylan did his mandatory head count.
“That’s everyone except Dawkins and Diesel,” Dylan informed. “They both said that they’re making their costumes, so we’ll just to have to wait for them for a bit and- OH MY DOG, what is that!?”
What Dylan gazed upon that gave him a panic was what appeared to be a dog-sized replica of Megazord from the Power Rangers franchise.
“What do you think it is?” Dawkins’s slightly muffled voice spoke from the inside of the body of armor. “This is what I’m going as for the occasion.”
Dylan let out a deep sigh of relief and then said, “Oh, it’s just you, Dawkins.”
“Whoa, it looks like we forgot to tell him not to go too extra this year,” Dolly joked.
“Oh no! No, no, no! You are not going as that while trick-or-treating with us,” said Dylan. “You could step on some humans or even one of us if you’re not careful!”
“Oh kibbles!” Dawkins bemoaned, as the Megazord replication gave a dejected look before the dalmatian descended below the suit of armor to show himself, having turned off its functions. “I’ve gotten into the spirit of this holiday so that I could show the capabilities of dogs in the field of science and engineering. I was only going to participate in the Camden costume contest since trick-or-treating doesn’t suit me, and I don’t want to waste three weeks’ worth of work that I’ve put into making this replica of Megazord.”
“Come on bro, let him go out and have his own fun,” Dolly said towards Dylan before turning her eyes back to Dawkins. “You’ve made an awesome costume, and you deserve to have the residents of Camden see your genius.”
“Well, now that you put it that way, you can at least go to that contest in that,” Dylan acquiesced, “but you still need to be careful, and since we don’t really trust Dante to be home all by himself, you wouldn’t mind keeping him company while the rest of us are out trick-or-treating, right?”
“Of course I wouldn’t mind,” Dawkins replied.
“So that leaves Diesel,” said Dolly. “Where the heck is he anyway?”
Conveniently so, the dalmatians took notice of Diesel stumbling his way down the stairs while dressed in a black bed sheet with one too many holes cut into it.
“I am the black dog of Camden!” Diesel proclaimed as he then made ghost noises.
“Oh Diesel, don’t tell me Dante’s story last night got to your head,” said Dylan.
“Okay, I won’t.” Diesel replied.
“I’m worried about you not being able to see in that thing. We can’t have you bumping into anybody or getting lost from our group by accident.” Dylan replied. “Well, now that we’re all gathered here, I should point out first thing that I need you all to be on your best behavior, don’t interact with any of the human kids, and keep your voices low, even when you feel the need to say “Trick-or-treat!.” The humans can’t understand what we say anyway, but at least let out a gentle bark to say thanks when you get your treats.” The majority of the dalmatian pups responded with a chorus of “We promise.”
“Can I do some ghost hunting?” Diesel asked. “Let me at ‘em if you see any.”
“Just don’t get ahead of yourself and freak out any of the human kids that are also dressed as ghosts,” Dylan informed. “Let’s get this over with, now.”
As Dylan reached his paw towards the scanner to unlock the door, Dante interrupted him by saying in a panicked tone, “Stop, don’t open the door! You don’t know what could be waiting for us from the other side!”
“Like what?” Dolly questioned. “What are the odds that we’re going to see the black dog of Camden?”
“Or worse…the human that tried to kill us for our coats coming back for revenge!” Dante fretted.
“What I’m more concerned about is humans showing up at our door for candy and realizing that we don’t have a human in the house, which is why we put up very specific signs to lure them away,” said Dylan as the outside of the front door showed signs that read “STAY OUT!!!,” “NO CANDY HERE!!!,” “THAT’S RIGHT, KEEP WALKING,” “NOTHING TO SEE HERE,” and the typical “BEWARE OF DOGS.”
“But you guys heard what she said about how we haven’t seen the last of her,” said Dante. “What if she does come back tonight? If all these creatures known to human and dog can congregate on a night like this, there’s no doubt in my mind that this could be a sign of her return!”
“Look, Dante,” Dylan responded, “we know you’ve been right a few times before with your predictions, and we’ve been more than willing to listen to you because of that, but right now, this is not the time to deal with them. There’s no such thing as ghost dogs, and most importantly, there’s no way that we’re ever going to encounter that evil lady again!”
When Dylan opened up the door, they were met by something resembling a familiar entity. Seeing the hairstyle that they recognized belonging to Cruella, the Dalmatians (except for Diesel, who couldn’t see due to the sheet covering him), by instinct, screamed out of fear.
“Feeling terrified!” Dawkins exclaimed.
However, the horrified expressions from the dalmatians would then immediately become stern looks after they realize that it was just their corgi neighbor Clarissa playing a cruel joke on them with a wig.
“Trick-or-treat, ruff raff!” Clarissa said before letting out several laughs for the scare she had given.
Unfortunately for the Dalmatians, even after having developed somewhat of a change of heart after the dognapping incident and providing some help for letting Dylan and Dolly come to their family’s rescue on the cargo ship that night, Clarissa still remained her stuck-up and intolerant self.
“Never mind, it’s just Clarissa,” said Dylan in a vexed tone.
“Ugh, Clarissa,” Dolly growled. “You know, I get this is a holiday for playing tricks and I may be the one for pulling pranks, but that wasn’t very funny!”
“Yeah, what happened to us that one night is no laughing matter, we agreed on that!” Dylan retorted.
“I know, but I couldn’t just pass up the opportunity to see how much of a good scare that I could give you all and it satisfies one’s self to see the looks on your faces!” Clarissa responded. “It gives one much more of a laugh to see what kind of tacky costumes a bunch of dalmatians put together this year.” She then said, referring to Dolly’s Vee costume, “What are you supposed to be anyway?”
“I couldn’t think about what I should dress up as this year, so I let Triple D decide for me and they made me a costume of a character from that one show they’re into. They say I ‘sound just like her,’ even though I don’t really see it, but I still appreciate the thought they put into it, so I’ll have you know that Triple D have great sense in fashion, and our costumes are not as tacky your phony getup,” Dolly sneered.
“You should leave, Clarissa,” said Dylan. “We just want to enjoy ourselves for the night, and we certainly don’t want to keep dealing with your jokes.”
“Then one shall leave you ruff raff alone, but one shall continue to treasure this moment. I must say though that one does appreciate that we had the same idea of keeping a bunch of little brats away from one’s house. One can’t allow for the quality time Hugo has arranged for me to be ruined by some meddlesome dogs,” Clarissa finished as she then strutted back to her house.
“False alarm, Dante, you can stop hiding now,” Dylan called out, taking notice of his absence from the group.
Dante revealed himself from the dumbwaiter and reappeared with the other dalmatians. He then asks, “Is it safe to go out now?”
“I don’t sense any danger,” said Dolly. “Now let’s go out and get some treats, there’s no more time to waste!”
“Any of those treats could have razor blades inside of them or they could be laced with chocolate, so be sure to check each one!” Dante forewarned.
“Sure, we’ll believe in one of the oldest superstitions in the book,” Dolly remarked in a sarcastic tone.
“Um, Dolly, aren’t you too old to be trick-or-treating yourself?” Dylan asked, referring to the bag she had on her.
“We’re dogs, Dylan, how can we be too old for free treats?” Dolly replied.
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Even if folks say that this is the point where the cracks were beginning to show for the channel, I'm nostalgic for this particular time period:
(Although I voted for CN City era anyway since it truly was CN's peak, IMO.)
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Spirit Bomb Slimer
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What do you love most about Kongo Bongo?
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It's funny to look back at how I went from respecting them for the one time they used a sample of my personal flagship cartoon to just being one of my most hated music acts in most recent memory once The Click happened. I've already exhausted every ounce of critique I've had towards AJR, so all I could say now is that I wonder how many more albums about how much growing up sucks they'll make until they actually mature as music artists.
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The playlist's length caps at 29 1/2 mins, so I barely clinched it with this one.
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From what I've heard, Widward is wiving wis west wife wight wow.
Tiki Land
in Davy Jones' Locker
Posted
9. 'Imi a loa'a (Discover)
“Take a closer look…” The voice responded and soon enough, Koamalu saw a clear image of the person in front of him, awaiting the complete answer that she had for him, “I’m your mother, Koamalu.”
The reveal left Koamalu feeling stunned, but he couldn’t distrust the one spiritual being who’s been giving him guidance ever since he ended up outside of Enakai’s dimension. In fact, by knowing that she appeared be the same creature as Koamalu and has the same color palette and Totem God markings on her scales as he did made the sea dragon feel convinced that she could be his mother.
“It may be hard to believe, but I want you to know that I’m speaking the truth,” the other, old sea dragon spoke. “My name is Moe’uhane, and I am your mother. Ever since you were born, I’ve tried to warn you about Enakai. You were very young back then, but when the time came that you would be old enough to understand that he has been exploiting you, he cut off your connection to the dream world by entrapping you in an identical and desolate dimension.”
“That’s right. Enakai told me everything…” said Koamalu. “He even said that he killed you, so why are you here?”
“Indeed he did kill me in my physical form. This dreamscape is the only place that I could be alive, and because of that, I was unable to take you back from Enakai just like how he took you from me, and my life along with it,” Moe’uhane explained. “It’s because you’re alive that I still have my connection to you and that I can co-exist in this world.”
“Okay, but there’s one thing I still don’t get. What are these Totem God powers of mine for and how do they activate anyway?”
“You’re a dream weaver, Koamalu, just like me. Your powers are fully awakened in the world of dreams or when your markings on your body sense you’re in serious danger.”
“So that’s why I was able to break free from Enakai before he could kill me…”
“Well, Koamalu, now that I’ve told you some the things you needed to know about me being your mother, do you believe me?”
Knowing full well that he never met one of his parents up until this very point, Koamalu didn’t feel completely convinced, but on the contrary, from the way that Moe’uhane spoke to him with such compassion, gentleness, and sincerity in her tone had given Koamalu less of a notion to believe that it’s a deception of some kind. As of way of confirming himself that Moe’uhane is his true guardian, he came over to her for an embrace, and was returned with a one from the entity that he knew that could only come from the love of a mother. After sensing and seeing nothing malevolent after the affection he’s given and received, Koamalu hugged Moe’uhane a second time.
“Mom!” Koamalu sobbed with tears forming in his eyes.
Moe’uhane expressed the same tearful emotions, and then saying to Koamalu, “Oh, if only if your father were still here and he were Totem God like us, we could’ve been able to see ourselves as a complete family just this one time.”
After taking in the moment to feel the spirit of his mother, Koamalu spaced back and prepared to hear what else Moe’uhane had to say for him.
“By the time you re-enter the real world, you’re going to be facing the Lava King,” Moe’uhane informed, making Koamalu feel something anxious inside him before he felt his backside pulsing once more, kneeling and grunting in pain.
“Mom, what’s happening to me?” Koamalu asked.
“Your powers seem to be interfering with your respiratory system,” said Moe’uhane. “Perhaps it’s because your body can’t handle being in the water for so long, but I can’t be so sure when I’ve never been able to raise you properly and since I’ve lost my physical form many years ago.”
“I want the pain to stop,” Koamalu replied.
“So do I, and because you’re still alive in the outside world, you’ll feel pain here as well. One thing you should focus on now is conquering the Lava King.”
“And then what? I still have to restore the universes back to the way they were before the wormhole destroys everything and I don’t know what to do. Enakai chose not to tell me anything. Do you know what I must do?”
“This is what I’ve been worried about explaining to you most. It would have to take a lot of power invested in you to reverse the damage that Enakai and the Lava King caused, and the solution seems to require making some sacrifices. Koamalu, before we depart again, remember what I’ve told you about being a dream weaver and-“
“Koamalu, wake up!”
The sea dragon heard SpongeBob’s voice echoing within the dreamscape. Koamalu gazed at his mother one last time before he awoke in front of his partner and Patrick, where he found himself in front of what appeared to be the crater of a volcano.
“Thank goodness you’re still conscious,” said SpongeBob. “Koamalu, there’s no time left to lose! Everyone else has become stone statues and the Lava King-“
“Yes, be thankful that you’re still alive,” the Lava King said towards Koamalu, prompting for the sea dragon to face the entity that stood right in front of him and SpongeBob. “I don’t like waiting around and I could’ve easily turned you into stone before you could wake up if I could, but I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to make your demise special.”
“Hey SpongeBob!” Patrick called out, “And hey, uhhh….”
“Patrick, what are you doing here?” SpongeBob questioned. “In fact, how did you get here?”
“I followed you and your new friend into the cave because I have something important to say to you,” Patrick responded, “…if I could remember. Oh yeah, I was going to say to you and your friend Kalamazoo that I, uh…apologize for-“
Before Patrick could say any more, the Lava King turned the sea star into stone for Koamalu and SpongeBob to witness.
“I could’ve done this to the nuisance much earlier. He’s been a lazy oaf for too long,” the Lava King tormented.
“And you’ve punished everyone else by turning them into stone,” Koamalu retorted.
“I did so because they chose to defy me,” the Lava King argued, “and I’ll do the same thing to you two once I’m done!”
“You’ll have nothing left to rule over anyway!” Koamalu pointed out. “The dimensional rift is going to keep going unstable until this entire world is destroyed!”
“Oh yeah, but if Enakai wasn’t so stubborn, he would fix it up.”
“No. Because…Enakai is gone...”
“So you’ve killed him, huh?”
“I never intended to, I just reduced his dimension to rubble and-“
“That doesn’t matter anyway, because this makes us the same now. To be blunt, I’ve been the supreme leader of my own domain even after I’ve killed every inhabitant, subjecting myself to loneliness and boredom until luck came my way. So I guess I’ll just have to make my own enjoyment last while I still can.”
“No, we’re not the same and we’ll never be the same, because SpongeBob and I are going to make you regret everything that you did!”
“How are you going to do that? Kill me then, although that automatically makes you both no better than I.”
“If we can’t kill you, we’ll still try to drive you out,” SpongeBob chimed in. “Go back to where you came from and never bother anyone again. You’ve hurt too many people and for that, we’re going to give you what you deserve!”
“Then you’re going to have to defeat me in a real fight,” the Lava King commenced, “fire when ready.”
“We are both ready,” Koamalu said, indicating determination in his disposition.
“Right,” SpongeBob acquiesced.
With no more time to waste, SpongeBob and Koamalu began their ultimate showdown against the Lava King, the latter who in which stood out like a giant compared to them. SpongeBob and Koamalu already knew that regular-sized emanations were feeble against the lava creature, so they started by amplifying their spells, with SpongeBob conjuring giant water balls and Koamalu conjuring torpedoes made out of water, each hitting the Lava King and producing steam but they were easily withstood by him.
“Ha, ha, ha, you’re making this very easy for me,” the Lava King remarked.
The Lava King then proceeded to launch a barrage of fire balls at SpongeBob and Koamalu, who would manage to either dodge or guard against them each time. Koamalu’s next attack against the Lava King involved conjuring a volley of boulders large enough to make a dent on the lava creature, but the Lava King caught and crumbled the rocks with each throw given to him. The Lava King then made his next move by
“Oh man, this guy sure is tough,” said SpongeBob.
“Yes, but we must keep trying,” Koamalu reassured. “He’s got to have a weak spot. I have one idea that we can use.”
Koamalu and SpongeBob resumed taking on the Lava King, with SpongeBob launching his next attack by emitting a large enough whirlpool to slam at the lava giant or to contain him, and it managed to be strong enough to make the opponent feel some scrapes in his formidable magma body. Koamalu thought about the surfing training that he had been given by SpongeBob and Larry, and together with his partner SpongeBob, they produced a large wave and a surfboard each beneath their feet. The Lava King would then spew lava from his body, producing steam across the surrounding surf in the process. SpongeBob and Koamalu used their swift moves to evade the falling drops of lava. Koamalu boosted himself upwards with his board to then emit his next attacks against the Lava King while swerving away from the lava giant’s blasts from his hands. Koamalu’s conjurations ranged from king-sized water arrows to falling ice chunks, and harpoons. Each time, however, Koamalu got a look at how strong the lava giant’s guard was and far-off it was from becoming loose.
SpongeBob’s next attack involved conjuring a pod of dolphins in the shape of water, before then launching the same type of attack albeit in form of different creatures including leopard seals, sharks, and finally, a whale. The Lava King found himself having more difficulty sustaining those attacks but kept his guard. The Lava King would then change his strategy by emitting a thick cloud of smoke around SpongeBob and Koamalu’s line of vision before then shooting bursts of lava towards his targets. This digression caused for SpongeBob and Koamalu to take hits, let alone minor scrape burns to their arms or knees. Koamalu then conjured a strong wind to blow out the smokescreen whilst he and SpongeBob tried to evade the fire blasts through veering on their surfboards.
When the Lava King emitted another barrier of smoke, Koamalu and SpongeBob sprayed blasts of water to condense them and as well as to counter the lava blasts, producing steam in the process. SpongeBob produced a stream within the tide to flow into the Lava King while Koamalu conjured more boulders to spurt at and subdue the lava giant, with some being evaded and some managing to make a dent. The Lava King’s next move would be to spit fire across the field, causing for the emitted tide to evaporate, though SpongeBob and Koamalu continued to levitate on the surfboards. The Lava King continues by spouting lava all around. Koamalu’s board takes a hit and dissipates, prompting for SpongeBob to conjure clouds to cease his crash landing. SpongeBob’s next idea for an attack against the Lava King involved conjuring a series of geysers right in front of the adversary. As the geysers managed to deal damage to the Lava King, Koamalu followed suit in emitting them alongside the sea sponge.
The Lava King would then emit a barrier of lava rock to encompass all around himself to negate SpongeBob and Koamalu from conjuring geysers. The Lava King would be unable to attack with the shield raised up, letting SpongeBob and Koamalu carry out their next strategy in attacking him. They re-emitted the tall surf along with their surfboards, using any sort of attack that they could think of to shatter the Lava King’s defense barrier. Koamalu conjured a steel drill that would be big and strong enough to penetrate the shield, and once he was able to reduce it to rubble, the Lava King produced bursts of lava through multiple directions. SpongeBob and Koamalu used their surfing abilities to dodge each of the Lava King’s assails.
That was until the drastic happened and SpongeBob saw as the Lava King struck Koamalu in the backside with one of his blasts. Koamalu yelped in pain and fell off his surfboard. Losing focus on the fight, the surf would deactivate and SpongeBob rushed over to catch Koamalu and check on him, to see a red, throbbing wound superimposed all around his blue appendages. Koamalu fell unconscious as a result of the pain dealt form the lava titan.
“Koamalu, Koamalu, please be alright!” SpongeBob pleaded.
Koamalu returned to the dreamscape and so he saw the spirit of his mother once more, all while leaning down, breathing heavily, and groaning from his pain. He waited as Moe’uhane came over to his side.
“Am I still alive?” Koamalu whimpered. “…Am I going to die? Mom…”
“The Lava King hurt you…” Moe’uhane muttered. “I could give him a piece of my mind if I still had my physical form, but now you’re in-between life and death.”
“What must I do…mother?” Koamalu intoned while still in serious pain.
Koamalu looked around to see one particular presence that wasn’t there in his previous advents in the dreamscape, as he saw an animated image within the vicinity that resembled the physical world and he was able to witness SpongeBob still fighting the Lava King, although struggling due to focusing on keeping his physical body from further harm. Moe’uhane joined in to take a glance at was now transpiring from the outside.
“That friend of yours is putting your life above his own,” Moe’uhane remarked. “What does that mean to you?”
“SpongeBob…has meant a lot to me,” Koamalu groaned. “There’s so much that I’ve learned and that I’ve regained about myself…because of him.”
“As you can see, Koamalu, you’re not the only one who’s in pain right now,” Moe’uhane continued. From what Koamalu could see, her non-physical form was showing signs of diminishing. “If you die, I can no longer co-exist. What happens now is up to you, even if it means we’ll both never see each other again…”
“I can’t allow this entire emotional journey that Enakai made me go through go in vain like he planned…and I’ll never let the Lava King win. I remembered what you told me…about who I am as a Totem God…and how those powers are embodied in dreams. I think I know what I have to do now. I’m going to leave it all up to SpongeBob.”
Moe’uhane knew what Koamalu meant and consented to his ultimate decision. Koamalu breathed in and out to concentrate himself from his burning pain to unleash the remaining energy he possessed. The markings on his body glowed white in the dreamscape, before the same effect would take place in the physical world.
“Why don’t you just give up and concede defeat already?” The Lava King tormented.
SpongeBob felt a sudden burst of energy being transferred inside him. The totem powers charm emitted a similar radiance whilst the markings on Koamalu’s body somehow disappeared as a result of the bestowing process. The Lava King was prepared to launch out a finishing move on both SpongeBob and Koamalu until he noticed the sudden change in SpongeBob’s aura.
“What’s all this?” The Lava King questioned. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I still won’t be outmatched by some weedy invertebrate!”
It was then that SpongeBob, without freewill of his powers, conjured a spectral image of a sea dragon with white glowing eyes that resembled a bigger version of Koamalu, and with the same Totem God markings.
“You’ve hurt my friends and you’ve caused enough pain and suffering to all of Bikini Bottom,” SpongeBob said with sudden vigor in his tone. “Your tyranny ends here.”
“Perhaps I’ve misjudged your abilities,” the Lava King remarked, “but you can’t intimidate me.”
The Lava King’s very last words before finishing the battle would prove to be a facade after being dealt the full powers of a Totem God. The manifested sea dragon whacked and blistered away at the lava titan with ease. Every time that the Lava King tried to overpower the spawn, his attacks would either be resisted or quashed by the intense power of a hundred crashing waves. SpongeBob continued to let the sea dragon rampage against the Lava King until he was reduced to a small blob. The formerly giant lava creature’s strength was diminished so much that all that remained of him had now burned out like a candle light, with his ashes blowing in the wind and leaving nothing of him left in the caldera…except for Koamalu’s deep wound.
The manifestation of the sea dragon ceased afterwards while SpongeBob took plenty of heavy breaths before self-confirming that the horrors of the Lava King were now over and, in an instant, rushed to Koamalu’s side.
“Koamalu!” SpongeBob exclaimed. “Don’t die on me…please.”