RJ Writing Ink

Jay’s Month of Scares, Day 6- Regular Show, Terror Tales of the Park

Last year when I was writing for FANDOM, I tried following up my Nicktoons Halloween post with another one. This time, it would be about Regular Show and their series of Halloween specials, Terror Tales of the Park. They didn’t approve it in time, so I scrapped it. No ones stopping me now, though!

If you haven’t seen “Terror Tales”, it follows the same formula as The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror.” It’s a stand-alone episode that let the cast and writers do some fun short stories. It was a staple of the show until it ended.

Creepy Doll

In the first segment, Pops reunited with his childhood doll, Percy. Mordecai and Rigby try to get him to get rid of the doll, but it keeps coming back. It also wants to draw on people’s faces, so there’s that, too.

I get that this story was supposed to be a PG version of Chucky from the Child’s Play series, but this wasn’t that scary. Which was the point; this was a story that Pops was telling to the Park Gang. No one else thought the story was scary, just weird.

Death Metal Crash Pit

In Muscle Man and Hi-Five’s story, they decide to crash an old RV into the park’s crash pit. Turns out that RV is the resting place of a deceased death metal band. A really terrible death metal band, too!

I almost forgot about this story until I rewatched the episode, and it reminded me of why. The ghost band played the worst music I’ve ever heard. It explains why Muscle Man decides crash the RV into the Crash Pit with him in it. As a side note, this moment also introduced us to the Crash Pit, which plays a big role in Muscle Man and Fives friendship.

In the House

When Rigby’s refused candy on Halloween, he eggs an old wizard’s house. Furious, the wizard vows to make Rigby pay. How does he do it? By turning him into a house and attacking his friends when they try to interfere.

This was my segment on the first Terror Tales special, because it’s equal parts scary as it is absurd. The Park members end up dying gruesome deaths, or about as gruesome as a kids show allows. Then it turns into something absurdly silly when the Wizard’s ultimate payback… is to egg Rigby. I couldn’t help but laugh at how petty it was!

Of course, it helped that the Wizard was voiced by Mark Hamill, and that the episode ends with this jumpscare! Happy Halloween!

This was a good start to a new Halloween tradition: the tradition of the Terror Tales of the Park! I looked forward to seeing it every Halloween, and I still back on it fondly. Happy Halloween!

Click here to see the FANDOM Article I did for Halloween last year.

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Edens Zero Chapter 63 Review/Recap

The battle for the fate of Sun Jewel continues. As the evil Scarlet Woman’s forces attempt to crush Drakken Joe and Edens Zero. While Rebecca and Weisz take down one of Kurenai’s lieutenants, Shiki faves her himself in giant. Another typical Shonen fight, but it’s still entertaining to watch, and it does bring up a good point about carrying one’s will.

Recap

Shiki’s fight with Kurenai’s turning against him, as her mech’s coated one Ether, making his Ether Gear useless. Thus, Shiki changes tactics and uses his gear on the environment. Shiki forces Kurenai into the slums, proclaiming that he’s carrying Valkyrie’s will. Kurenai says that carrying the will of a machine is nothing but naive idealism in the face of reality. Shiki counters this, and her attack, by saying that facing reality like her has done nothing to make the world a better place.

Meanwhile, Rebecca and Weisz regroup after their fight with Baku, and get clothes. Weisz is naked, and Rebecca’s missing her panties (don’t ask!). They resupply inside a weapons locker, but right when they’re ready, they’re trapped. The culprit is none other than Nino, who tells Rebecca that the only way to get out is to beat him. Left with no choice, Rebecca’s forced into a B-Cuber vs B-Cuber battle!

Review

So much for a straightforward Shonen fight, I guess. Too often, fights in the Shonen genre of manga resort to the “who punches harder” formula, but Shiki knows how to use his brain. Using his ether gear on the environment was a clever way to even the odds.

As for Kurenai’s speech about carrying one’s will, I’m with Shiki on this one. She’s basically saying that being an adult means not trying to cake the world a better place. It’s that cynical attitude that will ensure Shiki’s victory. I’d rather be a naive child than someone like Kurenai.

The next chapters going to be an interesting one, of you ask me. Gamer vs the Otaku, two of the biggest niches on social media. B-Cuber vs B-Cuber!

I Give “The One That Carries on the Soul” a 3.5/5. Nice Speech

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One Piece Chapter 958 Review/Recap

Today’s the big day day for One Piece. The third act of the Wano Arc’s set to begin. Unfortunately, it chooses to start with a whimper. I’m not saying that as an insult, though. I’m saying it because Orochi did something to sabotage the Alliance. Let me explain.

Recap

In a flashback, we see Kozuki Oden conversing with the Roger Pirates as he prepares to leave. He’s been summoned to Wano to become Shogun, but vows to open its borders to the world in twenty years time. Thus, Act Three begins.

In the present, Orochi’s men head to Onigashima for the Fire Festival as the Flower Capital celebrates. The festivals the only day when alcohol is legal, so everyone’s partying. Elsewhere, in Tokage Harbor, The Red Scabbards and Momonuske arrive to find nothing.

A fearsome storm has wracked Tokage harbor, and none of their allies are present, not even the Straw Hats. The port shows signs of being attacked, and the group begins to give into despair 😩. As the chapter ends, it’s revealed that Orochi did something to Tokage Harbor the night before the rendezvous.

Review

My worst fears have seemingly been confirmed: Orochi knew about the whole plan. It was made clear that he knew about the new rendezvous point, so I expected he would do something. Yet I never expected anything like this to happen.

Even if Orochi hadn’t done anything, this storm would have made departure almost impossible. I’ve read about something like this. When the Mongols tried to invade Japan a second time, their fleet was destroyed in a massive storm. The Japanese called it a “Kamikaze” or divine wind. Now it looks like the same thing is preventing Wano’s champions from freeing her.

This is just my theory, but I think the Alliance was forced to move to a new location or remain anchored outside the harbor. They’d have Nami with them, so I doubt a mere storm could sink the fleet. I also don’t think the Alliance would be destroyed at Tokage. Not with the Straw Hats there.

As a side note, I liked seeing the flashback of Oden and the Roger Pirates. It’s clear that Oden was held in high regard by all who knew him, making it all the more heartbreaking to know of his unjust fate. He may be dead, but his will lives on his children and followers. The Alliance will win, and Orochi will die.

Sadly, we must wait two weeks to learn what happened the night before. It’s unfortunate, but no use crying about it. Just means there’s more time to get hyped up for the final battle!

I Give “The Promised Harbor” a 4/5. Good setup for the climax.

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My Thoughts and Opinions on Steven Universe Future

As plenty of people have pointed out, “Battle of Heart and Mind” could have been the series finale of Steven Universe. Yet Cartoon Network and Rebecca Sugar chose to keep going forward with it. That led to last month’s hit Steven Universe: The Movie blowing up the Internet. Rather than end with that, though, New York Comic Con 2019 has shown that the stories not over. At the Steven Universe Panel yesterday, fans got treated to love musical performances by the cast and a look at the next, and sadly final, season of the show, Steven Universe Future.

I didn’t get to go to NYCC this year, but that’s not stopping me from giving my thoughts on the biggest news. So here we are with Steven Universe Future. If you haven’t seen the show or movie, be aware, spoiler warning ahead!

New Intro

The major pieces of info to come out of NYCC are the synopsis for the new season, the possible villains, and of course, the intro. At the time of this writing, the new intro’s trending on YouTube.

I have a lot to say from just the intro alone. Instead of an updated version of “We are the Crystal Gems”, the new intro song is a remix of “Here We Are in the Future”. That was one of my favorite songs from the movie, so I love this. It also provides context for the show’s new title.

Adding onto the excitement is that the intro contains a slew of characters joining the main quartet singing. We got the uncorrupted gems, the Off-Colors, the Nephrite crew, Lapis, Peridot, and Bismuth, and the Diamonds all joining in. The most notable inclusion, though, has to be Spinel.

Even if Spinel was the villain of Steven Universe: The Movie, I couldn’t help but love her. She’s goofy and energetic, in no small part to her animation style, and I sympathize with her backstory. After the events of the film, Spinel reformed and got adopted by the Diamonds, and that’s done some good for her. She looks genuinely happy, and I hope we get to see more of her in the final season.

Little needs to be said about the animation used, since it’s made by the guy who did the sequence for “Other Friends”. It’s as crisp and as fluid as they come, and the whole thing feels like a moving work of art.

Plus, Steven is driving!!

Villains New and Old

Even though Steven brought peace to the galaxy and to Earth, the film taught him that there’s always going to be trouble. I learned a long time ago that no matter what, there’s always going to be some jerks trying to wreck everything. Well, the intro gave us a look at the villains.

In the corner, we see an old enemy in the form of Jasper. She was uncorrupted at the end of “Battle of Heart and Mind”. I had hoped that this would lead her to try to change for the better, but that may have to wait. Right now, it looks like she still has a bone to pick with Steven. In hindsight, the revelation that Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond and that everything she knew was a lie would make someone mad.

Then we have this cactus monster with Steven’s face. It’s possible that the cactus was created using Steven’s saliva, but it’s too soon to tell. What interests me most, though, is what looks like White Diamond and that giant worm monster. White has already reformed, so why is she depicted as so evil looking? As for the worm monster, is it some new enemy of the Gems? I’ve seen theories that it could be the creator of the Gem Race, which would be interesting. I’ve always wondered how the Gems came into being, and the final season may answer that question.

The Plot

As said before, Steven Universe Future is the sixth and final season of Steven Universe. This is unfortunate, but we always knew that this day would come. We should be happy that the show managed to tell the story it wanted, and that it lasted so long.

Technically, the sixth season isn’t even a full season; it’s being billed as an “epilogue limited series.” My guess is that the final season will be far shorter than previous ones. At best, it will be half as long as a regular season, which will give it time to wrap up loose ends.

Speaking of loose ends, that’s going to be the focus of Steven Universe Future. The official synopsis for it is as follows

After saving the universe, Steven is still at it, tying up every loose end. But as he runs out of other people’s problems to solve, he’ll finally have to face his own.

Cartoon Network

Cartoon Network

Based on this, I think this epilogue will help to tie any remaining plot threads hanging. This could mean anything, but I do have my hopes to see a few things. We could see some moments dedicated to the people of Beach City and finish any problems they may have. More likely, though, it’s going to focus on the Gems. If the show wants to be realistic, then it could deal with Homeworld dealing with the consequences of their past actions. I doubt the other sentient beings of the universe will be so quick to forgive them. It would also help expand the show’s universe and make room for potential future content.

In the Future

No matter how I look at it, it’s clear that Steven Universe Future will have plenty of good stories left to offer fans of the show. It could have easily ended with Season Five, everything wrapped up perfectly. Yet Rebecca Sugar and the crew decided to go the extra mile and give us more stories to look forward to. I think it shows how dedicated they are to make Steven Universe the best show it can be. In my opinion, it’s this love and dedication that’s made Steven Universe the cultural phenomenon it’s become.

The shows inspired millions of fans young and old around the world, not just because it’s a good cartoon, but because of the messages it sends. Ten years ago, it would be unheard to see same sex couples on a kids show, but Steven Universe helped change that. I’m willing to bet that years from now, people will look back on it and call it one of the most important cartoons of the 21st century.

As for when the final season be coming out, that is unknown. All Cartoon Network has said is that it’s “coming soon”. I’m going to assume this means it will be out sometime in the year 2020 or later. I’m willing to wait for as long as necessary, so long as we get the finale Steven Universe deserves. I’ll try to keep on top of news about it, in the meantime. One things for certain, though: we’re going to get plenty of great songs

Your Thoughts

What are your thoughts on the news about Steven Universe Future? Did I miss anything you wanted me to cover? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

If you want to hear someone else’s thoughts, then you should check out The Roundtable on YouYube. They do reviews, breakdowns, and theories about loads of cartoons. They’re at Comic Con right now, but that hasn’t stopped them from doing a video on the new season of Steven Universe.

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