Since Soos introduced Fiddleford to anime in the final episode, I thought it would be fun if they made watching anime a weekly occurrence. I really don't know why I decided to actually make this into a fanfiction, but here it is. It's dumb, but it sounded like a good idea at the time.
This story itself is probably rated K plus, but some of the clips of the show they're watching/discussing contain heavy violence, so I had to make this a T rating.
I might make this a multi-chapter story with different anime series if enough people are interested. But for now this is a one-shot.
There are some minor spoilers for the final episode of Gravity Falls in this story.
The scent of butter popcorn filled the kitchen. Soos checked to make sure all the necessary snacks were present. The microwave chimed signalling that the popcorn was ready. Soos reached into the small appliance, hissing at the sudden sting of the hot bag. The pouch opened wafting that buttery steam into Soos' face which took all of his self-control not to cram a handful in his mouth.
The popcorn was poured into a plastic green bowl then sat in the center of a metal tray that contained the rest of the goodies for the Friday night tradition. Whistling Soos carried the tray of snacks into the living room. One look at the old recliner facing the television brought back many memories of hanging out with Stan and the Pines twins. He missed them, but melancholy was kept brief at knowing they would be back for summer break in four more months.
Melody entered the living room with a smile on her face and her handbag full of yarn over her shoulder. She kissed her boyfriend on the cheek before heading for the front door to meet up with her crocheting group that met on Tuesdays and Fridays. The group was founded by Lazy Susan, and for the longest time it was her and Meredith until Melody moved back into town, her shared interest gained her entrance into the group. The other two members were the reporter Shaundra-who used the creative activity to unwind, and Priscilla Northwest-who was surprisingly good at the craft. Come summer Melody would definitely extend an invitation to Mabel.
Soos waved as Melody left announcing she'd be back in about two hours time. Soos walked to the door to watch his girlfriend climb into her car, then watched until she drove out of view. Melody found it adorable how he worried over her.
A quick glance at the clock showed that Fiddleford McGucket would be arriving at any minute.
During the battle for their town against Bill Cipher and the other demons Soos introduced the old man to Japanese animation more commonly known as anime. McGucket studied a few action series for inspiration on Soos' suggestion of gun swords to use against Bill. After Weirdmageddon ended Fiddleford mentioned he wanted to watch a few more anime series, which Soos was happy to oblige. Over the past year and a half every Friday the two met up for a weekly viewing party of whatever anime Soos came across-both new series and old favorites.
Thus far they had watched the entirety of Yuyu Hakusho, four seaons of Dragonball Z, all of Astro Boy, Death Note, and Clannad: After Story (in which five of the episodes brought Soos to heavy tears). Soos had also come across a bargain DVD of Corpse Party, and after barely making through the first episode they tossed the disc into the fire. This time Soos chose a title that had grown quite the fanbase over the past year.
Five minutes later the doorbell rang. Soos opened up to reveal his friend. The man of the house led his company into the television room where McGucket took his usual spot on the cushioned stool.
"Whatcha got fer us tonight?" Fiddleford asked.
"I heard this one's pretty popular, and wanted to give it a try," Soos said and handed the DVD box to McGucket.
"Huh, all those buildin's are burnin'. What's with the muscly giant?" McGucket asked. However it had the same director as Death Note, which he thoroughly enjoyed, and hoped this one was as thought provoking.
Soos inserted the DVD into the player then pressed play.
"So what's it about?" Fiddleford asked as Soos sat down.
The new Mystery Shack owner crossed his left leg over the right one. "These titan dudes break down a huge wall and terrorize the city," he answered. "Then these military guys use these special swords and flying gear specifically designed to fight them." Soos laughed. "I haven't watched it yet, but it sounds cool."
"Weird monsters bent on destroyin' their town and the people fight back using special weapons," Fiddleford mused. He stroked at his beard while staring at the ceiling with pursed lips. "Now why's that sound familiar?"
"Dunno, dawg," Soos said with a shrug.
The episode begin and both stared at the TV screen. It began with birds flying over the city with a haunting score playing over. Distraught people stared into the distance. A few seconds later a red hand gripped the wall. The camera cut to the three main characters and the lead male began his brief narration. Gradually the Colossal Titan showed his skinless face, peering down at the tiny humans.
The tense choral music provided a transition as soldiers rushed into action on horseback. With the aid of maneuver gear they shot through the air, approaching their target-a titan.
Fiddleford smiled at the close up of maneuver gear's mechanics. The character moved to the back of the creature and spun with the blades out, targeting the back of the neck.
"I reckon I can make a set of those," Fiddleford said.
Soos' mouth hung open. "Dude, that would be awesome."
"It might come in handy if that thing we're not suppose'a talk about accordin' to the law actually happens again," the older man said.
Soos grinned. "It would be so cool to use those. It sure beat walking."
"You wanna test it out when I get it up an' ready?" McGucket asked with a cackle.
"Yes!" Soos cheered, pumping his fist. He grinned as the scene switched to a more peaceful moment with the two leads speaking under a tree with bright flowers surrounding them.
Soos already imagined himself zooming through the forest while singing the show's opening theme song that he already decided to set as his new ringtone. During his last visit to the mall with Melody, the store Edgy on Purpose had the full cosplay on display. He only hoped he wouldn't embarrass his fiancee by zooming through town in the survey corps costume on his own three dimensional maneuver gear.
While thrilling and action-packed, the tone wasn't as happy as Soos would've hoped for. He glanced over at his friend and wondered if he made a mistake choosing that title. However, by the time the titans started attacking the city both men were hooked. Soos gasped at the episode's ending and Fiddleford gripped at his chest. Soos made a mental note to stop by his grandma's house the next morning and spend the day with her.
The episode ended and the two exchanged glances.
Rubbing the back of his head Soos asked with a nervous laugh, "So, uh, you okay with this one?"
It was violent, and while Soos could handle it and was eager to find out what happened next, he was willing to do so on his own. Fiddleford looked lost in thought, whether thinking about the show, or possibly upset by what he witnessed, Soos couldn't tell.
"I don't know if I like it," McGucket answered.
The younger man held the remote in his hand. "So, you want me to turn it off, or watch the next episode, or...?"
"Next episode!" Fiddleford exclaimed. "Can't leave a feller on a cliffhanger like that."
Soos let the DVD carry onto the next episode. He then tossed a fresh can of soda to McGucket then opened one himself. The old man grasped a handful of popcorn then retreated back to the comfort of his seat.
The two watched the horror unfold as the titans devoured the innocent people within the walls. It was nothing as gruesome as that one anime the two made a pact to never speak of again, but they both understood why it was given an R rating.
"You're not uncomfortable with this?" Soos questioned.
"You kiddin'?" Fiddleford laughed. "Not after fightin' fer yer life against a hoard of demons an' watchin' yer family turn to stone 'cause a crazy triangle wants to take over the world. And some of the other things me and Stanford wi'nessed in our early days." He turned back to the screen. "Besides this is all make believe." He paused and scratched at his face with his index finger. "A' leas' I hope so."
After what all they've been through along with the possibility that there were countless dimensions out there it wasn't too far-fetched to believe somewhere in the multiverse titans roamed. Soos figured he could ask Ford when he and Stan returned from their third voyage.
"Even if it ain't, I already gots me a robot T-Rex that can shoot laser beams out its mouth," said McGucket.
Tate hadn't been too thrilled when he showed him the blueprints for that invention, so he waited until his son went to bed to begin construction. He had worked all night and when Tate came down the next morning to announce breakfast he was surprised to see the mechanical dinosaur staring him in the face. However upon seeing his father's face Tate had only shook his head and spoke nothing more on the invention.
They were three fourths of the way through episode five by the time eight thirty rolled around. The door to the giftshop unlocked and opened. The sound of light footsteps echoed on the wooden floor. Soos paused the show when his girlfriend poked her head into the living room.
"Hey, Melody," Soos greeted.
"Hi, ya, Lady Soos," said McGucket with a slight wave.
Melody greeted them both and walked into the room. "There's some leftover cookies and pita chips if you want them," the brunette said. She crossed over and kissed Soos on the cheek.
"You wanna watch with us?" Soos asked.
Melody glanced at the screen and grimaced at the sight of a man hanging out of a titan's bloodstained mouth. She shook her head. "It doesn't look like my kind of entertainment."
Soos chuckled at the memory of how adorable Melody looked curled up against him with her eyes shut at a particular horrifying scene during the last scary movie they watched. He recalled how he had whispered that the terror was over at the end of the scene.
"This episode's almost done, then we'll call it a night," Soos said.
"I'll be okay, you two have your fun," she said while patting him on the shoulder. She then turned to go upstairs and put a dent in that novel she bought two days before.
Soos waited for her to leave the room then resumed the episode. The episode reached its climactic moment and then ended with a shocking twist. Soos gasped and slammed his back against the chair.
"Oh. My. Gosh." said Soos.
Fiddleford blinked. "Did that really happen?" the old man asked with a laugh. "How? How?"
Soos held his hand against his forehead. He glanced over at the clock and remembered that he promised Melody that they were on their last episode. He wondered if she would be too annoyed if he elected to watch one more before calling it a night.
McGucket finished the rest of his drink. "That's a good show," he commented.
"We can keep watching next week," said Soos. He stared back at the television to see the DVD paused. "I'm sorry it ended on that cliffhanger. Oh, man, I wonder where they're gonna go next." He was tempted to watch the next episode without his friend, but figured that would be unfair to Fiddleford.
McGucket shook his head. "It's fine. It makes me look forward to next week." The skinny man jumped up from the chair. "Now I'm gonna go an' make us some of those flying machines."
"Awesome," Soos laughed as he led his friend to the door. "Hey, Old Man McGucket," Soos called as Fiddleford turned the knob.
The bearded man turned to see Soos salute him as they had on the show. With a smile McGucket returned the gesture. He then made his exit. Soos shut the door behind him.
Soos pulled out his phone and played the new ringtone. "Seid ihr das Essen? Nein, wir sind der Jäger!" Soos sang as he ran into the kitchen where his fiancee waited.
Melody only laughed; it was just another of her boyfriend's incredible quirks.
Okay, now I wrote this there's no turning back. I hope at the very least this was amusing.
The anime they are watching in this story is Attack on Titan. I actually rewatched the series over a span of four days while writing this story.
Also, no offense to anyone who likes Corpse Party-it's not my cup of coffee, but there's plenty of people who like it as it does have a pretty high rating on MyAnimeList.
