#ghostchimneysweep

[stitchandani]

Now for the most important question of all! Did suntan ice-cream tourist EVER get to eat an ice cream?

no

[stitchandani]

What kind of tactics do 621 and those following him use? I'm guessing they keep a low profile at first and act with a bit of secrecy, but what about once they're known? Do they ENGAGE IN EPIC BATTLE like Splodyhead and Slushy once did, or are they more hit-and-run?

ArtistIssues They are more hit-and-run, which is just how 621 wants it! Sometimes he makes targeted attacks when he wants something, but just as often if the renegade cousins are getting antsy with nothing to do on Niihau, he’ll just let them go blow off some steam by causing mayhem (as long as they can get back without being followed or captured.)

621 himself is never with the group when they attack. He has Bonnie act as a kind of “field team leader” in his place, and he uses Jay (Experiment 410) as his eyes and ears. 621 sulks and broods and masterminds from Niihau, where he can come up with nasty schemes without the danger of Lilo, Stitch, Ani, or the rest of the Ohana learning that he’s on Earth.

Usually the Renegade Cousins fall into a pattern. At first they’d all meet up and try to get as far into town to cause damage as they could before the Ohana could react. But then, after Lilo figured out the naughty cousins were always coming from somewhere over the ocean, she moved Yaarp to a spot on the coast to act as a warning alarm. So that slowed them down, until after Trip (Experiment 453) was convinced to join 621’s cause. He teleports the gang straight into town—well, almost. He’s one of Jumba’s failed Experiments, so he can never quite teleport exactly where he’s told to, but usually it’s close enough.

Then they’ll cause trouble. Grindz (Experiment 486) will smash stuff up, Bonnie and Clyde will use the mayhem to loot local businesses, while Flame (Experiment 518) just goes sort of berserk and runs through the scene on fire and screaming. When the Ohana inevitably comes to corral or stop them, Klamp and Prism come in as a sort of “second wave” and make it difficult so that everybody can escape through one of Trip’s portals back to Niihau. Klamp (Experiment 429) does this by rolling up and locking himself around Lilo or sometimes Pleakley or even Stitch’s ankle to keep them from interfering. Prism (Experiment 560) helps waylay the Ohana by bouncing around, flashing light in their eyes. She’s an active little lady and loves testing out the blinding gauntlets 621 had stolen for her from Jumba’s ship. Phoon is helpful too, knocking the heroes over or away with her gusts of wind. Usually, the whole gang gets away while the Ohana is putting out the fires.

Some other missions 621 sends them out on are:

- kidnapping weaker cousins to use as hostages, as in the case once with Yin and Yang.

- stealing equipment, either from Jumba’s ship or Gantu’s ship.

- spy missions, to scope out what the Ohana is doing or how other Experiments might be manipulated. (Bonnie, Clyde, and Jay are most useful for this.)

- Night Marcher tactics. This was Prism’s idea, because she abandoned her One True Place even before 621 came around, having more fun scaring tourists on the hiking trails than lighting up shows at the Coliseum. She started taking Grindz with her on little field trips to keep doing this even after she began working with 621, and Trip helped because he’d do anything for Prism, and then the rest of the crew started getting into it. 621 encourages this because he takes delight in hearing how tourists are getting scared away from Stitch’s precious Town, so now they do more stuff like that.

Crystallene, Comet, and Butter tend to stay on Niihau more than the others. Comet claims she wants to be lookout and guard their hideout, but she really hasn’t warmed up to the idea of encountering and fighting anybody in the Ohana yet. Crystallene doesn’t even try to hide that she feels miserable going against Stitch, and she’s already been on the fence, so 621 shrewdly keeps her on Niihau crystal-forming their hideout. And Butter is little more intelligent than a clever horse, so he sticks with 621 even when the others are out causing mayhem.

Sooo long answer short, hit-and-run tactics it is! When Leroy comes on the scene though…things get more epic-showdown-y.

[stitchandani]

Would you say the family's greatest fears have changed over the years? Say they ran into Spooky having a bad day. What would he turn into for the main group?

Doverstar GOOD QUESTION. Well, I know what Stitch's would be nowadays.

But as for everyone else:

Nani's worst fear is losing Kai.

David's worst fear is a divorce (won't happen!)

Lilo's worst fear is being alone.

Ani's worst fear is everyone being disappointed in her and leaving.

Kai's worst fear is being invisible.

Jumba's worst fear is losing his genius-ness as he gets older.

Pleakley's worst fear is being a failure at legit everything he tries.

Bonus: Mason's worst fear is being eaten alive by a pack of dogs.

Of course there are other, simpler things they're scared of (Ani is afraid of sea monkeys and needles, Stitch still hates water and is scared of Angel losing interest, Kai is scared of being lost in space and sharks, Pleakley is scared of crabs taking over the planet, Jumba still can't stand his ex-wife, David is afraid of tsunamis, Nani is afraid Lilo will leave again, just like Stitch, and Mason is afraid Kai will suddenly hate him and stop being his friend). But none of those are their worst fears. The worst ones, the I-can't-handle-this ones, are the bullet-points.

[stitchandani]

I was rewatching The Series, and I realized that some of the experiments were reformed not by just finding where they can focus themselves in a good way, but first by chemical and physical interference. Clip was covered with shampoo, Ploot sprayed with slime neutralizing air fresheners, Sprout contained to a water tower, and Felix being directly reprogramed. If 621 could do so, would he reverse these, or would that that kind of intervention be too much for him or those that are following him?

ArtistIssues

Heyo! Neat question! I’m glad other people look at this stuff the way I do. (I think we can agree the way some Experiments were defeated was just for cartoon quirkiness, not for worldbuilding or continuity, but for OUR worldbuilding and continuity I love to try and make sense of it, too!)

Honestly, 621 doesn’t pay enough attention to each Experiment’s altered state, unless bringing it up helps him manipulate that particular cousin into joining his side. He might say something like, “remember when you used to be HUGE? They like you better small and weak. Join me! Let loose!” just to win them over, and he’d be happy with their more-destructive capability is they did revert, but just as a bonus.

621 has one overall goal, and that is to wreck Jumba’s new life, then stand on the ashes of it and get himself crowned “superior” over Stitch. Now, he has many hairbrained schemes about how to get this done. Ohana turning against each other is a win. Kokaua Town turning against the Ohana, or getting burned to the ground, is a win either way. Experiments losing their One True Place, even if not by choice, is also a win, because when Stitch’s cousins are sad, 621 figures STITCH is sad, and THAT’S a win! So he finds victory in big things and small things.

But one of his first, most driven goals after landing on Earth is to get Jumba to fix his mutation issues. During his imprisonment, Galactic Federation Labs experimented on this Experiment to try and subdue his monster-form, turn him small and manageable again. Jumby (622, not Jumba) succeeded in doing this, and 621 hates it. He wants to be able to beat up Stitch. But he can’t when he’s skinny and small. So he’s constantly looking for a way to kidnap Jumba and bully, bribe, or beg his creator into making him bigger and badder again.

Now, could 621 collect DNA, maybe from Earth animals or something, or use some of the other Experiments’ wacky abilities to turn himself into a stronger monster? Maybe. He’s pretty clever, and he has that supercomputer brain, after all. But 621 has his nasty, black heart set on Jumba doing it, personally. In the end, that’s who 621 is doing all of this for. He wants Jumba to affirm him.

So all of that to say, no, 621 probably wouldn’t mess with the reprogramming or chemically-altered states some of the Experiments are in, not only because he doesn’t often care enough, but also because he’s not knowledgeable enough. He first mutated HIMSELF in Disney’s Experiment 626 by throwing himself into one of Jumba’s machines with a bunch of chopped-together DNA. He might be a crazy monster, but he’s no evil genius.

Now, if he had a specific plot, and access to Jumba’s Experiment files, maybe…

[stitchandani]

Sparky's lighthouse has been destroyed. Sparky has a boochieboo in Comet. Comet was designed to make craters. The lighthouse is now just a crater. I am deducing something. Is Comet the reason the lighthouse was Destroyed?

Doverstar

Arti already answered this question! :) Comet did accidentally destroy the lighthouse. 621 manipulated her into losing control of her powers, and the lighthouse paid the price. But it’s being rebuilt!

[stitchandani]

Pannix is a Screamer and Belle is a Screamer. While their screams are for different reasons, you now have the perfect setup for the *screams louder to assert dominance* meme. So, in sympathy for everybody's eardrums, have these two met?

Doverstar

Almost definitely, they have!

[stitchandani]

Well, since you're going to Disney World, I have to ask if Disney exists in the world of Stitch and Ani. Partially because I find meta-humor funny (like them watching their own movie), but mainly because I'm curious if Ani has seen Mulan (original. Remake sucks). Ani could use a confidence boost, and that's a good movie for it!

Doverstar

I’m waiting for a Haunted Mansion milkshake and have time to answer this one!

It doesn’t exist in Stitch and Ani, but Graceland does, and that’s the Ohana’s vacation destination of choice!

Not sure I follow on the whole Mulan thing, but Ani does need more confidence, you’re right!

[stitchandani]

It seems that the two major plotlines are going to be first Ani learning to be her own person with what that means and second the Renegades forming and causing trouble due to discontent and being egged on by 621. How much weight would you say the other plotlines might have (admittedly I realize this might change a bit as the project goes on)? Like for example, when Leroy appears later on and comes to realize he has wants beyond things he's ordered to do (like his attraction to Page).

Doverstar

Okay, it's true that Ani learning to be secure in herself is part of her character's journey throughout the story, but it's not its own plotline. Leroy's story will be revealed gradually, like all the other subplots and character arcs that haven't been exclusively detailed in the character sheets.

All the character arcs and subplots have weight. That's what makes a good story. We know what we're doing, I promise! I've been planning the main story and character arcs for a decade-ish and no one knows the Experiments better than Arti. But you'll get to see them when we decide to reveal them! Guessing and suggesting all these details won't produce concrete facts any faster ^^ your interest is inspiring, though!