Chapter 73: Viva Last Vegans!
Art by Crash X Fusion: What happens in Vegas won't involve Eda and Stan.
Gus explores Las Vegas with a new friend, while Amity makes two discoveries with a few of her own.
Tropes that appear in this Chapter:
- Accidental Truth: Gus expresses hope that the Pines could help him get home, unaware that Stan has a portal hidden under the Mystery Shack.
- Adaptational Explanation:
- It was implied in Hazbin Hotel that Vaggie was either murdered or committed suicide. In LC, she ended up being murdered. Her backstory prior to said murder is also displayed.
- The reason Bigfoot was banished was because he discovered a kid he was meant to scare wasn't breathing, so he let himself be seen by his parents o he could get medical help.
- All Myths Are True: Bigfoot turns out to be real, and he mentions that he comes from the Monster World.
- Big Damn Heroes: With Dr. Frakes having Vaggie and Fazio on the ropes thanks to her multi-armed invention, Terri uses an EMP device to disable it so Vaggie can take down Frakes.
- Bonding over Missing Parents: Gus and Vaggie both had Missing Moms, so they both know what's it's like to have lost one of their parents.
- The Bus Came Back: Dr. Frakes and Terri reappear for the first time since "Family Group Therapy" earlier in the book.
- Commonality Connection: Gus and Vaggie's Bonding over Missing Parents moment is built on this.
- Cassandra Truth: Gus answers all of Vaggie's questions about where he comes from truthfully, but she believes he was trafficked and is lying to cope with the trauma. She comes to realize he was being honest after she and Fazio are given a full explanation following their rescuing him from Frakes.
- Dark and Troubled Past: After Vaggie's mother died, her father began drinking and treated her like crap which led her to run away when she was 16. She ended up traveling to Las Vegas and was homeless for years until she got a job as a burlesque dancer.
- A Day in the Limelight:
- Gus takes the literal spotlight for the A-plot as he explores Las Vegas and faces a human villain.
- Amity's the star of the B-plot, which has No Antagonist and shows her making a few self-discoveries.
- Elvis Lives: Averted. Since Gus is in Vegas, he sees many Elvis impersonators, but believes they're all grimwalkers of the King.
- EMP: What Terri uses to disable Frakes' multi-armed invention.
- Evil Counterpart: Discussed and deconstructed. Amity refuses to call her shadow "Shadow Amity" because it makes her sound like one of these straight out of a crystal ball game.
- Eye Scream: Michael kills Vaggie by stabbing her with a knife in her left eye.
- Fun with Acronyms: Dr. Frakes uses a six-armed pack called the H.E.A.P. (Helper Extra Arms Pack) to ward off Vagatha and Fazio while chasing her to rescue Gus.
- The Ghost:
- Luz is mentioned twice by both main characters who appear in this chapter:
- Amity remembers what Luz and Eda taught her to do when someone jumps her.
- Gus mentions her and Willow, along with indirectly mentioning Skara, while he and Vaggie are talking about their orientations.
- Puck is mentioned yet again, with Amity realizing he indirectly turned her into a Fae before they rescued Luz.
- Luz is mentioned twice by both main characters who appear in this chapter:
- Given Name Reveal: Bigfoot states his real name is "Biggles Harrison Foot".
- I Gave My Word: As much as Fazio would like for Gus to stay in Vegas and work as his assistant, he honors his word to help get him to Gravity Falls, offering to take him there.
- Immediate Sequel: This chapter occurs shortly after Luz's contact with Gus and Amity.
- Inner Thoughts, Outsider Puzzlement: This chapter restates the fact that a fae's shadow can only speak to their owner so when Amity speaks to Sam, Ghost and Bigfoot can't hear the latter's voice.
- In Spite of a Nail: Terri saves a "goober from another world" from Dr. Frakes at the cost of her job, and she's glad she helped.
- Internal Reveal: Amity and Ghost learn the former is part fae from Bigfoot, and Amity also see her Living Shadow for the first time. With Bigfoot's help, she learns that it was Puck's deal to protect Luz that caused it.
- It Can Think: Amity recognizes her shadow as a sentient being since it can talk and is pretty much alive, hence why she gives them a name.
- Karma Houdini: Michael, who kills Vaggie for not telling him what she knows about Gus.
- Killed Off for Real: Vaggie is murdered by Michael, an agent from Department A, who stabs her in the eye and makes it look like a suicide.
- Laser-Guided Karma: After Terri shorts out Dr. Frakes' HEAP pack, Vaggie beats her up until she's left unconscious.
- Loophole Abuse: Puck agreed to help Amity free Luz and Eda from petrification without specifying how. As a result, it led to Amity becoming part Fae on a technicality.
- Meaningful Name: Sam's name can
alternatively stand for "Shadow Amity", which is ironic considering Amity named her shadow Sam to avoid using this very name and the Evil Counterpart scenario. - Mood Whiplash: Amity and Ghost have safely traveled to Echo Creek where the local reverend allows the girl to spend the night in the church, Terri leaves satisfied with saving Gus from Dr. Frakes, and Gus is heading to Gravity Falls with Fazio. You'd think the chapter would have a happy ending... then Vaggie is killed by an agent from Department A looking for Gus.
- Mythology Gag: Vaggie's living form is based off one of her pilot designs.
- The Nose Knows: Bigfoot can identify someone's species by their scent. When he sees Amity's ears he figures she's a witch, but her scent tells him she's part Fae.
- Out of Focus: Luz, the Owl Family, and Willow don't make an appearance in this chapter.
- Point of Divergence:
- Vaggie dies 2 years earlier than she did in her canon.
- Terri turns on Dr. Frakes for threatening a sentient being from another world months before meeting Anne and the Plantars.
- Precision F-Strike: Amity gives one when she sees her shadow's not matching her movements and waves at her.
- Present Absence: The rest of the main cast doesn't appear as the chapter's set in the Human world, but Amity and Gus continue to carry what they've learned from Luz with them.
- The Reveal:
- Bigfoot is real and he's from the Monster World. He was banished there for intentionally being seen by a kid's parents because the boy wasn't breathing. He also shows that monsters know about the Fae.
- Sam admits she's The Voice Amity's been hearing: the reason Amity can understand Barcus, the Slitherbeast and Ghost before bonding with her was due to her Fae power.
- Amity and Ghost ended up in the woods a few miles from Echo Creek.
- The Runaway: Vaggie confesses that she ran away from home when she was 16 due to the abuse she received from her father.
- Shout-Out:
- Vagatha AKA Vaggie from Hazbin Hotel plays secondary protagonist to Gus in the A-plot.
- Fazio is inspired by the character of the same name from Leprechaun 3, along with Danny DeVito, Jon Lovitz and Jason Alexander. Regarding his appearance, he's based off DeVito and Eddy from Ed, Edd n Eddy.
- The version of Bigfoot that appears here is the same one from Monsters, Inc.
- "Do You Believe in Magic" by The Lovin' Spoonful is used for the montage of magic tricks during Gus and Fazio's show.
- Frakes' multi-armed backpack is a reference to Dr. Octopus's tentacles.
- Vaggie at one point tells Frakes to "respect the fist!"
- Vaggie performs "God Help the Outcast" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
- Significant Monogram: Sam's name comes from the "S" in "shadow" and the first two letters in Amity's name.
- Thought They Knew Already: Apparently Ghost knew that Amity's shadow can move on its own; she had assumed Amity herself already knew.
- Travel Montage: As Vaggie sings, Amity is shown walking through Echo Creek until she comes across the church.
- Uncertain Doom: Vaggie says she'll figure out what to do about Frakes after her defeat. With her being killed however, it's left unknown what became of Frakes.
- Viva Las Vegas!: Gus's portion of the chapter is set in Las Vegas, where he performs in a Vegas show with a stage musician.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Vaggie ends up dying by the chapter's end.*
- Wham Episode: Amity learns she's part Fae and dubs her Living Shadow "Sam" before ending up in Echo Creek. Gus, after a run-in with Dr. Frakes that ends with Terri turning on her and saving him, continues traveling to Gravity Falls with Fazio, unaware that Michael's on his tail and killed Vaggie after he promised they'd see each other again.
- Wham Line: The Reveal where Amity is right now.McCay: Welcome to Echo Creek.
- Wham Shot
- Would Hurt a Child: Dr. Frakes keeps this trait from canon, kidnapping Gus with the intent of handing him over to Gates in hopes of a promotion and not caring what she does to him. This is what leads to Terri turning on her.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Gus encourages Vaggie to not give up on her dream of becoming a real dancer.
