Nani's Asthma

So tell me, if you have to do something to impress your crush, how would you do it? Would you take a bad boy route, or would you play it safe? And how would it affect your relationship? For me paersonally, I have chosen the first option. No, I didn’t get laid or got drunk. It might sound lame, but it has to do with media. Allow me to explain, I’m a wholesome guy. I always go to church, and do what’s right. I’m also very good with children. So, why did I pick this first option? Two words: necessity evil. My friends would find some ways to get me to come out of my comfort zone. As this would help me build more confidence. Especially when it comes to this cute girl I always pass up. I’ve always wanted to date her for sometime now. But I knew it would be too soon. So, I have to take baby steps. Eventually we did get to know each other. Hey, confidence surely paid off. But that’s not important, because what this story is about has something to do with her favorite thing. More specifically, a piece of media: Lilo and Stitch. 
I know what you’re thinking, “why is a 19 year old boy talking about a series where a little girl goes on adventures with a blue alien dog?” I’ll just get this outta the way: I’ve never seen it, but she has. Lilo and Stitch is something she would watch religiously, and has a lot of merchandise around it. But as far as I was concerned, I was indifferent to it. As a kid, I wasn’t that big of a Disney fan. (I was more of a Nicktoons and Cartoon Network kid.) And I’m still not to this day. Especially with their recent “films” they pumped out nowadays. So, when I told her I’ve never seen it, she told me everything about it. What it was about, who the characters were, everything. And that’s where my story comes in. So, you want to know what I did to impress her right? Well it all started when I got the courage to ask her out. In Particular, we thought of watching an animated movie.  We both agree on one thing: we should watch a more wholesome movie. That’s not to say we didn’t think about watching something “radical”. I mean I take animation seriously, but I’m not as crazy about it as my friends are. And both of us agree, animation has dropped in quality. Anyway, since I have never seen Lilo and Stitch, we decided that should be perfect for our date. 
After I went home, I decided to surprise her myself. I thought “Well if I’m going to impress her, I might wanna get familiar with the characters. After all, the film is just the driving force.”  I turned on my laptop and began taking notes on the characters. A somewhat risky idea came into my mind: I should show her something she hasn’t seen from that series. And what better way to show her something she hasn’t seen from Lilo and Stitch, than lost media content? After discovering there were no lost media content for Lilo and Stitch on the lost media wiki, I decided to go search for some. I searched high and low for any scraped content, eventually getting no where. With the exceptions of deleted scenes, for the original draft of the first film, an anime adaptation that fans apparently hate, and a Chinese series that was a mix bag by said fans, I was stumped. Until finally, I found a lead way: a college campus website. More specifically the special education article. Why would something related to Lilo and Stitch be on a college website?
Not wanting to waste time to think, I looked through the article. There was a tab underneath the physical and mental health tab, that read “Lilo and Stitch PSAs”. I downloaded the file, andviewed my treasures. One of them was a full video titled “Obscure Lilo and Stitch video. Avi. Teachers and students only.” I then took one of my flash drives, and copied the video. There were also extra content in the folder. I’ll get to them later. The next night I was getting ready for our date. We were both dressed casually and her father was outside. He looked at me skeptically. Well what father wouldn’t be worried about his daughter? We then drove into a small mess hall, where a small projector has been placed in the middle. She showed me all four movies, but as sly as a fox, I whipped out the flash drive. 
She asked me what I got there, and I told her that this was a special “never before seen “ installment. I then made this gloating speech about how brave I was to go past the censors. She was quite impressed. However her common sense kicked in, and asked me if I got in trouble. So far, no. I haven’t. Another thought came in to my head: how hasn’t the campus gotten into trouble? Because I don’t think Disney is that generous with their intellectual properties. Then again, no company is that generous. Despite that, we figure it wouldn’t be a big deal. As long as our night goes well, we shouldn’t have anything to worry. I placed the flash drive into the projector, and we sat close together. Pressing play on the remote in the process. Now let’s get it to this video.
I made sure to bring my notes with me, when it came time to watch it. So, despite my lack of knowledge for the franchise, I was able to point out some details. It opened with a Hawaiian landscape, with a small Hawaiian house in the middle. The camera zooms in said house and fades in to our title characters’ room. “Today’s the big day Stitch!” Lilo declared. “Tookie ba waba!” Stitch replied. “We’ve been practicing all week for the Tiki building contest. We’re bound to win this year!” Lilo said. They then went downstairs to get breakfast with Jumba and Pleakley. As they did, Nani came down looking completely exhausted. This made all four of them exchange concerned looks. Nani then headed for the phone, coughing as she does. “Nani, you ok?” Lilo asked.
As I looked over my notes, what we noticed from the movie stuck out to us. We could tell there was something about Lilo’s voice. She sounded forced, like she didn’t want to be here. Even though the animation was in the quality of the animated series. Huh. Maybe that’s how she’s supposed to sound like. Nani also sounded off; she sounded hasty and even legitimately sick. “Mr. Jameson, I’m going to have to call in sick. Thanks for understanding.” Nani hung up and tried to go back upstairs. Albeit fumbling around. Lilo then goes up to her, to feel her forehead. “ Careful little girl. Bigger girl might be contagious. Could loose figure tips.” This made my date chuckle a little, as both Lilo and Nani looked at him unamused. “Yikes Nani! You’re burning up!” Lilo said. She then redirected Nani to the couch. There, Nani slumped down and coughed again. “I guess I won’t be able to attend this year’s  Tiki building contest. Sorry baby.” Said Nani. “But you promised!” Lilo said, still in this forced way.
“We will attend.” “We will make sure little girl crushes enemies!” Jumba and Pleakley said. They also sounded forced and uninterested. What the hell? Were the voice actors blackmailed to record this video? “Well I hope you get well soon.” Lilo said and both her and Stitch went outside. I took all these differences as the franchise being normal. Because like I said before, I’ve never grew up with this series. Now it’s time to get into the main meat of this movie. The rest of the movie played out as much as I expected. Lilo and her classmates were preparing for the event. With one of them (who I guess you already know) mocking her Tiki sculpture. Now we expected Lilo to make some kind of rebuttal towards her, but she didn’t. Instead she was too busy thinking about Nani’s condition. To the point where she couldn’t pay attention. The contest began and everyone showed their work.
Lilo starts up first. Even though the sculpture was never finished. “My Tiki sculpture has to do with smoking, and how it can affect you. The top Tiki is when you first start smoking, the second one is the effects starting to kick in, and the third and fourth is where you left there under the influence.” We both exchanged very confused looks. As far as my crush is concerned, this was something the series has never done before. They tackled pollution, but not smoking. She said there wouldn’t be a reason to do it. The teacher looked skeptical, but then passed on to the other students. Now since Nani wasn’t around, and Lilo didn’t get to finish the Tiki, they ended up losing. Lilo and Stitch just stood there in defeat. They then went to Jumba and Pleakley and drove back home. “We should probably stop by the store. The best way to cure sickness, is with spicy soup.” Lilo said and they did just that. 
The next scene fades in and we see Nani on the sofa. She was tossing and turning, and sometimes wheezing. Almost like she’s running low on oxygen. This causes her to stay awake most of the time. Then suddenly she eyed towards her handbag. Nani looked compelled at first, but then gave a somewhat crooked grin. I’ll be honest, we weren’t sure what was going on here. However, as if the film read our minds, Nani took the hand bag, and went outside. She opened it, revealing a pack of cigarettes. Then she lit one of them, via a lighter, and started smoking. She also begins to act very loopy (probably under the effects now). Both of our jaws were on the floor. Why would Nani succumb to this? Did the writer forgot about her character? I thought she was a role model! The scene cuts to the front house, as the family arrives. Nani noticed this and rushed back inside.
The foursome went inside and saw Nani in her position. She was looking at them very worriedly. Lilo was the first to notice Nani’s slightly different posture. “Were you trying to do something?” Lilo asked. “Oh I was just trying to get some…. C-cold medicine.” Nani lied. “Well, we just brought you some spicy canned soup.” Lilo said. Nani thanked her and the foursome were about to go to their rooms. Before they could, Nani let out a nasty cough. And a big puff of smoke came out. She quickly covered her mouth, as it got the attention of everyone. “Did-did smoke came out of your mouth?!” Asked Lilo. Nani then tried to act normal, but before she could she froze in place. Then began wheezing and holding one hand on her chest. She then fell to the ground; convulsing. This causes all three of them to run up to her. Except for Stitch who was looking at her handbag, with the cigarette pack sticking out. 
After Nani was stabilized, she confessed her addiction. This part I couldn’t remember, but I think she said something about David getting her involved. Lilo and the group (as you would expect) were horrified at this. More so rightfully appalled. After this scene, we see Nani trying to recover from her addiction. She still feels nauseated at times. So, it was hard for her to pay attention. But she does manage to regain her senses every once in a while. Then one day she was at the drugstore, looking for Bupropion and Varenicline. We saw her pick up two or three bottles of each. She then spotted more cigarette packs. Nani only glared at them. Until without warning, Nani lifted her head up and looked around. At first I thought she heard something, but it seems like she was smelling something. Nani then said, “Hey, does anyone smell smoke? I don’t have a cigarette with me. Who’s smoking?” 
It was then the customers at the drugstore started to scream, as more smoke came along. Suddenly the room was glowing bright orange and yellow. Sweat started pouring down on Nani’s forehead. Then going back to earth, she realizes what was going on. Nani immediately busted down the emergency door, and gestured  everyone to go through here. From the corner of her eye, a little boy was cowering in the corner. She ran to the little boy and tried to get him out as fast as possible. Meanwhile Lilo saw what was going on, via the news, and made no hesitation. She got the whole family together and they immediately set off to the burning drugstore. Once there, they saw a large crowd of people outside, while smoke was still coming out of the building. Stitch immediately jumped into action, punching a hole in the wall. Thus letting the two inside. Nani can be seen with the boy in her arms; clearly in a weakened state. Pieces of her clothes were caught on fire. She was going to yell at Lilo, but then noticed the hole Stitch made. She then jumped off the rubble she was previously standing on, and raced to said hole. But due to her current condition, she collapsed at the last minute. Now Nani is left unconscious. Lilo and Stitch then rushed up to her and pulled her out. They then laid the unconscious Nani on the sidewalk. 
The scene then cuts to black, and were shown with a title card in the Buka Bird font, that says “Later”. The scene cuts to a waiting room in the hospital. All four family members are there, with David joining in. They were all upset, with Lilo outranking everyone. She was crying, but unlike the rest of the voice acting, this didn’t sound fake. It sounded like an actual kid crying. 
A doctor came in the waiting room; she was a completely new character. Then both Lilo and Jumba stood up and faced her. “Well doctor, is Nani ok?” Said Lilo, still very upset. “I have made special cure for bigger girl!” Jumba said, holding a big oil drum of a particular substance. “No thanks. I don’t think she would want that. Nani was originally suffering from asthma, but it soon turned into a overdose before the fire started. She’s also having breathing problems and can barely talk. This is due to an overwhelming amount of smoke she had, during the fire. I suggest not interacting with her in any way.” Said the doctor.
“Can we go see her?” Lilo whispered. “Of course.” The doctor answered. “Just be mindful, she is NOT in the best condition.”
The doctor leads them to Nani’s hospital room. Once they arrived, she opens the door and we see Nani lying in a hospital bed. Motionless. Her eyes were pink and slightly bloodshot. Her skin was a pale-ish brown, with ash marks all over. And her clothes were almost burned to a crisp. She was also hooked up to the heart monitor and a mask giving her oxygen. Lilo walked up first, with a very heartbroken look. Which in of itself is understandable. I mean her sister got burned alive! Everyone else followed soon. Before they got any closer, the doctor stopped them. They can only look at the burnt figure that was Nani. “Now you said something about Nani…..overdosing?” Lilo asked with so much concern in her voice. “We saw in her records that she was taking two, to three, to even four Bupropion pills a day! Sometimes even asking for the highest of dosages. She must be desperate to recover from her addiction. Or worse.”
Just as she said that, the door opened again. It was Cobra Bubbles, the CIA agent. “I’ve heard Nani has gotten into smoking. It is a pity. I’m afraid I’m gonna have to take Lilo away. If she can’t control her addiction, what chance would she have?” This made everyone shocked. Including Nani who apparently heard what was going to happen. Cobra proceeded to walk up to Lilo and take her away. That is until David steps in between them, pushing him back in protest. “You better not lay a finger on her!” David shouted. “I have no choice! You know why smokers can’t have children!” Just as they were arguing, Nani started convulsing again. Shaking rapidly on the bed, as if she wants to intervene. The heart monitor was beeping rapidly, causing everyone to screaming in terror. Before the doctor can do anything, the heart monitor flatlined. Nani stopped shaking and the whole room went silent. Aside from the haunting sound of the flatline. The doctor then broke the silence. “I’m sorry. We lost her. The news was so unbearable, it caused her heart to beat abnormally. And she didn’t have the strength to handle it.” Lilo and Stitch then began to cry, with Jumba, Pleakley, David, and Cobra looking somber. A little logo appeared on the bottom right corner of the screen, and then it faded to black.
We couldn’t believe our eyes! Nani died?!? There is no way this would get pass Disney animation studios nowadays! Nor would it be made by Chris Sanders! It has to be a sick joke! Almost like if someone made this in Clip Studio Paint, using the reference models from the internet! I went up to the projector and yanked the flash drive out. Now with these bullshit stories, you would expect us to be scared or disturbed. But no, we were just disappointed. We ended up watching the actual movies and called it a night there. However I remembered that there were extra content in the folder I downloaded. So, I went to see what else was in there, and I’m glad my crush was not in the room. Because she would’ve gouged her eyes out upon seeing this. It was a slideshow of screenshots for a possible sequel to the video. There were also concept arts too, but each of the screenshots would be more messed up than the last. Though they have one thing in common: Nani is always the one committing these disturbing acts. 
I decided to turn off my laptop for the night. The next morning, I uploaded the video on the lost media wiki. Including some of the screenshots for the sequel. Mostly the most disturbing ones (which consist of Nani beating Lilo, to her getting drunk, and her even violating her little sister!) This still doesn’t make any sense. Why would Nani be painted in a negative light? This isn’t like the character I took notes on. Let alone see in action from the actual movies. I then went back to the ending shot of the video. I wanted to know what was with the logo. It’s certainly not Disney’s that’s for sure! I took a little detour to the Lilo and Stitch wiki, and learned that the series was aired on Disney Channel. This was making my head hurt! I need some clear answers! So, you know what I did next? I used The Way Back Machine on both the college campus website, and the Disney Channel website. And here’s what I found. 
The logo belonged to a small group of college students, who would go around school systems and show their programs, around the late 80’s and early 90s. They were a part of the “Winners don’t do drugs” campaign, but they weren’t afraid to tackle other subjects. Think of them as D.A.R.E. but cheaper. Anyway Disney began noticing this group, and allowed them to use their intellectual properties. On one condition: they would use only the properties shown on Toon Disney. But they also allowed them to use spin-offs. This means that if one of their intellectual properties has an animated series, they can only use that particular part of the property. And Lilo and Stitch happens to be one of them.
Now this is where the campus website comes in. Apparently in 2008, the group was shut down and sued by Disney, due to an investigation. This investigation suspected that someone in their group was going around showing some demented and even perverted PSAs, using Lilo and Stitch as the vehicle. But they also mentioned that these PSAs were much darker than what they were bargained to make. They would range from Child Abuse to Domestic Violence to in this case Drug Abuse, and would have Nani be either the victim, the villain, or sometimes both. And they also said that these PSAs were in the possession of a few girls on the deep web. Meaning that he must’ve traded them in in exchange for some kind of one night stand. But why Nani? Why would he pick this character out of anyone else? Taking a small detour to the group’s website, and it turns out that this person (who I will not say by name. Cause I don’t wanna give this dirty fucker any publicity.) was never a part of their group. In fact the person who made these PSAs was a left winged rapist, who hated any kind of parental figure, and was put in that group for 7 years of community service. Soon enough though he took this group to his advantage, and made everyone (including women and little girls) both acted and produced these demented PSAs, or they will be tortured if they refuse.
Now I know why the voice acting felt forced, and that also explains Nani’s odd behavior! Due to him sexualizing women and hating parental figures, Nani was his main target! And he used this character to express his lust for women, and spit in the face of parental figures. And since he was a pervert, he couldn’t get a girlfriend, and trading these PSAs was his only way of getting any kind of relationship. He was immediately arrested when the group manager called him out on it, and all of his PSAs were confiscated by the local police department. However some of these PSAs were left behind, and were shown to students on the campus. Digitally, not physically. Letting this be a lesson to anyone who would dare misuse the group, or the format. Now I know why it was on the website in the first place!
After explaining all of this to my crush, we felt relieved. Oh. And about my crush? She’s doing fine. Though she can visualize some key moments in that video. No, she didn’t ditch her childhood icon. But it does manage to get into her head sometimes. I wound up watching the original series with her, as I felt responsible for what happened. Nowadays we grown closer together. So, I guess it isn’t all bad. But I really wish I took a different approach. And let me know, would you do something like this?