#also scoobys a service dog :3

[p0ssyart]

childhood fixation grabbed me by the throat so hey im posting

#my design is 90% based on the WSND design #btw the pups with scooby are referred to as the 'secret six' for my non scooby mutuals JSJSJ #op #digital art #scooby doo #shaggy rogers #velma dinkley #mystery inc #they are a POLY on this blog!!!!! #fred jones #daphne blake #daphnes african shaggys a jew and velmas korean on this blog😌 #FUCK I SHOULDVE GIVEN FRED A BRACELET LIKE I DID SHAGGY HE HAS ALLERGY HCS FUCK #oops next time <3 #shaggys is for chronic vertigo he has where he has just Fallen over at moments bc an episode hits so fast #so he wears it for the small chances that he is alone #also scoobys a service dog :3 #everyone in this gang has Something wrong with them <3 #because i said so #also i put my sona giving him a Kiss bc fuck you i get to

[fawningoveradream]

Tagged by: @nebulariclover

I decided to backtrack some past posts and rbs and tags associated with my tumblr url. Idk how I missed this! Sorry for the VERY late response.

Rules: 1.) Post the rules. 2.) Answer the questions given to you by your tagger 3.) Write 11 questions of your own, and 4.) Tag 11 people!

1.) What bands/musicians would you like to see in concert?

Idk? I've never really been to a formal concert other than me participating in my middle school's orchestra--aaaaaaand perhaps the occasional local country band at a bar or art fest in my city's downtown district.

I'd say I would like to one day hear The Orion Experience, The Hu a popular Mongolian folk-band, or Kendrick Lamar.

2.) What is your idea of a perfect day?

Just going out to places with my partner! I'd love to just explore either a local nature spot with em or check out some roadside attractions. I'd even settle for some group artistic project day!

I also sometimes dream of one day having a nice picnic date with em or invite some friends and have a large picnic group date out in nature or a lovely park. Getting a lil drunk or just drinking, swapping stories, sharing foods we baked or made.

3.) Would you rather never be able to listen to music or never be able to watch cable?

Never be able to watch cable. I spent my whole life for a long time not having access to cable tv and only had the standard tv channels. I'll live!! PBS THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO MY CHILDHOOD!!!

I can't live every day life without listening to my favorite songs. I'd go crazy. What you mean I can't listen to The Mamas and The Papas??? What you mean I can't listen to the soundtrack of the Muppet's Movie (1979)?! What you mean no more Lil Nas X??! NO BILL WITHERS!? NO GLORIA GAYNOR--NO EARTHA KITT?!!!

4.) What talents do you have that you're especially proud of?

I know how to sew patches onto jackets really well! I can come up with real interesting creatures with a full background and appearance. I go full-in when it comes to abstract and often mismatched acrylic paints with scenery.

I've been told that I'm a very good baker! And dogs love me!

5.) Who are your favorite characters? **I did this list in no listed order; just from top of my head

Courage the Cowardly Dog

My many fursonas

Kermit the Frog

Lupin the 3rd and Inspector Zenigata!

The Combaticons (transformers g1)

Bulkhead & Prowl from TFA (Transformers Animated)

Kaon from the DJD

Scooby-Doo

Captain Sisko, Jadzia Dax, Odo, Julian Bashir, Jake Sisko, Quark, Miles O'Brien, Worf, Garak (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

6.) Do you like to sing?

I don't sing in public. I'm kinda self-conscious about the sound of my voice. And I'm aware that I tend to have breaks/sqweaks in my voice when I try to sing. I do sing when its just myself (majority of time), with my partner in their car, or when out drinking with friends at bars.

7.) What helps you sleep?

Ceiling fan ON (medium speed majority of time *depends on the sound the fan makes; if majority is silent then high speed). Temperature must be around 73*F with AC on cool setting - auto

Sleep only in my boxers

Covers consist of my bed's main semi-thick quilt cover and a cotton bed sheet.

Pillows fluffy but maintain shape and don't cover my face/nose area. My pillow sheets are also cooling sensitive as well if I need to flip it onto its otherside if I wake up warm.

I am a stomach sleeper who also likes to be semi-covered under into my bedsheets.

8.) If you could have 4 superpowers to have, what would they be?

Animal shapeshifting

Regeneration/Health restoration power

Water Breathing/Seeing *Aquatic superpower??

Lightening power

9.) Do you prefer dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate?

I've been slowly turned into a lover of dark chocolate. HOWEVER I am, still, and always will be weak for the sweet stuff that is milk chocolate!

10.) What are your hobbies?

I like to draw or doodle my fursonas, I like to also paint scenery on canvases, I also like to sew. Baking is also a small hobby of mine. I also like to catch up on some reading as well. Poetry and writing stories use to be an old passion of mine, but I've kind of abandoned it. Or just really struggle to get back into completing it once I've started.

I also like taking care of my ginseng bonsai tree Gordon! And taking walks outside with my dog ranger is also pretty fun too!

11.) Where would you love to live?

In my biggest dreams? In the Philippines near Olongapo or Manila city where a big part of my fam live curretly in.

A list of other places I'd love to live in:

Austrian or Swiss Alps. I like cold weather, and I don't mind being surrounded by deep woods.

Portugal

Spain

If realistically and here in the USA. I'd love to stay here in the south-east coastal region. Cause its where I've grown up in. But with the current culture and anti-lgbt/trans laws and stripping of human rights. I might have to consider moving up north or some state out west thats a safe haven or tolerable. But also has job opportunities related to my own and/or my partners interests/career choice.

11 questions for who I'm tagging:

1.) What's a plant, flower, veggie, fungi, or fruit you've always wanted to grow on your own. But can't due to circumstances or just not having a green thumb?

2.) Do you have a fursona what is their name and species? If you have multiple fursonas which one is your most favorite? Why?

3.) Do you have a favorite song?

4.) Are you currently happy with the job you have right now?

5.) If you were given the chance to live your eternal life as an immortal (in this case never growing old but still being "just some dude" w/ a meatbag body) would you take it? What would you be doing with all that time?

6.) What's your favorite penguin? Why?

7.) Do you have a signature dish (food)? Either that you can make or food that you associate yourself with? Bonus points if you do both!

8.) Whats a specific scene in a movie, show, book, or game that brought you to emotional tears growing up?

9.) Do you think werewolves need to take heartworm and flea & tick medication every month? Do you think in werewolf worlds they got themselves a werewolf positive vet who gives em this medication? Or is there like some elaborate illegal selling of heartworm + flea and tick medication scheme? Do you think in a werewolf world do humans (or humans who are werewolves themselves) privatize medicare for werewolves?

10.) Do you have a fave color you wish you could add to your wardrobe of clothing you have?

11.) How do you manage your emotions when your angry or sad?

Tagging: @jacobtheloofah , @lohboh , @dolphin-damsel , @twinktodapast , @silly-bean , @fiddledy-dee , @vulturereyy , @caydebug , @cantabilechaos , @dkpsyhog , and @jammings

Feel free to ignore my tag if you don't wanna participate!! I just thought it would be fun to take a try on this. It really got me thinking about my early days here on tumblr.

#ask prompts #tagged ask prompt #Fawn talks

[potterandpromises]

sorry for not winning you an arcade ring: chapter 3

In which Theo spends the day with Will and Oliver.

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2]

Also on AO3

(Picks up two days after the last chapter.)

For half his life— albeit not consecutively— Theo’s been convinced most people are terrible. For whatever reason, these feelings lessened since he got out of jail, took the plea bargain, and completed community service. But he’s reminded whenever he has to take a meeting about the deli, or handle anything else corporate for his father.

(He’s reminded, too, when he thinks back to the crowd of raised IPhones on the subway platform.)

Still, a stranger will smile back, and he’ll think it’s not everyone after all, it’s just the Arconia; it’s just Manhattan; it’s just him.

Today though, he knows the truth in his bones.

Oliver had wanted to see Theo’s suit. So, even though he’d slept at the Arconia last night and the suit was at home, he’d brought it with him this morning.

The man literally grabbed him by the shoulders and said: ‘that’s a funeral suit, Theo. A funeral suit.’

And, okay, he had brought it with funerals in mind, but he’d done a lot of things with funerals in mind. He’d been an undertaker for over a decade. The suit isn’t worn out. It fits him well. And don’t all blacks, whites, and grays go together? Sure, this is supposed to be a C-List Celebrity Wedding, but it’s also a fake wedding on short notice. All Theo needs is a costume, a cheep imitation of the real thing.

Yet, somehow, he’s shifting from foot to foot in the middle of Oliver’s apartment, waiting to spend the morning with someone he still doesn’t like, doing something he’ll hate.

Mabel’s face flashes in his mind’s eye and it doesn’t feel like a waste of time.

Her mom’s visiting for the day to dress shop and stage an intervention, as Theo understands it. He’s glad his dad’s in prison—

The thought burns him like frigid water. He tucks it away for some other time.

Everyone in prison has an illicit smart phone these days, according to his dad, so Theo’s under no illusions he won’t find out. But when he does, Theo will just dodge his calls for a week. Mabel doesn’t have that luxury.

In his peripheral vision, the door opens, and Theo locks eyes with Will Putnam.

They saw each other yesterday, briefly, when Theo was at Charles’ apartment. But it hadn’t been so awkward with the rest of the Scooby Doo gang there and the murder board to stare at.

Belatedly, Will greats him with a wave, says something in the direction of his father.

Theo smiles politely, certainly as awkwardly as he feels. Too late, Will doesn’t see.

He wouldn’t necessarily say they were ever friends— they only ever spent time together because of their dads— but they did play with legos in Theo’s room. At least they’re both uncomfortably aware of how their lives diverged. At least Will clearly didn’t expect to see Theo here, either.

They move to the other room, out of Theo’s view.

He turns to Mrs. Gambolini’s cage and sticks his fingers through the bars, just to see if she’ll bite. She flaps her wings indignantly, nothing more.

Across the room, Winnie sits up slowly in her bed. She shakes herself and toddles over, sniffs Theo’s ankles.

He leans down, rubs the lose skin on the bulldog’s shoulders. She tilts into his touch. He joins her on the floor and combs the length of her back with hooked fingertips.

The old floor shifts. Footsteps. Will walks into his sight line. “—animals?”

He’s tentative, almost nervous. Theo stands, waits for him to repeat himself.

“Did you have pets— kid?”

The answer is no, which Will would know if he thought about it. Even if, after Will stopped coming around, Theo had gotten that dog he’d long wanted, Will would have heard about it. Probably, he would have wanted to come over.

Theo shakes his head, lets his confusion and background suspicion show on his face. Will does not offer an explanation for the question, or for why he’s still here. 

Will clasps his hands together, like he wants to reach for something.

Oliver enters the room, adorned with his long purple coat. Theo brushes the dog hair off his own clothes. All three of them head for the door.

In the passenger seat, Theo’s unease grows. Didn’t Will have anything better to do today, either for this scheme or for himself? He has a wife, a demanding career, children. Maybe his marriage is in trouble and he’s distracting himself with this. Or Oliver just wants a younger person’s fashion perspective— no, Theo can’t imagine he’d think of himself as old and out of touch.

Maybe Oliver just doesn’t trust Theo to drive him.

In the rearview mirror, Oliver talks and talks, lively as ever. Will gives short responses.

He’d been surprised to see Theo. Probably, whatever it is, is between father and son. Will had expected to be alone with him, and now he isn’t sure how to discuss whatever it is with Theo present.

The idea comforts him. It makes him feel like an adult who can ignore other people’s business, not a little kid with no choice in what happens to him, or a teenager waiting for the other shoe to drop. That it appeals to him makes him trust it less.

At the suit shop (sorry, ‘Men’s Apparel’), Theo’s sureness of his own hatred towards other people hardens as Oliver insists on a ‘pop of color.’

Will, to his credit, hangs back and types rapidly on his phone. He is getting divorced, and today he would’ve told Oliver. Yes, that’s it. Maybe.

Marriage is overrated. Still, this is probably the only wedding Theo will ever have, given what comes up when anyone googles his name. So he refuses to look like a circus performer, and he says as much. That’s another fun one: ‘circus.’ He’ll teach it to Mabel later.

The store’s attendant tries to talk Oliver down to a colorful pocket square. Will touches Theo’s arm, makes him flinch.

“Sorry.” Will actually signs ‘sorry,’ and Theo’s faint delight at that dissolves into apprehension almost immediately. Had Will planned to talk to him? They don’t have anything to talk about.

“—have— pad— could borrow?

“What?”

Will holds out his palm and makes a scribbling motion with his index finger.

“Oh, yeah.” What does he want to say to Theo— or otherwise write down— that he prefers physical paper for?

Theo hands him the small notebook he carries around for whenever he doesn’t want to hand his phone to strangers, or could use the larger, harder to ignore text size.

“Thanks—“ Will’s smile comes out as a grimace.

In the end, they settle on a black suit that’s actually quite nice, and an overpriced semi-matching tie and pocket square set. Although, the color of the suit concerns the salesman for reasons Theo doesn’t catch and doesn’t care to.

In his peripheral vision, Will rips out a few sheets of paper. Two he folds, one he crumbles up and shoves in his pocket. Unless Will is informing his wife he’s leaving her via two tiny sheets of lined notebook paper, it’s for Theo.

He can’t imagine what Will might want to say to him that would take up more then a sentence. Nothing good, probably. And Will’s definitely nervous now, if he wasn’t before. It must be something… necessary.

He hands back the notebook and pen, nothing else. They walk back to the car.

Could it be something about the case, then? Does he just have an extremely strong preference for physical note taking?

They get in the car, with Oliver in the backseat again, and Theo passes up the chance to ask.

Will isn’t driving towards the Arconia. By the time Theo realizes, they’re on a street he doesn’t recognize. He tries not to visibly react, but watches Oliver in the mirror, tries to figure out if he’s just missed something benign.

Yesterday, if someone had told Theo that Oliver had amnesia and didn’t remember the entirety of last year, he’d have believed it. Charles had been the apprehensive one. Now, though, Oliver’s quiet, and he half thinks this is all some sort of revenge plot, even as his other half is pretty sure they wouldn’t do that.

Will parks next to an empty playground.

“— stopped here — need to talk— about— important.“

Will mistakes Theo’s hesitation for lack of comprehension and repeats himself. Theo looks into his face, his nervousness and put-on half smile. No, Will and Oliver are nothing like him, and he isn’t getting punched in the stomach today.

They get out of the car.

Theo and Will amble side by side down the bark-lined path. Oliver walks about a dozen feet behind them.

The park’s star attractions are a lily pad marry-go-round, a vaguely dragon shaped play structure, and one of those hey-mom-look-at-me things that toddlers ride on decorated like a bumblebee. Idly, he wonders what theme they were going for.

Will steps ahead of him, gestures for him to sit on a bench, the fateful papers griped too tightly in his other hand.

Theo hesitates, glances back at Oliver, stalls. He wants to know, needs to know.

He sits.

Will hands him the letter, and Theo smooths out the folds.

Theo,

a year ago my wife and I took DNA tests for our son’s school project.

Here, he scribbled something out.

I learned my dad is not my biological father. You’re probably wondering why I’m telling you this. Well, when I started helping my dad with this wedding thing, he told me he knew who contributed to my DNA. My mom had a brief affair with your dad, which makes us half brothers.

For a couple seconds, his mind is blank.

His body reminds him to breath, to blink.

He looks up at Will, and startles when he sees Oliver, too, his hand on his son’s shoulder.

“Are there others?”

Will’s carefully neutral face sinks into bewilderment. Theo stops, makes himself read the second page.

You noticed how many drafts of this letter I wrote. The truth is, I don’t know how to end it. We —he scribbled out a few words here, too— knew each other a little as kids. A lot has happened since then. I wasn’t sure I wanted to say anything, but all our parents know, and it didn’t feel fair that you were the only one who didn’t.

He did not guess this twist. He should have, maybe. His dad slept with a lot of women when Theo was little, which he’d known since he was old enough to put those memories into context. Actually, the thought had crossed his mind, once or twice, that he might have half siblings out there. He just never thought one would be Oliver Putnam’s boy.

They might not share any DNA, but the father and son’s expectant expressions match.

Theo takes the pen from his pocket, turns the paper over on his lap, and writes: Those genealogy websites let you find relatives.

He gets stuck on his wording. ‘Are you the only one?’ ‘Are there more secret love children?’ Should he use the word ‘we?’ That is, would Will ever call Theo his brother, no qualifiers?

He settles on: Are there any other siblings? and hands it to Will.

He raises his eyebrows, shakes his head. “No.”

Oliver leans in to read the note and makes a disapproving face, one neck muscle bulging.

Will scribbles something else, hands it back.

that I know of.

Theo can’t help the rueful smile.

It promptly slides off his face.

He stands up and searches Will for physical resemblance. He finds nothing obvious— between Will and himself. Just now, Will’s facial structure reminds him of Teddy.

“What now?”

“I don’t know.” Will half shrugs. The nervousness is gone. He just looks tired.

As a kid, Theo had wished for siblings on occasion, but only on occasion. It’s always just been him and his dad. That was enough.

That was everything.

Oliver stares at his son now, a kind of open tenderness on his face.

Theo refolds the letters, stuffs them into his coat pocket.

“I’m going back to the car,” he signs, probably pointlessly.

#only murders in the building #omitb #theo dimas #oliver putnam #will putnam #fanfiction #my fanfic tag #fic: sorry for not winning you an arcade ring #theobel

[atendersun-archived]

🎰 c:

Mason & Shoku: In all honesty, he’d probably think they were so cool. At where he is in life, he feels as though he missed out on the chance to be rebellious in his youth due to the fact that he kind of went from immature teenage boy that sought out the approval of the adult figures in his life he seemed to miss the mark of every time, to being a young adult left to deal with a lot of feelings on where it left his self worth. Due to a lot of things, he is much more set on being diligent and well behaved, because he otherwise feels as though he can’t be trusted too long with his own devices not to make a mistake. If he were to catch glimpse of them just doing something as minor as pocketing a small item from a shop without a care in the world, he’d want to befriend them on the basis of knowing how to become someone that cared far less about the idea of getting in trouble. Also, he’s been put through the wringer in a lot of ways enough that the fellow 24 year old could do nothing to really get that much of a rise out of him. If anything, he’d actually be more than happy to remain present in their life while they work out some of their own personal issues. Even if it means hearing a lot of foul language in the process. They are going to become another neurodivergent friend of his, and they are going to like it.

Mason & Chepi: One, She has small, he has small dog. Dogs have to go on walks, so, you see.. Two, her physical appearance would really striking to him just in general enough that he would be inclined to approach her on that alone. He knows of Native Americans, of course, but can not ever really recall ever having a strong bond with anyone of that background, and would be very interested in hearing about how being mixed has impacted her experiences in the world. Three, they both are some emotional, tea loving people. He’d be plenty content with approaching a conversation with her over them picking the same flavor of beverage at a local café where he would then proceed to talk with her about flower infused tea. It was something he picked up during a real low in his life, yet he has since made it more of a treat than anything in his current life due to the beauty in it.

Mason & Beckett: This one scary, but has yet to really be someone that he refuses to befriend no matter what his judgement may warn him of otherwise. Murderer? Doesn’t matter. He’s calling them Scrappy Doo, and inviting them to his home to watch Scooby Doo movies with him. Especially the first live action one. There will be no escape. It would simply take a small fraction of a second spent taking a sip of water, or wiping one’s face for him to spot the existence of the younger’s scars. From there, he’d want to adopt them even at the realization that Beckett is in fact an adult just like himself. Though, in reality, he wouldn’t have actually considered the person he was at 20 to be an adult. So, honestly, that would probably just entice him more to get to know them. At their age, he was not doing a whole lot more than crying and feeling out of place with the world around him. He’d love to act as a protective figure to someone that he’d have basked in the admirable glow of someone he’d have annoyed the patience out of if the pair had met back in the day.

Mason & Daevy: I hate to say it, but this one would be too smart for him. Not necessarily in the way that it would mean that he is afraid of her necessarily, but he definitely would have no idea how she is even capable of doing what she does. If it were someone like him leading behind the scenes, the lot of them would have been caught within seconds. Between his tendency to overshare information, and his inability to think for one second that someone ISN’T trustworthy, he’d give out everyone’s whereabouts without even realizing it. That, in a lot of ways, though, is what would make him want to be around her even more. She could be being mean to someone in a public setting, such as a person in the service industry for getting something wrong with an order, or for someone getting in her way, and he will be right there chiming in with a “you know.. that.. that’s very nice. I think you should say sorry, cause you hurt their feelings.” He is 5′9, is very physically fit to the point he could probably pick her up if he tried, and yet he would STILL cry if she raised her voice at him. However, he believes in the power of kindness that he would persevere in her company in order to break through to wherever the softness of her heart lives.

Mason & Ellio: If you are really quiet, you can hear the internal screams of a man who would feel less like a man for just being in a room shared by Ellio. If he were to let up on being unnecessarily intimidated, he’d harmlessly inquire the other on what their workout routine consists of. He’s always looking for friends that would be happy to exercise with him, or teach him how to spare. His thoughts on fighting have been black and white for so long. Growing up, he never wanted to engage in any physical violence out of not wanting to hurt another person that he essentially made himself compliant to a lot of things that overstepped his boundaries in the process. Slipping into flight mode, or even fawn, when a situation that scares him arises is concerning to him, yet he’d be more open to teach his mind how to respond in other ways if the person he was practicing key movements of self defense on someone he knows for certain can handle it. Don’t worry, though, Ellio, Muu hits weaker than a girl. There are actually quite a few women with the capability to beat him up, and barely are above 5′3.

#yecrn #muu would like to singlehandedly throw hands with dyno just so duffy and nutter butter and live a happy life #he would let her be mean to him with no cost other than he wanna pet small animal

[hellosaltysaladcollectionstuff]

In the '80s and '90s, a lot of things were turned into cartoons. We saw a long list of animated shows based on live-action movies and more than a few that existed simply to sell toys. One interesting subgenre you might not remember, though, is when an animated series would age down an established set of fictional characters. All of a sudden, characters you were used to seeing as adults were portrayed as children on another show.

It happened more often than you may think and, honestly, some of the properties that did this to squeeze a little extra money out of their intellectual property may surprise you. At the end of the day, they all had something that made them entertaining enough to stick to the back of our minds.

Let's jump in the time machine and revisit 18 of the absolute best animated shows that age-flipped characters you knew and love--and maybe a couple you were downright terrified of. Also, make sure to check out our list of movies that were based on beloved cartoons. He-Man, eat your heart out.

1. The Tom and Jerry Kids Show

It's not that Tom and Jerry Kids was a bad show, it was actually pretty good. However, the most memorable thing about it is its fantastic theme song. The series also included a kid version of Droopy Dog, in addition to little Tom and Jerry.

2. Muppet Babies

This is easily the most beloved and iconic example of this trend. Jim Henson's Muppets were portrayed as babies when they became a cartoon--complete with onesies, baby talk, and a parental figure named Nanny that was only ever shown from the legs down. Muppet Babies is hands-down one of the best cartoons of the 1980s. What's more, the recent reboot on Disney Channel is also quite fun, even if it doesn't cast tiny versions of your favorite Muppets in movie franchises like Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

3. A Pup Named Scooby-Doo

This was another show with a very memorable theme, though it's a confusing one. A Pup Named Scooby-Doo first debuted in 1988, and yet its theme sounds like a doo-wop song from the '50s. Regardless, this show is a blast as a young Scooby gang hunts monsters and solves mysteries, and of course, feeds the titular dog Scooby Snacks to keep him motivated.

4. Flintstone Kids

Flintstone Kids was good, but what makes this entry on the list special is the show-within-the-show. Captain Caveman and Son were shorts that aired as part of Flintstone Kids. Originally, Captain Caveman was a character that debuted in the 1977 animated series Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels. On Flintstone Kids, he teamed with his son Cavey Jr. to fight the forces of evil. As for the little Flintstone gang themselves, that part of the show was also very fun, though you might remember it most for the public service announcements that aired during the episodes.

5. Tiny Toon Adventures

This one is, admittedly, a bit of a cheat. The kids on Tiny Toons weren't actually the kid versions of Bugs, Daffy, Taz, and the rest of the gang. It doesn't get much closer, though. Baby and Buster were clearly a younger take on the different sides of Bugs Bunny, while Plucky Duck has Daffy's temper, Dizzy was the spitting image of Taz, and Hampton was so close to Porky Pig it was scary. What's more, sometimes the classic Looney Tunes characters made appearances on Tiny Toons, seeing them team up with their younger proteges.

6. James Bond Jr.

This is another one that sort of works, but only if you stretch the premise a bit. James Bond Jr. was the nephew of James Bond and a spy-in-training and, along with his prep school friends, was fighting the forces of evil just like his infamous uncle. What you may not know, though, is James Bond Jr. has his own novels. The Adventures of James Bond Junior 003½ was first released in 1967, written by an author under the pseudonym R. D. Mascott. Interestingly, the actual author of the book has never been officially revealed, though several names have been theorized.

7. Baby Looney Tunes

First debuting in 2001, this is a much newer series than Tiny Toons. What's more, it actually delivers what you might have been looking for in that show--this is the actual Looney Tunes characters as babies, in case the title of the series didn't hint at it enough. This series essentially Muppet Babies, but with Bugs Bunny and friends. What's not to love?

8. Yo Yogi!

If you've actually heard of this one, congratulations. You're as nerdy as we are. Yo Yogi! debuted in 1991 and only lasted for 12 episodes. It was the most over-the-top version of the '90s you could expect, complete with a neon-colored makeover of Yogi's clothes. The series casts the bear and his pals--Boo-Boo, Snagglepuss, Huckleberry Hound, Cindy Bear--as 14-year-old crime fighters. What else would you expect these animated teen animals to be?

9. Jungle Cubs

Yes, Disney's The Jungle Book for the kid treatment, even though the main character in the movie is already a kid. This version doesn't feature Mowgli at all. Instead, the animals are all kids, living it up in the jungle. They aren't crime fighters of ghostbusters or anything like that. Instead, they're just friends hanging out. Oh, and we have to mention the theme song, a hip-hop version of "The Bare Necessities."

10. Clifford's Puppy Days

If you were a kid in the early-aughts, you might remember Clifford's Puppy Days. Before he was Clifford the Big Red Dog, he was Clifford the normal-sized puppy that wasn't a menace to keep and maintain.

11. The New Archies

Before Riverdale turned Archie and his friends into a Twin Peeks-flavored murder party of teenage angst, The New Archies made them little kids. The gang is in junior high and, well, not much else has changed. It lasted 13 episodes and was still the incredibly wholesome Archie Comics you knew back then before it went full-CW.

12. Sabrina: The Animated Series

The animated Sabrina series was a spin-off of the live-action version starring Melissa Joan Hart and featured the titular teen as a 12-year-old. She was still learning her magical ways and getting into all sorts of trouble with her spells. In this series, Sabrina is voiced by Hart's little sister, Emily Hart. However, the original Sabrina does play a role, voicing Sabrina's aunts Hilda and Zelda.

13. Camp WWE

What if WWE did its own take on South Park? That's Camp WWE, an animated series that's definitely meant for adults. All of your favorite WWE superstars, including "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock, and The Undertaker, are little kids at a summer camp run by Vince McMahon, his teen daughter Stephania, and her boyfriend Triple H? That's all you need to know about WWE. It pokes fun at WWE and professional wrestling as a whole, is filled with more adult language than you'd find on Raw or Smackdown, and it actually one of the most entertaining WWE Network originals.

14. Ewoks

Yes, this is real. There's honestly no telling how old the Ewoks are in Return of the Jedi. But who cares? In this Star Wars animated series, viewers follow a younger version of Wicket and his friends before the events of A New Hope and, for some reason, they speak English now. Originally, this series aired with the half-hour show Droids for The Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour, otherwise known as the coolest one-hour block of TV you'll ever experience.

15. Iron Man: Armored Adventures

This is the most recent series on the list, but need to be pointed out. Iron Man: Armored Adventures followed Tony Stark as a teen Iron Man, alongside a similarly-aged Pepper Potts and Rhodey. If you thought Stark might have less of an ego as a teenager, guess again. Still, this take on Iron Man was entertaining and it managed to introduce a long list of popular Marvel characters--from Black Panther to MODOK.

16. The Mini-Monsters

So, The Mini-Monsters wasn't a show. It was, however, a segment within the animated series The Comic Strip. The segment featured the children of the classic Universal monsters, including Frankenstein's son Franky and the Invisible Man's son Blanko. It's utterly ridiculous, with a premise of a pair of siblings (one of which is voiced by Seth Green) being sent to a summer camp filled with the children of actual horror villains for a year. This is the oddest entry on the list, but one of the best.

17. The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show

While this is a list of cartoons that turned adult characters into children, it didn't always work out that way. In some cases, the process goes backward, and this is a perfect example of that. On The Flintstones, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm were the kids of Fred and Barney, respectively. That series ended in 1966, though, with The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show following in 1971. In that series, the two titular characters were teenagers, attending high school together and starting a band. What was the band called, you ask? The Bedrock Rockers. This sequel series only lasted 16 episodes, but it remains a cool idea that most cartoons won't dare touch. Bart Simpson has been in elementary school for three decades, and chances are that won't be changing anytime soon.

18. All Grown Up

This series also aged up popular baby characters. All Grown Up revisited the world of Rugrats. This time, though, Tommy Pickles and his friends were preteens and had more fleshed out personalities. It lasted five seasons on Nickelodeon, airing between 2003 and 2008.

from GameSpot - All Content https://ift.tt/2ZG6o5a

#Blogger

[scar0tissue]

Something I want to talk about: Scooby Doo!

I can not express enough how much I love this franchise. I grew up with it and I still get giddy when the theme song comes on, for me it is a amazing package of my childhood sent right back to me whenether I see the gang. But what I want to focus on with the new movie out are exactly that, the movies. I love these movies. But I will say that some of them are less than worth a watch: so as a self proclaimed Scooby Doo enthusiast I will give short (and bad) reviews based on my memory of them and tell you whether I think they're worth a watch. By the way , this is in no particular order. And this will also probably not contain every movie, just the ones I have memory of.

NOTE: these are my opinions, these are based on my experience and what they are like to me.

1. Zombie Island: (I know I said in no particular order, but I had to put in my top 3).what a place to start, a fantastic movie that captures the feeling a Scooby Doo movie should have. Unlike most Scooby Doo movies this one is actually on the scarier side of things, there is a real sense that things may go wrong for the gang and it is a good spice up of the regular formula Scooby Doo has. I say that this movie is well worth a watch.

2. The Witches Ghost: I don't actually know if this followed the zombie Island chronologically or by release, but for me it always felt like the next movie to watch. The opening sequence to this movie always takes me back to when I was a child and would by at my grandmother's house and we would watch this. The movie is very interesting with more plot twists than your average Scooby Doo episode. It is in my opinion on par with zombie Island. Once again I say this movie is well worth a watch.

3. Pirates Ahoy!: Oh the memories with this. If you ever want a pure example of a great Scooby Doo movie, look no further than this pirate themed adventure. It has everything zombies, pirates , and Scooby and shaggy dancing like chickens. It also has one of my favourite side characters in the form of the scientist that comes aboard. I don't want to spoil any of this movie as I would put this near top spot. If you want to watch any Scooby Doo movie , watch this and get to scrubbing the deck ya sea dogs.

The Loch Ness Monster: this movie ,while not my absolute favourite, holds a special place in my heart as it is the closest I beleive a Scooby Doo movie has ever been to where I live. It takes the classic legend of the loch Ness, and manages to make a mystery movie that can only be described as amazing. Definetly a good watch.

Where's my Mummy: it knows what it is , it has asthetic (did I spell it right?) It has pyramids, sand , mummy's , Pharos, and more. Worth a watch and honestly a cut above the rest.

Aloha, Scooby Doo: I would once again say the same as with the previous review. It knows what it is , the dancing, the volcanos and the surfing. A regular old mystery with that extra volcano god/demon mixed in. worth a watch.

The samurai sword: Robo ghost samurais, do I need say any more? Watch it.

Alien Invaders: Ok, this is a very interesting movie. The design of the aliens as well as the whole setting makes for a great movie. It has good pacing and also a better love story than twilight. Worth a watch.

Monster of Mexico: watch this, it may be old, but watch it. It is an absolutely fantastic price of media that encapsulates what Scooby Doo is at its core. The gang going somewhere nice just to find themselves slap bang in the middle of a regular old mystery. Worth a watch.

Chill Out Scooby Doo: do you know what surprised me , is the amount of winter/snow based movies in the Scooby Doo franchise. But I will say this one stands out. It is interesting and good to watch. I would say it's worth a watch.

Goblin King: goblins , ghouls and whatever creepy will pop up in this movie , creepy and fun, definetly a good watch. Especially the end.

Abracadabra Doo: this is what I think was the high point of Scooby Doo was in the 2010's before mystery incorporated came out. This was a good movie which mixed magic, mythology, and mystery together well. A really good watch, but I can see how some may not like it.

Legend of the Phantasaur: Dino's and bikers , all against shaggy. Who will win, great movie, worth a watch if your devoted enough, but may be a bore for some people.

Cyber Chase: cyber Chase is more like a fan fiction than anything else, it is fan service. You see some fan favourite monsters, the gang teams up with a parallel version of themselves and it comes to a climax. It is a good watch for nostalgia, but I would say it may not look the best to people that don't have all that many memories of Scooby Doo.

Camp Scare: this , for me, perfectly embodies the old tradition of a summer camp, at least idealised. The end is an amazing watch and it has a pretty good feel for most of it. Especially Fred with his never ending optimism. Worth a watch. But like me, may not be the best if you have bad memories of summer camp.

Too be completely honest, most movies past this point in the animated section are boring or downright bad. But there may be hope with a Scooby Doo movie with king Arthur coming out this year.

Honourable Mentions for animated movies:

Music of the vampire.

Legend of the vampire.

Big top.

Stage Fright.

Wrestlmania mystery.

In this list I have put the ones on dvd I remember, but I do remember also some VHS ones that I don't know If you can or can't get them today. But all of them are worth watching, these are: Boo Brothers , ghoul school, the reluctant werewolf, and Arabian Nights.

Now live action.

These movies I would say are more comedy's than anything else. While they do have touching moments , you'll probably find yourself laughing more than anything else. So here we go:

Scooby Doo: an island with weird monster people and bad CGI? Sign me up. A good watch but as I mentioned earlier, more so for the comedy.

Scooby Doo 2, Monsters Unleashed: actually a good movie, good villains and genuinely good moments. The effects I would say are better than the first one and the characters it introduces are pretty good. Also Daphne sasses everyone. Definitely worth a watch.

Scooby Doo! The Mystery begins + Curse of the lake monster: I have grouped these both into one because I just think they're bad, I watched them for free on Amazon and I still think I need money back. They are nothing compared to the original live action. Also , Fred is a brunette , how did nobody seem to realise this while making this. Not worth watching.

Once again, post 2015 nothing was really worth watching, but I can't speak for the live action Daphne and Velma movie, I don't even know if this can be classified as a Scooby Doo movie because I dont beleive he's in it. But I have not watched it and therefore cant give a proper review for it. So for the sake of simplicity, I will say it's worth a watch.

I think this wraps this up. I am in no way a professional reviewer, I am just someone who likes Scooby Doo , a lot. I don't own any of the images in this post.

Stay home and stay safe, much love my friends.

Best wishes.

#scooby doo #shaggy and scooby #mystery inc #movies #reveiw #movie reviews #what am i doing with myslef so late at night #is this real #stay safe #the ever growing fear of age overtakes me #are you really reading all the tags? #good on you #thank you

[emotionallyconfusedpolyglot]

Get those mf tissues ready. Things you remember if you're Gen Z

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Ook and Gluk

Jetpack Joyride

iPods

Nancy Drew

Blue's clues

Drake and Josh

Kim Possible

Spongebob

Dora

Diego

Kai-Lan

Max and Ruby

Rolie Polie Ollie

Maggie and the ferocious beast

Angelina Ballerina

Sesame Street

Clifford

Bob the Builder

Caillou

Fairly Odd parents

Arthur

Suite Life

Dog with a Blog

The Berenstain bears

Teen Titans (and go)

Zoey 101

Ben 10

Atla (and Alok)

House of Anubis

The beer-drinking app on the early days of the iPhone era

Class of the Titans

Drake and Josh

iCarly

Victorious (nothing after that counts)

Wizards of Waverly Place

Chowder

Total drama

George of the Jungle

Totally Spies

What's new Scooby Doo

Scooby Doo : Mystery incorporated

Babar (the old one)

Emily Young

Daniel Cook

Are we There yet? (MF Nat Geo. The things this show should have done for my generation in terms of geography knowledge. I'm going to fucking cry. I might want to be an engineer but kids' education also has a special place in my heart)

Unaccompanied Minors (the movie)

Are we there yet? (The movie)

Rusted Root - Send me on my way (google it, listen to it, see how many memories it turns up)

The Wiggles (when Jeff was still Asian)

Higglytown Heroes (I just rediscovered this while researching for this post. Multicultural animated anthropomorphic Matryoshka dolls)

The Koala Brothers

MTV top 50

Bruno Mars - Just the way you are

The Beijing Olympics

K'naan - Waving Flag

Calvin Harris - sweet nothing

Coldplay Vida La Vida

Coldplay - Paradise

Maroon 5 - payphone

Jojo's circus

Little Einsteins

Hannah Montana

Jonas

Good Luck Charlie

Detentionaire (it tastes the same as Mystery Incorporated)

Chaotic

6Teen

Bakugan

HotWheels Battleforce 5 (It does exist, there's clips of it on YouTube, McDonald's ran the cars for a series of Happy Meals toys, the world acts as if this never existed)

Teletubbies

Franklin (oddly, the episodes I remember as are the episodes that scared me the most)

Wonder Pets (morals. Morals. I approve)

The backyardigains

Miss Spider's sunny patch kids

Pokemon (around Galactic Battles era)

Winx

Elmo's world

In the night garden

Bratz

Lizzie McGuire (I know this exists, I had the game boy advance On The Go game and played it heavily)

Cars with the hand crank for the windows

Yo Gabba Gabba

Wow wow wubzy

Out of the box

Johnny Test

4square

My Babysitter is a vampire

That Fat Albert show

Rescue Heroes

George Shrinks

Harry and his bucket full of dinosaurs (His sister's name is Claire? I've come to realize that even though she kinda lives in her room, she plays with him on occasion. I'm not sure how much of a role she played but I am an absolute failure of an older sibling compared to her)

Imagination Movers

Postman Pat

Fireman Sam (I need another claymated wholesome British man to teach me about public service employment)

Big Time Rush

Popeye (the sailor man)

Shaun the sheep

Wayside

Handy Manny

Stoked

World of Quest

Adam Lambert - If I had you

[that period of time when Last Gaga was a household name]

Hedley - Perfect

Avril Lavigne as a person

Green Day - BBD

Jay Sean - Down

One Way (clap clap clap) Jesus

John 3:16 (said that God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son, so that whoever believes in him will never die but have eternal life)

Timothy goes to school

Fifi and the flowertots

That marineland commercial (there's a place in Ontario)

Eggo tunes commercials

House Hippo (Canada)

Concerned Childrens' advertisers PSAs Canada. (I'm not kidding, we need some of these back. Remaster them or remake them or run them raw, I don't care. These messages are invaluable. As much as we like to knock on anyone born after 04, I believe they deserve to learn what we did)

Discovery Channel (and it's Science spinoff channel)

Vsauce

Deadliest Catch

River Monsters

Bear Grylls

Survive This

Air Crash Investigations Mayday (this show introduced me to the concept of 'metal fatigue' which came in handy during robotics class)

How It's Made

Canada's worst driver

Mythbusters

The Colony (Discovery Channel)

Sears Canada

Future Shop Canada

Daily Planet

(Okay just go to YouTube and search up "The world is awesome boom de ya da)

Cash Cab Toronto

Destroyed in seconds

Dirty Jobs

Inventions that Shook the world

Mighty Ships (When some dude at Wonderland asked where my inspiration for Lego building comes from, I cited this show, this is the single strongest memory I have of it)

Monster Ships

The time when Guinness book of world records was relevant

Sharkboy and Lava girl

Spy Kids (If I could change history, I'd alter Sharkboy and Lavagirl to canonically fit within the shared universe of Spykids)

Pawn Stars

Monsters inside me

Rush Hour (Jackie Chan)

Jackie Chan in general

Shark Week

Smallville

The Zone, YTV

3rd and bird

Barney (and whoever created the violent version can screw off)

Care Bears

Thomas the tank engine

When it was announced that we'd be the first generation in modern history to die before our parents

There's probably a lot more but my brain is small

[ramblingguy54]

26, 29, 30, 36?

*cracks knuckles*Alright, let’s do this.

26: The late Robin Williams & Hayao Miyazaki are two particular people in my life I’ve idolized for what happiness/imagination they’ve brought into others lives. Robin Williams untimely passing still hurts for me to look back on because this man made it his mission to bring so much joy into other peoples lives through his acting on the big screen, whether it was dramatic or comedic. That’s what I found the most impressive about Robin’s range in acting. He could be an over the top funny individual, but Robin’s acting chops were in a league of their own. Whether he was behind the microphone having the time of his life as Genie on Aladdin or giving a powerful dramatic performance on Good Will Hunting as Will’s therapist, I could feel the unconditional kindness. There was something about Robin’s acting power that would usually manage to reel me in. Even if I never knew him in real life, obviously, this man just radiated with so much kindness that I felt from his entire presence on screen. It’s seriously unfortunate what became of Robin Williams in the end with his unexpected death, but his legacy has inspired me to be kinder to others in real life. As for Hayao Miyazaki, this guy is a huge factor in why I got into loving anime related stuff all the more, as his creations in storytelling and the art itself for the movies were beyond unlike anything I still have yet to seen be topped quite frankly. It’s so easy for me to get emotionally lost in his films like My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Castle In The Sky, and Spirited Away. This man never ceases to amaze me with how usually impactful and in depth his films are. They’re so full life that it’s easy to lose sight of whats happening in the actual story at times. Mayazaki understood how to breathe a ton of humanity into creating such resonating works of fiction. Have a much greater appreciation for them in my adult years. There’s a reason why they inspired companies, like Pixar, to create immersive stories of their own.

29: Favorite films range from Zootopia, Wreck It Ralph, M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable, Aladdin (1992), The Secret Of NIMH, The Lion King (1994), The Incredibles, UP, Ratatouille, Wall-E, Finding Nemo, Inside Out, Kung Fu Panda 1 & 2, How To Train Your Dragon Trilogy, Toy Story 1-4, The Great Mouse Detective, Lilo & Stitch, The Emperors New Groove, A Goofy Movie, Good Will Hunting, The Fox And The Hound, The Land Before Time, The Brave Little Toaster, Frozen, Shrek 1 & 2, Coraline, Paranorman, Kubo And The Two Strings, The Muppets (2011), Princess Mononoke, Castle In The Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away, Porco Rosso, Summer Wars, Beauty and the Beast (1991), Winnie The Pooh (1977 & 2011 iterations.), The Peanuts Movie, The Princess And The Frog, The Jungle Book (2016), Scooby Doo On Zombie Island, Harry Potters’ 1-7, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy, Wonder Woman, Sam Raimi’s Spiderman 1 & 2, The Black Panther, Thor & Thor Ragnorok, The Avengers, Avengers Infinity War & Endgame, Spiderman Into the Spiderverse, Captain America Trilogy, Iron Man Trilogy, Star Wars Episodes 4-8, and The Breakfast Club to stop this list from getting any longer. =P

30: Favorite TV shows range from Cowboy Bebop, Avatar The Last Airbender, Yu Yu Hakusho, Digimon Adventure 01 & Tamers, Teen Titans (2003), Batman The Animated Series, Ed, Edd,& Eddy, Samurai Jack, Courage The Cowardly Dog, The Powerpuff Girls (Screw that garbage reboot.), Chowder, Bojack Horseman, DuckTales (1987), DuckTales (2017), Gravity Falls, Code Geass (This series has shaky writing in a number of areas, but that ending was beautiful.), Amphibia, Steven Universe, Oban Star Racers, Made In Abyss, Stranger Things, Gargoyles, My Hero Academia, Naruto (I’ve got a soft spot for this series despite my MANY problems with its story later on.), Pokemon (Serious nostalgia overload!), Dragonball Z (My very first anime series I got into through the Toonami block. A real shocker I know. LOL!), Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill, The Promised Neverland, Death Note, Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers, Sonic SatAM, Talespin, Darkwing Duck, The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy, Robot Chicken, A Pup Named Scooby Doo, Kim Possible, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, and Fullmetal Alchemist (2003).

36: My three dream scenarios I’d like to fulfill? 

1: Become A Voice Actor

Been interested in voice acting since I was a young teen, but have been in a conflicted state over these recent passing years in my life on whether or not I’d like to approach that route. There’s a lot of commitment I’d have to put into auditioning my butt off for roles I may or not get. Then comes the consistent practicing to keep my vocal chords in shape, so I don’t get rusty whatsoever. The industry for this kind of job can be hard to get recognized in too by how many other notable well known VA’s there are already. Not to mention, from what I’ve researched up on being a voice actor doesn’t bring in the money naturally, as it’s more of a passion job which that’s terrific and all, but if I want to partake in this profession I’ll have to juggle a job along with that which putting all those factors in my head honestly makes me intimidated. Ahhh well, it’s just something I’ll have to wait and see on if I can make that idea into a reality or not. No need to rush myself, of course.

2: Taking Up The Mantle Of Reviewing Shows & Films For A Living

Fiction, just like for many people, has been a great deal of helping me in my life moments of stress, solitude, depression, and anger. I’d love nothing more than to further express that to anyone out there in reviewing in great detail certain films or shows that I’ve come to love over these years in my life so far. Mostly for animation though, as its been a gateway for finding many gems of quality films or series. It never ceases to surprise me on how creative and powerful animation can be with its inventive ways of getting me to become an emotional mess. While I do enjoy live action series and films they pale in comparison to the beauty animation has brought into my life, since my early childhood of watching shows on Cartoon Network, Toon Disney, and Nickelodeon to a smaller degree. I’d like to think I’m good enough with how I present my reasons on why I feel so strongly connected to these stories showcasing characters trying to find hope in their own hard times. I try my hardest to take moments of my own life and find ways to connect it with whatever story I’m getting into next, so it can be all the more a special experience for myself. It’s important to put whatever character resonates with you most in their shoes for why you feel their emotional journey connecting with your own life on every conceivable level possible. That will make it when you write these kinds of reviews a very empowering read for others to feel either heard in their own feelings or simply giving others a new perspective to consider on this piece of fiction you’re discussing. Seeing some of my own particular analytical posts in the past here on Tumblr garner some attention from people gives me a boost of feeling better about potentially making this choice.

3: Starting A Family Of My Own…?

I can’t begin to tell ya how many times I’ve gone back and forth for getting married in the distant future to become a father has sped through my mind. On one hand, it scares the crap out of me to be taking up that big of a responsibility. However, on the other hand its deeply fascinated me emotionally of creating life through love for your significant other in starting your own family tree. I’d love to be able to raise kids of my own to pass on the lessons I’ve learned in life to make them become better people in the distant future, while showering them with unconditional love and affection. That would fill me up with such an indescribable joyous feeling to hear their own dreams and desires on what they want to accomplish in life. While I’d be a strict parent, I wouldn’t be a hard headed one quick to dismiss their own complaints if they had problems with how I handled things, once they start to get older. The kind of parent I’d want to be is an understanding open minded one who doesn’t judge their son or daughter for when they have an issue with me. Just because I’m a parent in that scenario doesn’t put me on a pedestal of immunity from criticism. Granted, I certainly don’t want to be a doormat for them to try taking advantage of either, but it’s also important to not let your parental role go to your head, too.

Although, I don’t plan on even trying to make this last dream of mine happen anytime soon. This is something that is MUCH later down the road that I wish to have happen. However, I won’t lie and say that I haven’t considered just staying content as a single guy for the rest of my life relying on close friends to bring me joy equivalent to this dream. While I adore the concept of creating life through love and being a father, there’s a shit ton of responsibility that comes with it. The life of a parent is not just putting your all into it. You gotta give more than just 100% when wanting to be a parent. It’s a serious test of your spiritual endurance, which I’m not sure is something I’ll ever have the courage to do, but then again things can change in life on the flip of a dime, so I’ll see how this all plays out for myself. Maybe I’ll stay happily single or I’ll happily be raising kids.

Gee, I wonder why this dream of being a parent resurfaced in my head recently this year? Oh yeah, it was thanks to this character here.

Seriously, Della Duck holds a real special place in my heart for making me feel these kind of feelings yet again. Darn you space mom! LOL.

Thanks for the ask, man.

#asks and answers #ask away #ask the rambler

[dndgamergirl]

Dungeon Master Xmas Rant

Just when I thought the holidays could not get any worse they did today. as many of you guys know I run a Dungeons & Dragons Discord with my friends. We've rarely take new people into the group because of the fact that we would like to get to know the person before we allow them to play a game. We also have what we call the trial period.  This is when a player who is new and it's not certain they want to join our group comes in and sits in on game for a couple of weeks. This allows the player to do a lot of things that most would never think to give a player who is new to D&D a chance to do. One of the things that we use it is to be able to allow a player who is new to our group an insight into the world they get to learn the characters and the world itself as well as the rules that the world abides by. Being the fact of most of my worlds are Homebrew this means that the players also get the idea of which rules from the books we use as well as some of the house rules. Now this is to say that we do have some major standards this means that a lot of our games that are adult oriented do have an age limit. At which you are allowed to participate in. This means that some games are strictly for those who are 21 years of age and up or even to the point of, ‘all right will allow the eight-year-old to come in and play but after this point know that the next game they might not be able to because that's when we have to go to the section that is way above their age level.’ So why am I telling you this? I'm telling you guys this because we just had another issue with a player. On second thought no we didn't have a issue we had a lot of issues. For me as a dungeon master I have to control the world that the players are running around in. This means I have to go over everyone's character sheet and background I also have to go over there backstory. When a player is having trouble with their back story I usually go ahead and help him figure out exactly where they need to fill in the places. I also help them figure out what they don't need their back story because it could cause trouble with the world schematics or even break the campaign because you're basically making a character that is too overpowered. Example of this can be found in a different rant that may or may not have already been published already. But on to the issues that we had with this player. Issue number one was the fact that whenever we got into the game the player was always very standoffish with their character. As a dungeon master I enjoy a little bit of angst and it's always fun to see kind of the bad boy character or the Emo character but then there's a point of taking it to the degree of your really just making it hard for anyone to interact with your character and move the story along. An example of this can be found in one game that a lot of my players are having a lot of fun with. The world that I have them running in is a mix of Supernatural meets American Pie meets Animal House mixed in with a little bit of Scooby-Doo. It's all based in the 1970s world that is just coming off of the hippie era and slowly going into the disco scene. The players all play college kids that are in a fraternity and are basically trying to stop one of the greatest on speakable evils known to mankind. They do have a little bit of leeway with the fact of the person who is basically the head guy to talk to you with campus security is their sponsor for their frat house and at the same time they also have the added advantage of certain characters are still running around that can help them. One of which is an NPC that I placed in that is kind of the Minotaur version of Tommy Chong from Cheech and Chong. And at the same time just for the heck of it I threw in a version of Jay and Silent Bob where Jay is a satyr Warlock and Silent Bob is a dwarf Paladin. I usually try to put in a lot of Pop Culture references and it makes everybody laugh a lot. Well this player decided that they wanted to go ahead and mess things up. And when I mean mess things up I mean unfortunately this player did some very ridiculous things. He wanted to be a werecat but they also wanted to be a Druid now whenever were talking about certain things I usually go ahead and I'm pretty lenient with my players. I gave them the ability to understandably turn into a half-and-half form of an animal as well as the ability to turn into the Natural Animal itself but they would not be able to talk much like wild shape for a druid. Only it would work longer and it would only work on the type of where creature they were. Being a generous DM I gave them this thinking that they wouldn't abused it as much as they did. And when I mean abused I mean they abused it. The character was constantly in the form of a cat not even a big cat a house cat. It got very annoying and unfortunately it got to the point where the player itself didn't want to go ahead and interact with anybody other than the fact of well this conversation.

Dm: “Okay wait they were here?”

Player:  “Yeah you didn't notice.”

Dm: “No you didnt say you followed.”

Player: “Um yeah i did i was there the whole time.”

Dm: “Where then where in the room?”

They made it to where I unfortunately as a dungeon master I could never tell when the cat was in the room and it started to get very annoying to where I told them they had to make it known that they were there. At the same time they were also not happy unless all the spotlight was on them for certain s***. Whenever characters started to do any form of romance with a different character a NPC or even another player character they would kind of get uppity and  try to get the attention all on them again. This was getting annoying and unfortunately I was unable to have a lot of contact with them because they were constantly working. The last game we had was the day before Christmas Eve and I asked him if they were coming to game and they said no I'm not feeling well. Being the kind of person that I am I left it at that and I decided that I would be talking to them about the issues that we were having another day. Not just for my end but from the players and as well because the players were getting upset that the character did not really try to help the group whenever things would happen. The character was always centered on themselves they didn't do anything to help any of the other players whenever a battle came they only protected who themselves. And in this game unfortunately the one that I'm running you have to protect not only yourself but you also have to watch out for your friend who's standing right next to you a lot more than yourself. Because once that line is broken that's it game over the party will be at a major risk of a total party kill. So what do I do Christmas Eve was the next day and I decided that I would go ahead and wait until Friday. Since Christmas this year falls on Wednesday, I figured that it would be all right to go ahead and give him 3 days before I called them since I would be working with my service dog on Thursday. On Friday I had planned to call them and  that was that or so I thought. Christmas comes and I go to my family's house I'm normally not one to deal with one side of my family and they usually make me pretty uncomfortable. So I was already in a kind of mood and all I was thinking was present time is almost here and after we have presents we pick up the food and then we all go home. This means I only have 1 hour and 45 minutes left of Christmas. That is when I get a contact on my Discord server. Only it's not the main server its individual message. I had time so I decided to go ahead and take a look I figured it was one of my friends on Discord sending me a Merry Christmas card or picture. However it wasn't it was the problem player who told me that they were going to leave the game. They told me that the reason they were going to be leaving the game was because they weren't having as much fun as they had in the beginning. A lot of my games do have a good bit of combat but I also balance at all with a good bit of dialogue and at the same time I also tried to balance it off with a bit of puzzle work that the players have to do. This player was more of a combat player and at the same time was also the kind of person that if there wasn't any combat going on every 10 seconds they would basically get bored. For a D&D game to work you have to have a complete balanced and at the same time you have to rotate the importance of each player in an entire rotation. One session segment might be about one player and then the next one another player so you have to take it all in turn it's a complete Carousel Ride. As soon as one player has had the spotlight on them for long enough you then have to move to the other players in the queue. The bad part is that this hit at a point where I was not in a good mood and at the same time it only made it worse. For me Christmas has always been a time where I have really bad seasonal depression and at the same time where I don't feel like I belong. So upon me getting this notification and i was at christmas you know i wa not happy. And the bad part is that broke the goliths back. For the week before this i found out the player had also during the week expressed his issues to the players stating that he didn't want to talk to me about it because he felt like I wouldn't listen to him. When all the players know that I do listen to them and that I encouraged them constantly to come to me if they ever have any questions or any concerns. So I did the only thing I could which was go ahead and allow him to know that okay fine you can leave thanks for letting me know. But also a tip for other Gamers out there as well as this one if you're going to go ahead and say you're leaving a game or leaving a table. Maybe you shouldn't do that on a holiday because you don't know what that person is going through Master might have a bad connection with a certain holiday not just Christmas but possibly Easter or some other holiday. Maybe it holds bad memories for them and they're trying to not have bad memories happen on that day. Today I was trying to make a few good memories with my family but unfortunately this message made it to where I couldn't have that it completely ruined my day. And unfortunately I had a really bad time a Christmas this year. When I expected to get a merry Christmas I got a sorry but your game is too boring and I'm going to disrupt what little bit of happiness you're trying to have just to make you feel like dirt. As such the gamer has now been removed from our server and now we're looking for somebody to replace him. It's also gotten me to the point where I'm now debating going ahead and making an entire panel for an up-and-coming convention that I'm going to about dungeon master rants things that make the dungeon master story keeper and Storyteller angry. Maybe this will be a good platform for other dungeon Master's to come forward about their own issues that they've had with their groups or players and possibly allow other dungeon Master's to give them an idea as to how to handle this. Problem players are always an issue and unfortunately it can be even more of an issue when they decide to go ahead and ruin your holidays.

#dndgamergirl #dnd #dndrants #Dungeons and Dragons #dungeon master thoughts #dungeon master shit #how to make the dungeon master facepalm #dungeon master rants

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball GT Retrospective (2/7)

[Note: This was originally written on January 11, 2013.]

Still watching Dragon Ball GT and writing about it to ease the pain.  

I'm up to Episode 25 or 26 now.  I lose count pretty easily.  The part where Baby is about to fight Goten.  So I'm basically covering the Machine Mutant leg of the series.   After Goku's team defeats Lord Luud, they learn that Dr. Myuu was behind the entire Luud cult.  This is kind of contrived.   It's not that it's a plot hole exactly, but I think they played this card a little too frequently.   The result is a whole series of secret masterminds that feels like those nesting dolls.   See, in Episode 8, the Para Brothers steal a Dragon Ball from Goku, Trunks and Pan.   In Episode 9, we learn that they're a mercenary team hunting Dragon Balls in the service of Cardinal Mutchy Mutchy, the leader of the Luud Cult.  The Cardinal is, obviously, a servant of Lord Luud, which turns out to be a weapon under the control of the true leader of the Luud Cult, Master Daltaki.   When things go sour, Daltaki turns to his overlord, Dr. Myuu, in Episode 13.   So in the space of six episodes, we go through four secret boss reveals.  Five, if you count the part where Cardinal Mutchy Mutchy's whip reveals that it was the intelligence controlling the Cardinal's humanoid form.   And Dr. Myuu has his own secret boss pulling the strings, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.   Now, by contrast, a similar concept was used in Dragon Ball Z.    Radditz is the first villain of the series, and when he dies, he reveals that his even stronger boss, Vegeta, is on his way to kick everyone's ass.   When Vegeta is defeated, the next story arc concerns his boss, Frieza, who's essentially the top of the food chain.  And that's it.   Three levels of bad guys, revealed over the span of about forty episodes.   It works better, because you have time to process how awesome each guy is before they spring the next one on you.   When GT does it, there's no clear pattern to the villains.   Most of them are thinkers and manipulators, so it doesn't really matter who takes orders from whom.   They'd have been better off skipping straight to Myuu, since he's the only one with an agenda.  It's almost like the writers couldn't decide which one to use, or they deliberately crammed in too many characters in order to sell more toys.   Anyway, the deal with Dr. Myuu is that he's some kind of cyborg/synthezoid/robototomaton/mechan-o-dude who wants to replace natural life forms with his own robot designs, which he calls "Machine Mutants".   I'm not clear on what makes a "Machine Mutant" different from a robot or a cyborg, but he seems to take pride in the name.   The only Machine Mutant who's not on board is Giru, the annoying sidekick character who joins the GT crew early into the series.   For my money, Giru is the biggest slap in the face of the whole Dragon Ball GT brand.  All fans wanted to see Super Saiyan 3 Goku have an hour-long screaming match with Vegeta, or with a floating piece of candy, or a ninja tiger ghost, or whatever. What we got was H.E.R.B.I.E.   Giru is like Steve Urkel combined with Poochie plus Cousin Oliver plus all the House Elves in Harry Potter times the Robot from Lost in Space Divided by Suck.  His actual name is TK2006, but the GT Crew decide to call him "Giru" because that's the annoying non-word he says over and over and over without ever stopping.   TRUNKS: Well, what should we call this guy? GIRU: giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru GOKU: Hmmm... I don't know.   PAN: If only there were some distinguishing characteristic we could use for a nickname.   GIRU: giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru-giru TRUNKS: Well, he's awfully round.   Let's call him "Roundy".   It's stupid, like if they had done an episode about how they decided what to name Scooby-Doo.  If they hadn't called him "Giru", they could have used his two other favorite words, "Danger!" and "Pan".   Giru's super power is that he can sense danger but refuses to explain what it is or how to avoid it.   The only reason he gets to tag along is that he ate the Dragon Radar and assimilated it into his body, so if they dropped his worthless ass into the sun, they'd be unable to find the Black Star Dragon Balls in time to stop the earth from exploding.   Despite this, I still think it would have been smart to make a quick trip back to Earth to pick up the spare radar.    The one that doesn't say "giru" a billion times.   In fact, by Episode 15, Trunks proposes dropping Pan off on Earth to protect her from the upcoming conflict with Dr. Myuu.  He doesn't say "and let's get the spare Dragon Radar while we're there, so we can throw Giru into the sun", but I think it's strongly implied.  It's like going to the bathroom.   Trunks and Goku don't need to discuss using the toilet while they're on Earth.   It's just mutually understood that this will take place while they're there.   Anyway, the whole "Get Rid of the Two Most Annoying Characters" idea is just a device to have them bond in a Very Special Episode.  Pan is determined to prove her worth and maturity, so she wanders off on a desert planet to locate the next Dragon Ball by herself.   Without a Dragon Radar.     Or provisions.   Against all common sense, Giru not only find her worthless ass, but he saves her from a giant Ant-Lion monster too.   After that, they become best buddies.   Best, insanely irritating, buddies.   The next several episodes take place on the Planet M2, which the Machine Mutants conquered as their new homeworld.  Giru recognizes the planet when the GT Crew flies by, and he convinces them to stop and check it out for old times' sake.   Goku, Trunks, and Pan are quickly captured by the Machine Mutants, and Dr. Myuu plans to use their super-powered bodies to refine his Machine Mutant designs.  Giru is hailed as a hero, and everyone just assumes that he has been working undercover for Dr. Myuu this whole time.  The flesh creatures resist, until General Rilldo shows up to re-capture everybody.   General Rilldo is one of those classic examples of "GT-logic", the inconsistent rulebook the writers used to plot the show.   As a character, he's pretty straightforward: He's the leader of Dr. Myuu's forces, and he basically runs the Planet M2 while Myuu conducts his research.  He's also their strongest fighter, so he's basically the man to beat in this storyline.   When he first confronts Goku, he's furious that Goku easily destroyed the Sigma Force, a crappy team of toy robot-looking doofs.   As usual with DBGT, Goku's strategy against the Sigma Force was to fight them in base form and pretend to have a difficult time before finally blowing them away with a single attack.  When General Rilldo shows up, it's treated like a big deal, and for a moment it seems like the real fight is about to begin.   Goku even remarks that Rilldo is  stronger than Majin Buu, the strongest villain in the franchise to date.   I think what the writers were going for was to suggest that Rilldo posed a similar challenge to that of Buu.  Both were able to regenerate their bodies indefinitely, both were relentless and unyielding, both could alter their shape at will, and both had the power to transmute living beings into inanimate objects.   Buu could turn you into candy, while Rilldo could turn you into a metal slab that looks like Han Solo frozen in carbonite.  In either case, strength was less of an issue than stamina.   It's not about taking them down, it's about keeping them down.   But still, let's assume Rilldo's somewhere in Majin Buu's weight class.   That's pretty hard core.   Goku could only match him by going Super Saiyan 3, and he could only last for a few minutes before his body powered down from the strain.   So against Rilldo, his strategy is... fight him in base form.   Of course, Rilldo likes to hot dog it too, so they actually have an even match, but it doesn't really live up to the hype that this guy is stronger than the strongest monster ever created. By the time they finally get down to business, Goku transforms... to Super Saiyan 2.   Of course, to his credit, Rilldo wins the fight, but only by zapping Goku with his carbonite ray while he's distracted.   Still, you could make the argument that he's indeed stronger than Majin Buu... but we'll come back to that.   So Goku, Trunks, and Pan are all transformed into metal, and Dr. Myuu is gonna dissect them... except!   Giru does a last minute face turn and sets them all free!  Turns out he and Trunks had planned the whole thing out in advance.   While Giru pretended to betray the others, he secretly freed Trunks and let him sabotage Myuu's lab.   Goku and Pan had no idea, which is probably just as well, since neither of them are very good about following directions.  I still don't understand how Trunks and Giru came up with their plan.   TRUNKS: So you're saying you were actually created by Dr. Myuu, but your memory was damaged until we came within range of M2?   Well, maybe we can use that to our advantage... GIRU: giru-giru-giru Danger!  Machine Mutants very strong! giru-giru-giru TRUNKS: Yeah, I know, but what if you pretended to still be on their side?  That way I could... GIRU: giru-giru-giru Danger!  Danger!  Danger!  giru-giru-giru TRUNKS: Dammit, I know it's dangerous, let me finish.   GIRU: giru-giru-giru Danger!  Danger!  Danger!  giru-giru-giru TRUNKS: SHUT UP! You'd think that once the heroes take back the advantage, Dr. Myuu would summon General Rilldo and resume the battle, but this doesn't work.   I mean, he tries, but for some reason his goons are really slow about this, and Rilldo himself apparently has no idea that anything is wrong.   I guess this isn't much of a plot hole, but it just seems like a society of supremacist machine creatures would have better security and communications systems.  Rilldo claimed he could interface and control all the metal on the surface of his planet, so you'd think he could sense anything that goes on at all times.  For that matter, why didn't Myuu have Rilldo there with him while he worked on such dangerous specimens?   Trunks reveals that he knows about Dr. Myuu's greatest secret, a powerful Machine Mutant called Baby.  Again, this exposes the flaws in the Machine Mutant civilization.   They're all completely obedient to Dr. Myuu, and yet they spread rumors like any human organization would.   Somehow even a slob like Giru got wind of the Baby project, so once he told Trunks about it all he had to do was sabotage its life support.   Trunks explains that if Baby had been allowed to reach maturity, it would have been the most powerful menace ever.   Somehow, it wakes up anyway and attacks the good guys, but they defeat it quickly, and that seems to be that.   But, as Myuu flees in a spacecraft, it turns out that Baby merely faked his death and sneaked on board.  Baby kills Dr. Myuu and reveals that he created Myuu, and not the other way around.  He plans to deal with the GT Crew personally now, which begs the question of why he bothered with such a byzantine network of robots, cultists, and mercenaries.   Meanwhile, the GT gang raises ship to leave the planet... except that General Rilldo is still lurking on the surface, and he uses his powers to grab the ship and anchor it to M2 as they take off.   This is a pretty serious issue, since he is even stronger than Majin Buu, and he did fight a Super Saiyan 2 to a standstill.... Except this GT, and GT-Logic dictates that a bad guy is only strong until it's time to finish him off.   Goku, Pan and Trunks step outside the ship to fire a Triple Kamehameha (in base form, all of them), and that's it.   One hit and he's dead, even though he was depicted as an unstoppable liquid metal creature up to this point.   I looked it up on the Dragon Ball Wiki and it claims that Rilldo was vulnerable at that moment because he wasn't in his transformed state, and the combined attack damaged him too quickly for him to repair his body.   I guess I can accept that, but it sure seems like an anticlimactic end for a guy who was supposed to be stronger than Majin Buu.   If all it took was a single attack to kill him, why did Goku toy with him for so long?   Sure, he enjoys fighting, but his friends were in trouble (as far as he knew), and Rilldo even managed to capture him at one point.   It's one thing to play with your food, but this is just sloppy.   As Rilldo drops dead, Baby comes spilling out of his mouth, revealing that this last attack was actually Baby's idea.  He screams with rage as the GT ship flies off, but I could buy into the idea that he only pulled this stunt to eliminate Rilldo.  I don't see why he'd want to, since Rilldo would have made a handy servant, but Baby killed Dr. Myuu without much reason either.  In any case, Baby then sets a trap using one of the Dragon Balls as bait.  Unfortunately for him, the good guys see right through it, and he's forced to retreat again.   I'm not sure how Baby found a Dragon Ball or how he even knew what it was.  What I do know is that Baby eventually reveals he has a vendetta against the Saiyan race, so my guess is that he discovered the Dragon Balls while doing his homework on them.   Even so, he'd still have no clue about the Black Star Dragon Balls, nor would he expect that the Saiyans would come looking for them.  He sent his various operatives to collect the rest of the Black Star Balls, but even he wouldn't have known where to look.   Hopefully later episodes will make this clear, but its GT, so I doubt it. NEXT: Ass yankers

#dragon ball gt #really sucks #2013gt #fuck giru and fuck this show

[buzzdixonwriter]

Hoo Noo Shmoo?

Never let it be said that this blog is flagging in its enthusiasm for flogging horses so dead they’re found in the glue bin at Office Max.

To whit, the Scorsese vs MCU brouhaha.

Bottom line: Scorsese is right.  As well made as MCU movies are, they ain’t cinema, they’re glorified commercials to sell MCU product.

Full disclosure: I should know, since I wrote for G.I. Joe, Transformers, and a host of other toy-based syndicated animation shows.  I’m happy with the work I did, I can point proudly to specific episodes I wrote that aspire to be more than mere half-hour commercials…

…but they ain’t art.

They ain’t art, despite our aspirations to do the best job we could, because ultimately we creators were not allowed to create what we felt best for our stories, but what Hasbro deemed vital to their sales.

(The closest we got to art was when Hasbro cancelled The Inhumanoids toy line in mid-production of the TV series, and said we could finish our broadcast commitment however we saw fit so long as it didn’t result in an FCC complaint.  As a result, we went nuts.)

My Hasbro / Sunbow experience remains a highpoint of my creative life, so I’m not denigrating the talent, skill, ability, spirit, and enthusiasm of those making MCU movies.

…but they ain’t art.

Now, those who love MCU movies think Scorsese’s comments are a slam against them.

Welllll…no, not directly.

But they do underscore how popularity -- especially of media designed to push product -- is a faulty measuring stick for artistic merit.

Case in point: The Shmoo.

Wuzza shmoo, you ask (and thus proving my point)?

Shmoos were extremely popular in the late 1940s.  Part of the wonderfully wacky world cartoonist Al Capp created for his hit Li’l Abner comic strip, shmoos represented a parable on American consumerism, modern day geese laying not mere golden eggs but birthday cakes with candles a’blazin’.

As Capp described them:

They reproduce asexually and are incredibly prolific, multiplying faster than rabbits. They require no sustenance other than air.

Shmoos are delicious to eat, and are eager to be eaten. If a human looks at one hungrily, it will happily immolate itself -- either by jumping into a frying pan, after which they taste like chicken, or into a broiling pan, after which they taste like steak. When roasted they taste like pork, and when baked they taste like catfish. Raw, they taste like oysters on the half-shell.

They also produce eggs (neatly packaged), milk (bottled, grade-A), and butter -- no churning required. Their pelts make perfect boot leather or house timbers, depending on how thick one slices them.

They have no bones, so there's absolutely no waste. Their eyes make the best suspender buttons, and their whiskers make perfect toothpicks. In short, they are simply the perfect ideal of a subsistence agricultural herd animal.

Naturally gentle, they require minimal care and are ideal playmates for young children. The frolicking of shmoos is so entertaining (such as their staged "shmoosical comedies") that people no longer feel the need to watch television or go to the movies.

Some of the more tasty varieties of shmoo are more difficult to catch, however. Usually shmoo hunters, now a sport in some parts of the country, use a paper bag, flashlight, and stick to capture their shmoos. At night the light stuns them, then they may be whacked in the head with the stick and put in the bag for frying up later on.

Of course, in the original strip continuity, the shmoos were quickly eradicated, driven to extinction by food packagers who feared bankruptcy.

It was a sharp, biting message, and one that looked critically at both insatiable consumerism and capitalism’s claims of superiority.

Capp, of course, was too savvy a marketeer himself to eliminate the shmoos entirely, and so he provided for one breeding pair to survive…and for the shmoos to make repeated appearances for the rest of Li’l Abner’s run.

Shmoo mania ran rampant with shmoo dolls, shmoo clocks, shmoo games, shmoo candy, shmoo snacks, and shmoo apparel.  

The money truck basically backed up to Capp’s front door and dumped its load on his porch.  Shmoos proved insanely popular and it seemed the mania would never end…

…except it did.

To mangle metaphors, you can only take so many trips to the same well before your audience starts asking “What?  Beans again?”

And then, in a fickle flash, it’s over.

I’d be hard pressed today to find anyone younger than the boomer cohort who ever heard of Al Capp or Li’l Abner unless their school or community theatre presented the Broadway musical adaptation of the strip (the show remains popular with amateur theatrical troupes such as high schools and colleges because the huge cast of Dogpatch citizens guarantees everybody who tries out for the show will land some part in it).

For all their popularity and merchandise and media impact -- songs on the radio, big spreads in weekly news magazines -- the shmoos left virtually no cultural footprint.

(Full disclosure yet again: I wrote for a Scooby-doo knock-off by Hanna-Barbera called The New Shmoo and it was a piece of crap, abandoning the whole consumerism point of the original shmoos and making them -- or just “it” in our case -- a pseudo-funny dog sidekick for a squad of mystery solving kids.  And it wasn’t a piece of crap because we didn’t try our best, it was a piece of crap because the shmoo was treated as ubiquitous “product” under the misconception that of course everybody younger than Joe Barbera would recognize the name and love the character so deeply that they’d simultaneously develop amnesia about what made the original character so appealing.)

Product.

That’s what one of the most brilliant, most poignant, most spot-on commentaries on rampant consumerism and ruthless capitalism ironically reduced down to.  Product.

There’s a line in Jurassic Park that resonates here:  ”Life will find a way.”

Let’s paraphrase that to “Art will find a way” because like life, art is an expression of the creative urge.

Right now, by and large, it’s trapped in the giant all encompassing condom of corporate consumerism, providing fun and pleasure and excitement, but not really creating anything new, to be wadded up and thrown away when the suits are done screwing us.

But every now and then there’s a tiny pinprick in the sheath, and when that happens there’s the chance of something wonderful, something meaningful, something of lasting value emerging.

It is possible for art to emerge from a corporate context, but only if the corporate intent is to produce a work of art for its own purposes.   Michelangelo carved David as a work for hire, the local doge commissioning the sculpture because he wanted to impress peers and peasants by donating the biggest statue ever made by the hottest artist of the era (and even then Michelangelo needed to resort to subterfuge to keep the doge from “improving” on his work with “suggestions” [read “commands”].)

The very first Rocky movie was a work of art because the producers focused on telling a simple, singular story about a loser who could only win by going the distance, not by defeating his opponent but by refusing to be beaten by him.

It’s a great cinematic moment that rings true and it’s going to last forever…unlike sequels Rocky II - V where Rocky fights supervillains like Mr. T and a robot (hey, that was the movie playing in my head when I watched Rocky IV and it was a helluva lot more entertaining than what I actually saw onscreen).

The suits castrated Rocky, reducing him from a unique universal cultural touchstone down to…well…product.

The MCU movies are product; rather, they are two-hour+ commercials to sell product in the form of videogames, action figures, T-shirts, and Underoos.

The real art occurred almost 60 years ago when Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko knocked out page after page as fast as they could, drawing deep from the wellsprings of their own interests, experiences, and passions.

(“What about Stan?” I hear you ask.  Look, we all love Stan, but truth be told his great contribution to the MCU came in his service as drum major for the Merry Marvel marching Society.  God bless him for firing up the fan base’s enthusiasm for the Marvel bullpen’s work, but compare what his artists did before and after their collaboration with him to what he did before and after his editorial tenure at Marvel and it’s clear upon whose shoulders the muses rested.)

As much fun as MCU movies are (I’ve seen about 1/3 of ‘em and enjoyed most of what I saw), I also recognize in them the harm they do.

They are promoted heavily to sell product to raise the fortunes of one of the biggest corporations on the planet, a corporation that holds control over five of the largest, most popular entertainment brands on the market.

To protect their cash cows, Disney chokes potential rivals in their cribs.

Think there’s going to be another Alien or Predator movie now that Disney owns them and Star Wars?  Why create rivals to a mega-successful property you already own?  (I will be genuinely surprised if we see another Guardians Of The Galaxy movie in light of the faltering popularity of Star Wars in Disney’s eyes; they’re going to want to shore up their billion dollar investment rather than call it a day and let some upstart -- even an upstart they own 100% -- rob them of revenue.)

Disney’s battle plan to choke out all potential rivals leaves no room in the DEU (Disney Expanded Universe) for independent minded creators.

They want competent hired pens who can churn out the product they desire in order to bolster sales of other products derived from those.

(Even more full disclosure:  I wrote for Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers as well as some Aladdin and Scrooge McDuck comic book stories.)

Disney’s MCU, for all its expertly executed whiz-bang, is a bloated, soulless zombie, a giant gaudy inflated parade balloon blocking the vision of others.

There’s a scene in the movie The Founder -- a genuine cinematic work of art that comments ironically on the selling of a product --  that applies here.

Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) relentlessly browbeats the McDonald brothers (Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch) into letting him replace their real milkshakes with what will come to be known as the McShake, an ersatz product that at best reminds one of what a real milkshake should taste like.

The McDonald Brothers are horrified.  Not only does it not taste like a real milkshake, but it goes against the very grain of what they desire as restauranteurs:  To provide quality food quickly for their customers, trading value for value.

Kroc will have none of this.  To him the customers are simply one more obstacle between him and their money.

He doesn’t see them as the source of his revenue, but as impediments to same.

What benefits them, what nurtures their diets, what gives them pleasure, what trades value for value is completely unimportant to him.

They exist only to make him rich and powerful.

By the end of the film, Kroc has effectively declared war on his own partners, his own employees, his own customers.  He recognizes he is not in the business his customers and employees and partners think he’s in (i.e., fast food) but rather in the real estate business, buying land that McDonald’s franchises must lease from him in order to operate.

By the end, he’s not concerned with how well his customers eat, or how well his employees are treated, or how financially secure his franchise managers feel.

By the end, all he wants is the money, and he doesn’t care how his franchises make it so long as they pass it along to him.

As a result, McDonald’s contributes heavily to America’s obesity and diabetes epidemics, advising their employees to take second jobs so they can afford to continue working for them at substandard wages.

Disney’s MCU is a super-sized Happy Meal™ that’s ruining the cultural health of its consumers.

   © Buzz Dixon

#Marvel #Disn #Jack Kirby #Stan Lee #Steve Ditko #Star Wars #MCU #Rocky #Martin Scorsese #media #movies #superheroes

[exo-trashbean]

In Honor of the Summer Ending

I heard some pretty wacky stuff while working at my summer job as an intern in an I.T. Department. Here is a some banter I recorded.

Sidenote - there are two Brians in my office (”Brian”, or “B″ is my boss, respectively, and “Other Brian″ is the jackass that stops over to roast me and the other intern), as well as two Dereks ("Derek " (”D”) is the other intern, and "Other Derek" is the one that sits a cube over -- all of the stuff he says is always heard from over the wall). [Also, when I refer to a “cube” it means a group cubicle with 4 people in it]

The chats/quotes separated by return spaces are all from different conversations, to clarify.

Enjoy!

"That is a lovely Shade of booger" "Try again" beep. beep. *beeps get more impatient* beepbeepbeep “Ok stOP-”

loud bang heard from across the department. “Are You having fun yet?” “Nope”

“I- I can’t” “What is it?” “A sandwich with no bread”

Clinking of change. “It’s crazy that there are 50 year-old quarters... just chillin”

“Think fast.” *Sound of can hitting the ground* *Deep sigh*

“I support equal robot rights”

Brian: *making whistle noises like bombs dropping whilst pelting interns w/root beer barrels*

Not exactly a quote, but I stand up to stretch in the morning and on the board in the cube next to me says “Cheese life! Go Cheese!”

[Testing workflow website for company] Wes: Just make sure when you comment something, you submit an attachment. It can be anything. Brian + me: Anything? *Wes nods* *Entire cube goes onto DevHumor for memes*

Ezra sneezes. Brian sneezes 2 seconds later, but with the Dad Sneeze™. Brian turns to me [2 hrs after learning what “boneless” means]: “See, his sneeze was boneless, mine was not.”

Brian: Do you know what the use of a GoTo() [Statement] is? *leans forward* THERE IS NONE Coworker walking by: GoTo the unemployment line Brian: If I find a GoTo() statement in your code, there is gonna be a coffee mug-shaped dent in your forehead

[Cube next to me after debugging] Other Derek: Thanks for solving the mystery Lucas. do you want to be part of the scooby doo club? Thomas: *offhandedly* The mystery gang? Lucas: What kind of snacks do you got? Other Derek: uh, combos- *Sound of footsteps fading away*

[Other Cube] “Is that jam?” “Yeah it’s Derek’s” “Do you want some? You can have some only if you eat all of it right now” “You’re nuts!” “No I have Jam”

Derek: We got state fair corn dogs and my brother eats like 2 or 3 for breakfast- Brian: He eats 3 corn dogs for breakfast?! Other Brian: My kinda guy

“I don’t eat things I can’t pronounce”

“Password is DonutsRgood”

“I’m trying to separate it into two columns [on ms word] but it keeps wrapping weird” “Then tell it you don’t want to listen to its music” “The exit door is right there Derek”

[Derek making checklist for supervisor on dry erase board] “NOT GARISH” written @ bottom Me: you know what you gotta do is *starts to point* Derek: YES DIFFERENT COLORS *grabs all the markers*

D: ah ye scallywag B: what D: nabbed me pen ye did B: Ah, ye see it looks a bit like mine D: it’s fine I already got another one B: arrr D: thief of the seas

Me: did you play clue or clue junior? Derek: uh... I have *giggles* no clue

Kathy, older woman that could kick anybody’s ass, total savage, etc. goes to open door - all I hear is a thud as she kicks it(?) and an “OW”: *Walking back to cubicle* “well I WAS having a good day”

“your positive attitude just sucks”

B: *Messes something up* Nergh [Unknown from other cube]: argh B: ugh

B: did you just call Dairy Queen unhealthy? D: Blasphemy. They have salads.

[Talking about hot pockets Brian made] me: why’d you put swiss cheese on it? B: swiss cheese has no lactose- D: does it at least have feet? because it lacks toes? Other Derek, from over the cube wall, before I can even sigh: Is that why swiss cheese has holes? B: oh so when HE makes the joke-

Other Derek: I need new friends. A guy I know is listening to a spotify playlist called “White Trash Bash”

[other cube mocking a caller that had a webpage problem] Zach: I REfrEsHEd Other Derek: you refreshed? I want a refresh *sound of repeated banging on keyboard* is it working?

D: it smells like pickles over here *gesturing to fridge* B: *goes over to fridge to inspect* That’s Wes’s Pickle (Referring to Wes’s lunch). *giggles* B: *turns to me and holds up 4 fingers* I’m this many.

Ezra: *Excitedly* I did a thing. There’s code! *waving arms at computer*

Nicole: [to Brian] “I’m supposed to ask if you could be any dog what you would be” Other Derek [from over the wall]: Hot dog. Say Hot Dog.

Ezra, who sits 5 whole feet away from me: *messages me over skype* “How are you holding up? :)”

“Do you know what day it is?” “No I wanna go to lunch, you guys stink” “do you know what day it is?” “... it’s hump day?”

[other cube after returning from lunch] Thomas: Yee, and I cannot stress this enough, HAW

B: don’t buy a house you can afford childless. *Very seriously* because childs happen. Me + Derek: childs happen??

Brian, my 46 y/o boss: *Opens 2 cheese sticks and sticks them in his mouth like a walrus*

[Cube over] “Could you sip your tea any louder man?” *sound of obnoxious tea sipping* *sound of choking on hot water*

“It’s not that you broke it, it’s that I had it not-fixed in the first place”

D:*cups hands over mouth to amplify sound* I WILL CONSUME YOUR DATA

5 minute conversation about pronunciation of “Worcestershire”

Aavery, the other intern besides Derek: “Teaspoons you use to stir tea. Table spoons you use to stir tables”

[talking about Spanish] B: I can order a cold beer, count to 10, and say “socks”. I can older a cold pair of socks!

Kathy: I can’t wait to retire so I can smoke weed.

[about testing] D: Aavery and Autumn did some testing for the help desk and broke a bunch of stuff [sidenote: breaking stuff is a good thing when it comes to testing] Me: I only broke like one thing, Aavery did the rest D: Well, one thing is... *trailing off* better than... none things...

Brian tells Derek to answer the phone if Mr. Duemann (one of the managers in the plant) calls. [Derek & I talking about how to answer the phone] D: *hewwo rp voice* Misteww Doowman, Bwian says to come heyuw :3

B: $1400 worth of cheese Me: jeez B: no, CHEESE

Derek, proudly after testing: There will no be bug. [yes, that’s typed correctly]

Other Derek, from over cube [talking to somebody else]: I knew it! you always smell like Jumbalaya B: WHAT

[backlog refinement, which is basically planning work stuff] B: we’re gonna have to give Autumn the password to the Service Account, and *turns to me* you’re gonna swear to use all your brain cells that day

“INventory stuf on servers” written as the title of a scheduled work task

[heard from across the office] “It’s NOT a dad joke, I thought it was cool!”

“The person that IS an alcoholic isn’t here today”

[free nacho day] Ezra: “if you taste each individual item you’re not using enough cheese”

#my entire office is a shitpost generator #like seriously this stuff is word for word #summer job #intern #IT #funny #shitpost #quotes #banter #this better not flop istg #lmk if you want a part 2 #because i have plenty of shitty quotes #lmao yeet

[mariposalass]

A Dream Day Out (Familial F/O Week 2019 Prompt #3)

Prompt #3 for @selfshippingsylveon’s Familial F/O Week, it’s time to see what I’ve been dreaming about my dream weekend day out with the fam bunch.

This one may be quite short for headcanoning time with the time I have before my Singapore trip, but I feel like making it short and sweet here is a better decision, and this will also apply to my platonic f/os and even Philip as well.

The day begins with breakfast at home or brunch out. Everyone takes turns cooking (unless they’re horrible at it) and getting the table set if the former is chosen, although it doesn’t mean chaos will not be allowed at all: it unfortunately happens all the time such the Minions, magical hi-jinks, a couple of arguments here and there that could have been solved by talking them out among ourselves and actually fixing them, the pets fighting for attention, & Kirby’s hunger. You can check out this story and this entry (post coming soon) to see how a normal weekend morning for the fam bunch goes.

We will then head out to go around the city or nearby cities and towns and check out places & things to do while being in there. Sometimes some activities may take a little longer until lunch time while others don’t take a long time to finish. Again, it depends on the scheduling and planning beforehand. Sometimes, it could be full on excursions with playing sports, picnics, sunbathing, and games.

(Window) Shopping time! All the ladies (and some patient men) will go check what’s available in the stores, whether they be in IKEA, fashion stores, bookstores, etc.

Belle, Margo, Hermione, Auntie Diana, and the Doctor will gravitate towards bookstores along with myself, Michiru likes to visit music stores, cosmetics stores, & art supplies shops, Edith and Agnes always head for toy stores & candy shops, the fashionably minded (ie. Michi and Karina) and those interested in fashion (ie. me, Kairi, and Issa) will be at fashion stores (Moana go there, but she’s not too heavily keen in fashion though), while Uncle Maui will usually spotted by sport stores and gyms. Meanwhile, Uncle Gru would check out tech shops and hardware stores for invention materials, and the Golden Trio can be seen finding magic stores (of the supernatural kind, not the parlor trick kind) 100%! Harry is also guilty for staring to photography shops all the time.

Lunch is always happen outside in restaurants. Everyone usually takes on picking a place to eat at, although Issa’s Libra indecisiveness sometimes gets the rest of the fam bunch frustrated and wondering how long will it take her to decide one. Usually, the places we go for lunch would either be Japanese, American, Italian, Greek, Chinese, Filipino (if we’re lucky), Spanish, Mexican, Korean or Thai, although that doesn’t mean we could pick a Turkish restaurant or a French bistro at any time. One time, Auntie Lucy got lucky in picking a Persian restaurant that has a great service, accommodating staff, and an even yummier food. We would love go back there again.

Spending time at the parks is another way we enjoy ourselves. We might even have lunch picnics there, play games for a little bit, or just simply stroll around and enjoy nature at its finest.

Inevitably, snacks will come into mind somewhere as we munch on ice cream, pizza, pretzels, hot dogs, nachos, sandwiches & burgers, and french fries, doused in water, juice, soda, and iced tea, but not altogether in one sitting! Unless it’s Kirby and Scooby we’re talking about...

#familial f/o week 2019 #familial f/os #f/o headcanons #headcanons #Phoenix Wiz #Princess of Light #Steel Blossoms #Space Grumps #Supervillain Uncle #Agent Auntie #Orphanage Sweethearts #Elegant Seas #Books and Roses #Demigod Among Us #Warrior Princess #platonic f/os #hanging out #self shipping #self ship #self insert #my f/os #f/o

[ayellowbirds]

Keshet Rewatches All of Scooby-Doo, Pt. 14: "Go Away Ghost Ship"

("Scooby-Doo, Where Are You", Season 1 Episode 14)

AKA "An Improbably High Number of Chef Disguises For an Episode About Pirates"

The episode begins with a foggy night at sea; a sailor aboard a large vessel catches sight of something strange through the mists. A tattered-looking ship from the age of sail? Flying the Jolly Roger?

Sure, that’s a rational conclusion. The view does indeed switch to the deck of the “ghost” ship, revealing a cock-eyed ginger buccaneer laughing madly... and then the view fades to a malt shop as the music goes from menacing to mellow.

I’ll note that his is at least the third time we’ve seen that hot rod parked next to the Mystery Machine at a malt shop. Who does it belong to? What’s their story? We may never know. 

Inside the shop is an almost 1:1 reproduction of the newspaper-reading scene from episode 3, down to the pink drink with extra straws. The news this time? One “C.L. Magnus”, a shipping magnate, claims that the recent rash of disappearances of oceangoing vessels are caused by the revenge-seeking ghost of Redbeard. Shaggy hopes his “super duper sandwich” isn’t a target, a reasonable fear since it’s about as big as an oil tanker.

With Scooby’s assistance, Shaggy ties a string around his sandwich, compressing it from a height that reached from his waist to his shoulder, to a fruitcake-dense sandwich of more normative volume.

He doesn’t notice that Scooby is still holding one end of the string, however, and when he closes his eyes in anticipation, Scooby gives it a yank and opens wide, downing the entire thing in one go. “Ree-lishus!” Scooby chortles to himself, while Shaggy is left confused and hungry. Man’s best friend.

The rest of the gang do not pay attention. They are used to the boy and his dog with their bottomless appetites. They do not look directly at it, and late at night, it will keep them from sleep.

Velma and Daphne seem oddly sympathetic to the plight of Mr. Magnus the Magnate, with Velma calling him “poor” and mentioning that he’s going out of business, while Daphne calls him a “nice man”. Fred suggests they help solve the mystery, and leads the gang to Magnus’s luxury penthouse apartment.

The gang act as if they somehow know of Magnus, and that it’s perfectly reasonable that they could show up unannounced and offer their assistance free of charge. Magnus’s butler is not having any of that.

“Not to be disturbed”, he intones in a voice rendered by John Stephenson as a riff on a Boris Karloff performance. If Magnus is not to be disturbed, mister, you’re setting a bad precedent.

The gang decide to sneak in, convinced Magnus will accept their help if they can just talk to him, and they dress up as “room service”.

There’s a few obvious problems with this, aside from an attempt at unlawful intrusion into someone’s home. For starters, the butler has just seen them, and yet Velma and Shaggy do not adopt more of a disguise than throwing on aprons and hats. Second, it’s an apartment building, not a hotel. Apartments tend not to have room service.

Third, as the butler notes when they push past him, it’s 11:00 PM. No wonder Magnus wanted to be left alone! When the gang wind up tumbling into a pile of teenagers and a Great Dane and are forced to explain themselves, the scene transitions to Magnus relating how his ancestors were responsible for ending the original threat of Redbeard, and that the pirate is now seeking revenge. As he relates this, Scooby notices his butler watching from behind a curtain....

The butler is so obviously telegraphed as the culprit, that it’s obviously not him, but there’s ultimately no resolution to this bit—a comic book adaptation made him out to be a spy from an insurance company, leading me to wonder if that had been part of this episode left out of the final production.

The gang take a motorboat out in the middle of the night, having drawn conclusions about the scheduling of Redbeard’s attacks that apparently completely elude the Coast Guard and other authorities. They spot a “mysterious’ fog bank, moving ahead of the real targeted freighter and playing a decoy foghorn to try to lure out the pirate ship. Shaggy observes the fog is thick enough to cut it with a knife, and Scooby...

I can excuse the fog-cutting as a cartoon gag but Scooby where the jinkies did you get that knife? Has Scooby just had a knife on him this whole time? 

The gang has little in the way of foresight when it comes to villains actually planning violence, and the ghost ship appears on a collision course prepared to ram their tiny boat. When Shaggy tries to put the outboard motor into “double full-speed reverse”, it tears a chunk of the boat off as it zooms away on its own, and their little boat is struck, cutting it in half!

That one-word response from Fred is his single best line in the series so far.

Split up in the most literal and forceful manner possible, Shaggy and Scooby squeeze in through a porthole while Fred, Daphne, and Velma climb the side of the boat, all seemingly unnoticed by the pirates. Each team seeks both the others... as well as some clues. Scooby and Shaggy run into Redbeard himself, who gives chase and menaces them with a flying sword.

It’s the specifics that make Shaggy such an icon of cowardice. The audience can’t be left to assume that this is a friendly ghost sword, wielding by some cavalier Casper. Stuck between a ghost and a sharp place, the boys are forced to plead for their lives as Redbeard and his “ghost” crew bear down on them.

Meanwhile, the other three members of the gang wander around the unrealistically massive interior of the ghost ship, wondering about its emptiness. They catch sight of Redbeard walking around and laughing, but quickly lose sight of him while sneaking about, leaving the viewer unclear on the timing of this scene. Is it while Shaggy and Scooby are being chased? Before, or after?

It doesn’t matter to the writers, because it’s clue time!

Before it can be explained to the viewer that dry ice (AKA frozen CO2) is notable for rapidly sublimating into a misty-looking vapor even at temperatures well below the freezing point of water, and that it does so especially dramatically when exposed to liquid water, the trio are locked in the room by Redbeard.

A scene transition back to Shaggy and Scooby shows that Redbeard is also standing over them, who observes that he’d spare their lives if they were “good for anything”. Shaggy says they’re good cooks, which seems to confuse Scooby as much as it does the viewer, but the threat of losing their heads motivates him to go along with it.

Oh, and Shaggy finds another use for his chef getup from when they tried to break into C.L. Magnus’s apartment, which i guess he’s just been... carrying around?  Deciding that they need to make a stew that a ghost will enjoy, Scooby and Shaggy mix in chains (for rattling), ash from the fireplace, cobwebs, and on Scooby’s suggestion, an enormous bar of soap.

Shaggy, you’re a track athlete. This is how you get a fungal infection.

Alternatively, he means he hardly ever uses it as an ingredient, which is almost worse, because it implies that sometimes Norville “Shaggy” Roberts does use bar soap as an ingredient.

Redbeard has some doubts about their creation, and insists that they eat it. After some hasty mouthfuls, Shaggy hiccups out some bubbles, and Redbeard simply sits and watches as Shaggy suggests to Scooby that they “bubble our way out of here!”, turning to face the ghost pirate and spewing a screen of soap bubbles at him.

As the chase scenes continue amidst things like Shaggy utilizing his vocal talents and shadow puppetry to convince Redbeard’s goons that their captain is pointing them in a different direction, and falling overboard in a basin—forcing Shaggy and Scooby to hand-paddle after the ghost ship’s wake—the pirate vessel pulls into a skull-shaped cave in the middle of a rocky cove.

You know, i feel like Hanna-Barbera cartoons ill-prepared me for the utter lack of skeletal rock formations in real life. If i ever want to live on a mountain shaped like the yawning maw of an angry skull, i’m probably going to have to make it myself.

Fred identifies this as “a secret cove on Skull Island”, but i feel like, you know, someone ought to have noticed the enormous sea cave formed by the skull-shaped part of a place known as Skull Island. Unless Skull Island has lots of skulls. Maybe it does!

There’s a brief and confusing gag where Scooby notices their paddling after the ghost ship has attracted a shark, which—oh, wait. It’s just a dorsal fin, which Scooby realizes when he lifts it out of the water to inspect it. Just a dorsal fin, skimming the ocean surface and following them around.

What.

The gang reunite in the caves, and Fred realize that the folded paper hat Shaggy has been wearing since casting Redbeard’s shadow was made from a ship’s manifest, indicating the contents and value of C.L. Magnus’s cargo freighter... that is, the one that sails tomorrow, rather than the one that they were attempting to raid that night. As the gang gather more clues that the ghost pirate is no ghost at all, they find a treasure chest with a talking pirate skull inside that pops out and demands “the password, you swabs!” via a miniaturized microphone and speaker hidden in its jaw. 

The gang try several piratical passwords, but it’s Shaggy’s suggestion that works:

This is the weirdest callback to a previous episode. Beyond the secret passage that opens in the wall, the gang find countless crates and barrels of stolen cargo, and the ghost pirate crew, flying sword included. The resulting chase leads to the gang hiding among the cargo, where Scooby and Shaggy discover...

An entire shipment of Scooby Snacks, further solidifying that this is just a known product, something on the market that has Scooby’s own name on it. Emboldened by biscuits, the antics kick into high gear, with things like a battle of sword vs. liverwurst sausage, toilet plungers fired from longbows, and Shaggy tickling Redbeard with an electric eggbeater that has a pistol grip for no good reason, before fleeing on an “automatic pogo stick” that is clearly a jackhammer, as Shaggy and Scooby only realize after it already starts up, taking them on a ride that winds up going up onto the ceiling and directly over Redbeard. As the resulting chaos sends Scooby, Shaggy, and the villains crashing into a pile of tires, the chase ends, and the villain is revealed as...

Shaggy is shocked that it wasn’t the butler, and the Coast Guard rep who has joined the gang on the deck of the ghost pirate ship (which, one must assume, they commandeered and piloted back out to open waters on their own) clearly wants to see Magnus’s two companions unmasked, as well, asking about their identities.

Daphne doesn’t care who they are. Well, as long as their names aren’t Merle and Taako.

The plan is explained, including the dancing sword being “operated by wires”, and the bit about the dry ice, which Velma says “everybody knows”, though the Coast Guard guy has clearly never heard of it. Scooby demonstrates, stirring up an impenetrably thick fog, which he cuts through once again with his mysterious knife.

Only this time, he cuts a giant doughnut shape in the fog, grabs it with his paws, and takes a bite out of the fog-nut, proceeding to chew and swallow.

The visual of Scooby treating a cloud of carbon dioxide vapor like it was solid matter and joyfully eating it has haunted me for decades. Dear Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, you tormented my childhood with this bit. This joke stole my innocence.

Zoinks darn you, Scooby-Doo!

(like what i’m doing here? It’s not what pays the bills, so i’d really appreciate it if you could send me a bit at my paypal.me or via my ko-fi. Click here to see more entries in this series of posts, or here to go in chronological order)

#scooby doo #KRAOSD

[valmos]

New Scooby-Doo Mysteries 6-10

Episode 6(a): Ghosts of the Ancient Astronauts

Monster: Harriet Mullens, her parrot, and her zombies, her business partner, and his two henchmen

Interests: Fred and Velma are back! Velma’s uncle invited the gang to join him on an expedition. Looking for a baseball sized ruby known as the celestial orb. Uncle’s name is Cosmo. The ruby is actually a map to the Temple of Sirius, which was built by ancient astronauts... also haunted by ghosts of said ancient astronauts. Orb is in Cave of Death, cave is in the Valley of the Zombies. Daphne bribes Scooby and Shaggy with a few hundred Scooby Snacks. Monkey ends up stealing a box of Scooby Snacks from Scooby. Scooby grabs the orb from a statue, triggering all sorts of traps, like the room shaking causing a block to fall from the ceiling, a catapult robot (that could regenerate its boulder?), walls closing in on itself, and a gate closing. Zombies of the valley force the gang into a cobra infested cave. Velma and Daphne don’t seem to like snakes. ... gang defuses the snake situation with a hoe-down. Gang steals zombie cloths and pretend to be zombies to get away. Scrappy: “Let me at em! Let me at em!” Daphne: “You know, for once Scrappy, that might not be a bad idea” The temple has space suits left about the place, like sentries. Scooby stops to have a Scooby Snack break, a monkey steals them again. The villains find the treasure room of the temple with a giant egg encrusted with gems. Gang scares them away by pretending to be ghosts of ancient astronauts. Scrappy find an ancient laptop. Actual ghosts of the ancient astronauts show up , they have been trying to get their ship working for 6,000 years, Scooby figured it out in 6 seconds. Only two aliens were shown, but they had at least 6 suits in the temple, they also didn’t wear any suits when they left. Maybe they were earth suits? (Gosh this episode had weird D&D campaign vibes.)

Episode 7(a): The Night of the Living Toys

Monster: Evil Elf King

Interests: World biggest toy shop is in the middle of a spooky forest. Scrappy mentions Star Puppy again. Scooby-Doo Detective Agency. Legends say that the shop is built over the elf king’s castle. Lady puts ribbons all over Scrappy. Scrappy’s toxic masculinity throws a hissy fit over the bows.  Daphne bribes Scooby and Shaggy with a box of Scooby Snacks to get them to go down stairs, she doesn’t wait for the them to respond and just drops them down the stairs. 

Episode 7(b): South Pole Vault

Monster: Large Mad Sea Lion

Interests: The baby penguin from The Chipmunk Adventure is taking a bath. (Dang that movie is actually only 3 years away) Mystery Machine in Antarctica. Winter outfits. Penguin gets out the bath and Mystery Machine, driven by Shaggy, slashes it as it was drying itself off. Scrappy gets sealed in a safe. Sadly gets rescued. Crazy dude who hired faux-gang 2.0 to come down to Antarctica thinks a sea lion is the one sabotaging and stealing stuff. Scrappy bribes Shaggy and Scooby with fresh roasted Scooby Snacks. “...don’t make the sea lions suspicious” Daphne... wat? Scooby-Doo Where Are You.

Episode 8: A Halloween Hassle at Dracula's Castle

Monster: Ghost of Dr. Van Hellsing. (and a bunch of others, but they aren’t antagonistic), Chandra

Interests: It is Halloween! Scooby eats candy corn, caramel apple, chocolate bars, and popcorn balls, leaving nothing for Shaggy. It is Halloween night, but faux-gang 2.0 don’t have their costumes yet. Scrappy wants to be either a vampire, werewolf, or an alien from outer space. (I say all three at once. vampire alien werewolf from outer space, but is he bad?) Two aliens come out and laugh and nod to each other. ... Tiny Shop of Terror. (Dang, I make a bad joke about Little Shop of Horrors and the show just like no and sends me to my room 5 seconds latter). Dracula (but a different Dracula then last season) runs this costume shop with Igor. THE ALIENS ARE FRED AND VELMA JUST SCARING SHAGGY AND SCOOBY! Scooby is the millionth customer, they are invited to a Halloween party. Chandra the Unbelievably Remarkable and Quite Interesting Too will be there. Fred is dressed like a super hero, Shaggy is dressed as ... a cat? Velma is dressed like a witch (But not like the cool witch costume she had in ... Were Are You? where it matched her orange and red color scheme, this one is just blue/black and grey) Daphne is a masked superhero or thief? cat. Scrappy is a white rabbit (he is unhappy about this... even though I think he was willingly dressed as a pink rabbit before?) Scooby is dressed as a ghost with a flowerpot on his head. Dracula’s wife also a different Dracula’s wife. Frankenstein’s Monster, Mummy, Werewolf, and Creature from the Black Lagoon-type are here too. Scrappy says “What’s up Doc” Fred, Velma and Scooby try to unmask the real monsters. Invisible Man. The real monsters are all chanting “We want you” several times before the commercial break.. and several times after, before adding “to help us”, even got on their knees to beg. They retired from being scary and moved here to live a normal life. Scooby was not the millionth customer, it was a trick to get them there to get rid of the ghost. Daphne bribe Scooby with a box of Scooby Snacks, Wolfman eats them. Gang brought their normal cloths with them. Scooby find a magic amulet hidden in a wall, one that Chandra had been searching for centuries for. Dracula and his wife knew the amulet was there, hide it to prevent it from being used for evil. (So Dracula knew she wanted to amulet.. yet invited her into their home...) Vintage O negative RED JUICE. 

Episode 9(a): A Night Louse at the White House

Monster: Ghost of George Washington, Ghost of Ulysses Grant, and Ghost of Teddy Roosevelt. Ghost of Abe Lincoln

Interests: Formal outfits. VELMA! Velma gets interviewed, they kept that she is a researcher at NASA from the first episode. Velma helped planning the Space Station. Scooby is just going around eating everyone’s food. George Washington’s Ghost claims he has returned to claim his home (... but he never lived in the White House? I think he did oversee the start of its construction so maybe that is what he means?) Shaggy and Scooby sing the national anthem to George Washington, which confuses him (rightfully so because he would never have heard it.) Scooby’s mom and dad see Scooby is under arrest at the White House and rush to pack so they can go help him. Shaggy and Scooby beg to the president not to throw them in jail, president knows they didn’t do it and wants them to catch the ghost (because you know... secret service can’t do it?), and Scooby and Shaggy beg to go to jail so they don’t have to catch the ghost. Gang falsely accuse a woman and she gets arrested. Oh hey, they point out George Washington didn’t live in the White House. ... So there has been this brass eagle this entire episode that the gang got off the ghost and have been using as a clue. Apparently this eagle goes to the top of a flag pole in the area under the White House that unlocks the room where the NASA super computer is. We Natural Treasurein. The ghosts are two spies... and they somehow take a helicopter off the roof of the White House, Scooby and Shaggy hold on to the helicopter. The President, Velma, Daphne, and Scrappy take a second helicopter to give chase. Scooby’s parents show up in a third helicopter with his galoshes (Which has been a running joke a few times of cutting to them in a plane) Note: It is only 2 shoes, not four. The shoes fall on the heads of the spies, so mumsy-doo catches the crook. Scooby and Shaggy chow down.

Episode 10(a): Showboat Scooby

Monster: Ghost of Colonel Beauregard and Ghost of Magnolia

Interests: Dixie-Doo and the Showboat Seven. (... I think I actually remember this episode??) Scooby and Shaggy said there is no way they are going down to the engine room, fade out and they are with Daphne and Scrappy heading to the engine room. Dixie-Doo makes a bunch of fried chicken to motivate Scooby and Shaggy to find the ghost. Dixie-Doo dressed as the Ghost of Magnolia to trick the other ghost. Scooby and Shaggy eat chicken. The real ghosts show up, their misunderstandings in life finally cleared and are reunited. Dixie proposes that it is the most precious sight one has ever seen, but Scooby replies that the fried chicken drumstick is. 

Episode 10(b):The 'Dooby Dooby Doo' Ado

Monster: Gang of Thieves

Interests: Faux-gang 2.0 is in Vegas to see Scooby’s cousin Dooby-Dooby-Doo preform. Formal outfits, except Shaggy who is a tux t-shirt? Dooby-Dooby-Doo sings a song. Scooby plays decoy for Dooby-Dooby-Doo. Shaggy plays a record so Scooby can lip sync. it was Scrappy’s idea. Record skips. It keeps saying doobie over and over. It then goes chipmunk speed. Scooby starts singing himself. Scooby’s bad singing ended up saving the day. All three dogs sing a short finale, and Scooby breaks the lights of Vegas all around. 

#valmos watches scooby-doo #Episode 6 felt like a weird D&D adventure... #Fred and Velma return again! and again! and then just Velma #Like ... just have them in all the episodes dangnabbit

[oxenfordqldtradieass-blog]

Attractions of Oxenford Queensland Points to see and do in that location

Situated not far from the Pacific Highway in between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, the city is home to several of the most effective filmmaking centers in Australia. Oxenford is bordered by Coomera as well as the world-famous Qibla amusement park, namely Dreamworld, Detector Bros. Film Globe, Wet 'n' Wild, and The Australian Outback Spectacular. At Oxenford, you can locate first-rate movie manufacturing facilities consisting of 8 sound stages, 3 water tanks, 10 manufacturing offices, editing rooms, wardrobe, building, makeup, paint stores, as well as carpentry. Below you can additionally discover the biggest film-made water tank in Australia. The city has actually produced several well-known Australian and global movies and Oxenford is gradually inscribed in the heart of international filmmakers. The complying with are several of the locations you must visit when you remain in Oxenford

· Detector Bross Movie World.

Comply with first-rate flights, attractions, as well as programs as well as fulfill some of your favored stars only at Australia's leading amusement park, Warner Bross Flick Globe! You can fulfill your favorite Looney Tunes characters plus Super Heroes and Super-Villains from DC World. Delight in all the new tourist attractions consisting of the Scooby-Doo Spooky Rollercoaster Future generation family members favorite. You will certainly likewise really feel endless sensations with new unique results from projections and lasers! And do not miss it, see the brand-new exclusive JL 52 Batmobile at the Celebrity Streets Parade. Visitors can also take images with Batman as well as Batmobile throughout the day. Besides, you can likewise meet members of the Justice League - Cyborg. Take some time to take photos with your various other favorite Super Heroes and also go on to the next experience!

· Heaven Nation

Heaven Nation is the location to experience the number one Farm Experience in Australia. This location has come to be a preferred location for a pleasurable family members holiday. Heaven Nation uses enduring memories when you experience life at the genuine Aussie Farm, which lies between Warner Bros Flick World and also the Australian Wilderness Spectacular. Below you will experience viewing the breeders and their dogs collecting a flock of lamb or putting their cattle.

· GC Wake Park

GC Wake Park is a one-stop water sporting activities complex area that supplies cable television skiing, wakeboarding, knee-skating, as well as water winter sports. This GC park supplies innovative facilities including two full-size cable televisions specifically one for intermediate/advanced cables and also two for newbies. Inside the park, there is likewise a cafe ignoring the park, a pro store, as well as a rental location for tools. Visitors can likewise take lessons and also training prior to attempting water sporting activities. This implies it will certainly be wonderful to get together with family and friends of all ages. You can bring your tools, outfits for water sports, or you can rent the equipment you need. Fundamental equipment is included in the rate of your ticket.

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