#get me a full on monsters inc girl and i will be buying her

[grave-st0ned]

i’m not a disney person like that but if i see two dolls i think would look cute together the urge is there and the ily 4ever daisy and minnie would be so cute together

[committedquartz]

your worth isn’t found in what they think of you

Characters: Evan Buckley, Christopher Diaz, Eddie Diaz

Fandom: 9-1-1

Pairings: Evan Buckley/Eddie Diaz

Summary: ‘the first thing buck notices is how christopher walks straight past him to the couch without his usual hug and ‘“hey buck!”’

or the one where buck and christopher spend the day together but buck soon realises that something’s wrong

Word Count: 2685

A/N: So, this is my first ever fic and also the first time I’ve ever posted anything on tumblr (if you can believe that!) 

You can also read this on Ao3 here

Trigger Warning: Please check the last few tags for trigger warnings! Stay safe!

Hope you enjoy!

Ever since their talk after the tsunami, Buck has been watching Christopher for Eddie whenever he can. He’s gotten to know and care for the boy more than he already did, which he didn’t think was possible. He finds himself looking forward to their days together, whether it be a day trip or a more relaxed stay-at-home day.

Today is going to be the latter.

In preparation, Buck went to the store a few days ago and made sure to buy Chris’ favorite movies: Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc and Moana. He also dropped one of his own favourites, Tangled, into the basket before going to the checkout.

Although Buck is trying to make healthier choices when it comes to snacking, he always keeps his and Christopher’s ‘Secret Snack Space’ stocked up with all kinds of goodies for when the boy comes to visit. It’s currently full of a variation of snacks including popcorn, doughnuts and a large tub of sugary candy, which he doesn’t ever bring out until Eddie is gone for the day.

He knows the look he’d receive from the man if he knew he was feeding his son that amount of sugar and also knows he won’t ever be able to say no to Christopher when he asks for more.

Eddie and Christopher arrive an hour before Eddie’s shift starts and the first thing Buck notices is how Christopher walks straight past him to the couch without his usual hug and ‘“hey Buck!”

He turns back to where Eddie is still standing in the doorway and with his eyebrow raised, asks “Is he okay?” in a hushed tone, not wanting Christopher to hear him.

Eddie shrugs, also walking past Buck to place Chris’ rucksack onto the kitchen island. “I don’t know” he admits, “he won’t talk to me about what’s bothering him and I don’t wanna push him.” Buck understands that completely, he may not have children of his own but he knows enough to know not to push them if they don’t want to talk.

Eddie makes his way over to where Christopher is sitting on the couch and Buck smiles as he pulls him into a hug. Christopher pulls back quicker than usual and Buck’s smile falls as he sees the look that crosses Eddie’s face. Buck hasn’t witnessed anything that even remotely looks like that on Eddie’s face around Christopher before and he doesn’t like the ache it presents in his chest. He also doesn’t like the smile he forces onto his face when he says goodbye to them both and leaves through the front door.

Not sure what to do, Buck awkwardly hovers near the bottom of his stairs before grabbing the popcorn and tub of candy from his kitchen cupboard and takes them over to Christopher. When Buck doesn’t get a smile and only receives a half shrug as he shows Chris the movies he got, he tries not to ask what’s wrong.

Or pout.

After getting another shrug when he asks Christopher which one he wants to see first, Buck decides to go with Moana.

They get about halfway through the movie with Buck eating most of the candy, before Christopher turns his body to Buck’s, saying his name quietly.

Buck reaches onto the coffee table to press the pause button on the remote before also turning his body towards Chris with a “yea, buddy?”

He sees the hesitation on his face and the tears pooling behind his glasses and the realisation that something is very wrong knocks the wind out of Buck.

“Hey! It’s okay, bud! What’s goin’ on?”

Christopher meets Buck’s eyes and lets out a shuddering breath before mumbling a quiet “some boys at school are mean to me.”

Buck knows he shouldn’t feel the amount of anger that starts to course through his entire being, about a bunch of nine year olds but he can’t help it. The urge to phone Christopher’s school and demand a meeting with their parents is so strong that Buck has to focus on the look on Christopher’s face to stop himself.

He looks so scared about what Buck’s going to say that Buck forces himself to school his face into what he hopes is a reassuring expression.

“Mean how? Do you want to tell me some more about it?” As soon as the words leave his mouth Christopher nods, his voice trembling as he forces his words out.

“Yeah! They kept calling me nasty names ‘cus I wanted t-to play with the dolls that the girls had and not the action man!”

Buck's knee-jerk response to that is to cry but instead he reaches forward, pulling Christopher into a hug, letting the boy cry into his chest. The anger Buck felt from earlier makes way for a stronger feeling of sadness.

Buck can feel the pain radiating from the boy and he doesn’t just empathise with him, he knows it, remembers it.

He remembers being sat with Maddie in her room, whilst his parents were out at another fancy dinner. Her room was always so much more colorful than his. She had light hardwood flooring, cartoon rainbows dotted around the baby pink walls and covering her bed sheets too. It was a much more exciting place for a young child than his dark blue walls and plain blue bed sheets.

Maddie’s toys were more exciting too.

Buck loved the pretty clothes they wore and the accessories they came with. His action figures were dull and boring in comparison so he preferred to play with hers.

That day was no different. Buck had wandered into Maddie’s room as their nanny prepared them dinner, making his way to sit on her cloud shaped rug. Maddie looked over from where she was writing at her desk and smiled, giving him the go ahead to open up her large, wooden dollhouse.

Buck remembers the story he made up, how the two princesses were in love and running away from a scary alien dragon. Maddie had laughed between helping him with the dragon noises as he ran around the room, arms outstretched and a doll in each hand.

He was shouting so loudly that neither of them had heard their parents return home and his father walk up the stairs until it was too late.

Mr Buckley snatched the dolls from Buck and threw them onto the ground before grabbing him by the hand and dragging him down the stairs and into his office.

Buck didn’t understand why he was being told off for playing with dolls.

He didn’t know the meaning of the horrible names his father was calling him until he was much older and hearing them daily in the school locker rooms.

After that incident, his father had made sure that Buck was part of the football team almost as soon as he joined high school.

He made sure that Buck was never allowed to join the theatre or art club, like he wanted to.

He made sure that Buck was an all-american boy, never stepping a toe outside of that box.

No matter how cheesy it seems, Buck doesn’t want that lack of self-expression for Christopher. He wants him to be able to be or do whatever he wants in life and he knows he wants to always be there to support whatever that may be.

With that sentiment in mind Buck pulls back from their hug just enough so Chris can see him when he whispers, “how about we go to the mall?”

The small grin that Christopher gives him is the first positive emotion Buck has seen from him since he arrived and he never wants it to leave.

They both bundle into Buck’s car, singing along loudly to the Disney soundtrack that Buck ‘forgot’ to take out since their last road trip together (and definitely doesn’t sing along to when he’s on his own.)

When they arrive at the mall, the first stop is the food court to eat something that isn’t one hundred percent sugar.

Christopher seems to have perked up a lot by the time they make their way to the toy store, rushing over to the aisle full of princess dolls as soon as they step inside.

Buck feels a swell of what can only be described as parental adoration as he looks down at Christopher whose eyes are wide, scanning over all of the different options available. He sees his gaze stop on a Sleeping Beauty doll.

The doll has long blond hair with fair skin but what stands out the most is the flowing, sparkly pink dress. Buck reaches for the doll and pulls it from the shelf, crouching down to Christopher’s height.

“How about this one?” He says, turning it to face Chris, who suddenly looks more reserved than he did ten seconds ago.

He mumbles something so quietly that Buck has a hard time hearing him, but he does and the words make his heart break.

“Your dad could never hate you, sweetheart! No matter what toys you want to play with!”

Christopher doesn’t seem convinced so Buck stands back up, reaching back onto the shelf to pick out two more dolls. “Here! How about I get one for him and one for me too? That way we can all play together next time we’re at your house.”

Relief floods through Buck as Chris turns to him and hugs his legs, whispering a soft “thank you, Bucky” into his jeans. Blinking away tears, Buck cards his fingers through Chris’ hair making sure his voice is even before replying.

“Of course, bud.”

They get back to Buck’s apartment just before dinner time.

Buck places a pizza in the oven and turns back to find Christopher hovering near the shopping bags he’d placed on the kitchen island.

Buck has an idea as to why he hasn’t taken his usual spot on the couch.

Chris is still too nervous to start playing with his new toys on his own so Buck picks up the bag and walks it over to the coffee table in front of the couch. He hears Christopher coming over to join him as he takes the dolls out of the bag and removes the packaging.

“Here you go, bud!” Buck says, handing each doll over to him when he’s situated himself on the couch. “You want me to put one of the movies on for you?”

Getting a nod and a small smile in response, Buck pops Finding Nemo into the DVD player and goes back to the kitchen to chop the salad to go with their pizza. By the time he has assembled the salad, the pizza is ready to be served and eaten.

Christopher keeps his dolls between him and Buck on the couch cushion, letting Buck know that it’s because he wants them to be able to watch his favourite movie with them both. Buck feels his heart soar at the openness of the admission, glad he could help him feel at ease about himself.

Eddie arrives to take Christopher home an hour after they finish their dinner. The knock on the door jolts Buck out of the imaginary world him and Chris have created on the living room floor. He jumps to his feet, runs to the door and opens it, being greeted by Eddie’s laugh.

“That was quick” he says as Buck moves out of the way to allow him into the apartment. Before Buck can reply, Chris shouts him from the living room.

“Coming buddy!”

Buck looks at Eddie. He looks more alert than he usually does after a shift, which Buck knows means their last call was probably very intense. Eddie gives him a soft smile, “You go ahead, I'm just gonna go to the bathroom.”

Buck nods before making his way back over to Chris. He sits himself back down next to him before asking “What’s up?” Buck thinks he knows what the problem is when he sees that Chris has pushed his dolls under the coffee table, out of sight.

“Can I keep my princesses here please? I don’t want daddy to know I got them.” Buck can hear from his voice and the look on his face that the nervousness from when they were at the store is back in full force.

“Oh, Chris. You don’t have to worry about what your dad’s going to say, buddy! Remember what I said at the mall? He’s not going to mind what toys you want to play with, just that you’re having fun!” Chris seems to take it all in and still looks uneasy.

“Remember, we got him one too and he’s going to absolutely love it! I think we should give him the Belle one because of his brown hair. What do you think?” Chris seems deep in thought and then gives Buck a resolute nod just as Eddie appears from the bathroom.

Eddie seems to relax as soon as he sees Chris, his smile reaching his eyes as he asks him how his day was.

Christopher excitedly starts reciting every detail about what had happened that day and doesn’t even stop to take a breath, until he gets to the part about what toys he got from the toy store.

Noticing his hesitation, Eddie glances at Buck with a questioning look on his face. Buck keeps his eyes on Christopher trying to convey to Eddie that he should let him carry on with his story. Thankfully, Eddie gets the message and injects enthusiasm into his voice as he says, “That sounds awesome! What toys did you get?”

Chris looks at Buck, his eyes wide and still filled with hesitation. Buck makes sure to give him the biggest smile he can muster which seems to be enough.

Christopher reaches under the table and scoops up his dolls, reaching his hands towards his dad so Eddie can see them. Eddie’s face lights up, his eyes starting to water as he crouches down next to Buck.

“Wow! They’re lovely, kiddo! Guess what?” Christopher looks up to meet Eddie’s eyes, his own wide. “They remind me of the ones I used to play with when I was your age!” Buck turns his head to study Eddie’s face, trying to pick up on if he was telling the truth or if he was saying it to make his son feel more at ease.

Christopher all but yells “you had princesses?” As his eyes get even wider than before.

“Well, they weren’t mine. They were your Aunt Sophia’s but I used to play with them when your abuelo was at work.”

Buck feels a wave of affection wash over him as he watches Chris giggle and pull Eddie into a bone-crushing hug.

Buck and Eddie spend half an hour listening to Christopher as he makes up a whole new story about the princesses, both of them chiming in as he goes. He decides that Buck and Eddie’s dolls are married and that his doll is their daughter. Buck tries not to let that narrative make his cheeks flush or think about what Eddie feels about the parts they’re playing.

Eddie has another early shift the next day so him and Christopher get ready to leave earlier than usual.

Buck walks them to the door and crouches down in front of Chris, squeezing his arms around him as the boy whispers “thank you” into his chest.

Eddie stands in the front doorway and Buck can feel his eyes on him as he stands up and watches Chris start to leave through it.

Buck doesn’t have time to say anything before Eddie’s pulling him into his arms, whispering the same phrase that his son just did into his neck. Buck goes to pull away but Eddie just tightens his arms around him.

────────────────────────

Christopher and Eddie arrive at the same time the next morning.

Chris greets him with a hug and a “hey Buck”, a smile plastered on his face.

Eddie greets him with a hug too, pressing his face into his neck where Buck can feel his smile.

Buck feels himself relax.

Everyone’s okay.

[spinachdrum]

Day 5 (Summary) + Day 6 (love them)

Welcyum! 

We’re doing double time today! Day 5 we literally didn’t do anything. Like, we went outside for maybe 40 minutes tops total. The air pollution was pretty bad yesterday as well as a heavy day for me (sorry period TMI) so we decided to stay in and take a day to relax and do homework to stay caught up! We did eat at a really nice restaurant across the street from our Airbnb called 김네 and it was the size of a SHOEBOX but god it was good. I had a 돈맛도시락 and Nichole had 김치찌개. So yummy! Later on we got chicken from this TINY little place across the street and--oh my god. So good. Probably the best chicken I’ve ever had?! I tried to give the ahjumma my extra $3 like a tip but she was laughing and made me take it back ;~; 

김네! And the chicken place:

DAY6

Today was seriously so fucking fun! We were out for 9 hours just walking around Hongdae and it was seriously one of the most fun days we’ve had so far. We finally had to go to Seoul Station to transfer lines to get to Hongdae, and it was so weird that I could almost remember pretty perfectly the path through the entire station to get to the train to Hongdae. This station is also SO BIG and it took us forever to get through it from our train to the connecting one, lol.

And then we finally arrived in Hongdae!! I love it here.

So naturally because we came kind of early, we decided to eat lunch first and then walk around and do stuff! We wanted to go to a cafe, there was a store Nichole was looking for to try and find this scary baby toy (spoiler alert: it was gone), A-Land, and then later on we wanted to eat dinner and noraebang! 

Our first stop: Meat-ing! 

Such a good kbbq restaurant. It’s all you can eat!!! And it’s super cheap!! Lunch was only 12,500.00 per person for A BUFFET. And they have suuuuch good meat, too. Ugh I could honestly eat here everyday, lol. It’s cool too because they actually will charge you if you leave any leftovers that you leave on the table to encourage less food waste. So only get what you can eat, and eat what you get!!

Potatoes, kimchi, lettuce, hot rice, meat....YUM. I was soooooo full by the time we finished, and then I was like, oh god, we have to walk around all day now. Seriously so fucking worth it, though, it was so good.

Afterward, Nichole wanted to look for this little store she saw in a video that had this really ugly baby toy in it, lol. We did find the store but the weird baby doll was gone :( so afterward we decided to go find A-Land! It’s a department store kind of, but it has the full range of COSRX products so we really wanted to find it and buy some! I’m running out of snail power essence so I’m glad we went.

However, on the way, we passed by the TRICKEYE MUSEUM!!! 

We decided, fuck it, we’re going in!! It was super cute and really fun! You can download this app that makes all the paintings and stuff come alive, it’s super cool!!

Here’s me being a mermaid! 

This section was so fucking weird!!!!! I had to take a million pictures of it. Like why is the lady in the back so giant and everyone is NORMAL SIZED???????

This room was my favorite :) I love the moon, so I was really happy about this room and I actually really like how this picture came out which is surprising because it’s of me :’) 

Also, inside the TRICKEYE MUSEUM, there’s an ICE MUSEUM! It’s not really a museum, though, it’s basically just like 3 different sections made completely of ice. It was so fucking cold in there, but omg, it was so cool and there’s an ICE SLIDE!!!! I went down it and screamed cause I had to touch the ice to get back up, LOL. 

From the top of the ice slide looking down! 

And from the bottom! I actually loved the ice museum, hehe. Note: your ticket to the trickeye museum also gets you into the ice museum!! And it’s only like 15,000.00 won! 

ALSO: there was this bronze statue at the bottom of the stairs right outside the trick eye museum of a guy and of course his dick was just like out. Full on full frontal pee-pee. Right? And Nichole made me take her picture next to it, and then right after, these two Japanese guys tapped on my shoulder and asked me to take THEIR picture with it!! I was cracking up because they did the GOOFIEST pose next to this statue with full wang. So funny.

Not related: look at this pretty building!

After, we found A-Land, and we bought some skincare stuff! We still weren’t hungry so we just kind of wandered around a little bit; we were looking for a cat cafe (not very hard, just wandering in case we found one) but we actually stumbled upon A DOG CAFE. 😭😭♥️

This place... was SO Cute. There were so many cute dogs (there was a GIANT great dane that greeted us with his big ol BOOF BOOF barking!! and his name was Ben!!!) that came up to us and just hung out and begged for pets. Some of them were so tiny and they were so cute. There was this one tiny little toy poodle and the way its legs moved was so funny and it reminded me of Mike from Monsters INC so every time it was running I was like “scaryfeetscaryfeetscaryfeet”. Also, it was so sweet because you could tell the employees really, really cared about the dogs. They were constantly petting them, massaging them (some were quite old), and just treating them so gently. It made me so happy. These doggies were sooooo well cared for and it totally showed. 

This baby took my seat immediately so I had to sit on the very edge of the seat to give him room, hehe.

We stayed here for a long time! Like an hour and a half, just petting and playing with the dogs and drinking lemonade. I’m pretty sure everyone on Instagram wanted to kill me because I wouldn’t stop posting pictures, LOL.

We finally decided to leave the cafe, even though we could have stayed there all day. We were super close to the Kakao Friends store so we went to that next!! And omg, it was so cool.

It’s so big!! And the glass front is so pretty~ 

It’s also THREE FLOOOOOORS. The first two are the only ones with merchandise, the third floor is the RYAN CAFE! Which we went to! The second floor was really cute and I saw another one of those wireless keyboards with the round buttons and decorated with Ryan.. SO TEMPTED.... but my laptop already has a keyboard!!! ARGH....

What a view. Korea, I love you.

The cafe! :D We got two cupcakes, vanilla and chocolate. And LOOK HOW CUTE:

After this, we really wanted to go noraebang, but we wanted to eat first. We still weren’t quiiiite hungry, so we were going to walk to Artbox, but on our way there we walked RIGHT into some busking!! These two girls from Singapore were dancing to k-pop and they were SOOOOO good. They were doing BLACKPINK when we arrived, and we decided to sit down and watch for a little bit! There was this guy sitting across from us who was mouthing along and kind of dancing to himself sitting down and it was so cute. And then after BLACKPINK finished they went to TWICE--in the middle of it the cute guy got up and jumped right in and danced with them!!! 

He was also sooooo good!! He was having so much fun and laughing and blushing since everyone was cheering for him!! I caught a lot of it on video but I filmed it in portrait and not horizontal, LOL. But he got up a bunch to dance with them, and I got some of him dancing to GASHINA and it’s SOOOO CUTE! 

Soooo adorable. And all three of them are soooo talented! We actually sat here and watched them for a really long time, forty-five minutes passed before we realized it and we were hungry again! We actually went to a restaurant RIGHT behind this because they had a bunch of kinds of fried rice and omfg.

Why is all the food here so good?????? IT’S SO GOOD!! 

Forgot to take a good picture of the food, but this is the restaurant, lol. 유가네닭갈비 and we had the marinated chicken bbokumbap. Ugh. So good I could die.

And to end the night: NORAEBANG! There was a basement noraebang right next to this, so we went to it, and it was SO FUN. I recorded a bunch on instagram and didn’t any pictures, but omg, so fun. We did BLACKPINK, TWICE, GOT7, BTS, DAY6, Dean, and TAEMIN, because everyone knows how much I love TAEMIN, lol. I’m sure we sounded insane because we were just yelling and screaming into the microphones and mumbling through the korean words we didn’t know, LOL. We were in here for a good hour and a half and I was singing so loud and laughing so hard that I started coughing and thought I was going to throw up. LMFAO!! Worth it.

I wish I was hungry as we were leaving, because we walked by a bunch of street food stalls on the way back to the station and my god they looked SO DELICIOUS. UUUUUUGH. They smelled really good, too. But next time! We were really tired by this point and were pretty ready to go home since we’d been walking around since 12pm. 

It was a really calm train ride back. I know I said in my last post about how much I love the subway and it’s just so true. I don’t know what it is, but I love it so much. 

We finally got home at around 9:45 and here we are! Ready for bed and so beyond happy I could explode. If I could just stay and not go home, I really would.

Until next time! ♥️♥️

[my-fanfic-soul]

Harry-- Boo

The sound of his daughter laughing was Harry’s favorite sound in the world.  He had recordings of her giggling on his phone so he could listen to them when he was away on tour or doing promo.  It was infectious and filled him with a warmth he couldn’t describe and that he had never experienced before she came into his world and turned everything upside down in the best way possible.

These days she was a vivacious two, nearly three, year old who grown into the sweetest little girl who had strong opinions about everything from what she ate to the books that she read.  Right now, her favorite movie, and what currently had her belly laughing, was Monsters Inc.  She knew every character, every line, and so did Harry and his wife after watching it with her twenty-five thousand times a week.

“Mike Wazowski!” she yelled from her spot in front of the TV while Harry and his wife got lunch ready.  Harry could see her through the opening in the door, cuddled in the middle of a pile of pillows, thoroughly entranced even though she had seen it so many times before.

Harry looked over at his wife, the reason he was home, and the reason his daughter had been watching more movies than usual.  They had spent the morning at the doctor’s having a scan done on her very swollen, 7 month pregnant belly.  Baby and mama were both healthy, but she had been so tired this pregnancy that she was struggling to keep up with the house and their daugher.  “Have you thought of a Halloween costume yet?” Harry asked gently.

She sighed and shook her head, glancing over at the calendar that already read September.  “Not even for a moment,” she confessed.  “I’m just trying to get through the day, every day.” 

“I think I have an idea,” he told her, looking back at the TV and Boo’s shenanigans.

Her frown deepened.  “I just don’t think I have the energy for it this year, Harry.  I’ve got so much to do still before this one makes their grand entry and I barely have the energy to put my socks on in the morning.”  Sound logic or not, he knew it hurt her to say that.  Halloween was her favorite time of year.  She loved dressing up their entire little family in matching costumes.  She always handmade their costumes and everything.

Harry was quiet for a few minutes as he moved over to start unloading the dishwasher.  He stayed quiet as they managed to draw their daughter away from the TV long enough for a quick lunch and then she was back in the living room in front of the TV.  While they cleaned up after the meal, he said, “Would you be willing to go out with us if I took care of the costumes?”  She gave him a doubtful look but he rushed to assure her, “I’ll take care of all of it.  It’s even something that if you feel like you can’t go, it’ll still make sense if it’s just me and her.”

Her eyes drifted to their daughter as she thought it over.  She’d been dealing with a lot of Mommy Guilt over not being able to be to do as much with their daughter as she normally did.  Halloween was normally her thing, but it seemed unfair to just not do it this year because she was tired, especially since pretty soon they would start talking about Trunk or Treat at church, an event where people handed out candy from the back of their cars.  She was sure to get just as excited as the other kids in her nursery class.

“Yeah, that would be great,” she finally told her husband with a grateful smile.

He got to work immediately buying supplies.  It had occurred to him that it would be easier to just buy the costumes from a store or online, but his wife prided herself on their homemade costumes and he was determined to not let the tradition die, even for a single year.

“Hey, sweet pea!” Harry called from his office and he heard little feet move into the hallway.  “Can you come back here and see Daddy, please?”

Little feet pattered down the hall until her little face appeared in his doorway, looking at him curiously.  “Yes, Daddy?” she asked sweetly, gazing around at all of the cloth littering his normally very neat office.  Her little eyebrows knit together, suddenly looking very much like Harry.  “Daddy it’s messy in here.  You need to clean your room.”

Definitely her mum’s kid, though.  “I know, but Daddy’s using them all, still.  Is it alright if I measure you?”

“Why?” she asked skeptically, but walked over to him anyway.

Harry showed her the tape measure and explained, “Daddy has to take your measurements for your Halloween costume, so it’ll fit right.”

“What’s a Halvo… queen costume?” she asked, struggling over the foreign word and making Harry chuckle.

“Halloween is when you get to play dress up as a character and go collect candy by saying Trick or Treat to people.  We celebrate by going to the church and doing it, instead of going door to door,” Harry explained as he waited.  They were working hard to teach her bodily autonomy; he wouldn’t start measuring her until she said it was ok.

She thought it over for a minute, rolling the idea around in her head.  This was another area where she was very much like her father.  She never said anything until she was ready and she didn’t have any qualms about taking her time.  “What character will I be?”

Harry pointed to shiny purple material on one of the work tables near him.  It normally held sheets of music, but currently it held fabric and patterns.  “Yours is a surprise this year, but this is the fabric Daddy will be using to make it.”

She studied it, touched it with her fingers, and looked around the room at the rest of the fabric.  Finally, she nodded.  “Ok, Daddy.  You can measure me.”

It took twice as long as it was supposed to because Harry was following the step by step instructions on a YouTube video and had to keep pausing it, but his daughter stood still through the entire process and didn’t kick up a fuss.  She did run rather quickly back to her toys once he said she could go, though.  He hadn’t told her what her costume would be because he wanted to surprise his wife and seeing both of their faces the day of would make it all worth it.

Trunk or treat was on Saturday the 28th this year and his little girl was beyond excited.  It was all she had talked about for a month.  Her excitement had been one of the fueling factors in Harry finishing his project even when he was overwhelmed and felt like he’d bitten off more than he could chew.  He had worked a little bit every chance he could since the middle of September and it was finally coming to fruition.

His wife could see how proud he was as he gazed at the finished product in front of him.  She did raise an eyebrow when he handed her lime green leggings and a lime green shirt.  “You’ll see,” he told her confidently, his hand brushing against her nearly nine month pregnant belly.  She was feeling pretty good today, the first time in weeks, so they’d be going together as a family to the event.

Their daughter was bouncing up and down in excitement when her mom walked into her bedroom.  “What is it, what is it?!” she asked enthusiastically as she ran over to pull it from her mother’s arms.

“Hold on, be patient,” she said, lifting it up out of the range of little fingers.  “Mommy doesn’t even know what it is yet, Sweet Pea.  You have to be careful so you don’t mess it up.”

She did her best to hold still while her mom put it on, but she was full of energy and kept bouncing on her toes and twisting to try and see herself in the mirror.  The moment her mom told her it was on, she raced to the mirror on her wall, letting out a squeal of excitement.  She twirled back around to her mother, exclaiming, “Mommy, I’m Boo!  Mommy, I’m Boo!”  Indeed, she was, Harry had spent the past month and a half making Boo’s monster costume for his own little monster and she had never been happier in her entire little life.

“Yes, you are,” her mommy told her with a smile, fighting to hold back tears from her own ramped up hormones.  Harry had really come through and while it wasn’t professional grade costumes, it was perfect for their little girl.  “It looks like Mommy is going to be Mike Wazowski, as well.”  The little girl was jumping with excitement now.  “Settle down, Mama’s going to put on her costume and then she’ll do your hair, alright?”

Ten minutes later, they were walking hand in hand to the living room when the little girl saw what costume, blue pants and shirt with purple spots sewn on, plus a furry hat with horns, her Daddy had chosen.  “Kitty!” she yelled, racing across the floor and throwing herself into Harry’s arms.  “You’re Sully, Daddy!”

Harry laughed and twirled her around in his arms, her giggles complete music to his ears.  “That’s right, Sweet Pea, I am. Do you like your costume?”  Her yes was enthusiastic as she flung herself around her daddy’s neck, making Harry laugh as her mommy nearly started crying again.  “Do you like your costume?” Harry asked his wife, looking at her completely green outfit with an elaborately large green eye and mouth on her belly.

She chuckled as she picked up her camera.  “I couldn’t have chosen better if I tried.  You did a great job, Harry.”

They spent a good twenty minutes take pictures, Harry humoring his little girl and posing with her in every way from holding her to acting like he was afraid of her.  Her innocent adoration of her costume was enough to have him nearly weepy eyed.  Once they were done, she marched towards the car, proudly announcing, “I can’t wait to show everyone my costume!”  Harry knew that of all of the compliments he had received in his life, that one was by far his favorite.

Master List

[likeawildthing]

Saving Kittens Thing

Bleeding heart James Potter does his level best to save seven cats from a terrible fate, but Lily Evans, his heartless monster fiancée, tries to thwart him at every turn.

ao3

week one.

Lily Evans to James Potter: no

James Potter: i haven’t asked a question.

Lily Potter: and yet

James Potter: but how did u know???

Lily Potter: your 762 cat pictures uploaded to the cloud james

James Potter: right.

James Potter: it’s just, hes been hanging around the office for the last two weeks…

Lily Evans: you don’t even like cats??

James Potter: but he likes me. 

Lily Evans: ...

James Potter: maybe I never liked them bc they were all assholes?

James Potter: chicken or egg, u know?

Lily Evans: amazing

Lily Evans: see u in a few

Lily Evans: no to cat. yes to takeout for stressing me out

James Potter: ur stressed? im marrying an unsupportive woman in 7 weeks??

Lily Evans: *kiss emoji* eggrolls.

James Potter: yes maam

James Potter to Lily Evans: but look at how CUTE he is

Lily Evans: no

James Potter: he likes milk

Lily Evans: impeachment song voice: no. no. no. no. no. nono. nononono.

James Potter: killjoy! 

Lily Evans: remember the squirrel

James Potter: that was one. time.

Lily Evans: and yet, i have veto power

James Potter: will u always have veto power? like for the next sixty five years?

Lily Evans: sixty four. you’re taking a year off my life.

James Potter: it wasn’t /that bad

Lily Evans: we had to call professionals in??? almost got kicked out??? our lease specifically and unequivocally forbids pets of any kind???

James Potter: technicality, yes, but as mum owns the building, pretty sure i could sway her w/ wedding leverage

Lily Evans: we are NOT having swans, geese, ducks, or other fowl at our wedding. so no leverage for u.

James Potter: killjoy!!!!!

week two.

James Potter to Lily Evans: he is a SHE

Lily Evans: …?

James Potter: THE CAT

Lily Evans: how do u

Lily Evans: nvnmd

James Potter: check ur snaps!!!

Lily Evans to James Potter: when u get home we need to talk abt appropriate things to snapchat.

Lily Evans: random example i’m pulling out of my arse: cats giving birth? 

Lily Evans: not appropriate!!

Lily Evans: also, are u under the bushes in front of your work?

James Potter: ITS JUST LIKE 101 DALMATIONS

James Potter: except cats!

James Potter: and six of them.

James Potter: seven including boots.

Lily Evans: boots?

James Potter: have u seen HER feet? boots.

James Potter: the Miracle of Life. 

James Potter: im transformed.

James Potter: i think i’m rethinking my position on kids                                    

Lily Evans: oh boy

Lily Evans to James Potter: babe. ur going to get fired for sending too many snapchats on work hours.

James Potter: my dad is the boss?

Lily Evans: he asked me to text sense into u. or to bribe u.

James Potter: rude.

James Potter: ...what kind of bribery

Lily Evans: not that kind

James Potter: just checking

week three.

James Potter to Lily Evans: ohmygodacrowtriedtokillmykittens

Lily Evans: 1. not ur kittens

Lily Evans: 2. crows are highly intelligent. i wouldn’t mess w/ it???

Lily Evans: prefer to marry u in one piece if possible

James Potter: whose side are u on??

Lily Evans: common sense

James Potter: do u know me at all???

Lily Evans to James Potter: was it u or my other fiancé who maxed out my library card limit

James Potter: yes. and mine. research for a work thing.

Lily Evans: How To Care For Feral Kittens. Protecting Your Wild Cat From Predators. Three Failsafe Methods for Domesticating A Feral Cat. Chicken Coop Construction. And like sixty kids books about cats??

Lily Evans: ??????????????????

James Potter: this IS technically a work thing, since its at work. 

Lily Evans: stretch, much? 

Lily Evans: cant believe remus let u check out 150 books.

James Potter: he is a Good, Supportive friend. and i have a LOT of free time this month. dad didnt want to stress me out. research is important, which you know! sixty kids books are to Read to the Kittens. good for development.

Lily Evans: ur dad took u off all projects bc he thought you’d be distracted w/ getting married.

James Potter: well im hyper-focused on this instead.

James Potter: and i can be! because we’re mostly done w/ planning, thanks to my gorgeous, intelligent, super efficient, soon-to-be wife. 

James Potter: and i love you.

Lily Evans: nice, but take a book back so i can rent mine. 

James Potter: im going to suggest you buy it on kindle, b/c its 2017??

Lily Evans: it’s the principle. reading is cathartic and an escape from my Many Stresses.

James Potter: gotta go. sirius just walked in w/ a work thing.

Lily Evans: well

week four.

Lily Evans to James Potter: pete told me ur trying to corral the cats into a paper box???

James Potter: traitor! did PETE ALSO TELL U its now crows, plural, and theyre trying to bait Boots out so they can get the kittens?

Lily Evans: he said that’s your story, yes

James Potter: it happened!

James Potter: and so i have to do this, for their safety and well-being.

James Potter: dad wouldn’t let me build a protective structure, so—

James Potter: im just—

Lily Evans: no.

James Potter: listenimgoingtobringthemallhome

James Potter: JUST until we can get them to a shelter 

Lily Evans: NO. james. u cant be the cat savior of the world??

James Potter: true, but i can be the cat savior of potter, inc.??

James Potter: or at least a foster cat dad.

Lily Evans: James. No. We both work 50 hour weeks and we are about to get married and we are about to go on honeymoon?????

James Potter: LILY. they need me. I need to save them.

Lily Evans: oh, babe. ur mom told me about the ducks.

James Potter: the ducks?

Lily Evans: when you were seven.

Lily Evans: is that what this is all about????

James Potter: sure?

James Potter: i mean…must be? i didn’t put two and two together, you know? but yeah. those ducks are, like, weighing really heavily on my…subconscious.

James Potter: i think if could all be resolved if u just give me like, 3 days

Lily Evans: 1

James Potter: 2

Lily Evans: deal

Lily Evans to James Potter: I saw ur ‘home sweet home’ Instagram btw

James Potter: stalker. come downstairs and see them.

Lily Evans: what took u four hours to get home?

James Potter: stopped by the vet to check them out. all looking great!

James Potter: and flea meds

James Potter: and vaccinations for boots

James Potter: aaaand the pet store to get a few necessities

Lily Evans to James Potter: sirius said he’d disown you if you adopted seven cats

James Potter: liar.

Lily Evans: worth a try

Lily Evans to James Potter: six matching kitten sweaters is NOT a necessity

James Potter: disagree

Lily Evans: three hundred pounds???

James Potter: will be much easier to rehome them w/ the proper supplies

Lily Evans: unbelievable.

James Potter: actually got some great deals, believe it or not.

James Potter: she was SO GOOD today. boots. she did not scratch me once and she put flea meds on her and shes all groomed and pretty.

James Potter: and LILY.

James Potter: come down and see them??? they need to meet their grandmum or theyll think you dont love them

Lily Evans: im allergic to cats?? and im not yet 22?

James Potter: u aren’t really allergic. and ur 104 in cat years.

Lily Evans: wow. im going to give u space tonight. the Sofa is yours.

Lily Evans: don’t get too cozy w/ them, potter.

James Potter: I think we know its too late for that, evans.

Lily Evans: veto. power.

James Potter to Lily Evans: ur really not coming down???

Lily Evans: one of us has to stay reasonable.

Lily Evans to James Potter: james. u cant just send me vids of drunk girls w/ a box of kittens

James Potter: can. did. will continue to.

James Potter: left ur fave wine on the stairs. drink some and come meet them??

James Potter: u could be the next youtube sensation.

Lily Evans: pass

Lily Evans: 39 hrs, btw.

James Potter to Lily Evans: did u order takeout just for u??? and are u home?? u didn’t go to work??

Lily Evans: working from home, yes. can u deliver to our room?

James Potter: why don’t u…come down and get it yourself.

Lily Evans: ill starve

James Potter: im coming

Lily Evans: 22 hrs 

James Potter: about that.

Lily Evans: james fleamont potter

James Potter: lil. im sorry. like i am in that we made a deal and I have to break it.

Lily Evans: JAMES FLEAMONT POTTER

James Potter: but im not in that im not sending them on the streets. i called ALL the shelters and they were all full! except for the no kill, which i wont do and neither will u, because im not marrying a heartless monster.

James Potter: and so were the cat fosters! apparently its peak cat shagging season or something???

James Potter: anyway i didn’t know and i did try and i AM sorry

Lily Evans: its ok.

James Potter: it is???

Lily Evans: well…I AM A REASONABLE PERSON but i am NOT heartless. we still cant keep them forever though!! i mean it!!!

Lily Evans: we can keep them until they’re ready to be rehomed tho. except they MUST be gone b4 the wedding.

James Potter: can we keep any of them???

Lily Evans: did u reread the lease?

James Potter: yes. they were very thorough, unfortunately. covered every loophole.

Lily Evans: two decades of being ur parents have trained them well

James Potter: come downstairs?????

Lily Evans: i have to stay strong

Lily Evans: ill bribe you to come upstairs tho

James Potter: ...what kind of bribery

Lily Evans: ;)

week five.

James Potter to Lily Evans: soooo....we have a responsible foster mum from the agency coming to look at my babies tonight

Lily Evans: Good. im tired of living upstairs and I Miss u

James Potter to Lily Evans: can u come home to work this afternoon???

Lily Evans: to clean? how messy have you been keeping it downstairs?

James Potter: pls. I’m the clean one of this power couple!!!!

Lily Evans: tru

James Potter: its about work. apparently im setting a bad example for taking 9 days for paternity leave when i’m about to go on honeymoon? and they need me for a presentation.

James Potter: point is. I HAVE to go back whether we (the cats, me) are ready or not.

Lily Evans: there’s a lot i could say to that babe, but i’ll refrain because I Love You.

Lily Evans: wont they be fine w/out you? or me? i’ve made it this far w/out meeting them.

James Potter: no! they need constant supervision. they’re actually quite the handful. who knew!

Lily Evans: omg

James Potter: Tabitha is due for her antibiotics dose at 3

Lily Evans: 1. uve named them. b. they’re on drugs???

James Potter: just Tabs. responsible fostering!!!

James Potter: we should really keep them until they’re old enough to be spayed and neutered, but I wont let them to go an irresponsible pet owner.

Lily Evans: god forbid

Lily Evans: OMYGOD u cannot just send me pictures of a baby kitten next to her antibiotics jar/??

James Potter: can and did

Lily Evans: if i fall in love w/ them, im never forgiving u

James Potter: thx babe. ill make it up to u.

Lily Evans: so many sexual favors, potter

James Potter: *wink emoji* *cat emoji*

Lily Evans: ew. bad combo

James Potter: yea

Lily Evans to James Potter: FUCK

Lily Evans: f.u.c.k.

James Potter: what happened?????

Lily Evans: FUCKKKKKKKKKK

James Potter: ARE THEY OKAY????

James Potter: also, are you ok

Lily Evans: they are fine. Just. Fine.

Lily Evans: I am not tho

James Potter: are u really allergic???

Lily Evans: only to common sense

James Potter: u fell in love, didn’t u

Lily Evans: NO

Lily Evans to James Potter: damn it. damn u. damn them, too.

Lily Evans: except not really

James Potter: it’s okay

Lily Evans: sorry for my derision and cynicism

Lily Evans: this wld only be better if i were drunk

James Potter: i guess you’ll never be internet famous babe

Lily Evans to James Potter: did u name the others???

James Potter: i left brown one. striped one. and w/ the heart on the nose for you

Lily Evans: yes i could tell because you MADE THEM COLLARS

James Potter: the one w/ the heart on the nose though

Lily Evans: SHE IS MY FAVORITE I LOVE HER

James Potter: can u really bear to part her from her siblings and mum???

Lily Evans: im not a Monster. of course not!

Lily Evans: but we’ll need a nanny???

Lily Evans: and a bigger flat.

James Potter: mum is thrilled actually. about grand-mumming it. not the flat.

James Potter: bad news: meant to tell u btw, she is ABSOLUTELY kicking us out.

James Potter: good news: may have a few house showings scheduled for us for next week, so

Lily Evans: did u knew this was going to happen to me???

James Potter: *kiss emoji*

Lily Evans: did u really even have a meeting at work???

James Potter: you’ll never know. give the babies a kiss me for me. ill grab takeout & be home soon.

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 11/13/17

Anne Happy, Vol. 7 | By Cotoji | Yen Press – It’s sports festival time, and out heroines are doing their best to at least survive the events, though in Botan’s case that may be difficult. The volume consists of what you’d expect—everyone’s quirk is in full force, the Unlucky Class ends up very very far behind in the rankings, mostly as they’re up against a sports class that compete in national events. Sayama continues to attempt to get over her terminal shyness, and makes small strides. Small strides is in fact the point of this series, as the class in general is doing OK but not well enough to make it in the world. This may become more important later on. In the meantime, Anne Happy is unassuming and cute, with minimal ambition. If you enjoy cute girls falling over, you’ll like it. – Sean Gaffney

Black Clover, Vol. 9 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – We wrap up the Battle with the Midnight Sun here, and our heroes spend some significant time recovering—though for Asta, that time may end up being far longer than he’d really like. We also end up seeing Yuno again. Remember Yuno? Asta’s rival who we saw at the very start of the series? He’s back, and of course is ridiculously strong. The rivalry between him and Asta has ridiculous amounts of BL tease, because this is a Jump manga, but I’m fine with that. There was also a nice non-reveal with a masked captain of Yuno’s unit, who turned out to be masked for different reasons than we’d thought. In any case, new arc should start soon, as we try to figure out how to heal permanent damage. – Sean Gaffney

Demon King Daimaou, Vol. 3 | By Shoutaro Mizuki and Souichi Itou | J-Novel Club – There is one reason that the jaded light-novel fan should give this book a try, and that’s the appearance of the villain, Mister X, who is over the top crazy and in his desire for villainy and despair that is “Art!” reminds me of nothing less than an evil Great Gonzo. Other than that, it’s situations normal at Daimaou, Inc. We get a bit more depth for Hiroshi, Akuto’s fanboy, but it doesn’t really work nearly as well for me, as the characterization feels off from the prior two books. And there are the heroines, with Korone getting a nice fakeout “I am going back to be executed” moment, Keena being Akuto’s conscience, and Junko being, well, Junko. Daimaou is a perfect buy for those who have to buy everything. – Sean Gaffney

Dreamin’ Sun, Vol. 4 | By Ichigo Takano | Seven Seas – This was a super shoujo-riffic volume of manga, even though there are some funny bits too (particularly the bonus comic). Shimana encourages Zen’s brother, Ken, not to give up on his boxing ambitions, and in gratitude he shows her Fujiwara’s high school yearbook, which only brings up more questions. In between, there are Christmas presents and bittersweet longing and earnest conversations about dreams. Also, there are at least three and probably more scenes that involve Shimana tearfully running away from a conversation and slamming a door. It’s repetitive, yes, but at least she doesn’t ever spend very long in a sulk. I enjoy Asahi stirring the pot and Zen being a good, sweet friend, but I’m not sure I want Shimana and Fujiwara to get together. He’s right—she is still a kid. Maybe Zen will win her over in the end with his panda wiles. – Michelle Smith

The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, Vol. 3 | By Nagabe | Seven Seas – The beginning of this volume is super tense! Shiva’s aunt has come for her, accompanied by several of the soldiers that only recently were trying to kill her, and Teacher does his best to rescue her, to no avail. One particularly impactful page-turn, revealing Teacher struck by many arrows, made me realize that because this series is so unique, there’s no variations-on-a-theme template to rely upon and, as a result, I really believed Teacher could actually die. He doesn’t, but what happens when Shiva gets back to the village is dramatic enough, along with a cliffhanger about her real origins. The art continues to be a delight, as well—I particularly love the panels that emphasize Shiva’s smallness and the nonverbal depiction of Teacher’s devastation after she’s gone. Now to manage the four-month wait for volume four! – Michelle Smith

Girls’ Last Tour, Vol. 3 | By Tsukumizu| Yen Press – The odd finally manages to win out over the cute for this volume of Girls’ Last Tour, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We see again and again how depressingly apocalyptic this world the girls are traveling through is, and on more than one occasional it almost leads to their horrible deaths. They also meet someone in the final section, though this is a robot rather than a human—but the essential story beats remain the same. And there’s even some fanservice for anyone interested. I’ve said before that this reminds me of Strawberry Marshmallow, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this was Miu’s bizarre self-insert fic with her and Chika—though I suspect it’d earn her a smack or two. Oddly compelling. – Sean Gaffney

Kuma Miko: Girl Meets Bear, Vol. 6 | By Masume Yoshimoto | One Peace Books – Well, I did ask for more of the bear, and I certainly get that here. Unfortunately, I also get another bear, who’s painted as the obsessed female stalker of our main bear. The humor that follows, showing a tsundere bear trying to be seductive (and failing), only works about one third of the time. It doesn’t help that the series already has a tsundere, Hibiki, and we get an amusing chapter devoted to imagining what might make her actually confess. Honestly, though, the highlight was the final chapter, where the bear tries to get Machi to take a train as part of his “make her a functioning adult” plan. It doesn’t work—she gets on the wrong train, and is now at the ocean. Will she die? Probably not. – Sean Gaffney

Murcielago, Vol. 4 | By Yoshimurakana | Yen Press – This series continues to play to a very limited audience, the sort who likes lesbians and likes sociopaths, and REALLY likes the combination of the two. If that pleases you, this volume will too, though be warned another sympathetic cutie is butchered horribly. As for Kuroko, she’s actually out of commission for part of this, having been brainwashed by the head villainess of the book. Fortunately, we needed some more characterization for Chiyo, Kuroko’s yakuza girlfriend who’s in a state of constant rage from, well, dealing with Kuroko’s tendency to bed anyone female. Spoiler: she’s badass. As for Rinko, the child killer from last time… well, I don’t want to spoil it. Suffice to say I laughed, but it was rueful. Murcielago is hilarious and you will feel bad. – Sean Gaffney

My Monster Secret, Vol. 8 | By Eiji Masuda | Seven Seas – I suspect it’s going to be harder and harder to drag out the “we’re not really dating” card after the ending of this volume. Which is fine, as I will freely admit that the relationship between Asahi and Youko is one of the two best reasons to read this book. The other is the humor, and there’s plenty of that on display as well, as we see angel feathers that make people act out the Seven Sins; Koumoto-sensei celebrating another birthday of being a single woman, as no one will let her forget; and Nagisa getting turned big (as opposed to being in her alien suit) in order to once again fire up the love triangle. There’s stuff that doesn’t work (anything with Shimada), but this series still has more hits than misses. – Sean Gaffney

Requiem of the Rose King, Vol. 7 | By Aya Kanno | VIZ Media – Wow. And also “holy crap.” I’m going to completely forego any spoilers this time, because the surprises in this volume need to be experienced as they come. Suffice it to say that Richard does not handle the revelation about Henry’s true identity well, and Henry doesn’t handle captivity and his lusty feelings for Richard well, either. All of these sad, broken people being crushed by… well… the game of thrones. Although a smidge of me still dares to hope Richard will find happiness by the end of the series, the ending of this volume suggests otherwise. I actually had to look up whether the series was concluding in the next volume, though that doesn’t appear to be the case. I should have known better than to choose something else for pick of the week, even if it was my beloved Chihayafuru! – Michelle Smith

Toriko, Vol. 40 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – Still counting down towards the end of this series. At least Toriko gets to add another item to his menu, meaning he only has two to go. But unfortunately, this one is more about the ridiculous fights than the ridiculous food, and whenever that happens it’s never good news. The author is better at food porn. He’s also better at ho yay, as the reunion of Toriko and Komatsu is loaded with an absolute ridiculous amount of subtext—I would not blame readers for forgetting Rin exists. As for the evil plot, it creeps incrementally forward, leading to a cliffhanger as Toriko and company finally challenge God. I’m finishing the series as I’ve already read 40 volumes, but it’s only for the hardcore now. – Sean Gaffney

By: Michelle Smith

[asagimeta]

Be Mature Scooby Doo! Or: Why Age Of Apocolypse Works And Mystery Incporated Doesn’t

Note: This will contain spoilers for Scooby Doo: Age Of Apocolypse and some heavy dislike of Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated

I just found the first issue of Scooby Doo: Age Of Apocolypse, wich I'll hopefully be buying and reading however many volumes there are for Christmas, and let me just say: This is mature Scooby Doo done right

This is what Mystery Incorporated COULD have been if Cartoon Network had actually decided to go for the older audience they were pitching for and not tried to maintain the younger, grade-school audience that probably didn't care for the franchise anyway

We know via shows like Young Justice and Teen Titans that CN //CAN// do that, and I think they WANTED to do that for Mystery Inc, but they ultimately decided to try to keep the younger audience too and that was their big mistake (as you can tell, I'm not at all a Mystery Incorporated fan, I think the only thing worse to come out of Scooby Doo TV wise is ... *ugh* Be Cool Scooby Doo.... stop the bleeding...)

Mystery Incorporated COULD have been the best Scooby Doo franchise since Zombie Island, if they had //treated// it like Zombie Island, IE: a level of maturity tackling real monsters and darker themes but maintaining some of the classic notions of Scooby Doo such as the chase sequences, catch phrases, and puns, wich are all things Mystery Incorporated DID do.... but the "maturity" was very flat and obviously trying too hard, and you can see that most clearly in comparison to Age Of Apocolypse and Zombie Island, where you can reasonably argue that MI REALLY wanted to shoot for the older audiences and be even darker and more mature than Zombie Island, you're met with the brand new roadblock-argument that is Age Of Apocolypse, the crown jewl of what a mature Scooby Doo could be

AOA is basically Scooby Doo meets The Walking Dead in tone, but it's alot more sci-fi than TWD and focuses considerably less on actual zombies and more on flat-out monsters, now wile I CERTAINLY don't suggest that MI should have included guns and brutally murdering monsters, what I *DO* suggest is keeping the *tone* somewhere in between Zombie Island and AOA, not leaning so much on ... what, A Pup Named Scooby Doo and AOA...? Therein lies the REAL problem

Mystery Incorporated had alot going for it- nice animation, a really good plot, a unique setting, and something that no other part of the Scooby franchise has ever really kept: A linear storyline, but the one big, major, glaring flaw is also the one thing that keeps people loving Scooby Doo all these decades later: The charectors

The charectors in MI were atrocious, often either watered down to their most pun-related and easy-to-reference qualities like Fred (who was reduced to being nothing short of a COMPLETE moron who only had any interest in building traps) or were crafted into something utterly indistinguishable from their usual charector, like Velma, who was ... very oddly rooted in romance? Velma has always been a little sharp, but Velma in MI is downright *mean* most of the time and has such a weird push for romancing Shaggy that it just feels... wrong... in some fundamental way, Velma has always been really great as a female charector because she's rooted in her *own* motivations and not tied around a romantic storyline, but at the same time, she IS allowed to /have/ romantic storylines on the side (Witch's Ghost and Zombie Island are both great examples of this, never is Velma rooted to a love interest but in both cases she makes it clear that she has butterflies for Beau/Ben, yet she never lets that come between her and her motivations as a charector)

Now you may be wondering why I titled this about AOA when I've barely talked about it, well.... I'm about to talk about it

Age Of Apocolypse solves the glaring charector issues that MI has WITHOUT damaging what MI was trying to do- show four people (and a dog) thrown together by circumstance who don't really exactly *like* eachother yet and have to grow to become a solid team, with a heavy dose of maturity and conflict involved in the relationships, this is something that, admittedly, the other versions of Scooby I mentioned never talked about, because the gang was already very well established when things like Zombie Island take place, and though there's mild charector conflict (rooted in individualism, not caring for eachother as a team) it's an almost blink-and-you-miss-it conflict that mostly is just the first ten minutes of the movie, IF that long, AOA however easily has as much conflict as MI without damaging the charectors individually

No idiot trap loving Fred

No overly self-centered, overly romanced Daphne

No brutally harsh, romance seeking Velma

No idiotic and weirdly self-absorbed Shaggy

No .... whatever the HELL they did to poor Scooby Doo

AOA does age up the charectors by probably about a decade, wich counts towards the maturity heavily, but I don't see why they couldn't keep a level of that in MI instead of trying to cater to the older audiences with the plot and the very young audiences with the lack of charectorization and what I very loosely call "humor" (there were a few good jokes, but not many, and they were greatly over shadowed by the relentlessly run-on gags like Fred and the stupid traps)

*SPOILERS AHEAD FOR AOA*

What AOA gives us is Scooby and Shaggy who are as tightly bonded as ever (not Scooby literally getting jealous over Velma what the hell was this show...?) with Shaggy still keeping his generally chill attitude and actually keeping something of a peace-keeper vibe to him, but also with a mature calmness and a sense of smarts (as evidenced by the fact that he trained the most well developed "smart dog" in a highly elite program) Velma is definitely still sharp and a bit harsh but she isn't what I would call mean and her motives and backstory actually give a very clear understanding for why she may be quicker to bite than usual, it isn't rooted in another person's storyline like it is in MI, but in the fact that she screwed up and is one of the people directly responsible for possibly ending humanity, that kind of weight would be heavy on ANYONE'S shoulders and considering it Velma actually carries it pretty well, Daphne is harsher than most of her incarnations, but also has moments of showing sympathy and sensitivity, as evidenced by feeling guilty that she was so harsh on Velma for her hand in possibly ending the world when Velma didn't know what she was doing, and by the fact that she's very easily upset over having killed a guy and has to remind herself with each monster she kills that "These aren't people", it may seem small, given that most of the first issue handles her very brashly, but the shows a level of empathy that none of the others gave at all, Shaggy tries to excuse her actions, Velma is at times cold, and even Scooby- "the most docile of the smart dogs"- doesn't seem to show alot of hesitation in possibly killing people, even if they  ARE monsters, but Daphne- in keeping with the gentle spirit she's always had- immediately has a problem with it, Fred is sort of just..... there.... and there honestly isn't alot of his charector that's shown outside of being Daphne's camera guy, but that's true of most incarnations, I can't think of one where Fred really had a legitimate, developed personality outside of The Leader and possibly falling for whatever girl-of-the-day was around such as Thorn and Lena from Witch's Ghost and Zombie Island respectively, Fred might develop later or he might not, but anything is better than that God awfull trap guy from MI

The only people in AOA that legitimately get along the entire time are Scooby and Shaggy, wich is typical, that's always how it's been when the gang has broken apart or disagreed over something (except in MI) and they're the only ones with a clearly defined relationship at the start of the book as trainer-and-companion (Fred and Daphne, though they are clearly partners in work, could be anything in their personal lives, freinds, lovers, divorced, it's unclear)

MI could have been really successfull in showing the building dynamic and charector drama if they had fleshed out the charectors like AOA has already done in a single issue, kept Scooby and Shaggy unwaveringly close, not turned everything into a pun, and not made the majority of the drama centered on romance and family, with a town like Crystal Cove there was alot they could have done, and with the storylines I saw (note: I didn't see every episode, but I did read the longer synopsises of the last six or seven online and I saw probably a full season and a half worth) it could have gone much deeper and darker with the roles the parents played in all of the town drama than it did

MI could have been really great, and AOA shows that there IS a way to make a very mature, adult, Scooby Doo if that's what you're aiming for, but trying to grab an audience of late-teens/young-adults AND keep the audience of six to ten year-olds really isn't going to work, and MI proved that

[nelsonsledge]

"Right"?!!!! o2 oK jUS breeeath i-K-no-W=oOW-twenty uNo YEARS of remembrance, the flying times, the Y-2 soon, hey BooBoo! & "HeyYouGuys"! Electric/"StaticCompany" un'RealizED. 💡 (ideas) RIPed. Little bit liquid 📺,a dash of heatED.D-Bait ~hookED. On phonics-vs-Ebonics (Norton)ed. Spoon Feeding G-MazZ & oG'z POP'ahhs A-DasHe'dD of Voc. BreakING down on the YIN-YangG stage like cCrOss-firED. Heated freedom debating with the black|white line drawn down the center of Hot-Topics, meltdown transitions via be back in two&two wit luv connections CHuck-abbey or ObBey that Giant Client Art Biz- compared and contrasting facts vs FAX, guess sponsors lead Mr Whipples squeezing addictions, Carols Mop vs Mob Closets after the shows Bloopers Gone WildER. MadDad plots to snagG the Bad Guys with the help of a few good fellows re-Union reunited (and it feels so good, need a razorback haircut:fellas bring in the boar'dD. 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Hopefully get the ]aS[sist with pats and handshakes of the S.Green and BlessedD by McFarLandERs crew to take on those big bad data hoards of hidden monopoly monsters in the attic,the cellars and Hey Carol Berrnet, can you get the dustpan out of the hidden good riddance closet company, those under the rug sweeping package deal-e-O , find a sewer,find a leak, find the little god and dam em'all so one day we may be able to sleep in peace without the horse head found in a poor mans bed, with color crazied observers waiting their turn to deep freeze their own heads for future-Roma dunce shelving, next to their favorite dead presidents, what a tall drink of water, the hippie hip of fresh, and who needs to breath on Mars anyway, haven't they seen Arnold's , Hey Around (cartoon btw) how'dD your eyes feel after you got sucked out that Mission Two Mars, throw the mutant out the window, oh what, wait he is one of ours, nobody likes the other guys color red for catch-up, Hunt for something intelligent out there first before you bother opening that door markED d-Secret stash of Pandora and her that's Incredible Show by choice, or force, by dreams or those Hunts while sleeping Deeper in REM version of TommyBoys and Girls all watch the ball and sing a long, hey JOE, where are you going with that... It's a Jimmy thing in your hand, fix the ball that doesn't bounce, or be a better aim with the Nerf BB gun bully bullets with butterfly wings in Malaysia, that grrrreat, find me another Tiger for Tony, we are leaving the big aA 4 Montana, getting all the good dads on file, and we are going camping, shipping in like Ellis Island a game reserve, tagging predators with Chips, have me holding Swiss cheese signs reading To New York (Tony), badD guys are forever named Tony's uNo, unless they are Grandfathered Inn, Escapes a Far Cry after paranoia plays havoc with insiders trading listSinER, for get about it, smile your on candidate candid camera, with A World gone crazy, and family Funtime is lacking, after schools demanding the united to sit down with the kids and let them teach you what they did learn in school, every home no longer a gun but a stick, a bigG stick worth a full 316 bald guy inspired Austin TX. Your welcome, last stand, attention pleas, who ever gets the history lesson questions right before 3 strikes get a 10min Rampage with full screen HD envy the rest, the new and improved SORRY mad-e by POPS with a little love from Sam the Uncle, and the Butcher Too. Feeding the hungry Yogie Bears of the Rockys and any other don't get lost out there, family fun night alternating and mandatory, like the census or taxes, Neison rates the statistics and AOL digs deep in those lost and found, B-ing gets the S-Wing while Yahoo! Gets firsts dibs after the from this point on moral fabric of the Matrix gets all calls and filtering powers MSN gets to go darker than Dark after hours, Jeckle gives Hide the ok to Seek in the forbidden areas of commerce, spy vs spy gets grey and redrawn by daybreak the lines of right vs wrong, this vs that, who get to purge, who fasts til the neXt night time showing, Rodger the Rabid Rabbit shows Rodger More secrets then any pre-or post double 0's ever wanted to know, Redefined Epic spoofing of SpyHard get a legit static stasis, absurd becoming relevant , idiots getting FaceTime on NotFOXYenuff trilogy enuff realizes finally that it could never be... enough. Bob cat Screams "Hey You Guys" Bane is the Hero that says nothing in anticipated camE-O-S and Martin Larance sound bite starts it off, "WELLCOME TO HELL BITCH" Little Suzy gets the Uzi, and mom and dad flip. for drone cone control. And somewhere in real time, Bill Mare is Shaking his head in disbelief, as he is ask to guest star as Host to Host , Mike to Ike and Space Ghost drops the Mic on the Sprint vs Verizon cage match at the center of the black and white, fine print fair or festival, live and let die fine line ? About %and Y set up, upgrades and Southpark is the best way to feed you family the GoodBadUgly truth, in the next episode of this is you life, brought to you bye the letter ((•Y•)) & U , F-like andDdick crashing always everywhere every time, Y-K"not" You A Funny Guy Co U Sin Vinnie , What happened to Spider 🕷, you hate bugs I know, rats even more so, moles are not voles, get an enPshcoLaPeezDeeAhhh Webster get of MJs lap, you way to old you know better , exceptionalism's will be considered in drawning the weekly contestants from the official offensive offenders list. Shock and aweSHIT will be redefined by the best that no money can buy. Droned head start programs will be offered free at your local anaconda or library. Futures so bright, a little birdie told me, whistled actually so absurd 80s tune not picked in the GTA soundtrack anyway, Gotta Ware Shades, n0 respect, Tall and Fat , help me Rodney Dangerfield, (BACK TO SCHOOL) can I keep Pauly , got some things in the basement I gotta figure out, sickining me something awful, perhaps if I could go beat some carcasses, frozen side-shows of Moo-B's Ink. Dance to the aAbBcC's on the rooftops with the cast of friends and Kevin Smith and get the kick in the as by a better human then most, AMY the mars cat will help Arnold put his eyes back in his head, red blinders won't be all seen in the end of show, tantrums will fade out to a happy toon , maybe classical and instrumental versions at a slower role/ tempo Sunday Monday happy days, Tuesday Wensday happy days trursday Friday happppy daze SATERNDaY what a day got some ring for you... Ohh Henry / winkler vs Rolland's (Cane vs Able) Netflix playing he didn't die, I believe u&i..DK

[odinknows]

Fascinating photographs capture everyday life in Mexico

A toddler in a wrestling mask. A dog in a skeleton outfit. A scary demon.

It would be easy to dismiss Mexican photobook Sweet Dreams as just another look at the Day of the Dead festival. But the images, taken by a trio of photographers, cut a lot deeper than just people in funny costumes.

They capture the everyday experiences, love and death of regular people living and working in Mexico with sensitivity and style.

A woman in Guadalajara takes time out to make a phone call and is captured by Chris Lee of Tripod City

Tripod City captured both the everyday and the extraordinary in their month long shoot in Mexico. On the left, a man stops for a portrait shot in Mexico City. On the right, a more traditional Day of the Dead celebration in the village of Soledad Etla in Oaxaca

British photographers Charlie Kwai, Chris Lee and Paul Storrie are otherwise known as Tripod City, a trio who travel the world to document different cultures. Their work explores the difference between cultural stereotypes and reality.

After projects in Asia and India, the photographers headed to Mexico to explore beyond the preconceptions that many have about the country.

Charlie Kwai said: 'We found Mexico to be a truly welcoming, charismatic and passionate country, based on the people we met and photographed. Any place we’ve visited has almost certainly been different to what was expected.

'There is no amount of research or planning that can be done to preempt this experience of a place. Our work is about challenging this, which is why we try to visit a place without preconceived ideas.'

The trio, who are all based in London, spent most of their time in Mexico City in the lead up to the Day of the Dead ceremony in October 2016.

This Mexican City street shot could almost be a scene posed for a modern day painting

The photographers struck up conversations with people they stopped for portraits in Mexico City. On the right is a stunning monument to the Day of the Dead celebration

This scene is Chris Lee's favourite shot of the shoot. He said: 'For me it encapsulates the passing on of tradition and Mexican identity'

Batman waits with his child during San Andrés Mixquic's Day of the Dead celebrations

The trio focused on love and death in the city, snapping intimate moments between couples and parents and children as everyday life swirled around them.

Kwai said: 'Street photography is spontaneous and unexpected, all about embracing the moment as and when it presents itself. We focus on photographing people across as much of the country as we can, capturing an honest, diverse representation of daily life.

'Sweet Dreams explores themes of love, life and death, inspired by the warmth and compassion that we experienced everywhere we went. We purposefully wanted a title that left things open to the imagination, but for us, Sweet Dreams represents affection, desire and sentimentality.'

The photography trio captured everyday moments on the streets of Xalapa in Mexico

Young love: Sweet Dreams is about love as well as death in Mexico and the team saw no shortage of tender moments on their travels

Love is in the air everywhere in Mexico City. These ladies stopped for a quick pose for Sweet Dreams

Kwai said: 'I get up close and personal to capture fleeting moments with energy and drama'

Everyone gets in on the dressing up in Mexico City

Tripod City mix shots captured on the fly with careful portrait shots. Each of the photographers shoots in a different style.

Kwai said: 'I get up close and personal to capture fleeting moments with energy and drama. Chris keeps a distance between himself and his subjects, framing people in their natural environment, like characters on a stage.

'Paul engages directly with people, composing portraits that give his subjects a platform to present themselves to the camera.'

Kwai and his partners found no end of willing subjects in their travels.

He said: 'People were generally very relaxed and easy-going about having their picture taken. The candid moments either went unnoticed or sparked up interesting conversations about who we were and why we were in Mexico.'

After spending time in Mexico City, the trio headed out to smaller villages to capture a more rural side of Mexico.

Kwai said: 'We were initially in Mexico City in the lead up to Day of the Dead festival and regularly visited the Zocalo where festivities were brewing.

'On the the day itself, there was a huge parade, where hundreds of people were dressed up in some really inventive costumes. It was clear to us at the time that Mexico takes dressing up to a whole new level, however this was apparently their first ever major parade in the centre of Mexico City, which we assumed had been happening for years.

'Following that, we went to a village called San Andrés Mixquic where in contrast we got to witness more of the traditional, sentimental and sombre side to Day of the Dead, visiting the local cemetery and people's homes to see their private altars or "Ofrendas" that commemorate the deceased.

'In another village called Soledad Etla in Oaxaca we happened to arrive at a time when there was a big party that evening where the whole village dress up in some crazy outfits and parade around town with a big brass band.'

This skeleton dog shot from Mexico City is Charlie Kwai's favourite shot. He said: 'The skeleton dog embodies everything that is Sweet Dreams for me. He’s dead and alive at the same time – and clearly living the dream doing it'

The photographers kept an eye out for stunning street style across the country to challenge preconceived ideas about Mexicans. Storrie found this snappily dressed gentleman on the streets of Mexico City (left). On the right is an example of colourful street fashion on the streets of Guadalajara

Monsters Inc: Dressing up takes all forms as Mexico City celebrated the Day of the Dead on October 2016

Sticking to the streets and taking in the variety of life around you is certainly Tripod City's magic formula when it comes to captivating shoots and Kwai recommends doing the same as a tourist

Here Tripod City has captured two love-struck youngsters by a tree – with a young woman nearby looking across at them

Paul Storrie 'engages directly with people, composing portraits that give his subjects a platform to present themselves to the camera'. The book, says Tripod City, is an 'optimistic fairy tale'

The month long shoot certainly threw up plenty for the team to photograph.

Kwai said: 'Sweet Dreams is an optimistic fairy tale that embraces love and death simultaneously. The skeleton dog embodies everything that is Sweet Dreams for me. He’s dead and alive at the same time – and clearly living the dream doing it. Photographs that leave enough room to wonder why is what I love the most. I think this one does that.'

His partner Chris Lee said: 'My favourite photograph is of the little girl dressed as a skeleton in a pink dress surround by her family. It was taken on Day of the Dead at the main Zocalo in Mexico City, and for me it encapsulates the passing on of tradition and Mexican identity. I was particularly attracted to how the truck behind them removes context from the situation, focusing on the people and what they are doing.'

Sticking to the streets and taking in the variety of life around you is certainly Tripod City's magic formula when it comes to captivating shoots and Kwai recommends doing the same as a tourist.

He said: 'Immerse yourself in the culture, learn a bit of Spanish and experience life among the locals on the streets. There is so much to see and experience beyond the usual tourist attractions.'

Sweet Dreams by Tripod City will be available to buy from the end of the year. It costs £40 (+P&P) and is available to pre-order at www.tripodcity.co.uk.

Tripod City mix street scenes with posed shots to reveal a multifaceted Mexico full of character. In Soledad Etla in Oaxaca the team found that the whole village dressed up for the annual celebration of death (right)

The photography team captured the first big Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City

Outside of the capital, Tripod City captured an older way of life. In San Andrés Mixquic Charlie Kwai shot some of the ‘Ofrendas’ that commemorate the deceased

A colourful shrine in Veracruz City was shot by Tripod City's Chris Lee

Getting it to go: Mexico City was full of beautiful fleeting moments for Charlie Kwai

A man stares down the London team's camera in Guanajuato, Mexico

Tripod City spot everyday scenes that make stunning photographs. This woman was snapped by Chris Lee in Mexico City

Pretty in pink: This young girl was discovered in Oaxaca City by the Sweet Dreams team

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