#but fred and shaggy are valid too

[katsu-curry835]

This is a nuance I want noted because I’ve seen it crop up around the new Velma show and it’s bothered me for quite a while. Just because the show changed the characters to have different personalities and dynamics is not inherently *bad*.

Of course, if those changes aren’t handled properly, you can end up with a poor result. I’d argue that *that* is the reason Velma is bad for most people not because they got rid of Scooby.

For example, the character of Dracula, as written by Bram Stoker, has a very specific characterisation. Since the release of that novel, Dracula has taken on many different forms in media. The Castlevania series on Netflix takes a dark angle on Dracula; what if he lost his wife in a world rife with misogynistic witch burnings? Would he hate humanity and this wage war? Contrast this with how Dracula is portrayed in the Hotel Transylvania movies. He’s much more lively, he has a different family tree and he looks completely different. These interpretations, however, are still of the same character. They are miles apart but both have a thumbprint on the mythos of how we perceive Dracula. You may prefer one to the other, in fact, you probably do; I don’t really like the Hotel Transylvania version too much especially when compared to Castlevania’s interpretation. But neither are wrong because they’re different.

Now let’s apply this logic to Velma. All four of the main cast have changed personalities and Scooby is removed. That’s not bad in and of itself they are just different *versions* of those characters. I understand that most people don’t like the show for other reasons and that’s fair but I see this narrative show up again and again with reference to adaptations. Just because you don’t like how the character was changed doesn’t make it a bad thing that it was changed. It just means you don’t like it. And that’s valid. But the notion of “disrespect to the source material” as legitimate criticism is nonsense. It’s just spite manifesting itself as critique. There is a whole universe of ideas and concepts out there; there isn’t only one right way to do things. The source material isn’t holy, it’s just one of those ways of doing things

That being said Velma is still bad I just hate people pretending it’s because Fred isn’t a himbo and because Shaggy is black.

[cocoabubbelle]

Watching “Scooby Doo, Where Are You?” (1969-1970 CBS) + Thoughts

Episode 11: A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts

I dare you to say the title five times fast.

Never have I ever seen a werewolf with purple skin.

Animation Goof: Velma has two large moles/freckles/zits on each cheek for a few frames.

“Fortunetelling is all nonsense.” You hang out with a talking dog honey. Just saying.

Fortune teller has a jaw that can hammer nails. Oh, and red eyes.

Shaggy: *doesn’t believe in werewolves.*

Also Shaggy in a few years:

Fortune-Teller may or may not be in league with the purple-skinned werewolf.

Velma, a teenager, dismisses the threats of a person dressed up as a vampire. She is lucky she’s in a kid’s cartoon and one of the heroes, otherwise she’d be in potentially fatal trouble for being a smart aleck.

Daphne is too stunned to run away from the vampire-turned-bat with the rest of the gang and is trapped on the other side of the redrawn drawbridge because the writers want to remind the audience she’s supposed to be the damsel in distress.

With Fred’s help, Shaggy and Scooby swing over the moat and an alligator to lower the drawbridge and help Daphne. If screenshots were allowed, I would post a pic of the disgruntled alligator’s expression 😆

Despite repetitive experiences that demonstrate why Scooby is not an effective guard dog bc of distractions/fear, the Scooby Gang keep assigning him that role.

Animation goof: Shaggy apparently has not one, but two Adam’s apples.

Another animation goof: Scooby ran away from the purple-skinned werewolf exiting the scene from the viewer’s left, yet was hiding in the suit of armor seen on the viewer’s right when he saves Shaggy.

Scooby hides in the piano, and I am a horrible person for giggling when the lid slams on his tail and makes him yelp.

Shaggy’s skill as a ventriloquist is put into use again (see episode 7)

Scooby uses the ivory keys from the now destroyed piano to intimidate the werewolf. This works. I call shenanigans.

Shaggy’s body’s usual reaction to normal physics is questionable at best and impossible at worse. Also, his quick thinking trap works better than most of Fred’s planned ones. His life-preserving instincts are the only reason why he and Scooby didn’t just unmask the purple werewolf right then and there.

Frelma (Fred x Velma) moments as they try to find Shaggy and Scooby (they forget to mention Daphne.)

I’m gonna take a wild guess and guess that the vampire keeps transforming into a bat via a projector.

You’d think that for a smart girl who always loses her glasses, Velma would have found a way to keep them secure on her head or have them attached to some kind of necklace to keep them from falling. But nope; visually impaired people getting into trouble because of blind shenanigans is apparently more interesting and funny to watch.

Shaggy and Scooby: _?_ happened. This calls for a snack! Honestly? Valid and Relatable.

Shaggy how would you know ‘pickled vampire wings,’ ‘werewolf snacks: chunky style,’ and ‘new and improved fried moonbeams’ are yucky if you don’t even try them?

Scooby opens a door that not even 3 seconds ago he claimed was locked.

In the midst of escaping the Frankenstein’s monster, Shaggy and Scooby fall through an entrance that closes behind them, and we don’t see what becomes of them as the mechanisms turn ominously. Since there are more episodes and seasons of this show aimed for all audiences, we can assume they are fine and haven’t met their demise via a meat grinder. (Spoiler alert for those who haven’t watched accidentally came across the ending of The Kingsman: The Golden Circle while scrolling through the tv channels)

“This must be the playroom; there’s so many interesting toys.” Blind Velma in what looks like a medieval torture chamber.

Iron Maiden (the contraption, not the band) is sus.

Aaaaw. Shaggy x Velma moment when revealed he carries an extra pair of her glasses for her!

FINALLY they find Daphne!

I knew that Iron Maiden was sus.

Scooby is not a coward and actually attacks Dracula with the rope Shaggy and Velma use to help Daphne out of the dungeon. Good boy Scooby!

Iron Maiden is a secret passageway because of course it is.

Somehow the girls accidentally get split off from Shaggy and Scooby while traveling down a single dark hallway, but at least they find Freddy.

I don’t see why only Velma is the only one known as the smart one, as all members of the Scooby gang have shown several times they are intelligent as they are resourceful. Daphne proves it again by finding and writing down a secret message that serves as a clue to who these costumed weirdos may be.

We cut to Scoob and Shaggy having somehow gotten into a short ventlike area of the hallway and are crawling out. How???

What the heck is a Rumpus room?

Early Shaggy and Scooby are a lot more mischievous than in later adaptions it would seem. You guys are teenagers (yes including Scooby idc how old he’s supposed to be in dog years), what makes you think blasting a potentially dangerous costumed man with a hose is a good idea?

Scooby accidentally gets waterboarded.

You know what I said about everyone being as smart as Velma but in different ways earlier? Shaggy and Scooby are determined to prove I’m wrong by messing with mysterious chemicals. At least they’re smart enough to not drink the concoction.

Apparently they made a smelly smoke/flash bomb. Accidental or Chaotic Geniuses?

Guys seriously why aren’t you looking for your friends??? Why are we wasting time messing with mad scientist stuff? Did the writers not have any better ideas???

Oh finally Frankenstein’s Monster scares them away.

Scooby and Shaggy save themselves from experiencing what could have been a potentially dangerous rollercoaster ride down the stairs.

Fun Shelma back to back banter.

Shaggy is a lot more sarcastic than I remember him to be from my childhood.

Dracula-in-the-Coffin!

Shaggy and Scooby plan a makeshift trap. Will it work better than Freddy’s previous traps?? *there are 4 min left of footage* 🤨

As expected, the trap doesn’t do much. In other news, the coffin is revealed to be yet another type of secret passage.

I knew that Fortune-Teller was sus.

Scooby indirectly reveals that the Fortune Teller is actually Dracula and chases him down. Scooby is all sorts of impressive this episode.

What? Yet another competent Police Officer who reveals the criminal’s identity to the audience? What sorcery is this?

“Yes, and I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for these blasted kids and their dog.” YOU WERE SO CLOSE TO SAYING THE LINE! SO!!CLOSE!!!

Scooby Gang wonders about the flying bat when they should be wondering if the criminal was all of the monsters in multiple places at once or if he had a gang that’s been arrested with him or still on the loose.

Day 11 of no “And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids!”

[postgameroutesix]

literally the only valid criticisms of bcsd are fred being taller than shaggy + them leaning into the modern characterization of velma being a hyper skeptic. i keep seeing posts in the wake of [REDACTED] like “perhaps we treated be cool scooby doo too harshly” WHO is WE!!!!!

[mrbigbrother]

HBO's Velma is exactly what Twitter asked for, but regretted getting.

If you told me to write an adult animated series centered on Velma, the first thing that has to be established is the character's flaws. Velma has historically struggled with being sociable. She has rarely been seen in a relationship. She is awkward and has her own insecurities. I would establish this in her before anything else, but the truth is that it has already been established for over 50 years since her creation. Then, I would show her strengths. She is incredibly gifted as a detective. She is very booksmart and is able to read people. She is sweet and kind to her friends. It is an enormously cute aspect to her personality that she struggles with social awkwardness. This makes her relatable. The Velma that we all know is a far more likeable and relatable person than HBO's mean cynical, bitter narcissist that they expect us to accept as the same character. which they are not. Velma is a fan favorite for a reason. She is the most down to earth and human of all the Scooby doo gang. HBO has taken those qualities away from her because the audience they wish to pander to does not possess the same qualities.

I am also not behind any theory that suggests that a children's cartoon character should be gay. She has never been gay in any prior context beyond the assumption by smart asses on the internet suggesting it. These are the same smart asses who also say that Shaggy and Scooby are pot heads. And besides, we all know that the only character in scooby doo that can be gay is Fred. The ascot is more than enough evidence to support this theory. Now, I have seen many of gay characters who are amazing and great characters. So why is Velma suddenly being declared gay now a problem? I'll tell you: it's because she was never gay before, and the only reason to make her gay now, is to pander to a generation that only wants to see themselves depicted, and their lifestyle choices validated, because they haven't a family member that will validate them. It is pure vanity as to why we see homosexuality depicted like this in modern entertainment. And it is always furthest from fact that these depictions are presented to us. The truth behind Velma as a character, is that she is supposed to be the every-woman type. And believe it or not, that means she represents most women as in the 99%. Which means she is not part of 1% of shallow entitled little monsters who hate men, hate other women, use gayness and political stupidity to circumvent any personal growth, and spend their days bitching on twitter about something as stupid as representation. Velma in her original intended form, is a compliment. Her every-woman characterization, believes that the 99% are sweet kind individuals who are deeply gifted with intelligence, intuition, discernment, tenderness and warmth.

These are the very same things that HBO have effectively lobotomized out of Velma, so that she may appeal to a very small portion of mean spirited groups, that cannot even discern their own gender.

There will be brighter days ahead of us. There will be brighter days for Velma and the gang. And we will do like we always did before and speak with our wallets. These corporate micromanaged attempts to appeal to youth culture will fall into obscurity as it is heir to…

As I wrote that bit, I just realized that this cynical and mean spirited show's existence is based on the data collected on the audience it was geared towards. that this show and Velma's depiction is based on what HBO thinks its audience would like. Velma herself is supposed to be the audience she's geared towards. We were all supposed, and even expected to like her and relate to her. However, this show is being rejected in all directions. Why? because it hits too close to home! In a way, HBO's Velma gives the representation it promised to the people who have bombarded studios for years for it.

The problem now, is that they just didn't like what they saw in someone else's mirror.

[wallsalbum]

u reblogging the fred n shaggy otp... i agree

HAHAHAHA it honestly started as a joke while on facetime with jex and cristina but like the more i think about it... the more i realize they should have been a couple

[fightsbck]

*   interpretation:  velma’s dinkley romantic / sexual orientation.    after serious deliberation,    i am now finally comfortable with establishing that velma is panromantic  and  homosexual.   this means that velma can be romantically interested and engage in a romantic relationship with her partner regardless of gender and/or identity,   though she could only be sexually attracted and engage in sexual activities with women.   i also have a lighter headcanon that velma is in a poly romantic relationship with the gang,  in exception to scooby,   but this can be discarded in account that the policy of this blog does not forceship.   therefore,  any rp partner affiliated with the mystery inc. members are free to dismiss this.

[cometcrystal]

Tell me very simply what part of his character you think sticks with the average viewer and fundamentally sets him apart. What exactly is his purpose? What is generally characteristic of him? With every iteration of him being so vastly different and yet so subtle, it's actually no wonder no one knows exactly what to make of him. Even having watched all iterations. In a general, big picture kind of sense, the statement "Fred has no personality" is absolutely valid. He is not much more than "the guy" who some writers desperately try to write some edge into once in a while.

"What exactly is his purpose" his original purpose was to exist as an all-american white boy that parents would have approved of, to contrast the subcultures the rest of the gang represents. He was the leader of the gang to start with for this reason.

"What is generally characteristic of him" definitely his seriousness. He is always 100% genuine, straightforward, and serious about everything he does, leading him to be the straight man in some cases, and the butt of the joke in others. He treats every situation with the same judgement and wants to be taken seriously and respected.

Which ties into his role as leader. He is the leader because he knows how to divide and conquer, because he knows his friends' skillsets, and because he's deeply loyal to them.

Shaggy and/or scooby is not the leader because they 100% dont want to be. Velma is not the leader because she works better behind the scenes, analyzing from a distance, and wouldnt enjoy being the head of the group (and they all listen to what she says anyway bc shes smart and they trust her). Daphne is not the leader because she is too reckless and works better as a force of nature that the others set loose. Fred IS the leader for all the reasons i mentioned.

He feels responsible for everyone else's wellbeing. If one of them gets hurt, he would blame himself. Cause he's the leader and everything falls back to him, in his mind. All of the things I've mentioned here are throughlines in his character thru the entire history of the franchise.

To answer your question, i think a lot of people think of him as bland and/or selfish is because of a number of reasons

They only remember sdway from when they were young (this ties into the stereotype that daphne always gets kidnapped even though it really doesnt happen THAT often)

The writers for the 2002 movie went with the above interpretation that he's a blank slate and borrowed some of pup fred's personality to make him a stereotypical self-absorbed chauvinist leader who takes all the glory

People watched the 2002 movie and just went with that

Cultural perception being warped because scooby doo is one of the most well-known franchises in the world so ofc people are gonna get stuff wrong about it. A similar thing happened to captain kirk from the original star trek when he got remembered as a womanizer.

Fred Jones is definitely the most Conventional out of the gang if you wanna generalize. But if a character has a personality that doesn't fit within the stock tropes, people will compartmentalize. The same thing happens to Daphne.

So i think, to some people, he DOESN'T stick out, because theyre expecting things to be a certain way, or they insert narratives to make it so. The same way people would think of Mario or Mickey Mouse as being bland, general characters. But that doesn't mean the canon supports that. It just says more about the fact that people grow up and stop caring about cartoons, or assume a franchise like this can't have more than one or two good characters. It's much easier to assume things w stuff this universal

[mildlytired]

Ngl my interpretation (and yours is valid too!) Of the poly scooby gangs relationship is like this:

Velma is romantically attracted to all three of them, but only sexually attracted to daphne

Fred and Daphne are both romantically and sexually attracted everyone

Shaggy is romantically attracted to the other 3, but only sexually attracted to Fred (with the rare occasion of being attracted to daphne)

[the-scooby-gang]

Finally watched the Scoob!movie

Here we are in the future! As you guys know I was REALLY EXCITED to see the new movie. Well, here we are, so I will share my thoughts.

This one is a long one, so buck up!

Let’s break the movie down and see its high and low points, shall we? 

One thing that I noticed right out of bat is that the movie is following the typical Hanna-Barbera crossover logic: “Hey audience, you already know these characters and their dynamics, so we will not really focus on them (unless is a plot point on the narrative) and focus more on the adventure”

Which worked for me. But I also know that I’m a 20 years old woman that was a child when Wacky Races, Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines, Scooby-Doo and Captain Caveman was on every day at morning before I went to school.

What I mean is, I already know these characters, so watching the movie was just like watching the crossover episodes. It was fun, not because of the plot, but because the characters that I grew loving were sharing a screen.

But now I think of a new audience that may have NO IDEA who these other characters are and are kinda mislead by the title of the movie because, and lets be honest here, the movie should have being called something like:

Scooby gang and the Falcon Team!

or more precisely

Scooby, Shaggy and the Falcon Team!

That’s the first low point: The opening minutes leads you to believe that, even if Shaggy and Scooby have most of the screen time, after all the plot of the movie is clearly about their bond as best friends, you expect that the whole Scooby Gang are going to have equal screen time. But that is not the case.

They have nice moments of course! One of the first high points is that the gang is really wholesome when they are together! They are good friends that care about each other! What breaks them apart is not some forced antagonism between them, but an outside force (MOTHERFUCKING SIMON COWELL) and, by the way things went, if the plot had not kicked in on the bowling alley, the gang would unite again, hug, call Simon Cowell an idiot, reassure Shaggy and Scooby that they are valid and find a new person to sponsor the expansion of Mystery INC. 

In fact, now that I think about it, the plot could have gone WAAAAAAY different, but that is a talk for another post.

High point one and a half: The movie was funny and cute. Self aware jokes, Muttley and Dick antics, Dick’s disguises, the F-Bomb, Shaggy is a Potterhead, Scooby was animated with “This dog deserves hugs” mentality and I approve.

High point number two: Dick Dastardly. His entire personality, his disguises , his motivation. God his motivation. I too would open the gates of hell to get my dog back (and also some treasure, this is Dastardly we are talking about)

In fact his interactions with Muttley are high point number three. THEY ARE SUCK ASSHOLES BUT THEY CLEARLY LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH I LOVE THAT!

But that also opens the gates for Low point number two: Where Dick arc is finished in a satisfactory way (being an asshole that cares for one (1) asshole dog) , Brian’s a.k.a Blue Falcon doesn’t.

You see, in the movie Shaggy clearly sees that Brian acts the way he does because he is NOT Blue Falcon. He is his son. He has the weight of a legacy on his shoulders and he is not coping well with that. This is highlighted by how Dynomutt sees him and his childish ways. (in fact, Dynomutt just being done with Brian shit 95% of the movie is high point number four) And you think “They are going to make a scene were he and Dynomutt are more open with each other. Where Brian says how scared he is and how the pressure of the legacy is maybe too much for him and that he is no hero, and them Dynomutt is going to reassure him that, No. You are a hero. I’m sorry for expecting you to be like your father, instead of doing to you what did for him: guiding you” and we got that! .....Really rushed in the middle of the final action scene with no emotional punch at all as a side effect from the “we expect you to know who these people are” crossover logic. Because I never watched Dynomutt and the Blue Falcon

I don’t how their dynamic was supposed to go. Even more by being the original Dynomutt with a new Falcon. I have no bases of how things used to be to feel anything. Especially because I don't know how the OG blue falcon acted in comparison to his son to see were he was falling short. I don't know how Dynomutt acted with the OG Falcon to see were he was setting the bar for Brian. Without that information, even if Dynomutt being done is entertaining  and fun, it leaves the emotional impacts hollow.

Low point number three is also to blame here: the movie fells INCREDIBLY RUSHED. And I think I know the reason. Hanna-Barbera is no stranger to crossovers, but they never did more them one property + another before, three properties at most. It was always Scooby Doo and The Wacky Race or Scooby Doo and Captain Caveman or Scooby Doo and The Blue Falcon but never Scooby Doo and All of them together. 

Even in the episode of Mystery incorporated “Mystery Solvers Club State Finals” were ALL THE HANNA-BARBERA MYSTERY SOLVER TEAMS WERE TOGETHER UNDER ONE ROOF , they made the mystery about the disappearing of all the mystery solvers except the mascots, which left the cast of characters of the episode more manageable them having all the gangs fighting for screen time, and even them some of the mascots have more dialog and character beats them others.

With so many characters, they had to pic which ones got a full arc or important plot beats, which left all the other character lacking as a side effect.

That brings us to low point number four: THE MYSTERY IS WEAK. It’s weak even for Scooby Doo levels and that is saying something. I saw episodes of Be Cool (that is a really good incarnation character design aside, you should check it out) that had a more well rounded mystery them this. The focus of the movie was divided in so many places that the mystery had no room to breath (Dick, Shaggy and Scooby, Shaggy and Scooby and the Falcon team, Dee Dee and Dynomutt backs aching by having to carry the plot forward, Shaggy and Brian have a heart to heart moments, Captain Caveman fight scene, and finally the mystery gang and the, you know, mystery)

The mystery is about “why the fuck Dick wants Scoob so bad” and the answer is “Because Scooby is descended from Peritas, Alexanders the Great Dog, and he needs him to open the gate to the underworld that Alex and Perry created to protect their treasure, plus save Mutley that is stuck there”

That could have being such a strong mystery!!! They would think that he only has greed in mind by opening the gates, not giving a flying fuck about the giant Cerberus that is going to eat Athens while he fills his pockets, only to discover that, yes there was greed in his actions but there was also a man looking for his best friend stuck on the other side, with would have made such a strong emotional parallel to Shaggy and Scooby final challenge. Missed opportunity. 

Back to the high points to balance thing out, the high point number five: Fred is a himbo that loves his friends and his van. The moment were they hear that Shaggy and Scooby are in danger and he immediately turns the van around nearly launching Velma and Daphne though the window was really good, plus the “Leave Shaggy Alone” and the fact that when the Fake!Fred appears (Dastardly in one of his ultra-realistic disguises) in the island and Shaggy calls his name and they hug in the most wholesome way, the fact that Shaggy doest think that the wholesomeness is out of character implies that the Real Freddie is just as sweet.

High point number six: Daphne gains first an Allie and then an entire robot army for her friends though the power of compassion. This is a nice take on Daphne. They say that Fred is the Brawn, Velma is the Brain and Daphne is the People person, which I take is the fact that she can make fast friends and easy contacts to solve the mysteries + think about why someone would do something, like, Velma sees the logic behind the mystery while Daphne sees the emotion that lead to the mystery in the first place.

Which, unfortunately leads to low point number five: even if I can make all that character analyses from one phrase and this specific moment and its outcome, thanks to Low point number three and four a.e. Lack of character focus and lack of mystery I can't truly see if I’m right or not about Velma's logic and Daphne’s emotional knowledge... BECAUSE I CAN BARELY REMEMBER VELMA AT ALL. Velma is the one that suffered the most by the lack of mystery because there is where she thrives. The moments were Velma piece the clues together is so overshadowed by everything that is going down that you barely notices it. Same thing for Dee Dee. She and Dynomutt are, thanks to the way the plot was build, the only ones that are actually making moves to compel the plot forward, but outside of being the one flying the ship and trying to find were the skulls macguffings are, I can barely remember her besides  a moment were she and Dyno are baffled about Brian thinking that Anonymous was an actual name.

Dee Dee is from Captain Caveman, she was the brains of the group, which we kinda see, but she is apparently in a point in time where she and Cavey don't even know each other. I think if they had removed the Caveman fight scene and instead added dialog of her talking about how she and her friends discovered a caveman on ice and they are planing on defrosting him, you know, THE PLOT OF THE ORIGINAL CAPTAIN CAVEMAN AND THE TEEN ANGELS would have being better.  Or maybe just say that she is just here because she promised the OG Blue Falcon that she would help train his son to replace him and when her work is done she is going back to her team. You know, actually stabilising a more connected world without inflating your cast and making things difficult for yourself and the script writers.

Low point number five and a half : Captain Caveman is completely superfluous. He was a funny beat, but outside of that, the time that they expended getting to his island, finding him, fighting him and losing the skull macguffing anyway  could have being expended on character moments either between the falcon team, or better yet, the Mystery gang. Or put more time on the mystery itself.

Now to high point number seven and the most important of them all, after all it is the plot were the entire movie is set upon: When Shaggy is speaking with Brian about how the pressure of his father shadow over him is beyond overwhelming, Shaggy is so insightful in that scene that it heavily implies that he feels in part in a similar way in the gang and that is one of the reasons he felt offended when Simon Cowell, and later on Dick Dastardly, say that he is virtually insignificant  to the group and them gets jealous of Scoob when he starts to spend more time with the Falcon Team. 

Is one thing to be the scary cat with your best friend, is another thing entirely to be the scary cat alone. AND I LOVE THAT

Shaggy and Scooby bond has being highlighted from the opening scene (high point number eight) and Shaggy’s felling of loneliness. That before Scooby came into his life, he had no one. And even after the gang was united, Scooby remains his first and best friend. The slight idea of losing his friend to something that he can never compare (What is a Shaggy in face of a Blue Falcon Team membership) makes him lash out. We joke about Scooby being Shaggy service dog, but for all effects, Scooby is his emotional support, his light on the end of the tunnel that was his loneliness. The gang are his friends, but they are really different from him. Meanwhile he and Scoob are almost always in the same wave lane. And them suddenly Scoob appears to be changing. Moving away. 

The entire movie is Shaggy dealing with the idea of losing Scooby. Of losing his first friend and scared cat companion. What he ultimately learns is that the power of his friendship with Scoob is way too strong to let simple thing as “going away” or “changing” diminished what they created through the years. That’s why he says he has changed in the final. That he has grow. Because he has come to realise that even if Scoob changes and becomes more brave or something, he has nothing to fear. Because being friends is to know that, even miles apart, dimensions apart, your friendship lives on.

By acknowledging that Scoob can change, or even leave but never truly abandon him, Shaggy himself grows.

That’s why he chooses to be the one stuck on the other side.

Because he knows that he is not alone, not really.

So the final count is:  HIGH points = 7,5 LOW points = 5,5

I liked the film. I was giggling like an idiot the entire time. My inner child was happy, even if my adult brain was not as pleased in many moments after further thought. However both my child heart and my adult brain agree that the movie is far from perfect. Many interesting ideas but poor execution of many of them.  With is fine. We all know that the Scooby movies have already peaked *cough* Legend of the Phantosaur *cough*

This was a long ass review of the Scoob! Movie.

[scoobydoominuscoobydoo]

Why do you hate Scooby Doo Mystery Inc so much?

Hate is a pretty big word that I really don’t like to throw around that often because to me it implies zero redeeming qualities and that it never should have existed. I don’t think the Scooby world would be better off if MI never existed because despite it’s flaws there was a pretty huge following for it in the beginning. It did something that wasn’t all that common for CN shows at the time and that was trying to take a more serious and heavy-handed approach to the Scooby gang’s lives. It also brought back the concept of an overarching story line that was pretty well done before it go so convoluted (the last Scooby show to do that was 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo and that was back in the 80′s). It showed that the standard Scooby formula actually worked really well with this sort of set up. 

It also is the best looking show and I really do mean that. The art-style is appealing to the eye and the color pallet was shooting for this whole neon noir that worked really well. The directing and camera work is set up like a teen slasher movie and it meshes nicely with the vibe the show is going for. The designs for the monsters are also pretty memorable from the first season and look great. Like I can remember most of the episodes from the first season simply because of the set pieces and monster designs (the episode where they end up in a house underground is one of my favorites aesthetically).

This was also the first series with Matthew Lillard as Shaggy since the 2002 and 2004 live-action films and he does a great job for sure. The performances from the whole cast are good as a whole (not exactly off brand for them).

There’s the episode “Night Terrors” that got like 11 year old me shipping Shaphne in the first place.

So there are definitely some things I respect from MI and I wouldn’t say that I hate the show. I think strongly dislike suits my feelings more.

Despite the fact that it did a lot for Scooby it also messed a lot of it up (this is coming from someone who watched it several times all the way through). The story got too complicated and there were a lot of unresolved plots and character actions that didn’t make sense.

I think the worst crime it commits - and the one that my animosity is directed at - is that it’s characterization was the worst out of all the shows. It tries to sell the gang as the town outcasts who only have each other but most of the time I can’t buy that they’re close friends because of all the times they just stop talking to each other. It really feels like they hang out with each other on accident and would really be with literally anyone else. Most of the first season just feels like Daph is there because Fred is there and she wants Fred to jump her so.

The gang’s relationship is a key element of every Scooby show and if you leave the impression that they aren’t that close than you’ve got five characters acting independently that sometimes solve mysteries together.

Not to mention how badly the gang themselves are written.

I’ll start with Shaggy because he’s my guy and his treatment in MI makes me sad. Overall, I think he’s the most “in character” out of everyone but that still isn’t saying much. A lot of his development is through either Scooby or Velma and the Velma development was handled as poorly as possible. I know this show came out during a period where putting the guy on the receiving end of an abusive relationship was funny but that doesn’t make it okay. It’s played for laughs but even when I was little I didn’t think Shag being in a controlling relationship was amusing. When he breaks up with Velma (for a completely valid reason that doesn’t even mention her abuse of him) he’s painted as the bad guy and it’s brought up for the rest of the show. That effectively ruined his connection with the rest of the gang and now he’s more or less just there. He doesn’t get any emotional heart-to-hearts or scenes showing his relationship with the gang (the most he gets is with Daphne ironically). 

Most of the conflicts he alone faces are connected to Scooby or food and I feel like they could have explored so much more with him. Especially since that was the whole selling point of the show to begin with. The consistent fact that Shag is the glue that holds the gang together isn’t an element in this show either. I figured they might explore his obviously neglectful parents who still don’t seem too attached to the having a kid thing. But that didn’t happen and any outstanding Shaggy moments in the show aren’t as deep as the show promises.

Daphne easily gets it the worst. Her whole character is like completely dependent on Fred’s current attitude of her. Which is a shame because the show has these undertones of implying that Daphne is this eccentric, dorky, rich girl and I have no problem with that but nothing is done with it. Literally all of her characterization comes from Fred and any major development with her also comes from Fred. Season one her is pining for his affections relentlessly to the point that is seems kinda ridiculous. Even when they try and have Daphne “give up” on him she doesn’t even really do that. She’s just more inward about her feelings. I can’t even think of anything else to say about her because everything about her is just “SHE IS INTO FRED” in big red letters all over the story. I will mention that she is kinda sexualized in this show but it isn’t all that extreme. It’s not exactly illegal for a sixteen year old girl to wear bikinis (that she wears to get Fred’s attention of course). She did pull the teenager wearing lingire way before Riverdale did so props I guess (not really I still don’t understand the point).

It’s disappointing because Daphne is such a charming and lovable character in every show she’s in. Yet in MI she’s blown down to Fred’s arm candy and even when they promise to give her a character beyond that they really don’t. She falls back into the same relationship dynamic with him despite the supposed character growth.

MI Velma is given the backwards character arc of being the victim in an emotionally detached relationship. And it always confuses me because it’s obvious she had no interest in who Shaggy is because she wanted nothing to do with his life and kept trying to change him. Ironically she was trying to turn him into her arm candy and somehow convinced herself that he was the bad guy for not wanting to be that. The show wants you to feel bad for her because a boy chose a dog over her - but that isn’t even what happens! He states that he really isn’t ready for the kind of relationship Velma wants with him and that is painted as him choosing his dog. She holds that over him and Scooby’s heads for the rest of the show and I still don’t feel bad for her because she literally tried to force him to get rid of his dialogue quirk through physical harm. And he felt bad about it until the end of the episode????

When she isn’t abusing one of her best friends she’s usually talking down to all three of them because she’s perfectly aware that she’s smarter than them. Yet she’s the one who gets the most interesting story. Working for Mr. E and having an obvious lesbian relationship with Marcie are like actual things that progressed her character. Neither Shag or Daph get this treatment  and they don’t even get any character development to begin with. But every time I finish the show I stay at the same conclusion that I don’t like her all that much. Her redeeming quality could be her brutal sarcasm but that’s a character quirk that doesn’t fix who she is.

Oh Fred, dear little Fred. The one with the actual character arc that remains consistent. His character just got regulated to the dude-bro of your dreams with a trap/ascot obsession??? It’s pretty jarring to watch because Fred from the older shows is like this sweet guy who tries to play the mature one in the group. And then MI took that and threw it away so they could turn him into Captain Oblivious who only notices his feelings for Daphne when she expresses even the smallest bit of disinterest in him (how many relationships have I seen like that irl? Too many). There’s also the unspoken rule that all Fraphne development happens through jealousy (it’s been that way since Zombie Island and is still a regular thing). 

The thing is, there’s so much I could say about Fred yet not really all that much. He gets the most story and arguably the most screen-time. He prioritizes so many things over Daphne’s feelings for him and when they’re dating Daph states that she feels like one of his traps because he’s so controlling. He breaks her heart like it’s no big deal but then we’re supposed to believe he still loves Daph enough to actually stalk her?? The more I think about it the more shocked I get.

Actually, the more I talk about this show the more shocked I get. Mystery Incorporated has always been held to a higher regard as the best Scooby show. But that’s coming from the crowd that didn’t watch everything Scooby-Doo had to offer. 

Aside from the great art and animation, the integration of a greater evil happening behind the scenes, and probably the best score as well, MI’s flaws outweigh all of the good things it brings to the table. I try to give it another chance and I am always disappointed because nothing is accomplished or done with the characters and that’s what I was promised. An overarching plot suggests character development and progression but we don’t get that. Instead we get the butchering of a cast of characters we love and a bogus ending that makes zero sense in the context of anything.

TLDR; MI sucks but I would still watch it everyday for the rest of my life if it meant I never had to watch Scoob! again.

[nbydaphne]

Answering this ask from my main blog, using this post.

@spongeguyandlelouchvibridankia

—

j: when words aren’t enough

Shaggy knows that Velma can get frustrated.

It isn’t even really her fault. Sometimes a clue is too tough to crack, or Fred and Daphne are acting before thinking again and getting themselves hurt. On rarer occasions it’s because Shaggy and Scooby are too gluttonous for their own good and get distracted from the mystery.

Most of the time her frustration is easily handled. Attacking the clue at a new angle, allowing her to properly scold Fred and Daphne (again), snapping Shaggy and Scooby back to attention, etcetera, etcetera. Other times Velma’s frustration requires words to defeat—words of assurance, or validation, in the face of her struggle.

“God!” Velma says now, far too frustrated to think properly. Their current myserty is, for lack of a better term, going to shit. She starts pacing back and forth, wringing her hands. “This is unbelieveable!”

“Velma,” Shaggy says, but she ignores him.

“What am I supposed to do?! Fred and Daphne are missing, Scooby ate the clue we found, and the play is supposed to start in one hour!”

“Velma,” Shaggy tries again.

“What are we gonna do?! What are we gonna say?! How are we supposed to figure out this whole mystery when this whole mystery is ripping apart at the seams?!”

“Velma!” Shaggy exclaims, and this time Velma stops. She turns to him. “Just relax—like, breathe.”

“Shaggy, weren’t you listening—“

“I was, but you have to calm down, man.” Shaggy places his hands on her shoulders to keep Velma from pacing again.

But Velma isn’t listening to him. Her face is scrunched up in that way that lets Shaggy know everything he’s saying is going in one ear and out the other. He sighs. Clearly his own words aren’t going to do much, if anything, to help Velma calm down. So instead, he pulls her into a hug.

“...and another—“ Velma stops talking abruptly. “What are you doing?”

“Hugging you,” Shaggy says as if it’s the simplest thing in the world.

“Why are you—“

“Shshsh,” Shaggy soothes. “Just breathe with me for a second.”

Velma grumbles something under her breath, but she complies. She wraps her arms around Shaggy’s impossibly long torso. After a minute or so, her breathing evens back out to something much calmer, and she sighs.

“Thanks, Shaggy,” Velma says.

“Of course, Velm.” Shaggy pulls back to hold her at arm’s length. “We still have time to figure this out. Let’s, like, try going over everything we already have.”

“Yeah...” Velma breathes. She runs her hands over her eyes, briefly shifting her glasses up to rest on top of her head. “Yeah, let’s... do that.”

Shaggy smiles as he watches Velma get back into her groove. He nods every so often at the facts and statements she reads off of her notepad, already knowing that her frustration will be forgotten by the time she finishes reading the notes. So, yeah, Velma gets frustrated sometimes. And sometimes, words just aren’t enough.

[maximeloonatic]

Top 10 of Who I want to appear in Scooby Doo and Guess Who

This new show of Scooby Doo it’s getting pretty good, and I love the guest stars at the moment. From celebrities (Pen and Tell) to fictional characters(Sherlock Holmes), ths makes this show amazing. It’s most positive to get a new season, so why not discuss who we would like to have in this show?

(You’re welcome yo add your Top 10 of star guess for this show)

10. The Golden Girls

Altho we know the original and wonderfull actresses won’t be able to share their voices, returning as their roles in the tv show, I do feel it would be hilarious to have this gang of old ladies joining the mystery gang. Blanche would be very flirsty with Fred while Dorothy points out that he could be his grandson. Rose, naive and innocent would be the compleatly clueless and dog lover. And I’ll die to have Sophia say her famous quote “Picture it: Sicily 19538ish)”

9. The Mask/Stanley Ipkiss

We are having the 90s comedi icon Steve Urkel back so why not another icon of black comedy. The Mask was one of my favorites for being so crazy, bonkers and unpredictable (the comic it’s way different tho). And I think the Mask himself could the main antagonist of the episode, and in the reveal could be Stanley (or not). I think it would be a great move to have this character back and redeem his image after what some movie producers has done to him (watch The Mask 2 to stand my point)

8.Anthony Anderson/Andre Dre Johnson from Blackish

I’m getting grow with this man and his character of the show. I’ts strong, confident, he knows what he wants, but when he reacts of goes crazy mad it’s just... WOW!! His screams fits greatly with Scooby and Shaggy.

7. Gordon Ramsey

Now this is a guest that Shaggy and Scooby would be delighted! One of the greatest cook, host of MasterChef and excellent food critict, but with the temper and the bittersweet personality that you don’t know if to hate him or to love him. If he DO appear, I’m begging to have him doing the sanwich talk to the antagonist; IT’S A MUST!!!

6.The Marx Brothers

Wasn’t born in the years of the black and white movies but I do enjoy them specially the comedies: that’s were I loved the Marx Brothers. Groucho, Harpo and Chico coud be involved to a time machime mystery or a hollywood thingy; any way I want to the two gang meet. Groucho’s sassy and flirty comedy (toward Daphne and Velma), Chico’s idiotic but sweet fun personality, and Harpo’s unpredictable way to crack us up it’s this kind of comedy that we need the new generation acknowleges this golden comedy.

5.Fran Drescher

Remember the Nanny? Have you seen Happily Divorced? This woman nailed both shows with her charm and comedic style. I love specially her voice, it’s just perfect for a cartoon character!! (And her cartoon character of The Nanny intro doesn’t count)

4.Dick Dastardly and Muttey

We already had The Funky Phantom introduced in the second episode, an Hanna Barbera tv series that was perfectly mixxed up with the Scooby Gang, so why not more characters from the same studios? Dick Dastardly and Muttey are a pair of malicious troublemakers that already starred three tv cartoon series as main antagonist. Remember the Wacky Races and The Flying Machines) I do want the gang meet this villian pair; maybe because they were framed of they are the main ghost or monster. I do think it would be interested to see Scooby with Muttey; Scoob would go to anything for a scooby snak, why the sneaky mutt for a medal.

3.Casper the Friendly Ghost

With the Funky Phantom prooving that it’s possible to have REAL ghosts in this series, Casper it’s a must to be in! I loved this friendly ghost since the movie, and the tv show after this I ADORE IT! Don’t get me wrong, the first cartoon was adorable too, but the Spooktacular adventures were more comedic and more involve with Casper going far to be a goodie two shoes ghost. I do see the gang freaking out by this small ghost A LOT, but I can see clearly Velma don’t beliveing that Casper was actually a ghost, so they would help each other to solve the mystery. Seriously, I think Casper needs to get back in the 90s spirit way; never l liked his last tv show.

2.Will Smith/The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

I confess, I love Will Smith because of this show. And who doesn’t? This Will it’s all comedy and being bold and creative; this is material of Scooby and Shaggy’s classic scenes to fool them to get away. Of course flirting the girls it’s a must, and yes I also include Velma... (She’s still cute and valid, try to change my mind) But I think the best part it’s his scream. Seriously, when he screams it’s all strong and comedic; I specially love the MAMA NOOOO! I heard that’s not possible to have the show returning, so we can at least have this Will Smith cartoonized.

1.The Ghostbusters

I loved the cartoons, the movies (including the new one)... I just think this would be great to add in the Scooby Doo show!! It’s a MUST!! Of course the main characters should to look like in the cartoons for sure. Of course, we’ll have Velma insisting that ghosts aren’t real and maybe she’ll point out the Ghostbusters to being a fraud, which Peter Venkman would pick on her with his charm. Egon would be genious contrast of Velma too. Winston would be more relaxed, I think... And Ray Stanz it’s like a magnet of weir events and accidents, can you imagine him with Scoob and Shaggy?! Hilarious!

Of course the villian get unmasked... But what if there was another thing involved and the Ghost busters take care of it at the end of the episode??+wink wink*

P.S.: Bill Murray voicing Peter, it’s also a must to happen!

[cocoabubbelle]

Watching “Scooby Doo, Where Are You?” (1969-1970 CBS) + Thoughts

Episode 7: Never Ape an Ape Man

Non-criminal shenanigans to open this episode.

Daphne is apparently part of a REALLY big family, from what little I remember of these series. Hi Uncle John.

Scooby goofing around with the costumes and props.

No Uncle John, don’t tell the Scooby Gang about the mystery of the Ape Man. They’ll only want to solve it and get into shenanigans.

How has NO ONE noticed the obviously menacing Gorilla-Ape Man sneaking behind Uncle John??

The art has improved for the character designs of the Scooby Gang.

Candy Mint is so obviously a stage name to hide the fact her real name is probably Mildred Beekman (no offense intended for anyone named Mildred or possessing the surname Beekman; I’m merely suggesting she was born into a traditional family and changed her name to sound more modern.)

Candy Mint sounds like a bootleg Dolly Parton. And she looks suspiciously like Sharon from the previous episode. Recycling character models??

Scooby heroically steps up and saves the actress from the ‘Ape Man’ even without using a Scooby Snack for motivation. Good boy Scooby!

Scooby finds an Ape Man head in a cupboard, but the stuntman who was supposed to play the gorilla but apparently attacked and stuffed into a convenient box by the mysterious Ape Man is holding one too. Animation Blooper, extra prop heads, or suspicious shenanigans?

“Who’s afraid of a big, bad ape?” Who are you and what have you done with Shaggy?

Fred and Velma stop Shaggy from eating a half-eaten hamburger left on the floor on the basis that it’s a clue. I would have stopped him because it was half-eaten. On the floor.

“See those claw marks? The Ape Man was eating this sandwich.” Primates actually have fingernails and toenails instead of claws, Velma. “That’s odd. Apes don’t eat meat.” Conclusion? The Ape Man is innocent and being framed by the Canine Man and Feline Man.

Fred allows Shaggy to eat the hamburger, but Shaggy won’t do it on the basis that an Ape ate the other half. Shaggy you share your food with a talking dog, don’t be a speciesist.

Fred might unconsciously have a crush on Daphne, ship Shaggy x Velma, or both since he almost always has the gang split up like that.

Animation Blooper: close up of Velma’s eyes for a few frames show that someone forgot to color them in.

Weirdest looking parrot I’ve ever seen. It looks like someone plucked its feathers out from its face, poor thing.

“That’s what I call fowl play.” Badum-tss.

A stuffed ape managed to carry Shaggy, but Shaggy is strong enough to rip it apart. Shaggy’s power is inconsistent.

Once again, we don’t see what Fred x Daphne were up to while split away from Velma x Shaggy and Scooby.

Fred falls through a secret passage Daphne accidentally opened. Fred is the Dude in Distress for this episode it seems.

How on earth did the Ape Man craft a likeness of Scooby’s head in so short of a time?

Even Scooby is calling shenanigans on the Ape Man pretending to be his reflection.

Maybe Scooby is more brave when facing beings that look more animal like because he’s not being a pushover when confronting the Ape Man again.

Daphne tries to help out by pressing a light switch, but accidentally pressed a switch turning the stairs into a slide. Scooby doesn’t mind because sliding is fun. You know what? That’s valid.

“I wonder what the other switches do?” “Well, with your luck, Daph, the next button you push will bring the roof down, but go ahead.” I feel like Daphne’s reputation of being Danger Prone is a bit unwarranted.

Deus ex Switchana lifts the staircase and reveals Fred.

Day 5 of Fred having a trap planned.

Velma shuffling Scooby Snacks like a deck of cards. Scooby Snacks are apparently as versatile as Oreos.

Daphne has a Shaggy Snack prepared and on hand for Shaggy. Daphne and Shaggy are secretly besties, and this might make me ship Daphne x Shaggy/Shaggy x Daphne. (I know there is a fan theory that they’re cousins, but official info doesn’t confirm this.)

Scooby and Shaggy goof around with billiards instead of looking for the Ape Man, which of course helps them find the Ape Man.

Scooby and Shaggy forget the plan and play ring around the rosie tag with the Ape man in the billiard room before leading him to the trap.

Day 5 of Fred’s traps not working as intended because of shenanigans.

Ok but a Wine Cask-shaped door is actually kind of neat.

Why doesn’t Freddy ever split the gang up like the girls + Scooby and him and Shaggy, or Daphne + Shaggy + Scooby and him and Velma, or him + Scooby and Shaggy + the girls, or either of the girls + Scooby and the other girl + him + Shaggy? Why is it always either him + Daphne and Velma + Shaggy + Scooby, or him + the girls and Shaggy + Scooby?

Deus ex Camera comes in handy when Shaggy and Scooby find and play around with an old camera, Shaggy notices the Ape Man without his mask on, and wisely snaps a picture of the culprit before he and Scooby run off.

Fred’s impromptu trap works better than his planned traps.

Be honest; was anyone really surprised that the Ape Man was the stuntman who dresses up like an Ape Man? No one else was shown in the episode, not even as a painting that showed their likeness ( see Episode 2: A Clue for Scooby-Doo).

Animation blooper: No sign of Fred’s eyebrows for a few frames.

“We ought to be in the movies.” Not the live-action ones imo.

Day 7 of no “And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids.”

[mercenarypark]

How do you think a crossover between Scooby-Doo and Ghostbusters would go?

EDIT: i typed all this shit out, posted the ask, and it posted without any text. thank CHRIST i saved everything i had written like 5 minutes before but i gotta re-add some edits real quickfunny that u ask since my friends and i have been workshopping that concept for monthsHeres what we have set in stone: first of all, Ray is Fred’s uncle. Theres no way around this one. This is mandatory. We’ve got two excitable and kindhearted idiots, with a love of ghosts and mysteries, who are constantly walking right into danger while having The Time Of Their LIVES, and theyre both voiced by Frank Welker? Not to mention the fact that so many Scooby Doo movies/shows involve various relatives of the Scooby gang suddenly appearing out of nowhere despite never being referenced before, and Fred having a famous uncle isnt even out of the ordinary, what with him being Bobby Flay’s nephew [and, while its only briefly mentioned in one old non-canon video i found, hes apparently a distant cousin of Tom Jones. which is hilarious] Second of all, setting will probably be Miskatonic University, aka the fictional university from Lovecraft mythos. Stay with me here, I know full well Lovecraft is garbage, but both Scooby AND RGB canon have Miskatonic as a real place At some point in RGB, Venkman and Egon go to Miskatonic for information during “The Collect Call of C[a]thulhu”, and the university is referenced again in “The Hole in The Wall Gang”, where Ray talks about his college football team having to fight Miskatonic’s once In Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated, at the very, VERY end of the show, the gang gets scholarships to Miskatonic and drive off on a road trip to there, solving mysteries along the way. They’d have a perfectly valid excuse to already be in that area- and even outside of Mystery Incorporated’s timeline, you could easily make the argument that Miskatonic University and Arkam, Massachusetts would still exist in other Scooby timelines since it exists THERE, and they could still have a reason to be in that area solving mysteries as a resultAs for an actual plot, that’s more debatable. Probably some eldritch god bullshit, probably a lot of “is this a job for US or for YOU?” and trying to sort out if they’re dealing with a guy in a mask or an actual supernatural being. could also lead into the two teams trying to one-up each other in friendly[or not so friendly] competition, with Winston being literally the only one who wouldnt take part in that (see: “Ghostbuster of the Year”, and him also being the only one with the common sense to be like “wait we’re getting into a petty fight with teenagers now? Really??”). aside from that probably mostly a lot of the Ghostbusters bouncing off the Scooby gang. Going off what we’ve discussed:-Ray and Fred’s love for each other as family is compromised by the fact that neither of them will accept the possibility that the other guy’s car is better than theirs. Ecto-1 vs the Mystery Machine. who will win? no one. no one will win this mess-that said Ray and his talent with engineering works well with Fred’s trap building expertise so if whatever monster of the week they wind up dealing with is tangible, they’d make something incredible and way, wayyyy too complicated to catch it-It would take about 10 minutes for Egon to get into a heated debate with Velma over the existence of the supernatural, and they would both at least CONSIDER getting into a literal fistfight over it. Do not leave these two alone together. It won’t be pretty. -And in Mystery Inc, there’s the added bonus of Scooby technically being an alien god; so in that continuity there’s the potential of Egon, who steadfastly doesn’t believe in aliens, being confronted with the gang’s “mascot” who is an alien; and Velma, who steadfastly doesn’t believe in ghosts, being confronted with the Ghostbusters’ “mascot”, who is a ghost. -Slimer, Egon, Shaggy, and Scooby can and will eat the rest of them out of house and home. This is a fact.-Velma and Winston get along for being the bookish ones of their respective teams AND for far and away being two of the smartest, with the most common sense-that said Daphne probably has the most common sense and practical knowledge of the gang, and she and Winston both also share the sad title of “most often sidelined and ignored and not given the fun roles”, though over the years Daph has managed to save herself from this (see: Be Cool Scooby Doo). Also, without them, their respective teams basically fall to pieces. they are the glue keeping these ships running. -though with regards to what roles Daphne DOES get to play most of the time, iirc Venkman is the non-Janine Ghostbuster who’s most likely to get kidnapped, if only one of them is captured and not the whole crew like in “Janine Melnitz, Ghostbuster”. [examples of Venkman getting kidnapped solo include “The Bird of Kildarby” and “A Fright at the Opera”.] What I’m saying is, if anyone’s gonna get kidnapped by the monster of the week, it might well be these two. They can probably break themselves free, though, especially if they work together-Venkman, Shaggy, and Scooby share the common trait of being perfectly willing to ditch everyone else if given the opportunity and go nap and/or eat instead of dealing with whatever the hell is going on THIS time. the difference is that Venkman’s not really a coward, he’s just a lazy asshole-Speaking of things Venkman has in common with the gang, Venkman and Fred share the titles of “least brain cells” AND “biggest egos”. lord save everyone if those two try to put their heads together. anyway thats most of what we’ve got so far[i know, theres an unfortunate lack of Janine]. with all of that combined, you could probably make a pretty good crossover. christ knows ive been chipping away at the idea for a while, though i havent made much headway w/ how busy i am and how distracted i get (see: my 10 other in-progress rgb fics in varying stages of completion, and the fact that i only have 2 that are actually finished and posted)in short, i think the idea is fantastic and its a genuine shame that it doesnt look like the idea has really been considered, even with scooby doo guess who out now. Sure, there’s been more and more crossovers with the comics- the TMNT crossover and the new Transformers crossover- but I’d really want to see this with RGB and not the prime versions and again, it doesn’t look like crossover comics with the RGB characters have been considered. :/

[zoinkshaggy]

♔ NAME: NORVILLE “SHAGGY” ROGERS ♔ AGE: 40 YEARS ♔ FC: DIEGO LUNA ♔

If someone had told Shaggy twenty years ago that he would be married to his childhood crush by the time his fortieth birthday came around, raising the two best kids he had ever met, he would be doubtful. And if you had told him that he would be married to his childhood crush, raising the two best kids he had ever met and unhappy, well, he would have never believed you. Life had certainly threw him through the wringer, but he had always been able to hang onto his hope. When he was left on the curb as a child, when he was adjusting to a new set of parents, when he was sad and alone during high school, when he was shipped off to a new college, when he lost Scooby, when he and Velma found out that they couldn’t have kids of their own -- he may have been shaken but he was always able to stay on his feet. But maybe that was the problem. For his entire life he tried too hard to keep his head up, he had never allowed himself to truly hurt so when the sadness found him, it came crashing down hard and it overtook him.

He had it good for awhile. He even got comfortable with the way that things were, stopped looking for the next traumatic event that his life used to be full of. For nearly four years, everything was perfect. Remus came into Velma and Shaggy’s home at eleven years old and it was a drastic change but it was a good one, even if it was rough for the first little bit. The three of them became a family. Then Olive came along two years later and life was better than ever. The four of them fell right into place -- like a puzzle that had always been meant to come together. It was everything that he had ever wanted, Shaggy finally had a family, he had his life together. It was hard to pinpoint when it had happened, when something inside of him had went so wrong. He kept it to himself at first, hoped that the emptiness he was feeling would go away on its own but it was hard to hide when his anxiety spiked and some days he could hardly make himself get out of bed. He was at the best point of his life but emotionally at the worst. He could no longer handle it on his own.

Diagnosed with depression when he finally stopped putting off a trip to the doctor, he was prescribed medication but if anything it only made him feel worse. His mental state was clearly having a negative effect on his family, he wasn’t the lighthearted comical man they had grown to love, things seemed tense and Olive demanded to know what was wrong. He didn’t have answers to give her. He wanted to protect his kids. He and Velma both knew what it was like to be broken down by their own parents and he wasn’t going to destroy his children, he wasn’t going to put the weight of his problems on their shoulders. He loved them too much.They were just kids, and after the lives they’d had they deserved the chance to be just that. So he and Velma came to the decision to send Olivia and Remus to Walt, a place where they knew the two of them would be safe and far enough away to no longer deal with the tension that was going on in their home life. Not permanently. Just until he gets better. Though truthfully, he is starting to wonder if he ever will.

PERSONALITY TRAITS:

+ faithful, loving, selfless - defeated, restless, uneasy

RECENTLY PLAYED SONGS:

Two Princes — Spin Doctor

Hemorrhage (In My Hands) — Fuel

All The Small Things — blink-182

DAPHNE BLAKE: Daphne is the little sister that Shaggy never had, his relationship with Maggie always being fairly nonexistent. He would do anything for Daph, time hasn’t changed that.

FREDDY JONES: Fred is a butt and Shaggy loves him anyway. Their friendship was possibly the rockiest out of the gang but he’s family. He always has been and he always will be.

OLIVIA ROGERS: Olive is his own personal ray of sunshine. Always a little awkward and nervous about welcoming new people into his life, Shaggy worried he wouldn’t be the dad that she had hoped for but it didn’t take long for him to get over that fear. While he may have a calming affect on her, she does the same for him. Her positivity is refreshing and he misses that while she’s away, he misses her, but he would do whatever he had to in order to protect her. She may be nineteen but she is still his little girl.

REMUS ROGERS: Bonding with Remus was not an easy task. Winning the boy over seemed almost impossible at first. But it was easy to see he was not a bad kid, he was just scared. He just needed love. And Shaggy and Velma were more than willing to be patient, to wait for him to warm up to them and to give him the love he’d been missing. Just like his sister he is the center of Shaggy’s world, though he’s definitely a bit moodier than her, and sometimes Shaggy forgets that he still needs constant validation and reassurance that he’s wanted. 

VELMA DINKLEY-ROGERS: How did he get so lucky as to have this woman be his wife? Shaggy has always loved Velma; she was his first crush, she was his first love and his feelings have never once faltered. She’s his soulmate, he believes that without a doubt, and he hates what he has put her through recently. He hates seeing her unhappy and he hates even more knowing that unhappiness is caused by him. She has stood by him and he knows she wants to help but she can’t. It’s put their marriage on the rocks. He wants to fix it, more than he wants anything, but he needs to fix himself first and he just doesn’t know how to.

[canonstitute]

ʟɪᴠᴇʙʟᴏɢ» SDWAY!∙S2E1

Scooby Doo, Where Are You! S2 Ep1 – Nowhere to Hyde

Rambles/reactions/meta under the cut! Because I literally write thousands of words of this garbage once you get me started [NOTE: text taken & edited from a live chat with a friend]

aka, ‘I Watched Eps. 1-17 and Thought Show Was Way More Nuanced Than Everyone Remembered, Then Season 2 Changed the Writing Staff’

I WANTED to start on s2 since the s1 episodes have like, barely half the "scooby doo" cliches that this entire show is known for

i want a hallway chase scene BRING ON THE SECOND WRITING STAFF FOR MEMES

aka im afraid

[someone mentions magic show at "the high school"] wait do they go tO THIS HIGH SCHOOL????

are they home????

[re: shaggy mentions watching tv at home] YOU LIVE IN A VAN WHAT DOES HOME MEAN WHAT IS THIS

also i lied about casual watching i'm going to hyperfocus on this b/c skipping to season 2 it's already blowing my mind

that

that [coordinated screaming from gang] is not what they say when they seE A MONSTER

was the end of S1 like this or did the first 10 episodes just exist in a bizarre alternative universe where their personalities were more or less balanced so no one was too much anything

SHAGGY IS NOT SUPPOSED TO PRETEND HE'S BRAVE like okay yeah wow completely changing the writing staff is absolutely something that made this show into. uh, its own image

this actually feels like an episode of A Pup Named Scooby-Doo?? almost exactly tbh

minus the child-participation gags and Red Herring

[H-B ‘animation’] DAPHNE'S TINY LEGS

freddy when on earth--FREDDY YOU ARE NOT AGGRESSIVE YOU ARE JUST LIKE OBLIVOUS TO FEELINGS AND ALWAYS ABOUT THE MYSTERY

i didn't realize how attached i was to the gang in the first 10 episodes until they started morphing into the way the critics parodied them for 30 years after

the first ten episodes weren't like, even that good, they just had bits that I could read into that made the silliness worth it and no this characterization gets woooorse

also like I'm barely noticing the plot sorry, the episode guy is secretly a ghost from potion

uh, necklace. dried mud

THIS MOMENT IS GOOD. "RAGGY!" / "COMING, SCOOB!" friendship is my fave dynamic in this show

at least velma's still with the lovebirds [daphne and fred] [when gang splits up].

also my intuition is screaming 'duh it's the helga' [as culprit] but the fact they keep beating it in makes me wonder if they'll switch the formula just to fuck with me

because the big thing is it's always that guy with like, two lines, and she's shown up…………………thrice in three scenes

amgbghgmmmmm uncomfortable native american portrayaaaallllls

tho………like I swear there's this nagging feeling i have that i remembered shaggy being like, partially native american by ancestry and i have no idea why i would think so because nothing i remember in an episode i know of supports it

like, feels like something about a character you read in a wiki or fansite one time but then it's gone off the grid? that kind of thing itching thought you can't validate

and it's not the first time I've had that thought [that I'd possibly seen someone Shaggy was part Native-American] randomly during an episode this year that i'm watching but I never cared much about scooby doo before now so why would I have been reading character trivia

WHAT THE FUCK ARE "KNOCKOUT DROPS"

WHAT

okay hologram movie projectors are worse but KNOCKOUT DROPS

they couldn't even say chloroform--which like better they didn't say chloroform because that shit is kind of a murder weapon not a sleepy pill but it just sounds like they were too lazy to even look it up

oh i love that [recycled animation] fred face

ohhhhhh boy here it is

there's the musical chase scene

that's where it started, unless i'm forgetting a lot of music from the first ten episodes instead of wacky soundtrack stuff

OH FUCK THERE IT IS

THE HALLWAY

THEY DID DOORS

START OF DARKNESS

Larz Bourne

Tom Dagenais

Bill Lutz

^i literally searched up the episode and these three men are both responsible for COMPLETELY RUINING SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU and making it into a goddamn forty year monolith that is immortalized because of the direction change and the tropes so notorious that every kid remembers them and i'm so conflicted

………mild curious fred [scene] soothes me

i fully expect velma to deliver the denoument

does fred do it??? lmao that'd be a change from both the stock trope fred AND the original fred

okay here are some major costume plugs here

I CAN'T BELIEVE SHAGGY AND SCOOB DIDN'T FUCK [the trap] UP what do you fucking know

[incorrect guess on villain] and way to go gang you finally fucked one up

actually no they never really……had the guy pinned really when they caught him in early eps??

they just caught him and unmasked him and then used hindsight to figure out what the clues meant

in fact these guys suck at solving mysteries

THEY SHOULD BE 'CRIMINAL REVEALERS INC'

they're great at that part

okay rant delivered i'm just gonna listen to the music

SKINNY SCOOB LEGS IN THAT CREDITS SCENE