#from all of the crushes velma has that i can remember she always ends up glasses4glasses

[mochrincrunch]

jinkies velma how come you get to have two girlfriends!

[verobatto]

Destiel Chronicles

Vol. CII

It was a love story from the very beginning.

The Bad Joke and The Scoobynatural

(13x14/13x15)

Hello there!!! This time I'm gonna talk about one of the most OOC episodes ever and one of our favs episodes Scoobynatural. I put them together bc one was so bad I needed some fresh air. Hehehehe.

Let's start!

So OOC that hurts...

Episode 13x15 "A Most Holly Man" was written by Dabb but also by Robert Singer.

This episode was odd, with easy bad jokes, and OOC. It also had Wincest subtext, and it was very messy.

If you rewatch the entire season, this episode seems to be out of context. If they've wouldn't put the search for the element they needed for the spell, it could have been passed as an episode from another show.

I could write more criticism, but let's just talk about little pieces of dialogue that worked as clues, I'm very sure it were put by Dabb (even if I dislike his writing) more than Singer.

The three elements the gangsters wanted to get were:

Incense: Is used by christian rituals to elevate prayers and gifts from the parishioners to God. This could be speaking of Chuck coming in the next season.

Chalice: The chalice represents sacrifice for christianity. The Holt Blood of Jesus Christ that have his life for humanity. So, is talking about a future huge sacrifice. It could be taken for Dean and his Mal'ak box or Castiel in 15x18.

Skull: it's related to death, and it could be speaking of Mary Winchester death in season 14.

Another little take from this episode was this little piece of dialogue:

MARGARET: Oh, don’t thank me yet. Greenstreet has all the trappings of a gentleman, but… I would advise caution.

Okay subtle, but not that much. The last name is a combination of two words GREEN and STREET, it's obviously related to Dean, and the quote after this 'has all the trappings is a gentleman, but... I would advise caution." It's obviously talking about AUMichael!Dean.

A brief comment about the Wincest subtext... We had Sam flirting with Margaret and Dean showing signs of jealousy, it could be taken as annoyance, but, because is Singer involved, I would say it was intentionally written to be Wincest subtext. And after this we had Dean flirting... Super out of character, with a brunette... With a lame excuse... Unnecessary. But it worked to make this time Sam the jealous one. Connecting the drops, my dears...

Dean has faith again and the distracting rubbing lips...

In this episode we can also rescue another good points as Dean declaring he has faith. Remember at the beginning of the season he was lost and faithless, I ask myself what could happen to make Dean to recover his faith???

Oh yes, Cas is back.

Then the rubbing lips... We had the same gesture from Cas in the previous episode, so, I wrote two entire metas about how Dabb team used the hands to show foreshadow. So I truly thought Dean and Cas would kiss... Hehehehe. It could fit perfectly, but nah.

This episode also talked about how a priest, a righteous, a saint man, was trying to get the most precious thing for his community.

Trying to get back the most important thing he had, willing to make any sacrifice for it, it's the same would lead Dean to say 'yes' to Michael. When Lucifer kidnaps Sam and Jack.

(This could be just nice because family, and because Dean raised Sam, so Sam represents a son and such, but, because is Singer... Wincest again.)

Another piece of dialogue I found is the following...

FATHER LUCCA: (...)And what your brother’s doing, it’s a good thing.

DEAN: Yeah, or a stupid thing.

FATHER LUCCA: Or both. Many times, they can be the same.

This is telling Castiel's name, Because Dean is always asking him not to do stupid things.

Another foreshadow was Father Lucca talking about Lying is wrong, is a sin. This was the preamble to one of the most revealing episode that will bring Chuck back. The episode in which Jack erase the ability of telling lies in the whole world population.

Dean's cave meaning and visual narrative.

Episode 13x16 was full of symbolism, and is one of my fav episodes.

At first, we had Dean fighting against a huge green dinosaur, practically a monster in green. Just like the Squirrel/Godzilla in one t-shirt we'll see in episode 14x04, is representing DEAN, his inner photography of himself. He sees himself as a monster.

Everytime we see SCOOBY-DOO in Supernatural, it's related to Dean's innocence and purity. Those qualities on him will be the key to release him from his emotional prison in season 14.

Visual Narrative in Dean's cave

Let's talk about the Dean's cave. When Dean says to Sam "Be like Elsa, let it be," he's referring here to the most deepest feelings and fears. Elsa released what she had tried to repress her entire life, her powers. And once she accepted what she really was, she was really free.

This will happen to Dean too, the process had just started. Now that he got Cas back, and now that deep inside he had accepted he can't live without the angel, he will slowly be able to embrace his bisexuality, to accept who he really is. The climax of this metamorphosis it's gonna be describer through the whole season 14. It's the birth of Healing!Dean.

Dean's cave represents that. First of all I want you to know that the Dean's cave had been made to watch movies with Castiel. It's subtextually displayed by the location of the two couches and the color of the lights in front of them: RED AND BLUE. Those are Dean and Castiel's places. That place had been built to share time with his angel.

Gif credit @out-in-the-open

Fred and Daphne were Dean's bisexuality representation.

Mostly than Dean having a crush over the two characters (openly with Daphne and repressed over Fred) both characters were representing Dean's bisexuality (just like Pamela and himself in Rocky's bar and his friend and the waitress in 15x07).

When they had to team up (just like in 14x04) we had Sam and Vilma represented the insight, the intelligence. (Just like Sam and Sam). Castiel pairing up with Yaggy and Scooby, the innocence and the talking dog, the most precious thing for Dean. (Remember Dean would take a bullet for that dog, that's why Cas was compared several times in season 12 with a dog, and that's why Dean follows him anywhere to keep him safe after suffering his lost).

Gif set credit @gentleman-demon

Finally, the bisexual team Dean with Fred and Daphne. In one opportunity Dean asks Daphne what does she sees in a man. Without mentioning she loves ascots, what this symbolically represents is Dean asking to his female side what she really likes to see in man. And we have Fred related to blue color, as a switch mirror with Castiel. Also because Daphne describes the perfect man as STRONG AND HONEST. Which are characteristics related to Castiel.

Castiel's entrance a la 4x01 and the dinosaur in love

Castiel enters in the mansion the same way he did in 4x01, stormy, mysteriously, and bright.

Immediately after his entrance, we had this weird dialogue...

DEAN: It's a book we're writing. Yeah, about...killer stuffed dinosaurs. It's called...

CASTIEL: "The Killer Stuffed Dinosaur in Love."

FRED: Huh. Great title.

SCOOBY: Yeah. Great title.

"It's a book we are writing " this is very meaningful Because, the book they're writing despite the one Chuck is writing, is Team Free Will, but... We are talking about DESTIEL. Dean and Cas are writing their own story... Why? Because when they mention the title of that book is... The KILLER (Do you remember REGARDING DEAN? another brief appearence of Scooby Doo and Dean's innocence? In which Rowena told him he was a killer? So yes, Dean sees himself as a killer, that's why the image of a monster, a green DINOSAUR, and huge Godzilla Squirrel... But this KILLER GREEN DINOSAUR has a very important characteristic HE IS IN LOVE. DEAN IS IN LOVE, as he confessed in 14x12.

Do I have to explain how writers connect d Castiel's first entrance in 4x01 with this book they're writing as they go? The book is named DESTIEL.

Jealous!Castiel and the little scared ghost boy

I loved the scene in which Daphne freshly confesses Dean grabbed the ghost by the thigh and immediately Cas shows his jealousy over that.

Gif set credit @tearsofgrace

But There's another almost at the end of the episode in which Dean mentions his affair with the Cartwright Twins and Cas asks about that, and Dean's face is priceless. Because if CAS would just represent a friend to him, he were absolutely explaining to him what happened with those twins, but he didn't. Why? Because Castiel is not just a friend. Castiel is Dean's love interest. So... Better not to talk about it.

Gif set credit @sssssssim

But let's jump over the symbolism of the trapped child ghost.

BOY: I'm not. I never wanted to hurt anyone. But the bad man, he makes me.

CASTIEL: The bad man?

BOY: His name is Jay.

I want to point here we are inside of Dean's head as you've noticed so far, so... Velma is Dean's intelligence and reason, and is linked with Sam (just like in episode 14x04 in which we had the scooby-doo box opening the locked door). Yaggy and Scooby are the innocence and love, part of Dean and linked to Castiel. And Daphne and Fred are Dean's bisexuality. But There's another huge character inside of him THE MONSTER. The monster, the one he has to defeat, is represented by JOHN WINCHESTER'S TOXIC HERITAGE AND AUMICHAEL, they're part of his toxicity, his rage, his violence. The little ghost here is all the good inside of Dean, his childhood, his innocence, but the bad man who obligates him to kill, it's his inner monster. So this is a war between TOXIC!DEAN and HEALING!DEAN as we will see in season 14.

BOY: When I died, my soul was tied to a pocketknife. My dad gave it to me. It meant everything. When Jay found me, he used me to...Sometimes, I get so angry I break things, hurt people.

John Winchester's toxic heritage implies the GUILT. So, Dean's soul is tied to that GUILT. Jay represents AUMichael here, when AUMichael finds this tool, the guilt, he uses it against Dean to control him. The boy says he gets angry, he breaks things and hurts people. He's describing perfectly Dean's toxicity. His violence. We will see it in this season but also, at the end of season 14.

To Conclude:

In episode 13x15 we had a very OOC bad episode, but with a few clues for foreshadows.

Episode 13x16 was a travel through Dean's innocence, inner thoughts and repressed feelings. It's a preamble to Healing!Dean season and how Dean will be able to break free from his emotional prison, defeating his inner monster.

Hope you liked this meta, see you in the next one!

Tagging @magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks @weird-dorky-little-d @michyribeiro @whyjm @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @dea-stiel @poorreputation @bre95611 @thewolfathedoor @charlottemanchmal @neii3n @deathswaywardson @followyourenergy @dean-is-bi-till-i-die @hekatelilith-blog @avidbkwrm @anarchiana @dickpuncher365 @vampyrosa @authorsararayne @mybonsai1976 @love-neve-dies @dustythewind @wayward-winchester67 @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @deeutdutdutdoh @destiel-shipper-11 @larrem88 @charmedbycastiel @ran-savant @little-crazy-misha-minion @samoosetheshipper

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @nerditoutwithbooks @mikennacac73 @justmeand-myinsight @idontwantpeopletoknowmyname @teddybeardoctor @pepevons @helevetica @isthisdestiel @dizzypinwheel @jawnlockwinchester @horsez2 @qanelyytha

@destielle @spnsmile @shippsblog @robot-feels @superlock-in-the-tardis @superduckbatrebel @2musiclover2 @madronasky @anon-non2 @cea1996 @lisafu02 @asphodelesauvage @destiels-canonahhhhhhhhhh

If you want to be added or removed from this list just let me know.

If you wanna read the previous metas from season 13 here you have the links...

Vol. XCIII, XCIV, XCV, XCVI, XCVII, XCVIII, XCIX, C, CI.

Buenos Aires, February 28 2020, 2:23 PM

[zoinkshaggy]

BASIC QUESTIONS

First name? “Sha– uh, Norville.”

Surname? “Rogers.”

Middle names? “Matthew.”

Nicknames? “Shaggy.”

Date of birth? “November 4th, 1995.”

Age? “Twenty five.”

PHYSICAL / APPEARANCE

Height? “6′0.”

Weight? “150-ish.”

Build? “Uh, long.”

Hair color? “Brown.”

Hair style? “I had dreads for awhile, but now I keep my hair short. Not short. Medium length, I guess.”

Eye color? “Also brown.”

Eye Shape? “Like, normal?”

Glasses or contact lenses? “Neither.”

Distinguishing facial features? “I’d say probably my smile.”

Which facial feature is most prominent? “Smile.”

Which bodily feature is most prominent? “My legs and arms, ‘cause they’re, like, twenty feet long.”

Other distinguishing features? “That’s it.”

Skin? “Oilier than I’d like.”

Hands? “Callused.”

Make up? “I don’t wear any.”

Scars? “Nothing important.”

Birthmarks? “Nah.”

Tattoos? “No! Needles? No thank you!”

Physical handicaps? “None.”

Type of clothes? “I really like sweaters. Sweaters will always be my favorite. They feel safe. It’s a little too hot for that here, though.”

How do you wear your clothes? “How they come.”

What are your feet like? “Kind of big, I guess. Two left feet, that’s what my mom said ‘cause I’m such a klutz. Uh, I should buy some more socks and shoes. Some of my socks have toe holes and my shoes are kind of coming apart.”

Race / Ethnicity? “I don’t have my birth parents around to ask, but I know I’m Spanish.” 

Mannerisms? “I have a habit of, like, playing with my necklace or hair or bracelet — my hands don’t always like being still.”

Are you in good health? “It’s alright, I think.”

Do you have any disabilities? “No.”

PERSONALITY

What words or phrases do you overuse? “Like. I use it, like, a lot.”

Do you have a catchphrase? “Zoinks.”

Are you more optimistic or pessimistic? “I definitely think I’m more optimistic, but I have my moments.”

Are you introverted or extroverted? “Introverted.”

Do you ever put on airs? “I… don’t know what that means.”

What bad habits do you have? “Overeating, not eating healthy. Sleeping in too late. Chewing my nails, only sometimes.”

What makes you laugh out loud? “Usually myself.”

How do you display affection? “My idea of affection is kind of, just, hanging around someone. Hugs can be nice too.”

Mental handicaps? “My anxiety.”

How do you want to be seen by others? “A person they came come to and trust.”

How do you see themselves? “Better than I used to be.”

How are you seen by others? “Probably… nervous.”

Strongest character trait? “My loyalty.”

Weakest character trait? “Getting stuck in my head.”

How competitive are you? “Not at all.”

Do you make snap judgements or take time to consider? “Like, I take too much time to consider.”

How do you react to praise? “I don’t know what to say. I guess I get kind of flustered, you know?”

How do you react to criticism? “Just kind of shrug it off.”

What is your greatest fear? “Ghosts, spiders, heights, bees, guns... losing Scooby.”

What are your biggest secrets? “I don’t really keep secrets.”

What is your philosophy of life? “We’re all just here for a little while, so we should make it easier on each other.”

When was the last time you cried? “It’s been a few months, actually.”

What haunts you? “Zoinks. Hopefully not any ghosts.”

What are your political views? “I don’t pay enough attention to politics to have any views, really. I’ll vote for whoever Velma votes for. She knows what she’s talking about.”

What will you stand up for? “I will always stand up for my friends.”

Who do you quote? “Usually if I’m quoting someone, I don’t even know who I’m quoting.”

Are you indoorsy or outdoorsy? “Indoors. I like walking Scoob and everything, but, like, there’s too many bugs outside.”

What is your sinful little habit? “Putting mustard on ice cream.”

What sense do you most rely on? “Taste. But also hearing.”

How do you treat people better than you? “The same.”

How do you treat people worse than you? “The same.”

What quality do you most value in a friend? “Kindness.”

What do you consider an overrated virtue? “I wanna say courage. Biased opinion.”

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? “I’d stop worrying about everything.”

What is your obsession? “Good food.”

What are your pet peeves? “When people are mean for no reason.”

What are your idiosyncrasies? “Gotta make sure I turn all the lights off before I leave.”

FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Is your family big or small? Who does it consist of? “I guess it’s kind of small. I have my dad, my mom and my sister, Maggie. I haven’t seen my real parents since I was a kid.”

What is your perception of family? “I don’t think family has anything to do with blood, it’s how people treat you.”

Do you have siblings? Older or younger? “Maggie, she’s younger.”

Describe your best friend. “I’ve known her since, well... it feels like forever, but it’s only been, like, a decade and a half. She’s the best person I know. She’s so smart and funny, and she’s beautiful. She has a beautiful soul and... just... everything about her is beautiful. She makes me feel safe, it doesn’t matter what’s going on or how much my mind is racing, if I know she’s there it just feels like everything’s gonna be okay.”

Ideal best friend? “I’ve already got ‘em all.”

Describe your other friends. “They’re great. They’re all unique in their own ways, you know? Freddy’s headstrong and he’s the coolest guy you’ll meet, Daph is such a warm energy and she’s a great conversationalist, Buzz is genuine and he’s loyal. I know everyone thinks so, but I really do have the best friends.”

Describe your acquaintances. “I guess that would be the people I work with. Like, they’re okay.”

Do you have any pets? “Yeah, I have Scoob, but he’s more like my brother or something at this point.”

Who are your natural allies? “Probably the Mystery Inc gang.”

Who are your surprising allies? “I guess it’s surprising I’d fit in with them, huh?”

PAST AND FUTURE

What were you like as a baby? As a child? “I was happy. I can’t remember much from being that young, but I know I was traveling with my parents, I remember I felt like the world was so big and exciting. I felt so loved. I guess I kind of lost that feeling when I was adopted, suddenly the exciting stuff was just, like, scary. I was an anxious wreck as a child, that’s all, honestly.”

Did you grow up rich or poor? “The Rogers family is well off. I wouldn’t say rich, but, like, well off.”

Did you grow up nurtured or neglected? “I don’t wanna say they neglected me. I did feel that way a lot, but some of it was... me, I guess, myself worrying. Yeah.”

What is the most offensive thing you ever said? “I hope nothing.”

What is your greatest achievement? “Is it sad to say everything I’ve done in this last year? For awhile it felt like I was just getting by, but right now, I feel like I’m really living. I got a job, like, it’s not much but it’s a job, I’m doing better in school, I’ve got Velma now, really got her...”

What was your first kiss like? “It was with my favorite person. Kind of later than most people’s, I guess, but worth waiting for.”

What is the worst thing you did to someone you loved? “Come into my mom’s life, probably.”

What are your ambitions? “I’ve been thinking I might wanna go to culinary school.”

What advice would you give your younger self? “I would just tell him that nothing is wrong with him, it’s okay to go your own pace and, like, it’s all gonna be okay, little guy.”

What smells remind you of your childhood? “Corn dogs and pizza. Apple pie. Playground mulch. Hair spray and perfume. Dirt.”

What was your childhood ambition? “I just remember wanting to stop being so scared.”

What is your best childhood memory? “It’s so old it’s blurry, but I remember one of my birthdays, I guess it was my last before I was adopted. We were traveling, my parents were happy, I was happy. It was the last time everything felt okay for awhile.”

What is your worst childhood memory? “There’s a few. Most of them involved panic attacks alone in my bedroom.”

Did you have an imaginary childhood friend? “Not that I remember.”

When was the last time you were crushed with disappointment? “Sometime before I moved to Elias.”

What past act are you most ashamed of? “I’m ashamed that I let myself get separated from my parents, that I couldn’t figure out how to get in touch with them. Maybe shame isn’t the right word. I just wish I knew how my mom and dad were doing, my other mom and dad.”

What past act are you most proud of? “Taking whatever the first step was to stepping out of my shell.”

Has anyone ever saved their life? “I feel like Scooby Doo saved my life.”

Strongest childhood memory? “Another birthday. My first one with the Rogers family. I ended up crying in the bathroom. I was so confused and overwhelmed, I felt like the only person in the world. I just wanted to go home. I don’t think that feeling will ever leave me.”

LOVE

Do you believe in love at first sight? “Yes.”

Are you in a relationship? “I’m with Velma.”

How do you behave in a relationship? “I don’t really know what I’m doing, I’m just trying to make her happy.”

When did you last have sex? “I-- uh... that’s personal.”

What sort of sex do you have? “Like, w-why are you asking that?”

Have you ever been in love? “I am right now.”

Have you ever had your heart broken? “Yeah, but it wasn’t in a relationship.”

CONFLICT

How do you respond to a threat? “Run.”

Are you most likely to fight with your fists or your tongue? “Like, neither.”

What is your kryptonite? “All you can eat buffets.”

If you could only save one thing from your burning house, what would it be? “I assume Scooby and Velma don’t count, so I guess I’d probably grab my favorite shirt or something.”

How do you perceive strangers? “Scary.”

What do you love to hate? “I don’t hate anything... except maybe lima beans... and there is no love there, like, at all.”

What are your phobias? “There’s a lot of ‘em.”

What is your choice of weapon? “I’m more of a hider. If I had to use something, I’d probably grab whatever was blunt and close to me.”

What living person do you most despise? “I don’t despise anyone.”

Have you ever been bullied or teased? “Yeah.”

Where do you go when you’re angry? “I don’t get angry. When I’m sad, I just go home.”

Who are your enemies and why? “The bad guys the gang and I try to stop... because we’re trying to stop them...”

WORK, EDUCATION AND HOBBIES

What is your current job? “Right now I flip burgers.”

What do you think about your current job? “It’s not too bad. It pays the bills for now. Maybe one day I can get a real cooking job.”

What are some of your past jobs? “This is my first job.”

What are your hobbies? “Just chilling, mostly. Smoking, eating.”

Educational background? “I’m in college.”

Intelligence level? “I’m not the smartest guy you’ll meet, but I’m trying.”

Do you have any specialist training? “No.”

Do you have a natural talent for something? “I don’t know if it’s a talent, but I have a lot of knowledge on the supernatural. Weeding out what’s real and what’s not, though, that’s the hard part.”

Do you play a sport? Are you any good? “No, I’ve never been good at sports... I hated gym class.”

What is their socioeconomic status? “I recycle, but I should do more.”

FAVORITES

What is your favorite animal? “Dogs.”

Which animal do you dislike the most? “Anything that bites or stings.”

What place would you most like to visit? “I think Antarctica would be pretty cool. Ha, ba-dum-tss.”

What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? “I remember Topanga Canyon being so pretty...”

What is your favorite song? “Two Princes, Spin Doctors.”

Music, art, reading preferred? “Music.”

What is your favorite color? “Green.”

What is their password? “Scoobydoobydoo420 --- like, wait, why are you asking?”

Favorite food? “Like, that’s too hard!”

What is your favorite work of art? “Uh... Mona Lisa?”

Who is your favorite artist? “I don’t know artists that well.”

What is your favorite day of the week? “With my work schedule, it doesn’t really matter.”

POSSESSIONS

What is in your fridge? “What isn’t in my fridge? Let’s see, right now I know there’s barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, mustard, honey mustard, honey, shredded cheddar cheese, American cheese slices, a wheel of Gouda, ketchup, ranch, spicy barbeque, sour cream, strawberry and grape jelly, apple jam, butter, margarine, milk, chocolate milk, Almond milk, strawberry syrup, cherries, a half eaten Philly Cheesesteak, ham, turkey, black forest ham, broccoli, Reeses cups, water bottles, apple juice, leftover brown rice, at least one eggplant, eggs, one slice of buffalo chicken pizza, cabbage, few different Lunchables, green peppers, one red pepper, mild salsa, medium salsa, a microwaveable Calzone, strawberries, raspberries, cream cheese, a bowl of chili and... actually, I think that’s it. Don’t get me started on the freezer.”

What is on your bedside table? “My phone and an old water bottle, probably.”

What is in your car? “I don’t have a car.”

What is in your bin? “Candy wrappers, empty Chinese takeout boxes, probably some junk mail.”

What is in your purse or wallet? “My ID, debit card, a little bit of cash, Scoob’s service dog certificate, a picture of Velma.”

What is in your pockets? “Scooby snacks.”

What is your most treasured possession? “I’m not attached to any specific items, really, just people.”

SPIRITUALITY

Who or what is your guardian angel? “I don’t know, I’d just like to think I have one.”

Do you believe in the afterlife? “I’m not sure. When I think about it, I get a little freaked out.”

What are your religious views? “Uh, I- I don’t know.”

What do you think heaven is? “I think it would be this safe place on the clouds where everyone you love is waiting.”

What do you think hell is? “Bad.”

Are you superstitious? “I guess, yeah.”

What would you like to be reincarnated as? “I guess being a dog would be pretty fun... anything like that. I don’t think I’d wanna be a human again. It’s too much.”

How would you like to die? “Not... painfully...”

What is your spirit animal? “A sloth.”

What is your zodiac sign? “Scorpio.”

VALUES

What do you think is the worst thing that can be done to a person? “Breaking them down. Making them feel like they’re not important, they don’t matter, they have to change who they are to be loved.”

What is your view of ‘freedom’? “Having the chance to choose.”

When did you last lie? “Like, I don’t want to lie, but this guy at work asked me if I liked his new sunglasses, and I didn’t want to be rude and they were pretty expensive, so I said yeah, but... I really didn’t like them.”

What’s your view of lying? “I hate doing it, I don’t want to be lied to.”

When did you last make a promise? “Last week.”

Did you keep or break their last promise? “I keep my promises.”

DAILY LIFE

What are their eating habits? “Whatever I want when I want it.”

Do you have any allergies? “Not that I know of, but I bet I’m allergic to bees, I feel like if I got stung I’d die, so I try to avoid them.”

Describe your home. “It’s just a small apartment. It feels like home when Velma’s there, though.”

Are you a minimalist or a clutter hoarder? “Can I be both? I’m trying to do better about clutter, it’s usually just clothes and trash, I don’t have many belongings.”

What do you do first thing on a weekday morning? “Kiss Velma on the head. Get ready for work. If I’m off, I’ll cuddle a little longer, then we’ll have breakfast.

What do you do on a Sunday afternoon? “Take my shoes off, sit on the couch and watch some TV.”

What do you do on a Friday night? “Whatever Velma wants to do.”

What is your soft drink of choice? “Dr. Pepper.”

What is your alcoholic drink of choice? “I don’t drink much. Mike’s Lemonade is enough for me, and it tastes good.”

MISCELLANEOUS

What or who would you dress up as for Halloween? “I like dressing up as ghosts with Scoob. I think I was the Hamburglar last year. Maybe me, Scooby and and Velma can all do matching costumes this Halloween.”

Are you comfortable with technology? “I guess.”

If you could save one person, who would it be? “Velma.”

If you could call one person for help, who would it be? “Depends on the situation. Freddy, Daph or Velma.”

What is your greatest extravagance? “Food...”

What is your greatest regret? “I don’t think I have any.”

What is your perception of redemption? “Noticing that you need to do better, then striving to do it.”

What would you do if you won the lottery? “I’d pay off any bills my friends have. Put some funding into the Mystery Inc. I guess I’d save the rest.”

What is your favorite fairytale? “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”

What fairytale do you hate? “Like, Little Red Riding Hood makes me feel... weird...”

Do you believe in happy endings? “Yes.”

What is your idea of perfect happiness? “Being comfortable in your own skin and surrounding yourself with people that are good for you.”

What would you ask a fortune teller? “I’d ask how my birth parents are doing.”

If you could travel through time, where would you go? “I’d go back and spend another day with them.”

What sport do you excel at? “None, no sports.”

What sport do you suck at? “All of them. Especially baseball.”

If you could have a superpower, what would you choose? “I’d like to be able to turn invisible. Not to spy on people. Just to hide when everything got too overwhelming.”

[mxliv-oftheendless]

"I can't stop smiling." with StarVel? =3

So I’ve been watching a whole ton of Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated, so I’m gonna put this in the SDMI universe! For context, this is in the gap between Season 1 and Season 2. Enjoy!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If someone had told Paul that he would someday be approached by Velma Dinkley, a girl he had only interacted with when they were lab partners in chemistry class and a girl he maybe kinda sorta had a crush on, and they would start hanging out together more often, he would have laughed in their faces. 

And yet, it was happening. It had been two weeks after the mayor had been revealed to be disguised as a monster called the Freak of Crystal Cove when Velma approached him at lunch and quietly asked if she could sit with him. It had struck Paul as odd to see her all alone, since she almost always was with her little group of friends. But he simply nodded and gestured for her to sit down. 

And since then, they had been hanging out together almost constantly for the past month. It took Velma a while, but she started opening up more, and Paul would be lying if he said he wasn’t loving getting to know the girl he had admired from afar since chemistry class. She would simply walk up to him after lunch or between classes and ask if they could hang out after school or over the weekend, and Paul definitely noticed that she always smiled happily when he agreed. 

Today, though, when Velma approached his locker between classes, Paul immediately felt like something was wrong. Her head was lowered, and her eyes were on the floor, and she was hugging her books to her chest. There was a sullen frown on her face, quite different from the preoccupied scowl she usually had. “Hey,” she said softly. 

He paused in digging his algebra textbook out of his locker to look at her. “Hey, shortie,” he tried, offering her a smile. When Velma didn’t return the smile, he frowned. “Everything okay?” 

“Um... yeah,” Velma tucked her hair behind her ear. “Everything’s fine.” 

“Velma, you’re a terrible liar,” Paul said bluntly. 

“Well, excuse me for being an honest person,” Velma shot back, lifting her head to frown at him. Then her face softened. “I’m sorry...” She leaned against the lockers and looked at him questioningly. “Are you busy after school?” 

“No. Why?” 

“Good. Want to come over to my house? I can help you with your math homework again.” 

Paul always jumped at the chance to get help with math. “Yeah, sure,” 

He waited for the happy smile to grace her face. But Velma’s mouth slowly turned up in a half-hearted smile instead. “Great...” 

After a moment, Paul leaned against his locker. “Velma, seriously, are you okay?” 

It took Velma a second, but then she sighed. “No... I--” She suddenly stopped and looked to the side with a look of sadness. 

Paul turned his head, and saw that Daphne Blake was walking past them, hand-in-hand with that movie star from the horrible Dusk movies. He glanced at Velma, and saw she had turned back to staring at the ground. But this time she looked like she might start crying. 

A second passed, then Paul nodded. “Right.” He grabbed his jacket from his locker to put it on, then grabbed his wallet, keys, and backpack, and shut his locker door. “C’mon. Where’s your locker?” 

Velma looked up at him in confusion. “Huh?” 

“Let’s go to your locker and get your stuff.” He dramatically glanced both ways, then leaned in. “We’re gonna skip class.” 

Velma gaped at him, scandalized. “Are you serious? No!” 

“Come on,” Paul argued. “Skipping one day of school won’t kill you. It’s not even one full day we’re missing!” He grinned at her. “It’ll be fuuuuun,” 

After a moment of her blinking at him, Velma smiled hesitantly. “Okay. Let’s do it.” 

Paul’s grin widened. “Great! C’mon.” 

“If we get caught sneaking out, I’m totally throwing you under the bus,” Velma stated as they headed down the hallway to her locker. 

“Fair enough,” 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They managed to sneak out of the school by way of a side door, then ran to Paul’s car. Paul put on his rock music as they drove out of the parking lot, then after a moment of thought decided to head for the video arcade/roller rink. 

“You decided to bring us here?” Velma asked dryly as he pulled into a parking space. 

Paul grinned at her. “Sure! I was gonna head for the Clam Cabin, but then I remembered you hate the Clam Cabin, so...” he swept out his hand. “Video arcade!” 

Velma gave a bark of a laugh and followed him in getting out of his car. “You sure no one’s going to spot us?” 

“I’m sure,” Paul insisted. “Not like Sheriff Stone’s gonna do anything. And no one’ll even notice we’re gone.” 

“Sure, just like they don’t notice your turquoise car,” 

Paul gasped in mock offense. “Excuse you. They notice my turquoise car because it’s beautiful.” 

Velma snorted. “Sure,” 

“Ha ha. So, do you want to get snacks, or play games first?” 

“I’m not really hungry. So I guess games?” 

Paul grinned happily. “Awesome. I’m totally gonna beat you at Cursed Manor.” 

“Excuse me, bucko, but we haven’t even walked in the door.” 

“You’re right. First one there chooses the first game!” Paul took off running to the entrance. 

“Hey!” Velma dashed after him. “That’s not fair, your legs are longer than mine!” 

“Not my fault you’re a shortstack!” Paul called over his shoulder with a laugh. 

Within moments, he had reached the entrance to the roller rink and laughed victoriously. “I win!” he crowed. 

Velma scoffed as she approached. “Oh, shut up,” she panted. “Not my fault you have such long legs.” 

“I tower over thee, puny human,” Paul snickered, pointedly looking down at her. 

The bespectacled girl rolled her eyes but was still smiling. “Whatever. So, Mr. Giant Man, what game are we going to play first?” 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“That was so not fair!” 

Paul whooped as his tickets came out of the game. “Hate the game, not the player, Dinkley!” 

“I can totally hate the player, Stanley,” Velma shot back with a grin. “Especially when the player cheated.” She emphasized the word with a shove to his shoulder. 

“Excuse me,” Paul put his hands on his hips, “but I am a Cursed Manor champion, and I will not be slandered.” 

“Someone has to be brave enough to slander you,” 

Paul scoffed as he bent down to grab the tickets. “You are, like, so rude,” 

Velma didn’t respond. When Paul looked up at her, he was immediately concerned by how her face had fallen into the same sad look she’d had at school. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked, quickly straightening up. “Is it something I said, or--” 

“N-No, it’s... it’s fine,” Velma said shakily, once again tucking her hair behind her ear. “Can we play something else?” 

“Uh... sure.” Paul wasn’t sure what to say or do. There was clearly something wrong, but he wasn’t sure if it was his place to pry and make her talk about it. He glanced around for another game to play, then lit up. “Hey,” he touched her shoulder and pointed at... “Fight Fighters! Let’s play that.” 

A half-smile came to Velma’s face. “Jinkies, I haven’t played Fight Fighters in ages,” 

“I bet I’ll beat you at that one, too,” Paul grinned cockily. 

“Oh, don’t get your hopes up, artsy boy. I am the Fight Fighters queen of... well, let’s play.” She made a beeline for the game, grabbing his hand to drag him along. “Come on!” 

Paul felt his heart begin to beat faster at Velma’s smaller hand holding his. She was so excited... and she looked so cute. He hoped she didn’t detect how his laugh was a tad nervous as he ran along behind her. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They ended up staying at the arcade for a few hours, starting when Velma completely wiped the floor with Paul playing Fight Fighters and he challenged her to a rematch. By the time Paul thought to check the time, he saw that school had ended an hour and a half beforehand. So they cashed out their tickets, picked out their prizes, and left. 

“Do you want to go to my house, or yours?” Velma asked as they headed to Paul’s car. 

“Yours. Mom’s gonna lecture me for not coming home after school, and I’d rather get the lecture over the phone than in person.” 

Velma nodded in understanding. “I see. We definitely don’t have to tell our parents we snuck out of school.” 

Paul chuckled as they got in his car. “Definitely not,” 

“Technically, we were at the arcade when school ended. We can just say we went right to the arcade after school.” 

Paul grinned at her. “Did you put thought into that alibi?” 

Velma looked like she was trying not to smile. “No, I’m just stating a fact,” 

“Really, because I think you thought about that.” 

“Okay, and I think you don’t want your stuffed Totoro.” Velma swooped in to grab the plush Totoro toy out of his hands. 

Paul gasped and held it out of her reach. “How dare you! I won Totoro fair and square!” 

“Then at least give him to me so you can start the car,” Velma giggled. 

Paul squinted at her. “You promise to be careful with him?” 

“I promise,” 

He solemnly placed the plush Totoro in her hands. “Be gentle with him,” 

Velma scoffed, but gently placed him in her lap. “I will,” 

She was once again silent the whole ride back to her house, but when Paul glanced over at her, he saw she was looking out the window and lightly nodding along to his rock music. She seemed to be in a much better mood than when they left school. He still wondered what made her so upset back at the arcade, but thought maybe it wasn’t his place to ask. Besides, he was content to enjoy getting to hang out with her. 

She was coming further out of her shell to him. She went into passionate rants about how you just lost something when you read an ebook instead of an actual book; she rattled off facts like nobody’s business; she made terrible jokes, but still tried anyway; she could be biting and sarcastic, but it was so endearing when she was just messing around... Paul really liked her. 

You should tell her at some point, his mind whispered to him. But how would she react to that? Did she just see him as a friend? 

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he pulled up to Velma’s house. He pulled into her driveway and turned off the car, and was about to get out to grab his backpack from the backseat when Velma suddenly spoke. “Wait,” 

He sat back in his seat and looked at her. “What?” 

He thought he saw her hands tighten slightly around the Totoro plush before responding. “Thanks,” 

“Thanks for what?” 

“For talking me into cutting class. I really needed to get out of the building. I just... I hated seeing Daphne walking around with Baylor like... like nothing ever happened. Like Fred and Shaggy...” she trailed off and looked down at the seat. 

Paul leaned in a little closer. “Like they’re what?” 

“Well, Shaggy’s at military school, and Fred... Fred left town. I don’t know where he is. But that’s where they’ve been. And Daphne... Fred broke up with her right before he left, and ever since then I’ve been all by myself. And it feels so weird to be without my friends... we’ve been a group for what seems like forever. And now, to have two of my friends gone, and to have my other friend act like I don’t even exist...” once again, she moved her hair behind her ear. “It really hurts.” 

Paul wondered if he should take her hand. He had to fight the urge to do it. They were just friends, nothing more. “Jeez... I’m really sorry, Velma. That stinks.” 

“Yeah, it does,” Velma mumbled. “But I’m glad I’ve got you.” 

Paul’s heart suddenly jumped into a faster rate again. “You do?”

“Yeah, I do,” Velma looked up and gave him a small smile. “You’re a really great person. You’re fun, and you seem to enjoy hanging out with me. I like hanging out with you too. I really can’t stop smiling when I’m with you.” She shrugged wryly. “I don’t know how you put up with me. I can be pretty mean sometimes...” 

“Hey,” Paul chuckled softly, “I do enjoy hanging out with you. You’re fun too... even though you totally cheated at Fight Fighters.” 

Velma scoffed and rolled her eyes. “You’re just jealous I wiped the floor with you,” 

“Yeah, right. You totally had to have cheated somehow.” 

“You know, I could just keep Totoro,” Velma pointedly hugged him to her chest. “He’s so soft and cute.” 

“Hey, I won him!” Paul laughed, grabbing Totoro and pulling him away. “You keep your disappearing ink.” 

“Fine,” Velma giggled. “Let’s get inside so you can call your parents.” 

Maybe he could tell Velma he liked her later, Paul decided as they got out of his car to grab their backpacks. For now, he could be happy with simply being a friend. 

[scoobydoominuscoobydoo]

Why we started shipping Shaphne. Just Random Rambling-

I’m gonna go ahead and say this is not an argument on why Shaphne is better than Fraphne because no ship in better than another, especially in the Scooby-Doo universe.

I’m gonna take a few moments to discuss the worst portrayal that ruined my opinion on Fraphne for a long time. 

And just because Shaphne is always gonna be the OTP of this blog doesn’t mean I don’t get why people ship Fraphne. I’ve seen every incarnation of Fraphne to date and they actually are cute, I get it.

Okay with that, let’s have some fun!

Mystery Incorporated:

Let’s start by addressing the only Scooby show that actually made Fraphne canon, and how they managed to screw it up so poorly it wasn’t even funny.

Now listen, MI was the incarnation I grew up with so I do actually have a lot of sentiment attached to it. But I am not going to argue with the fact that it did a poor job of characterizing all of the gang, Scooby included.

It tried it’s best to try and flesh out the gang to have them feel more, real. Like actual teenagers.

But oh my Lord they just made it worse.

And I think the one who got the worst of it was Daphne.

Her amazing and well rounded character that had existed since forever had been pushed down to the pretty girl that had a crush on Fred. And for most of the first season none of her actions were outside of her crush shenanigans. 

And she absolutely did not deserve that, Daphne was not part of Scooby-Doo solely to be Fred’s love interest. Way back in 1969 they understood that because Daph’s actions did not revolve around Fred 24/7.

When I watched the show when I was younger I never caught onto just how much of her “development” was her managing to get Fred to say something romantic to her. I honestly love the episodes in season 2 where Daphne isn’t in love with anybody because she actually gets the chance to just be herself.

Be quirky awkward Daphne.

And then she comes full circle and returns to having the same kind of relationship she had with Fred in season 1.

When they were together it wasn’t any better.

Rewatching the episodes when they were dating now when I’m older honestly made me uncomfortable. And when they got engaged it was laughable how poorly that was executed. Tbh I’m sure Fred had no idea that he proposed to Daph and just went along with whatever she said.

Then he just goes ahead and dumps her like it’s not painful or any sort of big deal while it actually crushes Daph enough to distance herself from the rest of the gang.

Season 2 Fred made me incredibly freaked out, like I love Fred Jones to bits and pieces but MI season 2 Freddie was the worst version of him and anyone who believes otherwise can explain why they disagree. 

I’m honestly curious if other people weren’t bothered by his disturbing behavior towards Daph for the beginning of that season.

Anyway bottom line, MI was why I had lost interest in Fraphne.

And why I gained a new interest in Shaphne.

I’m sure everyone remembers that episode in season 2 where...um...stuff happened.

Mod Silas is still convinced they slept together and I feel like it’s strongly implied but whatever.

That’s not what made me ship Shaphne since during all of that Daphne though Shag was Fred and Shag also thought he was Fred. Anyone feel like explaining how they managed to experience the same hallucination? So seeing that whole thing as Shaphne does kinda seem pointless.

What made me ship them was the short scene that happened afterward.

Both Shag and Daph quickly figured out what had happened and for like a few seconds they just stare at each other and don’t say anything. Like no panic or weirdness until Fred and Scoob reacted.

Shaggy ogles over being kissed by an angel, like twice I think.

Now both of those things don’t seem like a huge deal until you remember how much of a disaster these two’s relationships in the past were.

Both of them being in very forceful and controlling relationships.

Now it’s very probable that both of those reasons mean absolutely nothing and of course I’m reading into things as always.

But that was enough to catch my attention and pull me down into a void.

Because I’m gonna go ahead and be 100% honest with everyone:

Shaphne is never gonna be canon!

We all know it.

This isn’t a Riverdale/Bughead situation where people had wanted Betty and Jughead to get together long before the idea of Riverdale was created.

People were always for Fred and Daphne. And since the dawn of time it’s been clear that Fred and Daph are always gonna be each other’s respective love interest.

Hence why Shaphne is a void of pain.

But as I became open to the idea of it I made an observation.

Though Shag and Daph have very little interaction in most of the shows it was enough.

Shaggy and Daphne always take care of and understand each other. And it’s also super obvious that Daphne is very protective of Shaggy. Different from how she’s protective of the rest of the gang.

I’m not sure why their dynamic has always been like that, but it’s a dynamic that’s survived all the way into the modern age which means a lot to me.

Another thing that’s clear is Daphne loves Scooby.

Possibly just as much as Shaggy does idk.

The significance of that fact is best explained through a motto that Mod Silas and I have always had since we started shipping it:

“You can’t get Shaggy without getting Scooby.”

This was the biggest amount of drama with Shelma in MI was that Velma always saw Scooby as a dumb dog, as Shaggy’s pet, when it came to their relationship. And never saw him as Shag’s best friend, which is exactly what he is.

So when Shag broke up with her, she chose to blame the dog even though the reason he gave her was he wasn’t ready for a serious relationship.

And for the rest of the show Velma only ever gives Scoob sarcastic and condescending treatment.

 But Daphne has always loved Scooby, that much is clear,

Scooby and Daphne’s bond within MI alone is something to be appreciated.

And over the course of time I just kind of enjoyed the fact that Shaggy and Daphne would have a very healthy relationship, platonic or otherwise, if it had ever been further explored.

That’s a good portion of Shaphne, unexplored potential. 

And it’s definitely gonna stay unexplored.

However MI was just the beginning of my unhealthy Shaphne obsession.

The rest of the Universe:

Now the other Scooby shows had me approaching Shaphne differently because I wasn’t comparing it to Fraphne or Shelma in anyway since I didn’t have anything against the other incarnations of the ships.

For this I was able to just appreciate the dynamic Shag and Daph provided as a whole and not have to have that be my central focus for whatever show I was watching.

Like I can actual enjoy the friendship between the gang.

This version of Shaphne is the most relaxed and the one I wish got more attention, because this is the one where you see that they respect and understand each other. They also seem bonded over their love and protectiveness over Scooby which always gets me grinning like an idiot.

Daphne being protective of Shag is also another nice thing that’s presented.

However, in the old Hanna Barbera cartoons, romance was never supposed to be the main focus, or even really an element in the shows.

And to be fair romance isn’t meant to be the center of Scooby-Doo, it’s the friendship between four kids from very different social classes. 

I will say that shipping Shaphne and keeping up with all of the made for TV films is typically a treat since there are a good handful of them that just provide plenty of scenes showing the perfect dynamic they share.

For people who are looking for recommendations I’d say #1 is Scooby-Doo and the Legend of the Phantosaur, which on it’s own is a really good movie just to watch. But the Shaphne on top of it is a nice addition.

For #2 I’d say both of those live-action movies Cartoon Network made. The Mystery Begins and Curse of the Lake Monster.

While I have problems with those movies, *cough cough* Fred with brown hair *cough cough* 

I think those movies do the best job of portraying Shaggy and Daphne’s relationship and it’s really sweet to watch.

13 Ghosts + New Scooby and Scrappy:

I’m gonna go ahead and finish this off with the two key pieces in the Shaphne art museum.

I’m sure everyone is already aware of the existence of the two shows where it’s just Shag and Daph and company.

These are the ones where we actually get to see Shaggy and Daphne work as a team it’s all I ever needed and more. While the main reason these exist is because Shaggy was the most popular character and then they added Daph ‘cause they needed a pretty girl.

“How to make a famous cartoon in the 70′s 101.”

Now both of these shows focus like a lot more on the “comedic relief” and their fun shenanigans than on the duo but that’s to be expected since this show was made for kids.

But for the most part it’s worth sitting through Flim Flam just always talking and never shutting up or Scrappy constantly saying “Puh-pup-puuuppyy Powweerrr!!” Every 8 seconds to see Shag and Daph in the background acting like overwhelmed babysitters that aren’t getting paid enough.

Plus there was all that fun drama where people thought they were living in the same house together.

While I am very certain that these shows don’t exist because everyone at HB was secretly the biggest Shaphne shippers in the world, I am very thankful for them.

In then end I think the reasons I ship Shaphne aren’t because I want the underdog to get the girl in the end. And I don’t want it to be like some sort of ‘guy on the wrong side of the tracks dating a pretty, rich girl.’

I really just want these two to be happy and functional and honest and themselves.

I always just see it as them being there for each other because though they may be really different people it’s never bothered them before. I just see two people who accept and help each other and that’s just something I see even though their dynamic gets no screen time.

At the end of the day Shaphne is always gonna be a fill in the blanks kinda ship. 

And I’m fine with that.

-Mod Ninja 

[darkestbefore]

Just past 3AM. Listening to midnight aura jazz hop on Youtube. Good stuff. Cracked open the window because I just finished a “workout” and wanna cool off before I hit the hay. Push ups again, 3 sets of 20. Pistol Squat progression attempts, not really counting but alternating legs to see how they feel. And then pull ups for the lats. Tomorrow it’s back to...chin ups for biceps, push-ups again, and that ab wheel. Not bad for a home work-out. They tend to get put off all day and then I do ‘em at night while everyone is asleep. But since I’m up and have nothing better to do, it’s almost perfect timing because instead of making some excuse about it, I just rest and wait between sets...and then go do it again. 

I did end up tucking the divorce forms in a binder to save. That workshop isn’t until the 14th of next month. A couple days ago, Amy’s parents suggested counseling. Eric passed a contact of his to me. He said she was very helpful when he was going through some tough times in his life. Which makes me wonder, is she older? She’s probably not between my age and Amy’s. Probably not in either decade near us. I just worry that there is a bias with older folks. But I’m not the professional here. It’s probably better to have input from someone than no one. 

Amy and I aren’t really talking. We say things in passing. Most of her words over the past two days have been “Where are you going?” And it was always either to grab food or coffee, or go for a run. I did my second run this week, came out around 40 minutes. Not bad but I got a blister under my right foot beneath the arch. It’ll go away in a few days. I wanna say that’s somewhere between four to four and half miles. Could be more like 3 accurately but time-wise, it feels like the former. 

Anyway I keep waiting for the right moment to break the ice again. We have to talk at some point. We’re not flat out ignoring each other...actually, yeah we are. Unless we’re spoken to, we don’t have conversation. We don’t talk other than answering necessary questions. I described two soups to her today. And I scolded Luther right after she scolded him. More like, on top of. It happened right as I was reading about disciplining children in 12 Rules For Life by Jordan Peterson. Great book, by the way. I’m on Rule 6 now. He’s hard to follow at first but once you get into a groove, you can follow his train of thought. He’s really perceptive and when he paints a picture and really gets into something, you have to rationally follow him to the end of that thought or argument or example. 

I’m thinking about Amy’s cousin. How he’s been with his current girlfriend for over 4 years, has an ex-wife with two of his kids who he’s not supporting. I asked why they didn’t split yet. At first it seemed like he was brought up on not ever doing that kind of thing. But then I realized he just didn’t want to pay for support. At least that’s what it seemed like. Regardless of his reasons, I wonder...if I know in my -mind- that I eventually want to split with Amy, is it okay to put it off til later? Does knowing what I want now make a difference? Or would I dig myself another hole back into trying to make this work?

I think the way I was raised, it’s also hard to try to get a divorce. No matter what my parents went through, it never happened. As a kid I do remember wishing for it a lot. Now that I’m past all that, I’m glad my parents are together. But as a kid, it was scary. There were moments where my mom, sister, and I would run back to our old house. Or when my dad would leave our house for a few days because of how mad he was. My mom was so lost, she started writing in a journal. It was bad. As a scared kid, I remember just wanting him gone. In my mind, I wasn’t sure what the future would hold. Obviously things would be different. Harder. Tougher. It’s weird trying to go forward without a dad. Especially if he leaves on bad terms. But that ended up not happening. 

Fast forward to now, I think best case scenario is to go back to co-parenting. But why call it co-parenting, it should just be called parenting, right? We are, after all, his parents. So how do we do this peacefully? Without fighting? And if possible, without being together? It’s what we should have done to begin with. But then I also argue the other way, that even if marriage was the front for convenient co-parenting, it was necessary. I kept saying it took a village to raise Luther but maybe I’m the one who needed the village. Maybe Amy too. Maybe we all did. None of us were truly prepared. Luther wasn’t, Amy wasn’t, and I wasn’t.

We sort of have an overall handle on the parenting life. Marriage, on the other hand...has gone to shit. I look around and see so many backwards things. Luther and Amy sleep together in one room. I sleep in another, on a couch. All within her parents’ house. I had two bartender jobs which meant coming home late at night. So crawling into bed with her wasn’t quite the right option..for her? I don’t know. My life didn’t vibe with being a husband. Father? Sure. 

I tried to teach him to sleep in a crib. I tried to lay him down for his naps. I tried to create space and time for us in that way. Amy cock-blocked us both, I think, by wanting to co-sleep with him and carry him during his naps. So she and I don’t really have time together. Sometimes grandma watches Luther and we have a night out. And she used to watch him during the day and we’d have a few hours in. But all in all, it just seems like Amy is 99% focused on Luther. She’s preoccupied, overwhelmed, but unrelenting. She doesn’t really look at me or try to engage me. She’s not interested in me sexually and she keeps wanting to cut my growing hair. I grow more undesirable by the day. 

It’s probably a thing that goes both ways. I’ve become more distant. Disconnected. Must have been all the fights in the past where I walked away thinking, “I don’t want this anymore. I can let go of this fight but know deep inside I hate being here, with her.” Could have been that. Or it could have been all the recoil from all of my attempts to train Luther a certain way, only to have them crushed because they didn’t match the way she wanted to parent him. It could have been all my attempts at sex only to be dissuaded because she wasn’t in the mood or she’d make me lose my mood by trying to control it and/or rush me into finishing. 

It could have been the weird casual conversation that we’d have. Sometimes it’s lighthearted but challenging. Like Amy would say things that would offend me. Or say things that somehow showed her lack of understanding. For instance, if someone did something stupid on the road and it was obvious, she’d sometimes come up with a list of extenuating circumstances for that person. She’d do this to a lot of arguments regarding other things as well, somehow playing devil’s advocate or annoyingly saying “Or maybe...” followed by some ridiculous idea. 

She’d make faces or react in unpleasant ways whenever I’d push for something I wanted like going to the gym or to play basketball. But often times I’d offer her time to do such things and she’d pass on them, giving some excuse about why she could do it the next day. And this would go on and on until, over time, it seems like I’m the bad guy hogging all the alone time. Of course I have the majority of it because she watches Luther most of the time. But it’s not that I don’t offer it. On top of that, she could always just tell me if she had plans. 

The shitty part is it’s not the snapping and the fights that make this a bad marriage. It’s the fact that even in the “peaceful”/happy times, we still somehow don’t connect. I rarely find myself engaged in any conversation Amy likes to have with me. It’s so strange, nothing that comes out of her mouth interests me. If you really think about it, we don’t share that many interests. Unless it’s about Luther.

I don’t love jazz -that- much but I remember her being super excited hearing about a jazz show at the Handlery Hotel and wanting to go do something romantic like seeing that with me. Then one day, I asked again if she liked the idea and she wasn’t super into it. She doesn’t like jazz, I guess. She doesn’t like the food that I like, she likes maybe three things off of a Vietnamese menu and then fuck Japanese or Korean food or anything that has soy. Amy used to say she didn’t care where we ate and that she could always find something on a menu. But eating with her enough times has shown me that if you want her to be happy, you just take her to the same old places where she doesn’t need to find alternatives. That leaves the rest of the foodie stuff to my solo outings, or sometimes with Luther. 

We don’t read too much of the same books. We don’t like the same music. She hates explicit music. Doesn’t care about singalongs. A little disco and mo-town is cool for her but overall, we just don’t vibe that well together. We don’t even pick the same movies in theaters. 

On top of that, I don’t think she understands me sexually as a person. Which means that she overall does not understand me as a person because I think I’m just that sexual. This trait turns into a fault of my own somehow and somehow too often. So...maybe it’s my fault I’m a certain way. I don’t blame her for being her, I just know that what it ultimately means is that we don’t mesh well romantically. Or sexually. She dominates in the bedroom and out of it. I let her but...it’s more like what I’m seeing is that it has to be her way or the highway. And I’m taking the highway. 

I think if I met someone else someday, I’d feel more comfortable if they gave me more control. Were more submissive. Less dominant. Less argue back, trying to dominate the parental situation, or the conversation period. Amy just doesn’t stop talking sometimes. And she always has to be reasonably right. Like the reason this most recent fight happened is because I was explaining everything my mom cooked to Eric and Velma and Amy kept interrupting about how we should finish the older food first, except she was cooking eggs. I wasn’t even talking to her. I got annoyed and said “Why don’t you eat some of it then?” knowing full well she avoided the majority of the other food for obvious reasons: fried, carbs, doesn’t fall under her minimalist diet. She had a passive-aggressive implosive moment where she yelled and threw open the dish washer, pushing the fridge door back on me. Then she threw the wok, which had the eggs in it, in the sink. I called her a fucking hypocrite for wasting food when she was trying to tell us what to eat first. 

Little things like that. This is a vicious cycle, though. The last time, I think -I- was the one that snapped and I just said that I couldn’t keep doing this. I wanted a divorce because everything just kept getting swept under. And it continues to do so. Even now, neither Amy nor I have addressed what happened a couple days ago. Have we calmed down? Sure. Do we plan on working this out? I don’t know. I’m gonna say I think...not. 

Because working it out doesn’t mean working on why this one scenario played out the way it did, it means working out why this keeps happening between us every time. And to really examine that, we have to call in that counselor Eric recommended. 

So...at some point it’s either that. Or I reach for the papers and continue. Although, they’re not mutually exclusive. They could both happen. I think what would be best is that if I know for a fact that I want out and that I can’t handle Amy anymore, then we need to go ahead with the counseling. I can’t pull the trigger without at least showing that I’ve done due diligence and everything else I could. Maybe it’ll even give me more insight into why I’m doing it. 

I think back to that cousin. Putting off the divorce and just waiting. Theoretically, I could do that, and just maintain my distance from Amy and make it subtly clear that there’s no coming back from this. I’d just be cold to her. I wouldn’t show any signs of recovery from our situation. And we’d interact how we have been for the past two days, except we’d do it for months, maybe a year or more even...until it becomes too apparent that we -need- to divorce. The only problem with that plan is that there’s no way I can carry that option out living under her parents roof. I can’t leave this at an impasse. Some sort of action needs to be taken. 

And soon. Regardless, we’ll have to start by communicating at some point. Which brings me back to cracking that ice again with her. It’s hard. We have to play nice, be understanding and empathetic...especially if -I’m- going to bring up the subject of splitting at some point. This needs to be as peaceful and stress-free as something this stressful could be. I don’t even know if I should just wait and see through the counseling before I mention anything else. I’ve already planted the seed in my anger, I don’t want to bring it up again. She knows I’m thinking it. 

Perhaps it’s best to start the sessions without that hanging over our heads. Maybe it’s just a marital crisis, they all think. We’ll see how it turns out. 

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #180 - Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed

Spoilers below.

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: Yes.

Was it a movie I saw since August 22nd, 2009: No.

Format: DVD

1) So with the first film writer James Gunn had written a darker script meant to poke fun at the original series and gain a PG-13 rating, but after the cast signed on this was changed into a family friendly film. With the sequel, writer Gunn returns and this time everyone knew what kind of movie they were going to make from the beginning (which relates to some more solid structure in this film than the last).

2) Scooby-Doo Theory holds that whoever the protagonists talks to first is the person who did it. The first person they talk to in this film is Alicia Silverstone’s Heather Jasper Howe who ends up being the bad guy.

3) Okay, Coolsville opens up a museum exhibit about Mystery Inc. and their past foes. It is said that the gang, “donated,” the costumes. But…why are the costumes their’s to donate? Aren’t they police evidence? Do they steal the costumes from every crime as some sort of weird trophy and stash them all in a storage locker somewhere? Am I overthinking this? Let’s move on.

4) What the heck!? Seth Green is in this movie!?

5) Linda Cardellini continues to be absolutely excellent as Velma Dinkley, but one side we get to see in this film that we didn’t in the first is lovesick puppy Velma. Her crush on Seth Green’s Patrick is portrayed as cute, sweet, honest, and is just enjoyable to watch. I think Cardellini is great in both of these films and gets an even greater chance to shine in this one.

6) I always liked The Evil Masked Figure in this film.

I think it’s purely a taste of aesthetics. I like the metallic head, the hair, the cloak. He’s not really a character so much as a plot device and he does pale in comparison to the classic monsters which populate the film, but I just dig the design.

7) I think the early action set piece of Shaggy and Scooby getting pulled around the museum by the Pterodactyl Ghost is a little stagey. It FEELS like they’re on a film set as opposed to even the fun of the cartoon chases. But that just may be me.

8) What the fanboy in me loves about this film is the way it brings in all the classic monsters from the old cartoons. James Gunn is a fan himself and it shows because - much like he is able to fill up Guardians of the Galaxy with notable characters, references, and alien species - he brings in a lot of A-list villains from the show. The Black Knight Ghost and the 10,000 Volt Ghost in particular were always favorites of mine and it is REMARKABLY fun to see them, the Tar Monster, the Zombie, Captain Cutler’s Ghost, and The Miner 49-er brought to live action (among others).

9) Okay, so Heather Jasper Howe’s reporting is 100% slander and illegal. She is taking everything Mystery Inc. says out of context to make them appear bad in the public light. Yes, she’s the villain, this is part of the plan. But unless you’re working for an obviously biased news source like Fox News you would not be allowed to get away with this. Still, when I start to question the realism of a Scooby-Doo movies the whole thing falls apart.

10) The primary conflict for Scooby and Shaggy in this film is them questioning their worth/value to the team. This makes for surprisingly interesting character conflict and an equally surprising emotional arc for the film. I like it!

11) According to IMDb:

The original Scooby-Doo episode dealing with the pterodactyl ghost featured a villain and motive that were quite different. The pterodactyl/hang glider costume was used to smuggle pirated music, with the small-town mayor behind the whole scheme.

12) I cannot begin to express how funny my tiny eight year old self found this joke.

Shaggy [after the gang goes through all their notes, which Scooby has been jotting down]: “Scooby-Doo, what’s your conclusion?”

Scooby: “Bunny!”

13) I have a feeling this film had a product placement agreement with Burger King. Scooby was drinking from a Burger King cup earlier and then this:

14) I may have watched The Mummy too many times.

Fred: “What could possibly happen by ringing a doorbell?”

15) So Shaggy messes with a record player and “Baby Got Back” starts playing. Which begs the question: WHO ON EARTH HAS A VINYL OF “Baby Got Back”!?

16) According to IMDb:

At one point in the film, Scooby and Shaggy are pretending to sing into a toilet brush "microphone". The song they are actually singing is Strangers in the Night - Frank Sinatra's version featured the improvised scat lyrics, "Scoo-bee-doo-bee-doo", lyrics which then-CBS executive Fred Silverman chose as the name of the new cartoon series. The original name for the dog was "Too Much", a popular catchphrase of the era.

17) The entire Black Knight Ghost chase through the mansion is very cartoonish, which I mean as a compliment. It feels like it is ripped straight out of an old episode of the cartoon, speaking again to the great way James Gunn handles the source material.

18) Why is Daphne wearing a shirt with her own face on it?

19) Again: this made me laugh so hard as an eight year old.

Black Knight [after Velma kicks him in the nuts]: “Right in the round tables!”

20) This film was released in 2004, can you tell?

Fred: “…this mystery goes down like a dot com and Coolsville digs us again!”

21) I ship Velma and Daphne. I have a feeling so does James Gunn.

(Screenshot taken of a GIF originally posted by @ezekiels)

22) Linda Cardellini gets to be exceptionally funny in this film for one BIG reason:

Patrick: “Do you have to go to the bathroom?”

Velma: “No, I can’t in this outfit.”

23) The Faux Ghost.

This is a wonderful concept featured in the film which once again shows off just how deeply familiar writer James Gunn is with the source material. Just the idea that a bar for all the people Mystery Inc caught exists is wonderfully fun. The art design and characters all stand out in a wonderfully fun scene.

24) Whoa, this is pretty deep for Scooby-Doo 2.

Old Man Wickles [about being a masked villain]: “We needed people to believe we were different than we were. Maybe because we believed there was something wrong with who were in the first place.”

This also means the song which plays in the club - “Thank You For Letting Me By Myself” - has much more meaning than one might initially expect.

25) This line was improvised.

Velma [after she lets out a squeak]: “That was my outfit, I swear.”

26) It’s kinda fun seeing Seth Green go into psychotic badass mode on this goon. My primary experience with him is through “Buffy” where he mostly plays his character as emotionally controlled. This is a fun change from that. Also, Shaggy gets in a sick burn because of it.

Shaggy [after seeing Patrick act a little crazy]: “But we gotta make like your personality and split!”

27) What even is this movie!?

Old Man Wickles [after Scooby gives away his position hiding in a bush]: “Darn bushes toweling at me again.”

AGAIN!?

28) Ah, the potion gag.

So there was a lot of work trying to figure out exactly what gags to use. At one point, Scooby was going to turn into his hand drawn counterpart as a replacement to a much less favored gag of Scooby turning into George W. Bush. The filmmakers didn’t want to compare 3D Scooby with 2D Scooby so they had him turn into the Tasmanian Devil instead. It’s kinda random and pointless, but not unenjoyable. It’s kinda fun to watch, it just has nothing to do with the rest of the plot.

29) In this moment, I am Shaggy.

Shaggy: “We’re gonna die!”

Daphne: “Think positive!”

Shaggy: “We’re gonna die quickly!”

30) Okay hold on a second: the monsters share the same hatred of Mystery Inc. that their portrayers had? But why? They’re not the same people are they? Do they have the memories of their human counterparts? Are they the vision of the criminals who portrayed them fully realized?

31) The old high school clubhouse scene is a surprisingly poignant moment of vulnerability and character interaction for Mystery Inc. The flashback - even though it’s a little cringe worthy seeing the young Mystery Inc (with their awkward imitations of the main cast and weirdly dubbed over voices from the main actors) - allows for us to understand the core of their relationship. In a lot of ways, this is the beating heart of the film. Mystery Inc and the friendship they have with each other.

32) Again: I am Shaggy.

Shaggy [while being chased]: “This is tied for the most terrifying day of my life!”

Velma: “Tied with what?”

Shaggy: “EVERY OTHER FREAKING DAY OF MY LIFE!”

33) HOW DID THE BLACK KNIGHT GET A GHOST HORSE!? Wouldn’t they need a horse costume to do that?

34) Ah, Buffy speak used by a “Buffy” actor.

Daphne: “Taste the pain Mr. Glowy Ugly Thing!”

35) I love this.

Velma [after Shaggy and Scooby say they’re trying to be more like the gang]: “That’s funny. I always wanted to be like you guys.”

This speaks greatly to just how freaking important Shaggy and Scooby are to the group. They’re the beating heart, it’s called Scooby-Doo for a reason. And the fact that Velma is able to so honestly and believably say she wants to be like Shaggy and Scooby is a surprisingly touching moment in the film.

36) It only took Velma 45 years to admit this.

Velma [after her glasses fall off]: “I’ve got to consider contact lenses.”

37) According to IMDb:

The Cotton Candy Glob is a tribute to the Cotton Candy Monsters who appeared in the story "Goop on the Loose" in the Scooby-Doo comics published by DC Comics, where the culprits were a child and two henchmen trying to get revenge from being fired from a carnival. The Cotton Candy Monsters were mentioned in A Pup Named Scooby-Doo: Terror, Thy Name Is Zombo (1989).

38) I JUST got that the game of keep away they play with the monster making control panel reflects the game of frisbee we saw them playing in the flashback.

(GIF originally posted by @leaveatraill)

39) Tar Monster seems like he has a ridiculous amount of power. Like he can single handedly nearly kill ALL of Mystery Inc. Why not just release the Tar Monster on the world? I feel like THAT’D be a better plan!

40) The Evil Masked Figure is unmasked and revealed to be Heather Jasper Howe. But her hair and makeup are perfect. Shouldn’t she have - like - helmet hair or something?

41) Scooby running to Shaggy like they haven’t seen each other in ages is totally unearned. Shaggy just put on a mask and took it off and Scooby acts all excited! But, it’s still kinda nice.

42) What the heck? This film has a secret mini movie!?

A commercial!?

Much like the first Scooby Doo film, Monsters Unleashed is hardly a cinematic masterpiece but the kid in my absolutely loves it. The characterization is continually strong (as is the acting), it’s a lot of fun to see the old monsters in a live action format, and it’s just an enjoyable 90ish minutes. There are movies which have aged worse so if you have fond memories of this or are a fan of the Scooby-Doo franchise, give it a watch.

[teenxangstxbullshit]

More trash AU whoops lol

@freashcutgrass

Heather Duke has spent eons trying to remember her name. It either starts with a V or R. She knows this. She can feel it in her bones. “Her names…Velma? No no no.. Verity? Vanessa? Violet?” Heather tries. She racked her brain. The blue girl from lunch was familiar. Back in the day when Martha and Heather were still ‘friends’ the blue girl would sometimes hang out too. But that was way back in elementary school. God what was her fucking name? “I’m pretty sure it starts with a R. Like maybe Roxanne or something. “ Heather M chimed in. Heather ignored her. V sounded right. But what could it be? “V-.Valerie?Maybe? It’s either Valerie or Vanessa I swear” Heather says. Valerie sounded about right. But not it. “She kinda looks like a Valerie.” Heather M noted. Heather agreed. Valerie was preppy and rich white mom sounding. It fitted JDs little crush. “Bitch please she’s totally a Vanessa. Did you see her stockings? She’s a secret sl-ut. JD sure knows how to pick em. I’m pretty sure her name is Vicky or Victoria or something. “Heather C said. She lazily swiped more mascara on. Heather’s brows furrowed in concentration. She knew if she just had enough time, enough concentration, she would emerge victorious. What the fuck is this bitchs name? “Maybe it’s Ramona?” Heather M helpfully supplied as she fixed her side ponytail. “Her name isn’t a fucking R name!I swear to god it starts with a V. It’s a total suburban mom name to to match that awful hair cut.” Heather barked. She got herself back into the zone. She searched her soul. She looked into her oldest and murkiest memories. Memories of playing with Martha on the swing set in kindergarten. Heather opened her eyes. Eurika! “Vivienne! That’s it!” Heather shouted. Her voice echoed in the girls bathroom. “Why. “ Heather C deadpanned. Heather deflated. Yeah ok. Maybe Vivianne was a bit much. But it was all Heather had. “JD did this just to fuck with me. I swear to god if he changes his mind about this chick I will end him.” Heather seethed. She can almost picture his mocking yet admittedly handsome face, smirking and telling Heather it was all a gag, all to get her worked up about some nobody. Hell no. Heather would not let Jason Dean win. Not now not ever. “Maybe it’s Viola or Vega or something new agey?” Heather M pondered as she added another swipe of eyeshadow. “Shut up Heather” Heather C snapped as she got out her blood red lipstick. Blood. The substance JD was going to be covered with if Heather has to spend one more minute thinking about this shit. “Sorry Heather” Heather M simpered. She added her gold eyeshadow to her other eye. Heather looked at herself in the mirror. She got out her lipgloss and started smearing it on. Mom always said that makeup was war paint. Heather felt like she was in a war. And you bet your sweet ass she’d win.