#still convinced velma and daphne are in some kind of relationship. they live together and share clothes in a gay way but only sometimes

[snakefoxcloud]

whats new scooby doo is definitely why i like pop punk and alt rock

[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.

[scoobydoominuscoobydoo]

An older ask had asked you how you would rewrite return to zombie island. How would you rewrite scoob?

Oh I’ve already put some thought into this while I was actually watching the movie simply because I was thirty minutes in and didn’t see it getting better.

The first change I would make is that I would get rid of the whole beginning scenes with them as kids. We didn’t need it and it literally added nothing to the story. You can convince your audience that the characters are close without needing to completely illustrate why.

I would definitely open the film up with them probably in mid-chase at the climax of a mystery because that’s just how you need to open up a Scooby movie. Right from the beginning this is where I would introduce the character conflict. Maybe after they’ve caught the guy and the police are commending them they wouldn’t really have anything to say to Shag and Scoob (who are probably disheveled and starving from running for their lives once again). Shaggy and Scooby have never felt bad about being cowards so I doubt this would really hurt them that much (maybe annoy them at the most). But it identifies where the story is going to focus.

We’d then move into some transitional scenes where you can watch how the gang’s dynamic works and this is where you sell their friendship. This ain’t just a Scooby and Shaggy movie, this is a whole gang movie (the central conflict just stems from Shaggy feeling under appreciated). So their relationships are an important part of getting the audience to care what happens. I would say you subtly show how Shaggy might break up little arguments or remind them to eat. Nothing in your face, more or less it would be weaved in with the gang’s standard banter.

Then we’d get to the gang talking about turning MI into a legitimate business by finding investors and stuff. I think this would be a good opportunity for a montage scene where we get to see a lot of other Scooby/HB characters without it taking too much out of the story (this is where I would show the Blue Falcon and Dyno Mutt). All of them seem to reject the proposition though. I didn’t have major issues with Simon Cowell because random celebrity cameos have always been a Scooby thing but I mean.... Why Simon Cowell of all people? I feel like there are way more suitable celebs to choose from. I feel like it would be funny if they brought in one of the actors from the 2002 live action film (playing themselves) and everyone is just like: “Who the heck is this?” And then Shaggy (who always knows who everyone is) just goes: “Um??? You uncultured swine??? That is obviously Linda Cardellini!” And then she’s the one who is finally willing to invest but says she’ll only do it if Shag is out (Scooby can stay because animal mascots are in and it doesn’t get anymore in than a talking Great Dane).

And the gang gets all offended at this and Linda (it doesn’t have to be Linda but for all intents and purposes I’m just saying it is) will just be like, “Fine, I’ll give you my money if you can tell me what he does for you. For your team.” 

And they’ll all stay silent, trying to think of something and that’s when Shaggy finally takes it personally. It’s one thing to be judged by people he hardly knows. But for his best friends to be given like the easiest ultimatum and they can’t even deliver on it? He wonders if he’s being taken for granted. He decides he is and explodes. Shaggy never explodes so it freaks the gang out.

I think he’d call them out for not considering his constant submission into being the bait as a contribution - despite the fact that he always states that he’ll never do it again. But of course they wouldn’t count that because they’re always too focused in on the details to miss the big picture in front of them. Because, ultimately, that is what Shag adds to the team. Daphne, Fred, and Velma tend to get so wrapped up in the small factors that they sometimes miss the obvious. And that’s when Shaggy will point out the big thing that they’re missing. Shag has always been big picture over nuts and bolts so of course he’s the one to bring up the primary detail missed. This has been an element in almost every single show so I feel like it’s funny that it’s never been spelled out.

Velma is a little hot-head who doesn’t love being demoralized by anyone so she might say something uncalled for and that’s when Shaggy walks out and Scoob follows suit. That’s a pretty major conflict to take up the runtime so there you go. 

Shag and Scoob being pissed at the gang makes a little more sense now and can be further elaborated and expand into Shag’s self-confidence issues. It’s at this point that the two of them can get kidnapped by an unrevealed villain because why the heck would I take the mystery out of it? 

It wouldn’t be by a group of semi-sentient robots because this the 70′s or 80′s and technology wouldn’t be that advanced. Instead, I’d shoot for classic, masked henchmen (maybe disguised as horrifying Greek gods or something) who swipe Shag and Scoob from the bowling alley without even giving them a chance at a comedic chase scene because the audience is supposed to feel unnerved.

We’d cut back to the gang, 1/3 of them a little steamed and the majority feeling bad for selling their best friend short. It’s revealed that they didn’t take the investment offer because there’s no way they would further exclude Shaggy from anything. They decide that they should let everyone cool down before they go and talk things out and while that’s happening Daphne is trying put together a list of all the things Shag and Scoob add to the team. She gets even more upset with herself because this is their best friend and this shouldn’t be that hard. 

In the background, Fred and Velma start arguing and it would act as a kind of callback to the beginning where we see Shag break up their bickering. But since he’s not here the fight begins to escalate and it’s only when they start yelling that Daphne comes between them. Then her face lights up and she gingerly adds that to the list. 

As the movies cuts back and forth between Shag and Scoob’s perspective and the gang’s perspective the list gets longer.

Speaking of, Shag and Scoob are being kept prisoner at the abandoned carnival because that’s always an interesting set-piece that just so happened to be totally pointless in the actual movie. At some point the two of them are split up and this is when it’s hinted that the kidnappers where originally aiming for just Scooby but Shag was also there so they just rolled with it. But because Shaggy isn’t important to them, nobody is really guarding him anymore (they were originally guarding him because Scooby was with him). 

Scooby being taken is the motivation he needs to try and escape and save his dog (in his head he’s pretty sure these whackos are gonna freaking sacrifice his dog to the powerful god of all things creepy). His escape attempts would be interspersed between scenes of the gang looking for him, and Scooby being intimidated by the masked big bad (who is of course explaining the plan in great detail). The gang’s hunt for their guys would be a lot more difficult since they can’t just Life 360 up where he is. It would rely more on visual clues, eyewitness testimonies and choppy security footage, which is overall more engaging and gives the gang an actual thing to do.

While Shaggy is formulating an escape he’s able to pick up bits and pieces of what the crazy people want to do with Scooby and this acts as him getting closer to finishing a puzzle. But he doesn’t analyze the puzzle pieces he gets and tries to guess what the puzzle will look like, that’s not his area or his goal at the moment.

In a big triumphant moment, Shaggy escaping and the gang figuring out where he is happen at the same time. This gets the spirits high before things go wrong again.

And when I say wrong - I mean the gang get capture by the villain. Shaggy isn’t aware of this as he’s sneaking around the carnival grounds trying to figure out where someone would keep the actually important prisoner. I feel like a comically large circus tent would be a cool location for the climax of a movie Scooby’s probably in there. But when Shag gets there he’s quick to hide (like under the seats or something) and this is how he’s able to finally see the whole puzzle put together.

The gang escapes rather quickly because say what you will about Danger Prone Daphne but she’s just as good at getting out of tough situations as she is at getting into them. And so begins the epic journey to find their boys (they escape and Velma just instantly goes, “It’s obviously the huge circus tent.”). And at this point it’s like a One Piece arc and all you want is the whole gang to be reunited again. But first we need a fun scene of the VFD trio trying to evade the henchmen to like a Smash Mouth song or something because remember this is Scooby-Doo.

Shaggy realizes he has to do something fast otherwise his dog is going to be used to open the Underworld. He runs out of the shadows without any real plan with just the goal of taking down the bad guy. But he doesn’t get there in time and the whole tent like erupts into green and blue flames as Cerberus stomps out of the gates and Shaggy is just frozen in place. The masked guy seems a tad surprised to run into Cerberus so fast but is quick to gain control of the beast. He orders the monster to start wreaking havoc on a nearby town something, he doesn’t care so long as he can enter the Underworld without distraction.

But before he can do that, he gets jumped by Shaggy who’s really only trying to keep him pinned down while he comes up with a step two. But Mr. Mask has some fight in him so it becomes this epic struggle between Shaggy, Scooby, and the bad guy while the place is still on fire and we have an epic orchestral score playing in the background.

Right when it seems like the villain has the upper hand, Daphne comes in and like roundhouse kicks him in the head, and he’s out cold. And before Shag and Scoob can react they’re dogpiled by the other three and it’s very heartwarming.

Fred eagerly ties the perp up and then we get our unmasking and it’s Scrappy-Doo!!! Just kidding that’d be stupid. I’m really not sure who would be the best surprise villain but if anyone has a good idea for one please let me know!

When the bad guy comes to, Velma starts shaking him to tell them how to get Cerberus back into the Underworld and how to close the gate. He reveals that all you need to do is whistle and he’ll go home (Cerberus is Hades’ domesticated puppy so obvi that would work). Maybe we get a gag where someone tries to whistle but it’s too hot in the tent for it to work and they’re like: “Does anyone have like some water?” And then Shaggy just rolls his eyes and whistles and boom, big angry puppy comes home. 

Daphne smiles and says, “I’m gonna have to add that to the list.” And Shag is like, “Like, the list of what?” And she explains that the gang has been putting together a list of all the things he brings to the team and it makes him happy that they’re putting in the effort.

We cut back to Velma torturing the info out of our mask on how to close the gates and he just evilly laughs and only a dog or dog’s best friend can close the gate. But, unfortunately, the gate will take them back down to the Underworld. The gang just sits in shock because there is no better option there.

But without missing a beat, Scooby decides he’s gonna do it and runs for the lock. He’s about to put his paw on the thingy when Shaggy beats him to it and nobody even gets a second to process before he’s sucked in and the gate vanishes.

The whole gang run to the spot where the gate used to be and Daphne falls to her knees crying, Scooby is digging at the ground trying to get to the gate and Fred has to get him to stop.

“I never even got to give him the list...” And Daph pulls it out and just drops it on the ground. Velma is on the verge of tears as she adds, “I still owe him an apology. I owe him a lot of apologies...” And as Fred is comforting Scooby he says, “We all do...” The scene ends with the gang all hugging Scooby and the list bursts into flames and disappears.

Then we cut to Shag in the Underworld and he’s just leaning against the gate and crying because what else is he gonna do? “At least I was finally useful to them...” He thinks and slowly begins to walk around and is surprised to see that the Underworld is prettier than he expected. 

“Thank my wife. She’s always looking for ways to brighten this place up so I don’t feel so miserable when she’s gone. “

Shag screams bloody murder and jumps like a ten feet before turning around and seeing a dude in a chiton. Surprise surprise, it’s Hades (Who can also be a celebrity cameo whatever). We get some nice banter before Hades holds up something and asks, “Is this yours?” 

Shaggy looks down and sees that it’s a piece of paper, he shakes his head.

“Really? Because it mentions you an awful lot.”

Evidently it got snagged on the way down and ended up in Hades’ lap - he’s certain he wouldn’t have even noticed that Shaggy was there if it weren’t for that. And then Shag’s face lights up and he realizes it must be the list, as he reads it we cut to all of the times Daphne thought to write these down on their trip. Finally he believes that he’s useful to the team, that he is a valuable part of the gang. 

Hades looks at him and just says, “How do they survive without you?” 

And Shag just shrugs and goes, “Believe me, like, I have no idea.”

Hades smiles and replies, “Then you best not keep them waiting.” Before snapping his fingers and poofing Shaggy back home.

When he gets there, the gang are slowly making their way out of the tent so they don’t see him. So Shag takes the opportunity to say, “I read y’all’s list.” And everyone instantly makes a 180 turn with their eyes super wide and he continues, “You know I think you missed a few but it’s the thought that counts.” And then we get dogpile number two of the movie.

The final scene is the gang opening up Mystery Inc. and them asking Shag where the entertainment is and he’s just like, “I asked our surprise investors to put something together for us...” And then we get the Hex Girls performance we deserve and I can totally buy them investing in Mystery Inc. because they freaking love Shaggy and Scooby so.

We get an ending shot of the gang going off to solve their first monetized mystery (we could have like a soft instrumental version of the first theme song playing) and then we fade to the end credits where we get the What’s New Scooby-Doo theme.

[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 

[scoobydoominuscoobydoo]

So really early on we had made comparisons between Shaggy and Daphne with Stiles and Lydia from Teen Wolf. Obviously they’re not carbon copies of one another, Daph is an amazingly well rounded babe but she’s no Field’s Medal winner. (She is a straight A student though)  And while Shaggy is a very blessed individual he’s not exactly a born and bred detective like Stiles. But we’re not looking at the individual similarities between characters. We’re looking at the dynamics that are shared. Shaphne and Stydia’s similarities fall under their relationships. Lydia is an incredibly beautiful and popular girl but that’s not her whole character, like Daphne, behind that pretty face is a powerful and dangerous girl. And Stiles was the one taken for granted because he was just human, same could be said about Shaggy. Shaphne and Stydia are built on a mutual respect and reverence for one another. While Shaphne’s respect is not built on enough because of the Fraphne obsessed society we live in the respect is definitely there. Shaphne and Stydia were stuck in a world where people kept seeing them as how they wanted to see them.

In lieu of that Mod Silas has been redrawing some famous Stydia moments with Shaphne in place. And as a special present Mod Ninja will add on short fics to go with each picture. We hope you like this!

Part One

“It’s not just someone to hold you under, it has to be someone who can pull you back.”

Her hair had been perfect, it had taken hours for her to make it look windblown but in a sexy kind of way. She had redone her make-up four times to achieve the perfect mix of “I look like a million bucks!” and, “That hot chick you’d see at a Costco.” Resulting in a perfectly neutral yet captivating look. $200 had fallen out of her wallet so she could buy the regal, backless, deep purple dress.This dress was perfect, the closest thing to her dream coming true. Another $100 for the silver four inchers that matched her earrings.

She had stared at herself in the mirror for maybe five minutes.  

“This time Daph.” She said softly, “This time I’m gonna get this prom thing right.”

It was safe to say her first prom was a disaster. She had to tackle Fred to the ground and beg him to go with her, and after pouring her feelings out somehow they settled on going as “Buds ™.” But at least she got her dance with him.

Well, half a dance. It was interrupted by someone that Fred could grasp being attracted to. And she was also dressed like a great aunt from Hell.

Just like that, Fred’s eyes were off Daphne for the rest of the night. Whether she was kidnapping guys and throwing them in her rape dungeon or not, she had Fred’s complete and uninterrupted attention.  

But that was not going to happen this year.

Daphne was going to have her moment, she would get her dance with Fred and make her move. It was finally going to be the start of their perfect love story.

The mayor had sent two police squad cars to watch out for anything suspicious and protect the dance from it. Not wanting a repeat of the junior prom/Alice May debacle of last year.

While this was met with joy from Shaggy and Daphne, Velma had snorted and said, “Thank goodness our greatest allies are gonna be there to do nothing and get mad at us when we do all the work.” Daphne glared at her and Shaggy said, “Don’t you dare joke like that Velms! This is going to be a night of dancing, dates, and delicious snack tables. And absolutely no ghouls, zombies, werewolves, robotic werewolves, and vampires that look more like demons from hell than anything from Daph’s weird books!!”

Daphne had prayed to every god she could think of to help prevent any experts in special effects, puppetry, illusions, and advanced robotics didn’t get pissed off within the 72 hours before the dance. And she was almost considering being religious because here they were, walking into the gym that was decorated in and a 1940′s theme. No monsters in sight.

She was finally getting her moment with Fred, his arms were wrapped around her waist and his hands felt just perfect there.

And then a giant fucking bunny rabbit that spit acid just had to fall from the disco ball and send everyone into a panic. Daphne didn’t even need to look up at him to know that his eyes were sparkling and he was formulating a plan in his big, dumb, gorgeous, trap obsessed head. Once Shaggy let out a nervous chuckle she knew that her night of ineffable romance was over.

Precisely two hours and 15 minutes later they had caught The Buck Toothed Terror, which was a damn freshman who was mad that a senior hadn’t asked her out. Somehow Daph could relate.

Blah blah blah, robotics club member, blah blah blah, giant exoskeleton. “And I would have gotten away with it too if it weren’t for you meddling upperclassmen!!”

Daphne had heard it all before.

Regardless of that total waste of time it was still only 9:15 and the dance ended at midnight. She still had her chance to revive the dying dream.

She scanned the gym looking for her target, the dance floor was now filling up with re-relaxed students. She spotted him on the other side of the floor adjusting his ascot, which didn’t match his tux at all but she didn’t care because he had to be the one.

She lit up as she spotted him and prepped herself to make her way over to him. She smoothed her dress which had become wrinkled from the several times they had been chased a giant, robotic bunny. It wasn’t back to it’s perfect crisp appearance, but she doubted Fred would even notice, as usual. Then she remembered that she had sent a roundhouse kick, with perfect form if she did say so herself, at the bunny and had broken the heel off her shoe as a result.

$100 down the drain.

Whatever, you could barely see the shoes at the bottom of the dress, if she walked on her toes it would look the same.

Ignoring the fact that her hair was popping up in every direction, and being jealous of Velma’s bounce back bob, she began to make her way over to him.

But was then stopped in her tracks when she saw the whole picture. Fred was surrounded by peers, most notably hot seniors. Now technically Daphne was in the category of hot senior, but she was also an outcast amongst the popular crowd.

She always had the chance to join the popular crowd. Everyone in the school knew she would be a hit. But at the start of every year Daph found herself only giving the popular kids friendly nods and then she’d dash over to the table where Fred, Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma were sitting. And just like that she would be pushed into the rag-tag group of weirdos, same as every year. But she didn’t mind, these were her best friends and unlike everything else in her life they made her happy.

The popular kids seemed to understand this and left her be, left the whole group alone really. The most they ever did was try and convince Fred to ask her out once, which failed of course. But it showed Daph how genuinely nice these girls were. 

And currently two of them were putting their hands on his huge shoulders and drooling at every word he said.

He must have been telling the brave tale of how he saved their senior prom, of course adding in that it was a team effort. Because he wasn’t full of himself like other guys she’d met. He cared about equal credit and everyone’s happiness, unlike other guys she’d met. 

She felt herself tearing up.

“No Daph this is a dumb reason. It’s not like he had to spend prom with me.”

She had stared at him for another two minutes or so, hoping he’d look over at her and remember they were dancing earlier.

But he didn’t look over at her, instead the football players had dragged him off to their man huddle, and that was that.

She had no idea why she didn’t just walk over to him and ask him to pick up where they left off. Maybe she was too shy or nervous or scared, who cares it was too late.

She waddled over to the nearest empty tables and sat down, since Fred had been her ride she wasn’t able to just leave. So she chose to wallow and pout.

She felt her jaw drop when Fred escorted one of the hot seniors onto the dance floor. It took her like five minutes to get him to ask while it took Daph two months of planning to ensure she’d be the first girl he’d ask.

Her eyes began to tear up again, seeing how happy and natural he looked while he danced with someone they barely knew, and she didn’t care enough to hide her tears.

Until out of nowhere Shaggy had pulled out the chair next to her and sat down with a plop.

She quickly wiped her eyes and leaned forward so he couldn’t see her face. And while attempting to sound okay said, “How’s it going Shags?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, “Like, not great. Since Freddie had to commandeer all the precious food for the trap I’ve got nothing to do.” He leaned back in the chair and sighed. Daph looked around and smiled while saying, “Well where’s Scooby, I’m sure you and him could get into some sort of trouble.” She smirked and clasped her hands in her lap.

“Daph, do you really think Velma would let him stay at prom after what happened last year. Like man, she didn’t waste any time turning on the demon eyes.” He motioned towards the other side of the room where Velma was surrounded by guys from all walks of life. Somehow, this year Velms had become one of the hottest chicks in our class, getting date requests every other day.

Daphne wasn’t really jealous of her since she had her eye on only one guy, and it was way too funny watching Velma’s reactions to all the attention. 

“But you and Velma aren’t even together anymore are you?” She gave him a suspicious look but he quickly shook his head, “God no. I-uh, I guess she just doesn’t want Scoob ruining her last prom.” She smiled and sighed, “Honestly I would prefer if Scooby were here, then maybe it’d be a little fun.”

He stared at her for a second, maybe trying to unpack the meaning of what she said, and then he nodded.

He looked from Velma back to Daph, and they kinda just sat in silence for a little bit, just looking at each other.

That was one of the nice things about Shaggy, they didn’t need to say much of anything. Sometimes they could go on and on about how nice V-necks were, and other times they could just be quiet and accept each other’s company. At certain times Daph could use that comforting quiet that only Shaggy could handle.

It had taken a few minutes but Daphne looked down and realized that his hands were shaking, subtly but still noticeable.

She remembered that once again they had appointed Shaggy and Scooby as the bait in the formula. Daphne believed that it was because they were the fastest, but she couldn’t speak for Fred and Velma.

After everything was all wrapped up Shags was pretty good at looking like he was over his life being put in jeopardy. But Daphne eventually noticed that his hands didn’t stop shaking until the next day. That was when she considered that maybe he deserved a break. Her beliefs were confirmed when a doctor basically diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress. 

Of course that didn’t last long and he was back to being shoved into danger at every turn.

The main thing that had changed was that Daph now worried about him every time he became bait.

So of course he was still shaken up only half an hour after being chased to the death by an acid spitting rabbit that was 5x it’s original size. 

She could tell he was trying to calm down since he took deep breaths every few minutes, it didn’t stop his hands from shaking and she hated it. She took a deep breath as she grabbed his hands. He jumped at the sudden contact and Daph giggled, “Hey,” she said softly, he looked back at her, “Are you sure you’re okay.”

He stared at her with his eyebrows raised and said, “No Daph I am not okay, I almost got my tux melted off by a fucking bunny. And now I don’t even have any food or alcohol to drown my sorrows in!!”

She giggled again, “I have cappuccino flavored gum, it’s from my mom’s therapist.” 

“Which one?” Daph stared at him for a second, “Her-um-speech-no- it’s her anger management dude. Jackery??”

Shag chuckled, “Like, is Jackery even a real name?” She smirked, “Is Shaggy?Or Norville for that matter?” He winced, “Daph don’t even start that.”

She found them both chuckling, he seemed a lot calmer now that she had asked. Then she remembered that she was still holding onto his hands and he was gently holding back.

She quickly let go and put them back in her lap, looking around and hoping nobody saw them. More specifically, that Fred hadn’t seen. She peeked over Shag’s shoulder and felt her heart drop, several songs had passed and he was still out on the dance floor with the hot senior. He was still laughing and holding onto her tightly, something she had to beg to do with him.

Shag wondered what she had been staring at and looked over his shoulder. He then let out a sigh as he realized why party animal Daphne was bored at a school dance.

He looked back and saw her discouraged eyes filling with tears.

The hair on the back of his neck raised, he could handle his dog being over dramatic and Velma’s demonic tantrums and Fred throwing him into danger every other week. But he had no idea what to do when Daphne cried.

Whenever she cried she did it like a Disney princess, usually sprawled out on a bed with her hair all spread out and her face buried in the covers. When Daph cried everyone was going to know about it, and everyone just let a combo of Fred complimenting her and Scooby offering her his favorite toys. Eventually that would calm her down and she would explain while Velma rolled her eyes and Shaggy gave her apologetic looks.

 But this crying wasn’t the typical, charming Daphne crying.

This was purposely silenced crying, the kind where you wanted nobody to notice. 

He sighed and she realized that he was looking at her, she turned away and wiped her eyes. “What a day to not wear my waterproof mascara.” She forced a chuckle. Shag only needed to look at her helplessly trying to fix her eyes for a couple seconds before he gulped and took a deep breath.

“Like, Daph?” He sounded a lot more croaked than intended, which didn’t help his confidence. 

She looked away from the napkin she had used to clean the lines of her eyeliner and back to him. The second her purple eyes met his brown ones he became like 10 million times more nervous and his heartbeat probably spiked. Daph could say the same thing since she had no clue what he was gonna ask her.

“Yes Norville?” She sent him a smirk.

“Don’t even Daph I mean it.” She giggled as she let out a few sniffles.

He took a deep breath and looked out at the dance floor, “Do you-uh like, do you wanna dance?” It took him a lot longer to get that out, so he sounded like a sloth. Daphne stared at him for a second, her eyes wide while she processed what he said. She only ever danced with Fred.

At every dance she’d been to, homecoming, winter ball, spring formal, hoedowns, and of course the junior prom.

It’s was just a natural position she assumed.

She knew that just friends could dance, that’s more likely than dancing with a date. But somehow dancing with Shaggy felt like something in between. She had never danced with anyone else.

She must’ve been silent a long time because Shag added, “We’re stuck here for, like, another four hours so we might as well do what society expects us to.” She smiled and sent a glance over toward Fred, another song had passed and he was still on the floor smiling with the hot senior. 

“The dance floor is super crowded. Like, I doubt Fred would see you, i-if you’re worried about that.” 

She stared at him for another second and came to a conclusion. Tonight, she did not care what Fred saw or didn’t see. She had made this whole night about him and that was the same thing that ruined last year. For once this night was just about Daph, and Daph could do what she wanted.

So she ripped her gaze away from Fred, who could do whatever (and whoever) he wanted tonight, and gave Shaggy a smile.

She nodded quickly and they both stood up.

That was when she remembered that one of her shoes was broken. 

She lifted her skirt, her foot was being forced into a contorted position, “Damn it.” Shag whistled and said, “Like, now that is a terrible shoe design. Don’t no heel high heels conflict each other?” Daph rolled her eyes, “I didn’t spend $100 on a pair of gravity defying heels, I-I…I broke one of them when I kicked that stupid bunny.”

“Sounds like something you’d do.” She was about to point out that it had saved Velma’s hide but when she looked up she saw Shaggy kicking off his shoes.

“W-What are you doing Shag?” She crossed her arms and hoped no one noticed. He rubbed the back of his neck and said sheepishly, “You need to take your shoes off now that I don’t have any on.” Daph raised an eyebrow at him, she absolutely hated getting her feet dirty and he knew that, it just wasn’t right at all.

One time they were chasing after a swamp creature while surrounded with mud pits and Daph had been in a catatonic state for about an hour, even after her feet had been cleaned.

She would rather fight through the pain of these useless shoes then get some sort of bacteria through her feet.

But then she saw his hands, still shaking, and the random deep breaths every few seconds. It only took her a second before she groaned and kicked her shoes off, effectively shrinking her and reminding her that Shaggy was roughly 6′0. She ignored how gross her feet felt and grabbed one of his shaking hands. 

She started to drag him toward the middle of the dance floor, where it was the most crowded. Still hoping nobody would notice.

Although that might be asking too much since they were both shoeless and she was Daphne Blake.

Once they reached the center they both stood in front of one another, being quiet while a wall of other people swayed to the music around them. “Like, I uh…..”

Daph nodded and said, “I don’t know how to do this either.” His eyes darted around the room before they landed on her again.

She really liked the way he looked at her, no strings attached, no expectations, and no stupid clueless gaze. It just felt like he was looking at just her, Daphne.

She took a step forward so there were only a few inches between them and she placed her hands on his shoulders, “We’ll figure it out.” She smiled and he returned it as he rested his hands on either side of her. His fingers brushed the skin of her back for a couple seconds sending chills up her whole body. They slowly swayed to the music, not saying anything. Their comfortable silence returning. She just smiled and stared at him and he returned the favor.

Even dancing with him felt relaxed, and right.

She felt perfect, finally she believed this is what she deserved to have at prom.

And then her eyes drifted over to Fred, who was only a few feet away from them, and his eyes were on her. And instantly she was filled with regret and guilt, she was ruining everything! The more Fred stared at her the more the gentle swaying felt like the rocking of a ship in a storm. 

She had felt perfect and happy with herself a few seconds ago but she just had to think about her weakness, and then meet eyes with said weakness.

With that she looked away, and to keep herself from looking at him again she slid her hand down Shag’s arm and pulled herself into a hug. Hiding her face, and blocking her gaze, in his chest.

She could hear his breathing stifle, but he didn’t move.

Instead he leaned down and rested his head on her shoulder, the random deeps breaths seemed to diminish.

And it was replaced by a warm feeling in Daph’s chest, which she prayed meant anything but the first thing that came to her mind.