prince & paladin

Mike Wheeler & Fred Jones

Our designated leaders of the gang

They are the Plans Guy: they are quick to come up with a relevant way of approaching a situation they're faced with, or working off of others

Impulsive, but calculated. Which leads me to my next point..

They love finding a melee weapon:

Other characters may make use of things around them as they do, but Fred and Mike are the ones that charge forward and just go for it, especially to get an antagonist to back off their friends and go for them instead. They do the split second math and pick up the spontaneous weapon every time danger is about to make a move. They are good at making use of the limited things around them

But they also don't always win the fight..

It doesn't mean they back down the next time though.

The knightly imagery with Fred is crazy considering it's Mike who pairs up with him in this AU, it really is so natural.

Huge nerds with fixations on and rambles about their hobbies, no further elaborating needed LMAO

This one is self explanatory, and I DID start it before season 5 and I'm not throwing it away just because of canon idc.. in my world it still works!!

And I thought this similarity was cute too

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Will Byers & Daphne Blake

Something I find so fucking cool and fresh about Will's entire character is how within his narrative he falls under tropes famously associated with female (mostly horror) characters/icons, and Daphne is another - more light hearted - example!

With all that in mind I may as well start with the obvious for the decision. "Danger-prone Daphne" is what she's been commonly known as for decades. Not so much clumsiness, but being in peril is just what can come for her character, much like Will is tied to the supernatural narrative.

However neither of them want the danger that follows them to define them, and they don't! It may continue happening to them, as is their fate, but it's not all they are and not what their loved ones think of them. I LOVE that Will is a damsel as a male character, it's not a bad thing to correct at all. And thanks to Daphne and other fictional characters, we know being considered a damsel doesn't make Will helpless 🙂‍↕️☝🏽

In multiple iterations, Daphne is written to fight back or stand up to threats more often, and I think that fits nicely with Will having his cathartic moments throughout ST5 of standing up for himself and succeeding!

(I had to add that one ^ it made me giggle)

There are times where the gang/party realise they can't prevent Will or Daphne from danger, but work to get them back, every time.

Next, another favourite... Will's painting and Daphne's song. I scream every time I think about it. Both of them poured their hearts into a piece of art for their love they don't feel they can express it to.

Daphne of course does, and the lyrics really do speak Will's mind. I was really hoping this comparison would come to fruition when I first started making this post, but the duffers are fucking cowards, so.

Both Daphne and Will are the most gentle and empathetic in the group, giving people a chance and taking other's feelings into account more often

Using full names on their partners 😭

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Now the next two.. I knowww this is probably an unpopular opinion to some, but you've gotta hear me out on this bc I've seen a whole lot of Scooby Doo in my life. It's not just about Dustin being smart, I think that's a weak association I'm sorry 🥹 I WILL SAY THOUGH this genuinely was hard for a bit because Lucas and Dustin DO fit both Velma and Shaggy in different ways, it can be either way honestly! - but ultimately Dustin and Dart are too perfect to not go with, and Lucas really does fit Velma HAHA

Walk with me..

Lucas Sinclair x Velma Dinkley

Huge dorks!! More than people realise until they really pay attention to them

Always out here insulting their threats lmfao

Both Lucas and Velma have had arcs where they stick to their opinion of a situation, or their beliefs, may even come across as a little close minded, but along the way they experience more that gets them to expand their view point.

For Velma, this was purely believing in science and not entertaining the idea of magic until she was forced to interact with it/actual supernatural antagonists. For Lucas, it was his initial lack of belief that Will could still be alive/trusting El in ST1. While understandable for his situation, they ultimately lacked some facts. Both are able to put pride aside and admit their minds were opened.

Velma often - to me - is mischaracterised as stone cold. I don’t see her that way at all, I think she values her friendships and doesn’t have much tolerance for silly people. Why would she? She has her way of moving about in the world where her logic ties with her staying true to what she believes. When they're with their friends, they have fun and banter heaps!

Staying true to what she believes is a part I see in Lucas too, he made the decision to join the basketball team and didn’t let his friends deter him; even when they asked him to reconsider, he did what felt best for himself at the time. The same as when he went off on his own to find Will, and, even in a childish situation - how he knew what he felt for Max and got her back those 5 times.

Both of them have an arc where trying to force being someone they may not be, to try and reach a particular goal/desire, and ultimately come back to who they are.

Lucas' arc is obviously very different, complex and important, but I have it here because the crux of it, with both he and Velma initially going against the core of themselves, is there!

Velma's arc wasn't very typical of her character either, "insecure nerd" wasn't what Velma was always about, and still isn't, but it works for a connection between the two of them here.

Even with their more serious, often realist approach to everything, they love their friends and always look out for them. They show up for their friends every time

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Dustin Henderson x Shaggy Rogers

I'm starting with my favourite one lmao: calling out the bad feelings and whether what they're doing is the right thing

Their association with food was another thing that jumped out, though as ST steps away from being so on the nose with 80s character archetypes like in season 1, Dustin gets much better character development than only that! Also Lucas snacks often on the show too lmao, which was one of the points I was like hmmm they're kinda a mix of these characters 😂

Another big writing similarity is having Dustin and Shaggy (and Scooby) going off on separate missions to the rest of the gang for an arc! For Shaggy it happens in almost every adaptation, and for Dustin it’s happened enough that we all want him back and interacting with the party every season

When they do come back to the others, they've been sorely missed

They also feel it pretty hard when their friendship groups have problems, valuing what they have as unconditional

They often have out of the box (and in Shaggy's case, sometimes accidental) ideas and solutions to problems that arise, bad guys or otherwise!

The scene where Dustin meets D’art is so similar to one of the iterations of how Shaggy and Scooby met in Scoob! (2020). Food was both a peace offering and a method of bonding. Both Dustin and Shaggy were incredibly gentle and only wanted to show D’art and Scooby that they meant no harm and even thought they were cool! Wow new friend! And all that :’)

Another similarity between Dustin and Shaggy is that they always exist as exactly who they are, and the most true to themselves even as everything happens around them, and to them

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+ A bonus!

D'art is the Scooby-Doo of my AU, as has been mentioned a few times in here! His name is "Demo-Doo" and I love him and how he fits in with the party hehe

Annnd I think I'll leave it here for now! I plan to explore some of these in posts/edits, and even more in art over time so feel free to follow @solisevart if you're interested, here's art of their introductions!!

I hope you guys see the vision pls yell with me any time if you dooo!! or tag me in anything! this AU is my heart fr 💙💜🧡💚🤎

“I followed thy magic,” whispered the creature wearing Mike’s face.

Will nodded. “Okay.” The wheels turned in his head, no real destination in sight. “But where– what’s on the other side of the gate?”

“Our home,” the boy said simply. “Hawk’s End.”

Will giggled in spite of himself. Perhaps it was the nerves, or perhaps it was the pure ridiculousness of the situation. “Hawk’s End?” he repeated. “Which end?”

Creature-Mike nodded again. “Our small village in the realm of Roane,” he elaborated, a smile beginning to form before stopping abruptly. “Dost thou remember naught?”

Will shook his head, mouth open to form words he couldn’t conjure. “I...” He put his head in his hands.

“Honey,” the knight said, and rose at once to gather Will in his arms.

The embrace was warm and tight and familiar. Will leaned into the touch, and was rewarded with even tighter arms. No creature or demon could imbue a hug with as much love as this one had. A Mike could, though.