(Scooby-Doo/Mystery Incorporated) Scooby-Doo's Anatomical Anamolies · 4:11am Aug 20th, 2018
Background
This actually applies to all versions of Scooby-Doo, but is most explicitly the case in Mystery Incorporated, the 2010-2013 show which has a distinctly Lovecraftian explanation for why the Gang live in such a strange world -- an evil incomprehensibly-alien Entity is trapped in a time prison similar to Cyäegha's, and is creating both heroes and villains as part of an elaborate long-term plan to win free. Meanwhile, most of the Annunakim -- good beings of the same race as the Entity's -- are both Uplifting the human and other species, while trying to ensure that the Entity does not escape to consume the Earth and possibly the Universe.
Yes, that's the main story arc of a Scooby-Doo series, and even better (by implication) of the Scooby-Doo franchise as a whole (because the Annunakim dwell outside of our linear spacetime and hence can both create and move between parallel worlds). Heady stuff.
Anyway, one of the things which the Annunakim have been doing is Uplifiting other species of higher animals, ranging from mammals to archosaurs to possibly even elasmobranches, both because the Annunakim can use them as avatars, and probably because Uplifting non-sapient creatures to full sapience is seen by the Annunakim as a morally good thing to do. There are lineages of these sapient animals dwelling on the Earth with man, and of course, one of the scions of these lineages is Scooby-Doo.
Anatomy
Scooby-Doo appears at first glance to be a normal Great Dane domestic dog -- the differences are far subtler than, say, between one of the Ponies and an ordinary horse. Close examination, however, reveals numerous significant anamolies.
Brain
Scooby's brain-body ratio is around that of a non-human great ape such as a chimpanzee or gorilla, though this is not obvious at a glance because it is a flatter, longer brain than that of a human or other great ape. This grants him the equivalent intelligence of a typical human, because its architecture is more efficient (we see a more radical version of this improved cerebral design in Professor Pericles, whose brain is not much larger than that of a real parrot, but who possesses the equivalent of human-supergenius level intelligence, perhaps at the cost of a certain emotional instability).
Face
Scooby's facial musculature is more complex and expressive than that of an ordinary dog; in addition to the normal range of canine expressions, he also has a wide range of human-type facial expressions. This gives him an advantage in social interactions.
Vocal
Scooby has considerable control over his tongue, and more fully-developed lips than is normal for canines. He has a humanoid voicebox. The combination of these features, with expansion of the relevant areas of the brain, render any version of Scooby capable of full human speech, though the requirements of retaining and in some cases augmenting canid capabilities of biting and eating, give him a pronounced accent, usually a tendency to add rolled "r's" onto the start his words, which may make him difficult at times to understand.
Muscles and Skeleton
Scooby's skeleton has complex joints and can reconfigure itself as necessary between a normal canine pattern (obligate quadrupedal locomotion and greatly limited shoulder and wrist flexibility aiding running speed and endurance) and a more apelike pattern (bipedal locomotion at will, and great rotation of the shoulders and wrists allowing brachiation and repositioning of the hands for strong, complex manipulation). He is both very strong (like a normal Great Dane) and extremely agile (like a chimpanzee), which -- combined with his normal canine jaws and dentition and his unusual claws -- render him physically quite formidable. (If he were braver and less gentle-natured, he'd be inmcredibly dangerous, on the level of Dean Koontz's Outsider).
Hands
Scooby has five digits on each forepaw, of which the inmost one is a strong and highly-maneuverable dewclaw, advanced to a position from which it is capable of being fully opposed to at least the first two digits. His toes are semi-separable and independently-maneuverable. This -- combined with his rotatable wrists -- gives him a manual dexterity roughly equivalent to that of a gorilla -- clumsy compared to a human's, but far superior to that of any real dog or even cat. Scooby can manipulate most human technology with facility -- he can, for instance, drive a car or shoot a gun, and does both in the course of the series.
Claws
Special attention should be paid to Scooby's foreclaws. An ordinary dog has non-retractable claws which are used rather like cleats, and are consequently blunt. A dog can scratch with his claws (and does so to dig) but the blunt claws bruise and scrape rather than slice like those of a cat.
Scooby has claws which can either retract out of the way when he doesn't need them, move forward controllably through a variety of positions (including the one dogs normally have to aid their running or digging, and he's a very rapid digger) or extend completely to push out about two inches from his hands. These claws are neither as hard nor as sharp as those of (say) a mountain lion's, but they are harder and sharper than a normal dog's, and can inflict serious injuries if Scooby is so minded. Scooby most often uses them to aid his running and manipulation.
Tail
One of Scooby's most extreme anatomical modifications is his possession of a long, muscular prehensile tail. This tail is strong enough to support his body weight, and dextrous enough for fine manipulation. This is an organ rare among mammals, and probably derived from the genetics of neotropical monkeys.
Metabolism
Scooby's final advantage (which is also a disadvantage) is invisible, though one may guess at it if one sees him eat. He needs to eat a lot to fuel that powerful brain and supercanine musculature. Fortunately, he both has very strong jaws and teeth, and a wide throat (like a normal dog), but also the ability to digest almost anything organic, neutralizing most poisons (decay or otherwise) and very rapidly process it for energy. This gives him superior strength and endurance, provided that he has a supply of almost any food. Scooby also seems to be able to both put on and burn off fatty tissues very rapidly (though that might just have been either a gag or a Reality Warping by the Entity).
Conclusion
Scooby-Doo looks like a normal dog, but in many respects he's not. He's the product of an Uplifted lineage, and given his family's notable fertility, one bidding fair to eventually become a separate subspecies. And -- luckily for everyone -- he's not only smart and strong, but strong-willed and good-hearted, to the point that he was able to successfully resist the commands of the Evil Entity at point-blank range, and put an end to its ancient prehuman evil.
For now.
:-) Nice reading something of yours again friend. You remind me of Godzillawolf, who ALSO loves to overthink this sort of stuff for fun! *Hugs* Don't ever change!
Or I'm reading too much into it, but I like the idea too much to dismiss it out of hand.
I read this and thought, 'Wow, Scooby's joined the Wold Newton universe!'
I do wonder about Scoob's relations from earlier versions of the show. Like poor Scooby-Dum, and Scrappy. There were probably others that I've thankfully forgotten. Are they simply less 'developed' versions of him?
Also, talking a gengineered/cybernetic super-Scooby, you might want to check out the DC comics series that puts Scooby and the gang in a nanotech driven Apocalypse. In it he's another EEEEE-vil military/gummint/corporate experiment* who of course turns good when he meets Shaggy. It's not quite as bad as you'd think but you need to get used to seeing Shaggy and Fred blowing humans-turned-monsters away with shotguns.
And good to see you back here! I hope things are well and that you can catch up on your watched stories on site.
* -- Boy but that dead horse has been flogged into a stain on the ground, hasn't it?
4922885
I think that the evidence is that Scooby comes from a large and successful family. I'm guessing that -- moral issues aside (and the Scoobyverse seems not to grant civil rights to sapient animals any more than we do) -- owners who are aware that their animal is of an intelligent lineage rarely spay or neuter them, and this goes double for talking animals (note that an Annunakim-lineage animal may or may not have the power of speech, for instance Nova doesn't have it normally, when not housing an actual Annunaki). Scooby at least is charismatic and some of his kin are aggressive, making successful breeding likely.
I read your new chapter of Realms Undreamed Of. I think it was extremely good -- and I'm guessing now that whoever is actually leading the Shonokin is dangerously cunning. He's nerfed Luna and nearly did worse to her. And I have to wonder what he's going to do with all that stolen power.
4922836
Oh yes. I was thinking of the whole Hanna-Barbara universe. We know that there are Annunaki-Uplifted mammals (Scooby and some other dogs including Dyno-Mutt, Whiskers and some other cats, Mr. Peaches the orangutan,Tiny the bull, Fuchi the skunk, Portos the donkey, and the Jaguar), and at least one avian archosaur (Professor Pericles the parrot). If we take the existence of the characters Scooby dreamed about in his fever (though not their precise actions) as canonical, there's a hominid of unknown species (Captain Caveman), and an elasmobranch fish (Jabberjaw, a great white shark who has been so heavily modified that he can actually balance on his tail and gulp air well enough to function for limited periods of time on land). Captain Caveman's race were already sapient, as are probably real orangutans and African Gray parrots, but certainly not dogs, cats, skunks, bulls, donkeys or sharks.
Droopy's power would be terrifying if you were his foe. Combined with that of Maud, they could easily defeat all but the most cosmically-powerful villains.
ADDENDUM: There's reason to believe that at least some of the gators of Gatorsburg (crocodilian archosaurs) were sapient and capable of speech. Given that, and the appearance of the three last humans living in the town, there's a rather disturbing implication similar to that in "The Shadow Over Innsmouth."
4923117
Thanks for reading it, a new chapter will be posted in a day or so.
And we will see what happened with Luna and the rest.
4922783
Thank you. I'm glad you liked it and I appreciate your praise. (*hugs back*)
4923123
I'm sorry I don't inspire you like the good old days, was fun while it lasted. *hugs*
4922836
If Jordan can weave epic space fantasy out of *gummi bears and mlp g1-4*, and make it work, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "READING TOO MUCH INTO IT!!!"
If only making humans who are able to overcome their bias toward supporting _wrong_ types of authorities was reality and not fiction ...
But I had different line to say, or may be question. Will our normal anatomical rules apply to beings who can reuse their own (or someone's else!) telekinesis not only on objects, but on their bodies and their parts as well? And internal organs ....
4923121
I'm out of the loop, what is Droopy's power, and where is Gatorsburg?
4934769
When something truly makes Droopy angry, he becomes unstoppablely powerful against it. The humor is that Droopy is a little, rather depressive, and seemingly harmless dog. The structure of a Droopy cartoon always involves a villain picking on Droopy, laughing off Droopy's warnings, and then falling victim to Droopy's berserkergangen rage.
4934769
Gatorsburg is a dying town in the swamps not too far from Crystal Cove in the Mystery Incorporated universe.
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Got it, thanks.
4923125
You still do. (*hugs*)
It also explains the existence of sapient and non-sapient creatures in the Hanna-Barbara world.