MSA(and SD) Flame Types
(Because I am weak for KHR okay)
Alright then! Let’s do this! From oldest to youngest I guess. Also this is half character breakdown, half of me just messing around. As always though, this is heavily headcanon based, so if you disagree then you don’t have to follow along with these ideas and can just decide for yourself on what they fit.
That said, I’m not including Mystery, Galaham or Scooby in this list because they’re... well not exactly humans. Also, I just kind of feel weird about it... But you can assume that Scooby and Galaham at least follow Shaggy and Arthur regarding their flames, because familiars!
Mystery might end up getting his own post to explain him later on, because Kitsune... Anyway! Let’s do this thing!
Now, before I actually begin this thing there is something I should probably say about this. It’s both based on their personalities, but also, slightly on their associated colours... and well, as a result some of them may feel incredibly obvious considering how I have chosen them... but at the same time, some of them may confuse people because uh, how did I possibly come to that conclusion... also to be thorough, I will be explaining the Primary flame mostly, with a small sub-note for potential Secondary/Tertiary flames where they feel necessary... as a result you people will be getting quite a bit of a rundown... also this is just for fun, and just my interpretation of things and you’re allowed to have your own opinion and even point out any flaws in the logic that I have used to determine flame compatibility...
You know beyond the obvious colour =/= exclusive to a flame... but you know... this will be fun.
Vivi Yukino:
First up, everyone’s favourite blue babe!
So, initially my impulse with Vivi was actually to label her as a Storm, which considering she’s blue might be a bit weird to think about, but uh... it kind of made sense considering Storms are Determination... and there is no pretending that Vivi isn’t determined... but at the same time, it doesn’t quite fit. Despite my initial impulse, I pushed that aside and actually considered Vivi. Now for the most part the fandom tends to uh, not exactly put as much focus on her as they could, I guess that’s the fault of the general way that the plot gets laid out... I mean what with Lewis and Arthur being tangled in the whole mess left from the cave, her missing memories, and then Mystery with Shiromori and whatever is happening there...
But anyway, back to the point, what is Vivi’s role? The leader! She’s the one at the helm. Dragging the boys along with her, whether they want her to or not... and I know the sterotype is Leader=Sky, but no. No, let’s not go there, and also it’s not quite right for Vivi... I mean it’s fitting in a thematic sense I guess... but not really. So let’s keep considering, Vivi is the one who plans things, she’s the one who finds the mysteries for them to solve, and well, I guess she has the background to know about how this all works as well... but that said, Vivi is also the most “level” I guess of the team.
She’s reliable.
Loyal, she Perseveres, Devoted, she definitely cares for her team, and oh yeah, she definitely has Integrity.
No doubt regarding those things. No doubt at all. And what does this all add up to? Well, she’s a Rain.
Also, just as a final note, I was in no way influenced to this judgement by the fact that best Rain Takeshi plays baseball and Vivi wields a bat... not at all!
But anyway, Vivi’s a rain, with the blue flames, and the ability to tranquilize others. Something that I’m sure would be useful in the business that she has chosen to take up... also, notably, the reliability that she has that clinched my decision... I think that’s the reason that she’s the leader. They know that they can rely on her, they can count on her. And isn’t that the thing you want your leader to be more than anything else? Reliable...
Secondary flame: Storm.
Lewis Pepper:
(I’m aware that Arthur’s canonically the elder of the two of them, but shh, I am sticking with my original headcanon!)
Mist!
No but seriously, can we just appreciate how much of a showman Lewis is for one second. Like seriously. All the glim and glam for his mansion, not even mentioning the little touches that he adds to things in Freaking Out and just... Lewis stop, stop it! But seriously, he’s fantastic and it’s so obvious I don’t really have to think that much about this, since he’s just... so much of a mist. Not to mention he fits the more mysterious parts of the “stereotypical” mist as well. What with his mysterious past... I mean just seriously.
Dramatic showmanship and just that flare. Lewis is definitely a mist, no one can argue that point okay! No one!
...
Okay, I should probably explain just a little bit more about this before people start grumbling and asking exactly why I didn’t jump to Cloud. And aside the colour association... Lewis just doesn’t feel all that much like a Cloud... not really... I mean, then again, he could kind of be like Skull, a whole lot of showmanship and bark, but still... Mists are Visionary, and Clouds are Independent. So what does this mean in regards to Lewis... well here’s the thing, Lewis works with his family, Pepper Paradiso. He works there, and well also, let’s have a quick look at those traits between the two... All of them, positive and negative...
Indigo: Integrity, sincerity, structure, regulations, responsible, idealism, intuition, visionary, faith, devotion, truth, and selflessness. Fanatical, judgmental, intolerant, impractical, inconsiderate, depression, fearful, conformative, bigoted, avoidant
Purple: Individual, unusual, creative, inventive, selfless, psychic, intuitive, mystery, selfless, future, and fantasy. Immature, impractical, aloof, cynical, pompous, arrogant, corrupt, and delusions of grandeur
I mean, I suppose you could argue either way but... my headcanon definitely leans more towards the indigo side of things... Especially with the way that he reacted upon rising up from the dead... Oh boy was he immediately judgemental, somewhat inconsiderate to... I mean think about it... Also can’t say he might not be scared... and he’s possibly avoiding thinking too much about previous events... as for indigo positives. Think about the kind of family he comes from, what with think about the Peppers as a whole. Also on that note, yes, Lewis is selfless, he’s honest(tells the truth), seemed kind of like an idealist before his death, was the “Mom friend” and all the evidence seems to point to the fact he was devoted to Vivi, and definitely devoted to his family... so yeah...
Primary Mist...
(Also just look at all the flare, and the way he casually does things like summon lampposts to make the fight more dramatic facing off against Shiro!)
Secondary: Cloud
Arthur Kingsmen:
...
Now I kind of automatically want to go with Author Appeal here, go with my first impulse of Sky-Arthur... but I know that there will be someone who comes in all high and mighty talking about how Arthur is obviously a Sun... So I’m going to pre-empt that and talk about this... Again I could go with colour psychology... but actually I don’t think that’s necessary...
Instead, let’s talk about the role both kind of have in a group, the Sky is home, or rather the Sky is the “glue” of the group. And in KHR, that traditionally means that they are the leader... and Skies are all about acceptance... which again, as I pointed out in a prior breakdown, is a two-way street. Acceptance isn’t something that’s fully experienced unless it’s flowing from both... I mean, you can still accept someone without them accepting you, but it’s not quite as nice...
As for the Sun... Uh... mostly support? I mean, the Sun seems to be traditionally the healer. Also somewhat self-sacrificing, using themselves and their bodies to protect the group... Which okay, that fits I guess... but there is one other thing, the Sun is Energy. Mental or Physical, mind or body... which well, that’s something I guess... but ultimately...
I have to go with Arthur being a Sky... and it’s because of the glue thing... there’s just something about the way that the group is... and Arthur truly is the glue. He’s the one who keeps the group working if you think about it... and not just because he’s the mechanic making sure that the Scare-A-Van runs and works so that they can get to wherever the mystery really is... but because he does at least try to stop them from running right into things... even if he’s probably just as curious about things at times. He at least wants to play it safe...
I mean, generally that’s what people go with. He enjoys a good mystery, but would much prefer it if he wasn’t dragged into danger... And he wants the others to stay safe as well, to keep from running headlong into a ridiculously dangerous situation and getting hurt... One of my favourite little discussion/drabble pieces is this one, because well... think about it okay! Think about it...
Now as for the other traits associated with the bright orange of Sky flames well.. Communication, adventurous and funnily enough, optimism along with agreeableness... I might be weird about this, but I do view Arthur as an optimistic person, he might be the first to see how a situation could go wrong and have a generally pessimistic(which haha, pessimism is also an orange trait) of how a situation could go... but he also forces himself to look on the bright side and trust that things will get better. That his friends will come and save him when he gets in trouble, and that a solution can and will be found. Also you can’t argue about him being unadventurous without running into the wall of him still going on cases you know...
Communication, and agreeableness, maybe a bit weird, but Arthur knows social-foo, like any good introvert dragged into conversations. Also, I kind of think of him being good at debating things... because well you know. He’s probably had to before. But yeah.
Arthur’s a Sky, end of.
Secondary: Sun(Because that’s obvious you know).
Now, for the funnest part of this breakdown...
The other crossover, because you know what. I kind of lump them together because well, yeah. I mean, for crying out loud, I use the same tag for both of them, THybrid MSA... partially because it was sort of used first... but also because getting into MSA dragged me back into the whole Meddling Kids fandom... which yeah, aside Scooby Doo, this does count a few other series that I have been rewatching, and generally counting as part of the same continuity... Which yeah... So anyway, that’s why I keep the tag, among other reasons... I am debating changing it to something more fitting though, like THybrid Meddles, but eh...
I think I’ll keep my current tag, since it’s already been established... But who knows... I do have the tag replacer, and it’s only the matter of a small change...
That said, time for Mystery Inc. to get their flames talked about and explained.
Again, some will seem kind of obvious because of colour association, but I will be explaining it... since yeah...
Fredrick “Fred” Jones:
Alright, so Fred was actually the single hardest member to characterize. That’s mainly because with the way he is, I kind of initially went with Rain and didn’t think about it. But since I was keeping myself to a minor rule, Rain didn’t work. So I came back and actually thought about it... and thought, and thought. And the initial conclusion after all that thinking was that Fred is kind of bland and hard to figure out...
I mean, there’s a reason for that, but there is also a reason I initially went with Rain and was done... because it’s the simple solution and Fred being reliable wasn’t something that people could say was wrong... but it’s not right. Mostly because of a personal rule I set while working on this, but also because for all that Fred’s reliable, it’s not really central to him, and if we are associating Fred with blue, then he becomes a bit too passive... which yeah...
So what was the conclusion that I came to after eliminating Rain? Well, Sun.
Now wait a minute, I’m sure that there are some of you now staring at your screens and going what? But yeah, remember that I have a headcanon, Autism, Fred’s Autistic, at least to me. And energy is the thing that goes with Suns. Mental or Physical... and honestly Fred does show both, at least slightly... But anyway, my Autism Headcanon lead me to this, because his special interest is mainly Traps, and have you seen the traps he sets up? Even when they’re just the classic net, he’s good at them. Also aside traps, he definitely has at least a partial special interest in mysteries. I mean he’s the leader and all.
Honestly while he can be a bit scattered, he’s trying. And he is able to link things together when he gets all the pieces, and he thinks. Also, one of my favourite moments, the entire Beach Beastie movie. Like just seriously, I mean sure Fred’s kind of freaking out for a period of it, but well... Can’t say I blame him for that... I mean I know what it’s like to try and deny a special interest, it’s hard, and can be kind of painful on a mental level... Maybe not quite as bad as Fred was throughout the whole thing, but still... I feel it.
Also, on energy, there are two separate occasions that Fred plays vollyball against himself, at least that I can find and remember. (One of which I got help fully recalling, thanks @phantoms-lair!). She Sees Sea Monsters by the Seashore and Reef Grief!
(She Sees Sea Monsters by the Seashore)
(Reef Grief)
Just... Energy to spare. Also, just wow! I kind of also think of this as a kind of Autism thing as well... because I’ve done some, similar things myself. It’s complicated... But anyway, yeah, Fred has energy to spare. Mental is obvious with the focus on his traps, the mysteries that they hunt out and solve, and I guess a little bit dedicated to the Mystery Machine... and Physical... well he likes getting out an about. And oh yeah, Fred definitely fits the other associations with yellow.
I mean seriously, he does. Maybe that’s also why he’s kind of bland most of the time... aside him being somewhat generically the ‘leader’ and well, a bit of a distracted easy-going oblivious nerd. He’s a precious boy.
He’s a sunny boy. So Fred’s a Sun.
Secondary: Rain.
Shaggy:
Author appeal makes me say sky!
Haha, but seriously. Shaggy actually does fit his colour in a weird way. So Lightning Shaggy, let’s talk about this.
I mean, obviously Shaggy isn’t really one who desires much. Not really, I mean he doesn’t have a real ambition according to the profiles. And he doesn’t really have any real goals in the show either... and yet. Yet! There is definitely a desire there. A good time with friends, to be safe and out of danger, and quite possibly to try every kind of food that he can. You know? Also, the desire to protect his friends is most definitely there, and not something that can be hidden.
"To draw damage to himself and away from the rest of the Family, serving as a lightning rod."
"The lightning; one that harshly strikes everything"
Those two quotes are both used in reference to characters who use Lightning Flames, in reference to the role that they take... and while the latter is not something that fits... the former definitely rings of Shaggy. I mean if there is one thing that Shaggy’s mostly consistent with it’s how willing he is to protect his friends, even if it puts him in some danger... I mean, it’s subtle, but you can kind of get the feeling that he would prefer to be the bait rather than anyone else. At least he knows he can deal with it.
Also, the things that I think really support this. Goblin King, Reluctant Werewolf, and Ghoul School... maybe not obvious, but they do have points. Also maybe I would add Phantosaur, although “Brave Shaggy” shows more about how he is more focused on protection than anything else...
But anyway... Guess that doesn’t really explain it. So yeah.
Okay, I suppose my biggest argument. Shaggy and Scooby Doo Get a Clue... I know, I know, generally that series isn’t counted in regular continuity... but I actually happen to like the series, and have a really, really big soft spot for it, because it was one of my first experiences with the series... and let me tell you. Shaggy in that series, shows his strengths when on his own... and yeah, he has desires that he shows... also my little idea of him using his mechanic skills to kit out the Mystery Machine... since he only mentions buying the extra stuff, not hiring anyone to do it... and Shaggy is smart like that.
But anyway...
Secondary: Sky(because gosh darn it, I am weak for the appeal of this, and Shaggy is the heart of the team, so there!)
Daphne Blake:
Cloud.
Just, Cloud.
Also, Daphne being such a cloud, is the main reason I didn’t go with Cloud for Lewis even if he is one... because seriously. S E R I O U S L Y! Seriously, Daphne is a Cloud, not ifs, buts or ors about it. Daphne is the independent cloud striking out on her own and refusing to be chained down. Now I’m sure that some of you will be going what, or how but here’s the thing. Daphne was always my favourite character growing up... and I was exposed to a mixture of Where Are You, What’s New and Scooby and Scrappy growing up, all mixed together... (there was also Get a Clue but that’s another story...) So yeah.
Also, Daphne is not just a pretty face, she’s stubborn, she’s bold, and of course she is the Team Mom, she’s the one who figures things out and finds the solution to problems... and also, she is a good feminine role model. Not scared to be a feminine girl, using her strengths regarding beauty products and the like to solve problems... and not caring about the whole what’s typical or anything about it.
And that’s awesome.
She takes nothing, well mostly. But yeah, Daphne is a Cloud, and she’s awesome for it!
Velma Dinkley:
Well, there’s only one flame left to dish out...
Storm.
Determination.
Freaking hell, I’m sure there are some who’re like really? But yeah, Velma’s the storm. And I can’t even explain everything, but yeah. Velma’s the science kid, and she’s arguably the most determined member of the gang. Arguably... I mean generally this was more by process of it being the only one left, but it does make sense.
I mean, for one thing in Franken-Creepy while she was a bit... uh insane she was ready to do anything to prove what she thought was real. Same in other situations. Once Velma has decided on something, she’s determined to do it. Determined to see it through to the end... and that’s not something that you can just brush off to the side.
Also, she dives into her research with a single minded determination that I can just appreciate... but yeah.
Secondary: Sun
Again, this is only my headcanon, and my interpretation of the characters, and if you disagree that is fine and I am perfectly down for hearing other opinions... also as a quick rundown of all the characters, here’s a bullet point list explaining them, and their flames with them labelled as Primary-Secondary just without the big long explanation to go with them...
Vivi: Rain-Storm
Lewis: Mist-Cloud
Arthur: Sky-Sun
Fred: Sun-Rain
Shaggy: Lightning-Sky
Daphne: Cloud-Mist
Velma: Storm-Sun
Also yeah, it’s just my opinion and feel free to correct me where you wish, because I am always up for hearing interpretations.