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dinkley_rogers
You know, I've been wondering about the Shaggy/Velma relationship in Mystery Incorporated ever since they announced the new episode a couple days ago. What was the point of putting them together if their ultimate objective was simply to break them apart? Its one thing to create drama and tension for a romantic relationship on TV to "break up the monotony" of a steady relationship, but it another to "demonize" the female character (Velma) by turning her into a control freak who doesn't seem appreciate the person she's with for who he is (thanks to some bad advice from Daphene for the most part) and appears to despise the close knit relationship between a man his dog (Shaggy and Scooby).
And the worst thing of it, Shaggy is such a push over about everything until she throws down the ultimatum of "The Dog or Me". I never got why they used the Shaggy/Scooby friendship for the basis of some weird ass love-triangle between the three, let alone why they'd make Scooby against the idea of Shaggy and Velma dating (or maybe I'm looking at that particular angle from the real world perspective, as I'm sure your pet really doesn't give a damn about who you date, so long as you continue to love and care for it. Maybe that's the angle they were aiming for, but it didn't come off that way for me), it gave me pause on more than one occasion.
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no subject
Date: 2011-05-07 09:53 pm (UTC)I will try to hold my tongue and watch my foul language but it's utter bullshit. People need to wake up and realize that people DO ship Velma and Shaggy and have since the classic series.
This universe, for its good, this is its glaring horrible unforgivable error. It is not fair that they pimp out Fred/Daphne as destined one true loves that should be together when Velma and Shaggy have more between them. Its clear even in the new movies Cartoon Network makes, "Curse of the Lake Monstwimpedmped out at the last minute but it proved why Shaggy and Velma should be a couple.
It makes me sick to think that these producers finddegradingrating storyline of the Scooby/Shaggy/Velma as a key focus. It's not fair and I wish to God that they one day see our words and our anger and apologize for fucks sake!
no subject
Date: 2011-05-07 11:21 pm (UTC)Well that's disconcerting news and rather wankish of the writers if you ask me. I'd expect to see this kind of behavior on the internet, particularly from folk embroiled in toxic shipwars, but it reminds me of material I read about the writers for the English Dub of Digimon Adventure (One writer declared he wasn't a fan of one character and thus every oppertunity to have the characters knock him more than they did in the Japanese Dub; then there was the situation with two particular relationships which I shall not utter here). Using Scooby as a reason for "why Shagma wouldn't work" is like using Bologna as a reason why Peanut Butter and Jelly aren't meant to be as a sandwich condiment.
And it is rather backward that they champion Fred/Daphene in almost every carnation SD (parody or seriously), but won't even give Shaggy/Velma a chance to shine or find an audience outside of the preexisting group of people who already love it. In retrospect, no one seems to dig the idea of Shaggy or Velma being romantically involved anyone (let alone with each other), as none of their previous romantic affiliations never show up again.
(Or maybe I'm looking this from too much of a "serialized" POV. Scooby Doo was never known for keeping tabs on much besides throwbacks to old monsters.)
They especially don't seem to dig the idea of Velma having a boyfriend at all (Beau (Zombie Island) doesn't show up in any of the other films and that guy from Witch's Ghost was a douche who used her to get that book), so it wouldn't surprise me that the Mystery Inc. crew would end up being against Shelma as well, but would only pimp it out to further their "evidence" as to why the dynamic wouldn't work.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-08 01:26 am (UTC)Well that's disconcerting news and rather wankish of the writers if you ask me. I'd expect to see this kind of behavior on the internet, particularly from folk embroiled in toxic shipwars, but it reminds me of material I read about the writers for the English Dub of Digimon Adventure (One writer declared he wasn't a fan of one character and thus every oppertunity to have the characters knock him more than they did in the Japanese Dub; then there was the situation with two particular relationships which I shall not utter here). Using Scooby as a reason for "why Shagma wouldn't work" is like using Bologna as a reason why Peanut Butter and Jelly aren't meant to be as a sandwich condiment.
Oy vey, Digimon 02. That ending drove me nuts when I saw it as a kid. -_-
Anyway, I think you hit the nail on the head. The Mystery Incorporated writers made the same mistake that most amateur fanfic authors make: They rewrote the characters to fit the story they wanted to tell instead of writing a story that fit the characters.
When it became clear that the traditional versions of Shaggy and Velma weren't compatible with this story, the writers warped them until they behaved the way plot said they should. That kind of thing is excusable when a 15-year-old on Fanfiction.net does it; but it's absurd when a paid professional does it.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-09 06:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-07 11:46 pm (UTC)Which interview(s)?
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Date: 2011-05-07 11:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-08 12:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-07 10:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-07 11:48 pm (UTC)/sarc
no subject
Date: 2011-05-08 12:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-08 01:04 am (UTC)Scooby is just as shallow as his owner. That's why he growled at Velma but approved of Mai-Lee.
:P
no subject
Date: 2011-05-08 01:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-08 12:24 am (UTC)What was the point of putting them together if their ultimate objective was simply to break them apart?
That's what's been pissing me off about this whole thing, too! As of episode 20, it doesn't look like they're getting back together. And even if they did, it wouldn't matter because their characterizations in this show are so unlikeable and incompatible that I can't bring myself to root for them (except to say, "they're both such loathsome idiots/assholes that they DESERVE to be stuck with each other").
It seems as if the messed up Velma/Shaggy/Scooby "love triange" (*GAG*) is intended to mirror something that Cassidy/Ricky/Peracles went through. That seems to be the "point" of all this nonsensical romantic "drama". And I wonder if Cassidy and Ricky's relationship will be just as stupid and badly written as Shaggy and Velma's. :P
Y'know what? If anything, this show's treatment of Shaggy and Velma only made me ship the TRADITIONAL versions of the characters more. The Shaggy and Velma (and Scooby) in Mystery Incorporated are barely recognizable as the characters we all grew up with. So if the Mystery Incorporated writers intended to use this show as "evidence" that the Shaggy/Velma ship could never sail, they failed. BIG TIME!
Rant ahoy...
Date: 2011-05-08 12:58 am (UTC)Think about it. Whenever the writers want to move the plot along, they make Velma behave like the bad guy and/or suffer somehow. When she and Shaggy were together, they made her act like a shrew and cling to him no matter how much he neglected her. Once they broke up, half the episodes showed her either moping over Shaggy, moping about her looks, getting kidnapped, getting the brush off from Fred & Daphne, getting used, getting betrayed, etc, etc. If this weren't a Scooby show, I would predict that she'd be raped and/or killed at some point (and I'd probably be right!).
MI-Velma is like a less pitiful version of Rose from the first Full Metal Alchemist anime!
Worst of all, a lot of episodes have made very mean-spirited jabs at Velma's looks. The two main examples are Fred telling her she has ugly skin and the recent revelation that MI-Velma wears the turtleneck to cover up her "neck waddle". This coupled with the extreme sexualization of Daphne (which I'll rant about another day) and the fact that Shaggy went gaga over a skinny Asian chick (with Scooby's blessing, no less!!!) gives off a very disturbing message:
Nerdy/homely girls are undesirable and should stay covered and alone. Only girls who are thin and traditionally beautiful have any hope of getting a boyfriend. And if you don't have a boyfriend by the time you're in high school, you're a TOTAL LOSER!!
I hate to play moral crusader with TV shows; but this is Scooby Doo. Little kids LOVE Scooby Doo (and his human friends) and kids are smart enough to pick up on stuff like that. I can't imagine how I would feel if I watched Mystery Incorporated as a child and saw Velma (a character I identify with) being torn apart the way she is in this show.
Re: Rant ahoy...
Date: 2011-05-08 01:12 am (UTC)Re: Rant ahoy...
Date: 2011-05-08 01:42 am (UTC)Velma has always seemed to be confident/comfortable in her looks. And we already have too few female characters out there who don't fit the Barbie mold as it is. I don't want to see Velma -one of the more famous "mold breakers"- have that kind of self-loathing written into her canon.
Re: Rant ahoy...
Date: 2011-05-08 03:36 am (UTC)Re: Rant ahoy...
Date: 2011-05-08 03:50 am (UTC)Do you think Velma is worried that she'll grow up to look like her mom or something like that?
Re: Rant ahoy...
Date: 2011-05-08 04:04 am (UTC)Re: Rant ahoy...
Date: 2011-05-09 06:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-19 03:16 am (UTC)