It's no secret that the recent adult Scooby-Doo series, Velma, was generally disliked. Many fans felt the edgy humor majorly detracted from the show, due to being try-hard at times and done mainly for the shock value of it. Moreover, the fact that the characters did not behave much like themselves was also widely criticized. As you likely read in my reviews, I also had these criticisms of the show, and it's not something I would likely ever return to. Ultimately, Velma was kind of a letdown for me.
In the weeks following the show, I was thinking about what I would have liked to have seen in an adult Scooby-Doo show. In contrast, I really enjoyed the recent Addams Family spin-off Wednesday. I thought the show did a wonderful job of giving the franchise a darker, more mature spin without needing to use in-your-face raunchiness and cringey storylines for the shock factor. Wednesday is a great example of how to make a previously G-rated franchise's transition to a mature show feel natural, rather than jarring and out-of-character like Velma did. This is what inspired the idea for my newest fanfic. I was thinking it would be a fun writing exercise to write a darker, more mature Scooby-Doo story without the excessive raunchiness, to showcase the kind of show I was hoping we were going to get with Velma before it came out. However, please note that this story is not a reimagining of Velma. My dissatisfaction with the tone and writing of Velma was simply the catalyst for coming up with this story idea. The story, titled A Murder at Crystal Cove High, features Shaggy, Velma, Fred and Daphne all transferring to Crystal Cove High, a prestigious private school. The story is presented each of their perspectives throughout the story (i.e. part of a chapter will be from Shaggy's perspective, then Velma's, then Fred's, etc.). Shortly after they arrive, a student named Elliott Blender is murdered. This prompts roommates Shaggy and Fred to investigate. They are soon joined by Daphne, Dusk, Luna, Thorn and Velma. Throughout the mystery, the reader also gets to follow each of the four core gang members' unique struggles. Being friendless at his old school, Shaggy struggles with anxiety and low self-esteem. Meanwhile, Velma is socially awkward, and finds it challenging to get acquainted with her roommate Thorn. In addition to this, Velma also struggles with comparing herself to the accomplishments of others, due to being an overachiever. Fred searches for substance at his new school, feeling like he is not able to connect with his football teammates beyond a superficial level. Daphne also struggles to get acquainted with two roommates with very different personalities; with Dusk being guarded and a bit brusk, and Luna being the shy and cautious type. This fanfic is rated T. There is no bad language or raunchy content; the rating is purely due to the dark tone of the fanfic. You likely also noticed from the description that Scooby is not in the story. I wanted to give myself a creative challenge, so like Velma, Scooby will not be in this story. However, there are some recurring characters from the Scooby-Doo franchise that included within this story, including Marcie Fleach, Elliott Blender, Del Chillman, Red Herring, Principal Quinlan, Coach Hayes (from the First Frights video game), Gibby Norton, and Mr. B. (Crissie and the Secret Six do not appear, but are referenced in the first chapter). This fanfic was experimental for me, as all my previous stories are from the perspective of one character, rather than switching back and forth between multiple. Nonetheless, I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope you enjoy it if you decide to check it out! The first chapter is now available on Fanfiction.net and AO3, and a new chapter will be posted every Friday. There will be 13 chapters in all, with the final chapter being posted on August 11.
22 Comments
Becker
5/19/2023 10:00:34 am
Even though the full season has only been out for 4 months, I keep forgetting Velma exists every day for the last 3 months. It's like my brain is actively trying to erase the memory of it, cuz it was that fucking bad.
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Becker
5/19/2023 10:10:33 am
As for the fanfic, hopefully Fred isn't searching for illegal substances specifically lol
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5/19/2023 12:46:10 pm
It's crazy to think Velma has already been mostly forgotten within four months of coming out. I've seen almost no discussion of it since a couple of days after the finale aired. It's like a switch flipped in people's brains and now nobody wants to remember it now that it's over haha. It goes to show how forgettable and bad the show was.
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Becker
5/19/2023 07:08:00 pm
Exactly. Velma felt like the most hated thing on the planet and the unifying element of the internet through its awfulness for over a month. And then, barely even a week after the finale, it felt like everyone instinctively agreed to throw it in the black hole of never to be talked again subjects. Every person on the internet was able to silently and harmoniously agree with one another on the necessary treatment towards this show. And I'm so glad about that. We haven't even heard anything about the supposed second season since the last episode came out, despite rumblings about it during the airing of season 1 (and even months before the first episode came out, they already started working on it last year). Like, literally zero info, rumors or scoops. Seems like not even WB or the people involved want to bring any attention to this series now that its reputation is cemented. I'm impressed. 5/19/2023 08:51:18 pm
It is impressive for a show to become that forgotten that fast lol. I'll be very interested to see what ends up happening with season 2, if anything. We know it's in development, but I will be curious if they will announce that it's been renewed or if we'll just not hear about it again.
Matt
5/20/2023 12:03:31 pm
I was thinking season 2 would be a colossal failure that almost no one would watch, but now I wouldn’t be shocked if it just doesn’t happen or is cancelled
Becker
5/20/2023 12:11:05 pm
Knowing Zaslav, I wouldn't be surprised if he cancels season 2. It would be one of the only times he'd be right to cancel something in production. 5/20/2023 12:51:50 pm
I would also not be surprised if he cancelled season 2, nor would I be sad lol.
Matt
5/19/2023 03:55:46 pm
Honestly, I definitely feel like a hypocrite for being amongst the “Don’t judge it until you watch it” crowd (I still believe in that btw), but I really just don’t ever want to watch it at this point. Maybe I’ll change my mind eventually, but I just really don’t want the bad vibes. I can deal with watching bad material, but the cynicism, mean-spiritedness, and again, just bad vibes from what I can observe without watching it just makes me feel want to accept never being able to speak to it in fullness and just not watch it
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Becker
5/19/2023 07:19:57 pm
I completely understand you not wanting to ever watch this show, considering all the things you've heard about it already. Despite you originally saying you'd give it a fair shot, this is one of those instances where I actually think no one will call you out on hypocrisy lol. Many who checked it out would go back and choose to not bother with it. I wouldn't recommend Velma to anyone, it's dogshit. 5/19/2023 09:08:46 pm
I think that totally makes sense to skip it. Prior to the show, I don't think it made sense to rail against the show as much as people were, but now that its out, I think it's totally fair to choose to not watch it due to the overwhelmingly negative public reception.
Matt
5/20/2023 12:22:47 pm
Well in that case, I certainly feel better about the fact that I will not be watching. I guess it’s a good thing I decided to initially wait so other people could bite that bullet 5/20/2023 12:53:47 pm
I think "ignorance is bliss" is a good mindset to have with this show lol. There were a few jokes I found funny, but it was very hit-or-miss and most of the time my reaction was "wtf did I just watch?" So yeah, I think you may be better off not watching in this case haha.
Becker
5/20/2023 01:04:09 pm
Oh man, I've never watched The Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon nor do I ever plan to. I've heard enough about it to know it would be absolute torture. I once saw a video of the top 10 worst cartoons of all time and this was #1, and the dude made so many good points about it that by the end of it I was in complete agreement with him despite me having never even heard of this show until that moment. Some stuff is so awful it's just simply not worth bothering with to be able to judge.
Matt
5/20/2023 02:54:40 pm
That same video (probably) is what made me so curious as to watch. Some lessons are learned the hard way as it was not worth it and was flat out disturbing. Should’ve just listened to the video saying to avoid it 5/20/2023 09:36:54 pm
I'm not sure if Matt would want to watch it as it shows scenes from the show, but the video Becker was talking about reminds me of the video that Honest Trailers made for Velma. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSuajHpF9Eo The premise of the channel is basically making a trailer that actually portrays the shows from a balanced viewpoint, since trailers can often overhype shows. The one for Velma is all very negative (which I would say is reasonable in this case haha), but I thought the narrator made a lot of excellent points about the show in the video.
Carson Maitland - Smith
5/20/2023 11:48:00 pm
Too much murder in the Velma series.
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Jakob123
5/21/2023 08:57:27 am
What's not to like about murder mysteries?
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Jakob123
5/21/2023 08:55:40 am
I already finished watching the first season of Velma and like I mentioned before to me it was okay for the most part. I will agree it's not all that perfect although at the same time I did not find it to be all that bad ether..
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5/21/2023 10:34:23 am
Glad you enjoyed it for the most part! If there is a season 2, I hope the writing improves as well.
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Jakob123
5/21/2023 04:22:21 pm
Well I did hear that a second season for Velma is currently in the works right now so there maybe a possibility. 5/21/2023 04:36:01 pm
I saw that as well, so it's definitely possible we'll get a season 2. It will depend on whether or not Zaslav cancels it. Leave a Reply. |
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