#like not only did he make neptune SO upset but he also dragged the other moons into it fjdjdjdjfdbdjs đ
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So some stuff has come up and i dont think i'll personally be able to finish RWBY March. But ive been building a headcanon list for a while, so i guess now's the perfect time to share it!
General (main cast)
Nora refers to JR/JRO as "the boys" (canon?) but to RWBY as "RWBY" (canon?)
Pyrrha was insecure about her height (6'). The only one who knew was Nora. Nora's not insecure about her height (5'1") she's just mad at it
Weiss is also mad at her height. And Yang used to be insecure about hers in middle school
Everyone has carried Nora at least once. Whether because they wanted to or she forced them or they had to drag her out of something
Salem is colorblind (either by birth or by Grimm Pond dive)
Blake once licked her whole hand and then used that hand to push Ruby's hair back. No one will let her live that down
Sun likes to play with other peoples hair and clothes and gets really happy when they do it back (grooming is a important social aspect for primates). This behavior makes people think he's dating either Blake (who gets it) or Neptune (who's used to it and just lets him do what he wants)
At Beacon Blake wouldnt let anyone touch her hair out of fear they would move her ribbon or they would notice her cat ears. She actually really likes brushing or braiding her own or other people's hair
Pyrrha has a scar on her neck. Thats why she's always covering it. She always admired Weiss for walking around with hers on full display
Blake hung out with Sun and Neptune a lot in V2/V3. Thats why she knew Neptune was afraid of water
Emerald has never kissed anyone
Mercury went to school
Mercury was always a quiet kid. When he was talkative it was because he was having fun or being mean
Emerald dresses the (almost) exact way that Yang does but if anyone drew the same first conclusions about her that she did about Yang she would be very upset
Salem stopped going by "Princess Salem" after her rescue, only bringing it up if it would help a situation her and Ozma were in. She started somewhat going by it again when she was recruiting her army. She didnt go by "princess" again but she did go by "queen" and "goddess" after her false god stint
Faunus in General
Bc they need more animal characteristics outside 1 physical trait and goodish night vision
Faunus senses are a lot stronger than humans (other than sight*, which is equal to or less) *its canon they have night vision, so this is in regards to normal daytime 20/20 sight
Most faunus' can smell other faunus, down to the species-type (is there a word for that?)
Theres an old wives tale that the more human DNA you have, the weaker the strength of your senses are
Faunus who marry other faunus tend to end up with a spouse of the same or similar species-type. (Theres no socialital push its just statistics. Like how ppl tend to marry other ppl from the same backgrounds or class as them)
Depending on the species-type, some faunus have internal characteristics that allow them to: growl/howl (vocalcords/voicebox), have a higher bite force (jaw muscles), etc
There are stereotypes surrounding species-types. Cat-types like fish, primate-types will go through your stuff, rodent-types are short, that faunus who resemble solitary animals avoid social situations, etc
There are ridiculous rumors that faunus have a mating season/go into heat and that they lay eggs instead of giving birth
Perfumes and other scented things created and used by faunus are made differently, since their sense of smell is so strong. Walking into a human mall can be very disorienting because of the strength of human perfumes/candles
Animals were named after the types of faunus, not the faunus after the animal
STRQ
The partners were Summer x Taiyang and Raven x Qrow
Raven is also a alcoholic
Raven and Qrow started drinking at a young age and drank fairly often at Beacon (Tai wasnt complaining then but he complains now)
Both of them became functioning alcoholics well before anything truly bad happened (ex. Summer's death or Raven's exile)
Everyone has tattoos
STRQ has one matching tattoo, they were all suppose to get partner tattoos but instead only Summer and Tai got them while Raven and Qrow got completely different tattoos (they're already twins and will already be tied together for the rest of their lives by Raven's semblance. Plus they'd never agree on one)
Raven has a portal to Ruby
Tai married Qrow first while they were in the Remnant version of Las Vegas for a mission. They were drunk and thought it would be a hilarious thing to lord over Raven. And it was ("i shouldve stayed married to Qrow", "hey, Tai put a ring on my finger before he ever put one on yours!", "you see, my sister married my ex-husband, which means she was the second choice", "well, for your information, i have married every member of my team")
#rwbymarch22#hinacu rwby#rwby#headcanons#faunus#strq#jnr#jnpr#nora valkyrie#sun wukong#blake belladonna#ruby rose#salem#emerald sustrai#mercury black#pyrrha nikos#raven branwen
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anyone want more stuff on the swap au?
star fleet
literally everyone in the star fleet is at least a little scared of hercules. the only one who isnât is captain star.
ten cents does not get along with the larger tugs in his fleet. he thinks that theyâre idiots who will only learn what it means to be a star if they learn it the hard way, and they think heâs an obnoxious little rat who captain star favors for some neptune-forsaken reason.
captain star (and the star fleet as a whole) are a near-textbook example of âvillain with good publicityâ. theyâve done/tried doing a lot of shady shit before and during the events of the au, but the vast majority of their clients never caught on and those that did never ratted them out.
oj was saved from being scrapped by captain star, but he now owes the star fleet his services in exchange for that favor. he wears the same hat that he does in canon to keep up the impression that heâs just an unsuspecting old tug with no ties to their shadier activities. he would gladly leave if he could, but the star fleet has made it clear that theyâd have no qualms about putting him back on the chopping block.
grampus has a very similar story to oj; initially, the z-stacks at least considered saving him when they found out the navy was going to blow him up, but zorran just had to be himself and insist that they couldnât, theyâd be stealing navy property. by the time he changed his mind, he set out with the rest of the z-stacks to try and play the heroes.. only to hear explosions and not see the submarine. zorran assumed that they were too late until he saw grampus at the star fleetâs dock a few days later (much to the z-stacksâ shared horror).
in exchange for them saving his life, grampus now owes the star fleet his services. he refused to get involved in any illegal activity, but he still works as a spy for the stars, watching the z-stacksâ activities and seeking out potential jobs for the star fleet before their competition gets a chance. captain star opted not to have him repainted to avoid raising suspicion if he gets caught.
top hat hates the z-stacks because zebedee accidentally spilled garbage on him while on garbage duty.
z-stacks
zipâs pretty insecure about the fact that his previous owner sold him off for being âtoo stupidâ to do his work properly.
zebedee has his doubts about whether or not the z-stacks will succeed as a fleet, and heâs admittedly considered joining the stars, who he considers âthe winning sideâ.. his conscience ensures that heâs never gone through with it, and heâs never told anyone that he considered it in the first place.
zorran sometimes whistles through his tooth gap. usually it happens when heâs really upset/excited and forgets to control his speech so that it doesnât happen, and heâs always super irritated when someone points it out. naturally, thatâs the first thing the stars bring up when they want to upset him.
zorranâs also deeply scared of disease in general (or rather, the boat equivalent of such). he once got bamboozled into thinking there were shipworms in the harbor and was so freaked out that he was basically out of commission for the rest of the day.
zak did something to get sold off from his old fleet. heâs never told anyone what it was, only that it seemed like a completely foolproof idea at the time.
other
lillie and hercules kinda-dated at some point, but she realized something was up and broke things off with him. because sheâs essential as a lightship, the star fleet canât do anything about the fact that she knows the truth about them, but she also hasnât reported them to the coast guard yet because her suspicions were just that; suspicions, not any actual proof. her relationship with them (hercules especially) has been tense ever since, although they at least try to be polite to each other for professional purposes.
billyâs still a chaotic neutral here. despite what some of the stars think, heâs not stupid and suspects somethingâs up with them. heâs willing to help them out, but itâs generally because he wants to help sunshine (since they were close friends before he was sold to captain star).
i havenât really decided what role johnny cuba plays here. on one hand, his dynamic with zebedee in canon was great and really brought out another side to zebâs character, but itâd make no sense for him to want anything to do with zebedee here since he doesnât know him and thereâs nothing this zeb could offer him. i guess johnny could come up as a threat to the stars, since captain star has no qualms about dealing with some really sketchy individuals to stay in business. of course, thatâd also blow the starsâ cover wide open, since itâs a little difficult to hide a massive steam tramper whoâs a notorious criminal claiming he has connections with captain star.
boomer ultimately still ends up as a houseboat. and thatâs good for him, since he deserves to be happy and shouldnât have to be dragged into all this nonsense.
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So. Letâs talk about Veronica Mars. *deeeeeeeep sigh*
Ok, friends. Itâs been a goddamn whirlwind for me. I actually went to the Veronica Mars panel at Comic Con, which I thought was a highlight at the time. They screened the first episode before the panel, and I was all ready to report back to you all that it was real good and to get excited for the new season, but then Hulu had to go and drop the whole damn series during the CC panel, which was a STUPID thing to do (or, at the very least, an extremely stupid thing to announce to the panel at Comic Con - the exact people who would not be able to watch it until after Comic Con, putting them at risk for some really big fucking spoilers. Itâs genuinely surprising to me how little the people who are in charge think about these things. If you want to do a surprise drop (which, why, but whatever), sure, go and do it, but definitely donât announce it to a room full of people who canât enjoy it and expect them to be excited??). But regardless. That was just a wtf moment. I was still filled with enthusiasm and excitement and happiness that this show was back and seemed to be in good form.Â
Oy.Â
Cut to Tuesday morning. I got back from Comic Con on Sunday night, and life goes on, so of course I hadnât watched 8 hours of TV by Tuesday at 7AM. Which is precisely when my dear friend, whom I adore, but who is apparently an idiot, texted me about how terrible that VM ending was and how upset she was. Now, because Iâm a good friend and I know what she likes and weâve discussed VM at length, it took me all of four seconds to know the gist of what happens in the end. I didnât know the how or why, but I certainly knew the what. Cue fun spikes of anxiety and random bursts of rage, because what the fuck. Truly, what the fuck. But I placed my certainty at 99% and hopelessly clung to the 1% chance that I was wrong, knowing full well that I wasnât. This obviously completely stymied any excitement I had for the show, and I dragged my heels for a full month before finally finishing the goddamn show just to get it over with. And now weâre here.Â
Iâve had a month to ready myself for what I knew was coming. It was both a blessing and a curse, since while it pretty thoroughly ruined my good time, it also meant that I wasnât totally blindsided by that ending. And man, I would have been blindsided, because there was Z E R O reason for that. None. And now Iâve read all the articles in which Rob Thomas tries to explain his reasons, and theyâre all nonsense. Absolute idiocy. All I see is a guy who always, always resented the fans for loving a character he didnât want us to, who tried and tried to redirect us to one of his preferred creations without success, and just when I thought heâd finally accepted defeat, he pulls the most nonsensical of fuckery just to finally win the battle. Fuck you, RT, forever and always. I canât fucking believe that I allowed myself to think youâd finally seen the light. What a ridiculous fool I was for giving him the benefit of the doubt.Â
Since I knew what was coming, I could look for the signs all throughout the season. So I searched for foreshadowing, or at least a narrative through-line. And let me tell you: there isnât one. The season finally, rightfully seems to address Veronicaâs deep-set trauma and trust issues but treats them like a problem and not a secret superpower, and it seemed like the show might expect Veronica to grow up along with the viewers whoâve aged 15 years since the first season? I was excited to finally have Veronica be the problem in a relationship, frankly. It was hinted at with Piz, but glossed over because there was only so much time in the movie, but it was realistic for her to have some trouble adjusting to a long-term, committed relationship, and I was excited to see that journey! I thought it was such an interesting path to go down, watching Veronica grapple with what she wants (or maybe just thinks she wants) vs. what sheâs always known, or thought she knows. Lots of stuff there! Good stuff! And you get all the way to the end, when sheâs finally decided to try. It isnât fixed, it isnât perfectly, sheâs definitely got a long way to go, but sheâs taken a few tentative steps into an uncertain future. And all of a sudden, quite literally, boom. Itâs all gone.Â
Listen. I was never going to be a fan of getting rid of Logan. However they chose to do it, it would always feel wrong. I have never trusted Rob Thomas to handle Logan well, because heâs always had this undercurrent of anger in every interview Iâve read, this frustration that people love and respond to Logan when he wanted them to love Duncan! Then Piz! Then anyone else! His creations took on a life of their own, and RT hated it. RT was one of the ultimate examples of writers/show runners who were simply watching a completely different show than the rest of us. I could never understand how he wrote such interesting stuff for Logan but didnât want us to root for him. It never made any sense. But I didnât think he would sabotage his own show this thoroughly.Â
Because hereâs the thing: I was never going to like him getting rid of Logan, but I could have understood it. I could have gone along with it if it had been done right. Frankly, the way it was building, it wouldnât have been a surprise, nor would it even have been a bad choice, to have Logan break up with Veronica at the end of the season. And if RT couldnât handle Veronica not being the aggressor, fine, make Veronica do it. She decides she isnât willing to put in the work to change that Logan needs from her, and she ends it. Fine. Could work, at least for a few seasons. Let her deal with the loss, knowing it was something she chose, and see how it affects her priorities as she continues on. Certainly could be interesting!Â
You know what isnât interesting? This. This is the only - the ONLY - plotline thatâs a watered down repeat of a previous story. Veronica Mars, traumatized and hardened by the shocking loss of someone close to her? Quite literally, been there, done that. I know RT has been trying to recapture the magic of season one for every season and iteration since, but just repeating the storyline? Really, really missing the mark. There isnât anything new that can be added to this. Weâve done this. This will only ever be a pale imitation, a tacked-on sequel hitting the same beats with less force. Lilly was a fantastic inciting incident that yielded a tight, well-thought-out season arc. But why would we want to start over 15 years later? Whatâs to be gained from this? Literally ANY other ending would have yielded multiple storytelling options, branching out with so many possibilities on where the characters could go. This is the only one that simply slams doors shut.Â
The few supporters of this ending Iâve seen around the interwebs keep saying things like âthis show wouldnât work if Veronica was happy!â Hell, Rob Thomas is saying the same thing. And to that idiocy, I can only say 1. of course it would, if you write it well, dumbass, and 2. if you think Veronica getting married immediately = happiness, well, what the hell show were you watching? The marriage, much as it could represent a step forward, was still VERY CLEARLY a huge, impulsive jump that was more a reaction than a measured decision. And that was something I was looking forward to seeing. Fresh off of a near-death experience and a renewed assurance of her love for Logan, Veronica marries him thinking thatâs the end of their troubles, only to realize that itâs just another complication. Now Veronica has to deal with the new experience of having no quick exit strategy. All the problems they had throughout the season still exist, thinly covered by the veil of newlywed bliss, and she has to reconcile her happiness with her frustration and uncertainty. Logan still disappears at the drop of a hat because of his job. She still puts herself in danger for the case and uses loved ones and acquaintances alike to her full advantage. They hide things from each other. They love fiercely, they trust the other with their own lives but canât trust each other to take care of themselves. Doesnât this sound like a complicated, tumultuous relationship full of narrative possibilities?Â
Well, forget it, because why break new ground when you could retread old storylines? Yeah, thatâs what we all want. Great job, RT. So smart.Â
Something that keeps bothering me is that if RT didnât want Logan around as the happy husband at home but didnât want to write more relationship drama between them? He already had the perfect excuse to ship Logan off for entire seasons at a time. Look, Loganâs deployed, oh no, he canât even skype, heâs undercover! Cool, problem solved. No more Logan, but in a way that still maintains possibilities for the future should we want them. Ideal. Again, options. All you want are places for your narrative to go. Multiple roads it could take so it doesnât become predictable.Â
This is predictable. This is boring. This is trite. Our heroes, struck down in their highest moment of happiness. Holy fuck, itâs dull. It doesnât feel edgy. It feels derivative, a tired rehash of a narrative structure that should have gone out of vogue ten years ago. The whole thing just exhausts me at this point.Â
And Iâve read Rob Thomasâs justification for why he did it. Theyâre all flimsy, but if he wants to go do a Sherlock-style, Ms. Marple mystery series, flitting in and out as he pleases, fine. It wonât be the worst show in the world. Veronicaâs still a fun and interesting character, and Iâll always enjoy watching her. But removing her from Neptune, and more importantly, removing her from all of her meaningful relationships, takes away what made this show special. The new version RT is pitching could be fun enough. But itâll still be just one in a long, long line of mystery shows that donât have much claim to my emotional investment. I might watch, but Iâll forget about it the second itâs over. It certainly wonât be the kind of show with a fanbase that will still be interested in watching more 15 years from now. Rob Thomas wonât be getting one of those again.Â
So yeah, thatâs that. I have much more to say, but really I just wanted to get this rant out so I can put it all behind me. I learned long ago that I canât trust shows and showrunners, and itâs a lesson I learned partly, if significantly, from Rob Thomas. I suppose itâs on me for letting my guard down, but I guess my hope got grandfathered in from an age when I didnât immediately mistrust the things that were supposed to make me happy. Iâll know better next time.Â
#veronica mars#veronica mars spoilers#just in case#so i'll just be here selectively ignoring canon because frankly i know better#the ending was so stupid and tacked on that it's honestly pretty easy to ignore#mostly i'm just fired up about a showrunner mistreating his fanbase so badly after they've stuck with him through so much#just a baffling misuse of the support he was so lucky to still have#so i'll be cherry-picking the parts of s4 i liked with one hand and flipping rob thomas off forever with the other
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ok, first of all, i think i interpreted ren ignoring noraâs advances differently than everyone else. i thought they were hinting that ren wasnât exactly happy with the lying thing and that jnr werenât discussing it in the way rwby were, because even though they were the loudest, rowdiest team of their year, jnpr werenât necessarily open with how they felt. it took over a year to get jaune to even admit that he felt worthless during his grieving for pyrrha, and the most emotionally mature of the team is nora. i thought they were setting up some intra-jnr conflict over the decision, my first thought wasnât that ren was frightened of returning feelings for nora, especially since nora was very openly screeching âHANDS OFF MY MANâ only the other day. plus, when noraâs been flirty before, renâs never blown her off like that. he always humours her, or replies in a friendly way. this was out of the norm for him and i thought that was the reason nora had that reaction. also, ren didnât stay stoic while telling nora to focus, he looked upset and quickly corrected his expression when he turned away.Â
also, i think theyâre setting up jaune to try and be a mediator this volume, probably due to the fact nora and ren tried so hard to be an emotional support for him. problem is, jauneâs methods of making people feel better arenât exactly ideal for a communication issue. when jaune took pyrrha to the fair, he thought he was distracting her from the stress of representing beacon in the tournament; and because her problem was being stressed out about the maiden stuff, it worked, it was obviously a good decision. it was when there was no more distracting from it where that interaction sort of fell apart, along with actually communicating issues when pyrrha couldnât tell him what was wrong. jaune obviously tried to distract nora with a compliment, and was a bit taken aback that nora didnât react to it, so i feel like in a similar situation to pyrrha, jauneâs help is going to go sour purely because he doesnât know whatâs wrong. like his strategy style, he works much better when people are upfront; thatâs why he responded really well with ruby when she told him she felt sheâd dragged jnr along in volume 4, or when neptune was scared of making a fool of himself in volume 2 - he told them exactly what they needed to hear because they communicated the actual issue. thatâs also why his last big talk with pyrrha and then this situation kind of blew up in his face.Â
i also wonder whether, if renâs issue is with lying to ironwood, exactly what heâs mad about. oscar pointed out that it felt like what ozpin did to them, even though itâs absolutely not the same situation, but is that why renâs upset? or is it because he, the silent and passive type, had really hoped that jaune or nora would have at least tried to tell ruby they didnât agree? it clearly involves nora because he wouldnât have blown her off if he was just angry at jaune for not standing up for them as their leader. they made a huge point of separating ren from the both of them in shots, with jaune and nora bouncing off each other and ren staying mostly separate. also, while theyâre celebrating in the mines, jaune and ren arenât dancing, and ren looks to jaune rather than being amused at noraâs antics like usual.Â
i feel like thereâs more going on between jnr than a coupleâs quarrel over... ren not flirting back.
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Welcome toâŚ
Weâre going to play a game of written hot potato! Dozens of your favorite authors will take turns telling this story. Each writer will craft a chapter (with no prior planning) and then âtossâ the story to the next person to continue the tale. No one knows what will happen, so expect the unexpected!
Follow the âvmhq presentsâ and âmurder we wroteâ tags for all the installments, or read the story as it develops on AO3. â Chapter Two of MURDER, WE WROTEÂ is written by @nearfantasticaâ.
And stayed tuned next week for Ch.3 from @saoirsekonstantinâ -tag, youâre it!ââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââ
[CH1]
CHAPTER TWO by @nearfantasticaâ a/k/a casket4mytears
âOf course heâs dead. Murder mystery weekend?â Dick rolled his eyes. âLook, we all know Ronnieâs gonna work her PI magic and solve this with ten minutes of searching Google. Nerd. Can we go back inside and drink now?â
âNo Dick,â Logan gently chastised, as if explaining to his child yet again that he couldnât grow up and be a Jedi. âThis isnât part of the game.  Heâs actually dead.â
Gia spun around, poking Luke in the chest. âI did not sign up for actual dead bodies, Luke. You told me this would be fun.â
A lump formed in Veronicaâs throat as she stared at the lifeless form of Leo DâAmato. Years ago, before Lillyâs murder, sheâd considered following in fatherâs footsteps and pursuing a career in law enforcement. Sheâd toyed with the idea anew last summer at her FBI internship, the possibilities a Rubikâs Cube spun deftly in her palms.  Moments like these reminded her why sheâd veered towards practicing law instead. Â
Bodies, especially those of people she knew, unsettled her. The inertia of them, the inconsistency⌠she couldnât reconcile it. People breathe. People move. At Lillyâs funeral, she remembered whispering to her father that it wasnât Lillyâthat Lilly was never still. That they should shut the casket, because Lilly would hate to be remembered as motionless.
âVeronica?â
She was coaxed back to the present by the sound of Loganâs voice, concerned and closer than she expected it. He was crouched beside her, shining his light over the body.  Casting her own Maglite across the ice, she noticed something fluttering beneath the camping lantern. HmmâŚ
âYou okay? I know that you and Leo⌠were friendly.â
Veronica huffed softly. âWe dated.  Briefly, until I cheated on him with you. Iâm fine, Logan.â Glancing over at him, she smiled gratefully. âThank you for asking.â
Loganâs gloved hand reached for hers, offering a reassuring squeeze. For a moment, she lost herself in the depths of his eyes, all fears of frostbite forgotten as her heart panged with regret. Seven months, nine days and six hours, and no bookie in Vegas would touch the odds of her moving past Logan Echolls now.Â
Focus, Veronica!
Gently extricating her hand from Loganâs, Veronica rose slowly to her feet, circling around the pool of blood towards the lantern. She kept her eyes downcast, scanning for footprints, drag marks, anything of use, but saw nothing.  The blustery winds of the snowstorm were swiftly disposing of evidence for the killer. Retrieving her phone from her jeans pocket, she began snapping photos of the fluttering object in situâwell aware the police would be furious she was touching it at all.
âPhone. Good idea!â Casey enthused. âWe need the cops here now.â
âCasey, do you really think thereâs reception on Death Island on a good day, let alone during a storm like this?â Carrie sneered. âDo you see a cell phone tower anywhere?â
Casey bristled, adjusting the collar of his parka. âTechnological advancements being what they areââ
âI have no bars and Iâm just taking photos,â Veronica snapped, reaching down to retrieve the mystery object.
Now this might be usefulâŚ
âHey, hey! Sheâs hogging all of the clues!â Cole protested, tapping Kimmy on the arm.
Brushing a tear from her cheek, Kimmy shoved him aside. âYou idiot!  This isnât a game anymore!  How many drinks did you have tonight?â
âENOUGH,â Logan warned, silencing the chatter. âVeronica, what is that?â
âItâs a folded sheet of paper,â she replied, tucking it in her pocket. âItâs too wet out here.  If it has writing on it, I donât want the snow to damage it. We should read it inside the house.â
âNo, what we should do is get the hell out of here, fast!â Wallace shouted.  âIâve seen my share of horror movies. As the only person of color in this group, that means Iâm the likeliest to end up with a knife, a bullet or a fish hook in my gut.â
Veronica frowned, stepping forward to console him. âWallace, itâs going to be okayââ
Wallaceâs arms flew up in the air. âFor you, maybe! Youâre the Final Girl! White girl, PI, your ex dead on the ice. Come on now, Supafly.  Name a horror movie where a Black man lives to the end. No, we need off this rock.  And until weâre off it, I go where you go.  You feel me?â
âWhere else would you go? Iâm your plus one,â she soothed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Lowering her voice, she whispered, âI need to check one thing and then weâre headed back to the house to figure a way out of here, okay?â
Wallace nodded anxiously, glancing sideways at Logan. âAlright.  But we need to bounce.â
âNo arguments here.â
Reluctantly, she circled Leoâs body and snapped photos from a variety of angles. Fighting the urge to vomit, she reached inside his jacket pocket, retrieving his wallet and a set of car keys, but finding no other papers or items of note. Satisfied she had everything useful, she headed back to the warmth of the mansion, eager to escape the sleet pelting her bare cheeks.  Logan and Wallaceâever helpful in a crisis--ushered the party guests along behind her.
As she trudged through the snow, Veronica considered her priorities: contact authorities; secure evidence; keep everyone together. Wallace was right: they needed to get off the island or engage law enforcement as quickly as possible. In the meantime, if a killer was on this island with them, safety would be found in numbers. Cell service was a bust, but surely the sprawling home had a landline or other means of communication with the outside world. No one wealthy enough to construct a home this beautiful would leave themselves without a means of calling in the cavalry.
âWhy was that guy here?â Kimmy sniffled as Veronica opened the front door. âWho even invited him?  He didnât go to Neptune High, did he?â
âHe went to a dance, once,â Carrie replied. âIâm surprised you donât remember it, Kimmy.  Meg invited him for Veronica. Shouldnât you have that memorized as part of your body snatching?â
âAnd I thought it was icy outside,â Wallace muttered quietly.Â
âJust remember: you made me come to this party, Papa Bear.â
Kimmy tugged on Veronicaâs sleeve, spinning her around. âWait, you were dating the dead guy? Doesnât that make you a suspect?â
âDated, as in past tense. Itâs been years, and we only went out a few times,â Veronica replied dismissively, yanking her arm away. âLeo and I were friends.  Besides, the state of the body⌠he was dead before Wallace and I arrived.â
âSheâs dating that radio dweeb now⌠Pizzle,â Dick interjected, pouring out a martini.
Veronica stared at her boots, avoiding Loganâs gaze as Wallace mercifully jumped into the conversation. âAlso past tense.  They split up in the summer.  We havenât seen him since we flew out to New York to visit him at Presbyterian, right V?â
âMmm-hmm.â Just keep staring at the tilesâŚ
âPoor guy got hit by a bus, the last week of his summer internship. Heâs still in the hospital there, full body traction, head trauma,â Wallace continued. âGuy wasnât even conscious when we were there.â
âDamn. Iâm sorry to hear that,â Logan offered quietly.
âSays the guy who rearranged his ribs and face?â Wallace snapped.
Veronica laid a warning hand on his arm. âWallace⌠You promised.â
âYeah, yeah, I know.â With a heavy sigh, Wallace stormed across the room to console a shuddering Alexis Link.
Veronica shot an apologetic look at Logan, who shrugged it off. Itâs fine, he mouthed. It wasnâtâthat much was clear from the crestfallen look that flickered across his featuresâbut she would apologize in depth later. Her relationship with Piz, and its demise, had nothing to do with Loganâs fists of fury.  Their ending was the product of a man who couldnât see the hypocrisy in pursuing his internship and dreams, while holding her solely responsible for the long distance between them as she rightfully pursued hers. Sheâd ended it while still in Quantico, moving on to Stanford without looking back.
Well, not at him, anyway, she amended silently.Â
âYou know, itâs funny,â Carrie Bishop mused aloud. âI heard that Troy Vandegraff died in a car accident over the holidays. Didnât you date him in junior year?â
âI did, for a little while. Thatâs a shameâŚâ
Out of the corner of her eye, Veronica noticed Dick tugging Logan behind the bar, struggling to wrap his hand around his bicep. How are Loganâs arms even bigger than I remember them? Loganâs expression was one of bemusement, his feet firmly planted in place.
âBlack Widow,â Dick muttered ominously. âIâm not letting you end up on Dateline, dude.â
âI appreciate the concern, but I can take care of myself,â Logan insisted, moving to Veronicaâs side.
Dick formed his index fingers into a cross, holding them up in Veronicaâs direction. âFine.  Your funeral, and Iâm so not sending flowers.â
Drawing a deep breath to steady herself (and to resist the urge to chuck the ornamental bowl beside her at Dickâs stupid head), Veronica smacked her palm on the table. âAs much fun as rehashing my love life has been, thereâs a dead man on the pond and a killer loose on the island.  Priorities, people?â
Sweeping her Maglite over the group of partygoers, Veronica studied them all in turn: Wallace, her best friend, consoling a crying Alexis to her right; Carrie and Susan, imbibing with tense expressions on the sofa; Casey and Kimmy, upset, but holding it together; a shocked Luke clinging to a distraught Gia; and Cole and Dick, both of whom seemed too intoxicated to fully appreciate what was happening. And then there was Logan to her left, whose worried gaze was laser-focused on her.
âOkay, since cell phones are a bust, has anyone seen a landline?â
A lot of shaking heads, save one: Susan Knight hesitated, her brow furrowing. âHmm⌠I might have seen one in the kitchen earlier?â
Carrie Bishop drained the frothy white concoction in her hand. âIâll go look with you.â
âCole, you go too,â Veronica ordered.
Carrie huffed angrily and advanced towards Veronica. âOf all the people in this group, the last I would expect sexist bullshit fromââ
âActually, I just want him out of my sight for five minutes and know you can take care of him. Thanks for being a pal, Carrie.â
Coleâs protests were silenced by Carrieâs arm looping around his, dragging him down the long corridor towards what Veronica assumed was the kitchen. Not that she and Wallace had gotten that far.  Damn it, they hadnât even managed a drink before this had all gone to hell.Â
Speaking of, Dick was still at the bar, making what were likely terrible, overly strong martinis in the dark.Â
âHey, bring back snacks!â Wallace called after them. âChips, Cheetos, a manâs not picky.â
Alexis pulled away from his embrace, tears streaming down her face. âAre you serious right now?â
âIt was a long trip and Iâm hungry!â Wallace protested.Â
Extracting Leoâs wallet from her pocket, Veronica flipped through the contents, finding little of interest. Driverâs licence, debit card, credit cards, photos of his sister and his mother.  One item stood out:  a current private investigatorâs licence for the state of California. Huh. If she did the math⌠he would have renewed it recently. Last sheâd heard, he was still working as a Deputy for Balboa County, although her information could be out of date.
Now, for the key find: the mystery paper pinned beneath the camping lantern on the ice. Veronica carefully unfolded it on the coffee table and shone her Maglite on it. What she found left her reeling.
It was page three of a case file from Van Lowe Investigationsâand according to the header, the lead investigator was none other than Leo DâAmato himself. The text was smeared in several places from the snow, and being the third page, the notes were difficult to follow in places, but what Veronica could pick upâŚ
âWhatâs that?â Casey asked.
âMotive for murder,â Veronica replied coolly, snapping photos of the page before carefully re-folding it.Â
âSoâs being your ex,â Casey remarked dryly, earning a glare from the petite blonde. âWhat?  Weâre all thinking it.â
âDonât be ridiculous. Troy and Piz had accidents. Piz?  That was five months ago. Hardly relevant toââ
The thud of hurried footsteps approaching drew the attention of the group. Heads turned towards Susan, breathless and distraught, with Carrie and Cole in close pursuit.
âThe phones are dead,â she panted. âBut not just dead.  Theyâre cut.â
Logan cast his flashlight in their direction. âCut?â
âThe wire was cut,â Cole blurted out, visibly shaking. âSo we ran upstairs, because Carrie remembered a phone in her bedroom. But that one was cut too.  We checked all the rooms upstairs, but every single phone was cut. Slashed like buddyâs throat out there.â
âWhat did I tell you?â Wallace snapped. âVeronica, we need to go. A brotherâs about to get filleted.â
âOh hey, found you a Milky Way!â Cole added absently, tossing a chocolate bar in Wallaceâs direction.
With an exasperated sigh, Wallace unwrapped the chocolate and waved it in Veronicaâs direction. âLook at this.  My last mealâs going to be the weakest chocolate bar there is.  Some Mars Magic, please?â
Veronicaâs mouth fell open to speak, but she found herself cut off by Dick Casablancas, now wearing a tiny bow tie and carrying a tray full of martinis, as he circulated the room.
âNo, no way. If weâre dying, weâre having one last drink first!â Dick insisted. âI made us chocolate martinis and weâre gonna down these bitches and say a big fuck you to murder, and then Veronica can order Logan around like her lapdog.â
âDick,â Logan warned.
âWhat? Like we all donât know sheâs still got your scrotum in her super purse next to Mr. Zappy or whatever she calls that thing?â Dick handed martinis to an eager Gia and Luke with a flourish.  âAs Class Party Boy Peter Bogart, my alcoholism means I call âem like I see them. Wallace is the token, so heâs toast.  Iâm the frat boy, so Iâm done-zo.  Might as well die drunk and happy.â
âNo one is going to die!â Veronica shouted. âNot if we stick together and work fast.â
âI donât recall voting you in charge, Veronica Mars,â Gia sneered, sipping her martini. âI say we drink first.â
As Dick continued to pass around martinis, Veronica nudged Logan in the arm. âThis is why I am not going to Neptune Highâs reunion.â
âIâll handle this.â Moving into the centre of the room, Logan sighed. âFine, letâs take a vote: all in favor of drinking a martini before trying to call the police or leave the island?â
Gia, Luke, Dick, Cole, and Kimmy raised their hands.
âAll in favor of leaving right now before anyone else ends up dead?â
Veronica, Logan, Wallace, Carrie, Susan, Alexis and Casey raised their hands.
âMajority says survival over booze. Sorry Gia, Veronicaâs in charge now,â he added wryly.
âThank you.â Tugging on her gloves, Veronica rolled her shoulders back. âWe have no landlines and no cell phone service.  Our best bet to call for help is also our way off the island: the Irish Wake. Even if the stormâs too bad to leave yet, we can try using the radio to call the coast guard for assistance. I say we head for the caretakerâs cottage and get the captainâs help.â
âOkay, have fun doing that. Weâll stay here and drink martinis,â Kimmy replied, sipping her drink. âOoh!  Is this Godiva liqueur, Dick?â
Dick clinked glasses with her, grinning. âHell yeah!â
âNo, we are all going,â Veronica insisted. âWe need to stick together to stay safe.â
Giaâs leg raised in the air, dangling a knee-high leather boot with a blood-red sole and a three-inch heel. âDo these Louboutins look like they were made for trudging around the grounds of this place?  I barely made it to the pond alive.â
âSo change them,â Veronica snapped.
âI only brought my cute boots.â As Luke began to shake his head, Gia pouted. âYou told me we were going to a party inside a beautiful house! Why would I need hiking boots, Luke?  This is your fault.â
âMaybe the killer will take me next,â Luke mumbled.
âOr Gia,â Carrie muttered.
âNo, itâs Logan next,â Dick insisted. âBecause of the Black Widow.â
Slinging her purse over her shoulder, Veronica rolled her eyes. âDick, shut up. Gia, walk carefully. Luke will help you.  Bring your martinis for all I care.â
As much as she wanted to abandon the group, grab Wallace and Logan and head off into the blinding snow as a trio, sheâd learned years ago to keep everyone in her sight and trust nobody. There would be no metaphorical backseat surprises tonight. If she had to tie a rope around the waist of every 09âer here and drag them behind her through the drifts, she would.Â
She and Wallace were innocent. Everyone else was a suspect.
Even Logan?
Listening to the din of complaining rich kids, she stole a glance at her ex. Even Logan. Technically.  But I know he didnât do this.
It was Logan who identified the location of the caretakerâs cottage as they stood on the front porch, a collective of shivering bodies whipped by icy shards from the west. Visibility was near zero now, the wind cutting through the down filling of Veronicaâs ski jacket, but Logan was able to just make out a small structure down a path that veered to the southwest of the property, lying between the dock and the mansion.
âThat will be it,â he assured her.
âLowly peasant I am, Iâll have to trust your expertise.â
âSee the chimney, Veronica? Itâs a domicile, not a storage unit or barn. Simple observation, not elitism.â
Veronica bit her tongue, pressing forward with Wallace at her side. She was off her game, and their lives literally depended on her. Contact authorities, stick together, preserve the evidence. Repeat mantra. Her love life, or lack thereof, was a distraction. Dickâs outburstâand Loganâs curiously sad expression ever since? Also a distraction.Â
âSo, what was on the page?â Logan whispered.
His breath was hot on her ear and Veronica involuntarily shivered. Body memory carried her to happier moments:  late-night conversations, their naked bodies entwined in tangled sheets. The security of his muscular arms wrapped around her frame; her head pressed to his chest, counting the beats of his heart. She bit the inside of her mouth, shocking herself back to the bitter cold of the present.
âLeo worksâworked for Vinnie,â she began quietly.
Wallace edged closer and the trio picked up their pace, pulling away from the group. âWorked for him?  He was a PI?â
âApparently.â
âBut he was friends with your dad. Why wouldnât he work for him?â
Veronica shrugged. âYour guess is as good as mine, Wallace. Dad probably turned him down, told him he could do better. Heâs always been a lone wolf.  Vinnie, on the other hand, would welcome the opportunity to recruit one of his own deputies for his OG business.â
âSo the page was what, a case file?â Logan queried.
âA partial,â Veronica confirmed. âThe page was water-damaged, and I couldnât find a name anywhere on it, but from what I could read, Leo had stumbled onto a cover-up of a crime, maybe a wrongful death? Itâs hard to tell with so much obscured.  If Leo had ammunition like that on someone hereâŚâ
Logan glanced back, taking stock of their present company. âSomeone like Luke, who plans to run for Congress. Or the GantsâŚâ
âItâs a secret someone would kill for,â Veronica affirmed.
âBut how did he get here?â Wallace asked. âWe had to give our names and a code word.  Did he come over with you?â
Logan shook his head. âI came over with Dick, early this afternoon. Same deal:  name and code word.  For Leo to cross, he would have needed an invite.â
âMaybe the captain knows something,â Veronica decided, veering down a narrow path towards the caretakerâs cottage.Â
The cottage was more of a bungalow house, complete with a modest yard of its own. It was nearly as large as Veronicaâs childhood home, sprawling and framed with gardens edged in decorative stones. Three steps led up to a porch of deep oak, where a heavy door without a window loomed as the entrance.  The curtains were all drawn, offering no view inside.
Without hesitation, Veronica jogged up the steps and pounded on the door. âHello?  Hello in there?  We have an emergency!â
No answer.Â
Wallace approached, standing behind her. âKnock again?â
âI might have my lock pick kit in my purse somewhere,â Veronica grumbled, shining her light inside.
Logan pounded on the door, calling out to the captain, to no avail. âYeah, Iâm not getting a good feeling about thisâŚâ
Veronicaâs stomach turned. âEnter through the back door?â
âTitle of your sex tape!â Dick called out, immediately clamping his hand over his mouth.Â
Oh, he did NOT just go there!
Veronicaâs hand closed around her Taser, pulling it from her purse. âAfter all these years, Dick you still havenât learnedâŚâ
No sooner had Logan and Wallaceâs arms flown out to restrain her than the chilling sound of Gia Goodmanâs screams rang out from the back of the cottage, startling a snowy owl into a frantic flight across the night sky.
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I filled out this questionaire for the documentary being made about the Veronica Mars fandom re: S4 and wanted to share some of what I wrote, since answering the questions helped me to sort through my feelings a little bit.
[Obviously spoilers for S4 abound, so scroll past if you donât want to see them!!]
What most upset you about Veronica Mars S4?
It wasn't so much the death itself. Character's die. Sometimes the actors want to move to other projects. Sometimes the narrative necessitates a death. Sometimes the genre itself necessitates that characters die frequently. It's fine, I love a lot of shows and book series where death is to be expected.
So it wasn't the death itself. It was how it was done. It really felt like a slap in the face - or more even like a punch to the gut, frankly. They treated the relationship as mostly happy but rocky throughout the 8 episodes, which is fine. As much as Veronica and Logan love one another - they have a lot of issues both individually and as a couple to work out, and I was happy to watch them navigate all of that. But to have them finally come to a point of being happy, to watch them struggle through some of that and come out the other side just to watch Logan die violently in an attack meant for Veronica? That hurt.
And on top of that to have it be the climax of a mystery that really should have been solved a lot quicker than it was - I mean Patton Oswalt's character basically TELLS her what he's doing and Veronica is Smarter than THAT. So to have it happen that way, so violently, and against all narrative reason just really bummed me out.
Then to get online and read that the whole purpose of it was to get Veronica on her own and free to be out and about solving mysteries by herself? Another gut punch. The show was never about just Veronica. I love Veronica, and Kristen's portrayal of her, but I also love all of the other characters in the show. I love the town of Neptune and all of the darkness and corruption just waiting to be dug into and resolved. It was never a murder of the week show. That's not what it was about. It was about some very flawed and troubled characters doing their best despite their surroundings and circumstances.
Do you feel like you were misled by Rob Thomas regarding the new season?
Yes. Big time. If what he wanted was basically a sleeper pilot for the kind of show he really wanted to be making? He could have just done that. Should have just done that. Just cast Kristen, make the Logan death a backstory, and start with her already on her own. He didn't have to drag us through what was mostly a good season just to give a terrible end that soured us all on the whole thing.
He obviously knew most of the fans would not be on board for the vision he had. So it was very misleading and disingenuous to pretend to be giving us what we wanted only to yank the rug out from under us by the end.
What did Veronica Mars mean to you? Has that changed since the new season dropped?
It meant a lot to me. Beyond just being an entertaining show, with a fantastic romantic ship, and a delightful cast, it meant more personally to me. I struggled a lot in high school myself with a lot of bullying in a similar kind of community as Neptune - with most folks being either very rich or very poor. I did my best to stay strong and stand up for myself and others. Years later, watching Veronica pick herself back up after all of her traumas and tragedies and come back swinging and very often winning against people much more powerful than herself was empowering to watch.Â
Her close relationship with her father was also very special, and rare to see on a TV show. To watch Logan overcome his own traumas and tragedies to become a better version of himself was amazing - and the way he loved Veronica was wonderful. To see such a troubled young man stand by a strong woman and encourage her and accept her definitely meant a lot to me. Getting to see Weevil, Mac, Wallace, Jackie, and so many other characters learn to step away from the problems holding them back and really shine was incredible.
The show never did handle stories around sexual assault very well, in my opinion, but at that time - dealing with that subject matter in a serious and sensitive way at all was rather new and also meant a lot to me.
And yea, a lot of that has changed for me since season four, and especially since seeing Rob's interviews about it. I feel like he really doesn't understand what it takes to make a strong female character. That instead of wanting to allow Veronica to grow and become better and stronger - he wants to keep holding her back and re-traumatizing her over and over again. He doesn't seem to care for the other wonderful characters he's created. Weevil and Wallace have stagnated, Keith didn't get much development-wise, and Logan? Logan got all kinds of development just for him to be violently and needlessly killed in the end.
So yes, the new season has colored a lot of how I feel about the entirety of Veronica Mars. The negatives feel more negative, the positives feel ... confused. Like maybe the things I loved most about the show weren't even the point for the showrunners. Like maybe they just lucked into those things that I valued most about it, and the things I viewed as errors or mistakes were what they were actually going for all along.
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Chapter 19: Sebastian Weinberg
Angelique heaved a dramatic sigh as she collapsed right on top of Sebastian. It was okay. She was tiny and light. She grumbled and buried her face in his neck, her long, blonde hair tickling his nose. He smiled softly and put his book down â there was no reading when Angelique was demanding attention. Sighing, she spread her arms out, still laying on top of him like a blanket, while he awkwardly reached out for his bowl on the table with his grapes. And okay, she may be light but she definitely kept him pinned and out of reach from his snack.
âWas your day exhausting, Engelchen?â, asked Sebastian instead then. [German: little angel]
âYeâesâ, groaned Angelique, turning enough to look up at him. âWe had the big shoot. The mermaid-shoot. I spent so long in mask until they put all that paint on me. And the contact-lenses. So uncomfortable. And then I became a superhero when Liddell's Sweets was attacked.â
â...That last part, love. Can you repeat thatâ, requested Sebastian slowly.
Angel sat up and furrowed her brows as she looked down at him with her arms crossed. That was when Sebastian noticed the pearl-necklace Angel was wearing. It was very prominent.
âThis. Magic necklace. I have a companion fishy now. Oh, fishy! Come out, please?â
Despite the beautiful blonde straddling his waist, Sebastian wanted to bolt when suddenly the necklace glowed soft-blue and there was a fish just hovering in the air, flapping its fins.
âAch du heilige ScheiĂe, was zur HĂślle soll das denn jetzt bitte sein?!â, hissed Sebastian flabbergasted. [German: Oh holy shit what the fuck is this supposed to be?!]
âEin Fisch. Ich bin ein Fisch. Halloâ, greeted the fish. [German: A fish. I'm a fish. Hello]
âOh, you speak German, Pisces?â, asked Angelique excited.
âI speak every language. I'm not actually a fish, darling!â, replied the fish lightly. âI'm an alien. I possess alien-technology that enables me to understand all of your languages and makes it so you can understand me. Who is this human?â
âThat's my boyfriendâ, replied Angel with a delighted smile. âMy Bastien.â
âHello. Sebastian Weinberg. It's... a... pleasure to meet youâ, drawled Sebastian out, more on autopilot than anything else because his mom had raised him with manners.
âHello, Bastien Sebastian Weinbergâ, greeted the fish. âI am Pisces, an alien from the planet Neptune who came to Earth with the other Zodiacs â an elite team of superheroes from the entire solar-system. Including planets you're not... including.â
âLike... Leo and Scorpioâ, whispered Sebastian stunned. âAngel, you're a superhero?â
âThat's what I said, yesâ, nodded Angel, still smiling.
âI'm sorry, but... you were listening when Gemini's partner told you that your secret identity ought to stay a secret, right?â, inquired Pisces tentatively.
âOh, pish-posh. They didn't mean Bastien. It's Bastienâ, stated Angel seriously.
âI'm sorry, I feel like my translator is failing me, but... is Bastien more than just his name?â, asked Pisces confused. âWhat is the importance of being a Bastien...?â
âExcuse me but could you perhaps focus on me?â, requested Sebastian, lifting a hand. âI am... so confused by everything right now, please explain yourselves to me.â
âRight. So, this necklace is alien-magic or something like that and I am a superhero nowâ, started Angel before she settled back down on his chest and launched into her explanation.
~*~
âWhy are we getting drunk during the week?â
Melanie asked the question immediately when opening the door, glass of wine in hand and handing it Sebastian. He sighed relieved and accepted it. He honestly didn't know what he'd do without Mel in his life. Well no, he remembered. Teen years of being holed up at home, reading all alone. She had been his best friend for so many years and he hadn't quite made a lot of other friends. At least none he had met in person. He was very content with a digital life. Though right now, he was very grateful to have a physical friend within reach. He sighed and accepted the glass.
âHow would you react if someone very dear to you were one of those Zodiac superheroes?â
Melanie stumbled, barely catching herself again before looking at him. âW... What?â
âI just... wonder. Hypothetically speakingâ, elaborated Sebastian and sat down. âHow I would act. A thought-experiment, if you will. What would you do if you learned that someone very dear to you was a superhero? There is the concern, of course. But they are determined to do this. So, how do  you convey your worry while still seeming supportive and not undermining them?â
âHow did you figure it out?!â, asked Melanie, sounding distressed.
âWhat?â, grunted Sebastian confused, blinking a couple of times.
âI swear I wanted to tell you for so long but everybody kept telling me that secret identities have to stay secret and that it'd put you in danger! I am so relieved that you figured it out on your own!â
With wide eyes did Sebastian watch how Melanie's bracelet started glowing green and then, all of a sudden, there was a fully grown bull right there in Melanie's living room. Sebastian dropped his wine-glass and couldn't even find it in himself to care about the staining, because the bull was large and green and had just appeared out of nowhere.
âUnd täglich grĂźĂt das Murmeltier aber mit Monsternâ, whispered Sebastian blankly, trying to inch away from the bull. [German: Groundhog Day, but with monsters]
The bull simply tilted his head. âAuĂerirdische. Nicht Monster.â [German: Aliens. Not monsters.]
âI... Melanie, I love you, a lot, but I really, truly, genuinely can't deal with this right now.â
Slowly, he made his way to the door and practically fled the apartment.
~*~
âHeâey, cousin. The prof called me and told me that you were not having a good day.â
With paranoia written all over his face, Sebastian looked up at his cousin. Babara had a pacifying smile on her lips as she entered Sebastian and Angelique's bedroom. Sebastian glared warily, hugging a pillow to himself. When he had come home, Angel hadn't been there anymore, leaving a note that she was going somewhere with Joss.
âYou can only come in if you didn't come to tell me that you're also a superhero.â
â...Okay so Mel's suspicion that you were talking about me doesn't check out huhâ, grunted Babs.
âYou're making fun of me, right?â, asked Sebastian, squinting at his cousin.
The green-haired woman smiled brightly and lifted her hand with the tacky ring she had been wearing for a while now. A large, purple jewel sat on a silver ring. It started glowing purple and Sebastian closed his eyes tightly, praying that this day was going to end soon.
âScorpio. Yesâ, confirmed Babara. âMelanie was so sure that you were talking about me when you stormed out of her apartment. She was really panicked when she called me. So, what's going on?â
âEveryone I know is a superheroâ, whispered Sebastian, still with his eyes closed. âAnd I just want this day to end. Maybe if I go back to bed, all of this will turn out to be a bad dream.â
â...If it's not me and not the professor and you say 'everyone'... Wait. Did Angel just become a superhero without telling me?â, asked Babara surprised.
âI did not tell you thatâ, grunted Sebastian fiercely.
âNah, I mean, it's okay. I'm supposed to know. We're supposed to be a team.â
âHow is this possible, Babara? How is everyone in my life a superhero? This is statistically ridiculous unless you came to tell me that I am the Chosen One!â, exclaimed Sebastian angrily.
âYou're not. There is no Chosen One. Literally everyone can become a superhero. You just have to bond with the Zodiac you're born underâ, started Babara before sitting down on the bed.
âStatistically. Impossibleâ, stated Sebastian firmly.
âI mean, I can't speak for Angel because I know she wasn't at the pub, but everybody else got theirs at the same place, where the aliens landed. We're all in the same circles and were all at this very popular for our circle place. I literally live there. Well. Lived there. So, statistically not that impossible that a group of people who know each other and frequent this place are all in it togetherâ, offered Babara gently. âTake a deep breath, okay? It's going to be fine.â
âI swear if you drag me into this too, I will disown youâ, warned Sebastian.
âMy dearest, most beloved cousin. No guarantee on thatâ, chimed Babara lightly.
Sebastian groaned and laid down on his back, staring at the ceiling. This was too much to digest.
~*~
âSebastian. You're looking fairly exhausted. Did you not sleep?â
Sebastian blinked blearily and looked up. He had not slept actually. Angel had returned home late and then excitedly told him all about how Joss had taken her to meet the rest of the Zodiac alliance, a big team-meeting where they updated her on everything they had on the bad guys and the good guys so far and she of course had to relay all of it to him too. Now he was haunted by the thought of aliens forming symbiotic bonds with random people and turning them into monsters.
âI had a really bad nightmareâ, muttered Sebastian. âStill waiting to wake up.â
âDoes that mean you are not attending book club today then?â
Sebastian blinked a couple of times to see who exactly was even talking to him. He was at work, had come here more out of routine than really intentionally. The library was his safe space. No one was going to reveal themselves as a superhero in the middle of a public library. The librarian felt safe here. Sander Hancock was smiling patiently at him.
âBook club. Right. No. Definitely not. Can'tâ, whispered Sebastian, shaking his head.
Book club had been started by Melanie, Sebastian and Joss, after Sebastian and Angel got together and Sebastian spent more time with Angel's best friend. They had noticed they had similar tastes. Somehow, Sander had ended up joining too. He was working with Joss and Angel and was a very sophisticated, charming man with interesting opinions. Part of Sebastian was still upset that Angel had made him socialize with real people outside the internet, but another part of him enjoyed the actual conversation about the books. This month, they had been reading The Buddenbrocks, a suggestion from Sebastian. He was looking forward to the discussion; as the only straight person in the group he always enjoyed the more inside perspective on LGBT themes from the others because he just... didn't pick up on those nuances the same way and didn't have the same in-depth analysis to it; it was just something that existed in the book for him.
âOkay, I'll bite. What is the matter?â, inquired Sander and leaned forward on the counter.
The brunette had both eyebrows raised as he looked at Sebastian. Sebastian heaved a sigh. He could not risk telling anyone's secret. He felt under so much pressure.
âI think I just need a little time all for myselfâ, offered Sebastian. âToo many people with too many demands. An introvert's nightmare, you know.â
âMh. I understand that. Well, a good book always helps there, doesn't it?â, suggested Sander with a smile, putting a book down and pushing it toward Sebastian. âI read this and thought you may enjoy it too. You seem like you need a relaxing evening with a book.â
Sebastian frowned and looked at the book. Solaris by StanisĹaw Lem. Tilting his head, Sebastian pulled the book closer. He had heard of that one before, but oh well there were hundreds of books to be read. Opening the hardcover book, he took a closer look at the bookmark inside. It was beautiful. Glover-green velvet with a golden frame, cut in a v at the bottom and with a little glass-pearl that had a fancy N engraved and a dark-green tassel hanging off it. It was gorgeous.
âFancy bookmark. Want it back before I take the book?â, asked Sebastian.
âMh? Oh no, you can keep that. It may serve you wellâ, promised Sander.
âSure. Thanksâ, grunted Sebastian, nodding slowly.
âYou're welcomeâ, stated Sander with a smile. âI will be seeing you around.â
With that, the brunette left the library again. Had he... really just come to ask Sebastian if he'd be coming to book club? Phones existed! Unless Sander had already suspected Sebastian would be skipping and thus brought this book... in person? Frowning, Sebastian put the book in his bag. For now, he would have to focus on work anyway.
âMister Weinberg. My favorite librarian!â
Sebastian looked up at the two girls in front of him. âMiss Baker. Miss Jackson.â
He made sure to face Miss Jackson so she could read his lips. He could do some basic sign-language, mainly because Melanie had learned it out of fun and he tended to get into the same things as his best friend. Miss Jackson signed hello at him. Miss Baker next to her had a broad grin on her face, blue-dyed hair framing it. The two young girls were students and rather frequent guests in the library for studying but also for fun, being bookworms themselves.
âAre the books here that I ordered? Please tell me they're here.â
âYou are aware that we are a very modern college, yes? We use e-mail. If they were here, me or my colleagues would have sent you a notificationâ, replied Sebastian patiently.
âTold yaâ, signed Miss Jackson next to her.
âShush it, Debraâ, complained the other girl. âI had hope, okay? Hope!â
âI can check again, for youâ, sighed Sebastian with a thin smile.
He was startled and a little embarrassed when he did find a stack of books with the note reading Baker, Beatrix. Taking them, he returned to his desk, where Miss Baker was thankfully enough too happy to complain about Sebastian's misinformation. He was a little out of it today...
âThank you, Mister Weinbergâ, chimed Miss Baker, smiling brightly.
âGood luck on whatever paper they're for.â
âNot a paperâ, signed Miss Jackson with a dry look on her face.
âPrivate research. About aliensâ, declared Miss Baker with a manic look. âWhat with an invasion literally happening right in front of our very eyes, I want to compare notes. Maybe some science fiction authors were... closer to the truth than anticipated? Maybe this isn't the first invasion.â
Sebastian stared at her with a horrified expression. That was exactly the kind of thing he was trying to avoid right now. Oh, he could not wait to get home and hide out in the bathtub reading that nice, new book Sander had brought him. Just him, a book, a glass of wine and some peace.
âWell then, good luck with... thatâ, offered Sebastian weakly.
~*~
He suspected Angel was giving him some privacy to settle with the news, because when he got home, he found a handwritten note signed by both Angel and Babara about them having a 'girls night out'. Disturbingly enough, all Sebastian could think about was how they may be endangering themselves being heroes. He went to draw himself a bath and then grabbed the book and a bottle of white wine. A content sigh slipped from his lips as he settled into the bath. For a long moment, he closed his eyes and just enjoyed everything about this setting. Then, he opened the book and took the bookmark out to lay on the plank they had for their bathtub to use as a table.
âThis is the longest nightmare I have ever hadâ, whispered Sebastian when the bookmark glowed.
It glowed. It glowed bright-green, starting at the bead. This could not possibly be happening!
âHello. I am Capricorn, I will be your companion.â
The creature now sitting with him in the bathtub was a... mer-goat? No. An ibex. A bright-green ibex with a fish-tail. The ibex was smiling at him, as far as an ibex could smile.
âNoâ, declared Sebastian firmly. âNo.â
âNo?â, echoed the ibex in confusion. âI am... confused.â
âNo, as in: No, this is not happeningâ, stated Sebastian calmly. âYesterday, the love of my life told me that she is in fact actually a superhero now. Then my best friend told me she is one too. Lastly, my cousin â my only close family I have here â told me that she too is one. And now you show up. And no. No, I am done with this entire horrifying nightmare.â
âOkayâ, nodded Capricorn slowly, tilting his head. âThat is very understandable. You are scared and confused because strange things are happening in your life and you can't make sense of them.â
â...Yesâ, nodded Sebastian slowly, putting the book away.
âYou feel like you are losing control of the situation and you do not like that. I can relate to that. I do not like losing control of a situation either, so please hear me out: I arrived on this planet five months ago. I have been laying in my capsule, waiting for it to be activated by someone I have a connection with so I can start my mission. Now, my partner tells me they're not on board with it and that makes me lose even more control of this situation and I do not like that.â
Sebastian nodded, watching mesmerized how the ibex flexed his fish-tail in the bath-water. âI... understand that. It is... frustrating. But you see, I am not cut-out to be a hero of any kind.â
âYou should not be so dismissive of yourselfâ, chided Capricorn. âYou see, not every hero has to be the brawn. A good team is well-balanced. It needs the muscle, the quick ones, the brute force, the sneaky ones, the leader, the second-in-command, the strategist, the thinkers. You should not dismiss yourself as hero-material just because you do not possess the classic brute force they like to showcase as the archetypical hero.â
âThat is a very fair point to makeâ, agreed Sebastian and reached for his wine, taking a sip.
âOh, that smells wonderful. I haven't had Terran wine in so many years.â
Sebastian blinked slowly before reaching out for one of the glasses with the toothbrushes in, emptying it and filling it with wine. He set it down on the table-plank between them. Capricorn made an appreciative sound as he leaned forward and lapped at the wine.
âExcellentâ, noted Capricorn pleased. âIt reminds me of an old partner of mine. His name was Dionysus. He was a young lad and he preferred his drinking, his loving and his partying to fighting and couldn't quite believe that he was supposed to be a hero either.â
âWhat changed his mind?â, asked Sebastian softly.
âHis twin-sister. Persephone. They shared me. When Dionysus rejected me, Persephone took me on and she fought hard and fierce, until she got injured and couldn't fight for many months, basically disappearing from the surface of the Earth. Dionysus braced himself and took me on as his partner, because someone he loved dearly had needed himâ, elaborated Capricorn.
âDionysus and Persephone... weren't twinsâ, noted Sebastian, unsure what else to say.
âOh, yes, they were. Libera and Liber, that were their birth-names. They took on the names of Dionysus and Persephone as their hero-aliasâ, laughed Capricorn.
Fascinating. Sebastian had studied Greek mythology on the sidelines a bit and he remembered the very early records of Libera and Liber and their linking to Dionysus and Persephone. He had always wondered about those rebirth stories and such. There was so much knowledge, sitting right in front of him. Sebastian felt himself craving it, wanting to learn more.
âIf you can teach me about the past... perhaps... I can find some way to apply myself to a team.â
âNow that's the spiritâ, declared Capricorn with a smirk.
Somehow, Sebastian felt like he had been played. As though the ibex had known exactly what to say to coax him into agreeing. This could be a very... interesting partnership indeed.
Read here on AO3!
Previous Chapter <- || Masterpost || -> Next Chapter
#Capricorn: Sebastian Weinberg#Zodiac: Capricorn#Story: Written in the Stars#Project: Written in the Stars#Superheroes
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To All The Boys I've Loved Before (Part 37)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24) (25) (26) (27) (28) (29) (30) (31) (32) (33) (34) (35) (36)
Dear Veronica,
Have I told you how much everything sucks without you next to me? Because it does. It sucks so bad.
Have I told you that your simple presence makes everything better? Because it does. Like a thousand times better.
There's not a day that goes by that I'm not grateful that my everyday has you in it.
- L
P.S. Have I told you kissing you when I was twelve is the best decision I've ever made?
She kinda hates that she's swooning because of Logan Echolls but she kinda loves that he's making her swoon. Her eyes graze over his messy handwriting again and she inks her own blank piece of paper.
Dear Logan,
Have I ever told you kissing you in the middle of my kitchen is the best decision I've ever made? Because it is. At the time, it felt like the bravest thing I've ever done.
Everyday is definitely better with you in it.
- V
It feels sappy as she writes it but she's full of sappy emotions caused by this brown eyed boy that she's come to love; she knows he'll smile that smile that makes his whole face kinda just light up and that makes it worth it.
She doesn't expect a response but she gets one. She feels a rush, a warm and jittery rush that's become accustomed with being Logan's girlfriend.
Speaking of kisses, I really love it when you kiss me. You know, in that you can't help yourself kinda way. It's sexy as hell.
Logan's fighting a smile, eyes flickering between Veronica and his notes - he's got to keep up appearances for the sake of not getting caught but he finds it difficult to not look at her and to not smile when she's writing him back. Her letter may have triggered their reunion but he doesn't usually receive such affection written responses from her.
I like it when you hold me tighter. Like you can't help yourself. Like you want me as much as I want you.
His heart beats ridiculously faster as he reads the note, he blows out a low breath, looking at the words as though he were looking at her all while trying to control himself. He reminds himself that they're in class, that even though he can see her he can't touch her.
God, Veronica, I always want you. Always. I don't think you understand how much I want you. It's hard not to lose control when I'm with you, bobcat but I can't.
She swallows, fighting the urge to grab him by the hand and drag him out of class. There's only one response she can think of to him, it's a response she's given him before but it's never left her mind and so she writes,
What if I want you to?
She doesn't get a reply but after class he's tugging her away and into a supply closet.
"Maybe notes in class aren't allowed for a reason," he whispers into the dark of the cramped room, hands on her waist, completely focused on her.
She grins, tilting her head slightly and toying with the seams of his shirt. "Here I thought you were a bad boy."
"Am I a bad boy?" His voice hoarse, his body pressing into hers and forehead resting against hers. "'Cause I gotta tell ya, I've been feeling rather reformed."
"Mmm," she hums, nose nudging his as her eyes stare at his lips before flickering up to meet his eyes. "Do good boys pull their girlfriends into mop closets? How does one gain access to such things?"
He lets out a soft snort, lips kissing her cheek before whispering, "Coming from the girl that uses the girls bathroom as her own personal office."
He doesn't leave her time to make her quips, hands find her bottom and his mouth finally goes to hers.
It's a short kiss and she already wants more, drifting closer as he makes them come apart. He gives her a light smile, keeping an inch of distance as he speaks, "I want you to promise me something."
"Hmmm?" She finds herself humming, eyes still trailing on his lips that's messed with her watermelon lip gloss.
"You'll tell me to stop. Whenever it feels like too much. Tell me to stop," he says, eyes forcing here to look at him and she knows he's referring to her note.
She nods her head, easily accepting these conditions that he's made solely for her convenience. "Does that mean you won't be pulling away when we're in the middle of a make out session?"
"I can't promise that entirely but we can test the waters," he promises. "You need to tell me to stop if it's too much, babe. It's so easy to get carried away with you."
She breaths into him, body lifting as she kisses him, eyes closed, she whispers, "I can do that." She hopes that she can because it really is way to easy to get carried away with him.
"I want you to be comfortable," he tells her, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I also want you to be satisfied."
"Mmm," she nods, his hands are on her cheeks and she wonders if he can feel how warm she is. She wonders if he knows it's because of him. "And I don't want you to be tardy."
He squishes her face a bit and she wrinkles her nose at him, he grins, kissing her again before letting his hands fall away from her cheeks. "Who needs physics?"
"You do," she laughs, pulling him back for a quick kiss but halts midway. "Remember," she starts and he laughs, soft and warm and she feels like she's floating on a Logan high. "Force equals mass times acceleration."
"Mmm," he hums into her mouth, kissing her as much as he can.
"Light is a particle that can exhibit properties of a wave," she lets out, airy and he's giving her light kisses before they have to part ways again.
"I'd learn more staying here with you," he whispers and she pushes him away. He gives her a final kiss and she sighs, needing to cool down. She really wishes he didn't have to go to physics.
--vm--
"These are for you," Carmen chirps, smiling as she places an open box full of cupcakes on Veronica's table. "Thanks for being my knight in shining armour."
Veronica peeks into the box and playfully remarks, "What do I have to do for a pie?"
Carmen's smile slips away and Veronica mentally cringes. "I'm kidding," she assures. "They're great. Thanks."
The brunette relaxes, relieved and takes a seat next to the blonde. "I really am so grateful for what you've done for me, Veronica. If you ever need anything, at all, I'm your girl, Captain."
"I'm gonna hold you to that," she teases, chuckling. "I hear Tad's been trying to get you back."
Carmen nods. "He's been calling and coming around but I can't. He says I'm flushing our two year relationship down the toilet like he wasn't the one that had done that all by himself."
Veronica nods sympathetically. "He's a jerk. You deserve better. You deserve much better," she adds, channelling Meg.
"I know," Carmen smiles, acknowledging and assuring that she's not backsliding. "And I saw what Logan did yesterday, that was just amazing. You're really lucky, Veronica. He really loves you."
I'm in love with you, Veronica Mars, she remembers the warm night they'd confessed their true feelings to each other.
Veronica nods, soft smile and then she realises that he hasn't said it again. She realises that she hasn't said it at all.
--vm--
"You're friends with Ryan's sister?" Heather frantically asks the moment she's in the backseat of Logan's car.
Veronica's brows furrow, she glances at her sister's wide eyes and deep frown. "Yes. And why?"
"Who's Ryan's sister?" Logan asks, eyes flickering between the Mars girls.
"Cindy Mackenzie," Veronica tells him. "Goes by Mac. She helped me with the test scores."
He nods and any response he had was drowned out by Heather's exaggerated groan. "In all of the girls in all of Neptune, you had to try to be friends with her."
"What's with the tone, Snippy?" Veronica redirects, surprised.
"You're not capable of having girlfriends. You're gonna have a fall out and Ryan's gonna hate me," she slumps, pouting with a huff.
"First off, ouch," Veronica frowns, surprise turning into anger. "How am I incapable of having girlfriends?"
"Because you're seventeen and you don't have any?" Heather throws out. "Georgia's obviously been conditioned by Wallace to like you so that doesn't count."
"Okay you're being way mean," the older Mars shakes her head, disbelieving that her sister is saying these things to her, especially for no good reason.
"It's true! You get along well with us, your family and you get along with guys," Heather tries to explain, defending her criticism and feeling the slightest bit guilt for the way Veronica's face crumbles for a second. "But you don't do well with girls for some reason."
Everything feels like white noise and Veronica doesn't care for Heather's explanations right this second. "Well, I don't appreciate being judged by my people preferences."
Heather pouts, loud and dramatic while Veronica crosses her arms as she glares out the window.
Logan sucks in a breath, his car has never been this silent with the two of them in it. He swallows, looking between both girls before looking into the rear view mirror and asking, "So how was school?"
Heather decidedly continues to speak to Logan while Veronica continues to silently stare out the window.
--vm--
"I don't think she meant it to be as mean as it sounded," Logan tries to placate the angry Veronica before him. "She's just upset that there's a possibility of another thing getting in the way of her being with the boy she likes."
Veronica gets out the water bottles from the fridge, twisting on the cap, she rants, "So I'm just supposed to get over it? She was outright mean to me for no good reason. I'm her sister. I take care of her. I do everything she wants. She's never spoken to Meg that way. She always says whatever she wants to me. How is that fair?"
She gulps down the water and Logan's still thinking of a rebuttal, a way to ease the tension between the two sisters when Veronica continues her rant, "And if I had to say anything resembling something she doesn't like, she throws a tantrum and goes to her room, giving me the silent treatment."
She's visibly upset and Logan really doesn't know what to do considering the person the other side of this battlefield is Heather. He touches her arm, moving closer, his other arm caressing the top of her hair and he softly says, "She's a kid, babe."
"You know once she got upset because of a joke I made," Veronica snorts, letting Logan hold her.
Heather's retreated to her room, it's the first time that he's seen her lock herself away when he was here. "What was the joke?" He prompts, hoping that she lets out all her pent up frustrations on him rather than her little sister.
"It was before we got Backup," she tells him, moving out of his hold and getting together ingredients to make them a sandwich. "So we were talking about getting a dog and Duncan had asked what she was gonna name it so I jokingly said that it was after her crush," she recalls, buttering the slices of bread.
"She threw a hissy fit and stormed off. She wouldn't talk to me. I baked her cookies and left it as an apology on her night stand and she still didn't talk to me," Veronica goes on, pausing only to shake her head and grab the ham. "She ate the cookies though. And you know what? I won't so much as get an apology out of this," she blows out, placing the ham on the buttered slices of bread laid out.
"Wait, why would that have made her upset?" He asks, confused as he helps her by breaking out the lettuce.
"Because her crush was Duncan."
This surprises him and he shakes his head, "What is with you Mars girls and Duncan Kane? He's not that special."
For the first time since the car ride, she cracks a slight smile. "Are you jealous?"
"I mean, I had at least thought I had Heather on my team," he sighs, trying to subdue his disappointment.
She's cutting up the sandwiches and feels herself lighten a bit. She hands him a plate and says, "We both like you better."
"Yeah?" He asks, eyes meeting hers.
She smiles, accompanied with a easy nod and a soft, "Yeah. Can you go give this to her please?"
He gives her a soft smile, taking the plate from her hand and says, "You're amazing, you know that, right?"
Veronica hums, nodding her head and hopes he doesn't see the doubt that lingers behind her eyes.
#veronica mars#logan echolls#logan x veronica#love#carmen ruiz#heather button#heather mars#to all the boys I've loved before#part 37#inspired by to all the boys I've loved before#vm fics#vm fanfics
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a thing about rw.by
this is a whatever. not a meta or a theory or really a well-thought out critique. if anything I guess im just voicing my frustrations. if you like rw.by, please, please dont read this. you wont like what i have to say and i am in no way looking to upset rw.by fans, i just need a good old fashioned shout into the void. theres some things i liked in here too that actually came out whilst writing aha, so its not all my bullshit.
my main gripe with rw.by at the moment is the lack of character development for ruby rose. you know, the main character? which i think is the reason why my heart breaks a little that i dont love it as much as i used to. i identified so much with ruby. a little girl with a heart too big for her brain, who just wants to protect and help, having to come to terms with the fact that the real world doesnt make noble goals like that easy? thats my childhood right there.Â
the latter is something that hasnt been touched on as far as ruby roseâs character development goes until this season, and even then it hasnt really been touched, or lightly brushed, its been mentioned. ruby thought saving the world wouldnt take that long, that the world wasnt as big as it is; she apologises to jaune for dragging jnpr along with her. all INCREDIBLE MOMENTS I was really happy about, but they werent expanded upon. it was like the writers wanted to hit a checklist of âmake sure the audience knows ruby is naive and sad but hopefulâ rather than making it more engaging to learn about as aspects of her character, which is just lazy storytelling.Â
show, dont tell. theyâve done that with juane. theyâve shown that heâs upset about phyrraâs death, theyâve shown him get mad at the situation and with qrow. heâs never outright voiced these things about his character like ruby has about herself, and we all knew she was a little naive. season one, weiss accusing ruby of being a bad leader and them showing the audience ruby trying to get better was so much better than just having her be like âim a little naive but ill fight for the greater good!â like she has so blatantly been this series.Â
like, why would she not get mad at her own uncle for keeping her in the dark about someone wanting to kill her?? rubyâs what, 16 at this point? 15 at the least? would she not at least be a little bit annoyed, and would that not show some character growth on her part if she was? my naivety ended, personally, when i stopped trying to be so dang optimistic, (this can become more complicated to explain, as obviously you still have to have hope in the world while keeping a level head and ruby is still young, but, thats another conversation) and if that moment hasnt happened for ruby after 1. penny dying 2. phyrra dying 3. her uncle keeping important information from her 4. her sister having her arm sliced off 5. her friends being split up from her 6. nearly dying to a foe way more powerful than she is, even with her silver eyes -- then when?!Â
and lets just get it out of the way -- i dont fucking hate juane. i really, really like him as a character but i just fucking wish he got less of a spotlight because so much more attention is being payed to him and his journey and how everything affects him over ruby. it just is, and it sucks. i like theorising about his semblance, im pretty certain heâs really fucking powerful just like ruby is, but if he unlocks and masters his thing before ruby does i will be so pissed, and the only reason i say that is because it feels like thats the way its headed.Â
juane is a lovely character. heâs heroic, heâs actually quite brave and smart, and heâs a good fucking friend. heâs a brilliant support character. but for the love of all that is holy, focus more on ruby when theyâre in the same scene. about how heâs helping her on her journey, why could they not have had one conversation about phyrra on screen is my question. they did it really, really well it season one, and i was very loud about the fact that no, juane doesnt get more screen time or attention, but during season four it feels like he -- like everyone that isnt ruby or the other three titular characters -- has over ruby.Â
just, please, rwby season five -- give ruby rose more character development. prove me fucking wrong and reveal that you were playing the long game, please.
also; i havent watched the last two episodes, but if it turns out the âââcureâââ to yangs ptsd is a new arm. fuck, man. please no. but i cant really comment on that yet so, weâll see. i actually, up until seeing the preview for her spraying her arm and all that, really liked yangs journey. and taiyang is such a sweetheart i adore him. he was so patient and gentle and loving with yang, a few moments had me cringing but overall, an enjoyable part of the season. i hope yang gets to punch adam in the face.Â
blakeâs journey is one ive enjoyed also. and tbh, i think sun following her and thinking she was on a personal mission to take down the white fang is a very sun thing to do, and i think blake surprising us all by saying no im not gonna do that is a very blake thing as well. sun is spontaneous, carefree to a point and very dedicated to taking down bad guys. projecting that onto blake was his mistake, and im really glad that blake is the one to voice the audiences frustrations at how annoying it is that he follows and harrasses her into taking action (even when a part of us knows that she should -- a really, really well written aspect of blakes journey actually, i really liked it) (sun really needs to have a âokay im being a creep im really sorryâ moment but i dont see it happening. again; prove me wrong, guys.)
blake so, so needed to see her family. im glad she could see that and im not surprised that she wanted to run under the guise of ârestingâ like. come on blake, we all know youâre scared shitless. her characterisation was on point, probably the most out of the four girls. blake was a+ in this season and im really happy about that, come to think of it aha. i hope she gets to punch adam too.
weiss im satisfied with too, although i really wish that ironwood and her got to talking. he didnt necesarily need to save the day for her, i would think that a guy fighting her own battles -- even if it is a âgood oneâ like ironwood -- would irk her, so it wouldve been nice for them to talk. (im still fucking salty about juanes âyou can have herâ to neptune like lmao fuck off you fucking dudebros THAT WAS SO ANNOYING anyway) weiss being able to call off the thing she summoned before it hurt the lady would be a sign that yeah sheâs getting strong but sheâs learning control, so. shrug.Â
papa schnee is an asshole, where is mama schnee?? and i FUCKING LOVED THE PLOT POINT THAT HER DAD MARRIED INTO THE FAMILY. please let this be an opening for a badass but subdued for Reasons mama schnee (although my hope is not that high)
my main, number one, OVERALL problem with rwby since the end of s3 to s4 is that they dont give the characters that need and deserve the most time and attention just that. i know its a small crew, i know that what they do and the time they do it in is amazing and admirable, and i do admire it and applaud it, they work so fucking hard and deserve praise for that. but they dont use their time wisely when it comes to assigning it in the narrative. and thats more of a writing issue, anyway.Â
and another fucking thing. the majority of the interesting characters that arent the main four and are alive and have been developed or made mysterious enough to warrant interest from the audience are fucking men. and yeah, no duh jade, welcome to every piece of media for fucking ever. qrow is an asshole that everyone loves, raven is probably going to turn out to be a bitch -- the majority of salemâs âcourtâ or whatever are dudes. ironwood. ren got backstory over nora. blakes dad. adam taurus. for all that i love him, fucking juane. did we learn anything about phyrra that wasnt her explicitly telling us her backstory? no. we felt sad that she died because of her connections with other people, but, lets face it, mostly juane. im still adamant that she didnt die just for him, that she knew there was a bigger picture and genuinely loved him, but from a narrative pov him and his reactions was a bigger focus point especially in the aftermath with season 4.Â
(ruby fucking unlocked an ANCIENT POWER BECAUSE SHE SAW PHYRRA DIE AND SHE DOESNT GET TO HAVE THE SAME EMOTIONAL SCENE ABOUT IT THAT JUANE GOT??? PLS LAST TWO EPISODES. GIVE HER THAT AT LEAST. PROVE ME WRONG.)Â
i remember at a rwby panel at rtx one year, when asked about making a series that has four female protaganists, the guys said that they didnt see it that way, that they were just writing a story about a bunch of kids and yeah, i get that. but its not.Â
its a story about four strong, tested, young women and they need to stop being oblivious to that because the narrative is fucking suffering.Â
end rant/
#dead dove do not eat#jadeisranting.txt#please PLEASE#DONT READ THIS IS YOU LOVE RWBY#ill probably just upset or anger you and theres no point so please dont#im just frustrated and wanting to vent its really not worth reading if you know you might not like what you read#i really dont think putting dots in rw.by is going to help but imma try#sorry in advance
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Mechanic 9: The Dance
Super freaking sorry about the delay, more after the story!
XxXxXxXxX
Pyrrha nervously fiddled with her pony tail in her dorm room. Tonight was finally the night of the ball, and to say that Pyrrha Nikos was in a good mood would be a massive understatement. She was excited to have fun with all her friends, and was secretly overjoyed that Jaune could join them. She has glad Alice had insisted on him attending. She was also nervous though, since they werenât attending âtogetherâ after all.
Yang and Nora had been perceptive enough to pick up on the subtle hints of nerves that Pyrrha had exhibited as the Ball approached. While RWBY seemed to having trouble within their team regarding one of their more... reclusive team members, Yang had offered Pyrrha some rather âbluntâ advice, and Nora was busy helping Pyrrha get dressed up. She had insisted that she needed to look her best tonight, and Pyrrha wasn't exactly disagreeing.
It wasn't like Pyrrha was inexperienced when it came to formal occasions. Aside from Weiss, Pyrrha wagered she had spent the most time at these events because of tournaments and promotions. So at least, she figured that was one set of worries that wasn't plaguing her. She was better off than Jane, who seemed terrified at the idea of attending a fancy ball. She had been fussing with her dress for the past fifteen minutes, not actively changing much. Pyrrha found herself wishing that Jane could have a wonderful night, she had even asked Weiss to help her get used to wearing heels rather than sneakers, after Nora and Yang insisted that Jane dressed up too. Pyrrha had already offered her partner what advice she could to stay calm, but Pyrrha wasn't too worried. Jane was one of those people who worried about stuff endlessly until the time came, and then they always were fine.
Finally the time came to go to the dance, and team JNPR went together in a group. None of them had secured a date for the dance, despite the fact that Ren and Nora were going âTogether, but not Together Together, you know?â Whatever that meant.
As they walked in, they were greeted by Yang who burst into a massive smile at seeing her friends.
âYou all look amazing!â She gushed, quickly marking off that team JNPR had arrived. As Pyrrha passed her, she reached out, grabbing her army gently.
âJaune doesn't stand a chance tonight.â She said with a wink.
Pyrrha's words failed her as she left the blond, blushing and ignoring the âGood Luck!â Being called after her.
Speaking of Jaune, a bit hopefully Pyrrha's eyes scanned the room. Many people were attending, students, guests, and teachers, but a certain Blond seemed to be lacking.
Pyrrha's expression fell just a bit, until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around she saw a familiar face smiling at her.
âWell donât you look lovely?â Alice's voice said, looking Pyrrha up and down. Pyrrha was wearing a fancy red dress with an open back.
Pyrrha just blushed a bit. âWell thank you. You look gorgeous yourself.â Pyrrha said. She wasn't lying either. Alice was wearing a dress that by Pyrrha's best guess would cost about as much as Weiss'. Alice's hair was done up and her figure showed off her constant hard work. Pyrrha realized there was a certain beauty that could only be achieved once you reach a certain age. Which made her wonder how Jaune would look when he was his sister's age. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she smiled at Alice. âI didn't know you would be coming. Is Jaune not?â She asked, her voice betraying her fear a bit at the end.
Alice just smirked. âAs if I would let him miss this. No, I figured I'd might as well drop by. Free food is hard to resist. Besides, one of our sisters is a fashion designer so she asked me to model it here, drop her name et cetera. I owed her one, so I had no choice, even if I don't like dressing up. Not very practical for fighting.â She explained.
Pyrrha nodded, a bit glad to hear Jaune would still be attending.
âJaune had to finish up a task for my dad before he could come over, and said sister is currently sprucing him up for you at the moment.â Alice teased with a wink. âHe cleans up quite well.â
Pyrrha just blushed. âI'm sure we all will be excited for him to show up.â Pyrrha offered as a means of escape.
Alice just laughed, shaking her head and placing her hand on Pyrrha's shoulder. âHe's dense. Beating around the bush like that won't work with him.â She offered. She quirked an eyebrow before suddenly turning Pyrrha around. âSpeaking of my brother... go get him.â She teased with a smirk, shoving Pyrrha suddenly as she turned and left, grabbing a drink off a platter a waiter was carrying and going back to mingle. She had seen a potential business partner for her sister, and a mission was a mission. Turning on her most flirtatious smile she moved across the floor like a predator stalking her prey.
Pyrrha stumbled a bit, looking up to see Jaune standing in front of her, his arms outstretched as if he was about to catch her.
âUh... hey Pyrrha.â
âOh... hello Jaune.â Pyrrha said with a warm smile.
âThis dance sure is something huh? And Beacon is so big. I got lost walking here.â He confessed without thinking.
Choking back a laugh Pyrrha smiled. âThe campus is rather large. I'm glad you found your way here though.â
Jaune nodded. âYeah. Wait... did Blake just enter with Sun? From your texts I thought she wouldn't be coming tonight.â
Following his gaze, she smiled. âIt seems Yang had a talk with her that got through to her. I'm glad she decided to attend.â
Jaune nodded. âYup. I was sad to hear she was acting strange, I hope things are back to normal for team RWBY.â He thought for a moment. âIt sure must be nice to go to the dance with a date.â He said a bit longingly.
A bittersweet smile crossed Pyrrha's face. âI imagine it is.â She said after a moment of hesitation.
Jaune looked at her a bit odd before Nora showed up. âJaune! You look amazing! I'm glad you showed up! Did ya sneak in here?â Nora started asking, dragging Ren behind her as Jane followed them, looking a bit awkward but seeming to be enjoying herself.
Soon Jaune and Nora were chatting about the dance and Pyrrha let out a small sigh.
A date huh? Needing some fresh air Pyrrha let out another sigh. She needed to clear her head.
Excusing herself to mostly deaf ears, she made her way out to the balcony.
A few minutes later she was leaning on the balcony, looking out of the scenery. Could she have attended the dance with Jaune if she had asked him? Would he even consider her an option?
Pyrrha's eyebrows furrowed as she thought about it. Maybe she was too tall, or just not his type. Alice seemed encouraging though. Maybe she had missed her chance after all?
A scary thought crossed Pyrrha's mind, making her stomach plummet. He had looked very nice, his sisters sure had cleaned him up well. Maybe other girls would take notice in him after tonight. Pyrrha bit her lip. She should be happy for her friend after all, he had mentioned wanting a date. Maybe he would be able to find one before the night was over. She should be supportive of him right?
Before she could finish her downward spiral of thoughts, a voice interrupted her.
âHey, Pyrrha.â
Recognizing the voice, Pyrrha turned around to see the source of her worries standing near the exit.
âHello, Jaune.â
âYou okay? You left suddenly.â
âJust wanted some fresh air, I'm afraid.â She offered, still not meeting his gaze.
âWell, You look really nice!â He said, trying to puzzle out what her problem was.
âThank you.â Pyrrha said, hiding a blush and ignoring the small flutter in her heart.
âYour, uh, date isn't going to beat me up for saying that, is he?â Jaune asked a bit nervously, glancing around.
âI think you're safe for tonight.â Pyrrha replied, still looking away.
âSo where is the guy?â Jaune asked curiously. Surely her date should be the one cheering up Pyrrha.
Finally, Pyrrha turned back to Jaune. âThere is no guy.â She confessed, looking down before glancing up to read his reaction.
Jaune just stepped back a step, utterly shocked. âUh, what?â
Letting out a sigh, Pyrrha's gaze fell. âNobody asked me.â
Jaune couldn't comprehend the words his friend was saying. âBut that's... you're Pyrrha Nikos.â He explained, trying to figure out what he was missing. He laughed nervously. âHow could nobody ask you?â
Pyrrha felt her frustrations bubbling up.
â I've been blessed with incredible talents and opportunities. I'm constantly surrounded by love and praise, but when you're placed on a pedestal like that for so long, you become separated from the people that put you there in the first place.â Pyrrha turned back to look at Jaune. âEveryone assumes I'm too good for them. That I'm on a level they simply can't attain. It's become impossible to form any sort of meaningful relationship with people. That's what I like about you. When we met, you didn't even know who I was. You treated me just like anyone else. You've shown me so much kindness, and been so honest with me that I feel l truly am a normal friend to you. I guess, you're the kind of guy I wish I was here with. Someone who just saw me for me.â She finished her explanation.
Not willing to face the fear of seeing his reaction, she looked away. Unable to face him, she turned and left. She fled into the ballroom, needing to think.
Jaune just paused there, thinking through what she had said. He turned, about to go talk to her when Sun's friend, Neptune he thought he remembered hearing, walked onto the balcony. Before either of them could say anything, Jane suddenly followed Neptune out there. âWhat is the deal Neptune?â
Jaune's eyes widened a bit, not having heard Jane sounding so upset before. Feeling awkward, he quickly fled the balcony, leaving it to them to work out whatever the problem was. He had other important matters to attend to. Tapping on Alice's shoulder, he looked at her with a determined gaze. âI need your help.â
XxXxXxXxX
Pyrrha just stood off to the side, chatting with Jane, as they watched Neptune approach Weiss. Pyrrha was about to ask just what Jane had said to Neptune that changed his mind, when she noticed everyone staring behind her. Jane tapped on her shoulder, a huge grin on her face as she practically spun Pyrrha around.
Of all the things Pyrrha expected to be behind her, from a Grimm to a crazed fan, this had to be the least expected.
âJaune?â She asked in shocked.
âEh, a promise is a promise.â
Pyrrha just stared at him in shock, a smile creeping on her face. âIf you don't get a date to the dance, I'll wear a dress.â Pyrrha started giggling as she remembered the promise, before breaking out into full blown laughter. The worries and doubts that had been plaguing her for most of the night all evaporated at the sight of Jaune in his dress. âJaune, you didn't have to!â She offered, struggling to get the words out in her fit of laughter.
âHey, an Arc never goes back on his word.â He said with a smirk that made her heart flutter. He offered a hand to her. âNow do you wanna stand there and laugh at me, or do you wanna dance?â
As she took his hand, she didn't even try to fight the massive smile on her face. âI would love to dance.â
Jaune pulled her closer, and begun to spin her away, causing a little âOh!â to escape her mouth.
Off to the side, Nora grinned to Ren. âRen. This. Is. Happening!â She said excitedly. As she quickly hurried to join them on the dance floor.
Alice leaned over to Jane, who was still on shock. âMy brother is a one of a kind for sure.â She said, shaking her head. She hadn't expected that request tonight, but she was more than happy to help him out. âNow get out there!â She said as she shoved Jane in the back, as Jane stumbled onto the dance floor with Jaune and the rest of her team.
Alice just laughed as she took endless photos on her scroll, sending them to all her sisters. Jaune was never going to be able to forget about this.
âThe Arcs certainly know how to make an event interesting Ms. Arc.â Ozpin's voice said as he took a sip from his drink.
Alice just smirked. âYup! Aren't you glad we stopped by? I still think my graduating year was better. I still haven't seen a bonfire that big since.â
Ozpin shook his head. âAt least this year we likely won't have to deal with the authorities as much.â
Alice just laughed as she watched her brother dance with Pyrrha.
âYour sister said you could dance, but I had No Idea you could dance this well.â Pyrrha offered as she continued to dance with Jaune.
âYeah, well, these things tend to happen when you grow up with seven sisters.â He said as he dipped Pyrrha, before spinning her again.
XxXxXxXxX
As the night rounded down, Pyrrha felt like she was on cloud nine. The night had turned from one full of worry and doubt, into the fondest memory she had formed. She would never forget the fun she had with her team, team RWBY, and Jaune. Speaking of Jaune, both of them were wandering through the courtyard, hand in hand.
Pyrrha had taken Jaune's hand when she lead him out there, and neither of the pair particularly wanted to let go.
âThis place really is amazing.â He said in awe as he looked around. His eyes finally settled on Pyrrha again as he smiled. âI'm really glad I came here tonight.â
âI'm glad as well.â Pyrrha said with a smile.
Jaune just looked wistfully up at the stars. âMy life has changed so much since I met you. I've learned so much, met so many people and made so many new memories.â
Pyrrha just smiled, squeezing his hand slightly. âI could say the same. The nights we spent at your shop really helped my team and team RWBY bond with each other as well as you. Though, I wish our memories were a little less... dangerous.â She said with a bit a teasing smirk.
Jaune nodded. âWe do seem to find trouble, huh?â
âWe?â Pyrrha asked, raising an eyebrow.
âOkay, I seem to find trouble. Or trouble seems to find me.â He said, pouting a bit.
Pyrrha just laughed. âThat's just how our world is. That's why we have friends. If I ever find myself in trouble I hope you'll come to my aid as well. For now though, I think your pies have been more than payment enough.â
Jaune just laughed as he squeezed her hand ever so slightly.
Pyrrha's eyes narrowed slightly as she saw Cardin approaching them from farther down the walk way. Judging by his smirk, he was about to ruin her peaceful moment. Perhaps revenge for her early match against his team. Before she could steer Jaune away, Pyrrha was aware of the rustle of leaves, and a sudden flare up of danger. In a blur Cardin was suddenly gone from from the walk way, and she saw the fountain far across the courtyard let out a massive splash.
A figure appeared on the walk way, before long the figure in the dress vanished from her spot, hardly a second having passed.
âDid... you see that?â Jaune asked curiously.
Pyrrha just shook her head. âDon't worry about it.â She said, leading him away towards a loop that would end up with them back at the entrance to her dorm. She knew it was getting late so she should let Jaune go soon, but she wanted to keep the night going even if just for a few moments more.
âDoes that happen often at Beacon? Mysterious people show up and people go flying?â
Pyrrha laughed gently. âMore than you would think actually.â
Jaune joined her in laughing as they walked. âOne day maybe I'll come here.â
Pyrrha just nodded. âJust keep working hard. It's never too late.â She thought for a moment before stopping. âWe have away missions coming up, so we won't be able to train this next weekend. I'm sorry!â She explained, suddenly feeling a bit bummed she'd have to pass up on the opportunity to spend the previous little time she got with Jaune.
Jaune shook his head. âDon't worry about it! You training to be a huntress after all. It's fine. Just be safe, okay?â He asked with a smile that made her chest grow warm.
âOf course. I'll record a video that will give you some exercise to do this weekend while I'm gone.â She offered.
They continued to chat peacefully as they walked, hand in hand. Too soon though, Pyrrha found herself back at the entrance to her dorms.
âWell, I should get back to my room. I think my team might be waiting.â She said, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
Jaune nodded. âI think my sister is waiting for me as well.â
They both lingered there a moment longer.
Jaune just looked down a bit. âI'm sorry for my careless remarks early. I made some assumptions and I was wrong.â His eyes widened as he felt a soft pressure against his cheek.
Pyrrha quickly kissed his cheek before she stepped back, her face as red as her hair. âNo apologies necessary. And thank you for joining us tonight, and the dance. It was absolutely wonderful.â
Jaune stood there in shock, trying to wrap his head around what happened.
Pyrrha just smiled. âWell, I have to get going. I'll see you later Jaune.â She said as she turned and quickly disappeared into the dorm.
Jaune just turned, gently bringing his hand to his cheek as he stumbled back towards the front. Before long, Alice had showed up as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders, grinning ear to ear. âI'm so proud of you brother! Ugh, you really can do some things right! Your sisters are never going to believe this.â She gushed as she lead him away. Definitely worth the stern talking to she got from Ozpin for launching that student across the courtyard Jane and Nora had warned her about. She aimed for the fountain, it wasn't that bad in her opinion.
As Pyrrha walked back into her room, she opened to see seven sets of eyes staring at her intently, expectantly.
âUhh... I'm back?â She said, a bit nervously. She stumbled a bit as Nora crashed into her, embracing her in a bear hug.
âWe're so proud of you!â Nora said suddenly.
Pyrrha just stared at her. âWhat...â It finally dawned on her. âYou were watching?!?â She exclaimed suddenly. Nora just stepped back, sticking her tongue out. âMaybe a little?â
Pyrrha just collapsed on her bed, hiding her face with her hands as Jane rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Tonight really was the best night. Her stomach dropped as she realized she had no idea how Jaune felt, since she had fled out of fear right after kissing him.
Her scroll buzzed as she saw a message from Alice.
Got your number from Jaune a while ago. He's still grinning like an idiot, nice hustle tonight. Good job~
Pyrrha just blushed, looking down. Alice had been watching too? Still, it seemed he didn't mind it. Grabbing her pillow, Pyrrha covered her face, ignoring the laughs of the rest of her teammates and friends. How was she supposed to sleep tonight now?
The away mission could end fast enough, she wanted to see him again. She glanced at the rest of the students in the room, all staring at her expectantly.
âSo... what happened?â Yang asked after a moment and Pyrrha groaned. She knew she wasn't going to get through tonight without answering all their questions.
Then again, as she thought about her time with Jaune at the dance she smiled again. Maybe thinking about it again wouldn't be the worst. âWell...â She started off as Jaune's smiling face brought one to hers. As she answered their questions about the night, Pyrrha realized before she attended beacon, before she met Jaune, she never had the opportunity to sit around like this with friends before. Her life had changed so much since she met Jaune, and she couldn't wait to see where they ended up next.
XxXxXxXxX
Iâm super sorry for the delay! I considered doing holiday chapters for both Christmas, and New Years, but I never ended up getting them done. I also was going back and forth for quite a while on whether I wanted to include another chapter before this one, and I opted to put it later. This one was also just hard to write for some reason. There definitely wont be that long of a delay again unless something major comes up. The rest of the chapters should be pretty smooth to write. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, a good New years, and I hope if youâre reading this you have a wonderful day!
P.S. Iâm working on a piece of art for this AU that Iâll be posting here if it turns out okay. I think yâall would enjoy it. =P
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