The Writer Games
It can take decades to write a masterpiece, and years to plan it- so see what a couple of amateurs come up with in 15 minutes after a prompt. College Fool, Couer Al'Alran, and the (mostly Jaune) story concepts that followed.
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College Fool's Prompt – The Curious Courtship of Jaune Arc: After the dance Jaune gets an admirer who seeks to woo him in an old-fashioned manner.
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Couer's Fill:
Title: The Curious Courtship of Jaune Arc
Summary: Life after the dance soon returned to normal for Jaune and Team JNPR, but when mysterious love letters start arriving for the blonde hero - life takes a turn for the unusual. "I have a secret admirer? I have to find them!"
Characters: Jaune, Ren, Nora, Pyrrha
Of course, it's a romance - so it's time for the 7-beat madness to strike once more. It really doesn't ever go wrong - everything just fits so damn well on it.
Beat 1 - Life after the dance has changed little for Jaune Arc, and Team JNPR. Despite his heart-to-heart with Pyrrha, Jaune is still single - and things are awkward between them. A few people nod and grin at him after his comedy at the ball, but otherwise he is still as single and frustrated as ever.
Beat 2 - The two groups are eating at the cafeteria when Ren arrives, a little late from his shower. He has with him a dagger and a pink envelope, which he hands to Jaune - to some teasing from Yang. Ren sighs and explains when he left the room it was nailed to their door with this dagger, and is addressed to Jaune. Weiss comments that it smells of expensive perfume, and Yang shouts that it's a love letter, and demands he read it. Jaune blushes and refuses, saying he's never received anything like that before, and isn't going to share it. Yang tries to steal it, but Jaune runs away to read it in private.
The letter is almost old-fashioned in its content, speaking of beating hearts - the attraction the writer felt upon seeing Jaune's bravery at the dance, and how they didn't dare reveal themselves. In the end they penned this letter, to express the thoughts they dare not speak face-to-face. From, your secret admirer.
Jaune is shocked, and wants to find the person.
Beat 3 - Jaune is determined to find his secret admirer, trying to enlist Ren's help. Ren is reluctant, saying that it could be anyone at all - and does Jaune really want to date just anyone. "What if it's a really ugly woman?" Ren asks. "Silly Ren, this is Beacon - I don't think I've even seen a woman under a 9/10." Ren c*** his head and thinks, "You're... actually right. That's kinda weird really."
Jaune and Ren, with a little help from RWBY try to track the girl through the weapon, while Jaune still receives love letters from them. Meanwhile Pyrrha is feeling increasingly bummed, because the dance was supposed to be her chance to reveal her feelings, but due to her inaction - Jaune is now running around chasing after another woman.
She tries to help him though, despite how much it hurts her to do so.
Beat 4 - The love letters continue, and yet Jaune is no closer to his admirer. They come to the conclusion that it might be Velvet, since she fits the shy angle - would think Jaune brave for coming to her defence, and clearly keeps some weapon hidden in that box. Some comedy here from how Team RWBY stalks Velvet and Team CFVY, until Coco gets tired and pretty much captures and interrogates them. Coco says Velvet isn't into Jaune, as she is already taken.
Yang tells her to prove it, and Coco gropes Velvet while making out with her, causing Team RWBY to flee in embarrassment.
Pyrrha is glad to see it isn't Velvet, and takes the opportunity to get a little closer to Jaune. He is bummed that the search isn't going well and she tries to take his mind off it by the two of them going out for some light lunch in Vale. The two have a decent-enough day, but it turns sour after a few people start taking pictures of her and harassing the two of them.
Beat 5 - The love letters start to talk about the two of them meeting up, Jaune is enthused, but also panicked. "S***, what if I make a bad impression!? I'm no good with women!" Ren is exasperated "Finally the end is in sight." Nora is just amused, meanwhile Pyrrha is feeling the pressure. She has to win his affections before he meets this woman - Jaune is so keen to like this mysterious suitor, that she is sure he would accept them immediately.
She realises she literally has to confess to him immediately, or there will be no hope whatsoever. She tries to do so over what she hopes will be a romantic dinner, and gets Jaune to talk about himself. But one final time her nerves betray her and she can't do it.
Pyrrha knows she's lost her chance.
Beat 6 - A final letter arrives, and Jaune says she wants to meet him. RWBY encourages him, with Weiss personally congratulating him, and thanking him for helping her with Neptune. Nora whispers to Pyrrha that this is her last chance to do something - and to Nora's frustration Pyrrha's last chance is used to hug him and say good luck.
The teams retire, sans Jaune who has gone to meet his beau. Pyrrha is nearly in tears and Ren and Nora aren't sure what to do. Nora is about to go and comfort her, when Ren stands and asks if he can speak with Pyrrha outside.
The two have a frank conversation, with Ren saying she had multiple opportunities and kept squandering them. He is honest, and in some ways cruel. Pyrrha says she knows it all, but lost her last chance.
Ren says that isn't true. He managed to spy a little of the letter, says after all the s*** Jaune dragged him through he'd be damned if he was kept in the dark for the ending. They are going to meet on the roof at 9pm, and it's 8:55 now.
Pyrrha runs off.
Beat 7 - Pyrrha arrives on the rooftop at 8:58, to Jaune's confusion. She knows she has only two minutes to explain herself so pours her emotions out to him - honestly telling him how she feels, and how special he is. The clock ticks nine, and desperately she kisses him, trying to convey all her feelings.
Jaune is shocked, and explains that with her silence after the dance he assumed she had changed her mind. He had wanted them to become something more, but she went cold and quiet around him. She begs his forgiveness, saying she was shy.
It's 9:08 by the time they are done, and Jaune starts to realise there is no paramour, saying someone probably played a sick trick on him. Pyrrha asks to see one of the letters, and Jaune hands her the first letter, which he always kept.
Pyrrha reads it out loud, going red. She stutters and admits that she never sent it, but it's basically her diary entry after the dance - where she explained in her diary why she loved him. Almost word for word. Humiliated, she asks who could have done this. Before Jaune pushes it aside and asks why it matters, kissing her once more.
The scene pans to the door to the rooftop, where Ren is leaning against the wall, a smug grin on his face. Nora is nearby with a camera, recording the romantic moment. "You know Renny, you're really scary when you go into scheming mode like this."
"As if they would have gotten anything done on their own." Ren comments, flipping the first dagger around his fingers, before sliding it into a hidden sheathe in his jacket.
Story End.
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C.F.'s Impression:
An exceptionally strong romance, and possibly the strongest pure-romance yet in terms of structure from start to finish. It's practically already written- if there's any story someone reading this collections for ideas should take and flesh out, it's this one.
For Arkos shipping, this is probably the best you'll ever get from Coeur, or myself, or anyone for that matter. There are a lot of little touches here that I like- how the love letters are played, how Team RWBY gets involved in the hunt, the red herring of Velvet, how Pyrrha tries but keeps failing to seal the deal all the way, even as attempts (like the lunch date) are marred by her fame. It's perfectly in-character for all of them- with the comical exception of the CFVY element- and the resolution as appropriately dramatic and romantic. Plus, sneaky Ren- always a plus.
It's almost enough to make you forget that neither Coeur or I actually like Arkos shipping. In fact, it wasn't even what I had in mind when I gave this prompt- I wasn't thinking of 'secret admirer', but someone actually outright (evenly openly) courting Jaune, but as if their knowledge of romance came from (old) books. A bit of comedy between the anachronisms, the treatment of Jaune as the damsel to be wooed, and the social oddity- something I thought would be great for Penny (whose understanding of social interaction could come from books) or Ruby (socially awkward, a fan of romanticized fairy tales).
I may push this prompt at Coeur again one day- for the reasons and intent above- but this was an excellent Arkos love story.
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Coeur's Reflection:
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Holy crap an Arkos, ugh i feel dirty. Honestly though this is the only way I see it going down, because no matter how you look at it both Jaune and Pyrrha are too shy to get together even after the dance. Both will likely get cold feet and get nothing done. At first when I got the prompt i did think of a third party, perhaps Winter - but then I started thinking "who do I imagine would be really old fashioned when it came to love letters?" And instantly Ren came to my mind.
So I made it him :D - in a sense.
There's not much to say on this one, it's my HFP - my hated F*** pairing, but I can still write it if I need to. The structure is very sound, as it's fit to the 7-beat romance structure pretty much perfectly. And the twist at the end is perfectly "feelgood" to bring it to an end in an overdose of sugar.
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Author(s) Note:
So, we just wanted to put something out-
We're fine, and even encourage, people to take up these ideas if they like- because the ideas that we come up with that we ourselves intend to write, aren't being posted here. One of the prompts Coeur has given C.F., and two of the prompts C.F. has given Coeur, are on our 'intended writing' plates- and we'd rather not spoil them here. So this game really does help with our intended/future writing!
But- as for reviewer-requested fills. Coeur had high hopes when we started, but I'm afraid some of you have broken his heart. The one closest to getting selected was on the grounds of how bad it was, lol. Terribad, if you will.