#the death of veronica mars

[hopeymchope]

No hardcore fandom has ever died so quickly and so completely as Veronica Mars. This is the story of its murder.

They should study Veronica Mars in Hollywood. I'm serious. It's an incredible story of how to go from "loud, passionate fanbase with its own fandom name that campaigns and advocates constantly for it" to "absolutely zero fucking interest" damn near OVERNIGHT with just ONE epically terri-bad decision.

If you weren't there, you don't understand: From 2007 to 2014, the fandom — the "Marshmallows," as they called themselves — were everywhere in the Internet's geek spaces, my friends. They routinely beat the drum about the series' three seasons and its excellence, lamented its cancellation, pushed others to give the show a try, and always - ALWAYS - proudly and loudly called for the series to be revived.

FULL DISCLOSURE/CONFESSION: I've not even watched that much Veronica Mars, frankly... ? Yeah, I'm sorry! it does seem pretty good from like the four-or-five hours I've experienced firsthand. I just never took the time to sit down with it. Regardless, I find fandoms and their dynamics — both how they operate internally and how they display to others externally — deeply fascinating. And I honestly find them easier to study from the outside than the inside. Like, if I'm IN a fandom, I'm more likely to stay in my corner and ignore places that seem negative. But being on the outside lets me just... absorb what's out there, looking into every forum without judgment. It's like studying pop-culture sociology or something? And it helps that I'm very close to some serious(-ly burnt) Marshmallows. It makes it so much easier to find and absorb the gamut of the fandom.

Besides: There is NO fandom story I've ever seen that's anything like what happened to Veronica Mars and the Marshmallows.

(Time to insert a brief explainer for the uninitiated: Veronica Mars was a TV series that aired from 2004-2007 on the now-deceased UPN network wherein Kristen Bell played the titular character, a high school girl whose single dad was a private detective in the fictional community of Neptune, California. She grew up working "unofficially" as his assistant, which meant that she herself was effectively a teenage private detective.

The three core elements of the series were: 1) Veronica investigating each week's big mystery with plenty of quips and snark, 2) Watching Veronica's various relationships develop and shift, with most of the focus given to a) her relationship to her father and b) Her romantic pursuits (which began as the Veronica/Duncan/Logan triangle before eventually becoming focused on the slow-burn, off-on Veronica/Logan love story), and 3) The gradual development of that season's "mytharc" — the overarching BIG MYSTERY that doesn't get resolved or wrapped until the season finale. So it went over the course of two seasons that took place in high school and the third, shorter season that was at the start of Veronica's collegiate career.)

Just how big and how passionate were the Marshmallows? WELL! When series creator Rob Thomas (not the Matchbox 20 guy) and star Kristen Bell announced the Kickstarter campaign for the Veronica Mars movie in March 2013, it achieved its heretofore-unprecedented goal of TWO MILLION GODDAMN DOLLARS within less than 12 hours. At that time, it was the biggest Kickstarter goal to ever succeed — and certainly the fastest to reach that kind of height. Fans fell OVER themselves to pay out for it. Hell, my own significant other was DEEP in the tank for VM at the time and invested enough to get multiple t-shirts as backer rewards as well as a disk copy of the movie when it eventually came home.

And AFTER the movie hit in 2014? It was thankfully beloved and embraced! The once-teenage characters were adults who were actually out living on their own and working for a living, but the fandom had grown up with them, so it wasn't like they were begging for them to stay young students. They embraced Adult Veronica and her new adventure. The fandom rejoiced loudly and continued to be all over the geek side of the Internet... where they, of course, still wanted more. Sure, there were new novels in the aftermath (which were written by the creator of the series), but most of the Marshmallows were calling for more movies or a streaming revival.

And then, at long last... season four was actually announced. And there was much (premature) rejoicing yet again.

Yes, Veronica Mars returned for a fourth season on Hulu in 2019. It was just eight episodes, and it was heavily centered on one season-long mystery instead of sprinkling that amongst a bunch of smaller ones, but it would still feature the same ol' Veronica. They promised a new, more "adult" mystery/investigation plus a strong focus on Veronica and Logan's love story.

New Hulu purchased the rights to the first three seasons and hyped up its presence on the platform while marketing the return for the new run. The marketing team played up the most popular quips from the show's history plus put out TONS of stuff centered on the Logan/Veronica ship to pump up the fans.

The season was dropped all at once using the classic Netflix "binge" model in July 2019. And then... afterwards?

There was a brief explosion of LOUD RAGE from the Marshmallows at what series creator Rob Thomas had to done to burn and spite the fandom and ruin his own goodwill.

SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4: See, at the end of the movie, Veronica and Logan finally entered into a long-term relationship. In season four, they've been dating for years, and Logan proposes marriage. But of course there has to be drama/obstacles: In this case, Veronica isn't sure she's ready to marry... or capable of being in a marriage. Ah, but of course she eventually realizes how much Logan means to her. The two are married, and, in the season finale... Logan is killed by a car bomb in the penultimate scene. The final scene is a flashfoward to a year later, where Veronica leaves Neptune alone.

For most fandoms, that'd be a memorable point of pain. A big ol' speed bump that ultimately throws some people off the bus, leaving only the die-hards. But the fact that fans had been invested in this relationship for literally 15 years and that Hulu (and creator Rob Thomas) had heavily marketed the new season as being a big romantic event for the ship... it was too much. Unlike the aftermath of the Star Wars sequels, there was no lingering group of die-hard fans who were open to whatever was next — at least no significant one. I did some Googling and could only find TWO people who still wanted another season.

Funnily enough? Critics LOVED this. Hell, Vanity Fair infamously penned an editorial about how Veronica Mars had "finally grown up" with this finale. I suppose all the other murders and deaths and drug overdoses and r*pe weren't "mature" enough before now for... some... reason. (The same editorial also featured the author openly hating on Veronica ever being in a relationship because it causes "arrested development" and declaring that the movie -- which was acclaimed by both critics AND fans alike, I remind you -- was a lame dud. So. The writer must be a reeeaaaal fun person.)

But a series doesn't live based on critical acclaim, as it turns out. The fandom was murdered overnight. "Marshmallows" stopped appearing in geek spaces online entirely. No one expressed interest in seeing the next season or the next movie. The constant flow of fan AMVs on YouTube and fanfics on AO3 dried up to nothing or damn nearly so.

Since 2019 ? Nothing. Chirping crickets. An intensely dedicated fandom of 12 years was just... vaporized.

I've never seen anything like it before OR since.

That's why it's so fucking fascinating.

So what went wrong?

Creator Rob Thomas was adamant about two things: ONE, the series was intended to be a noir show, which meant there couldn't be any happiness for its protagonist. And TWO, the death of Logan was necessary to evolve and grow the series.

Thomas thought that having Veronica in a relationship would be holding her back, and that a marriage would absolutely kill the series and leave her stagnant. It never even occurred to him that marriage isn't the end of a character's life and growth. It never occurred to him that plenty of drama can be had AFTER someone is married, or that development/growth could be that the characters mature enough to be capable of maintaining a committed relationship. Thomas' view of his own universe was so myopic that he couldn't conceive of any possible way that Veronica could still be a private detective involved in life-threatening investigations AND be married at the same time. Futhermore, he felt that fans just wanted Veronica to become a pregnant housewife, which is about as far from what Marshmallows were after as you can get without straight-up killing Veronica and/or Logan. He managed to do the only thing wronger than what he wrongly thought was their insistence.

On top of the above, Rob Thomas only viewed "noir" as a vehicle for total fatalism... despite the fact that many of the most famous noir stories are cynical and full of moral ambiguity, but they still feature a positive outcome. The Big Sleep still has the protagonist get the girl. The Set-Up arguably ends with the happiest possible ending in spite of the beating the hero receives.

Perhaps most importantly? Despite Thomas own insistence that Veronica Mars was always "noir," the majority of both TV critics and fans did not think that designation ever truly applied. I suspect that's the reason why Thomas decided to go as dark and fatalistic as possible: He wanted to be noir, and he was being told that he wasn't. So he went so far into noir that he killed his own most popular property.

He was adamant that it was the only way for the series to grow. But as it turns out, it was instead the only way for the series to permanently end. Without that season four finale, a passionate group of fans would still be begging for more. With it? It's over. Nobody fucking cares now.

That's kind of amazing.

#veronica mars #rob thomas #fandom #dead fandom #marshmallows #burnt marshmallows #fandom histories #the death of veronica mars #the day veronica mars died #gifs #television gifs #tv gifs #veronica mars gifs #vmars

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

#tumblr polls #hercule poirot #benoit blanc #nancy drew #veronica mars #kyoko kirigiri #l lawliet #jack reacher #sherlock holmes #rust cohle #jessica jones #phoenix wright #lisbeth salander #true detective #danganronpa #ace attorney #the defenders #death note #reacher #bbc sherlock #the girl with the dragon tattoo #agatha christie #knives out #nancy drew pc games #veronica mars movie #mystery stories

[sarucane]

Allow me to preface with: I love where OFMD ends up. Every time I see something that makes me fear for a renewal (Taika noooo), I remember that everyone was was okay where it ended, and dammit the ends justified the means

But:

Fuuuuck it's overstuffed, objectively. And my measurement of overstuffiness is: Big Musical Moments.

OFMD has these amazing sequences where the music and the action and the story all blend together in this glorious literal symphony. A normal episode has 1-2 of these sequences, and they're fucking glorious and eternal.

The finale of S2? The finale of S2 has FOUR Big Musical Moments! Five if you count Ed coming out of the water!

It's too many, it just is. There's missing links between character moments, missing plot details--it's a mess.

But I fucking love it and I'm so, so glad they rushed, because a TV season ender is a balance between the story as a whole and the investment of its watchers. Jenkins and co. decided that the investment of the watchers--and the wholeness of its charaters--was more important than the mechanics of story. And if that make you feel cheated, that's fair and that stinks. But fuck, so many stories are about the endless continuance of the characters and the ego of the creators--it's pretty damn amazing to feel like the fans (*cough* of the main arc *cough*) are valued and the creators are less important than getting to a place where it's ok to end.

The last line of this show might be "fuck that's strong!" "maybe we just air it out a bit..."

And that's actually okay. And it is, somehow, beautiful.

But goddamnit, JUST FIVE MORE MINUTES and that episode would have been PERFECT...

#this may not age well: there's now an interview with Taika where he says oh I think it's over that just came out which isn't scary at all #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd s2 #ofmd meta #random fandom crossover anyone else a Veronica Mars fan? #you wanna talk about rushed character deaths Izzy is NOTHING they clearly TRIED and CARED #Logan Echols of Veronica Mars tv show was grotesquely murdered offscreen and we immediately cut to ONE YEAR LATER #it was so underwritten that people very justifiably said "wait maybe he isn't dead because no body no funeral hey what #ofmd spoilers #ed teach #stede bonnet #blackbonnet #still legit the finale of s1 is 36 min and the finale of s2 is 29 and does MORE character work for more characters #well if wishes were horses and money grew on fucking trees #then we'd all be in hitchhiker's guide book 3

[seek--rest]

we used to be friends

T | 7 chapters | Veronica Mars AU

“You should know by now that there’s haves and have nots,” MJ says, Flash smirking beside her.

“Really? I never would’ve guessed. Weird coming from you, though.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She asks, Flash giving her a look.

“How the hell does Iron Man’s daughter end up being on the end of the social totem pole?”

MJ sighs before pressing her lips together.

“Easier than you think.”

Read now on AO3

#irondad #irondad but make it mj #veronica mars #mj watson #tony stark #the death of Gwen Stacy

[sappho-said-i-could]

#I’m genuinely curious #because I HATE it so much #but tv shows keep doing it so people must like it?? #tv poll #tv character death #character death #what’s your opinion #tv show drama #tv drama #sorry I’m adding so many tags because I want everyone to weigh in here #gonna tag a billion tv shows #the good doctor #911 lone star #911 on abc #Chicago med #Chicago fire #greys anatomy #supernatural #house #game of thrones #24 #lost #the walking dead #ER #scandal #breaking bad #house of cards #stranger things #Veronica mars #the OC

[steveharrignton]

nah i just binged through all of veronica mars and i do not accept the ending i’m in denial i refuse to believe that goodbye

#what the FUCK #when i tell you i am still sobbing #i spent how many hours binging this show/the movie in the past week just for it to end like THAT #spoilers #in the following tags #i KNEW [redacted] had death bells ever since s2 #but i figured the writers changed their minds and wanted to keep him around bc he was liked #and so when he lived past s2 i was like oh ok and i let my guard down and i loved him #i really did not think they would end the reboot on that note that’s so fucked up on me specifically #how could they do this to meeeeeee #he actually barely survived but recovered and had to live off the grid for navy intelligence reasons and um he and veronica reunited #happily ever after etc etc #everything’s fine ! #txt #veronica mars

[cagedpotential]

✉️ ➡ @burninrcd (lilly kane), i know. i'm shameless.

❝ are not! i just don't get why you'd choose me to be your best friend, to be honest ― i'm so vanilla and bland and...overall, spiceless, compared to you. ❞ this wasn't me fishing for a compliment, i truly saw myself that way. lilly was always the one greeted first in the hallway, the one guys checked out at parties and that girls always asked for hand gel in the bathroom sink ― i was just invisible, even in her shadow. but it wasn't like us to wallow in self-pity, so i turned it around with a half-joke and a fake gasp, ❝ wait a second, is it because you wanna keep a tight leash on duncan? make sure he doesn't lose his special guy-marbles to some skank, that could potentially turn him into some sort of sex freak? ❞

#burninrcd #<3 veronica before her death was so pure #writings: veronica mars. #answered.

[stupidsexpotflanders]

Logan Echolls, light Yagami, Mikami, anakin Skywalker, darkling

Put five characters in my ask and i’ll put them in my order of preference <3

Now,this anon was cruel,lol.

5. The Darkling(if Barfdugo wasn't such a shit writer,he'd be higher,but alas)

4. Logan Echolls (another one who suffered from shit ass writing in canon)

3. Teru Mikami

And now,to the round of fire...

2. Anakin Skywalker

1. Light Yagami

The first two places were a close one,but I picked Light because I'm on a Death Note vibe. Besides,the DN universe isn't as fun without Moon Night God,and I can't see many characters having such villain and protagonist power at the same time.

#ask game #anti leigh bardugo #aleksander morozov #anti rob thomas #veronica mars #logan echolls #death note #star wars #teru mikami #anakin skywalker #light yagami #villain protagonist #on a tangent I say we need less of ''light is a narcissist/psychopath/[insert psychiatric disorder here]'' #and more of ''light yagami is a slut/whore/hoe'' #society has progressed the need of ''this evil or otherwise shitty character can't love even if canon proves it's not true'' #but light yagami can and must be slutshamed #don't @ me #i apologize for the other fandoms who have to see this lunacy lol

[actualhumancryptid]

Rewatching Party Down due to excitement (and apprehension) of the reboot. Straight away there’s the pilot with ‘edgy’ jokes about racism that feel very 2009.

But overall, it really is such a well-crafted series. Truly is a product of that period where network tv/ basic cable was all about ratings, on their way to a steep cliff in the form of streamers. Ie. the same time period where Parks and Rec was somehow this close to being cancelled every season. It’s the only way I can explain how shows like this didn’t find their biggest audience until after they were over.

Apparently everyone got paid a hundred dollars to film the pilot because it still didn’t have the backing of Starz.

Still can’t believe there won’t be any Lizzy Caplan in the reboot. But that inexplicable missing castmember really is true to the essence of the original run.

#party down #going to enjoy s1 before Jane Lynch is gone #it really was a show that was hen-picked to death when cast members went off somewhere better #the Veronica Mars cameos still give me life

[betareaderwanted]

New betas

1) KissNTell

Language: English

Not available for originals

Fandoms: Veronica Mars, The 100

Category: M/F

Ratings: General Audiences, Teens and up

Genres: Angst, Fluff, Hurt/comfort

How to contact: [email protected]

2) Diane (she/her)

Languages: English, Turkish

Available for originals

Fandoms: Good Omens, What we do in the shadows, Sherlock, Venom, Our flag means death, The Witcher

Category: M/M

Rating: Teens and up, Mature, Explicit

Genres: Angst, AU, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/comfort, Smutt

How to contact: email: [email protected]

Check the live Excell document here to see if any new betas have applied.

Click here to apply to be listed as a beta.

#beta reader #beta reader wanted #veronica mars #the 100 #good omens #what we do in the shadows #sherlock #venom #our flag means death #the witcher #fanfiction #fanfic

[what-does-the-moose-say]

Everytime I hear It never rains in southern califorina I think about Veronica Mars. They really went off with that. They where like lets create the most devastating bittersweet ending ever and then like. Hit it Albert. It sure pours.

#veronica mars #that ending did so many things to my teenage brain. #also represent sort of the death of vhs for me #the finale (a rerun but i had not watched ot before) aired during easter and i was away at something completely not nerd related and my dad #was to record it. vhs broke down but he recorded it on a dvr or idk what the fuck it is called is ot dvr

[beautifulfaaces]

Armie Hammer

Facts

August 28, 1986

American actor

He is of Jewish, Ukrainian and Russian descent

Filmography

Simon [Death on the Nile: 2022]

Will [Wounds: 2019]

Oliver [Call Me by Your Name: 2017]

Cameron/ Tyler [The Social Network: 2010]

Gabriel [Gossip Girl: 2009]

Kurt [Veronica Mars: 2006]

Appearance

dark blonde/ brunette

blue eyes

1.96m

Roleplay

playable: young adult, adult

Icons: Death on the Nile

#Armie Hammer #male 80s #male american #80s male american #80s male jewish descent #80s male ukrainian descent #80s male russian descent #death on the nile #wounds #call me by your name #the social network #gossip girl #veronica mars #dark blonde male young #dark blonde male adult #80s male dark blonde #brunette male young #brunette male adult #80s male brunette #blue eyes male young #blue eyes male adult #80s male blue eyes #young adult male #adult male

[mx-cringe]

Obligated Intro Post

Hi! I recently made this acc to get back into writing hopefully, blog stuff, and meet new people :D

Please interact if you're into any of the following:

Marvel and the MCU

DC and the DCU

Our Flag Means Death <3

Supernatural

Veronica Mars

Criminal Minds

Avatar the Last Airbender

Cartoon Network & Disney Cartoons

Stardew Valley

Also, feel free to use my ask me & submission box to give me writing ideas and requests. No guarantees I'll post it but I'd still love the practice :]

( also, I'm queer + nonbinary )

#new user #new to tumblr #marvel #mcu fandom #dc #our flag means death #supernatural #avatar the last airbender #criminal minds #veronica mars #queer #looking for mutuals #nonbinary #stardew valley

[contemplationncoffee]

It Ended All Too Soon || For Brittney

Yesterday marked the eighth anniversary of my best friend's death. I was fine most of the day, kept busy doing some work in my classroom (I'm on winter break). In the evening everything hit like a ton of bricks and I decided to finish this video in remembrance. I finished it shortly before midnight, so while it's posted a day late, it was finished just in time.

#my video #my art #grief #loss #death #multi-fandom #Cooper Alan #One Tree Hill #Supernatural #Stranger Things #Harry Potter #Veronica Mars #Charmed #Personal #Youtube

[steveharrignton]

can’t believe i waited 3 seasons to hear a come back to sheriff lamb’s “go see the wizard” bs just for it to be a homophobic joke like 😭

#and it wasn’t even a funny one !! #like i knew since the pilot it would come back and it was THAT lmao #so unrewarding #hilary duff would NOT stand for this #also wish his death was more satisfying :/ #txt #veronica mars

[ez-with-a-fez]

Does anyone else hyperfixate on a show and then feel bad when you start hyperfixating on ANOTHER show because the first show gave you so much happiness but now it's just not doing it anymore, and honestly it's not the show's fault. It's not you, it's me. It's a problem.

#house md #gregory house #the umbrella academy #five hargreeves #our flag means death #blackstede #good omens #ineffable husbands #wynonna earp #wyndoc #harry potter #marauders #buffy the vampire slayer #spuffy #veronica mars #LoVe #Sherlock #castle #caskett #supernatural #destiel #sabriel #doctor who #tenth doctor #gilmore girls #rory x jess