#All solved by the highs and lows of high-school football

[homestuckreplay]

kill them with bladekindness

(page 575-586)

9/3/2009 Wheel Spin: Parent Bad :( Verdict: It’s The Background Texture

9/4/2009 Wheel Spin: Long Pesterlog Verdict: Dave Should Pester John About This

Not much actually happens in these pages, just picking things up and putting them down, so I re-read all Dave’s POV sections so far to experience his uninterrupted slow descent into puppet madness. And it was actually very enlightening and is probably a good way of re-reading for character development/analysis now that character switches are happening so regularly.

But today I was just trying to figure out how the fuck hash map works.

Dave brags to John a couple times about being a super hardcore genius sylladex user, and he’s exaggerating, but not totally lying. As well as already having his strife specibus allocated, on p.576 he does a smooth box catch after seeing the fireworks ejected out the corner of his eye, and on p.579 he shows off by intentionally ejecting and then dodging about ten shurikens. Even though there’s way easier ways he could have accomplished that – such as GENTLY GATHERING (5) the shurikens to free up card 5, then taking the box.

Except, it makes sense if we assume Dave is practicing. In the past we’ve seen Dave mess with his sylladex in his room and in the bathroom, but this is the first time he’s used it in the public areas of the house – and with the Dude Dodge and demonstrations of using different words for the same item and dealing with collisions, it’s almost like he’s putting on a performance. On p.386, he tells John: ‘you should look into weaponizing your sylladex. my bro is always getting on my case about it but man its not as easy as it sounds.’

We’ve now learned that Dave’s bro stocks the kitchen with weapons, which could be there specifically for sylladex practice. Dave’s bro, who it’s been implied also uses hash map, could have been practicing the shuriken-dodge maneuver for years, to use if he ever gets into a real fight. (Or is there a league? Is sylladex usage a sport and Dave’s bro is like a former high school football player who’s trying to train up a younger family member to relive their glory days)?

These kitchen violence pages pair well with Dave reading the Midnight Crew on p.329-331. ‘A familiar feeling stirs. That feeling is overwhelming, soul-blackening rage. It's the sort of rage that'll make a man feel totally justified in sporting an unnecessarily elaborate assortment of fancy blades’ is a line referring to Spades Slick, but Dave lives with a man who sports an unnecessarily elaborate assortment of fancy blades, so I wonder what soul-blackening rage Bro is feeling and why. It makes me think about how a hyperviolent character in a piece of media can be very fun and likeable, but that same trait in a real person, especially one you live with, is terrifying, and certainly gets different reactions from Dave.

Page 585 shows some different options for hash map point scoring, and I wonder which is most user friendly. Scrabble points is fun, but only helpful if you’ve memorized the Scrabble score system. 2-point consonants and 1-point vowels, which Dave has been using, is pretty easy to calculate numbers for, but certain cards seem like they come up a lot more than others. A short, 3-5 letter word will probably occupy cards 5 through 9, and it gets harder to fill up those low numbered cards when calculating in a hurry. The system where A=1, B=2, C=3, etc, probably solves that issue, but involves working with much bigger numbers, which (if playing TTRPGs has taught me anything) lots of people struggle with. A good hash map needs to be easy to calculate and leave items naturally well distributed among cards.

The most effective hash map, I think, wouldn't depend on function but would have a standard set of 20-30 items that you regularly captchalogue and know the values for, along with ways of retrieving them. So when leaving the house, I could have my KEYS in card 6 and use them to OPEN the front door, plus my WALLET in card 0 to EXCHANGE MONEY for goods and services, but when I go home I can switch them out for a BAKING TRAY (6) that I could use to COOK dinner, and a LAPTOP (0) to easily BROWSE the internet. (If I wanted to leave the house with my laptop, I could captchalogue it as a PORTABLE DEVICE (2) for SURFING THE WEB). Getting to know these items really well, and the ways they might be used as weapons, would probably be way easier than just figuring it out as you go.

Of course, when losing a sylladex battle, you can just hit that eject button for a near guaranteed win. It’s possible this counts as a forfeit or is just bad conduct, but with a sylladex full of shurikens it might just be worth it. ‘detect collisions,’ in this context, feels like using training wheels on a bike or those railings over the bowling lane gutters. You should do it to learn, but some assholes will look down on it, and it’s totally not allowed in competitions.

I also noted on this reread how it’s very common for Dave to have the tiny flashing exclamation point above his head when he gets a sudden shock. This might have happened once or twice with John or Rose, I’d need to reread more to check, but it’s definitely a lot more common with Dave. He could be easily startled, it could be an artistic way of showing his emotion when he wouldn’t show it on his face like other characters do, or this could be where Dave stores his unused exclamation points that he’s too cool to put in chat messages.

Finally. I love the bit on p.581 when the picture of Sweet Bro or Hella Jeff gets knocked off the fridge and slowly floats to the floor.

[witchofthemidlands]

an accurate depiction of my dad, an archie comics enthusiast, when he asks me to explain what riverdale is:

there has never been a show quite as unhinged as riverdale & honestly it's been fun, it really was a lot of fun. it was by no means good & i feel like crack may have been inhaled in the writers room but it was a laugh, it went from being an ‘edgy’ teen drama show about trying to solve the mystery of what happened to jason blossom & archie andrews experiencing the triumphs & defeats, the epic highs & lows of high school football to a show about archie fighting a bear, kids running gangs, people doing selling drugs to support their nana, a teenager opening a speakeasy, witchcraft, alternative universes, cults, a cult leader escaping in a rocket, the main characters getting superpowers all the while butchering musicals. riverdale was unafraid it just did whatever it wanted to do no matter if it was good or not.

riverdale also gave me cheryl blossom & as i was also struggling with accepting that i was a lesbian at the time, the character of cheryl will always mean a lot to me.

[godheadjones]

riverdale infodump pls? 👉👈

okay. this is gonna be wild knife

we start off with the murder of jason blossom. whodunit? no one knows. jughead, our narrator, writes from his booth in the only diner in town, pops. shit happens. veronica comes to town and hits on archie a few time before they move from closest fucking to being in a relationship. archie struggles with his feels for betty and they immediately disappear as soon as veronica closest fucks him. this is one episode. more shit happens this season, like the revelation of the blossom/cooper family incest, cheryl calling archies dad a dilf as a not-yet-lesbian, betty and jughead start dating, jughead hates his birthday, sticky maples and clifford blossom hangs himself just after his daughter tries to kill herself. cliffored is revealed as being the killer cause jason said "no! im not taking over your maple syrup buisness which is actually a cover for heroin business" blah blah. shit happens in this town then archies dad gets shot in pops and even more shit happens. archie, without his drivers license but with an undiagnosed hero complex rushes his father to the hospital. everyone comes and is worried and theirs heart to heart and cheryl burns down her house. why not. new killer: the black hood. and he wants to purge riverdale of sinners. now theres a new drug dealer, the sugarman, who sells jingle jangle to the kids of southside high, where jughead attends school now with his foster family. another big bad rolls into town and his name is hiram lodge. hiram is hiram forever, we chant as veronica kisses his cheek in the dark. more shit happens, then, they think they finally caught the black hood! its a random janitor! haha, the students think, we can return with our life. nope. the janitor really was just a random janitor. at their musical production of carrie, played by cheryl, whos finally realized she gay and is dating southside serpent toni topaz. midge turns up dead in their show and the town is haunted. they hold each other, fuck each other, and interrogate half brother imposters whove come to town. jughead is caught up in drama with southside serpent member penny peabody. he cut off her tatoo cause he joined a gang, hes badass, he has to prove this blah. penny takes over another gang, the ghoulies, and jughead approaches them and is like "just kill me" so they do. or so they think? jugheads alive! jughead besting death 1/? gifset when? anyway hes alive. then betty catches the black hood and its none other than her father! hal how could you. he says bettys speeech at the 75 years jubilee (in season one) inspired him to go shoot shoot shoot. mystery solved! yippee! assembly time then uh oh. hiram lodge has nailed archie for the murder of some guy while archie was at a fuck cabin with bughead (betty and jughead) and veronica. hes going to jail. archies 3 friends try to save him along with his mother, who is a lawyer. good for her! they spend all summer trying to save archie from prison but its all for nought cause archie confesses under threat from hiram. farewell archie andrews. new school year but its weird since archie isnt there. hes teaching other prisoners about the epic highs and lows of high school football. as he does this, the school gets addicted to g&g, which is just d&d on jingle jangle. its all part of a larger scheme of the farm, a secret cult harvesting organs for a dying girl pretending she’s in high school. meanwhile with archie, hes in a wrestling ring for the prison and hes very good at it. he espaces with the help of monica posh, undercover vee lodge. when he does he runs away to hide from hiram with jughead because they are gay. not really both are in straight relationships. archie has kissed men tho. hes on thin ice. hes in canada has some trippin visions of killing himself and its all fun and games until he comes back. turns out the gargoyle king, the second g in g&g is penelope blossom, cheryls homophobic mother along with the help of fake jason blossom (imposter half brother) and the black hood!! gasp!

I can’t believe I’m even saying this. part two will be out soon

[eduexplorehub]

Best CBSE School in Delhi

Delhi, the vibrant capital of India, is home to a multitude of educational institutions that cater to the diverse needs of its student population. Among these, Evergreen Public School stands out as one of the best CBSE schools in the region, offering an exceptional blend of academic rigor, holistic development, and a nurturing environment. In this blog, we explore what makes Evergreen Public School a top choice for parents seeking quality education for their children in Delhi.

A Tradition of Excellence

Evergreen Public School, with its rich history and commitment to educational excellence, has earned a prominent place among the top CBSE schools in Delhi. Since its inception, the school has been dedicated to providing a well-rounded education that fosters intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and moral values. The school’s consistent track record of high academic performance and success in various co-curricular activities is a testament to its unwavering commitment to nurturing young minds.

Cutting-Edge Infrastructure

One of the hallmarks of Evergreen Public School is its state-of-the-art infrastructure, designed to create an optimal learning environment. The school campus is spacious and well-planned, providing a safe and stimulating atmosphere for students. Classrooms are equipped with modern teaching aids, including smart boards and projectors, to facilitate interactive and engaging learning experiences.

The school also features well-equipped laboratories for science, mathematics, and computer studies, where students can conduct experiments and explore concepts hands-on. The library, stocked with a vast collection of books, magazines, and digital resources, serves as a hub for knowledge and research.

In addition to academic facilities, Evergreen Public School places a strong emphasis on physical education and extracurricular activities. The school boasts extensive sports facilities, including playgrounds for cricket, football, basketball, and athletics, as well as indoor spaces for badminton, table tennis, and yoga. These facilities encourage students to develop a healthy and active lifestyle, balancing academics with physical fitness.

Highly Qualified and Caring Faculty

The faculty at Evergreen Public School is one of its greatest strengths. The school employs a team of highly qualified and experienced teachers who are not only experts in their respective subjects but also passionate about teaching. The school emphasizes continuous professional development, ensuring that teachers stay updated with the latest educational practices and technologies.

With a low student-teacher ratio, Evergreen Public School ensures that each student receives personalized attention and guidance. Teachers are dedicated to understanding the unique needs of each child and adapting their teaching methods accordingly. The school’s approach to education goes beyond rote learning, focusing on fostering critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

Holistic Development

Evergreen Public School believes in nurturing the overall development of its students, preparing them to excel in all aspects of life. The school offers a wide range of co-curricular activities that complement the academic curriculum and allow students to explore their interests and talents. These activities include art and craft, music, dance, drama, debates, and quizzes.

The school also organizes various inter-school competitions, cultural events, and field trips, providing students with opportunities to showcase their skills and learn from new experiences. Leadership programs, community service initiatives, and environmental awareness campaigns are integral parts of the school’s ethos, instilling a sense of responsibility and civic duty in students.

Emphasis on Values and Ethics

In today’s fast-paced world, it is essential to instill strong values and ethics in students. Evergreen Public School places a significant emphasis on character building and moral education. The school’s value-based education model encourages students to develop qualities such as honesty, integrity, empathy, and respect for others.

Regular workshops on ethical dilemmas, life skills sessions, and counseling programs are conducted to help students navigate the complexities of modern life while staying grounded in their values. The school’s focus on ethics ensures that students grow into responsible and compassionate individuals who contribute positively to society.

Technology-Integrated Learning

Evergreen Public School is at the forefront of integrating technology into the educational process. The school uses a variety of digital tools and platforms to enhance learning and make it more interactive and engaging. From digital classrooms and online assignments to virtual labs and educational apps, technology is seamlessly integrated into the curriculum.

The school’s online portal allows parents to stay informed about their child’s academic progress, attendance, and activities. This open line of communication between the school and parents ensures that students receive the necessary support both at school and at home.

Safe and Supportive Environment

Safety and security are top priorities at Evergreen Public School. The school has implemented comprehensive security measures, including CCTV surveillance, secure entry and exit points, and regular safety drills. The school also has a dedicated team of staff responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of students on campus.

The school provides a supportive environment where every student feels valued and cared for. The counseling department offers support for students facing academic challenges, peer pressure, or personal issues. The school promotes inclusivity and ensures that all students, regardless of their background or abilities, receive equal opportunities to succeed.

Strong Parent-Teacher Partnership

Evergreen Public School believes that a strong partnership between parents and teachers is essential for a child’s success. The school encourages regular communication between parents and teachers through parent-teacher meetings, open houses, and interactive sessions. These meetings provide a platform to discuss the child’s progress, address concerns, and collaborate on strategies to support the child’s development.

The school also involves parents in various school activities and events, fostering a sense of community and shared responsibility for the students’ growth and well-being.

Achievements and Recognition

Evergreen Public School’s commitment to excellence has been recognized through various awards and accolades. The school’s students have consistently excelled in CBSE board examinations, securing top ranks and achieving outstanding results. The school has also been honored in inter-school competitions, cultural festivals, and sports events, reflecting its dedication to nurturing talent and excellence.

Conclusion

Evergreen Public School is more than just a place of learning; it is a community that nurtures the holistic development of every student. With its focus on academic excellence, values-based education, and a wide range of extracurricular activities, the school provides a strong foundation for students to thrive in all aspects of life. For parents seeking the best CBSE school in Delhi, Evergreen Public School is an ideal choice, offering a comprehensive and enriching educational experience.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the admission process at Evergreen Public School?

The admission process at Evergreen Public School typically starts in January. Parents can obtain the admission form from the school office or download it from the school’s website. The process includes an entrance test and an interview to assess the child’s readiness for the grade they are applying for. Admission is granted based on the test results and the availability of seats.

2. What are the school timings?

The school timings at Evergreen Public School vary depending on the grade level. Generally, the school operates from 8:00 AM to 2:30 PM for senior classes, while junior classes may have different timings. The exact timings are communicated to parents at the beginning of the academic session.

3. Does the school offer transportation facilities?

Yes, Evergreen Public School provides transportation facilities for students. The school buses cover various routes across Delhi and the surrounding areas. The buses are equipped with GPS tracking, and trained staff supervise the students to ensure their safety during transit.

4. How does the school support students with special needs?

Evergreen Public School is committed to inclusivity and provides support for students with special needs. The school has a team of special educators and counselors who work closely with these students, offering personalized support and resources to help them succeed in their academic journey.

5. What extracurricular activities are available at the school?

Evergreen Public School offers a wide range of extracurricular activities, including sports, music, dance, drama, art and craft, debates, and quizzes. The school encourages students to participate in these activities to develop their talents and interests beyond academics.

6. How does the school ensure student safety?

The safety of students is a top priority at Evergreen Public School. The school has implemented strict security measures, including CCTV surveillance, secure entry and exit points, and regular safety drills. The school also has a dedicated safety team that monitors and ensures the well-being of all students on campus.

7. How does the school facilitate parent-teacher communication?

Evergreen Public School maintains open communication with parents through regular parent-teacher meetings, open houses, and an online portal. These platforms allow parents to stay informed about their child’s academic progress, attendance, and other activities, ensuring a collaborative approach to the child’s education.

[oldarticles]

College vs. Real College

by Jake Hurwitz

Like many of you, I grew up watching Saved by the Bell, Boy Meets World, and (don't tell anyone) Dawson's Creek. Those shows taught me all I knew about relationships, family problems, and, as years passed without network cancellation, college life. Well, you can imagine my disappointment when I moved into my dorm freshman year only to discover that the college life portrayed on television during my youth was not even remotely similar to real college life. Allow me to explain:

Saved by the Bell: First of all, the fact that Zack got into UCLA without ever doing any homework (aside from that project he did with the Native American that one time) just because he got a good SAT score is ridiculous, but I won't even get into that. Zack moves in to his dorm with A.C. Slater and Samuel "Screech" Powers. Talk about a stroke of luck! Who saw that one coming?! As freshmen, Zack and the guys had a sweet common room, complete with a kitchen, which connected them to one Miss Kelly Kapowski and her two hot roommates, Leslie and Alex. My freshman year I lived in a 12 by 10 cinderblock cell with a strange Indian kid who had a nasty Hot-Pocket addiction and rampant body odor. There was no common room connecting our room to the room of three gorgeous women. Instead, we had a hallway with a puke-stained carpet connecting our room to the R.A.'s room - who, by the way, was not an awesome ex-football player named Mike but a tiny computer nerd named Barry. Yeah, my first day on campus was a let-down, and it only went downhill from there.

Boy Meets World: Just like Cory, Eric, Topanga, Sean and Angela, I applied to Pennbrook University. Sadly, I didn't get in, but not because of my low G.P.A. or because of a lack of extra curricular activities. No, I'd say the biggest determining factor in my not being admitted was that Pennbrook doesn't exist. That's probably the reason my spell check has it underlined in red right now. Anyway, as if that wasn't bad enough, I was totally thrown off when I went to my first class and didn't see my favorite teacher from high school standing at the front, ready to throw some sweet life lessons my way. What the hell, Mr. Deck? Mr. Feeny followed his students from school to school. I know change is difficult, and you might be missing that PhD, but, dude, get with the program. I mean, what am I supposed to do if Topanga gets mad at me? Or what if Angela wants to move to Europe for a year with her Dad? I can't solve problems like this on my own!

Dawson's Creek: That's when I started thinking, why should I even go to college? Pacey didn't go and he did fine. He was an investment banker, and later in the very same season, a chef. Those things sound like stuff I can do without ever getting any sort of actual training, right? So I put on a suit and went out there and gave it a shot. Amazingly, no brokerage houses or five-star restaurants hired me after my interviews. I did everything Pacey did; grew the goatee, drove a cool vintage car, even tried to use unnecessarily big words in my sentences"; unfortunately my math knowledge is at or below third grade level, and I don't know how to use a calculator. The chef thing didn't go too well when they discovered my culinary skills were limited to making Easy-Mac, and even that comes out a little watery sometimes".

What I'm trying to say is that college is not like TV. You're not going to bang Joey Potter, Topanga or in Zack's case - whoever the hell you want. Your teachers aren't gonna be Mr. Feeny or Professor Lasky (Thanks IMDB!). And you're gonna have to work hard to excel in life, my friend. But there is one upside that TV didn't tell you about. There's tons of alcohol to drink and crazy drugs to do in college, way more than any TV shows let on. So have a ball! Cut loose! Get fucked up! Hey, maybe Topanga will pass out and you can feel her boobs.

[queering-the-classics]

I Know What You Did Last Summer Book Review

-⨳-

As a fan of Young Adult literature, I personally think there is a fine line when it comes to representing the "thriller" genre for Young Adult audiences. Sometimes an author tends to lean into the violence, horror, and mystery aspects of the story too much, and it loses touch with the adolescent audience it was originally meant for. This being said, Lois Duncan's I Know What You Did Last Summer is a perfect example of an author that took on this challenge and absolutely killed it (pun intended). I Know What You Did Last Summer flawlessly combined the highs and lows of teen life and relationships with the nail-biting tension and edge-of-your-seat excitement of a thriller. Her use of multiple perspectives throughout the book offered glimpses not only into the personal lives of our teen protagonists, but also several puzzle pieces and clues for the reader to put together to try to solve the mystery as well. Overall, I thought this was a fantastic book, and I guarantee you that your jaw will hit the floor when you reach the ending.  

While Duncan does a fantastic job of building suspense for the reader, I think that her novel offers some important commentary on some of the issues of everyday life for teenagers—regardless of the era. The story focuses around four main characters—Julie, Ray, Helen, and Barry—as they each try to cope with the unfortunate incident that happened the summer before while also juggling school, work, and their tense (and occasionally toxic) romantic relationships. While any reader could easily fall for the rekindling romance between Julie and Ray, I think that Duncan's depiction of the not-so-picture-perfect couple Helen and Barry not only shines a light on our own perceptions of our relationships, but also the heteronormative pressures that society places on teens from a young age.  

Now, I know what you are thinking: what does heteronormativity have to do with LGBTQ+  relationships? The answer: nearly everything. Heteronormativity is the concept that heterosexuality and straight relationships is the "norm" of sexual orientation. Not only that, but it also looks at gender as something that is binary, and that the correct sexual or marital relationship is one involving people of the opposite genders (specifically a man/male and a woman/female). The relationship between Helen and Barry could be considered the prime example of heteronormative relationships—built upon traditional ideas of masculinity and femininity. Helen is the beauty queen, the super star, the model—while she is living independently on her own, her career is based entirely on her good looks. Meanwhile, Barry is the football star, the frat bro, the golden child—he believes that a man should provide for his woman (and have as many women as he liked on the side).  

Thanks to Duncan's choice to tell I Know What You Did Last Summer from multiple perspectives (including Helen and Barry's), the reader can see just how flawed this relationship is. From Helen's point of view, Barry "loves her" and the two were "going to get married" after Barry graduated from college (Duncan, 66). However, to Barry, Helen was "a dime a dozen, and [he happened] to have a pocket full of dimes" (136). This is not to say that all heterosexual relationships between cisgendered individuals are just like Helen and Barry's. Instead, this relationship displays how societal pressures and gender norms shape the way young people look at and enter relationships. Queer individuals experience the same pressures from a young age, and without the proper education and support, they will either need to figure things out on their own, or risk falling into the same relationship dynamic as Helen and Barry.  

My Overall Rating: 9 / 10 (this is an almost perfect novel! my only critique would be how abruptly it ended— Duncan really makes you wish for one chapter more!)

Audience Age Range: 15+ Years Old (there are definitely some violent scenes and suggestive / explicit language, but nothing too heavy)

Other Recommendations: Trouble Girls by Julia Lynn Rubin & Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

-⨳-

[cats-thoughts]

o/ again

🍒❌📙🧡⭐️💙🌷 for anyone!

o/

Ender Time >:D

🍒 What kind of things do they expect from their relationships? Does this differ between platonic relationships and romantic ones? Is your OC “demanding” or a door mat? What kinds of things do people expect from them in a relationship?

Really just. Respect? Like "look I'm going to do my thing and you're gonna do your thing and if u gotta problem with that this aint gonna work" The only difference between romantic and platonic is that they keep a relative distance in romantic. Ash goes first, full stop. If it has time for a partner, it has time for a partner, but if Ash is in trouble or needs something it IS going to Drop Everything to help. They're kind of an ass but... I love them ^.^ I would say they're more demanding than doormat, but only because they definitely aren't a doormat. Really it isnt very demanding either. I think it would treat a relationship as a friendship with extra steps. (I mean, they're ace and very affectionate with friends, the main difference really is just how they feel abt it.) I think- well, we'll use Derrien as an example since hes technically the 'love interest'. Derrien mostly just expects honesty and time from them, which it does both of ^.^ they hang out after school n stuff. Derrien is also one of the few people who knows abt their chronic pain- it even hides it from Ash.

❌ What kind of things would end any relationship for them? Is there a history behind why these things bother them? Could they ever take someone back despite this? If so or if not, why?

Honestly? Not really. Like, obviously cheating, cause its a blatant lack of respect. But, other than that? Like i said its very "you do you, I do mine" thing. The only other 2 things that come to mind is One: harming Ash in anyway, or even badmouthing him too much- friendly is fine but theres a limit, and 2: Straight up attacking them. They don't really appreciate being attacked by friends? Especially on pain bad days. They got jumped by Rory and a small group of their lackeys once and (they won but) it took them out for a week. Which freaked Ash The Fuck out cause they'd never disappeared for more than a few days until that point. Decidedly Not Friends with Rory anymore. It MAY take someone back after cheating or badmouthing Ash once or twice but after that, nah. Just cause people make mistakes and such. But attacking is a one time knock out. And if they attack Ash they will Probably have to transfer schools cause Ender does Not let that slide.

📙 What kind of subjects (of conversation, of discussion, in school or whatever) does your OC find interesting or engaging or that they can talk for hours about? What kind of stuff do they just find fun?

What things bore your OC to tears and they couldn’t care less about? Why?

Fighting, but that's more of a "I am willing to teach people how to fight so they'll stay safe" than a "I am genuinely interested in this stuff" sorta thing. It likes reading, sleeping, and more low impact sports like walking and swimming. It sucks at swimming tho. It usually just floats. (me irl- I took swimming lessons an entire summer and it did nothing👍got that from my dad. Poor man Cannot Swim at All.) They actually also enjoy yoga like a fuckin nerd /j and videogames. They're Very Good at mariokart. Ash is the only one who can beat them. (They let him win <3)

It gives 0 shits about classwork and schoolwork. no thoughts, head empty. Also most high impact sports, like basketball, soccer, football, etc. Trust me a bunch of sports recruiters tried to get them bc the fucker is Tall and Buff but they'd rather punch people's lights out behind the school than anything else. It DOES its schoolwork it just hates it. Mostly gets by on prior knowledge, problem solving, google, and Lizzie's help. Lizzie fr fr the Only one who pays attention in class.

🧡 Who is your OC’s favourite person? Why is this person the top of their list and have they actually met them (an idol or rolemodel or celeb can be someone’s favourite after all!).

ASH. 100 TIMES ASH. They've known Ash since fucking Kindergarten and just, over time, have platonically fallen in love with him. They r soulmates ur honor. They're... sorry Im so mentally ill abt those 2. It's dad is a close second tho! They're besties <3 It has a very cool dad, he taught them most of their basic fighting skills and supports them in their violent endeavors <3 It's just been them 2 for years now, since Ender was maybe 9 or 10? 11ish, at the oldest. They're 17 now so, a while.

⭐ What is your OC afraid of? Any crippling phobias or some such? How do they act when scared and what helps them calm down? Does anyone ever find your OC scary? Why?

Ender is afraid of spiders. Yeah. It's one tough motherfucker but the GodDamned Spiders.... eugh. They get REALLY AGGRESSIVE when scared, like, It will Likely Deck someone who looks at them wrong after seeing a spider. Lots of bottled energy. Ash is usually the only thing that can calm them down, but warm sugary drinks can help. And most Half the school is afraid of Ender. It's Tall as Shit, can Punch someone twice their weight's lights out, best 4 or 5 people in a fight at once, and is the singular person between Ash and the General Populace. Ender may be scary but Ash, in all their 5'2 glory, is a Nightmare. Love that for him <3

💙 What did your OC want to be when they grew up and why? Did they have any lifelong dreams or ambitions they never got to work on or are they currently working to achieve this dream? Has their life taken a very unexpected turn and put all these plans on hold for a while or have they given up on any dreams?

When they were Really little, and up until about 7th grade, they wanted to be an artist. Then Ash got hurt and they got the shit kicked out of them and did a 180, decided it didn't matter what it did for a living because for the foreseeable future it was ride or die with Ash and it's main focus would be Beating The Fuck outta anyone who hurt him.

🌷 In what ways would your OC alter their body if they could? How would they do it using mundane means (hair dye, surgery, make-up?). What is their ideal look for themself?

Eh they don't really care. Remove it's spine if it could. And hips. Fuck Chronic Pain 👍if they COULD they'd fucking LOVE wings. And sometimes it dyes its hair- usually purple or pink. Ideal look is pretty much what they look like. Though, it would like to be able to wear softer/more pastel clothing, like huge sweaters and pj pants all the time. It wants more tattoos. It loves tattoos <3 maybe even get some more piercings who knows.

Thanks for asking!! And letting me talk about my fucked up little meow meows :D it is so.... ough. Objectively an Awful person but has a strict moral code. That moral code just so happens to be "Protect Ash whatever it takes or Die Trying"

[allanhilsinger]

Participating in Youth Sports with Your Child

Participating in childhood sports is an excellent method to help your kid grow physically and socially. Kids may participate in various sports, which can be structured or unorganized.

Whether your child enjoys basketball, football, baseball, or any other sport, team sports are an excellent method to build important cooperation skills and respect for collaboration. They also assist children in becoming more confident and well-rounded.

Youth sports are undeniably enjoyable, but that doesn't mean they aren't competitive. They may be an excellent chance to teach your kid how to operate as part of a team and deal with highs and lows. Using team sports as a learning tool may help your kid gain confidence and deal with the ups and downs of puberty.

A competitive sports program has its advantages but it is also one of the most costly sports to enroll in. Your children spend a lot of time traveling, practicing, and competing. You must select what degree of intensity is appropriate for your household.

Team sports aren't for everyone, but if you have a skilled athlete in your family, a competitive sports program may give a fun and challenging outlet for their athletic abilities.

Participating in organized childhood sports may give several advantages to youngsters. It may help children grow their physical and cognitive development, leadership, teamwork, and self-confidence. Furthermore, participation in organized sports may teach students the value of hard effort, commitment, and responsibility.

Despite the advantages of participating in sports, there are certain hazards involved. Child athletes, for example, may get overexerted or burnt out or feel aches and pains after engaging in physical activity for extended periods. As a result, parents must be aware of these hazards.

Participating in young sports may help kids create connections with teammates, coaches, and family members, in addition to physical advantages. It also helps them feel like they belong and keeps them active.

Much research has been conducted to investigate the societal impacts on juvenile sports involvement. Peers and parents, in particular, have been studied for their effect.

A well-executed kid sports program may help your child develop into a well-rounded person. A young athlete is still a kid at heart, and you must safeguard them against bullies, harassment, and sexual assault. These are just a handful of the dangers that young people face in today's competitive environment. Fortunately, there are a few pointers and tactics to assist you in getting through the minefield.

First and foremost, you must establish rapport with your child. The greatest way to do this is to have fun and make your child feel cherished. Having a friend is an excellent method to keep your child amused and secure. The easiest way to do this is to organize a fun activity, such as a scavenger hunt. This is a difficult assignment, but once completed, you will be rewarded with a more focused player.

Second, you must ensure that you attend all practices and games. It's not as difficult as it seems, but getting out of the loop is simple.

Unstructured and structured play contribute to young children's cognitive and social development. Children may develop problem-solving, collaboration, and leadership skills during recess. When they play pretend games, they may also create their worlds.

Furthermore, research has shown that recess helps to balance out inactive time throughout the school day. A study of children's physical activity found that those who engaged in the more organized play had higher physical activity throughout the school day.

According to the study, recess should be a continuing element of a child's school day. According to research, a longer recess may be advantageous for youngsters, although there is no agreement on the break duration.

One advantage of unstructured play is the freedom to set game limits and rules. This may assist pupils in negotiating and resolving disagreements.

Studies show that recess and unstructured play in youth sports boost physical and emotional development. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends daily 60 minutes of moderate to strenuous exercise.

[inlovewithaspiderguy]

What I know about riverdale (I have never watched the show):

they like try to solve a murder in the early seasons

15 years old/teenagers work at stripper bars. As strippers.

A guy named jughead (the fuck of a name is that?) is a messenger of the apocalypse. Or some shit.

the characters gain self-conscience at some point. Use of the word queer bait. As in “it’s not queer baiting, it’s saving the world”

*Michael Scott voice* that’s what Castiel spn said

the show is out of control

A guy says “I dropped out of high school to seek drugs to support my grandma”

Another guy replies “then you haven’t lived the triumphs, the epic highs and lows of high school football”

the hell?

I mean I watched spn and even that show wasn’t as nuts

they referred to Riverdale once in Never Have I ever. I was even more confused as I was before

Teen drama (think gossip girl but not in NYC. And without a gossip girl. Nor rich people) turns into adventure teen drama.

It’s from comic books.

Jughead dies? Then he comes back? And that’s when he’s a prophet of the lord?

I bet they have a lot of sex. Wouldn’t be surprised if an unplanned pregnancy happened. or a pregnancy scare.

I literally cannot name any character other than the Antichrist Jughead.

Sounds like there could be an Archie, though.

That’s all I know about riverdale.

[endgameriverdalepodcast]

How much would you pay a 10-year-old for drugs, mija? Find out our answers this week by listening to the new episode of Endgame here!

[fanficwriter284]

Reunited

Authors Note: It's out! Sorry it took a while

It had been about 2 years since young Charles Lee Ray hadn't seen Tiffany Valentine. Ever since he was put in foster care his foster mom had to move away due to a money shortage and she had to move back in with her mom much to Chucky's disapproval he and Tiffany tried to stay in contact but eventually, life pulled them apart. He decided he needed to lay low on the killing since he barely got away with killing his father and stepmom. But she had gotten a new and financially stable job that was in Hackensack. So they moved back and found a house around Chucky's old neighborhood. He saw Tiffany's old house abandoned and just decided that she had moved away they were both about to enter high school and start a new chapter in their lives.

"Chucky you ready for school?!"

"Yeah! I'll be down in a sec!"

He actually liked his foster mom she wasn't cruel and she respected him and showed him genuine care so he returned her kindness with respect and tried to behave.

"Well you look handsome! You ready for your first day of high school?"

"Yeah I guess."

He sat down and ate a bowl of cereal and a banana. He grabbed his began and walked down that all to familiar sidewalk where him and Tiffany always walked together. He let out a sigh and enter the school campus. It was the same one he attended as a kid since it was a K-12 school. Everything looked about the same, but somethings here and there had an updated look. He attended class and was bored out of his mind.

"CHARLES!!!"

"HM! Yes Ms.?"

"If you think you are going to get anywhere in my class without even keeping your head up, then you are sadly mistaken!!!"

Chucky internally rolled his eyes annoyed at his teacher. He could do math well beyond his years. He loved math. Numbers always just made sense to him everything always clicked.

"But I already know how to do this Ms."

"OH REALLY! Then solve this equation!"

Chucky didn't even bother getting up.

"-34.6"

The teacher squinted her eyes not buying it.

"FINE! What the answer this equation then Smart Guy?"

Chucky just glanced up for 2 seconds and then rested his head on his arm.

"214.97"

Everyone in the class went silent. The teacher took a moment to check his answer and found it to be correct.

"Um. V-very good Charles."

She didn't bother him for the rest of class.

After math he went to lunch and ate by himself. He missed Tiffany. He eventually got bored and decided to go to the field. Kids were playing soccer. Chucky just sat there and watched.

"HEY KID!!!!"

Chucky shot up and looked at the boy who he think was talking to him.

"YEAH YOU!!! We're playing soccer and we're down a player! Come join! You can play right?"

"Yeah, I can play."

"What's your name man?"

"Charles." He decided to go by that name for now since he didn't want people he didn't fully know to call him by the name he actually liked.

"Ok, Charles. You're front field."

Chucky wasn't lying his foster mom enrolled him in some sports programs to keep him busy while she tried to look for a job. These included soccer, football, track and field, and rugby. Even though Charles wasn't the bulkiest and was on the thinner side he was fast and quite strong not to mention how smart he was.

He joined in on the game and turned the tables real quick their opposing team went from winning to losing horribly. Chucky and his team won and Chucky let out a victory laugh and caught the attention of someone. After he left the field and went to grab a drink of water some girl approached him.

"...C-C-Chucky?"

He froze he hadn't told anybody his nickname given to him by his best friend.

"How do you know my name? And my nickname at that?"

He turned around not recognizing her voice.

His baby blue eyes interlocked with her coffee brown ones. He immediately knew who she was and she knew who he was.

"T-T-TIFF!!!!"

She smiled and grabbed him hugging him tight and began crying tears of joy.

"I missed you Sweetface!"

Chucky hugged her back and let one single tear come from his eye.

"I missed you too Tiff."

"So you've gotten taller I see."

The last time Tiffany saw him he was shorter than her and was quite surprised at his height change.

"Yeah. Haha. So how ya been?"

"Fine, what about you?"

"PEACHY!!! Actually to tell you the truth I've been kinda out of it. I missed you. Life got kinda boring not hanging out with you."

[thedreadvampy]

On the other hand, and moving away from direct Mechanisms Discourse (which I prefer to not get over involved in tbh but also this ISN'T about that it's just jumping off it) - it absolutely is deeply classist to assume that somebody is illiterate or ignorant because of poverty/assumed poverty, and that's a huge problem. but also I think on a broader social level (at least in the UK) there is an idea in the left that it's classist to acknowledge the connection between poverty and illiteracy, while the truth is that illiteracy is a problem of poverty (poverty not in the sense of just Not Having Money but in the sense of system denial of adequate resources). Poverty doesn't = illiteracy but illiteracy is very much a problem of poverty - not a failure of a marginalised individual but a failure of the system marginalising them.

Adult illiteracy is a surprisingly large issue in eg both rural and urban Scotland, but it's not because poor people are stupid, ignorant or unwilling to learn - it's because schools are inadequate or inaccessible, classes are managed not taught, teachers are stretched thin and schools are underfunded so don't have resources to help struggling students, if you get to secondary school still unable to read and write you're completely locked out of the educational system unless you can access a school with the resources to teach you individually, and because of this, classism and a lack of support, poorer kids are more likely to switch off school as early as possible.

Social geography is also a big issue. In urban areas, schools in poorer areas get bad reputations, so they're underfunded, so they do worse, so they're funded less, etc, until they're a bare minimum of staff just trying to get through the day in collapsing buildings with no resources and five textbooks. Where better-funded schools can afford teaching assistants, 1:1 support for struggling students, decent food provision for kids, follow-up on children in need of support at home, more teachers for smaller classes, maybe counseling and psychological support, maybe Special Educational Needs classes for older kids to work on basic literacy and numeracy to catch up, worse-funded schools have one underpaid unsupported teacher trying to manage a class of 35 kids with wildly different needs. They don't have the resources to help support kids with issues that might affect their schooling, like parental abuse or neglect, trauma, a parent in prison, care responsibilities, hunger, homelessness, neurodiversities that affect their ability to learn in the prescribed way, learning disabilities like dyslexia, physical health issues including visual or auditory impairments...all things that when supported are highly surmountable but when unsupported often end up with children being perceived and treated as stupid, disruptive or evil. The problem then compounds itself because the kids are badly treated which makes them more disruptive and less able to learn, and more and more work is needed to help them which teachers continue to not have any capacity or resources for.

Rural poverty comes with its own schooling issues as well, in that poverty is generally correlated with remoteness. Poor rural communities are often hours away from population centres, so either you have tiny highly local schools serving a handful of families where a single teacher needs to invent lesson plans that somehow balance the needs of 11 year olds and 4 year olds of all abilities, or your kids need to somehow get into town every morning before you get to work, which may mean dropping them off at 6am, having to part pay for buses, taxis or ferries, sending them on their own, or leaving them with friends and family, and realistically the way that often shakes down is that they don't go. You teach them at home, and they may not even exist for the truancy office to know about.

Literacy is also connected to family culture. Both my parents were people with degrees from educated families, and my mum was a full time parent, and the result is that school didn't teach me to read - I was already a confident and enthusiastic reader. Even richer families may hire tutors for small children, pay for extracurricular learning, etc. The poorer a family is, the more likely neither parent is available to spend time reading with their kids, because they're working full time - at that economic level a single income household is almost entirely unviable so either both parents work or there's a single parent working extra hours or they're just exhausted from worrying about the bills and what's sold to them as a personal failure to look after their family.

One thing it's easy to forget is that while people in the UK still do drop out of school in their teens to work, a generation ago it was almost the norm for a lot of communities (especially the children of farmers, miners and factory workers) to have left school well before the end of compulsory education, both because of school being a hostile space and because of the need for an additional income. Now as well as then, a lot of kids drop out to work as unpaid carers, disproportionately in poorer families that can't afford private care or therapeutic support. Literacy aside, generations of leaving school with no qualifications doesn't tend to teach you that formal learning is as important as experience and vocational learning, and you don't expect to finish anyway so why put yourself through misery trying to do well? But it includes literacy. I grew up in a former mining area and a lot of people my dad's age and older were literate enough to read signs and football results, but took adult classes in middle age or later to get past the pointing finger and moving lips. and if you're parents don't or can't read, it's a lot harder for you to learn.

There's a lot of classism and shame tied up in the roots of illiteracy. Teachers and governments and schoolmates will often have vocally expressed low expectations of poorer students; a rich child who does poorly at school has problems, a poor child who does poorly at school is a problem child. They're often treated with hostility and aggression from infancy and any anger or disinterest in school is often treated not as a problem to be solved but as proof that you were right to deem them a write-off. Poorer or more neglected children (or children for whom English is a second language) will often be deemed "stupid" by their peers, and start at a disadvantage because of the issues around early childhood learning in families where parents are overstretched.

Kids learn not to admit that they don't know or understand something, because if you start school unable to read and write and do basic maths when a lot of kids your age are already confident, you get mocked and called stupid and lazy by your peers, and treated with frustration by your teachers. So kids learn to avoid people noticing that they need help. That means that school, which could help a lot, isn't somewhere you can go for help but a source of huge anxiety and pain - more so when you factor in the background radiation of classism that only grows as you get older around not having the right clothes, the right toys, the right experiences, my mum says your mum's a ragger, my mum says I shouldn't hang out with you because you're a bad lot - so again kids switch off very early and see education as something to survive not something helpful.

The same is very much true of adult literacy. A lot of adults are very shamed and embarrassed to admit that they struggle with reading and writing - a lot of parents particularly want to be able to teach their kids to read, but aren't confident readers themselves, and feel too stupid and embarrassed to admit out loud that they can't read well, let alone to seek out and endure adult literacy classes that are a constant reminder of their perceived failure and ignorance (and can also be excruciating. Books for adult literacy learning are not nearly widespread enough and a lot of intelligent experienced adults are subjected to reading Spot the Dog and similar books targeted at small children's interests). Adult literacy classes also cost time and also money, so a lot of people only have the space for them after retirement, if at all.

And increasingly, illiteracy (or lack of fluency in English) increases poverty and marginalisation, and thus the chances of inherited literacy problems. Reading information, filling out forms and accessing the internet in a meaningful way are all massively limited by illiteracy, and you need those skills to access welfare, to access medical care, to avoid exploitative loans, to deal with any service providers, etc. Most jobs above minimum wage and a lot below require a fairly high level of literacy, whether it's office work or reading an instructional memo on a building site or reading drink instructions in McDonalds. Illiteracy is a huge barrier between somebody and the rest of the world, especially in a modern world that just assumes universal literacy, and especially especially as more and more of life involves the internet, texting, WhatsApp, email, and so on - it's becoming harder and harder for people with limited literacy to be fully involved in society. And that means the only mobility is downwards, and that exacerbates all the problems that lead to adult illiteracy.

People who can't read after the age of 6 or so are treated as stupid. People who can't read fluently when they're adults are seen as stupid and almost subhuman. There's so much shame and personal judgement attached to difficulty reading, but the fact that illiteracy is almost exclusively linked to poverty and deprivation is pretty conclusive. Illiteracy isn't about the failure or stupidity of the individual, it's about the lack of support, care and respect afforded to poor people at all stages of their life. Being illiterate doesn't make you stupid - many people are highly intelligent, creative, capable, thoughtful, and illiterate. I know people who can immediately solve complex engineering problems on the fly but take ten minutes to write down a sentence of instruction. It isn't classist to say that illiteracy is caused by poverty - it's both classist and inaccurate to say that illiteracy says anything about the worth, intelligence or personhood of the poor, that it's a result of a desire to be ignorant, or that it's evidence that people are poor because they're stupid, incapable, ignorant or bad parents. The link between poverty and illiteracy is the problem of classism and bigotry, no more no less, and we deal with it by working against the ideas that both poverty and lack of education are a reflection of individual worth.

Illiteracy isn't a problem of intelligence, it's a problem of education, and that matters because education is not inherent. it's something that has to be provided and maintained by parents, by the state, by the community. you're not born educated. you are educated. except more than a quarter of the Scottish population isn't educated, because the system doesn't give a fuck about them and actively excludes them or accidentally leaves them behind.

[croakings]

pls explain riverdale based off the knowledge you personally have of it

dksjshakdja

ok! to be clear in units of awareness that would be like. 2 knowledge lmao. i have maybe 3 episodes under my belt and everything else is at least partially made up because in the morbosphere of media facts are actively discouraged

THIS part i know(? i could also be Very Wrong) is solid. cheryl(girlboss)'s brother is murdered (except he isn't)(but then he. is?), throwing the town into chaos. this mystery is further complicated from how it seems like everything that has ever happened to or been done by human beings happens to or has been done by every person who lives in this town, thrown into separate blenders so that no matter how related or ostensibly similar anyone's experiences may be, none of them know or relate to anything else about any other person, actually, whatsoever. this means that anything could be true about anyone at any given time, and if it isn't yet it may be at some point, and if it isn't someone will think that it is. and all of those things do intersect randomly and in the most bizarre ways possible.

the show starts off with archie having an affair with his music teacher to show only THE worst things are reality in this town, and then she gets banished after this is discovered by the adults. (note: i only know archie and jughead's names for sure so if i call people the wrong thing or nothing at all My Bad.) betty is there? her parents are bad. perhaps even evil. jughead's hat speech happens and he's homeless because his dad is in a ten year old's concept of a gang. it's unclear what they actually do. crimes? jughead thinks so. he also does crime but not like that. vanessa is also there. later? idk idr when she comes in. her dad has also done nebulous crimes that are more along the lines of fraud or perhaps embezzlement. her mom was aware of this but vanessa was not, and this creates a rift between them. the rift allows vanessa to do unrelated and also sometimes criminal (?) shenanigans and her mom to have a crush on..... someone's dad? i don't remember this part. cheryl is mean in the midst of all this because her parents also do nebulous crimes and are meaner to her than she aspires to be in retaliation. possibly they killed her brother. i'm not actually sure that there's anyone in riverdale who doesn't do some sort of major crime. like, recreationally.

the whole murder mystery thing spirals wildly out of control following the epic highs and lows of high school football. people die, but the show can't afford to lose any of its bonkers points, so anyone who does eat it has to be dead at least twice to stay that way. all possible realities exist in the town of riverdale, which is why so much insane shit happens to all of them and no one knows about it until they run face first into it. the murder mystery means people do that often, which eventually tears a rift in reality, allowing aliens (?)(demons?) to come through and also eventually kill archie even though he's the main character and hasn't even died at all before that. i think there are ghosts but i could just be making that up. things explode or catch on fire frequently. personally i think this is from the friction of all those reality layers constantly shuffling around. it could also be the alien demons. i'm sure the show has explanations but i know the truth. i don't think the murder ever actually gets solved because it happened too many places at once. i don't even think mr blossom jr is dead. he got sucked into the blender. he's spread across the multiverse like grains of sand. he's tearing linear time apart and also he's the only thing holding it together. i think the show actually forgets about him or resolves that at some point, but whatever the hell happened there is funnier to me if it just sticks around and keeps popping up forever in increasingly absurd ways. the town is united against entropy but also all of them would rather die than be on the same side as their own personal demented dinkleburgs so nothing good ever happens that lasts. any time someone gets the opportunity to mess with someone else they take it regardless of consequences or sensibility.

i know there are a lot of romance plots but who cares about that. not me. not the show runners also probably, i doubt any of them are good and/or matter.

this is my general understanding of riverdale and please don't correct me on anything it would break my fragile heart. maple syrup maple syrup blood money underneath. lots of drama intrigue a wandering corpse's teeth

[thewidowsghost]

The Unknown Muggleborn - Chapter 2

3rd Person POV

By the age of nine, Jean and Tom Granger found that their adopted daughter (Y/n) was quite a peculiar child. It wasn't just the strange hourglass scar on her neck, but she was incredibly smart, picking things up that most kids in high school wouldn't understand.

By Year Five of school, (Y/n) (L/n)-Granger had aced all of her classes on top of taking Year Nine level classes - Geometry and AP Biology.

And by the age of ten, (Y/n) was fluent in Russian, French, and Spanish.

The eldest Grangers also learned that their adopted daughter was extremely athletic. (Y/n) had played football - what Americans called soccer - and was top of her class in her Karate and JiuJitzu classes.

(Y/n) was also an inventor. She could come up with solutions to problems that Jean Granger had told her that most adults couldn't solve. She had built her first circuit board at the age of five and her first engine at the age of eight.

The Grangers' had put a shed in their backyard where their adopted daughter was always tinkering with things she would buy or was gifted from neighbors.

It wasn't to say that Jean and Tom's other daughter wasn't smart, for Hermione Granger was very intelligent. But all three - including Hermione - knew that (Y/n) was on a whole different level of intelligence.

Hermione Jean Granger wakes on July 26th of 1991 to her sister standing over her, a wide smile on her face.

The two sisters - even considering that (Y/n) was adopted - looked nothing alike. Hermione had frizzy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, whereas (Y/n) had sleek (H/C) hair and brilliant green eyes. There was a strange thing about (Y/n)'s appearance though, she had an hourglass shaped scar on the side of her neck. (Y/n) liked the scar, but it reminded her of black widows, which wasn't great because (Y/n) didn't like spiders.

Hermione sit up in her bed, pushing her covers off her.

After the two use the bathroom - (Y/n) taking a quick shower and leaving her hair damp - they make their way downstairs to find their parents already in the kitchen.

"Morning girls," Mrs. Granger greets her daughters as she places breakfast on the table.

"Morning Mum," (Y/n) and Hermione say in unison.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Granger were dressed for work - they were dentists at the local dentists' office a few miles away.

After the four finish breakfast, there is a knock on the door.

Looking slightly confused, Mr. Granger stands up from the table and walks towards the door.

He opens it to see a very stern looking woman with black hair and blue eyes.

"Good morning," Mr. Granger greets the woman.

"Good morning, sir," the black haired woman says. "Are your daughters home? I'm here about a scholarship, per say, for a new school."

(Y/n) and Hermione exchange excited looks.

"Yes, they are here," Mr. Granger answers the woman. "Would you like to come in?"

The woman nods and steps inside the neat house.

"Hermione! (Y/n)!" Tom Granger calls and the two girls rise from their chairs simultaneously and walk out into the living room.

(Y/n) waves shyly at the woman, surprising the other Grangers. (Y/n) was never shy.

A small smile spreads across the woman's face at the slight of (Y/n) and catches sight of the hourglass scar on her neck.

"Hermione and (Y/n), was it?" the woman asks and the two nod.

"I'm Professor McGonagall. I'm here about a school for gifted people like yourselves," the woman says.

(Y/n) and Hermione exchange gazes, like a clashing forest, brown on green.

"It might be hard to believe, but the two of you, you're witches," McGonagall says and (Y/n)'s gaze flashes a silver, almost too quickly for McGonagall to see, but the woman does.

This sends a flash of curiosity though McGonagall, but she holds out two letters.

(Y/n) and Hermione step forward and take the letters from the Professor.

Miss (Y/n) (L/n)-Granger 100 Crestent View Ln. The Third Largest Bedroom Hampstead, London

"That's so very incredibly specific," (Y/n) murmurs. Opening the letter, she quickly reads:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss (Y/n) (L/n)-Granger, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress

(Y/n) looks suspiciously at the letter for a moment before looking up. "Are you sure?" (Y/n) asks. "I'm not anyone special. I can't be a witch."

At the comment about (Y/n) being no one special, the other three Grangers exchange looks that McGonagall presumed to mean that they though that the statement wasn't true.

"Has nothing ever happened when you were afraid or nervous?" McGonagall asks and a flash of realization flashes behind (Y/n)'s eyes. "If you two have to go to work," McGonagall turns to Jean and Tom, "I can take the girls to find their school things."

(Y/n) looks excitedly over at her mother and father, "Mum, Dad, can we?"

Jean looks at McGonagall and nods.

Hermione and (Y/n) grin at each other.

"Go get dressed and then you can go," McGonagall says, smiling softly at the girls' excitement.

(Y/n) and Hermione run up the stairs.

(Y/n) goes to her bedroom and opens her closet door. She pulls out a black AC DC t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts from her dresser.

Thinking for a moment, she grabs a zip up hoodie and throws it on, placing her wallet inside one of the pockets.

(Y/n) stops at her sister's room and a moment later, Hermione pops out, dressed in a pair of jeans and a short sleeved t-shirt.

"So, what do you think about this?"  (Y/n) asks as the two make their way down the stairs.

"I think it's interesting, us being witches and all," Hermione answers as the two enter the living room where they find their mother asking McGonagall to keep her daughters safe.

McGonagall, (Y/n), and Hermione walk outside and McGonagall tells the two girls to take her hand.

They do, and they're suddenly somewhere else. (Y/n) and Hermione look up to see a sign, which reads, The Leaky Cauldron.

They walk inside.

It was a small, tiny, grubby-looking pub. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. All of a sudden, the low buzz of chatter stopped when two people walked in. One of them was a very tall man, he almost looked to big to be allowed. He had long black hair and a black beard. The other was a small boy with jet-black hair, bottle green eyes, and light skin. The bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"

"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said the man who must have Hagrid, clapping his great hand on boy's shoulder and making his knees buckle.

"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at the black haired boy, "is this — can this be — ?"

The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent. "Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter ... what an honor."

(Y/n) studies the boy for a moment, then he looks over at her, as though sensing her eyes on him.

The old bartender hurries out from behind the bar, rushes towards Harry and seizes his hand, tears in his eyes.

"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back." The boy didn't seem know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming.

Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry was shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.

"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."

"So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud."

"Always wanted to shake your hand — I'm all of a flutter."

"Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."

"I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop."

"He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle.

(Y/n)'s POV

I look up at Professor McGonagall who looks at me with a question evident in her eyes, though I couldn't tell what it was.

McGonagall follows Harry and Hagrid out of the pub, Hermione and I following.

"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh — mind you, he's usually tremblin'." Hagrid was saying.

"Is he always that nervous?" Harry asks.

"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience. ... They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag — never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject — now, where's me umbrella?" Hagrid responds. "Three up ... two across ..." he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry." He taps the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.

The brick he had touched quivered — it wriggled — in the middle, a small hole appeared — it grew wider and wider — a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight. Hagrid and Harry proceed to walk through the archway.

McGonagall follows the two and Hermione and I follow close behind.

"The first stop for us is the wizarding bank, Gringotts," McGonagall says leading Hermione and I towards a large, grand, white building that looked over the rest of Diagon Alley.

The doors open and we walk in, the doors closing behind us. We walk over to what looks like a Santa Clause elf - pointy ears and relatively short.

"Good morning," McGonagall says, pulling out a golden key, "we need to visit Miss (L/n)'s vault."

"And does Miss (L/n) have her key?" the goblin asks.

McGonagall hands the goblin the key in her hand. "Very well," he says, handing the key back to McGonagall, who, in turn, hands it to me.

"I'll have someone take you down to the vault. Griphook!"

Griphook was yet another goblin. Hermione, Professor McGonagall, and I follow Griphook towards one of the doors leading off the hall.

Griphook holds the door open for us.

We walk into a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It slopes steeply downwards and there are little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart comes hurtling up the tracks towards us. We climb in and are then off.

When the cart finally stops, the four of us get out stopped in front vault 714.

"Key please," Griphook says and I hand him my key.

I was confused though, because Vault 714 had no keyhole.

Griphook simply examines the key closely, and then hands it back to me. I guessed that they key must just be confidential.

"Stand back," says Griphook importantly. He strokes the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melts away. "If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," says Griphook.

"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Hermione asks curiously.

"About once every ten years," Griphook answers with a rather nasty grin.

3rd Person POV

Griphook steps aside and (Y/n) and Hermione's eyes go wide at the sheer amount of gold, silver, and bronze coins inside.

"This is mine?" (Y/n) asks Professor McGonagall, who smiles softly, holding out a drawstring bag.

"Your mother was very addiment on leaving most of her gold to you," McGonagall says and (Y/n) nods dumbly as she takes the bag.

Hermione helps (Y/n) scoop some of the coins into the bag. Though they had taken quite a bit of coins, it didn't even seem to make a dent in the large piles.

"The gold ones are Galleons," Professor McGonagall explains as (Y/n) studies a wooden box in front of the truckloads of gold coins. "There are seventeen silver Sickles to a galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle."

(Y/n) nods absently as she opens the box, Hermione next to her.

Inside, she sees a stack of letters and a few pictures.

Hermione holds out her bag, and (Y/n) closes the box, placing it inside the bag.

(Y/n) smiles gratefully at her sister as Hermione pulls her backpack back onto her back.

One wild cart ride later, the three stand blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts.

Hermione pulls out her letter, and (Y/n) reads over her sister's shoulder:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Uniform

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black) 2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear 3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) 4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

Course books:

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)by Miranda Goshawk A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungiby Phyllida Spore Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them by Newt Scamander The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment:

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) I set glass or crystal phials 1 telescope 1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"Where do we even start?" Hermione asks in amazement.

"If we get are cauldrons first, we can put our other supplies in it," (Y/n) thinks quickly.

Hermione nods and then both look up to Professor McGonagall, who smiles softly and leads the two to the Apothecary where they pick up two cauldrons and two supplies of basic potions ingredients for Hermione and (Y/n).

"Books now, 'Mione?" (Y/n) asks with a grin as they are about to pass a large bookshop.

Hermione shoots her sister a grin and the two girls walk into the bookshop, McGonagall waiting outside with their cauldrons and potions ingredients.

(Y/n)'s POV

Hermione grabs two of each of our course books while I look around at some of the other books. I grab: Hogwarts: A History, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, Modern Magical History, Great Wizarding Events of teh Twentieth Century, and a book that looked like it was for kids titled, The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

The next place we went was called Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Inside were two boys one was the Raven haired boy from the Leaky Cauldron; the other was a short boy with blond hair that was greased back; he had a mean attitude about him.

Harry's POV (A couple minutes before)

Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so I entered Madam Malkin's shop.

Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.

"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when I started to speak. "Got the lot here – another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."

In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood me a on stool slipped a long robe over my head, and began to pin it to the right length.

"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"

"Yeah," I said, not really liking him very much.

"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to took at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."

"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.

"No," I say.

"Play Quidditch at all?"

"Nope," I respond.

"I do – Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"

"No," I say. I really don't like this boy, I thought.

"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been – imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

"Mmm," I say, wishing I could say something a bit more interesting.

"I say, look at that man!" says the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at me and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.

"That's Hagrid," I tell him, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."

"Oh," says the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"

"He's the gamekeeper," I say. I was liking this boy less and less every second.

"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage – lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."

"I think he's brilliant," I say coldly.

"Do you?" says the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"

"They're dead," I say shorty. He seemed not to want to talk to this boy any more than he needed to.

"Oh, sorry," says the other boy, not sounding sorry at all. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"

"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean." I respond.

"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways."

A tinkling of a bell interrupts the boy. I look over to see two girls walk in.

"Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"

But before I could answer, Madam Malkin says, "That's you done, my dear," and I, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hop down from the footstool.

"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," says the drawling boy.

3rd Person POV

A few minutes later, (Y/n) and Hermione walk into the bright sunlit alley, their robes folded neatly in a bag.

(Y/n) smiles at Professor McGonagall and places her robes into the cauldron, then (Y/n) lifts up the heavy cauldron, Hermione doing the same with her own.

"What next?" Hermione asks Professor McGonagall.

"You two still need wands," answers McGonagall, pointing towards a store.

As we walk closer, I read the sign, Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.

The three of walk inside. A tinkling bell ring somewhere in the depths of the shop as they step inside, and an old man walks to the desk from teh deep recesses of the shop.

"Hello, good afternoon," the man says. "I am Mr. Ollivander. You two are here for wands I presume?" he asks and Hermione and (Y/n) nod.

"(Y/n) (L/n)," Mr. Ollivander says, "I was wondering if I was going to be seeing you soon." he pauses, looking carefully into (Y/n)'s eyes. "Your mother's eyes." At the statement, (Y/n)'s eyes seem to light up with curiosity. "It seems that only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Twelve inches, ash wood with a unicorn hair core. Good for stubborn and courageous witches and wizards."

Even at this small amount of information, (Y/n) had perked up. Hermione glances over at her adopted sister and feels a rush of pity for her. She can't imagine not knowing who her parents were.

It wasn't that (Y/n) didn't remember, because she did have very vivid nighmares about a car slamming on the brakes, a flash of green light, then red, then everything would go dark. It always ended the same way however, with Mrs. Granger carrying a two year old (Y/n), who was clutching her black and white stuffed cat, back to her home.

(Y/n) wrenches herself out of her thoughts as Ollivander approaches her. He had come so close that he and (Y/n) were almost nose to nose.

"And that's where . . ."

Mr. Ollivander touches the hourglass shaped car on the side of (Y/n)'s neck with a long white finger.

"I'm sorry to say that I sold the wand that did it," he says softly and (Y/n) looks back up into the wand maker's misty silver eyes. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands . . . well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do . . ."

He stops, and (Y/n) continues to watch the wand maker, her green eyes flashing silver for the second time that day.

Ollivander, as though sensing (Y/n)'s desire to know more, moves onto Hermione, and she quickly revives her "Vine wood, Dragon heart-string, 10 1/4 inches, unyielding" wand.

(Y/n)'s POV

Again, the same process commences with me, but I end up trying more wands then Hermione. Finally, I get my wand, and strangely my, "Alder wood with a Phoenix Feather core, 12 1/4 inches. Alder is an unyielding wood, yet I have discovered that its ideal owner is not stubborn or obstinate, but often helpful, considerate and most likeable. Whereas most wand woods seek similarity in the characters of those they will best serve, alder is unusual in that it seems to desire a nature that is, if not precisely opposite to its own, then certainly of a markedly different type. When an alder wand is happily placed, it becomes a magnificent, loyal helpmate. Alder is also excellent for protection against outside forces, and, when combined with phoenix feather, is a suitable match for a wizard who will "make their mark on this world.'" Mr. Ollivander says, and I look up at him in shock. Hermione hadn't gotten such a lengthy explanation of her wand.

Mr. Ollivander fixes me with his pale stare.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Miss (L/n). Every single wand. It so happens that that phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave two other feathers - just two. It is curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother - why, one of it's brothers gave you that scar."

I swallow thickly.

"Your other wand's brother, however, I sold just a mere thirty minutes ago," Ollivander continues, "to a young Harry Potter. Curious how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember . . . I think that we must expect great things from you, Miss (L/n) . . . After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible yes, but great."

Hermione and I return home a few hours later with Professor McGonagall, me clutching a woven basket that housed my new black and white cat Marvel inside.

3rd Person POV

Before they enter the house McGonagall stops (Y/n) before she can enter.

(Y/n) turns to looks quizzically at the professor.

"Good luck," the Professor says simply, then holds out to train tickets. "These are you and your sister's ticket's for Hogwarts." (Y/n) nods, taking the tickets. "I'll see you on September 1st," McGonagall says. Then the Professor turns around and walks away.

Word Count: 4,100 words

So yeah, here's Chapter 2.

I wonder if any of you know who (Y/n)'s dad is yet. I tried dropping some hints at the very beginning.

So yeah

I'll see y'all soon!

Love y'all!

              Kaitlynn 😍❤️

[tuesdaysinoctober]

Why Riverdale doesn’t work as a TV show-- but other TV shows in same or similar genres do

TV has slowly become more campy over the past couple of decades. The 90s started with Twin Peaks and ended with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The 2010s gave birth to Teen Wolf, Riverdale, and then the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. 

Teen Wolf ended in 2017, with 81% overall on Rotten Tomatoes. The first season rated 68% and the last season rating 83%. 

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina ended in 2020, with 81% overall on Rotten Tomatoes. The first season rated 91% and the last season rating 78%. 

Riverdale’s fifth season was supposed to come out this year (2021) but due to Covid-19 restrictions, nothing has aired yet. Nevertheless, it rates 86% overall on Rotten Tomatoes. The first season rates 88% and the last season aired, season 4, rates 84%. But this is on the Tomatometer, not the audience review scores. And isn’t the audience the most important part of all? 

Teen Wolf - 83% on average audience viewing

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina - 74% on average audience viewing

Riverdale- 57% on average audience viewing

But maybe let’s start with the original campiness and why they work so well. 

~These are all TV shows that I have watched or am currently watching~

~~I’m also using the Tomatometer because everything seems to be low on on IMDB and also percentages make it look like I know what I’m doing~~

Spoilers for Twin Peaks, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Teen Wolf, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and Riverdale below the cut

Twin Peaks is about a murder, and then another, at least in the first season. It’s quickly established that there’s something a little off with the town of Twin Peaks. Agent Cooper has some sort of supernatural dream very early on containing information of who the actual murderer of Laura Palmer is. It established supernatural tones quickly, and viewers know what they’re getting into early on, especially considering the first 15 minutes or so focus on the finding of Laura Palmer’s body. The characters were all fairly likeable, even if they made questionable decisions and in the 90s, this was new, exciting territory. Twin Peaks has now become a pop culture reference found in many media forms, even receiving a third season in 2017 with the return of some of the original cast. 

Twin Peaks, while not hilarious, was rather good at dry humor, the line, “This is a town where a yellow light still means slow down instead of speed up.” coming to mind. That, combined with the writing, cinematography, and the compelling little stares, made for a TV show that hit 88% on the Tomatometer and 89% based on audience views. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer gave us a badass female protagonist who killed vampires throughout her lifetime. BTVS also quickly established elements of the supernatural in the first season and built upon it. There were multiple werewolf characters and Buffy herself dated two vampires, her other love interest being human but working for a government organization that studied supernatural creatures. In seasons 3 and 4, Buffy’s best friend, Willow, starts to dabble in spells and the occult and other witch characters, including Willow’s girlfriend, Tara, are introduced into the series. Coming on the tail end of the 90s, viewers were enthralled with the wit and brashness of some characters and the fact of the a protagonist that was allowed to be feminine and powerful at the same time. BTVS has an 82% on the Tomatometer and 92% based on audience views. 

Basically, in terms of these two shows, the characters were likeable, the writing was rather witty, and the shows very quickly established what they were about, making them popular with viewers. 

Now we come to the 2010s, starting with Teen Wolf. 

Teen Wolf’s very first episode turned Scott McCall into a werewolf fairly early on in the episode and introduced a family of werewolf hunters, as well as --quote unquote-- “popular kids” Lydia and Jackson, and Scott McCall’s smartass best friend, Stiles Stilinski. The dialogue was fresh, the cinematography was rather dark, but overall a memorable first episode. They built upon this, season by season, and the acting and writing became a little more powerful and a little darker through every season. The characters changed but also stayed true to their roots and new characters were fairly likable when they were added. Teen Wolf told viewers what they were getting into from the very first episode and it was rather consistent throughout the rest of the show, that Scott and his friends would be facing monsters and only monsters. There would be a new threat each season but it would make sense from where each season respectively ended. 

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina also established what would be happening throughout the TV show. It would be about witches and the occult and fighting demons and going to hell. The writing could be cringy sometimes and essences of Riverdale leaked through (unavoidable, as the writer of Riverdale adapted Sabrina for the modern screen), but the show was overall consistent and the characters were appealing to the viewers, plus it gave representation to POC and LBTQ+ community. The show could become slow at times, but other than that, it was a solid TV show and did well on Netflix’s platform. 

We arrive at Riverdale. 

Riverdale’s first season started off well enough, with four high schoolers investigating the murder of Cheryl Blossom’s twin brother. It was a decent first season and the characters were fine, although there were a couple plotlines that seemed oddly dark for network TV. The second season, while still decent, had a plot line that revolved entirely around a serial killer that didn’t actually fit the classic definition of a serial killer. Both of these were likened to Twin Peaks, and there was an obvious Twin Peaks connection, with Madchen Amick, who played Shelly Johnson in 90s TV show, playing Betty Cooper’s mother in Riverdale. 

Season 3 went wild, with a plotline that villainized a game similar to Dungeons and Dragons, had Archie go to jail and get attacked by a bear, Mrs. Blossom opened a brothel, while Veronica opened a speakeasy and introduced a cult run by Chad Michael Murray, which is an odd sentence to type if you’ve seen Gilmore Girls or The OC. This is also the season that gave us the line, “I dropped out in the fourth grade to run drugs for my nana.” “Then you haven’t known the triumphs and defeats, the epic highs and lows of high school football.” Season 4 gave us blackmailing, two teenagers running an alcohol business, creepy tapes with creepier masks and a Jughead--is--dead--but--not--really--and--Barchie--became--a--thing--for--a--hot--second plotline. 

All four seasons are campy, just like the other shows, but not supernatural. This begs the question, why don’t people like Riverdale? 

Looking at Riverdale and then the four other shows I mentioned, it’s because Riverdale isn’t consistent. 

The first season established that murder would happen. That’s what people signed up for. They didn’t sign up for singing episodes or bear attacks. They signed up for teens solving murder, and viewers receive that with each season but they also get a bunch of weird, extended plotlines they didn’t ask for. The other shows stayed consistent with the content they delivered, while Riverdale didn’t--and, predictably, still won’t-- in the upcoming fifth season. 

Riverdale also takes heavy influence from Twin Peaks, with The Maple Club being their version of One Eyed Jack’s, and both TV shows having a diner main characters frequent. Other similarities include the killers in season 2 being revealed to be fathers/uncles of main characters and the dual opening on Laura Palmer’s dead body and Jason Blossom’s. It’s hard to unsee it, which just adds to the oddness of the show overall. 

That’s not to say the other TV shows aren’t connected. The actress who plays Hermione Lodge in Riverdale, Marisol Nichols, plays The Desert Wolf in Teen Wolf. Buffy the Vampire Slayer had a singing episode in their sixth season. It’s just terribly obvious when a show draws from the same influence over and over again, which Riverdale tends to do. 

Twin Peaks, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Teen Wolf, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina work because they are consistent, in content and character writing,  which is just something Riverdale hasn’t mastered yet. 

[emy-loves-you]

Wrong Numbers and Useless Gays Chapter 19

The Confrontation

Chapter 18 | Masterlist | Chapter 20

Warnings: Crying, shouting, accidental dead naming, alcohol

“REMUS! WAIT!” Virgil shouted, running after him. It took a lot of restraint for Janus to not immediately follow. He turned to Talyn, who looked extremely confused (not that Janus blamed them).

“Talyn, please escort the other two… guests to my room once they’ve exited the bathroom.” He turned to Roman. “Follow me.” He began speed walking in the direction Remus had run, not stopping to wait for Roman. Sure enough, Roman ran after him, soon speed walking right next to him. Janus ignored him for the moment, heading in a specific direction. Even though Remus liked to say otherwise, he was extremely predictable for Janus. Whenever Remus was trying to avoid people, he would try and lose them in the East Wing before hiding in the boiler room, which was located in the West Wing. Virgil never knew where Remus hid (mostly because Remus was usually running after pranking Virgil, so Virgil would give chase until he gave up and went to give up) but Janus had discovered his hiding spot the first time they performed here. He had never brought it up, simply because he had no reason to. Now, it would prove useful. As he headed to the boiler room, Roman spoke up.

“So,” Janus forced himself to not flinch; he’d forgotten that Roman was there. “Ree didn’t give a very good explanation. Did you know who she-”

“He.” Janus cut in, never breaking his stride. “He left because your parents didn’t accept him as their son. Virgil and I met him when he was 18. Before now, he assumed you were a transphobe and homophobe, just like your parents.” He let his tone grow emotionless. “I assume that’s not the case?”

Roman shook his head. “I stopped believing what my parents told me the day Ree left. I didn’t even realize how much I depended on her- him- fuck. It’s gonna take a minute to break that habit.”

Soon enough, they reached the boiler room, and just in the nick of time. Janus and Roman walked up to the door just as Virgil ran down the hallway, tears in his eyes. “I lost him. I’ve searched everywhere and-” Janus raised his hand, shutting Virgil up. He gestured towards the boiler room. Virgil’s eyes lit up as he approached the door. He pushed open the door without knocking, knowing that Remus would try and hide if he knocked.

The room was large, filled with different machines and pipes. Remus sat in the corner, his knees pressed to his chest, tears streaming down his face. Roman whimpered, “Oh, ReeRee.” Remus’ eyes shot up to meet Roman’s, and he instinctively curled in on himself. Roman whimpered again, and Janus spoke up.

“I believe it would be best if Anxiety stayed to act as mediator. I will go check on our other guests.” With that, Janus turned on his heel and walked out. While Janus wanted nothing more than to stay and comfort Remus, he knew that he was too overprotective to stay. The twins needed to get this off their chests without interruption, and Janus knew he would snap at Roman the second he said something that could offend Remus. Virgil had always been good at keeping silent when necessary, and Janus trusted him to stop them if things got too... intense.

Janus hurried back to his room, where he found Talyn, Patton and Logan. Patton shot up off the couch and started asking about Roman and Remus. Logan stared at Janus like he was a puzzle he was trying to solve. Even with the heavy makeup on his face, Janus had never felt more exposed. Logan suddenly scowled at Janus, as if he was the bane of Logan’s existence. Before Janus could process what that meant, the scowl was gone, and Logan had his hand on Patton’s shoulder.

“I’m sure they’re fine.” Logan assured him, rubbing small circles into his shoulders. Patton turned into putty in his hands. “Deceit wouldn’t have left Roman unattended if the situation wasn’t fully under control.” If Talyn or Patton noticed the ice in Logan’s tone when he said Deceit, they didn’t show it. Janus quickly put up a mask of cool indifference.

“Yess.” Deceit practically hissed out. “I left Anxiety to act as a mediator. Your boyfriend will be fine.” Deceit hoped that they’d be fine. Lying to Virgil’s crushes didn’t seem like a good idea.

Logan suddenly spun Patton around so he was facing Logan. “Why don’t you and Talyn go and get the Uno cards out of the car? I suspect that it might be a while before they’ve finished talking.” Deceit had a feeling that Logan just wanted the two of them alone.

“Alright, Lolo!” Patton said, giving Logan a quick kiss before grabbing Talyn’s hand. “C’mon, Kiddo! I’ve got a tupperware of snickerdoodles in the car that I think you’ll love!” With that, they were gone.

Logan immediately turned on Deceit, his face showing no emotion. “Was he ever going to tell us?”

Deceit walked to the corner of the room, where a bottle of scotch sat. He poured two glasses. “I have absolutely no idea as to what you are referring to.” He held out the glass, hoping that the subtle shaking of his hand didn’t give him away.

Logan scoffed, grabbing the glass and drinking it in one go. He winced at the burning sensation. “C’mon, Janus, don’t play coy with me.”

Janus sighed, taking a small sip before sitting on the sofa. “As far as I’m aware, he was planning on showing up on the 20th in his favorite hoodie. I believe Patton made it for him? If that didn’t give it away, I don’t know what would.” He took another sip. “I was hoping you would figure it out the day I gave you that CD. I mean, why would I of all people give you it? And before you ask, that was the same day Virgil realized that the three people he was flirting with were you three. Before that, he had used the sickeningly sweet nicknames.”

Logan sighed, slouching in a way that looked almost painful. “I don’t know what to think anymore. While I understand why he would keep this,” he gestured around vaguely, “a secret, it still feels like he… betrayed us.” He laughed harshly. “And here I was, feeling awful for having feelings for both Anxiety and Virgil, when they’re the same person!” He laughed again, but this time he didn’t stop. Tears started streaming down his face. “And the worst part is, I still love him! I should feel angry, and want nothing to do with him, but I don’t! I want to hold him, and kiss him, and reassure him that this won’t change my opinion of him. I want to love him like I pray he loves me!” He started sobbing by this point, and Janus quickly pulled him into a hug. They sat there for several minutes, his sobs being the only sound in the quiet room. When he was done, Janus silently offered the rest of his glass. Logan turned it down, opting instead to curl his knees up to his chest, rocking slowly back and forth.

Janus sighed, downing the rest of his scotch. “While I cannot speak for Virgil, I believe in what I told you the first time we met: Virgil has no intention of ever harming you. He deeply cares about the three of you, enough to be willing to share some of his most secretive parts of himself. He’s constantly talking about at least one of you. And he would do anything to make the three of you happy. There’s no object too valuable, no request too obscene. He would give you three the world if he could.” Janus sighed. “But he’s scared. Remus and I have been Virgil’s only family. We kept this a secret so that our relatives never found out. Up until now, Remus believed that all of his relatives were transphobic and homophobic assholes. And my family has never been known for their kindness.” His hand went to touch his makeup, where his scar lied underneath. “Virgil has kept us safe for so long, and he didn’t want to throw it away to a bunch of strangers. But soon it stopped being fear of you exposing us. Now it’s fear of you rejecting Virgil for keeping this a secret.”

Logan sighed, his legs slowly lowering to touch the ground. “I understand, but it’s still so…”

“Much?” Logan nodded. “Then I advise you to go home and think about it. Virgil is still planning on revealing himself to you in 3 days. Until then, use this time to let it fully sink in. Don’t tell Virgil that you know; he needs to tell you on his own.”

Before they could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. “We’re back!” Patton popped in with a large container of snickerdoodles. Talyn tagged along with a large pack of Uno cards. “Now let’s play!”

Janus smiled at Patton, moving to sit on the floor. He saw Logan do the same. Janus internally sighed. He hoped that the twins resolved their issues soon. For everyone’s sake.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Virgil sighed, taking in the sight. Remus sat still, his back facing Roman. Roman stood there, apparently unable to speak. Virgil decided to speak up. “Would it be easier if I explain the situation, so that way everyone’s on the same page?” Remus flinched but didn’t object. Roman nodded helplessly. “Alright. Here’s what I know: Remus realized that he was a guy in late Middle School/early High School. He started portraying himself in a more masculine way, such as attempting to join the football team and getting a more masculine haircut. Your parents are transphobic assholes, so they belittled Remus for acting similar to Roman. Roman’s desire to please your parents combined with his low self-esteem caused him to believe that acting like Roman was the issue, not acting masculine. On the night that Remus was going to come out to Roman, all of Roman’s insecurities boiled over and he snapped at Remus. Once he realized that he had gone too far, Roman decided to go away and cool off. But it was too late. Remus came out to your parents and they kicked him out. So, Remus ran away. Remus found me and Deceit and we formed The Dark Sides. Roman, not knowing that Remus had transitioned and believing that he was the reason that Remus left, started acting out against his parents. He broke up with his girlfriend, got together with Patton and Logan, and moved away as soon as he graduated. Any questions?”

They stood there in silence for several minutes. Virgil started to feel uncomfortable. Did it usually take this long to process information? Or maybe they were using that freaky twin thing where you can communicate without speaking?

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Roman said, his voice cracking slightly.

Remus’ eyes snapped up to meet Roman’s. “What?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Roman asked again, anger lacing his words. “I was your brother! I wouldn’t reject you just because-”

“HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT?!” Remus screamed. “You blew up in my face because I was starting to look and act like you! How was I supposed to say, ‘yeah, I also wanna have the same gender as you too!’ You wanted nothing more than to believe those assholes that you called our parents! Can you honestly say that you wouldn’t have agreed with them, if only to be put back into their good graces?” Roman remained silent. “I thought so.” Remus spat out, standing up. “Look, I’m glad that you’re finally out from under their thumbs, I really am. But VeeVee and J are my family now. They have been for years. And I’m not gonna abandon them just because you want your perfect little sister back-”

“BUT I DON’T!” Now Roman was the one screaming. “I don’t want some facade of a perfect sister! I want ReeRee back! The one that helped me face my fears. The one that held me during thunderstorms and teased me when I did something stupid. I want the person who promised that they’ll always catch me. And if that person’s now my brother, then so be it.” He took a step forward. “You can use whatever name or pronouns you want, that doesn’t change who you are. And you’re my twin. My family. And I will burn this place to the ground before I lose you again.”

They were both sobbing now, and Roman opened his arms in silent invitation. Remus ran towards him, burying his head into Roman’s chest. They stood there for several minutes, the sounds of their sobs being the only sounds in the room. Once they both stopped crying, Virgil spoke up.

“I know a lot has just happened in the past 30 minutes.” They both jumped, probably forgetting that Virgil was there. “But I think it would be best if the two of you give each other some space. Go home, get some rest, and think about what this means moving on. Why don’t you guys exchange phone numbers so you can talk later?” They nodded. “Good. You both have quite a bit of information to process. You both can have a much more in-depth conversation once you’ve both calmed down.” He opened the door, leading both of them to Janus’ room. While this wasn’t the scenario that Virgil envisioned, it wasn’t the worst one either. Hopefully the twins could fully reconcile with one another. Goodness knows the two needed it.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taglist: @bisexualdisaster106 @self-taught-mess @itawalrus @arodynamic-enby @sanderssides-angst