#Which means it's a day where I get actual Bughead interaction! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

go-ldy · 4 years ago

Note

I have zero self-control, so, if you're up to it: best and worst episode(s) of Riverdale?

I love this question! Sorry for the delay in answering, I have had to give this the deep thought and contemplation it deserves! Best episodes is easier for me tbh because there are only maybe one or two episodes of Riverdale that I did not like. I’ve decided to break it down into my best/worst for each season.

I’ve tried to approach this being as objective as possible but.... you know, I am only human, and I am easily swayed when Betty and Jughead make out a lot.

Season 1

Best

1x10 or 1x11 with 1x11 having a slight edge. Obviously, the bughead angst content in both is A++ and what I am here for, but I also think that 1x11 in particular does a good job of moving the plot along while developing the characters at the same time (Riverdale is not always good at this ok so it is important to remark on it when it meets this bar!). We have Homecoming, and the incredibly awkward Cooper-Jones pre-Homecoming dinner, and Varchie sneaking into FP’s trailer behind Betty and Jughead’s back, and Veronica desperately trying to determine if her father had a role to play in Jason’s murder, and FP’s arrest (!!!) and Jughead running off at the end in a funk. There is a lot that happens AND everyone goes to a dance! It is sadly rare to have a Riverdale episode where everyone feels intertwined to the main story and where the Core 4 get to interact and develop. Plus, Jughead is so adorably excited about his and Betty’s family meeting even though they are 16 and have been dating for like two months. MY HEART. He was already planning their wedding.

Worst

1x09. It is the only episode of season 1 that felt filler. And I would still rank it higher than the other “worst” episodes on this list. But the main plot of Archie being used by the Blossom family is ehhhhhh. And frankly uncomfortable given his all too real recent past of being used by Ms. Grundy with no acknowledgment from the show whatsoever that these gross adults keep using this 16 year-old kid to serve their own purposes. So yeah, probably the worst of season 1.

Season 2

Best

I have to go with 2x14. Okay, okay 2x05/2x06 are probably better written and better plotted and have less dialogue that makes me want to end myself, but hear me out. 2x14 is the absolute essence of Riverdale packed into 40 glorious minutes:

Each couple has a spat with each other and then against each other, we get Betty versus Jughead, Archie versus Veronica, Bughead versus Varchie, and it is great???? yeah, you all fight over Hiram’s nefarious plot to buy up all the newspapers in town.

Bughead listens to Varchie have sex and the vice-versa like an hour later as normal friends do.

Betty and Veronica talk about abuelita (I must know more about abuelita!).

An entire scene where Archie wakes up early to chop wood?? At someone else’s house? Even though he’s only there for a weekend?? Again, very normal, every day teenage behaviour. And Veronica pervs on him while sipping coffee. Get it, V.

Some of the worst, cringiest dialogue this show has ever had, and that is a HIGH BAR including: “A Vughead Kiss? Right now, in the present, might be precisely what it takes to save a future Bughead from imploding.” THIS IS THE WORST LINE OF DIALOGUE EVER WRITTEN, LIKE OF ALL TIME, I CAN BARELY WATCH. IT IS NAILS ON A CHALKBOARD, END ME.

Archie doing push ups in his bedroom, because OF COURSE ARCHIE RANDOMLY DOES PUSHUPS BEFORE BED AND ALSO WHEN UPSET HAVE YOU SEEN HIM. And then Veronica propositions him for sex and Archie, still mad about Vughead, turns her down. And this is an actual scene that takes up time in a 40 minutes episode??? I love it.

Lodge Lodge

They play monopoly

And then get attacked by home invaders!!!

Who Archie chases into the woods only for one of them to be killed by Andre so that Hiram can later frame Archie for a murder he didn’t commit.

anyway 2x14 is the best episode of Riverdale maybe ever, tell your friends.

Worst

2x11 for the reasons @arsenicpanda has articulated before - mostly involving the clumsy way that the writers tried to parallel the Serpents to the plight of Native Americans. And Jughead’s awkward white saviour plotline, eugh. Although bonus points for Archie trying to wrestle to impress Hiram for some reason?? I can’t hate it.

Season 3

Best

Season 3 has a lot of contenders. I’m torn between the parentale breakfast club episode (which also featured crazy-G&G-Jughead, a fave of mine) and the Prom episode, but I’m going to go with 3x20, Prom Night because this episode is a sheer delight from start to finish. Hal Cooper fakes his own death by cutting off his hand and then he replaces it with a hook - legends only. CHONI FOR PROM QUEENS until the dream is killed by Edgar. U KNOW that is when Cheryl started reconsidering the whole Farm business even with the whole being able to talk to Jason’s corpse thing.

Bughead investigate shit and make great faces. Varchie go to prom as the least platonic “friends” ever and it is adorable. Everybody somehow wears the best outfits even though Bughead changed the Prom theme the night before. Betty being chased through the school by the Black Hood/her dad is legitimately terrifying. 10/10.

Worst

3x09, hands down. I have a lot of beef with this episode. My main beef is that 3x08 ends on this great cliffhanger and there is zero payoff? Jughead and FP come home to find the town is under QUARANTINE, no one is allowed IN OR OUT, and then in 3x09, he is snuggling in bed with Betty and it was like????? but what about the quarantine?? how did you get back in?? honestly the first time I watched 3x09, I thought I must have skipped an episode, but NOPE, the quarantine cliffhanger was waved off and I will never forgive them for this.

Secondly, most of this episode is spent in Archie’s feverish dream/hallucination and I just find dream episodes real dull, sorry Archie. I love that Archie tried to box a bear, I mean good for him, but the the dream sequences are boring.

Season 4

Best

A tie between 4x14 and 4x15. I just love these two episodes. The Preppies are legit the best villains this show has ever had (especially Donna, my love <333). There were real stakes for the Core 4, and even though I was pretty sure Jughead was not dead, I was still insanely happy to see him again in 4x15. Betty threatening Donna in the woods while wearing Jughead’s sherpa is a total bamf move, MARRY ME, BETTY COOPER. Jughead’s faux funeral is a+. Even the BA fake dating scheme (before it went horribly awry in the following episodes) is hilarious to me. Like, what kind of horrible plan is this?? if Betty seriously dated Archie following Jughead’s death, she would need therapy STAT, but the town of Riverdale is just like “oh ok I guess Jughead is dead.” Okay, sure. Plus Donna taunting Betty over the fact that she apparently can’t go two hours without needing to bone Jughead and therefore Betty’s plan was doomed to failure. How was this a real scene that happened. Oh my god, these episodes are so great.

Worst.

4x17. I mean, obviously. Please don’t make me have to explain.

#arsenicpanda #riverdale #riverdale discourse #bughead

47 notes · View notes

imreallyloveleee · 4 years ago

Text

thoughts on 4x13

HEY DID YOU GUYS KNOW MARCH 15 IS THE IDES OF MARCH? WELL? DIDJA? IF NOT DON’T WORRY BECAUSE THIS EPISODE OF RIVERDALE WILL NOT LET YOU FORGET IT

- constant Ides of March references aside, this is a pretty good and decently-paced episode! several characters’ storylines intertwine and the one that sort of just floats out there on its own (the hermosa rum shakedown thing) has blessedly little screen time.

- that said, the screen time it does get is just awful. Hermosa wins the award for Worst Spy on Earth - she goes to Veronica’s club so she can figure out where Veronica’s maple rum bordello is and then is completely shocked when Veronica herself shows up at the Five Seasons. i’m stumped as to what she was trying to accomplish here. i also really hate that hideous pink dress she’s wearing in these scenes, and her glasses are ugly. thank u, next!

- at the other end of the spectrum, Veronica wears a SUPER cute sheer black top with polka dots in that confrontation scene that i recognize from her lame shopping scene with Katy Keene in the previous episode

- the Lodge family penchant for wearing poorly fitted blonde wigs must be genetic...#HiramInAWig2k21?

- Veronica drinks a lot in this episode and i don’t know if we’re supposed to see it as the start of a downward spiral or what, but i’m here for it. live it up while you can, girl, coronavirus is right around the corner

- Varchie finally interact here for the first time in...a while, and it’s compelling! they’re having some believable end-of-high-school conflict! i like it. i feel for both of them. and this feels to me like the real path their relationship would end up taking. i don’t dislike this ship by any means, but i really don’t see them as two people who are compatible beyond the high school setting (at least, not in the show’s canon - i’ve read plenty of fics that make it work).

- i also like that 5 seconds after they arrive at the Stonewall party Veronica is like “let’s go fuck in the woods” and Archie is like “ok cool!!”

- Archie actually lands on a very reasonable life plan by the end of this episode: go to summer school, graduate HS, then apply to colleges for the spring semester. i’m bummed this is not happening; i would have much rather seen Archie get an associate’s degree and then start running the family construction business, than see him go into the army. because it would be better for him, and because i am already deeply bored just thinking about all the scenes we will have to endure in season 5 of Archie suffering PTSD / reminiscing with some Uncle Frank-esque army buddy who served time with him in some Middle Eastern country we will never know the name of

- at this point, Tom Keller appears to be fully dependent on the largesse of a high school student for his income. no wonder Kevin became a tickle porn mogul

- i ADORE the early scene where Betty gives Jughead a very obvious suggestion for the plot of his Baxter Bros rewrite, and he’s like, “YOU’RE A GENIUS.” that’s such an underrated kiss, and Betty’s smirky-eye-roll-y face afterwards is adorable. i love that their brains are what turn them on about each other.

- the writers made the huge mistake in this episode of telling us what day of the week it is. because of this, i am forced to conclude that Betty is wearing her ruffled turtleneck outfit for a period of at least 2-3 days in this episode. maybe @bettycooperoutfitwatch can confirm?

- more timeline shenanigans: Jughead says (while hooked up to a lie detector!) that he started writing the story “that qualified him for Yale” (lol) in late summer. didn’t we see Betty reading that finished story at the very beginning of 4x02, which explicitly begins just a few days before the 4th of July?

- sidenote, i like that Bughead give up on the whole lie detector thing after 10 seconds and basically admit they just brought it for the dRaMa

- Jughead should have found an English teacher to run a test and confirm the Stonies’ manuscript’s DNA was not 51% different from his manuscript’s DNA

- i am far from the first person to say this, but WHAT WAS JUGHEAD’S PLAN??? the last thing we see him do is throw the rabbit mask on the ground, put the beanie on his head (thank god...as we know, it protected his brain from Joan’s death blow...thank u for ur service beanie), and flick open his pocketknife. was he going to gut Bret in the woods? slice off some skin a la Penny Peabody? this all feels very extreme. but he did tell Betty he would kill Bret if he really had a sex tape of them. so...?

- Betty and Donna are fun to watch together, i’m excited for more of this in the next few eps

- final warning note: NEVER trust Archie Andrews to tell you whether or not someone unconscious is actually dead, guys!!!

#loveleee rewatches riverdale season 4 #i am excited about the next few!#riverdale

25 notes · View notes

moons2stars · 5 years ago

Text

May Bughead Drabble Challenge Day 1 Prompt 2

Undercover Lover/ Cop Story

Jughead curses under his breath of course the one person he didn’t want to get paired up with on this case he did.

It’s not like he didn’t like his partner. In fact he liked he a little too much which is why he didn’t want to pretend to be some overzealous couple used as bait. Of course, Jughead had gone undercover before, and he was very professional but ever since Betty Cooper had transferred to his department. They had initially hit it off really well, but he’s not good at interaction. Sure he’s friends with Archie, but that’s different.

“Do think you can pretend you don’t hate me for a few hours?” Betty after their are dismissed from their briefing.

“What do you mean?” Jughead asks as he tries not to choke on his tortilla chip that he usually snacks on especially after long briefs.

“Come on. Don’t spare my feelings. I know you aren’t necessarily a fan of mine since I’ve transferred here.” Betty says sheepishly trying to ride out this wave of confidence.

“Where do you get an idea like that?” Jughead asks. Sure maybe he has been avoiding Betty as of late, but it wasn’t because he didn’t like her. In fact it was the opposite.

“Jughead, you practically sprint out the room when I try to eat lunch with you and Archie, you look uncomfortable every time I try and talk to you, every time Archie invites us out for drinks after work you opt out when you know I’m going to be there, and you once made fun of my cat mug.” Betty says looking self conscious.

Jughead really wants to chuck himself out the nearest window. of course the one time he actually finds himself actually having feelings for someone he makes them think he hates them.

“Well I’m an idiot.” Jughead laughs to cover up his raging embarrassment. “I don’t hate you Betty. I just don’t know how to control my feelings.”

“I’m sorry. I think I’m confused.” Betty says.

“I have been avoiding you, because I like you a lot, and I’m not the best with handling my emotions. I also just wanted to be professional, but I realize I was not being professorial in the slightest. As for your cat mug, I wasn’t making fun of it. I was trying and failing miserably to be flirty.” Jughead says as he scratches the back of his head nervously. Betty starts to laugh, and Jughead can’t help but to join despite the situation.

“That’s reliving.” Betty says as her laughter subsides. “Because I think I really like you too.”

Just like that, the mission got a lot more interesting.

#bughead drabble challenge #bhdc1 #my writing #bughead fanfiction

57 notes · View notes

alwaysspeakshermind · 5 years ago

Text

Top 5 Anti-Varchie Arguments & Why They Make No Sense

#2: “Varchie’s too rushed/forced/there’s no development.”

[Note: this is one of the arguments that really grates my cheese, because the refuting evidence is so! Very! Obvious! that I don’t even know how anyone can bring themselves to actually use it. So be warned...this post is long. Also, it definitely jumps around a bit, because I was in a serious ‘Really, dude? Really?’ mood when I wrote it, and upon calmer reflection, I decided to remove a few overly sarcastic things I put down in the heat of the moment and add a couple of clarifications so it doesn’t sound like I’m trying to insult anything I’ve no intention of insulting.]

Varchie’s too rushed? Varchie’s too forced? Varchie has no development?

Yeah, no.

I’m trying to not lose all pretense of tact here, but this falls in the “anyone saying this must be too young to grasp the concept of abstract reasoning because people cannot possibly be this dumb” type of arguments.

Because again...no.

NOOOOOOOOOO.

Since the beginning of the series, Archie and Veronica have been Riverdale’s best-developed couple. (Yes, even better than Bughead, who, no shade whatsoever because this is by no means a post meant to disparage one of the other three pairings I’m 100% on board with in this show, didn’t even interact in the pilot), and anyone with more than an ounce of common sense can recognize that. Even if they hate it with every fiber of their being and wish it weren’t true—it’s true.

Development (particularly that of the onscreen relationship variety) does not fall in the category of artistic elements that lend themselves to subjective interpretation. It is a technical, structural element, meaning it is either there, or it’s not, and deliberately ignoring or refusing to acknowledge its existence does not render it null and void. Though they are the first of the canon couples to kiss onscreen, Varchie is also the only ship on the show that takes longer than two or three somewhat-romantic interactions to begin a relationship.

No, seriously.

Give it a second and really think about it…

In six episodes, how many the-average-person-would-recognize-this-as-romantic times do Betty and Jughead interact before they kiss and begin a romantic relationship? [Note: and by “the average person,” I mean “would even your clueless dad who would probably rather be watching something else instantly recognize this as a Definite Romantic Moment™?”]

How many times in twelve episodes do Cheryl and Toni interact at all before romance is inarguably hinted at [in 2x14; 2x14 is where their half-second interactions become more than fanon and the average viewer learns what most of the rest of us already knew anyway]?

How many times do Alice and FP interact at all in ten episodes (the point when people suddenly decided they had an entire romantic history and “needed to be put together”), and how many times do they interact after that before they begin whatever kind of relationship it is they have?

How many times do Kevin and Joaquin interact at all, period in one episode before beginning a romantic relationship?

How many times do Kevin and Moose interact in thirteen episodes before beginning a romantic relationship?

How many times in one and a half seasons do Kevin and Fangs interact at all, period before beginning a romantic relationship?

How many times do Archie and Val interact at all, period in six episodes before beginning a romantic relationship?

How many times in two and a half seasons do Archie and Josie interact at all, period before beginning a romantic relationship?

How many times in two and a half seasons do Veronica and Reggie interact at all, period before beginning a romantic relationship and how many of those scenes also include Archie?

(I’d also mention Josie and Reggie, but apparently I’m the only one who remembers that pairing. And also Josie and that summer fling “relationship,” but I’m kind of still trying to block that one from my mind because it really horrifies me that my girl kissed a dude who looks like he pours axle grease on his hair every morning, walks around wearing plaid shirts with cutoff sleeves like Larry the Cable Guy, but still has the nerve to whine publicly about her not wanting it to be anything more, so I won’t.)

But, etc., etc. You get the picture.

This is not, of course, to hurl accusations of “worthless!” at any of the above-mentioned ships or those who ship them; it’s just an example used to illustrate the following point:

If any or all of those pairings seem[ed] cute/promising/full of potential and/or not rushed or forced to you when none of them were so much as hinted at in the pilot (and the show goes for long periods of time without those characters even sharing screentime, let alone actual interactions or even glances), Varchie shouldn’t either.

Especially in light of the fact that Varchie has a stronger romantic buildup in one episode than most teen couples get in three.

For instance:

Varchie Development In 1x01

Diner scene: Archie and Veronica meet at Pop’s and the romantic interest on both sides is made obvious from the beginning.

School Hall scene: Walking with Betty and Kevin, Veronica spots Archie, asks about him, and makes her interest in him explicitly known (“In that case, mind putting in a word?”) once Betty says “we’re just friends.”

Lunch scene: Veronica immediately addresses Archie regarding the song he’s playing, and Archie surreptitiously checks Veronica out (it’s quick, but he does. If you don’t believe me, go back and watch Archie during that scene while keeping in mind where Veronica’s at.)

Invitation-to-the-dance scene: Veronica calls Archie over from practice in order to give Betty a prime opportunity to finally ask him out, and Archie pays more attention to Veronica during the conversation—jogging over right away, smiling at her, even agreeing to go to a dance he’s indifferent to because Veronica jokingly insists and agrees to come with him and Betty. Also, “Archiekins,” Veronica’s pet-name-of-choice (besides “Lover”) for Archie in the comics, makes it first appearance.

Dance scene: Veronica jokes about how Archie needs to drop the fine arts/sports question for a night so they can all have fun, Archie refers to her as Ronnie for the first time and tells her he’s trying. Veronica teasingly tells him to work faster, and Archie watches her leave with a look similar to the one he wore in the diner when they first met.

Seven Minutes In Heaven scene: As soon as Archie’s name is suggested, Veronica looks his way, and she visibly leans forward to watch the bottle make its selection. Although it does not “clearly [point] to the new girl” as Cheryl claims (the bottle actually lands in-between Betty and Veronica, meaning no one can say for sure who Archie’s going to kiss), Archie’s eyes immediately cut over to Veronica, and Veronica immediately looks at Archie.

Closet scene: There isn’t much doubt what’s going to happen as soon as the door shuts behind Archie and Veronica, because the sexual tension is palpable, and the entirety of their conversation is like a very awkward dance around the fact they are interested in each other. By the time they kiss it feels inevitable, and even the kiss itself is postponed until the end of the scene so that it acts as the exclamation point to the story arc.

Once they exit and find Betty gone, the next eight to nine episodes consistently juxtapose Archie and Veronica’s new Friendship™ status with mildly flirtatious and subtly romantic moments that hearken back to the 1x01 makeout; by the time they become an official couple toward the end of Season 1, their relationship development is already slower and stronger than that of most of those previously-listed canon ships after three seasons. So, quite frankly, if you can’t recognize/acknowledge exactly how well-developed and non-rushed a relationship Varchie is, the problem is not the show/writers/the Varchie shippers.

The problem is YOU.

**IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING SLOW-BURN DEVELOPMENT**

When it comes to fictional relationships, development is not the same thing as a preexisting history between characters. In all forms of fiction, everything important—whether it directly impacts/advances the plot or not—must take place on the screen, stage, or page. (The motto is show, not tell.) Character interactions are not excluded from this rule, particularly when it comes to film or television, where narration is an optional touch to be used sparingly, rather than the default mode of conveying information to the audience. While you can absolutely try to argue that “Barchie has the best development, not Varchie” on the grounds that the former has a long history of friendship, the reality is that at this point in the show, Barchie does not have enough onscreen interactions period, let alone romance-tinged interactions over the course of three seasons, to qualify them for a slow-burn status, let alone a good slow-burn status.

Now.

I’m not sure exactly why, but the concept of slow-burn has lately become so popular and so synonymous in fandom with “best development” and “superior quality” that the term gets thrown around until its original meaning is all but lost and everyone seems to think that if a certain potential pairing doesn’t happen right out of the gate, it automatically = EPIC! SLOW-BURN! ENDGAME!** while any pairing that does happen first automatically = boring. forced. predictable.

Which is…just…not…true.

[**Yet another side note: I LOATHE the word endgame. Always have, always will, and one day I will write the essay on the ever-swirling debate regarding Riverdale’s use of that word and why Veronica had to say it in-narrative for the pure and simple reason that people wouldn’t shut up about Kevin saying it that one time back in the pilot, and in math we call that an inverse operation, BUT TODAY IS NOT THAT DAY.]

Fictional relationships are about character dynamics just as much (if not more) than they’re about story, so it really doesn’t matter if the relationship that winds up being the E-word relationship is expected/planned or unexpected/unplanned. Slow burns can be great, but they are not the only type or relationship with value. Furthermore, not every ship that doesn’t show immediate progress on the romantic front is a slow burn, and not every attempt to create a slow burn works.

In TV, there are epic slow-burns, there are mediocre attempts to create epic slow-burns, there are bad attempts to create epic slow-burns, and then there are blatantly terrible pairings that attempt to cloak their pulled-out-of-a-hat-for-drama-ness beneath the heading of “slow-burn.” (Come to think of it, maybe that’s why people are so confused about what actually constitutes a slow-burn???)

Using another Friends example, think the J/R pairing…did they have the potential to be a good slow-burn relationship? Yeah, sure. All the actors on that show had chemistry and everyone interacted enough to make everything narratively plausible. Were they a good slow-burn relationship? No, because they came from left field, happened so late in the game and, worst of all, had to follow a strong relationship with better romantic chemistry and multiple seasons of solid storylines behind it. There are some people who prefer them together, yes, but even everyone who does like them (at least everyone I’ve ever come across) fully admits that they would also have preferred that pairing occurred much earlier in the show, when not so much water had gone under the bridge.

[Or, if Friends isn’t your sitcom, think instead of the giant misstep in How I Met Your Mother’s finale, where 7-8 seasons of plot and character development were bent, clipped, and otherwise torpedoed to splice existing material onto the plan for an ending that was concocted back when the show’s creators expected to only get maybe 3 seasons. Could that ending have worked after 2-3 seasons? Yes! It could’ve even been great. But after all those seasons, and all that story/character/relationship development in directions that wound up being more compelling than the original plan, it just didn’t work. It wound up feeling like someone luring you on a fun-but-long car ride with the promise of dessert at the end, and then being like “Ta da! Here’s a fruit parfait! Eat up!” Because while plenty of people enjoy fruit parfaits and wouldn’t mind eating them for breakfast or a snack, no one really appreciates being served berries, yogurt, and granola when they were led to expect ice cream/cake/cookies/pie. When you expend a lot of time and effort building something up, you absolutely have to deliver. You can’t pull a switcheroo at the last minute and call it good, because all that does is beg the question if this was your plan all along, why did you waste so much time developing everything but this?]

When it comes to creating slow burn, there are no shortcuts. It’s a delicate and tricky road, because in addition to needing to make sense from an in-narrative and character aspect, it also requires careful, unflagging cultivation over an extended period of time. It can’t show up and disappear at random for the sake of plot convenience; it needs normal and consistent onscreen interaction (i.e., frequent everyday conversations with and without other characters present), readily-observable-by-audience romance-tinged interaction every 2-4 episodes (flirting, furtive or longing glances, touches that linger, special smiles, noticeably consistent too much attention paid to the other person’s dating or personal life, etc.), as well as an unwavering attraction/willingness to go there from both parties.

In other words, slow-burn is exactly what the name implies: a long, slow, process where each step depends on the one before it, and you can’t rush it, skip steps, or let it fade into the background for a couple seasons while you work on something else. It must be shown, not told, the connection must be inarguable from the beginning, and there must be so much sizzling sexual chemistry between characters that even interactions in platonic settings resemble mutual flirting rather than friendly banter. After one season, Barchie doesn’t have any of that. After two seasons, Barchie doesn’t have any of that. After three seasons, Barchie still doesn’t have that.

But you know who does have all of that?

Varchie.

In every. Single. Season.

(You know who else does? Bughead, but that’s a different essay.)

S1 takes about thirteen episodes to bring everything that begins the second A&V see each other to fruition, and is peppered throughout with flirty interactions, wistful glances, etc., and every few episodes, they share a moment that unmistakably hints at romance/their continued interest in one another.

In S2, even their breakup is handled along the lines of a slow-burn formula…they sit on opposite sides of the room and exchange glances at the beginning of the episode. Their “we’re still friends” moment is awkward and laced with obvious sexual tension where a direct reminder of the relationship they’re trying to forget is introduced (the watch), and Veronica’s instinctive grab for Archie’s hand makes everything worse. Their I Love You Too reunion beneath the fake mistletoe is built up to like a first kiss scene.

In S3, in order to make other pairings seem remotely plausible, the narrative goes out of its way to separate Archie and Veronica and keep them from interacting, but still throws the two of them together every few episodes or so for a moment that underscores their connection and shows how even their best attempts at friendship are sabotaged by the very non-platonic feelings they have for each other.

They are not rushed. They are not underdeveloped. They are most certainly not “forced.”

Oh, and speaking of forced...

Some quick definitions of “forced,” because we seem to be very confused about this word in relation to fiction as well:

(1) Obtained or imposed by coercion or physical power.

(2) (of a plant) having its development or maturity artificially hastened.

(3) (of a gesture or expression) produced or maintained with effort; affected or unnatural.

Beyond the fact that definitions 2&3 clearly refer to plants and facial expressions and thus maybe shouldn’t be used as an argument against a fictional relationship in the first place, none of these apply to Varchie. Their relationship involved no coercion/exercise of physical power whether you look at it from a meta or in-narrative perspective. Neither development nor maturity was hastened; if anything, it was deliberately stalled to create conflict between three of the main characters and then grown on an episode-by-episode basis. It is effortlessly produced/maintained thanks to the actors’ dynamic (which is also the point where the affected/unnatural part collapses; KJ Apa and Camila Mendes work too well together to make their interactions seem anything but natural) and the ease with which the characters’ personalities mesh.

But, hey...you know what could be reasonably construed as “forced?” You know what does actually fit all three of those above definitions? The contortionist-level attempts it took to break Archie and Veronica up in order to pair them with characters they have had hardly any onscreen interactions with in three seasons. If you truly despise forced fictional relationships, then perhaps it would be better to focus more energy on decrying the plot gymnastics that were required in S3 to break up Varchie and bring Archie/Josie and Veronica/Reggie into existence. Because regardless of whether you like or dislike those last two pairings, they are, by positive rather than normative standards, extremely forced.

So, once again...Varchie: not rushed, not underdeveloped, not forced.

And once again (I’m getting so tired of typing this, but hey, it will never not be applicable, so oh well): You’re perfectly free to be mad that Archie and Veronica prevent your ship from happening, and/or get all the scenes you’d like your favorite pairing to get. But arguing that they have no development when they are objectively the best-developed and least-rushed pairing on Riverdale is just ridiculous.

#varchie #archie x veronica #riverdale opinion #my opinion #my post #rant #varchie has no development?#in what universe please?#forgot to post this the other day #but i'm a lot calmer now #so i guess that's good?

21 notes · View notes

scoobydoominuscoobydoo · 6 years ago

Text

Why we started shipping Shaphne. Just Random Rambling-

I’m gonna go ahead and say this is not an argument on why Shaphne is better than Fraphne because no ship in better than another, especially in the Scooby-Doo universe.

I’m gonna take a few moments to discuss the worst portrayal that ruined my opinion on Fraphne for a long time.

And just because Shaphne is always gonna be the OTP of this blog doesn’t mean I don’t get why people ship Fraphne. I’ve seen every incarnation of Fraphne to date and they actually are cute, I get it.

Okay with that, let’s have some fun!

Mystery Incorporated:

Let’s start by addressing the only Scooby show that actually made Fraphne canon, and how they managed to screw it up so poorly it wasn’t even funny.

Now listen, MI was the incarnation I grew up with so I do actually have a lot of sentiment attached to it. But I am not going to argue with the fact that it did a poor job of characterizing all of the gang, Scooby included.

It tried it’s best to try and flesh out the gang to have them feel more, real. Like actual teenagers.

But oh my Lord they just made it worse.

And I think the one who got the worst of it was Daphne.

Her amazing and well rounded character that had existed since forever had been pushed down to the pretty girl that had a crush on Fred. And for most of the first season none of her actions were outside of her crush shenanigans.

And she absolutely did not deserve that, Daphne was not part of Scooby-Doo solely to be Fred’s love interest. Way back in 1969 they understood that because Daph’s actions did not revolve around Fred 24/7.

When I watched the show when I was younger I never caught onto just how much of her “development” was her managing to get Fred to say something romantic to her. I honestly love the episodes in season 2 where Daphne isn’t in love with anybody because she actually gets the chance to just be herself.

Be quirky awkward Daphne.

And then she comes full circle and returns to having the same kind of relationship she had with Fred in season 1.

When they were together it wasn’t any better.

Rewatching the episodes when they were dating now when I’m older honestly made me uncomfortable. And when they got engaged it was laughable how poorly that was executed. Tbh I’m sure Fred had no idea that he proposed to Daph and just went along with whatever she said.

Then he just goes ahead and dumps her like it’s not painful or any sort of big deal while it actually crushes Daph enough to distance herself from the rest of the gang.

Season 2 Fred made me incredibly freaked out, like I love Fred Jones to bits and pieces but MI season 2 Freddie was the worst version of him and anyone who believes otherwise can explain why they disagree.

I’m honestly curious if other people weren’t bothered by his disturbing behavior towards Daph for the beginning of that season.

Anyway bottom line, MI was why I had lost interest in Fraphne.

And why I gained a new interest in Shaphne.

I’m sure everyone remembers that episode in season 2 where...um...stuff happened.

Mod Silas is still convinced they slept together and I feel like it’s strongly implied but whatever.

That’s not what made me ship Shaphne since during all of that Daphne though Shag was Fred and Shag also thought he was Fred. Anyone feel like explaining how they managed to experience the same hallucination? So seeing that whole thing as Shaphne does kinda seem pointless.

What made me ship them was the short scene that happened afterward.

Both Shag and Daph quickly figured out what had happened and for like a few seconds they just stare at each other and don’t say anything. Like no panic or weirdness until Fred and Scoob reacted.

Shaggy ogles over being kissed by an angel, like twice I think.

Now both of those things don’t seem like a huge deal until you remember how much of a disaster these two’s relationships in the past were.

Both of them being in very forceful and controlling relationships.

Now it’s very probable that both of those reasons mean absolutely nothing and of course I’m reading into things as always.

But that was enough to catch my attention and pull me down into a void.

Because I’m gonna go ahead and be 100% honest with everyone:

Shaphne is never gonna be canon!

We all know it.

This isn’t a Riverdale/Bughead situation where people had wanted Betty and Jughead to get together long before the idea of Riverdale was created.

People were always for Fred and Daphne. And since the dawn of time it’s been clear that Fred and Daph are always gonna be each other’s respective love interest.

Hence why Shaphne is a void of pain.

But as I became open to the idea of it I made an observation.

Though Shag and Daph have very little interaction in most of the shows it was enough.

Shaggy and Daphne always take care of and understand each other. And it’s also super obvious that Daphne is very protective of Shaggy. Different from how she’s protective of the rest of the gang.

I’m not sure why their dynamic has always been like that, but it’s a dynamic that’s survived all the way into the modern age which means a lot to me.

Another thing that’s clear is Daphne loves Scooby.

Possibly just as much as Shaggy does idk.

The significance of that fact is best explained through a motto that Mod Silas and I have always had since we started shipping it:

“You can’t get Shaggy without getting Scooby.”

This was the biggest amount of drama with Shelma in MI was that Velma always saw Scooby as a dumb dog, as Shaggy’s pet, when it came to their relationship. And never saw him as Shag’s best friend, which is exactly what he is.

So when Shag broke up with her, she chose to blame the dog even though the reason he gave her was he wasn’t ready for a serious relationship.

And for the rest of the show Velma only ever gives Scoob sarcastic and condescending treatment.

But Daphne has always loved Scooby, that much is clear,

Scooby and Daphne’s bond within MI alone is something to be appreciated.

And over the course of time I just kind of enjoyed the fact that Shaggy and Daphne would have a very healthy relationship, platonic or otherwise, if it had ever been further explored.

That’s a good portion of Shaphne, unexplored potential.

And it’s definitely gonna stay unexplored.

However MI was just the beginning of my unhealthy Shaphne obsession.

The rest of the Universe:

Now the other Scooby shows had me approaching Shaphne differently because I wasn’t comparing it to Fraphne or Shelma in anyway since I didn’t have anything against the other incarnations of the ships.

For this I was able to just appreciate the dynamic Shag and Daph provided as a whole and not have to have that be my central focus for whatever show I was watching.

Like I can actual enjoy the friendship between the gang.

This version of Shaphne is the most relaxed and the one I wish got more attention, because this is the one where you see that they respect and understand each other. They also seem bonded over their love and protectiveness over Scooby which always gets me grinning like an idiot.

Daphne being protective of Shag is also another nice thing that’s presented.

However, in the old Hanna Barbera cartoons, romance was never supposed to be the main focus, or even really an element in the shows.

And to be fair romance isn’t meant to be the center of Scooby-Doo, it’s the friendship between four kids from very different social classes.

I will say that shipping Shaphne and keeping up with all of the made for TV films is typically a treat since there are a good handful of them that just provide plenty of scenes showing the perfect dynamic they share.

For people who are looking for recommendations I’d say #1 is Scooby-Doo and the Legend of the Phantosaur, which on it’s own is a really good movie just to watch. But the Shaphne on top of it is a nice addition.

For #2 I’d say both of those live-action movies Cartoon Network made. The Mystery Begins and Curse of the Lake Monster.

While I have problems with those movies, *cough cough* Fred with brown hair *cough cough*

I think those movies do the best job of portraying Shaggy and Daphne’s relationship and it’s really sweet to watch.

13 Ghosts + New Scooby and Scrappy:

I’m gonna go ahead and finish this off with the two key pieces in the Shaphne art museum.

I’m sure everyone is already aware of the existence of the two shows where it’s just Shag and Daph and company.

These are the ones where we actually get to see Shaggy and Daphne work as a team it’s all I ever needed and more. While the main reason these exist is because Shaggy was the most popular character and then they added Daph ‘cause they needed a pretty girl.

“How to make a famous cartoon in the 70′s 101.”

Now both of these shows focus like a lot more on the “comedic relief” and their fun shenanigans than on the duo but that’s to be expected since this show was made for kids.

But for the most part it’s worth sitting through Flim Flam just always talking and never shutting up or Scrappy constantly saying “Puh-pup-puuuppyy Powweerrr!!” Every 8 seconds to see Shag and Daph in the background acting like overwhelmed babysitters that aren’t getting paid enough.

Plus there was all that fun drama where people thought they were living in the same house together.

While I am very certain that these shows don’t exist because everyone at HB was secretly the biggest Shaphne shippers in the world, I am very thankful for them.

In then end I think the reasons I ship Shaphne aren’t because I want the underdog to get the girl in the end. And I don’t want it to be like some sort of ‘guy on the wrong side of the tracks dating a pretty, rich girl.’

I really just want these two to be happy and functional and honest and themselves.

I always just see it as them being there for each other because though they may be really different people it’s never bothered them before. I just see two people who accept and help each other and that’s just something I see even though their dynamic gets no screen time.

At the end of the day Shaphne is always gonna be a fill in the blanks kinda ship.

And I’m fine with that.

-Mod Ninja

#scooby doo #shaphne #shaggy rogers #daphne blake #mod ninja

135 notes · View notes

riverdaleroundup · 7 years ago

Text

Riverdale Roundup: 2x14“ The Hills Have Eyes”

Oh hey. It’s me. That bitch you hate. It’s been a hot damn minute but i’m ready for some fresh ass teenage angst. The journey to get a link to watch this god forsaken show has been TREACHEROUS! The lord has been punishing me for not having basic satellite in my dorm room and not having the patience to wait for midnight for this shit to come on Netflix. Like I feel like Jesus is pressuring me to go down to my communal living area and watch TV with the plebs who live on my floor but I would rather shave off my eyebrows than interact with these people. So after YEARS of looking for a good link I've finally made it. I would like to thank not only God but Jesus.

First off we need to address that Chic is just so damn creepy and also a truly awful house guest. Like don’t drink out of the juice carton and don’t use Betty's shower. He’s going to get written up in page six for being an ungrateful house guest. Also him standing on the stairs waving will haunt my dreams for weeks to come.

Cheryl is not that pleased that her mom is still pimping herself out to the men of Riverdale. Penelope is pissed that Cheryl ruined her chance at happiness with Hal, but really who loves Hal? Penelope comes for her 15 year old daughter over having never been in love. Like she’s in 10th grade but whatever.

Hiram offers Veronica and Archie the lake house for the weekend and i’m like ummmmm. What father sends their child out on a romantic getaway? Also Veronica demand's not to have a chaperone and Daddy just agrees? Like I’m 20 and I feel like I need a chaperone still. If my mom isn’t coming with me on a trip I feel unsafe. Like excuse me where are the adults? Who is going to hold my passport?

Oh so it’s a safe house. I get it now. He’s not just looking to facilitate his daughter getting dicked down.

FP and Jughead need a new place to live since the whole of Sunnyside trailer park is getting evicted. Tragically there is minimal affordable housing in Riverdale and FP works at a diner. Yikes.

All of my hopes prayers have come true and Moose has finally graced our screens. I think he got hotter. Like his face thinned out a bit and his hair looks good and he’s got that jean jacket and i’m INTO IT.

So is this whole scene just an ad for Love Simon? We get it. The movies coming out. Are Moose and Kevin secretly hooking up or like? What is Midge supposedly so cool with? Or is it just that she knows that they went down to the river to hook up and casually found a dead body?

I honestly just want Moose and Kevin to be together. Who cares about Midge? Not I.

Veronica is like our lake house is “rustic” and i’m like really bitch? I doubt that. Do you want to see rustic? Would you like to see my canvas tent complete with plywood walls that my father built and a composting toilet? It’s a yurt bitch. Look it up. But like not a mud hut. Don’t get it twisted.

Jughead is only into going to this cabin so that he can get some Intel on the Lodges. Betty like doesn’t love that idea. She needs to get away from her creepy ass brother and i’m like girl he has caused so much trouble just send that bitch back to the youth hostel where he belongs.

So if life was normal Alice would never let her kid go on an over night sex weekend but I guess now that they are covering up a murder she’s a little more lax with the rules. It’s hard to lecture your daughter about responsibility when she witnessed you mopping up the blood of a drug dealer.

Chic is so damn creepy. I’m done with him.

What I want to know is why would the Lodges go to this lake house for the summer? They are so Hampton's people. They should be off rubbing elbows with Ramona Singer and Luann De Lesseps.

Can I just say that Andre is honestly hot. Homebody can like get it.

Archie is shook that Andre has a gun as if he wasn’t walking around locked and loaded only a handful of episodes ago.

Lodge Lodge. Really Veronica? How clever. Florals? For spring? Ground breaking.

Cheryl is pissed that she couldn’t come on the couples weekend so she calls jughead to ruin their getaway because she’s a petty bitch and I adore it. Stir up the shit girl. Stir it up.

Jughead is pissed. This is why Betty should have come clean before. Like you kissed Archie. You didn’t have a secret love child together. It’s not a big deal.

I adore that Cheryl introduces herself with her twitter handle. She’s looking to gain followers. She’s ready to be a social media influencer.

Toni tries to play therapist to Cheryl and she is not having it. Like don’t touch her sans consent.

I know that i’ve said this before but Archie has the world's largest head. We know it’s not holding a big brain so like what’s up there? Extra storage space? Room for activities?

Why do they need to unpack their stuff? They’re staying there for like 2 days. I don’t unpack when i’m staying somewhere for 2 weeks. I just rummage through my suitcase like a drifter looking for cans in the trash bin .

Jughead and Betty promptly make up about the whole Barchie kiss thing and then hear Archie and Veronica getting it on.A friendly reminder that these children are 15. This feels wrong. Jughead has a point. All Veronica and Archie know how to do is fuck. Like what do they actually talk about?

Jughead goes digging for info and Betty does not love it. Veronica assumes that they are still pissy about the kiss so she suggests that they all unwind in the jacuzzi.

So everybody is going hot tubbing. I miss my hottub. If my dad could just like do a girl a solid and fill that ish back up again I would be very grateful. Give me all the chemicals.

Veronica is like “ just so things aren’t awkward I think that Jughead and I should make out just like really quick.” Very sound logic. See this is actually something that 15 year olds would do. Although under normal circumstances they wouldn’t be on a sex getaway in the woods funded by one of the girls fathers.

All of these characters are way to self aware with their ship names. Jughead just used bughead and Vughead all in one sentence.

Veronica and Jughead kiss and it’s awkward for all. All that’s left is for Archie and Jughead to kiss and everything will be Gucci. Honestly at this point who hasn’t Archie kissed?

Betty puts on her awkward ass cam girl outfit and then her and Jughead get it on real quick. Evidently she watched the new fifty shades of grey movie and is feeling very sexually liberated. Someone needs to oil the bed springs in this house. Just saying.

Archies doesn’t want to talk or have sex so really he and veronica are at a loss. Talking was a stretch in the first place.

Archie chops wood the next morning so he can get out some of his sexual frustration about watching his best friend make out with his girlfriend and then he scampers off to meet Andre in the woods

Why does Veronica have an umbrella? It’s not raining.

Joise is pissed that her mom is sniffing around the Sheriff. She’s not down for this whole affair thing. Oh so Josie's dad knows about Sierra and ‘Tom’. Did we know that that was his name prior to this? Did I just miss it because i’m always referring to him as Sheriff Silver fox or Hot Dad?

Oh so is the sheriff really going to leave his wife? You know what they say….They never leave the wife.

Juggie and Archiekins chat about the time that their girlfriends made out and then Archie is like btw really sorry about making out with your girlfriend. Jughead points out just how incestious their group is and predicts that they are probably going to explode at some point. Foreshadowing my dudes.

Also why are they sitting four feet across from each other throwing a football? Is this what boys do?

Josie spills the beans to Kevin about the affair and it’s a very Cheryl move. Throwing out all that drama. Destroying families one step at a time.

Veronica confirms with Betty that she and Jughead have been doing the deed and she literally praises the lord that Betty and Jughead have moved past holding hands and hugging. She didn’t want to be the only non virgin female of the group. Betty also admit that she likes to dress up in the worst wig ever known to man to make their special time together more exciting. Maybe keep that to yourself girl.

So Hiram bought the trailer park for the serpents but really what's good? Jugheads detective senses are tingling.

I love Moose so much. If Midge could just go away that would be ideal. She can go do jingle jangle with someone else and leave Moose to Kevin.

“ I’m just going to this gay rom com alone.” Same Kevin. Same

Midge is like “ we need to find you someone” and Kevin is like “ yeah how about your boyfriend?”

I’m confused. Does Midge know that Kevin and Moose like got it on once upon a time or not? I’m feeling like it’s a no tbh.

Are there really so many desperate men in Riverdale that Penelope can keep a steady stream of business? Does she have to scour Greendale for potential suitors as well?

So glad Josie and Kevin are friends now. It will make being step siblings so much easier.

Riverdale has moved from being sponsored by covergirl to being sponsored by upcoming teen rom coms. This is only slightly more subtle than a focus in shot on the lash blast mascara.

The Lodges are so rich but they can’t even afford the monopoly with the credit cards? Shame.

Hiram bought the riverdale register? What the heck Hal? You fool. I’m also confused because I thought that the Lodges were fresh out of cash. They supposedly “risked it all” building to Sodale thing but yet they can afford to buy Pops and the town paper + a trailer park? These New York investors must of come in hard with the cash.

Oh there is mad tension in this friend group rn. Jughead is like : Archie you’re really stupid” which I mean at this point is a well known fact. Archie calls Jughead and Betty boring and paranoid .Betty calls Veronica sexually manipulative. Veronica kink shames Betty. This is relationship health. Have they finally reached the point in high school where all your friends turn on you and nothing is ever the same?

A bunch of townies break in to defuse the tension between the ‘ core four’. We all know it’s you under that hood Cassidy. I recognize that flannel.

Veronica hits the panic button in her room because of course she has one of those. That’s honestly my dream. Give me a panic button. Give me a panic room. Please.

The townies run off when the alarm goes off but one of them steals Veronicas necklace and for some reason that really sets Archie off. Like is this necklace significant? It’s not even her pearls.

Andre really casually shots this guy. Like same. Hope he got grammas scone recipe first.

Josie and Kevin call a family meeting of their new little clan. Honestly blended family goals. Adam Sandler would be proud.

Cheryl kind of comes out very casually Toni. Toni is Bi, Cheryl is not straight. It’s the beginning of a love story. Tale as old as time. Are we ever going to address Cheryl being creepy with Josie or are we going to just let that slide?

Hiram asks Archie if he’s pissed that Andre shot a teenager and Archie is like “ Nah fam. I regret not shooting the black hood. Shoulda never threw my gun in the river”.

Hiram reminds Archie that all those who hesitate are lost so like don’t pussy out next time.

Jughead is really creeped out by Chic and i’m like same bro. Get that crack addict out of here. The issue being that Chic has really nice bone structure but he’s too gaunt to be truly hot so it really takes away from the appeal of his character. At this point he’s just some freaky kid who hangs around the house and eat cereal while making full eye contactt. It’s a no from me fam. Also he constantly looks constipated. Get some smooth move tea girl.

125 notes · View notes

jandjsalmon · 7 years ago

Text

11 Questions Tag

I was tagged by the ever lovely @southsidesserpent @theheavycrown and @bride-of-hobo (who stole like a million of my own answers so I stole a bunch of her questions. lol) - thank you, guys! <3

Post the Rules

Answer the questions given to you by the tagger

Write 11 questions of your own

Tag 11 people

First the questions from @southsidesserpent

1. Top 3 fic recommendations? (not top - just 3 I love)

La Petite Mort by @believe-that-you-can-my-friend

heaven help a fool who falls in love by @lessoleilscouchants

Bughead Bottle Fic #1: The Phone Call by MyMissus (oof1dficreally)

2. Are you more academic, athletic, or artistic?

I’ve always been more academic for sure.

3. Who is your favourite character on Riverdale?

Jughead Jones

4. Top 5 favourite songs?

Bizarre Love Triangle - Stabbing Westward Sleepwalk - Santo & Johnny Walkin’ After Midnight - Patsy Cline Moonlight Serenade - Glenn Miller Orchestra Starman - David Bowie

5. Any allergies?

Only to Demerol.

6. If you were to meet two characters from Riverdale, who would you meet?

Characters? Kevin Keller and Betty Cooper

7. Opinions on Bughead?

Endgame.

8. 3 of your favourite writers on Tumblr?

@ficmuse @itsindiansummer13 @shirlygallagher

9. fuck, marry, kill: Toni, Sweet Pea, Fangs.

F: Fangs M: Sweet Pea K: Toni

10. Name 5 things you like about yourself?

My laugh. That I’m passionate about stuff that I love. The way that I parent The sound of my own voice. (ha ha) That I care more about other people than I do for myself.

11. Anything you are excited for?

Hawaii in April for my husbandd’s birthday.

Now the questions from @theheavycrown

1. If you were a character on Riverdale who was murdered crucial to the ‘conflict of the season,’ how would you have died?

Poisoned by Maple Syrup (it’s a frame-up to point towards the Blossoms... only plot twist - it WAS the Blossoms (because who would ever believe that a Blossom would actually use maple syrup))

2. We know Jug’s favourite toy, what do you think Betty’s favourite toy was growing up?

Caramel - her stuffed calico cat.

3. Name 5 things you think are in Jughead’s backpack.

His laptop.

Whatever book he’s reading.

His headphones.

Photo of He and Jellybean at the drive-in

Phone charger. (I’m so boring - but this is what I can’t live without)

4. What is something that is accepted as normal in Riverdale universe, but stands out as absurd to you?

I’m stealing Chelsea’s answer here. The weather. 100%.

5. How do you think Jughead pays for all that Pop’s food?

I think Pop’s tells him it’s on his tab... but never keeps track of any of it.

6. If Veronica had a snapchat, what would her favourite filter be?

Flower Crown

7. What do you think Cheryl’s guilty pleasure food is?

Chocolate Cherry Milkshakes.

8. How do you think Vegas came to the Andrews household?

Fred brought him home to celebrate Archie’s first day of Kindergarten.

9. Bughead just had their first child, what do imagine they name it?

If it’s a girl - Juliet Elizabeth Jones. If it’s a boy - Forsythe Pendleton Jones IV (but Penn for short)

10. First thought that pops into your head, headcanon of how Jellybean got her name?

Juggie saw her ultrasound picture and commented that she looked like a wee jellybean - and it stuck.

11. Bughead are getting married tomorrow. What do they dance to first at their wedding?

Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby - Cigarettes After Sex.

and finally questions from the gorgeous @bride-of-hobo - thanks! <3

1. What are the core four’s college majors? Minors?

Archie: Music with an Education minor (but he’s there on a football scholarship) Veronica: Business with a minor in Philanthropic Management. Betty: Journalism with a minor in Communications Jughead: Creative Writing with a minor in Film Studies

2. Betty heads the Prom planning committee, because of course she does. And Toni joins, because she needs an extracurricular for her college applications. Three weeks later, they’re the only two people to sign up. So they have to choose the theme together. What do they go with?

Carpe Diem - and the decor is Roman columns and ancient ruins.

3. Veronica makes a Spotify playlist for Archie on their six month anniversary. What three songs are must-haves for her?

Florence + The Machine - Never Let Me Go

Tom Odell - Grow Old with Me

Kodaline - High Hopes

4. Which character were you drawn to first when you watched your first episode of Riverdale? And why?

Betty Cooper. She was so inherently kind and helpful and a genuinely GOOD PERSON - and her heart is broken which I relate to and understand.

5. Name two platonic pairings - friendships, frenemies, enemies, characters who’ve never interacted but you want to see how they’d play off each other - that you think deserve more screen time.

They’ve interacted before - but minimally. Veronica and Jughead and their friendship/conflict deserve more screen time (with no lip action, obviously).

6. If it wasn’t spoiled for you before you watched Riverdale, who did you suspect killed Jason Blossom?

Hal Cooper.

7. What is Jughead Jones’ senior yearbook quote?

To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering. -Friedrich Nietzsche

8. Betty has something inscribed in Jughead’s wedding band before he slides it on his finger on their big day. What does it say?

Pari passu which means ‘With equal step’ in Latin (according to @mothermaple - it’s properly pretentious for Juggie. lol)

9. If you could pick any song for the Pussycats to cover, what would it be?

Bizarre Love Triangle.

10. Seriously, Archie has to choose between music and football. What’s it gonna be?

Music. But only after football gets him into college.

11. The ultimate question: Did Betty and Jughead make it to the bedroom? Or was their first time on the couch? (And if it was… did they turn off the TV?)

Absolutely not. First time was on that couch with the weather in the background. Second time was in the shower. Third time was in the bedroom.

MY QUESTIONS:

What is the one book Jughead always carries with him in his messenger bag?

If you were singing karaoke with the cast of Riverdale, which song would it be and who would you sing your duet with?

What is your favourite article of clothing?

Where did you go on your best first date?

What is your favourite quote?

Best Advice you ever got??

Where will Betty and Juggie go on their honeymoon?

Bughead just had their first child, what do imagine they name it?

Top 5 favourite songs?

fuck, marry, kill: Archie, Reggie, or Moose?

3 of your favourite writers on Tumblr?

I tag: @mothermaple @aunt-imogene @bugggghead @billyeatyourgrapes @heytherejones @beanie-betty @stillscape @riverdalelovee @paperlesscrown @stark @flannelfogarty

#tagged game #11 questions #so many fun bughead questions

14 notes · View notes

onceuponamirror · 7 years ago

Note

(1/2) The fact that some people have the perception that Jug was flirting with Toni while Betty has shown zero romantic interest in Archie is a warning sign in terms of writing for this pairing. B is all ride and die for J, but he won't do the same (so far), he keeps things from her, he may had a thing for T, he ignores B while she is being stalked by the BH and he shows little concern when he finds out what is happening.

(2/2) I think I have more sympathy for Betty and I can understand how she ended up kissing Archie because he is her best friend, he was there for her, he told her what she needed to hear “I need Betty Cooper.”. Betty not telling Jughead about those letters does not seem so bad in comparism. The girl who gives her all to a guy who seems to do little in return. That is the writing that has been canon in 2a and it is concerning. The writers are not into it much anymore.

———

hm. well, i think the issue is both in the way that jughead’s serpent arc was terribly paced and written and in the fact that, overall, every episode of 2a felt contained within it’s own vacuum.

as i’ve said before, i think there are a lot of us who know what this show really is—soapy nonsense, most of the time. there are a lot of us who expect that and enjoy that, but only because it was balanced the solid characterization that defined s1.

(really, in spite of a thematic, campy narrative that was honestly not original, but still made fun because the derivative aesthetics were focused and because the characters were solidly fleshed out archetypes)

and then 2a was a fucking nose dive, because every episode essentially rolled right back to where it started, meaning that it undid whatever character development it was aimlessly trying to establish. and then in turn, the exact same issues in all of the characters just kept resurfacing and everything cycled up again.

(i mean, besides jughead’s newfound understanding of dorian grey and veronica’s growth of reflection on her inability to say i love you—what character development can we say happened in 2a? is archie at all different? is betty? literally nothing happened that wasn’t aesthetic soup)

it was exhausting, and the narrative, structural solution to that is to pace over time, not write 9 episodes of what is essentially teen groundhog day.

like, the writers were so excited to throw jughead—jughead, the kid who hid in a garage at this birthday party—into the tiger’s mouth while simultaneously establish him as some kind of de-facto-prince that they expected we could suspend our disbelief that much.

and frankly, objectively, i can step backwards and kind of follow the train of thought. jughead has never fit in on the north side, always been bullied, has huge trust/abandonment issues, but on the south side he is automatically so accepted he has no idea what to do with that kind of attention that he ends up getting sucked up in his desire to feel wanted. he romanticizes his father, therefore the serpents, etc.

i can get that. i’d been expecting that.

but then they did that in….essentially four and a half episodes. three of which before he was horrified because the serpents brought a very bloodied man into his house.

and then they follow that up by cutting out any kind of emotional conversation with the girl he loves wherein they actually talk to one another, and all of a sudden this sixteen year old kid wants to slice into a woman’s arm? the fuck?

i’ve been saying that i believe the intent of 2a, for bughead, was to sell their loyalties struck on opposite sides of town, insofar as to hype them as star crossed lovers for the civil war storyline and to do that, they really needed to firmly put jughead on the south. but they absolutely could’ve reached episode 10 and already been there and not done it that way.

i mean, wouldn’t it have been an amazing midseason finale if jughead became a serpent then? if they’d actually built up to it? made us agonize with him, not just watch him suddenly flip all these switches on and off?

and so—basically, the issue with bughead in 2a was the way that the only scenes they were together were exhaustingly dramatic. the premiere had some great moments where they just acted like the couple that they are, but after that, nearly all conversations they had were about plot.

that isn’t characterization; it’s just telling, not showing. the interactions they did have about anything other than explaining the plot to the audience, they were breaking up! like?? what??

like, okay, remember that scene in the finale, where they’re walking in the snow, and he admits he’s worried he doesn’t know his place in the town, and she assures him he’s wanted? it was such a sweet, touching moment, one that really highlighted both the insecurities and the strengths of their relationship.

and that scene is a great example of the exact kind of narrative breath in between drama and plot that made the relationships stand out and be fleshed out, and that was sorely missing in 2a.

and i’m pretty sure i read that lili reinhart insisted that scene not be cut, or fought for it, something to that degree—it’s like, lately, every time i read a cast interview/comment, it’s like “oh well yes we brought that up but the powers that be insisted haha!”

like it worries me that perhaps what makes riverdale great is the acting alone and the input of the actors on their characters, and that the rabid success of s1 meant that the writers got overconfident and lost sight of what actually made the show popular—which was not just waxing neon cinematography, right?

so to your specific points, i think you can look at it that way, but it’s kind of only through one glass, right? the glass of bughead, which is fine, but what made them so difficult to watch this season has been the frenetic, haphazard, completely ridiculous characterization of the serpent storyline—and coupled with the fact that the black hood narrative also offered nothing to the characters, i know that i’ve come out of 2a disappointed and underwhelmed.

tl;dr, i agree, the writing has been bad. very bad. but i prefer to look at why overall, not necessarily going “oh, bughead is now unhealthy” because it’s so much more than that, my frustrations are so much more. lmao

also, the fuck, i got really carried away with this rant.

#rants #riverdale 2a #2a #i'm not tagging this as anything else bc i don't even know how #Anonymous #riverdale #character analysis #jughead jones #bughead

29 notes · View notes

jugwithbetty-blog · 7 years ago

Text

When In The City: Chapter 2

Read it on AO3

*Enjoy this for Day 1 of the 10 days of Bughead!*

Jughead Jones was a mystery. No one knew where he was from, or anything about his personal life. People only knew what they saw, a boy in a crown beanie, attached to his laptop. They did not care to learn more, they just left him to himself, and he liked it that way. That was, until Betty Cooper sat next to him in Writing 101.

It was the first time someone had sat next to him in all of his years at the NYFAC. He figured it was because there were no seats left. But this was different. Betty was nice to him. She started conversations with him.

And the most surprising thing? Betty continued sitting next to him, every day, even when other seats were available. Jughead found this hard to adjust to. Someone was actually interacting with him. He wasn't a social guy, usually preferring to type away on his computer. Betty respected that. If he was typing, she would say a quick "Hi Jug," and let him go back to his business. She found it comforting, to have a friend in this class, and he did as well. They helped one another by being in each other's presence.

One day, things began to change when a project was assigned in their class.

"You will be traveling around the city, and have to find stories of people you see. Each story will be created into a non-fiction piece. The catch-you have to write with someone else in the class, your choice who," their teacher said.

At first, Jughead was frustrated. He had a specific process of writing he had taken years to perfect. And it was special to him. He hated sharing his work with anyone, he preferred keeping it for himself. He was certainly thrown out of his comfort zone, but it meant he would be able to figure out Betty Cooper.

The minute Betty sat down next to him on the first day, he knew she was different. She wasn't a stuck up girl, like most at the school. She was genuine and curious, and actually talked to him. In addition, he couldn't resist her beautiful blonde hair. Jughead felt different about Betty than other girls. He usually wouldn't care about them, let alone be attracted to them. But Jughead was in deep with her. She was perfect. After all, she was a beautiful writer. And little did she know, he was the topic of his next story.

"Hey uh Betty?" Jughead asked.

"Hey Jug! What's up?" she said as they exited the hall.

"I was wondering if you would want to be my partner for this project? You're pretty much the only person who's talked to me all year, so it'd only be fit if we could write together too." he asked.

"Yes, of course! I was hoping you'd ask!" she replied.

Jughead was relieved. Despite her seating choice, outside of class, they had not talked once. Usually, Betty spent time with Veronica Lodge and her clique: Kevin Keller, Josie McCoy, and his old best friend, Archie Andrews. Each day across the cafeteria, Jughead watched the group, and watched Betty fall head over heels for Archie, which was anything but uncommon. For once, Jughead would emerge from the shadows, and see the inside with his own two eyes.

"Well aren't I lucky," Jughead replied. "I was thinking we could meet in the dining hall later and discuss how we want to do the project?"

"Um..ya that will work. Meet at 6?" Betty replied.

"That'll work, see you then."

------

"Veronica, what do you know about Jughead Jones?" Betty asked her roommate.

"Jughead Jones? Nothing, literally nothing, and I've been going to school with him since 6th grade," she replied. "Why? Oh my god! Do you have a thing for the mystery boy? This is so fun! We can be detectives and figure him out!"

"Slow down Ronnie. We're just partners for a project," Betty replied.

"How were these partners paired?" she asked, grinning.

"By choice, kind of. I have just been sitting by him everyday and we have occasional back and forth conversation, so it made sense," Betty answered.

"Wait, he talks? No way."

"Not that much, but enough to ask me to be partners," Betty said.

"Hold up, you're telling me he asked you?" Veronica asked.

Betty blushed and nodded in response.

"Girl, that Jones boy has the hots for you. Like I said, I've gone to school with him for 6 years. And not once has he said a word to me, or any other girl for that matter. This is wild. I have to tell Archie, he won't believe it!" Veronica said.

"No hold up," Betty said. "Did something go down between the two, because I'm pretty sure it did."

"Well, by something, do you mean a dramatic best friend breakup? Because no. They just had creative differences. Archie is a stud, we all know that, and Jughead couldn't keep up with him socially. They went their separate ways, a tragic best friend ending if you ask me," Veronica said.

"Exactly, so don't you think it's a bad idea to tell him?" Betty asked.

"Oh honey, no. A little gossip never hurt anyone."

-----

That night, Betty sat on the opposite end of the dining hall. Jughead was, like Veronica said, not social. He sat alone everyday in the corner. Betty didn't realize how much better of a view the corner had. She could see everything: the city from out the window, all of the food options, her table, and as she looked that way, she made awkward eye contact with Archie. He rolled his eyes in return.

"So…Jug, any ideas for the project?" Betty asked.

"I mean, I'm full of ideas," he said chuckling. "But I want your opinion to be heard."

"Honestly, I'm clueless. You always seem to be so intently writing, I feel like you're qualified to take charge," Betty said.

"Well, I was thinking of getting the stories of people we don't hear from as much. Everyone at this school is so tuned in with the arts, so they're going straight to Broadway. But what about the people who you see everyday and don't hear from. The struggling. The men, woman, and children you see walking down every street. The people you see at night, huddled in the doorways of closed buildings, covered in newspaper serving as their blankets. These are the people of New York. New York is their home, even if they don't have one, so what if we hear from them their story, because it is far more important than another wannabe celebrity, like everyone else at this school," he said.

Betty was shocked. His passion was so strong. Jughead genuinely cared about the people of New York, unlike everyone else at this school, and Betty was all over his idea.

"Wow," she said. "I think that's amazing. How'd you come up with that idea?"

"Um.. Reasons," he replied nervously.

"Well I love it. When do you propose we start?" Betty asked.

"I was thinking maybe this weekend?" he replied.

It was Monday, so Jughead had some time to prepare. Not only was it their first project together, but Betty was new to the city. He was hoping to show her around and to his favorite spots, which happened to be some of the most romantic. Jughead was not one to force anything upon anyone, so he was hoping this wouldn't be too much.

"Perfect!" Betty said.

-----

That night after dinner, Veronica immediately came to her dorm to hound Betty about her date. Even though she was consistently spying on Betty and Jughead during their meal, she wanted to hear everything they talked about.

Like anticipated, Betty was waiting on her bed. She was researching various places in New York to prepare for the project. After all, she did not want to seem clueless while working on a project with someone who knew the city so well.

"So how was it?" Veronica asked.

"How was what?" Betty asked back, confused about what Veronica was talking about.

"What do you mean what. Your date with Jughead Jones, of course," Veronica said.

"Date? Oh no, I don't think you realized. It was to discuss our plan for a school project."

"Hm. A school project where you chose partners? Sounds like a date to me."

"Veronica, believe me, nothing even close to date-like was said."

"Then what was?"

"We just talked about how we want to do our project, and he suggested we focus on the unknown people of the city. So this weekend, we're going to find some homeless families and find out their stories," Betty said, not realizing how passionately she was talking.

"He's so into you, I can't believe it," Veronica said.

"Ronnie, stop! He is not. Why would you think that?" Betty asked.

"Like I said, Jughead Jones and I go way back, and his name is the only thing I know about. And now, you show up and he's talking to you, and socializing. Also, I may or may not have been staring at you two tonight. He couldn't stop checking you out. Swoon!"

"You really think so?" Betty asked, being interrupted by a knock on the door. "I got it."

Betty opened the door to find Archie waiting with a smile. "Betty, hi!"he said.

"Um hi. Not to be rude but what are you doing here?" She asked.

"You do realize I live on this floor. I actually came by to talk to you, do you have a minute?" He asked.

Betty was not so sure about the situation. Although Archie was one of Veronica's friends who sat with her everyday at dinner, she did not know him well, and frankly, didn't like him much. Sure, he was so cute, but he was a typical douche. He played nice, planned to seduce you, and moved on, and Betty was not going to fall into that trap. Especially after seeing it play out in Riverdale. She walked out of her room, looking at Veronica confused. Veronica reciprocated look and watched Betty leave with Archie.

"Listen, Betty, I noticed tonight at dinner that you aren't sitting with us anymore to be with Jughead," he said.

"Oh, Arch, you don't understand we-"

Archie cut Betty off, adding "No I get it. You like him. He's not an ugly guy or anything, I just wanted to warn you."

"About?"

"I used to be BEST friends with Jughead. Like since we were kids. I'm not going to say why, but he's not your type, I can tell," he said.

"You've known me for a few days, how the hell are you supposed to know my type," Betty said, immediately turning around to go back in her room. Before she could get in, Archie grabbed both of her shoulders, facing her towards him.

"Because, Betty, you're my type," Archie said, pulling her into a kiss, not realizing they were not alone in the hallway.

Jughead, turned into the hallway, immediately greeted by their kiss. Flowers for Betty in hand, he turned around, embarrassed, and ran back to his room before either of them could see him. How could he think he had a shot with Betty when Archie was just a few dorms away. Jughead Jones, he thought, you are an idiot.

What he didn't see was Betty's reaction after pulling away.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing," Betty shouted.

"Oh come on babe, try to tell me honestly you didn’t enjoy that. I bet you can't," he said, getting ready to pull her back in for more.

"I'll tell you what I enjoyed, THIS," Betty said, slapping him and running into her room, beginning to breathe faster and panic.

"Woah B, what happened there?" Veronica asked.

#bughead fanfiction #10daysbughead #Bughead #bughead fanfics #riverdale fanfiction #riverdale #bughead fic #betty x jughead #jughead jones #betty cooper #jwbfanfics #jwbwheninthecity

47 notes · View notes

wellamarke · 7 years ago

Text

excellent things from this episode:

fp and jughead’s hug in the court room

cheryl very carefully not quite standing in val’s place in the pussycats lineup

fred andrews being the rock he is

veronica & jughead interaction??!!

confirmation that cheryl and josie are dating. that’s what that was, i don’t make the rules.

less excellent things from this episode:

mama cooper back to her s1 levels of terrible parenting, although at least her awfulness informs the following:

betty straight up threatening cheryl with her twin brother’s murder footage…? but more on that later

where is my boy kevin? did he actually speak more than one line?

shippery:

varchie is good and pure

betty is consciously forwarding all archie-related concerns to veronica which, for once i do get where she is coming from, but where is betty and archie’s friendship these days? i miss it. is betty not confident enough in her feelings for jughead to stay platonically close to archie…? that isn’t the vibe i’m getting from these repeated ‘Bughead is Strong And Healthy™’ headbeatings, so it just feels like the group is losing its friendship component in favour of being a show about 2 couples

jughead’s gonna be so mad when he gets home from toledo to find his alloromantic cousin has been impersonating him for this long (that’s how i’m dealing this year. it’s a new version of denial)

the infamous cooper-blossom blackmail:

cheryl wanted closure. she wanted the video. she ended up using it for her own purposes (whether to actually get closure or to torture her mother some more is unclear) so it feels like betty could have spun the deal like, “i have something you want, so commit perjury for your own gain” rather than “i would personally relish the ability to cause your family even deeper misery”

has betty forgotten that releasing the video would mean releasing footage of the murder of the father of hER OWN NIECE AND NEPHEW…???? how would polly be feeling about this??? oh wait polly doesn’t exist anymore, that’s right

whodunnit?

i’m warming up to the whole “sheriff keller is the killer” thing? like it actually would make certain aspects of the plot less dreadful, because it’s the perfect explanation for why the police in this town are so negligent and awful. they’re literally being held back, manoeuvred and messed up by their own sheriff. and i still haven’t forgiven him for the scene with jughead last season so i could believe that he isn’t as Great as he seems

sheriff keller being the killer would be bittersweet in that kevin would suRELY get more focus, but it would be very dark and painful focus

however it would be angst nOT centred around his sexuality which, maybe i’m down for it because he needs more than one (1) trait

miscellaneous:

are they going to constantly have jughead drop comic book references this year? which is what i assume the 'video game’ thing was about, plus 'pureheart the powerful’ last week. i just… it feels like you either need to embed it properly or not bother. and especially don’t have JUGHEAD be the one to act like the comics exist as a reference. that just feels like you’re mocking us.

midge?? and?? moose????? please don’t let them be dead?

notice how i hardly mention archie's whole thing because i'm still trying to process what's happening with my poor son, but suffice to say i am Worried

all in all, there have been worse episodes and i have hope that the single worst moment (betty???) will be revisited and dealt with, because i can’t believe that betty won’t have some conscience fallout from that later on

#riverdale #riverdale spoilers #riverdale ramblings #in case I make this A Thing y'know #like for reals I can see Betty having a What Have I Become moment later on #which could lead to a Bughead Rift #because we all know there's bound to be one of those eventually #even if they're *pained sigh* endgame #they're not going to stay together from here on out without at least one glitch

5 notes · View notes

thesecretfandom · 7 years ago

Text

Wanderlust: City of Sin -- Bughead (Chapter 1)

Word Count: 5,129

Rated: PG-13

A/N: This is my first multichapter fic for the Bughead fandom. I based a lot of stuff in this off of real events from when I was traveling in Europe. Of course, I didn't meet a cute boy or anything, so I just inserted events wherever they seemed to fit, including the photo on the bottom left. Enjoy and I hope you continue to follow wherever the wind takes our world travelers in the future chapters. (Also on AO3)

(Next Chapter)

"Cheryl! Keep up!" Betty shouted to the girl trailing behind her. Veronica was leading the way, marching into the hostel they had booked for the next four nights. "There'll be plenty of time for shopping tomorrow."

Betty was already dragging one of Cheryl's bags behind her as well as her own two bags. How she'd gotten roped into that she wasn't sure, but at least they were finally at the end of their long walk from the bus station. By the time Betty had gotten Cheryl's attention and led her to the entrance of the skinny building, Veronica had already them checked in.

"Top floor, it's practically the penthouse suite." Veronica announced to her friends who were just entering behind her. "And I have these three young gentlemen who are going to help us with our bags."

Betty widened her eyes at Veronica. What happened to stranger danger?

"Don't worry, they're from the States too, so no language barrier. They're taking the other three beds in our room."

"Well well well, would you look at these tall drinks of water." Cheryl crooned. She dropped her duffel dramatically and hooked her arms with the redheaded boy and the tall, handsome Asian boy standing next to him. The third boy leaned against the wall, as if waiting for this whole interaction to end. His small beanie could barely confine the thick locks of black hair underneath.

Betty was still trying to figure out just how Veronica had managed make friends in the two minutes that they'd been separated. The redhead lifted Veronica's bags and headed toward the stairs at the front of the building.

"Wait for me, Archiekins." Veronica winked at her friend and followed the well-built boy to the stairs. "I'll get the door for you."

Cheryl had clearly already claimed her pack mule, gesturing to her bags that she'd dropped earlier. "Betty, don't be silly, he'll carry my bags the rest of the way."

The pair disappeared up the stairs and Betty was left with the third mysterious stranger.

"Well, that was weird." The boy pushed off the wall and sauntered over to where Betty stood. He nodded toward Betty's luggage. "Need any help with those?"

"I can handle it, thanks." She hiked up her backpack and got a firm grip on her luggage. The stairs were incredibly steep and thin. With limited space within the narrow building, they didn't want to waste space on the stairs. It was slow going, taking one step at a time as she dragged her black, wheeled luggage up the steps behind her.

"You know, if you let me help this'll go faster." Betty ignored him. Stubborn as ever, she absolutely did not want to give in and let some stranger get the better of her. "I'm Jughead by the way. Surprisingly, the nickname is better than the real one."

Betty stopped walking at the first platform, where she dropped her bags. Her breath was already heavy with the effort. "Jug…head?" She turned to look at the boy who was following along leisurely. "Where'd that name come from?"

The boy shrugged. "Doesn't matter really. It's just my name now." He was fiddling with a camera that hung around his neck. "Do you mind if I-" Click "Keep that one?"

Betty shook her head, not with anger but in disbelief. She'd met all sorts of characters on the long journey it took to get from her hometown to this hostel in Amsterdam, but no one quite so forward.

A small, close-mouthed smile crossed his lips. "You didn't say no." He wound the camera, old-fashioned from what Betty could gather. Not that she knew anything about cameras. "I'm documenting my travels. I'll still take photos of all of those typical touristy things, if only for Archie and Reggie's sake, those boys wouldn't know a good view if it hit them in the face… but I like to get pictures of the finer things. The side that can only be experienced by the individual."

"And you think an exhausted girl standing at the top of a staircase is part of your grand experience?"

Jughead grinned, "Precisely. Most people wouldn't even think to take a picture of that, but I did."

Betty simply stared at this boy. He was definitely a weirdo, that much she could gather, but he seemed nice. She noticed that he had not once said anything along the lines of 'A little thing like you shouldn't be carrying all of that by yourself,' which she'd heard time and again during the journey across the ocean. He did have a point though. Even if she did just let him take her relatively light backpack, she would move a lot quicker.

As if reading her mind Jughead spoke again. "Let me give you my analysis of the situation we're in. You don't want to let me, a strange guy you just met, carry your bags for two reasons. Number one, obviously, I'm a strange guy you just met. Number two, and probably the main reason, you want to prove to me that you can do it." He stopped and scratched his nose. "I believe you can carry these bags up three flights of stairs if that's what you want to do. The fact of the matter is that we will move faster and it will be easier for you if you just let me help."

Betty's mouth gaped open. Never in her life had somebody called her out like that. No one had ever really cared enough to try to get in to her head the way this guy was.

"So, here are your two options, and you have to pick one." Jughead lifted one finger. "You can allow me to help you." He lifted a second finger. "Or you can kindly move out of the way so I can get upstairs and make sure none of the guys has stolen my bed. I prefer top bunk."

"By all means," Betty said, shimmying backward on the small landing. "After you."

Jughead smirked and sidled past her, their shoulders brushing as he passed. "See you upstairs."

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

The girl with the blonde ponytail stumbled into the small room five long minutes later. Jughead was perched at the end of his bunk, laptop open in front of him. "Nice of you to join us."

"Betty, what were you thinking?" Veronica complained, standing from her spot on her lower bunk. She walked close to Betty and spoke in hushed tones. Luckily, Jughead was an expert at eavesdropping. "Must you always deny help from the boys? Is it because I took Archie? You wanted Archie didn't you?"

Of course, Jughead thought. The girls always go for Archie, or Reggie for that matter. His silent, brooding demeanor always seemed to make other people take a step back, but it had never bothered him before.

Betty pushed the other girl back a little, fixing her with a glare that said 'What is wrong with you?'. "I'm fine, V." She huffed, still catching her breath. "Besides, it builds character."

The girl, Betty, dropped her luggage on the floor at the foot of Veronica's bed and climbed the ladder to the empty bed on top. Jughead's bed, which he shared with Archie was parallel to theirs, Reggie and the red headed-girl sharing the bunk closest to the window, lined up at the end of the other two girls' bed. This left Jughead with two things to look at in the small, mostly empty room. He decided on the prettier of the two. He laid down in his bed and angled his head toward the girl's bed, opting to look at her instead of Reggie.

Betty's actions mirrored his, though she didn't notice it. She laid flat on her back at first, then rolled over. Jughead did his best to act casual, averting his eyes before she opened hers. When she finally let her eyes open, Jughead was staring at the wall just above her. He flicked his eyes down to look at her.

"Betty." He said with a slight nod.

"Jughead." She reciprocated.

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

Betty was up early the next morning, the remaining occupants all fast asleep. She opened the window quietly, sneaking a look at the overhang just outside. It was wide enough for her to sit on, legs crossed, with room to spare. She took a step out, holding tightly to the windowsill as she swung her other leg over.

The sun was just beginning to rise. Betty let her head rest against the brick of the old building. She just couldn't believe she was here. Her whole life, she'd dreamt of traveling through Europe and she'd finally gotten the opportunity. She'd taken a year off from school, opting to work and save money for the trip of a lifetime. Veronica and Cheryl didn't understand how that was. Their parents gave them all the money they needed for the summer long trip they were going on. Betty's family didn't have the funds to spare her anything for the trip, not that they would've helped if they could.

"We've got a daredevil on our hands here." Betty glanced over her shoulder. Jughead stood at the window, just his head poking out. "Mind if I join you?"

Betty shook her head, sliding over so the boy could take a seat next to her.

Jughead sat next to Betty and pulled his knees to his chest. Fingers fiddling with the camera that hasn't left his side since Betty first saw him. He looked out across the famous Amsterdam canals. The sun was just starting to reflect across the water and a few bicycles were already rolling down the street.

Jughead took a deep breath. "Ah, nothing like the sweet smell of marijuana in the morning."

Betty snorted. Smooth move. "You smoke?" She asked with a sweet smile.

"Once or twice." Jughead shrugged. "It was kind of a big thing at my high school. Hard to avoid."

Betty nodded. She'd never tried it herself, but she'd also never been to Amsterdam before, where the drug was legal and even flaunted in the multitude of "Coffee Shops," which Betty learned do not actually sell coffee.

"So, what do you all have planned for the day?"

"Oh um, I think we were just going to wander the city a bit. We didn't want to plan too much for our first day in case we were jetlagged."

"You don't seem jetlagged at all." Jughead offered.

"Yeah, we got up so early to catch our flight that I slept most of the way here. I already managed to adjust to the time zone I guess."

"That's a good thing. More time to, explore the city."

"Yeah, I guess." Betty scratched her arm nervously. Say something. Anything. If you're quiet for too long it'll get awkward."Is this your first time abroad?"

"Yeah, it's awesome right? We got here just before your friend showed up." Jughead smiled; he snapped a photo of the sun rising over the buildings. "We had just brought our things up, but Reggie wanted to go get a beer so we came back down, that's when Veronica showed up. Archie kind of volunteered me to stick around to help you guys out."

"I'm sorry about that, by the way. I know I can be kind of stubborn." Betty bit her lip, continuing. "But as soon as someone thinks I can't do something, then I have to do it."

"I never thought you couldn't do it."

Betty shook her head and turned her shoulders to face Jughead better. "Oh I know that. Veronica and Cheryl, though. Between you and me, sometimes it's like they expect other people to do things for them. And with their looks, it's not hard for them to find people like that."

Jughead shimmied backward slightly, carefully turning his body to face Betty fully. He lifted the camera to his eye. "I think you've definitely got the looks to pull that off." Click.

"Another one of your grand experiences?"

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

After sitting on the overhang with Jughead for almost two hours, Betty was dressed and ready to explore by nine o'clock. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, leaving her shoulders exposed by her white tank. Jughead watched from his bed as she stood in front of the full length mirror, applying a light coat of mascara.

A soft sigh came from the lump of blankets on the bed beneath Betty's. Betty turned abruptly, tossing her make-up into the small bag that she'd retrieved it from earlier. She sat on the side of Veronica's bed and pulled the blanket away from her head.

"Good morning sunshine." She said, her voice sing-songy to the sleepy girl.

"B?" Veronica questioned. "What are you doing up?"

Betty wave a hand nonchalantly, though Jughead noticed that the other girl had yet to open her eyes. "Are you ready to explore? I'm starving and dying to see the city."

"It's so early." The black haired girl peeked her eye open. "And bright. I need at least twenty minutes to fully wake up and another hour to shower and do my hair and get dressed."

"It's going to be lunchtime by the time you're ready, and Cheryl hasn't even woken up yet."

"Sorry, B. I'm just so tired. I can't move right now." With that, Veronica pulled the blanket over her head again. Betty sighed and stood up.

"I know how you feel." Jughead said, motioning to his friends, still fast asleep. "How about we go get some breakfast? My treat." Jughead hopped down from his bed.

"Oh, I don't know. I should probably wait for my friends."

"Come on, Betty. I won't bite. After all, if I was trying to kill you I would've done so already. I could've pushed you down the stairs yesterday or thrown you off the roof this morning, but I didn't."

Betty rolled her eyes. "How kind of you." She replied sarcastically.

Jughead grinned and grabbed his room key and wallet from his suitcase. He draped an arm across Betty's shoulder casually. "I think we could turn out to be really good friends."

Betty quirked an eyebrow, but allowed Jughead to lead her out of the room, down the stairs, and into the busy streets of Amsterdam. A stream of bikes whizzed by, Betty noticed that there were more bikes than cars.

"Pancake Corner." Jughead announced, pointing toward the sign that he'd just noticed. "Sounds promising."

"I would eat anything right now, I'm so hungry." Betty's answer was accompanied by a loud groan from her stomach.

"Well, lucky for you, you don't have to eat just anything. You get to eat some delicious Dutch pancakes." Jughead glanced both ways, checking for bikes and cars, then grabbed Betty's hand and pulled her across the street quickly. When they reached the safety of the opposite sidewalk Jughead dropped her hand and looked back at the beautiful blonde. She was smiling up at him. "After you."

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

Betty and Jughead arrived back to their room at what seemed to be the perfect time. The other four occupants of the room were out of bed, dressed, and seemingly ready to go. Cheryl was sitting on her bed, liberally applying sunscreen.

"Finally, you guys are back." Veronica announced. She marched over to Betty, much like she'd done just the other day. In her ear she whispered. "Tell me all about it…later."

Betty blushed and took a step away from the boy who stood just a little too close. "Anyway, are you and Cheryl ready to go? I really want to go check out the Anne Frank House before it gets too busy."

Cheryl stood from her bed, grabbing her purse in one hand and Reggie's arm in the other. "Snooze fest. Count me out." Without another word, Cheryl marched out the door, patting Betty's cheek as she went.

"Sorry, B." Veronica picked up her purse. "But the boys are taking us out for lunch. You can come with of course."

"I literally just finished breakfast." Betty sighed. "Just… go ahead. It's fine. Let's just promise to meet up afterward."

"Archie wants to go on a canal tour!" Veronica pulled something out of her pocket. "Here's the place. Meet us there at one." She gave Betty a tight hug and then walked toward the door. "Come on, Archiekins."

Betty sat silently on Veronica's bed. Now with two hours to waste, she wasn't sure what to do.

"Looks like my friends aren't the only one's volunteering me to do stuff." Jughead said with a slight laugh. Betty glanced up at the boy with sad eyes. She'd forgotten that he was there. "Sorry, not funny."

Betty flopped back on the bed. This trip was supposed to be the three girls together, seeing the world and having fun. Now it seemed she was alone. Yet again, she was doing what was asked of her. Always striving to be the perfect friend, she didn't dare argue with Veronica.

"So," Jughead started. "When are we going to Anne Frank's?" "You really want to go?" Betty asked. "Or are you mocking me?"

"I wouldn't dare mock you." A shy smile crossed the boys lips. "Besides, I'm a sucker for a little history."

"Okay." She paused, standing. "Thank you, Jughead."

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

Betty and Jughead were the last to arrive at the boat for the tour, the other four waiting on the dock.

"Jughead!" Archie called, waving to the pair. "Over here, we already have your tickets."

The group boarded the boat, which was still relatively empty. Booths lined both sides, but were only large enough to hold four people. Jughead already knew what was likely to happen, based on the events of the day so far. Betty didn't seem likely to let that happen.

The blonde girl grabbed each of her friends by the arm, stopping them from choosing a seat. "Can we sit together? Just us."

"I promised Archie I would sit with him, though." Veronica replied.

"I'm your best friend though, V. This was supposed to be a trip for the three of us. Please?"

"Well, I guess…" Veronica glanced to the boys who were waiting beside them. Archie nodded. "Okay."

Jughead took a seat alone in a booth; his friends followed him.

"Man, girls… huh?" Reggie said. "I wouldn't have even come on this boat if I didn't think I was going to get one step closer to getting laid."

"Shut up, Reg." Archie shoved his shoulder. "You'll get your chance."

"Cher does seem pretty into me, doesn't she? Can't blame her." The boy flexed his muscles. Not for the first time, Jughead wondered about his choice of friends. "What about you, Jug? Think you're gonna get lucky?"

Jughead glared at Reggie. He wouldn't even be friends with him if it weren't for Archie. They'd been on the football team together in high school, and Archie basically forced them to hang out as a group. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Is everything about sex to you?"

"Like you haven't thought about it." Reggie glanced over his shoulder to where the girls were sitting. "You know what they say, blondes have more fun."

"Reggie, just shut up!"

He raised his hands in defeat. "Chill, Jughead. I'm just saying. She's hot… and she seems into you."

Jughead sat back, glancing toward the girls table. Veronica was saying something to Betty, something that caused her cheeks to turn a deep shade of pink. Betty glanced up. She locked eyes with Jughead and smiled.

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

"Okay girls! Welcome to the Red Light District!" Reggie announced, walking past the post that marked the edge of the sexiest part of the city. It was their last night in Amsterdam, and the group was inseparable. Betty hadn't been sure about these guys at first, but after the canal tour, she knew she could trust them not to steal her friends away. Plus, the guys seemed nice enough, especially Jughead.

All six of them were well on their way to being drunk, and Betty didn't think twice about following them all into the eerie red glow. Buildings were fronted with tall windows, each one showing off a different woman. Most wore slim bikini tops, the fabric just barely covering their breasts, and thongs. Bright neon signs boasted lowest prices for peep shows, sex theaters, and… a sign that claimed '€2 anal.'

Betty held tight to Jughead's arm, not wanting to get swept into the thriving crowd of individuals seeking who-knows-what. He glanced at Betty, then followed her line of sight to the large sign. He grinned back at her and leaned in close to her ear so she could hear him speak. "That's a pretty good deal, don't you think?"

Betty's face felt like it was on fire, that's how hard she blushed. She tried to play it off with a laugh and a wide-mouthed grin. Hopefully the glowing neon hid the redness in her cheeks. Regardless, she held on to his arm and followed her friends closer to one of the buildings.

Reggie was gesticulating wildly, pointing to the sign for a building. "Live. Sex. Show." He looked around at the group, who didn't seem quite as interested. "It's part of the Amsterdam experience! Come on, you all watch porn right?"

No one replied to him, though Betty admitted, if only to herself, that she had watched some from time to time. Not that she would ever admit that to anyone, even her closest friends.

"If it sucks we'll leave, okay?" Reggie laughed, as if he'd just made some hilarious joke. "Scratch that if it sucks we'll stay. You know what I mean though! It can't hurt to check it out."

"Oh, I am so in." Cheryl announced, grinning wickedly.

"I'll go if Archie goes." Veronica replied.

"I'm in too, I guess." Archie said.

The whole group looked to Betty and Jughead, who were standing silently behind them.

"What about you Betty?" Cheryl dared. "Are you in?"

Betty's eyes widened. She was absolutely terrified of following them into that building. She shook her head slowly. "Actually, I'm kind of tired and I really have to pee. You guys go ahead though! I'll just head back to the hostel." Betty extracted her arm from Jughead's, assuming he'd follow his friends, and began to walk back the way they'd came. She only got a few steps before Jughead grabbed her arm.

"You can't get rid of me that easily." He took Betty's hand in his. "I'll come back with you."

"It's fine, really. I don't want you to miss out."

"I'm not missing out. I have everything I need right here."

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

The way Betty smiled at him made his knees weak. He'd had three days in paradise with her, and it seemed like she might feel the same way. Every morning they met on the overhang outside their window. They would watch the sunrise and talk about how they'd gotten there. Jughead was similar to Betty in that way. They'd both taken time off of school to work and to travel. They both had great friends who encouraged them through their hardships, who made it possible for them to get here, to be in this moment together.

As they walked back to their hostel Betty tripped once or twice over the cobblestones. Each time she lost her balance she would squeeze Jughead's hand, so he spent most of the walk hoping she'd trip again, for his own selfish reasons.

"Careful on the stairs." Jughead warned after Betty tripped on the first step. They had to go single file up the small staircase, so Jughead opted to let Betty go first. She tripped again on the second step and Jughead grabbed her waist. "One step at a time. Go slowly."

"I am…" Betty giggled. "The step gets taller every time I try stepping on it."

"Whatever you say."

Betty managed the climb better with Jughead's hands holding her steady. When they reached the top Jughead let go, and Betty turned and smiled at him. Suddenly she wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him close. Jughead's mind went completely blank, his body not knowing how to respond to the new sensation. She felt good, pressed tightly against him, and wasn't letting go. He let his arms wrap around her shoulders.

"Thanks for walking me back." She looked up into his eyes and Jughead marveled at the color of hers. Kind of green, kind of blue. He'd never seen anything like it.

"It was nothing, really. I wanted to come back anyway."

Betty continued staring into his eyes, blinking slowly. The adrenaline of the evening was wearing off, it seemed, and Betty was getting tired.

With one final burst of energy her hands moved to cheeks and she pulled his face towards hers. Their lips connected with a burst of fireworks. Goosebumps traveled up Jughead's arms and onto his neck, but he wasn't cold. In fact, it seemed the room was getting warmer as Betty's soft, pink lips moved against his own. He held her waist, much like she had been only moments before, and pulled her close.

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

Hours later, four loud bodies crashed into the room. Betty found herself suddenly wide awake, sober, and with a huge headache. She sat up quickly, almost hitting her head on the ceiling. She glanced around the room and found Jughead looking similarly exhausted in the bed across from hers. In the doorway stood Veronica and Cheryl, looking just the same as they had hours before, and a soaking wet Archie. On the floor in front of them was Reggie, in all states of disarray.

"What happened?" Betty questioned, bringing her phone up to check the time. 4:32. She'd only been sleeping for two hours.

"This fucking idiot," Archie said, his breathing heavy, "Jumped into the fucking canal."

"How does that explain why you're wet?" Jughead questioned. He raised an eyebrow at Betty.

"Someone had to jump in to save him. He's drunk off his ass so there's no way he would've made it out by himself."

Archie was already removing his clothes, and that meant everything. He had just moved his hands to the waistband of his underwear when Betty looked away quickly. She widened her eyes at Jughead, begging him to put a stop to it.

"Archie! Do you mind? There are ladies in the room."

"Oh, we don't mind." Cheryl said. She and Veronica were already both standing in front of the mirror, removing their make-up. Cheryl obviously couldn't help herself and glanced surreptitiously behind her.

"And besides, Jughead, the water in those canals is disgusting. I've got to get it off and go take a shower." Betty refused to move her eyes away from Jughead, afraid of what she might see otherwise. "Now get your ass down her and help me with Reggie."

The dark haired boy shook his head. "Absolutely not. You guys got yourself into this mess. I want no part of it. And… keep it down. I need my beauty rest."

Jughead pulled his blanket over his head and Betty followed suit, trying desperately to get back to sleep. There was shuffling, a few loud bangs, and a few minutes later the door slammed shut and the room was quiet again. She drifted back to sleep, her dreams filled with a black haired boy and soft, sweet kisses.

Betty was awoken by a hand nudging her shoulder. "Betty." A deep voice whispered. "Get up, get dressed, and meet me downstairs."

Betty was still sleepy, but rolled over anyway to look for the voice that was speaking to her. He was already gone when she opened her eyes. Across the room, Jughead's bed was empty. Betty smiled to herself and pushed herself up onto her elbows. What did this guy have in store?

Jughead was waiting outside the building, two bikes perched beside him. He flashed a bright smile at Betty and gestured to the bikes. "Care to join me for a morning ride?"

"Where are we going?"

"Anywhere."

Betty simply nodded. She took the bike closest to her and hopped on. She let Jughead ride slightly in front of her, leading the way down the quiet morning street. They followed the curve of the canal, reaching the less compact part of the city, where a quiet park sat nestled into trees and water. Jughead branched off the main road, taking an unofficial trail closer to the bank of the canal. It led to a large Weeping Willow, with its branches and leaves hanging out over the water. It was like a perfect bubble of privacy; when they dismounted the bikes and pushed through the leaves it was like a different world. One where only the two of them existed.

Jughead sat close to the edge of the water and patted the spot next to him, asking Betty to join. They sat in comfortable silence for a long time. The leaves danced in the morning breeze, birds softly chirping. It was one of those mornings that made Betty wonder if life could get any better.

Jughead was watching Betty now, it was the first time he'd seen her wearing her hair down. She also noticed that he wasn't wearing his hat at the moment, but holding it in his hand. All of a sudden Betty realized that they were both just sitting there staring at each other and immediately turned a shade of bright red.

"What's wrong?" Jughead asked, his hand finding hers.

"Nothing, sorry." Betty turned away, pulling her hand back. "I made things so awkward last night didn't I? I mean, I had plenty to drink so it wasn't really my fault that I kissed you."

"If that's what you want to believe, then go ahead, but I wasn't drunk… and I kissed you back." Jughead took Betty's hand firmly in his so she couldn't pull away so easily this time. "It was good and… if you let me, I'd like to kiss you again."

"I might not be as good sober." Betty warned, a smile creeping onto her cheeks.

"I'll take my chances."

They both leaned in at the same time and Betty was just so happy she was sober for this one. She could feel every curve of his body beneath her hands, every nibble of his teeth on her bottom lip. Every sensation she was feeling was good, and she never wanted it to stop.

"Where will you go next?" Betty whispered into the kiss.

Jughead moved away slightly, and blue eyes met green. "Didn't Veronica tell you? We're coming with you to Munich."

Betty shook her head, staring at the beautiful boy in front of her. She kissed him again. "Veronica, that sly bastard."

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

A/N: This is going to be a pretty fluffy story for the most part. So if you like fluff and happy Bughead, stick around. I’ve got much more hidden up my sleeve. These chapters will take longer to write, but I’m hoping I can do weekly updates.

#bughead fanfiction #bughead fanfic #bughead #bughead au #betty x jughead #betty cooper #jughead jones #Riverdale fanfiction #Riverdale fanfic #Riverdale au #edit #wanderlust fic

43 notes · View notes