#and don’t get me wrong i love reggie but idk this just feels weird and so very counterproductive to the whole tragedy thing

[harrys-strutting-dad]

please please please stop excluding peter!!!! and with that i mean the fandom not the maurauders because THEY NEVER WOULDVE DONE THAT!!!! BECAUSE THATS THE WHOLE TRAGEDY!!!! like,,,,, hello?????

[calliopesdiary]

hi i saw that you were taking requests and idk if this is a good one or too boring (never done this before) but you could always write smth kinda similar to where the reader is james sister and have her be remus or sirius's sister, with sirius you get all that black family drama.

have a nice day and love your writing!!

hi dear! sorry it took me so long to respond i was on vacation! i went with remus but with like a whimsy/luna lovegood esk reader!!

You and Me, Always Forever <3

synopsis; People have always seen and perceived you as a bit odd, a bit whimsy. and you were alright with that. but when your “friends” comment about you behind your back, you go to Remus and Sirius.

pairings: lupin!reader x bigbrother!remus, (platonic obviously ew 🤮), wolfstar

content: reader gets bullied lightly by her friends, remus is the best, sirius is like your older brother because he’s dating remus

“She’s just— so odd.” Lucy— your ravenclaw friend stated.

“Lucy, don’t say that. she’s just different.” Gracie scolded softly.

“She’s not wrong, Grace.” Taylor looked up from her nails.

“it’s just a bit weird how she goes around practically spewing nonsense out of her mouth, i’m surprised Remus doesn’t get tired of it.”

“I sure would if i were him, imagine having your sister being a complete loony!” Taylor ridiculed.

“Oh, Sirius! your Aura is oddly red today!” Lucy mocked, causing Gracie and Taylor to giggle along with her.

what they didn’t know was that you had heard all of that, and it wasn’t very funny to you.

but you had a feeling your aura was a bit blue.

you felt hot tears welling up into your eyes as you ran off from your hiding spot near the library.

why would they say those things? were they right? were you a loony? was remus tired of you?

you didn’t really know, but all you did know was that you needed to find Sirius.

before whispering the password into the portrait hole, you stepped carefully into the Gryffindor common room.

taking in your surroundings, you spotted Sirius. manspread across the couch as he perked up when he saw you.

“little star—!… are you alright?” his excitement faded once he saw your tear stained face, you never cried.

“n-no.” you answered truthfully, the nargles hated when people lied.

“what’s the matter, sunshine?”

he opened his arms just for you to fall into his chest, sobbing lightly as he stroked your scalp.

Sirius had always been like a big brother to you, always so sweet and kind ever since he started dating Remus.

it also helped that you were one of Regulus’ best friends, so you already felt a little connection with him.

“can you tell me what’s wrong, little star?” he lifted your head up gently by holding your cheek.

“m-my friends… s-said i was a loony.. and that Remus is tired of me a-and that i’m odd.” you struggled over your words, as he quietly shushed you.

“those aren’t your friends, sunshine. real friends wouldn’t say that to you.”

you knew deep down he was right, but it still hurt.

“and Remus could never be tired of you, nor could i, or Reggie, or.. Junior.” he wasn’t very fond of you being friends with Barty, but he knew that boy would move the heavens for you.

“he must be annoyed a little..” you added.

just as Sirius was about to protest, Remus walked in with a stack of books.

“star?” he asked quietly, setting his books down on the coffee table in front of the couches.

“Sirius, what’s happened?”

“some of her mean old friends called her some mean names, and she thinks your annoyed with her.” Sirius answered bluntly, yet still kind considering you were right there.

“oh.. star, how could i ever be annoyed with you?” he brushed a small strand of hair from your face.

“c-cause i’m a loony.” you looked up at him shamefully.

“but that’s a good thing, star. it means your different, but different is good.” Remus smiled sweetly.

“i’m a bit of a loony too, but so is Siri, and James, and Pete.”

“y-you are?” you asked nasally.

“of course, sunshine.” Sirius smiled, and you were happy to spend the rest of the day just like that. nuzzled happily into your actual brother and your bonus brother.

[grittyreadsfic]

hello my friends, one singular person asked for this weeks ago so i’m here with my most unhinged rec list yet: tk and nolan.

now, this one was hard to reign in, so i really didn’t. this pairing had maybe 230 fics in the tag when i first started reading hockey fic, and it’s now over 900, and i’ve read far too many of them, and that makes it so hard to parse it down. so i just...didn't!

so with that said, please enjoy so you want to get into tknp: a beginners guide to a classic case of idiots to lovers

i told myself that i couldn’t rec an author’s entire body of work but then i remembered this is my blog and i do what i want, so i did some consolidating. here’s a list of the quintessential authors for this pairing, you can start at any of their profiles and pick any of their fics at random, and it’ll be one of the best ones for the pairing, hands down.

therainbowsedge: i’d start with the summer camp fic, or the sex toys one, as both beautifully capture the true idiots to lovers nature of this pairing, but just top tier writing all around

manybumblebees: the wedding fic is so tender and port stanley is a classic, but literally pick any single fic and you’ll have a perfect tknp fic. i’m not kidding

jamesvanriemsdick: their tknp fics in their series are some of the hidden gems of this pairing (the tk heartbeat fic makes me LOSE it) but the delaware fic or the seattle fic…..there’s really something for every mood

catchascatchcan: start with era of gods because i could write literal essays on how it’s some of the best fantasy worldbuilding i’ve ever read, but then just read everything else on their account, including non tknp fics. you won’t regret it

hackysack: ao3 user hackysack has written one of two timeloop fics that i absolutely adore, and i thought about just calling that one out in particular, but all of their work deserves the attention

canary: nothing to prove was the first tknp fic i ever read and i was immediately hooked. all of their fics are a good starting place for the pairing, and just really give you a feeling for the pairing

and now, for the fic recs!

to be, despite it all by smudgedfreckles

summary: or, nolan patrick’s gender thesis, by travis konecny.

why i love it: there’s not a lot ofo nonbinary characters in media, even in fic, but this fic’s treatment of nolan and their path to figuring out their gender just feels so real and made me feel so seen. tk’s characterization is also just top notch, and it’s just a super sweet story about two people who love each other

last ones standing by makeit_takeit

summary: If you’re committed to finding your future spouse, reads the last line of the ad, and are ready to look at yourself and your love life in a whole new way, apply now.

At the bottom of the ad there’s a link, and Travis finds his finger hovering over the screen, lip still caught between his teeth.

“I mean,” he says very reasonably, speaking out loud to his empty apartment like some sort of possibly-crazy person, “just applying doesn’t mean anything. Maybe I just fill it out, and see what happens. It’s not like I’m really gonna get picked to be on TV, come on.”

He snorts out loud, just to show his apartment he hasn’t lost his grip on reality or anything; he fully understands how ludicrous that would be.

Then he clicks the link anyway, because yolo or whatever.

why i love it: what part of a married at first sight fic doesn’t make you want to immediately dive right in? the concept is fun, the execution is absolutely flawless, and it captures their dynamic so well while letting it develop naturally

motivation by connectknee

summary: Kevin knows when to back off, the article said. He knows just when to shut up and leave Patty alone, something Travis has never known how to do.

why i love it: the thing i love about this pairing is that tk is loud and in your face, and nolan’s more reserved, a little quieter, a little harder to read. this fic does a really great job of exploring how tk could feel like maybe he’s just a bit too much and is one of my favorites in terms of miscommunication

a tenderness grows by rusesdeguerre

summary: Nolan wouldn’t say that landing a job as the Philadelphia Flyers’ psychotic and probably clinically insane mascot was a childhood dream of his. Maybe tangentially: playing pond hockey in –30°C weather and pretending to be Sidney Crosby is practically a rite of passage when you grow up in Manitoba. That, and experiencing the distinct displeasure that is thousands of mosquitoes sucking your blood out when your father drags you on a father-son camping trip into the backwoods of the northern Canadian Prairies.

why i love it: this was the first fic i recced on this blog, and i stand by that decision. a fic where nolan is not only not a hockey player, but is in fact the person in the gritty suit? absolutely perfect, and so charming from start to finish

meet me at my window by springsteen

summary: Travis has lived in Philadelphia for a few years now, long enough to know there isn’t a major city in America where superheroes don’t destroy an entire city block trying to save humanity or whatever. He can deal with all the super-shit, but Travis did not sign up for getting woken up from a deep sleep because some fucker’s trying to break in through his window.

(5 times the super-villain known as "The Cat" breaks into Travis's apartment, plus 1 time Travis invites him in.)

why i love it: there’s a lot of things to love here, but the concept is just absolutely one of my all time favorite aus ever. it’s fun and charming and the perfect glimpse into a world where heroes and villains exist, and what it’s like just to be a run of the mill kind of guy existing in it. tk and nolan’s back and forth in this make it so engaging, and it’s such a top tier fic

body’s in trouble by cloudsandpassingevents

summary: “Oh, sorry,” someone says. “Didn’t know anyone else was here.”

Nolan freezes, then turns around very slowly. When he looks up, Nicklas fucking Backstrom is standing behind him in a hoodie and baggy sweats, holding the biggest bag of Swedish Fish Nolan’s ever seen in his life in one hand.

“Uh,” Nolan says around the pop tart between his teeth. “Yeah.”

What the fuck, his brain helpfully supplies.

why i love it: from nolan’s inner voice, to the way the author explores all the dynamics within the team, to the way they write the unexpected but actually, it kind of makes sense friendship between nolan and backstrom, is just absolutely fantastic. there’s a lot of moments that circle back and build on each other in a way that really just makes it super compelling

rhizomatic foundations by lighthousetowers

summary: Twenty days after he moves in with Kevin Hayes, twenty days – three months, five months, depending on how you look at it – after not talking to TK, TK shows up at the front door with a plant the size of a basketball in his hands.

TK grins. "Patty, meet Reginald." He lifts up the plant. "Reggie, meet Patty. He's going to be your new - caretaker."

"What the fuck," says Nolan, not moving a single muscle.

Or: That Nolan can hear the plant talk might as well just happen.

why i love it: this is probably my favorite magical realism fic just about ever. it’s fun and charming and a little weird, but in the best possible way. there’s such a wonderful narrative in it, and lighthousetowers always has such beautiful writing, and it really shines in this one. the dialogue and nolan’s characterization are also part of what set it apart for me as one of the best tknp fics

in the dark of any town by mengetpegged

summary: If the voice has an accent at all, it’s a flat prairie Canadian, with none of G’s French-Canadian softness at the edges. But mostly, the accent is just ‘pissed off,’ which TK believes is a default setting for ghosts.

“Who are you?” TK asks, and he doesn’t like how strained his voice sounds, doesn’t like the tinge of anxiety tinting the rise of his question. He tries to regulate his breaths—in through his nose, hold, out through his mouth—but it feels like he’s not getting enough oxygen, which makes him panic even more.

“Someone with a fucking migraine, dickhead,” the voice says. “So keep the lights off and shut the hell up.”

(or: Nolan Patrick, Hotel X Ghost)

why i love it: i’m usually not super into ghost fics, both the spooky kind and the nonspooky kind, but this one is a rare exception. it’s charming and fun and tender and it’s got some of, in my opinion, the best characterization of tk and nolan in any fic. the way the author writes their dynamic and their dialogue is just unmatched

lets_make_this_moment_a_crime.mp3 by honeydripping

summary: Travis meets Nolan at a Midtown show in 2002 when he punches Nolan in the face. He can’t help it, “Like A Movie” just goes off.

But he does feel guilty about it.

or

TK and Patty work at a bakery together. They go to punk shows to pass the time.

why i love it: idk if anyone asked for an early 2000s emo/punk/alt au but wow! i sure am glad it exists! really the vibes of this fic, as silly as that sounds, are absolutely unmatched. i love the structure with the music, the development of their relationship, and just everything about how the author wrote the setting (there’s this whole thing with tattoos in it that makes me feel absolutely insane)

you’re ripped at every edge by you’re a masterpiece by conformityissuicide

summary: “Ugh, look, this yoga teacher has it out for me, man. And I can’t go back there without at least having some of the basics down. I’ve got to win this battle.”

“Yoga isn’t really something you win at,” Hartsy starts.

Travis cuts him off, “You can win at anything if you try hard enough.”

+++

OR that time Nolan's a grumpy yoga teacher and Travis realizes he wants to bone him and prove him wrong about Travis' non-existent yoga abilities.

why i love it: listen, if you want tknp, at least one of them has to be an idiot, and this tk absolutely captures the obliviousness i love to see in him in fic. it’s such a great characterization of them both and such a great concept (and even better execution)

you form a terror pack (and i’m aware of that) by dalmatienne

summary: “Can I help you?” TK snarks, both eyebrows hiked up in a way that has earned her many elbow checks to the ribs.

The chick looks down her nose, long thick eyelashes fluttering. Red-bitten lips part to blow a florid pink bubble and TK can smell the chemical sweetness when it pops.

“Yeah,” she says in this monotonous voice that seems almost at odds with her bubble gum and neon skates. She jams her stopper into TK’s thigh again, literally inches away from where it’d really hurt. “Tie ‘em.”

why i love it: to be honest, i generally don’t read rule 63 within hrpf, but this one is just absolutely knocks it out of the park. the concept (i fuckin’ love roller derby), the characterization of nolan, the pacing, the rituals, the tone of the entire fic, it’s just all around a perfect read from start to finish

thrills and grills by bitter_leaf

summary: Travis can’t even begin to wonder what he did in a previous life to incur the wrath of this fucking cook. Travis thinks he’s a nice person, doesn’t conduct himself in any way that could be considered particularly dickish, and unless this guy has some sort of issue with hockey bros or people from the boonies, he’s not sure how he started shit without even knowing.

__

Patty has a vendetta. Travis just wants to eat his eggs in peace.

why i love it: honestly this is the enemies to lovers fic i’ve been waiting for. i remember seeing the reddit post when it first went viral and thinking it would make such a great fic premise, so stumbling across this one was just so wonderful. super engaging and fun and so hilarious to read!

nothing but room for you by fightingfuries

summary: When his agent tells him he’s going to be traded to the Devils, Nolan isn't sure how he feels about it. Might be easier if he was going somewhere farther away, like California or fucking Florida. Somewhere sun-soaked and foreign. Someplace so different from Philadelphia that he can forget he ever played for the Flyers, forget everything that happened there.

Or Nolan fucks up, gets traded, gets his shit together and falls in love. Not necessarily in that order.

why i love it: i cannot stress to you how much i love trade fics, and this one is one of my absolute favorites. the trade to the devils-so close to philly, still, but there’s more to distance than physical miles-was such an excellent choice and the split timeline adds so much to the narrative, and the emotions are real and messy and complicated in the best way

a couple of runaways (i’m glad you stayed) by overturnedgoal

summary: The person in the video he’s watching is super annoying. Some obnoxious holier than thou granola type who keeps talking about their environmental impact as if they aren’t driving a gas guzzler around, but the basic idea of living in a van, driving around wherever, camping all the time, just going hiking and swimming and seeing the whole country? It sounds pretty dope, honestly.

why i love it: i like to watch tours and conversions of vans/buses into tiny homes as a self soothing method, and this fic has the same impact that watching those do. it’s such a fun concept, and it’s so fuckin’ soft, and the dialouge between tk and nolan is just *chef’s kiss*

all candor and style in the crook of your smile by p3trichor

summary: It’s a photo of Nolan on his knees with someones’ fingers in his mouth, lips slick with spit. Travis flicks by it almost too fast and he’s only got seconds to decide if he wants to screenshot it, if he wants to just give up the ghost right then and there. Except Travis’s phone freezes momentarily and then the group refreshes, sidcros87, Bert59 and 14 others took a screenshot!

It’s gone before Travis even has time to process it and he already wasted his replay of the day on a stupid video of a stupid fish that Hayes caught.

Can you send me that screenshot Travis texts Bertuzzi before he can overthink it, his dick already stirring in his sweats. Tuzzi sends back the cry-laughing emoji and then the screenshot before Travis can be too annoyed at him.

Or, Nolan is being weird about Travis's break-up and TK is maybe not straight.

why i love it: i genuinely don’t think i have words for the amount i love this fic. it took me forever to actually read, but it’s absolutely one of my favorite fics, and it’s an absolutely riot to read. carter’s meddling and the presence of tyler bertuzzi both make it extra fun, in my humble opinion

[bluefirewrites]

I'm sorry about your presentation, idk if your still doing hcs but can you do one where Reggie is julies older brother by 1 or 2 years and Julie in love with Luke and Luke likes her as well but neither will do anything because of Reggie. If not its ok. ☺

I brought up an idea similar to this a while back! But let’s rework it. 

In this scenario, let’s say that the Molinas and the Peters' have known each other for a long while, ever since Julie and Reggie were kids. They’ve pretty much grown up together. 

And then they get older and a lot of shit happens. Julie’s mom dies. And Reggie’s parents finally get a divorce. 

As the two families are healing and trying to move on, eventually Ray and Reggie’s mom sorta just clicked. 

And years later, they ended up getting married- officially making Reggie Julie’s brother. 

They move into the Molina’s house and they transition to one big family so seamlessly that Julie often forgets that Reggie isn’t her brother in the biological sense. He’s always been an older figure to her, always looking out for her and Carlos. 

She’s so used to having him around. And even used to having Reggie’s friends around growing up. 

They all met when they were in middle school, but Julie hasn’t seen them much over the years, only seeing them during special occasions or whenever she would go to the Peters’ from time to time. 

She remembers Alex, the shy blonde one who does his best to keep the peace when everyone got too rowdy. 

And then Bobby, who is just hitting his stride in his sullen, moody teenager phase. Still nice though. 

And Luke, the wild one. The guy was all long haired, energetic, and sporting some gnarly braces the last time she saw him. 

She hears a knock at the door the night Reggie and his mom had moved in. Julie opens it and it’s the boys: Alex, Bobby, and- woah. 

“Julie?” Luke smiles, his long hair cut to a still shaggy ‘do, braces gone, and now ripped, telling by how he’s proudly wearing his Nirvana cutoffs, “No way! Long time no see,” 

“Y-yeah,” Julie instantly wishes that she wasn’t wearing her dinosaur slippers at the moment. She leads them all inside, telling them to make themselves at home while they wait for Reggie to come down. 

Julie hurries off to her room, red in the face, internally freaking out about the idea of a cute guy coming over to her house on a regular basis. 

A cute guy she cannot get involved with... imagine how Reggie would react... 

The guys note the dreamlike expression on Luke’s face as he watched Julie go up the stairs. Once she’s gone, Luke whirls around, “Has she always been like that?” 

“Squirrely?” 

“No...” Luke drops his voice down to a whisper, “I mean, has she always been that cute?” 

Alex and Bobby shoots this idea down real quick, “Woah! No no no! Off-limits! She's off-limits, Luke!” 

“How come?” 

“She’s Reggie’s sister,” 

“Step-sister,” 

“Still,” Bobby cuts in, “You know Reggie. He takes the brother role very seriously. He won’t let you stand a foot away from her if he heard what you just said.” 

“If who heard what?” Reggie says, coming down the stairs. 

“Nothing!” They all exclaim, and Luke silently thanks the boys for not ratting him out and invoking Reggie’s wrath. 

He does know how Reggie can get when it comes to Julie. He’s already so protective of her. So he’s not going to try and do anything to piss him off. 

And besides, he just finds her cute. It’s not like anything’s gonna come from it. 

Wrong. 

Luke and Julie are hardcore pining for each other the more time the boys spend over at the house. 

And they’re over a lot. 

Julie would come into the garage, now a studio space for the boys’ band, and watches them practice. 

Somehow Luke finds a way to gravitate towards her. Always standing beside her, ready to show a song he’s been working on or just ask how she’s doing. 

And Julie would find an excuse to hang around the boys, whether offering to help with songwriting or help clean up the equipment. One time, she hands Luke his guitar and their hands met. They both blush but quickly part before Reggie could see what transpired. 

They sneak little casual touches here and there, both to gauge if the other person reciprocates their feelings and to hide whatever was going on between them from Reggie. 

This all coming from the fear of Reggie flipping out on them. 

Apparently when the boys bring up Nick from Julie’s class, joking about the way he was starry-eyed when dancing with Julie (secretly trying to get a rise out of Luke), Reggie immediately asks Julie about a thousand questions: 

“Who is he? What does he do?” 

“Do? He’s a student. In my grade...” 

“Oh. No job? So he’s a deadbeat, huh? Doesn’t sound like a suitable match,” 

“What are you going on about?”

“Does he like the Star Wars Prequels? Yes or No? There is a right answer” 

“What does this have to do with anything, Reggie?”

“I need to know if he’s good enough for you!” 

Reggie starts watching Nick like a hawk at school, going out of his way to intimidate the junior (well as much as he could. he’s still pretty much a puppy and super non-threatening). 

It’s getting ridiculous. 

So Julie goes to talk to Luke, to try and nip this in the bud before Reggie notices their weird behavior. She manages to play off needing help to get something in the laundry room to get him alone without suspicion. 

“Look, we can’t do this anymore... whatever this is,” 

Luke nods, “Agreed. Reggie’s my best friend.” 

“And he’s my brother,” 

“I don’t want to do something that would upset him,” 

“Me neither. Glad we’re on the same page,” 

“Right. Same page. So just friends. Deal?” she sticks her hand out. 

He shakes it, “Deal,” 

They lock eyes, appreciating how the other one looks under the warm dimmed light. 

It takes only about .5 seconds for them to crash their lips onto each other’s, igniting a full on make out session. And by the time they finished, they realize their mistake. 

Uh oh. 

They can’t go back after this. 

Now they really have something to hide from Reggie. 

They sneak around the house, whenever they could. 

Luke would make up an excuse to grab water or go to the bathroom in the middle of rehearsal, just to sneak up to Julie’s room to grab a quick kiss and maybe a small tickle fight just so he could hear that laugh he loves so much. 

And Julie would join the boys at the dinner table, sitting next to him and discreetly slipping cue love notes into his pocket that she knows would make him blush and smile all goofily later (and if they turn into potential song lyrics? Well that's for them to know).

Alex warns Luke the next day, “I think he’s catching on. Be more careful,” 

They spend more time together now that Julie starts writing songs for the band. Her and Luke would huddle over the piano, scribbling the night away, always sitting dangerously close to each other.

Once, Reggie observes them quietly from the couch with an unreadable expression on bis face.

“We are careful,” 

Bobby raises an eyebrow at him, “Really? You tried to pass off the hickeys on Julie’s neck as rashes.” 

“And Reggie bought it, remember? He went out and got ointment for her and everything,” 

“He’s not stupid, Luke. You better do something about this. Fast,” 

Luke sighs, “You’re right.” 

Later that night, Luke pulls Julie into the upstairs bathroom, the one between her room and Reggie’s, to talk. 

“Jules, as much I want to keep doing this... I can’t stand lying to Reggie,” 

“Me too,” she says, “So, let’s just tell him. I don’t like hiding you.” 

“But we need to plan it out. We can’t just spring it on him,” 

“Catch him in a good mood hopefully, and we’ll tell him together,” 

“Sounds like a plan, boss,” 

“Love it when you call me boss,” Julie smiles, angling her head up to kiss him. 

Just then, the door connecting to Reggie’s room bursts open and the said bassist enters in his bathrobe. His eyes grow wide at the sight of them tangled up in each other. 

“What is going on here?” 

The couple breaks apart. Julie and Luke jump to opposite sides of the bathroom, hands up in surrender. 

“You didn’t lock the doors?” Julie hisses at Luke

“Was not my main priority!” Then Luke steps forward in an attempt to calm Reggie down, “Hey, Reg, pal, um, what you just saw-” 

“You guys were kissing in here?” he yells. 

Julie and Luke lower their heads, “...yeah,” 

Reggie sighs, throwing his hands up in the air, “Unbelievable!”

“Reggie, we’re sorry-” 

“In the bathroom, really? Can’t you guys do this in the laundry room like you usually do? My toothbrush is here, come on!”  

Wait. What?

Did they hear him correctly? 

“You knew?!” Julie all but screamed at her brother. 

“Duh. You’re not really subtle,” 

Luke splutters, “B-But Nick-” 

“Found out real quick that he’s not the one I should be worried about,”

“And the... the, well..?”  Julie gestures lamely at her neck, “Why did you get me ointment?” 

Reggie smirks, “Just to mess with you.” 

“So... you’re not mad?”

“Nah. Like I said. I need to make sure whatever guy you end up with, Jules, is good enough for you. And, well, I’ve known Luke almost all my life. And I trust him. Honestly, there’s no other guy I could think of that could be a better match for you.” 

Luke’s hand rests on his shoulder, “You mean that, Reg?” 

“Of course. I’m happy for you guys. But uh...” he sticks his thumb towards the door, “Could you like skip on out of here. I did come to the bathroom for a reason.” 

“Oh, right,” 

“Your Tia’s chicken went right through me-” 

“Ok, Reggie! We’re leaving!” 

“But one more thing,” 

Luke and Julie stop in the doorway leading to the hallway. 

“If you think I’m bad,” Reggie shakes his head, “Try breaking the news to Carlos,” 

Luke pales, “Oh no,”

“’Oh no’ is right,” 

The couple spins around to find Carlos in the hallway, arms crossed, staring them down, “Care to explain why you two were in the bathroom?”

“Well, uh, um, we were-” Luke turns to Julie, but the girl is nowhere to be found, having already yeeted to her room to escape an overprotective Carlos. 

Luke throws a pleading look at Reggie, “A little help here, buddy?”  

Meanwhile, Carlos is unamused, carrying so much tension in his small body that it has Luke gulping nervously. 

“Nope you’re on your own,” he winks, “Make sure to tell him about the ‘rash’ while you’re at it.”

And with a laugh, the bathroom door closes. 

“I can explain...” 

[arsenicpanda]

If they had gone with Tabitha, who do you think they would have as a love interest for Betty?

Excellent question, excellent question!  Because it is, to me, very important that Betty ends the show in a loving relationship with someone who appreciates her darker side.  You can’t just start a show where a woman with shitty morals and darkness problems gets to be loved and then end it with her alone, no way, no how.  That kind of woman so rarely gets to be loved in fiction, so I will always appreciate Riverdale for going against that.  But yes!  A love interest for Betty!  I would say there are two options:

1.) REGGIE: So, this is simple conservation of characters.  It’s not a ship I would immediately go for, but they’re our remaining single main characters, so let’s make this work.  I think the angle here would be that in 5b, Betty runs up against Hiram some more, and she has more run ins with Reggie where they chat and he kind of caves and helps her out a bit in a friendship and “oh, Reggie’s not that bad after all“ way.  Then, the season ends with Betty becoming a PI and Reggie turning on Hiram.  In season 6, we then have Betty kind of hire Reggie on as her shady side kick with shady connections/muscle, and every time Reggie sees Betty break laws he’s like “ah, be still, my criminal heart”, while Betty appreciates his shadiness and secretly good heart.  So, it’s an investigative team with a different flavor, because you can’t really have a Betty ship without an investigative angle, I feel, especially in terms of them setting up a relationship because investigation is pretty much all Betty does.

2.) ADAM CHISHOLM: So, in this Betty spends the rest of 5b investigating either by herself or platonically with Jughead and Tabitha, maybe she and Jughead have a short fling where they realize they don’t fit together anymore.  The point is, she ends the season with the decision to become a PI.  Then in season 6, who should come by as her first customer but new-to-town Adam Chisholm, aka her other love interest from the comics.  We get a delightfully noir scene when he first comes in and asks for her help, and he has a certain femme fatale vibe in that scene, even if he becomes more of a girl Friday later.  Adam is here to, idk, be a history teacher, and something’s gone wrong with a student or a roommate or a kid sibling he brought with him or something.  Maybe he’s an out-of-towner who something weird/dramatic happened to and now he’s decided to stay until he finds out what it was.  The point is, he’s here to stay, and either becomes a teacher, works at the fire department, or becomes Betty’s secretary, maybe a combo of some of these (no one in Riverdale needs to sleep).  He has a very chill vibe that contrasts but compliments Betty’s intense vibe, and he’s an overall good guy, but he also finds Betty’s lawbreaking in the name of Justice to be charming and admirable and sexy.  He probably tags along on her investigations sometimes, but mainly he’s on support duty in the office or something, idk, idk.

You could also, I guess, take Sweet Pea as an option very similar to Reggie’s and then reveal his name was Adam Chisholm all along, but I highly doubt Sweet Pea will ever become a regular at this point, so I’m leaving him out as an option.

Anyway!  Those are, I think, the main two viable options.  Granted, RAS could also open his third eye and go the bugabitha route, but that’s another story entirely (as well as the superior route), now isn’t it?

[sunshine-stars]

I probably won’t end up writing this but I’m having so much fun with the jatp six of crows au so:

SPOILERS FOR SIX OF CROWS AND CROOKED KINGDOM

Reggie is Nina

They’re both bi

Love food so much

Wear red

I wanna see him with heart render powers but hate having to use them cuz his parents always fought and used them against each other ouch

I can’t describe it but it just FITS

Dates Matthias (WHO WONT DIE IN THIS CUZ I LOVE HIM)

Willie is Jesper

Adhd

I would love to see him with Jesper’s cocky attitude

The guns omg

Gay

I can see him having trouble with gambling cuz he always think that this time he’ll get it right

(OMG THERES A MUSIC VIDEO ON YOUTUBE WHERE THAT LINE IS ABOUT JESPER AND ITS AMAZING HERE)

Suppressing his powers - prolly doesn’t realize he’s a powerful ghost in jatp and doesn’t realize he’s a Fabrikator

And it just fits that his mom died when he was young and he has a dad he always feel like he’s disappointing ouch

Hopelessly in love with Wylan

Alex is Wylan

Blonde lol

Gay

Idk if he’ll have dyslexia simply cuz I don’t and I don’t want to represent it wrong so I’ll either not include it or do tons of research about it

Realistically I could write him with a stutter instead cuz I have one but idk

Dad doesn’t accept him because he’s gay and maybe dyslexia and treats him like he’s stupid and worthless ouch

It just kinda seems like Alex would’ve had a rich snobby family

I project onto both of these characters

Dating Jesper

Or wait maybe Alex should be Matthias idk I’m just brainstorming rn

Ofc he’d still have anxiety and he’d just make a lot more sarcastic comments than does in the books

THE BANTER BETWEEN HIM AND WILLIE

Julie is Inej

BADASS SPY JULIE OMG

Also tell me Inej isn’t a lil bit gay cuz her and Nina obviously flirted in the books

And Julie’s bi so it fits

She seems like she’d be the most religious out of all of them

Cuz cross and stuff and just imagine Julie praying to the saints after her mother died and just ouch

After losing her mom she walked away to the next town and got kidnapped and ouch

But in this they find her in Fijerda and are just so amazing

Imagine her saying “I will have you without armour, or I won’t have you at all” to Luke

Dates Luke

Luke is Kaz

Ik this seems weird but hear me out

Ran away with older brother cuz parents didn’t accept his love for music and other reasons

Why am I making everyone run away in this omg oh well

Then older brother dies ouch

So Luke completely turns to music and closes himself to get by and joins the Dregs and ends up at the top

But he’s less closed off and scary as Kaz cuz I just can’t see that but still a bit less Luke like

I feel like Luke would actually be scary smart but the impulsiveness and puppy dog ness just gets in the way so people don’t realize that

Dates Kaz

Bobby is Matthias

Gremlin done with your shit energy

I can see him with backwards ideals in Fijerda and coming to Kerch and just being like what everything I learned is wrong???

DOESNT DIE IN THIS

I don’t have a lot of strong reasons for this but I can feel it

Dates Nina

Carrie

Matthias’ sister

Goes to Kerch with him

Same everything I learned is wrong???? But has a harder time accepting it

Insecurities

Enemies to lovers Flarrie

Flynn

Went on a walk with Julie and got captured with her ouch

But they stayed together the whole time

Just awesome dynamic with Julie

Enemies to lovers Flarrie

Anddddd more plot stuff

It’d be more lighthearted than six of crows but more heavy than jatp

Ya know how the original crew was Kaz Inej and Jesper

Instead it’ll be Kaz/Luke, Wylan/Alex, Nina/Reggie, Matthias/Bobby, and some Carrie

Kaz is the same

Wylan/Alex runs away/gets kicked out a lot sooner and Kaz recruits him sooner

Nina/Reggie is the same but a bit more with them than at the start of six of crows

Matthias/Bobby and Carrie get freed by Kaz a lot sooner

Matthias/Bobby and Nina/Reggie HATE each other and can’t stand to be around each other but eventually fall in love

Matthias/Bobby is constantly annoyed with all of them but needs them to survive but secretly is fond of them

Carrie joins in sometimes

Inej/Julie and Flynn come in a lot later and Kaz/Luke saves them before they go to the brothel

Jesper/Willie goes to Kerch a bit later and Wylan/Alex recruits him instead of the other way around

They obviously do the heist

And they have a lil band

ALEX/WYLAN PLAYS DRUMS AND FLUTE

Wow I got carried away with this

Any feedback is really appreciated!!!! Feel free to make suggestions or whatever!!!

[yourlocalmoron]

Questions and commments I have for Riverdale:

Are the characters ever going to seek counseling/therapy in their adulthood?

Will we ever get a specific mental diagnosis for Cheryl and Betty, or?? Because I feel like Betty might have DID or something else if not more, but I am no psychologist, so please - for the love of whomever you believe in - don’t take my word as gospel. With Cheryl, I’d best guess histrionic, but again, I am no expert...just speculations based off observations and the way they approach/respond/react to situations.

Are all of the students returning as teachers? I really thought they’d all have unique and different jobs (and I mean no offense by that, I just genuinely assumed) outside of teaching—way separate from teaching, actually, except maybe Jug when it comes to writing

Why did they make the Gargoyle King human? I know Roberto never got the green light to fully cross Riverdale over with Sabrina, but they still seemed to have more mentions and guest appearances from the former within CAOS than the other way around? I’m just sayin’... GK was kind of a weird villain, we all know that, but with all the genres that Riverdale plays around with, I think it would’ve been nice to have a supernatural/paranormal-themed season, no? Just me? Kk.. (s3 is my favorite so far, because it’s weird and wild - and I got high for most of its viewing lmao - so I’m biased)

⬆️ I forgot about the fact that Jonathan played as Kurtz in Riverdale and then later as Robin in Sabrina ... and Bret’s actor in CAOS’ last season (wasn’t Donna’s in there, too?) so I mildly stand corrected

I think it would’ve been cool to see Riverdale cover the Be More Chill musical. Idk, with all the peer pressure and casual bullying/taunting/judgement that goes on amongst them peers (examples: joining or leaving/getting kicked out of gangs, being blackmailed into lying in court with the threat of leaking a tape of your brother getting shot, being outed against your consent, getting guilted for still being in the closet, “manning” up after being abused or getting into a bear fight - typical high school stuff), I think it could’ve been an interesting spin. And the cyanide could’ve been replaced with the pill or sumn. But I am content with the musicals they’ve done so far, don’t get me wrong.

Toni’s parents...? ... We ever gonna meet ‘em, or...?

What happened to Hermosa and Charles? Chic, even, or Evelyn? I really don’t remember if they ever explicitly said where these characters went. But I definitely remembered what happened to Edgar 🚀👱🏻‍♂️🔫

Is Hiram gonna try to kill Archie again? I’m sorry but the thought of that kinda makes me laugh, like this dude has been an ongoing villain for three seasons straight. He gets under my skin, and I’d argue that is what can make for a good villain, beloved or not

Did Archie give up Vegas? ‘Cause I haven’t seen that good boy in a while...

Are we ever going to meet Heather?

I just still find it kinda interesting and unique from season 1 that we never once heard Jason speak a line of dialogue, and that everything we ever got to know about him was told through the Blossoms or other students.

The Midnight Club is still one of the best episodes thus far, IMO, and one of my favorites. Maybe I’m just a sucker for nostalgia I wasn’t even alive at the time it came out, but it’s still fun to rewatch.

Why aren’t LGBTQ+ and POC characters utilized more - rather than tossed aside or left to disappear without a trace of goodbye - when there’s actually been a good handful of them per season? (ex.: Cheryl, Kevin, Joaquin, Josie, Chuck, Valerie, Melody, Sierra, Toni, Reggie, Peaches N Cream [I saw her in the recent episode, just for a second, with her cute done-up braids and all], Fangs, Moose, please forgive me if I forgot anyone; it’s been a while) And why do the POC especially end up being villanized up against the white, cishet characters? Like the entire Lodge family, for example..

Toni said her and Jughead were still good friends (when they all - but the core four - still thought he was dead), but I feel like I haven’t seen them interact ‘til Jug denied her title to being the Serpent Queen?

Is Toni going to be pregnant this season, or did they hide Vanessa’s baby bump 🤰🏽 with any random object or article of baggy clothing found onset?

So Reggie and Jughead just never interact after season 3? Kinda sucks ‘cause that’s a duo I’ve been hoping to see more of, but I won’t hold my breath just yet since it sounded like the show’s ongoing til 2022, last time I saw. It would just be cool to see more guy friendships; heck, even Fangs and Reggie would be a sick duo. I just think Reggie getting along with the Serpents - after half a season or more of just not liking or trusting them at all - could be pretty dang cool.

Where did Mad Dog go? I’m sorry, they might’ve said in the last season, but I don’t remember. I miss him either way :(

I just find it funny how Jughead and Veronica never talk about the one kiss they had lmfao. I would’ve loved to see how that convo would’ve gone down, since it’s safe to assume that at least Jug remembered afterward —who never gave Betty a straight answer on whether or not he enjoyed it (/laughs in jeronica crumbs that I’m sure I’ll never get again/)

Who taught Cheryl to talk the way she does? I love her, but— 💀

S1 Alice was so wildly conservative, like...miss ma’am, you’re talking about witchcraft and demons over there like you’ve had your experiences (outside of G&G).. 👀 No but didn’t the Blossoms have a demon in their family bloodline, according to CAOS? ‘Cause that’d make this make much more sense to me..

How many *more* of the Riverdale girls’ fathers could possibly be serial killers or criminals to varying degrees?

Edit: I guess that’s it! I don’t want to ask too much more, just wanna see what this season will entail ~v~

[staliasjeronica]

Riverdale S5 Ep14 Thoughts *Spoilers*

Thoughts under cut to keep the tag clean :)

- “Pet…” the Verchoni shit going through my head rn

- god someone finally getting some fuckin therapy again! convince Betty to get some too

- KJ acting the FUCK outta this oh my god king shit

- Reggie muah FANGS MUAH Kevin shut up don’t force your culty religion on anyone

- Fangs gives NO shits lmao Kangs is dead dead huh Thank GOD. But also realistically they would not have let Kevin stay there alone… like that’s just common sense.

- NOW REGGIE’S TALKING ABOUT THE MOTHMAN UGH but God Fangs is so handsome byeeeeee LMAO him using the red light that came from like nowhere to accentuate his story lol

- Archie :(

- FRED </3

- Uncle Frank telling Archie to stay behind… he gets some points

- TOMMY KNOCKERS SITTING IN MY HEAD HDJKAHFKJS bro

- “you’re the devil” in the mines CAOS HELLO

- can Cheryl chill for a second like damn these men are almost dying in her mines and she’s like OKAY BYE GO BACK FOR MORE!

- ooh that shot of the soldiers behind Dr. Winters.

- Oh so Archie has the same kind of therapist as Bucky in TFATWS…

- Cheryl did Betty so wrong in that painting lmao

- The fact that Veronica won’t be in this episode is rude.

- Tabitha trying to get Betty to do the right thing,,, love you for trying but not even Veronica can get Betty to not be a dumbass

- God I can’t wait for Betty to get arrested by the FBI for impersonation.

- “You’re in Riverdale” God Betty is so unhinged and weird

- I don’t want Polly to actually be dead :( my SweetPolly heart </3 she never had a chance ALLISON MCCALL? TEEN WOLF?

- Betty really didn’t think that people wouldn’t talk about there crazy ass…? Of course he knows who you are.

- Betty you were with the FBI you should know a guy like him won’t see them as human. GIRL STOP BRINGING GOOD PEOPLE INTO YOUR FUCKING CRAZINESS PLEASE 😭😭😭 It always ends up bad for them.

- Wow Betty it’s almost like that was the dumbest idea ever!!! Good job 👍 BETTY HE WON’T TALK, YOU’RE NOT A GOOD AGENT OR “INVESTIGATOR” MY GOD.

- Not Alice telling Betty to kill him… like we get it but Jesus Betty’s already fucked up. Also I don’t think “I give you permission” will not hold up in court.

- Stop showing Betty’s lips to make it seem like she’s badass challenge!

- There’s no way that worked Betty isn’t a scary person I—

- Hey Betty maybe if you gave him to actual agents who know what they’re doing you could get answers

- LMAOOOOOO HE OFFED HIMSELF who’s surprised. That’s what you get for being a dumb ass selfish bitch and now you have nothing on Polly. Also, you can tell yourself he felt guilty and such but you know he didn’t…

- Riverdale really saw us calling Jughead a rat and then tried to make it cool. ALSO not Veronica not being in this episode to be focused on :( RUDE

- Jughead looks good. The Sopranos I feel like that’s somehow a nod to Veronica idk why or how but just… let me have it okay

- Jughead calling Betty but not Veronica boooooooooo

- MOVE TO NYC WHERE VERONICA LIVES SMHHHHHH

- Jug channelling his inner serpent with his outfit

- Might have been a bit toxic but he didn’t say any lies…

- Jughead it’s so weird that you’re envisioning teenage!Betty when he’s like 23.

- East Village… isn’t that where Veronica lives or am I just reaching?

- How did you pry open a sewer grate Jughead

- “No one missed me at all” :( Veronica would have!

- Okay that painting is absolutely beautiful but CHONI CHONI CHONI! Imagine still having feelings for someone who tried to sacrifice you I—

- JOSIE’S BACKKKKKK THE PUSSYCATS!!! SWEET PEA AND SWOSIE MUAHHHHHHHHHH

[tangledstarlight]

work in progress wednesday 

hello hi! okay so i’m working on a few different things right now because i have no self control but i’d thought i’d show you the rough outline i have worked out for my reincarnation au since i just gotta super excited about the idea of it again. and also part of this juke fake dating au i have because i feel like if i post it somewhere it might make me actually finish it

reincarnation au

i work in a really annoying way in which i have to physically write stuff out first, so i’ve basically got all this on flashcards with extra information/plot details about each decade/century. and also a flashcard for each of the main characters, colour coded, with things that stay the same in each life, and points that tie them all together (i’m literally so close to ordering red string and creating a crime scene murder board for organisation hfj). 

i’m sticking with the greek gods vibe, mostly because i love a bit of greek mythology, which means rose is Hestia because the home, hearth & family vibes are strong in the molina household if you ask me. i havent settled on a god for caleb yet but i’m leaning towards one who deals with chaos? it’s still a little up in the air.

i’m still trying to figure out what’s going to happen between 300bc and the 1300′s because there’s gotta be at least one life in there somewhere yknow?

i have to say i’m most excited about writing the willie interlude chapter and boys as cowboys, they just feel like they’re gonna be fun. 

juke fake dating au

i really like what i have, and i love a fake dating au but i just...idk the motivation to actually finish it seems to have vanished and that makes me sad

“So. I’ve got a... proposition for you. Or a request I guess. A deal? An idea of mutual beneficial rewards?” Julie frowned, head tilted to the side as she thought about it. During all her rehearsing of this moment she had completely forgotten to think about how to actually approach the topic. 

Now she was just sounding crazy if the raised eyebrows Luke was shooting her way were any indication. 

“I’m listening. Unless you’re about to ask me to help you commit some kind of crime, then we might have to do this somewhere a little less,” he twirled a finger in the air and leaned in a little closer, lowering his voice to a whisper “public. Don’t wanna get caught.” 

He said it all with such an easy smile, calming her racing nerves without even realising that’s what he was doing. Or maybe he did know. Everyone always joked about how Luke was constantly wrapped up in his music, he didn’t notice much going on around him, but he could be surprisingly in tune with his friends' emotions when he wanted to be. Which is part of the reason why Julie was doing this, she reminded herself. There was a reason it was Luke she was asking. 

“I think we should fake date.”

The words hung in the air between them. And, now they were out in the open, Julie realised just how mad the whole idea sounded. The sight of Luke’s smile freezing, eyebrows rising higher as his eyes grew wider (a look that, under other circumstances would have made her laugh) had Julie rushing to get out her explanation before he could completely say no. She had put a lot of thought into this! 

“No, no, listen! I know it sounds weird and silly and completely crazy. But it makes sense! Dad and Carlos have been worrying and Tia is convinced I’ve sworn off relationships because I’m scared of getting hurt because of mom and what happened with Nick and Flynn is constantly trying to set me up on dates. Even though I’ve told them all I’m perfectly fine! There’s nothing wrong with being single and alone, and it’s not even like I’m alone-alone. I have friends. I’m not some kind of crazy recluse.” Julie felt herself spiralling into a rant and had to take a deep breath to pull herself back. Luke still hadn’t moved since she’d started speaking, though she could swear his lips twitched in an almost smile. 

“And! You’re always saying how your mom drives you mad about how you’ve never brought someone home to meet them. And Alex and Reggie are always teasing you about not being able to keep a date because you’re always scaring people away with your crazy intense music obsession and how you’re going to be forever alone surrounded by guitars instead of cats.” Reggie had gone into scary details about how he thought Luke’s life was going to play out, it was both terrifying and hilarious. 

“If we pretend to date for a few weeks it will get them all off our backs, we wouldn’t even have to change all that much about what we do now. Maybe just, dinner or something, hold hands. You already spend all your time here anyway. And then in a month or something we can have an amicable break up. Everyone wins.” She ended her speech a little out of breath, having rushed through all her thoughts. Luke is still looking at her, his eyes still wide and his smile frozen in place. But he was still sitting at the counter, which Julie was going to take as a good sign. 

“So? What do you think?” She chewed on her lip, casting her eyes down and trying - and failing - to not fidget with her fingers. Luke still hadn’t responded, hadn’t moved. Oh god, he thought it was a terrible plan didn’t he? 

Now he was never going to want to hang out with her again, he’d avoid coming to the cafe and stop inviting her to their gigs and she’d be down to only Flynn as a friend and she really would be a recluse. 

Was there a limit on how many cats you could adopt at once? She didn’t think her apartment building even allowed cats. Great, now she was going to have to move as well!

“Hey,” Luke’s voice was gentle as it pulled her out of her spiraling thoughts, and he must have been trying to get her attention for a while, she thinks, because one of his hands is reaching out to settle on top of hers that had started tapping insistently on the counter top. Julie hadn’t even realised she was doing that. 

“You put a lot of thought into this whole, fake dating thing, huh?” He says the words ‘fake dating’ carefully, slowly, like he’s worried about something. But Julie doesn’t know what. She nods her head though, blowing out a breath and raising her eyes again until they land on Luke’s own. 

“Even made a powerpoint. There were pictures and graphs.” 

Luke laughed at that and Julie felt all the sudden tension leave her shoulders. She’s reminded, again, that this is Luke and there is a reason why she’s asking him to part-take in her crazy plan. 

“I mean-” He pauses, tilting his head a little to the side, his eyes unfocused as he seems to think something over. Julie waits, forces her hand, that is still underneath his, to be still lest she seem impatient for his answer. Which she is, but Luke doesn’t need to know that. It feels like an eternity has passed before he’s blinking, eyes focusing on hers and a wide grin breaking across his face. Julie can’t help but smile back reflectively. 

“I guess it wouldn’t really change all that much about our lives, huh? We’d just get to hang out more. And it would be nice for my parents and the guys to get off my back about never going out on dates.”

It takes Juile a moment to realise what exactly Luke is saying. 

“Wait, you mean you’ll do it?” She had hoped he would agree, but actually hearing him say it is a whole other thing. 

“Yeah, of course I’ll do it. And hey, it could be kinda fun!” There’s an infectious excitement in Luke’s voice and Julie grins, impulsively turns her hand over on the counter top so she can link their fingers together and squeeze his hand.

[jonathanrook]

legally i have to give you intern 2

em you have awoken an ungodly beast inside me so i need to warn everyone that this post is. incomprehensible. but so is mymusic so i guess we're all used to it.

How I feel about this character:

i watched mymusic as it was airing/running/coming out specifically bc i'm a jack stannie, and as a kid melvin was my second favorite character (w scene being in first, obvs) for mostly that reason. he basically hovered around this ranking until my most recent rewatch in the summer of 2020, which was actually spurred by some events in my personal life that vaguely reminded me of scene's season two arc w jeff, and i thought it'd been a funny/nostalgic way to get my mind off things.

(i want to side note here that -- i know you didn't ask, but -- i love jeff. i have since i was a kid. like, obviously not as a person but i think he's honestly the best written character in the series, w indie close in second. idk what it says about the f*nes that their most interesting and well rounded characters are the villains, but i digress. to this day i'm salty that jeff never got added to the theme song and wasn't really included in promotional merch.)

however, in said rewatch, certain things about how he was written started to really get under my skin, and certain moments in particular have really stuck out to me in a negative way. like, for the entirety of season one and a good chunk of season two he's one person, and then he leaves mymusic and we have an entirely different person, but not in a nuanced character building sort of way.

i've said a few of these points before but i'll repeat them here regardless. at the risk of sounding like i've put on a tin-foil hat, it's my sneaking suspicion that scindie was supposed to be endgame, but since fan reception to it was pretty neutral, and scenechart stans were, at the very least, more vocal, changes were made to the intended finale, which is why in the last scene he's basically just. indie. like, if everything about the show was exactly the same but indie was the one who had ended up w scene in the end that would have made so much more sense since a) scene had a crush on indie that he/everyone knew about and b) indie was kind of a dick despite the half-assed attempts at redemption, so both combined make it slightly less weird/out-of-nowhere that he kisses her w/o her consent (since, even though like. implied consent is not real at worst and a fuzzy subject at best but you could argue that scene would want indie to kiss her); and this isn't even taking into consideration that c) melvin is heavily queer-coded in both seasons, with his friendship with nerdcore being, dare i say, homoerotic at times, and his arc about leaving the company and changing his name mirroring nerdcore's almost perfectly (with nerdcore being a character who b*nny [at least] has all but confirmed is actually gay).

i've also been on the fence about melvin's behavior in that final scene making more sense for indie's character being an intentional decision as a way of shoe-horning in a theme about the lasting effects of abuse/cycles of abuse/the corruption of power but i also don't think the f*nes are smart enough for that. however, for the sake of defending my straw theory, i also point to the scene where indie comes to visit the acid factory after melvin told him to shut up, and we see melvin use reggie as a foot-stool, going as far as to say that it feels good to do so (which, in all honesty, i think is a bit that was entirely improvised, since the f*nes were "notorious for never saying cut" [paraphrased from a bts video], but work w me here). he's also given a seltzer mug that perfectly resembles indie's kombucha mug. in these moment melvin is directly emulating the behavior of his previous abuser, purposefully or not, literal moments after being promoted to an equal position of authority, which was totally just included as a joke, but could also be argued is meant to show that he's becoming indie; or, if we acknowledge that the f*nes have no fucking clue what they're doing and were just directing like chickens with their heads cut off, it at least shows that melvin's new position of power is leading him to understand where indie was coming from, which is supported by their conversation in the finale.

the following contains a couple brief mentions of irl sexual assault so if that's something you'd like to avoid skip to the next section!

HOWEVER, that alone isn't what i have a problem with, since i think melvin is completely justified in being a dick to indie (and also reggie enthusiastically consents to being used as an ottoman so good for him i guess). the issue comes completely in how he treats scene in the scenes where the f*nes clearly thought what they were writing was super romantic. like, the fact that the only thing he's got hung on his cubicle wall is a single picture of scene taken from the fucking opening credits (like. how hard would it have been to have. literally any other photo[s] esp since there's an abundance of cute bts pics of the cast in costume that could have been put there) and him scrolling through her twitter at work really creep me out (and at the risk of oversharing the weird, like, social media stalking angle really fucks w me bc that may or may not have been the exact fucking thing i was trying to escape in rewatching mymusic in the first place). also, having him sexually assault scene as a means of comforting her after she had just been sexually assaulted in the same way by someone else was... a choice (which is also, uh, personally familiar).

again, i recognize that demonizing melvin wasn't what the f*nes were trying to do here, and i perhaps seem hypocritical for opening liking jeff, but what makes jeff work is he's intentionally "the bad guy." having melvin do the same things as indie and jeff uncritically only proves further that the f*nes can't write for shit, and ruins his character which had, up until he quit mymusic, been unironically good. like, it's obviously not beneficial that the exact asshole things he does are personally triggering, but the character would still be a mess and i would still dislike him regardless.

i want to say though that jack delivers a surprisingly great performance despite how shoddily his character is constructed and how little experience he has as an actor. like, it's clear he was having a lot of fun on set and i would love to see him in something, like, good; i think he could pull off even like, guest television roles, which is a lot more than can be said for other youtubers.

-----

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

nerdchart should have been canon i'm sorry. i know that close, nonromantic male friendships are valuable, esp between queer men, but also gd wouldn't it have been baller to have a canon interracial mlm ship. like. c'mon. and they could have been such a good friends to lovers story! we already got to see how melvin was the only person nerdcore could really be himself around so it would have been so cool if melvin's self-advocacy arc/flowchart arc had revolved more around nerdcore with a little role-reversal! and then they kiss! like god intended!

also i ship him and indie bc i'm a grubby little gremlin man ohoho. enemies w weird sexual tension? sign me up. not even enemies to lovers i'm not saying this one should have been canon i just love the vibes. do you think melvin and indie ever explored each other's bod-- *gunshot*

-----

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

i wish him and scene had just been bros. god remember in season one when they were just bros that was the life.

alternatively, i wish we'd seen more bonding w him and metal, as a means of reconciling that. uh. moment from season one. along similar lines i would have loved to see him get closer w rayna in a similar way to how she bonded w nerdcore in season two. i think that could have also worked to show how she'd grown between the two seasons.

-----

My unpopular opinion about this character:

HIM. AND. SCENE. SHOULD. HAVE. JUST. BEEN. BROS. (though i think my general dislike of him is pretty unpopular, lmao).

when the show was coming out i don't think it's unfair to say that scenechart/scenetern 2 was the most popular ship (aside from potentially techstep whatever) but luckily we're all gay and have better taste now. unfortunately i totally fell into this camp and scenechart was even my otp for years (until it was arguably more unfortunately usurped by reddie in 2019) and i didn't even realise that it's a hot mess until, again, the summer of 2020.

when actually watching the show the choices the f*nes made in regards to how the ship actually became canon are so odd and out of place, too? okay, so, on one hand everyone just shipped scenechart bc it was the whitest hettiest ship in the show (esp in season two when idol left) aside from scindie (and we already discussed what's wrong w that). but, on the other hand, lainey and jack clearly also just got along? and i suspect that lainey probably also admired jack's work and was happy to be working with him bc we have so many shots throughout even the first season when the ship wasn't the intended endgame of lainey scene looking really fondly at jack melvin at times when it doesn't make much sense at all, esp since she's smitten w indie? this trend continues into the second season which arguably works but it still seems really out of place for him to be the one to ultimately make the first move on her since it's clear she was the one crushing this whole time and also he's gay! this bitch is gay what the fuck!!

-----

One thing I wish had happened with this character in canon:

at this point i'm struggling to think of anything i haven't covered yet. oops.

i've talked at length before about how he should have been a woman/lesbian, but the tl;dr is that it would have solved a lot of the queer-coding "problems" that just didn't get resolved in the show. if he'd been a lesbian then not only would the friendship w nerdcore still made sense, but scenechart would have as well (not even mentioning that both of scene's other relationships w men make a lot of sense as comphet anyway).

[cecilyneville]

the spanish princess ep 2:

once more unto the breach, my fellow clowns

jsyk, i am skipping a lot of scenes bc i have far better things to do with my time (even under stay-at-home orders), and i cannot for the life of me watch the maggie pole/thomas more scenes. like what is the point of keeping maggie around, she is so boring. andrew buchan what were you THINKING signing up for this 

reggie pole looks like a weird cross bw ben whishaw and sam riley

ok i take back what i said about laura carmichael last week - she’s a damn sight more talented than you-know-who. maggie still boring as hell tho

i can’t wait for the catherine/lina friendship blow-up...it’s coming & lina deserves so much better

oveido’s speech about childbirth and war...you been reading the mirror & the light dude?

THE GLOVE FROM ANNE OF BRITTANY!!!

james iv: i have done nothing wrong, ever, in my life / me: i know this and i love you

as someone with a catherine of aragon icon i just want to say that i really cannot stand tsp’s catherine, she has no redeeming qualities. ef keeps trying to make her likeable by asking oviedo to stay and letting meg keep james’ body but none of it actually gels with her behaviour

[dramatic militaristic music] really just sums up the lameness of this soundtrack

margaret’s prophetic dreams! i wish they’d included the part about her queen’s jewels turning to widow’s pearls

ANGUS DOUGLAS. ANGUS DOUGLAS. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME, EMMA FROST

god he’s not even hot what’s the POINT. angus is supposed to be a hot dumbass fool who is just like “hey margaret i know you’re mourning your husband and have just given birth to his posthumous son and are trying to rule the country but are you dtf yet”. what did i do to deserve an ugly angus

i don’t get why they don’t also have meg pregnant at flodden. given that catherine is presumably going to lash out with jealousy at lina, mary, bessie - literally anyone who has given birth to a living son - i think it would have been a good choice, as well as drawing direct parallels between the two women

meg’s costumes are my fave. the colour palette suits georgie and her red riding cap is v cute

catherine’s clown shoes slapping on the floor as she storms off to war

like...it’s supposed to be such a moving scene and i’m just like wow she is literally the biggest moron to have ever lived

oh now she’s going into the enemy tent. honestly can james just kill her on the spot and then the rest of the show can be about margaret in scotland and mary & brandon in france

“he’s fighting for gold from king louis” shock horror! has catherine never heard of the auld alliance or???

like, i know they’re not actually wearing kilts, but the tartan is still stupidly ahistorical - we get it, they’re scottish! 

love how catherine’s trying to do all this shit to rouse support, meanwhile in twp all elizabeth had to say was “do it for me” and all the lords were like yeah sure we love you lizzie

just in case the childbirth/war analogy wasn’t clear enough, we fucking get it emma

i’m not even going to comment about catherine physically fighting and actually killing people, this is the dumbest thing i have ever seen

meg saying james was her “best friend” would be lovely if there had been literally anything demonstrating that. georgie’s performance here is so good though. emotion! actual emotion!

so...catherine rode all the way back to london still covered in blood from the battle...once again i have no comment

also no comment on a very pregnant catherine looking wistfully on at a bird in a cage. i want to die

i know i’ve been going on about how good ruairi o’connor is - and he’s good - but i feel as if he’s a little miscast? idk, he’s just not rowdy enough for me to believe him as henry viii. his appearance and manner is very similar to jacob collins-levy though, which i appreciate

not nearly enough mary this episode imo

still stan the hell out of bessie blount. the strawberry-blonde hair! the rosebud mouth! the eoy vibes!!! (no i am not trying to suggest henry has an oedipal complex, that’s for d*vid st*rkey to do lol)

i hate that all these more interesting characters spend the whole time praising catherine for behaving like an absolute clod

emma frost has no idea how pregnancy and childbirth work (remember rosa’s miscarriage in s1?)

anyway, here’s hoping next ep will have some fun margaret in scotland scenes (lowering the portcullis at edinburgh castle...i can only dream) 

[crashingwavesinmyworld]

Riverdale Review

Wow I can’t believe I actually missed this show lol. It’s so ridiculous but 95% of it so entertaining I can’t stop watching

But this episode actually had me emotional 😭😭 I feel so horribly for Veronica. Especially when she sang that song not knowing it was Archie’s song for Betty I cried so hard. And when she told him she loved him, it just reminded me of how hard it was for her to say it before, and now that same person she finally let herself be vulnerable with betrayed her, and with one of her best friends of all people. And I’m also really angry that Archie still wasn’t fully honest with her either. Like they may have just kissed once(not counting the staged kiss that Veronica knew about) but they were meeting in secret, that one romantic dance sequence that I know wasn’t real but like he actually had feelings for Betty and he wasn’t straight up about this, it doesn’t matter if he was just confused or not. I’m still so mad that this plot had to happen in the first place. They could have still had Varchie go their separate ways because of Archie’s fear of holding her back/long distance, Why was the cheating necessary? It’s just so unfair to Veronica she deserves so much better. And I know that this isn’t as important but like it sucks to see another one of my OTPS get destroyed by cheating. It doesn’t matter what happens in the future because that will always be the elephant in the room. Like, my OTP on Degrassi (Zaya) got tainted by cheating too and as much as I still love them, it’s still hard to look at them the same. Thankfully I wasn’t as attached to Varchie but it still hurts because I genuinely loved them for a long time. I don’t even hate them now I’m just upset and frustrated and I don’t even care if they end up together now I just want them both to be happy but mostly Veronica. Also, I love Mary but can she stop saying endgame now this goes for any character it’s so cringe please. Even if it weren’t for what Archie did that line still would have bugged me lol

Last thing about Archie, his boxing plot is so boring I just...do not care...and hope he doesn’t change his mind and decide to do the academy because it’s just so boring I wanted to fall asleep thanks

Okay onto Cheryl/Toni. I’m SO happy we met one of Toni’s family members. She has every right to be wary of a Cheryl cuz of her family, and I feel so bad for both of them because Toni wants to be loyal to her family but also to Cheryl. But honestly, I’m in favor of right now Toni having her own life outside Cheryl. I love them together but they both need to grow on their own and we need to learn more about Toni outside of Cheryl. This was a step in the right direction but we still need a solo Toni Plot without Cheryl involved, and also have her interacting with other characters. As much as I don’t like the Serpents, (mainly cuz of the overuse of Jughead in the storyline, I love him but he was so obnoxious then) it was interesting to see Toni bring it up again wanting to be the leader and I’m curious to see where that goes. My heart did break for Cheryl too though, when she was crying in the end about being alone and it being her curse, I feel that way all the time 😭😭😭 It did bother me though when she visited Toni’s aunt without her permission. At this point Cheryl thought the issue was that they are LGBT, and Cheryl visiting was basically outing Toni. (Correct me if I’m wrong I can’t remember if her aunt already knew and was just unaccepting or if Toni wasn’t out to her yet) But it’s actually besides the point it could have created a huge problem for Toni. This is another reason why they need to grow on their own, a problem Cheryl has is she tends to overstep and do things without thinking about the consequences. Which, is realistic and is true for more than just her character, but still, it’s something she needs to grow from. On a positive note though Choni looked stunning in their prom dresses and I’m glad they won prom queens 💕💕 Also on another positive note I am glad they were able to split them up without irreparable damage in a realistic way that wouldn’t taint either character or their relationship. Idk why they couldn’t do that with Bughead and Varchie but I’m glad they could do that with Choni.

Okay onto the Betty and Jughead Plot. They were SO cute before/during their prom pictures 💖💖💖 their actual plot was okay, classic Bughead but nothing really new or exciting and honestly when Jellybean turned up at the rave I thought she was gonna be behind it all or at least a part of it and I’m glad she wasn’t but it would explain why she’s barely around. As much as I wouldn’t want her to be a villain, it would have been an interesting plot twist and given her something to do at least. God though I wish Bughead (and all the characters) could have just had one nice dance without weird shit happening but that’s the Riverdale way lol. I still can’t figure out whose doing this but we did see Brett in jail, I honestly can’t remember what happened to Donna in her last appearance but maybe she’s behind it some how? Or one of the other Stonewall kids but I really don’t know. It’s funny how they at first assumed Reggie did it lmao. Anyway, i guess for Bughead I should address that Jughead still doesn’t know yet about the cheating. What bugs me about this is that Archie said that he and Betty “swore” not to tell. I don’t remember that happening, must have been offscreen and I get it, they don’t wanna hurt them and at least with Betty I can believe she actually loves Jughead and wants a future with him, based on every interaction they’ve had since that whole fiasco, it’s almost like nothing ever happened and if it weren’t for Betty’s face during Veronica singing the song I honestly would have forgotten until Archie mentioned it tbh, (based on Bughead scenes only) but with Varchie scenes it was obvious something was off with Archie. And like it didn’t even seem like Archie wanted to fight for Veronica, I don’t know if it’s because he already thought he was holding her back, I mean, the reason he even told her the truth was because she said she wanted to stay in town with him instead of going to college, with or without the cheating he clearly didn’t want to hold her back. I feel like that’s the likely reason but like, the Archie’s stiff demeanor and awkwardness before the confession could have been explained as guilt but afterwards, he still acted so indifferent like he didn’t care much. He didn’t even cry. Like. It was just weird, but I don’t imagine that happening with Bughead. The thing is though, if Betty really did swear to never tell him, then that really makes it harder to believe they could make their future work whether they both want it to or not because if she can’t be honest, there is little hope. And now it will just look like when Jughead does find out it will only be because Veronica did, so it’s likely he won’t even hear it from Betty herself. I don’t think Veronica will tell him because her and Archie agreed not to but with all the creepiness going on he could find out another way, but I WANT to believe Betty confesses on her own. I actually think it could be Archie that convinces Betty to tell or maybe even he will tell Jughead because in the promo for the next episode Betty’s asking Archie what’s wrong. Jughead is also present, maybe they both tell him together. I hope that’s the case because I think something the writers have largely forgotten is the Core 4 Friendships. They barely interact one on one or even as a group it’s either the couples off together or throughout some of season 4 it was Cheryl/Veronica or Veronica and her parents and Betty/Charles but like no Beronica or Jughead/Archie, Hell even the Betty/Archie friendship was nonexistent before their random affair. If not only the relationships but the friendships can ever be repaired they need to be honest. All of them with each other. I mean I guess it’s kind of good those friendships haven’t on screen because they still would have been keeping that secret acting like all was fine and we already got Betty doing that to Jughead/Archie with Veronica until this ep so it would have been awful to see Betty do that to Veronica and Archie to Jughead, But like they’re still lying to them and they need to stop. All the truth needs to come out.

Also in the promo for next week it shows the Archie/Hiram conflict is back and like there is actually a good reason for it this time but I also just cannot bring myself to care because they overdid that shit in seasons 2-3 and like he has every right to call Archie out and that doesn’t bother me but the violence does because it’s really unnecessary and once again they already have overdone that and I know it’s possible Archie is 18 now but like Hiram’s obsession with terrorizing teenagers is creepy and if this was the first time he did if it wouldn’t bother me because Archie cheated on his daughter so his anger makes sense but he was already trying to kill Archie before for no good reason for 2 seasons straight so like, I can’t get behind this. Just call him out on his shit then move on. And please no more fights or boxing matches please I’m begging you. (For the record I know the promo could have been misleading but it did look like Hiram was trying to beat him up. Now like if Reggie or Jughead wanted to beat him up or fight him I wouldn’t be so bothered but Hiram is an adult and he’s been such a shitty father even if his anger is justified he’s hurt Veronica twice as much so he can sit down tbh). If this is them trying to redeem him for protecting Veronica or something it’s not the way to do it.

Anyway wow this was long. It’s been awhile since I’ve had a show to look forward to. As crazy as Riverdale is I’m glad it’s back and am excited for next week but am not prepared for my Bughead heart to break either 😭 at least Choni aren’t on bad terms and Varchie can’t hurt me anymore than this episode did

[diazpoems]

Me watching Riverdale, Episode 2:

Why’s Betty so upset??? Did I miss something??? Sometimes people just don’t like each other that way and Archie has no obligation to her and besties code is fucking stupid so she shouldn’t be sensibly mad at Veronica either

Not the scene where Jughead’s narrating and does the flashback and Jason passes and it’s suitably queercoded

Ewwww Archie and the teacher

Can you shut the fuck up, Betty’s mom. Unless there’s more significant history behind this I don’t wanna hear it. If you were bullied by the Blossoms I could give a fuck, you’re still wearing pearls, I think you’re fine

Brooo jughead is me. Fuck PE

“ARE WE SURE ARCHIE IS STRAIGHT”

I’m still a little concerned. I sorta ship Jughead with Archie but I don’t want to stomp over his aroace identity.

Bro they weren’t together stop apologizing Veronica. She has no claim on him. Yeah you tried to push them together but what happened happened get the fuck over it

Oh no this town is small enough to have a sheriff

If Archie and the teacher came forward about what happened on the fourth then... idk. Maybe it’s because of the repercussions for Archie but I’m fine with her getting arrested because fucking GROSS

Hmmm yeah I’m with jughead what happened arch??? 🤨

Oh no what’s up with Kev and the closet case

Yeah. I don’t blame people for being closeted if that’s where they feel most comfortable but it’s hard to date a closeted person

ARE YOU OKAY YOU STONE COLD BITCH

I’m just happy archies more than a set of abs

His voice is kinda weird for his body... is that just me??? He just sounds different than I expected

BETTY ITS NOT THAT DEEP HE JUST DOESNT LIKE YOU

SERIOUSLY AM I MISSING SOMETHING

BETTY SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP LIFE FUCKING HAPPENS GET OVER IT

Oop, Archie got fucking caught

This is unhealthy Archie please get the fuck away from her. I know it’s not that easy but please this isn’t good it’s not real, don’t kiss her, this is wrong as fuck

Yes Jughead please snoop

Okay but um cheryl looks pretty

OH MY GOD STOP BEING A FUCKING BITCH BETTY. STOP IT. YOURE FUCKING STUPID. ITS NOT HER FAULT YOUR FRIENDSHIP IS FUCKED. ITS YOURS. YOURE MAKING IT SUCH A BIG DEAL. I ALREADY HAD TO DEAL WITH THIS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL I DONT NEED THIS NONSENSE AGAIN. USE YOUR HEAD.

I started out anticipating hating Veronica but she’s the only one besides Jughead and Archie I find moderately tolerable

Varchie has nice chemistry.

Ohhhh so he kissed her when they were little. Still doesn’t change how annoying she’s being

Oh god oh god Cheryl sitting in front of Betty and doing her makeup oh god oh god I’m gay that’s some sapphic shit

Speaking of mean alpha bitch sapphics that I’ll probably end up love-hating she reminds me of Carrie from jatp

I think Cheryl might have a legitimate disorder. I’m not kidding or trying to be mean. I think it might be a possibility

Not jealous Jughead but also Jughead trying to explain that this is fucking stupid.

SHES A LITERAL FUCKING COUGAR. HE. IS. RIGHT. THIS IS PREDATORY

Breakup vibes. I mean I hate to reduce it to that but that’s how it feels.

My new favorite character is Jughead. I relate to him so much

Betty’s mom is probably Christian huh.

Alice can you fucking stop

Yay!!! They’re making up and Betty is admitting she was dumb!!!

Off topic but I’m super hungry my tummy hurts :(

Can you shut up Reggie. And you never responded so I’m going to have to assume you can’t spell necrophilia

YES PROTECT HIM ARCHIE

I’m staying up late watching this cause I’m sick and I can’t get to sleep. I’m miserable lmao

I like Kevin

The way Archie looks over at Jughead and he looks away

This is so... gay.

“We’re not gonna hug in front of this whole town!”

The way his gaze lingers on Jughead as he steps back, and then he looks over his shoulder in the next shot

What state is Riverdale in

That is some of the baddest fucking twerking I’ve ever seen, not that I see that on the regular, but I have no idea what that is lmao

That song was a bop tho

Huh, upstate New York I guess

Cheryl’s got ✨trauma✨

Okay I actually understand Cheryl’s loss. Like not precisely. But that’s what you think. When it hits you, it hits you hard. “They’re gone” “They were supposed to come back” “Why aren’t they here” I find that pretty authentic

Okay okay I can start liking Betty again I’ll forgive her this time

Not Archie walking in with Jughead and it suddenly hitting me like “they look like a couple”

I love Jugheads voice. I don’t think it’s because there’s anything necessarily remarkable about it but it’s just nice

“The luckiest redheaded boy in the universe” please????? 🥺

[she1smyscar]

Reasons Why I Don’t Like Barchie

Let me start off by saying that I don't really have a ship for any of the teens really. There are some that I like more than others and there are a couple that are 100% my NOTPs (Barchie being one of them), but I'm not a Bughead stan, a Varchie stan, a Beronica stan, a Choni stan, etc. I mainly focus on the plot and the parents. Ships aren't my main focus most of the time. But I haven't been able to watch this season since Barchie got so much bigger and I'll tell you why.

When I started to watch Riverdale, I was 100% in Betty's shoes. I had a big crush on my best friend and I thought that eventually we'd end up together and when I thought he liked me back, I got rejected just like Betty and was expected to continue to move on as best friends as if nothing happened. But just like Betty, it was too hard and too painful. That happened to me irl only about a few weeks before I watched it happen on Riverdale and I went through that heartbreak all over again. I've seen shippers praising the exact scene where Archie broke Betty's heart after the dance. I don't understand why you could praise a scene where he HURT her. It would be the same vice versa....if she had broken his heart. Either way, it's not romantic at all. She went into her room and probably cried that night. Something I know well about feeling unwanted.

I know several people blame Grundy for that, but that doesn't make any sense. Here's why. Archie never looked at Betty the way he looked at Veronica THE SECOND, she showed up in Pop's her first night in Riverdale. Right there is a clear sign that he wasn't interested in Betty. He proposed to her when they were younger, yes. But they grew up, still really close to each other, and he never asked her out. Meaning he either didn't see her the way he saw Veronica that first day, or he really did just want to stay friends with Betty. Back to Grundy. People say that Archie felt drawn to Grundy so he rejected Betty. But if it were because of Grundy, why, only two episodes after Grundy leaves, did Archie go straight for VALERIE and NOT Betty? Grundy left in Season 1, Episode 4. Which means Archie could have gotten with Betty (if she really was his first choice) in Season 1, Episode 5. I know, I know. It was too soon, right? Hm? Then why did Archie get with Valerie in Season 1, Episode 6? That's not even that much longer after Grundy left. So when people say that Archie has loved Betty this whole time, it doesn't feel true to me, because if she really was his first choice, he would've gone right to her once Grundy was gone, but nope. He chose Valerie first. Also...he kissed Veronica in Episode 1, which shows that Grundy was definitely not stopping him from kissing other girls. They both KNEW Betty liked him yet they kissed anyway even though they WERE just gonna stand in the closet and not do anything till time was up, but they kissed anyway because they were attracted to each other. If Archie was attracted to Betty from the get-go, he wouldn't have held back from kissing her the moment he knew she liked him. He liked Veronica that way, not Betty. So I'm debunking the Grundy theory.

Another thing that bothers me is when people call Jughead "Betty's rebound" off of Archie. Hm...if that was true, I doubt she would've stayed with her "rebound" as long as 4 years. Especially since Betty and Archie have both been single at the same time yet she still chose Jughead over him. She fell for Jug after he finally gave her back the stuff she's been waiting for from Archie. So Jughead was and is not a rebound. If anything, Veronica was ARCHIE's rebound. But not from Betty. FROM VALERIE. He got drunk af at Jughead's birthday party because it was right after Val left him for being a terrible boyfriend (which he clearly is) and after Val threw her drink in his face, he got more drunk and then Veronica kissed him and he was like "Oh, sure. I'll sleep with you since you kissed me and I'm upset and Val left me."

Back to Archie being a terrible boyfriend (aside from when he was with Josie). With Val...he ignored her and only gave her attention when he was gaining something with his music. Then Cheryl's family gave him an opportunity to go to a good music school, so boom, he ignored Val's wish not to be Cheryl's date to her family Maple Gathering. Dumb move. No wonder Val told him she was done. Then...with Veronica, he kissed Betty. But then Betty was not interested (Hmmm, because she loves her “”rebound”” Jughead so much). And then Veronica told Archie to stay away from Hiram and what did Archie do? Completely ignored her and got stuck in some big mob mess and illegal shit. Then he broke up with her over the phone when she was trying to support him. So she got with Reggie who treated her so well (yes, they had problems too) but he was so whipped for her, let's be real. He did everything she wanted and he would've done anything for her. Then they had their issues and broke up but they were about to get back together, LITERALLY, just as Archie showed up and was all "I love you. Come back to me" and Veronica was obviously still not over him, so poor Reggie had no chance and then Veronica got back with Archie who she should not have gotten back with. She was amazing to him (all of his friends were) when his father passed away. But VERONICA talked him out of saying that his father would be ashamed of him and she made him see otherwise and told him that Fred would be proud of him. That's a GOOD girlfriend. Meanwhile, Archie still has eyes for other girls (Betty now apparently). But anyway. I'm just saying that Betty AND Veronica both deserve a better guy than Archie Andrews.

I just don't see why any girl on this show would be shipped with him. Remember when Veronica decided to kiss Jughead to even the playing field after they told Jug about Barchie kissing? Archie looked pissed. Like wtf? You kissed Betty when you were STILL WITH VERONICA. At least Betty and Jughead were over at the time. I don't believe Archie had a right to look so mad about Jeronica's little fun/platonic kiss when what he did was behind Veronica's back and while they were still together. Her and Jug "getting even" was right there in front of the other two and playful. Nothing to be angry or possessive about Archie. Jeez.

The only time he was an outstanding boyfriend was with Josie and that was the only time I was actually EXCITED to watch Archie scenes. They were great together and they both EQUALLY supported each other and helped each other through things. Not to say that Archie doesn't have good qualities, because he does. He's been trying to clean up Riverdale and he helped Veronica figure out how to get Hiram to fight through his sickness. But I just really can't see him with Betty after everything they've been through without each other. They barely talk anyway till now when they're FAKING being together.

Bonus: There are people who talk about how Archie and Betty doing investigations together are better than Betty and Jughead. But the only time Betty and Archie did an investigation together was to figure out who the Black Hood was and they ended up unmasking the wrong person. Their janitor, who was actually innocent. So clearly, Betty and Jughead are a better team. Not to mention, Archie can really be one of the biggest dumbasses in Riverdale.

THE COMICS: Yes. I know they are canon in the comics. But we well know that the comics and the show are VERY different (Did you know that Penny Peabody and Fangs Fogarty are supposed to be endgame like they are in the comics??? But Riverdale made Penny a 30 year old and Fangs a 16 year old, so that became a "NO" right away. Hence...the difference between the show and the comics). Also....there are comics where Betty kisses Archie behind Veronica's back when Varchie were together and she kissed him without his consent in the dark when he thought he was kissing Veronica (A BIG "NO"). So the comics aren't really a good template to follow. Especially since nowadays, I really don't see chemistry between Lili and KJ. Their fake kiss in the music room (I've seen it on Twitter, because I still haven't seen 4x16) was so awkward and weird to watch. It was so bad. Idk. I can't get behind it.

THE FORBIDDEN LOVE: I don’t understand why people call them forbidden, when they’re both Northsiders who grew up next door to each other and they were never forbidden from being friends. They’re not a forbidden love. Bughead was at first because he was from the Southside and Alice didn’t want Betty to be around Jug or Serpents. But Barchie is definitely not forbidden love. If it is now, then it’s because they would both be cheating and that is disgusting.

Anyway, I haven't been able to watch the season since 4x15, because all of this fake Barchie nonsense legit makes me ACTUALLY sick to my stomach. Cheating really is not okay at all and them pretending that Archie cheated on Veronica and that Betty would get another boyfriend SO FAST after she was framed for MURDERING HER OWN really does not sit well with me or my stomach. The writers are NOT doing this right. If they wanted Barchie to be together....the best way to have done that would have been through them ACTUALLY breaking up with their s/o and then becoming close friends again AND THEN moving around to that romance. But this fake dating and fake cheating stuff is disgusting and I don't think I'm gonna continue season 4 if they become canon that way. Just no.

[notesappsaver]

Songs

Angel -FINNEAS

Luke’s depression OR Julie dealing with grief/depression and her boys write her a song

Reggie/Luke into Reggie/Luke/Julie

Half a heart

Juke break up BC Luke did something stupid

Alex or willie are helping Flynn help Julie through it

Luke has Bobby and Reggie

Luke writes this for Julie with a disclaimer that he knows he was wrong and she doesn’t have to forgive him but he misses her so much and wishes he could do anything to make it right

Saw you in a dream

The Japanese house

Luke dreams of Julie before he dies

If I die young, ode to their parents.

Give me love Luke still loves Alex

1995- we’ll talk about it after the orpheum

2020- Alex loves willie and Luke has 2 b ok with that

“How can you be self destructive you’re already dead!”

Superman- five for fighting

Like “rock legend” Patterson lives around Julie and one night she hears him playing this song and doesn’t recognize him but knows it’s an original. It gets stuck in her head and she need to learn more about this mysterious neighbor of hers

Punks don’t dance

Julie sees Luke at a drive in with Carrie. She thinks it’s a date but it wasn’t.

Begin again

Sunset curve broke up after Hs

Reggie lost touch with everyone and needed up with Caleb who was abusive

He almost had something with Luke before Sunset curve broke up

He meets Julie at some point and immediately falls in love with her, but then finds out she’s dating Luke (!)

He tries to just be her friend and refrained like but it slowly becomes clear they all like each other

Reggie doesn’t know what to do because anything good in his life he ruins so he initially says no to them

But he can’t stand not being around them, and there’s a weird tension when they do hang out

Happy ending!

Little things

Julie is feeling insecure so like reggie and Julie write a song together Poly bonding!

Evermore Alive AU

Luke and Julie start dating /sophomorefreshman year of HS

Junior/senior year right before/after Rose dies Sunset Curve gets the opportunity to tour. Julie doesn’t want him to leave her cause *trauma* but he has to get out of his house and all the grief so he leaves

They loose contact and 5 years later he writes this song

Either she’s famous or just out of college and knows what that song is about-duets/ covers/ IDK songs it

A drop in the ocean

Willex

The boys keep an eye on nick/Caleb so Alex can go see Willie at the HGC. Willie is playing this on piano when he gets there

Ghost- Halsey. Willex

Angst

lonely-MGK

Bobby wrote this song after the boys die

“I wrote my first song with him in the basement”

one of the boys?

To make you feel my love

Alive AU Neurodivergent reggie

Reggie is have a Bad Day TM

Wake up from nightmare, everything feels wrong

Goes to Julie’s early and is nervous

Julie sings this to him as he falls asleep in her lap

All to well 10 min

Caleb and someone

Hang over cute

[shaykeijser]

riverdale 2x19

here are my thoughts/reactions to this weeks episode of riverdale. this wasn't requested but i posted one for another episode and it got a lot of notes (for me) so i'll do another one. this obviously will be including spoilers so i'm don't read under the cut if you haven't seen it/don't want to see spoilers! i've already seen this so they aren't technically 'first thoughts', but these were my thoughts when it happened. psa: i'm not a fan of jughead and betty. like at all. and sometimes archie. so if you're a die hard stan, who'll send me angry messages - feel free to because i love discussions!

- don't get me wrong i'm sad midge died but like...what made s1 good was the murder mystery plot. they 'solved' the black hood murders (if you think/thought svensen was the black hood then you're dumb sorry) way too fast which is one of the reasons why s2 is eh - are singing numbers gonna be a regular thing since the musical episode? i'm not mad but i'm just curious - lmao kevin being jealous of reggie comforting moose is a mood - also, i don't think moose killed midge or is the black hood, but it's gonna be so dumb if they don't consider him a suspect - especially since what he yelled before she was killed that was most likely a reaction to that weird fangs scene - we been knew (is that the phrase) that ethel sent them - why the fuck you lyin? @ moose - seriously tho moose the truth is gonna come out that you yelled whatever you said (i'm too lazy to figure out what it was directly) so you might as well own up to it now - AM I GOING CRAZY OR SOMETHIING BUT DIDN'T ARCHIE FUCKING SEE THE BLACK HOOD? WHEN HE WALKED INTO THE LOBBY OF THE PEMBROOKE AND SAW HIM BEATING THAT DUDE UP AND RAN AFTER HIM AND LOOKED INTO HIS EYES!?!?! WHY ISN'T HE TELLING ANYONE THIS ASJFJOA - "he was wearing a black hood" bItcH listen i believe that for whatever reason svenson was trying to act like he's the black hood but the fact that he was wearing... a black hood... shouldn't be your argument for why it's him - :(((( midge's mom sobbing is so sad - wtf was that look for penelope - LOOK AT PEA IN THE BACKGROUND OF CHERYLS SPEECH - mrs. klump SNAPPED - i could make a whole separate post reacting to the dumb shit betty's does in this episode. like her jumping to defend him? you've been trying since day 1 to get him out of your life since you brought him in. even though you saw how HAPPY he made your mother. i don't think he's behind the murders but why wouldn't betty want to investigate him? hell - i would want to investigate him just in case! - arch you're on to something - concerned veronica is so soft i love it - archie usually makes the dumbest mistakes (well he does a lot) but i'm so happy he's connecting the dots and realizing that the black hood isn't svenson - why is there such a weird gap between jughead and betty as the walk out of pops? like don't get me wrong, i don't ship bughead, but it's not because i don't think they have chemistry together. they usually have a decent amount. however, the gap reminds me of this cringy photo of my friend where he's 2 feet apart from his fav retired teacher and his friend. just saying - it couldn't be anyone...it'd yo dad and moose. he's going after those he tried to kill but failed to (tab) ps the black hood is such a shitty killer lmao like he got better with how he killed midge but when he tried the first time... - i'm not really a fan of varchie but ronnie saying that she doesn't even want to think bout anything bad happening to archie is supa cute - i can't stand hal why is he even getting screen time NO ONE LIKES HIM - archie caring bout fred warms my heart bc fred deserves the world. seriously. i love that man - archie made such a good point though bout how midge was killed in a full auditorium. like damn, the black hood really improved his game. even though i think it's the same guy, the same guy improving his murdering skills so much without practice is odd - IM ONLY 8 MINUTES IN UGH IM TIRED ALREADY - i feel so bad for ronnie she's being manipulated to the max. i'm happy she caught on rn but i can only hope  she continues that trend ~ btw i'm sweetvee trash and @veeandpea (love you iswa thanks for introducing me to this ship <3) pointed out such a good concept saying how they'll get together after ronnie realizes how she's being manipulated. just wanted to share that - bosom lmao - hermoine exploiting cheryl's grief and determination is so annoying and sad - "i am cousins with cheryl blossom" lmao i'm happy she's not trying to pretend they're friends anymore - hold up...they didn't go to the cops after the busted cheryl out!!? what the fuck - it's actually so dumb that betty wouldn't consider chic maybe not being her brother ugh - there's like no family resemblance with that kid in the picture idk what you're on old lady - ope it's a morph suit! tbt to halloween when these were all the rage - since when did betty know how to fight??? - graham phillips (the guy who plays nick) is actually so hot like why did they have to make him a bad guy!!! - how did he get hotter?? it's the stubble right - the only mob storyline i like is in general hospital (a soap opera i watch with my mom) - "he's not blood" y'all did that blood thing?? isn't that the equivalent - i get why the lodges aren't going to help archie but they got him into this whole mess - when called her opinion piece a 'thought piece' the journalist in me shuddered so hard i hard i had to pause the show -i'm iffy bout the sherrif keller because he is shit at his job but he honestly didn't sign up for the big mess riverdale is - why is this whole episode not interrogations/why did we only see a few?? i liked s1 because it was a murder mystery and right now it's just feeling like a drama - THIS IS SO HEARTBREAKING I LOVE ALICE SO MUCH SHE DOESN'T DESERVE THIS - why would nick care about your dad lmao - holy shit kj looks horrible with his hair flat like that - how did veronica know that wad of money wasn't enough so quickly is she super smart or something cuz i like that headcanon - #praying that nick and ronnie's money exchange is gonna be discrete - why is this show so dumb YOU DON'T PASS BLACK BAGS BETWEEN TWO ANGRY PEOPLE OVER THE TABLE??? IM DISAPPOINTED IN YOU CW I'VE SEEN Y'ALL DO BETTER SET UPS THAN THIS - ???how did he know it wasn't all of it - !?!!?why didn't ronnie just say no trust me it is because he would've been like eh ok (probably) - that's an insult to reptiles - this scene is so so sad madchen is such a good actress - FP DIDN'T MAKE A SCENE HE JUST HUGGED HER WHEN SHE TOLD HIM AWW I LOVE THEM - if i was betty and i heard that ringtone i'd put my phone down the garbage disposal oops - actually no i would change my number so he wouldn't be able to call me - what's the point of her writing those words down other than to annoy the viewers who can hear the marker squeeking - i'm starting to like archie a lot more i'm happy - i don't think chic killed him, i don't know if the whole overdosing explanation is true but i don't think he killed him - hart denton is such a good actor i love him i hope he doesn't leave - betty and veronica are supposed to be best friends again yet veronica's going into this all alone? have they even spoken this whole episode? - "some sinner's only confess when faced with certain death" aye that rhymes - protective fp is my favorite fp - i love a man who's learned from his mistakes that put him in prison - veronica and nick look hot as fuck - (btw i don't like nick he's just hot as fuck) - she so roofied him - why didn't archie try and do that shit to get out before - is where archie is and where veronica and nick are even close to each other? - hal's probably like shit i should have stayed away from this family - oh my god she's talking bout grundy!! the first time i thought it was jughead's old one that ended up being the candy man - AHAHAHAA veronica's putting nick up for ransom - i still don't think chic killed the real charles - betty not shooting the black hood during this scene is so dumb. maybe even one of the dumbest. i don't know though. she's done a lot dumb things - :((( i really like hart i don't want him to leave the show - dead ass when i watched this the first time i thought 'remember when kevin got his dad really drunk so he could steal the files' and now that i'm watching this again....i remember that happened in teen wolf - he's a mobster how can he help with a serial killer - no more lies elizabeth cooper! - i've thought hal was the black hood all this season so i'm happy more people think the same!!! but seriously betty suspecting her dad doesn't really make sense