#bughead but queer platonic

[jugheadthelesbian]

my core four headcannons lol

tw: mentioned ed, mentioned intrusive thoughts, trauma, and internalized homophobia

archie:

good and sporty boy bi.

works out when he’s stressed.

shadow boxes as a stim.

he has a hard time eating and will work himself to the point of exhaustion bc of his time in prison.

he used to play guitar all the time but now he has trouble remembering it all.

he/him and didn’t really understand pronouns until jughead and veronica explained them to him.

he doesn’t cry easily and you can tell how mad he is if he cries.

hiram gave both him and vee horrible body issues.

he’s neurodivergent, probably ADD or ADHD.

has such a hard time with tone, bless his soul.

everyone thought he was the token straight friend of the group before he and jug dated.

he’s had a crush on jughead since they were kids.

came out to his dad right before his dad died.

jughead:

sad and poetic ace/gay.(he's canonically ace in the comics so i need that rep)

has a tumbler called yesihadanmcrphase and cheryl follows it but doesn’t know it’s him.

he wishes he wrote happy stories.

has horrible intrusive thoughts all the time.

really bad at showing emotions(has kanner’s syndrome).

he has ocd and kanner’s syndrome(which is under the autism spectrum) but was never treated for either up until fp got a stable job as the sheriff.

has always liked men and had a crush on archie(that is why his mom thought they were dating).

cries himself to sleep at night and has horrible night terrors.

secretly obsessed with harry styles and taylor swift lol.

he/they but doesn’t really care.

read a lot of lemony snicket books as a kid.

came out to his parents when he was like eight but didn’t come out to archie until junior year.

betty has known since eighth grade.

veronica guessed it.

betty:

preppy lesbian who likes nancy drew a little too much.

she has high masking BPD that was mistaken for psychosis disorder.

blames herself for what happened with the black hood and couldn’t look anyone in the eye after it was revealed to be her dad.

she loves true crime documentaries and the board game clue.

used to pray to be normal bc she grew up thinking liking girls was bad and that your brain shouldn’t work differently than others.

she got over that and jughead was the first person she came out to(polly was the next person).

she doesn’t know how to reject men so she just pretended her and jug were dating and now everyone thinks they are.

hates when people refer to them as #bughead bc she’s her own person.

she/her but doesn’t mind they/them.

penelope scott

veronica:

mafia queen bi girlboss.

really likes playing poker but their dad didn’t let her play it as a kid bc they’re a girl.

really hates being alone and likes being around people.

physical touch is their love language.

has body issues and anxiety from living with her dad and all the problems he caused.

really good at manipulating but also really easy to manipulate.

has depression but doesn’t talk ab it and prefers to act like everything is fine.

pronouns are they/she and their parents don’t know she’s bi or demigirl.

[cielbyrne]

I absolutely love queer platonic bughead! I love Aro Ace Jughead and I love Betty and Jughead's friendship!

Headcanons

° Betty is the one who tells him about the ace community

° She is the first one he comes out to

° Before he fully knew what being ace was and was comfortable using that term when someone like Ethel would ask him out Betty would always help come up with an excuse and then they usually watch movies together and eat pizza. A "anything to get out of a date" date

° Jughead is now VERY comfortable in his sexuality and

° Betty made him his first Aro and Ace patches with her sewing machine and jughead was so happy HE paid for lunch at Pop's

When I say Bughead this is always what I mean!

[soyforramen]

Asexuality does not equal aromatic, nor vice versa (you can be one, or both, but they’re not necessarily always paired together). asexuality.org is a wonderful website that I believe anon should check out. It was a great resource for me when I realized a few years ago what asexuality was and that it fit me.

As someone on the ace (aro?) spectrum, this post is everything. Just because I’m not sexually attracted to people (the definition of being ace) and I’m very meh about sex (you don’t have to be sex-repelled/touch-repulsed to be ace), I’m also very into being physically affection in other ways. And I’ve dated people! And had crushes that had nothing to do with how ‘hot’ someone was!

In fact, I’d argue that showing an ace in a relationship that they want to be in is far more inclusive. Especially if they are dictating the terms of what they’re comfortable with. Because a lot of ace people still want love and affection, only they want it on their own terms and without sacrificing their own boundaries or comfort.

Not only that, but if you want to completely go full force into your own interpretation of what ace means (please don’t, do some research), queer platonic relationships also exist. Arguably that could also be what Bughead in the comics could be as well!

Tldr: Please don’t use how I identify as a way to come down on people for fictional characters. Especially when you yourself are placing an entire spectrum of folks into a box exclusive to you and your experiences.

Bonus: it’s fandom, so if you want more exclusivity, make some! Or support authors who do provide that inclusivity!

Why did you call this bughead in the comics? Betty and Jughead are just friends and Jughead is ace in the comics. It completely removes an underrepresented identity in the LGBTQ community.

Archie Comics has been around for 80 plus years. It is constantly being handled by different writers and artists who have their own visions and versions, so like most comic books, its stories and characters are bound to face issues when it comes to continuity and consistency. Basically, what I'm really trying to say is that every story and every version of the characters in the Archie Comics catalog is canon and valid.

So... is Jughead ace or not? The answer is that he is both. There are versions of the comics where he shows signs that he is ace and there is one where he is  actually confirmed to be ace (Zdarsky and Henderson's Jughead #4, 2016), but there are also some stories where Jughead is neither asexual nor aromantic. Besides, whether we like it or not, the Riverdale tie-in comics also count as canon now.

What baffles me is that a lot of people use Jughead’s asexuality to invalidate Bughead. I’m not an expert about these things, but I’m pretty sure asexual people are allowed to date. Even aromantic people can date if they want to. In fact, even during those times when he has proclaimed that he has no interest in women whatsoever, Jughead has dated a long list of girls in the comics even without being bribed with food (to the anon who requested Jughead’s dating history, I’m sorry it’s taking a while, but I can assure you that I’m making a lot of progress and I’ve compiled a LOT of material so please don’t worry because I will fulfill my promise). There are even stories where Jughead either engages in consensual displays of affection or admits that he enjoys them. So yeah. The Jughead who chased after Betty asking for kisses (like in Kiss Me, You Fool! from Betty #151, 2006 and in Switch Witch from Archie’s Pal Jughead #123, 1965) and the Jughead who stole Betty from Reggie during a movie date in Conform and Reform (Archie’s Pal Jughead #75, 1961) are just as canon and just as valid as the Jughead who loathes any form of skinship and goes around telling people that he is a woman-hater. 

Dear Anon, I think it’s unfair to accuse us of erasing LGBTQ representation just because we like Bughead. Now, I can’t speak for everyone and I will never dare to, but personally, I have liked Betty and Jughead even before the term “Bughead” was even created. I've been an avid reader of the comics since I was a child and the stories that highlight the friendship between the two of them have always been my favorites. Did I think they’d make a cute couple? I sure did. Did I think I was offending the asexual community and erasing LGBTQ representation when I “shipped” Bughead then? No. Of course not. Anon, you have to understand, I was a kid then and I was already reading about Betty and Jughead in the comics way before I even knew or understood the spectrum of gender and sexuality. It was a simple case of just wanting to see two characters interact a lot because I think they make sense together. At the end of the day, anon, it’s just shipping. There are no set rules on who should be partnered with who (that’s why crack ships exist!), so if you chance upon some Bughead content and you’re not into it, just scroll past and move on. Seriously. Why waste your energy on something you hate when you can just spend it on something you love? 

While I do agree with you that asexuality in underrepresented in mainstream media, I also don’t think it’s right to pour your frustration on a fandom that supports constantly-evolving characters. Especially characters from comic books. I’ve been bombarded with accusations of being anti-LGBTQ since I’ve started this blog ever since it became public knowledge that Kevin Keller mentioned that Jughead was asexual in the Zdarsky comics. The comments I get sometimes are so bad that I just delete them immediately. You prefer asexual Jughead? That’s alright, anon. Go ahead and support asexual Jughead. Asexual Jughead is great. But please, please, please let me appreciate my Betty-loving Jughead too. You may not be fond of him, but that’s the Jughead that I like, so please let me ship him with Betty in peace. Your Jughead and my Jughead are equally important, anon. We shouldn’t be arguing about which one is correct or superior. They’re the same character and they’re both awesome.

...as for the name of the blog, well, I think it’s pretty self-explanatory. Have a lovely day, pals ‘n’ gals! ♥

[sleepycults]

My thoughts during this episode

•Cole Sprouse/Jughead made me nut 5826383 times riding that motorcycle I hope we get more scenes of it

•I have a love hate relationship with Alice Cooper

•Poor Archie!! It's okay to be scared and frozen

•Queer-Platonic Jarchie gives me life

•It's okay to cry and I'm glad they didn't show any toxic ass masculinity

•Veronica trying to be a better person makes me smile so much, don't let him push you away HE NEEDS YOU

•I'm not even a Varchie Stan but their relationship is kinda cute

•That Varchie scene in the shower was so unnecessary, THEY'RE UNDERAGE

•Kevin Keller is a savage

•Cheryl was so damn calm I LOVE IT(she's wifey af)

•WHAT HAPPENED TO CHERYL'S GRANDMA? SHE DED???

•Again, Jughead and this motorcycle made me NUT

•If Veronica doesn't snatch her mom by the end of the season I WILL

•Charles Melton kinda cute. I didn't think he was until now. I need to stop sleeping on him

•KJ's acting is TERRIFIC in this

•Josie and the Pussycats have iconic outfits(aside from Cheryl of course)

•Fred wanted to see his boy grow up and I'm here for it

•That's a lot of blood

•Betty needs to chill, she sounds like her mom now

•I'm tired of bughead

•Jughead is me in dire situations

•Betty has good intentions but she's annoying me

•She pissed off Juggie, I could FEEL IT

•CHERYL BLOSSOM IS A SAVAGE, KEVIN WHO?¿

•Varchie is cute again, stil not shipping any of them tho

•POOR ARCHIE

•Cheryl kissing Fred's forehead was disturbing but also cute?? Idk

•Why was everyone in kilts?

•LILI REINHART LOOKS HOT IN COBALT BLUE, YAS BINCH

•Fred and Archie moment made me cry

•Then bughead came in and my tears dried

•THE SERPENTS ARE A FORCE NOT TO BE RECKONED WITH GODDAMN, YALL SEE THAT DUDE??

•GRUNDY DED, PRAISE THE LORD

•IM SHOOK TO THE CORE

That's the rundown of my reaction to this episode, tune in next week if you're interested??? Or not.

[moonotter]

A Quick Critique of Riverdale

I’m not hating on any ships within the show after finishing the first season I’m merely pointing out my own observations regarding them. Current focus is on the primary ships within the fandom

Beronica: Okay I was gonna say I was aware this was gonna be a queer baiting ship but there’s also the rather suggestive content within the comics. CW has made it clear this is not going to be a ship they’ll actually explore (note: I believe in at one of the cons it was Camila that said something along the lines of “we gave the fans a tease of it but thats just not our show”). In the first couple of episodes I could see how this could be interpreted as a ship by the screen-time and interactions between Betty and Veronica. Ideally if the show progressed it would be nice if the show went the Korra/Asami route, however, judging by the CW’s treatment of LGBT relationships, it currently seems unlikely.

Varchie: This is essentially a couple the show ends on by the end of Season One. The foreshadowing was definitely obvious throughout the season to where the writers were planning on having this ship cannon. By the end of the season the whole “lets keep this under wraps for a while and wait to tell everyone” was a really stupid albeit minor subplot since it was followed by the Jubilee performance that... really made it obvious they were into each other; I will add I agree with some critics that the performance came off as a knock-off HSM Troy-Gabriella, however this had some sort of relevancy? And wasn’t just a poorly planned play a la HSM1 (although it is a classic). However, the “foreshadowing” moments would’ve made more sense as them growing closer platonically due to the chemistry just...not being there. Of course many of their moments were rather sparse due to the characters being involved in other plot lines. Since they’ll remain a couple for a good chunk of Season 2 I’m assuming, it would make way more sense if they wrote their interactions more fluidly. There’s definitely potential with this ship but the writing could definitely improve and not completely bashing KJ’s acting, it has blatantly come off that Veronica is more into Archie than Archie is into her (not just because this would give into the Iconic Love Triangle). The interactions between the two at recent cons sort of give me hope but in at least one of the interviews they both came off as uninterested but I’m unsure of any prior knowledge that led to that. 

Bughead: Currently ignoring how this side of the fandom has allegedly acted out, since this is on the ship itself not the fans. Now Bughead has had the development that Varchie lacked in Season One. Therefore its easier to see how their feelings and interactions have developed. I’m not quite sure how Riverdale plans on presenting Jugheads comic-canon Asexuality after the finale but I sit with the argument that sexuality is fluid (and quite possibly the CW will gloss over this with previous queer-baiting); any allusions to his comic counter-part are more blatant with his interactions with Archie. The relationship is probably one of the healthier types I've seen presented in a teen-drama with how well their support of each other is. Now the finale made the blatant allusion to The Godfather (note: this was admitted by the writers) however I’m gonna say that the Jacket allowed the scene to definitely be its own. I'll admit a majority of their relationship does come off as slightly stale as much as the relationship makes sense, but I appreciate that their relationship is more plot focused. I’m curious to see how this relationship progresses into Season 2 especially with the addition of Vanessa Morgan. 

Archie/Betty: I'll admit I don’t actually know what the mash-name of this ship is so just putting the Classic naming system in. Now this is a ship I’ll admit I'm glad hasn’t happened. For clarity, the beginning made practical sense of Betty being the girl next door with an unrequited crush on Archie. However, despite the two of them being friends it did come off that it could be an unhealthy relationship should it have ever occurred that early in the series. Following his rejection, the allowing the two of them to friends was probably one of the better decisions made narratively. Now Archies relationship with Ms. Grundy at the same time could’ve influenced this, but early season Archie lacked more sense than later season Archie. The repeated Archie being disappointed by Jughead and Betty being happy with their relationship is admittedly a concern but we’re “talking about a teenage boy.” He had multiple chances to get with Betty, with or without Grundy’s influence, and frankly with how the writing has been with the two, the focus on Bughead makes more logical sense for the time being. With the ending of Season One allowing Archie to question his own relationship and his feelings for Betty clearly plays into the Iconic Love Triangle, however, this does make me question how the Core Four will go in the series and I do worry it could become toxic for Archie and Betty in its representation should they ever get together. Now I’ll acknowledge we’re currently only in Season One with few spoilers from early Season Two so I end my commentary on this ship.

Kevin/Joaquin: Rather underrated, unsure of the ship name. This is a rather minor ship but I figured I would comment on one of the shows more blatant non-het ships. The relationship could’ve been given more depth but Casey wasn’t at this time a Series Regular. Therefore the lack of focus on this relationship despite the plot point of Joaquin working with the Serpents for information and what not. The writers quite obviously floundered with this ship regarding their lack of screen time thus making it easier to slide in when necessary but not to the level that any Bughead or Varchie had. I wouldn’t bank against the writers bringing Joaquin back later in the series for the sake of Drama but it was an underdeveloped ship and hopefully they get better with their LGBT representation.

[millicnreasons-blog]

how do you feel about lgbtqa roles in media? @ u

PRIDE MONTH QUESTIONNAIRE // accepting

Oh now this is a very good question.

I think comparatively, since the 1990′s there’s been a slow upward trend in lgbtqa representation, it’s gone from relatively few and negative images to a much more visible and positive representation. However, that isn’t to say the media doesn’t have a long way to go in providing more appropriate and positive healthy portrayals of lgbqa people. My main bug bear when it comes to queer representation is the trend of f/f storylines or even subtext f/f is still geared towards the straight male gaze. ( holla for hetero privilege yall can we say H E T E R O N O R M A T I V I T Y ). 

Another issue with lgbtqa storylines is that they can often be delivered in a way that is palatable to the masses eg. the trope of pairing male gay characters with a heterosexual female counterpart - will & grace is like the PERFECT albeit a little dated example of this-  by making the gay male character the female leads homo-platonic pseudo husband ( and even with will & grace fight me if there wasn’t this over whelming implication that they’d end up together by the fandom ).

THIS GETS LONG…. so I’mma read more it!!

       Let’s talk Buffy the Vampire Slayer; so this show was literally at the forefront of queer portrayals imo. the willow and tara love story was so beautifully crafted, and delivered with grace. it grew so naturally and, i know now from interviews with Wheadon that it was his intention from very early on to take Willow’s story down that route. and this was in the last 90′s, a lesbian full frontal kiss on primetime television, it was fucking visionary, and because of this show and this story line I was less afraid to explore my own feelings for the same sex.  Their romance would die ( literally when Tara died and oh god that hurt ) but what they did after that is arguable so important – and as much as I hated it at the time looking back now, giving Willow another female love interest, after Tara was so important. They didn’t just leave her to grieve and be alone, they gave her hope, a new beginning. And you might slate BTVS for a lot of things, but how they played out that story line in the late 90′s early noughties was spectacular. and they were anything but apologetic about it.  

     Now let’s talk about Grey’s Anatomy; this show has done wonderful at queer representation.  I might have such a love hate relationship with a lot of aspects of GA but queer rep is one thing is does exceptionally well, and it isn’t afraid to tackle very REAL problems that lgbtqa people face. the marriage story line with Callie & Arizona was so tasteful and so REALISTICALLY done. Callie’s  religious parents didn’t accept her.  her mother didn’t show up to her wedding; their wedding wasn’t legal because at the time the state of washington didn’t have marriage equality. While i think it’s very important to show healthy, stable relationships between same sex couples, what is even more important is to show their struggles. This gives lgbtqa people something they can relate to. Another story line i though was super important was the one with Ben Warren’s transgender MtF sister.  Ben struggled to come to terms with it, and displayed some wholly disgusting transphobic attitudes and comments. which, although enraged me to watch was relatable, and a true representation to a lot of trans* individuals face when coming out to their families. And finally, the Calzona court battle, gave such hope to not only same sex couples facing awful custody battles but ALSO to adoptive parents. I was extremely well executed.  So well done grey’s you’re doing pretty damn good at this.

    Other noteable, good examples of positive and realistic portrays is definitely Shameless (US) the Gallavich storyline.  A story of two rough kids from shitty neighbourhoods figuring shit out. And while their relationship was toxic at some points,  the growth and character development within it was intense. They loved each other very much, too much even, and in the end that love wasn’t enough to keep them together. it broke my heart i won’t lie. watching how far they came from Mickey’s outright refusal to label himself gay to standing up in the middle of the Alibi and declaring it everyone was fucking beautiful. Also, Shout out to Shameless also for their Poly representation.

 And the NOT so good, trend of QUEER BAITING. two of my favorite shows are guilty of this. They pull you in with this hint of a beautiful queer ship. ( Lexa and Clarke; Betty & Veronica ). maybe they even give you a kissing scene. a little development and then BAM they rip it away. In t100′s case by killing of a queer character for nothing more than shock value. or in Riverdale’s case,a little girl on girl for the ‘shock factor’ of attention whoring. With little consideration for how much that would piss off there queer fans… another Riverdale problem is Jughead’s asexual erasure, which, no isn’t just me pissed off at BUGHEAD. (i lowkey ship it; it gives a girl Literati feels okay??) i know that only one incarnation of the comics confirmed outright his status as asexual. but, for anyone who’d read the comics that doesn’t need to be said, it’s very evident without the outright language that Jughead is ace. What i would have liked to see was that being explored within a relationship. There is no reason why, Jughead, as an asexual could not be in a relationship. I would have prefered to see was how his sexuality would have affected said relationship, be that with Betty or anyone else for that matter, but unfortunately that isn’t a route CW wanted to take for his character, and as someone who identifies somewhere on the ace spectrum ( lil bi-demi right here yo ) that’s kinda sad to me.

So yeah,  in summary, we do have some very positive example of queer representation in the media, but even in those positive examples there is still heteronormative subtext. there’s still a lot of biphobia, transphobia and out right sexualities being erased entirely to make the content more appealing. ( everyone loves a romance plot, right?? ) what i would like to see more of is strong and important friendships between queer characters. platonic  relationships are important, not everyone needs to be fucking everyone to make good viewing. I would like to see more development of queer characters outside of the confines of BEING a queer character ( eg. Kevin Keller, can someone give that boy a decent storyline next season please. )

[teddyisgroovy]

My personal LGBT+ Headcanons for Riverdale

•Archie is bi with a preference for women

•Betty is bi (but hasn't come to terms w/ it yet cause compulsory heterosexuality)

•Veronica is lesbian

•Jughead is a demiromantic asexual

•Cheryl is super gay. Like the gayest girl.

•Josie is queer

•Valerie is a transwoman

•Dilton Dolie is a transman

•Ethyl is a homoromantic gray-asexual

•Bughead will kind of develop into a queer platonic relationship as they both start coming to terms with their sexuality

•Cheryl and Josie used to have a thing, but ended things amicably when it became clear that their passions were more important than their relationship (they still are pretty good friends as seen in the show)

•Cheryl now has a thing for Veronica. Veronica is oblivious.

•Veronica has a small crush on Betty. Betty is oblivious.

•Betty also has feelings for Veronica? But believes them to just be really strong platonic feelings cause Compulsory Heterosexuality

• Not a headcanon: I googled it to see if our canon gay character's boyfriend is coming back and Joaquin is credited in 5 episodes according to IMDB bless the gods we get a lil gay forbidden love

[maplemoew-blog]

I ship bughead...................as a queer-platonic relationship. 

[chimepunk]

i'm just gonna treat bughead like straight people treat potential queer ships. like look how close they are they care about each other so much!!! what good FRIENDS! aww they're such good friends that they platonically kiss each other :))) how sweet :))))))