#lilirpff

[arsenicpanda]

Just saw your reply to my Bh gifs question, can’t wait then! I’m not a multi shipper so this season has been long lol.

What are your thoughts about Betty talking about how she feels she is addicted to Jughead last episode? I haven’t seen your take on this and I always like to see different takes on those scenes. Not the Bughead part if you don’t want to go there I guess lol, but mostly about Betty’s trauma and her.

Oh yeah, I’m sure this season has been rough if you’re only into bughead, like I do not envy that experience.

For the record, before I start, I haven’t really read anyone’s takes on this, just talked about it with friends, so idk how this fits into the greater discourse outside of some shitposts I've seen. Anyway, let’s head to under the cut:

As for Betty, I think she is peak Not Doing Great, Bob. It’s good that she seems to intellectually know her problem, but not great that she’s doing nothing to fix it. A friend of mine likened the situation to previous versions of Betty being very Batman-esque in her pursuit of criminals and justice, but post-time skip Betty more resembles the more violent Thomas Wayne version of Batman from Flashpoint, and, ok, I don’t know a lot about that version of Batman, but it sounds right from what little I do know. I might bug her into making a post about it sometime, idk. But Betty's attitude and willingness to use violence have really changed--she's much more compulsive about it, and she doesn't fear using violence and how that might be her "darkness" manifesting anymore, and idek when that happened or how or why, although I wish they'd tell us. Like, Betty's at a point where I'm kinda worried she's gonna turn into the Punisher.

But Betty has a very flat affect through that conversation--she has a flat affect in general post-time skip, tbh--and like...I am Worried about her. Every time I think Betty’s reached rock bottom, she takes out a shovel and goes “nah, not far enough down, gotta keep going,” like, bby, please stop. She is very much allergic to emotions this season, just absolutely hates them and wants nothing to do with them, and I am Concerned for her. I also hate her “I should be taking care of my mom” like no!! Betty, it’s not your job to take care of your mother! You have to take care of yourself first, and also you shouldn’t be parenting your mom! God, the fact that this is never presented as a bad thing pisses me off so much.

Anyway, it’s a very interesting conversation because it’s very honest, the most honest we’ve seen Betty be all season, but it’s also very detached, but also very nonjudgmental. Like, s1-4 Betty would have been all !!! about Jughead drinking after the “I’m an alcoholic” reveal, but this Betty just...has no reaction? You could interpret it as either “well, I’m not going to judge the backslide because I'm not doing so great myself” or “ok, I don’t really care”, and I lean toward the former, but I’m not a fan of the fact that the latter is even a possible interpretation.

I am worried that Betty’s emptiness will be attributed to being apart from Jughead because, like...that’s not a great dynamic, if they can’t function as regular humans at all without each other. “We help each other be our best selves because we inspire and help each other”, which previous bughead was, is very different from “without each other we can’t function at all and just kind of suck”, like the former is romantic and the latter is depressing. Idk, it goes back to my beef with this season that everyone is miserable and shittier as people; I think all the characters should have been moderately successful and happy enough, and then when they’re back together it’s like...yeah, this is what makes things the best they can be, this fits more than anything else. The difference between “good enough” and “ideal”, B tier vs SSS tier, basically.

I will say, I’m also not thrilled about the “Betty is addicted to these investigations” thing, because it kind of means that, in order for Betty to live a happy, well-adjusted life, she has to stop investigating stuff, and I think that’s absolute horseshit. Like, it’s an interesting take, sure, but it ultimately has a boring outcome, and therefore I hate it. Like, it would have been more Betty-esque to have Betty struggling to fit herself in the “Perfect FBI Agent” box as a way to prevent her “darkness” from interfering with her job, and then have her realize that that’s not who she is or how she functions and she needs to quit, because Betty’s struggle always includes who she thinks she should be vs who she fears she is vs who she actually is.

I do kinda love broken, dysfunctional bughead though, they’re pretty fun to watch, just two disasters careening through life, that would have been really fun to spend a season watching, but Jughead’s on the mend now, so that’s kind of not on the table anymore, alas.

Ok, that was super ramble-y, but I think I got my thoughts in? Hopefully it makes sense and doesn't jump around too much. Idk, if there’s anything else you want me to cover, just ask.

[bettycooper]

Will you be participating on Betty’s appreciation week? I love your edits!

Oh. Holy shit. This is so nice, @lilirpff ??? I legit just think I’m out here giffing my own brand of nonsense into the void all the time. So thanks for saying this. Truly. 🖤

Okay. SO. I’m sort of in the middle of moving back to the US from Europe after 7 years (I’m so fucked btw. Ive spent about 2 weeks stateside in that whole time.) complete with job & house hunting & my giffing time has been a weee bit limited. I’m definitely doing all of Bughead Appreciation Week—more bananas than last year— (I’m also one of the admins behind the event) & I’m going to TRY and knock out a couple Betty sets for Betty week this week. I’ve just not had a lot of laptop time in the past month to be able to prepare like I usually do. If you have any ideas you’d like to see for it (no matter how fancy), hit me up though because I can always use inspo. I am 500% serious. 😻

[simon-eriksson]

#A look™

Requested by @lilirpff

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

Betty Cooper in 5x4 

request for @lilirpff 

[arsenicpanda]

002 Betty

This is an oooooold ask game question, but let's jam!

|002 Betty Cooper

How I feel about this character: She is my future-PI, ends-justify-the-means darling and I love her. Betty believes in capital-j Justice and will pursue someone she perceives as a perpetrator to the ends of the earth, using (almost?) any means necessary. This makes her an extra terrible cop but a great PI and a fascinating character. Betty is the girl next door cracked open to reveal all the insecurities and pressures that being the Good Girl Next Door would create, and instead of some “oh, she’s under pressure but otherwise normal” we got “nah, she’s ruthless and dark and smart as fuck but also yearning to be loved” and then we let her be loved, not some Strong Independent Woman or a perpetual second choice, but someone’s first choice, how fucking rare is that? That a woman with darkness in her gets to be loved without the condition that she hide or “fix” that darkness? It’s a breath of fresh air. Betty goes from being unsure of herself and struggling with her ~darkness~ to be certain and confident and decisive and comfortable with her chosen level of ~darkness~ in 4x16. I mean, then things go to shit and she seems to be overconfident, even cocky, and unaware of just how dark she’s gotten (Betty gets the line of how dark she gets to be of "maybe don't be a vigilante killer", which is a normal line for all protagonists and therefore doesn't bother me), but I assume she’ll come back to her normal state of being equal steps from being a hero and being a villain, rather than her current state of being much closer to being a villain than being a hero. I’m excited to see it, and I hope to god they don’t fuck it up.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Jughead, mainly. Donna is good for hatesex but nothing long term, and Veronica is good in the comics. Toni is good too, and I’m itching to see her one-on-one dynamic with Tabitha because I already like it in theory and can’t wait to see it in practice. Also, my two OT3s are Betty/Jughead/Toni (bugoni) and Betty/Jughead/Tabitha (bugabitha), but especially bugabitha because omg investigative power throuple that covers the full spectrum between Mulder and Scully, give it to me now, please. If Riverdale would just open its third eye, it would have bugabitha + varchiereggie endgame, let me tell you.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Oh god, Betty has terrible and underdeveloped friendships. Uh...Charles? I love her interactions with him, the way he’s like “Betty, you’re so great at catching serial killers, I love you, please love me” and she’s like “But you’re a serial killer”, like that’s peak comedy and I want more of it, please.

My unpopular opinion about this character: idk if this is unpopular, but I think, while she’s been (for the most part) a great girlfriend, she’s been a shitty friend to, well, all of her friends. She’s so focused on her mystery, her mission du jour, and her family that she kind of just lets her friendships fall to the side, especially her friendship with Veronica, like holy shit. Like, the bad friendship goes both ways with Archie and Kevin, but Veronica has been a very supportive and helpful friend to Betty, and the show rarely shows Betty doing the same, which is a huge bummer. It’s very much a case of the writers choosing to mainly write Betty’s mysteries, but as a result of that choice, she just looks like a bad friend, which is unfortunate. I wish it wasn’t true, but alas.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I wish she had been a PI and former FBI agent post time skip instead of an FBI trainee. It would have made everything she did in 5a fun instead of deeply uncomfortable at best.

my OTP: Jughead, obviously. Even with everything that canon has done to try and injure this ship, it stands pretty damn tall. Like, they just line up, there’s no disputing that. Interests, priorities, attitudes, beliefs, they all just fit. I’ve never seen two characters who are so clearly soulmates before; there’s just no denying it.

my cross over ship: Uhh...none? Maybe she’d be cute with Tsubaki because they’re both big on Justice? But then Tsubaki also very much follows the rules, so that might not work.

a headcanon fact: The reason Betty is only a trainee is because she took the time to get a Masters in Psychology after college and therefore only joined the FBI recently. She never visits Charles, but she sometimes gets letters from him that she immediately throws in the trash.

[thetaoofbetty]

I agree with you about how peole is taking this in Betty. Literally twitter is just talking about how she is so annoying and OOC and is not the same Betty, without thinking why would that be or that everyone change in 7 years too. I just think people are always way to harsh on Betty and how she should make Jug happy, without caring about her I guess.

people have always been harsh on betty tbh. it’s been a wild ride, she can't win for losing.

i mean, yes, everyone has changed in the last 7 years but also, not enough people are thinking that maybe there’s a reason she’s changed. which is wild. jughead is drinking too much and somehow got himself into serious debt and everyone is wondering how and why and no one is like, gee, maybe 2 weeks in the murder hole with a serial killer might have altered betty’s behavior for the moment? 

it’s pretty telling tbh. 

she’s lying to everyone. she’s telling everyone she’s fine. it looks like she’s using sex as an adrenaline rush but doesn’t want any of those pesky emotions involved. she’s being reckless and thoughtless and standoffish and is acting weird overall.

one would assume it’s for a reason if you weren’t already looking for a reason to dislike her. 

[thetaoofbetty]

You nailed it! And in stupid narratives that people can’t seem to leave, there is the “they are just punishing Veronica and Jughead for the cheating while Betty and Archie are JUST having fun!”. Now, I don’t care or pay attention to Archie’s storylines, but I would love to see where Jug and Veronica are the only victims and how Betty is always having fun this season cause I’m probably watching another show this season.

Sorry for the rant, but was watching some takes and damn.

on what planet is that even a comparable narrative? betty using sex as a coping mechanism and it feeling forced—like she was supposed to want it—after the first adrenaline rushed time (to me, and b/a is not my notp so i wasn’t looking through shipper goggles there—people can disagree but that was my impression) wasn’t really my idea of her “having fun.” 

she tried to speak on her problems and got offered a distraction instead. she took it because it was better than nothing. being able to pretend to be normal is betty’s default setting. 

with jughead, she immediately opened up and i think it’s because she knew he was going to listen to her. 

none of them are having fun (or were, v/a was feeling themselves last episode, ha) this season. they all have issues. there’s nothing about betty that signifies she’s actually had any real fun lately. and that includes her fwb situation. she used a warm body to distract herself and it wasn’t even enough. 

hark, do we hear the slut shamey vibes that this idea stems from or are we pretending that this fandom doesn’t do that still? 

[arsenicpanda]

Will you ever do some Bughead gifs again? Missing you in the fandom!

All of my bughead ideas--I do have a few--work best with footage of them reunited as a couple, which is almost certainly going to happen eventually, so I'm waiting for it. Otherwise, I'm pretty in jabitha/babitha/bughabitha mode because, well, not a lot of people make content for them, whereas plenty of very talented people make content for bughead. Make the content you want to see in the world, basically, fill that void. I do very much appreciate your interest though, and if you have a specific request, I can fill it, but otherwise I'm gonna bide my time.

[arsenicpanda]

Not shade, but your last post, so you don’t want Bughead to happen anymore? You don’t think they can recover?

What?�� That’s not my post, that’s an analysis of 5x09 by someone else, someone who is very thoughtful and insightful.  I think bughead can come back, absolutely, and I am 100000% down with bughead endgame, but disregarding all of that wonderful insight because of a minor disagreement over shipping?  Madness, that’s madness.

[arsenicpanda]

At the risk of sound rude, could you tag your last post with the couple name? Cause I really dont wish to see people shipping them but I do like your takes in the show and Bughead.

Don't worry, you're being super polite! Ok, I went back and tagged the post with the ship because it is #relatable for Jughead/Tabitha fans. I'm also gonna do this: for any post that doesn't meet my qualifications for ship tagging normally--and those qualifications are higher for rare pairs because I don't want to clog or spam the tag with irrelevant posts--I'll put in the ship name followed by "for ts". Do it would be #ship name for ts, with the ship name instead of the phrase "ship name", if that makes sense? I'm trying to avoid saying the name so this doesn't end up in search, sorry.

If that doesn't make sense, I'm happy to clarify in a reblog or reply or DM!