#my thoughts on Riverdale let me show you them

[arsenicpanda]

The final episode of Riverdale should have been the cast in bad old age makeup stopping 9/11 with their knowledge of the future

[betyloca]

giant cat and little mouse

summary: you are a were jaguar who joined Thorin's company thanks to Gandalf but a certain hobbit always follows you like a shadow

you were escaping with the dwarves from the orcs you ran as fast as you could some of the dwarves were fighting them until they surrounded them you looked behind you you saw bilbo who was hiding behind you he looked scared you put an arm in front of him in a protective manner

you saw some grubs approaching showing their teeth you noticed that gandalf found a cave that would take them to Riverdale you looked at bilbo saying

y/n: Bilbo, when I distract them, run to the cave.

Bilbo: What?

y/n: run just run

you told him you started running towards the guargos while you transformed into a jaguar you pounced on them biting and scratching them you saw how bilbo ran to the cueba

You began to finish them one by one until more began to arrive "fuck" you thought until you heard a sound and arrows began to shoot at the bows and guargos you saw elves fighting with them until they left

An elf saw you and pointed an arrow at you. You growled at him in warning.

elrond: stop she is not a danger

guard: but it's a beast

Elrond: It's not, she is y/n.

approaching said while examining some scratches on your back.

Elrond: You were hurt, we will take you to Riverdale.

He said, stroking your head as he headed to his horse to head to Riverdale. You followed them even in your jaguar form. You couldn't transform into a human. You still didn't have any clothes.

Hacecandoce said while examining some scratches on your back.

When you arrived you saw the dwarves, the hobbit and Gandal safe, which relieved you.

They were on guard when they noticed the elves, but even more so when they saw you clearly, you forgot to tell them that you were turning into a jaguar.

gloin: what creature is that?

balin: it's a jaguar

Fili: Why would they bring him?

You began to move while you saw how they looked at you with fear except for the hobbit, he began to move slowly while you stayed still.

Oín: Bilbo, what are you doing?

Thorin: Bilbo come back here

He didn't pay attention. He stayed looking at you until he placed his hand on your face. You looked at it, resting your head on it. He smiled, caressing you while you purred.

Bilbo: It's Y/N.

Kili: What?

Bilbo: I saw her turn into a jaguar

Gandalf: It's true, she is a were jaguar.

~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~

It was night you were walking through the gardens without being able to sleep you were looking at the stars your wounds had been healed you were wearing a dress that they had lent you you were deep in thought when you felt a familiar smell you hid behind a column when you noticed Bilbo coming out of his room hiding looking for you you stood behind him whispering to him

y/n: who are you looking for, my beautiful prey?

Bilbo jumped in fright, turning around to look at you nervously.

Bilbo: I just walked to no one

y/n: okay

You said passing by him as you walked, he followed you in silence until you reached a bench where you sat down.

y/n: sit down or do you plan to stand

He sat next to you while playing with his fingers.

y/n: and tell me what you plan to do next

Bilbo: After what?

y/n: from this adventure

He looked at you thoughtfully.

Bilbo: I didn't think about it and you?

y/n: I don't know either

Bilbo: well if you want you can come to my house and we could have tea

you giggled

y/n: okay that sounds good

They remained silent until he spoke again.

Bilbo: Does it hurt when you transform?

You looked at him he seemed a little worried.

y/n: no when it was the first time yes but not now

he let out a sigh

y/n: you know, I have never seen a creature that was not afraid of me, men, dwarves, even elves are afraid of me, but a little hobbit was not afraid of me, that is having courage.

Bilbo: why value?

You started to make him care more while you made him feel smaller than he was.

y/n: make you face a beast that you know very well would tear you to pieces in a few seconds and no one could help you.

You said as you saw how nervous he was and the blush that appeared on his cheeks.

Bilbo: And if the beast decides not to hurt me

you leaned into his ear, whispering to him

y/n: well you would be very lucky if it didn't touch you with its claws.

You said, letting out a growl as you ran your claw-like nails along his neck and up to his cheek. He shuddered, letting out a gasp.

You started to like how nervous he got

y/n: although I think you like that, that's not the case, my little prey.

You looked at him, you saw how blushing he was, he was a mess of nerves as you put your hand on his neck, caressing him with your claws.

y/n: or am I wrong?

Bilbo: Yes, I would like to.

You made yourself kiss his cheek until you reached his lips and he let out a gasp.

You continued kissing him until you separated from him you saw him gasping for air he looked at you blushing.

Y/N: You are such a cute little thing, you know that.

Bilbo: Yes

He said looking at the ground without wanting to see your gaze. You took it in your hands looking at it as if you were going to devour it.

Y/N: You know my little mouse wouldn't hurt you.

you said kissing him again without letting go this time.

You didn't know why you liked how nervous you made him but you suspected it was your mating season.

[warriorofthought]

Ice Bear

Summary: You always were close to Lindir but he suddenly finds your present disturbing and that hurts you. Can you both come to good terms back again?

Word Count: 2023

Warnings: a bit hurt and sad feelings

Linder X Reader

In the serene woods of Riverdale, amidst the whispering leaves and the soft glow of moonlight, Lindir, the gentle minstrel of the Elves, found himself entangled in an unexpected situation. He had always been known for his kindness and compassion, but lately, he found himself feeling overwhelmed by the attentions of an ardent admirer.

As Lindir strummed his lute beneath the ancient mallorn trees, he sensed the presence of You approaching. With a courteous smile, Lindir welcomed you but his heart sank as You began to speak.

"Lindir," You began earnestly, "I must confess, I find myself drawn to your presence more than ever. Your melodies enchant me, your wisdom inspires me. I... I feel as though I cannot bear to be apart from you, as I was a child I was often by you, I miss that."

Lindir's heart fluttered with discomfort, for while he cherished You as a friend, he did not share the same romantic feelings. With a heavy heart, Lindir gathered his courage to speak his truth.

"Y/n" Lindir began gently, "I am deeply honored by your affection, but I must confess that I feel you have become... too clingy."

Your expression faltered, a flicker of hurt crossing your features. "Clingy? I... I only wish to be close to you, Lindir. Is that not what friends do?"

Lindir sighed, his fingers tracing the delicate patterns of his lute. "Indeed, friends do share a bond of closeness, but there must also be space for individual pursuits and interests. I fear that your constant presence leaves me feeling suffocated, unable to breathe freely."

Silence enveloped them like a shroud as You processed Lindir's words, his gaze cast downwards in contemplation. After a moment, he looked up, his eyes filled with remorse.

"I had not realized," You murmured, your voice tinged with regret. "Forgive me, Lindir, if I have caused you discomfort. I only wished to express my admiration for you."

Lindir's heart clenched with regret at the pain in your voice, but he knew that honesty was the only path forward. 

A flicker of hurt crossed your features, like a shadow passing over the moonlit glade. You stood silent for a moment, your gaze fixed upon the ground, before finally lifting his eyes to meet Lindir's.

"I have understood your words, I'm sorry for disturbing you" you murmured, voice tinged with sorrow. 

Lindir's heart ached at the pain in your voice, but he knew that he could not retract his words. And so, with a heavy heart, he watched as you quickly turned and walked away, disappearing into the depths of the forest like a fleeting shadow.

Days turned into weeks, and still, there was no sign of You searching for him. Lindir wandered the woods of Riverdale, his heart heavy with regret, longing for the familiar presence of his dear friend. But try as he might, he could find no trace of you, as if you had vanished into the mists of his memory.

And so, beneath the canopy of stars, Lindir played his lute, the echoes of his melodies mingling with the sighing of the trees. For even as the silence between them grew, he held onto the hope that one day, their friendship would bloom anew, like a flower blossoming in the wake of winter's chill.

_______________________________________

A few weeks later 

Lindir manage to spot you as you do your usual duty and steps up to you. Your attention is immediately drawn to him as you hear him. You quickly look away and tried to leave but he steps into your way.

"don't you dare to step closer, i don't want you near me" you utter a bit too rough, the Sight of him brings pain.

Lindir stops moving and his heart sinks for a moment. You truly don't want to let him come any closer and it hurts Lindir more than he wants to show. He finally understands that his words had hurted you more than he thought.

"So..." He replies with a mixture of hurt and sadness in his eyes trying to come up with a conversation. "You would have wanted to keep spending time with me and see me and hear my stories like we used to?"

"Have I ever said I don't want that?"

Lindir is quiet for a moment as he lets these words sink in. He realizes how stupid he has been. Maybe things could go back to how they had been. Maybe you are not truly gone from him after all.

"Can I ask you something?" Lindir says as he slowly walks closer to you. "Will you please let me tell you one last story? I still know so many and I was saving at least one for you. You never got to hear it. Will you please let me do that?"

You slowly nod " is it about the ice bear?"

Lindir notices how much you are opening up to him at the mention of a story he wishes to tell you and it warms his heart.

"Indeed it is." He says and looks at you. A moment of silence passes and he then looks at the floor, as if preparing himself. "Shall I begin?"

"yes" you nod and sit down on a nearby bench.

Lindir is quiet for a long moment. He is really glad you want to hear his story, even after he messed up so much. And he wants to make it up to you for it.

"Once, very long ago, there was a group of elves who lived in a far remote area within the forests. And they loved to explore these woods. One day, they stumbled on a cave that was very deep within the depths of the woods. They explored the cave and soon began to be surrounded by a lot of ice."

Your eyes slowly move over to him.

"As they went deeper, they soon noticed that they were becoming surrounded by more and more ice. It was as if the cave was a large freezer. The deeper they went, the tighter the ice became.

But they were brave and went all the way down until they reached a huge chamber that was filled entirely with ice. In the middle of the room, they saw something that startled them immediately."

"the little ice bear?"

Lindir is silent for a second, surprised that you already know most of the story. However, that does not bother him.

"Yes, indeed. It was a tiny little thing, so small that it fit in the palm of your hand. It was lying on its side and barely moving. All the elves were worried that it was going to die because it was freezing.

Then, something unexpected happened. The little ice bear moved its head and suddenly it looked directly at them."

Your eyes slowly show a little bit of your excitement.

Lindir notices a hint of excitement in your eyes. He continues with the story.

"Everybody was shocked at first. But the elf who had been exploring this cave the most got closer with a gentle and cautious approach. He had always loved animals of all kinds and he could not stop himself from trying to save the ice bear. He moved closer and carefully picked up the little bear.

His touch seemed to have an immediate and magical effect, as the very ice that surrounded the bear began to melt. And the little bear regained its breath."

"Wow" you mumble

Lindir smiles at you, realizing that you are enjoying his story more and more.

"Indeed. As the ice vanished, it became visible that the cave was more like a freezer and the ice was like magic frozen on this animal. All the elves were completely astonished at what they could see.

In the end, the elf that had held the small bear in his arms decided to take him with him back to the woods. Since that day, the little ice bear and the elf were inseparable."

"They are friends now?"

"They are not just friends now. They are bonded for the rest of their lives. The ice bear is actually very clingy towards the elf and likes to ride on his shoulders. The elf always loves to pet him and even has given him a name."

Lindir pauses for a moment and then leans a little bit closer to you and speaks softly. "Would you like to know the name he gave him?"

You nod.

Lindir leans even closer, his voice almost a whisper by now. He can tell that this story is hitting a spot in you.

"The elf called the little ice bear 'Icely'. They are so bonded and so close now that it is as if they cannot be separated. Icely is always with the elf and the elf can never be sad because Icely will always be there to cheer him up."

"that sounds nice"

"And what if I told you that that small ice bear reminds me of someone?" He asks you. With a glance, you understand who he is referencing.

"Of who?" You ask, trying to hide your curious feelings.

“It's the one I care so much about and the one that deserves all the kindness and love I have to give. The one I miss every day after you started to avoid me."

"You." He answers softly. "I feel as if we are like the elf and the bear. We cannot be separated. Maybe what happened between us before was so hurtful, but now I am not ready to let you go either. I will never leave you and I will always be here for you whether you wish to admit it or not." He sighs slightly, a bit sad.

"I cannot explain the feeling. Whenever I am with you, I do not feel sad because you are there. Even when I do not have the best day, you make it brighter and happier simply by being there.”

Lindir gets a bit closer to you and he talks softly. His tone is sincere and his eye contact is full of kindness.

“I have told you the story of my friends to tell you this: you are my little ice bear. You are not a burden for me, I promise, i will never tell you something like that so rough, i will be softer."

"Lindir" your voice finally soft again and it drifted through the air like a whisper carried on the wind, "I have missed you."

"Y/n" Lindir breathed, relief flooding through him like a river breaking free from its banks, "I feared I had lost you forever."

You look at him with a hesitant smile, your gaze soft and searching. "I needed time to... to process our conversation, your words were a bit hard for me" you admitted, your voice tinged with vulnerability. "But I realize now that I cannot bear to be apart from you, Lindir."

A surge of warmth flooded Lindir's heart at your words, and he reached out to clasp his hand, their fingers intertwining like the branches of two trees intertwined in a forest glade.

"Nor can I bear to be apart from you, y/n" Lindir confessed, his voice barely more than a whisper carried on the breeze. “ You have always held a special place in my heart, a place of light and warmth amidst the shadows."

Your eyes widened with surprise, your gaze locking with Lindir's in an unspoken exchange of understanding. And then, with a tender smile, he leaned forward, and hug you in a gentle big warm hug that spoke volumes of the love that had blossomed between you both.

Underneath the canopy of stars, amidst the whispering leaves and the soft glow of moonlight, Lindir and you found solace in each other's arms, their bond strengthened not by words alone, but by the depth of their shared affection. And as they danced beneath the silvered sky, their hearts entwined like the branches of two trees reaching for the heavens, they knew that their love would endure for all eternity, a beacon of hope in a world shrouded in darkness.

[supercap2319]

Skip, Hop, Thump!

Archie Andrews x male reader

"Thanks for helping me out of this jam, Y/N."Archie said as he watched his best friend look through different records of music. They were in his room as Y/N was going to give Archie a crash course in learning how to dance to impress Veronica, so she'll let him take her to the Sock Hop. "I panicked, told Veronica that I can dance when the truth is, I got two left feet. You remember when I broke Midge's big toe doing the bunny hop?"

Y/N chuckles. "I do. But don't worry." He took the vinyl record out of its jacket as he put it into the record player. "We will start with something simple and classic. The twist." The record scratches as the music comes on as Y/N gets up, turning to Archie with a smile. "Okay, so start just by moving your hips from side to side like this." He shows Archie the motion as the ginger male watches him. His brown eyes narrow together. "Try it." Y/N encourages him.

Archie tried to copy Y/N, but he ended up moving more of his shoulders and arms than his hips. He looks at him. "Like this?" He's probably the worst dancer in all of Riverdale. How humiliating would it was for not just himself, but Veronica as well, if Archie danced like this in front of the whole school? "No. Less of shoulders, more hips."

"Okay. Like this? I can't…" Archie tried once more, but he ended up looking stiff and awkward, trying to repeat the simple dance moves. His face is flushed with embarrassment as Y/N gives him a small smile. "No. Maybe you just need to focus on slow dancing. Everyone knows how to slow dance." Y/N turned the record on the other side and Be Mine by the Innocents starts to play.

"Okay. One hand goes like this." He grabbed Archie's hand and locked their right hands together as they both flushed slightly. He puts Archie's other hand just above his waist. "The other hand, here. But don't be fresh." Y/N instructed. He puts a hand on Archie's shoulder as they begin to sway back and forth gently. "And then you just sway like this."

"That's it?" Archie asked.

"Yeah, it's pretty simple, right?"

"Yeah, but it makes me wonder. Which Dolly are you taking to the sock hop?"

"Actually, I'm not going to go. Dances aren't really my scene. Besides, there's this new horror flick playing at the movies Friday, and I thought I might check it out." Y/N said.

"Why not? It's going to be a bitchin good time. You have to go." Archie told him.

"What's the point? Chicks don't dig me the way they do you, Archie. Maybe they're not my type."

Archie looks at his best friend in shock. He wasn't suggesting that he was—he couldn't be—right? "You're not going to tell me you're… you know… one of those guys, right? Like what Veronica said about James Dean."

"And if I was?" Y/N asked him. "Would you hate me? Stop being my friend? Beat me up?"

"What? Of course, I wouldn't. Y/N, you're my pal. My best pal, and nothing could ever make me see you any differently."

"You promise?" Y/N said. Looking into those chocolate-colored eyes, that belonged to the classic all-American teenage boy.The straight and narrow teenage boy.

"I swear."

"Pinkie swear?"

Archie chuckles. "Pinkie swear."

They just sway to the music, uncaring about how this would look to anyone else. How they just look at each other with grins on their faces, heat flushing both their skin and maybe Y/N imagined it, but he swears Archie looked down at his mouth and licked his lips as he got closer to him. Y/N's heart was thumping hard in his chest as he debated on whether he should close his eyes and kiss him. Before he could do anything of the sort, his mother walked into the room. She gasped at the sight before her. "And what exactly is going on here?"

They break apart and stammer out excuses as Mrs. Cooper pushes past them to turn off-the-record player. "Y/N was just showing me some moves, Mrs. Cooper."

"I'm giving Archie a dance lesson. He's asking out the new girl."

"She's a celebrity from Hollywood." Archie grins.

Mrs. Cooper doesn't smile as she starts pushing Archie towards the door. "Goodbye, Archie."

"Bye, Y/N. Goodbye, Mrs. Cooper."

"Oh, thank your sweet mother for agreeing to chaperone with me." She closed the door on him.

…..

The next day at school, Archie had found Veronica reading a book as he grinned like a lovesick fool. "Hey, uh… so I did a little brushing up… and I'm ready for that demonstration. How do you feel about slow dancing?" Veronica sets her book down and flashes Archie a perfect smile that no doubt melted a lot of fellas' hearts back in Los Angeles. "Nothing better. But upon further reflection, I have no doubt a Troy Donahue type like you can trip the light fantastic, Archie." The red headed ginger grins as he walked from behind the couch to the front as he nervously played with his thumbs. "So does that mean…"

"But, quite candidly, I'm also entertaining other offers."

"What? Oh... Wow, okay." Archie said. He hadn't expected to hear that.

"However, being my escort demands more than mere dancing. It also requires scintillating conversation. I need to know that you won't be a bore at the sock hop. So, why don't you clean yourself up and come by the Pembrooke at 6:00-ish tonight?" Veronica tells him, as Archie looks so confused. I"'ll be wanting to discuss politics, art, and current events. Dazzle me with your wit. Okay?" She tells him as she opens her book once again.

"Dazzle you. Okay. Well, I should motor." He chuckled and walks towards the door.

"See you tonight." Archie's almost out the doorway when he hears Veronica call his name. "Archiekins?" He turns to her and clears his throat. "I'm rooting for you, stud." He walked away with a smile on his face as Y/N watched from afar and frowned slightly. He walked towards the raven-haired girl. "So they just do whatever you say, is that it?"

Veronica looks up at him. "Hmm? Oh, you mean boys? Boys aren't too, too complicated. No offense."

"Non taken. Though, don't you think it's a bit unfair to make boys audition for your hand at the sock hop like show ponies?" Y/N raised an eyebrow.

"Not in the slightest. You see Y/N, men like to date pretty women, but the minute they demand the men show more of themselves, they get cold feet. I'm just making sure my date is hip and will not flake on me." Veronica tells him. Though, I suspect you and I have similar tastes" for boys with orange flairs." She stood up and smiled at him. That's always fun, keeping our beaus on their toes. Surely there's some He-Man at Riverdale High you'd like to make time with."

Y/N watched her go and sighed slightly.

Later on, Mrs. Andrews is cutting up carrots for dinner as Archie comes into the kitchen. "Mom?" She turns and giggles when she sees her son. He's wearing a suit that's too small on his broad body. He looks down at the suit, then back at her. "Can you help?"

"Hang on. I might have something that'll do the trick." She giggled again as Archie followed her. as she gave him a suit for him to water as she waited for him to try it out as she looked at him. "Oh, that's more like it. I think I'll have to let it out a little bit, but other than that, it fits perfectly."

Archie looks in the mirror. "It's a little old-fashioned, isn't it?"

"Well, it was your dad's, but he'd want you to wear it, especially to your first dance."

"Well, actually, I need it tonight, Mom. Yeah. Veronica asked me over."

"You're taking her to the dance?" Mrs. Andrews asked her son.

"If I'm lucky. She wants to give me a test run, you could say?" Archie tells her.

Mrs. Andrews frowns at that. "I don't like the sound of that. A bit haughty, isn't it?"

"It's not like that. Veronica is from Los Angeles and she's practically a movie star. Standards are different out there." Archie sees his mom slightly crying as he smiles. He turned to her. "Aw, geez, Mom."

" I'm fine. It's just, seeing you here in his suit, it just brings back so many memories." She tells him. "You know, your father and I went to the sock hop together. He was such a romantic, and he wrote me the sweetest poems. I still have them somewhere."

"Poems?" Archie asked. That's a great idea.

"He knew how to make a girl swoon." Mrs. Andrews sighed. "This one, I think." She holds up a tie to his suit.

"Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm."

Archie finds himself at Y/N's house as he sits on his couch with him, wanting to show him how he's going to win Veronica's hand for the dance. "So, Veronica invited me over to her place tonight, and... I need to impress her." Archie began as he blushed slightly. "So don't laugh or I'll deck you... but I wrote her a poem. I just need someone to read it and just tell me if it's crazy to give it to her."

"Okay. Hand it over, Walt Whitman." Y/N said.

Archie reached into his pocket and pulled out the piece of paper he wrote the poem on, and handed it over. Y/N unwrapped it and began to read it as Archie looked away in embarrassment. How girlie was this? "Well, is it terrible?" Y/N reads the words on the page and for a fleeting moment, he likes to pretend that Archie had written this poem for him instead of Veronica. "No… Shoot, Arch, I'd be overjoyed if I got something like this." He smiled, handing it back to him. "It's actually really sweet. You have a poet's soul, Arch. Who knew?"

Archie blushed and smiled. "Thanks, Y/N."

Y/N bit his lower lips and if he had been paying attention, he would have noticed Archie staring and shivering slightly. "Listen, Archie… you can punch me in the face for saying this, but why are you going through all this trouble for one chick?"

The red head frowns. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, here you are putting in all this effort to impress one girl, who may or may not let you take her to the sock hop. She's just stringing you along with the other guys like some femme fatale. It's not right." Y/N told him.

"Come on, she's not that bad." Archie told him.

"Oh no? Not even after I talk to her today?"

"You talked to her? What did you say?" Archie got closer to Y/N as he flushed slightly. "I asked her why she's making you fellas act like show ponies. And she said because she wants to get to know your true selves and that you won't flake on her."

"See? She's just being cautious. That's how they do things in Los Angeles."

"If you say so, Arch."

That evening, Archie found out just how right his mom and Y/N were. How he felt out of place compared to the other boys, especially Julian Blossom. How the preppy boy stated that Archie's suit was from the thrift store and insulted his father's suit as Archie had to excuse himself from the rest of the get together as he angrily left and threw away the poem he wrote for Veronica and he found himself at Y/N's house. Specifically, his bedroom. "I know you tried to warn me. My mom did too." Archie sobbed. And that was the shocking thing. Archie didn't cry, ever. Not even when they were six, and he broke his arm. Y/N wanted to deck both Julian and Veronica in the face for what they did to Archie, but his mother says a proper young man doesn't strike a lady or start fights like a barbarian greaser.

"Oh, Arch, I didn't want to be right. I'm sorry that happened to you."

"I can't believe how stupid I looked. How I almost started a fight with that blue blooded Julian Blossom. That jerk." Archie stated.

"He is a jerk." Y/N agreed. "And if Veronica can't see that you're the better person, that's her problem. Not yours, so please don't stress over it." Y/N told him.

Archie nods his head. "Thank you, Y/N. I really don't deserve a friend like you."

"Don't mention it."

"Hey, I know this is a bit weird, but can you come stay overnight at my house tonight? I don't want to be alone." Archie looks at him and Y/N tries not to blush. They hadn't had sleepovers since they were ten, and now things weren't innocent between them anymore. Because young men don't do that.

"I don't know, Archie. I mean, we aren't little kids anymore."

"Please, Y/N? I'm begging." He looks at Y/N with his puppy dog eyes and Y/N instantly falls for it. He sighed in defeat. "Okay, yeah. Of course."

….

The next day at school Veronica announced that she was going stag to the dance tonight, and that's how Archie found himself on Y/N's front door as Y/N opened it up and was surprised to see Archie on the other side. "Arch? Is something the matter?"

"Oh, nothing is wrong. I just thought I'd stop by and apologize to you for everything that's happened this week. You've been so amazing helping me try to get a Dane that doesn't want to be caught. And I just wanted to let you know that."

"It's okay, Archie. You have nothing to be sorry for." Y/N told him. "What are pals for?"

"Well, this pal wants to make it up to you." Archie reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of quarters. "I was thinking we'd skip the dance tonight and go see those monster movies like you wanted." Y/N was shocked as looked at the ginger male. Arch… that's awfully swell of you, but I can't let you miss the sock hop."

"Who cares? You're more important."

Y/N blushed at that as he smiled. "I have a better idea."

They both ended up going to the dance with the promise to see the movies tomorrow, Archie's treat as they listened to Serpent greaser Fangs Fogarty rock the house. They watched as people, boys and girls, danced as Veronica came up to him and apologized for everything that happened the other day. How do you feel about a do-over? Or, to put it in other words, Archie Andrews, may I have this dance?" She held out her hand for him to take. Archie wanted to say yes, but when he looked at Y/N, he declined her offer. I'm sorry, Veronica. Maybe next time. Will you "excuse me?"

"Of course." She says.

He walked towards Y/N, pushing through the crowd until Y/N was in front of him. Archie licked his lips as he held out a shaky hand for Y/N to take. "May I have this dance?"

Y/N looks from his hand to his, to his mother watching him. Her face told him that he better not accept Archie's hand, but he didn't care. He looks at Archie and smiles. "I thought you'd never ask." He takes his hand and lets him lead him into a slow dance as they sway back and forth like that had in Y/N's room, but this time it was so much more real. Underneath all the bright, hot lights as they continued to dance as Archie looks at him and smiles. Y/N smiles too as he leaned closer and so did Archie as they—

Just then Ethel Muggs enters the dance, hysterical and covered in blood.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Hello ! I'm fairly new to the fandom: a friend of mine advised me to watch the original series before watching the live action (I'm not American and I had never heard about ATLA before that).

So I wasn't there when the fandom seemed to be torn by the ship wars, like two decades ago. I keep seeing Zutara's fans claiming that their ship was the original endgame except that there's no evidence in the show (at least with my "virgin Atla eyes") and all I can see are interviews of the creators/showrunners saying that Kataang was the endgame all along.

I guess my question is this : is there an actual interview of them entertaining the idea of Zutara at the time (even just to shipbait) ? Because I've been in several fandoms where creators/writers would do that just to keep the audience interested (*cough* Riverdale - yeah you can judge me...).

You say that Nickelodeon promoted the ship wars. In what form ?

That was a long ask. Thanks for reading me!

Okay, so here's what you need to know to fully understand that mess: back when the show was first airing, lots of zutara fans had fully convinced themselves that either the story was going to be changed to make their ship canon (because "it's more popular than Kataang") or that Zutara was TOTALLY planned to be the endgame from day one and that's why some many people liked in the first place (because "there's no way this is all in our heads" - spoiler, it was).

And this wasn't a case of fans simply disagreeing on theories about how the show was going to end - lots of people were being AWFUL to each other on fandom spaces, and the behavior was not exclusive to zutara or even just the other non-canon ships. Everyone was calling anyone who disagreed with their takes stupid and bragging ahead of time of how THEIR ship was going to be canon instead. And because the internet was not at all as inescapable as it is today and information was much harder to verify, some people were making "100% legit claims" that their parents or uncle or cousin or whoever worked on Nickelodeon and had fully confirmed Zutara would indeed be a thing.

Nickelodeon, being the shameless corporation that it is, realized that ship wars could mean A LOT of money because people would keep watching if they thought there was any chance of their ship becoming endgame. So, whenever there was an episode in which Zuko and Katara would interact, they made sure to not only include it in the promo for the episode, they'd describe it as "sharing a special moment" or "growing closer" even when that was not what was going to happen in the episode itself. They didn't do that just with Avatar either, and would spend years pulling simmilar things with the hit shows ICarly and Victorious, both of which had ship wars too. In hindsight (and even back then if we simply compare the promos to the episodes) it's obvious that Nick's promos should not have been taken seriously, but Zutara fans latched onto them as "proof" anyway (and some Nick exec laughed all the way to the bank).

But then the finale happened, Kataang and Maiko were endgame, and Zuko and Katara were never even stated to be interested in each other like that. The ship just wasn't a factor in the story - much like Kataang and Maiko fans had said it wouldn't be, because it was obvious what the writers were actually going for.

So, instead of admiting they let their enjoyment of a fanon ship get a little out of hand and that, even though they had every right to like it, it simply never had any chance of being canon and they shouldn't have insisted otherwise when the truth was so clear, they went for a different approach: just double-down on the lie that they had inside knowledge about the show's writting and production, and make up a whole conspiracy about how the lead writer and "true creator" Aaron Ehasz and everybody else had been building up to Zutara from day one, but then Bryan and Michael or "Bryke", the evil showrunners, meddled at the last second and forced them to change everything.

They also claimed there were things like a "deleted" scene in the finale, with Iroh saying Katara would be perfect for Zuko, or with a kiss between the characters, or Katara telling Aang she loved someone else, ya know, all kinds of copes. Nickelodeon made it worse by airing some "fun production facts" during re-runs, plenty of which were obviously fake - but one mentioned "Zuko was going to be Katara's original love interest" so plenty of people were willing to pretend it was all 100% legitimate. And the icing on the cake was an "interview" in which Ehasz supposedly confirmed all of the conspiracies, "proving" zutara fans had always been right about everything and it's the Kataang and Maiko fans that were lying to themselves.

Unfortunatelly for these people, pretty much EVERYONE has a social media presence nowadays, and it's really easy to not only get in contact with writers and producers of the shows we like, but to also PROVE that what you're telling everyone is indeed what that person said.

And there's tons of videos and screenshots of everyone involved in writting and producing the show saying, including the ones that like Zutara, saying KATAANG was the planned endgame from the start, and Aaron Ehasz has repeatedly said that the supposed "interview" in which he validates the zutara endgame conspiracy and "calls out" Bryke is completely fake, and he's happy MAI got to live happily ever after with Zuko.

Finally, we got access to "the series bible", aka the original plans for the show, and we got to see everything that was cut or changed: Uncle Iroh was originally going to be a twist villain that would betray Zuko, Azula was still going to be a prodigy and Ozai's favorite child but she'd be Zuko's older brother instead of his younger sister, and there was a cut love triangle between Aang, Katara... and TOPH, who was going to be a super buff dude, much like we see in Ember Island Players and in the opening sequence of every episode because yes, they had already designed that character AND started book 1 when decided "Wouldn't a blind girl that looks delicate but can wreck people's shit be more interesting than this generic guy?"

But even now that disproving this Zutara endgame conspiracy is easier than ever because we can just ask the people who made the show, some people continue insisting that all these writers and producers, again some of which DO like Zutara, are lying for no reason - or because "Bryke is forcing them to hide it all."

They're just desperately trying to save face and pretend that they didn't spend over a decade lying to themselves and their buddies, and sometimes using this conspiracy to justify bullying, threatening and doxxing people.

It's VERY sad.

[gryfflepuffinthetardis]

I’ll Stand by You (Sweet Jane Part Two) — Campbell Bain x Reader

Sweet Jane Episode One: Hey Jude

Warning: One gif shows mild self harm. (The digging nails into palm from Riverdale)

“You were a risk, a mystery, and the most certain thing I’d ever known.”

Campbell finished playing a song and he spoke into the microphone, “That was Money (That's What I Want)—"

“Cannae hear ye, Campbell.

“From way back in 1959—” Campbell continued, now louder

“They still cannae hear ye.

“AND THIS IS CAMPBELL BAIN, THE BANE OF YOUR LIFE!” Campbell all but shouted.

“Campbell—” Eddie started.

Campbell turned and snapped, irritably at Eddie, “Eddie, I'm a mentally ill person. If I shout any louder I'll be restrained and sedated!”

He felt Y/N take his hand and brought it to the fader as Eddie pointed this out, “The fader, Campbell.”

He paused. “...Oh, I knew that!” He lied.

“Okay, Campbell, we'll try it again.”

Campbell started to jingle again, making it let out a screechy staticky whistling as it played, making Y/N jump up, suddenly, clamping her hands over her ears, making Campbell look at her with deep concern before Fergus reached over Campbell’s turned shoulder and pulled the slider down

“You'll blow the monitors if you push 'em like that.” He told them, “Along with Y/N’s eardrums.”

“Fergus! I nearly got it right that time! What're—” Campbell complained but cut himself off when he saw Fergus wearing a white doctor’s coat and glasses with his pulled back into a ponytail, “Well, well! The poacher's turned gamekeeper, eh? Where did you get the coat?”

Fergus looked down at the nametag to read it, “From, uh, Doctor Brady.”

“You look dead handsome like that, so you do.” Rosalie complimented.

“Get everything you needed?” Eddie asked.

“Almost.” Fergus said as he held up an electronic device, “That only cost 50p. I'll strip it for the power transistors.” Then he gestured to Campbell. “Are you sure you trust him on that desk?”

“Fergus, this desk and I are on intimate terms. This desk and I are practically engaged. We're doing our first show together tomorrow night.”

“Not tomorrow, Campbell.” Eddie told him.

“But I'm standing at the threshold of one the most important moments of my life here!” Campbell whined before saying, fervently, “Give me an audience; give me punters and I will deliver, Eddie!”

“Well! I hadn't expected such a crowd.” A woman said, entering, and Y/N rolled her chair away from her, looking at her suspiciously as she nodded at Fergus, “Doctor.” Then to everyone else, “Which one of you is Eddie McKenna?”

“Um, I am.” Eddie said, standing up.

“I'm Mrs. MacDonald, assistant administrator.” She said

“Mrs. MacDonald.” Eddie said, shaking her hand.

“Call me Evelyn. Just thought I'd pop my head in and say hello, ask if you need anything.” She said and Y/N and Fergus exchanged looks before the silent patient gave her a blank stare.

“Aye, we do.” Fergus said.

“I'm sorry?” Evelyn asked as Y/N handed Fergus a cable.

“We need some shielded three-core flex. This stuff is useless. The doctors' bleeps are coming through on the air.”

“Well, that should be possible.” Evelyn said, having understood very little of that but smiling to pretend that she did.

“And some paint! This place needs redecorating, so it does.” Rosalie interjected.

“Oh, hang on. Just let me make a list.”

Y/N smacked Fergus in the shoulder, lightly and gestured to the mixing desk. “Yes, the main thing is the mixing desk.” Fergus opened said mixing desk, “Now, we've got a lot of crackle coming through on these faders, and these two here have had it, really.” Y/N used a screwdriver to demonstrate which wires, “Now, we could do with a couple of new ones if you can still get them, but what we really need is a new desk. A six-into-two would even do us.”

“My goodness!” Evelyn laughed, “Are you a doctor or an engineer?”

“I'm a patient.” Fergus said as Y/N smiled, cheekily at her before he took his glasses off, laughing as Evelyn’s smile fell but not having the open mind that Eddie had when he mistook a patient for a doctor.

“We're all patients. Except him,” Campbell said, nodding towards Eddie, “who isn't, but should be. But don't worry; we're heavily tranquilized and pose no danger to the public.” Campbell then gave her an adorkable smile.

“No, that's marvelous, involving the patients.” She said but Y/N could tell she wasn’t genuine and was being very fake, not exactly going to be the next Oscar winner, “I'll see what I can do about this list. Uh, there's an endowment trust we can approach. But the hospital board will want to see some figures, I'm afraid.” Her voice was now hesitant. Y/N rolled her eyes, picking up on this at once.

“What kind of figures?” Eddie asked.

“Oh, just a budget proposal, really. Current running costs, projected capital outlay, that sort of thing. If you've got your books up to date and you've got some written estimates of the equipment you propose to purchase, you can—” Evelyn said as Campbell and Y/N started to get very bored and they exchanged very bored, like in Math(s)-class-level-bored looks before Campbell played the jingle.

“That was dedicated to the bored and boring board of Saint Jude's Hospital, that bloated, bilious body of befuddled brains we'd like to befriend. Just give us your dosh, boys!” Campbell said into the microphone cheerfully.

Can’t Buy Me Love by the Beatles played before Eddie scolded, “Campbell!” He slid the fader back down, quieting the music.

“Well. Pretty impressive! Anyway, Eddie, I'll pop in again in a few days when you have a chance to get some figures together. And... thanks for the wee demonstration, as it were.” Evelyn said, taken aback, confused, and not wanting to be near Campbell as she felt he definitely was mentally unstable and she didn't like the death glare that was being given to her by Y/n.

“Oh, well done, Campbell.” Eddie said, sarcastically.

“I told you I could do it if I had an audience!” Campbell said, the sarcasm going right over his head.

“No that. What's Evelyn gonna think of that?” Eddie nodded at the mixer, having been referring to Campbell’s performance out of boredom.

“She'll think I'm a loony. I am a loony. ...Come on, Eddie. Let me do my own show tomorrow, eh?” Campbell pleaded.

Eddie looked at Fergus and Y/N, the older of the two quiet and gentle patients shook his head ‘no’ while the youngest and most quiet on, nodded her head, enthusiastically, yes. Yes. Yes. Yes!

Eddie sighed, looking at Campbell and conceded, “...Aye, okay.”

Campbell then jumped up from his chair, either really excited or having a mild manic mood swing. “You beau-taay! Tomorrow night! The Campbell Bain Show debuts tomorrow night!” He extended his arms out and leaned his head back to look at the ceiling like, I’M ON TOP OF THE WORLD as Y/N watched with a sparkle in her eyes. “Eat your heart out, Ken Bruce, you bastard, ha!” His smile immediately fell when he spotted his father entering the room, “Oh... Hello.”

“They, uh, told me I'd find you in here.” His dad said, uncomfortably.

“...Aye.” Campbell glanced at his friends, rather nervous about how his father would react to them given his disbelief in his son’s own mental disorder, “Well... here I am." He turned back to his friends, who were uncomfortably waiting for him to introduce this man to them, "...Eh, you lot, this is my dad." Eddie smiled in greeting but like Y/n, his eyes kept darting back to Campbell, noticing his obvious uncharacteristic nervousness and stillness, "Dad, this is that lot and this is Y/N, my best friend…” He said, placing a hand on the back of Y/N’s back as she looked at him, considering they had only met two months ago and she’s never even spoken to him despite the many, many, many times he’s spoken to her, before quickly adding, “but-but not my--not my-my girlfriend…”

He cut himself off as his dad gave them all apart from Campbell a cold look while the one he gave Campbell was just uncomfortable and disappointed, like he thought he had to walk on eggshells around him.

Then his dad just left, intending for the unsettled Campbell to follow. Campbell turned to Y/N and pleaded with her with his eyes to follow in case things went wrong which they most likely would, knowing his father and Y/N got up and walked solemnly after them, glaring at Campbell’s dad the whole time.

The father and son entered the day room as Y/N slowly walked in, glaring at Campbell’s dad still, before sitting down and continuing to glare daggers at Campbell's dad.

“Uh,” Campbell glanced at Y/N with her rather terrifying stare at his father like she was planning on murdering him, “have a seat.” Then he joked to lighten the mood, “I'd get you a cup of tea, but they don't trust us with kettles.”

“No, you might burn yourselves.”

“Aye. Or wear them on our heads. Either way, it requires medical intervention.” The teen chuckled, nervously.

“I've just, uh, had a word with your doctor, by the way.”

“Oh, aye?” Campbell asked with mild curiosity.

“He gave me some good news... I think. He says they'll be letting you out of here soon. Next week, he reckons.” Campbell’s dad said and Y/N’s insides flipped, not sure how she should feel. Her empathetic side was happy for him but her selfish side was sad that she wouldn’t be able to see him as often.

Campbell had defied all her expectations after her trauma. He was everything she had started to lose belief in in men. He was kindness and gentleness and sunshine.

Campbell clearly thought this was great news, “You're joking — next week?” He said, excitedly and then jumped up, excitedly, shouting, “YES! YES! FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST!” He walked over to Y/N and kissed her on the head, enthusiastically, “THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, I'LL BE FREE AT LAST!”

He spotted the bittersweet look on Y/N’s face, making him pipe down and look at her with confusion and concern so his dad took this opportunity to talk.

“Aye, well. Just thought I'd come and ask you if you'd, uh, any plans for when you come out.”

Y/N scoffed, knowing what he meant at once. Was that really his only concern? Not welcoming his wonderful son home.

“Aye! Loads of them!” Campbell said, enthusiastically, not understanding, “Massive booze-up with all my pals. Holiday in the Seychelles—or Majorca; I'll slum it. And… lose my virginity. I'm nineteen, I think I should lose my virginity, don't you?”

For some reason, Y/N felt even more sad at this, not noticing how Campbell’s brown eyes darted at her before his dad ruined his excitement… as per usual.

“Listen, stop your daft act! You'll make me think you need to stay here.” Campbell’s dad snapped, making Campbell’s mood switch from manic to depressed as he slumped into a seat, seeing his dad hadn’t changed as much as he had as Y/N glared at the ununderstanding father, her nails digging into her skin, something she had done from a young age to keep herself from violently lashing out. The pain grounding her but she had never told anyone this due to it being considered as self-harm.

“I was talking about your future, son. You didn't get your exams, you know. Your mother and I was wondering if you'd thought about going back to do your exams.”

Yes because exams are fair and test all kinds of intelligences equally instead of one or two because that would be massively unfair to those with mental and/or learning disorders by forcing them to conform to the way normal people think. Y/N thought, sarcastically, her nails breaking skin.

“Well... cannae say that was the first thing that crossed my mind.” Campbell admitted.

“Well, think about it, son!” His dad said, like, what else could you possibly be thinking about, “There's a recession on. Nobody gets nothing for nothing. You need qualifications.”

Alistair looked back at them in annoyance before catching the deadly glare Y/N gave him like, say something if you dare.

“Well, it's just... I don't know what I wanna do yet.” Campbell sighed.

“Ah, don't give me your daft talk. We're talking about a job. I mean, what you want has nothing to do with it!” Campbell’s dad snapped as Y/N’s nails pushed harder into her palm.

“Aye, well, I could always be a road sweeper, I suppose.” Campbell snapped, bitterly, getting up and turning his back to his father.

“I am not a road sweeper! I work for the Cleansing Department. And I'm a foreman.” His dad defended and Y/N audibly scoffed.

You sweep the road.” Campbell said, coldly.

“Oh? I never heard you complain about the food it put on the table.” Perhaps because you were too busy criticizing him and refusing to listen to him to hear him. “Do you want to be a waster all your life?” You’re the waster. “'Cause I'm not having it. You've got to pull yourself together, because this thing is killing your mother. It's positively killing her. I mean, the doctor's had to put her on tablets because she's so upset about it.” Then why isn’t she here?

Y/N’s eye started to switch as her nails continued to dig.

Campbell just breathed out a bitter laugh at that, “That makes two loonies in the family.”

“Your mother is not a loony. We've never had a loony in the family before you. Not on my side or your mother's. You've just got to stop this. Put it all behind you. Pull yourself together. You understand me?” His father ordered like it was something Campbell could turn on and off or like it was some act for attention.

Campbell just nodded, not trusting himself to speak without his voice breaking but he still didn’t turn around. His dad went to put his hand on Campbell’s shoulder but stopped himself before he could.

“You just have to think about your future, son.” He told him as Campbell stared solemnly at the floor

Y/N glared at Campbell’s father as he left as he gave her a cold look back, once he was gone Y/N walked towards Campbell and hugged him from behind, he grabbed at her hands before turning around in the hug and pulling her into a stronger hug as he buried his face into the top of her head.

— 

The next day, Fergus and Campbell announced “Campbell Bain’s Looney Tunes Show” with Campbell in a wheelchair with balloons and streamed on it… also on Fergus.

Later that night, Campbell, Y/N, Rosalie, and Fergus were in the station and Eddie wasn’t there yet.

Campbell stressfully took out a cigarette out of his pack as Fergus squeezed a yellow balloon, “He should be here by now!” He looked down at Rosalie who was under the desk, spraying Campbell’s boots and Y/N high tops. “Rosalie, what are you doing?”

“Just polishing your shoes, son.” Rosalie said and Campbell felt his cigarette be pulled out of his fingers by Y/N and dropped in a pitcher of water. Campbell looked over at Fergus in disbelief.

Campbell excused Y/N by asking her to get him some water that didn’t have cigarettes in it and then lit a new cigarette.

“We're gonna have to go without him.” Fergus said as Y/N came back with the water and frowned at Campbell who taking a nervous puff of his cigarette.

“Ten... nine... eight... seven... six...” Fergus counted down as Y/N took the cigarette from Campbell and stubbed it out, giving him a disapproving look. “Two... one. You're on.”

Campbell leaned towards the microphone and spoke, “That was I Hear You Knocking, But You Can't Come In, dedicated to all the medical staff here at Saint Jude's Hospital. They hear you knocking, but you cannae get out! And this is Campbell Bain with the first ever Campbell Bain's Looney Tunes Show!” Y/N pushed the button that played the Looney Tunes jungle, “And our next request is for Senga on Ward six, who tells me that she's being controlled by aliens from another planet.” He put on the record, Puppet on a String and then he joked, “Sengaaa, the nursing assistants are only doing their job.”

He heard Y/N giggle beside him, making his heart do flips. Y/N. She was definitely what he was going the miss most. Even with her never saying a single word to him.

Fergus and Y/N spotted Eddie stopping from a dash when he saw Campbell, sorting through the records. Fergus waved casually at him.

And now, I've been asked to play a "dead smoochy" tune by Alison on Ward 7.” Campbell said in a comedically husky voice, “So here's a song that should cause each of us to experience a wee flutter in the heart, a wee catch in the throat; a tune that we can truly call our song.” He said the last sentence while looking at Y/N.

Campbell put on the song, Goin’ Out of my Head and then he spotted Eddie and he smiled at him, before looking at Y/N who was bopping her head along to the song.

—

“Cocoa's up. You coming” Campbell asked Eddie as Y/N waited for him, quite proud of the looney.

“No. Gotta get these figures together for Evelyn.” Eddie refused.

Campbell was nervous yet excited as he put his hands in his pockets, “I had fun tonight, guys. I think that's the most fun I've ever had without being manic.” There was a nervous pause. “Was I any good?”

Y/N didn’t even hesitate, she nodded and gave him two thumbs-up. That was as good as he was going to get with her.

Eddie paused, considering before turning to look at him, “Aye.”

This was the kind of support Campbell never got from his father and it excited the young man, “I've never been good at anything before, Eddie. I spent four years of my life learning to play guitar and the only song I can play all the way through is ‘Knock Knock Knockin' on Heaven's Door. And I only did it to try and pull women. I'm no good at that either.” He sighed and Eddie breathed out a laugh, knowing that Y/N was quite infatuated with him, even without her ever saying a word to him… or to anyone in the hospital, “I want to do this. Professional, Eddie, Y/N. D'you think... I could?”

Y/N gave him a smile while Eddie said, “Maybe, aye.”

“But I've got to take it seriously.” He said, starting to pace, “It's got to be taken seriously, this thing. First thing I'm gonna do is get some cans like yours, Eddie.”

“Beyer DT-100s.” Eddie said, flatly.

“Aye. Professional cans, with my name on them in big yellow fluorescent letters. Build up my own record collection; specialize in something. Get some routines together. What else do I need?

“Experience, Campbell?” Eddie suggested.

“Aye, good point! They're no gonna hire somebody who just walks in off the street. They're going to hire somebody who has spent days, if not weeks, developing their show into a creature that's, is totally fresh and fundamentally loony in every way!” He said, excitedly.

“‘Days, if no weeks’?” Eddie repeated his words, considering he had been trying to go professional for eight years.

“They're letting me out of here next week, Eddie. And I wanna come and work for you. Full time. I want you to teach me everything you know. We'll be a double act. We are gonna make this the most outrageous and original hospital broadcasting outfit in the country! This station is gonna take us places, Eddie.” Campbell proposed and Y/N’s heart began to lift.

“‘Us?”

“Well, you're no gonna sell double glazing all your life, are yeh?” Campbell pointed out.

“Uh, no likely, anyway.” Eddie muttered, figuring he was going to be fired in a few days due to his literal workaholic boss’ impossible standards.

“Then go for it! Have you never wanted to go professional, Eddie?” Campbell asked.

“I've sent out the odd tape.” Eddie said as Y/N tilted her head.

“And?”

“Uh, general consensus seemed to be, um, I was shite.” He muttered.

Campbell thought about this for a moment before saying, “Ah, well, that's where you went wrong. You see, you went to them. That's one thing I'm sure of, is you've got to get them to come to you. What's it called...”

“Abduction, Campbell, and it's illegal.” Eddie deadpanned.

“No! No! No!” He spotted Y/N pad which she had written the word on, “Yes! Market strategy. Creating a seller's market. Can you see the potential? We are one of the only loony radio stations in the country! Think of the angle, the publicity!” He mimed a newspaper headline in the air, “‘Loonies Take Over Asylum at Saint Jude's’. All we have to do is be brilliant as well as original, and they'll be coming to us. With your knowledge and experience and my hypomania, how can we lose? Come on, Eddie. You with me?”

Eddie thought about for a moment before nodding, “Aye. Campbell grinned widely at his answer.

“Are you sure you're no manic?” Eddie asked.

“I'm inspired, Eddie.” He corrected.

“What's the difference?”

“Inspired is when you think you can do anything. Manic is when you know it.” Campbell explained and went to get his cocoa. Y/N smiled and followed Campbell to get hers.

--

Later Campbell was reading a book called Careers in Radio when he looked up to see a soaking wet Fergus with a shopping bag.

“Fergus! Did you get them?” He asked, excitedly.

“Aye. Secondhand. Fifty quid.” Fergus said, opening the bag for Campbell.

“This is brilliant! Brilliant! My first professional headphones.” Campbell said, getting his headphones out and putting them on as Fergus got a towel to dry off. “Did you get the paint?” Fergus pointed at the bag and Campbell fumbled with the bag until he got the pain out, “I have to put my name on them. That's how they do it in professional radio.”

“Where'd you get all this cash, anyway?” Fergus wondered.

“Sold Mad John all Y/N and my cigarettes. She doesn’t smoke so she was happy to.” He explained.

“For sixty quid?”

“Well, it was nearly eight packs. And he did offer; he was desperate.” Campbell said.

“But what are you gonna do for smokes?” Fergus asked.

“I'm giving it up. I've gotta take care of my voice. And may God strike me dead if I so much as engage in passive smoking.” He said.

“But everybody smokes in here.” Fergus said, “Except your girlfriend.”

Campbell merely glanced at him, slightly irritated at him calling Y/N his girlfriend but decided not to comment on it. “Then I'll stop breathing in. I’ll do whatever Y/N does. C'mon! Let's try these out at the station.”

He went to run out of his room and to the station when he was stopped by his father entering, looking just as lethargic and boring as ever. So, the exact opposite of Campbell in every conceivable way. “Dad! Hello.”

Campbell’s dad looked at Fergus and frowned, “You're wet!”

Fergus pressed his finger against his temple like he just got an idea or was getting a psychic message from someone and then said, sarcastically, “Next time I'll take my clothes off before I get into the bath.” The he gave Campbell’s dad a somewhat loony-esque look as he walked out.

“I thought he was a doctor.” Campbell’s dad said, confused and slow.

“Only part time.” Campbell said with a slight nervous chuckle.

Campbell’s dad then decided to ignore this, not having his son’s acceptance and love for “loonies” as his son put it. “I was wondering if you'd thought about what we were saying.”

Neither noticed Y/N appear at the door, leaning against the door frame, watching the scene with scrutiny but not interrupting.

“Yes. I have. And I've decided that you're absolutely dead on. I'm nineteen years old and it's time I started thinking about my future.” Campbell said with a big smile.

“Oh, aye?” His dad asked.

“You're gonna be proud of me, Dad.” Campbell hoped, but somehow, this was doubtful with what was known about Campbell’s close-minded dad. “Because I've decided that my future, my life's work, my soul's passion is gonna be this.” He pulled his headphones from around his neck to over his ears.

“...You're going to be an airline pilot?” His dad asked.

“Nooo!” Campbell drawled out, making Y/N lips twitch into a smile before her glare settled back onto his dad. “A radio disc jockey! And I can get all the experience I need right here in the hospital station!”

Campbell's dad was not proud in the slightest, just disappointed and exasperated for what he assumed to be his son’s latest “obsession” but was actually more accurately a Bipolar hyperfixation. “Back to that, are we?” He asked, sitting down.

“Back to what?” Campbell frowned, pulling his headphones down.

“Well, six months ago you wanted to be a pop star.” His dad reminded him.

“That was different. I cannae sing.” Campbell told him.

“Two years before, you wanted to be a racing jockey.”

“I'm afraid of horses.”

“Before that, you wanted to be an actor!” His dad complained.

“I cannae remember lines. But this is different! I'm good at it! I know I am! Y/N told me, I mean not so much with words, but she did in her own way!”

“The mute girl?”

“SHE’S NOT MUTE!” Campbell shouted, angrily, gesturing to Y/N at the door who waved sarcastically at Campbell’s dad with a sarcastically sweet smile.

“Ah, well, there's a lot of things are gonna be different from now on. Your mother and me have been talking, and... we've decided it would be a good idea if you went to your auntie Susan's for a bit.” Campbell’s dad told him.

“But she lives in Perth.” Campbell said, shocked.

Y/N’s heart fell at this. Campbell wasn’t just leaving the hospital, he would be even further away. If he meant Perth, Scotland then he’d be sixty miles away, that would be over an hour’s drive. If he meant Perth, Australia, then that was in a whole different time zone.

“Yes, but you can go to adult classes there. You'll get the peace and quiet that you need.”

Y/N scoffed at his dad’s reasoning. It sounded more like if Campbell had another episode, he didn’t want to deal with it and he was using his education as an excuse.

“I cannae go to Perth! I've gotta stay in Glasgow to work in the station! I need the experience!” Campbell freaked out, holding up his headphones at his dad, Y/N eased over to behind Campbell, sensing his anger rising.

Y/N took Campbell’s headphones from his hands and replaced them with her headphones.

“You need to get well!” His dad protested like he was arguing with someone who was actually ill and Perth was actually going to help do that. How exactly?

 “BUT I'M NOT ILL!” Campbell screamed and just as Y/N had predicted Campbell threw his headphones at his bed, they bounced and hit the floor, she could hear them break even though Campbell was shouting as she slinked back out of the room, “YOU CANNAE MAKE ME GO TO  PERTH! I'M NINETEEN YEARS OLD, AND I'M STAYING IN GLASGOW TO WORK IN THE STATION! I'M GONNA BE A PROFESSIONAL DJ WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!”

“You stand there, shouting at the top of your voice, throwing your arms about like some mad scarecrow, and you're telling me you're not ill?” His father scoffed as Y/N glared with him with such hatred. “You're not capable of thinking straight, and some straight thinking needs to be done. Now, your mother and me have done our best to look after you.” Y/N clenched her jaw as her hatred increased, “If that's not good enough for you, then there... there's nothing left but... to have you sectioned, and let the doctors decide.”

Campbell’s anger turned to shock and brokenheartedness as Y/N’s turned from fiery hatred to ice-cold hatred. There was officially one person she hated more than she hated Campbell’s father. She could see that he wanted to love a normal son but he didn’t have that so he tried to shape Campbell into being normal, but he wasn’t but he just didn’t have the capacity to understand that and just blamed Campbell for things that wasn’t his fault.

“...Oh, Jesus. You'd have me sectioned?” Campbell breathed, looking at his father with horror through his floppy light auburn hair.

“I'll come round on Monday to collect you. Your uncle has loaned me his car.”

Great. Y/N thought, Then I could key it with curse words.

Campbell’s father went to turn to leave when his son spoke again in a heartbroken tone, “Have you never been young, Dad? Was there never anything you wanted to do, you wanted to be, more than anything in the world?”

His dad paused and then said, “Oh, aye. Goalkeeper for the Glasgow Rangers. Lot of fucking good it did me.”

Yeah, because you have no talent whatsoever, nor compassion, empathy, or unconditional love for your so. Only if he’s the way you want him to be. Y/N thought with sardonicism. 

Campbell looked up to see Y/N blocking his dad’s way, glaring daggers at him before he shuffled past, muttering about loonies.

Campbell looked at her with tears in his eyes, “WHAT!? YOU THINK I’M JUST AS BROKEN AS HE DOES! THAT’S WHY YOU FOLLOW ME AROUND BUT NEVER SPEAK TO ME!” He lashed out but Y/N showed no emotion on her face, she just took it like she was used to being screamed at… she was. Campbell got up and ran past her and she ran after him.

--

Evelyn was showing her true colors to Eddie, to her the only normal who worked at the station.

“Eddie, nobody could admire you more than I do for involving the patients. But I think the intention when we decided to fund the station was that there would be a regular staff of outside volunteers. Reliable people.” She voiced her opinion. Which was wrong in every way imaginable because in her mind, they were dangerous, unstable, and every stereotype their mental illnesses and/or disorders presented via said stereotype or movies or discrimination in general when in actuality people with mental illnesses which was over one third of the Earth’s population were eleven times more likely to be the victims of crime and/or violence than the general public.

“I've never been let down.” Eddie frowned.

“Eddie, some of these patients have horrendous problems. It's not fair to expect too much.” Evelyn explained to him like she was explaining what a surplus was to an eight and then to a five-year-old. Even though each “patient with horrendous problems” had done just as much if not more than Eddie had.

“They keep telling me how much they enjoy it.” Eddie said, shocked and confused. Wasn’t this woman supposed to be the Assistant Administrator of mental health? It was becoming more clear why she was Miss Evelyn MacDonald and not Mrs. Evelyn MacDonald or Doctor Evelyn MacDonald.

“You can't always listen to them.” Evelyn said, even though that’s what people already did that and when it should be the opposite with less screaming at them that their view of the world was wrong and the normals’ view of the world was right.

Then she left as Eddie looked after her, not understanding why she would think that, he had spent ten minutes in this hospital before realizing that his initial assumptions towards the patients had been wrong, thanks to the contrast between Stuart and Campbell.

Then he noticed that Francine had been eavesdropping on the quite upsetting conversation and she ran off.

“Francine!” He cried after her.

Campbell visibly upset and trying to light a cigarette with his lighter stalked past behind Eddie.

“Campbell? Campbell!” Eddie called as Y/N ran past him after Campbell with his new headphones around her neck.

Eddie had never seen Campbell so upset before, given Campbell was either always happy, manic, or overwhelmed, so he followed Campbell and Y/N. Campbell stormed into the studio, sulked over to the chair next to Fergus and flung himself into it, dejectedly before Y/N opened the door and knelt by Campbell’s side but he twisted his torso so the swivel chair turned him away from her, refusing to look at her, feeling guilty for what he said and not wanting to look her in the eyes.

“I thought you said you were gonna give up cigarettes.” Fergus told him.

“Aye, well, I also said I was gonna become a DJ.” Campbell said, bitterly and depressedly.

Eddie came around the corner and traded looks with Fergus. Eddie nodded at Campbell like, do you know what’s wrong?

Fergus shrugged like, No idea and I have no idea how to help him.

Y/N held up her hand, reassuringly like, I got this, boys.

Y/N grabbed Campbell’s arm and pulled him but refused to get up so the chair rolled until Fergus grabbed the back of the chair, making Campbell reluctantly stumble after Y/N who pulled him to his room, closing the door behind them and sat him on his bed and sat next to him so he could vent.

“Maybe, my dad’s right. Maybe following your dreams only exits in television.” Campbell sighed and tried to take another puff of the cigarette but Y/N took it from him and put it out on his ashtray. He looked at her and took out another cigarette which she took from him. He tried three more times in which she did the same.

He finally looked her in the eyes, “Well, that’s the least fun game ever, Y/N,” He deadpanned and she gave him a smile as she tilted her head and a sparkle twinkled in her eyes like, come on. Come on, buddy. Interact with me. He let out a half-scoff, half-chuckle and said, “Look, I’m sorry that I shouted at you, Y/N. I really am and I know you don’t think I’m broken and I don’t think you’re broken—I know I didn’t say that but I know you think you are because I know that look in your eyes. I’ve been here a while and I’ve had that look in my eyes for a long time.”

He stopped his rambling when Y/N placed her hand on his, sending waves of warmth through his body like hot cocoa on a cold day, “Maybe I need to be more like Eddie, a realist. Get a job to get by. Maybe, I’m just not that good. Maybe idealism is for suckers and I’m not as talented as I thought I was.”

“No.” Y/N spoke.

Campbell shook his head in disbelief and looked at Y/N with wide eyes, “Did you just…”

“Don’t give up, Campbell.” She said, softly, her voice was soft and bit hoarse from going ten months without speaking and so her vocal chords had atrophied a little but nothing too bad.

Campbell let out a laugh and cupped her cheek, “you’re talking. You’re really talking.”

“Your dad is close-minded arse who’s just miserable with his life and takes it out on you. I wanted to attack him and I wanted to key his car but he took the bus here… I checked. I wanted to scream at him and make him go crazy so he’d know what being loony is like.”

“You’re a really dark person, aren’t you?” Campbell chuckled, not at all worried or upset with her for wanting to commit physical and psychological damage upon his father.

“Manic-Depressive disorder is eighty percent genetic and most likely passed down from the father’s side of the family, just because there’s no known family members of your family doesn’t mean there weren’t any. Until seven years ago, they called attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD, ‘hyperkinetic reaction to childhood” despite the disorder being known since either the late seventeen-hundreds or the early nineteen-hundreds. Stress, emotional abuse, neglect, being bullied, loneliness, isolation, pressure, etcetera, etcetera.”

Campbell studied her as she spoke, seeing she was rather intelligent though he had expected that from her engineering skills but this was knowledge of mental health that even some of the therapists he saw didn’t seem to know as they just insisted that he needed to calm down or he wouldn’t be able to function in society or lazy or over enthusiastic or a slacker or pointed out whether he seemed happy or sad that day like he needed it gauged and vocalized or that he was faking his episodes before they finally diagnosed him with manic-depressive disorder. She had a Y/A (Your accent) accent that sent his heart a-fluttering.

“You are not mentally incompetent or unwell. You are not acting out or putting on a daft act.” His eyes became misty with happy tears, “You are perfect just the way you are. You’re so much stronger than all the white noise in the world,” She gestured out the window, referring to the normals as white noise, “You’re stronger than your father, you’re stronger than Stuart, you’re stronger than Evelyn MacDonald. You’re so much stronger than anyone I know. You are holding the station together, you are holding the show together, so please, please, don’t let go.”

He nodded and cupped her cheek, stroking her soft skin with the pad of his thumb, “Why’d you wait until now to talk? You’ve been here for weeks and according to Stuart, you haven’t spoken in eight months and that was nearly two months ago, so ten.”

“You.” She said, “You were going to give up. Don’t. Please, don’t.”

“You’re talking… because of me. To encourage me?” He asked, touched and surprised that she cared for him that much.

She nodded and touched her forehead against his as she spoke softly, “You are more brilliant and talented than your dad ever could imagine. He doesn’t understand your disorder, he doesn’t see how brilliant it is. You know creative people are twenty times more likely to be manic-depressives? Creative people are more likely to be loonies.” Campbell chuckled softly, loving the sound of her voice and the passion twinkling in her E/C-colored eyes as she placed his headphones around his neck. “You have ambition, genius, loyalty, and compassion that doesn’t even rival your father’s by a long shot. Your disorder reminds you to relate to others and know when they’re struggling. You saw me. My parents only sent me here because I refused to talk but you knew there was more than that. They never did. And I see you and I understand you and I accept you.”

Campbell had tears of joy in his eyes and he pulled her towards him, hugging her, making her straddle him so not to be in an awkward angle, she stiffened before relaxing, hugging him back.

She turned her head to whisper into his ear, “And I have a plan.” She pulled away and looked into his brown eyes, “How’s your acting?”

Campbell raised an eyebrow at her before getting distracted, “I thought I broke the headphones, I threw but these aren’t broken.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s…” She nodded to the floor where he spotted her headphones now broken.

“Oh, shit! I broke your headphones, don’t-don’t worry, I’ll replace them.”

"Campbell... the plan." She reminded him.

"Oh, right, right... what's your plan?" He asked.

Y/n leaned in closer and whispered in his ear, however he didn't get a single word from being too distracted by their closeness.

"Could you say all that again? I didn't get any of that."

--

Campbell started the show the next day with Y/N as Eddie was a bit late but anyways, it was his show today—his last show.

As This Ole House by Rosemary Clooney played, the patients danced outside the station and Campbell, looking more restrained and calmer than usual. He also seemed deeper and more lost in thought than his usual spur-of-the-moment, impulsive, didn’t-think-this-through self. They sorted through the records and looked at the ones that Y/N handed him as she spoke softly with her back to the others so they couldn’t see and take her away now that they knew for certain she could talk because then she’d miss this and she didn’t want to miss this.

“What about Tears for Fears’ Mad World? It’s one of my favorites.” She suggested, holding up the 1983 song. “It can explain a looney’s tiredness of the world around us. To everyone else, we’re the ones that are mad but to us it’s the everyone else in the whole world that’s mad.

“Mmm. Great choice but I think some people are going to be a little bit depressed already with what I’m going to do.”

“Or I could play it after you leave.” She shrugged.

“Oh, you trying to take over my show, L/N.” He teased, spinning his swivel chair to her.

“Maybe, I am, Bain. What are you going to do about it?” She teased back.

The song ended and Campbell took over as Eddie entered, “This is Campbell Bain's Looney Tunes show, and I hope everyone in this old house is tuned in and ready to rock and roll.” Y/N pushed the button and the Looney Tunes jingle played as Eddie gave Campbell a proud smile, being far more supportive to him than his dad ever was, “That's right, because it's time for the Looney Tunes show, and I want you dancing, loonies, I want you singing along, I want you clapping your hands and stamping your feet! If there's a strange voice in your head, get it to sing along! If there's a catatonic sitting next to you, WAKE ‘EM UP!” Y/N giggled at his antics, making him give her a grin, “This is for all of you having ECT tomorrow; I hope you get some good vibrations.”

He started playing Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys and grinned at Y/N as that was one of her suggestions which he rather liked as it resonated with his feelings for her.

Outside the stations as per usual, Hector sang along to the lyrics of the song into a spoon while as per usual Alastair was annoyed that they were interrupting his TV time

Campbell put the fader on, so the song faded out and he spoke into the microphone again, “Well, I suppose you're all wondering why I asked you here tonight. As you may know, this is the fourth and last Campbell Bain's Looney Tunes show. The good news is that it's because I'm being discharged. The bad news is, I'm gonna be living in Perth. And our first competition tonight was to find a special dedication to the town of Perth. And the winner is Margaret on Ward eleven, and she dedicated this song to the town of Perth.”

He started playing We Gotta Get Out of This Place by the Animals. He looked at Y/N and winked, giving her the signal while forcing himself not to look happy or manipulative. She smiled, then she leaned forwards and kissed him on the cheek before leaving to join Fergus and Eddie and actually spoke to them, “He's hot the night.”

They did a double take at her but she wouldn’t say anything else when she was questioned about it as she closed the door, watching Campbell with amusement at what was going to happen and because his cheeks were now bright red.

Campbell waited a minute so that her leaving right before wouldn���t seem planned before taking his headphones off and looked at the studio door, as he pieced together what he was going to do. He walked over to the studio door and locked the door, locking eyes with Y/N.

Fergus and Eddie exchanged looked before Campbell walked over to the record player and pulled the tonearm off the record with a scratch and he sat back down, placing his headphones back over his ears and spoke in a manic pace of voice, “Ach, that's no dance music, is it? We're supposed to be rockin' an' rollin'! Because we are loonies and we are proud! I'm a manic-depressive and I'm proud, my friends. Some of the greatest geniuses in history have been manic-depressives on a manic roll! Vincent van Gogh, Handel, Schumann—”

Outside the station, Isabel the only good nurse apparently opened the medicine cabinet to see that Campbell hadn’t taken his pills and then looked over towards the studio door, concerned, given how severe his episodes could become if untreated.

“Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath, Spike Milligan, Vivien Leigh—” Campbell continued, “that is one hundred percent true, folks—and this is for all you manic-depressives out there; we are loonies and we are proud!” Then he let out a sort of shout/howl, “AAAOOOOW!”

Then he put on Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher by Jackie Wilson and the patients continued dancing while Alastair yanked the spoon from Hector’s hand and then sat back down, grinning triumphally as Hector frowned.

He exited the day room, only to run into Y/N who handed him a new spoon. He grinned and started to sing along into it. She walked into Alastair’s view who was frowning in disbelief at her as she gave him a sarcastic smile and then gave him the middle finger before taking Hector’s arm and leading him out of the day room and to the hall so Hector wouldn’t take the second spoon away from him too.

“Have you ever noticed how much mental illness imagery there is in popular music? Tonight our guest on the Looney Tunes show is professor of musicology, Doctor Boogie!” Then Campbell started to speak in bad German accent… or Romania given how he was pronouncing some words… somewhere near Transylvania where Dracula lived, “Aye, aye, in the popular music we find much imagery of ze mental illness, indicating an underlying fear and faskination vith madness. For example…” He started to play A World Without Love by Peter and Gordon.

“He's away.” Fergus said, a bit concerned.

He stopped the song with another record scratch, Campbell’s voice seemed to be increasing speed, “And this expresses the deep anxiety about going a little bit crazy, huh? Another example is…”

The needle scratched on the record and Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis. “This expresses the deep anxiety about going a lotcrazier with a,” His eyes were bugging out of his head and waggling his fingers, manically and Y/N had to force herself not to giggle at how he looked, “pyromaniac overtones. And then again in a song like—"

A less prominent record scratch before Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones played,“—We see a fascination with obsessive behavior. And some songs provoke the greatest fears of all, in this case—”

He took the needle off without a scratch this time and then he played Sugar, Sugar by the Archies.

“—the tvin fears of abject mediocrity and of writing crap songs. Ah ja! But zen of course—” Campbell said, still speaking in the odd Central to Eastern European accent as Eddie finally tried the door, only to find it locked., “—there is, uh—"

He started playing Da Doo Ron Ron by the Crystals as Isabel and two assistants (thankfully not Stuart) hurried down the corridor. He dropped the accent, “—which has got nothing to do with loonies, but it's a great song!”

He glanced at Y/N with the silent message of: should I up the mania? She subtly nodded, he flashed her a grin as he tore off his headphones, “Whoa! I'm sweating! I'm just going to open a window.” He went to the window and opened it as Margaret from Ward eleven bit her thumbnail with concern, Campbell stuck his head out of the window and looked around, “Whoa! It's a long way down from this window, but I'm so high I'll bet I could fly.”

Eddie growing more and more concerned now that Campbell seemed to be threatening suicide or at least several shattered bones, banged his open palm on the studio door window glass.

“Oh, cue the song, cue the song!” Campbell shouted as he put on Fly Like an Eagle by Steve Miller Band.

“Jesus, Campbell!” Eddie shouted.

Campbell leapt on the windowsill and Y/N shifted as this was getting a bit too close for her but surprisingly she trusted Campbell and saw that he was clutching onto the bottom of window sash frame as he shouted enthusiastically and manically into the microphone

“What do you think, boys and girls? Do you think if we close our eyes and say ‘I do believe in magic’ that Peter Pan will really be able to fly?” Everyone was concern by now, realizing how serious Campbell’s episode was by now as he pushed the window sash up a little more and Y/N smacked the window, making him look over as she gave him a message like, don’t be so manic that you kill yourself because then I will kill you! “Let's try it, eh!?” He turned away from the window, locking eyes with Y/N through the floppy bangs in his brown eyes,“I do believe in magic.” Then he shouted, loudly, stepping away from the window thankfully, “COME ON! I DO BELIEVE IN MAGIC!”

Isabel pushed her way through the concern crowd to the door, Y/N refused to move out of the way.

“Oh, they're coming to get me, folks! They're coming to get your very own Campbell Bain! BUT WAIT!” He shouted, throwing his hand out, “Wait, I've got the perfect song!” He ran to the record player and scratched the record off as Isabel pounded on the door with her palm, finding it locked as he scratched on They're Coming to Take Me Away Ha-Ha by Jerry Samuels.

“Oh, yes, we're really seeing some action now, Brian!” Campbell shouted, his voice getting even faster, Y/N was sure that not even the Doctor from Doctor Who could talk that fast, he put his fingertips to the top of the shell of his ear, like a sports commentary, speaking into an earpiece, commentating what was happening as he saw it to those who were only listening, “Oh, the nursing staff have been at a temporary disadvantage, but I think they're beginning to get the upper hand now! YES! They found the spare key! It may be all over soon, and,” The key couldn’t turn due to the first key being in on the other side of the lock, “Oh, nooo!” He dramatically fell to his knees, “the key's in the lock from the inside and there's not a thing they can do about it!” Then he spotted Stuart approaching, “Oh, wait! Oh, it’s wee Stuart's got something, and he's not happy. If he can't break through the doors then I don't think anyone can.” Stuart aggressively pushed Y/N to the side which made her scream and fight back, suddenly, punching Staurt and clawing his skin off, “He tried to manhandle Y/N and she’s not happy; he’s made her angry! He’s pressed her trauma button!” Isabel then pulled her away and she immediately calmed down, “Ah, Isabel to the rescue.” Stuart then smashed the studio door window with a fire extinguisher, making Y/N flinch violently.

“YES! He's done it! He's broken the glass! And he's in! Wait, I haven't told you my loonies joke yet!” He shouted as Stuart and another assistant grabbed a hold of Campbell, picking him up as he continued to tell his joke at full speed, “This loony walks into a pub with his dog. The barman says, ‘Can't be any dogs in here, bud.’ But the loony tells him ‘it's a talking dog’, and he says to him ‘Look, if he can answer three questions, can he stay in the bar?’ ‘Let's see it.’ So the guy says to the dog, says, ‘What's the texture of sandpaper?’ And the dog says, ‘Rough.’ And then the loony guy asks, ‘Who was Scotland's goalkeeper in the 1978 World Cup?’ And the dog says, ‘Rough’.” The crowd followed them as Stuart carried Campbell, even Alistair had gotten up from the TV to watch with concern, “And then, ‘Who was the greatest American baseball player of all time?’ And the dog says, ‘Ruth.’ The barman's definitely not impressed. He grabs the guy by the collar and throws him into the street.” They brought Campbell into the treatment room with Isabel stopping Eddie and Y/N from following them in.

They slammed Campbell against a wall roughly, making Y/N flinch as Campbell, now slightly disorientated from the impact done to his head, repeated the last sentence he said, “Then he grabs the dog by the collar—” They pulled his jeans down, leaving him in his underwear, making Y/N flinch, violently as he continued to tell the joke, “—and throws him into the street. They slammed him aggressively against the treatment table, making Y/N flinch again, “And as they're lying in the gutter the wee dog looks up with tears in his eyeee—!” He cried out in brief pain as Isabela jabbed the needle into his buttock cheek with the sedative, making Y/N flinch. He was quiet for a few moments as the sedative took effect, making him drowsy and relaxed and then he spoke in a much more slower speech to finish his joke, “The wee dog looks up with tears in his eyes and he says... ‘DiMaggio...?"

He chuckled at the joke before succumbing to the sedative as Eddie watched ruefully and Y/N guiltily through the window before walking back to the station. She stepped through the glass and sat down, “Hello, this is Y/N, sorry for the craziness but our Campbell Bain has suffered a violent mania attack thanks to his father’s closed-mind, judgmental, disappointment in his DJ career, neglect, and general awfulness about him. So, I fucking hope you’re happy, Mister Bain, you think your son is the only looney in the family, you likely made him that way. This next song is Mad World.”

She played the song as Eddie looked at her through the window. A little bit later, she spoke again, “The last song of the day will be Bang and Blame, dedicated to all pathetic waste of spaces that are abusive parents, once again Mister Bain, thank you for making your son ‘unwell’ as you put it and putting pressure on him to find a job like you have such high standards, you road sweeper.” She played song as she looked through the window to see Stuart and Isabel waiting for the song to be over so they could deal with her and the fact that she’s talking.

--

The next day, Eddie walked in to see Campbell still groggy from the sedative with Y/N by his bed in the same clothes as yesterday, holding his hand. He was awake and they were just looking at each other in a comfortable silence.

Campbell groggily looked at Eddie to see him in a suit and in a slow yet facetious tone said, “What's this? Did somebody die?”

Y/N fetched a glass of water and made him drink it, he resisted at first more just to be a nuisance than anything but gave in and complied as Eddie chuckled and said, “I came from work. Big day today.”

“Ooh, did your boss get fired for overworking his employees? Or drop dead from exhaustion because he’s working seven days a week?” Y/N asked, sardonically yet with a cheerful tone.

Eddie chuckled again yet not sure if he liked it better when she didn’t speak, considering he was finding out she was a very sarcastic and sardonic person. to vastly contrast Campbell's personification of sunshine-ness. He pointed to his tie tack, “Salesman of the Month.”

“Salesman of the Month, eh?” Campbell asked in disbelief.

“What were the other salesmen like?” Y/N teased.

“How are you?” Eddie asked Campbell.

“Great. Y/N slept with me last night, yet I still remain a virgin. He teased and Y/N slapped his shoulder, playfully as he smirked, cheekily, “Saw my shrink this morning. He says I'm definitely not stable yet.” Y/N grinned and leaned down, pressing it against Campbell’s hand to hide it while pressing a kiss to it. “They're, uh, going to keep me in another six to ten weeks.” He briefly got distracted from the hand kiss, “Do you realize how much we could make of that station in six to ten weeks? Anything's possible now. And Y/N could be my protégé, now that she speaks again.” He wanted to ruffle her hair but his limbs felt like lead, so he just let out a half-hearted noise of not-really exertion.

“Aye, well. If you think you're up to it. Both of you.” Eddie told them.

Campbell looked at Y/N like, can I tell him. And she nodded, enthusiastically.

“Great acting, eh?” Campbell grinned as Y/N giggled.

Eddie looked confused as both teenaged patients looked up at him, then they both winked out of sync and it dawned unto Eddie that there was no manic episode. That’s why Y/N had left the room just before the “episode” started, why she remained calm up until Campbell was fake-threatening-implying to jump out of the window, why Campbell kept looking at her during the episode, why Y/N had looked so guilty and then blamed Campbell’s father like she had rehearsed it.

“It was Y/N’s idea. She’s an evil genius.” He smiled at Y/N before looking back at Eddie, “We’ve beat them, guys. I'll beat the bastards.”

After Eddie left, Campbell looked at Y/N as she climbed back in the bed with him just like she had last night and cuddled next to him letting the blanket act as a barrier of platonic intimacy between them, she rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped a loose arm around his covered waist.

It was silent for a little bit before she moved her hand so it went to Campbell’s hand, resting on top of it and she stroked Campbell’s hand with her thumb.

“How long have you been here?” He asked.

“As long as I could. They wouldn’t let me in at first but I kept finding ways in. I needed to be by your side.” She said, “They kept pulling me out, especially when I started shouting… well, it was more like whisper-shouting due to my likely atrophied vocal chord and they tried to take me away to some shrink but I wouldn’t let them. Eventually, they gave up and let me stay with you.” She whispered, “as you know, I slept next to you. I’m sorry if my plan hurt you.”

“It worked, didn’t it?” He asked and he managed to shift so his arm was on the other side of her and able to just barley touch her waist and to her surprise she didn’t flinch. She felt him move his head and press a kiss to the top of her head and again, she surprised herself by not flinching.

She was surprised herself on how this little, hyperactive, persistent kid had somehow gotten past her guarded defense walls, gotten under the wire, despite all her efforts to forevermore keep another heart from touching hers, the one she tried so hard to hide in the past ten months. She had been successful until Campbell Bain had crashed into her two months ago.

But the last time, she had trusted someone to be their best friend, she got hurt and was violated and therefore traumatized into a nearly year-long muteness.

There is a couple Doctor Who references. One straight out states it and the other is a reference to a quote from the Tenth Doctor in Fear Her.

There's also a reference to a line from Queer as Folk, but I've never seen this show but I have heard the audio clips of this scene in fan videos.

Personal Mental Heath Rant (Skip if you don't care)

Sorry for being tough on Campbell's dad but I have severe ADHD (since I was three and getting worse with ever presistent pessmisstic criticism I'm given), Anxiety, Depression, and possibly two ambigious and debatable types dylexia and if complexes count an inferiority and guilt complex and I have spent my whole life being shouted at for seeing things differently, for seeing that there is no metaphoric box to think in, for focusing on so many things at once that it's just as useful as not focusing on anythingat all and so people think that I', not even trying, for being overwhelmed with tasks that are so simple to everyone else yet near impossible for me (due to being yelled at my entire life for everything I did. I was once shouted at for about or over thirty minutes because I didn't put something down right after I was told to do so becuase I was so terrified of the person who shouted at me, I was convinced they were one meltdown from turning verbal abuse to physical abuse though then I would be able to call the cops of them, I tried to see the silver lining in my own dark and twisted way of thinking). People expect me to act like I don't have a disorder or they treat me like I'm stupid because apparently I'm the one with the issue rather than them googling the symtoms (IT'S FOUR LETTERS) and try putting themselves in my shoes. (My mom once told me that ADHD was not a learning disorder; techinically she's right because IT'S SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST A LEARNING DISORDER! It can affect your entire life and shouting at me is just making it worst! But I have to be the calm one and force my temper down. Somehow I'm the most patient persn in the house in terms of temper. How!?

I have been forced to try and learn and study to only two type of intelligence rather than the one I understand best I have been forced to try and think socieity's way of thinking when my mind just doesn't work like that. I'm literally wired differently.

(About the "ambiguous and debateable types of dyslexia, I was tested for Bipolar when I was young and somehow they got I was dylexia because I kept drawing lines in the opposite directions that they told me and if you were to give me directions, it would be like in a cartoon when a character spins an arrow sign and it points in like every direction at once just indicates "Directional Dyslexia" or "Left-Right Confusion" but I don't like that term as it sounds like I have the intellect and common sense of a first grader who can't tell the difference from right and left.

 A few years ago, I went to the therapist and I was diagnosed with a math learning disorder but wasn't told what kind so I went to my most knowledgeable ally: Google! And the only one I can find is Dyscalculia which is basically math dyslexia. In my head, it's like some astronauts in a kid's game or show is placing number down in outer space but the moment I let go of them, they float away and I can't place more than two down, I can barely think about numbers without getting a headache as if I'm trying to understand time travel.

These two types of dyslexia I suspect I have, have been debated on whether or not they're an actual form of dyslexia

So I haven't been "officially" diagnosed with these but I'm not just saying, "hey, I have trouble with (insert dyslexia-induced trouble), maybe I'm dyslexic too", I hate that (Like don't say "I get distracted too, maybe I'm ADHD"), I have sufficient reason to believe this.

[mod-doodles]

Quick rant but i‘m struggling with the bear fandom and cast/show runners response to sydcarmy or in general romance? why is everyone so pretentious i saw someone on twt say people who ship sydcarmy need to get out because this is not riverdale and it pissed me off so much what’s with this assumption of two main characters falling in love makes the show less serious or something. Ayo‘s interviews are also still a bad taste in my mouth because i feel bad openly shipping them now idk i don’t want this to be one of those shows were the actors/creators hate their fans/fandom :/

Firstly confession I never watched an episode of Riverdale I tapped out that YA genre when I stopped watching PLL, TVD and the originals, so I don’t get the reference.

With fans of the show who hate the ship it’s layered: apparently people hate love, the romance genre, interracial love, Carmy being in love, Sud being the one he’s in love with and much more lmao. Some of these people have intersecting thoughts on this.

The articles from the cast and crew it’s a catch 22 situation, I’m a cynic so my approach to life is ‘expect the worst and be prepared for the best’. What they’re saying does not align with what I’m seeing and I’m aware that what I’m seeing is not say a stereotypical Redditor is seeing and that’s fine. I’m also aware that show runners need to keep viewer’s attention and want for more, hence cliffhangers and plot twists; they aren’t going to give us a play by play of the stories progression.

My suggestion is to do whatever you think is best for you and your mental health! That might be avoiding certain platforms where they engage in those conversations that might enrage you or it might be silent shipping.

For me it’s knowing what I’ll yet from each platform so if I go look I now what to expect

Twitter: is mostly a good time if you stay to the fandom tags, idk what anyone else is doing. I do know Twitter was fighting on the frontlines of the anti ship battle at one point and god bless them for their service.

TikTok: is great at helping you be delulu with all the fanedits lol but I know the algorithm is suggesting is anyone who is remotely interested in the show the the comments while mostly pro ship have some anti ship viewers as well.

Instagram: idk anything besides the official instagram for the show so you’ll get everyone’s opinions on everything.

Tumblr: is a safe space, all the ships have their own tags and mind their own business 🤍 that but also after having interacted with people who ship sydrichie / sydmarcus there wasn’t any animosity so great.

It’s a show, we’re experiencing escaping reality don’t let anyone ruin the fun for you. Be unbothered and delulu!

[dorothytv10]

A love letter to Bughead shippers!

*Warning: this is very very long, so only continue reading if you have time to spare 😜

I haven’t been part of the Bughead fandom since the beginning of 2019. I watched the show in chronological order until the end of season 3, then binged season 4 during covid lockdowns, but refused to continue with season 5 onwards. But over the past few years, I have kept up with spoilers and watched s5-7 episodes sporadically. I just couldn’t take the show seriously when they had Betty cheat on Jughead, then do a random time jump and turn the show supernatural. It was jarring!

I still remember the first time I started shipping Bughead. Let’s start from the beginning:

I had seen ads for Riverdale about a week before it aired, and decided to give it a watch purely because I am such a sucker for murder mystery style shows. That was the catalyst. I also have a tendency to invest in CW shows because of how heavily they push shipping, and romance is another genre that I cannot get enough of. I remember watching the pilot episode and thinking this whole Betty & Archie storyline is just NOT compelling nor did I feel the actors and their characters had any romantic chemistry. It just felt forced and awkward, especially watching Betty get rejected. I thought she was way too good for him, and if he couldn’t see that in all the years they were friends, then he ain’t the right guy for her. But some part of me just expected them to be the main love story of the show because that’s such a predictable trope in teen dramas. So even though I didn’t feel any part of my shipping senses tingling, I decided to continue with the show for the mystery part, and accepted that the romance would just not play a factor in my interest. But boy was I wrong! The following week, I watched episode 2, and the show just felt different. Jughead was featured more heavily and finally shared the screen with Betty, even though no dialogue was exchanged. But I remember thinking to myself, “Jughead and Betty would be so cute together”. During the week after episode 2 aired, I remember their season 1 kiss from episode 8 leaked online: the one outside FP’s trailer. I saw that one scene on Twitter and was instantly a Bughead shipper. I couldn’t believe that I got my wish and Betty and Jughead were going to have a romance. Riverdale went from “a show I’ll watch when I can be bothered to a must watch show that I will not dare miss an episode of”. Episode 3 started getting promoted online a lot, and Betty and Jughead were shown to interact in the trailer; I was hooked. I couldn’t wait for the next episode! It became an obsession. I even joined tumblr and met so many amazing fellow Bughead shippers. It was such an exciting time, waiting every week for a new episode to drop to finally see them get to that ep8 kiss, which I foolishly believed was going to be their first kiss. But episode 6 threw us all a curveball and had Jughead kiss Betty and call her Juliet in the same scene. I literally had butterflies. I hadn't felt that strongly about a ship in so long!

I was a big part of the early Bughead tumblr days. We were a force to be reckoned with. Each episode, our fanbase grew bigger to the point where we were the most popular ship out of every show airing at the time.

But as much as I wanted Bughead to be endgame, there was always this part of me that worried she’d inevitably get with Archie because that was so clearly what RAS shipped in the comics. I do believe Bughead lasted as long as they did because of how big and strong their fanbase was. Also, the real life romance between Cole and Lili always played a huge role in their onscreen coupling, too. That doesn’t diminish how beautiful their love story was in the show. But unfortunately, I think it is the truth. I have seen it so many times in teen drama shows. The head writers always seem to ship the pilot episode ship: Dawson and Joey, Stefan and Elena, Lucas and Peyton etc. I’m using examples of previous teen love triangles.

As much as RAS loved Bughead, and wrote them such beautiful content, he always had one foot pedalling on B*rchie. It was inevitable that at some point they’d want to explore them, especially because they had placed little clues all throughout the first few seasons. But as long as Cole and Lili were together, the show was never going to be daring enough to go full steam ahead with B*archie. Bughead was too popular and so was the real life romance. It would have caused riots. But alas, like every CW actors who date, they broke up. And what happened? They were kept apart for the remainder of the show. It was Delena all over again :(

Whether the rumours are true about the two not being able to work together, only they truly know. But I think it’s a mix of a lot of things, including new writers who were clearly all for the other ship, or in this case, the other shit. I don’t want to insult anyone, but the Riverdale writers are some of the most incompetent writers in the industry. Their inability to maintain continuity, and all the contradictions and character assassinations they created, we had no hope in s5-7. It became a whole new show. It simply lost its spark, which was already quite dim after how they handled the cheating arc in season 4. There was a huge tonal shift, and our favourite characters acted OOC.

So here’s what I really want to say:

I officially stopped watching Riverdale when they decided to jump the gun and have Betty cheat on Jughead with Archie. If you’re a Bughead shipper, it’s completely justifiable to be disappointed and sad about the way Riverdale ended. It’s like when people talk about that one person who got away, that’s how Bughead is to us: it’s the ship that got away, and never came back. To be fair, the show was no longer what it started out as. When you start off as a teen drama show promoting thriller/mystery as your main genre, only to shift gears in later seasons and become supernatural and sci-fi, there’s really only one way to explain the show in a cohesive and logical manner: it’s either all inside one of the character’s imaginations or it’s a multiverse with totally new characters who are the doppelgänger/counterparts of the original characters we knew in the beginning. So it no longer really counts. I don’t think we will ever get any definitive answers and closure from RAS nor the cast about why Bughead was completely abandoned after they broke up on the show, but I’m going to give you my take on how I think the last episode played out. Take it as you want, but I am a budding writer myself, and from a writer’s point of view, this is my theory on what really happened to Bughead in the end…

Consider the show a multiverse at this point. Remember that line Jughead said to Betty in 4x17? “in what future are we not together?”

It’s the same episode she cheats on Jughead. My theory is that the show shifted into another universe/timeline (whatever you want to call it) to show us the versions of Betty and Jughead that don’t have a future together. By her kissing Archie, she irrevocably changes the course of her relationship with Jughead. So that’s what we are shown, a new world where Betty kisses Archie and she and Jughead split and don’t end up back together again. And what is this new world? It’s really dark!

Bughead had been referred to as Romeo & Juliet, soul mates and endgame in the earlier seasons. That’s exactly what they are. But what are Romeo and Juliet referred to? Star-crossed lovers. No matter what, they could never be together. But I’ll get back to that later on.

In my opinion, there are 3 universes shown to us in the show’s run:

1 is the prime universe and original timeline in which Bughead are together and endgame. No cheating takes place. They are still in high school and will continue to date after it and make it work. But we’ll never get to see it unfold because from the end of s4 onwards we are in the other universes.

The second universe is the one where she ends up with Archie — Rivervale or Riverdale 2, but they all die in the end when the comet wipes them out of existence 👀

And the third universe is Riverdale 3.

Seasons 1-4 are set in the prime Riverdale universe.

Then season 5-6 are set in the second universe— Rivervale/Riverdale 2. My opinion is that even after 6x05, they never really left rivervale. Bunker Jughead just wrote it differently and called it Riverdale.

Then season 7 is set in the Riverdale 3 universe.

The Rivervale universe has all the magic and supernatural elements to it, which technically began in s5 with Cheryl performing magic. Rivervale is the darkest universe and timeline of the 3. Riverdale 3 universe is the most tame and fun of all the 3 universes. It’s the one where the characters behave like actual teens and don’t have serial killer fathers, cults, gargoyle kings and evil warlocks tormenting them. Riverdale 1 universe is the most realistic and grounded of the lot, albeit some weird storylines did occur during seasons 3 and 4, but it’s the universe that has both light and dark inside it like real life. Tabitha confirmed there is a multiverse in 7x19 when she said she couldn’t untangle “all” the timelines and instead made them into a single one. But even though she gave them back their memories, these versions existing in the 50s/Riverdale 3 universe are really not the original characters. This theory is proven by how a lot of dead characters are alive in this universe and how Tabitha has another version of herself living in this one.

The one single timeline she is talking about is that she gave them all the memories from every universe so they can live their lives with the knowledge of their other selves. Especially when having to navigate the 50s. They are variants (Loki reference) of the originals who now have the same memories (not all the memories) but haven’t actually lived the same lives. That’s why none of them aged and are still teens in high school; it’s also why they no longer have super powers and magical abilities. Same memories, but different bodies and souls.

So going back to endgame talk: in Riverdale 3, the universe which all of season 7 takes place in, including the final, Betty and Jughead weren’t technically endgame, but they were treated as star-crossed, just like Romeo & Juliet. They couldn’t be together because all of their memories from every other universe/timeline they existed in were now a part of them and it was too convoluted of a situation to actually make sense of in their heads, so they just all dated one another. In this new Riverdale 3 universe, Betty has feelings for both Archie and Jughead because she has the memories of both universe 1 and universe 2 Betty inside her, so she can never really choose between them. Instead, she chooses herself.

Jughead never marries because the girl he has always loved in every universe didn’t want to get married, so he didn’t want to settle for just anyone. Archie moved on because Betty was never the love of his life in all 3 universes.

Ask yourself this, why did Betty tell Reggie that she remembered what being with Jughead felt like, and that’s why she chose to be a part of the quad? Why didn’t she feel this way about Jughead in s6 (Rivervale/Riverdale 2 universe)? Wasn’t it strange that she just seemed to forget she was ever with him? It’s because it was a different timeline/universe, one in which Betty only loves Archie. That is why Jughead has that moment in season 6 episode 14 with that flashback montage of him and Betty, it’s him remembering their relationship from universe 1, something he isn’t really aware of in the Rivervale/Riverdale 2 timeline. The reason for them not remembering is because Bunker Jughead from Rivervale has written them to forget their past together. My theory for why he did that, is after the bomb went off in 6x05, part of the deal was that bunker Jughead make Betty forget being with him completely just like she had to forget that he sacrificed himself to save the universes. He retconned their story so she could move on and he could continue writing away from her with no distractions. Rivervale’s Bunker Jughead loves Betty, as confirmed by Ethel. Which brings me to the final part of this theory…

I think bunker Jughead is the same Jughead that appears to Betty in the final episode as her guardian Angel. He’s OG Jughead and has been writing an anthology all along. There is a reason the show is so heavily focused on Betty. She is the main character in Jughead’s story! In S1-4 he is chronicling his love story with Betty, kind of like an autobiography or diary of them and how they’re an investigative duo. In S5-6 he ventures into writing sci-fi and supernatural stories. Finishing up in s7 with historical fiction.

The angel Jughead in the series finale is the writer, the narrator and the version of Jughead that Betty loved most as evidenced by what he wore. He exists in all 3 universes, like a time-traveller of sorts. He’s the writer and narrator in Universe 1, the bunker writer in universe 2 and the guardian Angel in universe 3. But he took his version out of the story these last few seasons to show the audience a future with no Bughead, and instead wrote a version of Jughead that doesn’t pine after Betty and one that had a different girlfriend. That’s why when universe 3 Betty asks him on the park bench if he regrets never getting married, he says sometimes. Because he sometimes regrets never writing the two of them getting married in this universe. But he couldn’t because his version of Jughead wasn’t the main Jughead he was writing about in this story.

In the end, his universe 3 story wasn’t about Bughead, it was about Betty and wanting to give her everything she dreamed of, even if that didn’t include him. He wrote her a world where she didn’t have a serial killer father, where her sister was still alive, where she and Veronica were best friends, where Betty could enjoy her youth and explore her sexuality without having to choose between the two boys she was always torn between. He wrote her as a writer and a successful career woman rather than an FBI agent chasing down murderers and putting herself in danger. He wrote her as adopting a daughter that wasn’t at risk of inheriting the serial killer gene. He wrote a world where she got to be a normal teen and not have to investigate homicidal maniacs all the time. She got to go to school dances, drink milk shakes at Pops and hang out with her friends. She was able to repair her damaged relationship with her mum and find peace. She was a liberated woman with a strong voice who made a difference in the world.

So why did the show end with this version of her? Because it’s a way to show Betty finding peace and strength, and also not having to choose between Jughead and Archie. It makes her more than just a girlfriend who goes back and forth between two best friends.

This whole theory is further evidenced by beanie Jughead appearing outside Pops in the final scene and then hearing his typewriter as the show fades out. This was Jughead’s story all along, and the main character was Betty. It’s always been about Betty. The reason Jughead and Betty didn’t have any romantic scene in the series finale is because this wasn’t beanie Jughead’s Betty. This was the version of Betty that ends up with no one. It’s the last version of her that Jughead wrote in his book. The version of her that’s truly happy and at peace with herself and her life. He wrote her saying goodbye to Archie because that was not her endgame. Archie was just a childhood crush that existed in a fantasy world filled with magic and unrealistic scenarios like sewing on decapitated heads and bringing people back from the dead. Rivervale universe was never real and never made sense, just like Betty and Archie never made sense. And guess what happened to Betty in universe 2? She died, just like B*rchie did in the finale 😉

The only version of her that is still alive is the original one from Universe 1 that ends up with Jughead. We didn’t need to see their endgame on screen to know it happened. Their endgame is in the subtext. Jughead always loved Betty, and his story was about her. In universe 1 they are endgame, in universe 2 they are soul mates as bunker Jughead is able to do the impossible and contact her in Riverdale from Rivervale. And in universe 3 they are Romeo and Juliet. She spent her last day on earth with him, and died the day after finding out he died. They were star-crossed and couldn’t be together. The writing is on the wall.

As much as I would have loved an I love you, a kiss or even just a conversation discussing their history in the last episode, I take comfort in knowing that the characters I fell in love with in season 1 were completely different people in season 7. And from where I stand, the only explanation is it’s one big multiverse of madness concocted by a sardonic writer who was always in love with the girl next door, and spent most of his youth writing about her only to end the story with them both forever being 17. That is the same age they were when they were together and in love. It’s the same age their iconic duet is about. They just wanted to be 17, and that’s exactly how the show ends for them. Screams endgame to me :)

Just remember, nothing lasts forever. The greatest moments in life are the ones that don’t last long but leave a lasting impression. It’s the reason why we are so enthralled when we see a shooting star. It’s something so beautiful, yet so rare, so fleeting and near impossible to see with the naked eye that we stare in sheer wonderment at a dark sky full of dead stars waiting and hoping that such a spectacle will reveal itself to us again. So don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. And never lose hope; it’s the only voice inside of you strong enough to silence fear.

Thanks for the memories, Bughead family! Even though I haven’t been around the last few years, it’s an experience I’ll never forget, and I’ve made met people on here that I will be friends with for life ❤️❤️❤️

[a92vm]

Well... I just watched the final episode of Riverdale so everyone buckle up for a long looooong sappy post. I know I haven't been in the fandom for a hot second but this show, this fandom and this cast truly meant the world to me.

I have made some of the most amazing friends thanks to this show. Friends that to this day still guide me, comfort me, and support me through all the ups and downs and chaos that life is. Friends that although I haven't met in person yet in some cases, I talk to almost every single day. Friends that have been there for me through breakups, moves, hospital stays, both of my degrees, a freaking pandemic... I mean through every life milestone in the last 6 years. Friends that I know will be in my life forever now.

This show also gave me so so many amazing opportunities. Never in my wildest dreams I thought I would ever be on a set, and yet I managed to visit so many iconic sets and I even worked in a few others!! I was able to find and actually do something with one of my passions, something that 15yr old me could have never imagined. Also thanks to this show I learned so much about fashion and the industry and gave me the chance to talk to and learn from people that I would have never ever had met otherwise.

Finally, and although I'm fully aware that this may sound repetitive, I'm beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to actually get to meet the cast. Trust me when I say I know how rare and how lucky I've been. Once again, never ever in my wildest dreams I could have imagined meeting someone from a TV show, let alone someone I admired... and yet I was able to. Not only that, I got to actually create some sort of relationship with some of them and got to, in a way, grow up alongside them for the last 6 years of my life. Being able to see and talk to either Cami or Lili whenever things were bad in my life was... truly a lifesaver; my lifeboat when things got rough. I have the happiest and craziest core memories with them and there aren't enough words to describe how thankful I am for them. So to my girls, Thank you for guiding me, listening to me, and basically saving me over and over again.

And so I guess all this is to say, Thank you Riverdale for the craziest, wildest but mostly sweet 6 years of my life.

[chloe-skywalker]

Northside Serpent - Fangs Forgarty

Fangs x Fem!reader (eventually)

Jughead x Toni x Reader (friends)

Warnings: bullying?

Word count: 1,154

Summary: Being a Northsider who is very quiet but when the bulldogs and Cheryl are being mean to the Southsiders she speaks up.

Authors Note: That summary is the idea I came up with but it turned into something with that as the underline plot but also something. So I can’t say it's really a good description and I can’t say it's a bad one.

Masterlist

Riverdale Masterlist

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“Hey, Juggie.” Y/n waved towards her beanie wearing friend as he showed up in the school parking lot with his friends.

“Y/n/n, long time no see.” Jughead smiled as he approached the Y/h/c-ed girl along with Toni, Fangs, and Sweet Pea.

“Jug I saw you two days ago.” she laughed, hugging him once he got close enough.

“We haven’t gone to school with each other in a while.” Jug nod's his head at her statement.

“True.” Y/n smiled

“Why are you outside?” Fangs asked the pretty girl who obviously knows Jughead.

“There’s a welcoming party for you all.” Y/n smirks shaking her head as she answered the handsome young serpent.

“Huh?” Jug looked at her confused and suspicious.

“Only a few put it together and yes, it’s who your thinking Jug. But be warned the Bulldogs and Cheryl are very against this.” she explained, shrugging in the process.

“Well before we go in mind introducing us to your friend here Jones? Toni?” Sweet Pea crossed his arms, not missing how Toni had also greeted the girl with a hug.

“Well, if either of you ever paid attention to anything other than pole at the Wrym you would’ve met her already.” Toni stated giving them an annoyed look that screamed ‘I told you so’.

“We’ve known each other since we were in diapers, she’s not just a friend she’s like my sister.” Jug explained to his followed Serpent boys. Jughead could tell Sweet Pea was still wary and Fangs seemed to not be able to take his eyes off her.

“She use to hang at the Wrym all the time.’ Toni added.

“Having known Jughead here all my life FP’s like a father to me.” Y/n smiled at the two boys standing in front of her.

“Like?” Jug scoffed tilting his head in her direction.

Y/n was family, there was no question. There was also no question that she was the honorary adopted daughter of FP.

“Oh haha. Fine, he is practically my dad. He helped my mom raise me and has been there for me my whole life.” Y/n answered.

“So are you a Serpent?” Sweet Pea asked with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Yes.” Y/n nodded as she answered his question holding her head high. She could understand his skepticism from his point of view.

“Y/n is the Serpent Princess.” Toni smirks nudging her friend, teasing her with her nickname.

“A title my dad gave her and I believe it’s fitting.” Jug stated.

“I’m gonna be the polite one between me and Pea and ask your name.” Fangs smiled

“It's Y/n. Y/n Y/l/n.” Y/n smiled reaching out to shake his hand. “An you?”

“Fangs Forgarty.” he smirked slightly but it ended up just turning back into a smile.

“Nice to meet you Fangs.” Y/n nodded

Once they let go of each other's hands Fangs elbowed Sweet Pea. “ow” Sweet Pea glared at Fangs.

Toni raised her eyebrows at the tall boy. “Introduce yourself instead of integrating the girl.”

“Sweet Pea, nice to meet you Serpent Princess.” he introduced himself after giving the pink haired girl an eye roll.

Y/n laughed at the exchange before shaking his hand. “Nice to meet you too.”

“Now that we're all acquainted, why don’t we all head into school now?” Jug asked, always the lover of education.

With that said they all grabbed their stuff and headed in. After the greeting by Archie, Veronica, Betty, and etc etc … Toni turned to Y/n with a look before asking. “This is Northside hospitality?”

“Welcome to the Northside.” Jughead snarked

“You know Y/l/n I thought once we were rid of Jones here, you would finally understand where you belong.” Cheryl spoke as she approached the group of young Serpents.

“Oh? And where would that be Cheryl?” y/n asked with her voice full of sarcasm as she crossed her arms turning to fully face the red headed Bombshell.

“By my side and the Bulldogs of course, silly. Not with these street rats.” Cheryl smiled her fake Blossom smile. Y/n would know the difference.

“Listen here Bombshell. These street rats as you call them are way better friends than your bulldogs would ever be. As for you Cheryl Blossom. You and I were good friends once upon a time until you decided to become a snot-nosed Bitch.” Y/n spoke pissed off stepping into Cheryl's personal space. Looking the HBIC right in the eyes. Y/n honestly missed having Cheryl as a friend. But then Cheryl she became someone who wasn’t the Cheryl Y/n grew up being friends with. If Cheryl ever came back then they could be friends again. “So leave us alone. I’m where I should be. Are you?”

With that said everyone started to head off to where they needed to be for the first period. After Toni and Y/n left off to their first classes the boys stood in the hallways for a minute. Sweet Pea and Fangs were ready to intervene when it came to Y/n and Cheryl’s talk. But Jughead and Toni had convinced them to back down. Y/n could fight her own fights, they know that for a fact. But they still stood ready as back up if the Bulldogs so much as moved a finger.

“I think I’m in love.” Fangs stated as they watched the girls disappear.

“She’s a Serpent so I’m cool with it.” Sweet Pea stated with a shrug at his friend's words. Truth be told he’s just glad it’s not a Northsider.

Jughead cast a glare at Fangs before saying. “She’s like a sister to me. If you hurt her Fangs I’ll bury you somewhere no one will ever find the body.”

Fangs gulped looking Jug in the eyes promising. “If I can get her to actually say yes then I promise I’ll never hurt her. At least I won’t try to.”

Sweet Pea suddenly got a thought in his head and he smirked. “Jones, you said she’s like a daughter to your dad right?”

“Yup.” Jughead nodded, casting a confused look to the tall dark haired boy. And then it hit him.

Sweet Pea clapped Fangs on the back as he let out an amused laugh. “Good luck Forgarty.”

Fangs turned his head to look at Jughead hoping he could explain since it seemed like he understood what Sweet Pea meant. “Huh?”

“Sweet Pea’s hinting to the fact that you’ll be dating the honorary daughter of Fp Jones, leader of the Serpents.” Jughead explained, and it was true if Fnags could get Y/n to say yes then he would be seeing the confusion leave Fang's face and was replaced by worry and a hint of fear. Jug patted him on the shoulder before continuing. “Don’t worry Fangs. She’s worth it.”

Tag: @gruffle1

[arsenicpanda]

Still thinking about how Tabitha is an angel but also destroyed countless timelines, functionally committing murder on an unknowable scale, just to save a handful of people she cared about, only to neither get to be with them herself in life nor be in the heaven they all share

[dr-lizortecho]

tagged by the lovely @crepuscularqueens sorry I always take sooo long to get these done, lol

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

144

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

527,412

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Roswell New Mexico! Though I dabble in The Vampire Diaries and accept prompts for Lockwood and Co, Fate the Winx Saga, Riverdale and Hadestown

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Something to Celebrate- a short little Chenford dancing scene

Can I lead You Astray?- a rivusa get together fic

Wanna See What’s Under That Attitude- Hallmark Christmas movie fake dating Valevans, which is only so highly rated because I wrote it at fandoms peak interest in the pairing

Swing Life Away- rnm all human au, this was and still is my passion project

Like the Sky- a short missing scene from Lockwood and Co, and an exploration of Lucy’s feelings for Lockwood and Norrie

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I wrote for the community so it’s really cool to discuss the characters

The only exceptions are rude comments get to sit- unless I think it’s a misunderstanding than I’ll respond with a simple redirect and thank you

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Angst is NOT my thing, but probably do you remember? which just has Michael fall asleep before Max can ask about Alex, so it ends in their still fractured pre-show relationship

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

All my fic has happy endings pretty much! But the one that probably felt the most joyful to me personally ours which was my first foray into malexa and just ends with the sweetest big group moment

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope! Not since I moved into the rnm fandom, barring like one comment on a Forrest fic all I’ve ever gotten is really really nice interactions <3

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Haha yes, all kinds. From the softest vanilla euphemism full sex to weak ass bdsm (sorry I haven’t quite got hardcore there yet- like I keep blushing and backing out on letting Max wear a collar)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Not really- I have one crossover written and another in the works. Rnm/Tvd which kinda writes itself.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope- ik I would be terrible to work with cause I’m super particular, but I’m not against the idea.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

You’re not gonna believe this- Echo

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

The Joniz kidnapping fic! I started back during s3 and formatted the entire thing, only for them to reveal more info on Jones so I had to replay it, and then he actually kidnapped Liz, fed her and dressed her and I was like ‘this is my fic!’

16. What are your writing strengths?

Idk- I think I put a lot of care and effort into making the characters actions and reactions plausible and realistic, cause I studied psychology for a bit and it’s one of my interests, so I just apply it a little too hard. Which feeds into a weakness cause it means I always feel incapable of characters pov’s I don’t think about an absurd amount

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

New POV’s and commas

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I love it personally- but the little Spanish I did retain from highschool isn’t enough to actually write it (so I use google translate) but I’m hoping once I have more free time to take up duolingo and actually learn it

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Doctor Who

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Swing Life Away- it’s like a child to me, however poorly written

no pressure tags @lilshitwayne @morganadw @ajna-eye-cogitations @beautifulcheat @ladynox @maeglinthebold and anyone who wants to!

[crazy56u]

Whelp, I just woke up, and (without naming names) I just saw a reaction that I am 100% taking with a grain of salt.

Let’s take a look.

Okay, if they’re bringing up the chip subplot now after it supposedly got resolved, that’s not a good sign.

Also, Ben got fucked out of saving Hannah’s husband. And having seen the synopses for the last two episodes of the season [sidenote, NBC, ya gonna fucking announce a renewal or… …?], long story short, oof.

And we’re at a funeral reading in 1953, and Ben may or may not be the maid.

Okay, no offense, that vase looks like shit.

“Is this a joke?” I know, right?!

Oh, so Daddy was too busy being Indiana Jones to remember how money worked.

“To my fearless Dina-” “It’s Dean.” …misspelling, or deadnaming? Is this a trans plot?

A ship in a bottle, I don’t know if they make those anymore.

And it goes smash. …revealing a map; okay, Ben won this will reading.

Addison, why the fuck do you continue to have the shittiest timing

“Hey, I know we’re supposed to be working, and Ben just leapt in, but you wanna ditch this episode?”

Okay, legitimately, I couldn’t tell if Ian was wearing glasses or not.

“I planned a wedding once. That led to me burying a not-dead man’s belongings in the park; the cops are still nagging me to dig that shit up.”

Yeah, remember, you have jobs?

“Are you sure I’m not rushing you?” You want to get married a day or so after proposing. What do you think?

Like, not to make a controversial statement, but Ross Gellar at least had the foresight to wait a few months.

“Do not wait to live your life. Otherwise, time travel will fuck you over.”

And the horrible vase is dead.

San Patricio… Quick Google search gave me this little number, so my interest is peaked…

…okay, I don’t think Wikipedia mentioned cursed jewels, so fuck me, I guess.

Okay, wait, I just realized: is Sarah played by Veronica from Riverdale?

How much longer until they realize the Accelerator isn’t doing shit, and it’s Ben?

I agree: Family bullshit is less enticing than being Indiana Jones. But unfortunately, it’s this show, so you should already know the punchline.

“[Dean] is the key to all this.” Like how Horace was the key to Halloween Havoc.

I love the Kramer entrance Ben just pulled.

Teamwork makes the dream work, and maybe Veronica can stop bitching.

I love how Will Man is intentionally withholding the lore unless it’s for dramatic moments.

Okay, quick math time; 40 mill in 1953 would be about… almost half a fucking billion in 2024, so…

This looks less like Mexico and more like The Darjeeling Limited.

Who sings opera while biking?

Yes, that’s right, make Addison bring up the wedding now of all places…

“Hey, I know you’re talking to ghosts, but check out the map!”

Well, given how the priest killed for those jewels, blood probably did get on them, so he wasn’t wrong…

That wasn’t “fashion advice”, that was “we’re going on a treasure hunt, don’t overload the fucking suitcase” advice, Veronica.

“Okay, maybe let’s stop deadnaming and let’s get crunk.”

[Okay, how have I not noticed the producer is named “Meg Fister” until now?]

Yes, Jenn, Ian does want to do their job, that’s not a shock.

“Look, if we’re still pretending 2023- now 2024- is supposed to be 2026, then Addison and Tom can get married. That’s the law.”

[I will fucking laugh if my long standing theory pays out, and Ben undoes the time skip.]

“Hey, Rachel, I just said a sitcom line-” “Ian, we are fucked, they remembered the chip subplot.” “I thought we finished that!”

…is Tom a puppet?

And, in a rather appropriate cutaway, we go to the bar.

A bar is not a place to yell, pleas calm down.

“Nadia, where did you learn Spanish?” “From a person who speaks Spanish.”

I don’t like how the bartender is immediately in the know.

And that satchel is going to get taken in 5… 4… 3…

Ben, with that type of scratch, you can change all their fucking lives.

“And what are we doing?” Not looking after a satchel?

Why does their dad look like Santa?

And it’s now a race.

Ben, he was clearly lying about not believing the treasure was real.

Sarah, you don’t just get to decide to abandon the episode after fucking everything up.

“I have a very good memory, and I’m friends with a ghost.”

Sarah, if you hadn’t left the satchel, this wouldn’t be as bad, stop denying fault.

Meanwhile, back in Subplot 2.

Look, Ian, if it makes you feel any better, given how next week involves a leap into the 1980s, dealer’s odds Ben accidentally erases Gideon from the show.

Meanwhile, back to the treasure; this is a packed week for everyone, isn’t it…

Well, this is Indiana Jones coded, so one of you had to do the snake line…

“Well, I am not climbing down that.” Okay, die then.

Okay, you won’t drown, but if you slip, you will break something. Small miracles.

So the jewels are a metaphor- okay, if the plot twist is that the dad hid the jewels back home, due to “home being the real treasure,” I will piss blood.

“Some say it was Saint Patrick. Some say it was Santa.”

Okay, I thought that was gonna be a zombie.

Either bartender wanted to cover his tracks, or bartender is under those rocks.

“Is there another option?” Get to fucking digging.

Sarah, legitimately, stop being a bitch.

God is getting angry now, that’s how much we’re approaching the Family Bullshit Event Horizon.

Okay, that’s peak comedic timing. “THE ROCK’S FAKE! :D”

Dad’s pun fetish, I swear to God.

Stephen King had once again gotten his grubby mitts into an episode of Quantum Leap.

They found the prop wall.

That was not fucking funny, that got me.

…well, I mean, to be fair, the key to all great comedy is misdirection… 🥁

And of course.

[I choose to split this up now.]

[thelonewriters-fic-central]

Jealousy is never good colour or maybe it is?

This was a request by @misfitdauntlessqueen

First day of school can't be too hard. You just need to survive the first day jitters and life is all good. I hope. Apparently there is someone that is supposed to show me around. Judging by the all the people staring at me, I assume it’s not them. I did get here early for once. That’s something I didn’t do in the school prior to this one. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I look behind me and I swear the most gorgeous blonde girl with the most perfect ponytail I’ve ever seen is in front of me. Say something dumbass.

“Hi. Your pretty-”I blurt out and put my hand over my mouth. She blushes slightly and smiles.

“You must be Y/N I’m Betty. I’ll be showing you around Riverdale high.” She holds out her hand and shake it laughing nervously.

“Thanks for showing me around. I have a very bad sense of direction. Maybe you can give me directions to your phone number?” I ask her with my cheesy remark.

“That’s sweet of you really but I have a boyfriend.” Betty says and I sigh.

“Great my bad. I always tend to go for the wrong girl. I’m sorry.” I say and she smiles.

“No really it’s fine. Now let’s get this tour going.” Betty says and proceeds to show me around the school. Great Y/N you already made a fool of yourself.

Time skip

Finally lunch time,something I’m good at. I look around the lunch room looking for a place to sit and I see Betty waving me over to her, one other person sat by her side. I take a seat next to Betty and the red headed girl across from me smirks.

“Hey Y/N this is Cheryl.” Betty says tensing up slightly.

“You are one pretty specimen. How about I take you to Pop’s later and I can show you the rest of this town.” Cheryl says eying me and Betty bites her lip.

“That actually sounds great. I haven’t really gotten the chance to see anything but moving boxes lately.” I say and she gives me her number and leaves. The rest of the lunch was really tense. Betty was nothing like she was earlier, she was cold and distant. She must not like Cheryl.

Time skip to Pops

I walked into the dinner the 1950’s theme hitting me like a truck. I looked around for Cheryl and saw her sipping on a milkshake. I started walking over to her, already locking eyes with her the second she sees me. I see her eying me, I smirk. She’s gorgeous don’t get me wrong and since Betty is out of the question I don’t see why I can’t have a bit of fun. Besides I’m single why not enjoy it. I sit down across from Cheryl.

“I know I said I was going to show you around town,but how about I show you around somewhere a little more private.” Cheryl smirks devilishly.

“That sounds great. How about your room?” I smile and she nods. Let’s just say we had a very blissful time for the next couple of hours.

The next day

Last night was a lot of fun but eventually we had to go to school the next day. I ended up staying the night at Cheryl’s house much to her mothers dismay when I came down the stairs with her this morning. Apparently Cheryl was happy making her mother disapprove of her life choices and I thought that was funny so I just went along with it. We arrived at school with her arm snaked around mine. There were a lot of eyes on us and I especially noticed Betty’s on me. She looked upset maybe even angry, but I just don’t understand why. I snapped out of my trance and felt Cheryl kiss me on the cheek leaving a very prominent red lip stick mark. That’s when I saw Betty storm out of the hall. I excused myself from Cheryl and went after Betty. I saw go in the direction the locker room. I opened the door and saw Betty staring at herself very intensely in the mirror.

“Betty are you alright?” I ask placing my hand on her shoulder and she turns around slowly.

“I’m fine. How was your tour around Riverdale with Cheryl yesterday?” Betty questions, I smile slightly remembering last night.

“We went to Pops and we might’ve hooked up. So you can say I didn’t really get to see much.” I smirk and she clenches her jaw.

“That’s great.” Betty hisses. I give her a confused look, why does she seem jealous?

“Betty, are you jealous or something? If you want to give me another tour? I’m more than happy to come along.” I suggest and she digs her nails into her fist.

“NO. I WANTED TO BE HER!” Betty raises her voice and sits on the bench with her hands in her lap. I sit next to her and and gently grab her hands.

“Look Betty as much I wanted that to be you, you have a boyfriend.” I said and she sighed. She looked into my eyes and glanced down to my lips momentarily.

“But what if we could.” Betty bites her lip and leans in closer to me. I look at her lips and move my hands to her hips playing with the belt loop on her jeans.

“What about your boyfriend?” I ask as she gets up and goes to the locker room door and locks it shut.

“I’ll deal with him later.” Betty says pushing me down on the bench making me lay down and climbing into my lap. I smirk and reach up to grab the back of her neck and pull her down to kiss me. Her lips felt so soft, she moved her head downwards and tilted her neck deepening the kiss. I open my mouth letting my tongue loose and lick the bottom of her lips. She granted me entrance almost immediately. My tongue slid right on top of hers making her moan and grinded her hips on top of mine. The feeling of her jeans brushing up against my clit made a pool of wetness come out of me.

“Betty just like that baby. You make me so wet for you.” I moan in her mouth and she grinds down on me harder brushing up against me perfectly. I flick my tongue against hers and she moans circling her hips against mine. I reach down and unbutton her jeans pushing my thumb to rub her clit making her grind down on my finger trying to chase her high while I was approaching mine.

“You like it when I ride you like this. How close are you?”

“So close keep going faster.” She swivels her hips faster and harder in just the right places. My high came crashing into me and Betty. We moaned together and I watched her chest fall up and down quickly eventually coming going back to normal. She laid her head on my chest and kissed me softly.

“So is it a bad timing to say we should skip school and maybe I can give you a tour of my bedroom?” I smirk and she smiles.

“Not at all.”

This request has been in my drafts for a long time. Sorry it took so long. (Not proof read)

1,222 words

[shurawerewolf]

Looking through my old screenshots I came across this old 2018 tweet of a Barchie fan

Bare in mind, this is 2018. Around season 2, more or less.

Not to mention the COUNTLESS asks in the ask boxes of my fellow Bughead blogs here on Tumblr, such as @edgarsabandonedrocketship @stillhidden @i-know-you-can @middleagedresidentofriverdale @bugheadsfangirl and many others that promised us that "ratings and viewers will skyrocket with Barchie".

Mh.

So.

Let's look at the numbers, shall we?

These are the ratings and viewers during the Bughead/Varchie era:

Season 1

Remember that the season was the first one, so nobody knew what the show was or what was the mood or anything. Keeping this in mind, it still did pretty good.

Season 2

This season was objectively the best one, stable at 1 million viewers average, with minor downsides.

Season 3

Objectively this season is the most irregular one, but still did pretty good considering the madness of it, keeping the show between 1 million and 800k viewers (with minor downsides, again).

Season 4

Here too we can see that the decline was relatively normal, if not for two episodes: 4x12 which was a Katy Keen crossover episode (which, spoiler, nobody gave two shits) and the infamous 4x17 which lost 110k viewers in one week (plus the trama was leaked so everybody knew and didn't bother to watch). But everybody definitely hated the Barchie kiss (go check the reviews if you don't believe me. Plus it was another stupid musical so... draw your conclusions)

Season 5

Now... I guess there's no need to describe what you're seeing here right? The show declined again, yes. But in the span of one season it lost 45% of it's viewers. Just look from season 4 première to season 5 première. And remember that 5x04 can be considered another "première", because it was first episode after the time jump, but again the show started hemorraging viewers. With barely more than 300k viewers watching the infamous finale.

Season 6

And now. The famous season 6. The supernatural season. We're again seeing another huge decline. Another 45% decline in viewers. The second in the span of 2 years. That should tell you something. Not to mention that, this time, for the first time, the season finale is the less viewed episode. I wonder if the (already) trifling audience got spoilers beforehand. Mmmm 🤔

So... To summarize. Since Barchie happened, the views and the viewers dropped by 45% two times in two years and now the show that made roughly 1/2 million viewers now can't barely go over 200k anymore.

Thus I wonder... where's the horde of Barchie fans that was promised and who would have saved Riverdale? Where's the "increased ratings" that Barchie fans anticipated back in 2018. I can't see them. Quite the opposite, in fact.

The ship that was thought would have saved Riverdale actually sinked the show.

As my old friend Jughead would say

[heartlandians]

Nerd Alert News: Spencer Lord Is a Gamer at Heart

Spencer Lord fills us in on his return to The CW’s “Family Law” Originally from Kamloops, BC, the talented actor grew up on the baseball field without a thought about an acting career. Shortly after he earned his degree in mechanical engineering with the memory of a school production of “Kiss Me Kate” stored in the back of his mind. The acting bug finally caught him and he discovered the feeling of freedom and joy on the stage, quit his job, and pursued acting full-time. Known for roles in The CW’s “Riverdale,” ABC’s “The Good Doctor,” leads in several TV movies, and now he returns to his role as the firefighting love interest of Jewel Staite’s character in The CW’s “Family Law.”

A gamer at heart, Spencer loved his Starcraft, Counterstrike, and World of Warcraft. These days he doesn’t even have a game console in fear that he’d never leave the house! Get to know Spencer Lord and be sure to catch him in “Family Law.”

Colleen Bement: Thank you so much for taking time out for the interview. Let’s dive into your role in “Family Law.” What was the experience like on set? What was your audition like?

Spencer Lord: I auditioned for the show while I was in Victoria B.C. standing in on a movie that a friend was making. Lucky for me I had another friend in town who helped me tape, and we just had fun putting it together in her hotel room. That’s the beauty of self-taped auditions, which is what we almost exclusively see these days… we can work with our friends who help bring out what makes us the best actors: ourselves.

And once I got started on the show it was much more of the same. Jewel is a generous scene partner. She and the whole crew bring a level of relaxation to the set that brings out everyone’s best work.

CB: Tell us about your character, Aiden Walsh on “Family Law,” and, do you happen to have any qualities in common with Aiden?

SL: He’s a kind man, a firefighter whose job as a first responder means he helps others in a way most of us can’t imagine. In a lot of ways, he represents the kind of person I try to be, which was sort of my way into him as a character. I think, as actors, before we start to explore the people we play we need to find the thing that bridges us to them. With Aiden it was simply that he wants to help people, and Abby presents a pretty unique, driven, attractive person who needs a shoulder to lean on. To me, it seemed like Aiden meeting his kryptonite.

CB: I’m a sucker for rom-coms, so can you tell me about your movie “Mixed Baggage?”

SL: A couple of stress cases meet on an airplane, immediately click, and my character misses his chance to stay in touch. They mix up their identical luggage and they happen upon a  pretty sweet deal: gotta find each other to return their things so, whoopsie, we get to meet again.

The best part about working on a movie like that is always the people you spend those few weeks with. Everyone’s in the trenches together, working to accomplish a goal on tight timelines and with a limited budget. It’s always surprising and satisfying when you see the end result, knowing how hard everyone worked.

CB: I see that you grew up playing Starcraft, Counterstrike, and World of Warcraft. The fact that you don’t have a console because you’d never leave the house is hilarious and understandable. Do you ever get a chance to play anymore?

SL: Oh man… gaming is dangerous for me. Maybe it’s my ADHD. Maybe I was supposed to be a professional gamer. But once I start a new story I can’t stop. I actually just finished Tears of the Kingdom (because for some reason a Switch doesn’t really count as a console for me) and it was one of the best games I’ve played. Still got a soft spot for Final Fantasy VII and a good first-person shooter, though.

CB: Growing up, sports were a big part of your life and you never saw an acting career on your radar. Fill us in on how you ended up being an actor.

SL: I dunno, at some point you just go: Man, I’m not sure I’ll ever really be happy if I continue doing this thing I’m doing. For me, when I was around 23 or 24, that meant figuring out what lit me up inside. That was never really posed to me as a priority when I was growing up. Nobody asked, what do you love, how do you feel when you’re doing this or that… It was always, “What are you good at? Maybe do that.” So when I thought about it I remembered being on stage in high school and how exhilarating it was, so I quit my job and started taking acting classes. It’s a funny thing when you go from having a secure career with pretty solid earning potential to working in a restaurant and living paycheck to paycheck, but you’re happier. For me, that was a very eye-opening realization. Do what you love.

CB: I read that you have suffered at times with pretty heavy social anxiety. Do you have any advice for people who also struggle?

SL: This is a tough one. I’m sure it’s different for everyone because everyone’s anxieties are unique. A few years ago – because of the isolation of the pandemic among other things – I started to feel awkward, and horribly anxious in social situations. Particularly when meeting new people, but surprisingly when I was spending time with old friends and even family, I would feel intensely self-conscious to the point where I hardly felt like myself at all. What I felt like I had to do was force myself into those situations I found to be the most stressful. Slowly, gradually, the circumstances led to less anxiety and I felt more like myself. So as cliche as I feel saying face your fears, I think that’s a pretty powerful way to help yourself through something like this. That, and don’t feel bad or guilty about leaning on those close to you.

Speed Round: 

Favorite Gas Station Snack: chocolate milk

Latest TV Show you’ve binge-watched: The Fall of the House of Usher. Beautifully shot, such tight writing, flawlessly acted. *chef’s kiss*

Movie you watch over and over: Braveheart

Favorite book: The Goldfinch

Marvel or DC: MCU for sure, but I like the DC characters more

Favorite country you’ve visited: Not such a well-traveled guy, but I love me some New York

Dawn or Dusk? Dawn

Pie or cake? Cake

What’s your dream car? Late 60s Mustang fastback

Camping: Tent or camper: Tent! Waking up, unzipping the tent, and looking out over the mountains is my favorite

Who inspires you? Anyone who is kind to those who owe them nothing

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