#principle weatherbee

[thesabrinatheteenagewitchblog]

Sabrina and Harvey in a topical tweet by Archie Comics

[riverdale-retread]

Riverdale S7 E13 (Chapter 130) The Crucible

[Weird little translation note from an international viewer: There are apparently some titles that the Netflix Korea translator refuses to translate into Korean for the international release, and some they will translate.  The Crucible is one where the title is sounded out phonetically, which is very funny because the Arthur Miller play actually has a well known Korean title. The other deemed-untranslatable episode titles were Peep Show, Dirty Dancing, Hoop Dreams, Halloween 2, and After the Fall)]

The music is all jazzy film noir-ish at the opening of this episode as we slowly zoom in on Jughead in his very luxurious train car.  The sheer beauty of the innards of this thing take me by surprise every time.  Jughead is in suspenders, with what for him is sort of his Little Black Dress - a white t shirt under a button up shirt with suspenders over it. He looks upset and wan.

How does a fire start? he asks, or rather, types.  

The fire might start with the English teacher, who has thus far paid Jughead’s actual career as a writer zero attention whatsoever (but does Jughead even go to school anymore other than to yell at people about milk or to get yelled at by the principal in the office?) but is cultivating Archie’s gifts as a poet (by letting him come and sit in the classroom to scribble in semi privacy?).  It might begin with Veronica Lodge, looking kewpie doll adorable in her perfect hair (that my very valuable mutual taught me was a wig! I somehow never thought about it being a wig!), startled to find a tall clean shaven man smiling down at her in her elevator at home.  It took me a long time to realize this was GLEN.  

HI GLEN.

Glen without facial hair and in 1950s get up looks disconcertingly like a young Harrison Ford and goddamn you Roberto I refuse to find Glen hot  on principle so fuck off.

The fire may begin with Betty coming home to find that her phone  has been confiscated (by her mother, most likely).  Betty has an ugly little ornamental bear on her bedside table.  Is that meaningful?

Or maybe the fire starts in a classroom, where Betty and Kevin are acting out some scene from Tennessee Williams, the themes of which are “Crisis in the South/ Mendacity/ Nihilism.”

The only play they could be doing is of course Cat On a Hot Tin Roof which … this is the one time a Riverdale reference to a classical literature work is actually spot on and it’s making me feel very sour.  The teacher sings their praises, calling their performance better than what she saw on Broadway.  

(Also scratch what I said earlier about Jughead going to school  - he’s there in class in the back, two rows behind Betty).   Evelyn looks very pissy about this whole situation.  Why am I being made to identify with Evelyn?

Principal Weatherbee bursts in.  As a repressed closeted homosexual in denial about his feelings for his best friend and coworker he is likely to be very triggered by Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  He just opens the door with “That’s enough.”  He has Sheriff Keller and Clifford Blossom in tow (but not Werthers).  In front of all her students, the teacher is led out like she’s done something terrible.  Wearing an extremely campy red velvet jacket trimmed in black satin, Clifford Blossom steps into the class to stand right in front of a poster of Oscar Wild.  I just now noticed that his hair isn’t red in this. It’s blonde. Why is it blonde?

The mayor takes it upon himself to tell the kids that the English teacher has been fired.  Their new teacher is going to be - of all people - Penelope Blossom.  Atonal demon music plays as Penelope saunters in right on cue - which means she just stood out there in the all while Featherhead did his bursting in and escorting out - wearing a necklace that looks like it’s made of black scarab beetles.  Her outfit is the color inverse of her husband's - black with red color accents.  The Blossom children have no idea what is happening but they know it’s really bad, giving each other “Are you seeing this?” type of looks. Archie was the only student to actually speak up in defense of the teacher, and he continues to do so now that the bad news has been announced. 

Penelope Blossom just has so much presence!  Can’t we have more of her and less of the very boring Clifford Blossom?

Archie continues to be the one to use his privilege for the good (unlike say, Julian Blossom or Kevin Keller, whose fathers are directly involved in this debacle), wanting to know what exactly is going on.

Mrs. Thornton is accused of being a communist!  Dun Dun Dunnn~   Penelope intones that “The Red Menace has come to Riverdale.”  Right on cue, Evelyn turns around to take a look at the known Lavender Menace in the classroom - Cheryl- as Cheryl realizes that this is not going to go away easily and already feels exhausted by life. 

After the class, the core seven (this is um, NO JUGHEAD, but Toni, Cheryl, Clay, Archie, Kevin, Betty and Veronica) convene in the student lounge to try to figure out what is going on.  Betty wants to know if Archie can shed more light, since he’s been getting special tutoring from Mrs. Thornton. Archie is in the closet about his poetry, so he sounds sus as he says that Mrs Thornton just isn’t like that.   Veronica’s chest ribbon is HUGE and makes her look very very tiny.  Cheryl says that there must’ve been some sort of cause, but Veronica says that the Red Scare in Hollywood was terrible.  She starts explaining the McCarthy Era to the people who are still in 1955 which is so weird, because the televised hearings started in 1954, so this is another instance when the “1955” of this show has nothing to do with the real “1955” except for the part where Fred Andrews died in Korea.

Anyway, Kevin (because of course he does) staunchly defends his father (indirectly) by assuming that nobody would do anything bad to anyone in America unless they deserved it.  (Unlike say, when your father hires a prostitute to force you into having het sex and things like that).   Veronica disagrees. 

Jughead does not give a hoot what happened to the English teacher.  Ethel doesn’t either.  They are off looking to celebrate the publication of the comic that Featherstone decided to publish last episode.   The friendzoning continues - Jughead calls it “your” first comic to which Ethel corrects, “our” first comic.  But her brown checked skirt matches his brown checked jacket!   The vendor, who is a crusty old man, says he no longer carries “Pit of the Perverse” at all because it’s “unamerican smut.” All around him are faces of pretty girls smiling invitingly out from covers with titles like “Flash Bulb” and “Women of Today.”  The man even yells at the pair to go away. 

At Thornton House, Cheryl is being interrogated by her parents about her unamerican public kiss with Toni at the Halloween Party.  Red Menace, Lavender Menace (which is a Betty Friedan phrase, the homophobia of which was one the major failings of the initial Second Wave liberal white feminist movement in America) - it’s all the same to Clifford Blossom. He wants it stamped out.  

The thing is, the Blossoms are scary, abusive people but I weirdly admire them (no please, hear me out) for not being hypocrites.  When they say they want to ‘stamp out’ unamerican (™) activities, they start by torturing their own kid.  

Cheryl also has a spine of steel.  Though visibly frightened (and fully aware of her father’s homicidal impulses and callousness about his children) Cheryl says she will not be naming names.  She calls him a jackal. Bravo.

Sadly, they already have a list of names compiled for the targeting.  What they want is for Cheryl to just corroborate.  This will allow her to ‘redeem’ herself.  

The names on this list are:  Cheryl Blossom (as NUMBER 1), Toni, Kevin, Clay, and then a bunch of people we don’t know - Chris Henderson, John Maclean, Jessical Leetola, Connor Rielley, Colin Ellis, and Kathleen Ross.)  Cheryl absolutely refuses, except Clifford has her number - he threatens the only thing she cares about, the Vixens. “Anything but that Daddy!” Cheryl pleads, but she is not granted clemency.

At the same time, Veronica comes home to find Hiram Lodge is in the apartment.  The number of ways and things that Hiram lies about in his conversations with Veronica are truly very toxic. He says he missed her, to which Veronica is unmoved, so then he bribes her with a Faberge egg, to which she wants to know who he fucked around with on her mom.  Infidelity is something he’s very willing to own up to.   This toxic dad also knows his daughter’s main weakness - she is very lonely  So he says that he wants to meet her friends as he offers her a hug.  This, she can’t resist.

The next day, Veronica brings Hiram to school like it’s show and tell.  She’s dressed in the most demure, matronly outfit I’ve seen her in to date, complete with a matching pearl necklace-and-bracelet set.  So these are her group of friends yes, but like, it’s funny how she’s dated, kissed or wooed or was wooed by the majority of her friend circle. (Betty, Clay, Archie, Julian) leaving out only Kevin, Cheryl and Toni. 

Kevin is so horny and shameless.  Ugh.

Cheryl pointedly says that the first season of Oh Mija was the best one (hahaha) because it went downhill after that.  Featherhead has asked Hiram to be a guest lecturer (because I guess even he knows Penelope Blossom may not actually want to teach the kids anything), especially because this is monologue day at English class. 

Julian Blossom is up first!

He does the Hamlet To Be or Not to Be soliloquy.  Apparently neither Kevin nor Archie knew that this was  a speech about contemplating suicide.   Hiram is weirdly macho about it, asking of Julian is a man, because Hamlet was a man.  I mean, Hamlet was a man but his whole problem was being emasculated, I thought?  He doesn’t really achieve any of his goals, has his place in succession stolen from him by his uncle and does literally nothing about it for months and months other than dither, kill the wrong person, and drive poor Ophelia to suicide.  

For some reason, Hiram giving Julian what sound like pretty sound corrections to the way he’s delivering a speech that’s very challenging to sound convincing makes everyone chuckle throughout. Is this supposed to be in reaction to like, Hiram’s star power?  They’re just delighted and nervous that a real life sitcom actor is giving their Julian Blossom an acting lesson?  

After the class, Betty goes to see the principal, who tells her that the Blue and Gold is going to be defunded with the loss of Mrs Thornton, who was the faculty advisor.  Featherhead has already made up his mind, so Betty charges into the newspaper room and liberates the typewriter there.

This is very interesting, that first Archie and now Betty are acquiring the instruments and drive for writing now that they never ever talk to Jughead Jones. 

Cheryl has gathered the three other known homosexuals that were on the list into the music room, to update them and to freak out about potentially losing the Vixens. She doesn’t feel the need to inform anyone she isn’t personally friends with. She needs to know who sold her out.  Who stands to gain the most from getting her off the Vixens?   

Evelyn!

So she confronts Evelyn immediately.  I love Evelyn and how Evil she is.  She’s so calm and reserved and coiled and hateful.   Cheryl is protesting entirely way too much, which gives Evelyn the upper hand. 

In the principal’s office, Featherhead wants to know if Mrs. Thornton was trying to “indoctrinate” Archie, who doesn’t know what that word means.  Werther says that civil disobedience and revolution is happening in Cuba and can’t happen here.  I mean, it wasn’t necessarily due to Mrs. Thornton that Archie started that unionized coup against Clifford Blossom, but I don’t think either man knows about that. 

Veronica is doing a full show and tell of her life, bringing Hiram to the movie theater.  The one he wanted to raze and make into a parking lot.  He tells her it’s tremendous, which is so insincere,but Veronica bless her is just too lonely to see it.   As soon as Hiram is off to see the afternoon movie, in comes Glen, who wants to know what Veronica’s relationship is with Hiram.  I see that even though he looks like Harrison Ford when clean cut, he’s still dumb as a bag of bricks because he did not realize that Veronica Lodge was Hiram Lodge’s daughter.  

At Pep Comics, Ethelhead tell of their recent misadventures to Fieldstone.  He already knows that his comics are being rejected, and that it’s an emergency.  He’s very upset.  They’re getting graphic hatemail.  They’re going to “hunker down and weather this storm.”  I like Fieldstone for how adorable he finds Ethel. Everything she says makes him laugh or call her Freckles or Girl Genius.  Ethel wants a copy of her newly published work.  Then Ethelhead, without having to even say anything, just read each other’s minds and take bundles to sell on their own cognizance.

At home, Betty is soliciting anonymous submissions to her magazine, “The Teenage Mystique.”  …. I mean. Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique in 1963 and I am not ok with a seminal work of feminism being consumed in this way by this piece of pop media.  Betty Cooper uses “The Girl Next Door” as her moniker, shoving her invitation sheet into every single locker. 

Now that he doesn’t have a quiet classroom to write poetry in, Archie has to try to eke out some space, much like Jane Austen or Emily Dickinson, to work on his writing.  He flips out when Uncle Fucking Frank barges in, demanding to know what he is up to.

Uncle Frank and his obsession with Archie is very disturbing. Also does he still live in this house?  Does Mary just lock herself into the master bathroom and sleep in the bathtub at night?   Anyway, when Archie who acted like he’d been jerking it to hardcore gay porn eventually says that he was working on his writing, Uncle Frank says he came in to police Archie’s sexuality again.    But the scary interrogation of the afternoon has definitely taught Archie what “indoctrination” means.  It’s not sufficiently heterosexual of him, as a man, to write poetry for any purpose than to make some girl swoon and “get with” him.  Except given the events of the past season, they don’t really want any girl to “get with” him either.  No peep shows through windows between houses like 5 feet apart  with Betty.  And if he had impregnated Cheryl they were both going to have to get married.  So the repression that is being laid on Archie is just as contradictory and repressive as what is being laid on Betty (except she’s much more abnormal about how horny it seems to make her) . He can’t be insufficiently straight and manly, but being ultra straight and manly (i.e. succeeding in impregnating a girl) would also be a disaster.

Plus.

PLUS.

The very single, very childless, only works with minor teen boys Uncle Fucking Frank trying to control Archie’s outward behavior to keep him on the “straight and narrow” is fully ridiculous.  I hate Frank so much.  Why oh Why is Mary considered too inept to mother Archie, when she goes out of her way to cockblock Beronica’s kiss by essentially haranguing a doorman to let her break into someone else’s apartment??

At the Pembroke, Veronica wants to know why the FBI is following Hiram. Hiram says he’s being investigated as a possible communist, because he went to Cuba the year before to buy cigars.  Another lie comes out before he actually says the truth - the lie was that he came to Riverdale to hide out.  The truth is that he needs Veronica to lie for him to the government.  She balks because lying to the government scares her.  He pretends there’s an out for her - he’s “meeting with a lawyer” but in the end he trusts she’ll throw herself into the fire for him. 

The next day, Glen is waiting for her at school.  Glen says that he’s been assigned to her, and that someone else has followed Hiram to NYC.  Veronica wants to see proof, to which Glen says to get into the car.  She does!  

Archie sees Veronica get into the car, and she sees him as they drive by.  Of course, the place they go to is the diner.   Glen shows Veronica photos of Hiram at the same table in Cuba as “Fidel Mastro.”  The person that Veronica is upset to be seeing in the photo is the blonde lover at Hiram’s side.

Archie has tracked down his English teacher by looking her up in the phone book. She is packing up to leave, moving to Greendale, to be a library there as a volunteer.  Apparently that River makes all the difference - it refused admittance to Julian Blossom, dunking him and making him come out the other end of it as someone who is an ally to Cheryl for one. Mrs Thornton says really contradictory things - that there’s a “job waiting for me” but also that it’s “volunteer.”  OK but ma’am what will you live on? 

No matter. 

When Archie expresses his confusion about the state of the world, his teacher hands him a copy of The Crucible by Arthur Miller.   Archie says he was going to do Biff’s monologue from Death of a Salesman, but now he’s going to pick something out of The Crucible.

OMG is this why Jughead picked the name Biff for Archie when they run away together in Season 3?   The key bit of that monologue is this:  “And I never got anywhere because you blew me so full of hot air I could never stand taking orders from anybody! That’s whose fault it is!”   Biff is saying this to Willy, the salesman.  

The teacher gives him a benediction, that strangely sounds exactly like what Hiram said earlier in the day to Julian: “Words have power.”  She keeps telling him he’s “more than” a Biff type (when Jughead in the OG timeline reduced him exactly to it??).  They give each other a hug of farewell. 

Meanwhile, Ethelhead are running a brisk, literally  under the table business, selling Pep Comic books, sitting back to back.  I love their partnership.  Jughead totally acts like he’s selling contraband weapons or something. He’s so dorky, I love him. he feels like he’s being such a badass, while Ethel just likes this entire exercise.

At the Dark Room, Cheryl is having another panic attack about potentially getting kicked out of the Vixens.  The other gays have come up with a plan, to ape lavender marriages.  Conveniently for them there’s one white and black person in each homosexual pairing, which obviates the need for a race discussion should it ever come up.  Cheryl gravely says that going in the closet like that seems to betray Toni’s principles.   Toni, who as we’ve seen all season doesn’t really have principles, lies again. Instead of saying, I want to hunker down and survive to see another day (like the much more honest Fieldstone), Toni says she’s allowing this charade for “all our sakes.” 

Archie finds The Crucible extremely riveting.

Veronica is sadly mulling things over in her apartment, with liquor.  Hiram comes in late from New York to say that his attempt to buy his way out of his problem did not work out.  He needs her to commit perjury on his behalf.  Veronica confronts him with the fact that his trip to Cuba was in service of an affair with a Kelly (the name of the actors’ IRL wife, which was a very cute reference).  When Veronica sounds unwilling to acquiesce to his demands, Hiram reverts to villainy which is his true form and threatens her, saying that it wouldn’t be a favor for HIM if she commits perjury - it would be self protective for her, because he would lose everything if the story came out that he was in violation of his morality clause.  Veronica shoots back that she already went through the experience of banishment and life in exile.  She’s so lonely, as I’ve said, and she’s genuinely hurt that her initial intuition (Hiram would not show up unannounced and play all nicey nice unless there was a direct personal benefit she could do at her cost for him) was correct.  “What you should be asking me for is mercy!” she cries, before storming off. 

The next day, the Lavender Marriages storm the halls in patented Cheryl SloMo (™) which I don’t remember seeing much this season.  Evelyn, wearing an appropriately lavender cardigan, is very annoyed by this workaround that the four homosexuals have found. Apparently, their queerness was an open secret, which is very very weird to me.  Midge for one seems disappointed with Cheryl, who refuses to look at her.  But everyone else is equally perturbed by these two pairings. 

Archie is very nervous about trying to give his monologue from The Crucible.  Penelope Blossom is teaching the class, sort of, I mean - she’s dressed up for it and in the classroom, standing like a Dior New Deal costume model in a very red dress.  The thing is, she doesn’t seem to know what The Crucible is, which is surprising, and even more surprising, she didn’t insist on cross checking what the students were going to be performing before letting them.

Suddenly Archie is giving the John Proctor speech and uh -

I -

oh help- 

I don’t want to be here.

This is the most grating thing I’ve ever seen on Riverdale and this includes a lot of the hideous singing and dancing and poorly transposed musical numbers and so on.  I get very annoyed when shows do this, having actors “play” people who “play” at “acting.”  It’s so self referential and masturbatory, sort of like how when movie people make movies about making movies they act like all the normal “This is what happens on a job” stuff is the most momentous thing ever and simultaneously they refuse to deal with the actual documented problems of their industry that are unique to just themselves 

Ok so as far as that speech goes, John Proctor at the end of his rope, giving the thesis statement of the play etc, Archie (and KJ Apa’s) delivery is fine.  He is doing all the correct actor-y things with his voice, going from screaming (but not to harsh) to suddenly dropping in volume (but not to the point of being inaudible), trembling with emotion but not enough to obscure diction, and his eyes also fill with tears but not enough to make his sinuses get sloppy.   It’s all… fine. But this level of sincerity completely and high emotionality goes completely against the bouncy surreality of everything that S7 (and all the seasons before) have relied on to be watchable.  

This is how Riverdale loses even by winning.  KJ Apa works everything he knows how to do as an actor (activating tear ducts at will, flexible eyebrows, vocal chord range deployment, breathing techniques, working outside his native accent) so that Archie the character gives a professional-grade burst of emotion for his monologue class at school, and yet, because it just does not fit with anything Riverdale has ever done, it completely shatters the immersion in the narrative for me and all I am left with is 

CRINGE.

But anyway. the power of Arthur Miller’s words supposedly gives Cheryl some sort of realization, because she marches down to the principal’s office to face off against her father, the principal and Werthers.   She tells the three men that she will never cooperate with them, and has a wonderful moment:

“I, Cheryl Blossom, hereby and willingly, end my stewardship of the River Vixens.”  

I really, really needed this palate cleanser after what they made Archie do.  Thank god for Cheryl. 

She also tells them of the Lavender Marriage workaround, before joining the gay kids of Riverdale club. “Clearly, we don’t live in a just world,” she says, bumping shoulders with Kevin.

The thing is, this feels like a course correction to the plotline that lead me to hate Kevin - that is, he was in the closet for real, lying to himself and to Betty and everyone else about what the hell he was up to.  With this lavender marriage situation though, the show seems to be positing that there is such a thing as a ‘good and useful’ closet.  If you construct it and climb into it yourself - and everyone sort of kind of knows you’re lying - then it’s fine. (Is it?)  And I must still ask - WHY IS IT CHERYL THAT HAS TO GIVE ANYTHING UP?  Because think about it - Kevin nor Clay nor Toni have had to give up a single one of their hobbies or group affiliations. It’s just Cheryl that had to give up something she held to a religious level of importance.  

Why is Kevin not expected to confront his father about being a lackey to the mayor? Oh right, because even Betty finds his relationship with Clay ‘dreamy.’  [Vomit]

Cheryl says she’s happy to have even a small amount of space on earth to live her truth.  Toni hopes Evelyn breaks her neck cheerleading.

Veronica approaches Archie to say that it was quite the speech.   She gives him a kiss on the cheek, and then they kiss each other.  Archie is very surprised, but not displeased.  Veronica looks very serious.

Ok.

Ok SHOW?

FUCKING SHOW ME ANOTHER BERONICA KISS PLEASE.

Back at the diner, an Asian boyscout (or whatever they’re called) is asking for  Pit of the Perverse #32 . Jughead has been marking up 10 cent issues all the way up to a quarter for his sales.  The boyscout turns out to be a plant, and this is a raid. Keller is doing this with his time.  The jig is up, so they have to turn over their stash to the cops.  It’s very funny to me that Jughead completely expected to be SHOT for selling the comic books - he was this close to demanding that they not shoot.

Jughead has Ethel  at his home again, and the two of them celebrate with milkshakes and a “god bless America toast” about the money they’ve made. 

At the Pembroke, Hiram and Veronica are having dinner together (Cooked by who I wonder?).  Hiram is trying to ingratiate himself to his clearly not very happy daughter, but all he can offer is his own show (“A new episode of Oh Mija!”).  This is absolutely the wrong thing to say, and Veronica takes off in a huff. 

The next day at school, Archie is taking things out of his locker.  He seems to only have images of male baseball players on the inside - a cover of Batter, and a picture of someone pitching a ball but somehow also called the Bulldogs. Just then, a woman asks him if he’s Archie Andrews.

And it’s Geraldine Grundy, this time as an English teacher.  She’s wearing a white cardigan with gold embroidery that I think is supposed to have some sort of angelic effect but I am too consumed with the question WHY THE FUCK IS SHE HERE to really be persuaded.  She’s taking over for Mrs. Thornton.  Archie looks very smitten immediately.  Grundy claims to have attended Mt. Holyoke together with Mrs. Thornton and in the name of Emily Dickinson, I banish thee!  Shoo! Away with you!   So she seems to appreciate Archie’s poetry from what she’s heard from Mrs. Thornton.  Archie wants to keep things discreet because his uncle hates the idea of his writing poetry. But then Grundy ruins it by whispering “IT CAN BE OUR LITTLE SECRET” like a total creeper, then she dangles her husband, an alleged poet.

In the Principal’s office, the hideous white men are going over their loot of confiscated comic books.  There’s so many of these.  Werther’s is very pissed off.  There’s something about his presence that renders his lover (sorry, I just keep interjecting my headcanon about this but otherwise their relationship makes no sense to me) Featherhead completely mute.  I don’t care about them enough to go all the way back and check, but I feel like at some point Werther’s dominance became such that Featherhead just nods and mimes with his face when Werthers is speaking.  Werthers wants to do something he calls “Full measures.”  Kevin’s dad makes like Kevin and is spineless.

Meanwhile, in English class, Veronica is doing King Lear.  She’s giving Cordelia’s refusal speech.   The person who understands exactly what Veronica is going through, with an overbearing, criminal father, is Cheryl.  Betty is sad because Veronica is clearly sad, but it’s Cheryl that understands her.  While this excellence is going on, Grundy is fucking making eyes at Archie, who reciprocates because he doesn’t ever not.

Later that day, Veronica brings an affidavit with the correct set of lies to her father.  She says she did it for her mother, then starts laying out conditions.  She wants her father to tell her mother that he’s cheating on her. She also wants the title to the Pembroke.  The way this father daughter pair constantly fight over real estate, and the supreme importance of paperwork to their relationship is an odd constant.  I have issues with Cordelia  - The great tragedy of King Lear, to me, isn’t that King Lear has evil daughters.  It’s that King Lear is a deeply stupid man who favored the child who most directly inherited his deep stupidity, the extremely stupid Cordelia.  I am immensely satisfied that Veronica finds a very Goneril/Regan type of solution to her Cordelia problem. Good for her. There’s a reason I love her so much. 

At the post office, Betty collects a literal BAG of mail.  Did post office rules in the US change sometime after the fifties?  Because you can’t actually send things that are addressed to something like “The Girl Next Door.”  The US Postal Service literally will not deliver if you give your addressee a title like that.  Oh but I guess this is Riverdale, not the US of A?  Or did Betty somehow manage to like, actually establish an LLC or something with the name “Girl Next Door”?!

Hermione has come home to the Pembroke literally the afternoon of the morning Hiram left, I guess.   Veronica says as much.   Hermione says that Oh Mija is going to shutter after “seven long seasons” because she is “ready for something new.”   She has extremely nervous hands while she’s announcing this plan to Veronica, fidgeting with her gloves and twitching her fingers. I think she has to let out her feelings in this digital dance because the expressive muscles of her face do not move much at all.    She also adds almost like an afterthought that she will be divorcing Hiram.  Veronica seems not particularly perturbed by this news. She reacts like she’s Hermione’s older sister, rather than her daughter. “What will you do?” as in - how will you cope? But also What will you live on? and so forth.  Hermione manipulates a promise to not have to spend Christmas by herself from Veronica, as though none of the rest of the season have actually happened. 

What absolute assholes both Hiram and Hermione are.  They both abandoned Veronica, banished her, locked her out of the house rendering her homeless on purpose in order to punish her for getting in the way of their parking lot real estate deal, but when the going gets tough, they both come to see her to demand her company, her fidelity and her services.  And she gives it to them, because Veronica is second only to Jughead Jones as the most love-starved character on Riverdale.  Poor baby.

Jughead gets to school the next day to fine that the whole student body is lined up with armfuls of comic books, trying to sell them to Werther.   Dilton doesn’t see what the harm would be, but later we are shown.  There is a cartoon Nazi style book burning which I would bet is taken shot for shot from Indiana Jones.  Cheryl is standing in for the Nazi Elsa (which is so not fair to her but ok) crying tears over the destruction of free speech and art.   The Riverdale Adventure Scouts stand in for the Indiana Jones  Hitler Jugend.

[dancetillthemorningsun]

principle weatherbee and doctor curdle jr were definitely fucking

[mybiggayships]

I doubt the entire football team is going to feel the same way archie does about this red circle business.

[themultifandomgal]

Reggie- New Students

I walk through the lunch hall holding Reggie’s hand

“I promised Veronica and Archie I would help with the welcome table” Reggie groans “what?” I frown

“What do you mean what? those snakes came to Archie’s to attack him”

“Because he was on their turf and waved a gun in some of their faces” Reggie looks shocked “oh yeah I know about that thanks to Veronica”

“YN they’re bad news. You’ll get hurt because of one of them. They carry pocket knives”

“Reggie they are coming to our school your gonna have to get over it. Now I’ll see you later” I kiss Reggie’s cheek and walk off to find Veronica and Archie.

Once I find the couple I join them at the welcome table just in time for the Southside students to arrive

"Friends. On behalf of the students and faculty here at Riverdale High welcome to your new school. To ease this transition I've set up a registration desk where you can get your locker assignments, schedules and a list of sports and extracurriculars"

“V don’t be over the top” I whisper to her

“We encourage each and everyone of you to drink deeply from the cup that is fair riverdale"

“What did I say about being over the top. My apologies for her. Basically all she’s saying if your unsure about something don’t hesitate to ask”

"Stand down Eva Peron" I hear Cheryl shout making me groan. I turn around and see her waking down the stairs with Reggie

"Theres the school spirt I so fondly remember" I hear Jughead says to one of the girls he’s stood next to

"Cheryl no one invited fascists barbie to the party"

"Wrong Veronica. No one invited Southside scum to our school. Listen up ragamuffins. I will not allow Riverdale's Highs above average GPA to suffer because of classrooms overcrowded with underachievers so please find some other school to debase with your hardscrabble ways"

“Cheryl how do you know they’re as you call underachievers? they might actually be more cleaver than us. Just give them a chance”

“Babe that’s enough. Now come here”

“No, I’m not going to stand for this stupidity” I frown at Reggie

“YN it’s clear to see these snakes are just going to ruin this school. I mean just look at them” Cheryl points

"You wanna come over here and say that to my face?" a girl with pink/purple in her hair says stepping forward

"Happily queen of the buskers" Cheryl steps closer

"Ok guys. Everyone. Can we just put our Northside Southside differences apart and start over? A new slate"

"You don't speak for the bulldogs. And need I remind you these greaser snakes showed up at your place to kick your ass" Reggie comes forward and takes my wrist in his hand. I try to remove it

"You know what I think it's time to finish what we started" Sweet Pea says angry “and I don’t think your girlfriend wants your hand around her wrist like that so I suggest you let her go”

"I am so over the toxic masculinity in this hallway right now"

"Alright. Enough pomp and circumstance. Everyone let's get to class. Now" Principle Weatherbee comes over. Reggie looks irritated and Cheryl looks down at her shoes

“YN let’s go” I give the Southide students a sad smile before walking off with Reggie.

Later in the day I have a free period. I walk into the student lounge and see a small group of the Serpents and most of my friends. I sit down next to Kevin

"I don't think we've properly met. Veronica Lodge" she extends a hand to a girl

"From the park avenue Lodges" Jug says while eating. I roll my eyes at him, when is he not eating?

"Toni Topaz" the girl Toni shakes Veronicas hand

"Like the purple coloured gem stone. Love it"

"And I'm Josie McCoy formerly of the pussycats, now just Josie. And this is Kevin and YN"

"What's your name?" Kevin asks one of t he guys eating twizlers

"Fogarty or you can call me Fangs. Your last names Keller right?"

"Yeah how did you know that?"

"Joaquin and I used to hang out. He used to talk about you all the time"

“So YN why are you with that idiot Reggie?” Sweet Pea asks me

“Because he’s good to me. We’ve been dating for a few years now”

“Even when he scored you in the play book” Betty folds her arms

“And he said sorry”

“Oh because that fixes him rating your sex life”

“Archie he…” I’m then cut off by Principle Weatherbee

"You guys" we all look at him "yes you. Come with me. Now" I get up from my seat and follow everyone out of the room. I see Reggie stood with his arms crossed looking smug next to a snake symbol, the one that looks like the back of the Serpents jackets

"Which of you defaced our schools seal with this graffiti?"

"This is what they do Principal Weatherbee. They tag their turf" Reggie says

"My god Reggie could you be anymore transparent?" Reggie nods not really understanding what Veronica is saying

"Effective immediately no gang behaviour of any kind will be tolerated in my school. As of this moment no more Serpent jackets"

"What?" Sweet Pea shouts  

"Are you kidding?" Jugs says

"No more Serpent jackets and all tattoos are to be covered. Possession of any gang paraphernalia will lead to immediate suspension. That's all" Principal Weatherbee walks away leaving Reggie looking smug. I walk up to him and glare at him

“Why?” I ask

“Because baby, they need to know their place”

“No, I think you need to know yours”

[veronicawritesstuff]

Serpent Boy with Kind Eyes (Sweet Pea x you)

AN: This was a requested story by @zoeygraygubler. Thank you for the request. This is my first requested fic so it if is not up to par, constructive criticism is welcomed. Let me know if I did you justice :). This again will most likely be a multi-part I get waaay to thorough.

Original request: Could the reader be plus sized. They aren’t a south side but they aren’t the whole preppy northsider. Do you think you could write a fic where sweet pea asks her out on a date and she gets excited but someone tells her she’s not good enough, that she’ll never be for him because she’s not worth it. She ends up going on the date and yk they have a good time. Maybe skip forward idk they’ve been dating and have some smut.

Being a Northsider has its ups and downs. Being a plus sized Northsider has more downs than ups, though. With the transfer of Southside High students certainly did not help. Getting picked on by Northsiders was a walk in the park. A fat joke here and there, nothing you couldn’t handle. But getting picked on by a Southsider was horrible. They would make comments on insecurities you never knew you had. Or you would have if they didn’t speak on it. 

But the comments from the Serpent students gradually died down to nothing; maybe a few comments out of ear shout but never to your face again. ‘Hmm. The Southside students' comments have completely stopped,’ you thought, ‘Wonder why?’  The exact reason was because of one Serpent boy who had been crushing on you the second he saw you. His transfer into “civil” life was not easy. But you offered him a good hearted welcome the first day the Southsiders arrived. 

~Flashback~

You had been assigned to welcome the transferring Southside students along with Cheryl and her minions. Of course she had a problem with it. “I just don’t get why pudgy has to help. We can get by perfectly fine without their help,” Cheryl argued with the principle. Giving Weatherbee no time to respond she stomped off. 

Once the tables were set up, it was almost time to greet the students. Cheryl had been talking everyone’s ears off about how bad of an idea this transfer was going to be. ‘Where else would they go to school?’ you thought. Suddenly the front doors of the school burst open and dozens of Southside students came bustling into the hallway.

Some were making eyes at you. ‘Here comes the jokes,’ you think. A pair of eyes caught yours; tall, dark, and handsome. Glancing at the tattoo on his neck, it made you nervous. You heard rumors about the Southside Serpents. You look into his eyes again and get butterflies, he never looked away. 

As he made his way to you, you offered a warm smile and said “Welcome to Riverdale High. I’m Y/N, and I will be your guide today.” The boy smirked back, “Sweet Pea.” 

‘What an interesting name,’ you thought, deciding to not comment on it you began to lead him around the school. 

~End of Flashback~

He was definitely taken back by the lack of teasing for his name. But after seeing the treatment you got from the Northsiders, he understood why you never said anything. Once he began to see his fellow Serpents and Southsiders he put his foot down. Threatening all of them to leave you alone or they’d deal with him. Everyone shut up almost instantly. 

The boy was enamoured by you, though, if your head wasn’t in the clouds it would be painfully obvious. One day he decided to ask you on a date to Pop’s. ‘Shouldn’t be too hard,’ he thought. How wrong he was. 

He tried 4 different times to ask you out. Either his friends would drag him away to a last minute Serpent meeting or you would brush by him, not noticing he wants to talk. The 5th time was also a huge dumpster fire. 

He had your attention but it seemed impossible to get the words out. You were like a goddess in front of him, he lost track of time. Completely forgetting what he wanted to ask you, he stumbled out, “Date?” You stood there and stared up at him. You go to respond but he clears his throat and tries again. “Uh sorry. Would you like to go on a date with me this Friday?” he said, offering a crooked smile. 

Cloud 9, that is all it could be described as. Not noticing the amount of time that had passed since he asked, he responded once again “Uh nevermind then.” He turned to walk away, shoulders slumping. Oh no. “Wait wait wait,” you quickly said, grabbing onto his forearm, “I would love to.” Turning to face you again, he held a boyish grin. He said, “Awesome. This Friday. After school.” 

“Got it. See you then Sweet Pea, “ you respond. As he walked away, your stomach did cartwheels, backflips, kick spins; going absolutely wild. Letting out a not so silent squeal you turn to your locker. “You know, you’ll never be good enough for him,” you hear. You glance over your shoulder and she Josie. She was an ex-fling of Sweet Pea, “allegedly”. You offer no sign of rebuttal, she goes on, “A fat Northside girl who can even dress the part. Your sense of style is as bland as your personality.” Grabbing what you need from your locker you turn to reply, “At least I can get a date without throwing my cat at anything with a pulse.” 

The woman girl was too stunned to speak. After a few seconds of silence, you began to walk away, nothing could ruin your mood. You heard a laugh from the water fountain across the hall. “Man, you really told her. She’s still standing there with her mouth open like a fish out of water,” you hear. “All she ever does is keep her mouth open. And her legs,” you quickly spit out. The person almost chokes on her sip of water. 

“I’m Toni Topaz,” the mystery person greets. “Y/N,” you respond. “I heard the little convo you had with boy wonder. He has been trying to ask you out for weeks,” Toni tells you. ‘Wow. Not the direction I thought this conversation would go.’ 

“Really now?” you say. Friday could not get here fast enough, you wondered if it was too soon to tease him about it. Toni offered to exchange numbers so she could “give you Pea advice.” She really wanted to see why Sweet Pea fell for you so hard. After talking to you for a brief couple of numbers, she knew why but she wanted to know more about you. Plus she realized Sweet Pea never gave you his number to keep in touch.

~2 days later~

Rumor quickly spread that Serpent bad boy Sweet Pea asked “Average Northside Y/N” out on a date. The teasing was never ending but never directly to your face. Only the Northsider has the guts to do that. As they have never received Sweet Pea’s threat. Or not yet. 

Sweet Pea’s best friends weren’t obvious about the teasing and went directly to Sweets about it. The boy was furious but knew immediately who started it. Marching up to Josie he could barely contain his anger. “What did you tell everyone?” Sweet Pea demanded. “About who?” Josie replied nonchalantly. This made Sweet Pea even more angry and once again asked, “What did you say?” 

“Oh, not much. Just that Y/N would be your replacement fling till summer break,” Josie responded with a smug grin. “Then you and I would get together and hash things out like old times,” she added. Deciding not to feed into her stupid actions, the boy went to walk away. Before he could Josie pulled him down into a sloppy kiss. Too stunned to react quick enough, he heard a gasp from behind him. He pulled away from Josie and whipped his head around. 

There you stood with your thicker frame looking up at him. He was going to explain what the hell you just saw and he was going to do it now. “You have 30 seconds to explain yourself, Sweet Pea. Alone. Or I am leaving and will never speak to you again,” you say, voice wavering. With tears collecting at your water line you look at Josie and say “Someone take the trash out.” Toni and Fangs, having just arrived, grabbed Josie and pulled her away. 

Now alone in the hallway you look up at him waiting for an explanation. He just stood there saying nothing, just staring. Quickly realizing he was not going to respond, you began to leave. ‘It was doomed from the start,’ you think. This time he gripped your elbow and offered a pitiful, “Wait.” You freeze, he sounded so broken. So utterly wrecked. Like he was going to start crying. This absolutely broke your heart, your heart clenched for this boy. “It was not what you thought it was. She kissed me,” he continued to explain, “She was spreading lies about you and and I wanted to confront her about it. She-” 

“Sweet Pea,” you cut him off, “It’s okay.” you laugh out. “I mean it’s not forgiven but I think I will settle with a burger from Pop’s,” you suggest wiggling your eyebrows with a slight smirk on your face. “Deal,” Sweet Pea agrees, “I’m buying.” He held his arm out saying, “My lady, would you give me the utmost honor of being your escort to brunch?” Laughing, you link arms with him and reply, “Oh certainly my lord.”

Part 2 | Part 3

[arotechno]

Jughead (2015), Issues 7-8: Discussion and Commentary

Boy oh boy am I excited to talk about this arc!! These two issues hold a very special place in my cold little aro heart.

(By the way, do you see that? I managed to get a digital copy from my library via Hoopla, which means you are spared from my shitty phone grabs. I’ll fix the previous post, don’t worry. Try clicking on the screenshots if tumblr blurs them. And try Hoopla, if you’ve got a library card and have been looking to read these.)

Fed up with him sitting around the house playing video games all summer, Mr. Jones forces Jughead to get out of the house and do something outside. Jughead finds Archie at the pool where he’s working as a lifeguard, and convinces him to take time off to go camping in the woods with him at their friend Dilton’s cottage.

They take Archie’s car out to the woods, only to find that the lake is overrun with Reggie’s over-the-top relatives at the Mantle family reunion. Horrified, Jughead and Archie go out on a hike to get away. This is where things go downhill—literally.

Jughead calls Archie out for his growing fixation with Veronica Lodge, whose father is the one trying to clear out Fox Forest. Archie immediately goes on the defensive, but Jughead, understandably, really doesn’t get it. And here’s where we see that this is a divide that has been brewing between them for quite some time, even if Archie seemingly had no idea it was happening.

The boys end up getting lost, which only serves to fuel their frustrations. It occurs to Jughead, some time later, that the lake they’re camping at is not that far from Camp Lucey, an all-girls summer camp. Shocked and hurt, he accuses Archie of only agreeing to go on the trip to pick up girls, and not to hang out with him. He tackles Archie and they tumble down a hill into the woods below.

This is a really interesting story, from an aro’s perspective. Jughead can’t relate to Archie’s teenage obsession with girls, and it isn’t something they can bond over like other friends may have been able to do. On a simple level, all Jughead really wants to do is hang out with his best friend, just the two of them, just like old times—back when they were younger, before Archie’s interest in girls seemed to take over his every waking moment. Importantly, Jughead never objects to Archie’s romantic pursuits on principle (he does have an issue with Veronica, but that has to do more with her father’s actions than her). It isn’t that he wants to stand in the way of Archie’s happiness—he just feels left behind, and that’s something I think a lot of aromantic people, teenagers especially, can resonate with.

Eventually, Archie and Jughead run into Mr. Weatherbee of all people, who begrudgingly offers to help lead them back to camp. It’s at this point that we get one of my favorite moments in the entire series, one that I have waxed poetic about on this blog before and probably will again.

Archie insists that he is in fact here to hang out with Jughead, and that he’s just being dramatic. Jughead, on the other hand, insists that Archie’s the one being dramatic with his love triangle problems, to which Archie replies:

“Look, I’m not going to apologize for being a normal guy, I—”

And Jughead’s reaction to those words has stuck with me since the first time I read this. He’s shocked, hurt, and clearly a little angry that Archie would say something like that. And it’s a subtle moment, one that you might not even feel the gravity of if you didn’t know that Jughead was aro. What’s most important here, though, isn’t Jughead’s reaction, but the fact that Archie is clearly in the wrong, and he knows it. He tries to backtrack immediately (“Jughead! I didn’t mean it like that! Wait!”), but Jughead ignores him, as Mr. Bee has already gotten them lost again.

This singular page is, to me, a deeper and more nuanced portrayal than many works with “on-the-page” canon aromantic characters. This arc isn’t about Jughead being aro (in fact, none of the comics particularly are). But this is a meaningful incorporation of Jughead’s orientation into his daily life and his relationships with other people—namely, with his best friend. Although Jughead is being somewhat harsh with Archie, never does the narrative place him in the wrong for feeling abandoned, hurt, or angry because of Archie’s words and actions. Even Archie, his best friend, is capable of saying things that hurt him, and his words in this scene are never excused or justified by the narrative.

It also means a lot to me that Archie apologizes the second he gets the chance to, and that Jughead is quick to forgive him and explain that he just misses the time before Archie was so obsessed with girls. I wouldn’t want the story to just turn into a feud between them. You know when you’re on a trip with your friends and you get lost and you’re tired and frustrated you just end up airing your grievances and coming out of it with a new understanding of your friendship while trying to solve the mess you’re in? That’s what this arc is.

Anyway, after a run-in with Reggie’s relative and Mr. Weatherbee’s old high school bully Ted Mantle, the trio manage to make it out of the woods—after several hours of walking until the sun has come up. There, they find that Camp Lucey has actually been renamed, and is now a camp for elementary school girls, where Betty happens to be working. So after all of that, Archie just ends up making a fool of himself, like usual. Mr. Bee’s wife drives over to rescue them and brings the boys back to Dilton’s cottage, where she remarks that she’s heard a lot about Archie and Jughead, and that they’re inseparable.

At its core, this is a story about friendship. It’s about the difficulties that come with realizing you can’t always relate to each other, and you can’t always read each other’s minds, and you sometimes say the wrong thing without meaning to. It’s a story about growing up, but not necessarily growing apart, and being able to reconcile your differences.

Archie assumes that after all of their bickering, Jughead would just want to go home and not hang out with him anymore. But turning back now would be contrary to what Jughead wanted in the first place, which was just to hang out with his best friend.

All’s well that end’s well, and Jughead and Archie patch things over and vow that they will always be best friends. It’s a wholesome moment, and reflects a common struggle for aspec teens that I rarely see addressed in media, if at all. Sometimes, it feels like your friends are all moving on without you, and sometimes they don’t even realize it when they’ve been neglecting your friendship. It takes communication to work these things out, and I’m happy to see that illustrated here.

This arc is my favorite, I think, and there’s reasons for that even outside of the aspects I’ve already detailed here. The kids getting lost in the woods on summer vacation is a fun way of framing the deeper story, and there are a lot of funny and endearing moments in these two issues. (Archie falls on his face, a lot, and Mr. Weatherbee is stoically exasperated with both of their antics.)

These are the last issues written by Chip Zdarsky. So shoutout to him for some of the most nuanced representations of aromanticism in fiction to date, even if he never wrote the word down on the page (I’ll get to that, don’t worry). But these are the first issues illustrated by Derek Charm, whose art style I love (no offense Erica Henderson), and the rest of the volume has a lot of other good aro moments in store. Until then, here’s himbo Archie:

See? Pure of heart, dumb of ass. You can’t be mad at him for long. (He falls into a hole later on the same page.)

Yeah, me too.

[harris-coopers]

Hold up is that Principle Weatherbee as a GHOULIE??

[ao3feed--bughead]

by bettysteddys

Betty Cooper has always seemed like the perfect girl next door. She runs the school newspaper, the Blue and Gold, and stands atop of the highest pyramid... in cheerleading, that is; all while keeping her blonde locks in a perfectly tight ponytail. Betty's entire life has been a routine revolving around how other people viewed her, but things take a turn for the worst the moment she locks eyes with a blue-eyed beanie wearing Serpent. Her entire life gets turned upside down, and Betty has a choice to make. Will she go back to the comfort of her routine, or will she make the jump to the dark side?

!!!!WARNING!!!! There story will depict violence, sexual assault, non-consensual acts, self harm, and gang violence multiple times throughout it. There will also be sexual themes throughout, so if any of the above mentioned makes you uncomfortable, please read at your own risk.

Words: 4678, Chapters: 3/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Riverdale (TV 2017)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage

Categories: F/M, Multi

Characters: Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge, Archie Andrews, Sweet Pea (Riverdale), Cheryl Blossom, Toni Topaz, Fangs Fogarty, FP Jones II, Tall Boy (Riverdale), Reggie Mantle, Kevin Keller, Malachi, Pop Tate, Alice Cooper, Fred Andrews, Hal Cooper, Jellybean Jones, Jason Blossom, Hiram Lodge, Gladys Jones, Mary Andrews, Joaquin DeSantos, Southside Serpents Gang, Penny Peabody, Sierra McCoy, Edgar Evernever, Ghoulies Gang (Riverdale), Josie and The Pussycats, Smithers (Archie Comics), Core Four (Riverdale), Tom Keller (Archie Comics), Riverdale Bulldogs, River Vixens (Riverdale), The Coopers (Archie Comics), Sister Woodhouse (Riverdale), principle weatherbee

Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Archie Andrews/Betty Cooper, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz

Additional Tags: bughead - Freeform, choni, Southside Serpent Jughead Jones, Dark Betty Cooper, southside, southside serpents, Protective Jughead Jones, Strangers to Lovers, Jealous Archie Andrews, Archie Andrews Being an Asshole, Betty Cooper Loves Jughead Jones, Jughead Jones Loves Betty Cooper, Slow Burn, Eventual Smut, Friends to Lovers, Whyte Wrym, High School, Girl Next Door Betty Cooper, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Sexy Jughead Jones, Bad Parent Alice Cooper (Archie Comics), Self-Harm, Smoking, Underage Drinking, Riverdale High School

[ellesimagines]

That’s my boy!

Fandom: Riverdale

Pairing: Sweet Pea x fem!reader

Warnings: High school drama, other than that, just fluff

Requested: Yes (riverdale - sweet pea x reader. reader is a northsider and stands up for them and sweet pea won't stop talking about her) (feel free to request something yourself x)

Word count: 2271 words

I do not own the gif, Riverdale or most of the characters mentioned in this story

Hey guys (again)! This is my first imagine. Thanks to the lovely anon for requesting it! I hope it’s how you imagined it. It’s set in 2x10, and I tried to copy the lines they say, but failed a few times. And again, English isn’t my first language, so excuse some mistakes. Hope you enjoy reading it, and I’d love to get some feedback (or more requests)! Also, feel free to send in questions about me if you want to get to know me, or just start a chat with me. I’d love to interact as much as possible with all of you, and this is a perfectly safe zone for you to talk free and to send in all your imagines and fantasies! Lots of love, Elle x

“Friends!”

Veronica’s excited voice rang through the crowded hallways of Riverdale High School. Her lips were lifted to a just as excited smile, as she greeted the newly transferred Southside students to the school.

Y/N’s eyes wandered over the group of leather clad teenagers on the other side of the table Veronica set up earlier this morning. To her, they didn’t look half as dangerous as everyone described them. They might be gang members, but after all, they were just teenagers trying to fit in with a crowd. Like everyone else in this town.

While Veronica went on about all the useful information that she gathered to make their transition as simple and easy as possible, Y/N looked over to Kevin, who’s eyes were sparkling with excitement.

“We encourage each and every one of you to drink deeply from the cup that is fair Riverdale!”, Veronica says to the Southsiders, still smiling brightly at them.

“Stand down, Eva Perón.”

Cheryl’s voice makes Y/N and her friends turn towards the stairs, where the red-head was walking towards them, Reggie and a couple of bulldogs and River Vixens behind the two.

Y/N sighed. Cheryl harassing students was nothing new, she was the self-crowned HBIC of the school, very well known for crushing one or the other self-confidence of fellow student.

“Here we go again”, Y/N muttered to herself, overhearing Jughead say something about the school spirit.

“Cheryl, no one invited fascist Barbie to the party”, Veronica says to Cheryl as she takes a proud stand in front of the group.

“Wrong, Veronica, no one invited Southside scum to our school”, Cheryl tells her. “Listen up, raggamuffins, I will not allow Riverdale High’s above average GPA to suffer from classrooms that are overcrowded with… underachievers. So please, do us all a favour and find some other school to debase.”

Y/N could see the discomfort in the Southside students eyes and the air in the hallway became thicker and thicker with the tension rising.

Y/N was always a quiet student, she was always trying to get a fairly good grade and to just fit in with the rest in an attempt to be nearly invisible to trouble and typical High School drama. She chose extracurriculars in which Cheryl Blossom wasn’t. Because she knew, where Cheryl was, drama was just around the next corner.

But today, however, she felt this urge to take a stand with the Southsiders. They didn’t have a choice after their school was closed, and Cheryl has destroyed enough people’s High School experience.

“They can’t debase this school more than someone who’s father killed his own son”, Y/N said, looking at Cheryl with a straight face, as the red-head turned to the girl slowly.

“What did you just say?”, Cheryl asked Y/N.

“You heard me very clearly, Cheryl. Anyone who looks at Riverdale High for longer than a second will see the real problem here. And that surely isn’t the Southside High students that just transferred, that is some self-centred red-headed bully walking through this High School with a cheer uniform which got HBIC written on it’s back. With such a family background like yours I wouldn’t open this mouth too wide, especially if it’s only senseless crap coming out of it.”

Y/N’s friends looked at her just as stunned as the Southsiders and Cheryl. She never got into a fight or caught up in some drama, she never raised her voice against Cheryl Blossom and never did she use someone’s problems against them.

But she had enough. They all came to this school as no one’s once, and just because Southside High School had a bad image with it’s gangs, drugs and it’s teacher uninterested in teaching, who was to say, that they didn’t want to actually achieve a proper education and go on to do some good in this messed up town? After all, High School was where future’s are made.

“Guys, everyone, can we just put our Northside/Southside differences apart and start over? A new slate?”, Archie asks, moving Cheryl’s attention from Y/N to him.

As Y/N saw Cheryl moving away from her, she let out a breath she didn’t know she held in.

“You don’t speak for the bulldogs, Andrews. And do I need to remind you? These snakes showed up at your place, trying to kick your ass”, Reggie says to Archie.

“Why don’t we finish what we started?”, a tall Serpent asked, taking a step toward Reggie, before he was held back by Jughead.

As Y/N’s eyes rested on him, she couldn’t help but think that he was quite good looking. Tall, broad-shouldered and dark haired. His eyes met Y/N’s for a split second, and as he looked at her, he looked intrigued by the girl. As if she was some mystery just waiting to be solved, preferably by him.

“I’m so over the toxic masculinity in this hallway right now!”, Veronica says, trying to put an end to this feud.

“Alright, everyone, let’s get to class!”, Principle Weatherbee announces, making the groups of students in the hallway split up in different directions.

“Okay, but honestly, who is she?”, Sweet Pea asks his fellow Serpents and friends, as they enter the Whyte Wyrm after school’s over, for the 10th time this hour.

Toni looked back at him with a smirk, well knowing, that Sweet Pea was about to develop a crush.

“Why do you even want to know that? Got a little crush?”, Fangs asked amused, teasing his best friends while wiggling his eyebrows at him.

“Shut up”, Sweet Pea says to him, looking at him with threatening eyes. “I’m just asking. We should thank her, she stood up to Cheryl for us.”

Jughead and Toni share a quick glance, before he says: “Her name is Y/N Y/L/N. She’s Kevin’s best friend, quiet student, and she never gets into fights. Today sure was a first for her. You really should go and thank her tomorrow, Sweet Pea.”

Sweet Pea looks at Jughead as if he’s about to punch him.

“I can’t believe you guys. I’m just trying to make a good first impression at a better school”, Sweet Pea sighs, falling down on one of the bar stools.

“A good impression? Sorry, buddy, you missed that train. After you nearly punched star football player Reggie Mantle this morning in the hallway, I’m pretty sure that isn’t the way to make a good impression”, Fangs says, shrugging his shoulder at the taller Serpent.

“That was before I decided to start over”, Sweet Pea tells him.

“Sure”, Fangs nods, laughing quietly to himself.

A few hours later, Sweet Pea’s had enough of the constant bickering of his friends. They were trying their best to get Sweet Pea to accept that he’s got a crush on Y/N, but he wasn’t going to budge.

The tall Serpent was fiddling with his phone in a booth at Pop’s, trying to hide the screen from his friends as he looked through Instagram. But he didn’t notice Fangs craning his head to get a better view of his phone.

“Oh god, now you’re stalking her on Instagram! Just text her already!”, Fangs says, nudging his best friend.

Toni and Jughead opposite them were laughing at the two, as Sweet Pea stared at his best friend again.

“Or maybe -”, Fangs began, his eyes wandering towards the entrance of the diner through which Kevin and Y/N walked at the moment, making him smirk, “- you can just go and talk to her right now.”

Confused, Sweet Pea looked around, but Kevin and Y/N have already taken a seat in a booth a bit further away from them. Sighing, Fangs gave his best friend a little push, making Sweet Pea nearly fall off the bench.

“What is your problem, Fangs?”, Sweet Pea asked, annoyed.

“You’re just too proud to accept that you’re crushing on a Northsider. Remember? A new slate. We go to the same school as the Northsiders do now, so go and befriend some. Or do more than just befriend them. Any way, you won’t shut up about her. Ever since school finished, she is the only thing on your mind. If you don’t go and talk to her now, I will do it for you”, Fangs says, motioning towards the booth that Kevin just left to go to the toilet. “There’s your chance to get her alone, buddy.”

Sweet Pea just shook his head furiously at Fangs, but soon enough, Fangs gave him another push, and Sweet Pea was standing up. Sighing, he decided to go and at least thank her, if that means they will shut up about it.

As he got closer to the booth, he saw her looking out of the window, and he hoped he wouldn’t scare her when he would speak up.

“Hey”, he says, and her head turned towards him.

“Hi”, Y/N says, smiling at him genuinely. “Take a seat.”

She motioned for him to sit down opposite her, and he quickly did, hoping to not look too helpless.

“Your name is Y/N, right?”, he asks, and as soon as he says those words, he’d like to punch himself.

Now he looked like a stalker to her.

“Yeah, and your name is?”, she asked him, still smiling.

Sweet Pea thought she was only still smiling to be kind, she must think he’s weird.

“My friends call me Sweet Pea”, he says, giving her a quick smirk.

“Nice to meet you, Sweet Pea. And sorry for the drama earlier. I’m afraid you’ll have to keep up with lots more of that over the next few years at Riverdale High. Cheryl’s ego is just sickening”, she laughed.

“Actually, I came to thank you, for earlier. You know, for standing up for us. Not many people do that, especially not if they don’t know us”, he says, sending her a smile.

“No big deal. Cheryl just had to be told off for once, not exactly my forte, but whatever.”

He smiled at her, not knowing what to say now. Y/N sighed, looking at him apologetically.

“Sorry, I don’t usually stutter while talking”, she says, looking down to her fingers which were fumbling with the fork.

Sweet Pea didn’t even notice her stumbling over her words, he was too concentrated to not sound too nervous himself.

“Don’t worry, it’s cute”, he says, making her laugh.

You idiot, Sweet Pea thought to himself and rests his head in his hand, sighing.

“I think I should go back to my friends, Kevin should be back any minute anyway, but thank you again”, he says, hoping to make a swift exit, but as soon as he stands up from the bench, she calls out his name.

“Yeah?”, he asks, turning around to her, as she smiles at him again.

God, that smile is going to kill me, he thought.

“Here”, she says, holding out a napkin for him to take.

As he takes it from her hands, their fingers touch for a minute, and that beautiful smile returns onto her lips. Shyly smirking, he looks down on the napkin to find a phone number written on it.

The smile on his lips changed from shy, to proud the moment he looked up to meet her gaze.

“I really hope it’s not too weird of me to just give you my number, assuming you’d want it”, she says, looking at him slightly insecure.

“No, of course not. Did you just write it down or did you have it prepared all along?”, he asks, smirking at her.

“I just wrote it down, it’s not like I’ve got hundreds of napkins in my bag to just hand out to guys who talk to me once, like flyers, I’m not that awkward”, she laughs, her eyes lighting up.

“Yeah, of course, sorry”, he laughs, feeling his confidence falter again.

How could he be so stupid and assume she had it written on that napkin before she came here?

“I’ll text you later, so that you’ve got my number as well”, he smiles, waving at her before quickly walking back to the booth his friends were sitting in, waiting for his return in anticipation.

As he sat down again next to Fangs, he quickly hid the napkin in one of his jeans pockets.

“And?”, Toni asks.

“She gave me her number”, Sweet Pea smiles proudly.

“That’s my boy!”, Fangs says triumphantly, patting Sweet Pea on the back like a proud father.

A couple weeks later, Sweet Pea walked straight past Fangs and Toni as he entered the school, making his best friends look at each other in confusion.

“Hey”, he says, making Y/N slightly jump before closing her locker to look at him.

“Oh god, don’t scare me like that”, she laughs, hitting his chest playfully.

“Don’t worry, it’s just me, babe”, he laughs, pulling her against him to press a kiss to her lips.

She smiled into the kiss, and as their lips separated, he took the books out of her arm and threw his other, free arm over her shoulder before walking her to her next class.

Fangs had a proud smile drawn on his face, while Toni’s expression was blank.

“That was quick”, she says, looking at Fangs next to her.

“Honestly, that wasn’t quick enough. He wouldn’t shut up about how amazing she is”, Fangs says, still looking after Sweet Pea and Y/N.

“Good for them, and for you”, Toni laughed.

“I’m so proud of my boy”, Fangs says, turning to Toni, still smiling.

“We both are”, Toni says, patting Fangs on the shoulder, before pushing him towards their shared chemistry class.

--- 

@asongofmarvelanddc

[thesabrinatheteenagewitchblog]

Another Lil' Sabrina story from "60 Magical Stories", "All Those Charms", from Little Archie #102 (January 1976), by Dexter Taylor and Rudy Lapick! Kind of a boring one tho tbh XD

[tsundere-noise]

Poisonous Love - Chapter 1

Summary: I was just your average girl from the north side of Riverdale, a Northsider, to be blunt. I had everything I could ever dream of: a loving family, good grades, a large group of friends and not to mention, my boyfriend just so happened to be the most popular guy in school. But, that was about to come crashing down and it was all because of a certain Southside Serpent.

A/N: So, this is my first time writing something for Riverdale. It starts off as Reggie x Reader and will eventually end up being Sweet Pea x Reader. This will be a slow burn series, meaning there will be multiple chapters. As usual, ‘Y/N’ is meant to be replaced with your name. Enjoy~ 

Word count: 1713

CHAPTER ONE

Early morning sunshine woke me before my alarm could. I woke to a start, groggily lifting my head as I tried to break through my sleepy haze. My hand fumbled beneath my pillow, looking for my phone. I glanced at its screen, my eyes finding it hard to adjust to the bright light that emanated from it. I blinked a few times, allowing them to adjust. I had a few notifications, most were from Facebook, it seemed a new drama had broken out while I was asleep. I unlocked my phone, keen on getting in on the gossip.

I raised my eyebrows, “So, that's a thing...”

Apparently, the Mayor had moved forward with shutting down Southside High. Which meant a number of things, but the one thing that seemed to grind the gears of my fellow peers, was that the students from Southside High were being transferred to Riverdale High and it seemed to annoy a certain red bombshell the most.

Rolling my eyes, I locked my phone and pushed myself out of my bed. I stretched my tired limbs and proceeded downstairs to the kitchen, where my parents were already preparing themselves for the day.

“Good morning, Y/N.” My mother greeted me whilst buttering some toast. I snatched a piece from her plate, smiling devilishly at her as I took a bite.

“So, did you hear? They've shut down Southside High.” I started, glancing curiously between my parents.

My father looked up from his phone, his expression unreadable. “Well, it's about time. Nothing good ever came from that school, the recent drug bust is proof of that. I mean, come on, a drug lab beneath the school? It's disgusting.”

Disgusting, eh? Not that I'd say otherwise, but I didn't necessarily agree with my father. It just seemed a little far fetched, come on, a drug lab? The thought of it was too convenient. But, then again, knowing the kind of people who lived in the Southside... I wouldn't put it past them, especially those apart of the Ghoulies.

I bit my bottom lip in thought. “Well, did you also hear that they're transferring the students to Riverdale High?”

This caught the attention of my mother. “I beg your pardon?”

I nodded, “Yep, they'll start attending tomorrow.” Which... is a fast transition, now that I thought about it. I didn't know how different Southside High was from Riverdale High, but this wasn't going to be easy for most of the students. Was this really a good idea to start with?

My father rubbed his forehead, as if fending off an incoming headache. “Y/N, please, don't get yourself involved with any of them. Okay? They're nothing but trouble.”

I rolled my eyes, “C'mon, dad. You should know me better.”

My phone vibrated in my hand and I glanced down at it, I had a text message. From my boyfriend, no less.

'G'morning, babe.' It read and I smiled slightly.

I typed out a quick reply as I finished off my toast, making a beeline for the bathroom. 'Morning, how did you sleep?'

'Horrible, I missed you too much. ;)'

I rolled my eyes, Reggie was anything but subtle, not that I minded.

'Are you still coming to pick me up?' It was a stupid question, Reggie has been taking me to and from school for as long as we've been dating. But I still liked to ask.

'Of course, I'll be there in half an hour.'

'Sounds good, see you soon. x'

I was quick to get ready, by the time Reggie showed up and knocked on my front door I had just finished putting on my shoes.

“I love you guys! I'll see you after school!” I called out to my parents as I threw my backpack over my shoulder, already half out the front door.

“Hey you,” Reggie greeted me, his hands already finding their place on my waist. He pulled me close, bending over to place a chaste kiss on my lips.

“Hey yourself,” I mumbled into the kiss.

He pulled away, giving me his signature smirk. He grasped my hand and led me to the passenger side of his car.

“So, I was thinking,” Reggie began as he started his car. “I might throw a party tonight. I know some of our friends aren't overly thrilled about the Southside trash that will be transferring to our school this week.”

“You don't sound overly thrilled, Reggie.” I mused, glancing out the window as he drove.

“I'm not. I don't want them tainting our school, which is what they'll do. Those Serpents will take over, just wait and see.”

I sighed, I didn't agree with what Reggie was saying. I'd like to think I was above such trivial drama. But nonetheless, he was my boyfriend and I was his girlfriend. I had to support him through this.

“Sounds like fun,” I smiled, reaching over to give his thigh a squeeze. “Want me to help you set up after school? “

He flashed me a smile, reaching down to my hand to return the squeeze. “You're the best, babe.”

Riverdale High was already bustling by the time Reggie and I pulled in. As I exited the car, Reggie walked over and threw his left arm over my shoulders, guiding us toward the entrance of the school. Students littered the foyer, talking amongst themselves. I ran my eyes over the crowd, almost instantly locking eyes with my best friend, Cheryl. I smiled at her, beckoning for her to fall into step with Reggie and I.

“Ugh can you believe the shit show that's about to happen?” Venom laced Cheryl's words as she wasted no time in getting straight to the point. Cheryl's brutal honesty was what I liked about her most, she was straight up with you, no matter who you were. It was refreshing and a welcomed trait, for the most part.

“Tell me about it,” Reggie groaned, leading us toward the student lounge. “On the up side, I'm throwing a party tonight as a form of reprieve from said shit show. Pass that around to others? Party starts at eight.”

Cheryl clapped her hands together in excitement and bustled into the student lounge, already relaying the new information to the other students.

Reggie and I lingered outside the lounge, my eyes trailing from Cheryl to stare intently at his face. “Do you really think it's a good idea to have a party to distract all these angst filled teens?” I questioned, already knowing the answer.

“It's the best idea,” Reggie kissed my forehead gently. “Do you want me to walk you to your locker?”

I shook my head, “You've got class on the other side of the school, I'll catch you at lunch.”

Reggie nodded and went to leave, but quickly backtracked and pressed his lips against mine. I kissed him back feverishly, before pushing away slowly. “I'll see you later, Reg.” I winked at him and walked off in the other direction.

I approached my locker and punched in the combination swiftly, the first bell of the day rang out throughout the school and I went to sift through my books to find the ones I would need for first period.

“Hey, Y/N.”

I closed my locker door and turned to see that Veronica Lodge was standing beside me, her shoulder resting against the locker beside mine.

“Veronica, hey. What can I do for you?” Veronica and I weren't the closest of friends, as we only really knew each other through Cheryl. Every now and then we would talk, but it was rare for either of us to seek each other out like this.

“So... as you've probably already heard, the students from Southside High are transferring here.” Veronica addressed me seriously, which was weird, considering. “You've also probably heard how many students are against that.”

I smiled at her, “I can think of a select few.”

“Which brings me to why I'm talking to you right now. I know that we're not really familiar with each other, but I'm going around and asking as many willing students to help me roll out the welcome wagon. I don't want there to be any hostility if we can avoid it.

I raised an eyebrow, sceptical. “And why is it that you want to do this?

Veronica shrugged her shoulders, “Principle Weatherbee asked me himself, since Cheryl is a little unwilling.”

I snorted, a little unwilling? Sure, let's go with that.

“I don't know, Veronica. If I do help you, it would be a conflict of interest with a lot of my friends.” That was true, I knew it would irk Reggie to no end and I wasn't sure if I wanted to deal with that.

“Please, Y/N.” Veronica clasped her hands in front of her chest in a small begging motion, “You're the most unbiased person I know here, I wouldn't ask if I was desperate.”

Unbiased? No, I wouldn't go that far. I just didn't like to judge people before getting to know them, but even then, I couldn't avoid being a little judgemental.

Take Veronica, for example. I may not know her overly well, but I did know who her family was. More importantly, I knew what her father was capable of and a small part of me had an inkling that Veronica had a whole other agenda for doing this.

I ran my fingers through the ends of my hair, my mind reeling. If I did agree to help Veronica with this, it would help strengthen the little friendship we had going; and I'd rather be a friend of the Lodge's than an enemy. My shoulders slumped in defeat and I nodded my head.

“Okay, fine. I'll help. But if either Reggie or Cheryl ask you why I'm doing this, tell them Weatherbee asked me to help you himself. I don't want them getting annoyed with me.”

Veronica nodded her head, drowning me with praise. “Thank you, Y/N! I'll meet up with you at lunch to further discuss details.”

I nodded, waving her off. “Sure thing, Veronica. See you then.”

I walked off to English just as the second bell rang out, signalling that first period was in session.

If only I knew what I was getting myself into. 

[sweetfogarty]

In the Pursuit of Justice || Chapter Three

Summary: After taking theatre classes after school for months, Midge Klump is delighted to be cast, albeit by a technical default, as Carrie White in the Riverdale High production of Carrie: The Musical. On debut night, Midge is murdered in cold blood and a witch hunt ensues to find the killer and bring him to justice. Fangs Fogarty finds himself in the crosshairs of this witch hunt, which culminates in him being arrested and charged as Midge’s killer.

Robin Allard, a public defender, is assigned to his case and together they fight the uphill battle to try and prove his innocence in court, finding skeletons in each other’s closets along the way. Robin may believe that Fangs is innocent, but will 12 jurors think the same? And will Fangs Fogarty be found guilty or not guilty of the murder of Midge Klump?

Rating: Mature

Word count: 9.5K+

Chapter warnings: Reference to character death, systemic racism, anxiety, religion.

MASTERLIST

The Bijou was quiet, the neon light of the sign casting a glow over the dampened Riverdale streets, catching on puddles that collected in dips in the road and pavement. It had poured earlier in the day, blackened, nasty storm clouds had been lingering over the town for a few hours like a curse given to them from the witches in the neighbouring town of Greendale, but finally after the heavens had opened, the clouds dissipated and a faint petrichor smell lingered in the streets.

Midge had hoped that the rain would subsist so that the streets would be quiet when she made her journey to the Bijou, but sneaking through a town where everyone knew everyone felt exhilarating. The danger made her heart beat faster in a way that was deliciously addictive.

She ducked into the Bijou, putting down her hood after she surveyed the empty lobby and checked her watch. It was a little past 11pm on a Tuesday and she hoped that with school exams coming up she wouldn’t see anyone she knew. She wanted to enjoy the movie, and not have to worry about the prying eyes of her classmates.  

“I’ll have a large popcorn please, oh, and a coke.” Midge smiled, fingering a $10 note anxiously as she approached the snack stand, taking another opportunity to look around the movie theatre’s lobby.

The cinema attendant gave her a small nod, turning away from her as she filled up her coke. “No Moose tonight?” she called over her shoulder.

Midge’s stomach churned, a momentary pang of guilty coursing through her veins- she thought she recognised the concession attendant, but she hadn’t been sure. Her grip tightened on the bill in her hands, before quickly loosening, her well-trained smile regaining its place on her face as if she hadn’t had a moment of panic.  

“No, he’s got a test in the morning so couldn’t make it out tonight,” Midge shrugged, a small but convincing pout taking over her face. “I’ve wanted to see this movie for ages though, so I couldn’t wait- I’ll end up seeing spoilers and then I’ll get annoyed. It’s not weird to see movies by yourself, is it?”

The attendant gave a hearty laugh as she scooped popcorn into a large bag, setting it carefully on the side before she took the bill from Midge. “Oh god no,” she laughed, shooting Midge a quick grin. “Compared to some of the shit I’ve seen in here, seeing a movie by yourself is totally normal.”

Midge let out a sigh of relief and the girls exchanged a laugh as she dropped her change into her purse. She scooped up her popcorn and coke, rolling her eyes as she accidentally dropped a handful sized amount of popcorn onto the floor. “I’m not sure I want to know what kind of stuff you’ve seen here, but deep down, a weird part of me really wants to know now. You’ll have to tell me next time I decide to see a movie by myself.”

“Next time,” the girl nodded in agreement, a grin taking over her face as she scrunched her nose. “Enjoy your movie- it’s a good one!”

Midge kicked the door of the theatre open, using her bum to hold it as she manoeuvred her way in, trying her hardest to not drop any more of her popcorn on the floor. She eyed the rows of seats, instinctively making her way to the back, shimmying her way along the row until she was tucked away in the back corner. She set her popcorn and drink down, shrugging her coat off with ease and throwing it onto the back of the seat in front of hers. Being at the last showing on a weeknight meant no one else was in the theatre and she could take up as much space as she wanted without feeling guilty.  

The lights dimmed and previews for upcoming movies started rolling. Midge sat comfortably eating her popcorn, engrossed by the trailers, barely registering a shadowy figure taking the seat next to her.

“You made it then,” he whispered, taking a handful of popcorn from her bag with a grin on his face.

Midge jumped out of her skin, her hand coming over her heart in shock as she looked towards the voice, her arms prickling with goose bumps.

“God, Fangs, don’t do that,” she giggled breathlessly, bumping shoulders with him. “I think I just had a heart attack; you could have killed me.”

“I would never,” he laughed quietly as the trailers continued to play, taking more popcorn. He chucked a piece up and caught it in his mouth, a smug grin weaving its way across all of his features as he wiggled his eyebrows at Midge. “You know, I didn’t think you would come tonight.”

Midge quirked her brows, taking a sip of her coke. “Really? Why?”

Fangs was taken aback by her question, and the look on his face clearly conveyed that. He thought the answer was obvious, but maybe he was overthinking it. “Uh, Moose? Your boyfriend?”

Midge let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head at the blush that crept onto Fangs’ face. “Well we’re not doing anything bad. Moose wouldn’t mind- he knows I want to see this film, and plus people see movies together all the time, right? It’s only a movie.”

It’s only a movie, Fangs thought. If it was only a movie, why were they sneaking around after dark? Why did they arrive separately? Why didn’t Moose know? He knew it wasn’t as black and white as Midge said it was, but something about the sneaking around and being secretive was as exciting to him as it was to Midge. He hadn’t felt a thrill like it before, and he wasn’t sure whether it was the thrill of being covert, or whether it was the thrill of being around Midge. But he liked it either way.

Any negative thoughts were quickly expelled as the film started rolling in front of them. It was a romance, a classic forbidden romance. It wasn’t something Fangs would usually watch, or rather admit that he’d watched, but when Midge had texted him asking if he wanted to see it, he couldn’t say no. She was so sweet, and he didn’t want to disappoint her. He wanted to be someone who she enjoyed being around, even if it meant he had to watch the film with a synopsis that was eerily similar to the situation he found himself in.

Fangs kicked his feet up onto the seat in front of him, crossing his legs as he relaxed into his seat, letting out a content sigh as he did so. Almost instinctively, Midge dipped her head and settled it on his shoulder gently.

Fangs could feel his pulse racing. Her head was rested so daintily against his shoulder and she looked so peaceful with the movie reflecting in her glossy eyes. The light and shadows cast on her face from the screen made her look angelic and more beautiful than he’d ever admitted to himself. Now that Fangs had stopped to look at her properly and up close, he felt something unfamiliar creaking in his chest.

The Serpent tugged his lip between his teeth as he shifted position, holding his breath as he inched his arm around Midge, settling it cautiously across her shoulders. She looked up at him, a hint of a smile adorning her pretty face, before she turned her attention back towards the film and moved a little closer to her companion for the night. Fangs let out a breath of relief and pulled her even closer, the pair exchanging an excited giggle as their legs tangled together on the seats in front of them, spending the rest of the film wrapped up in each other’s company.

-

The 21 days of freedom Fangs had between his arraignment hearing and the first day of his trial seemed like the longest and also simultaneously shortest 21 days of his life.

At first, he was excited to get back to normality. This was quickly hampered by Principle Weatherbee, who put him on leave from school until after his trial, justifying it as a means to protect Fangs’ personal safety. Deep down he knew that Weatherbee just didn’t want to deal with any potential flak from concerned parents for allowing an accused murderer to remain on school premises. Fangs received his assignments via email and Sweet Pea began to make a real effort in his classes to make sure that his best friend had access to the best notes. He even went as far as to stay behind to ask questions and discuss material with the teachers, the thought of which previously repulsed him. He went the extra mile for his brother- he didn’t want him to fall behind in case he was found not guilty and got to come back to school.

On the first night of his freedom, Fangs, Toni, Sweet Pea and Jughead found themselves lounging in a leather booth at Pop’s, getting milkshakes and burgers in celebration of having 21 days of familiarity back. It was almost like being in the eye of a hurricane; everything would be momentarily calm for the next 21 days before the chaos started again. Or so they hoped. But Fangs, with his status as an accused murderer, was infamous, and his face had been on news outlets across the state which made him instantly recognisable. A simple trip to the town’s diner, which previously would have been an enjoyable outing, was tinged with smoke in the air. Whispers and dirty looks, although subtle, did not go unnoticed, and from that night onwards the Serpents did home deliveries to Fangs’ trailer.  

For the next 20 days Fangs spent his time with Maria and Hot Dog, along with the other Serpents when they weren’t at school without him. It dawned on him quickly that this wasn’t the freedom he’d thought it might be and hoped for. Around him, everyone else’s worlds seemed to carry on turning, whereas his felt like it was on a collision course with an asteroid. Although he was in a self-imposed exile from the rest of the town, he knew that if he ventured outside of the confines of Sunnyside Trailer Park that he was putting a target on his back. Some nights when he was lonely and felt like this was the reality of his life forever, he thought about going out into the deep, dark streets of Riverdale, hoping that the Black Hood would sweep in and put him out of his misery.

The start date of his trial couldn’t come quick enough.

On the afternoon before his trial Fangs had become restless. The inside of his trailer felt more like prison more the cold cell he’d spent his time in inside the Sheriff’s Office. He’d become agitated, pacing around the trailer like he was trying to wear a hole in the carpet, straightening and tidying things that didn’t need to be straightened or tidied and trying and failing to do his school work. It took one glance at his worn leather skin before he slung it over his shoulders and trudged outside into the spring sun.

It was fresh outside. It felt especially fresh to Fangs who hadn’t stepped foot out of his trailer for the last 20 days, even to sit on the deck chairs outside with Sweet Pea to have a beer by the fire. Fangs had become so traumatised by the mob and the news articles and the looks that he couldn’t bear to be outside. But at that moment, being inside his trailer seemed less appealing than being heckled or attacked by strangers in the town.

Fangs’ doc martens crunched against the gravel of the trailer park as he exited its confines, his hands firmly planted in his pockets as he trudged his way towards the Northern side of town. He passed Pop’s- it had had a lick of paint since the riots. He could see Pop Tate in the window and as much as he wanted to go in, grab a milkshake and try again to pretend like everything was normal, he carried on walking. Next, he passed the Riverdale Register and he suddenly felt overwhelmed- maybe if the video of him with Midge hadn’t been posted by Alice Cooper then he would never have been arrested, but then again, maybe this was all inevitable.

Finally, he caught site of what he was looking for. Out on a green slightly set back from the main streets of Riverdale, a church stood by itself, untainted by the riots. Fangs started up the path, eyeing the cross at the top of the steeple carefully. Although his family had placed somewhat of an importance on God, this had never quite translated or resonated within himself. He hadn’t been to church since he was a young boy, aside from when he attended family weddings or christenings, and yet this was the only place he felt he could go where he didn’t feel like he’d be shunned.

He nervously stepped through the front door, looking around for a sign that someone was here, but the church was silent. He took a few more steps in, wandering towards the nave. His fingertips touched the pews as he walked down the aisle and finally, he reached the front of the rows, taking a seat and dipping his head down as his hands instinctively clasped together in his lap. He didn’t know whether he was meant to say anything, or whether he was just meant to sit there in silence, but the words he was thinking just spilled out into a string of consciousness.

“God, man, I know I don’t come here often but I really am screwed. I don’t even know if I’m allowed to say screwed in church, but I can’t think of another way to express how messed up this situation is and I didn’t know where else to go. I, just…” he paused, blinking back the tears that were glossing his eyes. “I didn’t kill her. I really didn’t and yet here I am with my court date tomorrow where-“

“Can I help you, son?” A voice called from the back of the nave, interrupting and startling Fangs. He whipped his head around and his eyes settled on a middle-aged man who he recognised as Pastor Boyd, the father of Midge’s best friend, Lydia Boyd, a fellow student in his classes.

“Pastor Boyd, hi, I didn’t mean to come in uninvited- I couldn’t see anyone around when I got here. I can go if you want me to- I know your daughter was Midge’s best friend, so I don’t want to overstay my welcome given the situation,” Fangs spoke frantically, an underlying stress lacing his voice. He should have known coming to church would have been a less than ideal situation given the Boyd’s connection to the Klump’s, but Fangs had been so flustered when he’d left that he didn’t even stop to think about the implications.

“Don’t be a fool,” Pastor Boyd replied calmly with a chuckle, taking a seat next to Fangs on the pew. “My daughter may well have been friends with Midge, but this church is for everyone. What kind of man, let alone what kind of Pastor, would I be to turn you away in a time of need?”

“Thank you, Pastor Boyd,” Fangs glanced to the side, sending him a barely-there smile. The teen looked up at the stained-glass windows that towered above them, the light shining through to illuminate a scene of Jesus on the cross. It instantly sent him back to the moment he saw Midge crucified on stage and he flinched, shaking the thoughts from his head as quickly as they’d entered it. Fangs’ gaze dropped down to his hands as he fiddled with the sleeve of his jacket, pursing his lips together. “You probably already know, but my trial starts tomorrow,” he stopped for a moment, before allowing himself to carry on. “I’m terrified. I’m just hoping to get some guidance or luck, or just a sign that everything will be okay. But I know everyone already thinks I did it, that I killed Midge, so actually maybe what I’m hoping for is a miracle.”

Pastor Boyd set his hand on Fangs’ shoulder, giving him a small, encouraging shake and a fatherly smile. He could see that the boy was hurting deeply. “I’ll say two prayers tonight- one for Midge, and one for you. I don’t know what happened on that night, and it’s not my job to pass judgement on it, but I hope the outcome of the trial, whatever it is, is the right one.”

-

The court house had never been as busy as it was the morning that Fangs’ trial officially started. Media outlets from Riverdale, the neighbouring towns and even across the state gathered outside to catch a glimpse of the teenager, who had been branded The Southside Slayer, in the flesh. They wanted to see what kind of person could be capable of using a young girl as a human pin cushion, and who could leave her like a sacrifice and a warning to an entire town. The reporters were rabid and feral and wouldn’t be satiated until they got their ‘scoop’. The scenes outside of the court were reminiscent of the night of Fangs’ release from the Station, and it made his skin crawl.

As he made his way up the marbled steps alongside Robin and Maria, the press heckled them and threw hundreds of questions their way, including one that made Fangs physically recoil in discomfort.

“Mr Fogarty, what do you think of the name the public has given your crime? The Carrie Crucifixion?”

Fangs’ eyes shut instinctively, stress settling into the lines of his face. His grasp on his Mum’s hand tightened immensely to an almost bone crushing vice-like grip. Robin stopped instantaneously, turning to face the reporters and dropping her head to the side in a look of disbelief.

“Which one of you said that?” She asked shortly, looking over the media group before her eyes settled on a blonde news anchor who slowly raised her hand. Robin’s eyes narrowed, her lips flattening into a straight line and her eyebrows knitting together angrily. “My client won’t be answering any questions. The trial will speak for itself. Let’s not forget that he is innocent until proven guilty and that Midge Klump’s death is not his crime. You should know better than that, you vultures.”

The trio continued up the stairs until they were safely within the confines of the court’s walls and everything for a moment seemed normal, calm. Robin spoke to the court clerk, leaving Fangs and his Mother together. Maria was still clutching his hand, and the pad of her thumb ran back and forth over it as a small gesture to comfort him. She pulled him into an embrace, squeezing him gently before pulling away and straightening his tie.

“You’ve got to look good for the judge and jury, mi hijo,” Maria gave a breathless laugh, her hands quivering barely as she fiddled with the tie. “I love you and I’ll support you always, you know that right? You’re my baby, and I know you couldn’t do what they did to that poor girl. The jury will see it too, I know it.”

“I love you too, Mum,” Fangs replied softly, a fond smile caressing his face as he looked down on his Mother. She was everything to him, and even at his lowest points she’d only ever shown him unconditional love.

Part of him realised then that that was why he adored Midge so much- the way she cared for people reminded him of the way Maria cared for anyone she encountered, and Midge had shown him the closest thing to unconditional love he’d ever felt from someone who wasn’t family, blood or extended. Maria and Midge would have loved each other, had they ever met.

Robin returned to the pair, nodding for them to follow her, dragging Fangs from his day dreams about Midge.

“We’re in court room five again today, it’ll be the room we’re in throughout the rest of your trial,” Robin spoke quietly to the pair as they scaled a flight of stairs and she tried to concentrate on her movements, her pencil skirt restricting her steps. Fangs breathed a sigh of relief; the room was familiar and so it made him feel a little less alien to the situation. “Today Ms White and I will select the jury. My job is to try to ‘stack’, so to speak, the jury in your favour as much as I can. The jury will, by law, need to contain a mixture of people, but I want to make sure we have as many people who will sympathise with your case on that panel as I can. Men who will think rationally about the case rather than emotionally, people of colour who are, statistically, more likely to distrust the police, people from lower social-economic backgrounds. People like you.”

“That makes sense,” Fangs replied, nodding at Robin as she glanced back with a small smile.

Fangs was appreciative to have gotten an attorney like Robin. She seemed to always look out for him, whether it be simply asking how he was feeling, or publicly putting people who wanted to besmirch him in their place. He didn’t know if she had to do it, or whether it was her choice, but he felt lucky to have been put with her in this situation. Had it been anyone else he was sure he would have crumbled by now and he knew he would have taken the plea deal offered to him. She believed in him and she wanted to go to the ends of the Earth to make sure he walked free, and he just hoped it would be enough.

Inside the court room, bodies were squeezed together shoulder to shoulder and the heat radiating off of everyone made the room uncomfortably warm. Both Robin and Fangs didn’t like to think what it would be like in the height of summer.

Maria squeezed Fangs’ hand as she took her seat in the front row next to Sweet Pea. Fangs and Sweet Pea shared a small nod between them and a knowing look. It meant a lot to the accused teen that his best friend and extended family in the Serpents would come to watch the trial despite how out of place they all seemed. His fellow Serpents Toni Topaz, Joaquin DeSantos and the trio of Jones’- FP, Jughead and Jubilee, all sat further down the aisle and sent encouraging looks Fangs’ way as he took his place next to Robin at the defendant’s table. The Serpents were not strangers to seeing their kind encounter the law, but this time they were scared. When FP had gone down for his involvement in Jason Blossom’s murder, they knew he would be okay- he’d done time before and so could hold his own, but with Fangs, they knew he would be bait and seriously at risk as soon as he got into that prison.

On the other side of the room sat Midge’s Mum and Dad, holding on to each other like if they let go their worlds would end. Moose Mason and Lydia Boyd sat with them, being the closest people they had to Midge that were left. The rest of the court was filled with familiar faces from school and around town, along with a few unfamiliar faces.

Whilst this caused an explosion of nerves deep in the pit of Fangs’ stomach, it filled Robin with adrenaline. She loved performing in court, but if there was one thing she loved more, it was performing in court in front of an audience. Her hair was slung in a neat bun, with her bangs hanging just out of her eyes, and her black blazer had been accented with a small snake pin, in solidarity with Fangs.

Once the court had settled and everything was in order, the Clerk formally began the trial.

“All rise,” the Court Clerk announced, causing the room to rise from their seats as the Judge entered and sat in her throne at the head of the court. “The court of Midvale is now in session, Judge R Vines is presiding, please be seated.”

“Good morning everyone, please be seated,” Judge Vines smiled graciously, glancing around the court. “Hello again Ms White, Miss Allard and Mr Fogarty. Before we begin, are the State and Defendant both ready for trial?”

“Yes, Your Honour,” both women replied in unison, pleasing Judge Vines as she made a note of the readiness of both parties to the case.

“Good. Now, Mr Fogarty, what will happen today is that we will choose twelve jury members to preside over your case. Both the State and the Defence will then have the opportunity to ask questions to those jury members to determine whether they can act impartially, and once jury selection is complete, if we have time, we will then proceed to opening statements.”

There was a collective mumble from the court before the names of twelve jurors were called and one by one, they took their seats in the wooden jury box. The twelve looked nervous, each knowing Fangs Fogarty’s fate could be in their hands if they survived jury selection. Ms White stood from her chair and readied herself to examine the jurors.

“Good morning all, my name is Margaret White and I am acting on behalf of the State today and throughout this trial. Now this is the only occasion that myself and Miss Allard will have to talk to you one on one in this case, and the aim of this discussion is to determine whether this is the kind of case that you can sit on as a fair and impartial juror. There are no right or wrong answers to our questions, we just ask that you are truthful in your responses. Does that make sense to everyone?” Nods came from all twelve jury members and a smile crept onto Ms White’s face. “Perfect. Now before I begin with the more niche questions, has anyone been following this case in the news, or maybe you’ve heard about it on the television or seen something online?”

A few hands raised and Ms White gave each juror a careful, critical look. “And which of you have been actively following the case?”

One juror’s hand remained, a woman in her 50’s who sat at the back of the box with a nonchalant look on her face.

“Mrs Willowson, you’ve been regularly keeping up to date with the murder?”

Willowson gave a nod and took a deep breath. “I’ve been reading about it in the paper and watching the news stories about it. It was a terrible crime so I was interested to see whether the police would make an arrest- I was relieved when they did, it was nice to know that a killer was off the streets.”

Ms White looked towards Judge Vines and clasped her hands together neatly. “On that basis Your Honour, the State would like to move towards excusing this juror for cause on the basis that we feel she would not be able to impartially preside over the case.”

“This court accepts that Ms White,” Judge Vines nodded, directing her attention towards the excused juror. “Thank you for your time Mrs Willowson, you are free to go. You may be called again at a later time but for now you are excused from your duties.”

In Willowson’s place sat then a young Latino gentleman who was sworn in as the new juror. Robin grinned in her seat, putting a small mark in the tally on her notepad. A man like this would be able to empathise with Fangs more so than the previous juror would have been able to- that juror could be the difference between Fangs walking free or never stepping outside of a prison ever again.

“Now I am going to read you the list of witnesses that you will be hearing from and if any of you recognise the name of any of these people, please raise your hand. We will be hearing from the Defendant- Mr Fangs Fogarty; along with Dr Vince Curdle, Michael Minetta, Thomas Keller, Sarah Price, Marmaduke Mason, Reginald Mantle, Forsythe Pendleton ‘Jughead’ Jones III and Nathaniel ‘Sweet Pea’ Mantle. Do any of you recognise any of these names?”

The jurors sat still, a few heads turning to see if anyone had raised their hands. White gave a curt nod to the twelve, a strained smile spreading across her face, crow’s feet settling either side of her eyes.

“Have any of you ever been the victim of a crime, similar to the nature of the one we will be examining here today?”

One hand raised, a middle-aged man at the back who looked nervous. White nodded towards him, prompting him to speak.

“When I was about 28, I was robbed at knifepoint. Obviously, that’s nowhere near the calibre of this matter, but the knife connection is there so I thought I should mention it.”

“Thank you, Mr Barnard, that’s exactly the kind of thing I meant. Anyone else?” White asked, surveying the jury and continuing when no one else volunteered. “Sir, how do you feel about knives and knife crime now?”

Barnard let out an awkward, anxious laugh as he crossed and uncrossed his legs under the desk. “I mean, no one likes knife crime, do they? But to respond to your question, I don’t look at knife-based crime any worse than I do any other kind. It happened and it wasn’t a nice situation to be part of, but it hasn’t affected my judgement in any way.”

“So, you believe you could preside over this case fairly and impartially?”

“I absolutely do,” Barnard nodded in response, sternly and full of integrity.

White’s questioning continued for another hour, resulting in three more jurors being excused from their role. She was subtly ruthless, and Robin realised very quickly that the two women were playing the same game with the jury. White had been asking questions that, although seemingly broad and impartial to anyone else, had a bias against jurors who may rule in Fangs’ favour, that Robin picked up on almost immediately.

As the jury currently stood, it was in favour of the State by three jurors at least and so Robin had her work cut out for her to get things back on track for Fangs. She was nervous- she knew finding a basis to exclude more jurors would be hard, given that they’d already been through White’s gruelling examination, but she had to keep the faith in herself that Fangs and his family had in her. She couldn’t afford to drop the ball so early on.

Robin stood, smoothing her skirt out before ambling out in front of the defence table and standing comfortably in front of the jury.

“Good morning Jurors, my name is Robin Allard and, as you know, I will be acting as the defence attorney for Mr Fogarty. Thank you for your honesty so far, I just have a few more questions for you before we can progress with the trial. I’ll start with an easy one- have any of you heard of the Southside Serpents?”

Almost instantaneously a tattooed hand on the front row of the jury was raised proudly, belonging to a burly man with a shaven head whose shirt pulled against his biceps and chest.

“Mr Garland, how is it that you are familiar with the Southside Serpents?”

Garland unbuttoned the four top buttons of his shirt and pulled it apart, revealing a dark double-headed snake winding over his chest, the heads angry and tongue spitting venom. It was old and faded, a tattoo that had seen better days. “I was a Serpent.”

Behind Robin, the public gallery shuffled uncomfortably. Fangs’ head whipped around, his eyes meeting FP’s, eyebrows knitted together in a bewildered look that FP understood perfectly. The king Serpent nodded shortly, the juniors around him tensing in response. Jubilee looked towards Jughead with the same look that Fangs had displayed moments earlier, eliciting a shrug from her twin who also clearly didn’t recognise the ophidian in front of them. The Serpents were a tight knit community and so it was unusual for the teens to not recognise a fellow snake by their face, and even more so by their name.

Robin faltered slightly. “How is it can you be a Serpent and yet not know the Defendant?”

A brittle smile flickered at the ends of Garland’s lips as he caught FP’s gaze, a hard stare coming from the monarch in return. “I was a Serpent when I was a teen, but I got into some drug trouble in my 20s and I got sent away for the safety of the gang. I grew up with FP Jones, before he was King, but after I got sent away to San Junipero, I never had any more contact with the Serpents. They effectively exiled me, forgot about little old Joe Garland,” he shrugged with a small shake of the head and narrowed eyes. His gaze travelled over the Serpents, once again hanging on FP, before moving back to Robin. “I only moved back to the state last year. The Defendant wasn’t even born when I left, so I never had any contact with him or knew he existed until now.”

The Serpents around FP tensed and recoiled, Joaquin finding it particularly hard to listen to. He’d never really understood why FP sent him away to San Junipero after his involvement with Jason Blossom’s death, despite begging him for an explanation, but finally he understood that it was learned behaviour. FP had seen his friend sent away under another king, and in his Blossom-induced panic, that was the only solution he could think of. It had fixed a situation once, saved the Serpents and Joe Garland from trouble, but it didn’t save them from the personal struggles of dealing with the loss of a brother. Joaquin wished the FP had taken a moment to think of another solution for him rather than just sending him away without a second thought. In the pit of his stomach he knew that the only reason he was back in Riverdale was to smuggle Fangs out of the area if things looked bad, and that if FP didn’t need something from him, he’d still be in San Junipero alone. But he’d take what he could get because he needed the Serpents more than they needed him, and it had been months since he’d seen those who had sworn to stand alongside him for better or for worse.

It was lonely in San Junipero and coming back to Riverdale, even if only for a week, was the only thing he’d looked forward to since he’d been exiled from the snake pit.

FP’s stare didn’t falter, even with the Serpents around him becoming unsettled and Jubilee reaching across his lap to give Joaquin a gentle squeeze on his knee. Joaquin was the second brother she never had and his departure from the gang had been a particularly sore point for her. For a while she resented her father for sending him away, and she, like Joaquin, had never managed to work out why it was that the Serpent King disposed of members when times got tough. She wanted better for Joaquin and she knew that for this to come out in court rather than behind closed doors man to man would be something he would struggle with. For him, this would not be closure, it would be reopening an old wound.

Whilst the Serpents behind her found themselves rattled, Robin stood front and centre with a decision to make. She could keep Garland as a juror and hope that he favoured Fangs’ case, or she could excuse him. In the back of her mind, the angel and devil on her shoulders were bickering, and she picked at the skin around her thumbs out of stress.

“Your honour,” she sucked in a deep breath, holding it in her lungs before she made a snap decision. “I’d like to move to excuse Mr Garland on the basis that I am not sure that he can act impartially due to his connection with the Defendant’s gang.”

A nasty scowl enveloped Fangs’ face and his eyes glazed over with a mixture fury and despair. Arms crossed tightly over his chest, his teeth clenched together around his bottom lip, drawing blood. Putting the pieces together about Joaquin had been bad enough, and now it seemed like Robin wasn’t even on his side. Having a Serpent in the jury was almost one guaranteed ‘not guilty’ vote- he knew it, she knew it, the whole court room knew it, and yet she’d excused him from the jury. Now in his place sat a woman in her 20s who had no reason to believe him.

Robin could sense the tension behind her, quickly moving on in an effort to dispel it.

“Miss Nicholas, have any of the questions we’ve asked so far applied to you?”

The short no from the juror elicited a small smile on Robin’s face, however the back of her mind was still buzzing with dread about explaining this to Fangs. He would struggle to understand why she did it, because the case was so personal for him, but she knew that it was a decision she had to pull to trigger on, regardless of how he might feel.

The rest of Robin’s jury examination was gruelling. She spent close to two hours picking apart every aspect of the jurors’ lives, trying to find any reason to excuse some of them from their post. She was sure some of them resented her for it, but it needed to be done for Fangs’ sake. By the end of her examination, the jury was evenly split- six jurors who Robin thought might be more likely vote in favour of Fangs’ innocence and six she thought might be more likely to vote against him.

“Miss Allard, Ms White, are you ready for opening statements?” Judge Vines asked, making note of the panel of jurors left who would be the ones to decide Fangs’ fate.

“Yes,” the women called out in unison, sharing a nod between them.

White stood, and made her way to the floor, knitting her hands together and pausing as she looked over all of the jurors. She had to make a statement that would hit the jury in the heart and make it impossible for them to see past the violent nature and emotional impact of the crime on Midge’s loved ones and the wider town.

“On the 16th March 2018, Miss Midge Klump awoke, ready to take the stage as Carrie White in Riverdale High’s production of Carrie: The Musical. Midge had been working hard on the role, having been officially cast as Carrie a few weeks into rehearsals after a cast-mate pulled out. She’d been practicing her lines every day, studying the mannerisms of Carrie White and trying to perfect her performance, but it was choosing to meet with Assistant Director, the Defendant, Fangs Fogarty, that led to her untimely demise.” White started, watching the reactions of the public gallery and of each member of the jury. After a brief pause, she continued.

“Mr Fogarty was in a position of influence over Miss Klump- she trusted him as the Assistant Director and felt safe spending her time with him in order to better her performance. But Fangs Fogarty abused this position and he abused her trust by killing her in cold blood at a time that should have been a peak in her high school career. He killed her and left her impaled on the set of the production that he was co-running, allowing for her body to be revealed to the paying audience like some kind of spectacle. Midge Klump was more than a spectacle, she was a human being who had her entire life left to live.”

A whine sounded from Mrs Klump as she clutched her husband’s shirt and cried into his shoulder. The pit of Robin’s stomach dropped, and the rest of the court room’s attention fell to the couple as well. This trial was never going to be easy for them regardless of when it took place, but it was still so fresh for them and for the whole town. The loss of their daughter had created a void that they would never be able to fill- not with pictures, not with memories, not with justice. There would be a Midge shaped hole in their lives forever.

Ms White gave them a sincere look, before motioning towards them as she continued with her opening statement. “From what you can see right now, you can only but imagine how her family felt, seeing their baby left on that stage to die. Their little girl, who had a whole life in front of her, taken from them and paraded like a trophy.” Lydia and Moose held each other; their faces contorted into something utterly broken as they both flashed back to seeing Midge for the last time. “Fangs Fogarty had calculatedly used his knowledge of the production to get her on her own and kill her where they wouldn’t be caught- he led her like a lamb to the slaughter. He used his knowledge to his advantage to commit the perfect crime. Except it wasn’t perfect because he left behind breadcrumb mistakes that have led us here today in an attempt to bring him to justice."

“In this trial you will hear about how Midge was an exceptional student; she was a River Vixen cheerleader who helped her boyfriend Marmaduke Mason study for all his tests and who had an impossibly bright future ahead of her that was cut short. She took extra classes, volunteered, she was on numerous school committees- she was the perfect, all-American student.”

“You will hear from Mr Mason himself, who will tell you about the impact Midge had on his life and what this tragic turn of events has done to him on a more personal level.”

At White’s queue, the court’s attention turned to Moose, who could do nothing apart from blink away tears and pull Lydia that bit tighter to him.

“You’ll hear from Riverdale’s Dr Curdle who will explain exactly what happened to poor Midge Klump and how truly horrific this crime is. It will make you realise how twisted and disgruntled Fangs Fogarty would have had to have been in that very moment to have done what he did to Midge.” White looked towards Fangs with a venom, shaking her head in disgust.

“And on the other side of the coin you’ll hear from Riverdale’s Sheriffs, past and present, about who Fangs Fogarty is and who he associates with. You’ll hear from classmates that he’s a volatile troublemaker who fights and has a bad temper. You’ll come to understand that he has no alibi, possesses the same knives that were used to stab Midge Klump and you’ll hear about how his life led him here today, to this very court room where it is your job to convict him for a crime that he committed.”

Aggravated mumbles came from the Serpents and friends of the Fogarty’s at White’s attack on Fangs’ character. They knew he was none of those things, but the jury didn’t, and with each drop of venom that White spat, besmirching his name more and more, they became more anxious and unsure about his future.

“At the end of this trial, you will deliver a judgment on whether you think the Defendant is guilty or not, of this horrific crime, and after hearing all the testimony from the witnesses, I firmly believe that you will, as I do, believe that Fangs Fogarty is guilty.”

The court was silent as White took her seat, a barely contained smug look tugging at her face. She’d stunned everyone in the room. Mouths hung open, people wiping their eyes and lending each other tissues- the emotional response to Margaret White’s opening statement on behalf of the State had done exactly what she needed it to do, and this meant trouble for Robin and Fangs.

Once again, Robin had to do damage control to try and breakeven with White, when she really needed to have a one-up on her. Robin had known that White was the District Attorney, but she’d hoped that she’d gotten complacent in her security and older age. In actual fact, White was the most challenging attorney Robin had ever come up against, on the hardest case she’d ever had to fight for. It was a bad combination and Robin had a growing fear of losing Fangs like she did Alex.

Robin took the floor, the clicks of her heels against the wood sounding thunderous in the silent room. Robin could have heard a pin drop in there, and for the first time in a long time, she felt nervous and unsure of whether she’d be able to bring the room back around. She was doubting herself.

“My learned friend, opposition counsel Ms Margaret White, just gave a very empathetic opening statement for the Prosecution, but before I begin, I want to remind you that your job in this court room is to convict based on facts, not on emotions,” she started eyeing the jurors carefully as she began to slowly walk around the open space. “Midge Klump’s death was a tragic event that has rocked the whole of Riverdale to its core, challenging every fibre of its moral being. But that does not mean that you must to convict Mr Fogarty at the end of this trial just to bring someone to justice for the crime if you do not, beyond any reasonable doubt, believe that it is he who committed the murder.”

“Midge Klump did wake up on 16th March 2018, excited and ready to give her all into playing Carrie White. She was cast late, meaning she had to work to catch up with the other cast members, and she did go to my client, Mr Fogarty, for help. But what developed between them was not malicious as Ms White has implied, but, as you will hear, it was a tender relationship that both parties desired.”  

“Midge Klump’s death was devastating, especially for her family who must have felt like their world was falling apart. But that was not at the hands of my client, a 17-year-old boy who was not only her friend, but also someone who she trusted and who cared for her immensely in more ways than one. He would have done anything she could have ever asked of him and would have given her the world if he could.”

Robin looked towards the Klump’s who hung on her every word, eager to hear about how she was possibly going to defend such a person. They didn’t look disgruntled, angry or bitter, but more pained and vacant. They just wanted some kind of conclusion for their daughter and for themselves so that they could try to move forward with Midge’s legacy.  

“From the Defence you will hear a different side of the story. You will hear about how Fangs Fogarty is loyal, courageous and a friend to depend on at any given moment. You’ll hear about how he is the light and soul of any room, how he loves his family with everything he’s got and how he would give someone the clothes off of his back, even if it would help them for just a fraction of a second.”

“You’ll hear about how due to Mr Fogarty’s affiliation with a gang and his residency on the Southside of Riverdale, he has been prejudiced by the Sheriff’s Office repeatedly and shunned by them when he needs them, most recently on the night of his release from custody where he had to escape a mob outside the Station, who then followed and attacked him at his own home.”

In the public gallery, Reggie and Moose shifted uncomfortably, sharing a worried glance between them.

“You will also hear about how there is a serial killer in Riverdale, who is actually responsible for the murder of Midge Klump, but who, due to the aforementioned prejudice, the Sheriff’s Station is not and has not investigated as a possible suspect.”

“But most importantly, you’ll hear about how Fangs Fogarty is innocent. An innocent boy caught up in this mess simply because the Sheriff needed someone to convict and Fangs Fogarty happened to be the first person who fit the bill.”

Robin gestured to Fangs who sat with tears in his eyes, his legs shaking under the table as he picked a scab on his hand. He sucked in his cheeks, trying to hold back his emotions, but it was useless and his face was flushing an overwhelmed shade of pink as he quickly brushed a tear away.

“When you pass judgment on Mr Fogarty at the end of this trial, you must use three tools. Firstly, you must use the testimony and law presented to you in this court, not from Ms White, nor I, but from Judge Vines and from the witnesses. It is our job to help the witnesses to tell their stories, but not to tell those stories for the witnesses. Secondly, you must use your common sense. You will hear a lot of testimony over the course of this trial, from professionals and people of power in Riverdale all the way to high school students- it is your job as jurors to discern what is true and what doesn’t add up to you. And finally, you must use your courage. Being a juror is not easy; and Mr Fogarty’s life is on the line. It is just as courageous to acquit someone as it is to convict someone, and if you aren’t convinced beyond a shred of reasonable doubt that Fangs Fogarty did this, then you cannot convict him.” Robin urged the jurors, using her hands wildly as she stopped to look each one of them in the eye, a pained look settling on her face.

“Fangs Fogarty categorically did not kill Midge Klump, and by the end of this trial you will understand fully why that is the case, and how my client is innocent. Thank you.”

Robin nodded to the jury with a curt smile, before taking her seat and letting out a deep breath. She grabbed Fangs’ hand briefly and squeezed it, handing him a tissue before she flicked through her notes to take her mind off of her racing emotions.

“Okay ladies and gentlemen, that’s it for today,” Judge Vines announced, motioning to Robin and Margaret, and then towards the jurors. “We’ll reconvene tomorrow at 9:00am, see you then.”

A quiet murmur overtook the court as the public began to get up and disperse from the room, mumbling between themselves about the opening statements and what they thought the outcome of the trial would be. The Serpents shifted uncomfortably, the juniors splitting off from the King, still in shock at today’s revelations. If this had come out by accident on the first day of the trial, none of them were looking forward to the secrets that could erupt during the subsequent week.

Moose and Lydia walked slightly ahead of Mr and Mrs Klump, both pairs arm in arm and leaning on each other emotionally like they were each other’s life support machines. The Klump’s looked skeletal, dark circles adorned their eyes and their faces were gaunt, like they hadn’t done anything apart from exist since Midge had died. No parent should ever have to bury their own child, and it looked like they’d buried a part of themselves with Midge the day of her funeral.

Lydia and Moose didn’t look much better. Midge was Lydia’s best friend, her saving grace, the reason she got through each day at Riverdale High sane. Everywhere she looked, there was something that reminded her of Midge. Whether it was looking around her room and seeing the trinkets her best friend would pick up for her at shops and tell her ‘I saw this and thought of you’, or in the halls as she walked past her locker, or even in herself. Midge brought something out in Lydia that was locked deep down; a quiet confidence in herself that had been shattered and replaced with an insecurity that the town would know her as the girl whose best friend was dead.

And Moose. The gentle giant football star had been replaced with an aggressive form of himself, that took his agony out on anything within his reach. He’d put holes in his walls, fought his teammates at football and started arguing with his parents, locking himself away in solitary confinement to be consumed by his own thoughts. Behind his eyes, there was nothing. Maybe he wasn’t so far removed from Fangs, despite how much he tried to separate himself from the killer teen.

Moose and Lydia were each other’s anchors, trying to stop each other from being dragged away with the tide where they would be found washed up on a beach somewhere later.

Robin turned towards Fangs, supressing a grimace at the look of pure doom he gave her. She knew this conversation wouldn’t be one he would like, but it was necessary. She took a few steps towards him, lowering her voice so that only he would hear as the last few people filtered out of the court room.

“I know you’re not happy but-“

“Not happy?” Fangs hissed through gritted teeth. “That’s an understatement. Do you want me to lose this case? Because from where I was sitting it sure looked like it when you kicked that ex-Serpent off the jury.”

Robin let out a deep sigh, her face settling into its resting position- a notoriously bitchy and unamused look, which only wound Fangs up further. He was already a tightly coiled snake ready to bite, and that look on Robin’s face had him bearing his fangs ready to strike.

“You convinced me to stick with you, you convinced me not to take that damn plea deal all so that you could show off in court, and you can’t even do that. You’re fucking this up for me. You don’t get to play with my life.”

“You know what,” Robin started, straightening her posture to look at Fangs eye to eye, her heels giving her the extra inches to meet his eyeline. She was tired and agitated, and Fangs had picked the wrong moment to air his grievances with her. “You’re in my domain now, and you seem to have no idea that you’re neck deep in the shit and that I’m the one who can get you out of it. You may be my client, but I have duties to this court and to myself which take precedence. I have duty to the Bar to promote and protect fearlessly, by all proper and lawful means, your best interests- note the words proper and lawful. My overriding duty is to the court and to administering justice, so, as much as I would like to have kept that Serpent on the jury, I can’t. Heck, I would put all your friends on the jury if I could to ensure that you’re found not guilty, but I can’t. I’m not going to get myself disbarred for you, so you need to start believing that I can do this regardless of the jury composition.”

An uncomfortable silence settled between the two of them and they remained eye to eye until Robin took a step back toward their table and gathered her books together. She wasn’t sure whether she was trying to convince herself or Fangs to believe in her.

“Go home and get a good night’s sleep. The real stuff starts tomorrow, Fangs,” Robin spoke levelly to the boy still standing behind her, having contained her outburst. She scooped up all her books and turned back to face him, shuffling them in her arms as one began to slip. “You’re not the first client to doubt me, and you won’t be the last, but I am trying my hardest, and I will continue to try my hardest for you and your family. I know what’s at stake, I know that better than most, but some things are out of my control.”

Fangs stood stern, looking at the woman before him. His eyes flickered to her snake pin on the lapel of her blazer and quickly back up to her face, swallowing hard and unclenching his fists slightly as he shifted his weight between his feet. He sent her a small nod, chewing the inside of his cheek. “See you tomorrow.”

“Oh, and Fangs?” Robin called over to him as he left ahead of her. “Get ready for tomorrow- things are going to get more intense than you could have ever imagined. It’s dog eat dog in that court, and tomorrow I’m going to be out for blood.”

[murderselfies]

plotted starter for: Betty Cooper.

After the butt-load of trouble Reggie had gotten himself into by selling Jingle Jangle to the students of Riverdale High, his parents decided it was best he make up for his poor decisions by writing an exposé for the Blue and Gold on why drugs were not to be taken lightly. As editor, Reggie was assigned under Betty’s supervision as he settled into the newsroom in an over-sized varsity hoodie to hide the bruises on his arms and back, as well as a pair of sunglasses to conceal the shiner under his right eye. His mother may have been disappointed enough to make him do this extracurricular, but his father was livid. And when Marty Mantle gets angry, people get hurt. Mainly Reggie. He’d never let his mom get hit; no matter how many times she’s stood idly by when he’s the one taken the blows.

“I don’t even get why I have to do this. It’s retarded.” Principle Weatherbee warned him not to speak in that matter when he threw a fit in the principal’s office and said similar things. It’s what earned him an extra lick by his father before he was sent to the newsroom. But what sucked the most dicks was the fact that they took his car away from him. Now he was forced to take the bus everywhere like some low level commoner. “How about you write this thing for me? In return for your services, I can get you high.” he grinned, removing the sunglasses to lean back in his chair and kick up his feet. He needed to be relaxed. “We got a deal?”

[themultifandomgal]

Fangs Fogarty- A New School

I hold Fangs' hand as we all walk in to our new school together, getting a lot of glares. Jughead and Toni are in front of Fang, Pea and I. We walk down the hall until we see a desk with a boy with red hair, Archie I think. He pointed a gun in Fangs and Pea’s faces l and a girl with brown hair

"Friends. On behalf of the students and faculty here at Riverdale High welcome to your new school" I roll my eyes at her "to ease this transition I've set up a registration desk where you can get your locker assignments, schedules and a list of sports and extracurriculars"

"We do plenty of that" Fangs mutters under his breath. I nudge him smiling

"we encourage each and everyone of you to drink deeply from the cup that is fair riverdale" Sweet Pea and I scoff

"Stand down Eva Peron" we look up to see a girl in a red dress walking next to a guy

followed by cheerleaders

"Theres the school spirt I so fondly remember" Jughead says to Toni

"Cheryl no one invited fascists barbie to the party"

"Wrong Veronica. No one invited Southside scum to our school. Listen up ragamuffins. I will not allow Riverdale's Highs above average GPA to suffer because of classrooms overcrowded with underachievers so please find some other school to debase with your hardscrabble ways" I look at Fangs with raised eyebrows

"You wanna come over here and say that to my face?" Toni moves forward

"Happily queen of the buskers" Cheryl steps closer

"Ok guys. Everyone. Can we just put our Northside Southside differences apart and start over? A new slate"

"You don't speak for the bulldogs. And need I remind you these greaser snakes showed up at your place to kick your ass" the guy stood next to the red haired girl comes forward

"You know what I think it's time to finish what we started" Sweet Pea says angry pushing me and Toni to the side while Fangs pulls me closer to him. Jughead stops Pea and Veronica steps in

"I am so over the toxic masculinity in this hallway right now"

"Alright. Enough pomp and circumstance. Everyone let's get to class. Now" the principle comes over.

I'm sat on Fangs’ lap sharing a bag of sweets

"I don't think we've properly met. Veronica Lodge" she extends a hand to Toni

"From the park avenue Lodges" Jug says while eating

"Toni Topaz" Toni shakes Veronicas hand

"Like the purple coloured gem stone. Love it"

"And I'm Josie McCoy formerly of the pussycats, now just Josie. And this is Kevin" Kevin looks at Fangs

"What's your name?" Kevin asks

"Fogarty or you can call me Fangs" he says playing with some candy "this is my girlfriend YN” I wave at Kevin “your last names Keller right?"

"Yeah how did you know that?"

"Joaquin used to hang out with us. He used to talk about you all the time"

"You guys" we all look at Principal Weatherbee "yes you. Come with me. Now" I get up from Fangs’ lap and hold his hand. We follow the principle out and see Reggie stood with his arms crossed looking smug next to a very poor effort of our Serpent symbol

"Which of you defaced our schools seal with this graffiti?"

"This is what they do Principal Weatherbee. They tag their turf" Reggie says

"My god Reggie could you be anymore transparent?" Reggie nods not really understanding what Veronica is saying

"Effective immediately no gang behaviour of any kind will be tolerated in my school"

"Are you kidding? First of all if it was one of us we would have at least got it right and secondly he basically just admitted that he did it" I say getting angry

"As of this moment no more Serpent jackets"

"What?" Sweet Pea shouts  

"Are you kidding?" Jugs says

"No more Serpent jackets and all tattoos are to be covered. Possession of any gang paraphernalia will lead to immediate suspension. That's all" we turn at head over to our next class extremely irritated.

[geneticpawn]

A  RIVERDALE  VERSE .

Nate Harmon was born on the Southside of Riverdale and fostered by a Serpent called Reade Jacobi. While Nate would eventually find family with the Serpents, Jacobi was never a father or a positive role model to the young man, he was physically and psychologically abusive towards Nate, constantly pushing him through perceived weaknesses and driving Nate to seek out approval and praise from anyone willing to give it to him. Jacobi has caused Nate to believe he’s unworthy of basic decency but this hasn’t stopped him from being extremely protective of those around him and is always willing to put himself at risk for those he cares about no matter the consequences. Nate was closely involved with the Serpents but earned a place among them when he was fourteen by taking the fall for one of Tallboy’s assault and extortion charges that placed him in Juvenile Detention for two years.

Upon his release, Nate began attending Southside High but was under house arrest, only able to go from home to school during the time when Riverdale was terrorized by the Black Hood. When Nate was was taken off the security bracelet, he returned to working closer with the Serpents, most notably with Fangs, Sweet pea and Toni as a footsoldier and acting mostly as muscle or back up during any confrontations between the Serpents and the Ghoulies and the Red Circle. Despite any outward tensions, it has always been made clear that Nate’s only interest is in protecting his fellow Serpents from any perceived threats or harm and only takes things personally when his friends are hurt.

When Southside High is closed down, Nate joins his friends in transferring to Riverdale High and does little to socialize outside of his close circle, unwilling to make nice with Northshore while being insulted, framed for vandalism and denied the right to wear the Serpent insignia and has a hard time adjusting to the new environment and ends up skipping school rather than wear the prescribed uniform from Principle Weatherbee. Nate and Jacobi eventually go their separate ways after a violent confrontation between the two following the fight between the Serpents and the Ghoulies that leaves him living alone in state housing until he’s later displaced because of the raid on the Southside by Sheriff Minetta.

Nate eventually finds himself a job at a chop shop scrapyard just outside of Riverdale that is still owned by the Serpents and makes extra cash running bets for motorcycle races. He’s currently on his second warning from his parole officer, one more screw up and he’s back in Juvie, something that the remaining Ghoulies have begun stressing by attempting to provoke Nate into breaking the law again.