#this is coming from a charles fan. he's allowed and valid to be upset at carlos but the way some people are reacting today.. fucking yeesh

[fridayiminlcve]

hot take lol but ferrari dropped carlos (for lewis, so understandable but still) and pretty much kicked him to the roadside. he's fully justified in not having to play the team game at this stage and prioritise his own results

[tandv]

Agree with all you said. Also wanna add that from my perspective, the fact that Reggie has been primarily a supporting background player is in itself a racist downsizing of his character. As a lifer Archie fan and moc who’s always recognized Reggie as the fifth main teen who is either core 5 or at least the level of Cheryl, it means something to me that the ONLY Archie verse where he is Asian is the one world where he is this minor of a player. I know most show fans don’t read the comics, but I think in spaces like tumblr, most active fandom folks are at least aware that they downsized his relevance and that the Rarchie frenemy dynamic and the Veggie alternative romance should all be bigger deals. And, frankly, I think many in the va fandom are pleased to see that he’s not being allowed that, while at the same time complaining (for valid reasons) about how the show mistreats Veronica, and advocating for more Reggie in a performative manner (“more Reg as long as he knows his place and stays tf away from his most iconic triangle”). Ofc not everyone is like this, but enough are to make me raise a brow.

Oh for sure. I think it’s always important to clarify that in criticising fandom, it’s understood that we recognise that not everyone is in the “bad egg” camp. We know this. It’s just that there’s enough of the negative side for there to be discussions on the topic.

When Riverdale was first beinf advertised everyone was like oh hey they made the Pussycats Black! This is a power move. They made Veronica and the Lodges Latinx, they’re representing diversity in these traditionally white beloved characters this is great. But other than casting these actors...the diversity has been lacking.

I really like Reggie as a character even at his smaller capacity and I realise that some of his lower involvement is due to Charles’ scheduling, but as we learnt from Vanessa we know that’s not always an excuse that is valid in this show. Reggie is there mostly for comic relief or muscle nowadays. His biggest storyline outside of a one episode arc in early season 4, since he was involved with Veronica was the AU episode of Jughead’s story. Which wasn’t even him actually having a storyline. It was a fictionalised version of a fictional show written by another character.

People are starting to defend Vanessa and the other WOC which is great and ABOUT DAMN TIME, but not enough people are also shining a light on the fact that it’s not just the women, Charles/Reggie is also not written as a main character should be. And he got promoted the same time as Vanessa. The two of them haven’t been treated the way main cast members should have been from the start.

I’m not entirely well versed in the comics as I would like to be but another character who I feel could have had a bigger role is Dilton. He was significantly more involved in the comics than in the show. And I was quite upset when he was killed off if I’m honest. I mean yeah he’s no Archie or Jughead but the show also let another MOC be so background that half the fans didn’t even remember who he was when he got killed off.

And the last part of your message is another reoccurring theme in fandoms. People are fine to enjoy these characters until they’re threats to their ships. And then all the niceties go out the window. I’m dabbling in another fandom atm with a MxM ship with one white character and one POC. Some fans decided instead of the two white leads (one with a WOC love interest. The other the MOC I mentioned) should be a ship, and have started picking apart the MOC for his mistakes and invalidating the ship and the character in favour of their crack ship white of faves...

Even when non white characters are the leads and do get screen time and character development. There will always be fans who find an excuse why they’re bad people because they’re racist at the end of the day. That’s what it comes down to. Even when the writers aren’t contributing by giving their non white characters lesser roles or importance, the fans do that job for them. It’s a messy cycle.

But even if fans do this. It does not excuse professional writers for not writing every character as if they’re important to the story. If one actor is busy, then make sure the other non white cast members and characters are given those lead roles in the episode.

Promoting non white actors to main cast and then still not giving them screen time and in the case of Vanessa, not even paying them the same as the white or male cast members...do better.

Write better. Be better. Do better.

Fake diversity isn’t okay. It never was but it especially is not now.