I think you identify a bit too strongly with a fictional character. And as well, a characterization of him that functionally doesn't exist past MAYBE the first few episodes. We all identify with characters. They're written to be identified with. But they also evolve, and it's best not to take personal offense when a character doesn't match up with how you see them.
I definitely identify too much with Jughead... no doubt about that part. We have a ton in common, from a mother who took the little sister when she left... to being a guy who thinks love should come before sex... to having gone to school with people better off financially and all the overt and implied issues that causes.Â
But I would question the claim that the characterization of him I am attached to only existed in the first few episodes:
1) His paranoia about Archie was explicitly brought back up in 4x15
2) His preference for pining/moping instead of moving on when he and Betty arenât together doesnât even come up until S2 so certainly isnât an early episode thing, and all else being equal I would think that would get stronger the longer they are together and more committed they (appear) to be.Â
3) His general anti-social tendencies arguably show up again in the last four episodes... when heâs with Betty in 4x16 and 4x19 heâs fairly outgoing and friendly and all of that... when things are strained between them heâs much more of a loner, hiding away in the bunker and then investigating alone instead of socializing with other people. But I will agree itâs less so than in early S1... but how will he respond to the kiss, week of sneaking around, and whatever Archie does at prom?
And I have no problem with Jughead evolving... the issue is into what exactly?
If he evolves into a true Amoral Crimelord Serpent King... not my first choice but Iâd love to see him truly battle Hiram (via his patsy of a son-in-law) for power...
Or perhaps he evolves into a NYT Bestselling Author... getting all the money and recognition he ever wanted... but without the girl he wanted to share it with and in need of inspiration for his next book... again not my first choice but sure...
My favorite idea that ties right into the casting spoilers we have gotten is making JUGHEAD the Crazy Hermit Conspiracy Theorist instead of an OC... which works perfectly with his obsessive tendencies and then Betty investigating whatever heâs onto and they have to work together...
But based on the spoilers we have so far, he is evolving into S3-B Archie Andrews instead: a theoretically traumatized but outwardly extroverted âstandard male protagonistâ who is dating one girl while supposedly in love with someone else the whole time, only with dark hair and the bonus of being a hypocrite who has been on the other side of that sort of relationship and knows how much it sucks.Â
Maybe I shouldnât be personally offended by that... but why should I root for that guy to end up with Betty when she can just get the OG redheaded version sheâs apparently always wanted instead?
Anyway, thanks for the ask (and the chance to rant a bit on a Friday evening) Anon, hope you have a good weekend.Â
for the prompts! I'm actually going to send you an open prompt, because I'd love to see what you do with it: Betty and Jughead reunite after being apart. All context is up to you
Debated between full AU and S5 fix-it for this, but decided to stick with an AU under the cut.
If anyone wants the S5 fix-it might post that to A03 soon.Â
Betty's hard was racing as she stood next to Veronica on the rooftop of their luxury high-rise, waiting for the two most important guests to arrive at her best friend's engagement party.
The first was of course Archie Andrews, the groom to be, who had been on the west coast for the nearly ten years after they finished high school. He'd had a scholarship to USC for football, majoring in music right there in LA, and while he and V were deeply in love they knew long-distance wasn't going to work for them so went their separate ways, more or less losing contact... right up until a young lawyer named Lodge practicing contract law had a meeting with an 'all American answer to Ed Sheeran' that had been found in LA but brought to NYC to sign onto the label and do some shows around Valentine's Day. It was so cheesy, but so perfect, and by Christmas Day Betty's oldest friend was kneeling in front of her best friend with a ring.
But while the groom was obviously the most important for the wedding, for Betty herself (who had reunited with Archie and hung out with him plenty over the past year) it was the best man who she was anxious to reunite with.
Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones had grown up together, bonding over books and reporting on the silly little mysteries in their small town where the biggest crimes were teenagers dine-and-dashing at Pop's. For the longest time Betty had assumed he'd be the best man at her and Archie's wedding, till sophomore year when Veronica had shown up and the redhead had gently but firmly shut things down between them. Over the next couple of years she and Jughead had been the mutual third wheels often enough that some people had assumed there were double dates happening.
And by the fall of senior year she wasn't opposed to those rumors, the skinny and shy outcast having grown into his looks and the two increasingly spending time together even without their lovebird best friends. She'd planned to tell him on his 18th birthday, but the night before FP Jones's habits of drinking after work and riding a motorcycle everywhere finally caught up to him, proving once and for all that Jughead would never enjoy his birthdays.
But when Gladys tried to take him back to Toledo after the funeral, the beanie wearing young man had insisted on staying, finishing out senior year with his closest friends who had gathered around him. Fred Andrews let him into his home without question, and Betty had spent every minute she could with her new neighbor, all the way through Senior Prom which he had actually asked her to, sparking hope in heart again after months of him being understandably withdrawn.
Despite spending the entire night together and even slow dancing in his arms, nothing had happened. No big dramatic kiss or tearful confessions, even if Betty could plainly see the love in his eyes each time their gazes met.
Summer came again, and while Jughead was easily able to graduate (even with a few months of bad grades Senior Year) he didn't have any big scholarships to balance out his complete lack of money. So he helped Archie load up an old truck and the two took a road trip to Southern California to get the redhead settled. Jug then spent his meager savings on a cheap bike and began his lifestyle of a nomadic writer... who never crossed the Mississippi, much less made it up to New Haven to visit Betty at Yale.
Eventually what were hourly texts and daily calls petered out to major holidays and birthdays, and Betty dated other guys. Frat boys on the swim team, fellow journalism majors, and when she moved in with Veronica in NYC after finishing college she met Adam, who she dated right up till he asked her to move in with a jewelry store add on his coffee table and she realized he wasn't really the one for her.
But now her childhood friends were back on the east coast, permanently in Archieâs case, and obviously Jughead would be standing on the other side of their mutual friends at the wedding as best man.
And now he was here, without the beanie but with a thick head of dark hair and a lean body that had filled out in a way his teenage self had never come close to, but his warm blue eyes hadnât changed a bit as they roamed the crowd, ignoring Veronica and Archieâs standard display of PDA after being apart for more than a few hours as they find her and quickly closes the gap.
Betty canât help the eager cry of âJuggie!!â as she wraps her arms around him, his long powerful arms wrapping around her in the little black dress that V had assured her would capture his attention just as much as the princess dress from prom that had rendered him speechless as Hal and Alice had taken their pictures.
Her beloved friend spins her around, kissing her temple and holding her close before pulling back and murmuring âMissed you Bettsâ, though neither of them completely lets go of each other, even as the Latina and redhead who reunited them join them and itâs like jumping a decade back in time together.
By the end of the night Betty knows her feelings, buried and dormant, are back in full force as Jughead shrugs at the questions of staying in New York for more than the month leading up to the wedding. He hasnât mentioned anyone or anywhere to go home to but as he heads for the cheap hotel as the night winds down she canât help but joke âWell Iâm sure you girlfriend wouldnât mind settling down a bit... â, earning a quick eye roll, head shake, and muttered âNever had one of thoseâÂ
âReally? Not ever?â the blonde asks, eyes wide with surprise even as Jughead takes her hands in his and admits âI promised Archie I would wait till after the ceremony but umm... truth is Iâve never wanted anyone else but you Bettsâ
She blinks a few times, waiting for the laugh or something, but he merely looks at her, bashful and shy, adding in the quiet moment in the lobby of her building âSorry I didnât admit it back in schoolâ, staring at her feet in heels.
Betty swallows and grips his hand, dragging him back to the elevator as she finally finds her voice and declares âNo more wasting timeâ, her heart racing, butterflies taking flight, and her core heating with desire all at once.
In the elevator Jughead blushes and whispers right in her ear, as they hold each other close âIâve really never... I mean not more than that one kiss with Toniâ, recalling the one game of spin the bottle he got roped into as teenagers.Â
âWell then, time for me to tutor you again... human anatomyâ she whispers back, kissing his neck, so glad to finally claim him.
A prompt! For your Black Ops Spies AU (from your five times series) I would love to see a moment between Betty and Jughead (maybe when they met, or while working together?) I love a spy AU!
Jughead knew the new blonde agent was attractive, hearing the comments from the trainers like Chuck and Malachi, but part of him found her unsettling the way all of the field agents were. Regardless the dark haired nerd did as he was told and brought a new phone and other gear to her room. She was at least above ground, a window out into the private maple forests surrounding the compound.
He expected to find her working out, or cleaning her gun, or some other stereotypical secret agent activity.
Instead he found her curled up on the bed, tears in the big green eyes he didn't want to admit he found gorgeous, fists curled tight and muttering about being "just like him... " under her breath.
"Hey... are you... are you alright?" he asked, setting the tech on her desk and closing the door behind him as she sat up and nodded.
"Yes, of course, you don't... don't have to report on this to anyone" she stated, clearly nervous despite being a deadly woman who he had personally seen best nearly everyone in the sparring ring.
"No, that's... I would never... " he stammers, sitting down and admitting "Never tell them anything I don't have to" as he awkwardly placed his hand on her shoulder to give a quick and hopefully comforting squeeze.
She finally meets his gaze, blinking away the tears and even smiling just a bit "Please just call me Betty"
for the promptathon again, would love to read the conversation/argument/personal decision that led to betty giving up honeypot missions in the spy au from five times, perhaps a character study bit.
"I just don't see what the big deal is Juggie" she said, frustrated but keeping her voice down so nobody overheard them. Her legs ached from the last mission... lots of running and jumping, thankfully no actual injuries, but Betty had also had to user her body in other ways. Not actual sex this time, but enough seduction of a wealthy old bastard to make her (secret) boyfriend, a former hacker and thief turned (unwilling) communications and IT support for a private espionage organization, upset and angry, though oddly not jealous if she was reading him correctly.
"It doesn't mean anything. I don't want them, it's just part of the job" she added, reaching out to hold his hands in hers, but he pulled away and muttered "That's exactly the problem Betts. You're so... so fucking good at your job", getting up and pacing between the unmade bed and the cluttered desk full of advanced prototypes.
"I ever tell you how they caught me?" the dark haired young man asks, finally meeting her gaze, and gets a quick shake of Betty's head in response, blonde hair back up in her preferred ponytail.
He sighs and sits down in the desk chair, and explains his past. Most of it she knows in general... drunk father, missing mother, breaking the law to keep his sister safe and fed, focusing on virtual crime rather than in person to avoid the idiotic local cops, but then he gets to the part he'd never explained before. "I was a 20 year old virgin hacker, whose only friend was my teenage sister who finally had the money and freedom to hang out with kids her age. I was such an easy mark for Tabitha... she acted like she actually cared, even claimed to be the granddaughter of the owner of a diner I practically grew up in after he died. She flirted and danced with a boy who had never even been properly kissed, and before I knew what was happening I brought her back to my place on a weekend where JB was sleeping over with a friend. By Tuesday morning I was in here, handcuffed to a chair, with Clifford explaining that if I didn't upgrade their firewall they'd make sure JB ended up with the worst possible foster parents"
There are tears in Jughead's normally cold blue eyes, mostly for the sister he hadn't seen in years and probably never would again, and Betty reached out again, pulling her lover close to whisper "It's not like that with us Juggie. I chose you for you, it's not a mission... hell it makes my real mission harder"
"What do you mean?" he asked, suddenly confused, and Betty felt her heart race as she held his gaze and decided to be completely honest with him and prove her loyalty and show her trust in him all at once. To finally admit out loud what she truly wanted... to destroy Thornhill from the inside out.
for the promptathon, i would love to know whatever game betty and jughead were playing in the first chapter of five times! also a glimpse at the roommate dynamic of archie and jughead in a studio. i find that premise hilarious.
By the time freshman year was coming to an end, Jughead was officially sick of living with Archie. It was odd, since they had shared a room off and on throughout their childhoods and teen years back in Riverdale. The studio apartment was bigger than the bedroom with a view of the one-time Cooper house, now the Chisolm house, and had a kitchen and decent bathroom. Their two beds were on either side of the window overlooking the street, a single shared desk in between and just enough space to write a paper and practice on the guitar at the same time.
But there was nowhere to go if their sleep schedules were not in sync or if one of them had to focus on schoolwork or even bring back a girl. That shouldn't have been an issue for Jughead... until he reunited with Betty, flirting at her coffee shop, playing Mario Kart, and finding the best places to each all over the city.
He was falling in love, and having the option to come back to his own place after a date would have been nice... if not for their mutual childhood friend waiting.
So they spent more and more time in Betty's apartment, target each other with blue shells, laughing and learning more about each other as adults in love, including their physical connection as Jughead started spending the night. By the spring, both he and Betty began quietly bringing up the option of living together, while Archie and Veronica's on and off relationship was clearly not there yet, but part of Jughead didn't want to abandon his oldest friend.
At least till he came home one night after being kicked out of his girlfriend's apartment, finding Archie in bed with the waitress from the nearby diner instead of Veronica who was finishing up a paper and had done the kicking out.
Two weeks later, a beanie wearing boy and pony-tailed blonde were signing a lease.
Iâm participating in the fall @riverdalepromptathon! Check out this post to learn more about whatâs going on and how you can participate, too.
Fics Iâm accepting prompts for:
Any part of Five Times Veronica Met Bettyâs Boyfriend (And One Time She Didnât)
Words To Live By
Second Chances & Second Choices (and âjust write more of itâ works as a prompt)
Rewriting Our Story (same)
Fade To Black (if youâre in more of a canon-compliant/angst mood)
Anything from the Drabble Challenge here on Tumblr
Or if you just have any other prompts youâd like me to take a swing at given my writing style and characterization choices, feel free to suggest anything elseÂ
Please donât send me prompts that include:
Sociable / sexually promiscuous Jughead
Any âendgameâ outside of Bughead / emphasis on other ships
Jughead drinking or doing drugs as a positive thing in any way including as a writing aid
Fics Iâm opening up for others to write/create art/edits about:
All of the same fics and restrictions as listed above
Iâm participating in the fall @riverdalepromptathon! Check out this post to learn more about whatâs going on and how you can participate, too.
Fics Iâm accepting prompts for:
Any part of Five Times Veronica Met Betty's Boyfriend (And One Time She Didn't)
Words To Live By
Second Chances & Second Choices (and âjust write more of itâ works as a prompt)
Rewriting Our Story (same)
Fade To Black (if youâre in more of a canon-compliant/angst mood)
Anything from the Drabble Challenge here on Tumblr
Or if you just have any other prompts youâd like me to take a swing at given my writing style and characterization choices, feel free to suggest anything elseÂ
Please donât send me prompts that include:
Sociable / sexually promiscuous Jughead
Any âendgameâ outside of Bughead / emphasis on other ships
Jughead drinking or doing drugs as a positive thing in any way including as a writing aid
Fics Iâm opening up for others to write/create art/edits about:
All of the same fics and restrictions as listed above
Nice to finally see some other people realizing post 5x03 Jughead is a pointless character (we already have multiple sociable and sexually promiscuous assholes - ate least two that are tall with dark hair - on this show) with nothing in common with S1 besides an interest in writing.Â
Should have started these posts back when he slept with a girl the first night he met her, instead of sincerely saying âI love youâ before clearing second base, but better late than never I suppose.
Hoping the real Jughead shows up, having hidden away in a bunker somewhere, and kills off Souphead sometime in S6
And yes, experiences change people, but literally every experience weâve seen Jughead Jones have on-screen since the start of S4, including his S5 flashbacks, should have reinforced his anti-social nature. The big relationship leap in 5x18 with him should have been finally admitting Tabitha is a friend, not just âannoying girl who signs my paychecks and I only tolerate because of her grandpaâ.Â
Iâve been complaining about Jughead being turned into âArchie with a typewriterâ for ages⌠from the first post 4x17 fics where he had a new girl to the first leaks and spoilers about S5 started coming out.Â
But people told me I was too attached to S1 Jughead. That characters change and grow into new versions of themselves over time. That him being anti-social wasnât really who he is, just a âdefense mechanismâ that he would outgrow despite all the shit people put him through. That it wasnât ârealisticâ for him to be sad and lonely for years after having been betrayed by his two closest friends.Â
And now, when heâs basically saying âoof, that sucksâ and going on a date with another woman, just like the redhead he was being turned into from the moment they cast Jessica, everyone is suddenly freaking out about this being OOC??!!
Like him dating anyone at all, going to a bar to pick up some random girl, or making friends basically overnight with anyone (even Popâs granddaughter) wasnât already grossly OOC to Jughead âhell is other peopleâ Jones from the start.Â
You all were perfectly fine with them throwing away everything good, unique, or interesting about Jughead right up till now, so just taking this opportunity to say I told you so.
Iâd love to hear someone explain how Jughead âhell is other peopleâ Jones dating / hooking up with one night stands was in-character prior to 5x18, yet now suddenly everyone realizes the downside of turning him into Archie 2.0 (apparently complete with disapproving and wealthy âfather in lawâ now too) months after they did so.
And while youâre at it, someone please explain how Archie, best known for chasing skirts in decades of comics, not having dated since high school and possibly not having hooked up at all if you go by the 5x05 walk home talks, makes any sense at all either.Â
Iâve been complaining about Jughead being turned into âArchie with a typewriterâ for ages⌠from the first post 4x17 fics where he had a new girl to the first leaks and spoilers about S5 started coming out.Â
But people told me I was too attached to S1 Jughead. That characters change and grow into new versions of themselves over time. That him being anti-social wasnât really who he is, just a âdefense mechanismâ that he would outgrow despite all the shit people put him through. That it wasnât ârealisticâ for him to be sad and lonely for years after having been betrayed by his two closest friends.Â
And now, when heâs basically saying âoof, that sucksâ and going on a date with another woman, just like the redhead he was being turned into from the moment they cast Jessica, everyone is suddenly freaking out about this being OOC??!!
Like him dating anyone at all, going to a bar to pick up some random girl, or making friends basically overnight with anyone (even Popâs granddaughter) wasnât already grossly OOC to Jughead âhell is other peopleâ Jones from the start.Â
You all were perfectly fine with them throwing away everything good, unique, or interesting about Jughead right up till now, so just taking this opportunity to say I told you so.
1) No for Jughead - the whole point of his character (prior to 5x04) is heâs the anti-social loner, he shouldnât even have any friendships after the hell heâs been through but Yes for Betty - if they introduced Adam Chisholm as Kellerâs protege or a Centerville Chronicle report - not B/A or any other ships with the current cast.Â
2) Yes, it ended just the way Jughead knew it would from day one and at this point they are both basically walking and talking trauma triggers for the other. Getting back together in canon at this point is what would almost certainly not satisfy me personally, as thereâs no way the show would address their issues... even the better fanfic writers always just gloss over the actual issues or ignore them in favor of âbut they love each otherâ as if that is anything more than a platitude.Â
Iâve been complaining about Jughead being turned into âArchie with a typewriterâ for ages... from the first post 4x17 fics where he had a new girl to the first leaks and spoilers about S5 started coming out.Â
But people told me I was too attached to S1 Jughead. That characters change and grow into new versions of themselves over time. That him being anti-social wasnât really who he is, just a âdefense mechanismâ that he would outgrow despite all the shit people put him through. That it wasnât ârealisticâ for him to be sad and lonely for years after having been betrayed by his two closest friends.Â
And now, when heâs basically saying âoof, that sucksâ and going on a date with another woman, just like the redhead he was being turned into from the moment they cast Jessica, everyone is suddenly freaking out about this being OOC??!!
Like him dating anyone at all, going to a bar to pick up some random girl, or making friends basically overnight with anyone (even Popâs granddaughter) wasnât already grossly OOC to Jughead âhell is other peopleâ Jones from the start.Â
You all were perfectly fine with them throwing away everything good, unique, or interesting about Jughead right up till now, so just taking this opportunity to say I told you so.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/?
Fandom: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge (background), Archie Andrews & Betty Cooper (including FWB), Adam Chisholm/Betty Cooper (brief but impactful)
Characters: Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper, Adam Chisholm, Archie Andrews, Veronica Lodge, background Jones/Smith clan, background Stonies and RHS students
Additional Tags: Exactly What It Says on the Tin, Specifically in Regards to S4 & S5, Fix-It of Sorts, Meta, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, or is canon the divergence?, Cheating, Breaking Up & Making Up, Time Skips, Bughead endgame, Anti-Social Jughead Jones, monogamous Jughead Jones, FBI Agent Betty Cooper, THE VOICEMAIL (actually matters), Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism
Summary:
Jughead Jones sits down at his laptop, the feedback from his new publisher in hand. Instead of having a few weeks to fix grammar and sentence structure issues, and do a proper check of the chronology (his Dad still rags on Jughead getting his age versus high school graduation year wrong The Outcasts) that is likely a mess given the seven year time skips and significant use of flashbacks and references to past events.
He knows most of the changes make sense in terms of being a clean story⌠not bringing in a new character for the major drama in high school might please the publisher but he can already hear Veronicaâs rants about ruining her (second) husbandâs reputation⌠and giving the male lead other love interests may be more âexcitingâ but he as always cannot imagine himself with anyone other than Betty even after all their history.
But he doesnât have time to worry⌠heâs got to get to rewriting so he has a draft for the UPN producers who want to adapt both his books into a prime-time teen drama show.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/?
Fandom: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge (background), Archie Andrews & Betty Cooper (including FWB), Adam Chisholm/Betty Cooper (brief but impactful)
Characters: Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper, Adam Chisholm, Archie Andrews, Veronica Lodge, background Jones/Smith clan, background Stonies and RHS students
Additional Tags: Exactly What It Says on the Tin, Specifically in Regards to S4 & S5, Fix-It of Sorts, Meta, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, or is canon the divergence?, Cheating, Breaking Up & Making Up, Time Skips, Bughead endgame, Anti-Social Jughead Jones, monogamous Jughead Jones, FBI Agent Betty Cooper, THE VOICEMAIL (actually matters), Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism
Summary:
Jughead Jones sits down at his laptop, the feedback from his new publisher in hand. Instead of having a few weeks to fix grammar and sentence structure issues, and do a proper check of the chronology (his Dad still rags on Jughead getting his age versus high school graduation year wrong The Outcasts) that is likely a mess given the seven year time skips and significant use of flashbacks and references to past events.
He knows most of the changes make sense in terms of being a clean story... not bringing in a new character for the major drama in high school might please the publisher but he can already hear Veronica's rants about ruining her (second) husband's reputation... and giving the male lead other love interests may be more 'exciting' but he as always cannot imagine himself with anyone other than Betty even after all their history.
But he doesn't have time to worry... he's got to get to rewriting so he has a draft for the UPN producers who want to adapt both his books into a prime-time teen drama show.
Jughead had been battling the same nagging worry in his gut as that week between Hedwig and when Betty had rejoined the investigation into the tapes. He wasnât stupid even back then, he knew something was off... she was cold and distant, hadnât been at the school when he stopped by one evening despite supposedly working on the yearbook (that wasnât finished in time), and wasnât at home either till well into the night... and at some level he knew what she had done before her confession a full month later.
He had just denied it, writing it off as the same post-Stonewall paranoia that would later prevent him from making any friends at Iowa.
This time around he of course had no claim on either of them, beyond an old friendship and being Archieâs rent-free-roommate. He wasnât even honestly friends with either of them, certainly not the redhead whose very presence angered Jughead so much heâd moved out to the garage, though heâs sure that from the outside it looked like all was forgiven between the âbrothersâ.
But the fact that it was being kept secret was, as always, the part that hurt far more than thinking about Betty and Archie swapping bodily fluids. That and the simple fact that Betty couldnât make it to NYC for one night for a book release, but dropped her life in Quantico to come back to Riverdale for Archie, staying indefinitely... though if she was finally getting to sleep with the boy she had wanted since high school that certainly would explain a few things.
