First and foremost, welcome to Humans of Riverdale!
This blog is run by @reggiemantleholdmyhand-tle, aka Vannah. This is a project that I decided to take on after I came across a ‘Humans of New York’ post. I’ve been looking for new ways to collab with/showcase my favorite OC creators, and I thought this would be a fun and interesting way to do so!
The premise is Bo Beckett, a seventeen year old junior at Riverdale High in 2021, is conducting interviews with the people of Riverdale, or people who used to live in Riverdale if they relocated after the time jump. He asks specific questions, and is looking for specific answers from the perspective of the character. The final product will be posted with a short description of Bo’s interview process and why he chose to interview the character.
Under the cut, you will find the form to submit your own OC post and the prompt questions, as well as an example post in order to see the formatting I’m looking for.
Feel free to submit as many OCs as you like, (or even duplicate questions for the same OC) and I appreciate you all for being patient with me as I try to get them all posted!
(Please do not send as asks, I am only accepting submissions. Submissions may be edited for formatting purposes.)
PROMPTS:
“Tell me your most embarrassing memory.”
“Tell me about someone who impacted your life, whether positively or negatively.”
“Tell me about a time where you thought you’d never recover.”
“Tell me about your first love.”
“Tell me about an important moment in your development.”
“Tell me the craziest thing that ever happened to you.”
“Tell me your most treasured memory.”
“Tell me about your family.”
“Tell me about what it was like to grow up in Riverdale.”
“Tell me about your childhood.”
“Tell me about your teen years.”
“Tell me about a time you were at peak happiness.”
“Tell me your saddest memory.”
“If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?”
“Give me some advice, whatever you think is important for people to know.”
“Tell me a story. Anything goes.” (free-for-all question)
FORM:
What blog to tag (optional - just in case you have a sideblog!):
OC’s Name:
OC’s Faceclaim:
OC’s Pronouns:
OC’s Occupation (if after time jump, if not please specify):
Color you associate with your OC:
Any other information you would like to include?:
Prompt:
Answer goes here (no text limit - make it as short or as long as you’d like!):
EXAMPLE: (using my own oc)
What blog to tag (optional - just in case you have a sideblog!): reggiemantleholdmyhand-tle
OC’s Name: Mabel Harlow
OC’s Faceclaim: Haley Lu Richardson
OC’s Pronouns: she/her
OC’s Occupation (after time jump): Film (actress/screenwriter/director)
Any other information you would like to include?: n/a
Prompt: “If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?”
Answer goes here (no text limit - make it as short or as long as you’d like!):
“That’s an easy one. If I was able to, I’d take little Mabel by the shoulders and tell her that family is not defined by blood. I’d say, ‘Mabel, you are going to find people that love you and would do anything for you, and you’re going to do the same for them, because that is what family does. It’s not about what you’re born into, it’s about who you find along the way.’
It took me a while to realize that. My dad had such a hold on me when I was younger that I felt, I guess, guilty for wanting to get away from him, because he was my blood.
You know what they say, the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.
Today I met with Alexandria Blossom, Andie for short, on her lunch break. Andie is both the owner of the Blossom maple industry and the Blossom vet clinic, so she is a very busy woman, as well as the eldest Blossom triplet. She told me so many interesting things — about the Blossoms, about what it takes to be a vet — but my favorite thing she had to say was an important piece of advice for her younger self.
“If I could tell my younger self anything it definitely would be it’s okay to cut your family out of your life. The Blossom family is the most toxic family in Riverdale.
Penelope and Clifford only cared about Jason, the boy who would take over the family business while Cheryl was supposed to be the dutiful sister and stand by his side until he got married and I was supposed to stay in the shadows completely forgotten.
Why I thought things would have changed when I returned eight years after they sent me away I’ll never know, but had Cheryl not called about Jason’s disappearance, I would have continued to ignoring my family but Jason is my little brother and I had to come home as soon as I could to be there for my family.”
Today, I had a conversation with Tristan Morgan, the younger twin of Nixie Morgan — something she never lets him forget. I had a good time talking to him, and when our interview was coming to a close, I asked him to tell me about his family.
“Well, I have an older brother, Andrew, he dated Persie for a few months when she was 15 and on a break from Malachai — didn’t last long due to her being in Riverdale and he’s an asshole with anger issues.
Then there’s the bitch Nixie, she likes to hold the fact she’s an hour older. But I would give my left hand to keep her safe and happy.
Let’s not forget the babe that is Persie, only reason she came into my life and family is because she’s the granddaughter of Arturo Ochoa, head of the Ochoa mafia and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way!
When Persie came along, Pyre and Liam followed. Pyre is the coolest sheriff kid I’ve ever met! She does not mind playing with the line of the law. Liam, boy is a god at soccer — he could have gone pro if he wanted to, but he wanted to serve his country which mad respect to him for doing.”
Today, I met with Elijah Baba, the assistant director of Riverdale’s crematorium. Elijah was so easy to talk to, and incredibly interesting. They seem to be an expert with the supernatural — I only had a feeling, at first, because my camera would act up every time I tried to take their picture — but after I asked them to tell me about their first love, it became much more clear.
“Oh, this one is easy. I believe I was 9, and had just completed my first seance. And there she was, in the corner of my room, eyes shining like rubies in the dark. I was enraptured from the moment I laid eyes on her. I really hadn’t experienced that rush of euphoria before, that excitement you feel when you’re in love.
Anyways — I didn’t see her for a few years after that, not for a lack of trying, but nothing seemed to work — until one night, when Lilith and I were cleaning some headstones, she appeared, and she was just as beautiful as the first time I saw her. I tried to have a picnic with her, but she kept fading away. This continued for a few more months until she just… stopped appearing. I still don’t know where she went… I hope wherever it is, she’s happy.”
Today, I visited with Indiana Olsen — Indy, for short. She works as the manager of the Five Seasons Hotel. When I learned that she is related to our drama teacher, Kevin Keller, and former Riverdale High student turned FBI Agent in training, Betty Cooper, I asked her to tell me about her family.
“So, my mom Melissa Olsen — formerly Melissa Smith — and my dad Scott Keller had me when they were 18. They left Riverdale and moved around until dad entered the military like his older brother, Tom.
Mom ended up in Las Vegas, raising me alone. She worked any job she could before she could achieve her dream job of being in law enforcement.
Back in Riverdale, I have my aunt and uncle Alice and Hal Cooper and they had two kids — Polly and Betty. I don’t think they knew about me until we moved back to town.
My other uncle, Tom Keller, had a son — Kevin. I think Uncle Tom knew of my existence but never told anyone so overall my existence was a giant surprise to both families.
We moved to Riverdale because Uncle Tom reached out to mom in need of her assistance and specialty of finding missing people and uncovering mysterious disappearances.“
Today, I got to talk with Nixie Morgan. She’s a family court lawyer, and a good friend of Persie Ochoa, who I’ve interviewed previously. After talking about what it’s like to be a lawyer, I asked her to tell me what it was like to grow up in Riverdale.
“Well, I wasn’t born in Riverdale, I moved to Riverdale after Riot Night since Mima Ochoa obviously couldn’t trust Persie to stay safe nor did she trust the Serpents to make sure she didn’t do anything else stupid.
So, Tristan and I started senior year at Riverdale High and everything was a bit…interesting.
The whole Northside and Southside dynamic of the school was strained since some of the Serpents [She coughs out ‘Sweet Pea.’] destroyed the school during Riot Night.
Things also got interesting when the Farm moved into town — How no one saw that it was just a giant cult was beyond me. I am upset that I missed the rocket ship that Edgar built, I would have killed him myself just to get that rocket. [She laughs.]”
Today I got to visit with Liam Hobbs. Liam is an army surgeon, with so many stories to tell about his time in the field. It was really incredible to speak with him. At the end of our interview, I asked him to tell me about his family. Here’s what he had to say.
“Well, my mother is Byrdie, she wasn’t all that present growing up, but at least she was around since I have no idea who my father is.
I do have an older brother, Slash who Archie met while at Leopold and Loeb Juvenile Detention Center and he was only picked up because of Riot Night, I did visit him as often as I could.
I lived with my aunt on the northside of town since Riverdale High was a better school and Byrdie thought I could be the first person in our family to go to college.
I do consider Pyre, Persie, Nixie, and Tristan to be family because why wouldn’t I?
Persie is more of the mom of our makeshift family which makes sense since she enjoys taking care of people.
Pyre was the type to put you in your place and call you out on your bullshit which sometimes we needed.
Nixie was like the crazy aunt of the family who just knew how to make things lighten up when everyone was gloomy.
Tristan was like the brother who ate crayons which don’t get me wrong I love the bro but some days he was a bit on the special side but he would also be there for you.”
Today, I sat down with Dot Cahill, photographer and adviser to the Blue & Gold. Dot encouraged me to start this project, so I thought, who better to interview than her? At the end of our interview, I asked her to tell me about a time she thought she’d never recover.
“Oh, wow. [She pauses.] Well, that would have to be the inciting incident that made my mother and I move back to Riverdale.
You see Bo, I had a bit of a bad girl streak in my Freshman Year of High School back in Kansas. My boyfriend Pat, best friend Mo, and I used to fuck around with this sort of rival crew. Nothing too bad. Just a bit of hazing.
Well, I guess they kind of grew tired of it. One night Pat and I were out and about in the evening and this crew kind of cornered us. At first I believed they were getting us back, you know? Teaching us a lesson or whatever.
But suddenly they pounced on Pat, started beating him senseless. [She sighs, tearing up.] Sorry, I just — I don’t like to think about it too much.
Anyway, it just didn’t end well. Not at all. Pat ended up in a coma. And a couple of weeks later they took him off the machines and he died. I almost lost my mind.
Suddenly my mom announced she and my stepdad were divorcing and we were moving back to Riverdale. I barely had time to work through the whole ordeal. Nevermind that I had gotten hit a couple of times too.
I just, you know, I blamed myself for the whole thing, really. Pat’s death. My mom’s divorce. Her having to uproot our entire life again. I just had no idea if I would ever be okay again. I couldn’t face anyone. Basically locked myself in my room until the move.
It was during that time that I decided to turn my image around. Dirty Dorothy was a thing of the past. I was just going to be the sweet approachable girl, not make a fuss or anything like that. But I soon learned that that wasn’t a good idea either. I had to face my issues and my demons head on and have both sides of my personality meet in the middle. And eventually I managed to do all of that and work through my past. But man, for a while things seemed pretty bleak.”
Today, I sat down with Sapphire Keller, Pyre for short, a detective in New York and older sister to our Drama Teacher, Mr. Keller. Pyre was extremely interesting — she had so many stories to tell about being a detective. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. At the end of our interview, I asked her to share her most treasured memory with me.
“Oh man! Most Treasured memory definitely has to be before mom left to go overseas. [She smiles fondly.]
It was a rainy-day. Denise was whining about being bored as kids do when they can’t go outside and play, and mom suggested we go see a movie and of course us kids said yes before she even suggested playing a board game. Kevin gets competitive when playing board games and Denise rage quits every time.
So, we just walked out of the house when dad pulled up just getting off work, now normally he would go straight to bed after working a night shift but on this particular day he decided to join us.
Dad drives us to the Bijou in mom’s car, we had to make a run for it from the car to the entrance as it was pouring by the time we got there, Kevin ended up slipping and grabbed hold of dad dragging them both down.
[She chuckles.] Mom had enough sense to bring an umbrella for me and Denise to share and she had a raincoat. [She shakes her head.] Men weren’t prepared for the downpour.
So, dad got tickets for the latest kid’s movie because ya know we had Denise who was about ten at the time, we got a big bucket of popcorn to share between the five of us although I personally prefer Buncha Crunch. I’m pretty sure halfway through the movie dad fell asleep, [She laughs] which it’s cool because at least he joined us on the outing.
After the movie, we went to Pop’s and in that moment everything perfect, we were this happy family laughing and talking and lovingly picking on each other. It’s like we forgot that mom was leaving in a month to go overseas.”
Today, I got to have a conversation with Agatha Morrigan, or Aggie for short, the manager and head baker at Déjà Brew. Valentina Luna, who I had previously interviewed, had told me that if there was anyone else I should speak to at Déjà Brew, it would be Aggie. She showed me around the kitchen, let me sample a few of her delicious baked goods, and told me all about her life. As our interview drew to a close, I asked her one last question — to tell me a time she was at peak happiness.
[With a dreamy, far-off look in her eyes]
“I lost my parents and my brother, Holden, when I was 10. I’ve forgotten a lot of things about them, but I’ll tell you one I remember.
It was Christmas. Holden and I were 7 and Mom was showing us how to make Christmas cookies. She tied little aprons around us so we wouldn’t ruin our clothes and set us loose. She showed us how to mix ingredients, roll out dough, and cut out different shapes with the cookie cutters. Then, while they were in the oven, the three of us danced around the kitchen to stupid holiday music on the radio.
When the cookies were cooled, Mom gave us different colors of icing and all kinds of candy to decorate them. By the time we were done, Holden and I were so hopped up on sugar, it’s a wonder that we slept that night!
I just remember sitting in that kitchen and laughing all afternoon while snow fell outside and the whole house smelled like cookies.
My family was safe, happy, and together and I didn’t have a care in the world. I think that’s part of why I still bake so much. I’m just trying to get back a little piece of that day.”
Today, I sat down with Dr. Persephone Ochoa, a general practitioner and sister to Mr. Jones, Riverdale High’s english teacher. We talked about many things, and at the end of our interview, I asked her to tell me about her first love.
“Malachai, as in leader of the Ghoulies. He’s three years older than me but we grew up together and he always had a soft spot for me, but we lost touch when I was ten and left to live with my biological aunt. When I came back to Riverdale four years later, he had joined the Ghoulies instead of the Serpents, which just lead us to sneaking around so dad didn’t find out and start an all-out war by killing him. Guess we developed a Romeo and Juliet mindset and for the next three years we dated on and off until the day the Ghoulies jumped Juggie. Family is where I draw the line, no one touches my family and not face consequences.”
Today, I got to visit Octavia Cahill at her beautiful home — a safe space for anyone in need. A highly regarded lawyer, Octavia has made a name for herself in the quaint town of Riverdale. She was incredibly kind to me, as well as super open and willing to share. She had so many good stories to offer me, but my favorite had to be what she told me when I asked her about her first love.
“Oh, [She chuckles thoughtfully.] that would have to be my ex husband, Andy. Yes, unfortunately I said ex.
[She sighs.]
We were electric in our teen years. Sorry if that’s TMI for your audience, but I don’t know how else to put it.
Yeah, that boy chased me hard when we were in High School. But back then, you know, I was a troublemaker, I guess. Then again, so was he.
But he was also a player, and that annoyed me to no end. He had to work hard to actually prove himself to me, and I didn’t think he would, to be honest. But he did.
[She smiles, her cheeks going pink.]
Up until that point I had just never actually had someone try for me. Sure, I had a couple of skirt chasers — fellow Serpents who wanted to get me into bed — but never really someone who wanted to be with me.
He made my heart flutter. He really did. I was always a bit upset when we divorced, but I knew it was what was best for both of us. We’re friends now, and I like it that way. I will always love Andy. Just not romantically. And I think that’s okay.
Wow, that — [She laughs.] — that really sent me down memory lane.”
Today, I met up with Queenie Abrejo at the Riverdale Aquarium. I thought it would be the perfect place, with Queenie being a Marine Biology Grad Student. She taught me so much — about Riverdale, about aquatic creatures, about grad school. When our interview started to wind down, I sat us down in the restaurant portion of the aquarium and asked her to tell me about a time she thought she would never recover. I really admired the fact that she was so open with me.
“Okay, so, this is gonna be pretty morbid, but… I was twelve… and I had just watched my dad die from a gunshot wound… in our living room… Those two weeks are a blur after that… I can’t really remember. [She sighs.]
It’s still rough to talk about… even 13 years later… I think it’s left a mark… on the Southside — it definitely has — There’s this emptiness that — Anyways, um, I was, uh… distraught… and I did not think I would live long after that. I mean — I joined a gang, got a tattoo, started smoking, got in trouble more than not… Nothing really mattered — I was so lucky I didn’t get thrown into juvie, because there’s definitely a few times where I would’ve qualified… Anyways, I just had to be out of the house most days because I felt like I physically could not stand to be there.
For the first few months I’d go into a panic attack every time I’d enter the main room… I started sneaking out more and more… Every single moment for the first year after, and even moments here and there now — I felt as if men would break in again and take someone else from me — or kill me — So, I tried...
Well… thanks to my cousin nothing happened, but, it was so hard to exist in a world that had felt like the sun had disappeared. And for a good year or so, I didn’t feel like existing without it. I didn’t think I could survive without it.
But! I have, and I did. And I’m very happy I did. Because if I hadn’t — I’m just very glad I did…”
Today, I spent some time with Valentina Luna. There’s a coffee shop in Centerville, Déjà Brew, that I like to visit from time to time — best cup of coffee in the surrounding area of Riverdale. Valentina had asked me what I was working on as she poured my coffee, and she seemed very interested in my work. I asked her if she would be interested in sharing some of her own stories, and she told me she would be more than happy to. It was interesting to talk to her, having frequented both Centerville and Riverdale her whole life. After hitting her with some easy questions, I finished off our interview by asking her to tell me about her first love. Listening to her answer is something I will always remember fondly.
“Oh, shit, okay.
[She rubs her chin, contemplative.]
When I was younger, like, in my twenties, I was in so many different relationships that never stuck. I bounced a lot from person to person, desperate to be loved and understood in a way that no one really knew how to give me. My Tinder and Bumble messages were always full, I was always going out on dates, and I… I could feel myself falling for every single person I went out with, but the relationships always fell short. I recognized a pattern: date someone for two, three months tops, only to be dumped with no warning. I never saw it coming. And hey, maybe that was my fault. I’m a hopeless romantic, what can I say?
[She laughs, looking to be deep in thought.]
I…
[She pauses. ‘Take your time.’ I say. She clears her throat after a moment.]
Sorry, I… I didn’t expect such an easy question to stump me.
I think that… I thought that I had an answer to this, but thinking about it now, whatever I had to say before would be wrong.
Love… Love is about who you’d die for, right? The person you would do anything for? There’s… there’d only been a handful of people that I’d ever felt that way about, but they’re family, or my best friend.
Until Dante. I… I grew up with him, with his family. His sister has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. I’d never really seen him that way before, like, romantically, I guess.
But as I started to grow up, like honestly grow up, that started to change. I can’t exactly pinpoint when I started to feel that way for him.
[She pauses again.]
There was… an incident, a while ago. I won’t go into all the gory details, but he… he was shot and I remember just absolutely losing my shit. My entire world just fell apart. I thought, ‘I am going to lose him for good.’ It was terrifying. That was the moment I knew, I think. All my feelings for Dante came to a head, just hitting me like a goddamn train. I remember thinking that I would kill for this man, kill whoever did that to him, consequences be damned. I would give my life for this man.
I’ve never felt that way about anyone before. Dante is my first love, first real love, and my only love.
Today, I went for a stroll with author and substitute Gym teacher, Kippi Goode. Having read some of her works and hearing about her from word of mouth, I just knew I needed to sit down with her. Kippi’s stories were nothing short of interesting — From the horrific murders of her family to running a taser industry in her youth, she’s lived quite the life. Before our interview came to its conclusion, I asked her if she’d be comfortable talking a bit about her family. Here was her answer:
“Oh I would love to, actually. I think after all these years I am finally ready to do so. My mother is a phenomenal woman and I am still so upset that Penelope Blossom’s actions made me hate her for so many years. She is a smart, kind and thoughtful person who didn’t deserve the cards she was dealt in life. I’m so glad she finally gets to live again and be a free woman.
My dad [She chuckles, thoughtfully], he was a stoner in high school. Yes, he was. He was also incredibly funny and such a great father. I miss him a lot - everyday.
My brother Shane was incredible at making you feel welcomed and always ensuring you never felt alone. He died too young. It was senseless.
My other brother Oliver never truly had it easy in life: a mental illness keeping him in the hospital for years, his twin brother being murdered. But he’s truly on a better path now and I am just so happy for him.
My sister Edith deserves everything good in life. She was ridiculed for having a dead family and an alleged killer mom and I doubt anyone ever apologized for that. She worked so hard to get through college and when my gran died she worked additional overtime at Pop’s just to make sure I made it to college and out of Riverdale as well. I’m so happy that she’s found a great life with her husband Quincy and I’m glad we rekindled our relationship back in the day.
And finally, my gran. My rock. I miss her so much everyday. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for her I don’t even know where I would be at these days. She instilled a great work ethic and value of life in me as she had for my mother before that. She is my inspiration in life to this day and I just know she’s smiling down on me from above along with everyone else.
My family deserved better. My father and my brother deserve to be alive. My dad deserved to see his kids grow up. And my brother to grow up himself. They deserve better than to still be the town gossip nearly twenty years later. Penelope Blossom deserves to rot in jail for killing them and I will make sure she never gets out. I will keep their legacy alive and continue to clear my mothers name.
Thank you for lending an ear to me, Bo. I really appreciate it.”
Today I took a walk with Andrea Jones, Riverdale High’s Art Teacher. In her free time, she bartends at the Whyte Wyrm, and is working towards becoming a tattoo artist. I really enjoyed our conversation — Drea is open to all kinds of questions and doesn’t hold anything back. At the end of our interview, I asked her to tell me her most treasured memory. Her response had me laughing myself to tears.
“Haha, ok, so there was this one time when I was about eleven. We were in gym class and Cheryl Blossom was making fun of Kevin Keller — yes, Mr. Keller the Drama teacher. Kevin was my best friend — still is — so I wasn’t having ANY of that! I threw the dodgeball I was holding at Cheryl as hard as I could, which was pretty hard since I pitched for the little league baseball team. Anyway, it hit her smack in the face like WHAM!
The entire gym was dead silent. Everyone was looking between me and Cheryl, just waiting. She reached up to touch her nose and when she pulled her fingers away, they were covered in blood. She screamed like a blonde girl in a horror movie! Coach Donnelly ran over like ‘WHAT HAPPENED?’ Cheryl started fake crying and said I’d hid her in the face for no reason and Coach Donnelly sent me to the principal, who called my dad to say I was suspended for three days and to come pick me up.
I was TERRIFIED when I got into his truck! I thought he was going to yell and scream and ground me forever, but he didn’t say a word. I didn’t make a sound because I didn’t wanna make anything worse. We just drove like that for about 10 minutes before he was like 'Why did you hit Cheryl with the ball?’ I just kinda shrugged and mumbled that I didn’t know. He gave me that Dad Look and goes 'Andrea…’ And I just kinda started babbling like 'I dunno! I just got SO MAD! She was making fun of Kevin for not being good at football like the other guys and I was holding the ball, so I threw it at her! I didn’t mean to make her nose bleed.’
He kinda paused and said 'You gave her a bloody nose?’ I sort of nodded and he started laughing. Really soft at first, then it turned into this really deep sincere laugh. I was COMPLETELY confused! After a minute, he kinda regained control and reached over to ruffle my hair and said 'That’s my girl!’
I just sat there dumbfounded! 'You’re not mad?’ I asked. He just laughed some more and went 'Hell no! You stood up for your friend. I’m proud of you Puddin’ Pop!’ I was like 'Really?’ and he went 'Just, maybe don’t draw blood next time.’ Then we went to get ice cream while we waited for my brother to get out of school.
That was the first time that I really realized that my dad would always be on my side. No matter what I did or what anybody else said, he would always have my back and he would always believe me.”
Background Info: Bo has lived in Riverdale his entire life. He’s very interested in the history of Riverdale, especially after all of the interesting and crazy things that happened before when he was younger. He’s determined to archive all of them, wanting to hear all about them from different perspectives.
