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youwontlikethisblog · 3 years

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Don Hermes: A Deep Dive

Hello, back from the grave(briefly)

I know I said I would be taking a break from posting analysis of the episodes and scenes but I've been thinking about this for weeks and I can't get it out of my head so might as well write a post dedicated to Don Hermes.

In order to really understand this character, once more, we have to look at the dynamics, culture, era, and context of cause and effect of this character, his motives, reasons, and effects not only that affect him but effect Betty.

In this post I will be discussing the following:

Actions don't tend to only affect those who cause and those who are direct receivers of said actions; contrary they are a domino effect.

We have to look at the consequences of daughters who grow up with and without a father.

As I've mentioned before in order to write good characters you have to understand your characters. It's not a maybe, a possibility, or a perhaps in the choices your characters make, it is a 100% understanding of the choices your characters make.

Domino Effect:

Feelings and emotions are something that contribute a lot in the way we behave, react, and deal with things, if we didn't have emotions than it would be a warning to seek professional help.

What does this have to do with a fictional character?

The lure of watching TV is that it's meant to be mindless, numbly, and just something to fry your brain so you can escape reality. Unless you set out to watch a real life event made to movie based on facts or a documentary you expect that everything you watch is meant to not make you think. It's the appealing factor of watching TV instead of reading. With reading you're more aware of the dilemas, action, cause and effect, as well as see the world through the main character's eyes.

It's sort of a manual that guides you right through this story you've jumped in to see. You become the main character and see the world just as they see it. However with TV, that's not something you truthfully get[to experience] and the reason being is that even when there is a main character being the voice of guidance like in books, you really get to see the main character for what they are. You aren't vividly in the main character's train of thought like in reading, you're only watching it, not living it, so small details in movies and tv shows can be greatly missed, unless if you're like me, who obsesses over small tiny details, than you aren't going to pick up on it right away, or maybe never.

We know one film snobs who think certain movies are the epidemy of art and commentary of society norms and that mundane movies and tv shows based on clichés are boring and braindead excuses that only people who can't think watch, yuck.

Suspenseful, detective, crime, and thriller movies have an advantage, you as the viewer, know that something is up and that the character's can't be trusted, even the main character, so you as the viewer, make the extra effort to pay attention to small details. It becomes a conscious effort, just like reading.

When you're reading you make the conscious effort to pay attention to detail because you know that in order to really enjoy the book you must immerse yourself into that world. I've seen memes where people say: When you're reading and you're the director, the producer, wardrobe/set designer, and main actor on set so you have to cut the scene, go back and re-read a sentence until you imagine it just right.

When you're watching TV all of that is done for you. It's why many times when novels, trilogies, or books are turned into movies we're left disappointed because it's not what we imagined.

What does all of this have to do with domino effect and Don Hermes you ask?

Well simply put: he's a character that is just as wonderfully written as the rest that people just lump with a bad father and I am here to clear his name.

To watch Yo Soy Betty, La Fea and really understand the moral of the story you have to pay attention to detail because it gives a broader understanding of the characters, moral, and overall the point of the story we're being told.

These details if ignored, distort the story we are hearing. It gives it a false narrative and takes away the reality that Fernando Gaitan was writing and that's another thing; YSBLF is based on the logic of that world and it closely if not, is a mirroring or resemblance to our real world and the commentary of FG on it.

In Latine America men are raised to be mentally, emotionally, and physically strong and that they are stronger in all those aspects to that of women. The consequence of this is that it builds a culture of machismo where the translation that men and women are different means that women are lesser than men, in that culture and that women need men to live and cater to men.

ma·chis·mo/mäˈCHēzmō/

noun strong or aggressive masculine pride. "the exaggerated machismo displayed in the tango"

Machismo is deeply imbedded in Latine American culture and taught to boys as they grow up. Nowadays that's changing and the idea of men being machistas and that being acceptable is being challenged but we're not talking about nowadays, we're talking about the past.

YSBLF came out in 1999, Betty is roughly around 23-25 when the novela starts, her father and mother are much older than her(DUH)and very old school however a bit open minded in some things. In Betty's birthday episode the way Don Hermes was dressed and the music he selected gives an understanding that he most likely was born in the late 40's or 50's and that he lived long enough in those decades to see the consequences of war, the importance of being ethical and having a good moral compass, idealizing "Simpler" times and so forth.

He is very old fashioned in the understanding that what makes a well rounded person is the family they have and how much of a reflection it is of their parents that their child is a good person. However, idealistically speaking, he goes against the grain of what a machista is, therefore he isn't a machista.

Now you may ask: "But he constantly yells at Betty and her mom!" and yes, he is a crappy husband, but we're not talking about that, just yet.

Don Hermes pushed his daughter to study, and in a field were women aren't really welcomed, especially in Latin America in the 90's(especially if you're "ugly"), constantly told her she didn't need to depend on anyone, that she didn't need a job, especially work in a place where they humiliated her, because he'd always take care of her, however, he always encouraged her to be hard working and put all her degrees to work.

That goes against the core believe that machistas have.

Now that we know he isn't a machista, let's take a look at another part of his character.

Don Hermes is very old school with the way women compose themselves. He looks down upon Betty's friends because they have "libertinaje" meaning they live a immodest lifestyle. Divorced, single mothers, separated, out without her husband, drunkards', loud, dressed in tight clothing, and "looking fervently" for a man. All things he believes women shouldn't be.

Why is that?

Understanding the domino effect is important here because this is something that Don Hermes has tried to shield Betty from, from a young age.

Wikipedia: Domino effect: A domino effect or chain reaction is the cumulative effect produced when one event sets off a chain of similar events. The term is best known as a mechanical effect and is used as an analogy to a falling row of dominoes

In the late 70's and 80's the world faced the epidemic of AIDS, at that time there wasn't a broad understanding of what AIDS was and how you got it however, it was something, that to this day, is understood to be a desease one gets from unprotected sex , multiple sex partners and a wild social life.

Yeah I know, what does this have to do with anything?

Imagine hearing in the news that globally, a desease that affects both women and men, particularly, from what I've read, AIDS was more prominent in the years of 1993-1997 in Colombia, AIDS was at it's highest rate of infection, in your country, that doesn't have enough research or treatment, is affecting the younger population. Nowadays we understand that men are at a higher risk of AIDS than women. However this type of information wasn't so openly out there in the past.

So in conclusion: There's a sexually transmitted deseas with no cure, no real understanding of how you can get it, and people who have a "Wild and free" life seem to be the most affected: My daughter will not be influenced by people to live a "wild and free" life at the risk of dying.

Yeah Don Hermes was also old school and believed that women who had relations outside of wedlock were not pristine and a bad reflection of moral teaching.

However and I will get to this later on in this post, you have to understand your character's fears and worries.

I'm trying to paint a picture here, of an example that is not at all factual in the show but just to give an understanding of what could have caused this man to be so overly protective of his daughter. If you grew up with old school traditions and teachings, with a daughter that was bullied for simply existing, in a world that didn't accept your child as is, that lives in a country where drug wars, civil wars, and epidemics of deseases with no cure are prevalent, would you not be an over bearing parent?

The domino effect of the world that Don Hermes grew up in and watched his daughter grow up in affected him to be over bearing, over protective, and a strict father.

Lets not forget that to Don Hermes Betty was his most precious possession and that he strongly believed that the best inheritance a father could leave their child was good moral conduct, modest, and ethical example.

He wanted his daughter to stay inside his house, where he could keep an eye on her, because he wanted to keep her safe and protect her from the world. Were his methods not the best? Yeah.

Due to this over protectiveness of his, Betty grew up shield from the real world and naïve to an extent, of the dangers of it and how deprived men can be. This does have a domino effect in Betty's life-when it comes to being social.

Was he at fault for his daughter's low self-esteem and self worth?

No and you can catch these hands if you think otherwise.

Lets now jump into the subject of understanding of:

What are the Consequences of growing up with and without a father for a girl?

When we get flashbacks of Betty's childhood her dad is very present in those flashbacks, overbearingly so. In the first topic we understood why he was overbearing, the reasons why, and what the domino effect of his life experience had on him as a father, however in this section we're still dealing with the domino effect of his parenting methods, but it isn't the main focus.

In the Armando post where I briefly talked about the subject of a parents roles in their child's development I said something along the lines of how children are a reflection of their environment and that parents are a huge part of their child's development.

Betty as well is a reflection of her environment and the role her parents had in her life.

We love Betty, she's sweet, caring, kind, loving, "innocent", always trying to see the good in people, and intelligent.

Father figures are an extremely important role both for their sons and daughters but especially in the role of their daughter's self-esteem.

Self-esteem isn't only based on your looks, it's a broader understanding of you and what you are as a reflection of how you feel about it all, if that makes sense.

Studies show that girls who grow up without a father tend to have more problematic relationships, low self-esteem, low self-worth, battle addiction, depression, suicide, eating disorders, etc.

Though Betty does have low self-esteem and absolutely no self-worth, she doesn't have it as a result of having an absent father and like I said in the Armando post: an absent parent doesn't always mean that the parent isn't physically there. It can mean a parent who isn't there for the emotional and mental growth and development of their child, however obviously some parents aren't there for all three things.

"Fathers provide their daughters with a masculine example. They teach their children about respect and boundaries and help put daughters at ease with other men throughout their lives. [...] So if she didn't grow up with a proper example, she will have less insight and she'll be more likely to go for a man that will replicate the abandonment of her father."

— Caitlin Marvaso, AMFT, a grief counselor and therapist in Oakland, CA

source: https://wehavekids.com/family-relationships/When-Daddy-Dont-Love-Their-Daughters-What-Happens-to-Women-Whose-Fathers-Werent-There-for-Them#:~:text=To%20summarize%2C%20depression%2C%20suicide%2C,effects%20of%20an%20absent%20father.

Has Don Hermes been an emotionally/mentally absent father?

Again the flashbacks we get don't point to that. In fact it's a father who is present, in mostly every flashback, and one who takes the lead of it. Betty often talks about him with endearment and even names him as her most precious possession, which mirrors Don Hermes sentiment towards her. He is her pride.

He constantly is seen being protective of her and while not the most emotional guy, he showers her with positive attention and reaffirming her worth by reminding her that she is well educated, academically educated, has good moral and ethical standing, and should be respected because she is deserving of it, not only because of all the above but because she is his daughter, his pride and joy.

So then, what are the consequences of having a present father, who is both mentally and emotionally present in a girls life?

For one self-esteem and self worth are a lot higher, expectations of men and long lasting relationships with them are healthier, they are not afraid to set boundaries, self-respect, lower chances of risky behavior etc.

Speaking from experience of being a daddy's girl: a father's role is extremely important to building healthy relationships with not only men but people in general(I was gonna make a personal experience joke but it was outta pocket). My father taught me how to read, draw, write, count, and how to cry it out. There wasn't a bad day in school that I didn't go to my dad to cry and vent and he'd always gift me something afterwards be it a fancy eraser or a doll. My father in some ways reminds me of Don Hermes so my opinion could be a bit personal lol.

Authoritative parenting style is the best style of parenting because it is both teaching of moral conduct and consequences as well as catering to the emotional and mental needs of your child while still teaching them natural consequences and how to rightfully deal with problems.

Don Hermes has that style of parenting. He often sets rules, expectations, boundaries, and goals for Betty. He encourages her and is there to celebrate her and there to hold her hand when she fails.

Ironically enough, writing this post I realized that Armando has daddy issues, like I knew he had parental problems and how they shaped him but It hadn't hit me how deeply affected he was because of his father's absence :(

I bring Armando up right now because even though he isn't a girl he is the perfect example in the show of a child who grew up without a father's love while Betty is the perfect example of someone who did.

Why do I say all of this?

This brings us to the third and the final topic of this post:

You Have To Understand Your Characters:

What does this mean?

In order to write a four dimensional character you have to know them, like you would a friend or family member, through and through. I'm more likely giving too much credit to FG as Don Hermes was a secondary character, albeit one of the most important secondary characters, so it's likely he didn't really sit there and think about this mans childhood, how it affected him in raising a child, how he met Julia his wife, how he reacted when he found out he was going to be a father; in reality he probably based Don Hermes's parental and loving qualities around his own personal experience as a father and tried to understand where Don Hermes was coming from but again I don't know FG lol or seen any of his interviews, except for one, regarding YSBLF.

Personally how I go about writing and fleshing out my OC's is that I interview them. I come up with the concept of my character, you know the basics, goals, ambitions, fears, insecurities, description and so forth and then I go about asking them personal questions, from there on I go and think of their most traumatic experiences and how that shaped them, their best memory, do they have siblings? If they do how close? Are they close to their parents? What is their family life like? Lastly, after I understand these characters backstory I ask myself: What is the purpose of this character in this story? Do they play a vital role? Could I take them out and the story would keep going as if nothing or would it move the story?

When you understand your characters you understand why they behave a certain way. Being a writer who knows their characters pretty well makes writing the story in it of itself pretty easy because you understand where they are coming from. You understand the purpose of their words, why they stand the way they do. You understand in completion what makes the character themselves and in order to do that you must be well versed in their behavior.

What does this have to do with Don Hermes?

Simple: Don Hermes isn't a one dimensional, two dimensional, or even a three dimensional character. He is 4D.

What is his fear? That his daughter suffers.

What is his motivation? Being a good example to his daughter, leaving her with the best inheritance.

What is his ambition? To be a good member of society who upholds principal and ethical actions despite that not achieving riches.

What is his goal? To be a good father who sets a good example for his daughter so she may follow in his footsteps.

These are the basics. They give us a basic understanding of Don Hermes, right?

Now the final questions are:

If he is a good father why is Betty insecure? and how is it possible that his overbearing parenting style didn't negatively impact Betty?

When I write my analysis of scenes/episodes and focus on body language I always remind y'all that context is key. It is for absolutely everything in life.

By solely blaming Don Hermes for all of Betty's problems in reality you're taking away the responsibility that society has and plays the role of, in a young person's life.

What do I mean by this? And what does this have to do with understanding your character?

Well we're about to talk about my dear and sweet Betty and this is a part of her character I've been dying to talk about!

I, again, can speak on experience. As mentioned above, I grew up with a present father in my life. I am a daddy's girl. However I too grew up insecure.

Society has a lot to do with it.

Just like Betty, my father was over protective of me as a child. He wouldn't let me handle anything dangerous, would constantly tell me that people in the world had bad intentions and most importantly after a good cry he'd kiss my cheeks and tell me that he loved me very much and then shower me with surprise toys or crafting supplies.

Betty's dad was the exact same. When we get the flashback of him pulling her towards the house so she wouldn't play with the neighborhood kids he tells her: "That's why I bought you all your toys, so you can have fun. The devil is a pig, remember that." the meaning behind that wasn't only to tell Betty she'd be tempted to do something bad in reality he used it as telling her "The world is a terrible place with terrible people who will hurt you."

side note: I want to make it canon(now that I know what that means) that Don Hermes had a Corn collection. This doesn't really have anything to do with this post except it's about Don Hermes but that one day when he was telling Betty that she had her own kind of beauty and that men liked exotic beauty, after she left he told Julia that he was well versed because he kept up with the times and that's why he had that collection[of magazines] in their room, so he could keep up with modern days.

He knew the kids in the neighborhood bullied Betty, they didn't involve her in their games and he heard the whispers from parents around the neighborhood as well so in his own way, in his own terms, he protected Betty from rejection by taking the burden of being the one who prohibited her from mingling with the outside world, however the damage was there because in school Betty still had to deal with those rats.

In one of the first episodes, when Roman asked Betty to go out, Betty, giving the benefit of the doubt, agreed to go out however Don Hermes didn't want her to go out with Roman and Co. for two reasons: Betty could do better than him and his loser friends and to protect her from rejection. However the reason I bring this up is because Betty mentioned that Don Hermes took her out of public school and placed her in a convent when her friends started to get boyfriends. (I only saw the final episode, I skipped all the way to the end, so that I could be prepared to deal with the emotional pain of their breakup but I still haven't seen the second part, anyway)Don Hermes mentioned that he always wanted his daughter to be pristine(a virginia) and that he raised her to know that the most integral part of her was the center of her family.

For one I mentioned the AIDS epidemic for two reasons: that it would be a motive for him to be so, extremely, sheltering of Betty in regards of her socializing with people who could lead her down a path that could affect her in her health as well as ruin their moral and ethic standing(we see the way he scorned her when she was offered the commission). Not to mention that parents in countries that have a lot of conflict are often very strict in regards of their child's social life in fear that they could wind up dead, drug addict, delinquent, victim of human trafficking, and other things on the likes. I recently found this out while doing some research of El Salvador's music scene(there's some really good bands out there but bc of the conflict younger generations aren't active in the scene back there due to parents restrictions out of fear.). So while Don Hermes is old school in regards of his daughter maintaining her virginal status because it reflect good on their family and she is in god's grace, as well that keeping her away from people who could corroded those principals he's instilled in her, he also has other motives as to keep her on a short social leash. This reason and the one mentioned above in regard of trying to save her from suffering rejection and this is what I'll stress out in the following.

Both socially for their reputation, her mental, physical, and emotional protection, Don Hermes doesn't let Betty out of the house with anyone unless it's Nicolas because Don Hermes has practically watched him grow and in some way he's also been like a father figure to Nicolas. We understand where he's coming from now.

The reason I brought up what the effects of growing up with and without a present father in a girl's life is because we need to really understand the root of Betty's self-esteem and self-worth issues and to debunk the idea that Don Hermes is behind all of that we need to see and understand how a character with fatherless daughter disorder would be written and presented by understanding the effects of the child into adulthood. Seeing as Don Hermes was an active father of Betty's life in all three aspects of: Physically being present, emotionally, and mentally as well, which means he set up a good example of being a man, which is also a reason why Betty is attracted to Armando's personality because it is a love she knows, which doesn't cause her to be as afraid of him(I've explained this in previous post but I can't remember right now what they're titled, sorry.) So not only are we told from Betty's own words that her father is her most precious possession we also have facts to prove why that is and how much Don Hermes loves Betty and in his own way tries to protect her and shield her from danger and pain.

I'll answer why she's insecure in a bit.

Now in regards for understand characters, which brings this whole post full circle is very easy: Even if there wasn't a backstory written for a character, simply by understanding the basics of your character you can make a compelling character that is 4D, all by making his goals, fears, motives, ambitions, and desires realistic and it leaves just enough room for the reader to interpret and understand what the meaning of that character is for the story and the purpose it serves. That alone allows us to determine whether the character is good, worthy of redemption, and the lesson they are trying to teach us.

I rave about Armando, Mario, and even Marcela's(tho her not too much) and Betty's complexities but Don Hermes is a character who deserves to be defended! He is a good father who loves his daughter greatly.

Which is why we get such a contrast with Roberto. Roberto wasn't an emotionally or mentally present father in Armando's life. His love was always conditional. The day that both fathers find out about their children's borderline illegal business activities they both react so differently. Don Hermes decided that while he won't act like he approves or is okay with what Betty has done that he'll show face for her and that he'll make her deal with the consequences, however, that among all of that, she will always have a shoulder to cry on and lean her head on. While Roberto tells his son, who is in the brink of tears(I'll talk about that scene in due time cause boooooiii I gotta a lot to say!) that he never wants to speak to him again and basically that he's dead to him and walks out of the meeting room, he doesn't even tell him: What you did is bad and you have to face and deal with the consequences on your own but I still love you. Nah homes legit just said "Bye ur ded 2 meh."

Fernando knew his characters and their moral standing as well as purpose for the story and that alone is what separates these fathers and allows us as viewers to interpret their lives outside of the big screen(ikik he didn't expect it to be such a huge thing but let me boost this dead man's ego, too soon?).

And for the closing argument:

Betty's insecurities were not in part or any part, due to to her father. Who had an authoritative parent style —y'all should look those up if you want a further understanding of parental styles and what roles they have in the development of their child. While yes her social awkwardness is a consequence and domino effect of Don Hermes short leash, it is not fully and completely his fault.

They are in part and completely due to society and their treatment of her and that's the moral of showing a loving father and an insecure daughter.

Society rejected Betty for simply existing, without giving her the chance to be herself, to give love. Society taunted, teased, bullied, traumatized, and abused her and for what? To show power over her? To take out their own insecurities onto her? No matter how much her father could love her, how much he told her she was beautiful in her own way, who adored her and encouraged her to achieve her goals and set high expectations for herself, it was never enough because the outside world hated her for simply and only breathing!

Trying to blame Don Hermes, trying to point the finger to him is rejecting and neglecting the vitality of Fernando's commentary on society and the way it treats women, especially women who are not the status quo. Betty is only treated well, respected, and not made fun of by society when she no longer is "ugly" while she is still the same person within that she was from that start(more confident and sure of herself as a professional and a woman) society doesn't care, now she's pretty and it isn't until then that they think and believe she is deserving of human decency.

That's the whole point! That's the whole reason of Betty's role in the novela! The purpose of her character! That while she was ugly she was still so kind, loving, pure, and trying to see the good in others, despite the trauma she's faced in life. Society still deems to dehumanize her and cause her harm and it isn't until AFTER she has a physical transformation that they decide to treat her like a human!(I'm not directly talking about Marce, Patty, or Hugo and especially Daniel but rather society outside of Eco Moda.). The commentary of how society prefers mean, rude, selfish, and arrogant beautiful people rather that good, kind, loving, and selfless "ugly" people and if that moral of the story, which is the biggest reason of the story existing, doesn't translate to you, what are you doing?

Her lack of knowledge of men while is also a domino effect of her father's over protectiveness it also and in part the trauma of it, is because of society. Little girls who grew up being teased, bullied constantly over our looks that grow into teen and women hood still being bullied over our looks makes us feel un-womanly and undesired that even the small gesture of affection makes us believe that maybe we are worthy, not of love, but attention not only as women but human, is damaging! Again, dismissing this and blaming Don Hermes ignores the issues that society has and it takes away our responsibility and accountability in this issue.

I rest my case!

Don Hermes is a good father who is not to blame for Betty's insecurities or self-worth issues!

Husband... he isn't the best one.

I'd need to make a part two for that part of his character and right now I'm beat, sleep deprived again and my head and neck hurt as well as my back.

Again ignore any grammar mistakes.

Til next time! :)

[EDIT: There is so many obvious examples in the novela that prove how loving Don Hermes is towards Betty that I didn't mention in the post. Understanding the culture, the era, and his dynamic was a lot more important imo to talk about so it could explain his irrational behavior and the process of writing a character. It's a lot of research and really important to be able to have well written characters. If any of you would like to comment an instant in which Don Hermes showed how much he loved Betty, feel free to comment it :)]

#Don Hermes #yo soy betty la fea #beatriz pinzón solano #beatriz pinzon solano #betty ysblf #betty la fea #betty #don armando #armando mendoza #armando ysblf #character analysis de ysblf #Don Roberto #Roberto Mendoza

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riverdale-retread · 3 years

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Riverdale S5 E14 (The Rabies Episode) - 5 Things I loved/ 3 Things to Consider.

Things I loved

1) What good are you? What do you even do? - I’m a writer! I tell stories!

I love the interesting and frankly, very funny thoughts that Riverdale the show keeps putting out about writing, the ethics of fiction, and how it feels to be a fiction creator through the character of Jughead. The writers of Riverdale are describing us the viewers to be these overwhelming, demanding RATS (and as ‘customers’ of their product we are ‘King’) that have trapped them in a tunnel (of the writer’s room? RAS, maybe you need to update their furniture?) hollering at them to entertain us while they desperately try to tell us a story so we don’t kill them. I hope this doesn’t court controversy but I was much more appeased by this depiction of me than the BBC Sherlock thing that portrayed its own fans as crazy pathetic loons. Riverdale writers think we’re insane too, but they find us scary and they want to please us. Very gratifying. (I’m a happy customer.)

2) Related: I LOVED that Jughead is not a snob about genre. Getting published and read by a lot of people is the point! I love that about him. So he did maybe learn something in his one year at college.

3) I loved the variation on ‘darkness’ and ‘dark hole’ that they worked out for each of Betty, Jughead and Archie. It’s literal and metaphor (they can’t see where they’re going, they can’t easily escape, the air is close and poisoned, there’s danger in the dark hole and so on). The literary dorkiness of the episode structure was fabulous.

For Jughead it’s a mirror image replica of what happened to him before - Jughead falls into an abandoned subway tunnel via a sudden sinkhole that opens up underneath him during a period of life that’s supposed to be triumphant, exactly like how as he’d finally finished with high school and was about to embark on college like his dad always wanted, Betty took the security of his relationship with her away from him and he descended to a state of absolute homelessness in the bunker.

For Archie, the boy who tried to be all the things everyone around him wanted him to be, becoming a miner comes about because someone else (Cheryl) wanted to defeat Hiram Lodge (which Archie is always up for) and all the other boys in his ‘gang’ are looking for economic opportunities and a group project (which Archie is also always up for).

For Betty, the hubristic violent girl who denies how much she enjoys violence and always just goes wading into danger, the scale of the consequences she faces for her reckless brand of courage has gotten much more serious, because she’s an adult. From having a serial killer (Hal, her father) very interested in her and then being in a game set up by a different serial killer (Penelope, her aunt by marriage), Betty’s ‘hole’ moment is to be the sole prey of a serial killer who will not grant her freedom of movement, and isn’t trying to make some sort of moral point or work out a piece of their own psychology. TBK purely wants Betty to suffer and die - there’s nothing for her to figure out with her intellect.

4) I loved that the show firmly concludes that there is no talking and feeling your way through to somewhere better with a misogynist. It’s not that misogynist women killers don’t know that women are people, that women have pasts and a right to live and all of that. They know. They like trampling on the thing that is precious and beautiful, and it’s fun for them to hurt women. This is very dark, but on really bad days I can fall into this thinking, and I felt seen. Same goes for Alice giving into despair and advising Betty to just kill the bastard. I know how that feels too.

5) This is another weird thing to love, but I love that Archie’s fundamental decency and kindness is not enough to overcome the weight of his war trauma. And yet he’s capable when it comes to an emergency. The tendency that Archie has to run towards the screaming is similar to what Kevin used to be like, and I admire this about him. I very much appreciated that Eric and Uncle Fucking Frank and all the guys who down in the mine want Archie to get professional help for his problems.

3 Things to Think About

a. Jughead never graduated from college. So he set himself up for the social isolation and failure in New York City. To have no job to go to, to have no cluster of acquaintances you can carry over from being students in the same institution for two to four years, or being a part of a religion, in a major city, is kind of dooming yourself to failure in this regard. I’ve thought Jughead no longer wanted to go to college but had gone purely for FP (with whom he no longer speaks much) which is why he finds it so unrewarding.

b. Cheryl is an ‘author’ in the same way Jughead is, but she seems to see the darkest possible side of the people she ‘portrays’ and ‘frames’ which is in direct opposition to Jughead, who ‘writes’ people the way he wishes they could be, as their best selves. Then he falls in love with his creation and believes in it so hard that he hallucinates his own subconscious and intuition in their image (Betty).

c. I’m very interested in the Jess-Jughead relationship. When he goes to visit her after their breakup (when she still has his manuscript I think??) her apartment is well appointed and tidy. So it’s Jughead that’s the slob, and Jessica was just vengefully matching him debris for debris.

#riverdale s5 opinion #riverdale positivity #jughead jones #archie andrews

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fromforeigntofamiliarity · 3 years

Text

The Other Lodge | Lodge!reader

Summary: Your from the Southside and Hiram is your father, you and Veronica don't get along and Hermione has had enough.

It was bad enough you had to live with them, but now Hiram wanted to show you around along side him, Veronica and Hermione.

He was trying to control everything in your life. He moved you into the penbrook with his family, made you transfer schools and he even had people dress your tonight.

Needless to say you were far from happy and Veronica's present wasn't making it any easier.

The only good part about tonight was that your friends from the Southside. were here.

"How about you put a smile on your face Y/N?" Veronica asked. "It would be a nice change, don't you think."

"How about you bite me Satan?" You asked sarcastically with a bright smile on your face.

"Oh I'll do a lot more that's that." She glared stepping towards you.

"Girls that enough." Hiram interjected. "Veronica be nice to your sister, and Y/N it wouldn't hurt you to smile here and there would it?"

"Hurt no, but kill maybe." You replied before walking off to nowhere in particular.

The night went on and you stuck with Toni.

"Hey, How you holding up?" She asked.

"As good as I can be after having my whole life uprooted and forced to live and go to school with people I hate." You replied not seeing Veronica standing not far behind you, close enough to hear everything you were saying along with Betty, Archie, and Jughead. "It would be a lot easier if I didn't have to sleep under the same roof as the The Seed Of Satan.

"Um, excuse me?" Veronica asked walking up to you. "You know no one is forcing to to live with us you welcome to leave at anytime." Sh said.

"Well thats where your wrong Mobb Boss Barbie, you father is the one that forced me to come here." You shot back. "I was perfectly happy living with Toni on the southside."

By now everyone at the party including Hiram and Hermione had noticed the commotion and had stopped to watch.

"All because your mother couldn't keep your father on a short enough leash." You snarled.

"My father maybe if your mother could keep her legs closed and not sleep with a married man.You would have been able to live out your life with your southside scum."

"Scum? Wow we may not have the money you snobs have here on the Northside but at least we know what the word loyalty means, why don't you tell your friends here what the Lodges are really planning for Riverdale."

"All Daddy is trying to do is turn Riverdale in to a safer place maybe if it was safer your mother wouldn't be 6ft under right now, but if you don't want to be apart of that your welcome to join her."

You flinch at the mention of your mothers death it was only a few months ago and you hated when people brought it up even more so when they were trying to be disrespectful. Your eyes were glued t the floor

You started tp lift you hand ready to deal out the hardest slap to Veronicas face, but a loud crack echoed around the room. You snapped your head up in order to see what had caused the loud noise when another crack was sounded followed by a shooting pain to the side of your face.

You turned your head back and see Hermione standing in between you and Veronica a look of diappointment in her face.

"That is enough from both of you." She spat. "It's time you both knew the truth."

"Hermione," Hiram shared but was cut off by his wife.

Everyone was standing around mouths slightly open and eyes wide as to not miss any of the action. Alice Cooper had pulled out a camera and began to film.

"No Hiram its time for this to stop they need to know." She said to her husband.

"Mom, what do we need to know." Veronica asked.

"The only thing I need to know is why the hell you just slapped me." You said glaring at her.

"I did it because your mother would be ashamed of you." She said. "And everything that just came from your mouth that is not how you were raised."

"You don't know anything about me or my mother just because you husband couldn't keep it in his pants doesn't mean you suddenly know anything about us." You yelled. "You probably hated my mother, you probably glad she died-!"

"I LOVED YOUR MOTHER!" Hermione yelled back. "More than your will ever know." She said as her eyes start to water.

"We loved your mother, and you." She continued.

"What?" You asked.

"We loved you both." Hiram answered. "After Hermione and I got married and moved to New York we met your mother." He started.

"We fell in love with her, to say the least." Hermione said. "When we first told she thought we were crazy but eventually she admitted that she loved us too. And that's how it started."

"So you both were in a relationship with Y/N's mother." Veronica asked.

"I believe the word is polygamy." Hiram explained.

"Excuse me for asking." Toni interrupted. "But if you guys were so in love how did Y/N end up on the Southside and you guys still in New York?"

"When Hermione became pregnant with Veronica we were all happy." Hiram started. "Then not long after we found out that we were going to have Y/N as well."

"And we were overjoyed, Y/M/N and I did everything together from shopping to the baby shower, and Y/N and Veronica came after that only a month apart. Everything was great we raised you together." She said before looking over to you. "You called me mommy and you loved when I would bake sweets for your father when he got home from work."

"But that still doesn't explain what happened." Veronica pointed out.

"Well mija like they say 'all good things must come to an end.' One of your fathers...business associates wanted him to sell half of Lodge industries to him and your father refused. In response he had you both kidnapped and threatens to.....harm you if his demands weren't met."

"Luckily." Hiram added. "It didn't get that far and we got you both back unharmed." He explained.

"But Y/N you were never that same after that." She said resting her hand on your should causing you to flinch. "No one could touch you without you flinching, you were more quiet, didn't smile as much as you used to. We tried everything to get you back the way you were but nothing helped. And in this business as expected the threats kept coming and then one day..."

"One day we woke up and Y/M/N was gone and she had taken you with her." He finished. "She left a note saying that this life was too dangerous and that she didn't want you hurt or worst."

"Veronica you cried for so long after your mother and sister left, eventually you stopped and had convinced yourself that your sister was just an imaginary friend."

"Of course we knew where they were the whole time but we respected Y/M/N wishes and kept our distance and helped whenever we could." Hiram said. "Survived from the pictures we were sent and returned the favor with photos of Veronica. We were devastated to find of that she had parishes and we wanted nothing more than to make sure that you were okay but we knew you would no longer recognize us as your family because you already had one."

"But now we are your family weather you like it or not and you two are sister and I think until you learn how to act like it you both grounded."Hermione stated. "Starting now you go to school and you come straight home nowhere else, no visitors. So you girls should say goodbye to your friends and Andre will drive you home."

"In fact I think that's enough excitement for one night we will join you, let's go girls." Hiram said gesturing for you to follow him of to the door.

• 2 Weeks Later •

It was the middle of the night and Veronica was awoken form her sleep by a scream.

Without thinking she jump from her bed and ran to the source of the sound. Flinging the door open she was greeted with the sigh of her half sister thrashing around in her bed.

"Y/N wake up." She called gently shacking her arm. "Y/N it's okay." She said shacking with a bit more force.

Veronica jumped back as Y/N finally jolted awake. "What are you doing in here?" She asked still trying to catch her breath.

"You must have been having a nightmare, I heard you scream." She answered.

"Oh....well thanks for waking me." She replied awkwardly.

"Your welcome." Veronica said backing away from the bed and towards that door.

"Veronica."

"Y/N."

You both called at the same time.

"Maybe if you want....I could stay with you."

"I mean if you want I wouldn't mind." She answered.

Veronica let a small smile slip into her lips as she walked back towards the bed and Y/N slid over as her sister climbed in.

"You know I had nightmares a lot as a kid and sometimes it still do." She tried to comfort.

"Thanks Veronica." Y/N muttered.

"You know you can call me Ronnie or V, my friends do." Veronica suggested.

"Maybe. But probably not." Y/N replied.

They slipped into a comfortable silence not noticing the two figures that stood outside the door also having been woken up by the screen of the youngest Lodge.

"Y/M/N would have loved to see this." Hermione whispered still not looking away from the teenage girls.

"I'm sure she's watching." Hiram replies. "Now let's go back to bed." He said building her away.

#riverdale masterlist #veronica lodge #hiram lodge #hermione lodge #archie andrews #bettycooper #masterlist #riverdale imagine #lodge!reader #kevin keller #southside serpents #toni topaz #cheryl blossom #jughead jones

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jeronicascene-finder · 3 years

Text

Jeronica/Lodge vs Jones’ Season One Mentions (Real)

1x01

“As for us, we were still talking about the July 4th tragedy on the last day of summer vacation. When a new mystery rolled into town.”

Time-Stamps; 2:21 - 2:30

1x02

“To someone on the outside, peering in, it would've looked like there were four people in that booth. But I was there, and I can tell you, really, there were only three. A blonde girl, a raven-haired girl, and the luckiest red-headed boy in the universe.”

Time-Stamps; 40:02 - 40:19

1x03

“Good and evil. Light and dark. Betty and Veronica. Two sides of the same Janus coin.”

Time-Stamps; 38:31 - 38:41

“But one thing was certain, Betty and Veronica, now B&V, and maybe forever, had been forged. They walked through the fire, and survived.”

Time-Stamps; 39:36 - 40:04

1x07

“If anyone's gonna be a snob about it, maybe Veronica.”

“Right, well, exactly. Don't tell her, either.”

Time-Stamps; 3:25 - 3:40

“Did I just notice Riverdale High's very own Holden Caulfield put his arm around you?”

Time-Stamps; 5:46 - 6:13

“Why are you even here?”

“My son asked me to try and go straight.”

Time-Stamps; 16:44 - 17:11

1x09

“It seemed that for Veronica, the sins of the father would remain simply that.”

Time-Stamps; 39:44 - 39:52

"It sounded like Clifford Blossom was responsible for sending Veronica's dad to jail."

Time-Stamps; 39:57 - 40:30

1x10

"Anyway, enough about my drama. Betty, you were saying something about Jughead's birthday?"

Time-Stamps; 5:24 - 5:53

"Do I look like Jughead to you?"

Time-Stamps; 16:54 - 17:11

"Are you serious? You don't know, Veronica? That's Jughead's dad."

Time-Stamps; 23:06 - 23:34

"Did you hear anything interesting?"

"Actually, yeah. Hiram's daughter is here."

Time-Stamps; 24:42 - 25:03

"Everyone else, including Kevin, including Veronica...are people that two months ago I would've shunned."

Time-Stamps; 25:11 - 25:30

"Isn't it true that your father, from prison, illegally purchased the drive-in land?"

Time-Stamps; 29:03 - 29:13

"So you and Veronica?"

Time-Stamps; 39:06 - 39:30

"My dad hired Jughead's dad to trash the drive-in."

Time-Stamps; 40:39 - 41:08

1x11

"Maybe he paid him to--”

"Commit murder."

Time-Stamps; 6:00 - 6:23

"I don't feel the same loyalty for the Jones family that she does."

Time-Stamps; 8:00 - 8:24

"Jughead could get dragged into something very messy and very dangerous."

Time-Stamps; 9:40 - 10:46

"Off to a late-night rendezvous with a certain raven-haired princess?"

Time-Stamps; 16:17 - 16:31

"But, Veronica... Jughead can never find out."

Time-Stamps; 16:54 - 17:10

"Pop, Jughead hasn't been by, has he?"

"No, you're not the only one who's looking for him though."

Time-Stamps; 41:16 - 42:00

1x12

"I had to know if FP was involved. And if he was connected to my dad."

Time-Stamps; 1:21 - 1:56

"So, you do think Daddy hired him? To kill Jason?"

Time-Stamps; 4:00 - 4:45

"What's the one place in town that's open 24 hours? Hint, we were just there."

Time-Stamps; 5:10 - 5:35

"Sheriff, we need to talk to you about FP Jones."

Time-Stamps; 9:23 - 9:43

"I can't stop thinking that...maybe my dad hired another Serpent to plant that gun."

Time-Stamps; 10:56 - 12:29

"He called Joaquin? Why not Jughead?"

Time-Stamps; 23:01 - 23:21

"Joaquin, FP has done jobs for my dad, Hiram Lodge, in the past."

Time-Stamps; 24:49 - 25:30

"Okay, Veronica, this has to stop."

Time-Stamps; 27:13 - 28:04

"Veronica says she's guilty of plenty, but not murder."

Time-Stamps; 31:09 - 31:26

"He allegedly committed suicide by overdose, and there was a bag of money on-site that links him to Hiram Lodge."

Time-Stamps; 32:56 - 33:17

"Which probably means that your dad pulled the trigger, Jughead. I'm sorry."

Time-Stamps; 34:32 - 34:55

1x13

"But for Jughead, and for Betty and Veronica, Dad, it's not over."

Time-Stamps; 2:48 - 3:06

"When we were at Southside High...you were looking at Betty and Jughead...I don't know, wistfully."

Time-Stamps; 28:27 - 29:06

#jeronica #riverdale #jeronicascene-finder #vughead #jeronica scenefinder

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lovelucybradford · 3 years

Text

I Pretend You’re Mine (5)

A/N: Back with the promised continuation chapter!

Not sure if you’re interested, but when I was writing, in my head I pictured:

Betty White as Grandma Rose

Richard Madden as Levi

Peter Gallagher as Jason Martin

Scott Eastwood as Drew

Masterlist

Tags: @empath-bunny

@ityagirljay

@wolfarrowepz

@supernatural-crazed-girl

Five: You Were Romeo (I Was a Scarlet Letter)

Day 1: Thursday, June 13th

7:00 pm- Welcome Cocktails in the Stardust Lounge, Deck 6

“Champagne, miss?” The formally dressed waiter offered a flute of sparkling wine, a raspberry garnish floating in the glass. Rosalie took it from his hands with no hesitation, sending the attendant a silent smile of thanks. She put the glass to her lips, then paused and looked up at Derek.

“Will people judge me if I chug this whole thing right now?” she voiced, loving the amused smile that lit up her partner’s face at the innocent question.

“I thought we didn’t care anymore what people thought of us,” Derek reminded her, though she knew that when he was referring to ‘we’, he really meant her. Derek never was one to care what people thought of him.

Rosalie weighed her options, then decided that her family judged her anyways so why not have a good time?

In order to get through this hellish night, she’d have to be tipsy. Best start now.

Without a word of affirmation, she forewent her instilled manners and chugged the glass down in one long sip. Rosalie wasn’t normally a fan of champagne, unless it was Dom Perignon, which she realized made her sound like a total snob. It was the one thing that she’d inherited from her father, her expensive taste in food and drink. It seemed by the familiar, rich, and delicious taste of the bubbly that the cruise ship staff had only provided the very best for their VIP guests.

Rosalie searched for a place to set her glass, finding a nearby unoccupied table and gently depositing it there. She, quite literally, couldn’t afford to even chip one of the crystal goblets. She stumbled back to Derek, who was waiting for her with an open arm.

“You ready for this?” he whispered in her ear, his breath hot on her neck. It caused unvoluntary goosebumps to crawl up her arms, which she prayed he didn’t notice.

Was she ready?

A part of her never would be. She’d purposely left this part of her life behind, knowing all too well how toxic it was for her mental health. But Rosalie knew if she backed out now, then the family would know that they finally got to her. They would think that she was still strung up and heartbroken about Drew, or jealous of her stepsister for getting the diamond that was meant for Rosalie.

And sure, she had been… once upon a time.

Moving back to Beacon Hills, reconnecting with normal people, people she loved more than her own blood relatives… it had put everything into perspective for her again.

Rosalie could once again be herself, be that strong woman that Talia Hale had raised to be when Rosalie’s own mother had fallen short. The strong, kind, generous, goofy, compassionate, empathetic woman with a mind of her own and a head on her shoulders. Not the ice queen, the submissive and serious woman that her father had tried to warp her into.

And for that, Rose was forever thankful.

She was different now, but exactly the same. And this version of her, with her closest confidantes by her side, wouldn’t cower in a corner.

Rosalie held her head high, meeting Derek’s gaze with a confident look in her blue eyes.

“Yes,” she declared, feeling her confidence rise.

“Good.”

“Lead the way, Prince Charming.”

Derek snorted and shook his head at the nickname, but complied and escorted Rosalie further into the room. She searched for a friendly face among the crowd. Normally, she’d be able to find Lydia by her head of bright red hair, but nearly half of the people in the room had some shade of red hair.

Thankfully, Rosalie didn’t have to look all that hard, as Charlotte came bounding up to her aunt, screaming, “Auntie Rosie! Uncle Derek!”

And suddenly, as the child wrapped her arms around one of Derek’s legs and one of Rosalie’s, all of the attention in the room shifted to the couple.

“Is that Rosalie?” her cousin Noah commented to the man next to him.

“Who the hell is that with her? Because dayum, I’d like to tap that ass,” Noah’s twin, Nick, said back.

“That has to be her friend,” Uncle Alex said to his wife, his lips around a glass of Scotch.

“Not with the way he’s holding her. Besides, did you hear her niece call him Uncle? How she managed that is beyond me,” Aunt Sarah replied, looking Rose’s companion up and down with hungry eyes.

Rosalie ignored all the talk, even though it seemed as if the crowd wasn’t even attempting to be discreet in their conversations.

She reached down to pat Charlotte’s blonde head. “Hey, honey! I missed you!”

Derek ruffled Charlotte’s curls playfully, to which the little girl pretended to be angry with him. But Rosalie could see the smile that she was hiding as Charlotte clutched the adults’ legs even harder.

“All right, all right, Charlie. Let’s let Auntie Rosalie and Uncle Derek breathe, yeah?” Rosalie’s brother, Levi, broke through the crowd, detaching his daughter from the couple and telling her to go on and play with her cousins.

As soon as the little girl was out of sight, Levi enveloping his sister in a hug. Derek held out his hand for a friendly shake, but Levi pulled him into an embrace as well, the two men patting each other fondly on the back.

“I’m digging the beard,” Derek approved, gesturing to Levi’s newly grown beard while rubbing his own.

“What can I say? I was inspired by yours. Although I have to say, mine looks a little better. Y’know, because it’s still all one color,” Levi joked, comparing his solid red scruff to Derek’s salt-and-pepper look.

Rosalie elbowed Derek in the side teasingly. “Yeah, you old man!”

Derek raised one brow and stepped away from Rosalie, crossing his arms. “Oh sure, call me old man one more time.”

Rosalie beamed up at him, wagging her own brows. “What would you rather me call you? Sugar daddy?”

With one fell swoop, Derek was pressed against her, fingers tickling the small expanse of visible skin on her waist. Rose squealed with laughter, trying in vain to pull away from him and begging for mercy.

Levi cleared his throat loudly, causing the couple to separate. Rosalie’s cheeks burned red at the embarrassing scene that she had been a part of. Surely her brother would tease her about it.

Instead, Levi looked a bit pissed.

“So, I guess my daughter didn’t dream up your engagement, then. This,” Levi gestured to Rosalie and Derek, “is really happening?”

Derek shifted his weight on both feet. Rosalie bit her lip and looked to the floor guiltily. She loved her brother. She really did. But she knew that Levi had loose lips, and he’d surely have one too many and (unintentionally) let slip the whole ruse. That, and Rose couldn’t take the disappointment from him.

“It’s about fucking time,” Levi added, sounding a lot more jovial. Rosalie’s and Derek’s heads shot up instantly, shocked at his comment.

Levi slapped Derek on the shoulder. “Bro, I am so glad you didn’t listen to me.”

“What’s he talking about?” Rosalie interrogated Derek.

Derek scratched the back of his neck and turned his head towards the large window next to them. Before he could explain, Jess, Levi’s wife, snaked her arms around her husband’s waist, resting her chin on his shoulder. “Lee was telling me all about how he’d threatened Derek with his guns if he even put his hands on you.”

Rosalie’s jaw dropped. Derek stayed unusually silent. “You gave Der the boyfriend talk?! When was this, big brother?”

Levi raised both hands in surrender. “In my defense, Derek was a horny college kid back then, and I was only trying to protect my little sister. You know the, um, milestones that come with prom night.”

The tapping of a mic interrupted their conversation, which Rosalie was thankful for since she was at a loss for words.

She’d remembered that night in question, fondly. It was the night that she’d realized that she’d had feelings for Derek. Rosalie’s then-boyfriend, Ryan, had dumped her a week before prom for another, more sexy, more experienced, girl. Rosalie was heartbroken, and had sworn off prom, until Derek had shown up on her doorstep in a suit with a pink corsage and a sparkling silver tiara.

She’d laughed, of course, at the reference to the childhood nickname. Then, she’d excitedly rushed upstairs to ready herself, leaving Derek at the mercy of one Levi Martin. Levi Martin, who had, apparently, threatened to cut off Derek’s balls and feed them to the family dog if he had even touched his baby sister in an inappropriate way.

(Levi was always… poetic when it came to his threats.)

Rosalie had hoped, prayed, that as Derek had driven her home in his black Camaro, that he would kiss her, to put a fairytale ending on a perfect night. Sure, he’d kissed her when he dropped her off at her front door… on the cheek, like a brother, or a best friend, might.

Rosalie had dreamt about that night for years afterwards, of what it would be like if he had actually kissed her.

_______________

“I’m sorry, Grandma Rose. I have to go rescue my fiancé from your dear grandson.”

Rosalie stood from the table, feeling a rush in her head for a few seconds. She was definitely tipsier than she thought.

Once Rose got her bearings, she strutted, barefoot, to Derek, who looked highly uncomfortable. With every inch that Nick advanced on Derek, the man backed a considerable distance away.

“Has anyone ever told you that you have an amazing ass?” Rosalie heard Nick flirt from paces away. The way that Nick was looking at Derek, the way that he was blatantly hitting on the man when Nick knew that Derek was taken, it unsettled something in Rosalie. Her vision turned red as she approached the two from behind, wrapping an arm around Derek’s waist.

“Hi Nick. Sorry, this amazing ass is mine.” Rosalie didn’t know what she was saying, didn’t really think through what she was doing. All she knew was that she was grabbing Derek’s right butt cheek with her hand, smiling smugly as Nick’s eyes widened.

Derek waited until Rose’s cousin scurried away before stiffly asking, “Rosalie, why are you grabbing my ass?”

Rosalie let go of Derek immediately, feeling as if she’d spontaneously combust in mortification. “I am, so, so sorry. I just kind of… he was ogling you and it made me mad. Like you’re gorgeous but you’re more than just a pretty face and an incredible ass.” Rosalie’s eyes widened at her word vomit, and now she definitely wanted to throw herself from the nearest balcony and test her drunken theory that she was secretly a mermaid.

“I… I need a drink.”

Derek turned to face her, a hint of a forming chuckle on his lips. “I think you’ve had enough of those, babe.”

Rosalie wished that she could slink away. She wished that someone would hit her in the head, and she’d wake up with amnesia. Maybe she could change her name and move to Antarctica? Yeah, that would be good.

Derek rolled his eyes, grabbing his best friend by the elbow and latching her hand back onto his arm. “I’m not mad at you, Rosalie. Feel free to grab my ass anytime if it makes you feel better.”

Rosalie tried to scowl, but the frown was turning upward with every second. “I hate you so much.”

Derek escorted the two back to Rosalie’s table, where Grandma Rose looked completely unimpressed with the whole shindig. Before they sat, he pulled Rose close and whispered, “I’ll let you grab my ass as long as I can grab yours.”

At that, he pulled out Rosalie’s chair and plopped her down, taking the one next to her. Rose was speechless. Did that actually come out of his mouth? Wait, did he actually want to grab her behind? Yep. Those were his words. Exactly.

Rose’s cheeks flushed a healthy shade of pink. Derek laughed at her slowly coloring face, to which she smacked him on the thigh under the table. Before she could remove her hand, Derek grabbed it and held it between the two of them.

“I always knew the two of you would end up together.” Grandma Rose said wistfully, looking at the couple with soft eyes.

You and everyone else, apparently. Everyone but Derek, Rosalie thought sadly, and tried to shove the painful pang in her heart.

“You know how I knew, Rosalie?” Grandma Rose shakily reached for her flute of champagne, taking a long sip. “I knew it when this one, this big, strong, handsome man,” the old woman reached for Derek’s free hand and patted it kindly, “punched my idiot son in the face at that party, after you got your master’s degree.”

Rosalie snickered at the memory. Jason and Derek had never gotten along. Jason thought Derek was ‘some jock who was too concerned with an unlikely career in basketball instead of his studies’. Derek thought Jason was a ‘pompous, cheating, scumbag, son of a bitch’. (Both quotes were their words exactly)

All of the building tension exploded when Jason had chosen to make a below-the-belt comparison between Rose and Ashleigh’s accomplishments. As if they weren’t celebrating Rosalie graduating from Columbia University, an ivy league, with a master’s degree, with the highest honors.

Derek had broken Jason’s nose. Jason had gotten a restraining order (his favorite defense tactic; it expired last year).

“I’m so sorry,” Derek told Rosalie’s grandmother, though he didn’t sound the least bit remorseful.

“Oh, sweetheart. It wasn’t like every sane person at that party wasn’t thinking the same thing. You were the only one brave enough to do it. Rose’s knight in shining armor.”

Derek’s face flushed red, a rare sight for a man with so much confidence.

“Rosalie, dear. I do have to warn you, Drew and Ashleigh are here.”

Rosalie sighed. She knew that they would be here. The pair had done a very good job at avoiding them; Rose wondered when they’d finally make it around her and Derek’s way. If Rose were lucky, maybe they’d just avoid her the whole trip. Only in her dreams…

“I know, Grandma. I—have you seen them yet?”

“Yes, I had the misfortune of running into both of them while yelling at your father for dragging his ninety-two-year-old mother on an extravagant trip. Do you know how long the plane flight was? Anyways, Drew called me ‘grandma’. You know what I told him, loves?”

Derek and Rosalie looked to each other, both knowing that it was probably something rude. Grandma Rose was Rosalie’s favorite relative, outside of her brother and Lydia. She was the most real of all of them. She spoke her mind and wasn’t afraid to let anyone know how she felt.

“I told him to go fuck himself.”

Derek choked on his glass of white wine. Rosalie smacked him on the back a few times, unable to hold in her shaking laughter.

“Yes, I told dear old Drew to go fuck himself. The only man that’s allowed to call me that is Derek. He doesn’t have his head up his ass. He sees how beautiful, wonderful, and deserving of love my real granddaughter is.”

All jokes aside, Grandma Rose’s words warmed Rosalie’s heart. At least one of the extended family members didn’t think she was a disgrace.

“Well, kids. Would you look at that? The pompous son of a bitch wants to go blab about himself. Someone should go tell him to shut up.”

Rosalie looked to the small stage at the front of the lounge. Sure enough, there was her father, Jason, dressed to the nines in a likely customized Hugo Boss suit, a pink Hibiscus sticking out of his breast pocket. Jason looked around at the crowd, clearing his throat to get the attention of his guests.

“Welcome, everyone! I’m so glad that you’re here and could join me on this fantastic excursion…”

Jason continued his schpeal and Rosalie tuned him out. He was likely talking about how great he was for paying for everyone’s accommodations, or how lucky they were to be spending time with him on this 1K-a-night cruise. Rosalie had heard it all before, multiple times, and she was sick of it, frankly.

What was it about rich people’s money that made them think that they were gods and should be treated as such?

Derek squeezed Rosalie’s hand hard, his nails digging into the back of her hand.

She looked to him in explanation, but he only nodded his head towards the stage.

Where Drew was shepherding Ashleigh up the steps, his hand resting on her backside.

“Yes, as I said, we have two exciting announcements that Evelyn and I could not wait to share with you tonight.”

Jason looked fondly towards Ashleigh and Drew, who were now hobbling towards him. There were resounding gasps and excited squeals, but Rosalie could only focus on Drew.

Drew was still as handsome as the day that she had first met him. His blue eyes sparkled with confidence and charm. He’d grown a beard since Rosalie had seen him last, wafts of brown hair covering his strong jaw. He stood behind Ashleigh, his hands moving to rest on her stomach, and that’s when time stood still.

Because, under Drew’s lithe fingers, was a protruding bump. Rosalie, despite herself, couldn’t help the gasp that formed around her lips, nor the shaking of her hands.

Drew, when he was with her, had told Rosalie that he didn’t want kids. He’d had daddy issues too and didn’t want his offspring to grow up with a messed-up dad. Even though Rosalie desperately wanted a family, she was so in love with Drew that she’d put those dreams aside, for him.

Now, Drew stood proudly cradling his pregnant fiancée’s stomach as he spoke sweet nothings into her ear, looking thrilled to become a dad.

Derek squeezed Rosalie’s hand tightly, then removed it to wrap around her shoulders instead, nestling her into him. Derek’s lips brushed the top of Rose’s head, then her forehead.

“Fuck, Rosie. I’m so sorry. I… he didn’t deserve you. You’re better off without him. Do you want to go?” Derek whispered huskily in Rosalie’s ear, breaths coming out shallowly.

Rosalie didn’t need to feel the tenseness of his arm around her to know that he was pissed. She could tell just by the tone of his voice that he wanted to kill Drew.

Rosalie turned her head so that now her lips would be close to his ear. “I… I should have known. I—No, we need to stay. If I leave now, then Ashleigh and Evelyn will know that they’ve won, and I can’t let that happen.”

Rosalie rested her head on Derek’s shoulder, finding comfort in his embrace.

Someone kicked her leg under the table. Rosalie raised her head to look at Derek questioningly. His expression matched her own.

“Rosalie? Dear, are you here?” Jason called from the stage, his snake-like grey eyes checking the crowd for his daughter.

“She’s here, you pompous prick!” Grandma Rose yelled to her son, shoving Rosalie gently with a hand to her back. From a distance, Rosalie heard Stiles guffaw. She imagined that Lydia smacked him in the head while trying to control her own laughter.

Jason scowled, but ignored his mother, watching with a forced smile as his daughter and her ‘fiancé’ ascended the stairs. Derek had a tight hold around Rosalie, who had forgone her shoes in the shock of the moment. She leaned on him, both physically and metaphorically, for strength.

“Some more good news for my daughters. Somehow, someone managed to put a ring on my dear little Rosalie. Yes, it shocked us, too. Good on you, Derek!” Jason looked to Rosalie’s bare feet. “And it seems he doesn’t mind her habit for walking around barefoot. Welcome to the family, Derek Hale!”

Most of the crowd laughed, Evelyn and Ashleigh’s shrill merriment sticking out the most. Derek held Rosalie tighter. She bit the inside of her lip in an attempt to stay strong.

From Jason’s other side, Drew asked, “Wait. Isn’t that the guy who broke your nose?”

Derek rested his forehead on the side of Rose’s head, huffing into her ear “Yes. That was me. And if you don’t shut up, I’ll break your nose, too, you douche”.

That made her chuckle, and with his arms securely around her, Rose knew that she’d be alright as long as Derek was by her side.

#teen wolf #derek hale #derek hale fic #derek hale fanfiction #derek hale x oc #tyler hoechlin #derek hale au #derek hale fluff

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100talberts · 3 years

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(3rd person update)

At 5am, Julie wakes Glenn up. She knows he has to help her with laundry and wants to take full advantage of that.

Christina doesn’t buy anything except groceries, so Kayla goes straight to Jeb to beg for new toys. He tells her that begging is unladylike and he’ll have to talk to Christina about her greedy attitude. He won’t, but only because he got distracted ranting to Christina about how Bo Jiden is ruining Simerica.

Irene has never liked cooking. It was assigned to her so she has to bear it, but being in that kitchen felt horrible. She’s been praying to God to help ease her discomfort, and she’s convinced that’s the reason why it all became clear today. Not because she’s older or anything, it was definitely God. Anyways, Irene thinks the kitchen is bland and ugly as fuck. Her Snob heart weeps at the very sight of it! She decides to talk to Christina about some interior decorating.

Meanwhile, Betty’s already talking to Christina.

“Mother, please! Oliver screams, he kicks, and he calls me names! Just today, on my wedding day, can’t you potty train him? Please?”

Christina chuckles condescendingly. “Oh Betty, that’s just how little boys are! That’s why it’s our duty as Godly adults to teach the littles how He wants them to be, so that they can be free of the influence Satan grips them with at birth!! Be proud that you get to save a soul from the evils of wrath!!”

“He pissed on me!” Betty cries.

“So did the triplets, but I don’t see you begrudging them!! Betty, you’re about to become a mama yourself in less than a year! Difficult children are part of God’s plan for your life, and that won’t change just because it’s your wedding day! You need to know these lessons now, so that you’re prepared when your first child is born! Now, go to Jesus and pray that He gives you the grace needed to understand what I’m trying so hard to teach you!! Quickly, we don’t have much time left!!”

As Betty heads towards the Bible Room, she sees Mary by the stairs.

Mary leans in. “I’ll take care of Oliver,” she whispers.

Betty smiles. “Thank you,” she whispers back.

#100talberts #100talberts julie #100talberts glenn #100talberts jebidiah #100talberts kayla #100talberts irene #100talberts betty #100talberts christina #100talberts oliver #100talberts mary

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mattzerella-sticks · 3 years

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Desperation, Baby! (coda to 15x19 “Inherit the Earth”, Dean & Lucifer, Dean/Cas, 2.3k, T)

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Death took her sweet time parsing through Chuck's book, meaning Lucifer spent longer than he'd like surrounded by his former vessel, his brother, his son, and a man whose obvious longing made him want to vomit. Instead of returning with his prize, Chuck welcoming him back, he must waste his valuable time playing 'nice; with those he can't stand.

Not that it matters. They don't trust him, each member of this ragtag group of survivors watching Lucifer in shifts. Never leaving him alone.

It's Dean's turn now, and he's driving Lucifer up a wall by doing nothing at all save for broadcasting a never-ending supply of feeling. Can he cut the signal without showing his hand, or put Dean's heart to good use?

It’s pathetic, truly. Lucifer huffs, deflating, sinking further into his seat. Weighed down by obscene amounts of longing that poured freely off Dean like a broken hydrant. Funneled into his awareness because its usual drain was cordoned forever. It flooded these now silent angelic air waves, Lucifer growing more annoyed with each, excruciating second. Until, finally, “Holy hell, can you please quit it?”

Dean startles from where he stood, jaw tensing. Mouth flattening in a thin line as he glares, “What?”

“Quit. It. Quitit!” He hisses, leaning forward. Stretches his arms across the table, reaching for Dean. Fingers twitching, Lucifer imagines Dean’s neck between them. “Seriously, you’re giving me a migraine with all your feelings.”

“Good.” Dean surprises Lucifer with his response. No attempted denial, nor misdirection. His gaze unflinchingly pierced through Lucifer’s vessel, pride bolstering its blow. Lucifer cannot detect any shame that usually clings to his soul, none of that smell lingering. He’s grown since they’ve last seen each other. Stunning character development. “Deserve it, after that dick move you pulled earlier.”

“You still upset about that?” Scoffing, Lucifer rises. Meanders across the room towards Dean, gaze never straying. Easy since it’s only them. “I thought my gift would have more than made up for that.” He grins, rocking on his heels. A breadth of space separates them now. “How else was I supposed to get in, anyway?” he continues, “Not like if I called as myself you’d’ve rolled out the welcome mat.”

“But… Cas?” Lucifer savors the taste of his brother’s name, drenched in sadness. Ripped from Dean’s heart in a barely controlled sob.

“Nasty habit,” he giggles, “Though the results speak for themselves. I mean – you know how easy it was smooth-talking little Sammy when I looked like his ol’ flame, Jess?” Dean doesn’t laugh, snarled lip suffocating Lucifer’s airy mirth. “You’re no fun.”

“Sorry,” Dean growls, “why don’t you try later when the world’s not ending.”

“It’s always ending. In one way or another.” Lucifer waves his hand and a chair drags itself over. He straddles it, gazing up at Dean. “If we waited for peace to enjoy life, there’d be no time. Better to… say what’s in your heart, even if it kills you.” He frowns, mockingly, “Or in Castiel’s case… did kill him.”

Dean slams his fist against the wall. “You have no right –“

“Timeout there,” Lucifer smirks, eyes glowing red. Reflection of Dean’s entire face, blood rapidly swelling his cheeks. “Don’t want to do anything you’ll regret…” He holds Dean there, frozen, waits until the other man seems calm. Dips his head, tries catching Dean’s gaze. “If I let you go, will you behave?” Dean remains silent, yet Lucifer hears him. Tunes into his frequency, actively sifting through his frenzied emotions. “Seriously,” he lets Dean go, hunter falling on his ass, “how are we supposed to work as a team if you’re not willing to cooperate?”

“This… isn’t a team,” Dean spits, “you’re working… with the Empty.”

“And the Empty’s trying to take Chuck out!” he argues, “So, enemy of my enemy is my friend or all that nonsense –“

“Go to hell.”

“I wish I could, but I’m kinda on a short leash.” Bored with Dean’s resistance, Lucifer threads his next few words with seriousness. “Listen, once Betty’s done with the book I’ll flit on out of here and one, two, three – humanity is saved from dear, ol’ dad! We can make this all painless if you’d just trust me, or we can keep doing what we’re doing. I, personally, am tired of this bullshit. Rather be napping back in the Empty, but no…”

“You should be.”

“Beg pardon?”

Dean bares his teeth, roiling hatred knocking Lucifer back a few inches. “You should still be sleeping, back there,” he says, “if anyone were supposed to come back, it’d be Cas. Not… you…”

“Ah, Castiel, yes…” Lucifer sighs, “that would make sense, wouldn’t it? Of course, he lacks my raw power and charm, but… yes, you’d trust anything that he said.” Hand on his throat, he affects his vocal cords. Mimicking the other angel’s gravelly tone again, “Dean, please go along with Lucifer’s wishes and help him –“

“Enough!” Dean kicks at a chair leg, interrupting Lucifer. Tears threaten to pour, dangling from his lashes like morning dew. “If you really wanna play nice, you’d stop doing that.”

“This is nice, buddy.” Lucifer pokes at Dean’s leg with the toe of his boot. “Why don’t you grow some thick skin, huh? Where’s the real Dean Winchester? That tough guy with endless bravado instead of this sad, sorry piece of shit that’s pining after some dead guy?”

Dean turns, Adam’s apple bobbing. “That isn’t me. I… he never was.” An intimate confession whispered into ancient brickwork. Meaningful for a different crowd. Except Lucifer shows little care, sarcastic clapping shattering Dean’s moment.

“Wow, Dean… really fantastic. Amazing!” He climbs off the chair, crouching closer. Tongue dragged over his lips, smile wide. “Your verbose diction astounds me… did you whip that together after my brother got dragged into super hell? Are you still workshopping it – okay if I give you a few notes?” Lucifer pinches Dean’s cheek, poking this rabid grizzly. “At least you’ve got that face. Clearly Cas didn’t fall for your emotional maturity, your observational prowess or timing…”

He weakly bats Lucifer off him, “You don’t know anything…”

“I think I know quite a lot,” Lucifer challenges him, “Between the both of us, only I managed to slip inside my tight-ass little brother. Probably why I knew all his little… perversions, although it was clear as day how he felt about you to everyone – well… almost everyone.” His hand settles on Dean’s chest, atop his heart. “Do you know amazing it was, when I slipped my blade through him? You were a buffet that night… fear, relief, hope… despair. I could’ve ended him in that other dimension, but I waited until he crossed back. Knew how much more painful it’d be.”

“Monster,” Dean says, “Fucking psychopath.”

“The old me, maybe.” Lucifer teleports, sitting on a nearby table. Legs absentmindedly pedaling, stirring confusion within Dean. “But I’ve been reborn on the right side, Dean. Nobler. I’ve got purpose.”

“You’ve got a load of shit,” he accuses, standing on shaky legs, “that you’re trying to sell me. Us.”

“Come on!” Lucifer groans, hands flying skyward, “Isn’t this supposed to be your eleventh hour? How can you be so stubborn? Here I come, with a Hail Mary, and you’re turning your nose up at me like some snob. Like you have better options waiting. All because you won’t work with the Empty –“

“It’s not just that,” Dean corrects him, “I also don’t want to work with you.”

He crosses his arms, pouting. “You’re gonna have to suck that up. So the Empty wouldn’t send your boytoy, do you blame them? For a broken, little thing he sure is popular. Who’s to say Cas’d come back once this all wraps up? At least the Empty trusts me.”

“I guess something has to.”

“You can, too, if you want.” Lucifer casts his reel wide, waiting. Eyebrows waggling like baited worms. “It’d be a hell lot easier than what you’re doing now. Come on…” he needles, “why is it so hard to believe in miracles?”

“Please…” Dean says, hiding his face behind his knees. Arms circled around his legs, curled into a ball. “Stop talking.”

He relents for the time being. Proud of what cracks in Dean’s armor he made. When Chuck sent him, he asked Lucifer to ruffle a few feathers. Mess with their heads, ensure this ragtag group of losers would stay down. Accept their fate, end this miserable experiment called humanity in sadness. “Don’t provoke them too much, though,” Chuck warned, fists curled along his jacket’s lapels, “Betrayals only work when the other side doesn’t expect them. Plot’s stretched thin as it is, bringing you back doesn’t really make sense –“

“I love you too, dad.”

“That’s why you need to lay it on thick,” he said, “steer them away from why, keep the action moving.”

Lucifer stared down at his father, frowning. “Anything else you need?”

“No,” Chuck clapped Lucifer’s shoulder, nodding. “Just be yourself.”

Except none of them wanted him. Especially Dean. He wanted… Castiel.

It’s a little off-script, but Lucifer bets Chuck will enjoy what he plans. Even if it’ll involve his least favorite character. Lucifer hops off the table, grace burning across his body. Razing this vessel’s form, stealing its characteristics and distinguishability. A tall mound of clay left that he molds into a new body. Darker hair, sturdier frame, and bluer eyes. “Dean,” he says, swallowing his laughter. “Dean…” He tries again, sounding exactly like him.

Like Castiel.

Dean tenses, “Cas?” Barely audible, Lucifer strained to hear his prayer. That hope, sweetness quickly bittering as Dean digests the scene. “No…” he sighs, mumbling into his legs. “Lucifer, thought I told you to quit it.”

“Lucifer is gone, Dean,” he lies, kneeling. “I’m here… please, Dean, look at me.” Lucifer grabs at Dean’s head, thankful the other man lets him. Green finds masked-blue, their ‘reunion’ drawing a pained breath.

“What?” Dean asks, a single tear slipping free. Trails along his cheek until it falls off his chin. “How – how is this happening?”

“Because of you, Dean.” Lucifer’s hands shift, a thumb smearing that tearstain while he runs fingers through Dean’s hair. “You refused Lucifer’s help, even though what he said was true. The Empty saw and decided, if we were to truly end Chuck, the risk of sending me will be worth it.” Expression darkening, Lucifer leans into dramatics. Lips quivering as he recites his next line, “Though not without conditions, Dean – I… you know I can’t stay, right?”

“You will,” he says, “Cas – we will… if this book really can end Chuck, and we take him out, what can the Empty do –“

“Take you,” Lucifer cuts him off. “Take you… Sam, and Jack. I step even an inch out of line and we all get sucked into their being, with no hope of actually defeating my father.” He nearly breaks character, watching how the light in Dean’s eyes flickered before being snuffed. Lucifer regains composure, growling his next words. “You understand this, then? What it means?”

Dean nods, snaking his hands across Lucifer’s wrists. “Means we don’t have long,” he barks, squeezing tight. “I have to set it right, right now.”

“Dean –“

“No, Cas,” Dean talks over him, guiding Lucifer’s hands off where they rested. Silences the disguised archangel by chaining him, making Lucifer a helpless victim. Awe real as he waits for Dean, cowed by longing powerful than his earlier annoyance. “I… I need to get through this because – well, the last time you didn’t let me get a word in edgewise and I, there was a lot left unsaid that I don’t want to stay that way. If we can’t have a future, then at least… at least we have here.” He laughs, choking on it. More tears dance their way down.

“When you told me you loved me, I couldn’t believe it,” Dean confesses, “and then, when you told me why I – I was… I believed that less. I mean, you… you’ve listened to your heart more than I have. Even if a few of those times it was wrong, everything you did was for love. Knowing you was – that was my happiness. Having you, in whatever way you’d let me. Because there you were, this shining beacon, and for some reason you kept on letting me bask in your glow. I felt I… I didn’t deserve it. That I didn’t deserve you.”

Dean brings Lucifer’s knuckles to his lips, pressing a light kiss along a patch of skin. The gesture disgusts him. “And you were right about how – I thought of myself so… so poorly, it kept me from saying and – and doing things I wish I’d done sooner. All my life I thought there were things I couldn’t have, rules I had to live by, and I never questioned them until you saved me from hell. Literal and figurative. Because of you, I wanted to be a better person. I wanted to be good. But I never believed I could. Then you tell me you loved me… because I was good. I already was the kind of person I thought seemed impossible. I couldn’t believe it. What’s stranger… I didn’t have to believe it, to know it’s true.” Dean smiles at him, Lucifer mirroring his gesture though it pained him. “I’m the person I always wished I could be, and even when you’re gone I’ll still be that person. I’ll miss you, Cas. Always. I’ll miss you, and I’ll love you. I’ll love you always.”

It happens before Lucifer realizes. Distracted, nauseated by Dean’s powerful emotions, he missed how a hand snuck its way towards his neck. Pinched there, startling him. In that second, Dean forces Lucifer into an embrace. Lips crashing together, Lucifer stays frozen while Dean attacks his mouth. Mewling, whimpering.

Disgusting.

He pulls the curtains back, reverting to his previous form. Delights in how Dean senses the change, peeking with one eye as Castiel’s face vanishes. The other man violently hurls himself to the side, gaping at him. “Why Dean,” Lucifer grins, awkwardness heavy in his tone, “if I had known that’s how you felt about me…”

Dean sobs, wiping at his lips. “How… what the –“

“You really thought I was Cas, didn’t you?” Laughing, Lucifer towers over him. “I figured you’d catch on but… I underestimated you. And for that I’m sorry.” He devours these new emotions radiating from Dean, eagerly lapping them up. “I’m also sorry that you’ve convinced you deserve a happy ending,” he twists the knife further. Dean flinches, turning. Fleeing. Lucifer shouts at his retreating figure. “That’s not your story, Dean! Don’t ask for more, be happy with what you have!”

Then, as he waits for his next babysitter, Lucifer’s eyes glow red. “Because soon enough… you won’t even have that.”

#supernatural #spn #spn15 #15x19 #15x19 coda #15x19 inherit the earth #dean winchester #lucifer #castiel #destiel #deancas #destiel fanfic #supernatural fanfic #deancas fanfic #spn fanfic

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