Scribe of the Tribe

These words, from this post I wrote after 2.01, are coming back to haunt me today.

Jughead is smart and ethical, but his desire to belong is his core drive. You see it flash across his face. You see that while ultimately he’ll do what’s right, the temptation to belong somewhere, to be protected and taken care of when he’s had to fend for himself throughout the show’s timeline, will gnaw at him, pull at him, and potentially cause him trouble and heartbreak.

It killed me to watch Jughead embrace his Serpent identity today, mostly because I think one of the things that Season 2 has actually done well (and believe me, there’s not much) is to resist romanticising bikie gang life. It involves horrendous beat-ups. It dabbles in the illegal. It forces misogynistic traditions on women.

So for Jughead to embrace all of that despite his dad’s express wishes kills me. As much as I screamed when he shrugged that leather jacket off (because it was hot and I am but a red-blooded woman, okay), he was on his way to forcibly mutilating a woman. I don’t care that Penny Peabody is a super-shady bitch; you don’t do that shit. And you don’t stand up to your dad afterwards and say that you’re proud of who you are.

But this is the thing: we know that Jughead is emotionally compromised. He’s not okay. He’s living minute by minute. He’s floundering without Betty as his ballast (they both are). Why? Because as much as he championed his loner weirdo status in Season 1, Jughead craves to belong. And that craving, that desire, is playing out in an environment that is corrupt and devoid of positive influence. What else did we expect?

I think when it came down to it, he wanted to fix his mistake. He kept asking his dad for a chance to make up for what he did.

“You’ve broke my heart, Jug.” Paraphrasing.

He probably couldn’t live with it.

He decided to take matters into his own hands, and he said Penny needed to “learn.”

Bikers have been known to have tattoos cut or burned off of them when no longer part of the club.

Jughead is sculpting his identity as a “biker” which often tends to give them bad names.

But I think Jughead did it because he didn’t think she followed any of the six laws.

I am really liking this storyline. Real life is often more brutal than some shows betray. It took a very “too real” turn.

It was bold writing, and I think Jughead is becoming somewhat desensitized. His dad in prison, people being shot, the Jason Blossom story, his dads entire involvement, then the Betty/Archie/Jughead break up, the Serpents, the Ghoulies, the Black Hood…

I think Jughead is slipping. His dad said:

“He’s scrappy. A survivor. He’ll make it. He needs his friends. He’ll try to pull away. Try to disappear into himself.

He’s got some darkness in him.”

I think now we know it’s true.

Betty’s hands gripped the lapels of his jacket as they rolled off the couch and onto the floor, too lost in their kiss to even realize that they were too close to the edge. She grinned when she ended up straddling him, her grip on his jacket tightening as she pinned him to the carpet. 

“I think I like this position even better.” She rasped, her lips overing teasingly over his, though not quite touching.

"Damn, Betty." He smiles. His hands pull his jeans open and he slides his clothes down.

He goes beside the bed to grab some protection and puts it on.

SCARLET = You have influenced my decision/thoughts on something.

MAROON = You taught me something new. 

CINNAMON = You’re a really cool person and admire you from afar. 

PERIWINKLE = You make me laugh

MAUVE = You are really talented

CYAN = We have very little in common

THISTLE = I only just started following you

INDIGO = I’ve been following you for a long time

FUCHSIA = Your blog content is gold

COPPER = Your blog content is trash (and I love it)

VERMILION = You make me feel passionate

HONEYDEW = I want to call you by a nickname

LAVENDER = You inspire me

CORAL = You’re a meme

UMBER = I want to know more about you

FORGET-ME-NOT = You remind me of somebody

RAZZMATAZZ = I would share my favorite food with you

ARSENIC = I don’t know how to describe the way I feel about you

WINE = You make me feel kinda funny, like when we used to climb the rope in gym class

SAFFRON = I love your ideas

TIMBERWOLF = I trust you

FALLOW = I want to run through the Northern wilderness barefoot with you

PLUM = I’d like to chat with you

TANGERINE = I love your aesthetic

SAGE = You make me cry

CRIMSON = We should collaborate on something!

VIRIDIAN = I wanna hang out on your blog

CHARTREUSE = You’re my homie

Asks are still open too if you guys want. 😊

secret / adultery / cheating starters | accepting | @juggyjoneswuzhere