Are Riverdale Writers Trying to Ruin the Show?

Spoiler alert:  If you haven't seen this year's musical episode yet, don't read this. 

Riverdale's yearly musical episode was great! The Archies finally got a debut on Riverdale. I was so happy. It was cool but one of the sub-plots bothered me. During a song, Betty made out with Archie, cheating on Jughead. What the hell Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa?! In the comics, she was sort of a little goody-two-shoes. She even felt bad for just cheating in a school contest in one comic. Even though Betty has a darker side in the show, which I love 😉, she's still that sweet, good girl. Now, she's cheating on Juggy? 

Also, in the comics, Jughead didn't date at all, while Betty, Veronica, and Archie were in a love triangle. When the Riverdale writers decided to make Jug and Betty a couple back in season 1 though, I loved it because he has always been there for her in the comics when Archie was "dating" Veronica. It made perfect sense to me.

Now, Betty and Archie are betraying Jug and Veronica in the show without a thought? I don't know where the writers are going with this plot. I get trying to add more aspects of the comics into the show, which I'm totally down for, but making Betty cheat so the show might have that classic love triangle just seems lazy and trashy. I might be somewhat bias because Jughead is my favorite character from the comics but he deserves better than people stabbing him in the back without him knowing. They're all supposed to be best friends!

I have theories and hopes about what will happen next. Maybe Jug is in a coma from the hit to the head that he got from an attack in the episode, "Chapter Seventy: The Ides of March" and he's in a nightmare, where "dark Betty" has totally taken over.  

Everything that happened after that episode has been just a bad dream, including Betty and Archie cheating. I hope that writers will fix this with a dream-sequence. I'll be absolutely content with a cheesy season finale, as long as Jughead is okay.  

Smooches and think Tink! 

Alice, Locked Out (a metaphorical Alice and Peter Pan fan-fic)

Alice, Locked Out  

Alice is now twelve but still indulges in wild adventures in Wonderland. The Queen of Hearts is now long gone but there are still daring quests to go on. One day in London, England, her mother tells her to stay inside but she sneaks outside. Walking deep into the forest, she's thinking how much she despises her world right now; a reality that is filled with fear, cynical thoughts, illness, and death. She wants to go back to Wonderland, where everything is nonsense but nothing is impossible. She finally arrives at the notorious rabbit hole. With her toes pointed straight and arms stretched out to her sides, her body resembling a cross, she falls backward into the hole. She slowly descends into the hole, time seeming to lag. She lands upside down on her head as before and she rolls onto her feet. 

There is a long passageway and at the end, there is a miniature, wooden door with a golden, talking doorknob behind a red curtain, as always. When she pulls away the curtain, she notices that things have changed.

Without a friendly greeting, the doorknob says indifferently: “Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction.” 

A glass table appears behind her like before but instead of a bottle of potion to drink or a box of cookies to eat, there is a bottle of bulky pills with a label that reads: Swallow Me on the table. Not thinking, she twists the bottle open and pops a pill into her mouth. The pill has an extremely bitter taste and she almost vomits but she chokes the pill down. Instead of growing or shrinking, nothing happens. 

Alice asks with slight frustration: "Why isn't anything happening?" 

The doorknob simply says: "You're not allowed." 

"What, why?" 

Then, the Cheshire Cat's face and ears come through the door like a transparent ghost and he says with a wide, mocking grin: "You're not welcome here now Alice. We are mad here but not idiotic. Did you actually think that we would want a person like you near us now?"   

Before she can reply, the Cheshire Cat goes back behind the door. Alice is now confused and becoming very annoyed. 

"What are you talking about," she asks crossly, "A person like me?" 

"Hello Alice," the White Queen says softly behind the door.  

"Hello, Your Majesty," replies Alice respectfully, "may you please send the key? The doorknob and Cheshire Cat are being foolish."     

"I'm terribly sorry," says the White Queen sorrowfully, "I can not allow you to come back, dear Alice." 

"Why not?" Alice has a big lump in her throat. Just the thought of never entering Wonderland again is devastating to her but she tries to ignore this feeling at first and remains calm. 

"Because you're from an infected world," explains the Queen. 

"What?" 

The Queen then asks: "Hasn't your world been plagued by fear recently?" 

"Yes, but---" 

"Pessimistic thoughts? 

"Unfortunately." 

"Unknown diseases...death?" 

"You don't  know how horrible it is, Your Majesty," exclaims Alice, anger and desperation suddenly taking over, "It's everywhere b-b-but that's why I want to come to Wonderland...to escape from it all!"  

In England, there are so many people sick and dying all around her, which would be heartbreaking and traumatic for anyone. People are so panic-stricken that they barely go out. Also, it seems like reports of illness and deaths are constantly upon everyone's lips and they're just hoping that they aren't next. Alice feels terrified, helpless, and alone. She can't take it anymore. Wonderland is the only place where she can feel bold but yet safe. The nonsensical land has been her secondary home, her odd escape over the years. The White Queen just has to let her in! 

"You're contagious," the Queen tells her, "and I do not want my subjects to affected." 

"But I'm not sick!" 

"I'm sorry Alice. Please go home." 

Anger and desperation quickly turns into total mania. Alice begins to violently twist, twist, and twist at the doorknob. The doorknob is screaming in utter pain and bleeding, his blood being black, powdered graphite. She keeps twisting, kicking, and pulling at the door, as her hands get bruised and stained with the door knob's blood. Some disembodied voices behind the door then join in the screaming and begin ridiculing her, being so loud that her ears begin to ring. She falls onto her knees, sobbing and covering her ears. 

The screams stop abruptly. In a strange attempt to calming things down, a cup of hot tea appears on the glass table and behind the door, the Mad Hatter says with an insane giggle: "Now my dear, let's settle down. Have a nice cup of tea before you go!" 
Alice slowly stands back up, still crying. With a fury that she has never felt before, she throws the cup of tea at the door, smashing the cup into pieces and slightly scorching the door. She tearfully yells: "I DON'T WANT ANY OF YOUR STUPID TEA!"

She's about to twist at the doorknob again, when something or someone snatches her from behind, her feet leaving the ground. Being overwhelmed by emotion and seeing herself in the air, she suddenly gets a tickling sensation in her stomach and becomes tremendously dizzy. Her eyes roll back into her head and she faints. 

Waking up moments later to a ball of yellow light in her eyes, she thinks at first that this is the White Queen's doing but she then realizes that she's being held by a young boy and they've somehow flown out of the rabbit hole; now they're flying over the forest to her absolute shock.  

The boy has unkept, fiery-red hair and twinkling, brown eyes with a mischievous, beautiful grin. He's also barefoot and wears clothes made of autumn leaves and cobwebs. He's gliding in the air, among the clouds, holding her tightly with one arm and stretching out his other arm.  

Not knowing what's going on, Alice jerks around and fearfully exclaims: "Are you kidnapping me?!" 

The boy laughs and says: "Why would I wanna kidnap a girl? I'm rescuing you from the grownups. I heard you those grownups in that hole bossing you around. They're no fun! I thought that you'll like to go to a place where you could just be a kid." 

"That would be nice," she smiles, "My name is Alice. What's yours?"

"Peter Pan," the boy grins proudly.  

Even though she doesn't see wings on him, she asks: "Are you a fairy person?" 

"No," Peter replies, a little vexed, "I'm a boy but she's a fairy!" 

He points with his free hand at the ball of yellow light that Alice saw earlier and she can now see that it isn't just a light at all. It's a tiny, winged, gorgeous woman with blonde hair, wearing a dress made of green leaves. She also glows, as she flutters about. When she gets closer to Alice's face, she scowls at her. 

"Um, it's nice to meet you, Miss," says Alice, being unsure as to why the fairy is so angry. 

The fairy just ignores her and furiously flies ahead.

"Her name is Tinkerbell," says Peter with a giggle, "Don't mind her, she gets jealous of girls. I don't know why."  

Alice then asks: "But how can you fly?" 

"I think happy thoughts," exclaims Peter happily, "and they lift me into the air! I have faith, trust, and pixie dust too. I'll show you how to fly in Neverland."

"Neverland?" 

"Yes Alice, it's an island where you can always be a kid and have fun."

Alice's thoughts start to race. This sounds very tempting to her. Things at home have been difficult to deal with and she has been missing days when she didn't hear or experience terrible things daily; when she could wander Wonderland aimlessly and forget. She just wants to have fun again but can she leave her family and friends behind forever?

"Neverland is the second star to the right," Peter continues, pointing north, "and straight on til' morning." 

Still thinking, Alice asks: "Can kids leave Neverland at any time?" 

"Yes...but you once grow up, you can't come back." 

"Like being locked out of Wonderland," sighs Alice sadly.  

For the first time, Peter can recognize someone else's feelings. He can sense Alice's depression and uncertainty. He gives her a bear hug and tenderly whispers into her ear: “Forget them, Alice. Forget them all. Come with me where you'll never, never have to worry about grown-up things again." 

With his words, Alice is filled with hope and decides to go Neverland, not ever looking back. She learns how to fly and sword fight, becoming the only and the most fearless lost girl among the lost boys. When Wendy Darling becomes their "mother", Alice and her become fast friends but she tries to talk Alice into leaving Neverland, Alice automatically says no. Some of the lost boys eventually agree to go back to London with Wendy to grow up but Alice thinks that it's a betrayal to Peter. She has forgotten about England, Wonderland, and all of the negativity that used to haunt her. Alice is completely happy and carefree, forever adventuring with Peter Pan.   

(c)Lena Holdman, all rights reserved 2020 

Disclaimer: The "Alice in Wonderland" characters were originally created by Lewis Carrol and the "Peter Pan" characters were originally created by  J.M. Barrie. 

Music and videos from: Paramore, Anson Seabra, and Ruth B. 
Art from: DeviantArt and Goodreads 

Author Notes: I had something on my mind and this story formed. I used metaphors to vent. Writing is cheaper than therapy, lol! Btw, I'll work on Disney Other World: Part 2 next. This story just took over when quarantine started. I hope that you enjoyed this weird fan-fiction. 

Smooches and think Tink! 

Alien Virus (my art)

Fiction: Extraterrestrials are really behind COVID-19 and a dream protector tries to defeat it. 👽

This "comic strip" was just for fun and to relief some stress. It'll be week 4 at home and the cabin fever is real, lol. Plus, the news is becoming a source of nightmare fuel so I just needed to blow off some steam. Creativity can be therapy.   

Smooches and think Tink!🧚🏻‍♀️💋