APRIL CATCH-ALL; Mostly the view is beautiful

[burger_king]

WHO: Jughead Jones and YOU
WHERE: Mostly Maurtia Falls, but also other places
WHEN: Throughout April
WHAT: A lot of stuff, mostly mundane!
WARNINGS: Riverdale nonsense, teens being teens. See individual threads for individual warnings.

Prompts under the cut, hit me up at reveillez if you want me to write up a starter


01 - So in this room separated from the world

[ Annabeth hooking him up with a job at the library probably ranks as the third best thing to happen since he arrived. It's quiet, solitary work and between the shelving and cataloguing he has more time to work on his own projects than he knows what to do with. So what if he has to answer a question every now and then, or dig out some forgotten text book from storage if it means spending hours browsing the psychology section, digging out every book he can find on serial killers and then taking ample notes during whatever downtime he finds himself with. Research for a fun project, sure, but also a way to dull down the homesickness a touch — this is basically what he did back in Riverdale, only he didn't get a paycheck for it.

He can be found among the shelves, or at the check-out desk, engrossed in something gross. ]

02 - I'd sell you my own values for the sake of others

[ The last couple of years, Jughead probably spent more time in Pop's Chocklit Shoppe than anywhere else and although that particular diner is out of reach, everything else stays the same. He'll settle in at a booth after work with a cup of never-cooling coffee and his laptop, typing away until well into the night. This is when he does his best work, when everyone else has gone home to their normal lives with their normal problems. Maybe he doesn't have a school paper to write for or the half-written novel on Jason Blossom's murder, but there are other things. Other novels. Other stories. ]

03 - So hold this glass cos' it keeps cutting me

[ Some things never change but one thing has absolutely changed in the past couple of months - he never had powers back home. Practicing at the Meadows was a good idea in theory but an awkward plan in practice and so he's resorted to mostly empty parking lots around Maurtia Falls. He'll set out whenever he's got some spare time, lining up water bottles and taking notes on how many he can keep a certain color for how long, if he can switch it up, where his limits lie. Eventually he should move on to something bigger, perhaps, but for now bottles are fine. It's not like this power is good for much, anyway. Not saving the world any day soon.

Curious onlookers are welcome to join him or just ask what the heck he's up to out here on his own. ]

Comments

[burger_king]

[ He eases up a little - if Matthew really is this easy to read, then maybe he has nothing to worry about. ]

Two months, just about. Feels like a lot longer. [ He dares a smile. ] Are you settled in okay? It has to be an adjustment, even if you've been here before.

[dreamkid]

Yeah, it's... [ Hm. ] Everything's different from how it was the first time.

[ That's not entirely true. Some of the animals at the Meadows are the same, and Henrietta. ]

But it's not like it's all bad or anything. [ He tips his head. ] Did you meet Betty here, or are you from the same world?

[ A less than subtle topic change, because Jughead (is that really what he said his name is? Matthew's starting to doubt his memory) probably doesn't need to hear about all the changes Matthew's trying to deal with when they just met today. ]

[burger_king]

[ He nods, accepting that answer. It's not like he has a huge investment in knowing the inner workings and emotional health of Betty's housemates - he's just being polite here. ]

We're both from Riverdale - we've been friends since we were kids. She lives next door to my best friend.

[ Jughead is the only name that counts. He probably wouldn't even respond to Forsythe Pendleton the Third if anyone knew or cared to use it. ]

sjadkl; I'm so sorry about the delay

[dreamkid]

[ Forsythe Pendleton the Third is the kind of name Matthew would absolutely have trouble recalling accurately. Jughead is much better.

He promptly brightens again at the answer to his question. ]

Whoa, that sounds nice. I mean, dating somebody after being friends that long.

[ Matthew wouldn't know personally, but he thinks it sounds like something special. There's nothing in his tone or demeanor that presses for more information, though; he just offers the positive observation as-is. ]

no worries!

[burger_king]

Yeah, it's... nice. She gets me. [ But enough of that. He shifts his weight, glances about the house. ]

So... I've never really gotten a good idea of how you all know each other. [ Because he's barely talked to Betty's roommates up until now. ] You're all from the same world?

[dreamkid]

[ That's what Matthew would have thought. He smiles again. ]

Oh, yeah, everybody here except for Murphy and Betty. [ Betty goes without saying, but Matthew, being extremely simple himself, sometimes tends to clarify more than necessary. ] They're all Ronan's friends. Well. He and Adam might be dating back home, too. I don't know. Anyway, they're all working on the same... [ What do you call it. ] Project.

[burger_king]

I don't think I've met Murphy yet. [ Or has he? There are so many hunks here. Maybe he should be more worried about Betty living alone here with all these guys, but he isn't. ]

Project?

[dreamkid]

[ All these guys have boyfriends, except for Matthew, so that's something at least. ]

Murphy is the one who looks like Ronan, but smaller, [ he explains helpfully. ]

It's Gansey's thing. Something he's been working on for a long time and they're all helping him. He's been looking for this guy, Glendower. It's a big deal.

[burger_king]

I think Betty might've mentioned something about that. [ Not much, no details. ] Why is it such a big deal? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I'm just curious.

[dreamkid]

Well... It's not really my thing. I mean, they let me help sometimes.

[ In a "sit out in the car and call someone if we aren't back in an hour" kind of way. It's something! And he's glad to help. ]

Gansey can tell you more about it than me. But Glendower's s'posed to be, like, magic. He was a king a long time ago, and if you wake him up...

[ He trails off. He's heard the whole story before, the previous Gansey even lectured on Glendower and leylines at one of the swear-ins. But this is the first time Matthew's really considered certain aspects of the story, and it causes him to lose his train of thought. ]

It's, um. Something happens.

[burger_king]

[ This is honestly more information than anything else he's gotten about this group of people. He quietly files it away for later, makes a mental note to ask Gansey whenever they end up spending time together again. ]

And they're still doing that here, even though we're in a different world?

[dreamkid]

[ Matthew considers that. ] No, I don't think so. I mean, I think he's just in our world. Glendower, I mean.

[ Not that he has any solid reasoning for believing as much. It's just his impression. ]

[burger_king]

[ He nods, thoughtfully. ] Makes sense.

So, what do you do here? Work, school?

[dreamkid]

[ Matthew's cheeks go slightly pink. His schooling has been very bumpy since he got back; no one sends him anywhere and he skipped during the entire time-looping bit. ]

I've got a job. It's stuff I can do from home, though. And I help out around here.

Do you go to school?

[burger_king]

No. I don't really see the point if I don't actually have a future to work towards. [ Maybe once he's been here for a year he'll think differently, but not so much right now. ]

Besides, I'm unsettled. I gotta make rent.