#im in s4 so idk if it'll be more

[reviilo]

lol there's literally not a single relevant female character in tmnt 2012 who didn't fit the "being a love interest of one of the protagonists in her first appearance" plot

[lightlsh]

i watched the s1 first before reading the books.

before watching s2 of hearstopper, i read books 1, 3 & 4. i skipped the part where they've just started dating.

i finally reread the whole thing, including book 2, and i just realised how much nick is in love with charlie!

cuz if you only watch the shows, you'd probably be surprised why they were so cuddly/kissy in s2 compared to s1 lol if alice was to follow the book, they'd be doing that since s1.

and tbh, i know some things were dropped from the book to the show, but i actually have no problems with the decision. alice is such an amazing writer, and i love how much more detailed the show is by showing us all the characters' stories from the book. in fact, by dropping some things from the book, we actually get to see more!

i can't wait for s3 and how they'll carry out the remaining chapters. im definitely sure s3 will include both chapters 5 and 6, where it'll focus on charlie's struggles. AND I THINK we will get s4 that covers chapter 7~9 (cuz i remember in the qna, alice said its going to be around 9 chapters!) idk i just want a s4 :)

[iugens-byler-blog]

kind of somewhat unrelated but im grabbing this as an opportunity to clarify something that's been bugging me for a while:

mike's not a 'love at first sight' type of guy and he falls in love slowly and overtime, which is why he's so terrified of saying the word 'i love you' when he's not feeling it yet/needs time to get there. he never fell in love with el, which isn't a bad thing! i do think there was care and affection obviously, and even attraction, but calling it love doesn't really fit how mike experiences love.

i don't even think he's in love with will. i think he's enterin more of a 'i dream of / want to be with or fall in love with you' kinda phase with will, and either was curious to explore those feelings pre s4 or will come to terms with that in s5

like, he's a teenager, it's okay for him to be like 'idk if i love you yet bc this is new to me and im more of a rational thinker so i struggle'

so i think he'll be able to talk about this with will, that he feels bad for lying to el but really thought he'd be helping, it'll b that mutual understanding between them that'll ultimately lead them together. bc will is very similar.

also i think mike and el aren't as 'cute' as they used to be. i never really shipped them but a lot of my GA friends did and thought they were adorable, and now most of them don't ship them and are bored of that relationship, regardless of byler. i think they had some really sweet moments in the beginning, and i could understand why some people shipped them, but it's becoming increasingly clear to me that they just don't work romantically (and also that mike is in love with will hahaha). i think they themselves are holding onto the past with that relationship and just doing what they think they should do. also, i think it's kinda positive that season 5 ended with will still being in love with mike...if the writers really wanted to shut down byler canon, but instead we got the van scene.

I think that's also intentional from the actors, like they have been directed to act with platonic love more than romantic, because Finn is perfectly capable of looking "in love" with El as he is with Will, he CAN pull it off... so if he's not doing it it's because they are telling him not to

if you look at the melvin scenes in s4 they are both more awkward than anything else...

even the more romantic ones are not really working out, like here from his face I read attraction + fondness

but I don't read the same type of love that I read from the van scene like this is true yearning imo

[fappellmoan]

so like. i'm super curious. how do YOU think the friendship between robin and nancy is gonna start in s4?

ahaha hey i appreciate you wanting my thoughts on this. so keep in mind i really haven't explored the st4 story/theories beyond watching the trailers like once and sorta skimming thru what people say on here. so there's quite a bit of context i could be missing.

very short answer in case you dont actually want my whole rambly thought process about their characters and whatnot (sorry idk how this happened.) i generally agree with the fandom's understanding of them being somewhat bitchy/standoffish at first, but i do think some ppl take it to... an absurd extent... like it comes across like 'women can't interact without fighting/having a rivalry!’ like. they’ve now been described as a ‘dream team,’ there have been enough little moments (mostly from robin) that planted the seeds for them to interact later on, as well as their mutual friendship with barb. so like, this idea that they’re gonna entirely fail to mesh doesn’t work for me lol.

ok i realized i didnt fully answer your actual question till later in this rant so tldr: i think theres a good chance nancy realizes she doesn’t have anyone her age in hawkins that really gets her/what she’s been through once jonathan leaves and kinda awkwardly reaches out to steve and robin in some way. or, she gets pulled into the investigation of the creel house/asylum and she and robin just kinda. pair up. whether by choice or not, really idk which to expect.

generally what i gather from them is they're both leaders. they're very intelligent. we've seen how bright and clever robin is, and nancy is dedicated and similarly smart. a lot of people think they might butt heads, and i think that's possible, but i think it could absolutely be in a way that motivates each other? like i think they could challenge each other’s thoughts and push each other. which would be really advantageous in investigations and whatnot.

i mean, something people overlook in considering them is how theyre...... i don't want to say foils, but like right we have these lines of robin assuming nancy's a priss. she's not like your other friends, and not like nancy wheeler. i think there's a more vulnerable side to robin that we see in that coming out scene, and she might feel insecure in how she relates to other girls/her peers in general? particularly in the 80s. and especially seeing nancy as this pinnacle of a high school cliche, i could see it being a point of discomfort.

meanwhile nancy. well, nancy kinda wants to reject traditional suburban ideals and all, while still absolutely living in the comfort of it (hence the whole jancy fight in s3). i think she needs someone that challenges her and makes her sort of uncomfortable in this. LIKE. im not explaining this well. i don't think robin's throwaway 'priss' line is totally accurate and it'll be really interesting to see that explored outside of the mall battle; at the same time, i think if robin brings that witty/sarcastic humor she had at the beginning with steve to the table, even a little bit, nancy would be thrown off by someone not immediately agreeing and going along with her plans/thoughts.

and that's a good thing imo! for the type of person she is, it obviously is good to have someone willing to collaborate and listen, since she cares so much about what she's doing and does the work to deserve to be heard. but i think a lot of growth could come from her being challenged by robin not always bending to her will. and i also think, given the time to collaborate, they’d both learn to appreciate and respect the others’ intelligence and perspective. that’s just my take.

so. the vibe i have in mind ignoring the plot for a sec. like. i think it'll be very awkward at first. what's interesting is they have a lot of assumptions about each other to break down. like, robin went from the whole priss line to witnessing nancy in the mall fight in one night. and while we don't have a huge indication of where robin is on nancy's radar, im willing to go with the popular fandom belief that she'd be a little confused about her relationship with steve at first. but wouldn't want to ask right away. or maybe she would. idk. point being, she's probably at least sort of on her mind. particularly with jonathan leaving. she seemed to only really be close to barb, and then steve (tho she had some walls up). she hung around tommy h and carol, and ig there's a throwaway line abt a girl named ally, but she doesn't really seem to have a lot of close friends. so like. it could be that she approaches robin at school, or even at her and steve at family video, bc she doesn't really have anyone else in hawkins that gets what she's been through. if not that, and she just floats along with acquaintances, then whenever they're introduced i think it'll be like something ive already mentioned.

rq im gonna dig into something i think a lot of ppl overlook which is what we got from rebel robin. i think she's supposed to be like 15 in it, so obviously she's matured a bit in current canon, but she's this very inquisitive and excitable and passionate kid. she seems to want a lot of answers that she can't always get. naturally likes a challenge. we know who else is like this. ANYWAY nancy also pops up in rebel robin! it sorta throws a wrench in the 'who are you?' line, bc as far as i remember, they acknowledge each other.

and a big one. barb was robin's best friend up until like 6th grade!!!!!!! robin absolutely remembers the girl who replaced her as a best friend (maybe that’s where some of the resentment lies? though it was a long time ago), and nancy was likely aware of robin as well, as unless they had some big falling out, im sure barb and robin were still friendly. there's a good chance they played together as young kids - it's a small town. anyway, they’re connected through barb. in theory at least, it’ll probably be nice for both of them to have someone who understands the grief of losing her.

um another thing about barb. im pretty sure she was gay. right. first of all, queer kids flock together somehow far before that realization, and like, the sulking after the fight with nancy? the fashion? idk. anyway, i really don't think nancy would've been totally thrown by barb if she ever had the chance to come out. it might've been something she had to learn about and sit with, but i personally think ultimately it would've been fine. i know some people even ship them or at least suspect a one-sided crush. so, this idea that she'd be a total dick to robin abt it just doesn't line up with me. also, like, if it's a popular fandom belief that mike is bi/gay, and it's essentially canon that will is, we've seen how much she loves them! im not saying a equals b, im just saying dont rush to say she couldn't ever get it. but also i think some of the thoughts of her being very clumsily supportive/taking time to get used to gay people could be very accurate lol. part of my reading of her does come from noticing some repression, as is natural with the wheelers in general.

we know one way or another they wind up exploring the asylum together. idk if this comes before or after the group goes to the creel house, but. at some point they must either realize they both have the same questions and team up, or are forced together after the group starts investigating. i think this will follow some sort of flow of what ive said before.

this is my understanding of the show and characters and dynamics and all, obviously some people read the characters in very different ways. im just doing my best with my perspective. can’t wait to see how right or wrong i am lol <3 thanks for asking if u read this far