#instead of dally being years younger and darry who looks down on him

[qprpbj]

musical dally being supposedly 19 years old makes sooo much more sense for his character imo in this essay i will—

[crow2222]

darry having a panic attack and one of older members of the gang being there to help him through it (like dally, two-bit, or steve. idc who) ♥️

WC; 957

He wasn’t even forty-one yet. 

Darry found himself thinking about his father as he flipped through the worn pages of the family album. Most of the photos were of him and his brothers, because what parents would use their valuable film on themselves?

However, there were a good amount of pictures of them before they had kids, most of them blurry as if they were hastily taken, before the other would be able to notice.

Their smiles were earnest, and the twinkles in their eyes captured the young puppy love they had felt for each other.

Then, a niggling feeling started to creep up Darry’s mind as he looked deep into the photos of his father at his current age, if not younger. He used to feel prideful about their identical looks, in awe that he was a carbon copy of a great man; but then the world ripped him away, and it felt like Darry had been chosen to be his replacement, looks and all.

It was December the thirteenth, and it would’ve been Darrel’s forty-first birthday.

Darry wished he knew to have asked more questions. Like, how do you take care of teenagers? Were you ever going to get out of Tulsa? What was your childhood like? Did you look like your dad?

Truth be told, Darry didn’t really know his father all that well. Sure, he knew the basics and some small bits from his curious inquiries as a bright-eyed kid, but not much past that. Now he’d never know, and it felt like his parents were now a mystery; one he’d never learn more about.

A tear slid down his cheek, causing him to realise his eyes were filling up. How stupid that must be, a twenty year old adult crying for his parents like a baby.

He wiped at his eyes impatiently, but no matter how much he did, more tears came.

Then his hands shook as he ran them over his face, his breaths picking up into pants as he wondered what the hell he was doing at his big age, crying, like a lost child in a supermarket looking for his parents.

Looking for his parents.

The album fell from his lap as he stood up, stumbling his way into the bathroom for hopes that cold water on his face would snap him out of it. His hands traced over the walls as he made his way over, not trusting his blurry vision alone.

Cold porcelain under his fingers cooled him down slightly, but he soon noticed he had no energy to cup his hands to grab the water - or to even turn the tap at all.

So instead, he sunk down to the dirty tiles of the bathroom, clutching tightly at the front of his shirt as he tried to calm down. He tried racking his brain for why he was panicking like this again but he couldn’t find the answer. His chest hurt like hell and he swore he let out a whimper after a quick wheeze for air.

He just wished he wasn’t so alone at that moment.

But then, it was as if an angel had answered his call, and placed someone right by him.

They shook his shoulders, muttering about “calming down” and to “breathe man!”. Darry obliged, trying to sync his breaths to the numbers being counted down by someone else.

It took a little while, but eventually Darry had calmed down enough to open his eyes, which he didn’t recall closing in the first place.

“Darry?”

The man then blinked, wondering how he hadn’t heard anyone come home earlier, and how long he had been sitting there with his eyes screwed shut.

He would’ve felt indefinitely embarrassed if the person was either of his brothers, Two-bit, Johnny, or God, Dallas. 

But it was Steve.

Steve Randle.

His face was screwed up as he stared down Darry from his side, like he wasn’t quite sure of what to do now; which was most likely that he actually didn’t.

The older man brought up his legs, which have been sprawled out in front of him previously, and rested his chin on his knees. He hoped to whatever was out there that he didn’t look nearly as bad as he felt. 

“Whatdya want Steve?” 

His voice was gravely, and if his possibly red eyes and tear stained face didn’t give away that he’d been crying, those three words would’ve.

“Had plans for the races with Sodapop.” His eyes shifted, as he begrudgingly stepped out of his comfort zone. “But what’s up with you?”

“Nothing.”

“Right.”

Worry crossed the teen’s face, which would’ve surprised Darry if he wasn’t purposefully avoiding his gaze. His face was hot, utterly and completely humiliated from being found in such a state, by no other than Steve Randle.

They weren’t on bad terms by any means, but they sure weren’t close. Steve was just Soda’s best buddy to him, and he was probably just Sodapop’s older brother to Steve. Apart from the one time Darry had punched him in the jaw for a poorly timed joke, they didn’t have bad blood against each other.

So why was it so damn hard to try and find common ground?

Steve, notably ignoring his own previous question, asked another.

“Wanna come with? To the races I mean. I’ll get you a coke.” 

Darry picked up his head from his knees, eyes darting over to the other greaser as he considered the invitation. Even if he did have work tomorrow, if he would just get home early enough..

His eyes must’ve sparkled with something, because Steve suddenly had a smug smirk on his face that Darry quickly mimicked.

“Make it a Pepsi and I’m in.”

[alaskan-wallflower]

To be honest, I can see pony ending up getting addicted to more drugs then just aspirins, more pills. Darry ended up eventually catching on but I was a year or more later, and he was so pissed off, that instead of talking individually with pony he held up the whole bottles in front of them gang and just stared at pony until he eventually had a screaming match back and Fourth in front of the whole gang. Whatca think? Also whatca think the gangs reactions would be (Johnny and dally live.)

Honestly first off, I cannot picture Darry outing him to the gang like that-he knows it’s Pony and I think he also knows that outing Pony like that won’t help-so I’m just gonna say the gang walks in on Darry confronting Pony because they just walk into their houses uninvited

Darry is obviously livid. If it was actual drugs he would be yelling at Pony and asking him why he did this instead of coming to him or Soda-he takes the pills away and Pony is just screaming back at him. In the end I feel like Pony just spits out that it’s the only thing that helps him sleep or focus or anything and he just can’t do it anymore and he absolutely shatters. Darry just stands for a minute before telling him they’ll talk about it alter before he just sits down and rubs Pony’s back

Honestly Soda would be livid too. He thought they worked through all this-he cannot comprehend why Pony would take drugs. And he’s upfront about it too. He does not mask his anger. But when Ponyboy starts yelling back he realizes he needs to push his own anger down in favor of helping Pony. So he does. He just holds him and tries to get Darry to quit yelling at him too. He takes the drugs and discards them. He definitely talks to Pony in private though

Johnny would be so sad. He feels like it’s his fault since he’s the one who put Pony through so much to save those kids. So he takes it out on himself. But he confronts Pony too and actually cries. He actually cries and that alone shatters Pony. Johnny just wheels over and makes Pony give him the pills before telling him “Look. I’ve seen what these things do to a person. I don’t want you to end up like my dad. You’re much too kind and golden for that.” And Johnny cries and so does Pony

Dally is yelling just as, if not more than Darry. He definitely just feels bad because he considers Pony to be a younger brother. And he knows if Johnny did something like that he would be livid too. He’s yelling at him like “Are you serious?! This is what happens! This is what happens to kids who try to be kind! If I ever catch you with these one more time I’ll fuck you up, man.” and he realizes he made Pony cry so he leaves and skips town for a few days before offering a half assed apology.

Two Bit thinks it’s a joke at first until he sees that Soda is angry. Then Two Bit just…doesn’t know what to do. He comes over to Pony and is just like “why would you do this?” like he’s trying to remain laid back but he can’t. He’s visibly shaking and he just can’t believe Pony of all people would do such a thing. He probably is nervous to get drunk around Pony to because he does not want Pony to get any ideas.

Steve is livid. He’s yelling at Pony too. “What, are ya stupid, kid?! These things are gonna fuck you up!” and in the end Soda tells at Steve to back off his brother and that kinda catches Steve off guard since hes not used to Soda being angry and snapping. So he opts to awkwardly comfort the kid. He never was taught how to comfort people-his mom left when he was a baby and his dad lays him to come back home sometimes so he’s obviously never really been comforted other than how Soda would comfort him. So he awkwardly rubs Pony’s arms and mumbles about “it’ll be okay, kid.”

[the-writing-artist]

In Defense of Ponyboy Curtis

I feel like some people are too hard on Pony because he can't take a slap from Darry, and then think Pony is being too insensitive as he pours his feelings about it to Johnny. I also feel like those people don't really understand Pony's perspective, which is telling because the entire book is written in his point of view.

I know how Pony feels, which is definitely the main reason I'm coming to his defense now. Due to our parental situation, my sister has always more like a mother to me than a sister, and she's only two years older than me as opposed to Darry and Pony's six year gap. So you can imagine how angry I'd get whenever she tried to boss me around, and I'd always tell her "you can't tell me what to do, you're not Mom!", an insult that only stung a lot worse after our Mom passed away (I was 13, same age as Pony was). Other people, including kids younger than me, would always tell me to be nicer to her. I was 18 when Dad finally told me why my sister always acting more like a mother than a sister: before we were adopted, my sister would be the only one available to take care of me, a baby at the time. Therefore, she's always felt like it's her job to look after me. We've gotten much better now, and now you guys can probably see where I'm going with this.

Now, let's focus on Pony:

First, at the very start of the book, he thinks that Darry would rather give him up to a boy's home. This is because the two probably now fight more in a single day than they ever did in the span of the time their parents were alive, with Darry trying to parent him as best he knows how. To add insult to injury, it's only been eight months, not even a full year since the death of their parents, so all three brothers are definitely still mourning their loss, especially Pony, who is probably the most sensitive character in the book. The two are said to have gotten along just fine before this tragedy, but now all they seem to do is fight. On the other hand, Darry never fights with Soda (which probably stings), so Pony, at this point, has reasons for his fears here.

Second, the book outright states that no one in his family as ever hit Pony before, which heavily implies that the Curtis family doesn't believe in physical punishment. While falling asleep in the lot and forgetting curfew is definitely Pony's fault (whether or not that’s the only thing he did wrong is a post for another day), Darry hitting Pony is not. Considering this is the first time a family member has hit him, Pony is understandably shaken up, enough to run out of the house. And once again, adding insult to injury, considering Darry was the one who slapped him probably confirmed Pony's worst fears, as mentioned in Point #1 above.

Third, Pony spills his feelings to Johnny, who doesn't raise his voice even once and instead uses his own experience with abuse to calm Pony down. Pony going to Johnny was probably the best choice in this situation, as Pony had just run away from home (so Darry and Soda both are out of the question) and there's no guarantee that Steve, Two-Bit, and Dally would help him feel better at all (in fact, Two-Bit had slapped him earlier for being mean to Johnny). They probably would've just told him to 'suck it up' (like some of you do), which is the opposite of what Pony needs in this moment. So, Johnny is the best choice, especially since Pony states that the two have wordless conversations because they understand each other that much. Johnny succeeds, and Pony suggests walking to the park and back, stating outright: "Then maybe I'll be cooled off enough to go home." Meaning he was planning on going back (in fact, the previous paragraph outright states it). Meaning he just needed some time to simmer down before facing Darry again, even if it meant not speaking to him ever again. Pony was only forced to run away thanks to Bob's death (again, who's all to blame for this is a post for another day).

Not to mention, all of this happens when Ponyboy is one month into being fourteen. Do any of y'all remember what you were like at fourteen? I do; I wasn't as nice as I claimed to be.

[angelfiume]

Mouth Like A Sailor Part 1

Hey so I have no idea how to publish a fanfic on tumblr besides just putting it up like this so hopefully this goes well.  I was posting on qoutev but it kept crashing my computer so tumblr it is.

Marlena Curtis May 1965 5 months before    "I hope all of you will take this summer to exercise your minds... You wouldn't want to go into your senior year with a head full of nothing, would you?"  Mr. Mays shouted at the class, he wasn't angry, just obnoxiously loud.  I looked across the room at my brother's best friend, Steve, hoping to have someone to smile with or pass a note too, but he obviously was not interested and instead was tracing the hand of a short girl with bobbed hair.  She was giggling as he made ugly monster claws out of her manicured fingers, it was kind of sweet honestly.  I sighed and leaned back in my chair, looking around the room for anyone else that might be alright with me.  Mr. Mays voice quieted as he saw no one really cared about his speech on polishing the young mind, he resulted to letting us free for the rest of the period.  I rested my head on my arms and decided to spend the class just sleeping instead of awkwardly trying to make conversation with the dry, ginger soc next to me.  She seemed like she wasn't very interested anyways.    The bell rung two minutes in to my daydream, which couldn't have made me happier, I jumped out of my seat and yanked my bag with me out the door.  Finally I could just do jack-shit and paint my nails instead of listening to the same monotone creeps lecture for hours and hours.  I nearly ran down the hallway towards my friends, Sophie and Jean, they were talking fast and smiled big when they saw me running down to see them.    "MARLI, tell your brother you're gonna be at my house tonight baking cookies or some sweet shit, Gene Vincent is gonna be at Sophie's cousin's bar tonight in Oklahoma City!  Her cousin said we can all get in no sweat."  Jean said, she was so excited her heavy eyeliner was creasing from smiling so wide.       

  "Holy shit, Sophie did your cousin really say we can go?  How much money?" I asked with a small twinge in my stomach, the past few months have been pretty tough on my wallet, I really wanted all my money to go into my younger brother's secret college fund.   

 "None baby!  That's a perk of having friends with connections, just pitch in two bucks or so for gas, my daddy is letting me take the Malibu, ain't that exciting?" Sophie cooed, she had this soft voice that could have sounded polite even if she was telling you where it seemed your head was stuck.  She was   rich too, man her family did well.  But she was still my friend, because she didn't care if I lived in a hollowed out coat closet my brother set up for me, she didn't believe in the social class war going on.    

  "I'm in man!  I'll tell Darry I'm going to have a sleepover with ya'll, he won't ask questions, he's too wrapped around the axel with Soda right now."  I grinned at them and listened quietly to the rest of their chatter.  They could get awful excited about something real fast, it was damn cute.     

 We walked out to Jean's boyfriends car, he was a doll, always chauffeuring her and her friends around Tulsa.  Speaking of the devil, Tommy came sprinting down the concrete steps and bear-hugged tiny Jean, making her scream and laugh.  

    "Hello sweetheart, ready to be done with the bullshit for a whole 2 months?" he was another one of those guys that seems to really just shout instead of talk, he nodded to Sophie and I and smiled nicely, "ya'll hangin' or goin' home?" 

   "I can stay a little, we're supposed to be in the City by 9 and we gotta leave at 7 or so.." Sophie chirped    

   "Just straight home for me, thanks, I gotta make an appearance so Darry doesn't get suspicious"  I knew full well that he would expect the worst if I never showed up at home.    I jumped down from Tommy's pick- up and yelled to Jean I would be at her house at 630.  I smoothed out my black corduroy skirt and re-tucked the ratty pink shirt I had owned since 9th grade.  My sneakers crunched down the gravel covering the alley behind my house as I walked towards the backward, where I heard my brother and their friends.  Not even the whole gang was there, but it was still loud as hell.     

          "Hey Marls how was the last day of school?  I  miss anything important?" laughed Two-bit, the rusty haired boy lay lazily on our back steps.      

           "Ha, it was fine, you didn't miss anything important.  Just that Mark guy offered me a whole year supply of marijuana if I would flash the principal at the assembly this morning"  I told him as I took a carton out of my bra and lit a smoke, I giggled a little when I saw him cock an eyebrow.  The nimrod probably thought I went through with it.     

           "So ya did it right?"  Demanded a bored looking Dallas Winston.  He sat next to my twin Soda, who was laughing quietly to himself, he probably knew I was too much of a wimp to leave school one some crazy note like that.   

           "Nah," I took a long drag, "I could get that shit for free by just winking at some of the squares in this town... But anyways, where did Darry go?  He working late or something?"   

           "No, he should be home in ten minutes or so, you gonna bail soon?" Soda asked   

            "Around 6ish I'm going over to Jean's, Sophie and I are gonna spend the night with her."  I told him without much worry, I was used to making up white lies at this point, Soda would likely not even care that I was going into the big city tonight, maybe he'd even think it was tuff I was sneaking off to a high class bar with my socy friends.   

             "Ain't Jean that middle-class broad with the giant jugs?" Dally half-joked, it was almost a long running gag that we had, since he couldn't make a move on me, being three of the gangs' sister, he has always tried his best to get at my friends.    I just rolled my eyes and took another drag of my cigarette, lettings the boys' conversation go this way and that and just listen.  That's kinda been my go-to lately, when my mom and dad died three months ago I lost a lot of my talkative edge.  Shit it's been three months already... I pushed my body lightly off of the side of the house and dragged myself inside.  My room really was just a scraped out coat closet.  I ain't gonna complain too bad about it though, Darry really did make it alright and it wasn't even too small of a closet to begin with.  Hell, if we were able to fit my little mattress and even my record player I bought when I was 11, it can't have been that bad.  My stomach was beginning to feel a little green, I had been smoking like a chimney since I got home, and my room ain't too breezy so that tobacco stench really liked to hang around.   

           "Marlena?" I heard my oldest brother knocking at my door, he opened it and immediately looked a little peeved, "Oh lordy!  Did ya just set a whole carton of marbolos on fire?  It's a goddamn wildfire in here, you keep smoking like this and I'm gonna have to start checking what you buy at the store now, ya dig?"    

           "Yeah, I know.  Hey Darry?"  I said, without the slightest intention of cutting down on my habit, "I'm gonna go to Jean's tonight, Sophie will be there too, that cool?"    "That's fine" he said walking back to the kitchen.  I followed him out and just followed suit, he got a glass of water, I got one too.  We didn't even talk the whole time,  he's kinda been quiet lately too.  When our parents died in that accident everyone took on a different kind of burden, but sometimes I think Darry feels like he took the whole load, and maybe that's why he's so damn stressed. Coming home from the funeral with my brothers felt like I had just taken a few strangers from the graveyard and said "you'll do."  Darry used to be that real fun, hilarious older brother.  We used to go out all the time and just talk about everything.  We would talk about how mom was a little too harsh sometimes on people and that it was pretty funny that dad would just push her buttons when she would get annoyed by the little things.  My youngest brother, Ponyboy, well he just downright terrifies me the way their deaths changed him.  He didn't use to be so dreamy all the time, he always had a big imagination, but this time it's different, he tried to follow mom and dad's souls up to heaven and got stuck somewhere between space and the East Side.  Sodapop though, he seemed to take it the healthiest, he wasn't shy about bawling and howling like an idiot at the funeral.  He had to express how he felt, so he did.  But one thing that did change was the side of him people usually forgot about started to rear its ugly head just a little more every once in a while.  Soda is charming and nice, but he's also reckless and clumsy and he won't look before he just starts running.  I'm not trying to  but my brothers in  a bad light though, I certainly haven't been perfect since the accident either.

             Jean's dad was in the army, and her mom was a nurse, so they got along pretty okay.  She wasn't by any means rich, but she surely never had a shortage of cash by the end of the month.  Her house was just a quick bus ride from my neighborhood, it was two stories, well kept, and all the bathrooms were pink.  I knocked on the door and not even a second later it was the bermuda triangle of "can you answer that?" between her and her parents.  It was her mom who came to the door, she was a real neat lady.  Joan's mom was actually real tough, she had a hard life as a kid and she don't have the easiest job in the world.

    "Hello Marls!  Don't you look like a doll tonight?"  She smiled up at me, I am pretty tall for a girl and I usually tower over most ladies I meet. 

   "Thank-you Mrs. Massey, it's just my school clothes, but I figured it would be alright for tonight, ha," I tried my best to sound like a nice girl, but she was just so damn down to earth I really don't think she'd judge me too harsh.  She let me in and walked me all the way to Jean's room, asking about my brothers and if Pony was proud of himself that he came in 2nd at his last track meet.  It was nice talking to a mom.

      Jean popped up from the floor when I walked in, "You ready to leave soon?  I just gotta find my lipstick and Sophie will be here soon, we're gonna get burgers at Dairy Queen on the way out of  town, my mom gave me food money if any of us need."  she spoke briskly and with a butt-load of excitement. 

   "Yeah I'm all set" I giggled quietly as she threw tubes of makeup to the floor trying to find her token lipstick. She got it and we tumbled down the stairs just as Sophie was pulling up to the house.

[writersriot]

@neepcreature

So so sorry it took me forever to get back to your response to Part 16!! I also apologize for my long-ass response haha, hence why this is in a separate post. Because I am a rambler who talks to much concerning my special interests.

When Two-Bit and Marcia get married (in my mind haha), they would absolutely end the rivalry lol. I just love how they instantly bonded over their shared sense of humor, but then we never heard about them again. Like dude, what happened to my one het ship in this book haha.

The ages!! Oh god the ages lolol. See, the way these characters’ ages are written. . .just doesn’t make sense. I don’t know if this came from Hinton writing as a teenager and making certain assumptions about how people act at certain ages?? I know by the time kids are seniors in high school, around 17-18, they look at the freshmen, around 13-15, and think they’re babies haha. And sometimes the ones who are out of high school but still basically youths seems so much older and wiser (which, lol.)

Darry is 20, but god at 20 I knew nothing, and Darry is holding up his family by himself. Even Two-Bit is 18 going on 19 yet still in school, not even a senior yet. And he’s the oldest of the gang, which really makes me think Darry isn’t usually involved with the gang so much as maybe Soda is. I think Two-Bit even mentions that he’d beat down Pony if he weren’t Soda’s kid brother, so it makes me think this gang is mostly made of these boys who went to the same school for at least some time and who live in the same neighborhood. (So like Pony and Darry are included in the gang because they’re related to Soda I guess)

Because Soda is 16 going on 17, which I assume Steve is as well since they’re best friends. Who else is that age?? Johnny. With Dally only a year older. Like lol forever. Because really, is it Pony wanting to be part of the gang so much and to be taken seriously like you said? Like Pony kind of latches onto Johnny as a type of kindred-spirit as shy, quiet types that Pony makes assumptions about Johnny, seeing him as younger than he is and closer to Pony’s age? ‘Cause even though Johnny is Pony’s friend, I feel like Johnny sees Pony as a younger brother he would (and does) protect.

I also think maybe Pony fundamentally doesn’t understand the relationship Johnny has with the other members of the gang either because he doesn’t see it. I think his notion of this is amended a bit at the end of the book, when it’s too late unfortunately.

So is the infantilizing of Johnny really as bad as it seems in Pony’s perspective? Or is it just Pony’s interpretation of events? I mean, we know Johnny is small for his age, which can happen to kids raised in abusive situations, though of course it could be he’s a little of a late bloomer puberty-wise. And we know the gang wants to protect Johnny due to his abusive and neglectful home life. Pony says Johnny is the “pet” of the gang, which I don’t even know what to make of other than Pony making assumptions.

Here’s a kid very near the same age as most of the guys in the gang, yet due to his size and likely being in the same class as Pony, he maybe gets treated like another little brother. But he’s the little brother you don’t fuck with at all. And honestly, Pony calls Johnny the pet, but we really don’t see that kind of dramatic behavior from the rest of the gang. They’re protective of him, absolutely. But it’s honestly as if the only one who infantilizes Johnny is, in fact, Ponyboy himself? Like, I just don’t get those “he’s the pet” vibes from the rest of the gang so much as “Johnny’s already been through shit so don’t give him any more” vibes.

And this infantilizing of Johnny I think is what makes readers think he’s Pony’s age instead of the same age as most of the gang. And I think it’s why some people are against the Johnny/Dally ship as well? Like they see it as a dramatic age and power difference, when really, I think that’s only due to Pony’s narrative of everyone and not actually what the subtext implies. That’s my analysis of it.

Oh gosh, I followed Hinton on twitter just a little before her rude responses started up and garnered so much attention back in October last year. I thought, oh cool, another author to love -- oh shit nevermind. Like she would tweet some good stuff and then make me kind of despise her when answering questions about The Outsiders lol. So yes, I saw all of her. . .Hinton-ness. She honestly should have said, “That wasn’t my intention writing these characters, but it’s cool if readers see something else,” and left it at that. And maybe people should have stopped asking her if the characters were gay and just said, “I see them as gay no matter what lol bye” like haha that’s the only way I would ever do it because I don’t need an author’s permission to read their book a certain way.

But I stg Hinton needs to go back over what she wrote. Because what she thinks she wrote and what actually made it onto the page appear to be different. Like if she wanted to make Johnny really excited to talk to girls. . .I’m sorry, that just didn’t happen. And she kept saying “where’s the textual evidence?” and I’m like read your fucking book, lady! Or get a queer person to read it and explain it to you because you didn’t actually manage to make Johnny’s heterosexuality set in stone lol. I was twelve, attending Catholic school, and I was like damn that’s hella gay. Like I didn’t even really have a good concept of “gay” but I knew Johnny and Dally were pinging my gaydar haha. And I’m hella aroace and I could still see the subtext of it playing out through the book.

At her age, if Hinton really weren’t homophobic, she could probably look at what she wrote fifty years ago as a teenager and think, “huh maybe this is a little queerer than I thought I was writing back then. Welp.” Because by her own admission she says she didn’t know any queer people growing up, which lol I call BS she just didn’t know any OUT queer people. She’s one of those types of people that says, “Ask anyone if it was cute to be gay in the 60s” as if queer people didn’t exist back then with their own community.

It’s like she’s ignoring the counter-culture of hippies that came about in the 60s. And there was a queer movement from the 50s that resembled the picture of manliness, I forget what it’s called now, which is something Greasers apparently actuated by controlling their emotions and seeming utterly “cool” which honestly, is not the type of Greaser Hinton wrote about with their violent feelings haha. Plus there’s a whole punk and queer movement on the cusp of this, so Hinton can’t convince me everywhere in the 60s was homophobic. Maybe Tulsa, Oklahoma had it’s fair share of bigots but my god.

Queer people existed back then, and now we are all more widely accepted, so maybe instead of contributing to a stifling culture of authorial intent of heteronormativity, how about she reconsider what it could mean for her characters to be considered queer in this day and age as good role models and that sure, it’s okay to be queer. Granted, the two I believe are the most queer are the ones who end up dead so it maybe just adds to the “bury your gays” trope but who knows. In that case, Hinton might think for the 60s that would actually be accurate representation. (I’m sorry, maybe that was mean lol).

Anyway, clearly I’m a little bitter over how she handled the situation because I started writing this series after all.

Johnny absolutely has PTSD! I’m glad you brought that up because you’re right, I haven’t mentioned it in this series yet. But it’s very important to consider that Johnny comes from an abusive and neglectful home, and then he gets attacked by the Socs which is a hugely traumatic event. The kid is a mess, and I feel so badly for him because he’s just trying to survive. But absolutely it’s a concept that isn’t recognized in the book, and honestly I think it’s difficult for kids and even teens to recognize trauma and PTSD for what it is. I know I didn’t recognize being in an abusive situation until much later in life. And it seems like the type of household Johnny came from was common in the 60s because I hear stories from my mom and even my gramma that make me go “wtf that is abusive as shit.” So I definitely think Hinton herself didn’t realize she was writing a character with PTSD as we would analyze it now.

That’s why it is interesting that Cherry does recognize that Johnny has had some kind of trauma. I absolutely believe it’s leaking from Johnny’s pores most of the time, and sometimes stuff like that is more obvious to people who don’t see a person every day. And Pony definitely doesn’t have the vocabulary or knowledge of PTSD, so you’re right, that may very well be why Pony describes Johnny as shy. Because Pony also describes Johnny as looking like a kicked puppy most days, and I just ugh cry a little. It absolutely sounds like Two-Bit triggers a dissociative episode, but that Pony would only see it as Johnny being jumpy and scared. Like Pony would just have no concept of how traumatic the attack was for Johnny, even despite Pony having his own form of PTSD after the death of his parents, which we see a reoccurrence of after Johnny’s death. Just all around, I feel so much for these boys.

I could chalk this up to Hinton’s writing, but again she was a teenager herself, so I want to say that she just needed a narrative device of trauma without necessarily seeing what that means for the characters. Having the narrator say Johnny is shy when he really doesn’t exhibit that behavior just shows me that Hinton didn’t have a great grasp on what she was writing either. That’s why many readers have such a different reaction to the story because we recognize the trauma, the PTSD, the abuse, and yes, the queer subtext. But these are issues that I never heard discussed in any classes, it was always the Socs versus the Greasers and what “the same sunset” bullshit means and asking about the abuse without framing it as abuse. It’s like only a surface-level reading of these characters that I could never stand because I saw so much more to them. It’s a pity that Hinton can’t see beyond the surface of the story she wrote either.

So yeah, anyway. Long post is long, and I hope my rambling made some sort of sense?? Uh, I ALWAYS want discussions like this, even on previous posts or just on their own if you say, “hey I was thinking about this” like I will be right on your page!! Sorry for bombarding you with such a lengthy, nonsensical response, but thank you for having discussions with me, it makes my life meaningful and my special interest in The Outsiders feel like it hasn’t been wasted the last uh almost couple decades haha.

[thingsaretuffallover-blog]

Preference: Your First Kiss with Them.

a/n: this was requested. I hope you all enjoy c: and I hope you don’t mind that I did high school Darry instead of his age from the books.

Darry: Darry kissed you for the first time while he was wrapped up in excitement from winning a big game. Neither of you expected it but it just happened.

Darry and you had been crushing on each other for a while now and you had gone on two dates before he convinced you to come to see him play football.

You were with a few of your friends and you sat in the front row behind the cheerleaders. You didn’t really like football but the game wasn’t so bad since Darry was playing because you just sat there daydreaming about the two of you. You did start to pay closer attention towards the end. Your school’s team hadn’t been doing well the whole game but suddenly they were pulling through. You- along with everyone else in the stands on your side- stood up for the last few seconds of the game. You hadn’t realized you were holding you breath as you watched Darry catch the ball. He ran and ran and suddenly you and everyone in your section was screaming and jumping up and down.  Darry- your Darry- had just won the game for your school. You watched the other players run towards each other but you noticed Darry running your way so you stepped forward from your seat to stand by the railing that separated you from the field. Darry ran up to you grinning.

“Go steady with me?” He asked, panting slightly from running and from the excitement.

“Of course.” You laughed and nodded quickly.

Darry’s smile widened and before you knew it he was over the railing and picking you up. He pressed your lips pressed together as he spun you around.

Sodapop: Sodapop and you had been best friends since you were little. Your first kiss technically was on the playground when he was eight and you were seven. You both swore to tell no one. Your first official kiss as a couple was one late night while you slept over the Curtis’s house. You both had been putting off your feelings for so long out of fear of ruining the friendship but that night you gave in and kissed.

You had been having feelings for him for a while and so had he but while you both knew it neither wanted to be the one to make the first move.

You slept over the Curtis house a lot. Sometimes you’d sleep on the couch on your own but most nights Sodapop would join you in the living room. You two would gather as many blankets as you could and make a bed on the floor.

That night you were both laying on your sides facing each other while Sodapop talked about his brothers. They had been fighting that night which is why you chose to stay the night. You knew Sodapop well enough to know that if he didn’t talk out his feelings right away he would break.

“Thank you for listening, Y/N..” He murmured after he had calmed down a bit.

“Of course,” You smiled slightly. You had been looking into his eyes but you couldn’t help as your own eyes flickered down to look at his lips. It was a quick look but he caught you. You saw the corners of his lips turn up a bit in a small grin and then you found yourself leaning toward him as he did the same and you two kissed hard.

Ponyboy: Ponyboy had taken you on a couple of dates before your first kiss. He didn’t want to make you rush into anything you didn’t want so he took his time. It happened at school while you two sat under a big tree for shade while you ate your lunch and read silently. Something came over you both at the same time and you looked up from your books and just kissed.

Ponyboy and you had always had a different connection from the start. You had dated a couple of boys before and you really truly liked them, but a few months with one of them was nothing compared to the couple of short weeks you had spent so far with Ponyboy.

You two seemed to understand each other without words. It was lunch at school and you and him liked to sit under a tree for shade. You would talk for a bit while you walked to your spot but when there you would mostly read and eat your lunches silently and you loved the comfort in it.

That day you were both sat with a book in one hand and your free hands linked between you two. Suddenly you both looked up and over at each other. You smiled a bit and he did too and suddenly you were leaning close to each other, kissing softly.

Two-Bit: You were two years younger than Two-Bit but he recognized you from a study hall class at school. You always thought he was funny and he always thought you were pretty cute but neither one of you did anything about it. One night he saw you hanging out with someone who he knew was bad news and so he came to check on you. He almost got into a fight that guy but he managed to get you away from him. When he found out that the only reason you did it was because you wanted a first kiss he offered to do it.

“So what are doing hanging around with a guy like that, little girl?” Two-Bit asked as he walked you back to your house. “Look I’m a greaser and even I know a guy like that ain’t no good.”

“Don’t say that.” You frowned and shivered slightly. “Don’t say I’m a little girl.”

Two-Bit looked over at you and took off his jacket so that you could put it on. You murmured a quiet thanks and he just shook his head. “Don’t thank me. Just tell me how you got mixed up with him.”

You shrugged a bit. “I’ve seen him around town loads of times. I knew he you know.. isn’t picky about who he’s with and I..” you mumbled the last few words quickly and quietly.

“What was that?” Two-Bit asked and you stopped walking. You were standing out front of your house by the fence.

“Don’t worry about it alright? Thanks for your concern and walking me home but it’s not a big deal I promise.”

“Y/N..” Two-Bit said looking you in the eyes.

You sighed softly and decided just to tell him. “I wanted someone to kiss me, alright? I’ve never been kissed before and I’m sick of people treating me like a kid. I’m the only one I know who hasn’t been kissed and I needed someone who I knew would do it and-”

Two-Bit cut you off as he leaned in to press your lips together. You kissed for a few seconds before he pulled away slightly with a smile. You could feel the warmth in your cheeks and you couldn’t help as the biggest smile came over your face.

“See?” Two-Bit said. “There’s nothing to it.”

“I.. I um…” You cringed a bit as you stuttered and tried to think of what to say.

“Why don’t you hang onto my jacket. I’ll see you Monday, Y/N.”

Dally: Dally and you were on your first date when you saw your ex boyfriend pass by. Dally saw how upset it made you that he was with another girl so he kissed you to make you feel better.  

Dally and you were at the diner sharing a milkshake and some fries with each other. You were sat on the same side of the booth and he had an arm draped around your shoulder. He was smirking a bit as you talked to him but suddenly something caught the corner of your eye and you turned your head. You saw your ex sitting down at a table with one of the girls in your class you just couldn’t stand. You looked down hoping he didn’t see you.

You felt guilty that on your first date with Dally you were allowing yourself to feel sad about the guy you used to date.

Dally noticed your silence and spoke up. “You alright, doll?”

You nod a bit and we’re gonna answer him until you both looked up at the same time, as your ex looked over and smirked at you. He pulled the girl he was with close and gave her a deep kiss. You cringed a bit.

“Hey is that the ass that was yelling at you that day? The one I almost kicked the crap out of?”

“Yea don’t worry about it.” You murmured and gave him a small smile.

He just shook his his head and pulled you in for a long kiss. When you two pulled away you both looked pleased.

“Now let’s go, doll. This place blows.” he said casually and you to walked out with his arm around your waist tightly.

Steve: For your first kiss Steve wanted to kiss you right away but didn’t want to make you feel pressured so he walked you to your door said goodnight and left. He regretted it once he got home and so he drove all the way back to your house, climbed up to your window and kissed you.

You were already in your pajamas and you were just laying on your bed reading a book when layout heard a knock on your window. You jumped in surprise but relaxed a bit when you saw that it was Steve. You were a bit embarrassed that you were in your pajamas with your hair up but you rushed to the window anyways.

“What are you doing?” You whisper to him once you open the window. “If my dad or my brother sees you you’re a dead man.”

“Can I kiss you?” he asked grinned. He was standing on the floor part of your roof that came out from your window.

“Did you come all the way back here to ask me that?” You laughed a bit. “You could’ve earlier you know?”

“I know.. I know.. I was being stupid. Can I kiss you, Y/N?”

You nodded happily and leaned forward. Steve brushed a strand of hair from your face before kissing you softly.

Johnny: Johnny and your first kiss happened at school. It surprised you both how casual it happened as if you two had kissed a thousand times before but for both of you that comfortability of it made it so great. You had been sitting with Johnny and his friends and you knew you had to get home to do some chores you skipped yesterday. When you said goodbye to him he just turned and kissed you quickly.

“I suppose I better get going or my mom’ll be mad.” You say as you put your backpack on and stand up from where you had been leaning against the car of one of Johnny’s friends. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” you say and suddenly you and Johnny’s lips are pressed together.

It was a quick kiss but when both of you pull away your both a bit taken a back.

“See you tomorrow.” Johnny nods with a grin and you run off to your bike not being able to wipe the smile off your face for the rest of the night.