#se Hinton being an icon

[tera-ixie]

The fact that SE Hinton watched enjoyed and wrote fan fiction about Supernatural haunts me at night

Cause like of course she fucking did

It’s Susan Eloise Hinton that’s write up her ally

[boysborntodie]

@motorcycleboy9 thank you the ask!! I literally love you all sm<3333 I answered 4 here!! As for the others;

5: I think it’s already clear that Jally is everything to me<333 I could go on about them forever because their relationship is so fucking good, no matter how you interpret it.

I also have a soft spot for Stevepop. Don’t have too many thoughts on it except they’re good for each other and have a fun dynamic.

I know nothing about Darry/Tim but oldest sibling/oldest siblings (for whom oldest siblingism manifests differently) is the best dynamic. Can’t beat it

I usually see Johnny as gay but I make an exception for Johnny/Cherry because it’s the funniest outcome that will piss literally everyone off (mainly Dally, Bob and Pony which is such a win)

17: A thing with criticisms about the book is that since it’s Pony’s POV, a lot of things can be chalked up to ‘Pony didn’t see or know this thing’. Like I wish we got more Dally backstory because it’s very vague and confusing but also Pony doesn’t know Dally super well and isn’t close with him. Still I think SE Hinton should’ve given more details (although she also dodges the hell when asked on her Twitter)

(Iconic tbh, you have to respect her for this)

I think the book has a Tell Don’t Show problem unfortunately. We get these paragraphs of Ponyboy recounting a lot of stuff and telling us about the gang which can feel unearned and unnecessary (scattered details and hints are better imo). I think this is especially apparent in Steve’s character because he hardly appears but we know so many details about him, making him unbalanced as a character.

I also wish we got more about the gang as a family. Untraditional family dynamics and the rejection of the nuclear family as a status quo is an important and main theme in the book and while we do know the gang care for each other, we don’t get to see this enough since Pony and Johnny run away pretty quickly and Johnny never gets to rejoin the gang. Maybe a longer scene after Ponyboy gets jumped before they go to the movies. We’d also get to see other interactions between characters outside the main ones (Curtis brothers, Pony&Johnny&Dally and their variations). It would’ve been a good chance to flesh Steve out too so we don’t just know him from descriptions and small glimpses.

I also wished we got more Dally&Johnny interactions. This may sound like I’m just being biased (and I probably am a little) but I do genuinely think we don’t get enough scenes of them together, and since this is Pony’s POV, he is constantly there even in scenes that centre them (taking away the attention from them onto Pony). It’s takes away from the fact that these two characters in particular have a special relationship, especially outside of Pony (don’t get me wrong, they’re important as a trio but Dally&Pony and Johnny&Pony get more development as relationships)

[khrysostomos]

i think smthn i'm not too fond of w the outsiders musical is the fact that there's many actors as one character. sure there's an original ensemble but just the lack of consistency in how they say things or do them make for a wobbly characterization imo. their interpretations differ from one another which changes quite a lot of what we're supposed to take literally or not. idk if that made complete sense.... i'm not hating on the obv skilled performers i just don't think a musical's an appropriate medium for the outsiders

i haven't thought about this angle before and i feel dumb cause i didn't re: characterization. having a canon originate in theater is very different from having canon originate in another medium, particularly one that is largely definitive in it's characterization and made worse because both previous versions are literally pop culture icons.

so yeah, the shifting characterizations between performers is a huge problem, and the way they flock to socmed to curry a fanbase and that fanbase's favor makes it even worse. the softening of the socs this time around has been entirely, uh, damning i would say? the outsiders is a class narrative; while it is saying that people are ultimately people with thoughts and feelings it is not excusing the behaviors socs do. ponyboy being empathetic to them is one thing; not once, ever does he fully let anyone off of the hook. he makes cherry cry before he walks a little bit of it back yet never explicitly says he forgives her or that she makes a good choice here; he speculates about what drove bob yet clearly is still bob's victim as is johnny! johnny is his primary victim yet people with johnny icons are basically praising the socs and given this moment politically and culturally it feels particularly ugly and ignorant to me.

but i'm going off on a tangent. i think you do make sense as inconsistent characterization is already an issue this fandom wrt fanon vs. canon has but shifting it to a musical just makes it worse. it's also not good medium because it's going at a breakneck pace with no time to actually think about anything. (which, i think is why the musical fandom is starting to have rumbles [ha] of discontent. the more people i see engage with it at a slower pace, to digest it more individually, the more they see the cracks.) you get forcefed certain things from canon or it nods at the movie or what not but there's nothing like the novel that has pony's internal narration to ponder or consider and there's nothing like the movie where the shots allow for you to breathe in the film, allow you to settle into it and sit with it.

it's a deeply internal canon and narrative and there's not any of that in the musical. the asides feel like a bad malcolm in the middle episode, there's very little time to just exist with what's in front of you, and due to the characterization etc etc it makes it worse.

they should've made a television show but

we got one and it turned se hinton off entirely (she's right, sodapop would never plot a hate crime)

if we got one, we'd have to acknowledge the old one. it was kind of a big deal; it launched david arquette and leonardo di caprio

she's been very firm the best version is the movie, and doesn't even want a remake.

so. unfortunately we got this and it's just not well done. and it sucks.

[darrycurtises]

for the 'send me a character' thing - Darry, Evie, Cherry, Mark Jennings and BJ Jackson (if you haven't read all the SE books, don't worry. and tag/send this to changesxnight when you're done cause she loves you)

(wow i wonder who couldve sent this cryptic anon) i love u too britt

Darry

First impressions? 

listen,,, i was such a bab when i first read this book,, and i 100% sided w pony and so my first impression of darry was just >:(

Impression now? 

if i was to write down my full impression of darry i honestly think i’d give yall like a 50000 word essay in chicago style but suffice it to say that DARRY IS AMAZING and a million percent hes the most selfless person in the whole world and honestly the only NORMAL ONE like y’all can stan soda all u want but he still eats jelly and eggs im not About it

Favorite Moment? im gonna pick three because im an actual trash can,,, 

There was an uneasy silence: Who was going to start it? Darry solved the problem. He stepped forward under the circle of light made by the street lamp. For a minute, everything looked unreal, like a scene out of a JD movie or something. Then Darry said, “I’ll take on anyone.”

iconic

“I’ll be okay,” I said wearily. “How come you never worry about Sodapop as much? I don’t see you lecturin’ him.“ 

“Man,”- Darry grinned and put his arm across Soda’s shoulders - “this is one kid brother I don’t have to worry about." 

Soda punched him in the ribs affectionately. 

"This kiddo can use his head." Sodapop looked down at me with mock superiority, but Darry went on: "You can see he uses it for one thing - to grow hair on.” He ducked Soda’s swing and took off for the door. 

Two-Bit stuck his head in the door just as Darry went flying out of it. Leaping as he went off the steps, Darry turned a somersault in mid-air, hit the ground, and bounced up before Soda could catch him.

ADORABLE

“Darry, do you think they’ll split us up? Put me in a home or something?" 

He was silent. "I don’t know, baby. I just don’t know.”

what a Dad™

Idea for a story?

ok so i would die for any story that fleshes out the relationship darry had w his dad like im living for happy, stress-free, younger darry

Unpopular opinion? 

i don’t really know that there are any opinions i have about him that would be considered unpopular? r there still people who claim he’s abusive or are they like a cryptid now 

Favorite relationship? 

darry x happiness

Favorite headcanon? 

it’s one of mine it’s that his fave music is swing he is the ultimate Dad™

Evie

First impression? 

“what’s evie short for? evelyn? evangeline? e v a n e s c e n c e.”

Impression now?

*banging pots and pans together* AN EVIE NOVEL!!!! EVIE NOVEL!!! BLEASE

Favorite moment?

Did they cry when their boys were arrested, like Evie did when Steve got hauled in, or did they run out on them the way Sylvia did Dallas?

this is the only line in the book where it talks about her doing something? like the only other lines are “we’re going to a game” and “she, along with the other rarely mentioned females in the book, are greasy like us, and the only girls we have a chance with.” so, se hinton, step up ur girl-writing game, it weak

Idea for a story?

i feel like she and sylvia would be rlly interesting together id love to see them like as tag-team scammers

Unpopular opinion?

evie is soft,,,, she is not like wild child sylvia (that’s why i feel like they’d be a good team,like sylvia gets her out on the town, evie stops her from stealing a stop sign or something)

Favorite relationship?

i believe in evie x steve i really do,,

Favorite headcanon?

EVIE PICKS WILDFLOWERS AND DRIES THEM, AND THEY CREEP STEVE OUT HE SAYS ITS LIKE THE ADDAMS FAMILY HOUSE BUT SHE THINKS THEYRE PRETTY

Cherry

First impression? 

an actual literal goddess come to Earth, better than we deserve, needs a solo trip to the beach

Impression now?

an actual literal goddess come to Earth, so much better than we will ever deserve, needs 30 solo trips to the beach

Favorite moment?

Dally came striding back with an armful of Cokes. He handed one to each of the girls and sat down beside Cherry. “This might cool you off." 

She gave him an incredulous look; and then she threw her Coke in his face. "That might cool you off, greaser. After you wash your mouth and learn to talk and act decent, I might cool off, too.”

i mean how could i pick any other moment,,,

Idea for a story? 

literally any story where she isn’t shipped with anyone let her and marcia go on a crosscountry roadtrip where they take pictures at the grand canyon where they’re like “falling off the cliff lol scared u!”

Unpopular opinion?

i’m not sure if this opinion is actually unpopular or not but she was well within her rights to refuse seeing johnny at the hospital?? like i know this is debated a lot but she didnt owe him anything, no matter how much we love him, she doesnt have to 

Favorite relationship? 

cherry x being true to herself (also a version of bob where he respects that she doesn’t like him drinking around her)

Favorite headcanon? 

i honestly haven’t seen that many cherry headcanons? where are they? im just gonna say i totally believe in her as a beach lady

Mark Jennings

First impression?

i loved this boy so much like you dont even understand. the only person in the book i liked more than mark was charlie (im still angry)

Impression now?

*ugly sobbing* hhe wa sjuust truin gto helpp oit brryonss momm,,.,,,

Favorite moment?

“How goes it?” I managed finally. “What’s the action like in here?”

“If I told you how it was in here,” he said, “you’d be sick.” There was a silence. Then, he continued. “I didn’t have to see you. I wanted to, though. I had to make sure.” 

“Make sure of what?”

“Make sure I hated you.”

Idea for a story?

An entire overhaul of the whole book where he doesn’t end up in jail, full of hate.

Unpopular opinion?

so i’m not 100% on what the general agreement is on mark, but my unpopular opinion is i understand where he was coming from. he was trying to make money for the household that took him in when his life fell apart, and bryon’s minimum wage job wasn’t cutting it, and he knew desperate times call for desperate measures. i don’t agree with it, but i get it, and for the 213537356623465752676th time, bryon could have talked to mark. they were close, and he might’ve been able to influence him, but he didn’t try. 

Favorite relationship?

hhhhh i appreciated the mother/son bond between him and bryon’s mom? i can’t remember a lot about the nuances of this book, but whatever.

Favorite headcanon?

i honestly don’t know. im just v sad about him and i want him to grow up to have as normal and happy a life as he can manage when he got out of prison.

BJ Jackson

i know nothing about this “”””bj jackson”””””. sounds like fake news to me.

i’m gonna let @changesxnight weigh in on this one, so sorry my love

THATS IT THANK U FOR REQUESTING BRITT SORRY IT TOOK TEN MILLION YEARS

[bostonbostoff]

Memoirs of a G(ood blogger)eisha

I had my last day at [redacted Personal Finance firm that I am contractually prevented from mentioning online] this past Wednesday. Most people give two weeks notice, I gave about five months notice. I’m very thorough and I crave the approvals of others, so naturally I wanted to leave this job as amicably as possible.

As we all know, I am well adjusted and professional in all aspects of my life. So naturally, I began crying the literal minute I set foot inside the office on my last day. I’m emotionally stable and good at handling change. It’s fine. The day was truly exhausting, since I actually literally tired myself out with my emotions. That’s cool. I’m still sleeping to recover. All of my co-workers said very nice things and told me to come back as a client in ten years, I fired back with “give me 8” so I better get that flea market stand off the ground because I’ve got eight years to make a million dollars.

On the bright side, now that I am no longer an SEC regulated employee, I can give bad unsolicited financial advice online without worrying about repercussions. Truly the day every girl dreams of. I’m not telling you to go out there and develop a better generic brand of Oreos, but I am strongly implying that there are no good tasting generic Oreos and the first guy to get it right might make a fortune. I am also not telling you that the New York Mega Millions Jackpot lottery hasn’t been claimed yet. Take from that lack of information what you will.

This up-to-date knowledge of the New York lottery brought to you by my mother, with whom I am staying for the next ten days as I attempt to sleep my way through my break. Law School starts in about 20 days so I have some serious zzz’s to catch if I want to be the most well-rested 1L of all time. While home, I just discovered a travel notebook I kept while I was in Italy in 2015. This was a particular treat because it turns out I actually finished the notebook! Like I solidly wrote an entry for every day I was there! Who does that! Without further ado, here are some of my favorite excerpts from my Rome notebook, as a throwback to a time when I was apparently good at writing about my life in a timely fashion:

“Day 0 - Flight. Drank too much wine and spent an hour or so trying to think in rhyme. Into the Woods is a weird movie. ½ of the actors have British accents, ½ American. Took 100 drunk photos of the sunset.”

"Sarah and I, continuing a pattern of being the only ones in any given room, literally climbed a steep hill, entered doors covered in graffiti into a courtyard where David Bowie's Life on Mars was omnisciently playing, only to then ring a door, to turn a wheel to pay a coin to speak with a nun about opening a door"

 "My journey was quickly halted by a rainstorm but fortunately for me, my mother has spent 21 years telling me to carry an umbrella 'just in case'" 

"Strongly distracted during the papal audience by a man next to me who reminded me exactly of Danny Devito's character in Matilda. Did not write a blog post about him" 

"I don't really understand icons because they don't exist in the US. Are they real? Am I real? Who knows. Tune in next time to find out" 

"I'm torn between being like 'yay boats!' And 'ugh, boats'. On that note, if I were a boat I would be an Ugh Boat, the definitively less helpful cousin of the tugboat. We've got jokes here." 

"As white trash as this sounds, pringles containers make great Tupperware" 

And that was Italy. That was then, this is now, as SE Hinton once said as the titular aphorism of the decidedly less good sequel to The Outsiders. 

Anyway... (do you think I'll ever learn to write transitions?) I'm sitting in a bathrobe on my childhood bed cold as heck because the air conditioner actually works here. Wild. I'm not sweating and I'm very confused. Is this how other people feel all the time. I have a new roommate and she keeps turning the AC off in our house and I'm very close to strangling her in her sleep. You might think that's an overreaction, but consider this: sweating sucks and I'm a blubbery little human whale. The Boston Strangler's got nothing on me. Bad joke? Bad joke. Tune in next time for a thrilling repeat of "Kristen Overreacts to Small Slights and Poorly Adapts to Temperatures"