#to be clear I love Darry and he is my favourite character

[purecommemasolitude]

There’s something very fitting about how Darry’s struggles and actions are presented through water metaphors (“I keep treading water/but I sink just like a stone”, “I don’t know what we would do if you were not around/the one to keep the ship afloat when it’s going down”) and then his little brother almost drowns, indirectly because Darry is in fact struggling and doesn’t know how to act

[izaacs-notdeadyet]

Have you read other SE Hinton books What are your feelings on the book? Who is your fave character OUTSIDE* of the main 7? Rank the main 7. What are your fave ships? What are some ships you dislike? What are your fave non-romantic relationships? (This can be close friends, familial, enemies or even just acquaintances) How did you get into Outsiders? What’s the favourite scene/moment from the book? Least favourite scene/moment? What’s your opinion of the movie? Have you watched the TV Show? Do you plan to? If you have, what’s your opinion on it? Who do you think is the most well-written character? Tell us five of your headcanons you basically see as canon

YAHHOO!! sorry I'm normal about receiving asks

Yes I have! I've read That was then, this is now, rumble fish, and Tex. And I plan on getting taming the star runner and some of Tim's stories

Twttin was kinda meh. Ruined me but not my favorite book. Love love love rumble fish and Rusty-James relationship with his brother and I'm kind of sad it's s.e's shortest book :((. My favorite book of hers aside from the outsiders would definitely be Tex.

My favorite Outsiders character outside of the main 7 would prolly be Bob. Rip king you had it coming 🙏🙏🙏

Ranking the main greasers is so hard but I think my list probably goes like this. Ponyboy -> Johnny -> Steve -> Two-bit -> Dally -> Soda -> Darry. I definitely love them all so much tho sorry Darry you judt got the short end of the stick :((

Ohh my favorite ships r so bad. I'm a multi shipper I fear. Probably Dalbit. Lowkey kinda enjoying Steve and Dally (stally??). Really like JohnnyPop

I honestly don't dislike like too many ships. I don't like Musical Jally much (book I can understand how people read it as that, movie I think their big brother little brother relationship isn't played up as much so I can also understand that but musical Johnny n dally are extremely different characters compared to book or movie.) I like toxic parry but not like wholesome parry. Willing to be convinced but I lowkey see them as that toxic ahh highschool couple

KHH MY GOD I CAN YAO ABT THE PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS IN THE OUTSIDERS FOR FOREVER. Two-bit and Johnny (he's his big brother your honor) Two-bit and pony (HES A BIG BRITHER YOUR HONOR) Steve and pony I find their rivalry so fucking funny and I'd love to see them have to work together and it'd be like one of those buddy movies where the characters have to learn to tolerate eachother.

Never gonna believe me but I did nit get into it through school. A friend of mine was into it and I saw them yapping about it and I was like "Woahh who the fuck is this loser named ponyboy" and they convinced me to pick up the book.

Ajghhhh favorite scene from the book is so hard but I think it'll either be the scene where pony's talking abt Soda and (I think) Twobit getting picked up by the cops for doing gymnastics 😭 or the I am a hood chant they all do walking to the rumble OR OR when pony is lowkey shit talking everyone in the beginning. My favorite hater

Augh there's so many good scenes but k think if I had to choose one it'd probably be the scene where Two and Steve come in and interrupt ponyboy making breakfast (i love that scene so much don't get me wrong it's so silly) because I imagine myself as ponyboy and it'd lowkey piss me off

Movie is great. I prefer the book better for the characters and the musical for the scenes but the movie is also really great I love the scenes where they're all just goofing off in the movie

I have not seen the tv show and I plan to but I lowkey need someone to hype me up to watch it cuz the shit I've heard abt the tv show is wild

Most well written character is so hard but I think it's Ponyboy by default. S.e is most like Ponyboy and you can definitely tell. She has a way of writing ponyboy that's really clear compared to her other pov characters. If I didn't choose ponyboy I think it'd be Sodapop though and I can't really figure out how to word my explanation for that

OHHH FIVE HEADCANONS I SEE AS CANON

1. Dally is literally Darry's little brother as much as Sodapop or Johnny is.

2. Johnny loves lovesss loves cats and the only time he steals things is to steal cat food so he can feed the cats under the porch.

3. They're all autistic. The entire gang. All neurodivergent in some way.

4. Audhd Darry who masks. Also im starting to take that one headcannon of Darry having an auditory processing disorder as canon (who made that hc cause I love it)

5. Trans Steve. Trans fem or Trans masc hes trans idc.

[alittlebitofloveliness]

3, 4, 7, 9 (outsiders asks)

EEEEE thanks for the ask anon!

3. Favourite character outside the main seven

Tim Shepard! I feel like Hinton threw mentions of him and Curly in there as a sort of foil to Darry and Ponyboy's dynamic but I have SOOOO many headcanons about him (and Curly and Angela too).

PS. The only reason I said Tim and not Angela is because she's not technically mentioned in the book. Angela is my favourite outsiders universe character ever and since theres not enough content for her I've decided I have to make my own lmao

4. Rank the main seven

OOF omg ok this was a hard one

First, Steve. Probably seems really random and unpopular but I feel like theres so much depth to his character that there just wasn't enough book to provide. We know he has a rough background and a soft spot for Sodapop and that Ponyboy's narration of him is biased since he thinks Steve doesn't like him. Tbh tho I think Steve really does care about Ponyboy in his own way, it's just hard for Ponyboy (and probably a lot of younger readers to see). My love of Steve was kind of an evolution but I can firmly say he's my favourite out of the gang atp.

Second, Darry. My man was a 20 y/o whose parent died who had to give up on his dreams to raise two younger brothers who he loved so much the feelings bled off the page. He NEVER should have hit ponyboy and it was such an out of character moment for him- AS IT WAS INTENDED TO BE. I have a LOT of thoughts about him but as someone who has grown that I'm almost the same age as him I cant IMAGINE having gone through what he went through and dealt with it as well as he did. My man needs more recognition.

Third, Ponyboy. He's such a dumbass and a weirdo but so reltable and sarcastic and profound. He's a main character who never gets in the way of other main characters and he's so quintessentially 13 that reading his story when I was that age fundamentally altered my brain chemistry and I haven't been the same since.

Fourth, Johnny. He was the gangs favourite for a reason and such a good friend to Ponyboy. I feel like the fandom infantilizes him sometimes, which is partially due to Ponyboy's narration, but the book makes it clear he's a really tough kid who looks like trouble but isn't. He's such a prime example of how the lottery of birth can fuck up someone's life. He is so tragic to me because he never had a chance.

Fifth, Sodapop. I know he's a fan favourite and I'm not saying I don't like him, but he's just kind of...boring? imo. Like, not much there, and not as much depth as some of the other characters. maybe its because we see a lot more of him in Ponyboy's thoughts but I'm not curious about him the way I am about some of the others.

Sixth, Dally. He's not likeable- but he is, as johnny said, gallant. I know it was by design that he's mysterious but I wish we got more backstory for him. I've just never connected to him the way I connected to other characters.

Seventh, Two-Bit. Again, probably unpopular and I know he's a fandom favourite but to me his issues have always jumped out more than his redeeming qualities. His alcoholism is a hallmark of his character, and i think at one point Ponyboy mentions he's a dead weight on his family's finances. He also has a little sister that's Ponyboy's age thats mentioned like once? I just feel like he's kind of a deadbeat for his family if that makes sense.

7. Favourite non romantic relationships. i could (and probably should atp, whoops this got long) make a whole other post about this but:

darry and ponyboy's relationship

johnny and ponyboy's friendship

steve and sodapop's frienship

johnny and dally's relationship

9. Favourite scene/moment from the book?

When Ponyboy runs directly into Darry's arms as soon as he sees him at the hospital. Gets me right in the feels every time.

Bonus: the moment when that guy tells Ponyboy he shoudn't smoke and he's all confused, like why? theres not a no smoking sign? and the dude is just like uh? but youre a kid? it's just such a stark reminder that while Ponyboy has grown up sheltered in some ways he has absolutely not been in others and his background is really rough and agh it gets me every time its such a clever scene.

ANYWAY this got longer than i meant it to, whoops. Thanks ever so much for the ask :)