#i just rlly went off the rails talking abt them. yall were bound to get my thoughts at some point ig

[munamania]

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

#asks #anon #stranger things #ronance #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #im procrastinating can you tell #anyway. i very much love the like theyre besties theyre rivals theyre lovers theyre enemies etc etc dynamics #i just rlly went off the rails talking abt them. yall were bound to get my thoughts at some point ig