#mr hauser

[super-nova5045]

so i was listening to the rebel robin podcast, episode 1, and around 17:00, robin and her gay english teacher start talking about will and barb and what happened to them.

"i'm not going to get kidnapped during lunch period."

"i know, but im not just talking about what happened to will or what might have happened to barb. the truth is, none of us know and i hope we eventually do know (....) until then, you can believe what you wanna believe, but that doesn't make it true."

"i know, and im not stupid. i know will is....different."

"yeah. yeah, it is."

"what do you think happened to him?"

"i don't know."

"but you're worried. about it happening to someone else?"

"even small towns have their teeth."

"the hawkins monster."

"you see it too, don't you? the way this place can be. the way it eats people up. that's...that's why the camouflage is so important because it's always lurking in the shadows. waiting to snap its jaws."

"the way you talk about it, it sounds like a literal monster."

"sometimes it feels like it is. and i think you know that. don't you? you wouldn't be worried about me if you didn't."

this ain't a theory anymore. people, queer people, like robin and mr hauser, were actually terrified that will got hatecrimed and scared it would happen to them, too.

#byler #will byers #robin buckley #mr hauser #rebel robin #rebel robin podcast #mike wheeler #barbara holland #stranger things

[sailor-peeking]

A list of things I learned about Robin Buckley while listening to the prequel podcast about her (spoilers...duh) :

Robin has an emotional support English teacher named Mr. Hauser who runs the theater department

Robin auditioned for a play and almost passed out embarrassing herself.

Robin Buckley is an avid reader reading books way above her grade level but performing as a b average student on purpose.

Robin dreams of running away and has sinced elementary school.

Robin is a big fan of Frankenstein and believes that in the book Dr. Frankenstein is the real monster for playing God.

Robin's dream is to go on a vacation to France (she calls it operation croissant.)

and then move out of Hawkins entirely.

For Halloween Robin was Annie Lennox for Halloween, 1983.

Robin notices that Tammy Thompson smells like raspberries and she mentions that it reminds her of the scented stickers she collected as a child

Robin is nearly fluent in French and has picked up Italian by the time she is a sophomore.

Robin dreams of learning Russian (ironic.)

Robin was friends with Barb until the 6th grade when Barb joined a club with Nancy and they fell out of contact

Robin has 2 friends (term used lightly) named Kate and Milton.

Robin says that her parents aren't really parents they're more like "domesticated hippies" they never really ask her about anything

Robin was banned from riding her bike to school after what happened with Barb and Will. And instead has to take the bus (where she is harassed verbally)

Robin says even her teacher looks at Steve "as if his hair cured cancer."

Robin doesn't particularly like Nancy.

Robin worked at the Movie theater before scoops ahoy

Robin refers to her friends as "the odd squad ™"

Robin feels like she's broken, like there's something "wrong" or "rotten." About her

A boy named Roy makes Lewd comments to Robin that make her uncomfortable

Robin compares Steve to Jack from Lord of the Flies.

Robin likes the outsider's book.

Robin's friends boyfriend Dash thinks she's in a relationship/sleeping with her English teacher.

Robin really enjoys being able to leave her math class early for the cafeteria cookies while they're hot.

Robin's English teacher is Gayyyyy✨🌈🌈🌈🌈 (And Barb is an 🌈✨Ally ✨🌈)

Robin pulled the fire alarm to frame her friends boyfriend for trying to get Hauser fired

Robin was working the day Steve cleaned up the graffiti at the movie theater.

Robin refers to Hawkins society as "the monster™"

The first time Robin talks to Tammy Thompson was the day before Christmas break her sophomore year

Robin and Hauser refer to their homosexuality as "the slip of paper with a black dot" in reference to the short story "the lottery"

#sailor says something dumb #Robin Buckley #stranger things #stranger things spoilers #rebel robin #rebel robin: surviving hawkins #Steve Harrington #mr Hauser #nancy wheeler #barb holland #tammy thompson #stranger things x reader #robin buckley x reader

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things Rebel Robin (Book and Podcast) Review (Part 1 of 2)

WARNING: The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS from the book and podcast!

If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews. Like, Reblog, and let me know what your thoughts are regarding the show or the upcoming season! :)

Stranger Things Comics/Graphic Novels:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things “The Game Master” and “Erica’s Quest”

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons

Stranger Things Kamchatka

Stranger Things Erica The Great

Stranger Things “Creature Feature” and “Summer Special”

Stranger Things Tie-In Books:

Stranger Things Suspicious Minds

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 3 of 3)

NOTE: If you would like to listen to "Surviving Hawkins," the companion podcast to Rebel Robin, you can find all 6 episodes here.

Synopsis: As Robin struggles to survive her sophomore year of High School, she becomes desperate to break free from the viciousness of high school conformity and her depressing living situation in Hawkins. To this end, she forms an escape plan to travel to Europe (which she calls "Operation Croissant") and becomes determined to get both the money for her trip and a companion to travel with her. However, as she attempts to accomplish these goals, she begins to discover things about herself, and the people around her, that leaves her woefully unprepared for how to deal with her situation............

Observations:

I've talked before in previous reviews about which comics and tie-in novels I've enjoyed, and which I haven't. However, the one that really connected with me on a personal level was Rebel Robin. Both the book and the podcast. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since this is a coming-of-age story about someone finding their own identity in a world that values forced conformity over individualism, and is also about coming to terms with one's own sexual orientation while growing up in a town that's deeply homophobic.

I should know: I lived Robin's story in my own way.

Those of you who follow my blog know I identify as gay (my username is literally titled TheGayHimbo), but I've never really gone into my own experiences about living in denial for years regarding my attraction to men (which might have actually saved my life in high school), how I dealt with homophobia and bullying (even as an adult) and how I tried playing the same game Robin initially does of trying to "fit in" to survive before growing disillusioned and staging my own rebellion when it became clear there would always be people out there who would never accept me as I am.

This book, and the podcast, hit a lot of personal nerves. That's not a bad thing because both were not only excellent, but also managed to perfectly capture what it's like growing up as an LGBT+ teen and constantly putting up with bullshit on top of that. It also does a great job encapsulating that feeling of desiring to escape the place you've been raised in for most of your life, and wanting to explore the world. I had the same dream Robin had as a teenager of leaving the United States and traveling to Europe. Unfortunately, it's only been in the last 2 years that I've finally made that dream a reality. Maybe it's for the better though since I'm a lot more wiser about the world than I was at the age of 17.

But I'm getting ahead of myself: Let's talk about the book and the podcast.

Part 1: Robin's Journey

Do you remember Mrs. Click's history class? Mrs. Clickity-Clackity? That's what us band dweebs called her. It's was first period, Tuesdays and Thursdays, so you were always late. And you always had the same breakfast: Bacon, egg, and cheese on a sesame bagel. I sat behind you. Two days a week for a year. Mister Funny. Mister Cool. The King of Hawkins High himself. Do you even remember me from that class? Of course you don't. You were a real asshole, you know that?.......... But it didn't even matter. It didn't matter that you were an ass. I was still.....obsessed with you. Even though all of us losers pretend to be above it all, we still want to be popular, accepted.......normal.

Do you remember what I said about Click's class? About me being jealous, and like, obsessed? It isn't because I had a crush on you. It's because............she wouldn't stop staring at you. Tammy Thompson. I wanted her to look at me.

Both of these conversations Robin has with Steve in season 3 are what make up a good chunk of the plot of Rebel Robin: Her infatuation with Tammy Thompson. Her dislike of Steve (a lot of it rooted in preconceived notions about him). Figuring things out about herself and how she relates to Hawkins and the world around her.

The way the book is written reminds me of the type of John Hughes movies that came out in the 80s: Sixteen Candles (which is one of the films that plays at the theater Robin initially works at), The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, etc. All of these were stories focused on teenage identity, questioning high school stereotypes, rebelling against conformity and authority, and characters coming to terms with hard truths about themselves. The big difference here is that the book looks at these themes through a queer perspective, as well as the self-esteem issues that come with growing up in a homophobic environment.

For most of the book, Robin doesn't really put together that she likes girls. She's constantly infatuated with Tammy Thompson, but she tries framing it in her head as being interested in Tammy only because she's a nice person who's passionate and has a lovely voice. Robin also can't understand why Tammy would be interested in Steve when he barely has any interest in her.

When it finally does hit her that she's attracted to Tammy, she's completely caught off-guard by the epiphany since she's always pegged herself as a logically-thinking person:

This isn't something rooted in logic though, but emotion. I would even argue Robin's initial ignorance about her sexuality was a defense mechanism. Her whole conflict in the book is about trying to survive Hawkins High and blend in so that no one notices her. In the podcast, when she's talking with Mr. Hauser (who's one of the only people at that point who knows Robin's secret and figured it out before she did), she tells him that she deliberately makes herself average and uninteresting because it's the best camouflage. Those who try to be different don't last long, and get eaten up by the metaphorical monster that is "forced conformity" in Hawkins. Robin has seen that with Sheena Rollins, the girl everyone bullies because she's odd (which is sadly similar to the bullying El is subjected to in season 4 by Angela and the students of Lenora High School). Even though there are moments Robin considers stepping in on Sheena's behalf, she's either held back by her so-called friends, or she becomes worried that her intervening is just going to make things worse for Sheena (which, again, is similar to what happens when a teacher intervenes on El's behalf in season 4, and Angela later punishes El for it by publicly humiliating her at Rink-O-Mania).

Side Note: Whenever I see fans make stupid excuses for bullies like Angela by claiming they're children who aren't responsible for their behavior, and it was the lack of adults that's to blame, I wonder if those morons ever factor in how certain adults (like Miss Garvey here) enable people like Angela and other kids to become vicious brats BECAUSE they refuse to step in. When Robin is forced to take the bus later after her parents freak out over Will and Barb's disappearance, there are several instances (in both the book and podcast) where Robin is catcalled and harassed by other guys, and yet the bus driver refuses to do anything about it because they don't care to. "It was the lack of adults" my ass. 🙄

For me, growing up as a gay man who was also in denial about his sexuality for years (similar to Robin), I never had to deal with bullying when I was in high school. I was raised in a Conservative/Republican suburban neighborhood, and in a church that had an anti-homosexual stance, but I never got subjected to the vicious cruelty that Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, El, and Sheena were put through. For the most part, our high school cracked down hard on bullying, and I was never made to feel unsafe when I went there. I was even an AP student and never received grief for it, which is why I find it depressing when Robin tries justifying to Mr. Hauser in the podcast that she won't do AP classes because she wants to go unnoticed. She's lowering herself for people who don't care about her. I know I grew up in a different time period from Robin, and haven't had the same exact experiences she's had, but I have been in her position before of shrinking myself for others, and it is painful.

The irony is it wasn't until later in my life, when I finally accepted myself as homosexual and was moving through college and adulthood, that the homophobia and bullying I got subjected to started.

There are plenty of examples I could give, but one particularly disgusting instance I remember came from a Reddit user who intentionally went out of her way to target me on multiple occasions because I was gay (and because she saw me as an SJW) and did everything in her power at the time to diminish me, make me feel bad about my sexuality, and repeatedly tried to gaslight me into thinking there was something wrong with me. Unfortunately, she is still active online to this day, and continues the same cycle of bullying, belittling others, mocking people for caring about social issues, and then hypocritically positioning herself against bullying. Despite being reported multiple times for her behavior (which continues to be as bigoted and nasty as ever), the Sitewide Administration for Reddit has refused to do a damn thing about it (which I guess shouldn't be surprising since they've also kept up the accounts of users who've literally told others to kill themselves). This happened years ago when I was still new to the internet (having been sheltered from online discourse prior to attending college) and didn't have the skills set and knowledge at the time to deal with condescending assholes like her. I have avoided this user since, and I want nothing to do with her (or Reddit for that matter), but it's experiences like this which have hardened me and made me cynical about people and life in general.

On an unrelated note, it's why I have no sympathy for Angela when El finally has enough of her bullying and smashes her face in with a roller-skate. I don't usually condone violence, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't get some dark satisfaction in seeing this moment:

Cry me a river of blood and tears, sweetheart. You deserve it.

Getting back to the review, having read this book and listened to the podcast, I related stronglym with Robin during this. I also grew to appreciate Mr. Hauser. He's the one who encouraged Robin to be herself and not let the small-mindedness of other people keep her down. He's the one who supported her plan to travel to Europe (Operation Croissant) and encouraged Robin to find a companion to go with her because he understood that happiness and memories are better shared with others. There's a very powerful scene in the podcast when Robin is at a low point, having come to believe there's something wrong with her, and Mr. Hauser firmly reassures her that she isn't broken and that she doesn't need to change herself for others.

Hearing that, especially as someone who deals with anxiety and depression on a daily basis, nearly moved me to tears.

I wish there were others out there who had a Mr. Hauser in their lives. I met mine on Tumblr years ago, and I'm grateful to know her. If she's reading this, she knows who she is. :)

I should mention at this point that the companion podcast for the book only covers a specific part of the novel (i.e. Chapters 15-29) and they mostly focus on the conversations between Robin and Mr. Hauser that aren't in the book. They're deep conversations about what it's like living in Hawkins, how the books they're reading relate to their current situations, discussions about other characters like Steve, Barb, and Will, having to work in a rigid system that focuses on molding people into becoming productive members of society, and so on. All of it is wrapped in a mystery surrounding Mr. Hauser that Robin begins to piece together.

I read the book first before I listened to the podcast, so I already had the twist regarding Mr. Hauser spoiled, which made the build-up to the mystery feel redundant. I'm sure the podcast is meant to be listened to at the same time you're reading the book, but I don't think it truly matters which order you go in. Even if you haven't read the book or listened to the podcast, it is EXTREMELY EASY to figure out what Mr. Hauser's secret is. If you've been paying attention to what I've been talking about in this review, you've likely figured it out for yourselves.

In any case, it makes what happens to Mr. Hauser later all the more heartbreaking.

It's also the reason why Robin finally has enough when her plans get derailed, and she finally goes full Rebel Robin: She's sick of trying to survive. She's sick of confining herself to a box for people who either don't care for her, want to use her for their own self-serving purposes (i.e. her former friend Dash), or will criticize her no matter what she does. She also realizes that, for all of her scheming on Operation Croissant, it wasn't going to fix her problems:

I can relate. Recently, I got back from a trip to Italy and Greece. While I had a fun time (and brought back some nice souvenirs and pictures), the issues I've had for years didn't magically go away either. Running away doesn't fix your problems, and sometimes you have to face hard truths if you want to move on. I'm still getting there, and I'm glad Robin was able to get there as well.

The climax of this book comes off as a combination of 10 Things I Hate About You, National Lampoon's Animal House, and Mean Girls: It takes place at a school dance, there's a lot of wacky shenanigans that involve damaged property, a sleazebag who's been the antagonist for most of the story rightfully gets humiliated, and there's some kind of reconciliation. Robin doesn't exactly get what she wants (and her behavior is what causes her to end up working alongside Steve Harrington at Scoop's Ahoy), but she does get catharsis and a special moment where she can be herself with someone who also understands her. After spending most of the book wishing for that, it's at least something for her to hold onto.

Part 2: Robin's Relationship With Other Characters

We get to meet Robin's parents in this novel, who are both hippies from the counterculture movement of the 60s. Robin notes that both of them have traveled around most of their lives (which is one of the reasons she's inspired to create Operation Croissant and travel to Europe), they both have other hippie friends who've been on their own exciting adventures, they are relaxed in their parenting of Robin (to the point Robin admits to feeling like the adult in the family), and they taught Robin to question authority and not trust the government (which comes into play for her during her later adventure with Steve, Erica, and Dustin). However, when Will and Barb disappear, they end up becoming a lot more strict with Robin, confiscating her bike and forcing her to take the bus for her own safety.

While Robin is unhappy, it's understandable why they act like this, and it was absolutely the right call considering what was going on at the time. There's even a scene where Robin has a near encounter with the Demogorgon on the night Will disappears, and only barely avoids the monster:

On top of that, when her parents accidentally discover Robin's plans to run away to Europe, they're rightfully upset about it. They make a bunch of incorrect assumptions, but at the same time, this situation was avoidable if Robin had sat down with her parents beforehand and trusted them with what she was planning. I know Robin tries to justify to herself why she didn't, but even though I wanted Robin to explore Europe, I also understand why her parents reacted the way they did. Robin did not think all aspects of her plan through. If I had pulled what she almost did where I ran away during high school and only called my parents once I reached Paris, I know EXACTLY how that would have gone: Not well.

This book also reveals that Robin used to be friends with Barbara Holland back in grade school, only for them to drift apart later. There were certain factors, from Barb hanging out with Nancy more, to Barb becoming more of an overachiever in academics whereas Robin did not, but it wasn't anything bad that ended their friendship. When Barb disappears, Robin constantly projects this idea that Barb managed to get away from Hawkins and isn't truly missing (which is something Mr. Hauser calls Robin out on in the podcast). It gets pretty uncomfortable to read about, especially when the audience already knows what actually happened to her:

Barb acts as the ghost that's still in the room for many characters. Robin speculates on where she went, Nancy is later found sobbing her eyes out in the theater bathroom by Robin, and there's even a scene at the end of the book where Robin sees Nancy and Steve looking alone and scared. Even though Barb isn't mentioned by name, her presence is there:

I know that when it comes to the show, Barb's death had the biggest impact on Nancy, and it's usually Nancy's grief/guilt that gets the most focus, but I wish we'd gotten to see Robin's reaction to learning about Barb's death. It could have even been a bonding moment between Robin and Nancy when they were working together in season 4. Maybe it'll be talked about in season 5, but I'm not holding my breath.

Robin's former friends (Dash, Kate, and Milton) were a mixed bag. Milton was probably the one I like the best, but I wasn't impressed at him distancing himself from Robin later on because he was looking to date Wendy and didn't want people to spread gossip about him dating Robin. Kate was frustrating, and the way she kept trying to push Robin to date other boys (despite Robin insisting she wasn't interested) didn't impress me. Nor was I impressed with her dating Dash. To her credit, she does wise up and apologize to Robin later on, but I do find it telling that her relationship with Robin deteriorated and that Robin refers to both her and Milton as ex-friends by the end.

Dash is straight-up awful. I will talk more about him in the second post for this review, but his character struck a nerve. For all of his posturing about being an intellectual nerd, he's a sleazy womanizer (similar to Billy Hargrove) and a serial cheater. I loathe him the same way I hate Billy, Angela, and Dr Brenner.

Something I appreciated with this book is how it goes out of its way to invert the social dynamic with certain characters. I've seen criticisms before about how the popular kids on Stranger Things are always portrayed as monstrous, and the nerds/outcasts as the heroes, which isn't completely true. Chrissy Cunningham for instance was one of the most popular girls at Hawkins High, and yet was shown to be a sweet (if troubled) person. Steve, despite some initial hiccups, also demonstrated himself to be a good guy, willing to own up to his behavior and put his life on the line for others. By contrast, Henry/One/Vecna portrayed himself to El as being a social outcast growing up, and yet is not only a straight-up sociopath with no empathy for remorse for his actions, but ultimately the Big Bad of the series.

In Rebel Robin, Tammy Thompson is popular in school and has a circle of popular friends, but she's also a kind individual. She's repeatedly nice to Robin, and goes out of her way to talk to Sheena at one point to help her after she gets bullied again. By contrast, Dash labels himself as a band geek/nerd, and yet reveals himself as one of the most condescending, unkind individuals in the series. It's a major reason Robin washes her hands of him, and wants nothing to do with Dash when he shows his true colors. All of this adds a little complexity to the series beyond Popular = Bad and Nerd/Outcast = Good.

And then there's Steve himself: Even though Robin thinks about him in a negative light for most of the novel, I can only recall one or two instances where they briefly interact before the Epilogue (which is when Robin starts working for Scoops Ahoy).

I've seen fans repeatedly debate whether Steve was a bully to others pre-season 1, and the answer this book gives is a firm NO. Steve's shown to be self-absorbed and insensitive at times, but not vicious to others the same way bullies like Troy, Billy, and Angela were. He wasn't malicious, and he didn't go out of his way to torment others for his amusement. At one point, in the podcast, Mr. Hauser point-blank asks Robin if Steve's bullied her, and she denies it. Part of Robin's feelings against Steve are her projecting her issues on to him, part of it is making assumptions about him without the whole context (like when she thinks Steve made Nancy cry at the movie theater when Nancy was actually crying over Barb's death), and part of her dislike occasionally has some merit (like when Steve runs into Robin in the hallway during the podcast and acts like a douche).

All of this makes Steve and Robin bonding with one another in season 3 feels more meaningful. She gets to see a different side to Steve after constantly assuming that people don't change, and he comes to value her as a friend. She shared her secret with him (albeit under the influence of the Russian truth serum), and not only did he accept her for who she was and kept her secret, but also encouraged her to start dating Vickie in season 4. He's the friend she deserves to have.

Assuming that both Robin and Steve survive season 5, I'd love to see Robin fulfill her dream of traveling to Europe, and that she takes Steve with her. He's the true companion to have while they visit museums, cafes, the countryside, and eat plenty of croissants. 🥐

Overall, I strongly recommend both the book and podcast. Both are entertaining and quick to get through, both enhance the show and Robin's character while adding new details, and both are great examples of LGBT+ representation.

To be continued in Part 2..........

#stranger things #robin buckley #steve harrington #nancy wheeler #barbara holland #stobin #tammy thompson #stranger things rebel robin #angela stranger things #dash montague #stranger things podcast #tgh opinions #tgh reviews #surviving hawkins #a.r. capetta #mr hauser #lgbt+ books #lgbt+ media #bullying #homophobia #bigotry #u/grandequesso

[friendsdontlieokay]

Kinda need to see Mr Hauser in Stranger Things season 5.

(If you don't know who he is, he's Robin's favorite teacher from the Rebel Robin podcast)

#stranger things #robin buckley #mr hauser #rebel robin #stobin #rovickie #target audience #ig

[runupthathillgirl]

mr hauser and mr clarke boyfriends in season five canon

#mr clarke #mr hauser #rebel robin #hawkins #byler

[wanda-the-anaconda]

since nobody else is gonna say it, I will

bring back mr fucking hauser

literally loved his character in rebel robin and him and robin had such a good character dynamic and I need more interactions between them

imagine how happy he would be that she finally made friends

that she finally came out to someone

mr hauser is a gay icon and he needs more recognition thank you for your time

#mr hauser #stranger things #robin buckley

[clowns-are-cool]

Here's the rebel robin podcast transcript.

I did my best but I'm sure it's not 100% accurate.

#rebel robin: surviving hawkins #rebel robin #robin buckley #mr hauser #tammy thompson #stranger things #steve harrington #nancy wheeler #podcast transcript #podcast

[snowangeldotmp3]

Ok but robin protecting will and trying to comfort him while they're both stuck in the upside down and trying not to think about the fact that no one really cared or noticed shes gone, except maybe mr. Hauser and the only reason she even has a chance at surviving is because will got taken too

ohhhh my god anon you have me in tears. mr hauser being the one to bring it up to hopper, who’s already dealing with joyce. and now there’s not one, but TWO kids missing in hawkins. joyce thinks she knows the name buckley; they don’t live too far down the street from her, some of the only other people on this side of town. she yells at hop some more about how this isn’t a normal disappearance. “two kids on the same street, hop. will didn’t run away and i guarantee you the buckley girl didn’t either!”

robin, who thought that maybe someone would raise alarm. her friends (i am still of the firm opinion that Milton WOULD raise alarm) who she thought cared about her, even though they’d been kinda shitty lately. her PARENTS for gods sake. but no, it was her favorite teacher, mr. hauser. all of her energy being focused on keeping herself and will alive in the upside down. she has to admit, the kids not bad company, if he hadn’t been here with her, she might not have made it this far. if they survive, he’ll have to tell her what all of this DnD stuff is.

#got mail! 📩 #anon asks #seriously though holy shit anon im in tears #stranger things #will byers #robin buckley #joyce byers #jim hopper #mr hauser #rebel robin: surviving the upside down

[rougarouuu]

Currently thinking about Robin Buckley from Stanger Things

I just finished listening to Rebel Robin, the podcast, and so this post is confined to JUST the context of that series, so heads up, there's gonna be spoilers ahead! Read at your own risk!

!! SPOILERS AHEAD !!

I loved Rebel Robin so so much. And like, I love how much of an in-depth look we get to take on her character in this series. Like yeah, we get to see her through the series, but since this is so focused on her we get to see more of a look at her inner monologue.

I think my favorite part of the podcast (and I have a few favorites) was Robin explaining to Mr. Hauser that she doesn't want to stand out too much, even academically, because she needs to stay in her camouflage. This happens in Episode three, "The Inferno" (thank you to @clowns-are-cool for making a transcript of the podcast!!) Mr. Hauser and Robin discuss this in which Mr. Hauser asks her why she's reading Dante's Inferno in the original translation, and she says that she "likes a challenge." When Mr. Hauser asks her why she isn't in advanced classes, Robin explains that she tries so hard to be painfully average and go unnoticed. They have a bit of a back-and-forth, jumping from topic to topic, and eventually, it shifts to Barb, but that's not what I'm referring to here.

Robin, in this scene, breaks down what I think a lot of people feel, and I know that I felt like this myself in High school and I'm breaking out of that now in college, but -- the mindset that you can't stick out too much or you'll be mocked no matter what. Robin's fear of being the nerd, fear of being chewed up by "The Hawkins Monster", which is really just high school society breaking you down until you fit in, and Robin doesn't want to lose her individuality. And this kind of goes back to her saying the following:

"I hope so. Because otherwise- If I'm totally honest with myself I'm scared of really truly rebelling and it feels like I'm close sometimes you know? Like I'm almost someone who is unique and interesting and unafraid but the camouflage is working too well and I'll turn into someone who never fights at all because I never decided who I wanted to be and I worry that if I- If I don't figure it out soon that someone else is going to decide for me" -Rebel Robin: Surviving Hawkins Episode 2, "Frankenstein"

She explains that she gets really close to rebelling, but doesn't. But what I don't think she understands is that her teetering on the edge of society by not fitting in and pushing back against the expectations and trying to fight "the system" is a bit of a rebel against society. She IS someone whos interesting and unique, maybe not entirely unafraid but she still gets close to it with how brave she is for following behind Dash in "The Outsiders" (Ep. 5), and saving Mr. Hauser from being essentially stalked. She is all of these things she just doesn't realize it because she doesn't fit her idealized version of this description, I think. She has decided for herself, she just doesn't see it yet.

Another thing that I really love is the way that Robin puts two and two together about Mr. Hauser's sexuality in the end, and she doesn't make it a big deal. She has her moment of realization, and she processes it, and then she immediately hatches a plan to protect her favorite teacher. She immediately came up with a plan to keep him safe and threatened Dash into staying in line, essentially, with her false accusation of pulling the fire alarm. Personally, I love this scene because it shows her connection with someone else on a deeper level than just "outsiders in this society", it's beyond that. It goes into Robin seeing someone like her. Seeing someone who is unconventional and, while afraid to be himself, still becomes a role model and is still passionate about his job and the life he's made for himself. And I know that some people might think that that twist is so unnecessary and not needed, but I think it's a key part of Robin coming to terms with herself and her own sexuality. I think that's why the smile that Mr. Hauser gives her at the end means. The happy-yet-sad smile. I think he's happy that she's coming to terms with herself, but he's sad that she's going to have to live her life in fear and not be open about herself, either. He sees himself in her. He sees his potentially awkward, askance, fifteen-year-old self who didn't fit in anywhere trying so badly to figure out why the system is so against him. And he sees it in Robin throughout this entire time that they get to know each other. He's happy that she has someone she can see herself in but he's sad because he's been along the same exact journey that Robin's walking on and he knows it isn't easy.

I have so much more I can say on this podcast but I also want to read the book, so I might ramble more and more every now and again but I wanna get the full picture before I make any assumptions. This post was entirely impulsive though so who knows what'll happen. Thanks for coming to my TedTalk :) Feel free to add on / comment / ask anything I'm so absorbed into this world right now /pos

#stranger things #Robin Buckley #robin buckley kin #rebel robin #stranger things rebel robin #stranger things infodumping #i love robin so so much #i mean seriously look at her shes such a well written character #infodumping #infodump #stranger things book #stranger things 3 #stranger things 4 #st3 #st4 #robin buckley rebel robin #mr hauser #stranger things: rebel robin

[kloirdevan]

I just finished rebel robin and my god thank god for mr hauser for being in robin’s life 🥹

#without a doubt he helped her figure herself out #stranger things #rebel robin #robin buckley #mr hauser #surviving hawkins #also #idk how she would’ve handled barb’s death without him

[imtoouncreativeforaname]

i need someone to write a fic about robin visiting mr hauser and her telling him that she found her person and it's steve harrington of all people (in a platonic with a capital P way of course) and maybe she starts operation croissant 2.0 like after all the upside down stuff, it's actually over for a few years now and she and steve spent the last years saving up money and all the kids are going off to college so it's time for them to leave hawkins too but before that she wants to talk to mr hauser bc he made her stay a little longer so she could find her person and she actually did and maybe at first he's a little unsure about it all but then steve bursts in and makes a comment or something about how he just ran into this girl who is totally her type and he's a hundred percent sure she likes girls okay maybe eighty-five percent, maybe just seventy and she's like steve gesturing to mr hauser and he just shrugs and says "you said he can know" and they bicker back and forth and mr hauser gets to see them interact and steve harrington is not a homophobe and sure he said even steve harrington has layers but that are a lot of layers but it's seems like she'll be just fine with him and he seems happier than when he was in school too and maybe there is actually no one better for operation croissant than steve harrington (harrington!! he really needs to know how that happened) so he asks and she's just like "well, hawkins high definitely wasn't the monster of hawkins" and at the same time steve says "there were russians" and hauser is like "russians?!" but instead of answering steve adds "oh yeah, more like flower faced human eating demodogs" while she says "right, the russians! and also truth serum and disgusting bathroom stalls" and steve goes on "and tammy thompson definitely sounds like a muppet" and she's like "oh! don't forget the demobats" and it goes on and on for a while and they make inside jokes and bicker some more and hauser is like super confused bc russians and human eating monsters and truth serum and bats and what does tammy thompson have to do with it??? (but she really does sound like a muppet) but maybe he doesn't need to understand bc robin doesn't try to be invisible anymore, she's loud and energetic and she's happy and operation croissant isn't about running away anymore and she'll be fine

#stranger things #robin buckley #steve harrington #mr hauser #rebel robin

[jacketpotatoo]

I spent yesterday listening to the Rebel Robin scripted podcast and m a n. More shows need these kinds of character-building podcasts because it has endeared me to her more than i thought possible given that she’s already one of my favourite characters in Stranger Things.

The dialogue is so fun and witty and when it gets tense it gets tense. And it all serves to build characters, build relationships, and build the world of Hawkins so that it feels insurmountably more lived-in. I buy it all now, the small-town, the culture of Hawkins High, the weird kid and her weird favourite teacher. Speaking of, of course Robin’s favourite teacher is her English teacher and she does extra reading and is an absolute nerd. Of course she aims for Bs even though she can do better.

She has so many thoughts and feelings on things and she talks of survival, of conformity as preservation. And then she fights back when Mr Hauser says that’s what adults have to do too. And then she sees his perspective, gains a new understanding, and her own shifts along with it. It’s so gratifying to see her reach that conclusion and speaks so much to where she was at when she was introduced. Also, mr hauser is literally not even in the show but he’s one of my fav characters now too

Anyway, if you have about an hour and a half to spare, go check it out! It’s really, really enjoyable and gives a lot of insight on Robin as a character and how she ticks. Also Hawkins lore and world building in general. It’s free on YouTube

#it’s genuienly so wholesome how they help and care for each other and mr hauser’s experience-borne resignation vs Robin’s blunt passion #is so great #i might do another write up cuz I still have thoughts #stranger things #rebel robin #mr hauser #maya hawke #robin buckley #meta #analysis #jp musings

[wixterirox]

Through my observations there are at least four people with the name Thomas in Hawkins

First we start off with the og, Tommy Hagan, also nicknamed Tommy H.

The implication of saying the first initial of the last name means there is another Thomas/Tommy with a different last name in school.

Then we have Tom Holloway.

Another Thomas H.

Lastly the third official Thomas I know in Hawkins is from Robin’s book.

Mr. Hauser

In conclusion there is three Thomas He’s in Hawkins along with another Thomas.

#not me trying to make this into a theory along with the suspicious amount of Williams #this is all probably just a coincidence #but i find it interesting and funny how many tommy h’s there are #tommy hagan #tommy h #tom holloway #Mr Hauser #Tom Hauser #stranger things theories

[zipstick]

honey, you got a big storm coming (cut to the entirety of season 2)

#robin buckley #mr hauser #rebel robin #stranger things #my ramblings

[dougposting]

rebel robin podcast has taken over my brain I'm on my 3rd listen in the span of whatever hours man I'm just

#mr hauser #robin buckley #rebel robin #rebel robin podcast #stranger things

[imgonnagetkilledbynutstink]

I need to make a petition for Mr. Hauser to be in season 5 of stranger things and for him to be played by Cory Michael Smith

#rebel robin #surviving hawkins #stranger things #st #mr hauser #cory michael smith