#rebel robin podcast

[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

[the-lark-ascending69]

I admit i'm not always sold on autistic Robin headcanons, so much of it seems to be about pointing to some general social awkwardness or nerdiness and diagnosing her over any little behavior that any neurotypical nerd can have. Nothing about most analysis scream "autistic" to me. Most of them just scream "socially awkward" and "dork" to me, because if these descriptions were accurate, I would have been diagnosed with autism and adhd yearsssss ago 🙃

This podcast though - Yeah, I can see the vision now. I think.

#rebel robin podcast

[mashedpotatoes3]

’there’s something inside of me that’s just like… rotten. and there’s nothing i can do to fix it.’ -robin

#rebel robin #robin buckley #stranger things #rebel robin podcast #crying rn

[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

[bubblewrapsman]

listening to the rebel robin podcast is just me oscillating rapidly between

"oh wow I'm having many gay feelings and relating so hard ;_;"

and

"if robin doesn't get a smalltown girl moment at the end of s5 im coming for blood"

#robin buckley #rebel robin #rebel robin podcast

[thatonesongyouretryingtoremember]

The Hawkins Monster -> we can all be the monster

I'm C R Y I N G

#rebel robin podcast #im on ep 2

[laundrybiscuits]

“Eddie,” Robin says, eyes wide in a way that means trouble. “Edward Munson, I sincerely hope your last will and testament is in order, because you are going to completely and totally die when I tell you who just got hired at Scoops Ahoy.”

Eddie groans. “Don’t tell me Tammy Thompson is giving up on her Nashville dreams.”

“No, I hate you, shut up forever, you’ll never guess.” Robin pauses, then in a dramatic whisper she’s definitely picked up from Eddie himself, says: “Steve Harrington.”

“Jesus. No shit?”

“Yeah, I have to train him. Oh my god it’s the worst. He’s so bad at, like, everything.”

She shoves at his shoulder until he moves out of the doorway of the trailer, and flings herself backwards onto his couch. “Like! Okay! I showed up to my shift thinking it would be a completely normal day in which I would be bored out of my skull distributing frozen dairy products to the flotsam and jetsam of Hawkins, and Ned’s like, hey Robin, you’re showing the new guy the ropes today. And then that freaking jackass has the freaking nerve to say—” Her voice drops a full register. “Uhh, nice to meet you, I’m Steve. Nice to meet you! God!”

Eddie cringes sympathetically, sucking air between his teeth. There’s a special kind of indignity to being so completely and utterly below the radar of Hawkins High royalty, even former bearers of the crown. It’s not as if Hawkins is a big town; Eddie’s pretty sure he could pick every single person in the graduating classes of ‘84 and ‘85 out of a crowd. He’ll probably be able to do it for ‘86 too, though he’s trying not to think about it too hard. So he’ll be a senior again (again) this fall, whatever. It’s fine. It’s whatever.

Once in a while, he wastes some time really, really wishing he’d gotten to know Robin earlier in the year. Maybe even last year. For undying friendship reasons, yeah, but also because with her in his corner, he might’ve actually passed enough of his classes to fucking graduate on his second fucking try.

But he’d only actually met her, like actually met her for real instead of passing her in the hall sometimes, when he’d let himself get suckered into rejoining band. It wasn’t like he could’ve brought his guitar in, but he let it slip to Miss Genovese that he could read music and keep time, and they needed someone to wallop the bass drum, and he figured a little experience fucking around with percussion might be the one thing he could salvage from the year. He’d just…been so goddamn tired of feeling stuck, spinning his wheels. Music was something he could actually handle; something he could actually get better at. Something he could master. He's man enough to admit he needed a win.

The actual songs were all stuffy Holst and Sousa numbers, but they’d had some fun technical bits he spent his evenings hammering out for a couple weeks. And then right around the point when he’d gotten good enough to get bored and think about quitting like last time, it had somehow wound up that shooting the shit with the gangly weirdo in the trumpet section was one of the best parts of his day. Unfortunately, by the time they’d gotten close enough for her to start bullying him about homework and shit, it had been way too late to save his chance at walking that ‘85 stage with assholes like Steve fucking Harrington.

Not that Harrington would’ve even noticed, apparently.

“Anyway, the one singular saving grace about the entire situation is that he looks even dumber in the sailor costume than I do, so at least that will make me feel better about my life until he gets fired for burning down the ice cream freezer or something like that. Eddie, I cannot stress this enough: he is so bad at this job.”

Eddie very tactfully does not bring up the litany of screw-ups that Robin’s admitted to over the last couple weeks since she started at Scoops; he just says, “Buckley, it sounds to me like you might be in need of some quality relaxation time this fine evening. I can offer you a nice cold beer, some herbal refreshment…or a fiendishly weird new song to learn with an intro riff that'll make you cry.”

Robin, inveterate nerd of his heart, sits up immediately and chirps, “New song, please!” just like he knew she would. She’s going to run off and elope with his acoustic one of these days, and he’s not even mad about it.

“Coming right up, m’lady,” says Eddie. “I promise this entire Harrington situation will be over before you know it, and neither of us will ever have to think about him again.”

(ETA: First chapter of this fic has been edited/expanded and posted on AO3)

#new fic time YET AGAIN yes I know I have other things on the boil #seasonal things even #but I have recently spent 36 hours without sleep in airports/airplanes bc the nation of britain is 0% equipped to handle subzero temps #I literally kept myself sane by rereading nice comments I'd saved on my phone so thanks for that y'all #and I just needed to work on a thing that wasn't an angsty mid-90s Steve POV set in chicago; this was next on the docket #I'm just out here vibing with my Eddie & Robin: Gay BFFs agenda #obviously this will be steddie eventually but it feels disingenuous to tag on this part #fyi this will not be fully compliant with Rebel Robin but there may be some details drawn from the book/podcast #fic: purify our misfit ways

[steviesbicrisis]

I was today years old when I found out there’s a podcast with Robin’s POV of the 1983 events?? What??

#robin buckley #rebel robin #rebel robin surviving Hawkins #Robin’s podcast #stranger things podcast #stranger things

[snowangeldotmp3]

tw; depression

“It’s just—do you ever feel like—what am I saying? You used to be King Steve, of course you don’t know.”

“Rob…”

She screws her eyes shut, and tries again. “Do you ever feel like you don’t belong?”

“What?”

“Like it’s fine most of the time, it doesn’t even really bother you, but there are moments where you realize that you don’t fit like you should and you just—you know it. I can’t explain it. I get it, I wasn’t here for a lot of the shit that went down with all of you but, I don’t see how I fit into the equation anymore.”

What if there’s something about me that drives people away?

She sniffles, silently cursing herself for doing so. “Or it’s like, I know it can’t last forever. I can feel the expiration date creeping up on me. I’m the odd one out, I’ve been here the least amount of time and I don’t even add anything important to the group. You all have something, I’m just the girl who speaks different languages and rambles too much for her own good,” she pauses, taking a deep breath to stop the burning in her lungs. “I don’t wanna lose you guys because you guys are all great and you’re my best friend in the world but it’s—it’s a feeling I can’t shake. Like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop and this has been one big joke or—do you remember last summer? What I said right before we got truth serumed?”

She wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t remember, getting drugged and then the…everything else after that, but she can see his brows thread together, trying to sift through his own memories of last summer—tied together in chairs thinking they were both going to die in that stupid, stupid mall. He shakes his head. The familiar numbness takes over Robin; a detachment. Hollow. She plays with her rings.

“My whole life feels like one big error,” she repeats, in the same intonation as she had that night. She laughs, wryly, ignoring the burn of tears behind her eyes. Steve’s face drops, eyes softening. Robin can’t look at him.

“Rob,” he says, placing his hands over hers. His voice is wet when he speaks. “You aren’t an error, Robin.”

“It just feels like—”

“No, Robin,” Steve says firmly. “You’re right, I don’t really know how you feel. I don’t know what that’s like. But I know that you aren’t an error. You aren’t the odd one out."

#tw depression #here's the sad robin #robin buckley #steve harrington #platonic stobin #remember that time i said i was gonna write something for robin based off creep by radiohead? this is from that #stranger things #sorry i just think about robin feeling like the odd one out because she's so new and the line from rebel robin the podcast and i just #i've gotten more comfortable writing nancy lately but robin angst is where i love exploring #lol she's just like me fr #sad AND gay #my fics #my ficlets

[bongcupcakes]

✨ 🕯 ✨ 🕯 ✨

✨ 🕯 🕯 ✨

🕯 robin and will becoming besties in s5 🕯

✨ 🕯 🕯 ✨

✨ 🕯 ✨ 🕯 ✨

#mlm wlw solidarity #i recently listened to the rebel robin podcast and holy shit robin went through it #she would be such a positive influence for will #will needs to know he’s not alone #byler #will byers #will byers stranger things #robin buckley #ronance #rebel robin #stranger things 5 #she could be like mr. hauser but for will

[ronanceautistic]

this interaction makes me full crazy I need to give s1 Nancy a hug so bad

#from the rebel robin podcast #nancy wheeler #stranger things

[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

[the-lark-ascending69]

"I don't get it"

"What Nancy sees on Steve?"

#ronance crumbs for me and my weird little friends #rebel robin podcast

[theupsidedownsrealestateagent]

Operation Croissant

Dear Mr. Hauser,

Hi it’s Robin Buckley, you know your favorite student, or well I guess you probably already knew that based on the envelope. I get it’s been awhile since we’ve spoken on account that I graduated four years ago, and I refuse to be the student that can’t let go of high school. I barely tolerated it when I was attending. 

The reason I’m writing to you is that I fulfilled my promise, I actually made three friends from good ol’ Hawkins High (bleh) and you would never guess who they are. Are you sitting down? If not you really really should before you continue reading. Okay back to what I was saying, I made three friends for Operation Croissant. 

Nancy Wheeler, Eddie Munson, and um… Steve Harrington. 

You better not be looking smug Mr. Hauser, why do I feel like you’re definitely smirking right now? So yeah, somehow against all my best efforts Steve Harrington is my soulmate. Strictly platonic soulmate. The four of us (and I got permission to reveal this information I promise) are fellow friends of Dorothy. It’s okay take your time to process that, I sure did. I have a sneaking suspicion that you may have already known about me, and Eddie insists that you must have known about him. Subtle isn’t really his style. 

There was so much stuff about high school and life I was missing, and I never cared about until our lunches. For a long time I thought I was going to live this life alone. I didn’t think that this little group was an option for someone like me, like us. I was wrong, I was so wrong. I’m dating the girl of my dreams, she’s so smart, doesn’t care that I ramble a bunch of nonsense when I’m nervous, she is the most badass, beautiful woman in the world, and I found her here in Hawkins of all places. Then there’s Eddie who I know looks like that but he genuinely is the sweetest dude ever, I really wish he could’ve been there for our chats, the kid just needed anyone to confide in, to tell him he wasn’t a freak, that he wasn’t alone either. He’s smart too, smarter than what those teachers ever gave him credit for. Now for my Stevie, yeah he was an asshole back in school, but I watched him turn into the biggest dork of the twentieth century. We became reluctant parents to seven feral children together. I’m sure you’ve been acquainted with Dustin Henderson and co, for that we are all very sorry, we are working on them. So yeah Steve and I found out we practically share braincells, trauma bonded for life, we’ve both saved each other like at least seventeen different times at this point, but legally I can’t talk about any of those (trust me you don’t even want to know) so yeah Steve Harrington and Robin Buckley, sisters for life. We aren’t even the strangest duo in our group, Eddie and Steve are literally boyfriends and it is the weirdest thing that makes the most amount of sense if you saw how they look at each other. Nancy and I on the other hand are classy about our love (this is a lie, we are probably even more disgusting then the guys. But don’t tell Nancy.) 

Whew that was a long winded paragraph, hope it wasn’t too wordy and got my point across that I love these idiots, and if it wasn’t for you I don’t think I ever would have been comfortable enough with myself to find and trust them. I hope you keep finding those kids who don’t feel like they belong. Most of all I hope you are just as happy and fulfilled as the way you helped me to be. Thanks for everything Mr. Hauser.

Eternally grateful,

Robin Buckley

#all stranger things fans should listen to the Rebel Robin podcast #stranger things #ronance #steddie #operation croissant #rebel robin

[howfast-thenight-changes]

You know, I get it. I get why Robin wants to be invisible, needs to keep her walls high enough to not let anyone in.

I feel exactly like her and that's why she'll always be my favourite. She's the weird one with trust issues

#robin buckley #stranger things #rebel robin #rebel robin surviving hawkings #spotify #podcast #maya hawke #trust issues #me

[helioleti]

Thinking about this running gag in movies taking place in the 80s (or generally in homophobic environments) where gay people hesitantly refer to their lovers as a “friend” when asked about their relationship.

Thinking about Byl– (GUNSHOTS)

#like do you know the specific type of movie I’m referring to #it happened in bohemian rhapsody #in the Rebel Robin podcast #in Arcane (although that’s not really a homophobic environment) #can’t think of more movies of the top of my head but I know I’ve seen it several times #byler