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liliaeth · 10 months

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Just saw a post by @hedwig221b , asking how to write Scott since they were clearly influenced by fanon over canon, and it got me thinking.

Now to me, Scott is very easy to empathize with. he's kind, caring hesitant to jump into trouble. He overthinks, and is a bit anxious, worried to do the wrong thing,

He grew up with an alcoholic for a father, and a mother too busy with work to really spend much time on him. Taking the blame for his parents marital difficulties, and blaming himself for everything that went wrong. So he tried to be 'the good kid'. The one that tried to mediate, and solve problems, to keep people from being angry with one another, or himself. the one that didn't cause trouble, that kept his head low, and was helpful to his Mom, desperate to make her life easier, so she wouldn't leave him, like his Dad did.

He fought to keep troublesome people in his life, because he didn't want to lose the ones he loved, the way his Dad left him. So no matter how much Stiles bullied him, or how judgmental and cruel Stiles could get, Scott put up with it, and didn't speak out against it. Now this is not to say Stiles was intentionally cruel, but where Scott dealt with a non present parent, and an alcoholic parent by retreating in 'good kid' mode, Stiles did so by getting more acerbic, testing people to make sure they wouldn't leave him.

Scott became in the habit of forcing down any negative feelings, anger, hate, resentment... he pushed it all down. Putting up with crap he shouldn't have as a result.

In a way, Stiles became his release valve. Stiles impulsiveness, and tendency to get into trouble gave Scott the excuse to do so with him. Because he couldn't let his best friend get into trouble on his own. Scott remained the mom friend though, the one who spoke up for reason, brought up why they shouldn't be doing the things Stiles led them into, and got ready to pull them out of trouble afterwards.

And then in comes Peter.

Scott was in the woods because of Stiles, he didn't go away with the sheriff, because he was more worried about the trouble he'd be in with his Mom if she found out he was in the woods at night, than that he was about the small chance of running into a dangerous psychopath in the woods. Because he was a kid, who'd never really dealt with anything more dangerous than his father. And an angry Mom was a known tangible threat, whereas an unknown danger in the woods was some vague notion.

But then he does get assaulted, he does get violated, and Peter turns Scott's entire body into something unknown and strange and horrifying.

People keep forgetting that where for Stiles, s1 was fun adventure time, for Scott it was and still is a full on horror story.

Stiles didn't have to deal with his body becoming some alien thing, that turned against him. Scott did.

Scott who always suppressed his negative feelings, who always controlled his emotions, suddenly had to deal with instincts and anger that he had no way to suppress let out cope with. And it scared him, rightly so.

It made him fear that he was becoming like his father, lashing out when angry or upset. Supported by how in those first days, he almost attacked his best friend, as close as a brother to him, aka Stiles.

On top of that he not only had to deal with this monstrous force in the woods (aka Peter) who tried to control his mind and thoughts and tried to make him do things against his will, aka kill people. But also with this dangerous violent brute (aka Derek) who tried to manipulate and control him. Who threatened his life, didn't even bother to tell him he wasn't the one that had assaulted him and made his life hell, and didn't bother to give him any real explanations on how to deal with the horror his life had become.

And then aside of the werewolves, he also had to deal with hunters who tried to kill him just because of something he'd been turned into against his will.

Is it any wonder that Scott didn't want to be a werewolf, and didn't accept this change that had been forced upon him?

People forget that all those horrible traumas Stiles went through in s3b, Scott already went through in s1. Scott had a force in his head that tried to make him kill, that tried to make him like killing. Something foreign to him, trying to take over his body and will. And he had to stand up to all that pretty much on his own. Because his best friend didn't understand, Derek wasn't any help, and he couldn't tell his girlfriend, because her father was a hunter, and so telling her the truth was a risk he didn't dare to take.

In fact, when she did find out the truth, her first reaction was horror. Making him even more desperate for a cure.

(it's noticeable that when Melissa finds out, her reaction is the exact same horror, the same rejection. A rejection felt by many lgbt kids as their parent rejects them after finding out the truth about them. Which is why I'll never forgive the show for never giving Melissa the time onsscreen to come to grips with what her son is now. Especially since after this discovery Melissa pretty much stops behaving like a mother to Scott, and becomes a mentor instead)

People act as if Scott was obsessed with Allison, but canonically, he never was. He always spent more time with Stiles, and Derek, he didn't fully trust her, and he always prioritized current events over his relationship with her, which led to their break up both in s1 and the end of s2.

Because Scott prioritized helping others.

I've seen people call Scott 'entitled' for daring to reject Peter's attempt to control his life, body and mind. for daring to reject Derek's manipulations and abuse in s1 and s2, for daring to continue a relationship with someone who put him first, who cared about him, and stood by him when it really came down to it, instead of rejecting her over something she had no choice about, aka her name.

I see people ignore that half the reason Allison turned against Derek and his pack in s1, was Derek's attempted murder of Lydia, Allison's best friend, Derek's abuse of Scott, and his own pack, as well as how no one bothered to tell her what had really happened with Victoria.

Scott couldn't, cause she refused to talk to him, when it would have mattered. She'd have rejected the truth from Derek, even if he'd tried to tell her the truth. And Stiles, the only person she would have listened to, and who had access to her, never bothered to tell her what really happened.

Back to Scott though.

Scott's main character trait is that he's kind, that he's forgiving, sometimes too forgiving, but yet, his willingness to forgive kept him giving chance after chance to his friends, to Stiles, when he was being cruel, to Derek, when he handed him over to Peter to be violated, to Allison when she was manipulated by Gerard, to Isaac, for following Derek's orders, to Liam for trying to murder him...

And his main flaw is as it always was, his tendency to push down his negative feelings.

He followed the advice of his mother, to be his own anchor, and mistook it for the need to control his emotions, to push down his rage, his anger, his instincts. To be calm and in control, no matter what.

This is a flaw, because it came from his tendency to blame himself, all of which led to his depression and repeated suicidal ideation.

and we all know how bad it is when you push down your feelings and try to be in control too much. Because sooner or later it's going to come out. And in Scott it tends to lead to him stopping himself from healing, because as always he aims his anger at himself instead of at the people who really deserve it.

Scott is probably the most emotionally complex character on Teen Wolf, because so many of his emotions are internalized. He doesn't lash out like Stiles or Derek, or Peter. he forces those emotions down and down, building up pressure inside of him.

It's part of what makes him the most unique character on Teen wolf.

He's a healer, not a fighter, he's a Mom friend, a caretaker. He's the one ready to take care of everyone, not just those close to him, and give people far more chances than they deserve. But he'll stand up to those who hurt others, he'll be there for others, the way no one really was there for him.

He's the story of a trauma survivor who became a caretaker and defender for those who went through the same suffering he did.

And that's just part of why he's my favorite Teen Wolf character by far.

#scott mccall defense squad #scott mccall #teen wolf #Stiles stilinski #peter hale #allison argent #anti derek hale #not seeing this really as anti Derek #but tagging it anti as a courtesy

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kaladinkholins · 4 months

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BRB thinking thoughts about Taigen's character, the TaiMizu ship, and a big chunk of fandom's perceptions regarding both those things.

(Inspired by @farintonorth's post related to this topic that just got my brain going brrrrr)

OK so let me just... start off by saying that I think that reducing stories to their tropes is seriously detrimental to the way some people are interacting with fiction, and while that honestly warrants its own post about the subject, I wanna talk specifically about how this affects the way some people in the fandom talk about Taigen and TaiMizu.

Because yeah, tropes are useful shorthand to refer to certain dynamics or archetypes etc, and they are indeed the building blocks to any story. But in a well-written story, characters and their relationships, actions, and motivations, are much more complex than just tropes. Because in a story that has characters who are more than just cardboard cutouts, their behaviours, backgrounds, motivations and all of that, are inseparable from the context of the overall story they exist in.

So like, sure, you can say Mizu and Taigen have an enemies-to-lovers or rivals-to-lovers dynamic. I also use those terms because it's easier. But I also think this is where things start to get a bit twisted, especially from an intertextual sense. Because "enemies-to-lovers" is also commonly used to refer to other ships in other media, whereby it tends to be rooted in an imbalanced power dynamic, such as oppressor-oppressed and bully-victim.

And while that's a whole can of worms that I won't be getting into because it can quickly derail into a whole separate sort of fandom discourse, I'd just like to make it clear that Mizu and Taigen, in particular, do not have an imbalanced power dynamic. They are not bully-victim or oppressor-oppressed. The only understandable reason why someone might actually think their relationship is imbalanced is if

A) they only watched the first episode, or

B) they cannot grasp the slightest bit of nuance in a character, or

C) they're being obtuse on purpose simply because the Mizu/Taigen relationship, or Taigen's character in general, just doesn't suit their tastes.

While yes, Taigen, along with his whole gang, had bullied Mizu when they were children, that dynamic does not exist between them whatsoever in adulthood. Whatever imbalanced bully-victim power dynamic that had once existed between them was decisively ripped apart the moment Mizu beat him in that duel in the dojo, and then completely obliterated by the end of the season.

Mizu is not a defenseless victim at Taigen's mercy. Mizu can beat Taigen's ass any time she wants (and she DOES, repeatedly in fact), and could even kill him if she felt like it. She taunts him openly and without fear ("I like your hair"; "I can beat you with any weapon you choose") and all he does is bark back, because that's pretty much all Taigen ever does. Time and time again, he yaps about how much he wants to kill her, but time and time again, his actions prove that all of it is just an empty threat. Because though his words say "I hate you", his actions demonstrate the complete opposite. He's shown how protective he is of Mizu, how unhesitatingly he sacrifices himself up for her, how loyal he is in enduring days-long torture to not give up information about her, how even when near-death and in pain, he's still willing to keep standing back up so he can fight by her side and help her win against her enemies.

And Mizu is not an idiot! She sees that too. She does not see him as a threat, an enemy, or even a bully. Especially not by the end of Episode 3, and definitely not by the end of the season. When she finds him in the dungeon in Episode 6, she smiles from relief, and doesn't think twice to take him with her. Mizu finds him, at best, an annoyance, or at worst, an infuriating hindrance on her quest for vengeance. Which is why, when Taigen is about to say, "It's a shame our duel's set for tomorrow; I have to kill you before you get your revenge," Mizu whacks him on the head without a second thought before he can even finish his sentence, and leaves him lying unconscious, face-down, in the snow.

And this further emphasises how he does not hold any power over her. There is no abusive power dynamic between them. She is more powerful than him, he knows this, and all he's ever done after they've met up again in adulthood is get his ass whooped by her, get mad about it and pester her and follow her around, get his ass whooped by her some more, and put his life on the line to protect her.

"OOoooOOoooH b-but he called her a demon at the end of Episode 7 and threatened to kill her again!!!" Oh my god. He called her that because he's calling her out on her selfishness to stay silent about her knowledge of Fowler's plans to attack Edo. Because to him, loyalty and honour as a samurai is more important than anything. So in his own brash-and-immature Taigen way, he felt betrayed that Mizu did not hold the same principles. That's why he got angry. He wasn't even that mad about letting Akemi get dragged off by the Tokunobu guards. It was about saving the Shogun and the Shogunate as a whole. That's why the first thing he does in Edo is not find Akemi, but try to warn the Shogun about Fowler's attack.

Look, I'm not defending his stupid ass, of course. Because calling her a demon especially after their cute little wrestling time was obviously rude and inappropriate, especially since words like "demon", "monster" and "Onryo" have had such a deep effect on Mizu throughout her life, and continue to contribute to her self-hatred. But like? That's the fun of realistic and flawed characters, and realistic and flawed relationships. They're not perfect, and it's why we as an audience root for them, wanting to see them work through their shit and find a way to prevail despite it all.

Also, him saying that was in the heat of the moment. He was angry, he felt like his initial belief of who Mizu was—a strong and loyal samurai, just like him—was shattered, and so he lashed out. Was it rude? Definitely. Was it immature of him? Yes, incredibly. But it's also very much in line with his character, because even though he's grown a lot over the course of the season, the show isn't over yet, so obviously his character arc is just beginning, as that is also the case for the other three main characters: Mizu is beginning to accept herself, Akemi is beginning to grow into her position of power, Ringo beginning to train under Master Eiji, while Taigen is beginning to simply be a better person.

On that note, when speaking of Taigen's immaturity, I think that's also one of the main things that people tend to gloss over when it comes to his character. Because when you boil everything down to its bare essentials, Taigen is, essentially, a boy. I've talked about this before, but to reiterate, Taigen very much behaves like an unhealed child. Even as an adult, he is insecure, prone to throwing tantrums, and is desperate to latch onto some material goal in hopes that it will make him feel better—initially he was chasing status/glory/greatness, and then when Mizu tells him that "Nothing comes from being a samurai but death," he immediately decides he wants to run away with Akemi in hopes that he will be happy.

And it's a big step, acknowledging that he doesn't truly want greatness, but had always just assumed it was his only path to a good life. But it's clear he still hasn't really figured it out. Because if he did run off with Akemi to get married and live in the countryside, he still wouldn't be happy. Because he still doesn't know who he really is, or what it is he really wants. Marriage at this moment is the last thing he needs, and as he is now, he would be a pretty awful husband. A simple life would be good for him, but would he be good at a simple life, when he still has so much he needs to work through?

So anyway, what I'm getting at here, is that he's trying and he is learning and growing. So yeah, he is flawed, but honestly? So is Mizu. And the funny thing is that they're flawed in very similar ways.

Because Mizu is also an unhealed child. That's why she's so angry all the time. That's why she pushes people away. That's why she, just like Taigen, is so happy when given the chance to playfully wrestle in the forge, laughing and rolling around like children without shame or pretense.

Again, this shows there is no imbalance between them. They had grown up together as peers from the same town. And while Taigen had had the upper hand back then, because he'd had a gang of other kids with him, that is definitely not the case anymore. Today, they are equally flawed, equally strong, equally skilled swordsmen, and equally bull-headed.

However, yes, Mizu is definitely leagues more mature than Taigen. But she still holds a lot of childhood wounds that mirror Taigen's own. And we see this especially in relation to her mother. Similar to Taigen who had an abusive and alcoholic father, Mizu's Mama was an opium addict and had hit her, berated her, had shaved her head without her consent as a child, and as an adult, had constantly emotionally manipulated and guilt-tripped her. Mizu's love for her Mama was what had driven her to a path of vengeance in the very beginning. And when she'd found out Mama was still alive, she had wanted nothing more than her Mama's love, and it was this alone that pushed her to agree to the marriage with Mikio in the first place. And now, knowing from Fowler that her birth mother is someone else entirely, is what makes her agree to keep him alive and haul his ass to London to seek answers.

Thus, integral to Mizu's self-hatred is also Mizu's intense longing for love and family. Just like Taigen, whose pompousness comes from his insecurity about being the son of a poor fisherman, Mizu's goals are also shaped by who her parents are. Remember, her vengeance is not against just anyone who's corrupt or evil, but specifically against the men who she believes had assaulted her mother, the men she believes had made her a monster, the men she believes had abandoned her to die and continue to try to kill her. Her vengeance is against a father, on behalf of a mother. In The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride, Mizu is not merely the Ronin, the Bride, or the Onryo, but also the Child.

This is also why Ringo is so good, not only for Mizu, but for Taigen as well. Ringo is wise and caring and considerate, but above all, he is in tune with his inner child in ways that Mizu and Taigen are not. He is always earnest and positive, he sees the world with childlike wonder, but is not naive or blind to its ugliness. His whole life has been a battle. Ringo brings out the best in Mizu, consistently acting as her moral compass and conscience, and Mizu's choice to save Akemi in the final episode is only because she promised Ringo that she would. Because it's the right thing to do. Ringo inspires her to be a better person, and to think outside of her narrow-minded goal of revenge. At the same time, Ringo also brings out the best in Taigen. While at first Taigen had looked down on both Mizu and Ringo ("Half-limb to a half-wit"), by the end of the season, he's proud to have Ringo as a friend and ally, he listens to Ringo's advice ("What would Master do?"), and asserts to the fucking Shogun that Ringo is a worthy warrior to have by his side.

Okay, I've gone on a bit of a tangent here, but my main point is that Mizu and Taigen are incredibly similar. They are equals. They are both flawed, unhealed children who are chasing some impossible outlandish goal in hopes that it will fill the void in their hearts. They also both have a long way to go in terms of character development if they were to ever build a healthy romantic relationship (either with each other, or even with anyone else). So while I believe things will be rocky (because duh, it's a story, we all live for the drama, etc), I think with Ringo's help, they'll get there eventually.

#blue eye samurai #blue eye samurai meta #mizu x taigen #taigen x mizu #taimizu #taigen blue eye samurai #mizu blue eye samurai #meta dissertations.pdf #im not a taigen defender. but i AM a taimizu truther #wank.mp3 #sorta #fandom.rtf #shut up haydar #like i KNOW we all love mizu and want her for ourselves but cmon. let's be real here for a second.#ahem. hear ye! put down the delulu for a mere moment!#and ask thyself. why am i beefing with this pathetic bald man? a man who is the definition of a wet rat?#thus. my brother in nerd ass shit. i beg thee put down thy weapon. this man is not worth beefing with! he is literally... just some guy.#yes...he is bitchy. however! he is also a loser obsessed with mizu. remember this. he is not thine enemy. but simply...one of us.#also lmao like jokes aside lemme be clear. you ARE ALLOWED to hate taigen and taimizu all you like!!!! feel free to do so!!!!#but please just acknowledge it's like. a preference thing. like it's just not your cup of tea! thats A-OK!#but please dont insist that the ship is toxic unhealthy abusive etc #but if you still feel the need to do so. then for the love of god just tag your posts as anti-[insert whatever here] so it helps ppl mute #i knew how to tag shit as anti-makorra since i was fourteen! 😭 like it's basic courtesy cmon

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ziracona · 2 years

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Based on the incredibly funny comments on my one Sebastian Vael post, the data is thus.

#dragon age 2 #da2 #Anders dragon age #da anders #Anders #I lose it. it’s so fun thx guys 🤣💙#sometimes someone replies SO angrily in agreement but for motives I never even know existed at that passion level like how cool they look &#pro anders #anti chantry #dragon age spoilers #da2 spoilers #the person who went on for paragraphs about the team composition just know ily and your passion and rage for being asked to off your healer #you’re so funny but also SO valid and I wish you many strong healers to come #not tagging the other guy ofc out of courtesy even though I can’t stand the little weasel #but yeah rofl the replies have been sending me

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11byers · 2 years

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"the truth is, when i stumbled on her in the woods, she just needed someone. it's not fate. it's not destiny. it's just simple dumb luck." vs "i feel like my life started that day we found you in the woods. i knew right then and there that i loved you." micheal which one is it?

#how did we get. From point a. To point b #'she just needed someone' to 'i knew that i loved you' the math isn't matching the math is FLIMSY #byler #anti mileven #<- courtesy tag #stranger things #st4 spoilers #mike wheeler

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something-about-sunflowers · 1 year

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Literally, imagine the outrage in the fandom if Izzy fans started shittalking Stede or Ed or Lucius (or or or) in their character tags the way yall do ours. And we’re just expected to sit quietly with that? We’re not allowed to be upset or annoyed by that? Suddenly we’re cunts if we tell yall something for coming into our house and shitting on our floors? Make it make sense.

There’s so much I could say (And have said! In private! Where people who would be hurt/take offense can’t see it! Like a decent person!!!) about all yall’s faves and yet!

I know yall don’t have to block new people with the same fucking recycled takes every day like we do. I know yall don’t have to worry about someone you liked who was neutral on the character previously deciding they wanna side with the assholes who’ve been harassing you and yours for a whole year now (Oh, wait, yall don’t get that harassment do yall? Or, if you do, it’s the same serial harasser that targets us that just got a little confused, who yall gladly direct back to us.).

And for what! For a character that all of your faves on the cast and crew love?! For a character we were specifically told to pay attention to on a rewatch by the creator of the fucking show? For a fictional fucking character?

Like, genuinely, level with me: You do understand that it’s rude to put character hate in the character tags, yes? You do understand that you’re allowed to dislike a character but you should not be making it a moral imperative that everyone else dislike the character, yes? You do understand that harassing someone for any reason but especially over fictional characters is wrong, yes??? Please say ‘yes’.

#the dork is being a dork #izzy hands #the izcourse #ofmd #our flag means death #stede bonnet #edward teach #lucius spriggs #if you have a problem with me tagging those three i want you to take a look in the izzy hands tag under 'recent'#and i want you to count how many posts you see that are at LEAST mean-spirited towards izzy/his fans and at WORST actively hostile #i want you to take a look at the izzy-anti-archive account and see all the archived anon hate we get #i'm not attacking anyone #i'm not talking shit about the characters #i'm asking you all to afford us the same courtesy we afford you #none of us go into your tags unless it's for psa's #we've had this song and dance before #please just use 'izzy crit/izzy critical/anti izzy' or any variation thereof if you absolutely MUST tag him in some capacity

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just-antithings · 8 months

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To clear up on the proper tagging ask that uses incest as an example.: I'm in a fandom that has a lot of proshippers and a lot of neutral people. The neutral peoples stance is generally to just tag your shit and if it's nsfw keep it out of the main tags as the fandom has a higher than normal population of kids lying about their age to be on social media.

It's been explained that this is bad, but the proshippers in this fandom aren't like most I've encountered, as in they seem like antis except for their shipping ideas/ideas of where things belong.

So someone asks them to stop, and they say it's like a public park, so they can do whatever they want. Problem is, they're not tagging properly, so it's more like they're wandering around the public park nude. Which is rude and not generally socially acceptable.

I'd be fine with these people if they were actually using proper warnings.

(Honestly, if the discourse weren't so bad around shipping stuff, I'd probably be a proshipper, but I'd rather not get involved in that much hostility. Just made this to be clear on why I'm saying what I said in the other ask.)

Yeah I have the possibly unpopular opinion that I don’t give a shit if you post dark/problematic fandom content in the main fandom tags, but it is nice to do the courtesy of tagging your shit properly so that people can filter it out

#mod erin #ask #just anti anti things #reminder that unfortunately in most places tagging properly is a courtesy rather than mandatory #but you should still try to make it as easy as possible to filter stuff out

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rubensmuse · 2 months

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subjecting myself to Florida!!! for the sake of my mom florence and i'm fucking inconsolable to report that the music is vibey and fun and well-produced and really really enjoyable and then the lyrics are

fucking

UNBEARABLE

#IT'S SO SAD. I'M ACTUALLY KIND OF BROKEN UP ABOUT THIS #I MIGHT LISTEN TO THIS SONG! ON THE REG! WERE IT NOT FOR #''all my friends smell like weed or little babies''#''is that a bad thing to say in a song?''#''all my girls got their lace and their crimes''#anti taylor swift #<- courtesy tag #the tortured poets department #just squirrelly things

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amrwantonblog · 1 year

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“Am I the only one who doesn’t like Huntlow/Dippcifica/Zutara/Eremika/Wenclair/SonAmy/Lumity/Izuocha etc?”

No.

You aren’t special.

You may leave now.

#toh #huntlow #Seriously this is the reason anti tags exist #Use them #nothing wrong with disliking a ship #I still have one filtered out years later myself #But at least have the courtesy to air out your issues #in a tag that's made for that kinda bitching #ship discourse

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princess-ibri · 6 months

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How would Disneyverse!Corinne and Eva react to canon!OUAT Cora and Regina?

Utter horror and disgust. And promptly going to hug their loved ones and assure them of their love for them.

#i an not ashamed to say that I do not care for Regina #i get why other people like her and I won't go after anyone for it #but for me personally she did not do enough to atone for all the really just truly vile things she did #and cora was no better #asks #disneyverse #Rumplestiltskin #corinne #evie descendants #canon descendants #ouat #anti regina mills #tagged so that my criticism won't clog up the regina tag #when I don't like something I don't want to bother people who do #thats just common courtesy #descendants rewrite #ouat rewrite

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juniperhillpatient · 2 years

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ok, guess who has more to say about why I liked Stancy so much this season & where I think the show is going with it? this bitch. I'm late to the party so y'all got my liveblogs but now I'm like, thinking about & processing the season. & yes, I do have thoughts on characters other than Steve & Nancy too it's just that Steve & Nancy are more important. anyway. I feel like as much as it sucked that we didn't really see them interact post-breakup until now, it was almost necessary. They both had to grow & change apart to develop into people who could have a lasting relationship. As much as the love & chemistry were there from the start, they also had to grow as people before they could give each other their all. Also, they couldn't have shared too much screen time before it was their time again narratively because they're incapable of existing in the same vicinity without wanting to jump each other's bones. More below the cut because this got long :)

Steve's development & growth this season was a big theme. He himself outlined it specifically in his speech to Nancy about "crawling forward." Which is huge! In season 1 Steve NEVER would've been so self-aware or introspective. Last season we saw Steve & Nancy on separate adventures, both learning about themselves & growing. Steve specifically, had a lot of growing up to do. And looking out for the kids & becoming best friends with Robin (& accepting her rejection!) was huge for him. He grew into himself in terms of handling his platonic relationships & taking on a leadership role.

Nancy's grown a lot too, she's just not as talkative about it as Steve. Nancy is someone who's very reserved about her emotions. She's not afraid to take risks when it comes to fighting monsters, but when it comes to being vulnerable with another person, I think that she is. I do think that Nancy's romance with Jonathan, & his willingness to talk to her about how she's afraid of becoming her mom - of becoming complacent in life - as well as their adventures in high-stakes investigative journalism together - were important to Nancy's development.

I had honestly come to assume that Stancy was never going to be an endgame ship & that we'd be lucky to see them interact much in the future of the show. But as soon as they saw each other again this season the sparks were flying. Nancy is still not being honest with herself about her feelings or her relationship with Jonathan at this point but right away we see how she's curt with Robin thinking that Steve & Robin are a thing. Then when we really get to see them interact it's clear that all that chemistry is still there & that's why they couldn't interact much during the time she was having her romance with Jonatha. They're each other's first love, & that hasn't gone away.

But the thing is - yeah, they were each other's first love but also - they were never going to work out back then. They were both too immature & unsure about what they wanted or how to go about a mature relationship. This season though, we saw Steve take on a leadership role - something he never could've done in earlier seasons. We saw Nancy dive without HESITATION into the Upside Down to save Steve. We saw how desperate he was to help her when Vecna had her in a trance. We saw how well they worked together in The Upside Down. We saw them LITERALLY go back in time to when they were dating as they fought monsters together in another world.

Then, in the end...Nancy's still with Jonathan (even after admitting her concerns about the relationship to Robin) but the one focused conversation we get between them has him still lying to her, & her defending Steve to him. Not exactly promising for the future of their relationship.

So, here's my prediction for the final season: I think that we'll see Nancy really & truly overcome her emotional hangups when it comes to being honest about how she's feeling & what she wants. Again, Nancy is brave as fuck. The girl investigates murders & fights monsters & dives into hell dimensions without flinching. Something worth noting about Steve & Nancy's visions for their futures - Steve sees himself as a father, & that seems more important to him than any particular career. Nancy wants to go to a good school & have a career, & she does not want to become like her mother, stuck in a mediocre marriage or a life that doesn't fulfill her. Self-fulfillment as well as her education & career are the most important things to Nancy. I've seen some anti-Stancy people say that Nancy doesn't want kids, but she actually never says that so I'm ignoring it.

I think that we'll see more of Steve & Nancy working together & both taking on that leadership role they shared this season & kicking ass next season. Obviously, there'll be some focus on the love triangle. I know some of y'all hate that but I'm not opposed, I love love- triangles & I love drama & the Jancy vs. Stancy love triangle is fun to me. I think that what we'll find is that Jonathan (who I've talked about minimally in this post since it is a Stancy post) doesn't actually want the same things in life as Nancy, & isn't sure about their relationship. This season we saw how the relationship didn't seem to bring him anything but stress. Nancy will have sparks with Steve, OBVIOUSLY, this season has made it incredibly clear that these two are incapable of sharing a vicinity without sparks flying. And, well, I foresee more unambiguous signs of true love (as well as a confession from Nancy) next season! I wouldn't be surprised if Steve almost dies & Nancy gives an emotional confession at that point, which I personally would love :) (as long as it's just almost of course)

#stancy #stancy meta #stranger things 4 #stranger things 5 predictions #steve harrington #nancy wheeler #anti jancy #...not even really for real but I'm tagging as a courtesy 'cause I'm not ANTI but I don't think it'll be endgame & I don't want it to be

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