#anti-jonathan

[baneismydragon]

We all know that Steve Harrington is aging like a fine wine, just getting better and better every season. But, I was just thinking about how people really do not give him enough credit for how much he really was trying back in seasons 1 and 2. Like, even at his worst- and he has had plenty of things he needed to figure out and get over- this boy really was trying his best to woo this girl and be a good boyfriend. Like, he falls asleep after sex (honestly I feel like looking back Nancy should be able to see that as a win) but the next day he makes a point of seeking her out and showing that he wants to continue the relationship because he knew she was worried about just being a notch in his belt. This is episode 3 Steve!!!!

Also in season 2 the fact that he is going to these awkward dinners with Barbs parents is a HELL of an ask for anyone. And yet it is established in the dialogue that he has been going with her consistently!

Like yes he wasn't equipped at that point in time to help Nancy with what she was going through. But that's because the girl needed therapy, not a trauma bonded sweater thief >_< (Sorry I still haven't recovered from the fact that Jonathan was honestly even a shittier boyfriend than I realized and yet people are STILL arguing that THAT is the good relationship... seriously what are we even doing here)

As someone who has spent time with the parents of a childhood friend who tragically passed away, that is something really, REALLY hard to do no matter how much you know it means to them and I will tell you right now it would have meant everything to have someone who would show up for me like that, even if they weren't sure what to do. Steve was putting in the work while Jonathan was AWOL (Again its IN the dialogue) and yet we are supposed to be hating on Steve because the situation is just WAY too big for the two of them???

Ultimately I think the breakup is part of a bigger better love story so I am ok with it all. They both have been able to grow so much as people and that is a good thing and will make them happier in the long run. But we need to acknowledge that Steve was not nearly as bad of a boyfriend as some of ya'll like to pretend just because he gets cranky when the girl he dotes on doesn't seem to love him back.

[baneismydragon]

So I saw a thread on a YT video of people defending Sweatergate saying that Jonathan didnt give away Nancy's sweater but a sweater that she gave him as a gift that was pink...

To which I can only say... huh?

(They were also claiming that this has been confirmed by the Duffers but honestly who even knows)

But regardless, let's actually look at this claim because either

A. You are wrong because that isn't what the actual dialog says, it very clearly says YOUR Sweater which make Jonathan a shit boyfriend who gives away her clothes because he doesn't like the color. Or...

B. Let's say that this is right and the Duffers are having to clarify (offscreen) that Jonathan is not a Sweater thief... that means that to clear Jonathan's name ((because god forbid he be held accountable for any of his bad behavior or dumb hottakes)) you are having to admit that the writing is objectively now bad and confusing, that J*ncy can't even have an honest and open conversation about if they like the gifts they get each other, and that Nancy is so checked out of the relationship that she either doesn't know or doesn't care that she is getting her boyfriend of 3+ years something he will actively hate...

I dont think that's the win you think it is people.

Also I will say again because it always needs to be stated- Steve would never disrespect Nancy's signature color and you know that he would have rocked the hell out of a matching pink sweater if she bought him one.

[baneismydragon]

The only explanation for the ST ending.

Ok, I got it. I solved the mystery.

Spoilers (And parody) ahead

This is the ending that Jonathan imagined while high on purple palm tree delight that he smoked during the waiting period between Vol. 2 and Vol. 3.

It all makes so much more sense if you imagine it as Jonathan's stoner vision.

Its narratively incohesive with a weird dash of nihilism.

Vecna is dead but the best we can do is a lackluster bitter sweet ending because we need to live in the real world. Also no need for emotional catharsis, just chop his head of and we can get back to repressing our feelings like good little children.

Jonathan himself gets the best ending- he's off in NY finding himself but with everything totally find with him and completely absolving him of his lack of character growth or inability not to be extremely judgmental in his own right because it all gets handwaved away because he gets some heroic action moments. He and Nancy are better apart but she still gives him the occasional glance because he is cool like that.

Robin exists- she is off at college. Maybe she has a girlfriend? Is that a thing?

Nancy is off finding herself but she quits Emmerson because Emmerson is a stupid dream anyway and always was, so now she can focus on being a journalist, but she needs to work her way up from the bottom with nothing going for her as an intern because that's how the real world works and its what she should have done back at the Hawkins Post. Also maybe she will finally learn to take some criticism on her articles. And wear appropriate business clothes not so much damn pink. Also she isn't with anyone because she needs to be a strong independent woman. That's the real reason Jancy didn't work out.

Steve still hasn't left high school. He thinks Hawkins is awesome and is destined to be another Ted Wheeler. But He isn't terrible I guess. But he is just a nicer version of what he was before. A Jock who is always chasing girls. And he doesn't really have feelings for Nancy he was just competing for her attention this whole time as part of his macho jock complex.

(It also explains why Steve and Nancy never have a single conversation yet continue to still make googly eyes at each other as if to say- yes we know they SHOULD be talking and most likely hooking up but I just want to pretend its not happening.)

El probably dies saving the world because again that is just how life goes. But that is pretty dark so maybe she does survive and gets to just go live life all by herself in the woods. That sounds pretty great right?

Also that way Maybe Will does have a shot with Mike. Its a long shot but hey we don't want to crush his dreams.

Oh and Joyce and Hop can get married but really she needs to move out of Hawkins because it's the worst.

The kids do a public rip off of the Breakfast club while Jonathan gets it all on film and then go play DnD or something.

And Will gets a boyfriend. Or not. Maybe he and Mike can still happen. Honestly whatever makes Will happy.

Yeah... it really does read like a Jonathan stoned out fever dream.

[baneismydragon]

Every time I think I am coming to peace with the Stranger Things epilogue of bad decisions-

That I remind myself about how much insanely good Stancy fic I am getting to read that explores all the great themes of loss and recovery and burnout and choosing to grow past trauma that the show clearly didn't want to put the effort into in the final season

That I take comfort in the fact that the ending is so stupidly open ended that pretty much anything can be canon

That I tell myself that the ending was so insanely dumb and pointless that it fortunately doesn't taint as much of the rest of the show that I loved as it could have done (Not completely there are a few characters that I struggle with more post s5 than I did previously. ::cough Jonathan cough Hopper cough::)

I then see images of the epilogue rooftop scene and am reminded once again how ABSOLUTELY AWFUL THOSE OUTFITS AND WIGS ARE and all my goodwill goes back out the window. If you are going to give me a trash storyline at least do me the curtesy of a good technical production not something that looks like it was thrown together by a community theater troupe.

[baneismydragon]

I fully agree that he was on something. That ending was a figment of J*nathan's imagination. He's done nothing the entire show except be a creep, and suddenly in the finale he's doing all this? I guess Nancy didn't flush all of it.

I was never fully on the Jonathan is a creep train, because I assumed that the reason for that awkward as hell storyline was going to ultimately play out into his actual character growth... eventually... and his truly problematic ability to not trust or connect with people that would ultimately get ADDRESS and lead to GROWTH...

But alas I guess I ask for the moon >_<

Instead because it did all lead nowhere and he had pretty much 0 accountability for any of his actions other than his relationship that he was also miserable in which ended in a way that he was happy about (And again I don't hate having a mutual break up, I support that decision)

We just handwaved away all of his problems. He was actually totally fine the whole time.

Not addressing his unhealthy world views and cynicism, his problematic parentification and how it has stunted his growth, his inability to communicate with others...

Nah. Doesn't Matter.

By suddenly having it at the end be like- actually no he is totally fine and cool and stuff, honestly Nancy was dragging him down. It takes him from being a character I sympathize with and want to see him get his journey and his growth and support, into a character that is just honestly pretty mean spirited and selfish but we aren't supposed to call him on it because he is poor and has trauma? So is Max and you don't see her throwing away Lucas' basketball. (I will never be over how messed up the whole sweater thing is if you actually think about it for more than 5 seconds. I am giving him the benefit of the doubt that he was high at the time which is a pretty low bar)

It is the same problem that happened with Ted Mosby in How I Met Your Mother, where the only reason it worked is because the actor is charming and you genuinely believe that it is all part of a bigger narrative message that will get paid off- and the clear message and story is right there so of course that is what is gonna happen. But the lack of payoff makes all of the previous actions suddenly take on a new context because the narrative is telling us- yeah actually non of that stuff is bad. No need to change anything.

(Another great example is Xander in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I love that show and I even love Xander as a character most of the time, but because the show handwaves away a lot of his problematic behavior instead of truly confronting it the way they do with other characters in the show it drags him down by comparison and makes you judge him much harder when you rewatch and reexamine his actions and behaviors, because the narrative is telling you to just accept it all at face value. But the face value isn't good)

[baneismydragon]

I was thinking what if they made jancy break up because nancy needs time to discover herself etc. and then in the epilogue they make jancy get back together? I'm kinda afraid of that

Absolutely not.

I mean, could they pull a How I Met Your Mother and say we are going to throw all of our character growth and confirmation about their ACTUAL incompatibility out the window? I mean they COULD. If they decide they hate their own story structure, messaging and metaphors and that nothing that they said in their 'un-proposal' break up actually matters.

But I don't think it is happening. I think the fact that Nancy has been wearing EXCLUSIVELY Pink based outfits through season 5 in time for Jonathan to make his Sweater theft confession (among others) is just one example of them telling us that J*ncy is toast.

(Also no offence to the costuming department but I really found Nancy's pink sweaters this season to be really unflattering compared to her other outfits we have seen (including her many pink ones) but now that I know her favorite one was stolen by Jonathan and he probably was telling her that she didn't need a new one (instead of just admitting he hates pink or I don't know getting over it because its not like HE has to wear it) I fully headcanon that Nancy purposely went out and got the most obnoxious Pink sweaters she could find just to be passive aggressive over his dismissal of it.

People whine about Stancy being "incompatible because Steve needs six kids or he will die" but J*ncy has shown that they are fundamentally incompatible on every level. They don't have any shared interests or tastes, they don't communicate, they aren't willing to address their problems, they don't have any of the same goals other than stopping Vecna and the Mind Flayer. They had physically attraction and shared trauma. That was is as far as compatibility. Now I DO believe that they did love and respect each other as individuals, but that is not the same as being compatible.

[baneismydragon]

J*ncy fans watching Vol. 2- "What do you mean that was a break up???? But it was a proposal because they finally talked and now are magically fixed and just know that marriage is the problem not their relationship.

Meanwhile me watching Vol. 2 when Jonathan doubled down and claimed that he wasn't hiding the whole Emmerson thing from Nancy AGAIN- "OK I swear to God if they don't break up at this point what is even happening here???? Now he is lying AND gaslighting about it and trying to act like he is the victim because she is tired of him being a whiny bitch about Steve. Who is rooting for this????

[oryanwadoo]

WADOO!!NEWS: Group Blasts Tinubu Over Anti-Jonathan Comments

WADOO!!NEWS: Group Blasts Tinubu Over Anti-Jonathan Comments

National Coordinator of the Goodluck Initiative For Transformation (GIFT 2015), Mr. Chinedu Okpalanma, has reacted to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s comment that President Goodluck Jonathan is incompetent and unfit to rule the country.

Bola Tinubu

It was reported on August 6, that Tinubu during an APC rally in Osogbo to support re-election of Governor Aregbesola had said the President Jonathan is…

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