Why is the go-to insult for Stancy shippers that they are MAGA? I've been seeing that same kind of rhetoric going around, and it is just so strange to me that /that/ is one of the first things they associate with the ship and those who enjoy it. It's like, "How can I discredit those who enjoy this without providing any evidence or nuance to the best of my ability?" I dunno, it's really weird.
Also, just to cultivate some positivity, what are some things that endear Stancy to you? Why do you love them?
you're so spot on! and that kid is a teenager enjoying his favourite show and a ship that he likes, valid criticisms aside, it's SO weird to shit on him for being a stancy.
oh god, i could go on and on about things to love about stancy because there's so many but there's one thing that even s5 ironically sprinkled over our bleeding wounds – "he makes me laugh." 🥹
the sentiment alone makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. even take nancy as a character pre-barb-trauma; dealing with normal teenage insecurities and a troubled home life in which she's the eldest daughter bearing the emotional (and sometimes physical) responsibilities of every member.
a lot of people try to paint the narrative that j*nathan is this saviour for being physically present throughout the upside down ordeal, despite having his own reasons. it's as if he "fixed her" or something. but no one looks at where nancy was before barb's death. she was already struggling! her relationship with her parents was/is strained and complicated; steve was a source of comfort back then and remained so.
for once in her life, she could be someone's whole world instead of the other way around. all the cheesy cute shit she used to do with steve wasn't a performative act, she genuinely needed it to survive.
the opposite happened in her relationship with jon which is exactly why it fell apart. nancy put j*nathan above herself, she repeatedly sacrificed in his favour, for his happiness, none of which he was able to do for her. she kept her mouth shut about the mistreatment at work because it would get jon fired but he couldn't give up his job if it meant she's happy.
I don't see how anyone could watch the show and not see nancy slowly descend into a resentful, repressed person with a lot of pent-up rage that lashes out at everyone like someone who hasn't been shown love and grace ever. not just because of barb. and THAT is why s4 and that line mean so much to me. the silver lining, the light at the end of the tunnel, the hand that pulls you up when you're drowning. the symbolism of it and the fact that steve is also just so silly and endearingly funny, a girl can't help but giggle ok!
then you watch s5 undo EVERYTHING. they said no, actually, a strong powerful woman is supposed to have anger issues, problems with communicating, expressing any vulnerable emotions in front of loved ones, trouble asking for help, all of that is GOOD and not a dangerous sign that something is terribly wrong. suddenly, the making her laugh thing turns into something that shouldn't happen. she shouldn't be laughing openly because that's not what a gun-slinging woman that wants to be taken seriously in the corporate world does.
nancy telling us from her own mouth and actions what she's been yearning for years, but sure whatever you say duffers...
