I’ve been reading your little ask fic/prompts for Dennis x Arnie lately I LOVE THEM thank you for providing life 🥹 the fandom is so tiny I wish more people posted them often !!!
Thank you for reading them omg!!! ❤️❤️❤️ I definitely need to start writing for them again, I can't believe I don't have at least a full one shot for them yet !!!
I also wish more people posted for Christine/Dennis & Arnie !!! I love so so many lesser known Stephen King ships and I would die to get some content for them 😔😭
Reddie: They don't end up having kids. It's just not something either of them desire all that much. Being the cool gay uncles is much more their type. Both of them have severe anxiety about raising kids. Eddie's come from the way he was raised and the issues he developed because of it. And Richie just doesn't see himself as a parental figure. They're satisfied with baby-sitting their lovely friends children who they LOVE SO MUCH.
LaChambers: No question about it. They are the best fathers in the world. They have 3 boys and a little girl, baby Ruthie, who have always known the warm love of their two amazing fathers. Chris works so hard for them and maybe spoils them a bit...Gordie adores it. Their kids LOVE to make fun of Gordie and they think the absolute world of Chris, which he can't believe. Chris is the best father around but it’s hard for him to accept that as a fact. He was incredibly hesitant to tell his children of his own young-life. So he keeps much of the trouble and adventure he got into to himself until they’re older and need that kind of story for guidance.
Darnie: This is where some trouble comes in for this couple. Dennis wants kids, it's just something he always planned on. He's not too crazy about it but he always imagined at least two kids running around. Arnie does NOT want kids. He's got some issues with his own parents and has his own skewed view-point on raising children: "I think part of being a parent is trying to kill your kids." (Y'know?). He is really SCARED that he might end up doing that without realizing. So they have some talking to do.
Gavries: Pete wants kids!!! He is a nurturer at heart and he might've never thought children were in his cards before but he just loves Ray so damn much that he wants a family with him. Ray has always planned on a tot running around in his future and can't think of reason not to raise a child with the man he loves. They end up having 2 kids.
Another Stephen King topic that I could write a whole essay on:
A lot of his relationships are written in this very specific way that I absolutely love with my whole heart. It is commonly seen in various situations like these 2:
Canon romantic couples
Friendships (Though maybe they’re being popularly shipped)
What is the common factor in most King relationships? WELL...
(Spoilers kind of? Maybe. Idk. I talk about: The Stand, The Dead Zone, IT, 11/22/63, The Body, The Long Walk & Christine)
It’s very obvious that both people involved love each other (as friends or romantically) but Person A is just so...much more expressive about it. You can feel their love for Person B so intensely it’s almost like you’re in their head.
Person A radiates pure adoration & love. The reader can easily tell this person really loves the other. Which is not to knock Person B’s feelings down at all, but they’re either more reserved about them or just not as expressive as their partner.
You can see this trend in A LOT of King’s relationships. In the case of canon romantic relationships:
Stu & Frannie from ‘The Stand’ : In their case, Stu is Person A. That man loves his lady. Straight up adores Frannie and you can’t physically see his face while reading (Duh) but you KNOW he beams like sunshine at her. This couple is SO romantic in general but Stu has just has this energy....
Larry & Lucy from ‘The Stand’: Man oh Man, Lucy is Person A here. This girl...she falls for Larry so hard and hopes for his love back. Larry does choose her but he’s never been a sincere romantic before type so he’s not quite so expressive about love. But the reader knows exactly how Lucy feels. She just-...Lucy adores Larry. She’s drawn to him. Wants to be picked.
Johnny & Sarah from ‘The Dead Zone’: This one is a little tougher considering how the story develops and Sarah’s confusing feelings. BUT Johnny is Person A. It’s kinda clear in the beginning that Sarah is less interested in Johnny than he is in her. Johnny really really loved Sarah. They were pretty adorable despite not making it together. The reader can feel this thing he has for her. In a different way than Sarah’s.
Adrian & Don from ‘IT’: MY HEART ACHES FOR THEM. Anyway-Don is Person A. Man, he loves Adrian so much. In the little time the couple had on the pages...the reader can feel the adoration pour off him. I mean, “Until Adiran Mellon entered his life, Don had been planning to leave Derry.” The man was kinda scared of the town BUT he stayed just because HIS BOY loved it and wanted to stay longer. Talk about being gone on someone.
Sadie & Jake from ‘11/22/63′: I won’t talk much about them cause honestly, I have forgotten a few details of the book BUT Jake is Person A. This couple kinda echoes Johnny/Sarah vibes for me. Jake...he thought the world of that girl. He was head over heels for her. He thought she had guts and admired that all the way through.
NOW this dynamic is not just used for King’s romantic pairs. He ALSO writes a lot of his friendships just the same way! Like:
Gordie & Chris from ‘The Body’: EVERYONE knows Chris is Person A. That kid loves Gordie with his whole being. His entire soul & SHOWS IT. He thinks the world of him. The things he says/expresses throughout the novella....comparable. Gordie could be so oblivious about it too. He fell for his best friend. Their love is unquestionable. They are soul-mates, be it romantically or just friendship. Chris...believes in Gordie when the kid doesn’t believe in himself.
Ray & Pete from ‘The Long Walk’: Another obvious one. How many times can a guy save his good buddy’s life (After specifically saying he wouldn't do it anymore) before the reader recognizes his unshakable love and adoration of him??? Pete is Person A. He loves & he loves hard. He spends the entire story supporting Ray and helping him to finish even when Ray seems lost. That’s his boy & he doesn’t want to lose him. Ray is a little more oblivious but Pete....everyone knows he loves Ray.
Richie & Eddie from ‘IT’: YEAH WE KNOW THIS. BUT Richie is person A. boy oh boy, reading that novel for the first time...Richie’s got the biggest crush on that kid. His love and fondness for Eddie is SO strong. Eddie’s attachment to Richie is a bit more subtle but there. Richie is so whipped for Eddie, tbh. We all know that. It kinda echoes the same vibes as Pete/Ray, both are a bit protective of their partners. (Pete & Richie fit into the same King-character type)
Dennis & Arnie from ‘Christine’: Last but not least!!! Dennis straight up LOVES Arnie lol. HE is Person A. Just listen to this: “He could do it good when he wanted to, Arnie could. That was one of the reasons I liked him as well as I did. It was kinda a secret thing, you know? I don’t think anyone really saw that wit expect for me.” AND “I once heard about some millionaire who had a stolen Rembrandt in his basement where no one but him could see it. I could understand that guy. I don't mean that Arnie was a Rembrandt, or even a world-class wit, but I could understand the attraction of knowing about something good ... something that was good but still a secret.” OK, Dennis slow down. That dude thinks of Arnie as this like...secret little treasure?? OOf.
Anyway, moral of the story is I LOVE this King-relationship dynamic. It’s the kinda thing where if you know, you know...
The reader just comes out knowing who Person A & B are in each case. SO if you know, you know.
I also think it says something that King wrote a lot of his canon romantic couples similar to some of the more popularly shipped friendships??? If that makes sense.
hit me with some dennis/arnie headcanons, they are really cute and underrated
YES! Thank you for this ask lol!!! Sorry it took a few days:
First off, Arnie & Dennis are the Burger Kings™. They remain 100% loyal to their favorite fast food chain and go there after school almost everyday. Sometimes w/ Leigh.
They order A LOT of food and end up sharing nearly everything and their table is always sorta crowded and…gross looking by the end of their late-lunches.
Arnie has about 100 of those paper crown hats in his bedroom closet. One time, he wore one to one of Dennis’s football games and happily enjoyed the weird looks it earned.
Dennis & Arnie constantly forget about going on actual dates when they become a thing. They’re just so used to their close friendship.
So they don’t even think about having to put in the ‘extra effort’ it would take to go to a nice dinner instead of hanging out at Dennis’s place & annoying his sister. Or ordering pizzas and sending the delivery to Leigh’s house just so she has to invite them over.
Dennis absolutely loves Arnie. He honestly thinks the world of him and is constantly in awe of Arnie’s wit. Maybe he really does think of Arnie as his own stolen Rembrandt….
Arnie was really oblivious to the extent of Dennis’s love (even though Dennis thought he was being obvious about it). It just didn’t occur to him that a guy like Dennis, let alone his best friend, could return his little crush.
It was a real trip when Leigh admitted the crush she had on Arnie when she first transferred to their school. She said it so casually over her Burger King burger, as if it were a known fact between all three of them.
Arnie had choked on his fries and Dennis whistled to embarrass him.
Dennis & Arnie spend a lot of school nights cruising around town and just talking about anything in the world. There’s always a case full of CD’s and an open suburban road waiting for them.
