sparklingcid3r

[sparklingcid3r]

Things I think the fandom needs to remember sometimes

-Ponyboy is not a loner or unpopular. He admits to having a lot of friends at school, and a few of them even visit him when he gets out of the hospital, though he notes it makes him uncomfortable that his middle class friends get to see where he lives. Which brings me to my next point;

-The gang does not spend all their time together, or even most of it. Yes they’re all friends, very CLOSE friends- yes, even Steve and Ponyboy- but they have lives outside of the gang. Pony has school friends, Darry has work or old school friends he skis with, Soda and Steve are inseparable to a degree that their outside lives overlap and their identities within the gang are also interwoven, but they all very much have lives outside the gang. Two bit has his mom and little sister and a revolving door of girls. Dallas only shows up when he feels like it and  he lives at bucks and jockeys in the races. Johnny couch surfs at the curtis’ and Two’s place, but he also regularly camps out in the lot and presumably crashes at Dally’s place sometimes too. Yeah, he’s Ponyboy’s best friend, but they’re not inseparable the way Steve and Soda are. It’s a different dynamic. The whole group has lives outside of the gang and I think it’s important to remember this. 

-The term ‘greaser’ is a derogatory term and originated in the 1800s as a slur against Mexican immigrants. It coloquial meaning changed when readopted by the greaser subculture in the 1950s and 60s (according to wikipedia), to primarily refer to lower working class individuals of mexican or italian ancestry, and becoming more ethnically ambiguous, but it still wasn’t widely used outside the subculture itself. Ponyboy is white, but he probably has some Italian ancestry which is characteristic of the greaser subculture, and he identifies with the word- but it’s still a more loaded term than the fandom sometimes pretends, and it still has racial undertones, regardless of how it’s portrayed in the novel and how it moved away from it's historically primarily racialised usage when adopted by the greaser subculture. Ponyboy makes a point of saying in the book that it’s okay for himself and the gang and others of their social group to use it, but when people outside the group call him it it ‘doesn’t make him feel so hot’. I think this helps illustrate that yeah, it’s an offensive term. ‘Greaser’ carries weight and I think it’s important for the fandom to recognise that.

-Darry is trying, but he isn’t a good guardian, and if he was then his character would not be redeemable after The Slap. The reason Darry Curtis as a character is so sympathetic is because he is twenty years old and trying his best, and his best is never good enough. If Darry was a well equipped guardian who was able to parent Pony AND Soda AND the gang (to an extent) the way his parents did, then him slapping Ponyboy would be unforgivable. It would be the action of a brute instead of the action of an overwhelmed older brother forgetting his new role as guardian. The reason Darry is forgivable and so beloved is because he is not perfect, or even good, at his role but he keeps trying and choosing to be present for his brothers over and over. (Remember, he had to fight very hard for custody, probably harder than Ponyboy realizes.)

-The portrayal of every female character is biased by Ponyboy’s narration- and Ponyboy has a lot of internalized misogyny and classism. It makes sense that he holds these ideas, considering the time period and the male dominated environment he grew up in where (presumably) the only woman he ever had any sort of close relationship with was his mother, but it doesn’t make it any less true. However, the women themselves are few and far between but incredibly important characters. I’ve spoken about it before but I think Sandy’s character and her unplanned teenage pregnancy sheds a small amount of light on how poverty affects women as opposed to men, something the book largely lacks due to the only main(ish) female character being upper class;  whereas Sylvia serves as a foil to Dally, and is essentially written to be the offscreen ‘female version’ of him, basically a representation of the ‘worst’ sort of greaser girl while Dally is the ‘worst’ kind of greaser. The only reason these women receive so much hate is because of misogyny- don’t pretend it’s just about the cheating, because it’s not- and if you want to hear further takes on them you can read my thoughts on the misogyny in the fandom here, and my thoughts on Sandy here.  Even Cherry, whom Ponyboy views positively, is viewed that way because of Ponyboy's biased ideas of what makes a girl 'good' and worthy of respect.

-Ponyboy has a fairly negative view of alcohol and alcoholism, but has a very addictive personality. Ponyboy has tried alcohol but didn’t like the way it made him feel. However, his view of Two-bit, while positive, seems to find him less brave than the rest of the gang as he drinks before the rumble, and Ponyboy ‘would hate to see the day he had to get his nerve from a can’. Soda’s reluctance to drink or smoke also adds to Ponyboy’s worship of him, despite the fact that Ponyboy is addicted to nicotine and caffeine respectively and it has the potential to be his undoing more than anything else in the east side.

-The entire story is built on grief. Johnny and Dally are doomed from the start, and Ponyboy mentions his parents' deaths from the first few pages. But loss of a loved one is not the sole type of grief the novel covers. Darry mourns the life he could have had, Soda mourns his imagined future with Sandy, and by the end of the novel Ponyboy is mourning his childhood and loss of innocence. I could go on, but I think the effect of grief is sometimes missing from analysis or canon compliant fanworks, when it is quite literally the driving force behind the story.

[sparklingcid3r]

Dallas 'What is love but something they teach you so you hold still for the gun shot" Winston

Johnny "What is love? Where is it? Can I hold it? Can you hold me?" Cade

Soda "am I giving enough that you can love me now? if I let you hold my heart is it enough? Will you give it back?" Curtis

Steve "a boy laughed at you so I sunk my teeth into him, so I broke my knuckles on his jaw, so I tore out his throat. does that prove it? that I love you?" Randle

Two-Bit "i'll be anything you like. I'll make you laugh. i'll keep your eyes squeezed shut at the joke, can you love me then?" Mathews

Darry "it's not like them, it's never like them. it's not enough. no one ever taught me how to say it. i'm scared to. can you love me? when I don't know how to say it?" Curtis

Ponyboy "i love so much it hurts. it's a pretty poem. it's a sunset. It's not real enough. everyone I love leaves me. everyone I love dies. can I put this love down here? can you promise to stay?" Curtis

[sparklingcid3r]

Darry does not parent anyone in the gang except Ponyboy. No, not even Soda, and definitely not Johnny or Dally.

I’m going to be honest and say I genuinely don’t understand where the idea of Darry being the ‘dad’ of the group, or some kind of father figure to Dallas or johnny of all people comes from, because it’s so explicit in the novel and even the movie that he isn’t (I haven’t seen the musical but from what I understand there's some sort of rivalry between Dallas and Darry there, so there probably isn’t any paternal dynamic there either). To claim Darry is a father figure to ANYBODY- even Ponyboy- is completely antithetical to his character. Darry is twenty years old. He’s a big guy, who has respect from most greasers, and he is the LEADER of the gang, looks out for all of them the way a brother would, but he does not PARENT any of them.

Even after the Curtis parents’ deaths, when he gets guardianship of both Ponyboy and Soda, the only one he actually attempts to parent is Ponyboy- and he clearly struggles with it. It’s not just the main source of tension between him and Ponyboy,  it’s the ONLY source of it. Canonically, Pony and Darry got along fine before the Curtis parents' deaths, were close even, because Darry is good at being an older brother. He always has been, because he is used to it and it doesn’t carry nearly the same level of responsibility as guardianship does. Darry never had to be a parent before, let alone to his brother, and he’s flying blind trying to figure it out. He doesn’t know what limits to impose that seem fair but not stifling, can provide materially but doesn’t know how to provide emotionally, because he’s a new parent who is struggling to raise a teenager instead of a newborn, and has no experience for what he’s doing. Darrel Curtis is DROWNING trying to figure out what being a parent means when he has only ever looked at Pony as a little brother instead of a dependent. He’s not happy. He’d never give his brothers up, but this new role is killing him, and it’s plain for anyone to see. 

This brings me to my next point: Darry is so overwhelmed trying to parent Ponyboy, it never even crosses his mind to try parenting Soda too. This isn’t even my interpretation- it’s textual. Soda doesn’t get hollered at, Darry doesn’t really care where he goes or what he does, and he never punishes him the way he punishes Ponyboy. It doesn’t help that Soda and Darry are closer in age than he and Ponyboy are. Soda is almost seventeen, he has a job and is street smart in a way Pony isn’t. Darry doesn’t have to worry about him as much so he doesn’t, because Soda could survive on his own if he had to, whereas Pony couldn’t. It would also be harder for Darry to discipline Soda if he wanted to, given Soda’s age and his agency, but again, Darry doesn’t want to. Soda doesn’t need raising, because he’s already been pretty raised, and Darry couldn’t handle raising him. Darry can already barely handle raising Ponyboy, and Soda has a tenuous role in the house as he plays confidante to both of them. Soda and Darry’s dynamic is pretty solid because their dynamic is still that of brothers, there’s been no upheaval in their relationship, and so there’s no major friction either. Besides that, there’s the fact that Soda is helping raise Ponyboy, not being raised himself. It’s a joke I’ve seen a few times that Darry plays ‘dad’ and Soda plays ‘mom’ to Ponyboy after the Curtis parents’ deaths, but there's an element of truth to it. Soda handles Pony’s emotional needs, gives him advice, reminds him he’s loved, where Darry provides discipline and material needs. Now, we see clearly in the novel this creates an unhealthy dynamic in the house and in Pony’s relationship with both his brothers, making him ‘hate’ Darry and idolize Soda, but it remains true nonetheless. Darry doesn’t know how to parent, so he follows the traditional social ‘script’ of what fatherhood meant in the sixties, and the rest of the household molded to fit the new Darry into the mold he cast himself in. But despite Darry’s best efforts and Soda’s help, Darry proves over and over he’s not good at parenting, and definitely isn’t filling the role of Pony’s parent let alone his father- and it all culminates with The Slap. 

Now, knowing this, having read the book and seen, even through Pony’s biased narration, that Darry’s attempts at parenting Pony are a bit of a dumpster fire, it’s plain to say Darry isn’t playing dad to anyone else in the gang. If he was he’d be harsher to them, strict with rules he’d expect them to follow (Darry does not like to be disobeyed and he definitely doesn’t like his authority challenged), and cognizant of their whereabouts at all times. He doesn’t do this with any of them though, because he ISN’T trying to parent any of them, and even if he was no one in the gang would let him. Steve is too self-sufficient, Johnny is too independent, and Dally is too Dally for it to ever happen- even if the small age gaps between the characters wouldn’t make the attempt almost comical. Darry is, only ever has been, and only ever will be, a brother to them. It means he can offer up the couch and share food and look out for them while they look out for him in return, without ever being responsible for them. Yes, Darry is superman, he’s the oldest of the gang, seen as dependable and protective. He’s the guy everyone goes to when they get in trouble, a symbol of safety, but not because he can fix things the way a parent would. Dally didn’t call Darry from the phonebooth as a scared kid looking for a parent’s comfort, he called him as a reckless kid looking for a brother’s help to hide his misdeeds. Johnny doesn’t crash on the Curtis’ couch as anything but a kid staying at his friends turned family’s house. He looks at Darry as someone protective, but not as a father figure. In fact, he probably sees better than anyone (except maybe Soda) that Darry isn’t a great guardian, having heard Ponyboy’s rants and seen firsthand how the dynamic in the house has shifted. 

Darry Curtis is everyone’s brother, but no one’s father. He never will be. The only person he ever attempts to parent is Ponyboy, and he’s not good at it. That’s the whole point. Darrel Curtis is a dependable guy, a smart, cool, tough-as-nails gang leader, but he is also still a twenty year old kid, in over his head, who leans heavily on his friends despite his pride, and who is greatly unequipped for the level of responsibility that has fallen onto his shoulders. To portray him as a person who is able to parent a gang of delinquent teenage boys almost his own age is disingenuous and out of character.

Darry Curtis is no one’s dad. That’s the whole point. 

[sparklingcid3r]

THIS IS SO GOOD U CANT HELP BUT WRITE GOLD WHENEVER U TOUCH A KEYBOARD🙏

A little one-shot to herald in the new year! Inspired by this post from @sparklingcid3r.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/61872562

Idk why the link looks ugly, tumblr hates me today

[sparklingcid3r]

why did no one tell my that before the rumble PAUL AND DARRY ARE WEARING THR SAME OUTFIT???? But Paul’s is cleaner and Darry’s is more torn💔💔💔💔 the outsiders the musical you are killing me ARGH

[sparklingcid3r]

Darry headed towards the kitchen, but when he reached the threshold he paused. His brothers' backs were turned towards him, Pony standing over the sink, Soda at the stove. The chaos of making dinner in full swing, boiling water and burning chicken and a stack of dishes that reached towards the ceiling. And yet, Darry couldn't help but marvel at how they moved around the cramped space, never once getting in the other's way. They moved like those fancy ballet dancers their mom used to love. They stepped in rhythm to a music only they could hear.

Because Soda and Pony fit together in a way that few people in the world would ever get to experience, like they were made from the same stuff, the same dust from the stars, the same Tulsa dirt pressed into their souls. 

They were both fiercely their own person. Soda was bright smiles and warm words. Laughter big and round, eyes that sparkled like gold, he made you feel sun kissed just by being near him. Pony was quiet and thoughtful, he spoke like each word was precious. He never filled a room to the brim, but had a quiet energy that people couldn't help but gravitate towards. He dreamed like his mind was spinning with constellations, he told stories like he'd drunk the moon. They were different. Opposites in so many ways. Yet pulled together by the very essence of who they were.

When Darry caught glimpses of them together, moments like this when they thought they were alone, it felt like they had their own world, their own universe. Loaded looks that held silent conversations. Inside jokes that sounded like another language to an outsider. To Darry. But left them doubled over and clutching their stomachs as laughter echoed off the walls. Even here, even now, with the stress of dinner hanging over their heads, the two of them were laughing.

Darry tried not to let that bother him. Tried not to let the ache in his chest consume him. The one that made him feel like a third wheel in his own home. It had been easier to ignore before, when his parents were alive to act as a buffer. When he had his own friends to hang out with. When he still had a chance to grasp onto something greater.

But now, with no one left but his brothers, sometimes seeing them together split him right down the middle, and the only thing left to fill in the cracks was the guilt that he felt that way at all.

[sparklingcid3r]

I’m thinking about little Darry. About how he was probably five years old when he first really found out what football was. On Sundays, his dad would sit and turn on the game. It wasn’t until one specific day that Darry came up and sat next to him. And he started asking questions. That’s how he first got into it. And Darrel Curtis Sr was thrilled. Because his first son, his little boy, wanted to watch football with him. That was something he loved sharing with Darry.

So when Darry said that he wanted to start playing, Darrel Sr taught him everything he knew. He had Darry up and running drills early in the morning and passing a ball at night. And Darry loved it. He loved the sport, but he also loved bonding with his dad. And he was good. He was really good. So, he went on to play in high school. And became a captain. And then he got a scholarship. When Darry got that in the mail, the first person he ran to was his dad. Because his dad was the reason he had this passion, this talent, and this joy, so he had to be the first to know.

The first Sunday after his dad died, Darry woke up and went to go turn on the game, only to realize that he’d be watching it alone. He would never watch another game with his dad ever again. And the same was true when he pulled out the football he’d been throwing with his dad for a decade. Suddenly his go to toss partner wasn’t there. But life carries on. Football still gets played. Balls still get passed. And every Sunday, for just a split second, Darry forgets. For just a moment, he can imagine he’ll walk into the living room to the TV playing a game, food being made, and his dad’s joyous smile that his son wants to enjoy this with him.

[sparklingcid3r]

i’m on a rumble high i might do another rundown bc my heads been full of nothing but “AND ANOTHER THING—”

[sparklingcid3r]

i’m still thinking abt the rumble. darry and steve really had that shit locked down, there was no need to bring the squad😭🙏

[sparklingcid3r]

every time i see a wait for it edit to darry i shed a tear that shit hits so good🤧

[sparklingcid3r]

started reading “taming the star runner.” travis was the original horse girl

[sparklingcid3r]

See, here’s the thing: Darrel Curtis isn’t safe.

He’s not gentle or kind or emotionally sensitive, he’s not someone who puts you at ease. Darrel Curtis carries himself like a man condemned, with blood on his hands and no conscience left to care about. He could knock you out with no effort. He could send you running with only a glance.

Darry is a 20 year old guy who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. He drinks. He swears. He fights. He’s bigger than anyone he knows and he takes pride in it, in his power, raw strength simmering in his hands, his shoulders. He’s known and respected by gangs—not just a bunch of school yard buddies messing around with each other but real gangs, the kind with reps and rap sheets. Those same gangs form a line behind him at rumbles. They know him, and they rally at his back, pushing him forward to start their fights.

Darry is not a soc wannabe. He’s not upperclass, not even middle class, and he’s certainly not refined. He had potential to go far in life, but it was rough, uncut, the unmined earth of his intellect and the raw power of his hands. Uncivilized. Dangerous.

He’s a landmine waiting to be stepped on and a blade without a sheath. Control is his weapon. Stubbornness, his shield. He could mess you up at the drop of a hat but chooses not to, and that’s what’s really frightening, that terrifying self-control. A leashed dog. Rage simmering in his eyes, ice cold.

Darrel Curtis isn’t safe.

But he chooses to be.

He puts the collar on himself, and every day, in the shadow of that caged power, his brothers know his gentleness a little more. Violence is innate, animalistic; so is love. Darry fights dirty, and loves like a man facing execution. Teeth clenched. Fists tight. Eyes ahead, nothing left to see, no other goal than the thing he’s set his mind to. Darry loves like it’s a fight he’s not willing to lose. Darry loves as if he’s going to die tomorrow.

Darrel Curtis isn’t safe.

[sparklingcid3r]

joshua boone the man without socials that u are

[sparklingcid3r]

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HANUKKAH YALLLLLL❤️💚💙🤍

[sparklingcid3r]

A MANNNNN

I'm trying to keep things moving but there's nowhere else to go.

Brent Comer as Darrel Curtis - The Outsiders

[sparklingcid3r]

i saw the musical this weekend and in the staging for hopeless war, halfway through the song darry comes out on one side and sits on the car and paul comes out on the other side of the stage smoking and both just sit on stage as the song goes on so obvi gave me big peril vibes and was jw if u have an hc for likely type of hopeless war conversation darrel and paul had in high school similar the song between cherry and pony?

i think it’s possible that they were both hyper aware of where they stood on either side of the tracks- how could they not be, right?

where they diverge from pony and cherry was their inability to actually acknowledge and discuss their differences. they both thought it didn’t need to matter, didn’t need to be pointed out, when it fundamentally does. i think that’s the crack that led to the crumbling of their relationship. paul, the socs, and darry himself all denied the existence of his socioeconomic status as if it was a separate entity from darry entirely, but it’s what shaped his entire life. you can’t cut it out without cutting out darry’s identity as a whole. cut it out, he’s not the same person. his actions, behaviors, and beliefs will make no sense if you ignore it.

i guess what i’m trying to say is that their hopeless war conversation was never verbalized, and certainly never framed as a problem that needed to be changed. they were more so aware that they were viscerally different, yet weren’t willing to come out and say it because they both still thought of the soc/greaser conflicts and darry’s poverty as one of those unspeakable notions. one of those “just don’t talk about it and you can keep living in bliss” type of things

[sparklingcid3r]

Christmas headcanons-

I’m so behind, I was on time and early for the other holidays, and I’m technically still early now but when it comes to Christmas content usually you want it super early as everyone’s busy the week of. Anyways—

Time period 1. Time period 2

Two-bits house has its Christmas lights up year round, soon after their dad left they stopped taking them down. They also don’t really trust two on the roof not to hurt himself so it’s the safest bet

On years it’s not donated by Mr. Curtis’s work, the Curtis men set out to the tree lot, go to the back and start haggling for a decent enough cheap tree. They’re usually scrawny but affordable.

Dally hates when it ices on top of snow, he can aim a snowball well but if it’s frozen he turns into Bambi on ice - Two and Steve are relentless when this happens as he just keeps slipping and can’t catch them.

Johnny stays with two-bit the most around the holidays. He bounced between there and his own home, sometimes the Curtis house but mainly if they’re having everyone over.

The amount of chocolate just out for the taking in the Curtis home is unfathomable.

Soda has 100% eaten the foil before.

Pony used to play with the nativity like a farm set when he was really little, there’s a few photos of this.

Pony’s favorite Christmas songs are all the hymns and gospel songs, real old stuff. Guys call him boring for it but Johnny will sit and listen with him sometimes, even if he would take chuck berry over o’ holy night most of the time.

All of the gangs winter coats have about a million patches in them but still work well, Johnny’s has slightly less holes than his usual jacket.

All of the gang have tried to convince Pony that yellow snow was lemon flavored, unfortunately he’s a bit too observant to fall for it. - that being said they all have attempted to write their name before to varying success lol

Mrs. Curtis was the one to teach Darry and Dally how to mend/patch clothes (older headcanon of mine)

An annual professional photo around Christmas of her sons is Mrs. Curtis’s splurge of the season, the amount of awkward photos is unfathomable. The year she got a camera for herself was her favorite.

The guys will have some small stuff for the others but nothing major, most are reserved for getting something for family(if at all) most of two’s are swiped.

Think this was from a SE fic but Steve runs gifts for his ma, small stuff like fudge across the neighborhood. Then he started giving his services out to others— he and soda have a little enterprise going.

Like Thanksgiving, the curtis home is the preferred viewing space for Tv specials and Christmas episodes of shows because of their color television.