#don hagarty

[when-the-spagheddie-hits-the-fan]

I'm in the BIT Club (IT Book Club)

Each week we read a certain amount of the book and I have thoughts and feelings about IT *Ba Dum Tss*

Warning: There are Spoilers

Week 1

Ch. 1

   I really liked being in Georgie’s perspective, and the whole time he’s describing the basement I kept hearing the Jaws *dun dun* because of future events and just having the knowledge I have from the Miniseries, Movies (and Musical), like, dude, you have no idea how right you are! And that turtle wax made me go, “omg, does Stephen King even realize what he did there?!” and it’s like “yeah, ya goof.”

   Georgie and Bill’s relationship was so siblings. People don’t always write siblings being assholes to each other while also showing that they care about each other. I think the butthole jokes weirdly show that off the best, and Georgie is so cute about Bill saying “shitty butthole” — very little kid of him.   Also, when Georgie kisses Bill on the cheek and Bill tells Georgie to be careful before leaving, I never thought it was weird while watching the other media, so when it was pointed out how unusual it was it got me thinking about why did they do it that time? Was it the turtle or was it just one of those moments that really stands out to you because it was the last time you saw that person and it ended in tragedy or was it something else completely? 

   Something that really surprised me was that an adult “saw” what happened and actually went to go check on Georgie. Any other time I’ve seen this scene it almost always cuts away right after Georgie is attacked so I had no idea. Plus adults suck, so anytime they aren't it’s always wild to me.

Ch. 2

   This chapter is so brutal, obviously. But like, fuck, dude. What adds to the harshness of it all is like this shit has happened and can still happen. My heart felt so disgusted by what those homophobic pricks were doing. And the hopelessness of Don crying out for anyone to help, and running back to Adrian and not being able to anything was so sad and sickening.

   And with Pennywise showing up to finish off Adrian I find myself thinking, not at the time but looking back on it, Pennywise is not as bad as those jackwagons. Is that weird to think? I mean, Pennywise is a murder-crazed space clown god thing, what are those scum sucking fuckwads excuses?

   Something I found interesting is how kinda neutral the cops were? ACAB and all that, but I thought they were gonna be evil and that’s that. But no. Sure they aren’t supportive of the gays but they didn’t go out of their way to fuck with them, and one stopped the first altercation and told the warthog sniffers to fuck off. Again ACAB and at the end of the day they are, but I was kinda thrown for a loop when they weren’t vile creatures.

   On a happier note; the Elmer Curtie part was really funny. Man has a successful gay bar in a small, homophobic town and it takes him 4yrs, give or take, to realize it. Amazing! And when he figures it out he’s like, “Most of my patrons are polite, I never have to pay for damages because girls aren't an issue, and I’m making money?? I see only positives!” Also, it’s totally canon that he ships Don and Adrian.

Ch. 3

   This was a hefty chapter, and my favorite out of the 3 for this week. For a chapter as a whole; I liked the back and forth of who was narrating for each Loser’s parts (other person, that loser, other person, that loser, other person, that loser), and a thought I’m sure no one has had before; IT should really be a TV Series. Chapter 1 and 2 could easily be their own episode, and each of the Losers’ sections could be their own episode too!

   Stan- Okay, starting off strong and sad. Really surprised that Stan is first, and we’re in Patty’s head. I learned way more about Patty than I ever did with the Miniseries and Movies combined. I mean in total her screen is like what? Over 5mins?

   The people need to know that puzzles are Patty’s thing! I repeat, girl has hobbies away from Staniel!!

   That part about her not being allowed in that high society club dance, describing her beautiful dress that made her look like a mermaid, the sound that her heels made on the gravel when walking back to the car, the laughing she hears and how that will affect her even years from now, that shit is crushing. And her and Stan's relationship is so nice and sweet. She doesn’t always get him, but she loves him so much, and they’re each other's person. He’s gentle with her for their first time. I made an audible “awww” when Patty said, “Don’t hurt me, dear.” and he said, “I will never hurt you.” Then the moment got ruined with remembering what’s gonna happen, but I digress.

  So when Patty goes to check on Stan, again, it’s way longer. The one thing that really stood out to me is that she notices all the unusual things Stan is doing, things that he never really does but it’s nothing that she feels like she needs to bring up with him. And then it’s too late, and those out of place things are just playing over and over again in her head. It got me thinking about Georgie's chapter. The kiss and the concerned warning that the brothers do for the last time they would ever see each other. And how it stands out to them but they say nothing about it, and thoughts of these mistakes and what they should have done will stay with (sadly only) Bill forever. And now with Patty. Fuck.

   Two things I can now confidently say now about Stan is he’s autistic and the man fucks!

   This is such a little piece and I haven’t read the whole book so technically the whole picture isn’t there, but Stan is autistic. The way he talks and interacts with people, he’s logical and doesn’t feel the need to explain himself. ‘Cause why would he? He’s right. Speaking as a person that also falls on the spectrum, reading this little bit about Stan at least makes me go, “Hmmm, gonna file that for later.” Also, and I really wish this wasn’t the case, I really appreciate having Stan not come off as cold and heartless. He jokes around and clearly loves his wife. Almost like he's a person and not some broken robot. What a concept!

   On a hornier note, Stan likes sex. The Miniseries understood that. It’s so great that when they leave the clinic, Stan's first words are, “I never do”, and then clarifies, “Think about procreation during.” Noice. I don’t know; I just really like knowing that the dude fucks and he likes it.

   On a final note; I’m interested in finding out why he remembers more than any other losers. Like, I know but I’m curious to see how the book will explain it.

   Richie- Richie has ADD/ADHD!

   From the need to play music (the louder the better) to either help him focus or distract him.

All those voices he does, him wanting to please the people he talks to, and not wanting to say or show what he’s actually feeling or thinking? That is so masking!

   I know with every character there are a lot of thoughts going on in their heads, but Richie’s on a different level. Not only does he have a lot of thoughts, but he’s also talking to a lot of people, using multiple voices, and he’s quick on his feet when on the spot. Plus I know he has the gift of gab (aka never shuts the fuck up), he’s moving around a lot, and he’s keeps getting distracted with little things going on around him. His brain is all over the place.

   Imma call it; Richie wasn’t bullied for his glasses (I mean he was but shush); he was bullied because he has ADD/ADHD! Kids don’t need to know what it is to spot it and hate you for it. Talking from experience as an ADD kid (or that weird annoying girl).

   It’s really sad that the main memories that he remembers is the bullying, the names they called him, and getting beat up.

   I’m glad he had friends that loved and cared about him.

   Also, holy crap! Richie said, “You bet your fur” first!

   Ben- …Okay, real talk? Ben’s part was so funny! I already brought up that the amount of times Ricky Lee’s name was so fucking funny to me here, but the waitress, the lemons, and the amount of stress Ben was giving Ricky Lee was really funny.

   Of course I feel bad for Ben but to be in Ricky Lee’s POV is really something special!

   Sorry, not that much to say. I guess something to add is Ben needs therapy (no duh). In this case I’m talking about his body image issues, and for what he put his body through and I bet is still doing to look “perfect.”

   Eddie- I don’t think I have to bring up examples on why Sonia sucks and is a terrible mother; you saw all the words about her.

   Everything that was shown about Eddie wasn’t surprising. I think reading the source really showed me the fights that he has with himself might be his biggest problem (those words come from his mother but you get it) And I really like that you can tell, even through all his fear, that Eddie is a capable person and is very brave.

   Also, I was expecting Eddie to have a long list about everything he takes but, good lord, that list really did go on forever.

   I don’t know how fans feel about this, considering all the fanfics I read I think I’m really in the minority, but I don’t think Myra is abusive?? At worst, I think she kinda manipulates Eddie into feeling bad and getting her way but like I don’t know, it feels like she’s fucked up like Eddie but in a different way, they both seem to be stuck in this life. Even what I said about the worst seems a bit too much. I actually feel bad for her. I’m really surprised because, again, all the fanfics I’ve read, things I’ve seen online talking about her and Sonia’s similarities, and I guess the little snippet from the second movie shaped my original opinion about her.

   And can I just say, I hate how Stephen King describes fat people. He makes it seem like the biggest sin a person can have is being fat. Like, “Of course they're a bad person. Didn’t you see how big they are? I mean how could you not?! Fat people are so gross!” I just — it makes me uncomfortable. Especially ‘cause, oh I don’t know, BEN! Let’s see how that goes.

   Bev- This is really brutal. Besides Bev beating the ever-loving shit out of Tom and scream-laughing like the beautiful mad lady she is when she's outside, my overall favorite part is how Tom is able to sound cruel and vile but also show just how pathetic and dumb he really is.

   He really is a top tier abuser with no skills of his own, and has the mind of a whiny child. I hope his balls exploded into bloody nothings, and the wounds Bev gave him never heal and he’s unable to cover them so he never forgets what happened and his outside matches his insides. (btw scars are cool and okay but fuck this turd)

   I’m glad Bev found her strength again.

   Bill- I learned you can do anything if you have the unjustified confidence of a white man. I wanted to say that college Bill was being really egotistical, but what the fuck do I know? It worked out great for him. 

   Seriously though, I’m trying really hard not to jump the gun but I know that book adult Bill sucks and the live action adult Bills don’t. And overall Bill seems okay in his section buuuut, I don’t know; I’ll keep trying to take in the book without my prior knowledge.

   I like Audra, and finding out how they met. I think it’s sweet that you wouldn’t think they would have ended up together but they really do seem to love each other. And Audra really seems to care about him. What a nice, good lady. Sure would be a shame if Bill became human trash and taints what they have.

[oocstephenkingtv]

Pride Month: Adrian Mellon (Xavier Dolan)/Don Hagarty (Taylor Frey) It Chapter Two (2019) 1/ 8

[fortheloveofgarythain]

Pg.28 "Of course, he didn't know what Derry was really like."

     "And what's Derry really like, Don?" Reeves asked.

     "It's a lot like a dead strumpet with maggots squirming out of her cooze," Don Hagarty said.

     The two cops stared in silent amazement.

     "It's a bad place," Hagarty said. "It's a sewer. You mean you two guys don't know that? You two guys have lived here all of your lives and you don't know that?"

Pg. 36

"I started after him... and the clown looked back. I saw its eyes, and all at once I understood who it was."

     "Who was it, Don?" Harold Gardener asked softly.

     "It was Derry," Don Hagarty said. "It was this town."

     "And what did you do then?" It was Reeves.

     "I ran, you dumb shit," Hagarty said, and burst into tears.

[luftballoonit]

BIT Part One

Some thoughts on the first three chapters of IT, for the IT Bookclub! These first three chapters did such an excellent job of setting up everything. @bit-club already said as much in their notes, but it is really amazing how the themes, characters, and setting are laid out with such detail and foreshadowing in these early chapters. 

After the Flood (1957)

I love this chapter. When I first read IT a few years ago, I was instantly hooked by this first chapter. I don’t think I’m wrong in saying the scene with the storm drain is iconic. 

These lines stood out to me, primarily for their personification of the flood: 

“Stenciled across each of the horses was DERRY DEPT. OF PUBLIC WORKS. Beyond them, the rain had spilled out of the gutters clogged with branches and rocks and big sticky piles of autumn leaves. The water had first pried fingerholds in the paving and then snatched whole greedy handfuls—all of this by the third day of the rains. By noon of the fourth day, big chunks of the street’s surface were boating through the intersection of Jackson and Witcham like miniature white-water rafts. By that time, many people in Derry had begun to make nervous jokes about arks.” (p.4)

If memory serves, this is the start of a motif. This town is being eaten away. Literally, in that It is feeding on its citizens, and figuratively in the way the town devours people who aren’t the white hetero Christian majority. The town is rotten, falling apart at the seams despite people’s efforts to ignore and slap bandages over the mess. 

Spoilers, but this is one detail of many in this chapter that wraps around to the end of the book. It begins and ends with a storm, only in the end, they really will need that ark for the storm that will cleanse Derry. 

After the Festival (1984)

A very brutal chapter, but necessary in showing the reader different perspectives on Derry and what it’s like. bit-club makes excellent points about the contrasting perspectives Derry’s residents have on the city, and people’s different ways of handling these perspectives. It is so common, so present and inescapable that people have learned to just accept It and willfully ignore what happens, if they don’t reject and try to leave the way Don Hagarty does.

Six Phone Calls (1985)

Stan’s chapter always makes me sad. That’s the point — it’s a tragedy, that this happy, loving, successful man is so terrified of the great evil he faced in childhood (the thing that he cannot comprehend, and therefore cannot accept and cope with as an adult) that he kills himself. I always wonder what Patty, his parents, and friends made of it. They had no idea what he went through, no idea why he would commit suicide. 

I never realized before, but the first thing Richie does is lie. He puts on a Voice to talk to Mike. This is a man for whom hiding, putting on a persona, is second nature. There is so much distance between the face (voice) Richie presents and the real him. 

“Because you made a promise when you were eleven? Kids don’t make serious promises when they’re eleven, for Christ’s sake!” (p.68)

I love this line. There’s this dismissal/disbelief around the things children believe and promise, but as King goes to show, kids’ promises can be some of the most true and powerful oaths there are. Children don’t worry about the logic or obligations of adulthood interfering. Also, it’s another thing that sets the Losers apart. The Losers are different. They’re adults, but they still hold to this promise they made to each other over two decades ago. 

I love Ben’s section, even if I don’t have anything particularly analytical to say about it. I love the look at his life we get through Ricky Lee’s eyes. It’s just chilling, how afraid Ben is and how he tells Ricky Lee he might be better off killing himself than going back to Derry. It continues to press how terrible and terrifying this horror they’re going home to is. 

Every time I read Bev and Bill’s sections, The Stranger by Billy Joel starts playing in my head. Bev fighting back and escaping Tom such a cathartic scene, but I love how Tom and Audra — two very different people, two very different spouses — recoil from the stranger their wife/husband become once the memories begin to return.

[reddie-ao3feed]

Wake Up Before You Forget How

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/KUbLTIZ by anderscones The Losers start to have strange almost-nightmares after coming back from Derry with two less people than they were supposed to go in with. Disturbingly, they think they might have to go back. Words: 5732, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: IT (Movies - Muschietti) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: F/M, M/M Characters: Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier, Bill Denbrough, Ben Hanscom, Beverly Marsh, Patricia Blum Uris, Stanley Uris, Maturin | The Turtle, Adrian Mellon, Don Hagarty Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon, Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Patricia Blum Uris/Stanley Uris Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Fix-It, Domestic Fluff, poorly dealing with mental illness, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, perpetual WIP, eternal WIP, References to Depression, The Turtle CAN Help Us (IT), he died., oh damn is he okay???, yeah but he died tho, alternatively: he died but he gets better, no stan left behind!, Orpheus and Eurydice (the good ending), Resurrection read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/KUbLTIZ

[bit-club]

my notes on week two! <3

this one’s going to be a little quick because i accidentally deleted my draft for this post and i am not typing all that again. i’m sorry :(

first interlude!! they’re my favorite parts of the book! i love mike’s perspective and his historical studies, i think they’re a really great example of how every town has it’s own strange history mostly remembered by families and witnesses rather than recorded in textbooks.

i like how mike is dismissed by the police for questioning derry’s mysterious history of missing and killed children is a callback to how don hagarty was dismissed (also note that both mike and don are minorities in a largely white, homophobic town). shows how attempting to make something out of derry’s strangeness is seen as unreasonable, nearly taboo.

what i also like about this section is mike referring to both it and the boys who killed adrian mellon as “animals”:

this is mike telling you: it’s not just the monster lurking in the sewers. derry’s citizens are not all innocents, they’re a part of the horror both in their actions and their inaction. derry is the ouroboros, eternally feeding itself.

ben hanscom certainly takes a fall in this one! i love his childhood chapters, i think his pov is very nice to read. i love that he’s got more adult friends than actual friends (because adults like him for his politeness and quiet humor, the same things that make kids think he’s a “puke” lol) and his sense of loyalty to his hardworking mother. i also think it’s interesting how the narrator makes a couple comments on how ben is starting to think less like a child and more like an adult, with a cold calculation enforced by having to watch out for bullies and sense of anxiety over worrying his mother.

this is our first perspective from childhood and i think it really sets up something that will eventually become a major issue for most of the main characters, which is their relationship with their parents, who are either unable or unwilling to understand, help, or guide their children through what would already be a difficult time in their lives.

also let me indulge; i love this paragraph:

ben is a pretty chill guy, but he’s definitely got a strong sense of justice. just look!

in this first instance of bill debrough beating the devil we can start to see why he would become the kid the other losers flock to and look to as a leader, as well as his guilt and the way his family dynamic has changed in a way that is truly harmful to him.

this also touches on bill’s anxieties and trauma, he fears the thing that took his brother and he feels a responsibility for his death.

eddie and bill are best friends, although they’re familiar with the other kids from school. there is a direct parallel between eddie and george in this chapter, where bill and eddie have a brother like bond and eddie especially idolizes bill (enough to get embarrassed when ben calls them cool; he insists that bill is).

i think this is my favorite part from that chapter:

like ben, bill’s pattern of thinking is mature and depressing to see as it is a direct result of his parents inability to be there for him after this tragedy. bill thinks it’s his responsibility to comfort his parents (trying to tell jokes, wanting to help his dad and being told to leave), and he’s realized very quickly that they are not doing the same for him.

some other miscellaneous things i liked were ben, bill, and eddie’s easy friendship; ben relating to eddie and helping him explain away the blood on his clothes; eddie and bill being each others best friends pre lucky seven; ben explaining the dam in a way we’ll see other characters do later, an intrinsic understanding of larger concepts; the family dynamic of all these kids; the innate differences between adults and kids, parents and their children. lots of interesting concepts!!

sorry this isn’t longer; if there’s something you noted about the chapters i missed let me know!

[oof-i-did-it-agaaiiin]

Do you think Don Hagarty forgot Adrian Mellon when he left Derry? Do you think he forgot his lover’s death? Do you think he forgot his lover?

[nicklloydnow]

“”You saw those balloons," Gardener said.

Don Hagarty slowly held his hands up in front of his face. "I saw them as clearly as I can see my own fingers at this moment. Thousands of them. You couldn't even see the underside of the bridge - there were too many of them. They were rippling a little, and sort of bouncing up and down. There was a sound. A funny low squealing noise. That was their sides rubbing together. And strings. There was a forest of white strings hanging down. They looked like white strands of spiderweb. The clown took Ade under there. I could see its suit brushing through those strings. Ade was making awful choking sounds. I started after him . . . and the clown looked back. I saw its eyes, and all at once I understood who it was."

"Who was it, Don?" Harold Gardener asked softly.

"It was Derry," Don Hagarty said. "It was this town."

"And what did you do then?" It was Reeves.

"I ran, you dumb shit," Hagarty said, and burst into tears.” (page 36)

“Can an entire city be haunted?

Haunted as some houses are supposed to be haunted?

Not just a single building in that city, or the corner of a single street, or a single basketball court in a single pocket-park, the netless basket jutting out at sunset like some obscure and bloody instrument of torture, not just one area - but everything. The whole works.

Can that be?” (page 145)

[derrypubliclibrary]

it’s interesting to me how many references to It there are when they talk about derry being awful. dons mentioned it twice in like four sentences: “…to get a whiff of the real derry.” (it has a very distinct, very bad smell—could be a stretch idk) & “”It’s a bad place,” Hagarty said. “It’s a sewer.” (again; figure of speech or reference to it)

[oocstephenkingtv]

Pride Month: Adrian Mellon (Xavier Dolan)/Don Hagarty (Taylor Frey) It Chapter Two (2019) 8/ 8

[fortheloveofgarythain]

Pg. 27 Chapter 2 After the Festival (1984)

8

That summer, Hagarty told Harold Gardener and Jeff Reeves, was the happiest summer of his life- he should have been on the lookout, he said; he should have known that God only puts a rug under guys like him in order to jerk it out from under their feet.

[kaitlinj16]

IT: Chapter 2 (2019) 🎈

[kaspgaytozier]

Pennywise using a bunch of red balloons inverted triangles made of red balloons when scaring our favorite gays

+bonus:

insp: xx

[raspbeby]

not a day goes by that i don’t think about the similarities between adrian & don and richie & eddie...like...i feel that’s exactly how reddie would be as a younger couple together, there’s so many parallels (the inhaler, shorter/taller dynamic, adrian/eddie getting hurt the worst). adrian & don deserve so much more ❤️

[ashilesun]

IT: CHAPTER TWO (2019) dir. Andrés Muschietti

[lazychickensoup]

okay but with pennywise dead, the bubble around derry goes away and every thing is spread to the rest of the world, especially the murder of Adrian Mellon

Don Hargarty sets up a donation center for families and victims of hate crimes for help.

each month they get a huge donation from an anonymous source but, they know it’s from the same person because it always had the same two word message on it

For Eddie