[ SECRET POST #3526 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3526 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.



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02.
[Feed The Birds, from Mary Poppins]


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03.
(Once Upon A Time)


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04.
[ Dota 2 esport ]


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05.
[Great British Bake Off, series 3]


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06. http://i.imgur.com/82bEEum.png
[The Private Report on My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness; linked for nudity/implied porn, illustrated]


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07.
[We Happy Few]


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08.
[Stranger Things]














Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 32 secrets from Secret Submission Post #504.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

08. http://i.imgur.com/0z4nMqO.jpg
[Stranger Things]

[(Anonymous)]

Idk OP... it's fandom. Lots of them were probably the Barb too, Barb types tend to congregate here. That's probably why they sympathize.

[(Anonymous)]

Agreed. All those popular people who ignored you, OP? They're probably not the ones gushing over Barb in fandom. And if any of them are, it's probably because they felt the same as you but rather than sitting by the pool waiting for people to include them, they jumped in.

[(Anonymous)]

And if any of them are, it's probably because they felt the same as you but rather than sitting by the pool waiting for people to include them, they jumped in.

Uhhh... This feels like a weird thing to say. It's not necessarily a choice between choosing to be lonely or choosing to (metaphorically) jump into a pool.

[(Anonymous)]

Okay, a couple things.

1) Given the huge popularity of the show and Barb, it's statistically unlikely that none of the people saying those things were popular in high school.

2) "And if any of them are, it's probably because they felt the same as you but rather than sitting by the pool waiting for people to include them, they jumped in."

WTF dude. People who were outcasts in high school were outcasts for many reasons. From my own personal experience, they could be shit at sports, too poor to afford the right clothes or drive a cool car. Maybe they dare to have interests in "nerdy" things like sf/fantasy, gaming, science, whatever. Some of them had learning disabilities or physical disabilities that made them outcasts. Suggesting that outcasts are only outcasts because they were too apathetic to change their situation is incredibly condescending.

[(Anonymous)]

Ayup.

[(Anonymous)]

Exactly. I love her so much because I KNOW how ignored she was. Therefore, she gets all the love I have.

Well, her and Dustin, who I kind of want to adopt.

[bio_obscura]

This is the correct answer.

[sparrow_lately]

More or less what I was gonna say.

[annethecatdetective]

Yeah, I've been assuming the Barb fans are all former Barbs themselves-- that's certainly why I immediately fell in love with her. She was relatable to me (right down to the glasses, which look so much like my first pair did).

[(Anonymous)]

I was kind of like this in high school (going by the description, I don't watch the show). Only, I didn't have glasses, so I can't blame any of my unattractiveness on unflattering glasses (or having glasses at all, as often seems to be the case on TV). But I was pretty glad to be ignored, since it meant I wasn't being bullied.

I can tell that this girl is actually cute underneath it, though. Honestly, she's cute in that picture, she's just wearing ugly clothes and ugly glasses.

[(Anonymous)]

I really can't speak for everyone. But personally, the reason that I liked Barb as a character was because she was do relatable, because I'd been in those shoes myself. And that's the sense I sort of got from other people. I think your reading of the character is right on, but I also thought that's why she was popular.

I do think it's interesting the assumptions we make about ourselves and others vis a vis our Nanciness or Barbness. It feels like this invisible, unexpected dividing line. It's strange.

[(Anonymous)]

Thiiiisssss.

The weird thing is, I always thought I was the Barb. I was convinced of it for years.

Then I ran into some friends from high school that I hadn't seen in *mumble mumble* years and we all got to reminiscing, but the weird thing is they were talking like I was the Nancy, which, had me mentally going "Wait, WHAT?" Because I was the one who never dated in high school, but from their perception I was some kind of fun pied piper who was too *cool* to bother with the drama or care about what other people thought about me.

Which, again, WHAT?

The line between how we perceive who we think we are, and who other people think we are can be really mind-boggling sometimes.

[sadiesockmonkey]

As a fellow Barb, I assume (and have heard from others) that a lot of the Barb love comes from having been a Barb. Granted, not everyone who loves Barb was a Barb, and you're totally entitled to your feelings of resentment, but like the first anon says, it's fandom. A lot of us are HERE because we are or have been Barbs.

[diet_poison]

It's funny that you described her as "not pretty" when the first thing I thought when I looked at that picture (before reading the secret) was "wow, she's pretty. I love her glasses!".

[sadiesockmonkey]

I agree, she's a cute kid.

Idk if you've seen the show, but as someone who has, I also object to OP's insinuation that Barb or the actress is chubby. She isn't stick thin and she has very wide hips, but I wouldn't call her chubby.

[(Anonymous)]

Amen to that. Glasses PLUS freckles? I'm helpless before her.

So OP, here's one guy you weren't invisible to. Unfortunately, I was a socially awkward, hostile little disaffected shit who was way too scared to talk to girls. So... sorry about that, I guess.

[(Anonymous)]

Like lots of others, I champion this character because I identify with her. I actually assumed most people did for the same reason as me. It's interesting to me that you'd see all the love and assume it wasn't from fellow Barb types. The upsurgence of love for her actually does the opposite for me; it gives me hope that there are a lot more of us "lonely nerdy third wheel" types out there waiting to be befriended.

[(Anonymous)]

I like her because she was smart, down-to-earth and what we saw of her, a good friend. She had the makings of a main character but alas, that didn't happen.

I hope she comes back in s2 as a non-human being or something.

[(Anonymous)]

I really think they should have switched Barb with Nancy. At the same time, the show breaks the Sex-Will-Kill rule. I approve.

[(Anonymous)]

Not related to this secret, so sorry, but I just finished watching, and I thought I remembered a secret from a few weeks back about her being gay.

Is this a head-canon thing, or was something mentioned that I missed?

[(Anonymous)]

headcanon. I just finished the show and I don't recall any implications that she's gay

[(Anonymous)]

headcanon, and I usually have my (fem)slash goggles screwed on tight

[(Anonymous)]

Might have seen her a bit differently as it rang true to local school experience.

Yes, also been her in school but thought all Nancies to be vapid and shallow, so never questioned if people noticed me (as people above say, they got classmates seeing them through different filter). Also, I admired other Barbs, wished we formed some super nerdy and awkward snarky league. Hell, we had same clothes as her.

Afraid that ... it turned out that people are all different. I was egotistic, self assured bastard who silently leaked superiority and spoken over people in huge words while a more extreme Nancy was a more down to Earth person who had way more valuable things to say than me.

Maybe it is because I seen whole two episodes of this (is she back after the pool scene?) and well ... seen Nancy as much more open albeit a wee bit blinded by crush.

In addition, these two can both be applied to both gendered school experiences in my area so used it as such (they guys actually would be the outcasts in all cases sans the kids because they had boarding games and bikes).

[(Anonymous)]

I like her and I was a Barb, and I think lots of others who like her were Barbs too.
But besides that, I think its COOL when people like this type of character in fiction cause maybe they'll be more inclined to like a Barb when they run into her in real life!


also side note I know they styled her dowdy, but the actress is friggin gorgeous right?? she's beautiful! Maybe even prettier than Nancy? (not to rag on nancy she's pretty too!)