hhiii:::))

I think Robin is respected as the toughest kid in school, but I don’t think that translates to being well liked. I actually think it’s the opposite.

We see a lot of examples of casual racism in the film, and I think we’re supposed to. And when Robin gets painted as Finn’s popular friend, I think that aspect of his character and the community they live in is getting erased.

Robin deals with a lot of shit. That’s probably why he learned to fight. I also wouldn’t be surprised if while his dad was alive he was an army brat who was used to moving schools and dealing with new racist assholes.

I think one of the reasons that Robin and Finn are friends is that they are both outsiders. I think Robin sees a lot of himself in Finn. That’s how he knows Finn is a fighter. He used to get knocked down, too.

i think a lot of the basis in the idea that robin would be popular is when we first meet him and he’s being surrounded by kids that are watching him fight. we do hear a few people cheering that on, but i think it’d be remiss to view that as support rather than excitement over the prospect of bloodshed. (save for gwen who also had the added benefit of watching her brother’s bully get his ass beat).

kids have definitely learned somewhat to respect robin, but purely in the capacity of being one of the toughest kids at school, however not in any other capacity. they’re not excited to watch a racist get beat up, they’re excited to watch a fight period. At that time, i wouldn’t be surprised if most of these kids use that kind of language and only restrain because they don’t want to be next.

although i know ernesto is a very new character that was pulled out of a magic hat to bring the actor back, i can imagine that without robin he got similar treatment. robin definitely had to overcompensate and establish a reputation of not being fucked with, not only for himself, but for his family in general. it’s also probably why, the only significant friendship he has is with the kid who tutors him.

a lot of that friendship is in recognition, and just as robin had to learn to be tough, i think he also had to learn to recognize strength in different capacities that not a lot of other kids have to. him being able to recognize resilience is not something a lot of kids will ever acknowledge, (i.e. how frequently finney gets beat up for having a more quiet/not aggressive disposition). and in that, robin doesn’t especially have the traditional aggressiveness either. he doesn’t posture even when trying to make a point, it’s centric to confidence and the ability to follow through.

if we talk about the parentification of finney, i think it’s also worth acknowledging that robin likely had to grow up much faster than other kids too, even if his home life might have been healthier. and i think that in itself is also a contributing factor to their friendship. not being able to relate, or even like, their peers but also bringing out in each other an energy/opportunity to act their age that they never get to have with anyone else.

out of the two of them, i actually do see robin as having a harder time making friends with anyone. partly pride, suspicion, and lack of screen time to demonstrate anything different. but if finney hadn’t been traumatized to hell and back, i do think he could have found a friendship with donna and maybe even bruce. never popular, and far from social, you’d catch him dead before he was at a party, but more willing to entertain the prospect. robin on the other hand never had an opportunity to showcase a willingness, and shows a visible shift in his demeanor, a literal example of a code switch, the minutes it was just him and finney on screen.

maybe he feels more comfortable with someone who knows what it’s like to be bullied, who takes the time to pronounce his name correctly, or just someone who was patient enough to teach him math but he’s definitely not popular. and he’s definitely had to experience racism at the time that no one even considered to be overtly racist. and he definitely grew up way too fast.

Thank you for going into detail about the fight. I think you are so right. Those kids are not cheering FOR Robin (minus Gwen), they’re cheering for BLOOD. They want the violence. It doesn’t matter who it is.

And we see that so well in Robin’s explanation to Finn about the fight. He knew he needed to draw blood to make his point. What is the point? ‘Don’t fuck with me or the people I care about.’

I feel like sometimes Robin is also mischaracterized as being overly violent when he’s not. This isn’t a kid who’s trying to be popular via fighting, it’s a kid who’s building a reputation so that he (and the people he loves) get left alone. It’s fighting for necessity.

And as much as I could say that is negative regarding the army, I think Robin’s dad being a soldier is also a good choice to explain Robin’s actions. He knows there are times you have to fight to defend yourself or something you love.

Robin is very mature in so many ways. I hardcore agree about him respecting resilience. It’s why I think he’s definitely learned to fight through necessity. He has to understand how hard it is to get back up after being hit.

I didn’t even think about their duel roles as kids who had to step up and parent for siblings, but you’re completely right. With Robin’s dad gone it would make sense that he’s at least stepped up in some ways, even with an active uncle in the picture, who I assumed also helped. Robin probably was able to understand better than anyone Finn stepping up as a parental type figure to his sister and the amount of strength it takes to do so when you’re still grieving.

And that definitely creates space for them to bond again. They can just be kids together! How freeing when you usually have to be the responsible one!

And thank you for mentioning the code switch in the bathroom because I think it’s so, so, so important when it comes to understanding him as a character! Him alone with Finn in the bathroom is NOT what he’s showing other people! I highly doubt anyone else at school ever saw him like that. That was Robin with his guard down with someone he trusts. Other people are getting ‘You can go now.’ Or even the confident blank way he was walking right before the grabber took him. This is a kid who knows he can’t let his shield down around just anyone.

I completely agree that Robin wouldn’t have an easy time making friends. I think without some kind of in, like with tutoring, Robin wouldn’t really let someone in to be his friend. Plus, his reputation probably would be scary to people, even though it’s justified. The chances of a bunch of white kids getting it is low. Or maybe once Ernesto was older, he might make friends through him since it seems Ernesto is less guarded (I think there is something to be said about honor student status as a way to prove himself to those around him, but that should probably be a different post). But I also think that had Robin been able to age, he would have probably felt confident and secure as primarily being a duo with Finn when it came to friendship. I don’t think he would have longed for a bunch of popularity or a bigger friend group. Finn, I think would have liked to feel accepted more than he really wanted more friends.

I think it’s probably another example of growing up too fast, but I think Robin understands and accepts people not liking him, even expects it. He just wants peace and respect. Finn wasn’t there yet, but probably would have gotten there.

I think if they’d grown up together (like they should have), they would have probably stayed outcasts together, maybe adding in a person or two along the way, but always as a core duo.

i love, love considering the arellano family dynamic, and especially intergenerational acculturative conflict between robin and ernesto as a pseudo explanation of why we didn’t meet him in the first movie. i think it might take a minute for robin to realize that academic + social success (bruce) but has the maturity to accept the approach. i think eventually becoming friends with bruce would transition that base understanding into respect and actually let him feel more comfortable at the prospect of letting his walls down a little. (props because bruce is just a genuinely nice guy)

i think robin definitely shoulders a lot of responsibility in being an example for his brother, and maybe initially for finney. we know finney compares a lot of himself and his capabilities to robin, but i think that happens vice versa as well which gives them more of an even footing.

i also love robin so much as a character overtly because it would absolutely be easy to have him enjoy violence. getting into fights, being bullied, liking horror/action movies, and losing his father so young. but his dad clearly instilled an importance of the relationships around him, and more than likely about the appropriate level/demonstration of violence.

however, a more personal hc as well, i believe watching his mother in the aftermath of losing their father was equally as important if not more in understanding the significance of resilience. his uncle stepping in too, to help raise kids in a capacity beyond obligation, probably gave him a well-rounded perspective of what a strong person was. there was room for him to both have a parental figure, but still feel responsible for not making them worry about him, and instilling what their father taught him to his brother.

but he also never shows off or sticks around long enough to get any benefit from being in a fight other than resolving a challenge before it can develop. At first opportunity it’s like a snap of the fingers that he’s nerding out with his best friend and excitedly talking about going to the drive in. it’s almost sad how much you can tell how different he is when it’s just the two of them. they’re absolutely a duo and it’s so easy to see how much they respect and care about each other in even limited screentime.

op you have me crying thinking about how much they deserved to grow up with each other and grow because of each other. i think finn would have still learned to defend himself, and i think robin would have developed academic confidence too, but not because of lack of, rather in the support they had to do so :(((

Because the amount of thoughts I have to try to explain why we never see or know about Ernesto until the second movie (like, obviously the answer is he didn’t exist until they wanted a way to bring the actor back for the sequel, but that’s a boring take).

Because of course we want to think Robin and Ernesto have a super close sibling relationship, but I think it’s interesting to consider that they don’t. Exactly like you said generational acculturative conflict! Even though they aren’t far apart in age, I think it plays a role. Like, I think Ernesto gives off more of the vibe of trying to fit in as the ‘model minority’. He’s an honor student keeping his head down and his distance from his fighting brother. I could definitely see there being that edge of Ernesto thinking fighting is the wrong way to handle things while Robin thinks it’s the only way. Might kind of even be interesting to investigate if that’s kind of why Ernesto tries to talk with Finn. Maybe there’s some reflection after Robin’s death that makes him understand his approach more? But even if there wasn’t any outspoken conflict, even silently I could see that dynamic causing a rift. It seems like Ernesto, at least during the first movie, wasn’t an outcast (because if he was he would have been around, I’d think).

All that to say, I think Bruce as someone closer to Robin’s age (older ever) would make him better understand the approach even if I don’t think he’d ever try to take it himself. Even though Robin fronts a lot with violence and acting stoic, I can’t imagine him willing trying to conform to those around him. I think he’d see it as a loss of integrity.

Omg, I wish Finn had more time to realize that he wasn’t the only one admiring his best friend! The amount of times we see Finn thinking about what Robin would do or trying to act like Robin, but I think you’re right and it goes both ways. I think Robin respects a lot of things about Finn, even if he’s not stepping up to physically defend himself. I think he knows Finn is smart and resourceful, and that he has all the potential in the world to defend himself. I think it’s so sad that Finn didn’t really get the benefit of seeing it from the outside. Like, I’m sure the shift from tutoring to friends felt subtle to him, whereas for a viewer watching the shift Robin goes through in the bathroom when he’s just talking to Finn is massive! He trusts Finn so much to show him that! And I think Robin even sounds nervous at times when they’re talking in the bathroom (could just be the acting, but I’m going to say it was intentional)- like he feels like he wants to impress him. Finn is impressive to Robin!

Yessss, I hate when people think Robin just enjoys getting in fights! Like, sure, teenage boy, I’m sure it feels cool to be tough, but he’s not beating someone up for the love of the game! He even tells Finn he thought Moose would back down. He didn’t think he’d swing. Robin isn’t the guy starting the fights, but he’ll damn well finish them. I feel like he’s a guy who’s honor bound. He’s not gonna fight unless it matters.

What you said about his mom is so good! I wish we knew more about her. But I think your HC is probably right. I think Robin’s family is kind of the opposite of Finn’s. While Terrance broke down in the wake of Hope’s death, leaving Finn and Gwen to fend for themselves, I think Robin’s whole family pulled together. We hear about his uncle and even his grandma in the second movie. His mom probably held things together and showed him how to be strong, and by example he probably tried to be strong as well, while also having people to support him. It’s nice to note he cares about getting suspended over his grades. He probably doesn’t want to make his mom worry.

They are:

They are, in fact, not doing okay :'D