futch nancy is canon

I think Robin would probably enjoy the more "relaxed" outdoor activities. Stuff like hiking, birdwatching, etc. She would definitely buy 5 guidebooks and a pair of socks at every state park gift shop and get really excited pointing out every bit of native flora/fauna on the trail. I can totally picture her in like the full mid-90s nerdy hiker getup. Tube socks, khaki shorts and a floppy fishing hat.

I think that Nancy also likes hiking/camping, but is probably more intense about it. She prefers backpacking/mountain climbing to regular hiking. Something that I loved in one way or another (sorry I'm gonna keep being a Caitlin Schneiderhan glazer on here) is the way that it established Nancy as someone who throws herself headfirst into things and gets a rush out of danger. I feel like that lends itself to extreme outdoor activities very well. There is another obvious outdoor activity that one could apply to Nancy, and that is hunting. I'm a little of two minds about this one because on the one hand, I can see Nancy finding hunting to be a really cathartic and relaxing activity. I think she'd like the patience and effort it requires, and I don't really see her getting rid of her guns. On the other hand, I can see her having really strong feelings about shooting animals. Maybe she enjoys shooting at ranges but not for food?

What do you think Nancy's career would look like after dropping out of Emerson?

Oh boy do I have THOUGHTS on this. For starters, Nancy would NOT relegate herself to a shitty right-wing tabloid in any stretch of the imagination, so in my mind, her trainee position is at the Boston Globe.

I elaborate a little bit more on my thoughts re: Nancy's career in this post, but basically, I see her bouncing around a lot. She focuses on investigative work in her youth but mellows out as she gets older. I think she would eventually get around to finishing up school and potentially pursuing an advanced degree, but she'd need to accomplish a lot in her career first to feel ready for that.

I'm also a huge fan of early 2000s war correspondent Nancy using her time overseas as a way to run from her real problems (plus, Nancy has always looked GREAT in camo.)

I do think that no matter what Nancy ends up doing she'd probably write a book or two at some point. Maybe about herself, maybe expanding on her previous work. Obviously not about the upside down (I'm sure the U.S. govt has the entire southwest corner of Indiana trapped in a series of ironclad nondisclosure agreements) but I could also see her writing something about Barb. Maybe not a full book, but definitely a tribute piece.

I also do like the idea of Nancy, despite her refusal to work for tabloids, writing the occasional puff piece in her early career. Sometimes putting food on the table goes above maintaining one's perfect journalistic record, even if that means singing the praises of various desert tourist traps in honor of "66 years of route 66."

Yknow this is a hc that im not sure I fully agree with! I'm sure there's some stuff that Nancy has to explain repeatedly to Robin, but we see in the show and novels that Robin is actually pretty good at following directions (especially if they come from Nancy "I just don't want to be the reason Wheeler's plan fails" and all that). I think part of the beauty of Robin and Nancy’s hypothetical relationship is that Robin implicitly trusts her, even if she doesn't fully understand Nancy’s reasoning.

How do you think ronance apologise to each other after a fight? who’s first to break the ‘silent treatment’?

Oooh this is such a good one. I think the obvious answer, at least in the earlier years of their relationship (I would hope they grow past the silent treatment eventually) is Robin. She's a lot less stubborn than Nancy is and has an easier time calming down, with one major exception. I think if they fight because Nancy's putting herself in danger, then Nancy is probably the first to apologize. Robin puts a lot of trust in Nancy, and we see in one way or another that she gets really stressed when Nancy keeps things from her or makes stupid reckless descisions.

This is my personal ideas for future Nancy Wheeler mysteries, none of it is very well thought out and realistically I don't see ronance going canon ever, but hey, a girl can dream. Excuse any spelling/grammar errors, I didnt proofread. (Also, they're all named after blondie songs, duh.)

Hanging on the telephone:

Set in Hawkins, feb 1988. The military has (mostly) cleared out of Hawkins at this point. Nancy is still Holly and Mike's primary caregiver. Ted and Karen are both home but still recovering and not particularly useful. Robin and Vickie have broken up, primarily because Vickie couldn't handle that Robin lied to her for so long. Its also important to me that Nancy's hair is very short at this point, I like the idea of her getting too frustrated trying to get upside down gunk out and just chopping it all off.

Anyway, in terms of the plot: People around town are receiving strange phone calls blackmailing them (just like the prank calls in Rebel Robin), including Robin. Robin is hesitant to tell Nancy what's happening at first (she's hasn't found the right time to come out yet), but after a neighbor who was getting the calls turns up dead, she figures she should probably say something.

Im not sure what I would have the mysterious caller or their motive be, but I like the idea of starting with something a little bit lower-stakes. I would also have this book start sewing the seeds for a ronance relationship. At the very least, I'd want Nancy to realize that Robin is an option here and start catching feelings, even if she's isn't quite ready to do anything about it. If you prefer a slightly angsty route, I'd have Nancy either kiss Robin or confess towards the end of the book, only to be very politely rejected by Robin, who thinks she's just experimenting. Otherwise, I'd just have Nancy say nothing.

Call me:

Set in Boston, October of 1990. I don't have a super fleshed out plot for this one except that it involves a murder and Ronance actually getting together. The murder and subsequent coverup would involve slumlord corruption.

Rapture:

Set in November 1992. This is the obligatory road trip novel. Nancy has been tasked with covering route 66 on its 66th anniversary, and Robin is tagging along. After their car breaks down in Arizona, they find themselves caught up in a mysterious small town mystery involving a pastor, missing children, a hippie cult that seems stuck in the 60s, and a statistically improbable number of Volkswagen buses.

Rip her to shreds:

Set in New York City, December of 1995.

Nancy is writing a piece on a string of art thefts connected back to a dealer from NYC. This book features very prominent cameos from Will and to a lesser extent jonathan, who are both providing insider info from the New York art scene.

The tide is high:

Set on international waters in June 1998. Ronance is on a cruise for Holly's graduation trip, when, oh no! There's been a string of murders. Chaos ensues and Nancy gets a good article out of it. you get the gist. Featuring Mike and Holly trying (and failing) to be Nancy's mystery-solving sidekicks. Its also important to me that this book reveals that Mike lives at home and teaches middle school English, and that Holly is finishing the wheeler humanities degree trifecta by majoring in English lit.

Atomic:

Set in Hawkins, November of 2002. I feel like we can't have the last Nancy wheeler mystery without returning to Hawkins. Its gotta start with the death of someone Nancy is close to (I was thinking Holly or, possibly, Steve. Yknow for robin angst.). I feel like it would happen around Nancy finishing up a book tour too. Anyway there's lots of good Nancy angst and some solid sharp objects vibes too.

(Bonus) Living in the real world: