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[baldrambo]

[baldrambo]

STRANGER THINGS ⇢ 2x03

[baldrambo]

PSA:

I am going to turn my inbox off for a little while. I LOVE all the questions that I get and I love having discussions about the show. People have creative theories and the discussions that spawn from them have been a godsend in this achingly long hiatus.

However, as I mentioned briefly a week or 2 ago, I have some health stuff going on right now and haven't been able to be online as much lately, so keeping up with the asks has been difficult. I also owe an Anon a fic which should have been done like 80 years ago. So I'm gonna keep questions off until I am able to finish that for them and my energy comes back.

I'm sorry to have to temporarily kill the discussions :/ I'll make another post when my inbox is turned back on!

[baldrambo]

When I saw Bob and Joyce kiss for the first time, I tried to kill the Jopper fan inside me because I didn't want to suffer from the fact that my OTP is non-canon. But no matter how hard I tried, the moment Joyce went to the tunnel to save Hopper, I just paused and started applauding. And now we also know that she will follow him to Kamchatka. What a woman! Hopper certainly did not remain in debt. It is immediately clear that they are ready to move mountains for each other

Honestly, it was Season 2 that made the Jopper fan in me so much stronger! Having Bob around (RIP to our Superhero) just made it so much more obvious to me that the bond Hopper and Joyce had was incredibly deep and special. As happy as Bob made her for giving her an escape from TUD, for taking care of her and her boys, she didn't have that same connection to him and I knew it was never going to be endgame material.

That scene in the tunnels is my personal favorite and I can't wait to see her save him again in Russia (although I fear the reunion may be more devastating than happy!) I truly feel that Hopper and Joyce are wrapped up in each other's psyche in ways we don't even realize yet and that S4/their backstory will give us more on that front.

Thanks for the question!

[baldrambo]

Jopper + titles in Season 3

[baldrambo]

Compromise.It’s like something that’s kinda in-between. It’s like halfway happy.

[baldrambo]

Do you think Jopper could kiss in the last ep of S4 BUT we’d only get an “I love you” in S4 ? I feel like this could be very possible, especially if the rumours of S5 being set right after S4 are true...

I think anything is possible at this point! It's so hard to predict right now because we know almost nothing about S4. Whether Hopper comes back with memory loss or not, how traumatized he is, how omnipresent the MF is by the time Hopper is rescued, how much Joyce will have moved on from Bob, etc are all things that would significantly impact the timeline of Hopper and Joyce getting together and how they do it.

This is why I'm predicting that nothing significant will happen between them until the S4 finale at the earliest or maybe even S5. And again, if S5 starts right after S4 that could definitely affect things too. I could see the Duffers giving us a bit of a Jopper cliffhanger in that sense.

As long as it's not rushed or unrealistic, I'm fine. If a ship is gonna be slow burn I want it done right! And if that means having to wait longer, I'm willing to wait.

[baldrambo]

Do you think that Barb and Alexei are overrated characters? And there’re plenty of underrated characters as well. The only characters that deserve their popularity are El and Hopper, imo

"Overrated" is too much of a subjective term, imo. I'm usually hesitant to use it because everyone's perspectives are doing to be different. I think the emotional hype surrounding Alexei and Barb can be a little over the top sometimes, but I guess I just see it as proof that the character development on this show is good enough to make people really invested in minor characters. It's never something that's bothered me much.

As for the mains, I think they all deserve the hype they get, not just El and Hopper. Some characters have had some amazing arcs (like Steve for example) that really resonate with people. Fans love characters for different reasons and the fact that SO many do is a testament to the show, tbh.

However, and to be a little critical for a moment, I think there are some characters on the show that don't get enough attention. Lucas and Max, for example, need more screentime, imo, and don't get as much focus from fans. But again, this is subjective too and people may disagree with me.

[baldrambo]

Who do you think will most likely to die? I thought it’s going to be Will or El, but if they really die, then there will be no happy ending for Hopper and Joyce either. Too many unhappy characters. I think Steve, Murray or Nancy are gonna die

I'm very skeptical that anyone of the Hopper/Byers/Wheeler clan will die. I feel fairly confident that the Duffers are working towards the Hopper/Byers endgame and I can't see that happiness being complete for them if something happened to Nancy or Mike.

The original intent of s1 was for El to die, but the story has changed a lot since then. Having Hopper lose a second daughter would narratively not make a lot of sense, imo (what's the point of his growth if he's back to square one?) And after everything Joyce has been through killing one of her boys would set her character back pretty far which also seems counterproductive to me.

I think Murray is probably our best candidate for that. He's an important character but not one of our core mains. His death could have serious impact without changing the endgame and he's just the type to go out in some type of blaze of glory to save people.

I've seen a lot of discussion about Steve being the one to die for very similar reasons, and I'm not going to say it's not a possibility because I obviously have no idea, but I'm not a fan of it. It's very Game of Thrones. "Let's kill off someone just for emotional impact because they're popular and it won't interfere with the core endgame of the show." Imo, it's lazy writing and just makes things sad to be cruel rather than having a legit reason behind it.

So, anyway I'm gonna go with Murray and probably no one else, at least for now. Typically (although not always of course) shows that are going to start killing mains do so by now.....

Thanks for the question!

[baldrambo]

At what condition of the relationship Hopper left Joyce? If Joyce asked him out, does it mean that they’re officially lovers, and should react to each other as lovers when they finally reunite(I mean kisses/love confessions etc)?

I'm not 100% sure I know what you mean by "condition" of the relationship, I'm assuming you mean what footing they left off on? Aka as friends or "lovers" given the rest of your question?

I think Joyce asking him out doesn't mean they're lovers but it is an important transitional stage of their relationship. Joyce has been holding Hopper at arm's length for awhile (and until s3 Hopper was doing the same) and she's officially opened herself up now to being romantically involved with him.

Neither of them were really "ready" narratively speaking though, which is why Hopper had to die and Joyce has to be the one that brings him back. I definitely don't think the reunion should be anything overtly romantic; they didn't part at that stage of their relationship so that would seem really forced and unrealistic to me.

I would love a love confession in like....season 5? Once Hopper is back and shown he's changed and both of them are ready for that next stage of the relationship. I can't really see that happening before the very end of s4 at the absolute earliest (and I fear even that would be a stretch for me, personally).

Thanks for the question!

[baldrambo]

joyce and hopper height difference (✿ ♥‿♥)

[baldrambo]

The Best of: Jim ‘Chief’ Hopper

An easy step-by-step guide on why he is a gem.  ( requested by anon )

[baldrambo]

Which ship in ST has the greatest chemistry? Which is the most stable? And which is the most boring?

Chemistry: Y'all know I am biased so definitely going to go with Jopper here. Their very first look, their very first scene was incredibly loaded. The sexual tension is just palpable, imo, and it sucked me in immediately. I love watching them interact and I love watching them struggle with their feelings amidst everything they've been through. Even if the Duffers weren't setting it up, I think they're one of those pairings that would have wound up working its way to that endgame anyway, if that makes sense.

Stable: Jancy is definitely the most stable, imo. There is an emotional maturity to their relationship that is rare for 17 year olds and that is really significant. Their fight in S3 (whether you think it was handled well or poorly I know there's a lot of debate on that front) is what adults fight about, not kids. They've faced so much, and now a separation, and are stronger from it. Good shit, man.

Boring: Going to go with Mleven here. I don't have anything against the pairing, but I've never been particularly interested in them. Some of that is because they're 13/14 year old kids and as an adult it's a little.... uncomfortable? To me to be invested in kids romantic life. But the relationship itself just isn't that deep, imo, and nothing has ever drawn me to it.

Thanks for the ask!

[baldrambo]

But why are you so confident about Jancy and Jopper as pairings anyway? Jancy are separated in S4 and Nancy was so rude to Jonathan they seem like they don't even like each other that much. And Hopper was such a jerk in S3 you can tell that Joyce has never loved him so why would she start to now?

I couldn’t decide between deleting such an obviously combative anon or pelting you with a serious elaborate essay that would require days to finely construct. I ultimately decided against deleting because I want to make a point about the Duffers and I also decided against a real essay because a) I suspect you’re not actually interested in my analysis and b) you’re honestly kind of a jerk?

I’m pushing aside everything about characterization you mentioned because each of those characters deserve separate posts. I don’t think anything you’ve mentioned negates the huge possibility those two pairings are endgame.

Anyway:

I think Jancy and Jopper are endgame because it’s what’s been setup by the writers and I’m a (boringly) practical woman. I really don’t want to delve too deeply into my personal life on Tumblr, but I’m not talking out of my ass and I’m also not saying I’m definitely correct (I’ve been wrong before) but I’m coming from more than a perspective of simple wishful thinking. Part of the reason I like these ships is because they have such high potential to be (Jopper) or remain (Jancy) endgame and how that fulfills the overall arc of the story.

The Duffers are good writers but they’re not being especially revolutionary concerning ST. Some evidence here would be the Duffers choosing Fake Death ™ multiple times and openly sharing with the audience extensive lists of their creative references. The show is extremely trope-y by design; even the pitch book goes into detail about this. ST is mainly a nostalgia piece. Do we have other themes and subjects? Yes, of course: the story explores the concept of family and the rippling, devastating toll of trauma (both of which these ships connect to) but at the end of the day, the show is truly a tribute to the 1980’s birthed with a skeleton of conventional storytelling.

As for the ships specifically, enjoy this quick list:

Both pairings help fulfill all four individual character arcs (along with those of other characters).

Both pairings have actors with sexual and romantic chemistry. This is deliberate.

Both pairings are mentioned in the original pitch book. Jancy in particular is discussed rather at length.

Both pairings consume a significant amount of screen time.

Both pairings are comprised of main characters.

Both pairings are tropes.

Both pairings are discussed at length by the actors and creators.

Jancy is more self-sufficient. For Jopper, I could dive deeply into aspects like quotes about Bob living being a literal problem for the ending (logically speaking, what other things could frickin’ Bob potentially screw up other than endgame Jopper?) or I could explain how moving El in with the Byers is likely a massive chess play to have a Byers-Hopper cohesive family unit or I could refute/analyze comparisons to other media or I could talk about how David Harbour never shuts tf up about Gandalf these days but I don’t buy you’re really interested and almost all that crap can be easily sniffed out in my neurotic tags anyway.

Also worth noting is that we’re on season four out of a likely five, so it’s time for sane writers to be placing the bricks. I’m of the opinion that ST3 was a clear bridge between the two halves of the overall series and with ST4 as the penultimate season... well, time to get shit lined up. Every moment is precious. The Duffers and some of the actors (Mille, David) have discussed having an endgame in sight. Can that change? Sure and the minutiae likely will. But given things like the before-mentioned quote above about Bob, I don’t think that’s the case. They’re clearly working towards purposeful broad strokes; if something seems blatantly obvious then that’s probably because it is.

To reiterate: I think the Duffers are good writers or I wouldn’t be wasting my time here, especially as someone who just sat through the hot steaming garbage that was the final season of Game of Thrones and quickly dipped out of AHS a few years back when it became glaringly apparent that Ryan Murphy had stretched himself too thin and just stopping giving any fucks about writing. I don’t waste my time with anyone I consider a bad writer anymore but my point is this: I’ve extremely doubtful they’re super clever with what they’re trying to construct and that’s likely by design.

/rant (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

[baldrambo]

thinking about the physics of the eventual jopper kiss w david harbour, 6’3, and miss winona ryder standing at a whopping 5’3

[baldrambo]

i was tagged by @joycbyers (thank you!!)

Answer 17 questions and tag 17 people! (Please make sure to create a new post rather than reblogging!)

1) Name: A

2) Age: I'll be 29 next month

3) Zodiac: Virgo

4) Height: 5′5

5) Hogwarts’ house: Gryffindor

6) Last thing i googled: honestly, I Google so much shit I have no idea 😂

7) Song stuck in my head: Alone by Heart

8) Number of followers: 85

9) Amount of sleep: 7 hours typically on a work night, I always try to sleep in on the weekends when possible

10) Lucky number: I've never had one!

11) Wearing: blue sweatshirt and plaid pajama pants (I have a work call later so I'll actually have to change 😬)

12) Favorite song: Some Nights by Fun

13) Favorite instruments: Clarinet (I played for years though, so I'm biased) but I've always loved the piano as well

14) Favorite author: probably Stephen King

15) Aesthetic: beach, coffee shops, vineyards

16) Favorite animal sound: I am not sure that I have one? Never gave this any thought before lol. I do love the splashing sounds of fish in a stream or body of water, I find it very calming.

17) Random: I've been able to recite all the U.S. Presidents (chronologically) by memory since I was 7 years old

I won't tag a full 17 people because I have a lot of the same mutuals as those I'm tagging! @unpredictablybittersweet @pusheen1802 @hopbyers98 @andcontemplation @jopperly @slayernina @callhimnowmarisamylove @roslin @missaudreyhorney

[baldrambo]

I may be a pretty shitty boyfriend, but turns out I’m actually a pretty damn good babysitter.

STRANGER THINGS (2016 - ) Season Two