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euphoniumpets · 1 year

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NO MOURNERS, NO FUNERALS | CHAPTER THREE

Prompt: ''Run, run, that's all we ever do from our past but it will come back haunting us.'' You paused, staring into the brown eyes that you once had fallen in love with. ''Do you think it'll stop before we even die?''

Please don’t plagiarize my work - I spend a lot of my time writing, copying and pasting destroys that.

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x heartrender! reader

Tag list: @athenasproverbs @natsgaygf @lyria-skyfall @crystallizedtime @xcharlottemikaelsonx @honeynicoole @motheroffae @queenofshinigamis @outlawqueen17 @wolfleah @natsgaygf @dumb-fawkin-bitch

Warnings: blood and gore, ptsd, trauma flashbacks, violence.

A/N: thank you for reading the series and i'm welcoming the new followers on my account! if you want to get me know better, click navi on my info box :)

prologue - one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - eight - nine - ten

Getting the Heartrender was not an easy task. Kaz had to send in Y/N to complete the job, knowing that she would acomplish it. After trying to convince the heartrender, she finally gave in as they walked with the heartrender to the Dressen. ''I really appreciate the new buisness, but you only paid for an hour of my time, and I have to go back to the Orchid,'' You heard her speak.

''The Orchid isn't safe tonight, your life is in danger with this job, make yourself sacre for a few days,'' Kaz told her. ''Mr. Brekker, are you threatening me? Even if I'm nice, my boss will call the standwatch on you,'' She remarked.

''It's not me you're in danger with, it's Pekka Rollins,'' Kaz told her. ''Which is why, your boss is alredy dead,'' You replied with a shrug on your shoulders. ''Who are you lot?'' The man behind the gate asked them.

''We're here to see Dressen,'' Kaz told him as you stayed from behind. ''You're not with Pekka's crew,'' The man said and narrowed his gaze toward Kaz and the group behind him. ''And you're not in Pekka's pocket anymore if you don't owe him,'' Kaz retorted and throws a bag of coins through the gate at the man.

You watched from afar and sees the man caught whatever Kaz had thrown at him. You saw Kaz nodding his head toward you as you gestured to the others to follow after him. ''Did you do what I think you did?'' You asked him.

''I did,'' He responded with a smirk. You shook your head with a smile before you heard the man exclaim from afar. ''Hey, where did you get that coin?'' Jesper asked Kaz.

''Hey! One of these has a hole in it!'' The man from the gate exclaimed. ''Saints,'' Jesper commented as the door opened.

''Get inside, get inside,'' Kaz urged them as the group rushed inside and followed Dressen men inside. ''One look and I can tell, criminals,'' Dressen commented.

''I'm not meeting anyone til midnight,'' He said. ''We heard you needed a heartrender,'' Kaz told him as Dressen stood up. ''Alright, she stays, the rest of you: out,'' He spoke as the heartrender was about to move forward but Kaz stopped her with his cane. ''She stays, and we have an exclusive on this job,'' Kaz replied.

''Mr. Brekker, no buisness man worth his salt hires his first applicant,'' Dressen says and moves to sit on the front of his desk. The man moved his jacket to show the gun, Jesper does the same.

''You wouldn't,''

''Try him,'' You spoke with a smirk. ''No buisness man worth his salt bargains for what he can take,'' Dressen said before he walks towards Kaz. ''I have to get back in an hour,'' The heartrender spoke. ''Alright, come on,'' Dressen spoke as they followed after Dressen.

Walking down the stairs and to the basement, you saw a figure with his hands tied up and a bag that covered his face. ''Who's this?'' Kaz asked as Dressen looked at the four of you. ''So, you don't know everything after all, this is Alexei Stepanov,'' He introduced and removed the bag, only to show a scared boy, no older than the lot of them.

''Two weeks ago, young Alexei here crossed the Fold on foot, alone,'' He informed and you widened your eyes, surprised. ''How?'' Inej asked him. ''They're keeping it quiet, but allegedly he was one of the few witnesses too, an event,'' He informed.

''Water,'' Alexei croaked out and you watched Inej step over and poured him a glass of water. ''What glass of event?'' Kaz questioned and you can tell that the poor boy was scared by the heartbeat of his own.

''I know an expedition was swarmed by Volcra, should have been a total loss, but something happened,'' Dressen explained before he continued. ''Some device detonated, obliterated by Volcra, lit up the dark like a forest fire, I know it wasn't a fire or else no one would have survived, this was some invention no one had seen before, he knows, but he doesn't seem to be able to articulate his accounts of events,''

''So,'' Dressen trailed off and reached out his hands to the heartrender. The heartrender looked at Kaz for approval as he nodded. Inej moved back to the group as the heartrender approached Alexei. ''You're safe now,'' She told him with a soft voice and reached her hand to brush her hand against his face.

She moved her hand to run against his palm and calmed his heartbeat. ''Now you can speak and I will just listen,'' She said.

''All right,'' Alexei spoke with a sigh.

''Tell me what happened in the Fold, who saved you?''

''You won't believe me, but, it was a Sun Summoner,'' Inej let out a gasp, looking toward at Kaz and Y/N. They didn't believe it, but if Dressen believed it, you knew that he would hire you to do the job.

''Who was it?'' Dressen asked him and leaned slightly forward. ''If I tell you, you'll set me free?'' He asked and you sighed. Poor soul.

''You have my word, I'll set you free,'' He replied. ''You're in Ketterdam now, Alexei, you can go anywhere in the world from here,'' The heartrender nodded in agreement. ''Just imagine,''

''Her name, is Alina Starkov,'' Alexei revealed. ''Alina Starkov?'' Alexei nodded his head. ''Good boy, show me the manifest,'' Dressen said and looked through a stack of papers.

''Perfect,'' Dressen replied as Alexei looked at him. ''You'll set me free, now?'' He asked. ''Thank you, of course,'' Dressen spoke and then turned around with a gun and shoots Alexei in the head. The Heartrender let out a scream, while you flinched toward the sound of the gunshot that ringed in the air. You watched as he walked over to Alexei's lifeless body to see if he was dead.

''We are now the only people west of the Fold with this information, my ships sails for west Ravka at dawn, if you can prove that you have a way through the Fold and back, I'll put you on that ship with an advance, if you don't, I'm giving this job to Pekka Rollins,''

''Give me a day, I'll have a plan,'' Kaz told him.

''You have until sunrise, then your ship will have sailed, Mr. Brekker, the prize is one million Kruge, now bring me Alina Starkov,''

Back at the office, Inej, Y/N, and Kaz was riffling through the pages, trying to find the solution fo crossing the Fold and finding Alina Starkov. ''What was that? Hmm? You want to tell me?'' Inej asked and looked at you and Kaz.

''Be more specific,'' You questioned her. ''It was one thing we had a week to find a way across the Fold, but sunrise? We have to say no,'' Inej spoke.

''No,'' You and Kaz spoke in sync. ''No to the job?'' Inej asked and furrowed her brows. ''No to saying no,'' Kaz remarked.

''We can't go,'' Inej snapped. ''Can't we?'' You asked and stood up straigher. Inej lifted her arm to show the tattoo on her wrist at you. You hated the tattoo because it symbolized that someone owned her, granted, you were the one who owned her and you tried to find a way to release her from the Mengarine. But Tante heleen was a stubborn kind.

''I can't go,'' She spoke in a softer tone. ''You will, we have a plan,'' You responded and looked at Kaz who nodded. ''No, you don't,'' Inej replied as you sighed with frusteration.

''I know by now when you're still figuring things out, you don't know how to pull off this job,'' Inej spoke and looked at Kaz. ''I still have six hours and right now, you aren't helping,'' Kaz sneered and you looked at him with a stern expression.

''Kaz,'' You warned him. ''Maybe you crack away across, but that doesn't solve the problem!'' Inej exclaimed and shoved her tattoo in Kaz's face.

''If I can't crack this, no one's going,''

''If you do?''

''Then maybe you stay here,'' Kaz snapped and you looked at him with a disapproval expression while Inej looked at him with a hurt expression. You sighed. ''Maybe I won't be back here when you get back,'' Inej replied in a low voice, but you and Kaz still heard her.

''Inej,'' You spoke before she runs off into the rain, leaving no sound in her wake. ''Inej!'' Kaz tried to stop her and drops his head as he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes with frusteration.

You sighed and walked towards him. Kaz turned around and you could see the guilt in his eyes. ''I am a idiot,'' He spoke and you smiled softly before lifting his chin up with your finger. He looked into your eyes.

''Yes, but a pretty one,'' You remarked with a grin and smiled at you. ''I'll talk to her, she will listen to me,'' You replied with a soft voice. ''I doubt that she's going to listen to you,'' Kaz responded, making you roll your eyes at him.

''You always underestimate her, and I still don't know why, I see the potentional in her,'' You spoke. ''I know,'' You watched him sigh.

''Give her a chance, you know I didn't bought her without a reason,'' You replied. Kaz knew that you didn't bought her without a reason, from the moment you met Inej at the Mengarine, you always had a soft spot for the Suli girl, thus a beautiful friendship had forged that was pratically family. You were never the keen of having friends, since you lived in Ketterday, people was hard to trust knowing that they would betray you or sooner.

please comment what you think of this chapter! reblogging always helps.

#kaz brekker x reader #dirtyhands x reader #inej gafha #jesper fahey #six of crows #pekka rollins #alina starkov #nina zenik #matthias helvar #the darkling #aleksander morovoza

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thegayhimbo · 1 year

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Stranger Things Kamchatka Review (and my thoughts on the Russian arc as a whole)

Warning: The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS from the comic, as well as season 4 of Stranger Things!

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things "The Game Master" and "Erica's Quest"

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons

Synopsis: In dark wintry Russia, Soviet scientists and military personnel oversee a new weapon they hope to use in their Cold War against the United States: A Demogorgon. To this end, they have enlisted the help of Dr. Boris Orlov to give them a device that will allow the monster to maintain its full strength. However, when Orlov refuses them and hides the device, he is taken prisoner to Kamchatka where the Demogorgon is being held. Now, with the help of an ex-KGB agent named Mr. Frost, it's up to Orlov's children, Anna and Lenoid, to save their father and prevent the device from falling into the Kremlin's hands......

Observations:

This is going to be a different review from what I usually do. The first part of this will discuss the comic itself and its merits/flaws, whereas the second will give more details about my thoughts concerning the Russian arc from seasons 3-4 and its placement on the show.

Part 1: The Comic

There are two ways I judge this comic: As an individual story, and how it ties into the Stranger Things universe.

In regards to the former, the comic works well as a thrilling Cold War spy narrative. It's fast-paced, the fight and chase scenes are intense, and it manages to capture the paranoia of living in the Soviet Union during a time when your words and actions were monitored and there was the constant threat of the KGB coming to arrest you for being a traitor to the motherland.

The artwork is impressive. From the white and grey hues depicting the bleak endless winters of Russia, to the ominous red and orange lighting of the prison, this comic does a great job with its dark colors and use of shadows to creepy effect:

On top of that, this is arguably one of the most violent comics in the series, which is saying something given the show it's based on. They do not shy away from depicting graphic scenes here:

The way the Demogorgon attacks its prey reminds me of the viciousness the Xenomorphs from the Alien series displayed towards their victims. Given how 80s movies like Aliens served as inspiration for Stranger Things and for the design of the Demogorgon in the first place, this was likely a subtle nod to that. The comic writers and artists know how to utilize the Demogorgon for all its scariness and brutality. Considering the same people for this comic have written another story (The Voyage) featuring the Demogorgon stalking and killing the crew of a freighter ship (which sounds similar to the plot of the first Alien movie), they're planning on milking the monster for all it's worth.

There are two main antagonists besides the Demogorgon: The first is Ivan Kolochev, who comes across like Darth Vader if he was a Russian KGB agent. He's the one who hunts the kids in order to get their father's device, and it's revealed he was the former protégé of Mr. Frost during the time they both served the Kremlin. Ivan later turned on Frost for becoming soft in his eyes, which forced Frost to go into hiding and abandon his wife and daughter for their own safety:

The second antagonist is Dr. Karine. She's the one overseeing the Demogorgon at Kamchatka, and was revealed to have worked under Alexei and General Stepanov when they first tried (and failed) to open the gate to the Upside Down on June 28th, 1984. She was one of the survivors from the blast, and later discovered a pollywog that she nursed into adulthood:

Best way I know how to describe her is she's similar to Dr. Irina Spalko from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in their ruthlessness, their desire to advance the Soviet Union's cause, and their fascination with abnormal branches of science. They even look physically similar in some respects:

In terms of the main characters, Mr. Frost was the interesting one. A man who ran from the KGB for 15 years and was skilled enough to survive and help two kids who were out of their depth. The story behind him abandoning his family for their safety was sad, and his reunion with daughter later on is heartwearming:

My only criticism of Frost is I wish they'd gone more in depth about his mindset. He tells the kids at the beginning of the comic he's disillusioned with what his country has become, and flashbacks show him becoming lenient in his interrogations, which gets him in trouble with the Kremlin. However, they never elaborated on how he got to that point. They never clarify if he began developing empathy for the Americans who were being tortured by the KGB, if he became tired from years of interrogating prisoners, if he began to fear he was turning Ivan into a monster by taking him in as a pupil, or if something else happened that made him re-evaluate his beliefs.

There's also his relationship/rivalry with Ivan. From the way Frost tells it, he raised Ivan like a son when he found him on the streets and took him in, only to later be betrayed by Ivan because he would "take the Americans side" whenever Ivan tortured prisoners. At the end of the comic though, Ivan accuses Frost of caring more about the rules and the state than about him, suggesting he felt Frost personally betrayed him.

Maybe it was intentionally written to be vague and let the audience decide who was more at fault for Ivan's descent into sadism, but considering we don't get many scenes showing what Ivan and Frost's relationship was like before they fell out with one another, it comes off like an aspect of the story (and Frost's character) that wasn't properly fleshed-out.

As for the kids and Dr. Orlov, they're pretty flat as characters. Anna and Lenoid have scenes showing they care for one another, but they don't really have personalities beyond them trying to find their father. Same for Dr. Orlov: Aside from one moment where he briefly delays Dr. Karine's plans by screwing over another scientist, he's basically a Damsel in Distress (or in this case, a Dude in Distress) waiting to be rescued. There isn't a lot to these characters that's engaging.

And this brings me to the crux of the problem I have with this comic: Setting it in the Stranger Things universe.

If this was just an individual Cold War thriller taking place in Russia, that would be one thing. In fact, I argue this comic works better if it isn't tied to Stranger Things. Just tweak a few plot details, change the Demogorgon to a different monster, and you have an original and unique story. By trying to shove it into the Stranger Things narrative, it creates a whole host of issues.

For one thing, it's highly unlikely Dr. Orlov or Anna and Lenoid are going to make a canonical appearance on the show. Because of that, it's hard to get invested in them or their story, and it doesn't help that the two characters who were interesting (Frost and Ivan) die at the end of the comic. There's maybe the possibility of Dr. Karine showing up in season 5, but since she made no appearance in season 4 during the Kamchatka arc, I seriously doubt that.

I've said this before, but I'm tired of them focusing on characters who either aren't important to the main plot, or aren't canonically part of the show. I'm not opposed to them doing a comic set in Russia, but it should help enhance the ongoing story and characters from the show instead of being a pointless side detour with Easter Eggs sprinkled in.

Take Hopper for instance: He spent 8 months imprisoned at Kamchatka prior to season 4. Why not write a story that focuses on his time there and how he learned to survive the harsh conditions of the prison and his torture by the Russians? Why not give more details about how he met Enzo/Dmitri, how they came to trust each other, and how they formed their initial plan for Hopper to escape?

For that matter, why not have a comic focused on Enzo/Dmitri? They could go more into detail about his life as a prison guard at Kamchatka, his relationship with his son, and so on.

Same with Yuri. I don't particularly like his character, but he at least was relevant to the show, and has a backstory as the "Peanut Butter Smuggler" that's ripe with potential.

They did this with Will and Bob in Tomb of Ybwen, and they did this with Dustin and Suzie in Science Camp, so I don't see why they couldn't have done that for either Hopper, Enzo, or Yuri.

Then there's the plot involving the McGuffin: A device created by Dr. Orlov that amplifies telekinetic abilities which Dr. Karine wants to keep the Demogorgon alive. Long story short: The Demogorgon is slowly dying because it can't live in our world and needs to be connected to its source (the hive mind) which the device allows it to do.

Now maybe I'm remember this wrong from the show (and feel free to correct me in the comment section if that's the case), but my understanding was that Demogorgons, Demodogs, and anything infected by the Mind Flayer (which was revealed to be controlled by Vecna) would cease living if the gate closed. There was a whole deal made in season 2 about getting the Mind Flayer particles out of Will before El shut the gate at Hawkins Lab because he would die otherwise.

However, when it comes to the Soviet's Demogorgon, I was under the impression it wasn't infected by the Mind Flayer, which is why it was still alive once the Russian Gate closed in season 3.

Same thing for the Demodog on the operating table that was being vivisected: My impression was it didn't have the Mind Flayer particles in it either, which is why it was active before Hopper shot it.

All of this makes the telekinetic device used to keep the Demogorgon alive look like a major plot-hole. The Soviet Demogorgon is never seen wearing the device once on the show, even though the comic puts a major emphasis on needing to wear it to survive.

It seems like an unnecessary element to the mythology given the show didn't bother to include it, and it's one I don't care for.

(Side Note: This is a question that's bothered me for a while now, but was the Hive Mind already a part of the Upside Down before Vecna arrived there, and he simply hijacked it when he used the black particles to create the Mind Flayer? Or did Vecna create the Hive Mind by forming the Mind Flayer and using that to infect almost every living being in the Upside Down and link their minds to his?)

Overall, my feelings about this comic are mixed. Some aspects like the artwork, the tone, and the Cold War setting work well, but the characters aren't memorable and the attempts to link the story to the Stranger Things Universe is handled in a clumsy way.

Part 2: The Russian Arc

When it comes to the Russian Arc in seasons 3-4. I know the general consensus has been fans questioning the point of it, with feelings ranging from indifference to outright negativity. In many ways, I get it. Out of all the directions they could have gone with the main story, this is not one I expected them to go either, and I'm still wondering whether there's a future payoff coming that will make it all worth it.

That being said, I don't hate this arc like some people do, and I even know a few people who like it. My dad for instance, who grew up in the 50s and 60s during the height of Cold War paranoia and the fear of Russians infiltrating the United States, thought the show did a good job recapturing those feelings and memories. He also liked how the show emphasized how the danger of the Upside Down wasn't just limited to Hawkins, and that it was important to show Vecna as a threat worldwide. I can see his perspective, and it has made me reevalute some aspects of the arc again, but my feelings still remain mixed at best.

I know when Season 3 came out in 2019, there was a podcast with the Duffer Brothers and producer Shawn Levy giving details about their reasoning for introducing the Russians:

Shawn Levy: “We’ve seen the Americans and now the Soviets trying to harness the power that seems to reside in the Upside Down through that gate. We’ve seen both sides of the Cold War now try to tap into it and control it in order to weaponize it so it felt like a really compelling way to take a real-world fear, an actual authentic historical paranoia, and to mix it with a very specific sci-fi genre plot that is unique to Stranger Things.”

Matt Duffer: “We always struggled a little bit with the U.S. government as the bad guys because there’s only so many times you can punch and/or kill U.S. government or military personal before you get locked away in America. So in a sense, they [The Russians] were an easier human villain because we could do a lot more with them.”

On paper, the writers wanting to explore themes relating to the Cold War and delve more into the paranoia surrounding the Red Scare wasn't a bad idea on its own. The way it was executed on the show, however, left a lot to be desired.

I'm not a fan of how the Russians were depicted in season 3. Not only did they come off as cartoonish buffoons and stereotypes, but they weren't threatening as antagonists. I never got the sense of menace or the intimidating presence I felt when Dr. Brenner or Colonel Sullivan's men showed up looking for El and anyone associated with her. And compared to villains like Dr. Brenner and Vecna, who evoked feelings of fear and revulsion, I felt no similar emotions for the Russians because I had a hard time taking them seriously. My suspension of disbelief breaks whenever I think too hard about how they were able to build their underground base at Starcourt Mall in less than a year. They were portrayed in such a bumbling manner that I didn't buy it.

Even Alexei is a character I'm not a fan of. There was always something irksome to me about the show portraying him in a childlike, naive manner in spite of the fact he knowingly opened a portal to a different dimension to capture monsters to use as weapons, which ended up getting a bunch of people killed in the process. The ONLY thing I liked about this arc was the formation of the Scoops Troop and the interactions between Steve, Dustin, Erica, and Robin.

Season 4 is different: Part of this may be due to a different perspective considering this season came out 3 months after the real life Russian Invasion of Ukraine, but the Russians were creepy compared to the previous season. There was a sadistic, cruel inhumanity to the way they acted that made them menacing. The vicious torture of Hopper. The pit where prisoners were fed to the Demogorgon and the whole thing being treated for sport by the guards. The lack of any basic human rights for the prisoners at Kamchatka. Even the vivisection of the still-alive demodog was horrifying. There was a brutality from the Russians that was chilling to watch, and it made them more insidious than before.

I liked the Russian arc in season 4 better than season 3. I enjoyed Enzo/Dmitri's character and loved the friendship that developed between him and Hopper. I liked seeing Hopper's character development where he became more level-headed and introspective compared to how impulsive and hot-headed he was in season 3. I enjoyed the break-in to the prison and how reminiscent it was of video games like the Resident Evil and Outlast series in tone, setting, and sense of danger. I also loved both fights between Hopper and the Demogorgon, despite how corny some people claim they were.

Just because something has flaws doesn't mean it can't have good elements to it as well. Compared to controversial arcs from other TV shows, this one had enjoyable moments, and it's not one I mind rewatching again.

I acknowledge that all of this is my personal opinion, and I don't speak for everyone in regards to how they feel about the Russian arc.

I also recognize there are still questions that need to be answered for season 5. Like how the Russians found out about the Upside Down in the first place: Was there a mole at Hawkins Lab that Dr. Brenner was unaware of, or did they discover it through other means? How did they get that piece of the Mind Flayer into the glass case without getting infected by it? Is Kamchatka the only facility that houses monsters from the Upside Down, or are there others? Do the Russians know about Vecna? What happened to Enzo and Yuri, and are they coming back? Will the Russians return to Hawkins to exact revenge for the destruction of their facility at Kamchatka, or to try and capture more monsters from the Upside Down?

In spite of these questions, I am willing to give the Duffer Brothers the benefit of the doubt in believing they will tie this together. As I've said before, I'm still looking forward to season 5! :)

#stranger things #stranger things kamchatka #stranger things comics #jim hopper #dmitri antonov #enzo #yuri ismaylov #demogorgon #demodogs #vecna #the mind flayer #tgh opinions #tgh reviews #the duffer brothers #stranger things season 3 #stranger things season 4 #dr. karine #alexei #alexei stranger things

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