#amy is a time traveler who is unaware she time traveled bc she comes from a village on little planet

[un-pearable]

so i’ve been pondering the sonic triple threat au again (sonic underground au i’ve been working on about ~a year now that lives in my brain but i always forget to record) and incorporating movie stuff where i like it,, but honestly nothing tops the two year gap where sonic disappears into the wilderness after his foster parents get backstoried and then shows up out of nowhere at uncle chucks with a whole little brother and absolutely no explanations

[shprka]

So I broke down the Video Store Fridays list into categories and thought I'll explain my reasoning when it comes some of them, and especially the characters

Here's Eleven to start with!

- The Book of Henry

(SYNOPSIS: With instructions from her genius son's carefully crafted notebook, a single mother sets out to rescue a young girl from the hands of her abusive stepfather.)

It's the biggest title on the board with several exclamation marks so it's obviously important, possibly the most important film reference for s4 and who else fits the description of "a young girl from the hands of her abusive stepfather" as well as El does

- Pan's Labyrinth

(SYNOPSIS: In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world. She must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again.)

Another step-father giving Dr. Brenner vibes. Also some ppl have the theory that El made up the Upside Down, or that it's her reflection of sorts, a place she can travel or escape to. Also one of the most important movies I feel because it's a fairy tale world but with a dark twist which The Duffers like to do

- Labyrinth

(SYNOPSIS: Sixteen-year-old Sarah is given thirteen hours to solve a labyrinth and rescue her baby brother Toby when her wish for him to be taken away is granted by the Goblin King Jareth.)

Another girl, another trial, another imaginary world. She has to go on trails, travel to this magical world to discover her identity. Identity is a big thing with El in season 4 and the movies below prove that

- Carrie

(SYNOPSIS: Carrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.)

I feel Carrie is always at the back of The Duffer's minds when it comes to El bc it's Stephen King and she also has telekinesis. Also we know El is bullied at school.

- Inside Out

(SYNOPSIS: After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness - conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school)

Pretty self-explanatory. El has a hard time adjusting to her new life in California

- Karate Kid

(SYNOPSIS: Teenager Daniel LaRusso is bullied by Johnny Lawrence, who is adept at martial arts. In order to defend himself, he tries to learn karate from Mr Miyagi, his apartment's kind handyman.)

It deals with bullying and self-defense and having a mentor. That's a speculation on my part but Eleven might find a mentor this season in terms of her powers. Someone who might be able to teach her how to get her powers back perhaps. Or she's gonna learn karate and kick the MF ass

- Kingsman

(SYNOPSIS: A spy organisation recruits a promising street kid into the agency's training program, while a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.)

Another struggling kid with an abusive dad who gets a mentor and his life changes for the better. Could be about El

- Little Miss Sunshine

(SYNOPSIS: A family decide to travel across the country when their daughter wants to participate in a beauty pageant, unaware of what the journey has in store for the)

Haven't seen that film but it has another young girl as a protagonist, a road trip and a road to self discovery

- Little Women 1994

(SYNOPSIS: After their father leaves to fight in the Union Army, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, the four March sisters, and their mother, struggle to live in a 19th century America amidst the Civil War.)

It's giving me Hopper is gone now so Joyce and El have to live without him and support each other and grow. It has Winnona in it so I think it may be about Joyce and El

- Peter Pan

I feel like El is both Peter Pan who knows, lives in and travels, and refuses to leave, the Neverland (Upside Down) and Wendy who has travelled there but ultimately decides to leave and grow up through a road of self-discovery. Another thing that's interesting is that in the 2003 movie Jason Isaacs played both Mr. Darling and Captain Hook so again we have this Dr. Brenner-y interlocking theme of father and villain

- Step Up 2

(SYNOPSIS: Orphaned teenager Andie lives with her mother's best friend, Sarah, and does not care much about school. In an attempt to figure out where she fits, she discovers that her passion lies in dancing.)

El discovers that her passion lies in dancing... lol. But no, there's more self-discovery for a girl with a troubled background

- Stoker

(SYNOPSIS: After the untimely death of her father, India and her mother are left alone in their estate. Soon, the arrival of her uncle Charlie, who she never knew existed, is followed by unexpected developments.)

Death of a father, troubled female protagonist trying to figure herself out, discovering she's not as good of a girl as she thought

- Tangled

An abused girl with magi powers breaking away from her tower/prison and going on adventures and discovering who she is outside of her past. Evil step mom trope, again very Dr. Brenner-y

- Terminator Dark Fate

(SYNOPSIS: An augmented human and Sarah Connor must stop an advanced liquid Terminator from hunting down a young girl, whose fate is critical to the human race.)

A young girl, whose fate is critical to the human race? Well...

- The Wizard of Oz

Magical land of Oz and a young girl who travels there hmm

- Willow

(SYNOPSIS: Willow, a farmer, is entrusted with the task of delivering Elora, a princess who is destined to defeat the evil Queen Bavmorda, to the humans to keep her safe.)

At this point if there's a special young girl who can save the world/defeat great evil then it's about El

- Welcome to the Dollhouse

(SYNOPSIS: Middle-school student Dawn Weiner faces degradation at school -- where she is teased constantly -- and at home. The middle child between nerdy older brother Mark and perky younger sister Missy.)

Bullying, struggling with school and insecurities, and being a weird girl. Hello, El

- Return of thr Jedi

(SYNOPSIS: Luke Skywalker attempts to bring his father back to the light side of the Force. At the same time, the rebels hatch a plan to destroy the second Death Star.)

I don't remember anything from this film but the synopsis says it's about Luke and his evil dad which is very Dr. Brenner-y if you ask me. Also El and Luke have powers and are chosen ones so it fits

- Empire strikes back

(SYNOPSIS: Darth Vader is adamant about turning Luke Skywalker to the dark side. Master Yoda trains Luke to become a Jedi Knight while his friends try to fend off the Imperial fleet.)

Again, bad dads who want to turn you evil, don't we all know it. Also Luke training under Yoda. The mentor trope is strong with this one

- The Orphan

(SYNOPSIS: After losing their baby, a couple adopt a nine-year-old girl. However, they soon make a troubling discovery about her mysterious past and uncover several traits of her disturbing personality.)

Haven't seen the film but the synopsis is pretty self-explanatory. I firmly believe it's a reference to El

- Nightmare on Elm Street 3 Dream Warriors

(SYNOPSIS: The victims, who survive the attack of the dangerous killer Freddy Krueger, learn to control their dreams in an attempt to fight back.)

Victims of the MF vibes. I wonder if that's how they're gonna fight back against it? That they so gain some sort of shared powers? Is it the sort of mind walking we saw El do before? Hmm

- Long kiss goodnight

(SYNOPSIS: Samantha Caine suffers from amnesia. Her mysterious past begins to haunt her, which sets her off on a search to discover her true identity.)

Self discovery and identity!!

- Let the right one in

(SYNOPSIS: Oskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.)

Haven't seen the film but a special girl named Eli??

- Girl interrupted

(SYNOPSIS: A directionless teenager, Susanna, is rushed to Claymoore, a mental institution, after a supposed suicide attempt. There, she befriends a group of troubled women who deeply influence her life.)

Another Winnona movie! Which makes me think it's about El. Finding weird friends? Idk. Finding herself? It seems like

- Edward Scissorhands

(SYNOPSIS: Edward, a synthetic man with scissor hands, is taken in by Peg, a kindly Avon lady, after the passing of his inventor. Things take a turn for the worse when he is blamed for a crime he did not commit.)

Another Winnona movie. Another dead dad (Brenner and Hopper), another orphan taken by a kind lady. Edaward is a special boy so is El

- The Craft

(SYNOPSIS: A new student befriends three teenage girls from her high school who practise witchcraft against those who irk them. However, the consequences of joining the coven turn out to be disastrous.)

Magic, a new girl at school and bullying? El vibes

- Amelie

(SYNOPSIS: Despite being caught in her imaginative world, Amelie, a young waitress, decides to help people find happiness. Her quest to spread joy leads her on a journey where she finds true love.)

Amelie is a special girl who is defined by her imagination. She sees the world how she wants to see it. And she has a lot of things in common with El in that aspect

- Daryl (Movie in theatres at the mall in s3)

(SYNOPSIS: Daryl is a normal 10-year-old boy in many ways. However, unbeknown to his foster parents and friends, Daryl is actually a government-created robot with superhuman reflexes and mental abilities. Even his name has a hidden meaning -- it's actually an acronym.)

Well... foster parents again, a kid that is not what they seem, an government experiment with a unique name relating to their purpose

- Return to Oz (Movie in theatres at the mall in s3)

(SYNOPSIS: Back in Kansas, Dorothy is rescued from a psychiatric experiment by a mysterious girl. Soon, she finds herself back in Oz to fight a vain witch and an evil king intent on destroying the land.)

Psychiatric experiment hmm. And aspecial girl who has to go back to the magical land to defeat a great evil that wants to destroy the world. Maybe we'll see El actually going to the Upside Down

- Firestarter (movie advertised in the Video Store)

(SYNOPSIS: A couple who participated in a potent medical experiment gain telepathic ability and then have a child who is pyrokinetic.)

Parent(s) who participated in an experiment. Having a child who has abilities. And bad guys chasing her, wanting to explore them

- Fifth Element

(SYNOPSIS: Korben Dallas, a cab driver, tries to secure four mystical stones and a mysterious fifth element that alone can defeat a cosmic evil force during an apocalyptic war.)

Leeloo is another special girl, a part of experiment and on a journey to defeat evil.

CONCLUSION:

I don't think it's a big revelation but El will definitely take this season to discover herself, who she is in the "normal" world and deal with normal teen problems, like bullying, as well as discover/deal with her past. I hope there will be some revelations about her past that will be connected more to her opening the gate and her connection to the Upside Down. A few films mention a mental institution and experiments so that's also something to look forward to. She is also the savior and will be detrimental to defeating the MF. I also hope she will travel to the Upside Down this season