#blind max mayfield

[dynamic-power]

HOH Steve Harrington and legally blind Max Mayfield, wreaking havoc everywhere they go

They can't be left alone together anymore because they will always find a way to make themselves a nuisance

[trobeds]

when max goes blind she teaches herself to recognize lucas and el within split seconds of feeling their hands. lucas's are big and rough and always gentle when they hold her and el's hands are small and warm and grip hers in a way that makes her feel like she'll never let go. and max never wants to let go of them either, because in the pitch black, she only feels safe knowing they're by her side - and they are by her side. they always will be.

[givehimthemedicine]

how 4 sets the scene for Blind Max

another reason I suspect she'll have a blindness arc continuing into/through 5 is that I've been thinking about how Max's season 4, from its very first to very last second, lays groundwork de-prioritizing sense of sight for her and often shifting importance onto hearing.

on the surface, this is all just aspects of her depression/curse experience this season, but it all has the side effect of helping prepare her for blindness.

let's go:

do you wanna hear about the deal that I'm making? 🎵

Max's s4 begins with her shutting out the world around her to focus on her music all the time,

and that's before it's revealed to be a very literal lifeline. the special power of music here places enormous importance on sense of hearing (which has also benefitted Will, Victor, and the other Pennhurst inmates)

(deaf Vecna victim: "guess I'll die")

Lucas's basketball game

Max not wanting to attend the game was about not wanting to be seen by Lucas, rather than not wanting to see Lucas. she has no problem seeing Lucas - check out those heart eyes at the pep rally but only when he isn't looking.

she doesn't not care about him. she's just hiding from him.

so they could easily have established Max secretly caring via a scene where she does attend, watching but staying out of sight. maybe it turns out she refused his ticket because she actually already had one. or maybe she gets a ride from Eddie and gets to the gym and reaches for a door handle and hesitates and goes home instead.

instead they chose for her to keep tabs on Lucas without seeing the game at all, by listening instead. (looked upon by a poster with giant eyes lol)

not only tasty as a foreshadow, but a great little touch to set up Max knowing that her connection/enjoyment of her friends and awareness of what's going on doesn't depend solely on her ability to see.

bonus: her only line in that scene? "alright, I hear you" (because that dog barks)

shutting her eyes

Vecna doesn't blind his victims (well. not at the beginning) but instead forces visions upon them, so instead of their actual surroundings they see horrifying things, both literally and in a depression-metaphor way.

anyway, how does Max escape Vecna in DB? she shuts her eyes to the darkness he's forcing her to see, and focuses on the light - the love of her friends - which she knows to be the truth.

that worked the first time, and it worked again to escape the Creel house vision.

where it failed was at the snow ball, I think because Vecna got too much in her head by talking to her, and she couldn't concentrate. (the other two times he didn't talk to her while she was trying to hide in her memories, but this time he won't shut up).

after that, she seems to have given up on shutting her eyes, maybe because Vecna has figured out to target her hearing. because at the next attempt, her eyes stay wide open, and I think she would've been killed except for El interrupting. the third time, her eyes stayed open and she was killed.

avoiding eye contact

4 Max carries on a considerable chunk of her conversations staring off to the side, especially when the topic is herself.

not that this is unique to season 4 or to Max - people just tend to avoid eye contact when uncomfortable. for example, Max barely looks at Lucas throughout the s2 heart to heart on the bus either. this is just part of Sadie's portrayal of Uncomfortable Vulnerable Max, and Max is just that way a whole lot more in 4 than in prior seasons due to being depressed.

still, the end result is Max having her most important conversations with limited visual emotional cues from the other person - a trend that will obviously continue if she's blind.

relatedly, Max was able to deliver two deeply emotional and personal monologues (a supremely uncomfortable task for her) no doubt aided by the fact that her audience wasn't there to make eye contact with:

and like I've talked about before, right after her first Vecna survival, Max grabs and holds Lucas, and hears/responds to him, but it always struck me as weird that at NO point in this scene does she look at anyone:

hm.

relying on her friends' sight

thanks to the visions, Max is starting to find her sense of sight unreliable. so although nothing is currently wrong with her eyes, this puts her in a position where she's already learning to stop relying solely on her own sight, and to consult with her friends and listen to what they say they're seeing when she's unsure.

which she'll be doing a lot more of if she's blind.

not to mention the big plan with Lucas - his whole job is to keep an eye on her and "call in Kate Bush" when it gets too dangerous. so, literally trusting her life to his sight and her hearing.

losing her sight

in the end of course we arrive at literal blindness. Max can't see or feel anything but apparently can hear Lucas.

not sure what to make of potential paralysis (I don't think they'd both permanently blind and paralyze her) but that's where we stand now - with hearing as Max's last known working sense.

which is why we end on Lucas reading to her in hopes that she can hear it. if Max does wake up blind, you can bet that being read to will become one of her primary sources of entertainment. I could totally imagine Max not being ready to withstand a lot of heavy personal conversation, but still wanting to take comfort in her friends' voices.

anyway. losing her sight would be devastating of course, but I like that they've had Max placing major value on her hearing while she still has her sight instead of leaving the entirety of the conversation for when she's blind. and I like that they've had Max already start learning to trust those around her for support.

[justrandomfandomstm]

Stranger things Not-Canon things that i believe are Canon (mostly steve and eddie bc i love them but the others are mentioned) (idc if some cancel eachother idcidcidc)

Steve has a Latin/Italian mom and speaks spanish/Italian

Eddie is southern and loves country music but especially Dolly Parton. (also has the accent slip out when hes mad)

Steve is hard of hearing/deaf

^most if not all of them know asl

Eddie feeds the trailer park cats and has an army of loyal cats

Steve knows how to bake really well

Steve knows a lot about flowers, like a lot. Like he has books and books of it

Max becomes blind and has trouble walking, but she got some powers from when El entered her mind

Steve is dislexic and autistic

Eddie is adhd and autistic

everyone is autistic, honestly. Not one of them is neurotypical

Steve taught Lucas how to play and play every Wednesday in the park

Max and Eddie go on walks to the park every wednesday coincidentaly

Eddie taught Max guitar

Steve and Eddie are daughter parents idc, i cant see them with a son

Nancy is a lesbian

The scoops troop all played dnd together to help Erica learn

Steve and Eddie met when they were much younger and dont remember, but Wayne does and tells the story at their wedding

Eddie or Steve are mechanics, both can be true. Not at the same time though, one is a mechanic and the other constantly need their car fixed. You choose who is who

[autistic-robin]

blind max hc that after the dust settles in hawkins and vecna is defeated, she and the party go back to the arcade and lucas helps her play her favorite games again by narrating what’s on-screen. she’s still number one on the leaderboard in dig dug and is unbeatable even without her sight.

[steveshairychest]

I have a headcanon that Eddie survives, but he loses an eye to the demobats and him and Max go through rehabilitation together as they both learn to navigate the world in a new way.

Max has completely lost her sight and is struggling to adjust, but having Eddie there by her side going through a similar situation really helps her. She often traces her fingers over the now healed scars of Eddie's face and tries to add them to her mental image of him, tries to imagine him with the eye patch that he now wears until he gets a glass eye. He tells her to just imagine a pirate with great hair.

They both spend a lot of time reading, well, Eddie reads to Max and Max laughs at all the terrible voices he does. She doesn't mind that Eddie takes a bit longer to read and sometimes stumbles over words, she knows that he's still adjusting to only being able to see out of one eye.

Eddie picks out a badass pair of sunglasses for Max to wear and even decorates her cane with stickers that he swears are almost identical to the ones on her skateboard. Eddie promises to help her skate again one day.

When they've both fully adjusted to their new lives, Max moves away from her neglectful mother and moves in with Eddie and Steve.

[apocalyptic-byler]

just thinking about how max could be the toph of stranger things

[every-dayiwakeup]

HC: Post Starcourt Billy adopts a therapy dog- a pitbull named Scorpion. Billy calls him "Scorp" for short.

Scorp is a very nervous dog who usually doesn't go up to people, but he immediately goes right up to Billy, who's sitting down, and rests a paw on his knee.

Scorp was abandoned on July 4th, and he hates fireworks, so when Independence Day comes around, he and Billy cuddle together on the couch watching whatever's on TV. They calm each other down. Billy pets Scorp, and Steve holds Billy's hand.

Scorp is very overprotective of Billy.

Billy can't walk him for long- his heart is weak, and he's still going to rehab to strengthen his arms and legs. He can't move as fast anymore, plus he's got a portable oxygen tank to lug around. Scorp doesn't tug or rush him, though.

If Billy tries walking for more than his body can withstand, Scorp will bark at him, turn around, and point his nose in the direction of home, a safe place they share with Steve and his service dog, Lola (Steve has a peanut allergy).

Scorp adores Lola, and Max's seeing eye dog Rex. The jury is still out on Steve, but he's warming up to him.

[winterxisxcomingx]

Max wakes up from her coma, feels two hands holding her hands and hears two voices and the first thing she says is “Are you real?”

[stevieschesthairs]

why am i seeing ppl getting so pressed with max probably becoming blind and not regaining full use of her limbs - “why keep her alive if she’s blind and can’t walk anywhere??” BRO LOOK AT HER ^^ SHES DOING JUST FINE I LOVE HER

[sleepyeye17]

Part 2 of Queen Steve

Words: 664

Notes: This is a sequel to my last short bit, which can me found here, but this can also be a standalone.

Everyone is at Eddie’s new apartment. It’s a small apartment in a cheap complex built to house the people displaced in the earthquake. It was meant to be temporary, but they’ve been here for over a year now. Eddie and Wayne don’t mind. It’s bigger than the trailer was, and it’s two doors down from Max and her mom, which is nice.

The table in the apartment is too small for the whole gang, so they’re eating while lying on the floor. Tonight isn’t a game night, it’s just a general hang-out. Steve is here, bringing pizzas and soda and a big salad that he mostly eats on his own. He and Eddie still haven’t told the kids about their relationship. They certainly haven’t told anyone that Steve does drag in Indianapolis on Saturday nights. 

“Eddie has a girlfriend in the city,” Lucas says, out of the blue. Steve turns to Eddie, looking surprised and anxious.

“What!” Eddie says, “I do not!”

“You do. Max and I saw you come home last night.”

“I didn’t see anything,” Max says. “I’m fucking blind, you insensitive elbow.”

“Shit. Sorry.”

“Forgiven,” Max says simply.

“Anyways, I saw it,” Lucas corrects. “Max and I both heard it. I was bringing Max back from the movies, and Eddie brought a girl home. I saw him take her into his apartment.”

“I heard something,” Max says. “I thought it was Steve though.”

Steve’s eyes are wide and terrified.

“Me!? Not me!”

“It wasn’t Steve,” Lucas says. “It was a girl. She was blonde.”

“Was she hot?” Dustin asks. 

“She looked like Dolly Parton.”

The room explodes with shouts of disbelief.

“You’re lying!”

“I swear,” Lucas says, holding his hands up defensively.

“You’re fucking with us!”

“Why would Eddie pull a Dolly lookalike? That’s not his type at all.”

“How would Eddie pull a Dolly lookalike?”

“Dolly is everyone’s type.”

“Alright!” Eddie looks hard at Steve, hoping that he’ll trust him on this. Steve looks like he might run for the hills before Eddie can do damage control. “First things first. I did not bring home a girl last night.”

“Lucas, you liar,” Mike shouts, smacking Lucas in the arm.

“I saw it!” Lucas yelps.

Eddie holds up one finger.

“Quiet.” 

They fall silent. Eddie knows how to command a room. 

“I didn’t bring a girl home last night. I brought a goddess home. And don’t you ever forget it.” He holds up another finger. Steve’s blush could stop traffic. “SECONDLY. I resent the implication that I can’t get a girl. I can, if I want to. I just usually don’t want to. THIRDLY. My type, as you call it, does not run exclusively to freaks. I am an equal opportunity destroyer. I will now allow for five questions, but I do maintain veto power."

“What’s her name?” Mike asks.

Eddie looks to Steve. Steve’s drag name is Connie Cushion, and Eddie could tell the kids that name without revealing Steve’s identity. But Steve gives an imperceptible shake of his head. Steve’s drag persona is still very personal, and he isn’t totally ready to share Connie with anyone, even if the kids don’t know it’s him.

“Her name is Nunya,” Eddie said. “Nunya B. Swax.”

The kids groan in protest.

“I told you, I maintain veto power.”

“How did you meet her?” El asks.

“At a bar in Indy.”

“Is she a musician?” Dustin asks.

“She sings sometimes, and she can also dance. She’s also a beast at baton twirling.”

“Is that a euphemism?” Mike asks.

“No. She really does twirl a baton. If I was going to make a euphemism it would be better than that.”

“Does she actually look like Dolly Parton?” Max asks.

“She does, although she has brown eyes. She is blonde, and has big hair. She likes wearing white leather jackets and combat boots.”

“Is it serious?” Will asks.

Eddie can feel Steve watching him. He swallows and licks his lips.

“That’s up to her,” he says. 

“Man, you’re whipped,” Erica teases. 

Eddie meets Steve’s gaze and grins. 

“Proudly.”

[rollerskate2theface]

If we get a blind Max in Season 5 and Dustin doesn’t describe shit to her like Foggy does for Matt in Daredevil I don’t want it

[aloeverified]

elumax headcanons pLease <3

elumax my beloved

el has a hard time understanding a lot of movies because of all the references to thing she doesn't understand, so when the three have movie night, they turn it into a lesson where they basically explain different parts of life she hasn't been able to experience yet.

this has caused them to make a bucket list with things to do with el; such as go to theme parks or take her to a museum.

after getting a bit of a better understanding of movies, the group usually settles for horror. max likes them the most, whereas lucas hates them but pretends he likes them to seem cool, and el enjoys them because they're easy to understand.

max often talks about how she misses california, and lucas once made her a promise that he'd take them on a roadtrip there once he gets his license. he loves traveling and seeing new places, and el is excited to see more than just hawkins.

after el comes back to hawkins, she tells max that california wasn't nearly as fun without her there. max tells her that they'll just have to replace her bad memories with better ones and lucas subtlety chimes in that he has his license.

max spends a couple of months in a wheelchair as her arms and legs heal. el and lucas worry that she feels left out and do their absolute best to make sure she's still having fun. lucas thought fun meant going on walks with her in parks where she can smell all the flowers and hear what's going on around her — el though fun meant riding down the largest hill in the park. max liked the second idea, lucas did not.

joyce taught el how to sew while they lived in california, and she actually became very good at it. so when max mentioned that she hated how boring her wheelchair must look, el offered to sew some designs into it. it eventually lead to a group family project, with erica and will coming up with designs that fit max, lucas getting all the sewing supplies, and jonathan helping el with the actual sewing. by the end of it, max has a couple rainbows on the sides below her armrests, mad max spelled out on the back in her favorite colors, and jonathan even made some little skulls in construction class that they were able to attach to the middle of her wheels.

with max being blind, lucas and el decide to come up with alternative date night ideas so that she doesn't feel leftout when they watch movies. they eventually agree on reading to max before bed during their sleepovers. el reads while lucas helps to correct her on words she doesn't understand, all while max enjoys listening to the two before falling asleep.

with joyce's expertise from finding jobs, she's able to find a braille reading class. she signs el and max up for it, and lucas' parents cover his classes. already having experience with learning things like morse code, lucas catches on pretty easily, along with max who has always been a fast learner. el struggles a bit, but tries her best in order to support her girlfriend.

joyce and max's mom actually become good friends, as joyce knows what it's like to struggle with money and lost. the two family's eventually start having dinner together once a week, and joyce always allows max over.

hopper off-handly mentions how much he prefers max and lucas to mike, making both el and will blush for separate reasons.

still, hopper is sure to give lucas a stern talking to about how to treat girls, and erica doesn't hold back when threatening max and el to never hurt her brother.

when max is able to start walking again, el and lucas are always there to help her. she finds it a bit overwhelming at first, and the three are able to establish boundaries about what she does or doesn't want help with.

lucas helps her find the best walking cane, and is even able to add a device that beeps when in contact with certain materials so she can navigate easier when alone.

when max decides she's finally ready to start relearning how to skate, the three of them go down to an abandoned parking lot so she doesn't have to worry about being judged. el even brings her rollerskates and borrows a pair from will so lucas can try too. max struggles through a lot of it, but el is there to catch her and lucas helps in reminding her that they have all the time in the world to practice.

when max was still recovering, she listened to lucas' games on the radio and talked back and forth with dustin on the walkie talkies to see how it was going.

once when el was away and especially homesick, she used her powers to watch lucas during his game. she worried she was breaking their boundaries, however, and didn't do it again despite how badly she wanted to watch his games.

knowing that max is more lenient about her using her powers, el would check on her in the hospital and at night sometimes just to make sure she was okay.

el is always cold at night, whereas max and lucas get too hot with a blanket on, so el just sleeps between them for body heat. occasionally she'll use a weighted blanket and have the others sleep onto of it next to her.

[leslie057]

[ID: a digital sketch of max mayfield dancing with lucas sinclair at their senior prom. max's guide dog sits on the floor next to them. max wears a long red gown with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a red bow at the side of the waist. half of her hair is pinned back and the rest of it is swinging away from her face as lucas spins her. she is smiling brightly, and her eyes are white. she has a small pearl necklace and dark gloves. lucas wears a matching smile and matching clothes. he has a white tuxedo jacket on with his dark shirt, pants, and dress boots. his red cummerbund matches his bow tie, the lining of his jacket, max's dress, and the dog’s harness. he has a short flattop cut. the guide dog next to them is a brown german shepherd with a very fluffy coat of fur. white string lights hang above them at the prom. end ID]

back in june, i started sketching this scene of them dancing. then vol 2 dropped, and now i realize that max may not be able to stand or dance by her senior year :( and that vecna blinded her. so i added a guide dog for her and still love this concept because i think lucas would just be so happy taking them both to prom. he knows he has the two cutest dates ever.

[trobeds]

elumax hcs elumax hcs

yesyesyes babe ily thank you for asking this you are amazing <3

theres a shift in lucas and maxs dynamic after max wakes up from her coma

el is near constantly around, and lucas likes to joke that max is dating both of them (max tells him to shut up a lot, blushing)

its lucas who figures it out first, and he loves max, so he decides hes going to talk to max, ask her what she wants

after a lot of denial and a lot of tears and apologies because it's wrong and gross and shes a terrible person, max listens to what lucas is saying

"its okay. ill take whatever you want to give me. and if that means you love both of us, then thats okay. okay?"

god. max loves him so much.

its really soon after that she gets her shit together and asks el out and the three of them go on a cute little picnic date because theyre fucking adorable like that

this one time el tells lucas and max she hears screams from joyce and hoppers room sometimes and asks them if theyre happy screams

lucas chokes on air while max can't stop laughing beside him

el and lucas qpr because theyre super goddamn close and love each other so fucking much <3

el is the little spoon max is the middle lucas is the big spoon mostly. they switch around sometimes when they feel like it.

piggyback rides. lucas carries max who carries el. and then they fall over

wheelchair tricks!! so!!! many!!!!!! wheelchair tricks

forehead kisses <3

lucas and max bicker about the most random things while el chants "dump his ass! dump his ass!" beside them

cuddle piles

they have a secret handshake

double dates w byler (idk if they'd still be called double dates but yk what I mean)

they watch horror movies and lucas will grab maxs hand to "reassure her" but they both know it's because horror and shit gives him the creeps

lucas reads to el and max and gives then both a little kiss on the forehead when they fall asleep

lucas teaching el how to play basketball while max listens and tries to picture them being adorable <3 "this is for you max!" *blows kiss* *actually makes the shot* "AND HE SCORES!!!!"

"im glad i share a girlfriend with you." i love you. "me too." i love you too.

they love confusing the party about whos dating who. erica finds out first.

max and lucas are the sunshine (el) protectors and they take their duties very seriously

arcade dates (fight then kiss then fight some more)

elumax they are so,,,,, ot3 material. this post has inspired me to finish an elumax wip i have in my drafts so thank you very much for this anon!!

(also people who are reading this youre welcome to send hc requests of your own .... please do i want to ramble about my favs)

[steveshairychest]

I have a headcanon that blind!Max has a giant collection of sunglasses that she likes to wear but like super outrageous and weird sunglasses, a lot of them being gifts from everyone. El helps her pick a pair that matches her outfit and if she doesn't have a pair that matches, they'll make it their goal for the day to find a pair.

Her collection would include things like this: